Hamilton Gardens
14 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of us in NZ. And Happy Valentine’s Day to those of you at home!
The weather here continues to be great. Hot, but not humid, so it has been nice. We do have to be super careful as the sun is intense and it is easy to burn here. That’s why we are going to continue searching for a good hat for Chris, or stay out of the sun!
Chris, Donna and I were itching to go back to the Hamilton Gardens, so we made a plan for the day.
1. The Gardens in the morning
2. Hat hunting
3.Kayak ride down the Waikato River with three families at 4:30 p.m.
The gardens in Hamilton are about a 1/2 hour drive from where we are staying and there is no charge for entry. It is a beautiful place. Rather than focusing on plant collections, the emphasis is on different types of garden design.
The people who created the gardens wanted to showcase “the cultural meaning and context of gardens over the past 4,000 years”. It was interesting to see how the culture of a time can be seen through the gardens of the time, or how the attitudes towards nature were viewed.
The first development of the gardens began in the early 1960s at what was then the city's waste disposal site. It had been a The first garden that was built was the Rogers Rose Garden which was opened in 1971. It was an attempt to block highway development over the site. The property is on a lovely piece of land on the banks of the Waitako River. Someone, I am not sure who, had a great vision. Since 1982 many newly developed areas have been opened to the public.
I am not going to list all the enclosed gardens that we went into but some were incredible - Chinese, Indian with a mini Taj Mahal, a herb garden, a Mansfield garden based on the short story ‘The Garden Party’ by NZ writer Katherine Mansfield, and a brand new Surrealist Garden with strange forms.
Diane and Claude, you would love it!!
We stopped for a cup of tea and a scone in the cafe overlooking a peaceful pond before heading into town to check it out and look for a hat.
As we rounded a corner, we bumped into a life-sized statue of the Rocky Horror Picture Show creator and Hamilton native , Richard O’Brien dressed as Riff Raff. We had a Time Warp moment.
No hat to be found but we did enjoy our town walk. The river runs right through town but it is somewhat hidden. Work has been started to make a riverside trail. It was is a good idea, as it is a lovely river.
More about the second part of our day in the next footprint.Läs mer
Cambridge Velodrome & Crazy Kayaking
14 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Oh my goodness. What an afternoon we had!
It all started when we decided to visit the Cambridge Velodrome, the Avantidrome. We saw it from the highway and decided to see what it was like inside. The receptionist told us that we could go into the viewing area and in half an hour, the women’s national team would be practicing team pursuit races before heading to the world games in Poland, so we could see what was involved in a race. Afterwards, we could watch as men and women practiced sprints with a motorcycle chasing them! Lucky us!
The velodrome itself is a fully enclosed, wooden, 250m indoor cycling track. Surrounding the velodrome there are 1,500 seats for spectators, but that could be expanded to 4,000 for major events. The centre space is capable of hosting up to 1,000 people seated at tables so it can be used for conferences, dinners, exhibitions, award functions, meetings, presentations. The area is large enough to host equestrian, tennis, basketball, netball, badminton and other athletic events.
It is huge.
I found a few interesting facts about the velodrome:
The Avantidrome design allows for unimpeded views within the main arena. There are no internal supporting columns.
The building is 77 meters across and 120 meters long, bigger than a rugby field.
The highest point is equivalent to a six story building.
The metal roofing/cladding covers an area of 6,800m² which is enough to roof 34 standard New Zealand homes.
The wood used for the track in the velodrome is Siberian Spruce. A slow growing timber, the grain of the wood is very close which means it won’t splinter.
Watching the practices for the races was so exciting. There are no words to describe what we saw or felt. It was just exciting.
At 4:30, we had arranged to meet the McQueens and two other home-schooling families boat ramp in Cambridge. A Maori mother and her 7 kids would be meeting us there with kayaks and inner tubes for a float down the mighty Waikato River. It turned it to be quite the adventure!
The Waikato River is the lifeblood of the region. It is the longest river in New Zealand,running 425 km (264 mi) through the North Island. In Cambridge, the river has quite a current and we wondered what the boat ride would be like.
We drove on to the dam where the trip would start.
The lady had a trailer full of life jackets, 2 kayaks and a bunch of floats. The idea was to put adults in the two kayaks and tie the inner tubes with the kids on them to the kayaks so they don’t float away.
There were more adults than space or life jackets, so I stayed behind with a few others. Chris, Billy, Donna and another lady got into the kayaks and started out. As I mentioned the current was strong and the tubes were heavy to pull. Chris and his group got caught in a whirlpool that took quite the effort to get out of.
One of the floats started leaking air and couldn’t be used. It was good that all the kids had life jackets on.
The trip down the river to the boat ramp took about an hour. Monica and I drove to the ramp and waited for the group to arrive. They had had quite the ride and everyone was pretty tired, sore and cold, but they did it. No kids were lost.
That night, with a little help from some Vitamin I (ibuprofin) , everyone had a very good sleep. The next day was a day of rest...
There are no photos of the boat trip as we didn’t want to take the phone on the kayaks. Good thing that Chris didn’t take it as everyone got pretty wet.Läs mer
The Garden Party and Variety Show
16 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
This is our last day in lovely Te Miro. Donna had arranged for all of us to contribute to a variety show in the afternoon, followed by a potluck dinner. It was a lot of fun.
In the morning, the three MacQueen kids came to the cottage and we made sock puppets for our part in the show. We practiced before lunch and things were working out. Everyone listened and had a lot of fun. Then Chris worked with Liam, the mini engineer to make a chess/checker board that turned out great!
Donna and I prepared some food for the potluck - chicken, corn on the cob, salads etc. and at 3:30, everyone who was coming, arrived with food and instruments, ready to go.
Chris had set up our puppet stage in the garden and had arranged chairs for the audience. We were ready.
It was a super show with all 13 people contributing an act - a Shakespeare reading, storytelling, puppets, clarinet solo, guitar playing, and singing. It was all fun.
Our potluck dinner turned out well and we had a delightful afternoon with the wonderful MacQueen family!Läs mer
Rotorua Part 1
18 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Chris, Donna and I are in Rotorua for a few nights, but staying in an Air Bnb house, just on the outskirts of the town. You have to know that Rotorua is nick-named The Sulphur City as it has a rather unique, pungent aroma - somewhat like rotten eggs...
The whole town is built over a geothermal area and apparently there is nowhere quite like this area in all of New Zealand. It is lovely. Numerous lakes, lush green forests, steaming hotspots and natural hot pools are inside and outside of this town. Views are always changing so we didn’t have fun trying to decide which photos to include.
Rotorua can be an expensive place to visit but we were able to visit some wonderful places on a
6 km walk, all for free. I will make this blog into two footprints as we have so many good photos.
We started in Kuirau Park, a free public park in the northern end of Rotorua. Walking trails lead to numerous areas of vigorous geothermal activity. We were assured that as long as we stayed on the cool side of the safety fences, it would be generally quite safe. New eruptions do occur from time to time.
In 2001 mud and rocks the size of footballs were suddenly hurled 10 metres into the air as a new steam vent spontaneously announced its arrival. Two years later, similar eruptions provided a real bonus for delighted visitors.
In early Maori times the small lake in the park was much cooler and was known as Taokahu. Legends tell a story about a beautiful young woman named Kuiarau who was bathing in the waters when a taniwha (legendary creature) dragged her to his lair below the lake. The gods above were angered and made the lake boil so the Taniwha would be destroyed forever. From that time on, the bubbling lake and the steaming land around it have been known by the name of the lost woman, although the spelling has changed a little.
In one area of the park, there was a long trough with hot water in it. We took our socks and shoes off and soaked our feet in the hot water. So nice...
From the park, we walked to the Maori village of Ohinemutu. This place is home to the Ngāti Whakaue tribe, who gifted the land on which the city of Rotorua was built. The location was chosen for its lakeside setting and abundant geothermal energy, used for cooking, bathing and heating.
The whole town seems to steam. As we walked along we could clearly hear hissing and bubbling sounds. Houses occupied by locals are dotted about amongst this bubbling activity and we kind of wondered how the villagers can live there. And then there is the rotten egg smell. I guess they have gotten used to it.
We passed a community centre with lots of old carvings on it. Stories are told in the carvings (whakairo) with every swirl and cut having a meaning. This keeps the Maori history, culture and identity alive.
A little further we watched a large group of kids on a school field trip learning Maori games with sticks. Wouldn’t you know, we met one of the teachers, Evan Harrison, whose sister teaches grade 1 at King George School in Guelph!!! That’s the school Chris taught at for his whole career and the school that our grandkids go to now. What a small world.
Walking on we saw a pretty church and decided to go in. As churches go, St. Faith’s Anglican Church is tiny, but it packs a hefty punch. Once you step inside, your senses are assaulted from all sides.
It is intimate and cozy and is covered with vibrant Maori carvings (whakairo), wall panels (tukutuku) along with Māori and European decorations of stained glass. One of the windows features a etched glass image of Christ wearing a Maori cloak, appearing to walk on the waters of Lake Rotorua, visible through the glass.
Behind the church is a military graveyard and memorial. The tombs are above-ground due to the geothermal activity.Läs mer
Rotorua - Part 2
18 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
There are so many places to see in Rotorua. You could spend 2 weeks here and not see or do everything.
We had heard about the Government Gardens, on the lake’s edge in downtown Rotorua, so we walked there.
This site is of legendary and historical importance to local Maori people, for here many significant battles have taken place. In the late 1800s, the Maori people gifted 50 acres of this land to the crown "for the benefit of the people of the world". The land was a scrub-covered geothermal area with several therapeutic pools. The scrub was cleared and formal gardens planted. Several large trees remain from those early days, including multi-trunked Japanese firs and an unusual Californian weeping redwood.
In 1908, the New Zealand government opened a large and elaborate bath house for tourists which was built in the Elizabethan Tudor style of architecture.
Today this building houses a museum which has been closed for renovations. Two years ago, it was deemed unsafe in earthquake situations so it has been in the process of being fixed up for the past 2 years.
In the early 1930s a second building, the Blue Baths, was constructed in an ornate Mediterranean style. Donna told us that she has soaked in those hot tubs. These were among the first baths in the world to allow both males and females in the same pool. Rather than medicinal, the purpose of the Blue Baths was fun - a chance to socialise in the style of Hollywood movie stars. Fully restored to their original glory, the Blue Baths offer tourists the chance to relax in heated waters in an architecturally stunning setting.
By now, we were getting hungry, so we headed to Eat Streat where we chose to eat Thai Food in one of the many restaurants, the Wild Rice restaurant. Delicious food.
The school teacher who we had met earlier had suggested that we go to Sulfur Point/Bay, so that is where we went before heading home.
Sulphur Bay is a perfect example of Rotorua's famous geothermal environment.
The constantly changing landscape around the bay is quite eerie and alien. Silica flats, rocky terraces, and sulphur ledges are next to active boiling mud pools and steam vents. Even the water is interesting. Its milky colour is the result of sulphur particles that are suspended in the water.
The bay's closeness to feeding grounds and the warmth generated by the geothermal activity, means the area attracts many native birds. Apparently there are 60 different species of birds here including the banded dotterel, the scaup, and three types of gull in this protected wildlife reserve.
We saw a lot of gulls. I read that many of them have damaged feet due to the sulphur water eating away at the webbing. No food can live in the sulphur waters so the birds have to look for it elsewhere. I did read that the gulls have learned how to chase fish into these water where they will die because of the lack of oxygen. I am not sure if that is true but if so, it is another amazing fact of nature.
It was definitely a unique place to visit.Läs mer
Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest
18 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
As mentioned in the previous blog, we are staying 7 driving minutes away from the centre of Rotorua (away from the sulphur smell). And just down the street from us is one of many trails leading into the Whakarnewarewa Forest.
This forest is one of the oldest ‘exotic’ forests in New Zealand. It was originally planted in the early 1900’s with 170 different species of trees. Today, only a handful of those original trees remain – but a 6-ha stand of Californian Redwoods continue to grow and they are huge. In the 1970’s, the forest was opened to the public for recreation.
After our tour of Rotorua, we had a few hours to kill before dinner so walked into the forest and followed signs for the Mokopuna Trail. It took us about 1 hr to do the walk as it was 3.6 km long. It is well used and we met people riding their bikes, walking their dogs and just taking a quiet stroll through the woods. Our kids and grandkids would love it.
About halfway around the loop, we came to a Visitors Centre. We had heard about an expensive
night time canopy walk through the redwoods, but we were delighted to learn that we could come back at dusk and do the walk for $30 NZ each. Well, $25 Cdn sounded reasonable to us and it sure looked intriguing! We decided to go.
This award-winning, eco-tourism walk is 700 metres long, has 28 suspension bridges and 27 platforms and takes about 40 minutes to complete. With the height of the walkway ranging between 9-20 metres, we were presented with a magical, birds’ eye perspective of the forest below and treetops above.
I felt that the whole experience was amazing. A light artist from Napier , David Trubridge, had been hired to build and install 30 gorgeous lanterns in the forest and to set up a light show in the trees. Our first wow moment was when we walked on a suspension bridge and were surrounded by ‘fireflies’. An amazing effect. But then, we had many more wow moments.
It was all very amazing and pretty spectacular. We would recommend this walk to anyone who is in the area. I don’t think that the photos will do it justice.
P.S. Chris found a hat!!!Läs mer
On to Napier - Huka Rapids and Falls
19 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
From Rotorua through Taupo to Napier, takes about 3 hours. We said a temporary goodbye to Donna, filled up our tank with gas (good idea) and started driving through flat pastures with cattle on Hwy 1. Soon, the land became rolling and then we were into the mountains, on winding roads. We stopped at one viewpoint and saw a beautiful waterfall.
Our lunch-time destination was in Taupo on Lake Taupo, the great inland sea of New Zealand. I had read that as you “travel around the lake, you will find every landscape you can imagine. Snow-blanketed winter ski fields and alpine deserts. Ancient forests alive with birdsong. Trout-filled rivers and the thundering Huka Falls. Steaming geothermal valleys with rejuvenating hot springs. Three towering volcanoes in the awesome and otherworldly landscape of Tongariro National Park.” Sounded like a cool place and it was.
But before having lunch, it had been recommended by several people that we try to see the opening of the dam at Aratiatia Rapids and then make a stop at Huka Falls.
Sometimes plans work out beautifully and today was one of those days.
We got to the rapids and the dam was opened. Wow! Thousands of litres of water are released from the Aratiatia Dam creating a spectacular flow of water through a narrow gorge. The surging rapids have been harnessed to produce environmentally sustainable hydroelectric power.
What we learned from a Dutch tourist is that some of the most memorable scenes from Peter Jackson's movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, are when the dwarves are escaping from the captivity of the Elves by hiding in barrels which were thrown downstream. Filming was done at two locations, one of them being at the Aratiatia Rapids on the Waikato River.
Aratiatia Rapids were an ideal setting for the scene because the spillway turned the otherwise dry gorge into a fast flowing waterfall.
The film crew dropped 20 to 25 barrels down the rapids every time there was a dam release. They worked with a local river company to safely release and retrieve the barrels. The Hobbit crew spent two days shooting the scene.
The Dutch tourists also recommended a 1 1/2 boat tour to the Huka Falls but that boat had already left so we drove to a short trail that led to the falls.
The Waikato River, New Zealand's longest river, flows north from Lake Taupo between banks 100 metres apart. Just before the Huka Falls it enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. The river that had flowed gently now roars at great speed along the ravine before bursting out over Huka Falls. The water at the base of the 11 m falls is a beautiful aqua colour but very turbulent.
We walked over a small footbridge at the top of the falls which put us pretty closeup close to the powerful display of water blasting by. The boat would have taken us right to the edge of the falls. I think that that would have been pretty exciting!
We drove on to a very good Italian lunch in pretty Taupo and then ended our day by driving for another hour to our Air Bnb in Taradale near Napier.
And talk about a small world ... I spent 5 years of high school with our Air BnB hostess’ sister in Mississauga!!!!!! Nancy Otley!!!Läs mer
Napier-Marine Parade & National Aquarium
20 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
The Napier area has been settled since around the 12th century. James Cook visited the area in 1769. In the 1830’s, whalers established a trading post. In 1931, the city was levelled by a 7.9 earthquake. 258 people died and the town was now 40 square km larger, as the earthquake heaved sections of what was once a lagoon, 2 m above sea level. The city was rebuilt and ended up being the most uniformly art-deco cities in the world.
We drove into town, thinking that we would just stroll on the lovely seaside avenue but the start of an Art Deco Festival was in progress so we saw more than just the seaside.
Marine Parade is an elegant promenade. Standing on the walkway, we could see the turquoise Pacific Ocean in front of us, and in the distance we could see the dramatic curve of Cape Kidnappers on one side and the high Bluff Hill on the other side. Behind us, there was a “treasure trove of architectural delights”, all painted in soft, pastel tones.
You can walk or cycle about 3 km on the promenade. There are lovely sunken gardens with lots of places to sit and read. The I-site (information) is located here as well as a free mini-golf course, a skate-park, a swim centre and a bandshell. Huge Norfolk Island pines line the avenue. It is very attractive.
We walked down the road to the National Aquarium of New Zealand and did a little tour of this modern stingray-shaped building. It's home to a wide range of saltwater, freshwater and land animal exhibits from New Zealand and around the world.
We especially the 1.5 million litre Oceanarium which showcased the fish that exist in Hawke Bay, including shark, stingray and other reef fish. We stood on a moving ramp and entered a underwater viewing tunnel with fish all around us.Läs mer
Napier’s Art Deco Festival
20 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
During the third week of February (this week), Napier hosts an Art Deco Festival and here we are. It’s mission is to “preserve, restore,celebrate and promote Napier’s Art Deco heritage”.
The first festival was held 32 years ago and since then it has grown significantly. I think that there are around 300 events this year, some that cost and others that are free - dinners, dances, picnics, balls, bands, Gatsy-esque fancy dress. Children and adults get all dressed up in vintage clothes from the 1920s to 1930s and have a not too serious celebration of things Art Deco. Phil Crosby ( Bing Crosby’s grandson) will be presenting his Golden Age of Hollywood show on Friday night. They expect about 40,000 people to attend.
When we walked around the town on Thursday, we saw lots of evidence of things to come.Jazz music was being played in the bandshell, beautiful Model Ts were scooting around, people dressed as flappers and bootleggers, zoot suits and more. What a lot of fun.
The weekend is the big event so we hope to see a parade of vintage cars or dogs, see the airshow with old planes, as well as to listen to the Marine Band.
So today’s photos, on Thursday, are a only a teaser for Friday’s collection.Läs mer
A Bird Walk, Honey and Wine Tasting
21 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Today is our littlest grandson’s birthday in Canada. Of course, we are one day later here. Nathan turned three today and is so excited for his birthday party tomorrow. He is a sweetie and we miss him...
The weather here is warm, 32C, during the day. Rain is needed badly and farmers are worried about their crops and cattle. All the hills here are yellow and dry.
Today is Friday and we are meeting up with Donna again. She is staying on the north side of Napier and we are in the south, in Taradale.
Our hostess suggested that we visit the Pekapeka Wetlands for a pleasant walk. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council with community support have restored this area which is 10 minutes south of Hastings and it is lovely. Btw, Hastings and Napier are twin cities and are next door to each other. Taradale, where we are, is in a rural area Inbetween the two..
Pekapeka swamp is all that is left of what was once a much larger wetland complex. Tree roots have been found beneath the peat that suggests the wetland was once forested – more than 10,000 years ago.
Pekapeka is thought to be named after the bats that inhabited nearby caves as pekapeka is Māori for 'bat'.
The three of us took a walk on the network of boardwalks and pathways through historical hunting and fishing grounds for the local Maori. Apparently three villages or Maori forts were here at one time. They used to fish for eels and we saw several in the water.
We took our binoculars so were able to see lots of birds - Black Shags (cormorants), Little Shags, Black Swans, Blue Ducks, Pied Shag, Welcome Swallows, Australian Coots and a lot of birds that we don’t know the names of. We met some birders who helped us out with identifications.
For a long time, wetlands were not valued for the important systems that they are. For many years Pekapeka was used as an illegal dump and, among other rubbish, the remains of two demolished hotels are here. Some of the rubble and reinforcing rods were left after the cleanup as a stark reminder of how badly this ecosystem was treated in the past.
After a pleasant walk on the boardwalks through the wetlands, we drove our cars to the Arataki Honey Centre in Hastings.
Arataki Honey is the number one beekeeping business in the Southern Hemisphere, with 20,000 hives across New Zealand.
The centre has been set up so that visitors can learn interesting facts about honey bees, how they live, their role in the food chain and the products they produce. The centre has some large windows where we could observe hives.
At the end of our visit we were able to taste the 10 distinct and delicious varieties of Arataki Honey, gathered from New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna. That was a sweet experience.
The souvenir shop was stocked with all things to do with bees and honey. It was fun looking through the items.
Lunch was on our minds and we decided that since we were in grape growing and wine country, we would have lunch and a wine tasting at Oak Estate Cellar Door and Kitchen.
We sat outside in a vineyard and enjoyed sharing a delicious platter, all homemade, and accompanied by a generous side basket of homemade bread. We sampled beautiful pate, smoked chicken, fish pate, pork terrine, burnt butter - all with accompaniments.
The wine samplings were all good but our favourite one was the Pinot Gris.
“Grapes were selected from 2 vineyards in the Maraekakaho area. Gentle floral appeal on the nose, flowing into flavours of tropical fruits and citrus notes, with a rich texture and mouth feel, finishing with a crisp clean dry finish. Residual sugar: 5g/L”Läs mer
Memorial Flying Displays
21 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
The Art Deco Festival continues but we really don’t want to be part of the huge crowds that are visiting the town. We found it hard to find parking there on Thursday when things were starting up. And we got a parking ticket. Today, with the big opening and the 20,000 anticipated visitors it will be a challenge.
We did want to see the Airshow though, so we went and parked close to the Aquarium. The whole seaside was packed with new and old cars and campervans! But it was civil...
We have a small car and snuck it in beside a bigger car. Perfect. A 20 second walk to the viewing area. Haha.
We spread my sarong on the grass and sat down with hundreds of picnickers dressed in 1920’s clothing to wait for the show. And what a show it was!
The old war planes could be heard before we could see them and what a wonderful display of flying skills! You had to be there though. The photos don’t do it justice.Läs mer
Napier to Wellington - 268 km
22 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
The news today. Auckland's longest dry spell on record has finally broken. Rain started falling in Auckland this morning, the first time there's been more than 1 mm of rain in 47 days. There are cloudy skies but still no rain in Napier.
Today, we are heading south to Wellington, the capital city of NZ. Donna will stay another day before starting her trip back to Auckland and then back to Canada. It has been fun travelling with her, once again.
The drive to Wellington takes about 4 hours and there are a couple of ways to do this drive. Several people have said that the drive through Masterton is a nice drive so we decided to go this way.
Driving on Hwy 2 was a breeze compared to some of the driving we have done. Very few twists and turns and a good road.
We stopped for an hour, just north of Masterton, at the Puhaka Wildlife Centre. In 1962, the centre was established to breed and release endangered native birds. The first birds that were cared for were the Takahe, a very rare bird, thought extinct, but rediscovered in Fiordland. Then the brown teal, buff weka and kākāriki were released.
In 2001 an. entire forest, 942 hectares, became part of the wildlife reserve. About 100 km of trails were cut and thousands of traps and bait stations were scattered, setting up an area for wildlife with low predator pressure - opossums, rats, mice, feral cats.
We walked around the short trail, checking out the numerous aviaries and were fortunate to be there for the daily feeding of the massive eels that live there. The ranger was very informative and enthusiastic. The eels were like her pet puppies. We now have a completely new perspective on these amazing creatures.
Wellington was only a short trip away through mountains. The hostal we are staying in is called the Dwellington and what an organized and well-managed place it is. The room we have is spacious and clean and even though there are a lot of travellers here, there seems to be room to roam. Everything that a traveller needs can be found here. Breakfasts are included, laundry facilities, tennis courts, bbqs, a well-stocked kitchen with refrigerator bins and boxes for each room and even a movie theatre! We watched the 2020 Oscar winning Parasite movie.
We are here for 4 nights before crossing over to the South Island. For car insurance conditions, we have to return our car to Apex and pick up a new one 24 hours later. A day without a car in this city is easy, as there is a lot to do.Läs mer
Wellington’s National Museum - Te Papa
23 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
32 C and dry in Napier yesterday and 16 C and morning rain in Wellington today. We are heading south though and the weather will be colder the further south we go. From shorts and t shirts to long pants and layers. :)
Wellington is a contact city (400,000 people) with all sorts of museums, theatres, and art galleries in a smallish area. Coffee and craft beer stores are everywhere. In New Zealand, Wellington is noon for two things - its frequent tremors and its winds. It is a windy city!
We had to return our rental car to the Apex location which is not very far from where we are staying. Tomorrow, we will pick it up again for the second half of our trip.
The Te Papa Tongarewa, treasure box, museum is a must-see place and entry is free so we did the short walk to the waterfront to visit it. We did not imagine it to be as big as it is, so we started out by taking Donna’s advice to see the Gallipoli exhibit.
This special exhibit on New Zealand becoming a nation through the battle of Gallipoli is extremely moving. We had to brave the crowds that were lining up for this exhibit but it was worth it. It is called The Scale of Our War, which brings to life the Anzac campaign through the stories of eight New Zealanders. Each of the storytellers is portrayed at a pivotal moment in the campaign and the sculptures are huge, 2.4 times human size, and created by Weta Workshop, the special effects company that worked on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It’s a powerful show. Amazing.
From there, we visited the natural history area of the 6 story museum. The highlights included seeing a colossal squid that weighed around 470kg and experiencing an earthquake in an earthquake house. After only visiting two displays on one floor, we were pooped. There is so much information to take in! We can always come back. We have the time. Maybe.
We walked along the waterfront, enjoying all the activities that people were taking part in, on a Sunday afternoon. People were reading books in the sun, shopping in popup shipping container stores, visiting the galleries and museums, dining in the harbour front cafes, picnicking, cycling, skateboarding, rowing, boating, fishing, etc. Everyone was busy.
The New Zealand Festival of the Arts is on this month which may explain why there were so many street artists performing.
We walked home and liked the fact that the Dwellington is within easy walking distance to the centre of town.
Note - The Dwellington is a pretty amazing hostel. Two heritage houses were joined together to create this modern hostel. The U.S. embassy is across the street from it and the Chinese Embassy is next door. It has everything that a traveller needs - big kitchen, large living room and a dining table that can seat close to 20 people. Laundry facilities, wifi and breakfast are all included in the price of the room. There are outside sitting areas, an inside movie theatre, book exchange bookcase, tennis court and bbq’s that can be used. Our room is simple, clean, bright and comfortable. Washrooms are shared but kept very clean and well maintained.Läs mer
Up to the Top in Wellington’s Cable Car
24 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
In most Wellington brochures, there is a photo of the historic Wellington Cable Car. Today we decided that we were going to take a ride on it and find out what is at the top of the hill.
Opened to the public in 1902, the cable car is still running strong and has become a city icon. It links the fancy Kelburn suburb with Lambton Quay, the city’s main shopping area near the harbour. The cable car serves as more than just a tourist attraction as locals use it as part of their daily commute.
The track climbs 102 metres over the city and we found out that it brings passengers, in 5 minutes, to a beautiful landscaped botanical gardens which overlook the city. There is also a small museum that gives a great overview of the history of cable car use in hilly Wellington.
At the top is the location of the former 'Kelburn Victorian Tea Rooms' which was a special destination for Wellingtonians and visitors for over a century. The views from this location are great. The Tea Rooms burned down in 1982, but in its place arose another building which for 30 years was a popular restaurant called the 'Skyline'. Now, it is called the Kowhai Cafe.
Besides a cafe, the building also houses the “Fragrifert Parfumeur, the Victorian Perfumery” and what a fascinating place that is!
All around the perfumery we found items relating to Gustave Fragrift's (the perfumer who the shop is named after) life. The sea chest that contained some of his belongings, including two of his encrypted formula diaries, a perfume organ with raw materials and ingredients used in creating the perfumes, scales and weighing equipment of the period, a range of perfumery ingredients that we could smell as well as two stills for extracting essential oils. It was a very unusual place with a lot of history.
But that is not all that is at the top of the cable car run. I have mentioned the gardens but there is also another amazing place close by called Zealandia that Time Magazine declared as “One of the Greatest Places to Visit in 2019”. It was a must-see for us.Läs mer
Zealandia, a Trip Back in Time
24 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
New Zealand was once an isolated land free from mammals, except for bats, which meant native plants and birdlife flourished, including flightless kiwi. When humans came, so did the pests and predators that they brought with them. This left a lot of the original wildlife extinct and many species endangered. Zealandia, a pest-proof ecosanctuary in Wellington is the closest thing in New Zealand to be like what the country was like before humans were here.
Introduced predators almost wiped out New Zealand's native and endemic species, that had evolved without needing defence from mammals for millions of years. Since human arrival, at least 51 bird species, three frog species, three lizard species, one freshwater fish species, one bat species, four plant species, and a number of invertebrate species have become extinct.
Zealandia is Time Magazine’s 2019 pick for one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places to Visit in 2019.
The entire 500+ acre area, around a pretty reservoir, is surrounded by a 8.6 km predictor-proof fence that we could see in some areas on the hill. There is a 500-year (!) long range plan to restore the valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state. Can you imagine?!!! 18 species of native wildlife have been reintroduced back into the area, some of which were previously absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years.
A visit to Zealandia can be done in two ways, with or without a guide. We chose to do it on our own and follow the map with the bird/animal guide that was giving to us. The plants were identified in signs on the way.
There were several trails to chose from, some harder than others. We were always surprised when we turned a corner and there was a rare bird feeding at a station or on the ground in front of us. At one point, we questioned if the creators had installed speakers and were running a sound track of birds singing. There were so many birds in those woods.
One of our favourites was the little New Zealand Robin, Toutouwai, which is a very friendly and curious little bird. Another beautiful one was the Stitchbird, Hihi, that eats nectar from plants.
We saw an unusual lizard with a third eye and spines on his back called a Tuatara. This lizard has been around since the dinosaurs.
A little list of some of the unusual birds that we saw - Tui, Kaka, Kereru, Tieke, and Hihi . There are kiwis, but since they are night birds, we didn’t see them. There is a night tour at Zealandia that is supposed to be very popular but has to be booked weeks in advance.
Anyways, we wandered around the reservoir and in the forest for a few hours and loved the peacefulness. A nice break from the business of the city which is only a short distance away.
At 4 p.m., we had to pick up a new rental car from the Apex office downtown so we took the cable car down and walked the rest of the way. We ended up with a different car this time, a Toyota Corolla.
We had a restful evening, just getting caught up with news and footprints. We were a little tired today after walking 12 km up and down on trails, but it was a good day and the cooler weather was perfect.Läs mer
Movie Effects Tours at the Weta Workshop
25 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Weta Workshops is a world-leading design and effects service that started out in the backroom of a flat in Wellington in 1987. They are the group responsible for the creative work in many visually amazing movies. As of 2017, Weta Digital has won six Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), King Kong (2005), Avatar (2009), and The Jungle Book (2016).
We decided to go on two of their tours. One of them was a Weta Workshop tour where we learned about how many of the props, puppets and scenery for The Lord of the Rings was made. They also talked about the problems and solutions that they had while creating the creatures, costumes and props. Super interesting and all packed into a 45 minute guided tour. So much information!
We were not able to take photos in many areas of the tour because of copyright rules. Our photos are just small samples of the many wonderful things we saw.
We then moved on to another building to do a Miniature Effects Tour. This was anther 45 minute tour through a real television shooting stage for the remake of the Thunderbirds Are Go! TV series. I remember the original Thunderbirds TV show for kids using marionettes. I really didn’t like it very much but maybe my brother did...looking back though, it was very creative.
The artists created an entire miniature island and a pretty pink mansion. They are very detailed and if you look very closely, you realise that a big part of these models are built from repurposed everyday materials - lime squeezers, old razors, cds, and all types of throwaway materials. It is very cool.
Anyways, we enjoyed the tours and have a new found respect for the creative minds who worked so lovingly on all the movies that they have supplied special effects for.Läs mer
LadyandtrampSo cool! We are also seeing Lord of the Ring/Hobbit filming sites everywhere - waterfalls, rivers, trees, hills, forests.
A Drive Around the Miramar Peninsula
25 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is located on the southwest corner of North Island. Travellers have told us that there are some spectacular scenic drives close by that travel through beautiful coastlines, mountains, the city and farmlands. We have a car so we decided to check out one that is very close by - the 23 km Shelly Bay Circular Drive on the Miramar Peninsula.
From the city we followed the road east along Evans Bay Parade to Miramar. We saw some of the colourful wind sculptures that spin and rotate on the waterfront and then continued on to Shelly Bay Road which took us on a beautiful coastal drive. The bay was on our left while the steep-sided Maupuia hill was on our right.
We passed the old warehouses and docks of West Point Studio (of Lord of the Rings fame) and passed a place called the Chocolate Fish. The barbecue food is supposed to be great and people from Wellington like to stop in there, but it wasn’t time to eat so we drove on.
Our very scenic drive continued past one sandy beach after another around Evans Bay. There was lots to see in the water - spear fishermen, people collecting mussels from the rocks, sailboats, surfers, swimmers, cyclers, the ferry and low-flying aircraft approaching the airport. It is a happening place.
The drive continued around the peninsula past the popular Scorching Bay Beach, the Worser Bay Sailing Club, and Breaker Bay with its colony of Little Blue Penguins. We didn’t see any penguins but we saw signs that said Penguins Crossing. Drive Slowly.
We ended this hour-long circular drive around the peninsula fairly close to our hostel which was very handy as we had some preparations (laundry) to do before leaving Wellington and taking the ferry to the South Island.
By the way, it was a lovely day, weather-wise, so it was a nice final day in the North Island. For now...Läs mer
Off to the South Island
26 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
It has been quite the interesting day with several quirky happenings.
First of all, I sat on a chair at the Dwellington and it broke and I went through the seat, partway. Goldilocks with more silver than golden hair! It was so funny. Thank heavens, I didn’t get hurt at all. Maybe my pride a bit. No photo taken, thank heavens. Haha.
We packed up our car and drove a short distance to the Interislander ferry terminal. Our 8:45 a.m. booking to the South Island was made by the Apex car rental company months ago so all went very easily.
The weather was perfect for a 3 1/2 hour trip across the Cook Strait. The sun was shining and the sea was calm. The views as we went through the Queen Charlotte Sound were awesome.
The ferry unloaded in Picton at 12:15 p.m. We didn’t spend any time in this town this time, as we will be there once again at the end of March.
Our easy drive to Mapua, our first spot to stay on the North Island, took about 2 1/2 hours. We drove through the town of Havelock and stopped in Nelson which has the reputation of being the sunniest place in New Zealand. We really liked this small city (pop. 45,000) and would like to revisit it in the next few days. Nelson is beautiful small city with around 45,000 citizens. It's located on top tof the South Island and apparently is a great place to live. The nickname "Sunny Nelson" is earned because it gets around 2,500h of sunshine per year. Guelph gets around 1,948 hours.
We also stopped for lunch at Pelorus Bridge which was used as one of the film locations for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - the barrel scene.
We arrived at our Air BnB at around 5 p.m. we had picked up a Greek salad and some roasted chicken so made a good salad for dinner. I put our dishes on the table and we didn’t notice that the hostess’ pet chicken, Pecker, had jumped on the table and was eating Chris’ salad! What a laugh we had thinking about a chicken eating a salad made with chicken.
We shooed her away, after she stepped into the salad, and when we turned our backs again, one of the hostess’ five Ragdoll cats was sitting in my chair and eyeing my chicken!
This place is very beautiful though and full of animals and birds. We are very pleased that we are spending 5 nights in this lovely spot.Läs mer
Mapua Harbour and Orcas
27 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We are staying in an Air BnB house on a high hill with incredible layered views of rolling hills with trees, the ocean and then mountains with clouds in the distance.
The lady who owns this wonderful house rents out the two inside bedrooms and a bach (granny flat). She sleeps in a large trailer that is parked outside when the rooms are all taken. The guests have complete run of her house, inside and out. When we arrived there was another couple from Estonia and a woman from England, who were travelling around NZ.
Usually, we like to prepare our own meals from items we carry in our cooler or shopping basket. Today, our larder looked a little low so we popped into Mapua Harbour, the little town nearby to do some food shopping.
We didn’t expect to find such a cute little place with its pretty views. We left the food shopping until the end of our visit.
The first sign that we saw was advertising the Serious Straws hat and cap store. It looked interesting so we went in. They specialize in making “fine quality straw, raffia, paper and palm hats that are both durable and provide good sun protection”. They have hundreds of colourful sun hats of all different shapes and sizes, but how many hats can one have? Fun looking around the store though.
We walked further into the tiny village and saw visitors eating breakfast and drinking coffee in cafes close to the Mapua Wharf. Such a peaceful scene.
At one time though, this was the location of a wharf that was used as an exporting point for apples, strawberries, and flax and it shaped the development of the town. The old sheds have been fixed up and transformed into little specialty shops. The wharf, that now has a reputation for family fun, is still busy but in a very different way.
We went into a small Marine Museum filled with old photos and found it hard to imagine that this area had been such a busy commercial centre.
On exiting the museum, we noticed 2 dark fins in the water close to the dock we were on. Orcas! A mom and her baby! Such an exciting moment, followed by many more moments as the orcas surfaced and disappeared. Then two more killer whales appeared right at the edge of where we were standing. Two meters away. Yikes! Apparently they were hunting for stingrays which is like a bit of a chocolate treat for them.
Well, our food shopping excursion turned into something a lot more fun. Once the adrenaline rush dissipated, it didn’t take much thought to just stay where we were in the sun and eat a fresh fish and chips lunch at the Smokehouse. Food shopping came later...Läs mer
Abel Tasman National Park - Part 1
28 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
The most popular activities to do in Abel Tasman are hikes, trekking on the multi-day Coast Track, and kayaking along the beautiful coastline. Since we are so close to the park, it would be a shame if we didn’t do one of those activities.
We opted to do a combination boat trip along the coast with a hike on some of the more scenic hiking trails. Wilsons Abel Tasman is the main tour company operating in the park and we chose their Boat/Hike Trip #6, one that had been recommended by a few people and not too expensive. It did include a 12 km hike and a swinging bridge over the Falls River, but we were up for it. We booked it online - 9:20 a.m. start and back at 4:30 p.m.
Our cruise started in the touristy town of Kaiteriteri, located at the south end of the park about a 40 minute drive away from where we are staying. For one hour, we cruised north along the coastline, enjoying the calm waters, the scenery and the bright, sunny day.
After the cruise, we were dropped off at Medland’s Beach. From the beach, we walked on our own, south along the coast, back towards Kaiteriteri. A boat from Wilsons would be ready to pick us up in the afternoon at Anchorage.
According to Wilsons, the trail between Medland’s Beach and Anchorage is the most varied of the Coast Track with Torrent Bay being the highlight.
For most of the time we hiked through a temperate rainforest. The ferns and the sounds of the birds and the bugs made us feel like we were on the set for Jurassic Park. We rarely met anyone on our walk. There was one other couple though hat we kept meeting and they did the whole trail In flip flops. Crazy kiwis.
There were several opportunities to take short detours to small beaches. It was a pretty hot day so we opted to stay on the shady trails and leisurely enjoy what we were seeing.
About two hours into our walk we arrived in Torrent Bay. A part of Torrent Bay is an estuary that is covered with water during high tide and almost completely dry during low tide. We arrived during high tide so were not able to take the short cut directly across the estuary. The longer walk around the bay added about 3 m, but it was a pleasant walk.
Our 12 km hike concluded at Anchorage where there is a wide, quiet beach. The minute that we arrived, we changed from our sweaty clothes into our bathing suits and immediately jumped into the refreshing ocean water. Ahhhh. The beach is similar to and about the same size as Chacala’s beach in Mexico without the restaurants or houses. What a great way to end a long hike!
From Anchorage, we were transported by boat back to Kaiteriteri. A good day with a little Vitamin I help. Haha.Läs mer
Abel Tasman National Park - Part 2
28 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
So many beautiful photos! We added a part 2.
Taking it Easy
29 februari 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Today is Saturday. As we had some catching up to do, some bookings to arrange and just wanted to chill a bit, we started the day by going back to Nelson to visit it’s Saturday Market. It is well-known as a showcase for the arts, crafts and produce of the Nelson region. As we wandered around we saw pottery, woodware, jewellery, homewares, clothing and foods. On top of those things, the market had a wide variety of food carts, making it a wonderful place for locals to meet friends and share brunch or lunch before or after a visit to the market. There were a lot of tourists there also.
At 2 p.m., we returned to our BnB and had a little walkabout around Dawn’s ‘farm’. Dawn is quite the lady. She can do and does do everything around the farm. It is in a lovely location overlooking mountains and the Tasman Bay. The farmlet (4 acres) with its gardens, ponds, native bush and birds is on top of a high hill and is filled with quite a menagerie of animals - sweet rag doll cats, alpacas, chickens and ducks.
Dawn jumped on her digger and started pulling out a tree that is too close to her henhouse. Chris went to help her take away some of the brush. I would imagine that there is no end to the projects that Dawn wants to do! A garden here, a cleaning there, a path here and a sitting area over there. She has the energy and loves sharing her beautiful place with others. We would not hesitate to stay at Tumbleweed Downs in Mapua if we ever return to New Zealand.Läs mer
Takaka, Springs, Golden Bay & Salmon
1 mars 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Today is the first day of Autumn in New Zealand - time for a drive up to Collingwood on Golden Bay and then do a little chinook salmon fishing! But first we had to gear ourselves up for the infamous Takaka Hill drive.
Driving through the rolling hills of Mapua, we passed apple orchards, hop farms and grazing animals. A little further, we drove through the Abel Tasman park area and a little further we started the steep and winding drive up the Takaka Hill.
It looks pretty bushy but looking at it closely, you notice that the rocks are marble and had been smoothed out over years by erosion. Chris has his NZ driving down pat so the trip over the hills was as bad as we thought it would be. It was still steep and winding, but okay. We enjoyed stopping at some of the lookouts. This area was filmed in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies. We didn’t feel that we had time to hike out to the Ngarua caves or see the deep Harwoods Hole. You can only do what you can do in the time you have.
We did stop ad walk out to the Hawks Lookout. It was very easy and only took 15 minutes. The rock formation along the side of the trail looked like small scaled models of mountain ranges. From the lookout you look down the Riwaka Valley and out to Motueka and the coast. Lovely. It was a nice break from going up the steep and winding road. Going down was fine.
On we went to Collingwood, the town where our Elora friend, Doog, grew up. It is the last town on Golden Bay ad it feels like the end of the road. Most people who come here continue on to see the Farewell Spit. We didn’t. We had a fancy coffee in the interesting old Courthouse Cafe, visited the museum, saw the cemetery and read about the history of the school in the upper part of the village.
Then we turned around and started back to Mapua. But, we still had a few side trips on the way.
Just a short distance from the town of Takaka, we came to an extraordinary spot - Te Waikoropupū Springs. They are the largest freshwater springs in New Zealand, and the largest coldwater springs in the Southern Hemisphere. This sacred Maori place is considered a treasure, and is held in high cultural and spiritual regard. Although people cannot swim in the springs, or even so much as put your finger in the water, it is easy to follow this rule as it contains some of the clearest water ever measured. A community of eels and native fish can be seen darting around underneath the bubbling surface, and we heard more birdsong here than any other walk we have taken. A wonderful stop.
But we haven’t gone fishing yet... Next stop - the Anatoki Salmon Hatchery - a fresh water Chinook salmon farm located in a sheltered valley beside the Anatoki River. We could can buy direct from the farm, or fish to our hearts’ content, paying only for what we catch. As we only needed one fish we figured that we would stop fishing when one of us caught a fish.
Rods, nets, bait and instructions are provided for free. Chris won. His fish wasn’t very big but it was fine for the two of us. The staff weighed, gutted and gilled the fish, and then smoked it for us to take home for dinner. We had a smoked salmon on a bagel and fries for lunch while we waited. We watched as friendly pigs wandered around eating scraps and saying hi to the kids who were there.
Heading home, we went over and down the ‘hill’ and took a detour home by pretty Ruby Bay.
We were happy to see Dawn and Michelle again and get caught up in everyone’s daytime adventures.Läs mer
Dawn’s Homemade Sourdough Bread Recipe
2 mars 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Michelle, a sweet lady from the U.K., Chris and I loved Dawn’s sourdough bread so here is the recipe that she kindly shared:
Ingredients
1/2 c sourdough starter
2 c (unchlorinated) water
3 1/2 c whole meal or stoneground flour
1 tsp natural sea salt (not iodized)
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c pumpkin seeds
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 tsp molasses
Method
Pour 1 c water in large mixing bowl
Add 1/2 c sourdough starter
Add 1 tsp molasses. Whisk together.
Add 3 1/2 c whole meal flour
1 tsp salt
!/4 c each of seeds. Mix.
Then 1 more c of water. Mix into a dough and placed in a greased loaf tin.
Leave to rise overnight. Cover with tea towel.
Bake in oven 180C. For 50 to 55 minutes.
Cool on rack. Wrap in tin foil.
Can slice and freeze.
Add raisins, dates, fruits, etc.
Care of Sourdough Starter
Once a day add equal parts of flour and water (+mix 1/3 c each)
Cover and leave on counter.
Use excess for pancakes, waffles and muffins.
If not needed, place in fridge and feed once a week. When needed put on counter to ‘wake up’ and feed. Use 8 hours later.Läs mer
Mapua to Greymouth
2 mars 2020, Nya Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Estimated Travel Time and Kilometers
Mapua - Nelson 30 minutes. 32 km
Nelson - Westport 3 hrs 226 km
Westport - Punakaiki 45 minutes. 57 km
Punakaiki - Greymouth 30 minutes. 45 km
Totals for Day 4 hours 45 minutes 328 km
Hahaha. All of our estimates need to be doubled. This trip us about 7 hours.
We have done the drive to Nelson twice now - a lovely town. This time we turned just before we got to the town to drive towards Westport.
The road starts out flat as we drove through farmland and open plains. On the north island, we saw herds of cattle but here we were starting to see sheep.
We stopped for a coffee in Murchison which is a picturesque small town on the Buller River. People come here to experience the whitewater rafting and jet boating activities on this river. We stopped in for lunch.
Back on the road, we drove through the scenic mountains again and then through the Buller Gorge along rivers and through gullies with mountains towering high above. Chris’ arms got a workout on these windy roads.
We had been advised to fill up with gas whenever we could as there are long distances between gas stations. We didn’t see any stations until we got to Greymouth.
The road to Punakaiki hugs the coast, providing spectacular views of wild beaches and the wild Tasman Sea. At Charleston, formerly a prosperous gold town, once again we saw lots of touristy things to do - underground rafting and cave exploring trips.
Punakaiki is famous for its pancake rocks and booming blowholes. It is the centrepiece of the Paparoa National Park, which is packed with a variety of stunning landscapes. There appears to be many excellent coastal and inland walks in this area. I have written a footprint of this beautiful place.
The road to Greymouth is breathtaking - the Great Coast Highway. White capped breakers and rugged rocks on one side, bush-clad mountains on the other side. The town of Runanga is a typical mining village with an interesting walk to nearby Coal Creek Falls. I have read a lot about the Point Elizabeth walkway which we didn’t have time to do.
Finally we made it to Greymouth. It has a long gold mining history and is the largest town on the west coast. It known for its awesome seascapes and a Wild West look and feel. Actually kind of bleak. The local brewery, Monteith’s, runs tours and has a bar/restaurant. Chris and I went there for a ribs dinner and checked out their beer. All good.
We are staying in an old catholic monastery that has been converted into a hostel. Our room was lovely and with good views of the mountains and town but it was stuffy and not our favourite place. It rained all night so lived up to its name of Greymouth. It was grey for the whole time we were there.
If we did it again, we would drive just a little further south to the happening town of Hopitika.Läs mer