The Hibiscus Coast
8 listopada 2013, Nowa Zelandia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Paihia, Northland, New Zealand
Friday, November 8, 2013
Friday 8th November
It has certainly been all go today and I'm pleased to report the weather has bucked up, which is a bonus. We left for the Bay of Islands from Auckland this am, having finally worked out the Sat Nav and made our way out of the city, which by our standards hardly seems a city. The rush hour this morning was more on a par with KL on a Friday and the pace of life is noticeably slower.
We travelled north up Highway 1 which will ultimately take you to the very northernmost tip of the North Island if you are so inclined. We stopped for a cup of coffee at a delightful art gallery at Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast. So pretty, as you will see from the posted photo of the centre and it's flowering tree. I asked the lady in charge for its name - she had no idea, but did know King's Lynn well having worked in the area when living in the UK some 10 yrs ago. Small world or what? I tell you, no doubt which is the more picturesque spot. The coastal photo was taken just out of Orewa. The sun continued to shine and we stopped at Puhoi for a beer at a really quirky pub. In fact the whole village was wildly Bohemian. It was like steeping back 100 yrs. The first little cafe we came across had the Devon Cream tea sign outside and I only just managed to stop Reg from dashing in and remonstrating with the owner, as Geraldine's cream teas are a legend and not to be outshone by Puhoi. (Don't panic girls, only joking, we took a photo instead as you see!).
I was most taken with the sign over the public bar of the pub re the standards, as you will see from the photos and it seemed to set the scene. The barman was lugubrious to say the least. On being asked for a Shandy for me, the response was a grunt followed by 'Bugger, we're turning into a cocktail bar!' As you can imagine this caused great hilarity from the assembled clientele, which mainly consisted of a group of extremely large guys on what they euphemistically termed 'A Tour Of Learning' and they wore the T-shirts to prove it. Great crowd (heading up to Cape Reina) who insisted on having their photo taken for the blog, so here they are.
Moving on, we stopped at Warkworth, Sandspit and Matakana - thank you M&M ! All very interesting, but Sandspit is particularly gorgeous, what a setting. I have included a photo, but to be honest it doesn't do it justice. The sea was turquoise and so clear. Matakana provided our first (& no doubt not the last) NZ ice cream. You know PL can't pass an ice cream parlour.
Good, but not up to Langage or Salcombe Dairy. However, we'll keep sampling earnestly. We could have visited lots of wineries en route had we had the time, but will have to reserve the pleasure for another day as time was getting on, we had stopped so many times.
We finally crested the brow of the hill to have the Bay of Islands laid out before us at about 6pm and it was just breathtaking. Scenically, the journey had been beautiful all the way, but this vista was simply stunning as we made our way along the coast to our apartment for the next 2 nights. We had the joy of walking along the shore to find a seafood meal and the day ended with a beer before heading back to report in to you all.
I have heard so much about New Zealand's scenery and I was expecting it to be special and it is obviously going to be just that and more. I think everything is heightened by the fact that it is late spring early summer and greenery is lush and verdant and the flowers both wild and planted are coming to their best. Blossom abounds and colour is vibrant and exciting. At Matakana we came across an exquisitely planted bed of Icelandic poppies and cyclamen which really took my eye. The natural bush everywhere is awash with majestic tree ferns of all sizes growing in mixed woodland of outstanding beauty. And this is only day one. What treasures there must be in store. I'll keep you posted. Czytaj więcej
Auckland
7 listopada 2013, Nowa Zelandia ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Thurs 7th Nov
I am writing to you all from a cold and wet Auckland. It has been a timely reminder of home, which hopefully will soon fade. The journey from HK was trouble free and we were met by 'Uncle', a charming chap who delivered us to our apartment with all the information we will need. The car was collected this am, together with Kruse GPS etc and by this time next week we may have got our heads round it! This afternoon was so wet we diverted off to the supermarket for a few supplies to take with us on our journey and Geraldine and I had the novel experience of turning the corner of one of the aisles to see Peter and Reg ( not shopping aficionados by any means ) wrestling with a recalcitrant trolley and a couple of boxes. Where, oh where, is a camera when you need one!!
This evening we met up by design with Clare and Alex Degan, friends from Devon, who landed this afternoon. We had supper at a lovely restaurant on the waterfront called Soul and the sun finally shone, but not for long. Cab home!
We move on to the Bay of Islands tomorrow and hopefully a dry day. We'll let you know! Czytaj więcej
Au Revoir Hong Kong
5 listopada 2013, Hongkong ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tues 5th Nov
A quiet day today perusing the shops, which is a strange juxtaposition, bearing in mind it is Bonfire Night!. I have never seen so many high end stores in such close proximity. London certainly cannot match it. I think I have seen every designer of all nationalities. The Chinese certainly do like their labels. I am not in shopping mode as this is not that sort of trip, but fortunately, even if I were so inclined, I would be struggling. Most sizes are very small as Chinese ladies are so petite. Now, this for you Joanne - such an embargo applies also to shoes, virtually nothing over a size 5! Darn it.........
We are now at the airport ready to move on to New Zealand, so I shall give you a rest and recommence once in Auckland.
Night Night!! Czytaj więcej
Hong Kong Day 3
4 listopada 2013, Hongkong ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
Hong Kong
Monday, November 4, 2013
Mon 4th Nov
Today has been Hong Kong Island based and as you will see from the posted photos, we started off at the Man Mo Temple, which is both Buddist and Taoist, which we thought unusual, until on explanation it became apparent how similar the two religions were. This small traditional temple has stood on the same spot since the 1800s and is surrounded by soaring skyscrapers , an interesting juxtaposition.
We moved on to Victoria Peak and the railway. In sections this has a gradient of 24%, seriously steep. It takes 8 mins to ascend and the observation point is approx 450mtrs high. The views over HK are stupendous, even on a less than clear day like today. The mist is still hanging about and we did have a little rain this eve, drifting in from the edges of the typhoon.
Lunch was taken at The Jumbo Floating Palace, which several of you have mentioned as a must visit and you were not wrong. We had a sampan ride first amongst the various vessels moored in Aberdeen Harbour, before being delivered in style to the restaurant. They were a mix of working fishing boats and serious gin palaces, an interesting combination. A visit to Stanley Market concluded the day, after which we are definitely marketed out! Czytaj więcej
Hong Kong - Day2
3 listopada 2013, Hongkong ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Sun Nov 3rd
There is no doubt about it that HK comes alive at night. As you will see from one of the latest photos posted, the view from Kowloon to HK island is spectacular to say the least. We ate outside at a local restaurant yesterday evening, trying various delicacies of the type not seen in the UK. The pickled ginger with preserved egg was certainly memorable! Geraldine steered well clear!! It was a warm balmy evening and it was just lovely to wander around sans coat and muffler watching the world go by.
This morning, after a breakfast buffet the like of which we have never seen, we took the Star Ferry to HK Island which makes Manhattan seem low rise! Wall to wall concrete and glass, with just the odd touch of green. A miracle of engineering without a doubt, but somehow strangely sterile. Every available area was full of groups of young Filipino maids on their day off, picnicking, gossiping, having a pedicure, doing one another's hair and generally having what for them is clearly a family day. There were hundreds of them in every nook and cranny, sitting on rush mats and taking advantage of the warm weather. We were initially fascinated at home life being lived out in such a public place and eventually rather sad, that this was their only opportunity to remember home and the lives they had once lived.
However, our object was to travel the longest and steepest escalator in the world , which we did and it is mind blowing. On the ascent, one has a bird's eye view of back street life on the Island and the juxtaposition of traditional Chinese architecture with modern glass edifices has to be seen to be believed. I was warned to look out for bamboo scaffolding and boy is it everywhere; cladding enormous buildings under construction, looking I have to say unbelievably flimsy. I know it is stronger that steel, pound for pound, but I'm not sure I would want to trust myself to it 20 floors up! We ended up in the clouds, or so it seemed. The next issue of course was the coming down, particularly for me with dodgy knees However, neatly solved by a passing taxi!
Time for an afternoon rest before hitting the town this evening, which I will cover later.
Note for the meteorologists amongst you, the typhoon has given us a miss. It is hazy today, and very humid, but no wind I'm pleased to say.
This evening has taken us to the Temple St Night Market, something of an institution in these parts I understand. Hundreds of tiny stalls of all types crammed into a neon lit narrow street. Quite a spectacle, although to be truthful mainly tourist tat. Pater and I both bought a carrying bag each and bargaining is the name of the game. This I left to himself, who you will not be shocked to hear was a natural. G&R discovered something of greater interest in the next door alley. As in times gone by, here were dozens of individual stalls of butchers and fishmongers, cheek by jowl. A food hygienists nightmare I can tell you, but one couldn't have said the fish wasn't fresh. All sorts of strange looking creatures were swimming in polystyrene troughs kept oxygenated by running water from a hose. Quite simply, you selected your dinner and took it home with you!
On the corner was The Hong Kong Jockey Club Emporium, of particular fascination to PL of course. It instantly caught the eye, not due to its fabulous decor, but because it was rammed with 'customers' spilling out onto the pavement, studying form and curiously silent in deep concentration. Talk about betting on two flies up a wall, you couldn't have squeezed the proverbial fly in there. Peter made an attempt to insinuate himself but unsuccessfully, no one was giving up their faint glimpse of the screen. It would have made a great photo - PL in the middle of a sea of Chinese punters. Do you think I could have picked him out in a hurry?
We moved on down to the pier to take a Harbour Cruise and watch the Laser Light Show, which was strangely disappointing. We all felt the same. Not sure what we expected, but hey ho it was certainly an experience to see the Kowloon and HK Island waterfront lit up from the Harbour. The accompanying buffet we were somewhat unenthusiastic about. To the forefront of the mind was the recently viewed alley of meat and fish vendors!! A salad is extremely good for you of course.
Returning to the hotel we passed yet another massive construction site. On enquiry, we were told this is to be the terminal for the bullet train that is under construction, linking HK with Bejing. It will be open for business in 2015 and one will be able to take the train to China's capital in 9 hrs. It is currently a 29 hr journey by rail. Did you know that China has 70% of the world's cranes just now? No, I though not - yet another useful fact to squirrel away and on that illustrious note, I'll sign off for now......... Czytaj więcej
Touchdown in Kong Kong-Day 1
2 listopada 2013, Hongkong ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Nov 1st/2nd 2013
Well blogsters, here we are in Hong Kong and yes, those of you who know about these things were all correct - the flat bed was worth every penny! My only concern is, has it ruined us for the rest of our lives?? We are at the very beginning of Peter’s retirement trip to the other side of the world. Accompanying us on our journey are our old friends Geraldine and Reg from Devon and this is as big an excitment for them as us. There will undoubtedly be laughs aplenty!
The inward flight was spectacular in the pearly early morning light and we were at our Kowloon based hotel by 7.30 am local time, delivered there by the HK equivalent of Jensen Button, who spent the whole journey weaving in and out of the early morning traffic and simultaneously shouting into his iPhone. Interesting, to say the least. However, not daunted, we have hit the ground running and investigated the Star Ferry, which is just round the corner from the hotel, booked a couple of trips and managed to get to grips with the MTR (tube).
Whilst waiting for the room to be ready we decided to take the tube (and it is exactly that, a metal tube with no subdivisions) to the Flower Market, which was of particular interest to me, as you can imagine. It was chaotic and not only awash with exotic blooms, but also, to my amazement English flowers, such as stocks, zinnias and ranunculus. Nearby, was the bird market and this was quite a sight to behold. Keeping songbirds in tiny ornamental bamboo cages is clearly immensely popular here and the equivalent of showing at Crufts it seems. I was both fascinated and appalled at the same time. There were dozens of tiny glossy green finches huddled together in a minuscule cage, parrots in another, minar birds and many more beautiful specimens that I couldn't name. I must remind myself that this is the culture and it is different here.
We continued to walk back towards the hotel down a long market street buzzing with locals buying their weekend goods of all types. Huge high rise apartment blocks towered above us strung with lines of washing. There were bright neon signs, much shouting and selling, street food, wonderful bonsai trees, unusual fruit and vegetables and I suspect it is a scene that has remained unchanged for millennia.
Finally, just to add a touch of meteorological interest, there is a Typhoon blowing in tonight. There's nothing like a spectacular welcome is there? We're told it is merely a type 1 storm and nothing to be concerned about, but we'll see. I'll keep you posted........... Czytaj więcej
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