Animal Weekend

The weather is picking up again. After the Coromandel Adventure and before the weekend Friday needed to be rest/catch up day. It has been a long time since we walked through the park to the cliff top overlooking Rangitoto. This time we took a snack and a book to sit awhile. This was after we had made a brief postcard/shopping visit into St Heliers. We picked up the girls in the afternoon and went to the Ladybird park. This park has the usual climbing things and a springy thing that looks like a ladybird. Zoe did a bit of falling here, so we went down to St Heliers' beach. Again the Zoe's play was shortened. This time because she slipped on the rocks and her 'no-no' (backside) landed in a rock pool. Quick change of clothes and home again.

On Saturday morning Ian and Sally set off to birthday shopping and so we took Zoe to the zoo. This was a slight mistake because the Pasifica Festival was on in the same place. It was a slow journey to the zoo car park. We were checked to see if we were actually going to the zoo. I have a feeling that their ticket method did not work as we saw numerous cars pull up in the zoo car park and the occupants disappear into the show grounds.

Zoe enjoyed her time at the zoo. She stood happily watching the usual animals, but unfortunately was badly shaken by a rooster who managed to take a peck at her bread. Later we had a good lunch and a train ride around the zoo by a driver who inspired confidence by telling us that this was her first day and starting off backwards. Zoe finished the time with a number of slides and a climb on the dragon.

Hippo Wallowing

On Sunday we again took Zoe out. This time to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater Adventure. This is only ten minutes drive down the road and, like the zoo, she has a season ticket to put around her neck. This was a last minute decision and we paid the price by being in a long queue consisting of Liner passengers at the end of their journey from Miami. The big attraction for such tourists are the penguins and the Antarctic snowcat ride.

This episode was very short and mum took Zoe for a long play in the sand at the beach. She was the only one who did not have a sleep in the afternoon. When I woke from my sleep the girls were asleep in their rooms, Ian and Sally were spread out in the lounge and mum was ironing in the kitchen.

Later Sally cleaned the fish tank out and brought the disposal unit to a halt with grit. (This morning I gained a new skill - how to remove and repair a disposal unit - I think.) The day ended with the grown ups in front of the telly eating more of the delicious Cadbury chocolate flavour that the don't seem to make in the UK.

On the Coromandel

Dark fir trees and pink pampas grass

I have long been attracted by the Coromandel. It is on North Island to the west of Auckland and is a peninsula which juts out north into the Pacific Ocean. On it west coast is a large wide inlet known as the Firth of Thames. Along its spine is a moutain range called the Coromandel Range. It took us about one hour to drive to its main town of Thames from Sylvia Park in Auckland. This journey was south down highway one, east along highway two until highway twenty-five branches off and swings north. This highway goes on through Thames and on to the town of Coromandel.

This whole area was populated during the gold rush days. The gold is not alluvial and the first diggings were abandoned until later when the gold here was found to be worth the effort of digging for. The gold quickly became uneconomic to mine and so the towns were given over to the tourist trade. There are many tramping tracks over the Range, the beaches are golden soft sand, there is wildlife and hot springs. In short this is the holiday paradise for Aucklanders.

Mountain peaks in the Coromandel Range

Having had a coffee and cake in Thames; next to Warehouse and not far from Pak n' Save we decided that we would make the trip across the Range to east coast of the island. Once again it is stunningly beautiful. Some locals had to spoil it with fly-tipping (would you believe). We chose to head to Pauanui, which is said to be the home of the rich and NZ's famous. Here we had a good lunch and Speights Ale before exploring the beach area. The car park straddles the harbour, on the river mouth on the left and the beautiful sands on the right. There is a ferry which makes the crossing to the other side of the town, known as Tainua. Tainua is the money generating tourist side of town and a hugh distance by road from where we were.

The Ocean at Pauanui

The Beach at Pauanui

Having explored, we made our way back across the range and headed towards Thames, but turned left into Kaureranga which is a very small town on a road leading to the DOC (Department of Conservation) information centre and the start of a number of tramping tracks. The road up starts with a number of beauiltiful original, colonial houses. Next there is a housing estate and at the side of the road is the village store run by a homely lady shop keeper. When we went in for our 'Magnum' ice lolly (By the way, a sweet here is called a lolly - a lolly is called a lolly on a stick) the shop was full of young school children on the way home from the local school. There are no signs in these places restricting the number of such youngsters.

The temporary information centre will be replaced by a smart new one by the end of March. Here we were told of a 15 minute walk to a lovely pool. We decided to do this. Fabulous.

Reflections in the Pool

We drove out of the site, remembering to warn others not to attempt to drive in the same way. The spikes go down when you approach them in one direction, but would mercilessly rip all your tyres off in the other direction.

On the way back we looked for a pub to have a pub meal. But, I noticed a sign pointing to a 'Subway' sandwich restuarant off the the motorway, changed my mind, attempted to find said place, but where was it. Intead we toured more back roads, finding our way onto the old South Road and along it was a pub/motel. This turned out to be a trucker's bar where we enjoyed different ambience, a plate of chips between us topped with fish in batter and a sausage between us. For me, this was rounded off with a glass of Tue Ale and mum again failed to get her ginger beer, getting a glass of fruit juice instead.

The journey was not quite ended. As we approached base, the sky began to go a rosy-red. So, we headed for St Heliers beach. I set up my camera on the rocks out into the sea and took a series of awesome sunset pictures.

Sunset From St Heliers Bay

Odd Days In

Saturday was a recovery from Queenstown day and we simply walked along the windy sea front. On Sunday the weather was iffy.We all set off, but the rain started, causing between car conversations, ending in going to Ambury Farm Park, where it did not rain and Zoe enjoyed the animals. Ambury is a large flat area sticking out into the Manukau Harbour south of the city centre and on the west. Auckland sits largely on a narrow strip of land joining two larger land masses. Manukau Harbour is ringed by land with an opening into the Tasman Sea. Waitemata Harbour is also well protected and leads into the Pacific. There are also numerous other bays and inlets. The farm is council owned and has a number of domestic farm animals on show. There is also a camp site. The visit is free. We had lunch and coffee at 'The Coffee Club' on the way home.

Monday was a day to forget. Zoe came home and fell down stairs. Access to the house is up a flight of concrete steps. Once up the house is on one level. However, there is a part completed room down a steep flight of steps. There is a 'secret' locked door to this flight of steps. Mum uses them to go to washing machine in a smaller room off the lower room which is something of a library. Zoe fell about two steps , but landed on her head on the carpetted floor. She was very dazed. Her mum and dad took her to the emegency medical centre. There was no harm done.

On Tuesday the linemen arrived at the building plot next door. They sat in their vehicles for most of the morning out of the torrential rain and when I left for my appointment in Auckland they were sound asleep in the corners of their vehicles.

My meeting in Auckland was in the bishop of Auckland's offices with the Bishop's chaplain in charge of local shared ministry. Basically the church in Auckland have very little cash, a widespread and declining congregation and so they are doing church by ordaining local people to run their own churches. This is having the effect of increasing the numbers who attend church in NZ. Clever kiwi solutions to the kiwis special problems.

Before this meeting I cleaned my shoes. What with? Kiwi polish and a Kiwi brush (no joke).

On Wednesday the linemen and the builders returned. This time the builders sit still as the linemen do their work.

Linemen at work

Each section has its own pole. The electrical power criss-crosses an estate on street poles. When a house is built the linemen run cables from the street poles to the section pole. One red, one, yellow and one blue. They quickly completed the task and left the pole ready to be connected to the section at the right time.

After this the builders began their work. The yellow digger dug out a road way at the far side of the a lorry tipped out hardcore. The digger filled the lorry with soil and rubble. The lorry went away. The digger spread the hardcore along the road way. The lorry came back with more hard core and tipped it out for the digger to spread and refill the lorry. This process continued until a longer firm road was laid.

Clever stuff.

The Queenstown Journey - Part 4

What to do now with only one day and so much choice. I know; I'll hire a car and go see the bungy jumping etc. One firm advertised a hire for $15, that is 5 GDP. (Please not that I am using a NZ keyboard.) After enquiries, not one car was available. So, jump on a 'Connectabus', get a return to Arrow Town and go. A 'Connectabus' is a regular service bus, however these have piped video music and lots of tourist leaflets. We actually purchased a day tripper ticket which was cheaper than a return.

So, why Arrow Town? Answer; we has heard that it was interesting place to visit. We travelled passed Lake Hawes and there was a magnificent reflection of the mountains behind it on the mill pond surface. Lesson - take the opportunity when you can - reflections don't last forever. At Arrow Town the bus pulled up in a large parking area overlooking the Arrow River and below the town.

First thing - explore the town. The town had a very wild west appearance along its main street and some of the buildings were of great historical interest going back to the gold rush days. The town suddenly came into existance when alluvial gold was found and Europeans, American and Chinese descended on the place. Each man staked his claim along the Arrow and the Western women did their best to look after their children and recreate civilised home life. Out of town the Chinese men set up their own camp consiting of stone huts with corrogated tin roofs. There was a difference of motives between the Chinese and the Westerners. The Westerners were settlers the Chinese had come because of the hard conditions they faced at home. Gaining wealth was life and their desire was always to return home. (There is little prejudice today, but I think that this feeling NZ being home for some and opportunity for others still clouds relationships between different people groups in this country.)

I forgot to mention that a tourist raised an interesting question on the journey yesterday. (Not the one about why all the sheep are going in one direction. To which the answer was 'one of them started to move, the others just followed.) No I mean the question about whether NZ Europeans had treated the Maoris better than the Australians had treated the Aboriginals. The answer had to be yes, but there was a sad confession that New Zealanders could have done better than just providing hand outs, which have repurcussions for today's Maori relationships.

Back to Arrow Town. On one of the Streets outside a very well kept colonial style store was a beautiful vintage car. There were other vintage cars and a scattering of cones. Across the road white strips of plastic had been laid. When we returned we found a film crew has taken over, the white strips were being pressed into the road surface to become a pedestrian crossing. By the way it is easy to recreate a crossing beacon. Most of the ones in NZ are large, orange plastic discs on to of a black and white painted pole.

A film set in the making. The car has a plastic pedestrian cossing strip over it.

After lunch we explored the Chines gold miner's camp and then went to find the Arrow river. There was not much water to see. Most of the bed was dry. But, there were noitices on some paths telling trampers to keep out when it is raining; suggesting that the river may fill very rapidly in the wet season.

Thatched homes in the Chinese mining camp

On request the bus dropped us off at Lake Hawes. This was a remote spot with no bus stop, but the hope that there would be another one in an hour and that it would stop on request and take us home. Of course the reflection had gone, but we had an enjoyable walk. The next bus did pick us up and we returned to our appartment.

To finish our time in Queenstown we did an after tea walk in the gardens. The had got up along the shore, but the gardens were sheltered and quite lovely. There were also mysterious objects scattered around. Can you guess what they are?

The Remarkables Overlooking the Town Gardens

What is this?

This ended our time in Queenstown. The service bus took us back to the airport. We waited leisurely for the plane. On the way home I had a very good conversation with a young English man on a working visa. Having discussed the universe and everything through a much more turbulent journey (At one point the pilot announced that coffee would not be seved, then it was, with disasterous consequences after which the cabin crew put lids on our cups.) we made a smooth landing in Auckland to a pleasant, sunny day.

The Queenstown Journey - Part 3

A NZ Traffic Jam

This is it. We are standing outside the apartment again. Exactly on time a taxi with a Canadian couple already on board pulls up. The driver warns us that she will not be taking us far. In fact, by the time that I have done up my seat belt we pull up at the Millenium hotel further down Francton Street. (No charge.) Here we stand and wait; trying to communicate with the Canadian couple. As we wait we see a tour bus pull up outside our apartments. A couple get on. The bus makes the 30 second drive to the Millenium Hotel. We get on. By now we are fearful that we may be on the wrong bus, but the driver turns out to be a happy Kiwi who quickly reassures us that at least he is capable of getting us to our destination.

You have to know that on our travels around NZ most of the signs are only in English. True, many of the words are Maori. But, in this place almost all tourist signs are in two languages and there is even an interpretter on the coach and on the boat. The language being Japanese. They are very welcome as they bring in the Japanese yen. And, they also provide entertainment for other foreign visitors. 1. They have a tendency to ignore notices (even in Japanese). 2. They fill their cameras with endless images of wonderful views. However, there is always an individual or a group in front. They also take endles combinations to ensure that everyone of their party is in at least once.

You now need to know something of the geography of the journey. Milford Sound is around 20 miles east of Queenstown. However, the journey is to take over 4 hours to include two rest stops and three viewpoints. This because the coach really cannot get over the mountains, but has to head due south for many miles, turn and go slightly fewer miles east and then turn north for the same number of miles that we went south. There are helicopter and small plane rides over the mountains which take ten minutes.

Te Anua

The driver talked knowledgeably, interestingly, humourously and almost incessantly for the whole journey there. For miles we followed the southern arm of Lake Wakatipu on our right and The Remarkables on our left, through small townships eventually arriving at the much larger town of Te Anua with a large population of 1785 (at the last count). The town is regularly swelled by the arrival of tourists and the coach stops at a central coach park to provide toilets, souveniers and refreshments. But only briefly. There is a further stop for toilets and the next are for sightseeing at Mirror Lake, The Chasm and the helicopter pad at the other end of the tunnel. Our journey was also interrupted by a typical NZ traffic jam - sheep being moved from one field to another. After this point the we ran into the inevitable rain. It rains 95% of the year on this rugged west coast. However, we were told that without this rain the falls would not be so spectacular. According to the driver, when it stops raining the falls stop, just as if God had turned the taps off. There is little or no headwater in this region. When the ground cannot take any more water (which is most of the time) the water simply plunges off the mountains into the valleys, creating the spectacular sights that we were witnessing.

The Cascades

Yes, there was tunnel. This had been cut roughly out of the rock and mostly unlit, giving the impression of driving through a cave. The tunnel is very short and also one lane. Fortunately the lights were against us going towards Milford; giving us an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular scenery at this spot. The driver assured that there was better to come. With eyes closed we exited the tunnel. When we opened them, he was so right. Words now begin to fail.

On Milford Sound

Onwards we went to the Sound itself. The small harbour looked like a large ferry terminal and sizeable boats were tied up. It was not long before we boarded 'The Pride of Milford', which was large powered catamaran. On entry we were photographed. I, naturally spoiled her photograph by photographing the photographer. We didn' buy the finished article. My face had a camera in front of it. Once on board we were shown to our table. Up the middle were tables arranged with black plastic boxes. This was the special meal for the Japanese guests. We enjoyed a large buffet meal (at extra cost) and spent my time on deck trying to do photographic justice. At times the falls were close up and personal. I am beginning to get used to being soaked, all in good fun and knowing that I would soon dry off. After a time on the boat we returned to the coach; to a quieter journey back, stopping only at Te Anua for the usual, followed by 'Madagascar' on the coach and finally back to our apartment; supper and a good night's sleep.

The Queenstown Journey - Part 2

Nothing daunted, we decided to get on with the day. So in the spirit of true adventure, we decided that our next stop would be the Kiwi park and the Maori Experience. So, we trudged boldly up the flight of steps (a ramp criss-crossed) between parallel road across the hill sides, getting almost to the foot of the gondola and the cemetry.

At the entrance to the park a delightful Maori gentleman presented us with discount vouchers, we paid our fee, collected our electronic audio guides and entered the park. We were to learn that an enthusiastic owner had converted a rubbish ground into a wildlife park. Apart from the entrance retail centre (shop) and cafe, the park had been kept relatively wild. The trail could be followed as you wanted to and was only interrupted by the call to the conservation show and the Maori experience. At the show we were introduced to a variety of birds and the tuatara, which is, apparently, a living dinosaur.

Tuatara

Not surprisingly, the Maori gentleman had become a Maori warrior and was joined by another male and two female warriors. Later our Maori gentleman/warrior was to become a Maori groundsman and one of the ladies a receptionist. We learned some Maori words, heard songs and stories. After the show we were invited to take photographs. I could not resist joining them in the haka. I think that they were more amused than I was. Fortunately, I did have my 'All Blacks' gear on. Now I am a Kiwi.

Me - Maori

Of course we had to seek out the star of the park; the real kiwi bird. As always at these places, you enter a dark building, are assured that your eyes would adjust to the low light level. And so we starred. At the top of the hill in the centre we believed that there was movement. We shall never truly know, but even if it was, we shall never have a good image. I am sure that this strange nocturnal animal will have an image of us.

We returned to the apartment for a leisurely afternoon and then a walk back for glass of Speights pale ale each (I could have murdered a pint). The evening ended by sitting at the lake side, watching the sun set and waiting for that magical glow of a reflected fiery image of the sky on the lake. It never happened.

The Sunset that Never Happened

The Queenstown Journey - Part 1

On Monday there was a very early start to catch the domestic flight to Queenstown. The airport is next to the International airport and is not a wooden hut with a grass strip. Neither was the plane a two-prop 12 seater. It was a sizeable 737 jet and travelled full. We had our usual window seat and I had the pleasure of sitting next to a young New Zealand lady. She was on her way home to Queenstown having been to an interview in Auckland for an early years post. I told her that most Aucklanders would think that she was nuts; looking to move from one of the most beautiful places on earth - most Aucklanders would give their eye-teeth to live where she had her home. This is the problem for Kiwis - there simply is no work outside the main cities, where most of them are squeezed together.



The plane flew for two hours, mainly down the eastern side of both islands; that is along the Tasman Sea. It then turns inland to make a landing in a valley surrounded by mountains. As you fly the final stage of the route you are aware of two things. The first is the turbulance (if we did not have our seat belts on I am sure that we would be banging our heads on the roofs). The second concerns the wing tips. Not only are they violently swaying up and down, threatening to snap the wings off, but they are dangerously close to a mountain peak at each side. All you can do is repeat to yourself 'The pilot has done this loads of times and he knows what he is doing'.



Eventually the plane touches down at Frankton airport. No one looks any the worse for wear, and we board a shuttle bus for the 8 km journey along Lake Wakitipu to our accommodation which was to be studio apartment in a block called Wakitipu View. Due to the strange and random departure times we were never to meet any one in charge of the accommodation. Our greeting was provided by the outgoing or in resident guys explaining the procedure to newcomers. Basically, when you arrive your key is in the door. You enter the apartment and find a note requesting that you phone the office on your arrival. Thats it.

The Remarkables along the Edge of Lake Wakitipu

We had a whole day to explore Queenstown. This started by going down (I mean down) to the wharf. We never really cracked the gentle up hill way back. Mountain climbing gear would have helped. Our first task was to book a journey to Milford Sound. Unfortunately, the main tour companies were fully booked. We found a Japanese travel agent called Aki, who obligingly found a company who would take us to the Sound on Tuesday and put us aboard a boat that would take us out on the water.

After this we walked into town to find a supemarket to get our supplies. The main street is called Shotover Street after the river that flows from the mountains throught the town and into the lake. We were able stagger back, have lunch and a rest before going out again. We walked through the town park which is a peninsular jutting out into the lake and along the shore. The wind was very strong and the waves were very high. The water level does rise and fall, so it seems to be a lake rather than a sea because the water is fresh not salty.

Queenstown Wharf

Tuesday morning came. I was up before the six thirty alarm. Other around us were up too. Queenstown is the centre of many activities such as bungy jumping, white water rafting, canoeing, climbing, tramping (that is hiking along mountain tracks sometimes for three days, getting bitten by the dreaded sand fly). All these activities start early in the day. We waited outside our accommodation for over an hour. We watch coaches depart from hotels around us (one would have been ours). We gave up, walked into town to have it out with Mr. Aki. A further hour went by. He was then ten minutes late and very apologetic. However, the tour company admitted their mistake. This time they were given my mobile number as we rebooked for the following day.



Part two, which is the story of day two follows.