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  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 52

    Queenstown, South Island

    October 26, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Well our Scenic suite is up on the top floor with beautiful views over the lake and completely surrounded by snow capped mountains. As we are a little higher above the sea, the air is definitely cooler - it said 3 degrees this morning first thing! Everything is so clear and the colours are sharper. Again we had washing to do but sensibly, got most of it done the night before and during breakfast. We had a wander around this morning, collected our tickets for the evening steam boat / farmland and meal tour, bought a new camera for Trevor (will claim on insurance for the dropped one) and had a lovely coffee and cake at a lake front cafe - we keep bumping in to ex-pats, the camera guy was originally from the IOW and the cafe waitress on a 2 yr travel visa from England as well. Everybody here is so friendly and helpful, nothing is too much trouble and they are always interested in where you come from, what you're doing now and what you plan to do - family & country - always very genuine!
    In the evening we headed out onto Lake Wakatipu in the Lady of the Lake, the twin screw Steamer TSS Earnslaw. She is the last remaining commercial passenger carrying, coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere. She is owned by Real Journeys and now shuttles customers from Queenstown to Walter Peak homestead, originally owned by the Mackenzie family. After a fire in 1977, the homestead was carefully reconstructed. Real Journeys embarked on a major conservation project to return the land around the homestead back to native plants and removing invasive non-native plants. We enjoyed an evening BBQ buffet at the homestead - the food was amazing, a great spread for the money. The evening finished with a farm show, where a local lass put two dogs to work bringing in sheep and talked about the types of dog they use; she also described the work done on the farm, which includes the Colonal's Homestead in its grounds, talked about the sheep and cattle raised there and what they are used for and finally showed us how to shear a sheep. It was a great evening and the service was impeccable as it always is in most hotels, restaurants, Cafes etc. in this country. We finished by heading back across the star strewn lake, with a sing song on the boat going home, as the lights of Queenstown came into view.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 51

    Milford Sound, South Island

    October 25, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Well, an early start 7 am and a little wet. The journey starts in Te Anau and ends in the the world famous fjord of Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, a memorable 120 km journey into the heart of Fiordland National Park. There are many view points along the route: te Anau downs, Lake Mistletoe, Eglinton valley - flat and wilderness like, Mackay Creek with views of Pyramid Peak, Mirror Lakes, Cascade Creek and Lake Gunn. At 84 km the vegetation changes as you pass across The Divide - the lowest East - West pass in the Southern Alps. From The Divide the road falls into the beech forest of Hollyford valley. The drive is reasonably good, windy up and down but fine. From Gertrude Saddle the way gets steeper, much tighter corners, deep ravines, single track bridges and the Homer tunnel - at an altitude of 945 km above sea level, pierces the sheer rock to allow access to Milford sound, framed by a high-walled, ice-carved amphitheatre. Opened in 1954, it is 1.27 km long and at peak times controlled by lights as it is basically single track - especially if you met a coach coming the other way! Hewn out of rock and unlined, the dark and dripping with water tunnel finally emerges at the head of a spectacular valley where the road down is a number of tight Z bends until you reach the lower levels of the sound. All-in-all quite a scary 90 - 120 min drive!
    It was still raining when we arrived, but a Kea was being mischievous on top of the car next to us, then jumped onto ours afterwards - visitors are warned not to get too close to them or distracted. One Kea may be dancing to entertain while another makes off with your stuff! The Kea is a flightless alpine parrot.
    We had some coffee then settled down to wait for the boat that was taking us on our tour - The Milford Mariner. The New Zealand guide was excellent, with the correct amount of information given, a sense of humour and extremely patient with Spanish tourists! As the area had had a lot of rain (and was still raining) there was not only the 2 permanent waterfalls - Lady Elizabeth Bowen and Stirling but many more, can be up to 100, so rain is always good for seeing Milford Sound at its best! The most famous peak, Mitre Peak (Rahotu) the spectacular 1,692 m mountain rising from the dark waters of the sound is something to behold and makes you feel very small.
    We saw amazing peaks, waterfalls, rain-forest, sheer cliffs, NZ fur seals and Fiordland crested penguin, the grandeur, magnificence and awe inspiring scenery was never far away
    Then for the drive back to Te Anau! After a coffee at Te Annau we swapped drivers and Trev headed to Queenstown via a slightly less trying route.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 50

    Te Anau, South Island

    October 24, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    A longish drive today from Dunedin to Te Anau today. We went over the six arch concrete bridge over the Clutha river. When the original bridge was built in 1868 it was an engineering feat. Since then it has been rebuilt twice, once when damaged by flood and then again when it became unsuitable for the amount of traffic.
    Our lunch stop was Gore a small township where they had a factory using oats but we were unsure what they were making and a older, heritage store.
    We arrived at Te Anau which is the largest lake in South Island and the second biggest lake in New Zealand. It was a bit dull and breezy but we were still able to go for a walk around the area before having our evening meal at the hotel. There were people using the water in a range of activities - helicopter flights, sea plane flights and kite surfing. We headed down to the Department of Conservation Visitor Centre and had a wander around the grounds. There’s also a bird sanctuary that specialises in native birds, but we were unable to go round it as it had closed by the time we got there. We topped up with petrol and were able to check timings for tomorrow with the petrol station owner - we were advised to leave early to avoid traffic and allow 2 hours at least for our drive.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 49

    Dunedin, South Island

    October 23, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We were lucky with the weather when we arrived in Dunedin, as after a couple of cups of tea the rain stopped allowing us to explore in the dry. Our travelling was a bit hit and miss - low clouds, mizzle and heavy rain. We left Lake Tekapo at around 10 am and chose to take the same route back which led to about 4 hrs drive! In hindsight we should have probably chosen to go via Twizel and the other side of the range, oh well! Still had amazing scenery though and stopped for coffee after 1 hrs 30 mins at a 'drivers rest' point - to give a break from the rain, a lovely ginger slice and coffee, could have had an early lunch - the food looked amazing!
    We drove through Omaru which looked beautiful; then took a driver break after an hour at Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe beach, along the rugged Otago coastline.
    We didn't know what this was when we stopped but we had a wander following a track down to the beach where large, spherical boulders litter the beach. Some have cracked, some are buried in the sandy beach or in the Cliffside. Local Māori legends explained the boulders as the remains of eel baskets, calabashes, and kumara washed ashore from the wreck of Arai-te-uru, a large sailing canoe. This legend tells of the rocky shoals that extend seaward from Shag Point as being the petrified hull of this wreck and a nearby rocky promontory as being the body of the canoe's captain.
    After this stretch of our legs we finished the last part of the journey to Dunedin (the old Gaelic word for Edinburgh). The centre of the city is based around an Octagon and you can explore from the centre out. We passed Cadbury World, home of Cadbury in NZ but not in time for a tour! Further down Stuart Street we arrived at Dunedin Railway Station building (houses the NZ Sports hall of Fame on the second floor) which has a stunning ticket office hall and stained glass window. There are two steam engines based along here, one by the station and one in The Toitu Otago Settlers Museum. We had a good 30 mins here but could have spent longer.
    The museum traces the lives of Otago settlers – indigenous Māori, the early Chinese, and the following waves of migrant groups – and their technological innovation, art, fashion, domestic life and transport.
    It is housed in the original Edwardian galleries, Dunedin's former New Zealand Rail Road Transport Building and the modern entrance foyer. The museum first opened in 1908, the 60th anniversary of the founding of Dunedin city and the Otago Province.
    We then wandered around to the Chinese Garden but it was just closing so took pictures outside. May be able to see it before we leave tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 48

    Lake Tekapo, South Island

    October 22, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    A picturesque, though long journey today from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo with a quick stop for coffee and lunch in Timaru. From Timaru we followed SH8 gradually going up - though you wouldn't realize it as it was so gradual! Lake Tekapo is 710 metres above sea level. In Maori: teka = sleeping mat and po = night. The turquoise blue of the water is created by 'rock flour'. The glaciers in the headwaters of Tekapo grind rock into dust on their journey down towards the lake. The 'rock flour' is suspended in the water and when combined with sunlight creates the unique water colour. Not only did we have a good view from the balcony, but also when lying in the bath!
    Lake Tekapo is in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve (est. 2012). It has one of the world's clearest, darkest and most spectacular night skies. There is an Observatory at the summit of Mount John to take advantage of this. We took a wander down to the lake to see the most photographed church in NZ. On the shores of the lake you'll see the beautiful Church of the Good Shepherd, where the altar window frames a perfect view of the Southern Alps beyond the lake. The church was built in 1935 for the pioneer families of the Mackenzie district. A bronze memorial to working collie dogs, such as Friday, was commissioned in 1968 by local farmers and now stands on the shores of Lake Tekapo near the Church of the Good Shepherd. In the main village there is some building and rejuvenation of the area going on including the making of a park - statues of Kiwi and Moa (extinct bird from the time of the dinosaurs) are part of this
    After dinner Trevor and I had some wine, nibbles, a veranda and thick jumpers so we watched The Dish, until it was dark then went on to the veranda to enjoy the stars at night under the clear dark skies!!    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 47

    Christchurch, South Island

    October 21, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We dropped JYM back to the Hertz space in the Airport car park reasonable early - check in was completely empty, it was eerie! We left Rotorua Airport on a twin jet prop plane - a little bumpy on ascent and descent but otherwise smooth. Great views though. As we arrived at our hotel in Christchurch, North Harbour Rugby team were just leaving for their match against Canterbury in the city centre - however, Harbour lost by about 10 points!
    We took a wander around Christchurch city centre and took a (shortened) tram tour - a very odd experience. In places it was very English - our hotel restaurant was Bloody Mary's after Queen Mary 1st with Latimer Square outside! Street names - Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford Street; the Avon river as well as Beckenham and Sydenham as areas in the city. There are old style (or reproduction) buildings; interesting new builds; buildings being repaired or propped up; wasteland being rejuvenated and many buildings with boarding around and unsafe noted all round - however it is still working! A new triangular cathedral made from cardboard type building material; lovely boutique streets with shops and eateries; an art trail with murals, sculptures and installations around the city including the cathedral square and a statue by Anthony Gormley in the centre of the river Avon. Trams still tour the city with workmen opening fencing gates so they can continue their circuit. On the tour we stopped at one halt and a couple who had just got married asked if they could take some pictures before we moved on! The city is still a mess - roads closed, wasteland car parks and some tourist sites still closed - but there are signs of development and repair. It would be great to see it again in another 2 - 3 years as long as fate allows.
    Our waitress at the hotel was from Littlehampton and spent some time reminiscing about Britain - she'd been away touring for about 2 years. Now to watch the Bledisloe Cup - Oz v NZ, just who do we support?!    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 46

    Rotorua, North Island

    October 20, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Clothes washing and wandering in 30 minute stints - It was a pity I didn't bring my swimsuit as the hotel had hot mineral springs! Coffee at The Terrace cafe, near the lake shore and back there later for lunch - lovely food all cooked or made fresh, they even have their own raised beds for herbs and salads! We explored the Government Gardens in the afternoon before packing and getting ready for the Maori cultural evening and meal. We were collected from our hotel and taken to Te Puia, set in a thermal reserve 3 km south of the city and features more than 500 hot springs the most famous is Pohutu. Pōhutu (‘poor-hoo-too’) is the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere. She erupts once or twice every hour and sometimes reaches heights of 30 metres (100 feet). Pōhutu means ‘constant splashing’ in Māori.
    Te Tohu geyser was also named ‘Prince of Wales Feathers’ geyser in 1901, in honour of a British royal visit to Whakarewarewa. The royal guests noticed a resemblance between Te Tohu’s plume and the feathers on the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales. Te Tohu is called an ‘indicator’ geyser – it usually erupts just before Pōhutu, its neighbour. Te Tohu first sprang to life in 1886 following the eruption of Mount Tarawera. It has played almost continuously since 1992 – erupting to heights of up to 7 metres (21 feet).
    We were able to see some of the steam valley from the top while it was light and we were waiting for the evening to begin. The cultural experience included a welcome and peace offering; a chosen chief from the group had to pick it up then we entered the meeting house speeches of welcome were done and then a show was performed by the family who run the event and are ancestors of the Maori people who settled here. The guys were invited to have a go at a Haka and the ladies a traditional Poi dance. We were then invited to the dining room for a meal where the chicken, sweet potato and other foods were cooked in the traditional Maori way in a deep hot stone oven. The Hangi prepared meals are accompanied by flavoured meats, chicken, lamb, vegetables and salads. After the meal we were driven down to the steam valley to sit on hot stones, sipping Hot chocolate and waiting for Pohotu to perform and see the stars - however mother nature would not cooperate only the smaller geyser was seen and it was cloudy so no stars!!    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 45

    Waitomo caves, Otorohanga, North Island

    October 19, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We were able to have a later start as we didn't have too much driving to do today. We were heading to Rotorua with a stop at Waitomo Caves complex near Otoranga. It was not made really clear as to where we should go so we headed to the first cave on the list which was the Glow Worm Caves and showed our booking - no one said that we needed to book times for all three before we started!
    So off we went to the first one, The Glow Worm Caves. As there was a boat trip in a small boat through a low, pitch black cave at the end Trev decided to give this one a miss! We had a great Maori guide, the grand daughter of the chief who first discovered them (Chief Tane Tinorau and his wife took tours around from 1889) who told us the history of the cave linked to her family and about how the caves were formed. The cave system was amazing (but we were unable to take pictures), we saw and learnt how Glow worms trapped their prey in one of the caverns and near the end of the tour we had come down quite a way to the river that comes out into the gorge below. At this point our guide explained that we had to now be silent and the area where we boarded the boat would be dark to accustom our eyes to the surroundings. We were carefully helped into a wide but shallowish boat and punted SILENTLY through the pitch black cave, the boatman using ropes and his hands to push / pull us through.. As our eyes became accustomed to the dark we saw a 'Milky Way' of little lights surrounding us - pin prick LED's - these were the glow worms! It was stunning and quite eerie. We came out through the original entrance to the caves - where the explorers found them, then back to the cafe via a stepped walkway through the bush.
    We had an early lunch at the cafe and then headed to the third cave - deciding that the second cave Ruakuri with a 2 hr walk was a little long when we still had a drive to do after. So, heading up to Aranui Cave, we sat at the meeting place to wait for the guide. He was not expecting us and explained that we should have gone to the i-site visitors centre to be booked into all three caves at the beginning - so back to the booking office, to get things sorted and a quick return drive to the third cave to get on the 2 o'clock tour, arriving just in time to go! This cave although not the most popular or biggest is said by most of the guides to be the most beautiful. After a walk up through the bush, with a number of stops as it got quite steep, but it is worth the climb and our guide did take it slow and stopped for people to catch their breath! Again he was one of the ancestors of Ruruku Aranui, who first found the beautiful cave back in 1910. The entrance is quite narrow but not as narrow as the original entrance that Aranui followed his dog through, which is pointed out once you get into the cave. Although this is the smallest of the three caves it is the most decorative. Pale pink, white and brown stalactites hang from almost every surface and delicate formations of cave coral and flowerstone adorn the walls. We did have to watch our heads in places and there were sensors in some places to warn you if you got too close to some of the fragile formations.It was stunning and well worth the climb!
    Once back at the car we drove back down the Waitomo hills back towards Hamilton - passing through Otorohanga,a town which proudly celebrates and displays everything Kiwi. No fewer than 24 Kiwiana displays grace the main road through the town,ranging from buzzy bees and pavlovas to Jandals (flip-flops) and the All Blacks, plus there is a very large Kiwi statue in the centre of the town. We then cut across to Rotorua, the town you really need to have smell-a-vision for to know what it means when we say it has a permanent aroma! we had a lovely meal at the hotel, a buffet meal where we paid one amount and could choose what we ate. The chef cooked any meats wanted in front of us! We had some venison which was locally sourced from farmed deer - a lovely flavour!    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 44

    Hamilton & Hobbiton, North Island

    October 18, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    From Auckland to Hamilton, then.......Middle Earth!
    Our drive from Auckland to Hamilton was pretty uneventful though we again passed through beautiful countryside as it is in the heart of dairy farming country. We arrived in Hamilton with enough time to wander and have a look around - this was being used as a base to visit 2 of the areas most visited sites. Hamilton is officially NZ's fourth-largest city, one of Hamilton's more unusual public artworks is a life-sized statue of 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' writer Richard O'Brien, aka Riff Raff, the time-warping alien from the planet Transsexual. It looks over a small park on the site of the former Embassy Theatre where O'Brien worked as a hairdresser. There is also a chance to do the time-warp to camera and the public toilets are based in a container painted as Frankenfurter's laboratory. We had lunch sitting outside the Waikato museum in a very pleasant seating area which had a colourful water feature - Michael Parekowhai's 'Tongue of the Dog' Sculpture, it tells the Maori legend behind the creation of the Waikato River.
    We headed back to the hotel and collected what we needed for the Hobbiton event and using the Sat Nav headed to 501 Buckland Road - the way it took us was very reminiscent of the roads and scenery around the Cotswolds. However, when we got there the notice at the exit to the car park recommends visitors to turn RIGHT out of the car park NOT left as we had come in! We decided to follow their advice on the way back as it would be in the dark!
    Due to copyright, all the movie sets around NZ were actually dismantled after the filming of TLOTR, but the Alexander family who owned the sheep farm negotiated with Peter Jackson to keep their Hobbit holes which were then rebuilt in more sturdy materials for the filming of The Hobbit. The tour we were booked on was the evening banquet Tour. Our tour started at twilight and we were driven down in a group to the car park at the entrance to the set through the Alexander's farmland. The group were then divided into two and each had a guide - some had worked at the film site or been extras, so the tour was packed full of interesting stories and anecdotes about the making of all the films. We had time at each stop to ask questions or take pictures and our guide also offered to take pictures of us as well. In both groups there were tourists who were dedicated 'Hobbit-botherers' - for one couple it was a treat within their honeymoon, the other the partner was dragged there with her Hobbit partner - who was dressed up including Hobbit feet! Once we got down to the Green Dragon Inn we were able to choose a mug of Ale or Cider to create a convivial atmosphere before the unveiling of the banquet. Counting down from 10, our newly weds were the ones to do the 'reveal'!
    An amazing spread to help ourselves and others to; pulling apart chickens, passing mushrooms and potatoes or munching around a lamb shank. Once most people had eaten their fill dessert arrived!
    After dinner, our guide took us back out to stroll the winding paths of Hobbiton, illuminating our way with individually hand-held lanterns, path lighting and the glittering starlight. We started by heading around the lake and meeting at the party meadow where we made a circle, our guide sang and everyone had to dance in some way 'for our supper'. further stories were told on the way back past the Hobbit holes and some were lit for us to take evening photos.
    Our coach trip back was filled with further info, reminders to look back at Hobbiton and the Green Dragon for last views and corny Hobbiton jokes like:
    "Two elves walked into a bar. Two hobbits laughed and then walked under"
    It was an amazing evening with a very mixed bunch of 'Travellers' though all were really friendly and entered into the spirit of the event. A longish drive back in the dark in a car and coach train initially and a late night to bed - but what an evening!!    Read more

  • TravelerAustralia
    Day 43

    Whangarei Falls, North Island

    October 17, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We're unfortunately heading back to Auckland. The Bay of Islands is a friendly, beautiful area - we loved our stay - Everything about the stay was a highlight. A long drive back but we broke it up into three sections. A brief stop about an hour out from Paihia, was at Whangarei Falls. We stayed at the top of the falls rather than head down the walkway to the bottom - the guide book said it would take 5 minutes - down probably, up not sure!! It was worth the stop, smaller than some but still lovely. Our next stop was the same area we stopped on the way down - Kaiwaka. A little bakery on the main highway, Last Nonna Italian Bakery - all breads and pastries are baked fresh each day. Going down we had filled Foccacia breads - one marinated Lamb and the other chicken with avo. We liked it so much that we kept an eye out on the way back - this time we had egg, bacon and salad filled mixed grain naps - both meals were lovely! We finally arrived back in Auckland, over the harbour bridge which gave amazing views!
    Again we have a lovely suite in Auckland and I think the best thing is the view from the harbour bridge - the tower looks good but not sure I could make it up there!    Read more

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