We spent our last morning walking back to Auckland Domain (domain being the name used for public parks). There is a glasshouse there - the Wintergarden - which also includes an Italian styled formal water garden, and a fernery, as well as several glass houses. All well worth admiring - they had some of those giant water lily pads that we had seem previously at The Eden Project in Cornwall.
We ate our last lunch at the hostel. I had planned on phoning my sister, and updating this blog - but the lines that supported both the public internet and the phone at the hostel were on the fritz. Hence this late entry, and a number of queries from friends asking if we were 'back yet'.
We booked the shuttle for the airport journey - an exercise in decreasing costs if you find extra people to go with you. It takes a while for them to pick up their complement (about 12), but it was interesting to talk to the driver. He is a South African - we think of Boer descent - who came to New Zealand after losing family members in Africa. He got into the shuttle business with a view to the World Cup of football, to be played in the fall of this year.
The flight back was not as comfortable as on the way out - we had three people in three seats, and I was in the middle. But we survived. And we did get seats together. When I booked there were so few left that we had not been seated in the same row, so someone did some rearranging after the fact.
LAX was unthrilling - airport security loses its novelty fast - but everyone was reasonable, and eventually we made our way onto the Air Canada flight and thence safely back to Toronto (pre-bought sandwich in hand, with sighs for the Air New Zealand meals).
Thursday, March 31, 2011
March 22 - One Tree Hill
Today we tried to find One Tree Hill with the GPS. After a false and scenic stop about 30 km. south, we found the one with the obelisk. One Tree Hill is an old volcano, and one of the original Maori settlements (pau). It has an outstanding view of the city of Auckland. You can see very clearly a number of old volcanoes over the city. There is a huge caldera (now full of grazing sheep) next to the highest point. You can also see the Maori terracing, and some of the storage pits used for sweet potatoes (kumara).
As the guide book pointed out, there is actually no tree at the top of One Tree Hill. The Europeans cut down the Maori native tree, and planted a pine. The Maori took two attempts to cut that one down, and managed to do so. So some diplomacy is going to be required to get another tree planted!
We walked through the park that is the base of One Tree Hill, and had lunch at the restaurant there. It had the look of a summerhouse - and was of the "high tea" variety, tablecloths and black and white wait staff. Eric had a seafood pasta, and I had snapper, both of which were delicious.
We returned the car in the afternoon, and took the "Link Bus" for its full circuit. It makes a vague circle around the city, stopping at most areas of interest, so we had a chance so see a few bits of the city we had missed. We stopped in the shopping area to have a walk about, admire some public art, and find a beer and some wine at one of the cafes.
As the guide book pointed out, there is actually no tree at the top of One Tree Hill. The Europeans cut down the Maori native tree, and planted a pine. The Maori took two attempts to cut that one down, and managed to do so. So some diplomacy is going to be required to get another tree planted!
We walked through the park that is the base of One Tree Hill, and had lunch at the restaurant there. It had the look of a summerhouse - and was of the "high tea" variety, tablecloths and black and white wait staff. Eric had a seafood pasta, and I had snapper, both of which were delicious.
We returned the car in the afternoon, and took the "Link Bus" for its full circuit. It makes a vague circle around the city, stopping at most areas of interest, so we had a chance so see a few bits of the city we had missed. We stopped in the shopping area to have a walk about, admire some public art, and find a beer and some wine at one of the cafes.
Monday, March 21, 2011
March 21 - Driving to Auckland
This was rather an uneventful day - we left early to get a good start. It rained, or spat rain, pretty much all the way. We went via Lake Taupo, which is the caldera for a very large volcano, so we at least got to see the lake. The rain abated for our lunch - actually, we must have found the one place it did not rain, because the picnic bench was dry! We had packed cold chicken (the last of the Indonesian leftovers), sardines, boiled eggs, bread and butter, and some slightly cooked green beans. For dessert we had some "Aunt Amy's" and "Anzac" cookies from the ladies in the Napier market. Very good!
We continued on, past more mountain ranges - lowish this time, but still an excess of beautiful scenery, even in the overcast.
We had asked the GPS to take us to One Tree Hill as a way point, but apparently I don't understand waypoints, because it spit us into Auckland at City Garden Lodge. Oh well - we'll find it tomorrow!
Happy birthday to Andrea and Lynda, our first day of spring people! (I don't care that the astronomers are moving that date around - the 21st is the first day so far as I am concerned.)
We continued on, past more mountain ranges - lowish this time, but still an excess of beautiful scenery, even in the overcast.
We had asked the GPS to take us to One Tree Hill as a way point, but apparently I don't understand waypoints, because it spit us into Auckland at City Garden Lodge. Oh well - we'll find it tomorrow!
Happy birthday to Andrea and Lynda, our first day of spring people! (I don't care that the astronomers are moving that date around - the 21st is the first day so far as I am concerned.)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
March 20 - Napier Art Deco
This morning we walked up the Marine Parade, past a Sunday flea market, and the skateboard park where a championship small scooter event was being held, to the I-site (what they call tourist information centres here).
We signed up for the 1 hour Art Deco tour, and got a very nice, very efficient and very loud secondary school teacher (self identified!) to take us around. She was very good - gave us details of Napier's history - the 1931 quake, the rise in the land that gave Napier room to expand, the susequent fire (from chemists' bunsen burners - the gas company got its act together and turned off the gas, but in vain). She showed us design elements - zig-zags, sunbursts, fountains, stylized flowers, speed-lines, and Egyptian motifs (from the 1922 opening of Tutenkamen's tomb) and pre and post quake photos in her book. She then toured us through the centre area and pointed these out on the buildings, explaining how the Art Deco Trust, now municipally affiliated, had alternately bullied and provided carrots to keep the characteristics of the Art Deco look.
We have another glorious day - we did laundry last night. One of the blessings of the backpackers is laundry facilities, usually with a line you can use, and things dried very well. One of the two cats "Bangers & Mash" helped fold the socks - they are not much past kitten stage.
We have bought lamb chops to BBQ for dinner, and have some leftover veg and rice from last night's feast, green beans from the market, and salad makings. We also intend to wade in the Pacific - yesterday it was the Tasman Sea at Plimmerton. Tomorrow will be a longish drive - we are going back to Auckland for the last two nights, City Garden Backpackers.
Postscript: We did indeed wade - quite some breakers, and a pebble beach, so there was a bit of hopping about and some wet rolled pants involved.
We then went to the suburb of Marewa, which is billed as the most Art Deco of the suburbs. In the failing light we walked about one half of a suggested route, and enjoyed some of the charming bungalows, and one really amazing Art Deco themed garden.
March 19 - Drive to Napier
We said goodbye to our lovely seaside view room, and set off for Napier. Due to a mountain chain (surprise!), we needed to go back south toward Wellington before setting off northward, this time up the eastern side of the Island.
We had a pleasant stop at Carterton (I think I'm remembering correctly), where we stopped for a coffee. I had a look in a gallery called the Red Moa, that had a huge moa made of red wire on the roof - a gift from the brother of the gallery owner. Next door was a coffee shop - its only real signage a "Topolino" Fiat mounted on the roof. When you went indoors, there was a second one over the back of the service area. It was like an old store that had not been remodelled, but with cafe tables in the front window and throughout, and a couple of sofas, and some good coffee. The town had a blues festival on (we didn't hear any, sadly), and flowers planted everywhere. I think the local Business Improvement group was doing a good job.
We are staying in Napier in a place called "Stables Backpackers". The rooms all have a horse's head painted on the door, as if they are stalls, and have small double doors leading out to the front porch or the interior courtyard. We discovered (from an ad for horseback rides), that the owner keeps horses. The room is small, and has a double bunk one one side, single above, and two bunks on the other side. We have it to ourselves, but it can obviously do multiple service.
We went to an Indonesian restaurant for dinner, and had the "richtstaffel" (I'll fix the spelling later") or "rice table" - essentially a sampler of many dishes. It was delicious. We had a kind of cake for dessert that was grilled in layers, with various spices - an Indonesian specialty. It smelled amazing, with all the spices, even before you tasted it.
We had a walk up and down the beach front to settle the dinner in, and then did the prosaic laundry. We will do an 'art deco' tour tomorrow, which is what the area is famous for.
We had a pleasant stop at Carterton (I think I'm remembering correctly), where we stopped for a coffee. I had a look in a gallery called the Red Moa, that had a huge moa made of red wire on the roof - a gift from the brother of the gallery owner. Next door was a coffee shop - its only real signage a "Topolino" Fiat mounted on the roof. When you went indoors, there was a second one over the back of the service area. It was like an old store that had not been remodelled, but with cafe tables in the front window and throughout, and a couple of sofas, and some good coffee. The town had a blues festival on (we didn't hear any, sadly), and flowers planted everywhere. I think the local Business Improvement group was doing a good job.
We are staying in Napier in a place called "Stables Backpackers". The rooms all have a horse's head painted on the door, as if they are stalls, and have small double doors leading out to the front porch or the interior courtyard. We discovered (from an ad for horseback rides), that the owner keeps horses. The room is small, and has a double bunk one one side, single above, and two bunks on the other side. We have it to ourselves, but it can obviously do multiple service.
We went to an Indonesian restaurant for dinner, and had the "richtstaffel" (I'll fix the spelling later") or "rice table" - essentially a sampler of many dishes. It was delicious. We had a kind of cake for dessert that was grilled in layers, with various spices - an Indonesian specialty. It smelled amazing, with all the spices, even before you tasted it.
We had a walk up and down the beach front to settle the dinner in, and then did the prosaic laundry. We will do an 'art deco' tour tomorrow, which is what the area is famous for.
Friday, March 18, 2011
March 19 - Zealandia
We returned back into Wellington today, and picked up the CityBus - stopping at Zealandia this time. It is a valley that has been isolated with a "biofence" to keep out the mammalian predators that have been introduced to New Zealand. They are working at restoring the area to what it would have been like prior to humankind showing up. They have done a very good job with displays, and it had turned into a lovely day. We had a 3 hour walkabout, saw some wildlife (nesting pied shags and their babies) and learned about some we didn't see.
They had "weta hotels" - tree weta, a kind of insect about 2 inches long. They are reintroducing the giant weta - even bigger, but apparently a gentle giant. We did not see those.
The walk was up one side of a stream to a suspension bridge - wider than out last experience. You could look out over a reservoir and valley, and listen to the most amazing range of bird song. We had stopped at an earlier station that had pictures of the birds, and a button you could push to hear their call. We heard a bell bird, and saw several Tui (also the name of a local brew). In the valley area you could see birds flitting back and forth, and there was a wonderful range of bird song. Well past our identification, but most enjoyable on a sunny afternoon.
The walk also used sighting tubes - bits of pipe you could look through to identify a particular tree, or, in one instance, to look at a picture of a bird set in a tree to get an idea of its relative size.
We also saw the daytime evidence of glowworms - their hanging tentacles of saliva, meant to ensnare insects. Inspiration for Alien?
We are moving on to Napier tomorrow - Stable Backpackers.
We are moving on to Napier tomorrow - Stable Backpackers.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
March 17 - mostly Te Papa
We had decided to take local transit into Wellington, when a sudden shower changed our mind. We drove down, and found parking with a minimum of fuss. We asked the GPS which way Te Papa was - it pointed in a totally different direction than made sense - so we ignored it and walked to the waterfront, directly into Te Papa. Te Papa is the NZ Museum. I believe the translation is "Of the People". As we had heard, it is extremely well done. We took the 1 hour intro. tour with a guide named Jen. Due to the NZ short "e", it comes out "gin" aurally, so that took us a bit of straightening out. So Jen-short-for-Jennifer took us into the first gallery, about NZ geology. There is a huge aerial map on the floor, lit from behind. This was fascinating, because we could trace where we had been, and see some of the very large marks that volcanoes and tectonic action had made on the landscape.
They have a display of all of the flora and fauna - stuffed - but set in realistic scenes. And a giant squid, or rather, the remains thereof, with a film about how the poor thing held onto a "jawfish" that had been captured by a longline, and was therefore brought to the surface, which spelled death for it (decompression).
There is a Maori area - with a beautifully carved meeting house from about 1850, and a model catamaran of the type used to travel between islands - considerably faster and with more capacity than Cook's ship, the endeavour.
Eric and I then made a beeline for the Brian Brace photographic exhibit. He is a NZ photographer that did a lot of work for Life and other publications, and also a book on NZ with excellent photos - landscapes from a great distance, and people in close.
At 1:30 we decided a break was in order, and went to find the CityBus that does the hop-on, hop-off city tour. We did the circuit, then "hopped off" at the bottom of the cable car that goes to the top of the city. There is a great little museum at the top with the history of the cable railway. Wellington is rather vertical, and in order to persuade people to buy properties up the hillside, there needed to be a convenient way to get up and down. So the property developers got together and started the cable railway - and did a good job according to the records - no accidents from mechanical failure.
Coincidentally, the top of the cable railway also accesses the Wellington Botanical Gardens. There is a lovely walkway, happily downhill, from the top to the centre of the city. We picked up our bus at the bottom, and went back to the Te Papa stop. Our bus driver pointed us to the main street for restaurants, and we found a noodle shop that suited our taste buds at that point, and a chocolate eclair from the bakeshop next door. We returned to Te Papa, finished looking at the photo exhibit, and wandered through a few more displays.
Our tour bus ticket is good for 24 hours, so we are going back tomorrow. Zealandia is one stop - an area where they have tried to restore Kiwi wildlife before humans interfered. More info. to come.
They have a display of all of the flora and fauna - stuffed - but set in realistic scenes. And a giant squid, or rather, the remains thereof, with a film about how the poor thing held onto a "jawfish" that had been captured by a longline, and was therefore brought to the surface, which spelled death for it (decompression).
There is a Maori area - with a beautifully carved meeting house from about 1850, and a model catamaran of the type used to travel between islands - considerably faster and with more capacity than Cook's ship, the endeavour.
Eric and I then made a beeline for the Brian Brace photographic exhibit. He is a NZ photographer that did a lot of work for Life and other publications, and also a book on NZ with excellent photos - landscapes from a great distance, and people in close.
At 1:30 we decided a break was in order, and went to find the CityBus that does the hop-on, hop-off city tour. We did the circuit, then "hopped off" at the bottom of the cable car that goes to the top of the city. There is a great little museum at the top with the history of the cable railway. Wellington is rather vertical, and in order to persuade people to buy properties up the hillside, there needed to be a convenient way to get up and down. So the property developers got together and started the cable railway - and did a good job according to the records - no accidents from mechanical failure.
Coincidentally, the top of the cable railway also accesses the Wellington Botanical Gardens. There is a lovely walkway, happily downhill, from the top to the centre of the city. We picked up our bus at the bottom, and went back to the Te Papa stop. Our bus driver pointed us to the main street for restaurants, and we found a noodle shop that suited our taste buds at that point, and a chocolate eclair from the bakeshop next door. We returned to Te Papa, finished looking at the photo exhibit, and wandered through a few more displays.
Our tour bus ticket is good for 24 hours, so we are going back tomorrow. Zealandia is one stop - an area where they have tried to restore Kiwi wildlife before humans interfered. More info. to come.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
March 16 - Picton to Plimmerton
We started the morning by checking whether our jackets had dried out from last night. We have found the car's back seat to be a good informal drying rack - there's a limit to what you can dry there, as it is a matter of public display, but it did a good job on the jackets.
We took the car into 'downtown' Picton, picked up a treat from the bakery to go with our ham sandwiches for lunch on the ferry, and had a look at some of Picton's sights. It has a small local museum that is well done for its type. There were some Maori portraits that I enjoyed, and we saw the medal that was given to the families of deceased service men in the first World War. Eric knew what it was, but had never actually seen one.
We next went to the acquarium - that was not so successful. They had several tanks of deeper and shallower dwelling fish, which were quite interesting, but the collection of seahorses we had heard of was non-existent (well, two), and a lot of the reptiles were off exhibit entirely. Of some interest, but not worth the $20 p.p. charged.
It was a lovely sunny day, and the walk was very pleasant. We headed back to the car, and got in the ferry line. The crossing was uneventful, even calmer than on the way over. The ferry was slightly smaller, but still a large boat.
We made our way back to Moana Lodge in Plimmerton (next 3 nights). We bought chicken (take-out, with sage stuffing), and potatoes, carrots and salad (D.I.Y.) for dinner. We split the bottle of 'black' Moa beer Eric had bought at one of the wineries in Blenheim. It was good! The Moa it is named after is an extinct flightless bird - the gargantuan variety of ostrich - hunted to extinction by the Maori (for once not the white race's error). We have seen copies of skeletons, and several plaster mockups. It would have been well worth catching - lots of dinners from one bird.
Tomorrow we explore Wellington.
We took the car into 'downtown' Picton, picked up a treat from the bakery to go with our ham sandwiches for lunch on the ferry, and had a look at some of Picton's sights. It has a small local museum that is well done for its type. There were some Maori portraits that I enjoyed, and we saw the medal that was given to the families of deceased service men in the first World War. Eric knew what it was, but had never actually seen one.
We next went to the acquarium - that was not so successful. They had several tanks of deeper and shallower dwelling fish, which were quite interesting, but the collection of seahorses we had heard of was non-existent (well, two), and a lot of the reptiles were off exhibit entirely. Of some interest, but not worth the $20 p.p. charged.
It was a lovely sunny day, and the walk was very pleasant. We headed back to the car, and got in the ferry line. The crossing was uneventful, even calmer than on the way over. The ferry was slightly smaller, but still a large boat.
We made our way back to Moana Lodge in Plimmerton (next 3 nights). We bought chicken (take-out, with sage stuffing), and potatoes, carrots and salad (D.I.Y.) for dinner. We split the bottle of 'black' Moa beer Eric had bought at one of the wineries in Blenheim. It was good! The Moa it is named after is an extinct flightless bird - the gargantuan variety of ostrich - hunted to extinction by the Maori (for once not the white race's error). We have seen copies of skeletons, and several plaster mockups. It would have been well worth catching - lots of dinners from one bird.
Tomorrow we explore Wellington.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
March 15 - Omaki Aviation Heritage Centre, and Waikawa Boat Club
As we left Blenheim, we drove to the Omaki Aviation Heritage Centre. The airplanes, some of which are genuine, and some of which are replicas or working replicas, are set up in dioramas. Eric and I were both impressed with the Taube (Dove), a plane that actually looked like a bird, with swept back wings and a tail shaped like an actual bird's tail. Another scene replicated a crash (tree and all!), with the British pilot surrendering to the German one. One of the docents (who does tours) explained that this was infinitely preferable to waiting for the German infantry, who might well have just shot the pilot. The German pilot would have drinks and dinner with British one, before he was sent off to prison camp the next day. But that would be after the German pilot confiscated the flying suit the British pilot had been issued - apparently much better than what was on offer to the German pilots.
We drove the short distance back to Picton, booked into our room, and set off down to the Waikawa Boat Club. They had posted a notice on the bulletin board at Buccaneer's Lodge, saying that Tuesday was their race night, and any visitors were welcome to come down to see if they could get us out on a boat. It looked a tad overcast, so we drove down instead of walking (about 1 km.), and took our woolies. It was $10 a head to the club, and we were (both!) assigned to Mark Dodds, who was sailing Excel, a 33 foot Beale yacht (NZ built). His crew Ian reported in, and another scheduled crewperson begged off. It had begun misting, and there was a decent wind, so Mark decided that we perhaps did not need the spinnaker after all. The race was fun - we had a couple of exciting minutes with a port boat that did not judge their speed well, and a quick double tack to get onto the lay line for the windward rounding, in the presence of two rather close boats. Despite those, Excel came in first. We had drinks and deep fried oysters back at their club, and some interesting conversation. It was a fantastic night, and we are really grateful for the hospitality!
Tomorrow: Plimmerton for 3 nights while we tour Wellington.
We drove the short distance back to Picton, booked into our room, and set off down to the Waikawa Boat Club. They had posted a notice on the bulletin board at Buccaneer's Lodge, saying that Tuesday was their race night, and any visitors were welcome to come down to see if they could get us out on a boat. It looked a tad overcast, so we drove down instead of walking (about 1 km.), and took our woolies. It was $10 a head to the club, and we were (both!) assigned to Mark Dodds, who was sailing Excel, a 33 foot Beale yacht (NZ built). His crew Ian reported in, and another scheduled crewperson begged off. It had begun misting, and there was a decent wind, so Mark decided that we perhaps did not need the spinnaker after all. The race was fun - we had a couple of exciting minutes with a port boat that did not judge their speed well, and a quick double tack to get onto the lay line for the windward rounding, in the presence of two rather close boats. Despite those, Excel came in first. We had drinks and deep fried oysters back at their club, and some interesting conversation. It was a fantastic night, and we are really grateful for the hospitality!
Tomorrow: Plimmerton for 3 nights while we tour Wellington.
Monday, March 14, 2011
March 14 - Blenheim Vineyards
Today we walked into town via the riverbank (we found it last night) to cash some travellers' cheques. The very nice lady in one bank warned us of a $15 fee their bank charges, and pointed us up the street, discretely, to a bank that does not charge a fee (actually, it is a $0.15 transaction fee, go figure!). Effectively the same exchange rate.
We booked a wine tour from 11 to 5 - very nice lady driving (Colleen of Highlight Wine Tours) - she and her partner do customized and informal tours. The early group started before us, and we went to two wineries before lunch. We had lunch at Waipara River - the menu had a number of light choices, each with their matching wine. I had a spicy chicken salad - Asian style - which was very well matched with their dry Riesling. Eric had lamb kofta, but he was sticking with whites, so he had the Gewurz (his current favourite). We stopped at another two wineries, one in a little 'village' area with a shop that sold award winning gin, and any number of dips, salad dressings - enough to make "The Pres." jealous. There was another shop with olive oils that are also grown locally (the olives, that is).
The area is sunny, dry, and between two lines of mountains - one side wooded and green, the other covered with sere grass, and looking very dry. They have to irrigate the sheep pastures, as well as the vines. There is also a persistent wind, that does a fabulous job of drying laundry! You see symmetrical rows of green vines, backed by purple mountains on one side, and by dusky brown ones on the other.
We learned that the area (and NZ) is best know for its Sauvignon Blanc grapes and wine. One of the wineries, in the early days of this region, planted Pinot Gris(by the owners' hands). She told us that this is a grape that increases in complexity with the age of the vines, and certainly their Pinot Gris was very nice! They can't grow the big reds here, not hot enough, so they stick with mostly Pinot Noir in the red range.
The wineries themselves are very well landscaped - a lot of English formal garden in evidence - trimmed box, parterres, balanced formal plantings. And red roses appear to be a popular regional statement - many of the fields have a row of red rose bushes along the road. Beautiful.
We had fish and salad and jacket potatoes back at the hostel, and fell into conversation with a young Briton who is on a cycling holiday, and two Scots girls, one of whom works in Auckland, and the other of whom is visiting on on extended holiday. A very pleasant evening.
Tomorrow, back to Picton and Buccaneer Lodge for the night. I'm hoping to catch a ride for the local yacht racing - they'd posted an invitation at the Lodge that I noticed last time.
We booked a wine tour from 11 to 5 - very nice lady driving (Colleen of Highlight Wine Tours) - she and her partner do customized and informal tours. The early group started before us, and we went to two wineries before lunch. We had lunch at Waipara River - the menu had a number of light choices, each with their matching wine. I had a spicy chicken salad - Asian style - which was very well matched with their dry Riesling. Eric had lamb kofta, but he was sticking with whites, so he had the Gewurz (his current favourite). We stopped at another two wineries, one in a little 'village' area with a shop that sold award winning gin, and any number of dips, salad dressings - enough to make "The Pres." jealous. There was another shop with olive oils that are also grown locally (the olives, that is).
The area is sunny, dry, and between two lines of mountains - one side wooded and green, the other covered with sere grass, and looking very dry. They have to irrigate the sheep pastures, as well as the vines. There is also a persistent wind, that does a fabulous job of drying laundry! You see symmetrical rows of green vines, backed by purple mountains on one side, and by dusky brown ones on the other.
We learned that the area (and NZ) is best know for its Sauvignon Blanc grapes and wine. One of the wineries, in the early days of this region, planted Pinot Gris(by the owners' hands). She told us that this is a grape that increases in complexity with the age of the vines, and certainly their Pinot Gris was very nice! They can't grow the big reds here, not hot enough, so they stick with mostly Pinot Noir in the red range.
The wineries themselves are very well landscaped - a lot of English formal garden in evidence - trimmed box, parterres, balanced formal plantings. And red roses appear to be a popular regional statement - many of the fields have a row of red rose bushes along the road. Beautiful.
We had fish and salad and jacket potatoes back at the hostel, and fell into conversation with a young Briton who is on a cycling holiday, and two Scots girls, one of whom works in Auckland, and the other of whom is visiting on on extended holiday. A very pleasant evening.
Tomorrow, back to Picton and Buccaneer Lodge for the night. I'm hoping to catch a ride for the local yacht racing - they'd posted an invitation at the Lodge that I noticed last time.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
March 13 - Kaikoura to Blenheim
We started our day with a flat tire - the first piece of genuine annoyance we have had. Eric changed it to the 'donut' spare with the 80 km. speed limit. We tried to get the tire repaired in Kaikoura, but being Sunday, no one was working. So we decided to deal with it in Blenheim, where we would be there two days.
We headed to the peninsula at Kaikora to walk the top of the cliff (brave Eric again). We saw a pied shag at the base of the cliff. There is a seal colony at the base of the cliff - you don't get close, but you can see a lot of them lying on the rocks. The views are very good. The info. board asked us to note some terracing on one of the mounds, an indication of Maori workings.
After the walk, we stopped at a roadside "Seafood BBQ" that was recommended by Lonely Planet - like a chips truck without the chips. We had a crayfish fritter (read lobster), a paua fritter (read abalone), and some of the local scallops. The fritters were good, but the scallops were delicious. They have a 'tube' attached to the part we in Toronto know as the scallop, and the whole thing is yummy. By the way, BBQ appears to refer to a flat steel grill, not the grid over coals that we think of. We might have tried the crayfish, but it was pre-steamed and jsut heated up, and quite expensive ($45 NZ to $65, depending on size). BTW, Kaikoura means crayfish in part - its a shortened version of "the place where [Maori legend] cooked a crayfish over a fire" - apparently while he was hunting for his 3 wives who had left him.
On the road to Blenheim, we stopped for coffee (daily habit, the flat white) at a lovely beachside place called "The Store" (proper name to be inserted when I have my notes at hand). Nicely landscaped, sheltered sunny deck with tables. The gulls lacked manners, but what do you expect. Five seconds after someone left a table, they were all over it, seizing any carbohydrate leftover they could find. We took our tray back indoors!
Further along, we turned off the road to see a salt factory - salt ponds were they allow the sun to evaporate the water from the salt. And such salt! Piles of it! I was surprised it was outside, exposed to the weather, given that they had just got it out of the water. No tours sadly, but interesting nevertheless.
So our slow ride and our GPS got us safely into Blenheim, to The Grapevine, 29 Park Terrace. Very nice! We visited the New World supermarket - a very impressive store - and got ingredients for our seafood pasta supper. More wine! And one of the guests shared some local strawberries with us that tasted like real strawberries. Apparently they have fall berries here.
After dinner we walked along the river bank (did I mention the deck at the back of the place that overlooks the river?) to the town centre, and had a little sunset walk about there. They had a worker vacuuming the streets with a Stiehl gizmo that looked like a leaf blower! Not much tolerance for litter here.
Now, tomorrow - wine tour, aviation museum - we will see!
We headed to the peninsula at Kaikora to walk the top of the cliff (brave Eric again). We saw a pied shag at the base of the cliff. There is a seal colony at the base of the cliff - you don't get close, but you can see a lot of them lying on the rocks. The views are very good. The info. board asked us to note some terracing on one of the mounds, an indication of Maori workings.
After the walk, we stopped at a roadside "Seafood BBQ" that was recommended by Lonely Planet - like a chips truck without the chips. We had a crayfish fritter (read lobster), a paua fritter (read abalone), and some of the local scallops. The fritters were good, but the scallops were delicious. They have a 'tube' attached to the part we in Toronto know as the scallop, and the whole thing is yummy. By the way, BBQ appears to refer to a flat steel grill, not the grid over coals that we think of. We might have tried the crayfish, but it was pre-steamed and jsut heated up, and quite expensive ($45 NZ to $65, depending on size). BTW, Kaikoura means crayfish in part - its a shortened version of "the place where [Maori legend] cooked a crayfish over a fire" - apparently while he was hunting for his 3 wives who had left him.
On the road to Blenheim, we stopped for coffee (daily habit, the flat white) at a lovely beachside place called "The Store" (proper name to be inserted when I have my notes at hand). Nicely landscaped, sheltered sunny deck with tables. The gulls lacked manners, but what do you expect. Five seconds after someone left a table, they were all over it, seizing any carbohydrate leftover they could find. We took our tray back indoors!
Further along, we turned off the road to see a salt factory - salt ponds were they allow the sun to evaporate the water from the salt. And such salt! Piles of it! I was surprised it was outside, exposed to the weather, given that they had just got it out of the water. No tours sadly, but interesting nevertheless.
So our slow ride and our GPS got us safely into Blenheim, to The Grapevine, 29 Park Terrace. Very nice! We visited the New World supermarket - a very impressive store - and got ingredients for our seafood pasta supper. More wine! And one of the guests shared some local strawberries with us that tasted like real strawberries. Apparently they have fall berries here.
After dinner we walked along the river bank (did I mention the deck at the back of the place that overlooks the river?) to the town centre, and had a little sunset walk about there. They had a worker vacuuming the streets with a Stiehl gizmo that looked like a leaf blower! Not much tolerance for litter here.
Now, tomorrow - wine tour, aviation museum - we will see!
March 12 - across Arthur's Pass
We set out reluctantly from Global Village (it's an energetic place) on a grey day, gassed up ($2.25/litre NZ, $1.65 CDN) and headed for Highway 73 over Arthur's Pass. I (Susan) was driving. There was a dead straight stretch of road, by way of apology for what awaited us in the mountains. We started into some easy curves, then saw the warning sign - steep grades, not recommended for towing. Unlike England, they don't tell you exactly how steep. And, happily unlike England, the roads are much wider than those in Wales, Cornwall and the Isle of Wight. Not as wide as Canada.
The weather cleared beautifully before we got into the mountains, and we had spectacular views. We stopped at the village of Arthur's Pass, and had a little walkabout. They warned you not to feed the keas (parrot style bird). However much of a nuisance they are (and apparently they will take the rubber mounting out of the edges of your windshield for fun), they were not in evidence that day. We also did not stay to hear the wild kiwi that live in the area - they are only night active.
We did stop in at the little chapel, built by an interdenominational effort, with contributions by the outdoor clubs as well. It is of plain, modern style. When you go in, though, the back wall behind the altar is of glass, and you can see a small waterfall up the mountain, with the cross suspended on the glass panels in front. Very beautifully done. We had been advised by a couple we met to make sure to stop in.
We came down out of Arthur's Pass, and gave a lift to a lady backpacker who was going to a drop of point for some 'tramping' as they call it - she'd booked a hut on one of the routes for the night. She works as support staff on an Antarctic station, supplied out of Christchurch, and had just come back 'off the ice'. They do four months on, and on her way home for the 'off ice' time, she can extend her stay in NZ for as long as she likes before she goes back to West Virginia.
We took Highway 72, to cut around the Christchurch area, and stopped for a lovely lunch in Springfield, at a place called the "Yellow Shack" - it had beautiful scented yellow rose trees across the front, and a lovely garden. The food matched, venison pie and a veggie slice, with two innovative side salads, one based on red cabbage, the other on "pumpkin" (squash).
The mountains got smaller, as we followed the coastal "Alpine Route", and some sheep farms started showing up. We ended the day at Sunrise Lodge in Kaikoura. This is a BBH backpackers, but they only had a separate suite available, which we took. Neither of us liked it as well as the other places we stayed - no one to talk to, and not as well set up, to our minds.
We are booked for Blenheim the next 2 nights - Marlborough wine country.
The weather cleared beautifully before we got into the mountains, and we had spectacular views. We stopped at the village of Arthur's Pass, and had a little walkabout. They warned you not to feed the keas (parrot style bird). However much of a nuisance they are (and apparently they will take the rubber mounting out of the edges of your windshield for fun), they were not in evidence that day. We also did not stay to hear the wild kiwi that live in the area - they are only night active.
We did stop in at the little chapel, built by an interdenominational effort, with contributions by the outdoor clubs as well. It is of plain, modern style. When you go in, though, the back wall behind the altar is of glass, and you can see a small waterfall up the mountain, with the cross suspended on the glass panels in front. Very beautifully done. We had been advised by a couple we met to make sure to stop in.
We came down out of Arthur's Pass, and gave a lift to a lady backpacker who was going to a drop of point for some 'tramping' as they call it - she'd booked a hut on one of the routes for the night. She works as support staff on an Antarctic station, supplied out of Christchurch, and had just come back 'off the ice'. They do four months on, and on her way home for the 'off ice' time, she can extend her stay in NZ for as long as she likes before she goes back to West Virginia.
We took Highway 72, to cut around the Christchurch area, and stopped for a lovely lunch in Springfield, at a place called the "Yellow Shack" - it had beautiful scented yellow rose trees across the front, and a lovely garden. The food matched, venison pie and a veggie slice, with two innovative side salads, one based on red cabbage, the other on "pumpkin" (squash).
The mountains got smaller, as we followed the coastal "Alpine Route", and some sheep farms started showing up. We ended the day at Sunrise Lodge in Kaikoura. This is a BBH backpackers, but they only had a separate suite available, which we took. Neither of us liked it as well as the other places we stayed - no one to talk to, and not as well set up, to our minds.
We are booked for Blenheim the next 2 nights - Marlborough wine country.
Friday, March 11, 2011
March 11 - Greymouth
The day started foggily. Fortunately, by the time we were packed and breakfasted, the fog had burned off, and it was sunny again. We set off through Buller's Gorge toward the coast. We stopped at White Creek, just 15 km. from Murchison. Some commercial entrepreneurs have set up a 'swing' bridge over the river. We found out that a 'swing' bridge is actually a cable suspension bridge. Eric is not overly fond of heights, but he bravely agreed to accompany me across this, for a short walk that crosses the fault line from the earthquake (1928, I believe) that caused many deaths in the Murchison area. The earth and rock displaced about 4.5 metres, and you can see the line. It was about a 7.8 on the Richter Scale. There were a number of quakes in the area, due to pressures that had built up, but it is referred to as the Murchison quake. There had been booming noises prior to the quake, that had been written off locally as dynamiting in the area!
You can also see where gold was mined alluvially - the remains of a miners cabin, walls of stones that were pulled out and stacked when the gravel was processed for whatever gold it contained.
We also did a side trail to see a 300 year old white pine (NOT the same as our white pines) - a very large tree.
We both declined the zipline return, and the jetboat ride - but it was a pleasant stop anyway.
The rest of the trip was through the gorge, with windy roads, and beautiful scenery. We thought the river seemed low for the size of the area worn by water. From later reading, we found out that the river has found its way underground to the next watershed.
Once we reached the coast, we bypassed Cape Foulwind for another day. We stopped at the 'pancake rocks' - a dolomite formation that is really interesting to look at. At high tide on a blowy day, the sea comes into underwater caves and shoots up from 'blowholes' in the rock. We could hear it in the caves, but it was a very flat sea - we bought the postcard.
We also so some of the other flightless birds - I'm going to have to check the name - near the visitor centre. They were quite unconcerned about humans, and were really interesting to watch.
We made our way to Greymouth to Global Village Backpackers. This is the biggest place we have stayed yet. It is shaped like a long lodge, painted bright colours throughout - cinnamon, navey, bright yellow, orange. There is an assortment of both painting and sculpture throughout. In the lounge where I am, there are African masks, an indonesian mask, African batiks, many wood carvings, flags (on the ceiling) from Swaziland, Uganda, Lesotho, Kenya, and one unlabelled mystery.
We bought steak for dinner, with trimmings, and two more bottles of wine. The grocery stores have an astonishing selection - it's a serious business here, and apparently well supported, as most wines are from New Zealand or Australia.
Arthur's Pass tomorrow - no booking for tomorrow night: we will see how far we get.
You can also see where gold was mined alluvially - the remains of a miners cabin, walls of stones that were pulled out and stacked when the gravel was processed for whatever gold it contained.
We also did a side trail to see a 300 year old white pine (NOT the same as our white pines) - a very large tree.
We both declined the zipline return, and the jetboat ride - but it was a pleasant stop anyway.
The rest of the trip was through the gorge, with windy roads, and beautiful scenery. We thought the river seemed low for the size of the area worn by water. From later reading, we found out that the river has found its way underground to the next watershed.
Once we reached the coast, we bypassed Cape Foulwind for another day. We stopped at the 'pancake rocks' - a dolomite formation that is really interesting to look at. At high tide on a blowy day, the sea comes into underwater caves and shoots up from 'blowholes' in the rock. We could hear it in the caves, but it was a very flat sea - we bought the postcard.
We also so some of the other flightless birds - I'm going to have to check the name - near the visitor centre. They were quite unconcerned about humans, and were really interesting to watch.
We made our way to Greymouth to Global Village Backpackers. This is the biggest place we have stayed yet. It is shaped like a long lodge, painted bright colours throughout - cinnamon, navey, bright yellow, orange. There is an assortment of both painting and sculpture throughout. In the lounge where I am, there are African masks, an indonesian mask, African batiks, many wood carvings, flags (on the ceiling) from Swaziland, Uganda, Lesotho, Kenya, and one unlabelled mystery.
We bought steak for dinner, with trimmings, and two more bottles of wine. The grocery stores have an astonishing selection - it's a serious business here, and apparently well supported, as most wines are from New Zealand or Australia.
Arthur's Pass tomorrow - no booking for tomorrow night: we will see how far we get.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
NZ Currency
We have been interested to see how NZ handles its coins. They have $2, $1, $0.50, $0.20, and $0.10. No nickels, no pennies. The rule in stores if not done on credit is to round up or down, with the .05 going to the customer by rounding down. Sooo nice not to be dealing with cents. Makes the change pocket much lighter.
Their bills are coloured, happily, as I have a much easier time dealing with coloured different bills than with the US all-the-same colour bills. Also slightly different sizes, not so pronounced as the UK size differences. Some good pictures - the Queen makes it onto the $20, with a bird- Karearea - on the back, but there is also Sir Edmund Hillary ($5), with a penguin on the back, Kate Sheppard (suffragette movement - thanks, Lynda) and ducks on the $10, and a number of others on different denominations.
Their bills are coloured, happily, as I have a much easier time dealing with coloured different bills than with the US all-the-same colour bills. Also slightly different sizes, not so pronounced as the UK size differences. Some good pictures - the Queen makes it onto the $20, with a bird- Karearea - on the back, but there is also Sir Edmund Hillary ($5), with a penguin on the back, Kate Sheppard (suffragette movement - thanks, Lynda) and ducks on the $10, and a number of others on different denominations.
March 10 - driving from Picton to Murchison
We took the Queen Charlotte Drive out of Picton, a cliff-hugging experience of 30 km. I was driving and enjoying myself, though Eric not so much for the first bit. There are wonderful views out over the sound, and of distant hills. We picked up Highway 6 at Havelock (is this sounding like Ontario?) and went through two lots of mountains to Nelson. The road is wonderfully twisty, good for width, not so good for guardrails (they put them on the outside curves, but the straightaways you are on your own). It is rated at 100 km, with cautionary corner speed limits that are quite accurate. We pulled over a couple of times to let the locals, or the fools, pass.
Nelson is on the sea. We had a lovely lunch at the Boat Shed Cafe, right on the water with a deck cantilevered out over the sea. You could feed the fishes through the deck boards. Food was good - a scallop salad for Eric and a scampi one for me - and the staff very friendly. It was $55 - food is not inexpensive - but that includes GST and tip, which are not add-ons.
We drove through some more hilly country to Murchison, which we decided was far enough for the day (it was 4:30 pm). We checked out the one BBH place in Murchison and found The Lazy Cow. Probably the best stop yet. In addition to a lovely room, this place does suppers for $12. Tonight it was venison mince, slow cooked in wine, with a mustard mashed potato crust. It was served with steamed carrots, zucchini, runner beans, braised Seville cabbage and soured red cabbage. Fresh blueberry and apple pie, with ice cream for dessert ($5) - we split one. MMMM!
We continued our astronomy lessons (more light tonight), and turned in, as usual, very tired from the day but very satisfied.
Nelson is on the sea. We had a lovely lunch at the Boat Shed Cafe, right on the water with a deck cantilevered out over the sea. You could feed the fishes through the deck boards. Food was good - a scallop salad for Eric and a scampi one for me - and the staff very friendly. It was $55 - food is not inexpensive - but that includes GST and tip, which are not add-ons.
We drove through some more hilly country to Murchison, which we decided was far enough for the day (it was 4:30 pm). We checked out the one BBH place in Murchison and found The Lazy Cow. Probably the best stop yet. In addition to a lovely room, this place does suppers for $12. Tonight it was venison mince, slow cooked in wine, with a mustard mashed potato crust. It was served with steamed carrots, zucchini, runner beans, braised Seville cabbage and soured red cabbage. Fresh blueberry and apple pie, with ice cream for dessert ($5) - we split one. MMMM!
We continued our astronomy lessons (more light tonight), and turned in, as usual, very tired from the day but very satisfied.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
March 9 - Crossing Cook Straight
We left our very nice place in Plimmerton (we've booked in for 3 nights on the way back, as it is convenient to Wellington explorations, and so far we've overlooked NZ's capital city).
It was an easy drive to the ferry. When we got into line, we met John and Mary, in line in front of us, a NZ couple going down to visit family on the South Island. We went for coffee with them to the old railway station (still in use, and done up nicely), and sat with them on the ferry trip.
It was a bigger ferry than Chi Chi Maun, but one ended. Trucks and cars load in a circle (only evident later why that was.
The approach into Picton goes through a small archipelago of islands and a long peninsula (the Queen Charlotte Track).
We found our lodge - Buccaneer's Lodge - set up like a small (4 room) 2 level motel. Rooms are on top. Half of the bottom is common area, half is owner's quarters. The top level, with balcony, is the access to the rooms. The front lawn is fenced off, and two eco-mowers (read: sheep) were at work. It's the first ensuite bathroom we have had, which is nice, and a huge room with a king bed (two twins), and two bunks with a trundle. They obviously get families through, as well as groups who room share.
We are on today toward the west. Sadly, we will miss Abel Tasman Park due to time contraints, but we are going to try to do a loop through Arthur's Pass, to get a view of both coasts and the mountains. It's the first day we haven't pre-booked accommodation, as we are not sure how far we will get, so wish us luck!
It was an easy drive to the ferry. When we got into line, we met John and Mary, in line in front of us, a NZ couple going down to visit family on the South Island. We went for coffee with them to the old railway station (still in use, and done up nicely), and sat with them on the ferry trip.
It was a bigger ferry than Chi Chi Maun, but one ended. Trucks and cars load in a circle (only evident later why that was.
The approach into Picton goes through a small archipelago of islands and a long peninsula (the Queen Charlotte Track).
We found our lodge - Buccaneer's Lodge - set up like a small (4 room) 2 level motel. Rooms are on top. Half of the bottom is common area, half is owner's quarters. The top level, with balcony, is the access to the rooms. The front lawn is fenced off, and two eco-mowers (read: sheep) were at work. It's the first ensuite bathroom we have had, which is nice, and a huge room with a king bed (two twins), and two bunks with a trundle. They obviously get families through, as well as groups who room share.
We are on today toward the west. Sadly, we will miss Abel Tasman Park due to time contraints, but we are going to try to do a loop through Arthur's Pass, to get a view of both coasts and the mountains. It's the first day we haven't pre-booked accommodation, as we are not sure how far we will get, so wish us luck!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
March 8 - Plimmerton, near Wellington
We drove down from New Plymouth to Plimmerton - beautiful blue sky day! We took the direct route south, as we were advised that the coastal "surf highway" doesn't actually see much water, and we did not have enough time to divert to the truly coastal roads. We booked the ferry for March 9 (pre-booking is substantially cheaper) so we have a schedule for the next 2 days.
We stopped for Eric to get photos of Mount Egmont (Maori name Tamaki, I think, may correct later!). It had just had snowfall atop, and was using its own personal clouds to hide behind.
Nice rolling scenery - we stopped at a small town and ate the rest of our fab pizza for lunch with two "flat white" coffees from the Red Dog Cafe, and a piece of their carrot cake. As a digression, the coffee nomenclature differs from ours. Short black is espresso. Long black is espresso with more water, Americano in Starbucks lingo. Flat white is pressure brewed coffee with hot milk, delicious, and, I am assured, pretty much the same as a latte, although I've seen both on one menu.
The GPS is functioning well, now that we have learned to check what route it wants to take us - it's very good for the small streets that don't show up on the map we have.
The hostel in Plimmerton is the nicest yet - Moana Lodge. It is on the seafront of a small village that is part of Wellington's commuter-shed, though you wouldn't know it. We walked the seafront, and had fish and chips at the local chippie. Extremely good. They also had news articles - chosen best fish and chips on at least two occasions for the whole Wellington area. I can believe it.
Our host did the rounds after dinner, and saw Eric's star book. He suggested a route to an area out of street light range. After a couple of false starts we found the path, not quite 45 degrees up, but not far off it! We parked before the final stretch and walked the last bit, puffing. We found the southern cross, definitely, and Alpha Centauri (the brightest of the pointers to the Southern Cross). Orion was there, upside down. We saw the Coal Sack - an area of darkness by the Southern Cross. Also the Clouds of Magellan - fainter bright areas first noted in Magellan's logs from his circumnavigation. A late night, but accomplishing one of the things that we wanted to do on this trip!
Tomorrow, on to Wellington and the ferry. We have just realized that we are not going to get to see everything on this trip - or rather, the everything that we had thought realistic - and will have to prune. Sad, but hopefully there will be another trip here in our future.
We stopped for Eric to get photos of Mount Egmont (Maori name Tamaki, I think, may correct later!). It had just had snowfall atop, and was using its own personal clouds to hide behind.
Nice rolling scenery - we stopped at a small town and ate the rest of our fab pizza for lunch with two "flat white" coffees from the Red Dog Cafe, and a piece of their carrot cake. As a digression, the coffee nomenclature differs from ours. Short black is espresso. Long black is espresso with more water, Americano in Starbucks lingo. Flat white is pressure brewed coffee with hot milk, delicious, and, I am assured, pretty much the same as a latte, although I've seen both on one menu.
The GPS is functioning well, now that we have learned to check what route it wants to take us - it's very good for the small streets that don't show up on the map we have.
The hostel in Plimmerton is the nicest yet - Moana Lodge. It is on the seafront of a small village that is part of Wellington's commuter-shed, though you wouldn't know it. We walked the seafront, and had fish and chips at the local chippie. Extremely good. They also had news articles - chosen best fish and chips on at least two occasions for the whole Wellington area. I can believe it.
Our host did the rounds after dinner, and saw Eric's star book. He suggested a route to an area out of street light range. After a couple of false starts we found the path, not quite 45 degrees up, but not far off it! We parked before the final stretch and walked the last bit, puffing. We found the southern cross, definitely, and Alpha Centauri (the brightest of the pointers to the Southern Cross). Orion was there, upside down. We saw the Coal Sack - an area of darkness by the Southern Cross. Also the Clouds of Magellan - fainter bright areas first noted in Magellan's logs from his circumnavigation. A late night, but accomplishing one of the things that we wanted to do on this trip!
Tomorrow, on to Wellington and the ferry. We have just realized that we are not going to get to see everything on this trip - or rather, the everything that we had thought realistic - and will have to prune. Sad, but hopefully there will be another trip here in our future.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
March 7 - Waitomo and New Plymouth
So we moved on reluctantly from Rotorua (the weather turned sky blue, and it would have been a great day to bike in the Redwoods). We drove a GPS suggested route over some smallish roads, with great scenery, to Waitomo. We toured the main cave - oo'd and ah'd at the glow worms, and headed for New Plymouth. That route had spectacular scenery - gorges through volcanic mountains.
In New Plymouth, we stayed at Shoestrings backpackers, 48 Lemon Street. Another hit! It is an older house, with high ceilings, and some lovely antiques. And more friendly people.
We had dinner at Arborio, next to the I-centre in town, and recommended by Lonely Planet. Great food. We had a Monteith's beer (NZ), and two different pizzas. The one I really liked was chicken, spinach, red pepper, and fried red onion, served with a chili lime mascarpone in the middle, added as a garnish after baking. YUM! And some left over for lunch!
In New Plymouth, we stayed at Shoestrings backpackers, 48 Lemon Street. Another hit! It is an older house, with high ceilings, and some lovely antiques. And more friendly people.
We had dinner at Arborio, next to the I-centre in town, and recommended by Lonely Planet. Great food. We had a Monteith's beer (NZ), and two different pizzas. The one I really liked was chicken, spinach, red pepper, and fried red onion, served with a chili lime mascarpone in the middle, added as a garnish after baking. YUM! And some left over for lunch!
Mar 6 - Wai-O-Tapu, Thermal Wonderland
Did I mention that you can smell rotten egg gas everywhere in Rotorua? You lose the sensitivity from time to time, then catch another whiff.
It comes from all the thermal activity in the area. We went out of town, about half an hour, to Wai-O-Tapu, a state owned, but leased to private enterprise, facility that has acres of thermal manifestations. The big deal is the Lady Knox geyser, that is triggered at 10:15 each morning (as it has been for the last 80 years) by adding a surfactant. The natural cycle would be about 36 hours, maybe less depending on water levels, but this way it performs to schedule. And very impressively! There had been a penal work detail in the area, planting trees, and the hot spring had been used as a laundry. Some soap got dumped in - and that is when they figured out the geyser could be triggered.
The balance of the park is spectacular. Hot pools, boiling mud springs, sulpher deposit mounds, caves with coloured sides reflecting different minerals. Did I mention the rotten egg gas?
The day started cloudily, but cheered up half way through our walk, for which we were VERY grateful.
In the afternoon we went to Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park. They are the central facility for incubating kiwi eggs taken from all over NZ. They keep the young kiwi until they are big enough to fend for themselves, then reintroduce them into the wild. They have a much better survival rate than would otherwise be the case. The problem is the introduced predators - cats, dogs, weasels, stoats, and possums (fur-bearing, not the same as ours). We saw a baby kiwi being tended to - very cute.
They also have captive wild birds of various species, huge trout (they raise them for release) and lizards.
We returned at night to see the adult kiwis in their enclosure - four of them, each with their own piece of territory. They are very busy birds! No touching, but we were within a foot of them at times. Sadly, no photos, as they are sensitive to light. What a great memory!
It comes from all the thermal activity in the area. We went out of town, about half an hour, to Wai-O-Tapu, a state owned, but leased to private enterprise, facility that has acres of thermal manifestations. The big deal is the Lady Knox geyser, that is triggered at 10:15 each morning (as it has been for the last 80 years) by adding a surfactant. The natural cycle would be about 36 hours, maybe less depending on water levels, but this way it performs to schedule. And very impressively! There had been a penal work detail in the area, planting trees, and the hot spring had been used as a laundry. Some soap got dumped in - and that is when they figured out the geyser could be triggered.
The balance of the park is spectacular. Hot pools, boiling mud springs, sulpher deposit mounds, caves with coloured sides reflecting different minerals. Did I mention the rotten egg gas?
The day started cloudily, but cheered up half way through our walk, for which we were VERY grateful.
In the afternoon we went to Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park. They are the central facility for incubating kiwi eggs taken from all over NZ. They keep the young kiwi until they are big enough to fend for themselves, then reintroduce them into the wild. They have a much better survival rate than would otherwise be the case. The problem is the introduced predators - cats, dogs, weasels, stoats, and possums (fur-bearing, not the same as ours). We saw a baby kiwi being tended to - very cute.
They also have captive wild birds of various species, huge trout (they raise them for release) and lizards.
We returned at night to see the adult kiwis in their enclosure - four of them, each with their own piece of territory. They are very busy birds! No touching, but we were within a foot of them at times. Sadly, no photos, as they are sensitive to light. What a great memory!
March 5 - Driving to Rotorua: The Deluge
Today we drove (Eric starting, as it is a standard) to Rotorua. We took the motorway out of Auckland, very civilized, no DVP crazy drivers. We pulled onto a secondary motorway (#2), which is just two lanes with occasional passing lanes, and wound up and down, around and about. We went through a beautiful gorge - even in the rain. We stayed at the Funky Green Voyager in Rotorua, another BBH hostel. Good conversations among the guests.
We went to the Mitai Maori Village cultural performance and hangi (feast) in the evening. It was a further elaboration of what we had learned at the museum - they turned us all (11 nations) into a tribe for the evening, had a volunteer chief, went down to the river to watch the real tribe paddle a war canoe in, and into an amphitheatre for the performance. The Hangi is an earth oven - they superheat stones, throw clams on top of that for moisture and flavour, and cook lamb, chicken, sweet potatoes (dark skins, paler insides than what we are used to) and regular potatoes. The food is all permeated by the smoky flavouring, very good.
We went to the Mitai Maori Village cultural performance and hangi (feast) in the evening. It was a further elaboration of what we had learned at the museum - they turned us all (11 nations) into a tribe for the evening, had a volunteer chief, went down to the river to watch the real tribe paddle a war canoe in, and into an amphitheatre for the performance. The Hangi is an earth oven - they superheat stones, throw clams on top of that for moisture and flavour, and cook lamb, chicken, sweet potatoes (dark skins, paler insides than what we are used to) and regular potatoes. The food is all permeated by the smoky flavouring, very good.
Friday, March 4, 2011
March 4 - Auckland War Memorial Museum
Today we started with a coffee from our Italian Bakery, then headed to the Auckland Museum. We entered through the rear entrance, which is modern, and skylit - very beautiful. We booked a Maori cultural show. It started with singing - the 6 cast members all had good voices. We recognized the tune "How Great Thou Art". The announcer/MC explained this was part of their Catholic heritage - the Maori liked the hymn tunes, so they translated the words and took them up. We learned about "poi" - here it means small balls of light material swung rhythmically - really part of a dance. It had originated as a weapon for men (stones), but has become the "maidens' " territory.
We also took a tour of the Maori gallery - two sequential guides, a young woman and a young man, who spoke about facial tatooing, local carving patterns, the long war canoe and inter-Maori raiding parties. There are some very beautiful artifacts in the museum. There was a display about Maori land claims - as usual, the white settlers did not keep to the treaties, but it does appear that progress is being made, as some are settled.
The museum also had a wonderful display on volcanoes. The Pacific plate goes under the Australasian plate to the north of the Islands, and to the south, the Australasian goes under the Pacific plate. The Southern Alps are the result of the two plates pushing at each other on the South Island. On the North, the line is out to sea, a little east of the North Island. One display was a house that you could go into, with a TV, and a large "picture window" looking over Auckland harbour. There you 'saw' a volcano erupt in the middle of the harbour. They had the house shaking, so it was quite interesting. So much for our shuttle driver who reassured the tourists that Auckland does not have earthquakes! The Museum itself is built on one edge of a [very old] crater, the hospital on the other. You certainly couldn't tell that today, but it is interesting . . .
We are on to Rotorua today, staying at the "Funky Green Backpacker" tonight. Apparently it is environmentally green, and, while they were at it, painted green!
We also took a tour of the Maori gallery - two sequential guides, a young woman and a young man, who spoke about facial tatooing, local carving patterns, the long war canoe and inter-Maori raiding parties. There are some very beautiful artifacts in the museum. There was a display about Maori land claims - as usual, the white settlers did not keep to the treaties, but it does appear that progress is being made, as some are settled.
The museum also had a wonderful display on volcanoes. The Pacific plate goes under the Australasian plate to the north of the Islands, and to the south, the Australasian goes under the Pacific plate. The Southern Alps are the result of the two plates pushing at each other on the South Island. On the North, the line is out to sea, a little east of the North Island. One display was a house that you could go into, with a TV, and a large "picture window" looking over Auckland harbour. There you 'saw' a volcano erupt in the middle of the harbour. They had the house shaking, so it was quite interesting. So much for our shuttle driver who reassured the tourists that Auckland does not have earthquakes! The Museum itself is built on one edge of a [very old] crater, the hospital on the other. You certainly couldn't tell that today, but it is interesting . . .
We are on to Rotorua today, staying at the "Funky Green Backpacker" tonight. Apparently it is environmentally green, and, while they were at it, painted green!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
March 3 - Waiheke Island
Today we applied our lessons of yesterday, and took the bus. The particular one is called the "Link", a circular route that costs $1.80 per person, not dependent on distance. While waiting, we found an Italian bakery that had wonderful coffee, and a dessert to add to our lunch repertoire.
We bought our ferry ticket - there are, as you would expect, many ferries in Auckland, given how much water borders the city. While we waited for the next one, we found the government tourist centre, and bought ourselves a bird book and a little star book. We had a good chat with an employee who is also a volunteer at the planetarium.
The ferry ride to Waiheke is about half an hour, and it was WARM. I am not used to being on the water in the equinox month without needing a jacket! We bought a day pass on the Island's buses (it's about 24 km. long). We walked to Onerua, the first village in. We saw a purple swamphen on one of the side paths, ID'd thanks to the bird book.
On the way we met some New Zealanders from the Onetangi peninsula area (South Island), and had a good chat. The gentleman recommended a driving route, with various seafood specialties as we go, that we may well take.
We picked up the bus in Onerua, and took it to Onetangi. The island is very hilly and the roads steep and windy. There are a number of small, beautiful, beaches and many vineyards. We had a very good lunch on the beachfront at Onetangi (fish burger for me, chicken for Eric, but very well done). We walked the beach afterward - there were some really unusual shells - long, skinny fan-shaped, and very brittle - so many they were in great piles in places.
We road the bus back into Onerua, and had a small wander in the shops. By then we were both getting tired, so headed back to the ferry and hence 'home'.
We bought our ferry ticket - there are, as you would expect, many ferries in Auckland, given how much water borders the city. While we waited for the next one, we found the government tourist centre, and bought ourselves a bird book and a little star book. We had a good chat with an employee who is also a volunteer at the planetarium.
The ferry ride to Waiheke is about half an hour, and it was WARM. I am not used to being on the water in the equinox month without needing a jacket! We bought a day pass on the Island's buses (it's about 24 km. long). We walked to Onerua, the first village in. We saw a purple swamphen on one of the side paths, ID'd thanks to the bird book.
On the way we met some New Zealanders from the Onetangi peninsula area (South Island), and had a good chat. The gentleman recommended a driving route, with various seafood specialties as we go, that we may well take.
We picked up the bus in Onerua, and took it to Onetangi. The island is very hilly and the roads steep and windy. There are a number of small, beautiful, beaches and many vineyards. We had a very good lunch on the beachfront at Onetangi (fish burger for me, chicken for Eric, but very well done). We walked the beach afterward - there were some really unusual shells - long, skinny fan-shaped, and very brittle - so many they were in great piles in places.
We road the bus back into Onerua, and had a small wander in the shops. By then we were both getting tired, so headed back to the ferry and hence 'home'.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Safe flight and first day in Auckland (March 2)
Our flight was great - first leg Air Canada to LA, second leg Air New Zealand to Auckland. The concern we had about making connections in LA was unnecessary - they parked the incoming flight right next door to the outgoing one! Air New Zealand has great food - they credit their chefs!
We found the mini-shuttle at the airport - delivered us to City Garden Lodge. It is what is called a 'backpackers' in NZ terminology. It's a hostel. We have a nice spacious quiet room with a good bed in a property that once belonged to the Queen of Tonga. Bathroom facilities are shared but beautifully clean. There is a shared kitchen - 3 gas cooktops and 3 sinks, and a huge refrigerator.
Yesterday we walked west along the water (and walked, and walked) to Mission Bay. The Fish Pot Cafe has excellent fish & chips, and it was lovely looking at the ocean again. We might have rented bikes if we had realized how far, not that our host hadn't warned us. We bought lamb sausages for dinner, and some wine, and just about stayed awake long enough to cook them!
The weather was very English, somewhat damp. But it is warm - short sleeved shirt warm! And there is a tropical undertone of humidity, wonderful after the dry central heating.
Today (March 3) is looking much better than the downpour forecast - so we are debating between museum and ferry ride to an island in the harbour.
We found the mini-shuttle at the airport - delivered us to City Garden Lodge. It is what is called a 'backpackers' in NZ terminology. It's a hostel. We have a nice spacious quiet room with a good bed in a property that once belonged to the Queen of Tonga. Bathroom facilities are shared but beautifully clean. There is a shared kitchen - 3 gas cooktops and 3 sinks, and a huge refrigerator.
Yesterday we walked west along the water (and walked, and walked) to Mission Bay. The Fish Pot Cafe has excellent fish & chips, and it was lovely looking at the ocean again. We might have rented bikes if we had realized how far, not that our host hadn't warned us. We bought lamb sausages for dinner, and some wine, and just about stayed awake long enough to cook them!
The weather was very English, somewhat damp. But it is warm - short sleeved shirt warm! And there is a tropical undertone of humidity, wonderful after the dry central heating.
Today (March 3) is looking much better than the downpour forecast - so we are debating between museum and ferry ride to an island in the harbour.
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