Arthur's Pass and back to Christchurch

Today was our last full day in NZ. We crossed back across the Southern Alps from Greymouth via Arthur's Pass and onwards to Christchurch. The tops of the mountains had received fresh snow since we last crossed by train some weeks ago. The run back into Christchurch was uneventful and the car duly returned to Avis as tomorrow is our last day here. In all, we did 6211kms of driving and it was a great trip. Tomorrow we fly to Brisbane for a few days to visit Chris's father-in-law Larry.

We leave NZ with great memories of a truly beautiful and unspoilt country from the top of North Island to the far south of South Island. We will for ever remember the warm and friendly welcome we received everywhere.

Pancakes and breakers

After visiting the glacier area, we moved on further up the west coast, initially to Hokitika, which is famous for its jade factories and shops, and the on north
to a small B&B called "The Breakers" in an idyllic setting some miles north of Greymouth overlooking the sea and an isolated beach. From our bed we could look out onto the Tasman Sea and see waves crashing onto the shore in the moonlight. Places visited included the Pancake Rocks and blow holes at Punakaiki (impressive in high winds and with an incoming tide) and a short but delightful walk in the rain forest down to the beach called the Truman Track. The blow holes are a result of wave action on soft eroded rocks which have formed into an unusual layered "pancake" structure. The waves at times reached 10m above the cliff tops through the blow holes when we were there. We then went on to Cape Foulwind, so named by Captain Cook, where there was a large fur seal colony. This part of the west coast appears to have a fair share of wekas or woodhens. These birds look like a cross between a kiwi - some people think they have seen a kiwi when they see these birds - and a partridge. They can be quite tame and approachable.

The Glaciers

Yesterday and today we visited the Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. Both are impressive, although both glaciers have receded considerably in the last 200 years. These are relatively unique in that the glacier comes right down to the rain forest and stops only a few kms in from the coastline. We were also able to see Franz Josef Glacier from Lake Matheson, the "reflections lake", which is a few miles from the Franz Josef township. There is a lovely 1.5hrs walk which we took around the lake through truly beautiful forest and bush. This was just after a downpour so everything was wet, lush and "alive". We also managed a helicopter flight up over the Frans Joseph glacier. Unfortunately we were unable to land as the wind was too strong and clouds had set in on the top of the mountain. The pilot decided it was unsafe; nevertheless it was an awesome experience!

Queenstown to Haast

The drive from Queenstown to Haast covered an amazing range of scenery including lakes, mountains, waterfalls and temperate rain forests. What never fails to amaze us is how delightful ALL the countryside is even between the places one expects to be good. Lakes Wanaka and Howea looked a remarkable turquoise blue from the salts washed down from the mountains above.

We arrived at Haast in the early afternoon in pouring rain and checked into our hotel. Haast is very remote: the nearest petrol station after Haast is 120kms north or 90kms southeast. There is zero mobile phone coverage, just one radio station and the fire brigade takes 2 hours to reach the place. Nearest shopping for essentials is at Wanaka some 1.5 hrs away. We drove to an even more isolated place, Jackson Bay, some 49kms along the coast to the south. From here the nearest settlement around the coast is about 300kms away near Invercargill. The road to Jackson Bay feels very remote indeed, with temperate rain forest and mangrove swamps along the road side and very few cars. At Jackson Bay we were surprised to find a little hut called The Cray Pot which served tea, coffee and fish meals. This must cater for the local fishermen and the occasional curious tourist that turns up. The coffee was very welcome.

This area is good for birds, although we did not spot any new species not already seen. From our hotel room we had good views of spur winged plovers, which are plentiful in NZ.

Queenstown and Arrowtown

We travelled from Te Anau to Queenstown through ever beautiful landscapes in brilliant sunshine yet again - we have been so lucky this week. Queenstown is a larger centre, but is a very attractive, vibrant and cheerful place, along the side of beautiful Lake Wakatipu. A range of mountains called The Remarkables are a stunning backdrop to the lake. Our hotel room window (at The Heritage) overlooks both the lake and these mountains.

Our first day in Queenstown has been a restful one with a trip out to the old gold mining settlement at Arrowtown and a trip on the TSS Earnslaw, a steamer dating from 1912 which plies across the lake to Walter Peak, a high country farm. There we saw sheep shearing and had delicious tea and cakes, overlooking the lake in the sunshine. The steamer preserves its early 20th century charm and there was even a pianist on deck so people could sing along as they might have done 100 years ago.

Arrowtown is delightful place, set in a quiet valley with a feel not unlike that of an attractive New England village - lots of greenery, clapper board houses and the like. It was once the centre of the gold rush with many Chinese workers brought in to help. When the peak of the gold rush moved elsewhere, it became a sleepy place with a large Chinese population. Today the shops and small cafes there cater for the tourist but it is unspoilt and has a distinct character that photos do not convey too well. The remains of the separate Chinese settlement are still there and some of the homes of the early Chinese miners have been restored. The photo shows three of these set into the hillside.

Outside the hotel in Queenstown I noticed another nice bug - a 45mm long longhorn beetle called a huhu.

Doubtful Sound

If you are reading this Sue and Ian, you are right: Fiordland in NZ is unbelievably spectacular. Today we completed a 24 hour overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, a remote fiord extending out into the Tasman Sea. To get there involved a 20 minute bus ride, a 1 hour trip by boat across Lake Manapouri, then another 30 minute drive along unmetalled roads and high passes to the remote head of the Sound where we boarded our small cruise boat. The trip down the Sound right out into the Tasman Sea was stunning. The weather was perfect: bright clear blue skies on the first day and atmospheric skies on day two.All the views along the way were just unbelievable. At the entrance to the fiord we spotted 3 rare Fiordland crested penguins (the first seen there in 3 months) and several Buller's mollymawk (small albatrosses).

The highlights were (a) seeing the Southern Cross and Milky Way in a totally clear and unpolluted sky, (b) hearing a kiwi call in the forest in the night, (c) being in a fiord with all the boat's engines off in total silence and hearing nothing but the sound of birds, waterfalls and insects. Until you experience this, you don't realise all the sounds which pollute - distant cars, aircraft, etc.

Milford Sound

We have been staying at a hotel on the water front in Te Anau, a delightful little town which is quite chic in appearance. We met up with Marie Yeardley, a cousin of Lis who happened to be in Te Anau on holiday at the same time as us. She comes from near Darwin in Australia and is touring South Island with a friend.

Milford Sound was a stunning 2 hour drive away, through highly majestic and varied scenery. Milford, at the head of the sound, is a tiny place with little there apart from a cafe and sand flies. However, the view down Milford Sound toward Mitre Peak and beyond exceeds expectations.

This is a view of the delightful lake at Te Anau.

Dunedin to Te Anau

We left Dunedin (overall a less than inspiring place) and headed via the Southern Scenic Route along the south coast of South Island, through Invercargill and then up to Te Anau. On the way, we stopped close to the southern tip of NZ, from where we could see Stuart Island some 30 miles further to the south. Curio Bay had interesting petrified forest remains in the rocks just beneath the spot we stopped for a sandwich. Lis was pleased to see masses of shags on a rock, something which will amuse those at Kettlefields.

We met these sheep on our way.

A new grandson has arrived

When walking back from the city centre in Dunedin we received a phone call from Chris (our son) telling us the good news that Edward William James had just been born. He is doing well.

Dunedin

Today the weather has been disappointing - with drizzle after lunch and thick mist over the Otago Peninisula so, we did the city sights today. These included the famous Victorian railway station, a building built in the same grand style as St Pancras in London. Inside are an impressive staircase and stain glass windows. We then visited the Settler's Museum, which has some fascinating information on the early Scottish and Chinese settlers at the time of the gold rush in the mid-1800s.

Penguins and albatrosses

The weather was good when we arrived in Dunedin, but the forecast for the next day was not so promising, so we decided to head straight out to the Otago Peninsula to catch a glimpse of the royal albatrosses at Taiaroa Head. Several glided over our heads on their enormous 3m wings, looking just like gliders.

We also visited the yellow-eyed penguin reserve, a few miles away, where we saw several of these delightful birds in their natural habitat. Two had just come up the beach as we arrived. What amazed us was how far up the hillsides these birds nested. In a couple of cases they must have been 300m from the beach and 50m up the hillside. The picture is of a 3 month old chick.

Christchurch to Dunedin

The first part of this journey was through the flat lands of the Canterbury Plains, a landscape not that dissimilar to the Fens. After Timaru , the landscape again became more interesting with stretches along the Pacific and through rolling hills not unlike Perthshire. You can see why the Scots came here over 150 years ago.

On the trip we stopped to see the Moeraki Boulders, which are a strange geological phenomenon causing almost perfectly spherical bolders on the sands as big as 4m in circumference. They were formed on the seabed about 60 million years ago.

Also on this journey, we stopped near a place Shag Point where we got good views of NZ fur seals. Again, we enjoyed this view from about 20m distance on our own.

Here is a picture of the room where we are currently staying in Dunedin. It is an old chapel in what was formerly a Catholic school.

A day in Christchurch

It was beautiful today, despite an unpromising forecast. We managed to do three things in this pleasant English-like city. Firstly, we punted on the River Avon, which winds through the city and its splendid botanic garden. Then we took a trip 10kms south of the city to Lyttelton, where we ascended in a gondola to Crater Rim a high spot from where the view was stunning. In gaps in the clouds we could see the Southern Alps to the west. To the west we could also see all of Christchurch and its port. To the south and east we could see the beginning of the Banks Peninsula as well as Lyttleton harbour. On our return to the city we enjoyed a trip around town on the clunky old trolley buses, stopping off to walk around the botanic gardens, considered one of the top ten in the world.

Tranzalpine train across the Southern Alps

After an early morning breakfast (6am) we caught the Transalpine train from Christchurch via Arthur's Pass to Greymouth on the west coast. The train crosses the Canterbury Plain before climbing up through dramatic mountain scenery to reach Arthur's Pass. After this point it descends through an 8km long tunnel and eventually on down to the sea. The journey takes around 4.5 hours each way. It made a welcome change from driving.

Nelson to Christchurch (via Blenheim)

Today, Feb 24th, we traveled down the east coast of South Island to Christchurch. The run, in many parts with the road hugging the Pacific coast, reminded us of Highway 101 on the other side of the Pacific from Seattle down to San Francisco, a run we did back in 1994.

The main road we followed, SH1, is the NZ equivalent of the M1. However, this is more reminiscent of a B road in the UK, but with less traffic. It was a delightful run. At one point we stopped at a view point where we could see New Zealand fur seals lounging on the rocks just a few metres below us.

Abel Tasman National Park

After a lazy morning, we drove to Kaiteriteri at the start of the Abel Tasman National Park where we joined a small cruise boat to take us up the beautiful coastline as far as Onetahuti and Tonga Island. There were plenty of Australasian gannets and Caspian terns flying about all the way and at Tonga Island a small seal colony was lazing on the rocks.

It's amazing how many English tourists we have met and spoken with on our holiday so far. This seems to be the year in which everyone from England is having a holiday in NZ.

Crossing Cook Strait

Today (Feb 22nd) we crossed from North Island to South Island on the Interislander ferry. This went from Wellington to Picton via Cook Strait, Tory Channel and Queen Charlotte Sound. The scenery on this trip (3hrs) was breathtakingly beautiful - mile after mile of unspoilt coastal fjord scenery with untouched forests reaching down to shimmering turquoise coloured waters. The bright and sunny weather helped, of course. We then drove 110 spectacular kms to Nelson which is the gateway for the Abel Tasman National Park area. Nelson is a handsome city with hanging flower baskets everywhere in the main streets.

Wellington in sunshine

After yesterday's rain, Saturday turned into a beautiful sunny day, ideal for exploring the city. After breakfast we went up to the Botanical Gardens high above the city by cable car ($3 single). From the top there is a very clear panoramic view of the city and harbour. The walk back down into the city through the gardens was wonderful with plenty of shade along the leafy pathways. Unfortunately, through an error in navigation on Roger's part we ended up at the wrong end of the gardens and spent an hour retracing our steps to find the right exit. In the middle of the gardens it is hard to believe you are in the heart of a city as we saw no-one for about 15 minutes of walking at one point.

A map of New Zealand

I thought it was time we added a map of New Zealand. Click on the small image to bring up a full sized map.

So far, we have travelled 2400kms in North Island covering all the way from the far north down to the capital, Wellington, in the south of North Island.

Without doubt, our favorite place in North Island was the Bay of Islands up near Paihia in the far north.

Rain, rain, rain.....

Today we travelled down from Taupo to Wellington by car, a distance of 355kms. The weather was appalling with persistent heavy rain all the way down. We have a great hotel room overlooking the harbour and as we look out now, the lights of Wellington are shining across the bay.

After we arrived we went to the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa) which is simply awesome, as New Zealanders seem to say all the time. It is without doubt, the very best museum we have ever visited. We have to go back again tomorrow as there is so much to see and do there. Many of the exhibits are interactive and it would be a marvellous place to take a school trip!

See http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/

Lake Taupo area

We have been staying in Taupo (pronounced "toe paw" in Maori) for the last few days and move on to Wellington in the morning. In the last two days we have visited Orakei Korako which is a geothermal area a few miles north of Taupo. It is a wonderful place full of interesting geothermal activities including geysers, bubbling hot mud and silica beds of various colours as a result of flowing very hot water from deep underground. Locally, this geothermal resource is used as an energy source.

Last night we visited a Maori village and enjoyed Maori dancing, singing and cooking. It was a good introduction to the Maori culture which is important to New Zealand. These two girls are demonstrating how they weave flax bags. The Maori people started to arrive in NZ from Polynesia some 1000 years ago.

See http://history-nz.org/maori.html

Today we drove around Mount Ruapehu which, although snow capped, frequently erupts into violent activity. Luckily it was benign today. This mountain is visible from our hotel bed across Lake Taupo when the weather is clear.

Nice Bugs

So far, we have not been troubled by the dreaded sand flies or mozzies. However, we have seen some very nice insects including a very big cicada (first picture in the Bay of Islands), a green cricket like creature (in the Coromandel) of some kind and a very beautiful large butterfly next to the croquet lawn in central Rotorua, a place which smells of rotten eggs because of the hot springs.

New Zealand has flightless crickets called Wetas, one of which is known as the Giant Weta and grows as big as a human hand (9cms long). It is totally harmless. These inhabit the kauri forests, but not seen one yet.

Hot Beach

This picture shows people bathing in the hot thermal pools on the Hot Sands beach in the Coromandel area. Dig a hole in the sands and the water is VERY hot. It looks very crowded but the rest of the beach is deserted as just this spot has the hot thermal spring water.

Taupo

We arrived at Taupo this afternoon in excellent sunny weather. On the way down we stopped for coffee in Cambridge, NZ, which is a leafy town not far from Hamilton. Our hotel in Taupo overlooks the lake with two volcanic mountain peaks visible in the distance across Lake Taupo from our bed. More later....

Coromandel

We drove down from Russell through a Kauri forest in which we saw the oldest Kauri tree in NZ. This dates from around 2000 years ago. It is awesome standing tall and majestically in a dense tropical rain forest in the NW of North Island. Its name is Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest).

To get to Coromandel we had to pass through Auckland where the traffic was like the M25 - very busy indeed as 1.5M of the 4M inhabitants of NZ live there. The Coromandel was another beautiful area of the North Island with spectacular coastlines and empty beaches, one of which we chose for a quick swim in the Pacific Ocean. There was no-one else in sight.

Other highlights of the Coromandel included a 1 hour trip on the Driving Creek Railway (narrow gauge) up through the rain forest trees. Also, we walked to Cathedral Cove where the some of the scenes from the Chronicles of Narnia were filmed. Finally we went to the hot sands beach where a dig in the sands reveals piping hot water to laze in.

A wet end to the Bay of Islands

Today, in bright sunshine, we visited the beautiful Treaty Grounds at Waitangi where the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and the Maoris was first signed in the early 1840s. Afterwards we traveled further north to Kerikeri and then on to a point from where the most northerly point in all New Zealand, North Cape, could be seen on the far horizon. Since returning to Russell tonight it has been pouring with rain, making this place look and feel like Salcombe on a wet summer day! Tomorrow we travel south 150 miles to Thames in the Coromandel region of North Island, about 1 hour south and east of Auckland.

Paradise on Earth?

Today was amazing. We took a cruise for 4 hours around the Bay of Islands spotting bottle nosed dolphins (swimming right along side us), shearwaters and Australasian gannets. The islands that form the collection are truly stunning: unspoilt, green and many forested with native trees and all surrounded by the bluest of waters. This is the sort of scenery one can only dream about. The photo was taken by Lis when we landed on a small island called Moturoa which was a few miles out from Russell.


The second picture, of a quiet beach, was taken by Lis .

Arrived in the Bay of Islands

After a 12 hour flight from San Francisco we arrived in Auckland at 5am. Our hotel apartment was overlooking the marina with great views and a very comfortable bed in which to get our bodies back in sync with the time zone.

Today we picked up the hire car and drove 180kms north to Russell on the Bay of Islands. It is a most beautiful spot with stunning coastal scenery with islands, unspoilt coastlines etc. Tomorrow we are doing a 4 hour boat trip.

Eating out with an old colleague

Last night, our last in San Francisco before moving on to Auckland NZ on Monday evening, we met up with Jon and Rachael Griffiths for an Italian meal in the North Beach area. Jon was an old colleague at Philips in Cambridge who moved out to work in the Bay area 12 years ago. He and his wife Rachael both work for Qualcomm now. It was a great evening.