Christchurch

January 30, 2009

On our second last day in NZ we didn’t do much. Spent some time in used book stores (you read a lot when you travel) and then we thought we would take our friends to a very nice restaurant.

This brings me to a topic that I have been meaning to mention. Screens. Actually it is the lack of screens. Since most of NZ doesn’t have any bugs to speak of they don’t have screens in any of their windows. Now this might sound like a good thing but you need to know that there are dangers associated with this.

If, for example, someone (no names of course) decided that it might be a better thing if the toilet window was open and if (just if) someone’s cat jumped in the window and set off a house alarm while everyone was at dinner in a really nice restaurant then the obvious conclusion would be that the particular someone would be blameless. I mean I don’t know how anyone could come to any other conclusion.

So anyway if you are ever in a really fancy restaurant in downtown Christchurch called Tiffany’s, with a waiter who doesn’t know what a mojito is, just remember that being thoughtful about ventilation can be cancelled out by the odd cat.

Enough said. Don’t you think?

Christchurch South Island New Zealand

January 28.29, 2009

Spent some lazy time sponging off of Bruce and Carolynn. They rent a house fronting on a waterfowl sanctuary and the views out of their kitchen are great. Went into downtown Christchurch and screwed around for a bit. On the 29^th all four of us went up to the hot springs at Hanmer Springs and spent some time in the sulphur pools. Took years and years off our bodies. We left there teenagers (for the most part). Lana, in particular, looked no older than 14 when we left. Probably will be had to explain when we get back to Canada but we can only hope that the effects are temporary.

Oamaru to Lake Tekapo

January 26.27, 2009

Decided at the last minute to detour into the interior again to see Mt. Cook from the eastern side. We saw it at a distance as we went down the West Coast but thought a closer view would be in order. Turned away from the coast and ascended up into the high alpine as we got near the southern alps.

For a few hours we could have sworn we were back in BC with the high hills covered in short brown grass and the snow covered ranges rising in the background.

Entered into Mt. Cook national park with the ranges looming overhead. Great views of the front of the glaciers in the mountains. Walked most of the way into Hooker Valley to get a better view of Mt Cook (largest mountain in the Southern Alps). Went over the suspension bridges across the glacier fed river. The water had that peculiar colour that comes only from melting glaciers.

Ended up at Lake Tekapo which has the darkest nights in NZ. So much so that there are a number of observatories at the top of the hills.

Drove the next day through a rain storm to Christchurch where we were due to return the “Beast” (our faithful Land Cruiser) to our friends Bruce and Carolynn. The rain was welcomed by the locals as it had been a very dry summer. Kinda of funny however to look through the pouring rain and see all the fire danger signs warning about the “extreme” danger.

Stopped to change the oil and wash the beast before we returned it. It seemed the least we could do for them loaning it to us for the last three weeks.

Dunedin to Oamaru

January 25, 2009

Quick look at the picture (remember to double click to enlarge it) and see if you can find the penguins in it. There is a prize involved and there is a bonus if you can tell me what species they are. No luck huh. Too bad.

Left Dunedin by way of a trip up to the summit of Mt. Cargill which is the big hill overlooking the city. Other than being crowded by a plethora (nice word huh) of antenna and telecommunication that masks the view of the harbour and the area was fabulous. Headed up the coast road (the scenic route of course) to Oamaru. Stopped for a really nice burger at the Seaview café (which was in the middle of nowhere) except that Lana didn’t really like the three or four generous pieces of beetroot on the burger. Hoped for some views of dolphins but had to settle for the famous boulders of Moeraki.

As far as I was concerned, they looked exactly like large dinosaur eggs that had been laid on the beach and of which some of them had hatched. Look at the picture.

Oamaru itself is a town that time passed by. They had some of the best Victorian/Empire type buildings from the day when they were an important shipping port but since then things haven’t been going quite as well. On the other hand they were the site of the last whiskey distillery in NZ and all of the last stocks are stored at a beautiful old limestone building called Whiskey. If you go there try the 20 year old cask unfiltered stuff. Knocks your socks off.

Oamaru is also the site of a blue penguin colony although you have to pay to watch from a grandstand as them come in from the sea at sunset. We decided instead to go to a beach nearby and waited for a few hours (in perfect weather mind you) to wait for the yellow eyed penguins to come ashore. They eventually did and the way they just pop out of the waves is nothing sort of magic. The beach is empty and then it isn’t.

They spend all day out catching fish and then come home to a bunch of people on the cliffs watching them. Made me think that we were in a suburban neighbourhood watching a bunch of autoworkers come home, chat with the neighbours and then preen their feathers before they gathered up enough courage to face the family. In this case they eventually made their way to their burrows up in the scrub behind the beach.

Had a drink at the local pub with one of the locals who had spent a career in the bush cutting timber but who now whips off oil paintings (which are pretty good) when the mood strikes him. He was an interesting guy, who was missing a few teeth, and who thought that Canadians were the same as Americans. When I asked him if that meant Ozzies (Australians) were the same as Kiwis he got very offended at first and then apologized to all Canadians.

When we left the next morning we checked under the car for penguins as they sometimes get lost and end up around town. Always better safe then sorryl

Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula

January 23.24, 2009

With the City Centre nicely confined, and the farmlands visible around the water, Otago Harbour has to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Big ships can only get part of the way in (through an incredibly narrow headlands) and maybe that is the reason it has kept its charm.

After driving the water level lower road to the end of the Otago peninsula in the hopes of seeing a Royal Albatross we took the high road back. Now there is a Royal Albatross colony at the end of the peninsula but the price of $39/person was a little out of our range. (What a shame for a country with so many free museums to hold the birds up for ransom like that).

Anyway, we did get close to a fur seal on the rocks and I did catch a couple of glimpses of the big birds as they soared over cliffs. Out around the “narrows” leading into the harbour was the strangest fog bank I have ever seen. It was thick enough to seriously delay one of the cruse ships from coming in on time but it was limited just to a specific area. It also stayed there for the whole day. Bizarre.

Stopped at NZ’s only “castle”. Really just a big mansion but it and the gardens had been restored. It wasn’t worth the $25/person for the castle tour but the $10/person just to wander around the grounds was a good price. For those of you who have been to Casa Loma in Toronto it has a history sort of like that except that this guy had three wives and …. never mind.

The real fun part was taking a number of the single (and I mean single lane) gravel roads that cover the other side of the peninsula. The views of beaches, salt flats and bays are really tremendous and well worth the extra driving. The roads are frequently steep and we did have one close call with another car on a blind curve (must have been his fault because he didn’t curse at me) but the areas are windswept and seem very remote for all their proximity to the town.

The next day was strictly walking as we went down the long hill to the historic railway station. Since it is, reputedly, the most photographed building in NZ we didn’t take a picture of it but enjoyed it nonetheless. Had breakfast at the Farmer’s Market there (I recommend the Bacon Buttie) from a stall and then went on a walking tour of the downtown and shopping areas. Visited the museum (once again a very good one and free to boot) and tried to avoid all the American tourists in town from the cruise ship.

Had an overpriced beer at a side walk café in the Octagon, which is the circle like plaza/park that is the heart of the city. Since the temperature was a little cooler than yesterdays 27C (80F) the hill back up wasn’t as bad. Had a nice talk with one of the hostel owners about her four month old baby (she was from Chicago) who wasn’t wearing a diaper. Some kind of theory about reading the baby’s feelings and knowing when it was going to “go”. Sounded dangerous to us but then again there weren’t any accidents as we were sitting there.

On the road again tomorrow.

Bluff to Dunedin

January 22, 2009

Ok the first thing is that I didn’t get sick on the ferry on the way back. It was a calm day, I had eaten the ginger extract tablets that they sold on the dock and I also took advantage of the free earplug they give you if asked. Apparently one earplug lessens motion sickness. I didn’t care as long as it would help prevent me from reliving the fish and chips from last night.

The clouds were racing high overhead (actually they are always racing here) but the seas were pretty calm for this section of the world. We would miss Stewart Island but I wouldn’t miss the ride.

Next, we headed up the east coast of the south island heading through green fields full of sheep. We out ran the rain in Bluff and the weather got noticeably warmer as we drove. Slammed on the brakes at one point and did a U-turn as we passed a sign proclaiming that Niagara Falls was to the right. They were right. Here is a picture.

Up the coast farther through twisting roads and, since we followed the scenic route signs, about 30 km of one and half lanes of loose gravel roadway. I use the term lanes loosely as it means that two cars should be able to pass. Should be anyway.

Saw some great coastal scenery and buzzed through a lot of small (really small) towns that were anything but tourist traps. Finally rolled into Dunedin (Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh) in the late afternoon. The City was once the financial capital of NZ, and the centre of a gold rush area, so there are some amazing colonial stone structures about all looking like the very essence of the British Empire.

Found, to my horror, that much of the City is built on steep streets and that my skills with the stick, brake and clutch were to be tested once again. (I thought this was supposed to be relaxing.) Having arrived here by bus the last time I had forgotten that.

We did walk down to the City centre to buy groceries and then back up a really large hill. Nice hostel through, as long as you don’t have to leave. Of course we could have taken the car but then we wouldn’t be getting “in shape”.

Stewart Island

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January 21, 2009

Our second day on Stewart Island started out clear and calm. Our first stop was at a local bakery (and health spa) run by an expatriate American by the name of Britt. She came to Stewart Island 10 years ago to do her PhD thesis in geology and never left. Now she works 10 hours/day (every day) for six months and travels for the rest of the time. She makes really good scones and soups in her tiny one person bake shop. My advice would be to have the cranberry scone but ask her to skip the pound of butter on top. She also offers cheap wireless access and is very nice.

Today’s trip is to Ulva Island, which is a protected reserve inside of Paterson Inlet. Before people showed up in New Zealand, it was populated almost completely by birds. They filled all the niches normally filled by mammals elsewhere. (The only native mammals in New Zealand were the bats). They are still worried about rats coming back. See the sign.

Ulva Island is only about 250 hectares (roughly 500 acres) in size with a really nice series of paths from one end to the other. The interior is very jungle like and it echoes with lots of birdcalls. We did see some of the species on the island. One, a weka, kept trying to get into our packs at one of the beach stops. Another, a NZ parakeet, wasn’t to be seen on the walkways but turned out to have a nest right over the hut on the wharf.

The only way to get there is by a water taxi ride. This being the “roaring 40’s” the water taxis are all capable of riding out three metre (10 ft) waves. (That is in the protected waters of the inlet – you don’t want to even think about the ocean side). While we were waiting for the taxi to take us to the island we watched some of the park staff and a couple of locals take a stretcher out of a boat with an older woman on it. Turns out that she broke a leg “up a creek” as one of them put it.

After four hours on the island we walked, in the rain (because it rains almost every day), back up and over the hill (because there are always hills on the island) to the pub. After the pub, we had some fish and chips with the local specialty blue cod at the (only) fish and chips stand.

That night it rained – all night. What a surprise! If you are thinking of going to Stewart Island you should, as it really is a magic place. Just be prepared for 17C maximum (62F) and take lots of quick dry clothes. Oh and the ferry is $60/person each way but that does include as many of the little paper (vomit) bags as you can use.

Stewart Island - South of Everything

January 20, 2009

Stewart Island is the “other” island of NZ. In Maori legend the North Island was a big fish caught by a hero and the South Island was the canoe that he was in. Stewart Island was the anchor that they threw out to stop the canoe. The island has a year round population of 360 people with another couple of hundred visiting as tourists during the better weather.

The good news is that there is never snow on the island. The bad news is that it is located in the “roaring 40s”. That means that it is almost always windy and rain can come at any time.

Most of the island is a national park and this is a place where the kiwi still thrives. Some of the off shore islands around it are predator free and for many of the native birds this is their last refuge. The deluge of rats, pigs, dogs, cats, mongooses and more have devastated them on the two big islands.

To get to Stewart you generally take a ferry. Now I am not a good sailor especially when you don’t have anything to do but look at the waves. This ferry held about 100 people and was designed for this route. It was also a catamaran and that means it floats like a cork on the top of the waves.

Today wasn’t a bad day for this trip with about two to three metre waves and a 30 kilometre wind. Personally I hated it. The ship went up and down with the waves frequently well above the window level. I spent half the trip clutching the rail on the back deck and getting soaked by the rain just because it made me feel better.

Finally got to the tiny settlement of Oban on Halfmoon Bay after an hour that felt twice as long. It is the only settlement on the island with a couple of pubs and a small store. Walked a few of the local roads and trails before bunking into the hostel. Heard some stories of the ferry where it literally left the water in rough weather. Not looking forward to the trip back.

Queenstown to Bluff

January 19, 2009

Took the scenic route from Queenstown cutting across the western part of the Southland to Te Annue (the gateway to the fiords). At first the road was your typical winding narrow one hanging on the edge of a mountain overlooking big lakes. It then turned into a gentle wide one that presented us with views of big paddocks (fields for those of you who are unworldly) filled with thousands of sheep. Apparently we were in an area where the cattle hadn’t yet eaten all the sheep although there were fields were the two coexisted, for the moment.

Some of the paddocks had higher fences and contained herds of red deer and one of them had a herd of elk.

After a few hours of driving we reconnected with coast close to Invercargill. The weather went from sunny to cold and wet with increasing winds. This is the southwest corner of NZ and the weather patterns that hit here come directly from the Antarctic.

Had lunch in Invercargill but decided not to stay the night but rather to head to the port town of Bluff where we would catch the ferry to Stuart Island. We did walk around a tremendous central park in town that was laid out in a very formal manner with a central band shell, rose gardens, museum, wildlife park and, of course, the croquet club. It must have covered 30 acres at least and was in immaculate condition.

Pulled into Bluff after some really high winds off the water. Our faithful land cruiser has a high profile and, on some of the curves, felt like it wanted to fly.

The town of Bluff used to be a thriving one, shipping southland products and fish, but a big plant closure in 1991 destroyed the local economy. There were more empty storefronts then occupied ones on the main street and the gloomy weather didn’t help the impression. Stayed in the hostel located in the old grand Post Office in a private room with ten foot ceilings. Bluff is the end of all the roads in NZ. Look at the sign.

The last time we were in NZ (separately of course) parts of the South Island had been wet and cold. The lack of central heating in NZ didn’t help. With the wind blowing through the crack in the window our memories came rushing back. By the way don’t drink the water in Bluff as it has to have more chlorine in it then any place I can remember.

Queenstown South Island NZ

January 17.18, 2009

Queenstown is one of the premier resort towns of New Zealand. Oddly enough, it is not on a coastal beach but on a big inland lake. The setting is similar to Salmon Arm BC, for those of you who have been there, but the mountains are bigger.

There are, of course, lots of houses and small developments that have sprung up around it but they are still small scale by NA standards. Still freeloading at the Glass’s for a couple of days we drove into the Queenstown, parked the car and then climbed the nice trail to Queenstown hill. The vertical lift was about 500 metres (1500 feet) to the top from where we started and the trail, while wide and well packed, is really up all the way. The day stayed cool, with just a little rain, while we huffed and puffed our way to the top.

(On trails like these I always want to kill the people you pass coming down. They are always laughing and joking and having a good time while you feel like the guy at the beginning of the anti-perspirant ad.)

The view from the top was worth it. In the year 2000 they placed a sculpture at the time to symbol eternity or inner/outer strength or personal achievement or something. I found that it made a great spot to hang my shirt to dry.

Back to the Glass’s that night and then out to dinner at an Indian restaurant in nearby Arrowtown. Arrowtown was once a golding mine hotspot and the main street is still preserved and picturesque. The food was great and the entertainment was Brett and I wrestling at the till for the bill. His arms were longer and he won. Thanks Brett.

Next day was Barbara’s birthday so we did a two hour walk around nearby Lake Hayes and then off to a nearby café for lunch. Back to the house for gin and tonics and the end of a nice day.

Have to tell you that these are interesting people. Brett is an aircraft engineer, who used to work for Air New Zealand, and who now flies tourists into the Milford Sound area. Barbara, who is from England originally, used to be a nurse to the bush stations around Alice Springs in Australia. They had done a lot of their own design work on the house and the results were great. There was even a line of motion sensitive lights along all the hallways that lit up when you were looking for the washroom at night. You have to like that in a strange house.

We were told that the actor, Sam Neil (Jurassic Park), lives right down the road. Must be a nice neighbourhood.

By the way, in case you are wondering, Lana and I skipped the Fiordland area including Milford Sound. I had already done one of the treks (the Routeburn track) and we had both seen the area the last time we were here. Since it is on a road that just goes in and then just comes out we decided for the sake of time to skip it. We didn’t think the that fiords had changed much since the last time.

Fox Glacier to Queenstown

January 16, 2009

Left the really small settlement of Fox Glacier and continued down the west coast highway towards Queenstown. This really is an area that has lots of similarities to the interior of BC. At times you couldn’t have told the difference (except perhaps for the people driving on the wrong side of the road and all those one lane bridges – oh and maybe all those sheep as well).

Went through some spectacular alpine country with rushing streams pouring down and the roads twisting up, which was to be expected since this is the heart of the Southern Alps. Very high hills (even by BC standards) although they didn’t have the tall BC forests but more of a mixture of scrub and a variety of different pines.

Cruised through Haast and then followed the road away from the coast and into the hills. While in Hasst we saw again the big red truck for the German tour group Retel Tours. Their concept is a little different. By day you ride on their bus but at night the bus and the truck convert into a 30 or so little sleeping compartments. Kind of like a movable hostel since you do your own food in the portable kitchen.

Stopped at Wanaka, which is a nice little resort and had a cheeseburger right next to the starting line of the triathlon they were holding in about 10 minutes. Spent some time in the little shops but more to stretch our legs then to buy anything. Although we haven’t been doing any big driving by Canadian standards we are usually doing 4-6 hours of driving a day so a break isn’t bad.

After Wanaka it was mostly high grasslands with sheep and cattle. The road we were on kept following a valley that got narrower and narrower until the hills on wither side were almost touching. Only the road was keeping them apart. Of course there was road work right near the top which gave the guy behind me a near heart attack as I was sliding backwards trying to get it into gear (driving a stick - remember) after we had to stop on a steep slope. That will teach him to get too close.

From there it wasn’t too hard to get to Queenstown but we did have to come down one of the tightest series of switchbacks I have ever driven. It said 5 km on the curves and they really meant it.

Pulled into the driveway of some more friends of Bruce and Carolynn who had offered to put us up. Brett and Barbara Glass (and their son Matt and Brett’s mom Nan) turned out to be really nice people. Matt promptly vacated his room to sleep on the couch (although it was a nice couch in a very nice room – still) and we settled in to sponge off of another group of first rate New Zealander’s.

They had a great single story house (like the vast majority of New Zealand homes) on an acre of land over looking a small lake. Not only did they let us stay but they made us dinner as well along with wine and conversation. Both the conversation and the wine were great.

New Zealand coffee

If you are going to NZ, from North America, and you want to fit in then you need to know some things.

The first is that coffee, as you know it, really does not exist here in NZ. What we buy at Tim Horton’s or Starbucks is called “brewed coffee” and is not offered in restaurants or coffee shops. (You can, I know because I have seen it, do it in your own home but only with close friends.) Somehow, in the last 20 years NZ went from bad instant (last time I was here) to an espresso based culture.

Your choices in a NZ café are as follows.

Short Black

Long Black

Flat White

Latte

Tea.

If you like lattes then you are in luck because they are the same. If you don’t then you better like espresso in one form or another. Short or long blacks mean a single or double espresso. A flat white tastes to me just like a latte but I am assured that there is a difference. Since it is cheaper and stronger than a latte I am happy about it.

Don’t try ordering a double-double or demanding “real” coffee because it is bad manners and they call the police.

Other things you should be aware of.

A “chilly bin”, my most hated NZ expression, is actually a cooler (as for pop or beer). Even the newspapers use that phrase. There was a story about a guy, who survived the sinking of his boat, by holding on to his “chilly bin” and floating to shore.

Any word in English can be shortened and a “y” added on it. A Steinlager beer, for example, becomes a Steiny.

The police do random checkpoints and have every driver talk in a breathalizer. They don’t need any reason to do that in NZ they set up a roadblock somewhere and away they go.

Flip flops are suitable footwear attire anywhere including rugged trails and fancy restaurants.

Any time you can eliminate vowels then it is a good thing. Substituting a single for a couple of others is also fine. Yeah becomes Yh and Goodday becomes gitdy.

Never, never sit on a NZ toilet while flushing. Don’t why, just don’t do it.

Oh and they also drive on the other side of the road.

Hokitika to Fox Glacier

Left the hostel before eight and hit the coastal road to do the two most famous glaciers in New Zealand. The drive was pretty flat although it did have its moments especially when we hit some of the longer bridges over the rivers.

I may have mentioned that maybe the majority of rural bridges in New Zealand are one lane only. There is usually a sign saying which side is supposed to yield but when you are going 100 km and come zipping around the corner you don’t always have a lot of time to stop and figure it out. My personal favourite was the really long bridge that was not only one lane but you also had to share it with a railway line. Click on the picture if you think I am lying.

The two glaciers are different in that they come right down to the temperate forest. The paths in is easy but rocky. They keep you well back from the front sections since the glaciers have a tendency to drop tons of ice at random times. Last week two brothers were killed because they ignored the posted boundaries and went in for a closer look. If you have lots of money you can take a helicopter ride up to the top or a guided glacier walk. We passed. Being from BC we figured that we had seen enough glaciers of our own. These were pretty cool though.

After tempting death by going to the glaciers we walked around a pretty little lake where, normally, a clear reflection of Mt Cook, NZ’s biggest mountain, can be seen. We did see Mt. Cook but not in the water. Did see a big freshwater eel though and a really large pigeon in the trees. Stayed at a very big hostel at the Fox Glacier that night. It even had a movie room. Who would have thought!

Motueka to Hokitika

Drove along the west coast of the South Island today. The feel is much more rural that the North Island and the seascapes seem more rugged. That is not to say that they don’t have fabulous beaches but it just looks a little less inviting.

Went through the town of Westport with an unfriendly overcast sky and didn’t really see too much of interest so kept heading down the coast. Stopped at the pancake rocks at Punakaiki which are a strange rock and blowhole formation on the seashore. Looked for the dolphins and whales rumoured to be in the area but no luck.

Next stop was Greymouth where we found the sewage treatment outflow while walking along the restored wharf and, again, decided to head onward. Stopped for the night after about 5-6 hours of driving the seacoast and the coastal plain. The hostel was just across the road from the beach so we grilled on the deck and tried to watch the sun set on the water.

Wellington to Picton to Nelson to Motueka (South Island)

Got up early to be on the ferry to the South Island. In line at the dock by 7:00 am for the sailing at 8:25. Nice ferry although a little bigger than and not as nice as the ones that go from Vancouver to Victoria. They do have a two-story play space for the kids and a cinema.

The trip takes about 3 hours with only about an hour on the open sea and the rest navigating the costal passages. Interesting enough the trip is an east/west one and not a north/south since the north end of the south island is level with the south end of the north island.

Landed in Picton after passing through Queen Charlotte Sound (named after our daughter we think) which is a very pretty collection of islands, remote farms, fish farms and steep green hills. Took the scenic way out of town, which was yet another twisting, turning, narrow road perched above the ocean. Could be worse.

The next stop was in Nelson, which was a bustling town with lots on people in the downtown core. You have to hand it to New Zealand. All of their downtowns are full of small individual shops and they have a lot of life. There are hat shops, men’s shops, shop stores, and all sorts of things that the mega stores killed on main street Canada years ago. I must say that the choices and the prices might not be as good but it is nice to have everything local.

After Nelson, we took the costal highway to Motueka since it was fairly close to the entrance of Abel Tasman National Park. The hostel was nice. Our building was almost empty and had mostly “older” people in it.

We got up early the next day to drive the winding roads into the park and catch the water taxi to our starting point. The Abel Tasman coastal walk is one of New Zealand’s best and while we didn’t want to do the entire 3-4 day walk we thought 3-4 hours of it was better than nothing.

The water taxi was rather different. Since the tides are so high/low they actually put you in the boat while in the parking lot. A tractor then pulls you down the road to the water and out about 100 ft until there is enough water to float the boat. See the picture at right. That is a tractor leading the boat.

We were dropped at Anchorage Bay, where we had to wade ashore, and started on the trek. It was a very beautiful trek, mostly up above the water, on a narrow but level path. It twisted and turned with the hills so some times you were in tropical vegetation and other times most in coastal scrub. Lots of people on the path. Some had full camping gear and other just flip-flops and a t-shirt. There really aren’t many ways to get off it unless you come in by boat, we were amazed at the clothes, and footwear people thought were appropriate. Finished the 12km about the right time and headed back to the same hostel for a special steak dinner celebrating the 23rd anniversary of Lana and me meeting at Ayers Rock in Australia. Then we sat up and drank with a whole bunch of Germans. My head hurt the next morning.

Masterton to Wellington

Went to the local Farmer’s Market first thing and had a wild boar pie. Really. The showground (fairgrounds) reminded me of the ones in Armstrong, BC. Bigger in area but no indoor arenas. I particularly liked the grass cutters – a pretty good sized herd of sheep.

After that, it was more grassland until the town of Martinborough. That is where all the wineries were - great. Unfortunately, none of them opened for another couple of hours and, to tell the truth, they looked like real home based operations. They weren’t what we were expecting. Onwards to Wellington.

One thing about this part of NZ is that there sure weren’t any tourists to be seen. It is kind of off the beaten track.

Hit another high hill road just before Wellington and spent the whole way up in third gear. Come to think of it, I spent the whole way down in third as well.

In Wellington, we are splurging on an upscale backpackers lodge with a washroom and shower in the room! It too is an old hotel but it hasn’t lost its touch – yet. First stop in town was Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. It was quite large and really well done. Spent more than a few hours there and planned to go back for more.

We even ate that night at a great Thai restaurant where we could bring our own wine. Talk about splurging.

Next day was spent exploring the city on foot. Lots of nice districts with small shops and cafes. Looked at the particular interesting looking parliament buildings and took the cable car to the botanical garden. Lots of walking but worth it.

Port Waikato to Taupo

We decided that we had to stop at Rotorua because you are supposed to. It is NZ’s biggest attraction so as we angled down from the tranquil northlands we tried to decided what we would do there.

We got to Rotorua and had a bit of an engine scare (which turned out to be nothing) but at least we found out where the Toyota dealer was. We found that the town had vastly expanded in the last twenty years and we weren’t impressed. After walking around town for awhile we agreed that it was the biggest tourist trap in the country. All of the attractions were, it seemed, for profit. Considering that Rotorua is based around the amount of thermal activity in the area you would think that the various geysers and mud pools would be accessible – think again.

We did walk around Sulphur Bay where the water is milk coloured and the “solid” rock is really only what is left after the water dries (looks solid but don’t go walking on it). The area stinks of rotten eggs and really is not particularly charming. Anyways, two hours were enough and we were on the road again.

Now down the road a couple of hours to Lake Taupo which is the biggest lake in either NZ or Australia. The result of a huge volcanic explosion it is also a hub tourist activity. Most of the tourist guides list things like hang gliding or parachuting which are not specific to the area but seem to spring up where ever there are lots of young tourists.

The last two hostels that we stayed in had been empty but tonight was a different story. We had to go to three before we found a room. It looked like an old motel but at least we had a shared bathroom that connected to the room. It would have been great except that the Germans in the connecting dorm room were a little slow on the concept of unlocking our door when they left the bathroom. Funny, they were really good on the concept of locking the door when they went in it.

Taupo seemed to be a nice town. Since it was quite hot we didn’t walk down to the waterfront until after dark. Walked by a McDonald’s with a full sized DC3 airplane as part of its playground (I’m sure there is a good story there somewhere).

At least this hostel wasn’t for sale like the last two.

Opononi to Port Waikato

Opononi itself is a beach town bounded on one side by a beautiful bay and the ocean on the other. The sand dunes on the headlands are some of the biggest that I have ever seen. If we had more time we would have taken the water ferry over to them and sand boarded down the dunes. Sounded like a lot of fun to me. Not so much to Lana.

The hills in the northland are, well, hilly. There tend to be a lot of them and while they are not large by BC standards but they do make for twisty turning roads. Once again the standard speed limit was 100 km but nobody is doing over 80km and frequently only about 60 km. My left arm, which is my new shifting arm, is developing rapidly.

The landscape reminds me of Hawaii with the hills, although covered in either trees or lush green grass look new or unfinished. Many of the ridge and bluff lines are sharp edged and haven’t been worn down yet by eons of rain and wind.

One thing that has been missing, compared to my visit over 20 years ago, is the sheep. Back then there were literally sheep everywhere and now all we see is mostly dairy cattle. The locals have told me that everyone got out of sheep years ago due to a bad wool market but it still looks strange and not quite right. My completely unscientific theory is that the cattle are quietly eating the sheep at night. By day they look harmless but at night….. There is probably a bad horror mo

vie script in that somewhere.

On the way down the west coast, we stopped to walk into the forest to see the largest Kauri trees now growing in New Zealand. One is called the Lord of the Forest (Tane Mahuta) and the other is Father of the Forest (Te Matua Ngahere). They are estimated to be from 1500 to 2000 years old. We got there very early so the only ones accompanying us on the trek in were the native birds as they called in the cool of the morning.

The trees are in a 15,000 hectare reserve (what they call parks) and it was preserved only because it was the most difficult area to get at for commercial logging. It took 70,000 people, signing a petition in 1952, to get the area declared off limits to logging.

After we descended from the reserve, on really narrow roads, we hit some more open areas near Dargaville. It is at the meeting of two rivers and once was an important logging town. Oddly e

nough at the museum at Dargaville they have the masts from the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace ship sunk in Auckland’s harbour, on display. Also in the museum, which is big for a medium sized town, is a display of wedding dresses and the largest accordion collection that I ever hope to see. Strange company for an old environmental warrior.

After that we drove south thru Auckland and out to the coast and spent the night at Port Waikato on the Tasman Sea. It is a little (very little) resort town on the end of a road that goes nowhere. It terminates on a big bay where there is a cluster of houses and an enormous black sand beach with no one on it.

The hostel was empty except for us and we walked the beach as the sun went down in the water. Other than a few surf fishermen and a couple of gulls it was just us.

Geez that sounds romantic doesn’t it but what really happened is that we walked a really long way on the beach. Lana floated on top of the sand and I sunk in it. Great beach but I found myself wishing for a pair of snowshoes.

Kerikeri to Opononi

Went further north today toward the 90 mile beach peninsula that is the top of New Zealand. There are a lot of tours that take you in buses for a full day up the beach (driving on the beach itself) but skipped that. We got up as far as Pukenui where we had lunch. Took a bit off a gravel road detour to the Gumdigger’s Forest.

At one time NZ most valuable export was the dried gum of the Kauri tree. The really interesting part is that most of the gum was from trees that had been dead for about 45,000 years. Kauri trees grow for thousands of years and, for various reasons, vast forests of them have been blown down and preserved in the bogs that formed on top of them.

In life the trees bleed large quantities of the gum which congeal on the truck and them fall off. The gumdiggers would probe these bogs for lumps of gum and then sell them to companies who made varnish and paints. The term gumboots came from the boots that they used at the time.

It looked like brutal work and the area of the park was covered in holes that were being dug as late as the 1930s. Reminded me of the holes around the Australian opal fields except it was in a bog and not a desert. By the way these trees were not petrified but are still valuable as lumber today.

We saw the stump of a tree bigger than any living Kuari now know. It was just a little older by say 45,000 years or so.

The ninety mile beach was pretty amazing. You could walk for over 50 miles and still have room to roam. Didn't like the dirt bikers who were roaring up and down our stretch but I can't say the beach was crowded. It was as uncrowded as it gets.

Crossed at a nice little car ferry to get over a big bay. Reminded me of the ferries in the Yukon but this wasn't free. Oh well.

Stayed at a farm hostel in the hills over Opononi where we had to drive through the sheep on the steep gravel road. Very quiet at the top of the hills especially as the hostel was almost empty. Had crackers and pate for dinner as the flies buzzed and sheep baaed.

Thats the view from the hostel at right.

Auckland to Kerikeri

As you may have gathered from one of the last post, I am now navigating the roads of New Zealand in a 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser. This vehicle has been generously provided by our friends Bruce and Carolynn who we can’t thank enough but whose sanity we do question.

Just to make things interesting the Land Cruiser is a standard. Now normally this would not be a problem but remember that the wheel is on the right and the shift is on left so I have to train a different hand to move the stick. (Geez, I just wrote that and it does sound kind of obscene doesn’t it?)

Anyway we dropped them at the airport and proceeded to drive out of the Auckland area. Hence the police report. By the way Lana says that anything she says as navigator is always put in the nicest terms and that report is somewhat inaccurate.

Once we were away from the cursed Auckland roundabouts (or was that me cursing) we made good time toward the Northland.

The roads in NZ are almost all two lane blacktops and, for the most part, they only have two speeds – 50 km or 100 km. Every road outside of a town is 100km regardless of how much they twist and turn or how narrow they are. To say that I was working the stick would be an understatement.

Now not a lot of people speed on the roads for two reasons. The first is that you would end up in a ditch and the second is that they have hundreds of cameras that automatically spit out a ticket if they catch you going more then 10km over. This is especially true when you come to a town and the speed drops to 50 km from 100km.

We travelled up the east coast passing through lots of grazing lands covered in cattle and small little picturesque towns with names like Waipu, Pukaroro and Ruakaka.

There is lots of road work being done according to the signs along the way but we didn’t see a single worker. Guess they are all off for the Christmas holidays. Nothing like navigating a twisty road and seeing the standard temporary 30km area (for all of 100 metres) then seeing that 100km sign again.

One of the highlights were the bathrooms in Kawakawa. Seriously, they are on the list of 101 things to do in the north and we just had to stop. Built as some sort of art project they are built as with randomly sized pieces of coloured tile. Nice but nothing that I would write home about.

Stopped at Whangarei to see the spot where the Maoris and the British signed their treaties in 1840. The Maoris, alone among native inhabitants of the Empire, weren’t ever defeated by the British since they gave as good as they got. The signing was something that both sides did since peace seemed a better alternative to an ongoing war.

Stayed the night in Kerikeri at a backpackers lodge where, when I went in to register, the manage thought I was a local landowner looking for cheap labour. Must be the Land Cruiser.

Wondering about Parnell and Queens Streets – Auckland

Last day in Auckland was spent wondering down two of the main shopping streets. Parnell especially was full of small shops and cafes without a chain store in sight.

If you are ever bored in Auckland then go the bottom of the Sky Tower and then to the small Irish Pub across the street. At the Fidler Pub you can get a pint and a Toastie (toasted sandwhich) for $8.50. Take one of the two outside tables and then watch the people dive off the top of the Sky Tower. They are on cables but you wouldn’t know it for the screaming.

Associated Press – Auckland. Warning Issued.

Police in New Zealand today issued an alert for a grey Toyota Land Cruiser on the roads north of Auckland. According to a police spokesperson the driver and occupants are wanted for questioning on a number of public decency complaints received from public in the area. Reports from citizens cite erratic driving and a continuous stream of verbal abuse coming from the vehicle. One complainant was quoted as saying that “the driver was a bloody idiot who didn’t know which side of the road to drive on”. Apparently there were also complaints about the tone and volume of the comments coming from the female passenger. Police have warned members of the public not to approach the vehicle or the occupants as they are definitely abusive to each other and may be dangerous to others.

Around Auckland again.

Did another road trip around the greater Auckland area with a visit to a fantastic upscale Farmer’s Market. You know the kind of place where they sell bacon wrapped mussels and give out free samples of beer next to the homemade pastries.

Then onto a Winery (Brick Bay Wines http://www.brickbay.co.nz ) with a sculpture path leading around the vineyard. Lana liked the wines and the art. I mostly liked the wine.

Then onto a small regional park tucked away on an ocean bay and, just because, New Zealand’s only pottery works.

That evening we were treated to dinner by yet another of Bruce and Carolynn’s friends. This time it was David and Bronwen who took us all to a great Thai place after entertaining us in their beachfront home with a view of Rangitoto Island. (No, I am not making this all up. Apparently B&C run in much better circles then we do).

Rangitoto Island

For those of you who wondered when we would stop eating and actually do something today was one of those days.

The area around Auckland is home to something like fifty volcano cones and the most recent one is Rangitoto island. It dominates Auckland’s harbour and, as islands go, is very young. Six hundred years ago there was nothing but a big patch of water where the island is today. The Maori living in the vicinity would have had a front row seat as the sea exploded and the classic volcanic cone rose above the water. Eventually it would level off at its current level of 250 metres.

Lots of people come over to do the most popular walk which is a beeline for the summit. I found the footing to be tiring as the lava path is graced with thousands of little knobs and cracks but we did pass people doing it in flip-flops. We had on runners and wished that we had taken our hiking boots.

The path on either side is filled with a jungle like tangle with all sorts of plants competing with each other for a toehold in an extremely harsh environment. According to the signs the oldest trees were only 250 years old and many species grew side by side here but no where else.

The walk to the top took about an hour and a light drizzle kept us cool. It also kept us from the fabulous views of the harbour that were promised but the crater at the top was neat. We took the long way down from the summit and onto a coastal track. By the time we got there the weather had cleared and the sun joined us big time.

Lana didn’t seem to mind but I am sure I left a trail of, huh, moisture along that road. It took us another two hours of walking to make the ferry dock where I spent the next hour dehydrating on the dock. All in all, I think that I need more acclimation to this climate.

That night Lana, with me assisting, made fajitas for our friends since it was our turn to cook. I spent the rest of the night re-hydrating with a number of very good Kiwi beers.