Author: Miss Lynne

The day started with beautiful blue skies, this was another travel day so we packed and headed out. As I mentioned before, SH1 in South Island hugs the coast for the first hour. We stopped the car at Oahu and were treated to more fur seals lounging around and some of the birds nesting on one of the rocks. And then the clouds came in and it poured with rain, the temperature also dropped. There is a reason that Crowded House sing “Four seasons in one day”

The weather calmed down a little and we drove up and over the mountain ranges over to Nelson, with a quick stop in Blenheim at one of the wineries where we had a coffee and Rob had his obligatory cake. We actually stayed on the outskirts in a place called Tahunanui. Went out to get groceries 2 miles up the road and the local Police were out in force, stopping every car to breathalyze the drivers, 2.30 in the afternoon! Good job we had coffee at the winery. Luckily there was a good pub/restaurant just down the road so we did not get too wet going out for dinner.

Friday was another really lovely blue sky day, we had already planned that we were going to Hike at Abel Tasman and the forward forecast had predicted light rain for the morning so we were really pleased they were wrong. It was a great 10 mile walk in total, skirting the cliffs around the bays. We were treated to the beauty of the rain forest like trees and plants and then sweeping views of some of the bays. The local Weka are clearly not to bothered about the humans walking by, although my best view was actually the small video clip that I took. Rob edited it for me and the link is below. We ate lunch down on the beach at Akersten bay. While we taking some photos, a cheeky Weka tried to steal Rob’s banana out of his back pack.

On the way back we drove around to take a short walk down the the beach to take pictures of Split Apple rock. Rob was more impressed than I was, but I was balancing the view of the rock with the crazy steep climb to and from the bay.

Saturday we drove out to Rabbit Island and walked the nine mile loop around the Island. It’s a mix of forest, river and beach. When we were on the beach side, I started to get upset as I thought we were seeing some beached whales but as we drew closer you could see that they were not really whales but giant inflatables and they were having a volunteer training session to show people what to do in the event this really happened, Phew!!

On the way back, we stopped at the Classic Car museum, which in the past also had a wearable art display, but not today. Given that my walk around a bunch of cars took less than 10 minutes, I was grateful there was a cafe there so I could go and sit and give Rob more time to enjoy them.

Monday in Wellington was overcast and rainy but we needed to get laundry done so that was ok. I found a launderette and somehow managed to find one that was 3 shops away from a quilting and embroidery shop. So deposited Rob in there with the washing and went off to shop!

The weather still had not improved so in the afternoon we went to the Te Papa museum which is the national museum for New Zealand. Each floor was themed and we both particularly loved the devoted to the animals and plants of NZ. There was also a special interactive exhibit around the battle at Galipoli. The 3d models were made at the Weka Studio, where the Lord of the Rings and Avatar models were made. The people were 2.5 bigger to scale, which really enhanced the impact of the scenes. On the walk back to the hotel we came across some yarn bombing and also this strange hand model on the roof of a building!

Tuesday we were up early and on to the ferry to from Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait. The crossing was quite rough and Rob did not do to well! The weather was quite blustery and I did not want to leave him when we got into the calmer waters of the Fjords so we have not pictures but it was really beautiful. We drove down SH 1 to KaiKoura the road closely follows the coast line and so the views across many of the bays were really stunning. We had a nice dinner at one of the local pubs and then got ready for the next day

We were lucky to have good weather today and set off for an 8 mile walk around the KaiKoura peninsula. It was such a varied route, up through forests, over farming headlands and best of all, just under the cliffs along the headland past the Fur Seal and bird colonies. It was pretty special and each turn of the corner brought something new to delight us. We stopped for lunch and then went back to our rooms to relax before going out for another curry tonight. Tomorrow we drive to Nelson and hope to do some hikes at Abel Tasman.

We drove down the south west coast of North Island from Stratford to Wellington. The weather was quite changeable and we were driving through rain for some of the time. But yet again we were lucky enough to get sunshine when we arrived in Wellington. We are staying at a hotel in the central business district which is also close to the ferry and the main Harbour area. We walked down to the ferry terminal to check everything was ready for our crossing to South Island on the Tuesday. Then walked along the Harbour area and stopped for ice cream, mine was licorice flavored and it was delicious. Off to an Irish pub for dinner and then back to the hotel.

Up early the next morning and walked to the cable car to take us part of the way up the hill and then a 30 minute walk through the local neighborhood to Zealandia. It’s and amazing place that is set high in one of the valleys with a plan to reinvigorate the local ecology. They already have a number of rare birds living there is the natural environment. We were there just after opening and so had the place pretty much to ourselves. The sounds of the birds singing was was so relaxing.

When the place started to fill up, we walked back towards the cable car and right next to it was the top entrance of the botanical gardens so we had a lovely walk down through the gardens back to Lambton quay for lunch and a quick relax before the planned meeting this afternoon.

Rob had managed to connect with a distant cousin, the daughter of his great uncle. Uncle Robert had emigrated to NZ in his 20’s and his daughter Victoria lives in Wellington with her husband and 2 sons. We met Victoria at the entrance to the Khandallah reserve and then climbed to the top of Mount KauKau according to the google there are over 485 steps as part of the climb. Rob and Victoria were able to share many family stories both past and present and the climb was more than worth it as the views were incredible. We could even see across to South Island.

After the walk we saw the end of a cricket match and met Eddie and the boys, before going to a local pub for dinner and more conversation. It was another perfect day and we count ourselves very lucky to have experienced it.

While we were walking in the Redwood forest at Rotorua we got into conversation with a couple from Taiwan. They had started their vacation in the south and were coming to the end of their trip. His one piece of advice was to drive the “Forgotten World Highway” otherwise known as SH43 between Taumarunui and Stratford.

Rob did some googling and decided this was a must do trip, and so with an early start, we left Turangi and headed out. We stopped at Taumarunui for a coffee and a mile out of town turned onto the “43” only to be greeted by a huge road sign telling us that the Tangarakau Gorge was only going to be open for an hour, 12pm to 1pm, every day. Current time was 11.45 and we had no way of completely accurately defining the journey time to the gorge as lack of cell signal meant no GPS. We had bought maps when we landed in NZ and so quick calculation said we had 3inches on the map to go and so we decided to go for it.

It was well worth it, drove the first part a little faster than the ability to take pictures because if you look at this on a map you will see, once committed to the route there are no alternatives other than a U turn and return to Taumarunui. The views were amazing though and the roads were just a narrow series of bends up mountains and through valleys. We got to the gorge at 12.15 and the road through was a gravel road. We saw no signs of closure and wondered if it had been a road sign that had been forgotten to be removed. It was a little concerning that we had not seen any traffic coming the other way. But as we approached the end of the gorge at about 12.50, there it is was full on road works and only 10 minutes to spare before they closed again. It did look like the hours break was for the team to eat lunch as they were all sat down and that was what they seemed to be doing. Only pictures here were on my phone as we were driving consistently, as we did not want to miss the time window

Back out and even more curvy roads but at a slower pace to take decent pictures. The landscape was just breathtaking and now our minor panic was over, we could relax and really enjoy it.

The next bit of interest is the town of Whangamamona, population 150, that decided to declare itself a Republic on the 1st November 1989. We stopped in the Main Street (pretty much only street) at the hotel for a coffee and a scone and Rob was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a Royal Enfield Motorbike rally using the town as a hub, there were riders from all over NZ.

Carrying on the road to Stratford which is on the edge of the Egmont National Park and at the center of the park is Mount Taranaki. We checked into our hotel and were lucky enough at about 4.30 to get another break in the rain, so we drove over to the Stratford lookout which was about 9 miles away and we were treated to a great view of the mountain. When you look at the pictures below, they were both taken from the same place. When you look at the panorama of Stratford you can see we are above the clouds and yet when we turn around to face the mountain it is way higher and with its own weather system. The other thing about Mount Taranaki is, if your look at it on a map, you will see that the contours are are very circular and pretty consistent all the way up, also there are rivers indicated all the way around the mountain. On a flat map it looks like a giant eyeball.

Ok – day 14 was a travel day, we moved from Taupo to Turangi and although the trip along the lake was very pretty, we could see the weather changing. Once we got to Turangi we drove out to the meeting point for the Alpine crossing and then over to the Whakapapa village to the ski village that also acts as the information center for the local hikes. We were booked onto the earlier shuttle for the next day and we should be able to get over the top of the mountain before the weather changes.

Woke up to a slightly overcast day and went off to meet the shuttle. Given the car park was empty yesterday, we wondered if we would be the only ones attempting the crossing today. But everyone must have spotted the window in the weather and just after we arrived there was a stream of cars coming in. We managed to be on the first shuttle and started the walk at 7.30am. We did notice the 2 of us were not like the others by about 30 -40 years! But we were well equipped and have been training for this. There is a really good 7 minute video that describes the hike here

We were expecting the hike to take 7-9 hours as that was what all the information details said. So we kept a brisk pace at the beginning. I slowed down a bit when we started the really steep climbs. For the Devils Staircase there are 370 steps and a lot of scrambles. There were pretty steep drop offs but the views were amazing and although difficult it was safe.

The only time we really saw a lot of people (about 30) was at the very top the rest of the day we would see people if a few passed us (see above, 40 years younger) The most technical was the start of the decline from the top as it was very steep and you were walking in volcanic dust and small rocks so you needed to keep your wits about you not to let your feet run out from under you.

There was a part of the decline that still had snow on it and I managed to get all the way across and then fall on my butt as we were getting off it. Rob managed to video it but I don’t think it’s in the clip we are posting. I actually found some of the decline more difficult as there were literally 100’s of stairs and its pretty tough on your knees and thighs. But we got down safely and the whole walk took us 6hours and 15 minutes so we are pretty pleased with ourselves.

Monday morning we were packed and ready to leave the Bay of Plenty. We had been spoilt but we needed to track south. Cyclone Lola had wreaked havoc up in Northland, Auckland and the Coramandel so we were really lucky that we visited those last week.
On the way to Taupō we called at our friends brothers farm and he was kind enough to give us a tour of his fields and also explain a lot about the agriculture in New Zealand with specific emphasis on Dairy. He has one of the best farms in New Zealand and consistently produces top quality product. We went back to the farm house and enjoyed more really interesting conversation as well as a much needed cuppa. The views from their living area are fantastic! The video shows how happy the newbies are to still get fed some milk.

We carried on to Taupō but the weather had turned against us, so we made our way to the local store and bought groceries for the night. We are staying in the Phoenix resort, each studio has a kitchen, living room, bathroom, upstairs bedroom but the real delight is our own geothermal tub under cover at the back. You fill it direct from the thermal waters – although you need to add a lot of cold first as the water comes out at 72C or 161 F. It was sooo relaxing. We both slept well.

Today we were up and out by 7. Only to have the weather forecast lie to us again. It rained all the way to Orakei Korako geothermal park and cave. Just as we pulled up the rain stopped. We spent a fabulous hour walking around there and lo and behold, just as we got back in the car to drive back the rain started again.

In the afternoon we walked to Hakka falls and the water was running at full tilt so it was really impressive. As we started to walk back to the car, about 45 minutes away, our luck ran out and the rain poured down. We were like two little drowned rats! But we knew we could run our tub and all would be well with the world again

Tomorrow we go to Turangi for 2 days and we are keeping our fingers crossed for good weather on Thursday as it will be our only chance to do the Alpine crossing on Mount Tongariro.

Saturday morning the weather was bright and sunny with just a little wind and Rob wanted to walk the mount in the local bay, while the girls went to the local stitch shop. I have to say Rob got the better end of the deal as the stitch shop was not very good. I did manage to buy a piece of fabric and a magazine though.

We then went for a famous Patricks pie – he has won more awards for his pies than anyone in the country and rightly so, mine was chicken camembert and cranberry and Rob had curried lamb. They were yummy.

We had a chilled afternoon and then went down to the docks for fresh fish cooked to order and straight off the fishing boats. That was excellent as well and clearly popular with both the locals and the seagulls.

Sunday Morning we were up early and round to our friends mum’s place to watch the rugby cup final. What can I say other than the team i was supporting was the only one to score a try! Oh and the warm scones with jam and cream were excellent

After the match we drove to lake Rotoiti and our friends brother and his wife took us all out in their boat across the lake to the hot springs. The springs come out of the ground piping hot and there were several pools that are different temperatures that you can sit in. They all have a strong smell of sulphur but I have been told that it’s great for anti aging, so Rob and I must look a few years younger now. We had a great barbecue there and really enjoyed doing something that most tourists do not get to do.

Drove to Rotorua, nice trip over the mountain again. I have to say Rotorua was a little bit of a disappointment for us, it’s really commercial and that’s not really our thing. Also the hot pools make everything smell of sulphur.

One thing we did really enjoy was the Redwood forest. Parked up and did a 90minute walk around the forest. There was also a tree walk but there were a lot of children up in there and quite a queue and so we stuck to the forest walk. We drove up to the Blue lake which from the pictures is really beautiful when the sun is shining, but we had an overcast sky so it was not the bright blue that you see in a lot of the pictures.

In the evening we had a tour of the down town area in Tauranga and a really good Indian meal.

When my younger but much taller sister met her 6foot plus husband, they used to call us the Hobbits and apart from not having hairy feet (I promise) it was not too inaccurate a description.

So today we set off for Matamata, the trip over the mountain was “interesting” not sure if it was low cloud, fog or both but we could barely see the car in front. Once in Matamata the cloud cleared and the weather was dry.

Hobbiton was a pleasant surprise for both of us. They have done such a good job of keeping everything pristine and as you would have seen it in the movies. There are 44 hobbit homes. They have doors of varying height to assist with making the hobbits look small and Gandalf look tall.

The walk around took about 11/2 hours and we ended at the Green Dragon inn for a free pint of Hobbit ale. There was a little construction going on off to the side of the Shire but we had been notified on the website and quite honestly it made zero impact to our day. December 1st this year, new visitors will be treated with the ability to actually enter a Hobbit house.

Anyway after our guide asked us if it had impacted us we all gave a resounding no, and then he told us the organization were giving us a free gift to compensate. We were expecting some plastic gizmo but no we were given amazing pottery mugs. Rob thought it was funny how much I loved mine. It may have been because I was stroking it and muttering “my precious” all the way back to the shuttle.

Off back into town for lunch and then we drove about 3 miles out of town to the Wairere waterfalls. After a strenuous hike for 45 mins most of the way up the mountain. Including some very steep stairs we were treated to an amazing view. The Waterfall is the highest in North Island and well worth the visit.

All in all yet another great day, we do have a lot of rain forecast for the next few days so that might slow us down a bit.