It's March 2011 and Glenn decides it's time to drag himself away from his rocks and take a holiday. Shall we go to New Zealand? he asks? I say, Yyyyyyyessss! So, with dogs and cat suitably ensconced in kennels and cattery, we hop on an Air New Zealand flight direct to Auckland. What an excellent airline! One of the best and I'm glad to give them a plug. Once landed in Auckland we go and collect our prearranged motorhome, except that they have a slight hiccup and have to upgrade us to a slightly better one. Terrific! It would have been perfect had the central locking worked. Second day and in neither of the cab doors would open. I wondered if people thought we loved playing cubby houses so much that we preferred entering and leaving by the little door on the side like it was a Wendy house! Apart from that, it was fine.
Coming from the drought-ridden state of Western Australia, the greeness of New Zealand is so absolutely stunning and refreshing. During the whole two weeks we were there we 'soaked it up'.
Our first day there and we found a walk trail down to a bay. Daylight beat us, unfortunately, so we didn't get all the way to the bay but the steep climb back up was good practice for what we had planned in a few days' time.
. I'd heard of it but had no idea how amazing it would be and we didn't really spend enough time there to do it justice. However, what we did do in the short time we had showed us what Rotorua is famous for. As you near the town the smell of sulphur greets you. I didn't find it unpleasant, just part of Rotorua.
A visit to
Te Puia was a chance to experience the geothermal activities that have attracted people here since the 1800s. The Maori tour guide proudly shows us around the warm steamy park, with its explosive geysers, bubbling mud pools, steamy crater lakes and hot springs. With the recent tragedies of Christchurch and Japan in mind it was slightly unnerving standing on such "active" ground and imagining what's going on beneath your feet. We looked around at fellow tourists who were probably thinking the same and wished we had a paper bag... blow it up and "Bang!"
To think, people actually live here!
White Island
Off the north coast of the North Island is what they term as the "only active marine volcano in the world!" We had booked the
tour before we left and were looking forward to it. There was quite a swell as the tour boat powered its way to the island. It takes an hour and a half to get there and twenty minutes in I was asking for sick bags. I had no idea I would get sea sick but the crew were ready with their pockets full of paper bags for anyone that was going green - like me! Five bags later we arrived at the island. We were loaded on to rafts for the short ride to shore.
From there the tour guides took us in small groups around the island - hard hats on heads and gas masks hanging around necks ready for when the sulphurous steam became too much.
What an amazing place! Bright green sulphur rock at our feet, bubbling mud pools and fumeroles steaming all around us.
The tour of the island takes about an hour and includes walking up to the edge of the crater. Luckily, as we stood there and looked down, a breeze blew the steam away and we were able to see the crater in all its glory.
And the return trip? ...I slept all the way back. Phew!
Later that afternoon we needed to find somewhere to camp.
We were in an area marked on the map as "Thermal Valley" and drove down a gravel track until we found a secluded spot. As we stepped out (of our cubby) there seemed to be steam rising from the bushes all around us. The sun was going down and it was all very eerie. Hearing water trickling nearby we walked through the bushes to find a stream and looking closer could see thermal vents hissing up through the water in various places. Glenn took his shoes and socks off and waded into the warm water and said in some spots it was really hot and he had to get out quick!
While I grilled chops in the van, Glenn heated up the cans of vegetables in the stream! Maoris have been doing this for generations and still do!
Sunday lunch was by Lake Taupo where we took a stroll along the watersedge. I thought I was looking at pebbles but picking one up found it had no weight. It was pumice.
Sunday night we had to be in Tongariro National Park ready for our marathon walk the next day. The bus picked us up at 7am to take us to the starting point. This is the
Tongariro Alpine Crossing and thousands of people do this every year. It is 18.5km and starts at 1150m and rises to 1900m in two steep climbs then has a gradual decline back down. They recommend "average to fit" walkers only and to take rain coats, good footwear, food and water.
Yes, I did have a slight problem with the height at times.
However, Glenn doesn't have a problem with heights and enjoyed taking photos!!
I'm actually hanging on to a rock here (left). There were three craters down there and we had lunch sitting next to one of them. Beautiful, blue, clear spa-like pools but you wouldn't want to go in one!
It was like being on top of the world. The trail is well built and well maintained and doesn't take you around the peak (Red Crater), it takes you up and over it! How I managed it I have no idea but feel it was an achievement! For Glenn, it was just a walk in the park:)
It took us just over 7 hours. Needless to say we slept well that night and for the next two days our legs were everso slightly aching.
Next day we drove towards Wellington and the scenery was breathtaking. The roads often follow the rivers taking us through valleys where cattle and sheep graze in lush green pastures and the neat fields of crop often have hedges of tall trees. Then up, up on a zig zag road then over a "saddle crossing" between mountains then down into yet another panoramic scene.
At Wellington we took the Interislander Ferry to Picton on the South Island. We made a few friends on the way.
Baa...
And, no, I didn't get sea sick. It's quite calm through the Cook Straits and very beautiful. In fact, it was less of a ferry crossing, more of a luxury cruise!
From Picton we took a road called "Queen Charlotte's Drive" which runs along the edge of a cliff for miles; high in some spots and low in others. One of many locations used in "Lord of the Rings".
Glaciers!
When I was a little girl I remember being given a "Fox Glacier Mint". It was a white, clear boiled sweet and on the wrapper was a picture of a polar bear standing on a large ice cube. I always wondered why there was a bear on a sweet called Fox Glacier Mint. This is a photo of the Fox Glacier in New Zealand:)We saw this glacier from the air when we flew from Queenstown to Auckland and it's much bigger than you can imagine.
As you can see, we found some stunning places to camp.
Another walk we did was "The Invincible Mine Trail" which is in the Otago Goldfields. It was a 2-3hour round trip, initially through temperate rainforest then quite a steep rise to the top where there are views of Mount Earnshaw and the Rees Valley.
What a great place for lunch!
Photo below shows the Berdan pans used to smash the rock in the process to extract the gold.
Next was Milford Sound in the "Fiordland" of New Zealand's South Island. The approach to the Sound was spectacular as the falling rain was creating hundreds of waterfalls to team down the towering rock faces each side of the road.
We booked in for the cruise and were waiting
in the terminal when I thought maybe I may not be allowed on! "No Bags" ??
We'd enjoyed seeing rain but no more so than on this cruise as it continued and Milford Sound which actually has only two permanent waterfalls, teamed with water, for our pleasure!
The skippers of the cruise boats enjoy 'parking' under waterfalls for the fun of the passengers.
The height of these rock faces are difficult for the
eye and the brain to comprehend as you look up. We were told some are one and a half Empire State Buildings high!
Next was the cruise on
Doubtful Sound. Said to be not quite so dramatic as Milford but much much bigger (x 10) and therefore worth an overnight cruise.
Doubtful Sound was named by Captain Cook who was worried about entering it as he thought once he sailed in there may never get out. Incidentally, these waters were misnamed "sounds" by Europeans who knew no better. Sounds are formed by running liquid water whereas fiords have been scoured by glaciers.
And the rain continued...
...And verily my bag was suitably packed.
At 9am we are taken by boat across Lake Manapouri to the West Arm then by bus across the Wilmott Pass to Deep Cove. Here we boarded the "Seafinn" which belongs to
Deep Cove Charters, a small cruiser that takes no more than 12 passengers.
The rain cleared and we could not have asked for better conditions or nicer cruising companions. Our skipper (and owner of the business) pointed out all the interesting features of the sound as we wended our way through the peaceful waters.
Lunch was a crayfish salad; crayfish caught in the skipper's own pots the day before. In the afternoon some of us went kayaking and some fished. Some had an early red wine.
Chris, the skipper, showed us around the Sound like it was his lounge room.
Call this work?
Dinner that evening was venison, (cooked by his assistant, Kirstie) also caught locally. And freshly caught fish, our fish!
The evening was spent sitting on the deck looking up at a navy blue star-studded sky, satellite spotting.
After a very peaceful and comfortable sleep in the adequate cabins we arose to a beautiful morning.
As we made our way back to Deep Cove the dolphins joined us, as they do!
Our last day there and we found a 10km walking trail we could do, through a temperate rainforest and beside a lake. We'd seen many of these traps on our walks and met a man that was checking them. He said they are for stoats and rats and have been very successful. The bird life in the forests was suffering badly from these introduced pests but since the Dept of Conservation have been laying these traps birdsong is again heard in the forests.
It's not surprising that we saw many places marked on the maps that were locations used in "Lord of the Rings". Only Mother Nature could create beauty such as is seen in New Zealand.
We flew from London Gatwick to Pisa, looking down on snow-capped mountains on the way.
There are lots of artists around the Uffizi Gallery, painting on the paving or sitting with easels.
We discovered in Pisa (or should I say Gill discovered) that you order "cafe latte" rather than "coffee" otherwise you get a cup of black liquid that blows one's head off!
