BERT
AND LESLIE POOL'S NEW ZEALAND TRIP
March
24 - April 11, 1998
One of the many beautiful rivers we
saw in New Zealand.
The
bulk of this account is Leslie's, with Bert's added
comments in blue.
March 24, 1998 - Auckland
First glimpse of New Zealand from the air-I
can't believe it's so green! Makes the western US look like a wasteland by
comparison. Little pockets of mist in the valleys as we arrived about sunrise.
Saw the infamous sheep dotting the hillsides. Just little clusters of houses,
no suburban sprawl everywhere.
Got through customs quickly. I guess they
figure between the x-rays and the dogs they detect just about everything. All
they looked at was the bottoms of our hiking boots! The airport was so quiet
and small that we had to videotape it. There was no one around as we walked the
several yards to our rental car-of course it was 7:00 in the morning, which
could have had something to do with it!
The rental cars were generally up to
our standards, but we passed on this one.
Driving was a bit traumatic. Not only do you
have to negotiate a strange city where the street names keep changing every
time the road bends, while driving on the "wrong" side of the road.
You also have to adjust to a car where the turn signals, the gear-shift,
everything is "wrong". All your instincts tell you that the windshield
wipers ought to be the turn signal. I was worse about it than Bert. But at
least I didn't hit anything! [Leslie did almost
take out the rear end of a truck that she tried to pass. (Exaggeration!) Of course the near-crunch took place on my side of
the car - I could almost taste the paint flakes.] He headed right into a
curb and destroyed the left front tire. [I was pulling
into a parking space - it was only a glancing blow - really!] We were on
the way to our harbor cruise and dinner, so we couldn't change it right then. I
worried all during dinner about having to change a tire in the wharf district
at 10:00 at night, but I needn't have. The crew of the ship assured us that
they just don't have violent crime in downtown Auckland. And it does appear to
be very safe. We saw many women out by themselves as we walked back to the car
tonight. But I digress. [I was very uncomfortable
walking from the wharf back to the car - lots of dark, isolated areas along the
way. I kept looking for objects to use as weapons to defend us. Some of that
U.S. paranoia.]
All in all-yelling at each other about
driving aside- [At one point, I was so upset with the
traffic and unlabeled streets that I finally pulled over and yelled "I am
NOT having a good time! This is NOT my idea of a vacation, and I'm not driving
another inch." Leslie took over driving - we got to our destinations and
the only thing I had to deal with was the beginnings of an ulcer from all the
flinching as she almost hit everything on the passenger side of the car.] We
had a good first day. The Auckland museum was a challenge to get to with just a
street map, but had some incredible stuff. [I was most
impressed with the 115 foot long Maori war canoe they have inside.] When
we got there they were filming a movie of some sort, with the big booms outside
and everything. We had only been in the museum about twenty minutes when
someone set off the fire alarm and the building was evacuated. We still think
the movie crew had something to do with it. We sat outside for about an hour,
watching hoards of kids cavort on the lawn while we ate brownies I'd brought
from home. The kids, mostly Maori in appearance, were fascinated with Bert's
video camera, especially seeing themselves or their friends in the screen. They
gathered around-like being accepted into a pride of lions Bert said-to sniff us
and prod us and generally explore our foreignness.
We had to give up and leave the museum
because we had limited time with a lot to see. We headed off toward the zoo,
got lost again and ended up in Cumberland Park. Saw some incredible trees-huge
and unfamiliar. The park was full of people on a workday-including kids with
their teacher. We wondered if Tuesdays are outing days at the local schools.
Got our bearings and some directions and made it to the zoo. It was very nice,
not very crowded, but again there were kids everywhere with their teachers. We
got to see wallabies, kiwis and tuatara in addition to the "usual"
animals.
Got back to our lodging at the Chalet
Chevron, which is clean and conveniently located, but a bit shabby. The shower
still felt great because we were pretty scummy after the 22-hour plane
ride/airport waiting room experience plus a day of sightseeing. Our room had no
electrical outlet that was anywhere near a mirror, so using a hairdryer was an
adventure. We found that there were no screens on any windows, and that even
ground floor windows are left open all the time. Very different from the
States!
Got to the harbor without getting lost and
aside from the flat tire, had a great evening. The harbor was beautiful and
sailing at night was great. The city lights were enchanting, but I was so tired
that I almost fell asleep several times.
March 25, 1998 - Auckland to Pahia
Beautiful morning. Great view out the
breakfast room window, hills and harbor. Breakfast was somewhat strange though.
Burned scrambled eggs and "bacon" that is what we would call ham-or
maybe Canadian bacon. We met the owners' cat, who is named "Sammy".
He had white fur on his nose, but black skin. I hadn't ever seen that before.
We took the tire to be replaced (thank
goodness Bert had insisted on the extra insurance!) and then were on our way
out of town on Highway 1, the main transportation artery between Auckland and
Northland. It started out as "motorway", which is the rough
equivalent of our "freeway", then became two lanes very shortly after
getting out of the city. We stopped at a beautiful beach at Orewa that was
actually covered with seashells. We walked around awhile, scoping out the birds
and the tidal pools. We could have walked for miles-no fences or "No
Trespassing" signs-and we never saw another soul. We drove through more
beautiful countryside, then stopped at the Puhoi Scenic Reserve to hike in our
first rainforest. It was like taking a path into enchanted country-dark, shady
and mysterious. We saw two beautiful waterfalls.
Sadly, chainsaws buzzed loudly on the other
side of the mountain, and we kept hearing giant trees come crashing down. Later
some native assured us that they don't cut down "old growth" forest,
only radiata pine, which is a cash crop, mature in 18 years. Still, we had the
feeling that a treasure was being destroyed before our very eyes. [The sound of those chainsaws and the crashing of the big
trees still haunts me today.]
Got to Pahia, which is a very nice little
seaside resort town. We walked around a bit, then went to dinner. None of the
restaurants open until 6:00, and we tend to get hungry earlier, since we often
skip lunch. We'll have to adjust. Had a very expensive-and not very good by our
standards-dinner at La Scala, which was recommended by the guidebook. The fish
is fresh, but all breaded- "crumbed"-and flavorless. Got lost finding
our motel, which is tough in a town wit h only 10 streets. Well, not lost
actually, since we'd been given the wrong directions. The Bay of Islands Motel
is like the 50's revisited. It's like someone went to a garage sale in the US
and bought all this funky old stuff that our parents threw out. They even had a
plastic breadbox and egg cups! We were blown away. Once again the electric
outlets are nowhere near a mirror, and there are no trash receptacles anywhere.
Very strange. [I walked around our cottage f ilming
everything. It was like waking up in an old Twilight Zone episode where you
suddenly find yourself back in 1952. The other thing that only added to this
feeling was we kept hearing old American songs from the 50's and 60's
everywhere we went. At first, I thought the locals played this kind of music
for the tourists - but I later decided they just like this music!]
March 26, 1998 - Pahia
We
slept in and got a late start. Had breakfast in a little place in Pahia and
picked up our film. We dropped off another roll and they let us run a tab! We
couldn't believe it. Wouldn't happen at home, but here they are so trusting. We
went to get on our dolphin cruise and found out we were supposed to be there
yesterday. I had told Newman's that we wanted to go today, so I hadn't even
looked at the date on the voucher. They were very calm about it though and put
us on the boat f or today.
Our Skipper (dark beard) and boat
guide.
We saw both bottlenose and common dolphins, and
although I didn't fulfill my dream of swimming with them, I felt satisfied. I
could have gone, but I didn't have a swimsuit, and would have been miserable
the rest of the day in wet clothes. "Poor planning" as Bert would
say. The bay was so beautiful that we would have enjoyed the trip anyway, but
getting to see so many dolphins made it spectacular.
A Bottlenose dolphin frolicking in the
ocean, and some common dolphins we saw.
I got tears in my eyes every time they got
close to us, and lying on the bow of the boat with them swimming right
underneath me was great! I was actually closer to them than many of the
swimmers were. [The water started out a little rough
the first part of the day, with the boat rolling in the swells, but it was
super in the afternoon.]
The littlest skipper tries her hand at
piloting the boat.
We
got off the boat at Russell and walked around a little. Checked out the Duke of
Marlborough hotel. It's right on the water, surrounded by huge old trees, and
might be a nice place to stay. (We're already planning our next trip.) We saw
the oldest church in New Zealand and had dinner at the Quarterdeck, which was
okay. [The old church yard was interesting, as it is
completely surrounded by old graves. There are many unique and interesting
headstones here. Many of the stones are carved in the Maori language.]
Interesting headstone in old cemetery
at Russell.
We
could have gotten a better deal on lodging if we had taken most people's advice
and booked it after we got here. Most places have vacancies, even nice ones
like The Beachcomber in Pahia. We might stay in Russell the next time we come
though. It feels less touristy.
March 27, 1998 - Pahia to Auckland via
the west coast
Got an early start after another strange
breakfast, "pancakes and maple syrup". Looked sort of like pancakes
only flatter, but tasted like French toast, and the "syrup" had no
taste at all. I wonder if the food is like British food, or if they have
adapted their own version of what the tourists want from descriptions and/or
pictures. It's never what we expect. [At this point,
I'm wondering if we'll ever find any palatable food to eat. ]
Waitangi and Treaty House was our first stop
of the morning. The setting was beautiful, and the museum had some wonderful
carvings-and a great gift shop. The war canoe and meeting house were my
favorites, though I wish the lights had been on in the meeting house. The
Treaty House is the site of the treaty signing in 1840 between the Maori and
the British, sort of a cross between Independence Hall and Manhattan Island in
historical significance.
Maori wood carvings at Treaty House.
Bert got his first good pictures of a tui, a
native bird with as varied a song repertoire as the mockingbird. And he saw, or
rather glimpsed, a parrot. [I was startled by this
bright red, blue and green blur of a bird that zipped past me into a bunch of
trees. The local birds have some of the most interesting calls I've ever
heard.]
We drove down the western side of Northland
coming back to Auckland. Saw some very gorgeous places we would like to come back
to. The dunes at Onapere was one spot and just outside the kauri forest was
another. There are bed and breakfasts everywhere, very well marked. In the
kauri forest, we saw the God of the Forest, the oldest tree in New Zealand.
It's estimated to have been around when Christ was born. Some others of its
kind are still living, but they are much smaller. This tree is comparable in
size to the sequoias now left in California, although it's character is much
different. [There is absolutely no way that you can
capture this incredible tree on video or film and convey its majesty and size.
I really, really tried - I shot video, 35 mm film, and even took some 3-D
photos, but nothing really captures the spirit of this tree.]
We drove by more beautiful scenery, rolling
hills with farms, cows and sheep. More cows than sheep actually. We think
they'll regret that one day, but right now beef is selling better than wool. We
ran into our first traffic jam about 5:30 just outside of Orewa, about 30 miles
from Auckland. More cars coming out of the city, as you'd predict on a Friday,
but plenty going our way. Bert tried to avoid the jam by taking to the side
streets. Bad idea. It just got worse, and we had to muscle our way into line to
turn into the line of traffic we had just left. However, we were through it in
twenty minutes or so, which would never happen at home. [Actually, if I never see Auckland traffic again, that would suit me just
fine. Auckland is a BIG metropolitan city - and it is like being in any other
big city that has too much traffic.]
We found our lodging with no problem.
Sedgwick Kent Lodge is like something out of Architectural digest, as the guide
book said. We walked to dinner at a little ""local" place called
"Venus". It had a hammered copper bar that was very art deco. We met
an American who was working there as a waitress. Amazing how you can pick up on
the accents and speech patterns of "home". The food was very
expensive and mediocre, but we're getting used to it. The vegetables and fruits
are very fresh and wonderful. [This entire cafe was
designed by a local artist. The wood, plastic and copper bar, which is about 30
feet long, is truly a work of art. I came back the next morning and video taped
it in detail. This bar oozes some kind of essence of 1950. It screams at you
"I am 1950, and I'm damn proud of it!" I loved it, and wish I could
enter it in an art exhibition.]
March 28, 1998 - Auckland to Rotorua
We had a nice breakfast with our host "Van", who turns out to be Dutch. He gave us directions to downtown, and miraculously we didn't get lost once. We had to wait for the travel agency to open because we had gotten in too late to get any money exchanged last night and only a few places exchange money on Saturdays. [While we were wandering around downtown, we saw this big yellow wooden box sitting on the sidewalk. It was full of newspapers for sale. You dropped your money into a smaller box with a slot cut in it. Entirely the honor system! This box wouldn't have lasted 15 minutes on a street corner in Dallas. Amazing.] Looked at a private gallery and went to a bookstore while we waited. Once we had money, we went to the Auckland Art Gallery. There were sandbags all around the building holding the wires for the generators in place. This part of downtown is still without power, except that furnished by generators.< FONT FACE="Arial" COLOR="#0000ff"> [Auckland had recently suffered a major, major power failure of the main lines feeding the downtown part of the city. Driving around the business district, I studied the aerial power plant, and it was evident that little, if any, renovation of the poles and lines had been done since maybe the 1930's! It is no wonder the electrical system is failing - the local utility has spent no money bringing it up to date for decades.]
We were really impressed by the portraits of
the Maori and some very interesting New Zealand paintings-many of them by
women! Especially liked "For Such is the Kingdom of Heaven" and
"Married". There was a special exhibit on "Orientalism" that
was fantastic too. It was unlike anything I'd seen in the States, even at the
Kimbell (in Fort Worth). They took a theme-the fascination with Moorish and
Eastern culture and places-and had a wide range of artists and styles
addressing that theme. They even had photographs. We got so engrossed that we
stayed longer than we planned. Even though it is only about 137 miles from
Auckland to Rotorua it took four and a half hours to get there. All the roads
are two-lane and they all run through the center of every town, so it takes
much longer to get anywhere than the distance would indicate. Having learned
this, we headed straight to Rotorua, rather than going by the glowworm caves in
Waitomo. People have told us since that we didn 't miss that much. We stayed at
the Centra hotel, right on the edge of the thermal area. A bit sulphurous, but
it had a great hot swimming pool. [The sulfur smell is
everywhere. But what really bothered me was the fact that the local eggs had so
much sulfur in the yolk that I could not stomach the smell of the eggs at
breakfast. Indeed, I was unable to even look at another egg the entire trip.]
March 29, 1998 - Rotorua
We woke up and it was raining, with the
forecast saying it would continue all day. We decided to hit the thermal areas
on our way out of town tomorrow in the hopes of better weather. Checking the
map, I spotted Okere Falls. It has waterfalls and caves, so that looked
interesting. It was about 25 km from the hotel, so off we went. We hiked down
to the caves in light drizzle and were enjoying the view of the waterfall from
there when I saw a guy in a kayak shoot down this 21-foot waterf all. Thus
ensued several hours of videotaping and talking with kayakers and rafters who
"shoot" these falls on weekends. They were very friendly and willing
to chat with us. We enjoyed ourselves very much despite the intermittent
showers. [Watching the rafts and kayakers was indeed
one of our favorite times here. I really loved the beautiful river and falls
here. Heck, I'd like to try kayaking here someday myself.]
Kayakers on the Okere River. They just
went over a 21 foot fall!
There were River Rats too!
Then we headed back to the hotel, stopping
on the way to grocery shop at a large supermarket. We recognized a few brands,
although most are very different. Produce is wonderful, especially the oranges.
You have to be careful about processed foods though, because their idea of
whatever it is and an American version are very different. For example, potato
chips may be "chicken" flavored and may or may not be salted. Salted
ones are labeled. It was fun to see what t hey had. Everyone bags their own
groceries, at least in this store. And most people bring their own bags.
We rested for a few hours before the hangi
feast. I wish we had skipped the food, which was cooked in the traditional
steam pit and once again not to our tastes. But the hangi concert was great.
Apparently people come from all over to see this one, locals as well as
tourists. A woman who was a real pro hosted the concert. All the performers,
eight in all, had "native" costumes on. They danced, sang and chanted
in Maori. They had beautiful voices and great stage presence. We thoroughly enj
oyed it. Bert especially enjoyed it when they pulled me up for a participatory
number. [Watching Leslie and a Maori make
"war" faces back and forth at one another had me laughing until tears
ran from my eyes. I had a great time.]
Maori war face.
After the concert, we went for a dip in the
hot pool. Very relaxing right before bed, especially with a gentle rain coming
down. Bert called his friend Malcolm in Wellington to arrange a meeting with
him tomorrow night.
March 30, 1998 - Rotorua to Wellington
We hit the road about 7:30, an early start
for us. We never found the entrance to Whakarewarewa. It may have been through
the Maori Arts & Crafts center, which was two minutes from the hotel. The
center wasn't opening until 9:00, so we drove on to the Waimangu thermal area
instead. It didn't open until 8:30, so we sat and basked in the sun for twenty
minutes or so. Bert had never seen thermals before, so this was a great place
to come. We walked (downhill) past about 21 different "attractions",
including Frying Pan Lake. We had the place to ourselves until the very end, so
the only sound were the wind, the gurgling of the thermals and an occasional
hawk. At the end of about a mile and a half walk, we caught a bus back up the
hill. Heaven! We met a guide with a small vanload of people who let us follow
him to the Lady Knox Geyser, which erupts at 10:15 every day because they pour
soap in it! Kinda hokey and not very big--about 20 feet high.
Bert staring in awe next to Frying Pan
Lake.
Then on to Huka Falls, which was definitely
worth seeing. Such beautiful water! Just a short time there, no time to take
any of the hikes-maybe next time! We drove on to Lake Taupo, which was pretty.
It is as large as one of the great lakes, so is rather like being by the ocean.
Then on to Tongariro, which we only had time to drive around. It reminded us
both of Big Bend, almost desert scrub vegetation. It looked interesting. We saw
about four cars in our whole circuit of the park, so it doesn't look to be a
big draw this time of year. We had to skip the trip to Mount Bruce Wildlife
Preserve, since we had to take a different route to get to Wellington by the
time we'd told Malcolm we'd meet him.
Huka Falls--not very tall, but an
incredible torrent of aqua colored water.
We got to Wellington about 5:30, just in
time for rush hour. Wellington reminds me of San Francisco with all the hills. Narrow
streets and lots of traffic. It took us about an hour to locate Malcolm's
office at the Polytechnic technical university. He and Bert talked shop and
admired Malcolm's Tesla coil. [See photos at my Tesla
web page.] Then we went to eat at a little Malaysian restaurant on a
street that looked like i t was out of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Our
hotel was a Quality Hotel right downtown. Nothing special, but a straight shot
to the ferry in the morning.
March 31, 1998 - Ferry from Wellington to
Picton, on to Nelson
Our hotel did have easy access to the ferry,
although we got forced into a turn only lane once and had to go around the
block. We also had to drive past the ferry yard once and turn around, as the
only access to the yard was from the opposite direction. We are beginning to
take these little "adventures" in stride. The ferry is a
multi-national mix of people-many Japanese and a few Germans, Americans, Brits
and others. The ferry is large and very comfortable. We checked our baggage
like we would have on a plane. The harbor view of Wellington was very pretty.
Now at mid-passage, the ride is very smooth, more so than a plane would be.
Harbor in Wellington.
Pulling into Marlborough Sound was fabulous.
It is mile after mile of turquoise water surrounded by hills that are full of
trees and "bush" with only an occasional house. We took Queen
Charlotte's highway, and at every turn in the road we were gasping with
delight-although the occasional gasp is for the tightness of a hairpin turn
itself.
One view of Marlborough Sound.
We rounded a curve and saw a car sitting in
the ocean, the waves almost covering the roof. Apparently a young man had just
gone off the road. He was all right, but he was going to have some explaining
to do. [We suspect that the car was his fathers.]
Boat on Marlborough Sound. And yes,
the water really is that color!
Decided to skip the park at Marlborough
Sound and drive on to Nelson. Got there about 4:00 and found California House
Inn and our hostess Shelley. Had a nice visit with her about local attractions,
then took a walk up the river and into town. We window-shopped until we could
get in to dinner. Most of the restaurants don't open until 6:00 or 6:30 here.
We went to Ciao's for dinner. They had a really cute menu and excellent food,
especially the desserts. We strolled back to the Inn after dark and felt
completely safe walking in almost total darkness.
Sitting room in California House,
built in mid 1893.
April 1, 1998 - Nelson
After being told repeatedly that "it
never rains in Nelson", we woke to hard rain which continued off and on all
day. We walked around downtown and saw the Wood Crafters art show. Beautiful
pieces. One very interesting piece called "The Dresser". It was
clever, with various items on top, in drawers and hanging from it. Even had a
light bulb carved from wood suspended above it. We both loved it. Bert wanted
to buy a piece that was already sold, so we contacted the artist and he will
send us some pictures of other pieces he has available. [I have since contacted the artist, Ian Gray, and bought two beautiful
pieces. He is a very talented artist.] Found a great bead shop--one of
my passions--and took the "Pottery Tour". We saw some great stuff and
met some interesting people. One recommended that we try the Walnut Cafe for
dinner, which we did. It is in Richmond, about 15 minutes from Nelson, and has
fabulous food. [Finally, we get to eat some
really delicious food.] I guess we just had bad luck on North Island,
because the food on South Island has been great. The cafe featured a black cat
who walked around among the tables getting petted by the soft touch customers
like us. Obviously no health department in NZ.
April 2, 1998 - Nelson to Hokitika
Better weather today. The locals always tell
you "it will be fine tomorrow" when it's raining--to be comforting, I
guess. We got a fairly early start because we wanted to see Abel Tasman Park
before we hit the road to Westport on the way to Hokitika. We took the same
route we had taken to see the potters. We drove through Kaiteriteri, which was
gorgeous. We want to check out some B & Bs there the next time we come. The
road became very narrow after the village, winding through the forest and not
marked in any way. I thought we were lost. After 17 miles or so, we came to a
sign post at a T in the road, with beach signs one way and SH 6 signs the
other. I figured we go back out to 6 to where we'd gone wrong. Imagine my
surprise when we got to the highway and saw the tiny signpost claiming that
Abel Tasman park was back the way we had come. At that point we didn't have
time to go back. I figure there must be a main entrance somewhere, as there
have been with other parks, but since the main access is by water, that may not
be so. We want to spend several days exploring this park the next time we come.
We
took off across the countryside toward Cape Foulwind to see the seal colony.
Breathtaking scenery all the way, from the Owen River Valley to the longest
suspension bridge in NZ somewhere in Upper Burrell Scenic Reserve to the rugged
sea coast we saw at Cape Foulwind and south. Fewer people than we had seen
around Nelson, but enough so that the place doesn't feel completely isolated.
Saw what we think were our first sand flies, but we didn't get bitten so we
can't be sure. It was co ld and windy at the seal colony, but we got there about
4:00 so we had good light. After watching them awhile we had a bowl of soup at
the Bay House Cafe overlooking the water. Excellent--too bad we couldn't stick
around for dinner, but we have miles to go before we sleep. Got to Hokitika
about 8:00. We hate to drive at night, not just because the roads are twisty,
but because we missed some spectacular coastal scenery. Our motel was literally
right across from the glowworm colony, so we went to see t he glowworms. They
were worth seeing, especially in a "natural" setting like this. Like
dim stars in a leafy sky, sounds of water trickling over the rock in their
grotto. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 3, 1998 - Hokitika to Lake Moeraki
Drizzly rain today, typical of the west
coast. Went into town, had breakfast at Cafe de Paris. Great hot chocolate and
toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. Then we did a little shopping. A great place
to buy jade, gold or wood items. The rain still hadn't let up as we set out for
the glaciers. It took about 2 hours to get to Franz Josef glacier. We climbed
up to a scenic overlook, then to the edge of the runoff and turned back.
Thought we would pass up the Fox Glacier, but we cou ldn't resist a little road
that was marked ""Glacier Overlook". It was through the bush and
did have a great overlook. The road ended where the river had washed it out.
Rain and more rain all the way to Lake Moeraki. We found the Wilderness Lodge
before dark. It was a great place to stay-right on the river, across the
highway from the Lake. Good food and a very nice room. We stayed up talking
with an American couple and a young NZ man who was there with his German wife.
April 4, 1998 - Lake Moeraki to Te Anau
via Haast Pass
It was still raining as we packed up the car.
We decided to get on the road after breakfast rather than go for the nature
walk. We actually saw a few minutes of sun shining on Westland as we headed
toward Haast, but the clouds quickly rolled in. It was still a glorious drive
with more waterfalls than we could count--or film. [I
love waterfalls. Anyone who watches our video will get to see lots and lots of
waterfalls - all sizes. The water here in New Zealand is absolutely the most
beautiful aqua color. I loved the wild water here more than just about
anything.] We were jumping out of the car every five minutes gawking and
exclaiming. Waterfalls pouring right onto the road, cascading down every hill
and through the lush greenery. At the summit of the pass or thereabouts is a
huge lake, and at that point, the shift in the type of terrain really becomes
apparent. Heading down the other side of the pass toward Queensto wn, the color
palette turns from lush green to rich gold. The scenery is somewhat reminiscent
of Big Bend--almost desert, although there is grass on the mountainside. There
is still running water, a fierce river that provides a valley for the road to
follow. I found myself wondering if the dryness of the countryside was normal
or part of the drought that we had heard about in Nelson. Supposed to be the
worst in forty years. Of course you wouldn't know it from the west coast.
Started
hitting traffic, so we knew we were approaching Queenstown. It is the tourist
center of South Island. It is beautiful, perched on a lakeshore and ringed by
mountains. "The Remarkables" range, shrouded in cloud were on one
side of the lake and Mount Aspiring was on the other. The town itself is small
but bustling, full of small shops and eateries designed to snag the tourist
dollar. We arranged our Milford Sound trip, had "lunch" (at nearly
4:00), and took a stroll in the Queen stown gardens.
The wind off the water made for a cold
afternoon, so although the gardens were exquisite, we soon decided to move on.
Decided that if we do this trip this late in the season again, we will start on
South Island and work our way north. Just a week could have made a real
difference.
Bert had never been on a tramway, so we
walked across town and took the ski lift tram up the mountain. Great view, and
as we reached the top, it started snowing. We didn't stay long, just took a few
pictures and come back. Then after a brief stop at an antique car museum, we
got some hot chocolate and headed for Te Anau. It was twilight as we got out on
the road, so we got to see the last of the sunset behind the mountains with the
lake surrounded by the twinkling lights of Queenstown. Se veral hours drive in
the dark got us to Te Anau after 9:00--significant because all the restaurants
close at nine and there is nothing for a hungry tourist to eat but hotel potato
chips at $1.50 per bag!
April 5, 1998 - Te Anau
Our room is right on the lakefront at the Te
Anau Travelodge. Te Anau is not as spectacular (or as large) as Queenstown, but
pretty in a more laid back way. Rested and did laundry most of the day--a
frustrating experience for me since I hate to "waste" vacation time
this way. But the rest was needed. We took a walk along the lakefront before
our trip to Te Ana An Glowworm caves.
The mushrooms don't get
this big where we live (in
Texas).
Didn't have time for dinner beforehand,
since the restaurants weren't open. The caves were lovely, but we didn't get
back until 9:40, so we were out of luck on food again. As Bert says, this town
needs a decent laundromat and a restaurant that stays open until midnight. [This place had the sorriest excuse for a washing machine
and clothes dryer that I have ever seen. I have seen better equipment in my
daughter's toy closet.]
April 6, 1998 - Fiordland National Park
and Milford Sound
We ate an early breakfast and took off for
Milford Sound. More spectacular countryside meant we had to take our time and
stop several places. At Mirror Lake, which was especially lovely, a little gray
bird with a yellow belly was darting around my feet. At one point he was
actually pecking at my shoes! We later found out that he was a bush robin of
some sort.
Mirror lake in Fiordland National
Park.
We drove on through tall pine forests and
into rugged tundra. We stopped before going through the tunnel under the
mountain because several people had told us that we would see keas in the
parking lot there. All we saw was a busload of Japanese tourists. [But hey, we got to see one rich Japanese tourist who had a
$3,000 Sony camcorder, so it wasn't a total bust.]
We saw our first and only kea in the parking
lot at Milford Sound. He was strutting around checking everyone out as they
came in, like a punk parking lot attendant.
Leslie gets parking directions from
the kea.
We got some sandwiches and chips for the
boat at the little store by the parking lot and meandered over to the building
where the boat picks up passengers. As we sat waiting, the sandflies were
thick, but apparently our bug repellant worked pretty well because we both
ended up with only about one bite apiece.
Incredible tall cliffs with fantastic
falls are what
Milford Sound was about for us.
The trip into the sound was cold but wonderful.
We saw about twenty dolphins on the first boat and dozens of waterfalls. The
boat goes out the sound, which is actually a fiord, [over
600 feet deep!] turns around and comes back.
Bowen Falls in Milford Sound.
On the way back, we stopped at the
Underwater Observatory. It was fascinating. You go down stairs that take you
about fifty feet underwater--inside the building of course. The fish you can
observe are totally unaware of you, and unique to this ecosystem. We got to
stay about 45 minutes, which just flew by, and then we were picked up by
another boat. This boat was like a large clipper ship, not "modern"
like the first one we rode. We had barely gotten back out in the sound after
being pick ed up when the dolphins were surrounding our ship again. Seeing them
always makes my heart sing. The misty rain cleared and we had a beautiful whole
rainbow next to the ship for several minutes. Wonderful trip.
Leslie and a rainbow in Milford Sound.
We got back to the car about 4:30 and
started back to Te Anau. We were determined to make the town before the
witching hour of 9:00, so we could actually get some dinner. We did have to
stop at a few places, however. The Chasm was one of them. A short hike takes
you to a huge hole in the rocks through which thousands of gallons of water are
shooting. Full-grown trees are tumbled on the boulders like toothpicks. It was
at least as large as the cave system at Te Ana An, only above ground. The other
side trip took much longer--17km on unsealed road [translation:gravel
and dirt] to Humbolt Falls.
Grassy meadow in Fiordland National
Park.
The road was in good condition and looked
like it had some great camping spots along it. When we got to the pullout for
Humbolt Falls, it was a 30 minute hike up to them (signs kindly provide this
type of information). Another "next time" adventure. If it had been
4:30 instead of 6:00, we wouldn't have hesitated, but darkness and hunger told
us to turn around and head back. Next time we want to allow at least four or
five days to explore the park. It is huge and has many types of terrain.
We made it back to Te Anau at 7:45. Tried to
eat at Redcliff Inn, a cute little place that looked like a pub. Smelled good,
but we couldn't handle the wait. It looked like they could only serve one set
of people at a time. After about 30 minutes, we left and went to the hotel. The
food was adequate, and I was very glad not to have to subsist on potato chips
again!
April 7, 1998 - Te Anau to Stewart Island
via Invercargill
We left before dawn and made good time to
Invercargill. We saw no one else going the same direction until we
actually got to the outskirts of town, so the trip only took an hour and a
half. We had a decent breakfast there in a little shop on the main street. Then
we found the airport without any trouble. We paid $2.00 [that's like maybe $1.00 US] to park the car (you can leave your
car indefinitely for that amount!) and went in to catch our plane. When we
arrived we were the only ones there except the staff and the guy vacuuming the
carpet. A half-hour later--five minutes before flight time--the place was
crawling with people. Four of them shared our plane with us, with the pilot
making seven in all. The flight over to Stewart Island was very bumpy,
especially as we got over the island itself. Kind of like a loud, extended
roller coaster ride. [I still have Leslie's claw marks
in my arm to prove it!] We landed on a little strip with nothing in
sight. Then a van pulled up with our very friendly driver and we were off to
Half Moon Bay, the settlement of 350 people, which is the only "town"
on the island.
We
checked in at our hotel and went for a sightseeing tour of the island with Sam
and Billy the Bus. Sam has to stop every few minutes to have a smoke, but at
least he didn't inflict his smoking on us. Before the ride was over, we got off
to take a water taxi ride to Ulva Island, which is a bird sanctuary. It is some
lovely bush with well-marked trails and lots of birds. I surprised a kaka (a
very rare gray parrot with a white head) and Bert almost got some video
of it. If his reactions had been a little quicker--just kidding. Also saw a
macaw-sized bird with blue tail feathers. We hiked all the way across the
island, which takes about half an hour.
Leslie on the rocky shore of Ulva
Island - a bird sanctuary.
When we came out onto the beach, we were
ambushed by four weka,(pronounced "wikka") brown birds about the size
of mallards that look like a cross between a chicken and a duck. They are
crafty beggars and they love crackers and cheese. They'll eat out of your hand
here, although the ones we saw at the seal colony in Westport were a lot more
cautious.
Bert and his little Weka friend share
a Ritz cracker.
We had a leisurely stroll down the beach and
then headed back to catch our ride. We enjoyed the afternoon so much that we
told the boat driver that we want to come back tomorrow afternoon.
We
had to walk back to our hotel over an enormous hill. On the downhill side, we
met two dogs, who enticed me into a game of "toss the stick". The dog
who retrieved it was just a big puppy, and every time he would bring back the
stick it would be smaller by half. He played until there was no more stick left
and then followed us all the way to the hotel begging for more game.
We got back to the hotel in time for a little
rest before dinner. The hotel is a little primitive. The bathrooms are down the
hall, although they are clean and modern [and small -
I had to do a little dance with the door every time I used the john.] The
food in the restaurant downstairs is not bad. The natural beauty here makes up
for any lack of amenities.
April 8, 1998 - Stewart Island
We got up early and had breakfast
downstairs. Then we hiked out to Acker's Point. It was a pretty day and we
hoped to see some "little blue" penguins. They are common out here,
but no luck. The first mile or so is roadway, and then it becomes a track. The
track was quite muddy due to recent rains. We saw several sections of road that
were about to go and one landslide that had taken out a section of road up above
us. Apparently these things just have to be lived with, since the government
seldom makes repairs of any kind on the island. There is an interesting old
house converted to a blacksmithy on the trail and little else until the
lighthouse, which is automated. Nice view of New Zealand (thirty miles away)
from the point though. We hiked back and barely had time to re-provision before
we had to hike to the dock to catch our boat ride to Ulva Island. We were tired
already when we got there, but we took the short path up to the lookout and saw
several birds, including a bell bird that flew right up to me and posed for
Bert to videotape him. We took the West Cove trail today, since we had gone to
Boulder Beach yesterday. Big mistake. It was very boggy. Before we had been
hiking ten minutes we were in muck up to our ankles. Rough going. We were
sweating and swearing, but we kept thinking that we would get past the worst of
it and come to the beach. Wrong. It just kept getting worse and worse. We came
to a particularly bad spot where Bert took a step and went in past his knee. He
lost his balance and fell headlong. He was all right--although he was covered
with slimy mud--but the camcorder had hit the muck. We were worried about it,
but it is apparently okay. Right after this we ran across a native New
Zealander named Chris. He showed us the art of bog avoidance and accompanied us
back to the other side of the island. He hiked a lot faster than was
comfortable for us, but Bert was not about to be left behind, so I just had to
run to keep up. It was like running through jungle--plants attacking me because
we had to get off the trail to avoid the bog. Once we were back on the beach,
we had an interesting chat with Chris about life in NZ and Australia, where he
currently lives. Invited him to join us for dinner.
We
got back to the hotel and inquired about our kiwi-spotting trip. It was
supposed to be tonight, according to our reservation. However, it had gone out
last night and only goes out every other night so they don't disturb the birds
too much. This was just about the only thing that went wrong the whole trip.
The hotel let us use their machines to wash and dry our clothes, which was
great since we were a mess. Chris joined us for dinner. He had done his laundry
only to discover that the dryer at his motel wasn't working, so he put his
clothes on wet to come to dinner. We had another good chat and then we took our
leave and went to bed.
April 9, 1998 - Stewart Island to Dunedin
on Otago Bay
We had a light rain this morning but not too
much wind, so the flight back to Invercargill was not as bumpy as the ride
over. Waiting to get on the flight we got to hear some local gossip from our
cute little driver. She also talks to the pilot about wind conditions. She
backed us off the runway to give him more room to land. We got back to the
mainland, collected our car and drove to Dunedin. Or rather I drove and Bert
slept. There's lots of farmland on the main highway. We had decided against the
scenic route through the Catlins. Maybe next time. We had lunch in Dunedin at
Cafe Nova, which turned out to be the restaurant for the art museum. We didn't
know that at the time, so after lunch we took off for Larnach Castle out on
Otago Peninsula. The road hugged the shore with just a few feet between us and
the ocean. Bert was nervous, so he drove VERY slowly, which meant everyone else
had to pass him on this curvy little road.
We turned into the hills to go to the
castle. Larnach Castle is on top of this spectacular hill, with a view of the
whole bay area. It was magnificent, and would be a great place to stay--next
time. We wandered around taking it all in for nearly two hours.
Larnach Castle in Dunedin.
Then we headed out to the end of the
peninsula to Taiaroa, the Royal Albatross colony. We got to see about half a
dozen fairly large chicks and one adult albatross in flight. Even seeing
life-size models doesn't prepare you for the experience of seeing this enormous
bird flying. They are huge and so graceful. We also toured the fort with the
"disappearing gun" which interested Bert but left me rather cold. [It was a giant gun that popped out of the ground then hid
again. I thought it was neat!] We headed down the hill to see if we
could see the seal colony. When we parked the car we could see that the grass
of the parking lot had become the nap area for two seals. We got some good
close ups but tried not to threaten them. [One should
never make a 300-pound animal feel threatened when you're only one quick bite
away.]
A seal copping some ZZZ's on the
beach.
We decided to find lodging on Otago Bay,
which turned out to be not so easy. But after our third try we found a place
named Mission Bay where Pat and Phillipa made us feel very much at home. They
sat us down by the fire with a glass of wine and talked with us. I think we
were kind of a curiosity for them. They sent us to a restaurant back up the bay
called "1908". It was so-so, and the service was terrible, even for
here. [The green-lipped mussels made me sick - I
suffered all the next morning.] Mission Bay was cute, but freezing cold.
Phillipa kept saying it was "brisk". But it was probably 50 in our
room. Fortunately they had a blanket, which we used. That didn't help with the
shower the next morning. I've been warmer on camping trips bathing outside.
Bert and flowers in the botanical
gardens in Dunedin.
April 10, 1998 - Otago Bay to
Christchurch
After breakfast and a tour of the grounds,
and more visiting with Pat and Phillipa, we took off to Dunedin again. We
decided to stop off at the Botanical Gardens and then go on to Christchurch. It
is a beautiful park, huge with many hiking trails. Everything went well until I
decided to take an uphill trail. Bert didn't want to come, so I didn't hike
far. But when I tried to find him, I couldn't. I backtracked through the park
and then went to the car. After a two-hour wait, he showed up. He had been to
the aviary at the top of the hill. Communication breakdown. This put us on the
road to Christchurch late in the afternoon, rather than late morning. Traffic
was beastly, since this is Easter weekend. We saw many antique cars passing us
on the road and at one gas station we stopped at I was able to film several.
They were headed for a rally at Otago Bay.
We
finally got to Christchurch after 6:00. We found our B & B, Eliza's Manor
House, which is charming. Very Victorian. We strolled through downtown to a
Thai restaurant called Mythai, which was scrumptious. It was great to have good
food on our last night in the country. We walked back to our lodging (about 10
blocks) without any qualms, even though this is a big city. It still feels very
safe.
April 11, 1998 - Christchurch and Home
We had a lovely breakfast and headed for the
Canterbury Art Center. We arrived about 9:00 only to find that most of the
shops don't open until 10:00. No wonder we found a parking place so easily! But
there were craftspeople setting up stalls in the courtyard, so we were able to
browse. The building is very interesting, old English architecture. The prices
on everything were high, and we had no more room in our suitcases, so we didn't
buy much. We've found that the best overall prices on items we saw again and
again all over the country were in Bay of Islands. Opals were priced best in
Queenstown and "greenstone" (jade) was priced best in Hokitika. When
the shops opened we were able to meet a cat we had been admiring through the
window. He was standoffish compared to those we are used to, which is not too
surprising considering the attitude toward cats in this country.
We
went across the street to the museum, which was fabulous. Lots of artifacts
from early settlement days, including furniture and costumes from the 1850's
and later. The furniture was really incredible--such beautiful wood and
craftsmanship. [ I love trees and wood. The
workmanship on this old furniture and cabinetry is some of the finest
anywhere.] After seeing the museum we were too tired for the art gallery
or much of the botanical gardens. But we did manage to take a punt ride down
the Avon River, which runs through the Gardens. We had more hot chocolate,
which has been our mainstay here, then headed for the Antarctica Center.
Bert and Leslie punting on the Avon in
Christchurch.
We were trying to spend all our NZ money,
and we did too good a job. We were 60 cents short of our admission to the
Antarctica Center. But we were able to exchange some American money there and
were able to get in. It is fascinating. They have several simulations of life
in a settlement on Antarctica, along with videos and other artifacts pertaining
to wildlife and human life there. Christchurch is usually the provisioning stop
for expeditions to Antarctica. The Center is also right across from the
airport, so when we were finished touring it we went right over, turned in the
car and our bags and began the long (22 hours) journey home.
To sum it all up, this was the best vacation
we've ever had and the most beautiful country we've ever seen.
Remember these things:
- Allow at least three weeks for your trip. Four
to six would be better since there is so much to see.
- Definitely rent a car for the flexibility
it gives you. BUT, allow plenty of time to drive from point A to Point B.
Figure that the distance involved will take you at least twice as long to
travel as it would in the US. Plus you want to allow plenty of gawk time.
[Buy insurance on the car - you
are very likely to have some kind of accident near the beginning of your
driving experience. It is very difficult to judge the left side of the
car!]
- Bring wet weather gear
(waterproof parka and boots) but don't go overboard unless you'll be hiking
the Milford Track or something. We brought too much and it just got in
the way. In terms of clothing, Kiwis dress very simply, so the more
casual, the better. [I've never
seen so many people wearing shorts in my life.]
- Unless you are made of money, minimize your use
of travel agencies. I wish I had taken this advice. You can plan and book
your trip yourself with minimal fuss, and if you travel at other than
peak season, you can be spontaneous about where you stay in most cases.
- South Island is more picturesque and less
populated than North Island. If you are coming to get away from the urban
lifestyle, focus on South Island.
- There is no tipping in NZ - something that
takes some getting used to. But perhaps that is why restaurant service
can be so poor. But part of the perception of poor service is because New
Zealanders are so laid back compared to Americans! Things just go slower
there.
