Auckland and farewell to NZ

So to our final days in Auckland and NZ.

We had three nights in the lovely Debrett hotel where the staff couldn't do enough for us. It was right in the heart of the city and a perfect setting. Auckland is a green and beautiful city with everything close to hand.

We completed the coast to coast walk on day one which took us from Waitemata Harbour to Manukau, across the centre and then the suburbs of Auckland, through five parks (including the biggest, Cornwall Park), up Mount Eden and One Tree Hill, all over about 22km (14 miles). We saw cricket being played, croquet, a huge easter festival and lots of families enjoying the Easter break. The picture below shows Auckland Centre from Mount Eden.

We had two memorable meals in the city. The first at a co-operative street food place where drinks were sold from a small van and Mexican food was the order of the day. Really atmospheric place in Ponsonby.

The second was in the Sky Tower which you can see from a distance on the first picture above. The Tower has a revolving restaurant on the 50th floor, just below where the bungee jumpers take off. The views were amazing and the food excellent.

On our last day we flew in the evening so took off for a final fling in the hire car to Piha Beach on the west coast of Auckland which was dramatic. We walked the beach and saw surfers enjoying yet another fine day in NZ.

As we left Piha we just had time for a visit to the Auckland Botanical Gardens and then it was off to the airport for San Francisco. The experience of New Zealand has been outstanding. We drove 2609 miles, walked 350 miles and left with so many memories of great people and a fine country, but onwards and upwards to the USA and now within four weeks of the wedding celebrations! Thank you NZ.

Taupo, Rotorua and finally Auckland

Two nights in Taupo followed Wellington after a five hour drive.

The town of Taupo sits on a lake by the same name which is the largest in NZ. The accommodation we had there was lovely and spacious and the owners were great, leaving us milk, crumpets and easter eggs for our arrival. The place had an indoor sauna and could have coped with a good sized family. The town itself though is not the prettiest. Its fairly large but over commercialised, however, the Lake and surrounding area made the stopover well worthwhile. Our one full day was spent on a walk from the Huka Falls along the Waikato River (the largest in NZ), to the Aratiatia Rapids. This was a five hour return trek along a decent walk and cycle track with great views along the way. Below, the first picture is Huka Falls, the second is the rapids at the end of the walk.

As we left Taupo for the drive to Auckland we decided to stop at a place called Rotorua on the way. The area is rich in Maori history and even today the population has a strong Maori emphasis. Te Puia is the sight of a historical Maori settlement and also NZ's most famous hot volcanic springs and geysers. You pay an entry fee in a slightly 'Disney' type entrance environment and attend a Maori welcome ceremony and rendition of the Haka. In fairness, the latter was good but a walk round the springs, geysers and mud pools was perhaps more impressive. The air is full of sulphur smells and the heat from the rocks is obvious. It honestly felt that you were on another planet.

From Te Puia we had another 3 hours to Auckland and landed at a privately run hotel which is very quirky, very friendly and perfectly placed for the 2 final NZ days of exploration! Sadly for Maggie, no touring rugby team but hey you can't have everything!

Life in the north.

To get from the South to the NZ North Island, with a car, requires a ferry from Picton to Wellington which takes about 3 hours. The journey takes you through Queen Charlotte Sound and eventually in to the open sea. The views for the first 90 minutes are stunning on a good day and we had a good day! It was actually more of a cruise than a ferry crossing.

Wellington is the capital city of NZ and in our view it's wonderful. Its architecture looks all over the place but somehow it works. It feels young and full of life. We stayed in a very fancy hotel called the Intercontinental and they really looked after us. We walked the city to death, starting on day one with a look at the marina and an initial visit to the Te Papa museum. This free museum is probably the best Maggie and I have ever seen outside of London. Its accessible, interactive and tells the Maori story with real clarity and amazing artefacts. We couldn't do it justice in one day so didn't try. More of that later. First a picture of Wellington:

On day 2 we took the cable car to see 'Zealandia' which lies above the city. This is effectively a huge beautiful valley which has been totally fenced off. The purpose was to eradicate non native species/predators such as possums, rats, hedgehogs, mice and stoats and to re create a safe and natural habitat for NZ birds (some flightless), gecko's etc. It was great to see birds like the Tui and Takahe both of whom have been close to extinction and learn how the eradication process was handled.

On return to the city we again headed for the marina and the Te Papa. We spent about 2 hours in the latter and the highlight was probably the Gallipoli presentation. The blog isn't the place to describe this WW1 event in detail but the story and personal testimonies, the pictures and artefacts paid a genuine tribute to the Anzacs and allies that died. It was moving and creative.

Now it wasn't all good in the hotel. Sadly, we had to share the same with a touring professional rugby union team from South Africa, called the Southern Kings who play out of Port Elizabeth. Yes, they were polite and really nice guys but there were about 27 of them. They all seemed a bit overweight to me but Maggie was oddly pre occupied in the hotel and just a bit giddy. Below you can see her chilling out with her new best 'friend', JP Du Plessis. He was about the smallest one I could find and has played rugby league for Sydney, rugby union in Montepellier and for a couple of teams in South Africa. Maggie has found a new enthusiasm for Rugby Union for some reason.

So we set off this morning for Taupo on route to Auckland and the new place is the biggest yet. We have two nights here and have a planned walk to the Huka falls in the morning. The USA isn't far away now but some great things to do beforehand and who knows, in the Auckland hotel there could even be a cheerleader conference.

Wine Country

We are now on our final day in the South Island, having travelled from Nelson to Renwick, a journey of about 2 hours, allowing us a stop and walk at Pelorus Bridge where 'The Hobbit' was partly filmed.

Renwick is in the heart of the Marlborough wine producing area and therefore a complete contrast in terms of landscape. During the first afternoon/evening we walked across some local salt marshes which were stunning and full of birdlife. The walk took us to the wreck of the Waverley - a supply ship originally used to support the gold mining efforts on the West Coast. Once it was no longer needed it was brought to this coast to be 'scuttled' to support sea defences in the 1930's, but it ran adrift and was left in no more than a few feet of water. In WW2 it was used for target practice. Below you can play 'spot the wreck'.

We had two full days in wine country so day one was spent travelling to and from the port of Picton on two amazing scenic routes, again taking us to remote coves and seeing unreal views. We combined the same with a couple of great walks and had a fine old day. A couple of the more famous bays were Cloudy Bay and Monkey Bay. The view below is Queen Charlotte Sound and that's the start of our route by ferry on Tuesday as we head to Wellington. The second picture is our Tour Director at Anakiwa.

Today we have had a very chilled day walking from our apartment to three wineries and undertaking a wine tasting experiment to see if we like it. The three we visited were Forrest, Framingham's and Wairau River, where we also had a beautiful lunch in a wonderful location. We were invited to sample the grapes and walk freely through the vineyard. The weather, service, wine and food were exceptional. The conclusion we arrived at is we quite like wine, but just to make sure we bought a bottle back for tonight.

Below, you can see Maggie handling a very tough Monday tasting mission at Wairau River (we didn't want to leave) and the second picture is a cellar at Framingham's.

So its goodbye to the South Island in the morning with a whole load of memories to savour. My conclusion is if you like being outside, walking, views to die for, people who consistently want to help you, good wine, mountains, glaciers, sport of any kind (biking/rugby/extreme stuff like golf), very fine craft beers and quiet roads, it might be worth be thinking about running away and coming here. Bring on the North Island!!!!!!

Nelson, but not Colne!

There's a saying that everyone in the world wants to live in New Zealand and that everyone in New Zealand wants to live in Nelson but maybe that's a rumour that is being spread by the Nelson Tourist Board! However, despite some scepticism from some folk we'd talked to, we had a really enjoyable 3 nights staying in this port city on the northern tip of the South Island. We'd actually go as far as to say it was even love at first sight for two main reasons. Firstly, our Airbnb place was just immaculate with lovely views over the city and the bay. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, we were within a few minutes walk from the Nelson based brewery pub the "Sprig and Fern". Not only did this great little pub serve 18 craft beers, but it served food (including fish and chips!) via the next door takeaway. You simply went next door, placed your order then went back to your pint to wait for your order to be brought in by the takeaway staff! Guess where we spent our first evening?!

The wonderful pub/takeaway thing aside, we then had 2 great days in the city. Day 1 was a beautiful walk from near where we were staying up the hillside to a summit they call the "Centre of New Zealand" because, quite simply, it is! This afforded great views over Nelson and the port.

Our final day was spent walking on Tahuna Beach and around the marina followed by a museum visit in the afternoon, due to an unusual weather front - RAIN - only our third experience of this in 5 weeks! However, our spirits weren't dampened and we left Nelson to head for Renwick in the Marlborough wine area with a great fondness for this great little city. We might add that, despite what you might be thinking about where we spent the remaining 2 evenings in Nelson, we did actually do a bit of culture, the theatre (to see an Australian production, "Caravan") and the cinema ("10 Cloverfield Lane). We might also add that both productions were truly awful and we wished we'd gone to the pub!

Golden Bay

The journey from Hanmer Springs to our next stop, Takaka on Golden Bay, was our longest but most spectacular on the South Island. The increasingly loved Nissan, (now known as Hilda), had to take us over Lewis pass, the northernmost of the three main alpine passes on the island at just under 3,000 feet. The journey would have been a lot shorter however, had we not stopped continuously at the views. The one below is Kahurangi National Park.

We are now enjoying our last night in Takaka, a small town which lies in the Abel Tasman National Park. We have a wonderful apartment overlooking the Bay. Its tranquil, peaceful and utterly stunning. The picture below was sunrise from the deck this morning,

On day one here we were slightly uncertain where to go first and what to do. I know it was something Maggie should have been on top of but generally she's doing pretty good so I'm not complaining. Anyway, we headed to the nearest beach, bought a coffee and sat at a picnic table to plan. Within a couple of minutes a road biker stopped and sat with us. It turned out that John (originally from Merseyside) had just retired after 20 years as a local guide for walkers in the National Park. After about 10 minutes we had 3 days planned and maps scribbled on for most scenic routes. (Impressively he still had his Merseyside Bike Club top!).

It's been 3 days of contrasting and wonderful walking and discovery, including Wharariki Beach. This isolated beach required a bit of 'off road' driving and a 2km walk to reach its most westerly point. There was nobody else on the beach to begin with and the beach is covered by amazing sandstone rock formations.

As you walk down the beach you pass arches of the same rock and eventually to several rock pools where female seals play with their pups. Just an ordinary walk really.

We have visited Totaranui beach (recommended by some teachers who were escorting a school party up Conical Hill in Hanmer Springs!) and Pohara beach, which were both wonderful then Farewell Spit where we had a picnic overlooking the Bay. All these places have given us great memories and pictures but today we stayed inland and visited Wiakoropupu Springs and the Pupu Hydro walkway. The former are the biggest cold water springs in NZ and the walkway is a spectacular 6 mile walk surrounding a hydro electric plant first established in 1920 and later rebuilt after a major flood in the 1980's. We were there for 3 hours plus and saw just 3 people and one dog. We had several encounters with a small bird called the NZ fantail, who seem really curious of, and keen to have, human contact.

There are places I haven't mentioned, a fine meal at a local restaurant, and great drives across dirt tracks and wonderful waterfalls that will live long in the memory. It's off to Nelson tomorrow but plenty to do en route. One final pic of the view for tonight's meal at home!

Autumnal springs in Hanmer

The journey from Christchurch to Hanmer Springs was probably one of our most spectacular to date (although little did we know the best was yet to come when we travelled 2 days later from Hanmer Springs to Takaka!) However, in blissful ignorance of what was to come, we "oohed" and "aaahed" our way through the vineyards and NZ alps. We might add, however,  that the journey WAS enhanced by breakfast at the Waipara Hills Vineyard followed by a little tasting adventure that resulted in the purchase of 3 delicious bottles of wine!

Hammer Springs had originally been selected as a mere stop off from Christchurch to the Abel Tasman National Park but this quaint little place was really loved and enjoyed by us both. We had great accommodation once again, this time at the Harrogate Gardens Motel, where 12 week old Bebe the boxer puppy kept us highly entertained, followed by a great walk up Conical Hill, a game of golf at the local course, a couple of hours in the spa pools and a taste sensation curry at one of the local eateries. All in all, a really lovely couple of days as the pictures will testify!

Conical Hill is the backdrop to the 16th green!

Christchurch city of earthquakes

Although we arrived in Christchurch in pouring rain it was good enough to stop for us in the evening.   We met up with Ghislane and Martin (colleagues of Maggie's back in the UK), in the evening and they gave us a quick city tour by car that was fascinating. The family moved to Christchurch after the the 2011 earthquake and Martin's role, as a civil engineer, has been to work on the rebuild along with a workforce of thousands from all over the world. The earthquake lasted 40 seconds and repairs and the rebuild will probably take another 20 years to complete. Martin showed us areas where houses once stood but were now demolished. Oddly, gardens and orchards remained. 80% of the city centre either has, or will be, demolished and re built. A cathedral remains in dangerous condition and in total 185 people died, many of whom were youngsters at a language school. All this could lead you to believe Christchurch is a beaten city, threatened as it is with both more earthquakes in the future and increasing flood levels. The truth is, the city and its people are a resilient lot and the rebuild is in full swing. Some temporary structures like a cardboard cathedral, are testimony to that.

We toured the city on foot the following day, going through Hagley Gardens (which contain beautiful botanical gardens), and visiting the City Museum which contained some wonderful artefacts from the Maori culture.

We visited the site of the greatest devastation caused by the earthquake and took in the temporary tribute to the victims - a collection of white seats each for one of those lost on the day.

You can see the cranes in the background which are just everywhere in the city centre.

We had a great evening on our last night, again with Ghislane and Martin, at their amazing home with daughter Molly and niece Victoria. The food and company, combined with a great day of sightseeing, finished this Christchurch leg just perfectly.

So, it's farewell Christchurch and hello Hanmer Springs, where the Conical Hill walk, golf and natural spa pools await - it's a tough life!

From beaches to mountains

Our last full day on the Otaga Peninsular was on Saturday. Before we left we booked a late pm/early evening trip with a local tour company that took us (and about 15 others) by bus to more remote locations and one private beach. It ended our stay in Dunedin perfectly. We saw so may animals and birds including a kingfisher, a pukeko (a native bird), more albatross and towards the end of the trip both yellow eyed and blue penguins. The final climb found us overlooking numerous fur seals, mainly females with their young playing in rock pools. The yellow eyed penguins ( see below) are in decline with only about 3000 left so this secluded and protected beach offers at least a chance of survival.

The fur seals meanwhile are doing better!

We left our B&B on Sunday morning and called in to Dunedin itself for breakfast with one of Maggie's old pupils, Willam, who is now at university in the town. He and his girlfriend, Tina, were great to see but we had a road trip ahead to Twizel, so no time to waste!

Twizel is fairly central in the South Island and was originally a town born of a local power station. Its  now effectively reinvented itself as the gateway to Cook Mountain. We stayed in a beautiful cottage and had fresh eggs delivered by our hosts. We had two nights in Twizel and drove into the mountains for a full days walking on Monday through the Hooker Valley. NZ continues to amaze us. Cook Mountain is 12,200 feet high and is surrounded by an equally impressive mountain range. We walked high enough to enjoy lunch on the edge of a glacial lake.

The Lakes in the area are an amazing turquoise colour - almost hard to believe when you see it. Glacial water as it melts is grey colour caused by rock sediment but as it enters the lakes, it settles and the rock particles are suspended in the water. This creates a blue/turquoise colour. Its amazing what you learn on this blog! The only more beautiful thing I saw on the day was Maggie (she checks this for spelling later so bear with me). (Flattery will bet you everywhere Mr C! - Maggie)

As we left today for Christchurch, we said a fond farewell to this area, which was again so stunning. A final view of the Mount Cook Mountains - where we could have walked for days,

We have just landed in Christchurch through pouring rain, which thankfully stopped as we arrived. We are out for a meal tonight with Ghislane and Martin, again ex colleagues of Maggie's, who live here. Should be fun. More on the city later.................

Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula

First of all a warning. This blog will be very much like an Attenborough production - something like the 'Blue Planet'.

As snow was falling in the UK, the intrepid Maggie and her partner made their way from Te Anau to Dunedin via a number of small towns. It was like driving in the UK in the 1950's. Every so often we even passed a car. Lumsden was a town that stood out for me. It had a fantastic cafe (called the Bafe Cafe), selling doughnuts and muffins to die for, one pub, a senior citizen's centre and a maternity hospital and that was it. If it had a golf course I'd move there.

Dunedin sits on the east coast of NZ but after two days we haven't actually seen it. We are staying on the Otago Peninsula which overlooks the city and (sorry readers), the weather has been fabulous. The area is described as the wildlife capital of NZ and it's probably justified. We are staying with an English guy and his Australian wife in a wonderfully eccentric cottage surrounded by beautiful gardens and a magnificent view over the Otago harbour. Cathy (our host) is a huge wildlife fan and walker and has given us some excellent advice on where and when to go to various spots on the peninsula. Driving is largely across unsurfaced roads but in fairness they are fine, especially with a quality rental car (which again reminds me of the 1950's - except all dashboard instructions which are in Japanese. Eccentric doesn't cover it!). A quick view of 'our' garden:

On day one (late pm) we took off to the northern side of the peninsular to see the 'chasm', and 'lover's leap'. Views over the South Pacific were breathtaking.

Yesterday we again went 'off roading' in the Executive Nissan to Allan's Beach via a beautiful deserted inlet where we saw about two dozen black swan. Allan's Beach feels almost untouched. We walked the length of it from south to north and from the very start we saw sea lions basking on the beach. In fact we saw more sea lions than people in the course of the walk - about 12 (all males). They were wonderful, sleeping on the beach, playing in the sea and just chilling out! It was a privilege to be there.

Mid afternoon we took off to the end of the island, a place called Pukekura, to an albatross centre. This is the only mainland breeding colony in the world for the Royal Albatross. Access to the site is controlled to ensure the safety of the birds, who spend about 80% of their lives at sea, only returning every 2 years to breed. These are seriously huge birds, living on average 50 years. The adults weigh on average 8kg with a wingspan of 3 metres. The 'chicks' are fed until they outweigh their parents - one was weighed recently at 13kg!!!! They are then put on a diet by their parents and made to work for their food, ensuring they can eventually take off!

The birds in the air were amazing. It's estimated in a single lifetime they can fly the equivalent of a trip to the moon and back.

We finished the day with another beach walk and saw fur seals playing in the harbour (like you do).

As a treat we had fish and chips on the cottage deck overlooking the harbour and booked a trip to see blue penguins this evening and hopefully the rarer, yellow eyed penguins when they return to the beach to feed their young. Nothing guaranteed though.

This is a magical place where on every turn you see birds you've never seen like the variable oyster catcher, paradise ducks and so on and so on. Pictures and words really don't do it justice. On leaving Te Anau I was speaking to a Canadian and told him where we were going. He said he and his wife had been and were very disappointed - it was all farm land on the Peninsula. What do we learn from this? Either you should never trust Canadians or just get out of the car!

Te Anau, Doubtful Sound - a beautiful part of the world.

We arrived in Te Anau (in the very SW of the south island) on Monday February 29th. We have now had 2 nights at Tussock Inn with Pam, Ken and Bonnie the black labrador. The place is a quiet spot on a deer farm 6 kilometres out of Te Anau. We wake up each morning to see the deer about fifty feet away. It feels peaceful and remote - just lovely.

This area is the rain capital of NZ with 200 days of rain per year and on day one we had a trip to Doubtful Sound booked months ago. Would the weather be OK??? It turned out we woke to frost but clear skies and the day proved to be stunning. We travelled by bus to Manapouri Lake and then took a forty minute boat ride across the lake to West Arm, which in itself was fantastic. From there we went by bus over Wilmot Pass. The road (which is unsealed) took 2 years to build in the 1960s at a cost of $5 an inch, making it the most expensive road in NZ. It was built for the hydro electric power station and isn't linked to any other road. Using only the power of water the power station is able to produce enough clean electricity to power the entire south island. It sits 176 meters below the level of the lake with up to 510 cubic meters of water per second surging through the pipes.

Wilmot Pass took us to Doubtful Sound and to a boat called the Patea Explorer. The Fiords or Sounds were created by glaciers thousands of years ago and Doubtful is over 430 meters at its deepest. Words simply can't explain its wonder or the impact, as you see it for the first time. There is nothing ordinary about this place. The sides of the gorge are covered by dense rainforest and penguins, dolphins and albatross make their home in the environment. Mountains surround you and for once the word "awesome' seems totally adequate.

This day in Doubtful Sound will go down as one of THE most fabulous and memorable days anywhere in the world. We feel very privileged, indeed, to have seen it.

Our final fill day in Te Anau was spent walking part of the lakeside. Being the second largest lake in NZ, we only touched a small part of it but our 11 mile walk did include part of the Kepler Track, a 41 mile round trip that many folk do over 3-4 days, staying in mountain huts and hostels en route. Once again we were blessed with beautiful weather, on opportunity to see the native, endangered Takahe bird and ending with a well earned soak in the hot tub, a glass of wine and a play with the vicious guard dog at our Airbnb cottage!

Tomorrow we drive 180 miles to the Otago Peninsula, close to the student town of Dunedin. We have an Airbnb place overlooking the harbour and we're hoping to see penguins, albatross and visit the Speight brewery! Watch this space to see what we achieve!