PS - Sheep!

Totally forgot to mention the sheep at last we have seen lots of sheep!  on the way to Wanaka there were sheep and more sheep but the number of cows was even greater. Is New Zealand turning into a nation of beefeaters?

Hasst (30.01.16)

The route from Wanaka to Hasst followed the edge of Lake Wanaka for some time but as we left the lake behind the landscape changed to dense natural rain forest which covered most of the land. You could certainly get lost in amongst the trees and there weren't any paths to follow. Steve and I joked about burying a body because one things for certain it would never be found so folks if you want to get rid of the mother-in-law take her on a trip to New Zealand.

As we went through Hasst Pass we stopped to see Fantail Falls and had to walk a short way through the forest. As the site was public there was a path but the trees on either side were still close together and the ground was full of fern type plants. The canopy was about 30 foot high and it cut out a lot of light. The forest opened up at one point, Hasst Gates, and there was a thunderous waterfall but afterwards it was back to the greenery.

 Hasst itself was a total non-event. Split into 3 separate areas,  Hasst Township, Hasst Junction and Hasst Beach there was nothing to choose between them but a night here cut down the mileage we would have to had done to get to the glaciers

Wanaka (29.01.16)

When we were ready to leave Twizel it was probably too early to say but the clouds were  lighter, the sky was brighter and there were patcbes of blue showing through. It could possibly turn into a nice day. Not wanting to repeat myself but I'm going to anyway the roads were amazing with very little traffic on them and the views were stunning, to die for in fact.

Steve says that it's like being in the Lake District or Scotland and up to a point I must agree with him but here the views are endless, vast and constantly changing. The whole country seems unspoilt and untouched, perhaps because there isn't any overcrowding because there is so much space. I am in awe of the hills, the mountains and the waterfalls, they make me feel humble but I'm not sure that is the correct word but atm I can't think of a better one.

This all goes over Steves head, if he cant unscrew it and then put it back together again (without using the instruction manual) then he can't understand it, bless.

The road went through the Lindis Pass which was a true mountain road climbing as we rounded the hairpin bends but what goes up must come down!

By the time we reached Wanaka summer had finally arrived! Its different here, so much more vibrant and alive with lots of people around. If you can think of anything you want to do it can be done here.

If Kaikoura is Blackpool then Wanaka is Windermere - I like it here

Mount Cook

Nothing happening in Twizel. We had chosen it for its proximity to Mount Cook and the Edmund Hillary exhibition.

 Unfortunately it was overcast again but after a leisurely breakfast we set off in the hope that the day would improve.  Not to be I'm afraid, in fact the helicopter and  plane sightseeing trips were all cancelled because of the low cloud and poor visibility.

On route we passed another ice blue lake called Lake Pukak the colour of the water really is amazing.  There was also an organic lavender farm which invited you in to walk through the lavender fields, an offer I couldn't resist.  it conjured up memories of  my grandma and the lavender bags hanging in the wardrobe amongst her  clothes.

When we got to the end of the road Mount Cook was indeed shrouded in cloud.

Twizel (27.01.16)

Leaving Christchurch to Twizel we were due to cover 280km and as it was raining when we started off we thought we were in for a miserable journey. As it turned out we were! (At least according to Steve who is complaining about the weather at every available opportunity! ) The rain did actually condescend to stop about half way just about the time we turned onto the scenic route. It remained overcast so our views were restricted but there's no doubt that this is a beautiful country with an amazing landscape,  changing with every bend in the road.
As we neared our destination we passed Lake Tekapo and were astounded by the icy blue/turquoise colour of the water, we had to stop for a photo call.  it was obvious that some sort of building work was going on but we puzzled over what the end result would be. There was a new bridge which captured Steves imagination as we walked over it, he was intrigued as to how it was constructed I was more interested in the colour of the water! What strange thing did amuse both of us was that many of the planks of wood forming the walkway of the bridge had family inscriptions on them. The sales/marketing team had been busy getting people to sponsor a plank. I'm not sure which is better, a tree, a bench, a child or a plank! Further on down the road we called into the visitor centre and discovered that there are 5 lakes interconnected by man-made canals which supply water to hydroelectric power stations, hence the building work.

and the colour of the water is due to the rocks on the river bed. In Merecat speak - simples. 

Even further on we  purchased a salmon fillet which we cooked and it was scrummylicious

Christchurch (25.01.16)

The journey from Kiakoura to Christrchurch was very scenic and again  there was very little other traffic on the road.  As we were passing fields lush with deep green grass it suddenly struck me - where were all the sheep?  Famous for its lamb and large sheep stations - where was all the lamb? We had seen lots of cows, even some alpacas but very few sheep and now I come to think of it, I haven't seen lamb on a Menu. I will be disappointed if I go back home without having eaten some NZ lamb.
 For once our accommodation in Christchurch was in the city centre but it was difficult to determine exactly where the centre was. Following the earthquake in 2011 there must have been quite a lot of devestation because the damage to some buildings is still apparent and there are still a lot of building works going on.

 The plan was to go on a transalpine rail journey from Christchurch to Greymouth but when we priced the tickets we decided it was  too expensive - a little over $460 return but that wasn't for the whole journey as we only wanted to go to Arthurs Pass and back. When we realised there would be a 4 hour wait in Arthurs Pass for the train to return we decided to give it a miss. It was then that Steve decided to drive to Arthurs Pass even though I had  suggested the train trip to give him a rest from driving, Unfortunately the weather was dull, miserable and raining but Steve was determined to get to Arthurs Pass. This involved climbing through the clouds, (literally) to get to the top of the mountain and down the other side. After driving through the cloud and starting to go across the plateau it stopped raining and the skies began to clear. It was strange to see white fluffy clouds with the top of the mountains peeking through. The scenery in the Pass itself was breathtaking and I think Steve secretly enjoyed driving through the twists and turns even though the car is not a porche. He now informs me that he would be happy to have his golf here but I'm glad thats parked up at home going nowhere

Apologies

Yet again a post has disappeared into the ether, not sure if its me or the app. So sorry if you have already read the next post and I repeat myself. 
Hope you are enjoying our adventures

Dolphin and Whale watch

Welcome to the kiss me quick hat kingdom of NZ. Steve and I have likened this place to an English seaside resort but not a stick of rock to be seen, I think its because there's more youngsters about - backpackers enjoying the summer sun, their freedom and more new experiences than I can dream about.  if you can think of something you would like to do it's waiting for you here.

 After a safety briefing the whole group of us dolphin watchers boarded the bus which took us to the harbour where we transferred to a boat. After a trip of about 25 minutes we found a pod of about 150 dolphins. It was truly magical to see them ducking diving, jumping and performing back flips, a sight I will never forget. The conditions were perfect which made the trip even more worthwhile. On our way back to the harbour we saw seals floating in the water as if they were sunbathing and albatross skimming across the surface of the sea.

The whale watch trip followed a similar pattern except the skipper detected a whale under the surface using a piece of listening equipment. The whales remain under the water for about 45 minutes before surfacing for about 10 minutes,
 Luckily we didn't have to wait long to see this magnificent creature, an 18 metre long sperm whale - incredible. What was even better was seeing him rise slightly and then dive leaving us with a perfect whale tail photo opportunity.
I will never forget my time in Kiakoura.

Kaikoura (22.01.16)

Marine Drive

As we had a little bit of time on our hands before catching the ferry to South Island we followed the Marine Bay tour which took in 10 diffent bays around the coastline. Each bay was different in its landscape, the amount of habitation and even its weather.  Some were sheltered with very little wind and others were exposed to the open sea and we could hardly stand up.

We hoped to see the blue penguins that are supposed to nest under the houses there but no such luck so you will just have a photo of the golden sand at Scorcher Bay.

We stopped for coffee at the Chocolate Fish! Not all of you will understand this but I'm wondering if there is a connection between fish and curry or is it all things chocolate that attracts Steve to the doors?

Time for the ferry across the Cook Straits to the south

Wellington (20.01.16)

The Capital City of New Zealand and probably very much the same as many other capital cities throughout the world. Busy, hectic, hot, lots of noise, lots of people. Lots and Lots of shops, all tucked away within arcades and small shopping centres.

 Although the Capital the population of Wellington at 475,000 is smaller than that of Auckland at 1.48 million!

Our hotel was about 15km out of the city centre so we caught the local train and explored the city on foot. We took the cable car to the botanical gardens which gave us panoramic views of the city. Toured the cable car museum and tried to have lunch! I say tried because although the coffee shops and cafes advertise various scrummy looking light lunches and all day breakfasts but their 'all day' ends at 2.30pm. I wish my working day was that short! I kid you not it has proved to be difficult to get lunch after this time. There are still scrummy things on sale but sweet, sticky, gooey cakes and pastries which of course suit Steve to the ground but I prefer something more on the savoury side. So if you visit NZ my advice is have a hearty breakfast and skip lunch.

 

Napier (18.01.16)

Did I mention that in Singapore we didn't see a garage, of course this is important to Steve as he likes to compare fuel prices wherever we go, but we are certain they must have been there, just hidden from view, or else how could they have run all the vehicles on the road.  Now in New Zealand we travelled 135km from Lake Taupo to Napier and didn't see a garage, not because they were hidden but because there just wasn't one.  As Davy and Marilyn can testify sometimes Steve runs the car on petrol fumes and he has been known to pass by a garage, even though desperate for fuel,  because it's on the wrong side of the road! However even he couldn't ignore the fact that we needed to make sure we had enough fuel before we started out. Thank goodness that there were a couple of warning signs telling us there were no garages on this route. side

What we did find was an isolated cafe/diner on the  of the road. Picture the scene - dark clouds, raining cats and dogs, isolated cafe with flickering 'open' sign, (Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho and Bates Motel comes to mind). Steve and I approach with trepidation but desperate for the loo couldn't put off stopping any longer. The door creaked and groaned as we opened it to be greeted by a perfectly normal looking woman who graciously served us with lunch but did she have any sadistic thoughts behind her bright smile.  Seriuosly it was like something out of a film set where we stop for a coffee and then get run off the road by the next truck never to be seen again!

What can I say about Napier - not a lot really. Perfectly nice city but not a lot going on. It's known for its Art Deco buildings, some of which survived the eartquake in 1931 and others that have been built more recently in the art deco style. There is a celebration of its heritage and everything art deco every year sometime in February and consequently there are quite a few shops selling clothes and artefacts from the era. We purchased a brochure from the Art Deco Centre, where all the volunteers dress in keeping with the theme, and went on a walking tour of the buildings. Must be a big thing in the area because there were a couple of coach tours there and vintage cars on display.

Huka Falls (18.01.16)

Sorry everyone, if you've already read this post. I am having trouble adding the photos and the whole post disappeared into the ether. Internet speed is crap!  I will continue to  wax lyrical and add the photos later

Since arriving in New Zealand the weather hasn't been brilliant, overcast and cloudy with sunny periods but when the sun comes out its really warm with temperatures at 30+ degree. However today I think its going to be dodge the rain showers, the sky is universally grey, the temperature has dropped and its getting windy.

We are off to see Huka falls, a 11metre high waterfall which is reportedly the most visited and photographed natural attraction in New Zealand. The Waikato River is normally  100metres wide but abruptly narrows to 15 metres as it crosses a volcanic ridge and funnels into a rocky gorge forming the falls. The volume of water flowing through these falls is approx 220,000 litres per second, enough to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool in 11 seconds. Its an impressive sight and coupled with the noise of the turbulence of the water its an experience not to be missed. The photographs do not do it justice.

The heavens opened as we were making our way back to the car vertical heavy rainfall that looked to be set in for the day so we decided to drive back to Taupo, have a cup of coffee by the lake and decide what we were going to do for the rest of the day. By the time we got to the lake the weather had got worse and there was that much mist it was like driving in thick fog so we called it a day in Taupo and headed off to our next destination -Napier  We were both so glad that we had enjoyed the jet boat ride yesterday in good weather because we certainly wouldn't be doing it today.

We also wanted to photograph a road sign we had seen but we would have got soaked while trying to use the camera. It was at a junction where two roads join together to form one on-going road and the strategically placed sign said Merge like a Zip.  I will look out for another one to photograph just to let you gents know that we are also thinking of you.

 ps. Photos to be added later when we have a better internet connection

Lake Rotorua/Lake Taupo (17.01.16)

The plan today was to pop down to the edge of Lake Rotorua where there are some gardens and a waterfront area with cafes, bars and various eateries. We also wanted to see how busy it was at the weekend because one thing we have pondered about is how quiet it seems. By 10pm most places are half empty and the others are either closed or in the process of closing for the night!
It was slightly busier but still not heaving like it would be if it were the UK.  There was a small outdoor temporary market and a car enthusiasts meeting but even these didn't attract that many people. What was nice was that there were quite a few families having picnics near tdhe childrens play area. We booked a ride on a large paddle boat to take a trip around the lake and again were amazed at how quiet it was,. We couldn't help but to compare it with Windemere when we had our ski boat and had to fight for a place on the slipway. In the hour we wre on the water we only saw one other boat, a small motor boat. So it seems that the only crowds on Lake Rotorua are the hundreds of ducks that gather there and a few black swans.

Time to head for Lake Taupo.
As we got nearer to our destination I happened to see a sign for the Aratiatia Dam and rapids and as this was on our itinerary we decided to stop on our way in rather than backtrack the following day. The dam gates are opened at set times each day and the flow of water creates its own waterfall of around 28m. You can go on a jet boat to the bottom of this waterfall, what I didn't really realise was that the jet boat was a thrill ride across the rapids and included several 360 degree turns. Again it was so quiet and Steve, me and a guy with his son were obviously going to be the last customers of the day I'm sure we had a longer and speedier ride with more 360's than usual consequentially getting wetter than usual. We were lucky in that because of the time the dam gates had just been relesed and so the rapids and waterfall were in full flow, pretty impressive especially viewed from the water. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take the camera on board.

Cultural day

We felt it was quite important to learn a little bit about the history and culture of New Zealand so joined an organised tour of a living, working Maori village, now get your tongue roun this, Whakarewarewa. Obviously the village is set up in such a way that it works as a tourist attraction during the day but after 5pm it reverts back to an ordinary residential village. I say ordinary if you can call having silica terraces, bubbling hot pools and geysers in your front garden ordinary. Our guide was very informative and very proud of his heritage explaining about the communial cooking, bathing and meeting houses. As this village was built around an area of thermal activity the residents used this energy wherever possible, streaming the water off the hot pool to fill up the communial baths and cooking in communial haki ovens- a pit in the ground filled with hot stones, the food gets covered with wet sheets, is covered by a lid and cooks in the steam that is formed

Following the tour there was a performance of song and dance by the young men and women of the village. The ladies danced with a Poi, a ball attached to a cord, swinging it backwards and forwards,  hitting themselves on the arms to create a beat. The men performed a haka, the traditional war dance which if you are a rugby fan you will have seen being danced by the All Blacks, complete with protruding eyes and tongues.

So my friends, for now Kia Ora

Rotorua (14.01.16)

Collected the hire car this morning and had a leisurely drive from Auckland to Rotorua through some beautiful countryside, lush green fields and rolling hills. The villages and towns are exactly what I imagined them to be, exactly the same as you see them on the TV. The houses however reminded me of the clapboard, colonial style of house we have seen in parts of the USA but smaller, less ostentatious and often single storey. (Get your Park Home here) 

We made a short detour to Waihi Beach, 9km of golden sand popular with surfers and a safe swimming beach. Unfortunately the sky was overcast and there was a cold breeze so we didn't stay long. There were a few surfers but even they looked frozen and the waves weren't that big but what a beautiful beach, true picture postcard stuff, sand dunes lead you to a vast expanse of sand stretching as far as the eye can see.

The first thing you notice as you arrive in Rotorua is the smell of sulphur but thankfully your nose very quickly becomes accustomed to it. The whole area is littered with 'geothermal' attractions from geysers, hot springs and lakes to mud baths and spas. Well you have to dont you - sit in a hot, slimy mud bath for 20 minutes that is. Our experience at Hells Gate was something I never imagined I would like after all I'm the one who doesn't like the sand moving under my feet on  the beach and I can get hysterical if my feet touch a slime covered rock. So to put myself through the trauma of immersing myself in a mud bath was my worst nightmare. Not content with just letting you sit in the mud bath they advise you to get the most benefit from the mud its best to slather it all over yourself and then let it dry before you have a cold shower to wash it off!  I Did It and have the photos to prove it - not a pretty site so not to be published! - and I must admit to quite liking it and there's no doubt my skin feels good.

We went to a Sheep show! I know it sounds corny but I decided that we couldn't come to NZ without going to the sheep show. It was actually good harmless fun. They bought 19 different breeds onto the stage and I always thought a sheep was a sheep was a sheep. The kids got to milk a cow and feed the lambs, we were shown the dogs herding ducks around ths stage and how to shear a sheep. I'll never eat lamb again without thinking of that show and just imagine how many chops you'd get off this young man! His fleece is probably worth a fortune too! To exit the show we had to walk through the gift shop (good marketing ploy) and obviously there were a lot of knitted garments on sale. A navy blue cape caught my eye, a beautiful blend of wool and silk, dry clean only of course.  I had almost persuaded Steve to buy it for me when he caught site of the price tag, a mere $425. Even though I told him it was half price in real money I'm afraid the cape stayed on its hanger. I keep telling myself that I would have been frightened to wear it but I can dream cant I?

Sunshine

It's amazing how much better everything seems when the sun is shining. There's a cruise ship in the harbour and the passengers are swelling the local population so the town centre is quite busy.  Although there are a couple of department stores there are lots of smaller shopping centres and loads of individual shops. The expensive names are all here sharing space with the cheap and cheerful.

We are off on a harbour cruise which takes in a volcanic island and the harbour bridge not quite as famous as Sydney but you can 'walk' it. With the compliments of Mr Hackett you can also do a  bungie jump off it, neither of which are in our itinerary.

Auckland New Zealand (11.01.16)

I'm not sure what I expected but my first impressions of Auckland were disappointing.  After the clinical cleanliness of Singapore things here felt a little on the seedy side but that is possibly a very unfair assumption to make so early on in our visit. In comparison it's obvious that there isn't the same level of investment here, everything looks a wee bit tired and outdated but who knows what Singapore will look like in a few years time.

And with it came the rain!! Steve's unhappy and reckons we could have stayed in the UK for this!

Last night we dined in the revolving restaurant in the sky tower. Luckily it had stopped raining and so we had good views of the city from the observation deck.
The photo is Steve standing on a glass panel in  the floor!

We are both warming to the city.

Surreal or Unreal? (10.01.16)

The city skyline is incredible, the colours and the way the skyscrapers are illuminated has to be seen to be believed.  There are loads of people everywhere, the noise is deafening and the pace is fast. There are so many cafés, kiosks, restaurants and bars it would be impossible to count but despite the amount there are queues of people waiting at the doors to be seated. Our hotel is near to a popular tourist area called Clarkes Quay which is evidently renowned for its diverse range of restaurants. Which one do we choose, I wanted 'local' but with so much choice I wasn't sure what local was!

We played the tourist game yesterday and caught the open top bus for a tour of the city. There was a running commentary which was very informative and what became very apparent was the money that has been invested in the 'real estate', I'm talking telephone number of billions US$. We saw bungalows which were nice but not amazing and as close to each other as our 2 houses, which had values of 6 million US$.

Now it's back to reality - economy seats on our flight to Brisbane, dreamin how the other half live!

PS. forgot to mention how hot it was, temps of 33 degrees and very humid, good job there was a nice pool to cool off in.

Now I know I'm not dreamin' (08.01.16)

Singapore
This place is unreal!  Everywhere is immaculate, all neat, tidy and well groomed.  There's no litter, no heaps of rubbish by the side of the bins, no old cars dumped by the edge of the road and not a sign of any abandoned dogs running around. The whole place is groomed to perfection and even though we were on a shuttle bus to the hotel it felt like a ride through the park because everywhere is landscaped, turfed where possible and the road is lined with trees.

Ok it's a little bit different now we are in the city centre, still beautifully presented but less greenery and obviously well built up but on saying that every available piece of ground is planted in some way. The buildings are so tall you have to strain your neck to see the tops and the shapes are incredible. It's exactly what you see on the TV but bigger, I feel like someone has picked me up and deposited me in the middle of a picture postcard.

Decided to have a drink whilst we were waiting for our room at the hotel - 1 large beer and 1 fresh orange juice = $24 (approx £12)  Thought it might be hotel prices but appears not and we were told that the high price was because it was imported. We certainly wont be getting drunk here and we're not even looking at a wine list!!

It should have been 1 more sleep! (07.01.16)

It was supposed to be a perfect day, starting with a lie in followed by breakfast which even might have been in bed. Then I had planned to do a last minute shop, nothing too get excited about just a few toiletries and some new knickers, after all you can never have too many knickers. Mom always said 1 to wash, 1 to wear and 1 as a spare and as we are away for 95 days that's a lot of knickers. Anyway I digress and what I had planned as a relaxed time with an early night turned into a hactic, stressful time and a late night with little sleep.

Laura had been talking about putting strip led lighting and a camera in the horse box so that she could see what she was doing and also see what Aston (her horse) was doing. She was also having a hard time starting the engine so Steve organised a new battery which he was able to collect and fit.  So at 6pm on Wednesday evening Steve was still working on Laura's van when he should have been eating his dinner. We had arranged to pop into Sues to drop off tools we had borrowed for Steve to do the jobs that needed doing and then on to John and Judy's to do the same. The intention was to have a quick cuppa with each of them leaving to get to the hotel at the airport at about 10.30pm and have an early night as we had to be up at 05.15am. Needless to say we were running late but not as late as we expected but you know what Steve is like when he talks for England and we also had to ask John to print off boarding cards and hotel booking confirmations which took time as we couldn't find the relevant emails. Time marched on and after taking the wrong turnings a couple of times and with the air turning blue we arrived at the hotel at about 11.15pm.  After having returned the hire car and checked in at the hotel adrenaline had taken over and neither of us felt tired so we went to a cafe near to the hotel for a cup of coffee then at 01.00hr after signing on to get his emails Steve announced it was time for bed and we would only have 4hr 15min sleep.  Unfortunately that didn't tally with the fire alarm  deciding to go off intermittently at 04.00am, the noise being loud enough to wake the dead.

Following this little bit of excitement Steve promptly returned to a comatose state, snoring his head off whilst I couldn't go back to sleep knowing the alarm was set for 05.15hr.  Luckily the hotel was only a couple of minutes walk from the terminal buildings so we arrived at the bag drop off point and even had time fior a bacon roll and a cup of tea before we had to go to the departure gate.

We are now at an altitude of 33,000 feet flying towards Singapore which is a further 320km. Our arrival time is 08.15hr which will be 00.15hr in the UK. We are both shattered after being 'up' for 20hrs following only 4hrs sleep. Goodness knows when it will be but we are looking forward to a couple of hours sleep as what should have been one turned into half, sleeps that is.

2 more sleeps

The flight details have been checked, the tickets printed and the passports have been put where they can't be forgotten and I think we are just about ready for the off.  Not really looking forward to the long journey especially with Steve trying to overcome his nervousness by cracking jokes about sitting by the black box, but I am prepared with half a dozen books downloaded on my kindle, a crossword book and sudoko puzzles.

I have washed, ironed and sorted our clothes, packed and repacked several times, added a t-shirt here and there and decided against that dress and a pair of black trousers. It's summer down under but also the wet season so out comes another t-shirt and in goes a sweatshirt and a bright pink waterproof jacket bought last week in the sales!

The hotel in Singapore has confirmed our booking and tomorrow we can check in online. I cant really believe its about to happen - the dream is coming true and will soon be reality. 

Am I dreamin?