Talk about a contrast. The west coast of NZ is green and lush while the east coast has suffered a three month drought which gives it the appearance of southern Spain. We drive - no traffic at all - from Franz Joseph glacier on the west coast to Kaikoura, the home of whale watching on the Pacific. It has a peninsular and a bay with mountains soaring 8,500 feet above the seashore - very similar to Mijas and Marbella. Only the beaches - shingly and black sand - betray the volcanic origins of much of NZ.
Time to chill out for a few days and forget the driving - NZ is much larger than it looks on the map and we have already driven 2,000 kilometres. Colin finds the local squash club which is very friendly and enjoys four games. Good standard but Ealing's finest holds his own, if you see what we mean. Sadly there are tennis courts aplenty but no players so we take a four hour walk around the Peninsular - no kidding - and overface ourselves. It was advertised as two hours in the Lonely Planet guide book - they must have been runners.
The temperature was 30 degrees plus - bliss after the fjords which were distinctly glacial. Glad to settle down with a Steinlager in front of the Aussie Open - what was Murray doing losing to Verdasco? Feeling grumpy, as far as we could see.
Arose early to catch the calm seas to whale watch from a catamaran. The daughter of a sea captain managed to survive the two and a half hour voyage without resource to her sick bag. Sadly the grandson of a sea captain could not withstand the swell as we waited 45 minutes for a sperm whale to resurface and joined the other 50 per cent of passengers needing his. The sperm whale, clearly well known to the crew, was named Teiki and saved them from an 80 per cent refund given when no whales are seen.
We were able to celebrate the wedding of James and Terri in Wales with mutual friends Kate and Hamish with a toast of local pink bubbly. We wished them health and happiness.
Visited the local art deco 1930s cinema to see the movie Australia (don't bother). However the experience was enlivened by the 1930s technology which meant that every time a reel ended there was an unintentional interval and an immediate rush to the candy bar! Brought back memories of a byegone era.
Onto Havelock, home of green lipped mussels and a scenic drive from Picton where the ferry from Wellington docks. Yet again the owner of our motel is British as are so many of the bar and restaurant staff everywhere we go. Some have got out in time - we notice the pound continues to dive faster than a pearl fisher while the price of petrol in NZ has risen 15 per cent while we have been here - although not the price of diesel - curious.
Onto Blenheim, the capital of the Marlborough wine region and to another English owned B & B. We are situated opposite the Oyster Bay winery. Curious that the product is so much cheaper in Tesco than it is here. However very friendly hosts at most of the wineries and we visit Isabel, Cloudy Bay, Seresin (owned by Michael S, the cinemaphotographer on Midnight Express and other big movies). The latter winery is organic. We bought some delicious Reisling dessert wine from Cloudy Bay which is so special they refuse to export it. They are very generous with the tastings and we have had to pace ourselves carefully - if you believe that you'll believe anything as we are unused to the spitoon!
Blenheim is the sunshine capital of NZ with over 2,500 hours annually. Trust us to disprove this statistic as we enter Peter Jackson's vintage aircraft museum to view planes from WWI. The Red Baron's uniform was on display (Baron Von Richtofen, that is). As we entered the museum it was 22 degrees celcius. As we exited an hour later the temperature had dropped to 10 degrees, no kidding, a present from the Antarctic. we gathered. Incidentally this is the Peter Jackson who directed Lord of the Rings.
Off to catch the train to Christchurch where Linda will be reunited with her fleece thanks to the detective powers of our Auckland friend Dee. When you next hear from us we'll be in Kuala Lumpur catching up with Alex and Craig's wedding plans.
NZ has exceeded all our expectations. The whole place is clean and utterly beautiful. The natives are very friendly and justifiably proud of their country. No wonder so many emigrate to the land of the long white cloud.
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Tuesday 20 January 2009
South Island Serendipity.
Stayed in a truly first class hotel in Christchurch called the Chateau and what does Lady M do? Leave her fleece which is required wardrobe for visits to Milford and Doubtful Sounds plus homage to the Glaciers Fox and Franz Joseph.
However NZ is now living up to her beauty queen reputation and surely the Miss World title beckons. Every lake, every mountain is more magnificent and picture postcard perfect. Thank you Captain Cook for discovering this piece of earthly heaven. Only one problem so far - the pound sterling is falling faster than a sky diver. What's more NZ's finest wines are far cheaper in Ealing Waitrose than buying them where they are made - funny old world, isn't it?
Long journey from Christchurch to Queenstown, a friendly entrance to the world of fjords and glaciers, surrounded by mountains called the Remarkables. Lady M poses for a picture in front of them - naturally.
Onto Te Anau and a beautiful lake which managed to fulfil one of Colin's fantasies. We take off in a seaplane to fly over the mountains and see Doubtful Sound, so called because the aforementioned Captain Cook wasn't sure quite what it was. Lady M, who has always expressed great fear of small aircraft, was in ecstasy as pilot Allan Remnant took us within kissing distance of some of NZ's hughest peaks en route to Doubtful, a quiet and beautiful fjord. We went through sunshine, rain, snow, hail - the lot as we traversed micro climates in a 45 minute flight that was unforgettable. Colin has flown most aircraft from Spitfires to Concorde - but a seaplane landing and takeoff was a first. Brilliant!
The following day we took a cruise on Milford Sound. The car journey was spectacular enough, traversing mountain passes, seeing Mirror Lakes and seeing the bird life. The cruise, lasting two and a half hours, took us out to the Tasman Sea through the 13 kilometre fjord with its water falls and sheer mountain sides. Truly awesome and breathtaking. We saw dolphins, furry seals basking in the occasional sun and experienced warmth and freezing cold as rain set in. We purchased a couple of 3 dollar plastic capes - we looked stupid but at least we were dry. Getting wet under one of the water falls is alleged to take ten years off your life - we may be living proof that this is a genuine myth.
Thence to the glaciers. Franz Joseph is the more substantial and awe inspiring but Fox has its own special charm. We stayed in a motel near the Matheson Lake from which, on a good morning, you have a wonderful view of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook, the two tallest peaks in NZ, the latter more than 13,000 ft, losing 300ft two years ago when part of the summit was dislodged. Later we hope to show you a photo we achieved with the two mountains reflected in the lake.
Franz Joseph can be viewed by helicopter but we walked to the base of it, admiring the sheer power and majesty of what is surely the ninth wonder of the world. There is only one other glacier in the world - I'm not sure where - which, along with Fox, emerges at sea level for easy inspection by greedy tourists.
Now in need of a beer after three 90 minute walks we'll leave you - hopefully wanting more of our astonishing trip which, compared with the inauguration of President Barack Obama, is surely more newsworthy.
Stayed in a truly first class hotel in Christchurch called the Chateau and what does Lady M do? Leave her fleece which is required wardrobe for visits to Milford and Doubtful Sounds plus homage to the Glaciers Fox and Franz Joseph.
However NZ is now living up to her beauty queen reputation and surely the Miss World title beckons. Every lake, every mountain is more magnificent and picture postcard perfect. Thank you Captain Cook for discovering this piece of earthly heaven. Only one problem so far - the pound sterling is falling faster than a sky diver. What's more NZ's finest wines are far cheaper in Ealing Waitrose than buying them where they are made - funny old world, isn't it?
Long journey from Christchurch to Queenstown, a friendly entrance to the world of fjords and glaciers, surrounded by mountains called the Remarkables. Lady M poses for a picture in front of them - naturally.
Onto Te Anau and a beautiful lake which managed to fulfil one of Colin's fantasies. We take off in a seaplane to fly over the mountains and see Doubtful Sound, so called because the aforementioned Captain Cook wasn't sure quite what it was. Lady M, who has always expressed great fear of small aircraft, was in ecstasy as pilot Allan Remnant took us within kissing distance of some of NZ's hughest peaks en route to Doubtful, a quiet and beautiful fjord. We went through sunshine, rain, snow, hail - the lot as we traversed micro climates in a 45 minute flight that was unforgettable. Colin has flown most aircraft from Spitfires to Concorde - but a seaplane landing and takeoff was a first. Brilliant!
The following day we took a cruise on Milford Sound. The car journey was spectacular enough, traversing mountain passes, seeing Mirror Lakes and seeing the bird life. The cruise, lasting two and a half hours, took us out to the Tasman Sea through the 13 kilometre fjord with its water falls and sheer mountain sides. Truly awesome and breathtaking. We saw dolphins, furry seals basking in the occasional sun and experienced warmth and freezing cold as rain set in. We purchased a couple of 3 dollar plastic capes - we looked stupid but at least we were dry. Getting wet under one of the water falls is alleged to take ten years off your life - we may be living proof that this is a genuine myth.
Thence to the glaciers. Franz Joseph is the more substantial and awe inspiring but Fox has its own special charm. We stayed in a motel near the Matheson Lake from which, on a good morning, you have a wonderful view of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook, the two tallest peaks in NZ, the latter more than 13,000 ft, losing 300ft two years ago when part of the summit was dislodged. Later we hope to show you a photo we achieved with the two mountains reflected in the lake.
Franz Joseph can be viewed by helicopter but we walked to the base of it, admiring the sheer power and majesty of what is surely the ninth wonder of the world. There is only one other glacier in the world - I'm not sure where - which, along with Fox, emerges at sea level for easy inspection by greedy tourists.
Now in need of a beer after three 90 minute walks we'll leave you - hopefully wanting more of our astonishing trip which, compared with the inauguration of President Barack Obama, is surely more newsworthy.
Thursday 15 January 2009
North Island Newsletter
Our wonderful NZ hosts Dee and Chris suggested a trip to Coromandel, a Peninsula east of Auckland named after a little town in India with a much longer name than the Brit settlers could manage. It's a little timewarp reminiscent of Britain in the inter war period with clapboard houses and licensing hours that disappeared in the Blitz.
Our host Brian rented us a bungalow with a magnificent view over the Firth of Thames. Brian, 70, was a fish smoker, a sheep shearer and a restaurateur with a new burgeoning career as a whittler of walking sticks. He also knows his NZ.
New Zealand, on a brief acquaintance, is akin to a beauty queen - very beautiful on the surface but with depths not as hidden as she supposes. For example the big attraction Coromandel is Cathedral Cove and the Hot Water beach - forget them. Hot mud is overrated and a two hour walk to see a Cove is an exercise too far.
Brian knew this but was too cute to tell us outright. His next suggestion was on the button. The Driving Creek railway which snakes 1,200 feet into the mountain overlooking Coromandel is a sensation. It is the creation of NZ potter Barry Bricknell who originally built it to bring clay down from the hill quarry. Soon he discovered he had a tourist attraction whose income he could use to replant the mountains which had been logged and stripped to feed the Brits down the years. Now Kauri trees which will take 100 years to mature have replaced the sheep and cows which fed the Empire. Barry isn't shy about relating his views and gets even more enthusiastic about his proselytising when he spots a couple of Saga louts from London! Incidentally, if you're lucky he will give you a personalised chat at the Lookout with its magnificent views over Coromandel and Whitianga. The lookout is called the Eyefull Tower for obvious reasons.
To Touranga to see David Barons, a former National Hunt trainer from Devon responsible for many big winners including the Grand National winner Seagram. David and his (second) wife Anna emigrated to NZ six years ago and have a lovely house with a view over the Pacific, 60 acres and sheep and cattle.
David and Colin reminisce about the good old days of British racing. The current National Hunt champion trainer Paul Nicholls was his jockey and, subsequently, his assistant trainer. David and his wife have a business developing and building houses and seem very happy to be out of racing although they own a couple of potential jumpers for sale in Britain if anyone bites.
We overnighted in Rotorua, inhaled the sulphur fumes, saw a Maori show and enjoyed following white water rafters as they negotiated the Okere Falls and river.
Onwards to Lake Taupo, through wonderful countryside (imagine a cross between the Lake District and Wensleydale). We visited a geothermal area of outstanding beauty called Orakei Korako (the Hidden Valley). We navigated a lake to enter this pulsating and steaming location with caves, geysers and mud pools. Truly one of the wonders of NZ and very special.
Lake Taupo is huge and overlooked by the magnificent snow capped Mount Raupehu, a volcano which is still active. We watched bungee jumping into the spectacular Waikato river which winds its way from the lake to the Pacific just south of Auckland. We sat on Kinloch beach to recover, basking in 30 degree temperatures.
Onto Napier, a town on the east coast devastated by the 1931 earthquake. We stayed in the County hotel which is owned by David Barons' son Chris who also emigrated to NZ a few years ago. This was one of only two buildings to survive the earthquake. The town is now the epitome of Art Deco, which was the fashion when rebuilding took place in the 1930s.
David also has the New Zealand Wine Centre opposite his hotel where he shows films of the local wineries with each proprietor talking about their individual grape varieties. This is a novel, pioneering idea which attracts huge interest from the cruise liners calling in at Napier. It means that Saga louts like us don't have to visit wineries to get an idea of the produce. They can taste and experiment and 19 of the local wineries sell their produce there.
We did go to the Church Road winery, purchasing some of their prize winning 2007 Syrrah for our lovely Auckland hosts. They have produced wine there since 1897 but developed their reds only since the war when the legendary Tom McDonald took over production there.
Next - the South Island and the Mackenzies of the Rings.
Our host Brian rented us a bungalow with a magnificent view over the Firth of Thames. Brian, 70, was a fish smoker, a sheep shearer and a restaurateur with a new burgeoning career as a whittler of walking sticks. He also knows his NZ.
New Zealand, on a brief acquaintance, is akin to a beauty queen - very beautiful on the surface but with depths not as hidden as she supposes. For example the big attraction Coromandel is Cathedral Cove and the Hot Water beach - forget them. Hot mud is overrated and a two hour walk to see a Cove is an exercise too far.
Brian knew this but was too cute to tell us outright. His next suggestion was on the button. The Driving Creek railway which snakes 1,200 feet into the mountain overlooking Coromandel is a sensation. It is the creation of NZ potter Barry Bricknell who originally built it to bring clay down from the hill quarry. Soon he discovered he had a tourist attraction whose income he could use to replant the mountains which had been logged and stripped to feed the Brits down the years. Now Kauri trees which will take 100 years to mature have replaced the sheep and cows which fed the Empire. Barry isn't shy about relating his views and gets even more enthusiastic about his proselytising when he spots a couple of Saga louts from London! Incidentally, if you're lucky he will give you a personalised chat at the Lookout with its magnificent views over Coromandel and Whitianga. The lookout is called the Eyefull Tower for obvious reasons.
To Touranga to see David Barons, a former National Hunt trainer from Devon responsible for many big winners including the Grand National winner Seagram. David and his (second) wife Anna emigrated to NZ six years ago and have a lovely house with a view over the Pacific, 60 acres and sheep and cattle.
David and Colin reminisce about the good old days of British racing. The current National Hunt champion trainer Paul Nicholls was his jockey and, subsequently, his assistant trainer. David and his wife have a business developing and building houses and seem very happy to be out of racing although they own a couple of potential jumpers for sale in Britain if anyone bites.
We overnighted in Rotorua, inhaled the sulphur fumes, saw a Maori show and enjoyed following white water rafters as they negotiated the Okere Falls and river.
Onwards to Lake Taupo, through wonderful countryside (imagine a cross between the Lake District and Wensleydale). We visited a geothermal area of outstanding beauty called Orakei Korako (the Hidden Valley). We navigated a lake to enter this pulsating and steaming location with caves, geysers and mud pools. Truly one of the wonders of NZ and very special.
Lake Taupo is huge and overlooked by the magnificent snow capped Mount Raupehu, a volcano which is still active. We watched bungee jumping into the spectacular Waikato river which winds its way from the lake to the Pacific just south of Auckland. We sat on Kinloch beach to recover, basking in 30 degree temperatures.
Onto Napier, a town on the east coast devastated by the 1931 earthquake. We stayed in the County hotel which is owned by David Barons' son Chris who also emigrated to NZ a few years ago. This was one of only two buildings to survive the earthquake. The town is now the epitome of Art Deco, which was the fashion when rebuilding took place in the 1930s.
David also has the New Zealand Wine Centre opposite his hotel where he shows films of the local wineries with each proprietor talking about their individual grape varieties. This is a novel, pioneering idea which attracts huge interest from the cruise liners calling in at Napier. It means that Saga louts like us don't have to visit wineries to get an idea of the produce. They can taste and experiment and 19 of the local wineries sell their produce there.
We did go to the Church Road winery, purchasing some of their prize winning 2007 Syrrah for our lovely Auckland hosts. They have produced wine there since 1897 but developed their reds only since the war when the legendary Tom McDonald took over production there.
Next - the South Island and the Mackenzies of the Rings.
Tuesday 6 January 2009
Auckland, January 7.
We were on the point of congratulating Air New Zealand on a fabulous flight from London via Los Angeles when - bingo - they lost our luggage. But the wonders of modern technology yielded the vital information that the bags were in LA, removed in error by a jobsworth. Happily we and our three months worth of clothes were reunited within four hours, delivered to the home of our generous hosts Dee and Chris.
We've had a wonderful tour of Devonport and Mission Bay beach with a superb dinner at the harbour after admiring team New Zealand's Americas Cup yachts.
Today, Wednesday, we decided to indulge Colin's love of tennis by attending the ASB Classic, a women's tournament. Leading players such as Elena Dementieva and Caroline Wozniacki are taking part and we enjoyed watching our British hope Anne Keothavong win her way through to the quarters finals by beating the higher rated Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-4. Auckland's weather has lived up to our high hopes, so the sun block has already been well employed.
Tomorrow we are off to Coromandel, a coastline of idyllic beaches to the east of Auckland - thence to visit David Barons, a National Hunt trainer who emigrated to New Zealand 15 years ago. We'll keep you posted!
We were on the point of congratulating Air New Zealand on a fabulous flight from London via Los Angeles when - bingo - they lost our luggage. But the wonders of modern technology yielded the vital information that the bags were in LA, removed in error by a jobsworth. Happily we and our three months worth of clothes were reunited within four hours, delivered to the home of our generous hosts Dee and Chris.
We've had a wonderful tour of Devonport and Mission Bay beach with a superb dinner at the harbour after admiring team New Zealand's Americas Cup yachts.
Today, Wednesday, we decided to indulge Colin's love of tennis by attending the ASB Classic, a women's tournament. Leading players such as Elena Dementieva and Caroline Wozniacki are taking part and we enjoyed watching our British hope Anne Keothavong win her way through to the quarters finals by beating the higher rated Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-4. Auckland's weather has lived up to our high hopes, so the sun block has already been well employed.
Tomorrow we are off to Coromandel, a coastline of idyllic beaches to the east of Auckland - thence to visit David Barons, a National Hunt trainer who emigrated to New Zealand 15 years ago. We'll keep you posted!
Thursday 1 January 2009
Off Soon
Undergoing training from our expert daughter, Alex, who thrilled us by announcing her engagement to Craig who, like her, lives in Kuala Lumpur. We're off on Sunday January 4th for the start of our Most Excellent Adventure, which assumes life in Auckland on Jan 6th. We look forward to entertaining you with news of our thrills and spills.
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