Life in the north.

To get from the South to the NZ North Island, with a car, requires a ferry from Picton to Wellington which takes about 3 hours. The journey takes you through Queen Charlotte Sound and eventually in to the open sea. The views for the first 90 minutes are stunning on a good day and we had a good day! It was actually more of a cruise than a ferry crossing.

Wellington is the capital city of NZ and in our view it's wonderful. Its architecture looks all over the place but somehow it works. It feels young and full of life. We stayed in a very fancy hotel called the Intercontinental and they really looked after us. We walked the city to death, starting on day one with a look at the marina and an initial visit to the Te Papa museum. This free museum is probably the best Maggie and I have ever seen outside of London. Its accessible, interactive and tells the Maori story with real clarity and amazing artefacts. We couldn't do it justice in one day so didn't try. More of that later. First a picture of Wellington:

On day 2 we took the cable car to see 'Zealandia' which lies above the city. This is effectively a huge beautiful valley which has been totally fenced off. The purpose was to eradicate non native species/predators such as possums, rats, hedgehogs, mice and stoats and to re create a safe and natural habitat for NZ birds (some flightless), gecko's etc. It was great to see birds like the Tui and Takahe both of whom have been close to extinction and learn how the eradication process was handled.

On return to the city we again headed for the marina and the Te Papa. We spent about 2 hours in the latter and the highlight was probably the Gallipoli presentation. The blog isn't the place to describe this WW1 event in detail but the story and personal testimonies, the pictures and artefacts paid a genuine tribute to the Anzacs and allies that died. It was moving and creative.

Now it wasn't all good in the hotel. Sadly, we had to share the same with a touring professional rugby union team from South Africa, called the Southern Kings who play out of Port Elizabeth. Yes, they were polite and really nice guys but there were about 27 of them. They all seemed a bit overweight to me but Maggie was oddly pre occupied in the hotel and just a bit giddy. Below you can see her chilling out with her new best 'friend', JP Du Plessis. He was about the smallest one I could find and has played rugby league for Sydney, rugby union in Montepellier and for a couple of teams in South Africa. Maggie has found a new enthusiasm for Rugby Union for some reason.

So we set off this morning for Taupo on route to Auckland and the new place is the biggest yet. We have two nights here and have a planned walk to the Huka falls in the morning. The USA isn't far away now but some great things to do beforehand and who knows, in the Auckland hotel there could even be a cheerleader conference.

Wine Country

We are now on our final day in the South Island, having travelled from Nelson to Renwick, a journey of about 2 hours, allowing us a stop and walk at Pelorus Bridge where 'The Hobbit' was partly filmed.

Renwick is in the heart of the Marlborough wine producing area and therefore a complete contrast in terms of landscape. During the first afternoon/evening we walked across some local salt marshes which were stunning and full of birdlife. The walk took us to the wreck of the Waverley - a supply ship originally used to support the gold mining efforts on the West Coast. Once it was no longer needed it was brought to this coast to be 'scuttled' to support sea defences in the 1930's, but it ran adrift and was left in no more than a few feet of water. In WW2 it was used for target practice. Below you can play 'spot the wreck'.

We had two full days in wine country so day one was spent travelling to and from the port of Picton on two amazing scenic routes, again taking us to remote coves and seeing unreal views. We combined the same with a couple of great walks and had a fine old day. A couple of the more famous bays were Cloudy Bay and Monkey Bay. The view below is Queen Charlotte Sound and that's the start of our route by ferry on Tuesday as we head to Wellington. The second picture is our Tour Director at Anakiwa.

Today we have had a very chilled day walking from our apartment to three wineries and undertaking a wine tasting experiment to see if we like it. The three we visited were Forrest, Framingham's and Wairau River, where we also had a beautiful lunch in a wonderful location. We were invited to sample the grapes and walk freely through the vineyard. The weather, service, wine and food were exceptional. The conclusion we arrived at is we quite like wine, but just to make sure we bought a bottle back for tonight.

Below, you can see Maggie handling a very tough Monday tasting mission at Wairau River (we didn't want to leave) and the second picture is a cellar at Framingham's.

So its goodbye to the South Island in the morning with a whole load of memories to savour. My conclusion is if you like being outside, walking, views to die for, people who consistently want to help you, good wine, mountains, glaciers, sport of any kind (biking/rugby/extreme stuff like golf), very fine craft beers and quiet roads, it might be worth be thinking about running away and coming here. Bring on the North Island!!!!!!

Nelson, but not Colne!

There's a saying that everyone in the world wants to live in New Zealand and that everyone in New Zealand wants to live in Nelson but maybe that's a rumour that is being spread by the Nelson Tourist Board! However, despite some scepticism from some folk we'd talked to, we had a really enjoyable 3 nights staying in this port city on the northern tip of the South Island. We'd actually go as far as to say it was even love at first sight for two main reasons. Firstly, our Airbnb place was just immaculate with lovely views over the city and the bay. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, we were within a few minutes walk from the Nelson based brewery pub the "Sprig and Fern". Not only did this great little pub serve 18 craft beers, but it served food (including fish and chips!) via the next door takeaway. You simply went next door, placed your order then went back to your pint to wait for your order to be brought in by the takeaway staff! Guess where we spent our first evening?!

The wonderful pub/takeaway thing aside, we then had 2 great days in the city. Day 1 was a beautiful walk from near where we were staying up the hillside to a summit they call the "Centre of New Zealand" because, quite simply, it is! This afforded great views over Nelson and the port.

Our final day was spent walking on Tahuna Beach and around the marina followed by a museum visit in the afternoon, due to an unusual weather front - RAIN - only our third experience of this in 5 weeks! However, our spirits weren't dampened and we left Nelson to head for Renwick in the Marlborough wine area with a great fondness for this great little city. We might add that, despite what you might be thinking about where we spent the remaining 2 evenings in Nelson, we did actually do a bit of culture, the theatre (to see an Australian production, "Caravan") and the cinema ("10 Cloverfield Lane). We might also add that both productions were truly awful and we wished we'd gone to the pub!

Golden Bay

The journey from Hanmer Springs to our next stop, Takaka on Golden Bay, was our longest but most spectacular on the South Island. The increasingly loved Nissan, (now known as Hilda), had to take us over Lewis pass, the northernmost of the three main alpine passes on the island at just under 3,000 feet. The journey would have been a lot shorter however, had we not stopped continuously at the views. The one below is Kahurangi National Park.

We are now enjoying our last night in Takaka, a small town which lies in the Abel Tasman National Park. We have a wonderful apartment overlooking the Bay. Its tranquil, peaceful and utterly stunning. The picture below was sunrise from the deck this morning,

On day one here we were slightly uncertain where to go first and what to do. I know it was something Maggie should have been on top of but generally she's doing pretty good so I'm not complaining. Anyway, we headed to the nearest beach, bought a coffee and sat at a picnic table to plan. Within a couple of minutes a road biker stopped and sat with us. It turned out that John (originally from Merseyside) had just retired after 20 years as a local guide for walkers in the National Park. After about 10 minutes we had 3 days planned and maps scribbled on for most scenic routes. (Impressively he still had his Merseyside Bike Club top!).

It's been 3 days of contrasting and wonderful walking and discovery, including Wharariki Beach. This isolated beach required a bit of 'off road' driving and a 2km walk to reach its most westerly point. There was nobody else on the beach to begin with and the beach is covered by amazing sandstone rock formations.

As you walk down the beach you pass arches of the same rock and eventually to several rock pools where female seals play with their pups. Just an ordinary walk really.

We have visited Totaranui beach (recommended by some teachers who were escorting a school party up Conical Hill in Hanmer Springs!) and Pohara beach, which were both wonderful then Farewell Spit where we had a picnic overlooking the Bay. All these places have given us great memories and pictures but today we stayed inland and visited Wiakoropupu Springs and the Pupu Hydro walkway. The former are the biggest cold water springs in NZ and the walkway is a spectacular 6 mile walk surrounding a hydro electric plant first established in 1920 and later rebuilt after a major flood in the 1980's. We were there for 3 hours plus and saw just 3 people and one dog. We had several encounters with a small bird called the NZ fantail, who seem really curious of, and keen to have, human contact.

There are places I haven't mentioned, a fine meal at a local restaurant, and great drives across dirt tracks and wonderful waterfalls that will live long in the memory. It's off to Nelson tomorrow but plenty to do en route. One final pic of the view for tonight's meal at home!

Autumnal springs in Hanmer

The journey from Christchurch to Hanmer Springs was probably one of our most spectacular to date (although little did we know the best was yet to come when we travelled 2 days later from Hanmer Springs to Takaka!) However, in blissful ignorance of what was to come, we "oohed" and "aaahed" our way through the vineyards and NZ alps. We might add, however,  that the journey WAS enhanced by breakfast at the Waipara Hills Vineyard followed by a little tasting adventure that resulted in the purchase of 3 delicious bottles of wine!

Hammer Springs had originally been selected as a mere stop off from Christchurch to the Abel Tasman National Park but this quaint little place was really loved and enjoyed by us both. We had great accommodation once again, this time at the Harrogate Gardens Motel, where 12 week old Bebe the boxer puppy kept us highly entertained, followed by a great walk up Conical Hill, a game of golf at the local course, a couple of hours in the spa pools and a taste sensation curry at one of the local eateries. All in all, a really lovely couple of days as the pictures will testify!

Conical Hill is the backdrop to the 16th green!

Christchurch city of earthquakes

Although we arrived in Christchurch in pouring rain it was good enough to stop for us in the evening.   We met up with Ghislane and Martin (colleagues of Maggie's back in the UK), in the evening and they gave us a quick city tour by car that was fascinating. The family moved to Christchurch after the the 2011 earthquake and Martin's role, as a civil engineer, has been to work on the rebuild along with a workforce of thousands from all over the world. The earthquake lasted 40 seconds and repairs and the rebuild will probably take another 20 years to complete. Martin showed us areas where houses once stood but were now demolished. Oddly, gardens and orchards remained. 80% of the city centre either has, or will be, demolished and re built. A cathedral remains in dangerous condition and in total 185 people died, many of whom were youngsters at a language school. All this could lead you to believe Christchurch is a beaten city, threatened as it is with both more earthquakes in the future and increasing flood levels. The truth is, the city and its people are a resilient lot and the rebuild is in full swing. Some temporary structures like a cardboard cathedral, are testimony to that.

We toured the city on foot the following day, going through Hagley Gardens (which contain beautiful botanical gardens), and visiting the City Museum which contained some wonderful artefacts from the Maori culture.

We visited the site of the greatest devastation caused by the earthquake and took in the temporary tribute to the victims - a collection of white seats each for one of those lost on the day.

You can see the cranes in the background which are just everywhere in the city centre.

We had a great evening on our last night, again with Ghislane and Martin, at their amazing home with daughter Molly and niece Victoria. The food and company, combined with a great day of sightseeing, finished this Christchurch leg just perfectly.

So, it's farewell Christchurch and hello Hanmer Springs, where the Conical Hill walk, golf and natural spa pools await - it's a tough life!

From beaches to mountains

Our last full day on the Otaga Peninsular was on Saturday. Before we left we booked a late pm/early evening trip with a local tour company that took us (and about 15 others) by bus to more remote locations and one private beach. It ended our stay in Dunedin perfectly. We saw so may animals and birds including a kingfisher, a pukeko (a native bird), more albatross and towards the end of the trip both yellow eyed and blue penguins. The final climb found us overlooking numerous fur seals, mainly females with their young playing in rock pools. The yellow eyed penguins ( see below) are in decline with only about 3000 left so this secluded and protected beach offers at least a chance of survival.

The fur seals meanwhile are doing better!

We left our B&B on Sunday morning and called in to Dunedin itself for breakfast with one of Maggie's old pupils, Willam, who is now at university in the town. He and his girlfriend, Tina, were great to see but we had a road trip ahead to Twizel, so no time to waste!

Twizel is fairly central in the South Island and was originally a town born of a local power station. Its  now effectively reinvented itself as the gateway to Cook Mountain. We stayed in a beautiful cottage and had fresh eggs delivered by our hosts. We had two nights in Twizel and drove into the mountains for a full days walking on Monday through the Hooker Valley. NZ continues to amaze us. Cook Mountain is 12,200 feet high and is surrounded by an equally impressive mountain range. We walked high enough to enjoy lunch on the edge of a glacial lake.

The Lakes in the area are an amazing turquoise colour - almost hard to believe when you see it. Glacial water as it melts is grey colour caused by rock sediment but as it enters the lakes, it settles and the rock particles are suspended in the water. This creates a blue/turquoise colour. Its amazing what you learn on this blog! The only more beautiful thing I saw on the day was Maggie (she checks this for spelling later so bear with me). (Flattery will bet you everywhere Mr C! - Maggie)

As we left today for Christchurch, we said a fond farewell to this area, which was again so stunning. A final view of the Mount Cook Mountains - where we could have walked for days,

We have just landed in Christchurch through pouring rain, which thankfully stopped as we arrived. We are out for a meal tonight with Ghislane and Martin, again ex colleagues of Maggie's, who live here. Should be fun. More on the city later.................