The return!

Well that's it folks, its check-in time at Christchurch airport so we can reflect on our holiday here in NZ.

The arrangements , route, accommodation and visits etc arranged before we left the UK have gone like a good Swiss watch - unassuming and perfect. Many thanks to 'New Zealand in Depth' based in Buxton, only a few miles from our home in Staffordshire for doing such a great job for two independent travellers.

Far from providing a diet of the normal tourist hot spots, Paul Carberry at NZID arranged some gems unknown to even the locals in NZ, just what we wanted!

We have been fortunate in having just half a days rain in the month we have been here - that's unusual according to the NZ folk but great for holidays.

The NZ people we have met from checkout assistants in supermarkets to hotel staff and locals walking the dog have been very friendly and polite - this has also made this holiday special.

The country in beautiful, just when you think you have seen it all some other gem pops up! Its a constant diet of 'wow' , 'amazing' and wonderful.

We covered 3200k in our hire car - easily manageable in the time.

Unfortunately the exchange rate was very poor so some things were expensive but we still managed on our budget forecast partly due to the excellent facilities at the accommodation arranged by NZID.

All we need to do now is save up for a return visit while we can survive the 23 hour flight!

Over and out

John & Maureen

www.house-in-france.org.uk

Kaikoura -a whale of a time!

We made good time up the main highway towards Christchurch and our destination on the coast at Kaikoura. Another beautiful warm day, unlike the UK the NZ farmers are very worried about the lack of rain. We made a small diversion to Gore Bay, had a wander along the  deserted beach and inhaled the fresh sea air. We arrived in Kaikoura by mid afternoon, our accommodation overlooking the golf course and a short walk to the sea turned out to be the best - and everything to date has been excellent but this tops the lot! Just discovered how to insert pics from this tablet so you can see Maureen relaxing.

We celebrated our arrival with a nice bottle of NZ sparkling rose and a dip in the spa bath then off to explore the small seaside town of Kaikoura. We quickly found the location for our whale watch trip tomorrow at 7.15am and also booked a restaurant for dinner this evening.  All restaurants have those giant NZ green lipped mussels on the menu and this also a crayfish area - needless to say I had the mussels - yummy.

Sunday - it's our trip out early on the whale watch boat......the weather is on the change and ........will we see any whales? We arrived at the check in at 7am for the first boat of the day. After a briefing we were taken by coach to the small port and quickly boarded the specialist high speed catamaran, the company has 4 - must be popular.  Only a few miles offshore is the continental shelf making this only one of three places in the world where whales can be found close to land. Whale to starboard came the cry and everyone quickly left the comfort of the viewing cabin to man the outside rails and small open top deck. This massive humpback whale put on a great show, blowing water before slowly and majestically slipping below the water with a final flap of his massive tail. A few minutes later we saw another then dolphins, albatross and fur seals - a great final morning to what has been a simply unforgettable holiday in NZ.

On our return we discovered all other whale watch trips (they can have 16 a day!)  have been cancelled due to deteriorating weather - just as well we were on the early boat.

We are now packed and ready to leave tomorrow morning - look forward to a final dinner this evening.

Lake Tekapo

Our wonderful holiday is passing, only four more days before we fly home, but still lots to see and do. We have a 5 hour drive from Te Anau to Lake Tekapo we are now heading north to the centre of the south island.

Another lovely route arriving early afternoon at our resort accommodation for two nights. The apartment looks out over the lake and mountains, the lake water is an amazing  turquoise blue due to the glacier flour suspended in the water. Once again our apartment has a full kitchen this time complete with dishwasher....and an upstairs bedroom with balcony.

After dinner we had to be at reception in order to be picked up for our trip up Mount John (wouldn't you know - he has a mountain named after him!). Up on the top is the observatory for the University of Canterbury and we were given an explanation of the night sky as well as the chance to look through some  really good telescopes at Jupiter, Saturn, the moon (which was almost full) and the tarantular nebular. It was a really warm night, although the fullness of the moon made seeing too many stars difficult. We saw the Southern cross too.  We were delivered back to our hotel by 12.30am.

Our last day in Lake Tekapo included exploring the local history and taking a hike on one of the suggested walks through the hills around the lake with rabbits for company. One thing you can be sure about in NZ is you will encounter few busy places - or fellow humans out of towns.

Tomorrow we head north up through Christchurch for our final two nights - how time fly's.

Milford Sound

Just as well we had the night to recover from our days trip on the jet boat - awesome! Today we were up bright and early for the two hour drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound ( Milford fiord to us European mortals). As we soon discovered the two hour trip was going to be another spectacular drive through mountains with amazing views down and over canyons. Everything here can be compared in some ways to the west coast of Scotland but on hyper steroids!

On arrival at Milford Sound which is only a sightseeing small boat terminal with no shops or houses we boarded our boat for the two and a half hour tour of the fiord. The boat was called the Milford Wanderer, a lovely boat which could also be under sail. Another lovely day with clear blue sky and sun shine with grey fur seals sunning themselves on the rocks.

After a slow drive back we chilled and then went out for a dinner in Te Anau but not before calling in at the local cinema to watch a 35 minute documentary tour from a helicopter of the area.

Another amazing day!

Te Anau

Today we travel further south and the sun is out once again. En route we stopped to take a trip on the Kingston Flyer, a vintage steam train. It was an eventful journey as the driver and other train staff had to stop the train to free a sheep trapped in a length of electric fence wire.

Another 200k or so later we pulled into a layby for a spot of lunch. Remembering this is in the middle of nowhere and we could have stopped anywhere .... A few minutes later we were tucking into a sandwich when another car pulled in. Would you believe it, it was Judith and Harrison Dawson, the wife of the guy who was my best man and his son.  Its a small world indeed!

We travelled on and soon arrived at our motel in Te Anau. Another brilliant location, our travel organiser has certainly done us proud. We have a view right over the lake and the new studio apartment is top notch and what's more it has free internet. Te Anau is like most places - very small, beautifully tidy and clean and surrounded by the most amazing mountains.

We were up early the next day as we had a full days exploring down a wild river right out to the sea on a jet boat. After an hour or so drive plus 32k down a gravel track we arrived at our remote location. We were soon joined by seven others plus Jochan the guide and driver. You technical guys will  be impressed to hear the small flat bottomed boat had TWO 8 cylinder Toyota engines producing over 500 bhp. We took off like a bat out of hell and after two hours plus we arrived at the mouth of the river and the very southern tip of the south island. After a good Barbi cooked by our guide and more explanation about the wild life and plant life we headed back - what a great day. It's a pity we don't have fast-flowing rivers in the Indre - these jet boats would make great toys for the boys!

Queenstown

So happily settled into our home for three nights and having supported NZ rugby we were ready to attend a big concert at the Gibbston Wine Estate on the Saturday - bought the tickets before we left the UK! We were up bright and early as the gates opened at 11am - time for a picnic on the grass before the first band at 12 noon. The massive stage complete with two very big screens was impressive, just as well we were early as 15,000  followed us in through the gates.  The first band 'America'  were brill , the second 'Bachman & Turner were brilliant and the third at 5pm was less known to Maureen & I but has a massive following here in NZ - Pat Benatar & Neil ?. It was a great day and just as well we had our hats and sunscreen. The concert has just appeared on YouTube....at least America - can you spot us in the crowd?

After all the action on Saturday we decided Sunday may be a good
day to catch up with a bit of washing so we headed into Queenstown to find the launderette.
Washing done and dried, we returned to the hotel for a spot of lunch. Afterwards, we decided to visit Arrowtown, which has a part perfectly preserved as a mining town - if you ignore the cars parked down the main street!
We then discovered the England cricket team will be playing a friendly here against a New Zealand team as a warm up before the test match - but after we have left! Also, the NZ PGA golf tournament is here at the beginning of March - it's all happening in Queenstown.
We went back to Stacks pub to watch the Wales v Italy rugby match and have something to eat.

Tomorrow we are heading south to Te Anau.

Fox Glacier

We decided to do a walk around Lake Mathewson which is renowned for it's reflections of the glacier, and we weren't disappointed. We walked through tropical rain forest trees and plants, every so often catching a glimpse of the mountains in the clear water. The walk took about 45 minutes, and of course it was necessary for the reviving cup of latte at the end!
We continued on the road from the lake and headed to Gillespie beach which had once been home to gold miners. The beach was wild and beautiful lots of rocks and pebbles - most washed flat by the sea, with very interesting patterns.  We are constantly amazed by the few people around and it was no different here - miles of beach with magnificent snow capped mountains behind, a couple of French travellers in a converted van for company. The beach was at the end of a 12km gravel road - pity the car following as we churned up loads of dust!

After lunch we did the walk up to the glacier. It was very interesting and easy to see the erosion talking place. Again, I took lots of photos - you'll have to wait to see them.

We left the following morning to continue our journey down the South Island. It was very foggy for quite a while, but there aren't too many cars on the roads, so it wasn't too difficult and the fog cleared. We carried on heading south following the coast for parts of the journey, stopping in Wanaka for a picnic by the lake. We were soon at our destination and home for three nights, the Hilton in Queenstown. The hotel complex is situated out of town and on the shores of the lake and we had a lovely lake view room complete with kitchen as part of the room (everywhere we have been we have had a good kitchen - very handy). . There is even a 'pub' a few metres down the road which is part of the hotel complex. After a hose down & g&t we were off to the pub for something to eat. A major NZ rugby match was showing live on the TV so we joined in the shouting along with genuine NZ supporters!

Back on line!

Well, it has been a while, but we have finally arrived at accommodation which offers free internet access. The last hotel - a Hilton in Queenstown wanted nearly 30 dollars (£17) for 24 hours robbery with violence! Hence the dearth of blogs. Still,we can catch up now.

Last Monday (18th) when we were in Golden Bay in the very north of south island , we were booked onto the Farewell Spit Eco tour, so it was an early start. The spit is a nature reserve and a very long natural sand bank that travels out into the Tasmin Sea over 38klm and the only way to see it is by one of the Eco tours. We drove right along the 32km beach in a 4 wheel drive Bedford bus, stopping to see the different wading birds as well as some sleepy seals, dozing after a busy night fishing! The driver was a great tour guide as well as a talented driver in sand. At the end of the spit we stopped for a free refreshments and cake provided by the tour company.

Hopefully there will be some good photos to pass around when we get back. We stopped on the way back at the Old Mussel Inn (a bit of a tin shack really) and John had Mussel pie - a first!

Our next day we travelled down the coast to Pukaki  Resort which was a very nice motel complex, but again, right on the beach with magnificent mountains behind. We walked along to the Pancake rocks, a geological hiccup which was quite unique - wait for the photos! The weather continues to be very warm so the sun cream is being used all the time.

We were only there one night, so the next day we travelled further down the west coast stopping off in Hokitika which seemed to be a centre for jade carving. Fabulous pieces = fabulous prices!! A Chinese lady was buying a lovely piece which was originally 20,000 dollars (£15000) but was discounted by 12000 (£8000) - it's another world.
Passed through a few old gold mining towns, but which are pretty quiet now. All the culverts and streams we passed over have names - McLennan culvert, staircase creek and which were quite dry, but which will be roaring torrents in the winter.
We arrived in Fox Township and booked into our motel. The views from the apartment terrace are stunning - middle earth it is!

First impressions

Although we lost a day during our journey to Auckland , we did not appear to suffer from 'jet lag'. The A380 is comfortable with slightly wider seats and more leg room, we were able to sleep for some of the journey. The Emirates food and cabin staff were very good so we arrived in good shape. After a nap in the hotel we went to explore Auckland. We soon found ourselves in the harbour area where we had something to eat. John had a big bowl of large green lipped mussels - just up his street.

The harbour in Auckland is huge we walked quite a way looking at some fabulous yachts, one belonging to a Russian billionaire! On Wednesday we took the ferry to Devonport to see life small town  'village style' . There are quite a few parallels with small town America but with an English feel. In the afternoon we went to the Auckland museum which provides a great insight into Maori life and history

The following morning we were up bright and early to catch the Northern Explorer train that would take us down through the north island to Wellington. We brought a cool bag from the UK using this with managed to have a good  breakfast and lunch on the train. The views and scenery from the train was stunning, part of the train was an open carriage so I was able to use my binoculars on the journey. We arrived at 6.30 in the evening at Rydges hotel in Wellington this is a short walk from the station. It proved to be a great location to visit this cosmopolitan city. In the evening I had arranged to book a meal at an Italian restaurant this has been arranged by the concierge at the hotel and proved to be very good indeed. It was a bit of a surprise when we arrived at the restaurant to receive a free glass of sparkling wine and heart shaped chocolate and Maueen even got a red rose when we were leaving so that was very special indeed.

The weather has been very good so sun tan cream is being used.... Great!!!!!

Britannia (Wellington to you and me)

Apparently the main towns in New Zealand used to be named by the letters A,B,C and D (I'll let you work out what they are), but Brittania was changed to Wellington some time ago. It seems strange to find that it is the capital when Auckland is quite a bit bigger.
Wellington has a lovely harbour and we went for a walk on Friday morning. Like Auckland, there was quite a lot of activity. New Zealander's seem to take advantage of their lovely weather and spend as much time as possible outdoors. Cafes are buzzing all day, then around 5pm, the bars are packed with people enjoying an after work drink. Drinking outdoors seems to be against the law after 9pm, which is perhaps why they start early. Restaurants too are busy early - most offer dinner from 5.30pm and are emptying by around 9.
We took the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, then strolled back down to the waterfront where we saw Rainbow Warrior which had just docked.
We were up early on Saturday to catch the Interislander ferry across to Picton where we would pick up our hire car. It was nothing like crossing the Channel!  Cook strait can be notorious in bad weather, but luckily we had a beautiful day. Queen Charlotte Sound was fascinating - seeing isolated houses hugging the shore with dense woodland rising steeply behind them. Access must surely be by boat. After collecting the car we took a fabulous road west to our destination. John reckons this country was just made for motorcycling! The road wound down Queen Charlotte Drive, then we climbed over Takaka Hill (small mountain really) and down the other side.
Pohara Beach on Golden Bay is absolutely beautiful. Our motel room(s) looks out over the bay. We sat outside in the evening enjoying the very peaceful surroundings.
John has just been in for a dip while I am writing this blog. He says it's not too cold!
Hopefully we will get a connection again soon and keep in you up to date with our trip.
Sorry we can't post photos using our tablet. We will try to if we get access to a computer.
Off to Farewell Spit tomorrow - early!

Tension mounts

The cases are packed, the creams, sprays and documents are sorted - all that is left is to travel to Manchester on Saturday for our 8pm flight to Dubai, then on via a short stop in Australia to Auckland. For both of us this is a very different holiday from anything we have done in the past 40 years. Normally we have travelled on either two, three or four wheels to many parts of Europe although we have both ventured to the USA through work and in the winter 2012 we tested the waters with a weeks holiday in Malta.

 

We are however going to be free agents in New Zealand, we have a route organised and all accomodation from tiny seaside villas to nice hotels all arranged in advance. We pick up a self drive hire car in the south island so in some ways it's not so different to our years touring mainland Europe. Through the wonders of the internet we have researched everything from shopping to restaurants, insects to walking routes and most things in between.

 

New Zealand is 13 hours ahead of the UK so I can only presume we will have some confusion in the sleeping department for a few days. Fortunately we are in Auckland for 3 nights so that should be sufficient to settle down after the long flight.

 

 

Dates	Location
9th -11th	Fly from Manchester
11th – 13th Feb	Auckland then train down the North island to:
14th – 15th	Wellington then boat to Picton on the south island, pick up hire car and drive to:
16th – 18th	Golden Bay - north of south island then drive to:
19th	Punakaiki then drive to:
20th – 21st	Fox Glacier then drive to:
22nd – 24th	Queenstown where we have booked to attend a live outdoor concert with bands and singers from the 70's & 80's.
25th – 27th	Te Anau - Lord of the Rings country then drive to:
28th – 1st March	Lake Tekapo
2nd – 3rd	Kaikoura for whale watching - we hope they turn up!
4th March – 5th	Fly back

We hope to post blogs along the way and invite you to join us on our journey - feel free to post comments too!