Saturday 17th Jan – Thursday 29th January
Goodness, it's hard catching up on the blog and makes me realise how important it is to do this regularly....still here goes.
Lin here, writing this on 30th January and having trouble remembering what we did!! We think that today we moved on along the East coast. We came across several Maori meeting houses, called Maua. These are quite beautiful and as we travelled along on this Saturday morning many of them were being used. This area of the North Island had come recommended by several Kiwis: it is predominantly Maori and we certainly noticed a difference: finding stopping places was difficult – when we finally found a spot, which seemed idyllic right near a beach in shaded forest, I was attacked by the dreaded sandflies: these tiny insects are driving us mad. The females suck your blood and I can tell you it's quite painful! Then where they have bitten begins to itch. I seem particularly sensitive to them and have had some nasty raised weals on my skin. Needless to say we didn't stay there for lunch! When we finally reached the campsite we were aiming for it was so hidden that we drove straight passed it! We turned around at Te Araroa, where the road to the most Eastern lighthouse in the world is found. Going there would have added a good 20k to our journey, so instead we headed back to the campsite. Our initial impression was that it was a bit run down, but it turned out to be well shaded and we met some more friendly kiwis there. There was a large group of friends in one corner. They'd set up a game of volley ball and had built a fire in a purpose built shelter there. In another area several families had met up and the kids were having great fun... reminded me of the days when we went camping in our trailer tent with our good friends. Just as we were going to bed, at our usual time of 10pm!! a family arrived at the cabin just next to us... all the sites here seem to have these and they look good, but are a bit expensive for us at around $NZ100 a night. Their daughter was very excited to be there, especially as she hadn't realised some of her friends were already there.
Sunday 18th Jan
Next morning at 6am we were awoken to the excited calls of all the kids who were already up and about. We didn't mind at all as we'd had our beauty sleep but the parents of the kids kept coming over and apologising to us for their kids behaviour!! Before leaving the site we walked over the marshy area to see the beach, which was quite a good one...then around 11am it was back on the road. Once again we struggled to find a place to stop. but when Brent was preparing our lunch at pull in – sandwiches and a cup of tea, 2 wild chickens appeared. They were pretty mangy and clearly determined to share our lunch! One of them was very aggressive and was charging at Brent. I came to his rescue with one of my walking poles and we managed to eat in peace. As for the beaches: some were right on the roadside, with free camping available in one area, whilst others were
quite inaccessible. We reached our destination – Gisborne, the most Eastern city in the world and set up camp at the town site, near the river, just a short walk from the centre. The site was very busy and we had to pitch right near the road opposite the amenities block, which proved to be very busy and noisy. However I was pleased to be able to speak to Alec, my son, on his 26th birthday, and we enjoyed following the historic walk around the city, which was very pretty. Along the riverside there were lots of statues: this was one of the areas where Captain Cook landed and his statue was one of them.
Monday 19th Jan
Today we spent some time in the good library in Gisborne, where the internet was free. We changed our flights from Fiji to Tonga and enjoyed being in quite a busy city. We also made friends with a lovely couple and their little girl Sophie, who were camping next to us. He was British but had lived there for some years. Once again we found them really friendly and helpful. We decided to move on the next day – I'd felt a bit wheezy for the first time in ages and actually used my inhaler. We reckon it was being so close to the road.
Tuesday 20th Jan
After a morning in Gisborne we headed onwards to Mahia beach. We arrived late afternoon and after a fish and chip supper ...which we had a long wait for! around 7pm had a wander down to the lovely golden sand beach. As we neared the shore Brent thought he saw a fin in the water near to where some children were playing, up to their thighs in the sea. It turned out to be a resident dolphin! We read the sign about her: she arrived in the bay at Easter 2007 and has stayed. We watched her playing with a group of kids, clearly enjoying the attention. We were quite gob smacked! Had a chat about her to an American woman and her husband, who were from Colorado.
Wednesday 21st Jan
Another glorious day dawned and we planned to do a local walk in the bush. Before leaving we headed for the beach just to see if Moko was about. We ended up staying the whole day on the beach! Moko appeared some way out to sea and we swam out to see her. Unfortunately just as we arrived so did a boat and Moko swiftly followed it out to sea. Dissappointed we went back to the beach only to find that in minutes she was back playing with a surfboard. Linda decided she was going to go out and see if she could get closer. She swam out to find the board whizzing towards her but pleased to be close to the bottle nosed dolphin. Meanwhile I was feeling a little jealous so when she came back tried to swim out too. I was lucky enough to get close enough to touch her – much to the annoyance of Linda. Soon after she was taken out to sea by following a boat.
In the evening we went into a local bar for a drink. Not much atmosphere more like a youth club!
If you'd like to read more about Moko have a look at these websights:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/animals/news/article.cfm?c_id=500834&objectid=10548964
http://www.cdnn.info/news/eco/e080312.html
Thursday 22nd Jan – off to the start of our one and only Great Walk at Lake Waikaremoana
Left the campsite this morning, calling goodbye to Moko. Stopped for a look around Wairoa and visited a really nice little museum there, with lots of Maori artefacts as well as an exhibition of art from a local art class. We laughed to see the teacher's comments, which read like school reports! We knew that the last part of this trip was on a gravel road, but were surprised when this started quite soon after Wairoa. It was pretty awful as the sun was boiling, the air con on the car wasn't working and lots of 4 x 4 vehicles kept speeding past us kicking up a load of dust. We were terrified that the windscreen would be broken...but our luck held out. It was also impossible to stop as picnic areas were few and far between. When we finally managed a stop we realised that we were just a short way from the Waikaremoana holiday park, where we were staying! We arrived around 4.30 and Brent rushed off to the DoC office to book our walk and hut and campsites while I put up the tent. He arrived with just 7 minutes before closing and got pretty confused by my notes about where we should break the walk up...we'd thought we'd do the walk over 3 days and 2 nights, but he ended up booking 3 nights / 4 days! As you'll see this turned out to be a blessing!!! We got off to bed and slept well in preparation for our trek!
Friday 23rd Jan
The start of our Great Walk adventure -
We got up bright and early and sorted our backpacks ready for the tramp. By the time we'd sorted the water taxi and changed our camp booking it was about 10am before we left. 2 lovely Maori guys dropped us off at Onepoto, the start of the walk. We were left on a rocky outcrop and as they left I turned around to get a photo of them and managed to knock my backpack into the lake!! Brent jumped into the brink and to the rescue, soaking his boots through...what a start! Another boat was pulling in and one of the group took out his video camera to capture me wringing out my sweatshirt. We followed their example and had a swim in the lake, hoping that my stuff and Brent's boots would at least start to dry out. Finally we set off about an hour after the other group, at midday. It was a beautiful morning and we were glad of the shelter offered by the bush. We knew we had a climb ahead up to the Panekire Hut, where we'd booked bunks for our first night and set off full of anticipation. A few hours later and we reached what we thought was the top of the climb: the view was stunning, but a bit scary in terms of the sheer drop in front of us. Our exhilaration at arriving soon turned to horror as we realised that this was just the first of several summits we'd need to climb before we reached the trig point at 1180 metres where the hut was sited. We wondered how the children in the other group were coping and soon came across them. We all introduced ourselves: 2 brothers and and 2 sisters – Russell and Alex were farmers and their sisters, Margaret ( a doctor) and Elizabeth with her 3 daughters, aged about 7,9 and 11. We were so impressed with those girls! All of us agreed that the climb was demanding and all felt that the guideline of 5 hours was totally unrealistic when carrying packs. This proved to be true! It took us 7 gruelling hours to get to the top and some parts of the path were really difficult. At one point we had to scramble on all 4s over huge boulders and tree roots. At several points the path narrowed right near to sheer drops... it was really scary! In the end we got to the hut about 20 minutes after our new friends, who greeted us with wonderful mugs of scotch. They were really lovely and shared with us their dinner: Russell had shot a deer a couple of days ago and they'd cooked the fresh venison to perfection. It was the first time we'd eaten Venison and we loved it. Olivia, the middle daughter was delighted to finish off our cheesy pasta, but we definitely got the better deal!! We spent a fun evening chatting to them and all enjoyed foot massages...much needed! Other folk were staying there, including more children.
Saturday 24th Jan
Oh dear! Not a good night's sleep! I was sure that someone had fallen off the path en route to the toilet, but we found out this morning that some of the girls had spent the night puking up!! We'd heard Margaret and Alex chatting in the middle of the night, but hadn't realised what was up... how awful! Alex made us smile this morning ... he didn't fancy a cuppa from their billy can as it had been the sick bowl during the night...yuk!! Anyway we managed to dry our most of my stuff and headed off just after 10 for our 2nd day of tramping. The main downhill section was quite demanding and once again we found it a long day. It was, however, much easier than yesterday, with some lovely sections through the woods. We arrived at the Maratui hut, where Alex and co were spending their second night, and were boiling hot. It was a much smarter hut, with lovely new bunk beds, right next to the lake. We couldn't wait to get into the water. Brent rushed down to the lakeside and was immediately attacked by sandflies...bloody hell! When I came to look for my swimming cossie it had disappeared! I must have left it on the rocks to dry when we last swam... oh well! I had to swim, so put on my shorts and a tee shirt and went in anyway. Who cares? (I later found my cossie...I'd put it in a different pocket of my rucksack!) After a good rest and a cup of tea, we ploughed on to the korokoro campsite where we were staying our 2nd night. This was a lovely spot and there were just 2 other tents there when we arrived. We quickly got talking to our fellow campers – David was a nice guy, who was staying on at the camp for a good look around. After dinner he lit us a great camp fire, where we all sat around chatting. Carol and Jane were lovely. They'd met on Great Barrier Island and this was Carol's first tramp with a backpack. Jane was English, but settled here some years ago. She has done lots of tramping. We really enjoyed their company and helping them finish off a crossword. It would be great to keep in touch.
Sunday 25th Jan
We both fell asleep pretty quickly but in the middle of night Brent woke me up in a panic: someone was shouting for help! It turned out to be David having a dreadful nightmare. We were able to give him a torch and he seemed to settle down. We felt badly for him. This morning we enjoyed reading the passed on weekend paper, with British news...until...a/ we realised how miserable the news was and b/ we realised how much time reading it was taking... we'd had a lie in!! Jane, Carol and David were already up...with the women enjoying their toast...were they well equipped!! After our muesli and banana breakfast I wandered over to chat to 2 French lads who'd arrived late last night. They were clearly very fit and doing the walk over 2 days!!! We said goodbye to Jane and Carol, who we hope to keep in touch with, and headed out of the camp at 10.10. David was staying for another night and exploring the area. He recommended a swim in the lake from some rocks about 2 and half hours walk away. Unfortunately we'd mis-read the map ...not alone in this. It really was confusing... and decided we couldn't afford the time to stop, but needed to get further than our pre-booked campsite, Maranui, if we were to get to the water ferry on time. This was a pity as the walk to Maranui was a pleasure and the site itself quite idyllic. We did stop for lunch though and met up with a lovely young couple. He was kiwi and she was from Monteray, California..remember that Gaz and Al? His parents were kayaking the lake while they were doing the walk over 3 days! Needless to say they'd found the first day exhausting and like us were worrying that the last day might be equally hard. They headed off b4 us and welcomed us around 7pm when we arrived at the final campsite, next to a newly renovated pair of huts. As we approached the noise was amazing and upon arrival we discovered 2 groups of sixth formers were staying in the bunkhouses....we were really glad that we'd chosen to camp!!! They were pleasant enough and really enjoyed lighting a lovely campfire. We headed for bed around 10 aware that most of them had gone to bed.
Monday 26th Jan
What a terrible night! I was so knackered that I fell asleep, despite the goings on outside, but Brent couldn't switch off and was aware that a few lads from one of the school groups were out shooting possum with airguns...probably under the influence. Around midnight I woke up when a torch lit up our tent. It was pretty scary... we both felt very vulnerable: what would happen if we stuck our heads out??? We decided against this, but did ask the lads to get to bed... well I think Brent's words were: “ get to f___ing bed... some of us are trying to sleep here!”. This didn't work and an hour later, around 1am we heard a terrible cracking sound, followed by a frantic cry of: “ Are you Ok?”... then running to the main hut and a raised alarm. Minutes later we were asked if we owned a boat moored nearby... the lad was seriously hurt. We later found out that he'd broken his leg and had to have his ear taped up! How lucky that boat was there! As there was no signal the leaders couldn't make contact with the rescue services and the lad was clearly in trouble. He was lifted onto that boat and taken to the nearest landing with telephone reception.
Around 7am we got up and saw 2 dead possums near the bonfire. I chatted to the female leader of the D of E group, who told me the lads involved were from the other group. Their leader was very apologetic, but we both understood the situation having taken away groups of teenagers ourselves...we just felt sorry for all of them... hope the lad is ok and learns from the experience. We were ready to leave this last stop-over just after 9am and couldn't believe how easy the last stage of the tramp was: we almost strolled through peaceful woodland and stopped at the last hut for a nice pasta lunch ( same as previous nights!) and a swim in the lake, before getting to the water taxi pick up point. It was lovely to see our 2 Maori friends return and safely get us back to base...what a sense of satisfaction.
Notes following this, our one and only Great NZ walk:
We really feel we should contact DoC and point out that the timings given between the stages of this 46k walk are not at all accurate for anyone carrying a full backpack. We did meet some young, fit lads who were keeping to the schedule. However we met many more, young and old, who found the times completely unrealistic. In fact had we had better guidance we would certainly have spend at least 5 days on the walk. This would have given us time to really appreciate the beauty of our surroundings and to take all the opportunities, particularly towards the end of the walk, to swim in the lake.
Tues 27th Jan
Awoke to a cloudier morning! This was good news as we had been dreading the 60 mile gravel road. This still proved a challenge, but Brent was up to it...yes!! About a third of the way along the road we came across a man traveling in the opposite direction in a pristine hire car. As we got near he stopped and wound down his window. “ ow much further does this road go?,” he said, in a positively Northern accent. Brent turned off the engine and wound down the window for a natter: it turned out the chap was from Blackburn and clearly hadn't got a clue about the road he was on. In fact he thought he'd turned off the main road...understandable actually. Poor chap! We got close to Rotorua and spotted a sign for a thermal valley. We arrived just in time to complete the distance from the visitors centre/ entrance to the main lake, where a bus brought us back to the start. We were advised to miss out part of the walk -but knew we were fit enough to do the whole thing and managed it easily. We had to pay NZ$36 dollars each to do this, but were blown away ( fortunately not literally!) by what we saw: first a pool of turquoise water, then a bubbling lake, surrounded by steaming hillside, then an emerald green pool...all a bit scary – we were actually walking through a volcanic crater, which had erupted for the last time in 1974, although in the early 1900s a more serious eruption had occured, when 2 tourists were killed when a geyser spurted its boiling, noxious gas over them!! Needless to say we got a move on at this point! When we arrived at the lake we found quite a crowd of people waiting for the bus. I went to dip my feet into the lake, where we got chatting to 2 Austrian lads, who were spending a few months in NZ and were very friendly.
We finally arrived in Rotorua and headed for one of the many motels there. We chose one with a studio type accommodation. It seemed quite luxurious after all the camping and at NZ$105 a night, seemed very cheap...that's about £46... It had a nice double room upstairs, with a kitchen/ living room, smart bathroom and courtyard with hot spa. All very nice. By the time we'd been shopping and got a meal it was quite late, but we still managed to fit in a hot tub before bed.... what a treat!
Wed 28th Jan
Lin here... well I expected to get a great night's sleep on a very comfy bed, but was awoken at 2am: a light was on downstairs and Brent was on the laptop – unable to sleep. Needless to say I was not very happy as it then took me ages to get back to sleep, whilst he was snoring!! Anyway we had a really nice, chilled out day, enjoying the space of the motel studio. In the morning we emptied the car and sorted out our stuff a bit – we intend to donate our pots, pans etc as well as some un-needed clothes to a charity shop here in Rotorua. Around 4 we headed into town and enjoyed a walk to the lake in the sunshine. We found lots of bars, with music (!), an alternative cinema and one of the many spas here. We got laundry done back at the motel and enjoyed a cordon bleu meal prepared by moi: steak aux champignons a la sauce fromage bleu, avec legumes varies, cuits en ail...delicieux! (made a change from Brent's lovely pastas!)
Thursday 29th Jan
Had a pretty quiet day today. Really sorted out our stuff and packed up our packs ready for the move. Took lots of our camping stuff into town to a charity shop and visited the recycle centre with our empty bottles etc. Around 11 am we took some time out to head for the luge – which had been recommended by Lindsey and Mr Wood ( the couple we met on the Great Walk). We took the gondola up the hill and sped down on wheeled plastic chariots...great fun. We had 3 rides and would have loved to stay all day! This has been a lovely few days: the wireless internet has been very efficient and we've finally worked out how to use skype to make cheap phone calls! It was lovely to hear from Carol, one of our Great Walk crossword friends and we managed to phone her tonight. We are now ready for the off and glad to have discarded even more of our clothes... we're getting good at this!!!
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Monday, 19 January 2009
Some photos of New Zealand's North Island
Hi everyone... as you can imagine we have hundreds of photos of New Zealand. Here are just a few of the North Island. Hope you enjoy them...Lin and Brent xxx
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Meeting more family
Lin here posting this on my son, Alec's birthday. Happy 26th birthday to him! This post carries on from the last but doesn't quite bring you to today!!!God this blogging is complicated...
Bowentown continued: the first night here I was feeling lazy and stayed in reading my Sebastian Faulks novel...On Green Dolphin Street...while Brent went up the nearby hill.
Saturday 10th Jan
Brent was keen to share last night's walk and it turned out to be quite lovely...a lot longer than I thought with quite a lot of uphill. We came down to the sea, which had been very calm the previous night when Brent was there with a group of fishermen. Today the tide was on the way out and the water in the channel was scarily fast flowing. We decided to spend a lazy day here and I enjoyed finishing my novel and generally not doing much. I think we both realised that our days have been pretty full and that we do sometimes need to take time out to do nothing!!!
Sunday 11th January
Arrived in Tauranga late afternoon and easily found the local YHA, which had campsites in its garden. It was very pretty and everyone there was very friendly. The hostel was a short walk from the town and we walked down to get a feel for the place. It was lovely, with lots of bars along the waterfront. It was just after 6pm when we got there and unfortunately we'd just missed out on the live music, but we enjoyed a beer before heading back to cook our meal. Spent the evening chatting to some other hostellers: a female teacher from Staffordshire who was travelling alone and using the Naked Bus, and a chap in finance. Always interesting to hear people's stories.
Monday 12th Jan
Went into Tauranga this morning and called Brent's cousin Niel, who came out to meet us around lunchtime on his Honda motorbike. It was great to meet another member of the Abbott family and Niel took time to show us some of the local sites. We loved the Mission House and the area around it and enjoyed the air museum where Niel volunteers. Late afternoon it started to rain and we said our goodbyes before heading off to find a campsite nearer to Mount Manganui. We were lucky at the 3rd attempt and stayed at the Girven road site. That evening we walked to the Bayfield Mall where Brent found a pair of sunglasses to replace those he'd lost.
Tuesday 13th Jan
This morning we drove into Mount Manganui, parked up for a couple of hours and went in search of coffee. There were loads of coffee shops but the one we chose forgot we were there and we ended up with a free coffee but a potential parking ticket.... the warden had marked the time on our tyre and if our watches were correct we'd just overrun by about 3 mins... no visible ticket but guess we'll have to wait and see. Arranged to meet Niel and Barbara after lunch and really enjoyed the walk around the base of the Mount. Once again the views were outstanding and it was lovely to get to know Barbara and spend more quality time with family. After tea and cakes we said our goodbyes. Thanks Niel and Barbara for your kindness in taking time out to spend with us. The Abbott's fish and chip shop cap is brilliant and we'll be sure it gets to Rochdale
.
Wednesday 14th Jan
Got up this morning and set off for the library in Tauranga to see what was happening in Fiji. We knew that a few people had been killed and many more evacuated in the recent floods there and we are wondering if we need to cancel that next leg of our trip. The forecasts weren't good and we emailed our travel company for advice. We'll decide a bit nearer the time what to do. We then decided we had to visit our friend, June's new home in Papamoa, the next town along the coast. It was fun taking photos there and leaving her a postcard with a “wish you were here” message. June lives in a lovely place and we stopped to have a picnic near her beach before moving along the coast to Whakatane, where we found a lovely campsite on the river, with a lovely walkway into the town. We explored the town, did some washing and had an early night.
Thursday 15th
Today we took the advice of the lady at reception and did the most beautiful walk. I'd managed to pull something in my back early today, so we began the day with a bit of Tai Chi, which helped. Anyway the walk began with a steep climb through bush, up to Toi's Pa: the oldest Pa in New Zealand. (If you've forgotten what a Pa is it's the highest piece of land in the area, which the original settlers, in this case Maori used to claim their lands). from the Pa the walk continued around a headland of bush, with fantastic views of the ocean at various points. After about 2 hours we descended to the most gorgeous beach. There were 2 other small groups on it, but they soon left and we had the place to ourselves. It was as close to paradise as it gets. We swam to cool off and enjoyed our mini picnic before strolling along to Ohopi beach, the next one along. Here we had a drink in a nice bar before catching the bus back to Whakatane. After a nice meal we walked into town where 2 bars were competing for custom with karaoke nights. We enjoyed both of them and Brent was persuaded to join in one number... unfortunately it wasn't a song he really knew and I have to say it was a bit embarrassing!! Tee hee!
Friday 16th Jan
Woke up with a bit of a hangover ( no excuses!) and a very stiff back. Decided to have a chill out day and catch up on the blog, do washing etc.
Bowentown continued: the first night here I was feeling lazy and stayed in reading my Sebastian Faulks novel...On Green Dolphin Street...while Brent went up the nearby hill.
Saturday 10th Jan
Brent was keen to share last night's walk and it turned out to be quite lovely...a lot longer than I thought with quite a lot of uphill. We came down to the sea, which had been very calm the previous night when Brent was there with a group of fishermen. Today the tide was on the way out and the water in the channel was scarily fast flowing. We decided to spend a lazy day here and I enjoyed finishing my novel and generally not doing much. I think we both realised that our days have been pretty full and that we do sometimes need to take time out to do nothing!!!
Sunday 11th January
Arrived in Tauranga late afternoon and easily found the local YHA, which had campsites in its garden. It was very pretty and everyone there was very friendly. The hostel was a short walk from the town and we walked down to get a feel for the place. It was lovely, with lots of bars along the waterfront. It was just after 6pm when we got there and unfortunately we'd just missed out on the live music, but we enjoyed a beer before heading back to cook our meal. Spent the evening chatting to some other hostellers: a female teacher from Staffordshire who was travelling alone and using the Naked Bus, and a chap in finance. Always interesting to hear people's stories.
Monday 12th Jan
Went into Tauranga this morning and called Brent's cousin Niel, who came out to meet us around lunchtime on his Honda motorbike. It was great to meet another member of the Abbott family and Niel took time to show us some of the local sites. We loved the Mission House and the area around it and enjoyed the air museum where Niel volunteers. Late afternoon it started to rain and we said our goodbyes before heading off to find a campsite nearer to Mount Manganui. We were lucky at the 3rd attempt and stayed at the Girven road site. That evening we walked to the Bayfield Mall where Brent found a pair of sunglasses to replace those he'd lost.
Tuesday 13th Jan
This morning we drove into Mount Manganui, parked up for a couple of hours and went in search of coffee. There were loads of coffee shops but the one we chose forgot we were there and we ended up with a free coffee but a potential parking ticket.... the warden had marked the time on our tyre and if our watches were correct we'd just overrun by about 3 mins... no visible ticket but guess we'll have to wait and see. Arranged to meet Niel and Barbara after lunch and really enjoyed the walk around the base of the Mount. Once again the views were outstanding and it was lovely to get to know Barbara and spend more quality time with family. After tea and cakes we said our goodbyes. Thanks Niel and Barbara for your kindness in taking time out to spend with us. The Abbott's fish and chip shop cap is brilliant and we'll be sure it gets to Rochdale
.
Wednesday 14th Jan
Got up this morning and set off for the library in Tauranga to see what was happening in Fiji. We knew that a few people had been killed and many more evacuated in the recent floods there and we are wondering if we need to cancel that next leg of our trip. The forecasts weren't good and we emailed our travel company for advice. We'll decide a bit nearer the time what to do. We then decided we had to visit our friend, June's new home in Papamoa, the next town along the coast. It was fun taking photos there and leaving her a postcard with a “wish you were here” message. June lives in a lovely place and we stopped to have a picnic near her beach before moving along the coast to Whakatane, where we found a lovely campsite on the river, with a lovely walkway into the town. We explored the town, did some washing and had an early night.
Thursday 15th
Today we took the advice of the lady at reception and did the most beautiful walk. I'd managed to pull something in my back early today, so we began the day with a bit of Tai Chi, which helped. Anyway the walk began with a steep climb through bush, up to Toi's Pa: the oldest Pa in New Zealand. (If you've forgotten what a Pa is it's the highest piece of land in the area, which the original settlers, in this case Maori used to claim their lands). from the Pa the walk continued around a headland of bush, with fantastic views of the ocean at various points. After about 2 hours we descended to the most gorgeous beach. There were 2 other small groups on it, but they soon left and we had the place to ourselves. It was as close to paradise as it gets. We swam to cool off and enjoyed our mini picnic before strolling along to Ohopi beach, the next one along. Here we had a drink in a nice bar before catching the bus back to Whakatane. After a nice meal we walked into town where 2 bars were competing for custom with karaoke nights. We enjoyed both of them and Brent was persuaded to join in one number... unfortunately it wasn't a song he really knew and I have to say it was a bit embarrassing!! Tee hee!
Friday 16th Jan
Woke up with a bit of a hangover ( no excuses!) and a very stiff back. Decided to have a chill out day and catch up on the blog, do washing etc.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Happy New Year
January 2009
Thursday 1st January 2009...Happy New Year to all our readers!
We got up quite late and headed into Napier to see the art deco buildings there. I thought they were quite beautiful..so simple and elegant. Brent on the other hand thought they looked like factory buildings! We decided to ring Gordon, a Kiwi, who we'd met in Nottingham and whose parents live near to Napier. Gordon's wife to be (in March actually!), Sarah worked with me for a while, and we all got together a couple of times. Sarah is sorting out the wedding plans and spending Xmas with her mum in Atlanta. Anyway we were thrilled when Gordon came to the phone and said he'd meet up with us for a coffee. How brilliant. It was cool to see him on his own patch and great to get some tips for future stops. Thanks Gordon..we didn't get to see your batch but it was very kind of you to offer it as a stop over. After saying another sad goodbye we headed back towards lake Taupo, where lots of people were enjoying the lake in the hot sunshine. A fellow Brit at the campsite in Napier had recommended that we stop at the Hula falls and we were really grateful to her as they proved spectacular...a wonderful turquoise colour again, but amazingly powerful. We managed to get to Tirau that night and found a quiet little campsite, where we did our laundry and got a good night's sleep...our last in the van, sniff, sniff.
Friday 2nd January
Drove through Cambridge and enjoyed a stop in Hamilton, where we made some phone calls and had a coffee. We didn't have time to do Hamilton's renowned botanical gardens, but enjoyed the city. We arrived in Auckland spot on time and said our goodbyes to the van...we cunningly stuck back on a knob that we'd managed to snap off the very first day and noone seemed to notice! We shared the ride into Auckland with a friendly German lad and his family,who'd been out to spend Xmas with him. He was coming to the end of his time in NZ and was a lovely guy. We dumped our stuff beside the van and were about to say goodbye to the driver, when I realised I didn't have my handbag...oops! The driver rang the office and I'd left it on the back of a chair there. We arranged to pick it up the next day and got ourselves installed in the hostel.
The City Groove Backpackers:
We stayed here for 4 nights and used the time to try and gather our thoughts and do some background reading and research on our next move. The hostel was very friendly and we both enjoyed getting to know fellow backpackers. Laura, the Argentinian was lovely and it would be great to stay in touch with her. Our room had it's own loo and shower, which was great- but it was very basic. After initially clearing out the mosquitos, of which there were many! We enjoyed some good sleep. One night we played cards with Divisha, an interesting, young, Indian woman who is working in Wellington after studying there.
Auckland:
At first we found the city a bit uninspiring: it seemed to be mainly focussed on shopping...not a passion of ours. Also it was bank holiday there and the streets were pretty empty..all a bit weird. The first day I headed off on the bus to get my bag back. It was a pleasant experience and I even found a hairdresser on the route so took the chance to get my hair cut. Brent meanwhile had found a great library and spotted an excellent link bus, which we used to visit the Domaine park and the fab museum in it. We really enjoyed the 3rd floor, with its panoramic views over the city. The Sky City tower was also fun...and we passed under it just as someone came hurtling down on the skyjump...it looked absolutely bloody terrifying! In subsequent days we found the city more vibrant and interesting as people went about their everyday routines. We enjoyed picnics in the parks and got a lot done.
Tuesday 6th Jan
Picked up the hire car after lunch. Drove around the coast past Mission Bay where people were enjoying the beach. Got a little lost trying to follow the coast road. Decided to find a campsite near and ended up in the Top ten Manukua site. Was quite close to the main H1 road and was very busy as a transit camp from airport. Went for a lovely walk in the nearby Botanical Gardens. Beautifully tended and exquisite planting of a wide variety of flora. Turned out to be a massive site and wandered around enjoying the atmosphere of the late afternoon sun for a good two hours.
Wednesday 7th Jan
Went shopping in the nearby town for camping stuff. Linda said it would be small I said big. Guess who was right. Loads of shops and a huge mall. Got everything we needed but took ages. Set off to the base of the Coromandel Peninsula. We set up camp on a DOC ( Department of Conservation ) site called Broken Hills. This was down a long dusty gravel road but set amidst a stunning gorge by the side of a batheable creek. Plenty of long drop toilets ( can you work that one out ) but no other facilities. Our neighbour was a lovely single mum who was spending seventeen nights there with her 12 and 14 year old daughters – brilliant and admirable. She enjoyed a good natter and gave us advice on where to swim. Put together a good meal and snuck some wine having seen a big liquor ban sign. Ended up waking up through the night to another large group of people getting drunk and singing rugby songs loudly. Fortunately at other end of campsite.
Thursday 8th Jan.
Set off on one of the tramps recommended by the camp host. It was called Collins Drive and was a loop walk from the camp site. It began with a punishing climb through tropical bush country to a stunning lookout point with views as far as the ocean. Then we descended through a cooler path where we saw some inquisitive fantails up close : they really are sweet and beautiful birds. The next part of the tramp took a disused gold mine tunnel. Fortunately we had come prepared with our two dollar torch ( 80p ) which almost gave no light but a spooky atmosphere! The tunnel lasted 500 metres, which doesnt sound far but when the light at the end of the tunnel disappears seems a long way. We were balanced on planks of wood over pools of water and I had to scan the ceiling constantly to stop from banging my head. The ceiling of this tunnel also had glow worms – see earlier blog... we just loved it. Especially when the light appeared at the other end of the tunnel. Indiana Jones eat your heart out. The rest of the walk was varied taking in views across the valley. Got back into camp at 2pm for some lunch. Boiling hot we cooled down in the creek afterwards.
Friday 9th January.
After a better nights sleep – no rugby parties. We woke up feeling and looking ( and probably smelling ) like tramps. We had been tramping though so felt justified. Next stop had to be a campsite with showers and a laundry as I was down to my last pair of pants ( TMFI ? ) We headed for the coast and found a secluded gorgeous beach were we spent a happy hour walking and paddling to relieve our sandfly bites : these are tiny black flies which create the most horrendous itchy bite ( lin says she has 16 – she just counted ) We saw several big purple jelly fish and next morning read about a plague of them washing up on the local beaches. As we had successfully finished off our food in the Doc camp we stopped at Whangamata to replenish our supplies. Arrived at Waihi Beach around 5.30 pm and got a last spot ( NZ Hol still going ) at the Bowentown site. Very friendly neighbours and all facilities.
Thursday 1st January 2009...Happy New Year to all our readers!
We got up quite late and headed into Napier to see the art deco buildings there. I thought they were quite beautiful..so simple and elegant. Brent on the other hand thought they looked like factory buildings! We decided to ring Gordon, a Kiwi, who we'd met in Nottingham and whose parents live near to Napier. Gordon's wife to be (in March actually!), Sarah worked with me for a while, and we all got together a couple of times. Sarah is sorting out the wedding plans and spending Xmas with her mum in Atlanta. Anyway we were thrilled when Gordon came to the phone and said he'd meet up with us for a coffee. How brilliant. It was cool to see him on his own patch and great to get some tips for future stops. Thanks Gordon..we didn't get to see your batch but it was very kind of you to offer it as a stop over. After saying another sad goodbye we headed back towards lake Taupo, where lots of people were enjoying the lake in the hot sunshine. A fellow Brit at the campsite in Napier had recommended that we stop at the Hula falls and we were really grateful to her as they proved spectacular...a wonderful turquoise colour again, but amazingly powerful. We managed to get to Tirau that night and found a quiet little campsite, where we did our laundry and got a good night's sleep...our last in the van, sniff, sniff.
Friday 2nd January
Drove through Cambridge and enjoyed a stop in Hamilton, where we made some phone calls and had a coffee. We didn't have time to do Hamilton's renowned botanical gardens, but enjoyed the city. We arrived in Auckland spot on time and said our goodbyes to the van...we cunningly stuck back on a knob that we'd managed to snap off the very first day and noone seemed to notice! We shared the ride into Auckland with a friendly German lad and his family,who'd been out to spend Xmas with him. He was coming to the end of his time in NZ and was a lovely guy. We dumped our stuff beside the van and were about to say goodbye to the driver, when I realised I didn't have my handbag...oops! The driver rang the office and I'd left it on the back of a chair there. We arranged to pick it up the next day and got ourselves installed in the hostel.
The City Groove Backpackers:
We stayed here for 4 nights and used the time to try and gather our thoughts and do some background reading and research on our next move. The hostel was very friendly and we both enjoyed getting to know fellow backpackers. Laura, the Argentinian was lovely and it would be great to stay in touch with her. Our room had it's own loo and shower, which was great- but it was very basic. After initially clearing out the mosquitos, of which there were many! We enjoyed some good sleep. One night we played cards with Divisha, an interesting, young, Indian woman who is working in Wellington after studying there.
Auckland:
At first we found the city a bit uninspiring: it seemed to be mainly focussed on shopping...not a passion of ours. Also it was bank holiday there and the streets were pretty empty..all a bit weird. The first day I headed off on the bus to get my bag back. It was a pleasant experience and I even found a hairdresser on the route so took the chance to get my hair cut. Brent meanwhile had found a great library and spotted an excellent link bus, which we used to visit the Domaine park and the fab museum in it. We really enjoyed the 3rd floor, with its panoramic views over the city. The Sky City tower was also fun...and we passed under it just as someone came hurtling down on the skyjump...it looked absolutely bloody terrifying! In subsequent days we found the city more vibrant and interesting as people went about their everyday routines. We enjoyed picnics in the parks and got a lot done.
Tuesday 6th Jan
Picked up the hire car after lunch. Drove around the coast past Mission Bay where people were enjoying the beach. Got a little lost trying to follow the coast road. Decided to find a campsite near and ended up in the Top ten Manukua site. Was quite close to the main H1 road and was very busy as a transit camp from airport. Went for a lovely walk in the nearby Botanical Gardens. Beautifully tended and exquisite planting of a wide variety of flora. Turned out to be a massive site and wandered around enjoying the atmosphere of the late afternoon sun for a good two hours.
Wednesday 7th Jan
Went shopping in the nearby town for camping stuff. Linda said it would be small I said big. Guess who was right. Loads of shops and a huge mall. Got everything we needed but took ages. Set off to the base of the Coromandel Peninsula. We set up camp on a DOC ( Department of Conservation ) site called Broken Hills. This was down a long dusty gravel road but set amidst a stunning gorge by the side of a batheable creek. Plenty of long drop toilets ( can you work that one out ) but no other facilities. Our neighbour was a lovely single mum who was spending seventeen nights there with her 12 and 14 year old daughters – brilliant and admirable. She enjoyed a good natter and gave us advice on where to swim. Put together a good meal and snuck some wine having seen a big liquor ban sign. Ended up waking up through the night to another large group of people getting drunk and singing rugby songs loudly. Fortunately at other end of campsite.
Thursday 8th Jan.
Set off on one of the tramps recommended by the camp host. It was called Collins Drive and was a loop walk from the camp site. It began with a punishing climb through tropical bush country to a stunning lookout point with views as far as the ocean. Then we descended through a cooler path where we saw some inquisitive fantails up close : they really are sweet and beautiful birds. The next part of the tramp took a disused gold mine tunnel. Fortunately we had come prepared with our two dollar torch ( 80p ) which almost gave no light but a spooky atmosphere! The tunnel lasted 500 metres, which doesnt sound far but when the light at the end of the tunnel disappears seems a long way. We were balanced on planks of wood over pools of water and I had to scan the ceiling constantly to stop from banging my head. The ceiling of this tunnel also had glow worms – see earlier blog... we just loved it. Especially when the light appeared at the other end of the tunnel. Indiana Jones eat your heart out. The rest of the walk was varied taking in views across the valley. Got back into camp at 2pm for some lunch. Boiling hot we cooled down in the creek afterwards.
Friday 9th January.
After a better nights sleep – no rugby parties. We woke up feeling and looking ( and probably smelling ) like tramps. We had been tramping though so felt justified. Next stop had to be a campsite with showers and a laundry as I was down to my last pair of pants ( TMFI ? ) We headed for the coast and found a secluded gorgeous beach were we spent a happy hour walking and paddling to relieve our sandfly bites : these are tiny black flies which create the most horrendous itchy bite ( lin says she has 16 – she just counted ) We saw several big purple jelly fish and next morning read about a plague of them washing up on the local beaches. As we had successfully finished off our food in the Doc camp we stopped at Whangamata to replenish our supplies. Arrived at Waihi Beach around 5.30 pm and got a last spot ( NZ Hol still going ) at the Bowentown site. Very friendly neighbours and all facilities.
End of December
Continued from last blog..Larry's barbeque... (Lin) enjoyed seeing Gina's school...even in the dark and we were sad to say goodbye.
Tuesday 30th December
Today we headed off to a DoC campsite, purchasing a tent on the way from the Kathmandu sale. We met up with Wendy's friend, Beth and her lovely daughter,Taylor...a big buddy of Matthew's. After we'd set up camp we all had a paddle in the nearby creek before lunch then Paul, Graham, Brent and I headed off on a tramp through some lovely bush down to a large braided river system. Paul was very surprised by how the landscape had changed following the floods off a few years back. New bridges had been built and gullies had formed. We got back at around 6pm...an hour later than expected! Unfortunately the children's sausages, which Paul had chosen with such care, were locked in our van, and they'd been so hungry that a can of spaghetti had provided their meal! Sorry folks! The adults were all ready for a glass of wine ...or beer...or 2 or 3. We all piled into Mavis and Graham's van for a lovely meal and a Moroccan dice game...fun all round. Little Matthew couldn't settle and managed to get himself dressed and walk through the dark to the van to join us!!
Wednesday 31st
Went for a short nature walk all together before saying goodbye.. a BIG thank you to everyone for making us so welcome. We stopped at Masterton and imagined Paul and Wendy's wedding in the lovely park there. We ate our picnic in what felt like a typical English setting of village green cricket: all the players in white, cricket pavillion, umpires etc. Lovely. Then on we went to Napier and were a bit worried when the first site we tried was full. However Brent directed us to another site nearby and we struck lucky. That evening we walked to the nearby harbour area and found a great bar where there was live music and a disco. We enjoyed being in a party atmosphere for New Year's Eve.
Tuesday 30th December
Today we headed off to a DoC campsite, purchasing a tent on the way from the Kathmandu sale. We met up with Wendy's friend, Beth and her lovely daughter,Taylor...a big buddy of Matthew's. After we'd set up camp we all had a paddle in the nearby creek before lunch then Paul, Graham, Brent and I headed off on a tramp through some lovely bush down to a large braided river system. Paul was very surprised by how the landscape had changed following the floods off a few years back. New bridges had been built and gullies had formed. We got back at around 6pm...an hour later than expected! Unfortunately the children's sausages, which Paul had chosen with such care, were locked in our van, and they'd been so hungry that a can of spaghetti had provided their meal! Sorry folks! The adults were all ready for a glass of wine ...or beer...or 2 or 3. We all piled into Mavis and Graham's van for a lovely meal and a Moroccan dice game...fun all round. Little Matthew couldn't settle and managed to get himself dressed and walk through the dark to the van to join us!!
Wednesday 31st
Went for a short nature walk all together before saying goodbye.. a BIG thank you to everyone for making us so welcome. We stopped at Masterton and imagined Paul and Wendy's wedding in the lovely park there. We ate our picnic in what felt like a typical English setting of village green cricket: all the players in white, cricket pavillion, umpires etc. Lovely. Then on we went to Napier and were a bit worried when the first site we tried was full. However Brent directed us to another site nearby and we struck lucky. That evening we walked to the nearby harbour area and found a great bar where there was live music and a disco. We enjoyed being in a party atmosphere for New Year's Eve.
Friday, 2 January 2009
Xmas in NZ
Wed 24th
Another glorious day with the sun beating down. We parked up by Lake Wanake and set off on the Waterfall Creek walk. No time to do all of it but enjoyed spectacular views of the mountains. Headed off to Dunedin around twelve and got there around four. Phoned Daniel an old school friend of Alecs, who probably thought I was mad ( he said to his mum “How random was that” lol ). Met up with Marge and Gavin and their friend Janine later on. The Robbie ( all Scottish in Dunedin ) had a great Soul Band on and we enjoyed good company and a bit of a bop.... really got us in the Xmas mood. Thanks Marge and co.
Thursday 25th Xmas Day
What a fabulous day!!! After a good lie in ( been on the move a long time ) we headed out to explore the Otega Peninsula. Gaz phoned Lin just as we were leaving so put her in a good mood ( not that she always isnt :) ) It was cloudy when we left but as we looked around Lanarch Castle gardens the sun came out.
Carefully tended and planted gardens which were a delight to the eye. We made sure everyone wished us merry xmas by wearing our cracker hats. Raised a few smiles and some puzzled looks from the Chinese tourists. From the castle we headed out to Pilot Beach on the headland- another splendid drive. Our high expectations of seeing wildlife were fulfilled when we spotted several albatross flying amongst the seagulls. Standing on a bluff with the sound of the gulls and the magnificent sight of these huge birds was truly magical. We also had our first view of NZ fur seals. The sun was out fully by the time we arrived at Sandfly beach. Marge had recommended this beach for viewing yellow eyed penguins as well as the seals. A big thank you to her. The beach was backed by the tallest dunes we had seen. Great fun running down them – but dreading the climb back. As we walked along the beach we got close to seals basking in the sun. One couple almost got attacked by a big bull seal when they foolishly invaded its space. We carried on to the end of the beach where hides had been set up at a distance from the rocks where the penguins were known to come out of the sea. We patiently waited to see some and enjoyed good views of other sea birds and seals. Needless to say no penguins surfaced largley because of some thoughtless tourists who insisted on walking up close despite clear notices about these shy creatures. After about half an hour we both thought we were seeing things when Santa appeared on the beach below in full garb including a beard ( not well camouflaged for spotting wildlife ). We thought this was hysterical but fellow birdwatchers were not amused. Disappointedly we strolled back along the beach. I said to Lin in my best school boy voice “ I need to see a penguin now and Ill be happy “ Literally two minutes later we saw one waddle up the beach and into the dunes. On closer inspection we spotted two of them preening their feathers and seemingly quite tame. We got great views through the binoculars and climbed contentedly but wearily up the dunes back to the van.
The day was perfectly finished off with stuffed lamb chops and a nice drop of wine.
Forgot to say we'd had the Xmas cake, provided by Kea, the shortbread and the chocolates earlier!!!
26th December – Lin here
Managed to speak to Gareth this morning ( Xmas night back home) which was great, but was disappointed not to get hold of Alec. Managed to get hold of Brent's mum, dad and brothers, which was nice, then headed off for Christchurch. I was proud of myself today as I found us a very nice campsite right near the centre of the city, so we were able to fit in a lovely walk late afternoon, early evening. We really enjoyed the town, which is very pretty. It was a pity it was a bank holiday as there's a lot of art here and the galleries looked very interesting. We went into the university cloister area and were very impressed by a hanging sculpture of a church...hard to explain, but as you walked around it you saw different views of it( it was a simple line image) very Escher like...loved it. We also liked the front of the Dyslexic building, which had talking seats and lovely statues. Found a studenty bar that was buzzing and enjoyed watching the end of the NZ/ West Indies cricket game, then stopped around 9.30 to listen to some live music – an acoustic singer / guitarist, who played amongst other stuff, some Jack Johnson, who we both like. Another good day.
Time for a little aside about New Zealand:
This may seem unimportant, but actually it really made for pleasant days: there are toilets everywhere and we never had to wait more than 5 minutes before finding one. On top of that the loos are generally very clean, all with plenty of paper, soap etc...as over 50's we really appreciate this.
Saturday 27th Dec:
Left Christchurch nice and early and headed for Kaikouri (meaning eat crayfish – a local delicacy). Today there was a lot more traffic on the road and we quickly realised that the locals were heading off on their annual summer holiday.We were quite worried about finding a campsite and couldn't believe our luck when we got the last site on the Top 10 site in Kaikouri. We enjoyed our lunch...more Xmas cake, Xmas chutney etc.etc and did a nice little walk along the front. After all the alcohol and good food and driving, we were very tired. Still, we managed to do our laundry before retiring to the van, where we watched a daft horror DVD.. bit of fun.
Sunday 28th Dec:
Headed off for Picton and the ferry back to North Island. As we left ( around 8am) a sea fret was hanging over the mountains and the views were quite mystical. Once again the skies cleared for another lovely drive. What a country! After 20 minutes we stopped at Nins Bins – a roadside shack selling fresh crayfish, which Marge had recommended. We bought one for lunch...thanks again Marge! We had plenty of time to stop off at Blenheim, where I tried to get my hair cut at a hairdressers with the same name as the one I use at home ( Beyond the Fringe). Unfortunately they were doing a wedding and couldn't fit me in. Still enjoyed the murals, the toilet and the coffee here, and thought the place was very pleasant. Found a picnic table at Picton and enjoyed our fish lunch before getting on the ferry.. and here we are!
NEW ENTRY
Monday 29th Dec
Got off the ferry and headed into Wellington, arriving around 4.45. Parked right near the Ta Mau? museum. A National museum of culture as well as an art gallery. We enjoyed over an hour in there and could easily have spent a whole day looking at the exhibitions. The Maouri canoes and meeting houses were quite beautiful...definitely a favourite. Left there at 6pm and phoned Brent's cousin, Paul, who gave us directions to their lovely home up on a hill in Melrose, near to Island Bay. Met all the family: Matthew and Rebecca ( and Percy the engine), Mavis and Graham and our hosts, Paul and Wendy. Enjoyed a lovely meal with them. It was great to mix with good company around a Xmas table. We loved the house and enjoyed the view from the top of the nearby hill... even though we almost got blown off...tee hee!
Tues.30th Dec
Another lovely day: Paul kindly took us to Katmandu, a great outdoors store, where we identified a tent, which we later bought. Then Paul, Graham, Brent and I did the walk that the Rochdale Abbotts had done when they visited. We went up the hill where we had a great panoramic view of Wellington. Back to Paul's home and we all fitted into Paul and Wendy's cars and set off to see Pam, Gina and Jed in Waikanue. We'd arranged to meet them in a restaurant and it was lovely to see Jed, Matthew and Rebecca enjoying the play area. They are really close cousins. We all went back to auntie Pam's beautiful house and garden. It was great to be involved in their Xmas celebration and Pam's Xmas tree was absolutely stunning. The children loved all the dancing and singing Santa Clauses she had ( actually so did we!!) and her garden was a real picture. Late afternoon we joined Paul, Wendy , Gina and Larry for a walk up the hill to where uncle Geoff's ashes had been scattered. This was a lovely walk to a tranquil outlook over Waikanue, right above Gina's home. That evening we all headed to Larry's amazing property where we had a great barbeque.
Another glorious day with the sun beating down. We parked up by Lake Wanake and set off on the Waterfall Creek walk. No time to do all of it but enjoyed spectacular views of the mountains. Headed off to Dunedin around twelve and got there around four. Phoned Daniel an old school friend of Alecs, who probably thought I was mad ( he said to his mum “How random was that” lol ). Met up with Marge and Gavin and their friend Janine later on. The Robbie ( all Scottish in Dunedin ) had a great Soul Band on and we enjoyed good company and a bit of a bop.... really got us in the Xmas mood. Thanks Marge and co.
Thursday 25th Xmas Day
What a fabulous day!!! After a good lie in ( been on the move a long time ) we headed out to explore the Otega Peninsula. Gaz phoned Lin just as we were leaving so put her in a good mood ( not that she always isnt :) ) It was cloudy when we left but as we looked around Lanarch Castle gardens the sun came out.
Carefully tended and planted gardens which were a delight to the eye. We made sure everyone wished us merry xmas by wearing our cracker hats. Raised a few smiles and some puzzled looks from the Chinese tourists. From the castle we headed out to Pilot Beach on the headland- another splendid drive. Our high expectations of seeing wildlife were fulfilled when we spotted several albatross flying amongst the seagulls. Standing on a bluff with the sound of the gulls and the magnificent sight of these huge birds was truly magical. We also had our first view of NZ fur seals. The sun was out fully by the time we arrived at Sandfly beach. Marge had recommended this beach for viewing yellow eyed penguins as well as the seals. A big thank you to her. The beach was backed by the tallest dunes we had seen. Great fun running down them – but dreading the climb back. As we walked along the beach we got close to seals basking in the sun. One couple almost got attacked by a big bull seal when they foolishly invaded its space. We carried on to the end of the beach where hides had been set up at a distance from the rocks where the penguins were known to come out of the sea. We patiently waited to see some and enjoyed good views of other sea birds and seals. Needless to say no penguins surfaced largley because of some thoughtless tourists who insisted on walking up close despite clear notices about these shy creatures. After about half an hour we both thought we were seeing things when Santa appeared on the beach below in full garb including a beard ( not well camouflaged for spotting wildlife ). We thought this was hysterical but fellow birdwatchers were not amused. Disappointedly we strolled back along the beach. I said to Lin in my best school boy voice “ I need to see a penguin now and Ill be happy “ Literally two minutes later we saw one waddle up the beach and into the dunes. On closer inspection we spotted two of them preening their feathers and seemingly quite tame. We got great views through the binoculars and climbed contentedly but wearily up the dunes back to the van.
The day was perfectly finished off with stuffed lamb chops and a nice drop of wine.
Forgot to say we'd had the Xmas cake, provided by Kea, the shortbread and the chocolates earlier!!!
26th December – Lin here
Managed to speak to Gareth this morning ( Xmas night back home) which was great, but was disappointed not to get hold of Alec. Managed to get hold of Brent's mum, dad and brothers, which was nice, then headed off for Christchurch. I was proud of myself today as I found us a very nice campsite right near the centre of the city, so we were able to fit in a lovely walk late afternoon, early evening. We really enjoyed the town, which is very pretty. It was a pity it was a bank holiday as there's a lot of art here and the galleries looked very interesting. We went into the university cloister area and were very impressed by a hanging sculpture of a church...hard to explain, but as you walked around it you saw different views of it( it was a simple line image) very Escher like...loved it. We also liked the front of the Dyslexic building, which had talking seats and lovely statues. Found a studenty bar that was buzzing and enjoyed watching the end of the NZ/ West Indies cricket game, then stopped around 9.30 to listen to some live music – an acoustic singer / guitarist, who played amongst other stuff, some Jack Johnson, who we both like. Another good day.
Time for a little aside about New Zealand:
This may seem unimportant, but actually it really made for pleasant days: there are toilets everywhere and we never had to wait more than 5 minutes before finding one. On top of that the loos are generally very clean, all with plenty of paper, soap etc...as over 50's we really appreciate this.
Saturday 27th Dec:
Left Christchurch nice and early and headed for Kaikouri (meaning eat crayfish – a local delicacy). Today there was a lot more traffic on the road and we quickly realised that the locals were heading off on their annual summer holiday.We were quite worried about finding a campsite and couldn't believe our luck when we got the last site on the Top 10 site in Kaikouri. We enjoyed our lunch...more Xmas cake, Xmas chutney etc.etc and did a nice little walk along the front. After all the alcohol and good food and driving, we were very tired. Still, we managed to do our laundry before retiring to the van, where we watched a daft horror DVD.. bit of fun.
Sunday 28th Dec:
Headed off for Picton and the ferry back to North Island. As we left ( around 8am) a sea fret was hanging over the mountains and the views were quite mystical. Once again the skies cleared for another lovely drive. What a country! After 20 minutes we stopped at Nins Bins – a roadside shack selling fresh crayfish, which Marge had recommended. We bought one for lunch...thanks again Marge! We had plenty of time to stop off at Blenheim, where I tried to get my hair cut at a hairdressers with the same name as the one I use at home ( Beyond the Fringe). Unfortunately they were doing a wedding and couldn't fit me in. Still enjoyed the murals, the toilet and the coffee here, and thought the place was very pleasant. Found a picnic table at Picton and enjoyed our fish lunch before getting on the ferry.. and here we are!
NEW ENTRY
Monday 29th Dec
Got off the ferry and headed into Wellington, arriving around 4.45. Parked right near the Ta Mau? museum. A National museum of culture as well as an art gallery. We enjoyed over an hour in there and could easily have spent a whole day looking at the exhibitions. The Maouri canoes and meeting houses were quite beautiful...definitely a favourite. Left there at 6pm and phoned Brent's cousin, Paul, who gave us directions to their lovely home up on a hill in Melrose, near to Island Bay. Met all the family: Matthew and Rebecca ( and Percy the engine), Mavis and Graham and our hosts, Paul and Wendy. Enjoyed a lovely meal with them. It was great to mix with good company around a Xmas table. We loved the house and enjoyed the view from the top of the nearby hill... even though we almost got blown off...tee hee!
Tues.30th Dec
Another lovely day: Paul kindly took us to Katmandu, a great outdoors store, where we identified a tent, which we later bought. Then Paul, Graham, Brent and I did the walk that the Rochdale Abbotts had done when they visited. We went up the hill where we had a great panoramic view of Wellington. Back to Paul's home and we all fitted into Paul and Wendy's cars and set off to see Pam, Gina and Jed in Waikanue. We'd arranged to meet them in a restaurant and it was lovely to see Jed, Matthew and Rebecca enjoying the play area. They are really close cousins. We all went back to auntie Pam's beautiful house and garden. It was great to be involved in their Xmas celebration and Pam's Xmas tree was absolutely stunning. The children loved all the dancing and singing Santa Clauses she had ( actually so did we!!) and her garden was a real picture. Late afternoon we joined Paul, Wendy , Gina and Larry for a walk up the hill to where uncle Geoff's ashes had been scattered. This was a lovely walk to a tranquil outlook over Waikanue, right above Gina's home. That evening we all headed to Larry's amazing property where we had a great barbeque.
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