Auckland

Back in Auckland for two days. Last minute shopping for Yvonne.
A day trip across to the island of Waiheke. It is called the Island of wine. Used to be New Zealand's hippy colony in the early 70's.
Now all very twee, with most properties costing in the millions. Enough to curl up the toes of an old hippie's sweaty sandle....

There is limited ground water, so every property has a water storage tank, which are used to store rainwater. So, luckily, it was raining when we visited.

So what do Yvonne and Mike think of New Zealand?

Both agree that we enjoyed our visit, but would not live here. Why, because it is too isolated, and a lot of Kiwi's are just a little too complacent for our tastes; just a little too conformist, almost as if their imagination's have become fossilised. Mean that as a collective. Many of the individual Kiwi's we met were lovely people.

Probably won't come again, reminded of the 70's and 80's, while many places cling to the 20's and 30's, others to the Victorian era!!
Where else can you buy golliwogs and fur coats? Where most beds have an electric blanket, and difficult to buy a sandwich or meal that does not have meat in it. One vegetation option, a cheese sandwich included 'bacon'. Small wonder why the Kiwi's have one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the southern hemisphere.

Having said that it would be a good place to bring up a family. Interestingly most of the Kiwi's we spoke to had grown up children who lived abroad; a lot in England. Many of those parents, who came to New Zealand as kids, still spoke of the UK as 'home'.

New Zealand has moved away from the apron strings of the UK and has developed its own, strong, identity. May even see it finally have a flag that represents New Zealand, and is not mistaken for the flag of Australia, lol.

Next stop home..

Leave you with some photos. On the boat out to Waiheke, Mike under umbrella with Yvonne on 'Palm beach', it didn't rain all day, example of Yvonne's stuff (on the left) and Mike's (right hand side of the table and the blue rucksack). 

Christchurch

Spent two days in the Jailhouse. Locked in our cell.... Let out from time to time for goodish behaviour.

Place was a real jail up until the last inmate left in 1999, since then was converted into a backpacker's place.
Looks very much like HMP Slade in Porridge on the inside. Understood why they sold earplugs at reception as sounds echo and reverberate around the landings and lower hall. Two nights was defiantly long enough!! 

Christchurch is still rebuilding post earthquake 2011, which killed 185, and injured 2000 people. Destroyed most of the city, and left many buildings unsafe. Rebuilding with steel and reinforced concrete. 

The trams are still operating, mainly for the tourist trade. The central shops are converted shipping containers, although these will soon be gone as the new quake proof buildings are completed and opened. Hope that they keep at least some of the containers as heritage.

While we were there there was a festival in the park, celebrating Christmas. Lots of local, and well known (to the Kiwi's) bands.
Went for a while, but all they sang were carols. Looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Tomorrow we catch a flight to Auckland for our last couple of days in New Zealand.

Leave you with some photos. Some lupine on the way to Christchurch, our accomodation, our cell door, Christchurch Cathedral, tram, cardboard Cathedral (roof supports made out of cardboard tubes), another tree. 

Mount Cook

3,724 metres. First climbed on Christmas day 1894.
Yvonne finally revealed what all the 'training' was for. Luckily for Mike it only meant a 3 hour hike along the valley, following the Tasman river to its 'iceberg' festooned lake. Fortunately, it was raining as well.

It is a gradual incline with some quite steep sections to the lake that the glaciers feed. There were two small, and rapidly melting 'bergs', about big enough for a large G&T. Any disappointment was quelled by the 50 mph gusts of wind driven rain.

It took much less time to return as the slope was to our advantage, and the wind was to our backs.

Staying at Mount Cook Lodge. Some fantastic views from our bedroom.

Some photos, view from the bedroom, Yvonne about to cross one of the tributary rivers, crossing one of three gorge bridge's, at the source (the little blue things in the distance are ice Berg's). 

Oamaru

Has defiant Victorian feel. The buildings are constructed from local limestone. Lots of quirky shops on the Victorian/steam theme.
It is the location of the 'Steampunk HQ'.
Most of the streets are named after rivers in England, Thames, Severn, Tyne etc.

There is a colony of little blue penguins that have established themselves in an old quarry, not far from the old harbour.

The Steampunk museum was fun. People come from all over the world to visit, and dress up accordingly; a bit like cyborgs descending on the town. They also have Mad periods when everyone dresses up in Victorian garb.

Went to see the little blue ones. They clamber out of the sea at dusk, after fishing all day. They have a gullet full of fish which they regurgitate for their young. It's breeding season during spring. Anyway, you can tell when you are near a penguin because the smell of rotting fish is almost overpowering. They are cute, but not cuddly.

Staying at a lovely home, big gardens, nice couple, friendly dogs, and breakfast provided.

Off to Mount Cook tomorrow.

Leave you with some photos. Yvonne swinging, spot the Little Blue penguin, Steampunk museum, In the infinitely room inside the museum, at the old harbour. 

Otago Peninsula

Here are sea lions and penguins. There are two main penguin types in New Zealand, the yellow eyed, and the little blue. The little blue is little, 20 or so centimetres, and the yellow eyed has, well, yellow eyes. It is about 3 to 4 times bigger, and is an endangered species. Both penguins are protected. Went to two places to view the yellow eyed penguins. One we paid, and saw a couple of them. Another place was free (donations accepted), and we saw lots, plus sea lions.

Went to another beach where there were seals sunning themselves in the dune's and on the beach.

Place is also famous for the Moeraki boulders. Strange large, spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach.
If you need to know what they are: these boulders are grey-colored septarian concretions.

Had a nice meal at Fleurs restaurant. Famous for its fish and sea dishes. We encountered two Chinese men, we think father and son.
Now Fleurs likes to think it's upmarket and sophisticated, you even have to book for a table (we had).
In jumps our two Chinese friends, the older one had some English, the younger one none, and orders. Luckily for them there has been a cancellation. The table next to ours becomes theirs. They order two sets of dinners for two, ie four dinners. One leaves for about 20 minutes and returns with a Bottle of Jacobs Creek white wine. Opens it and fills up the two water glasses. Waiter not amused. Fleurs has an extensive wine cellar. Anyway agree to pay corkage. They seem such a happy pair so that when one starts to take photos we take some for them using their camera. It turned what would have been a stuffy evening into light entertainment.
Yvonne kept looking for the hidden camera.

Tomorrow off to Oamaru to see some small blue penguins, and visit the famous 'steam punk' museum.

Leave you with some photos. It gets quite windy, spot the seal, a penguin we paid to see, a penguin we didn't, view from our bedroom, Yvonne on the rocks, more of those round stones. 

Dunedin

Twinned with Edinburgh. You can buy a lot of Scottish stuff, imported direct from Scotland. Want a kilt and bagpipes, nay problem. Perhaps some shortbread, and a pint of heavy, och aye. Even the style and building materials are reminiscent of parts of Edinburgh.

One of the four big cities in New Zealand. A big university city. Like many places in New Zealand has a lot of steep roads. Also the home of Speights brewery, so according to Mike all is forgiven!

Talking of steep roads, Dunedin boasts the steepest road in New Zealand. It is called Buchanan Street. 350 metres long, 1:5. Now Mike knows what all the training was for!!

Staying at Hogwarts. At the top of a hill, as you might expect. Close to a monastery and church. Staying in room nine and three quarters. Difficult to find the door as it is covered with the same wallpaper as the walls.
Very comfortable with all the comfort's of home. Staying for 2 nights. Stuffed owls all over the place, along with lots of people with pointy hats.

Spent 4 hours on a train exploring the Taieri valley's and gorge's. Spectacular scenery, some of which is only accessible by rail. Also spent a happy couple of hours being taken round the brewery, and sampling 5 different ales as many times as you liked. Yvonne did not drink her beers, so Mike helped... Cost $25. Mike drank at least $30 of beer (beer is quite expensive at around £4-5 a pint in the pubs).

Dunedin was crowded by New Zealand standards. Fleetwood Mac were in concert. So the place was teeming with 50+ year olds. Felt like a retirement city, or euthenasia by hilly roads.

Relatively New Zealand is far from packed with people and cars. The speed limit us 100 km per hour on derestricted roads. So one can toodle along for mile after mile and not see another vehicle. Then suddenly a pack of them zooms in doing 100 kmph, regardless of the actual road conditions, four or five vehicles nose to tail.
So there you are, doing a moderate 80, and the pack just stays behind making no effort to overtake despite having a view of 500 plus metres of clear roads ahead. Slow down to 60 and they just do the same. The only way to get them to overtake is to pull over. Then they pass, and accelerate to 100 kmph. This happens time and time again. A bit like Mad Max!!

Leave you with some photos. Hogwarts, our room, at the top of the steepest road, the bottom of the steepest road (it is so steep that the footpath on the right are steps. It begins where the road colour changes), Yvonne at the front of the train, a typical view. 

Ranfurly

This place is on the way to Dunedin. Decided to stay one night in a local holiday park. Hut after hut after hut. The front wall of our hut was sliding glass doors. The double bed was just under 6 foot long so it could fit in. However, all was clean and tidy.
There was a block containing showers, toilets and a kitchen.
Only saw one other couple. Didn't even grunt at us when we said hello! Just followed us with a beady eye.
Made sure the door was locked and bolted when we went to bed!!!

Next day went for a visit to 'The Real Dog Company'. This is why we went to Ranfurly. Place is owned and run by a couple who make all sorts of dog paraphernalia; collars; leads; dog harnesses; dog snow and road sledges, and they keep big husky dogs.

They breed them occasionally and the ones they keep and train, they keep for life. These dogs are used for long distance sled runs. Not the fastest, but have great stamina.
So we paid not much money to sit in the wheeled sleigh on a morning exercise run. 

The dogs seemed really happy, and took a shine to Yvonne, one in particular 'Bonnar',  even smiled for her....

Next stop is Dunedin where we are staying for two nights at Hogwartz.

Leave you with some photos. Big old husky dogs. Our hut. On the sled.

Queenstown

Queenstown is built from the shore up. Nice and flat around the jetties, then steep climbs up into the hills. Most of the residential area is located high up. Of course we had booked through 'airbnb' a self-contained apartment with fantastic views down into the bay. Left the car on the very steep driveway for the two days, and walked everywhere. Mike was sooo pleased!! 

There is a gondola which takes one up to a view point on top of a mountain, but to get to where the gondola goes up you have to climb up and up.

There were lots of shops open, so Yvonne was happy.

Queenstown has some very good restaurant's, so we had a very nice meal with some really good New Zealand wine.
There is also a famous burger joint called ' Fergburger'. Tried one. Couldn't see what all the fuss was about!!

Later on smelt popcorn. Followed nose and found a cinema, so went in and watched the latest Bond film, Spectre.

Enjoyed Queenstown, nice to be in a place with more than 10 people living in a few wooden bungalows, and some open shops.

Next we are off to another little place halfway to Dunedin for a little recreational dog sledging. A place called Ranfurly. 

Leave you with some photos.View from the bedroom window, our little apartment, part of the walk to and from the town centre, almost at the top, Mike walking up another happy incline, looking down over Queenstown.

Wanaka

Famous for its lake, and the most photographed tree in New Zealand. It also has a 'puzzle world'. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, maze's in the southern hemisphere. It took over an hour to get round it.
Not a great deal more to the place. Beginning to understand why the Kiwi's are into extreme sports, because New Zealand can be so tedious and boring. Not so much in the chilling out sense, more the 'why bother, what's the point?!!'.
Oh look another sheep!!

Like we arrive at a place and are all keen to explore, say at around 10 am. Go to a local shop or cafe or historic building (circa 1860's), or to a museum, or book in to some Accomadation... What happens.... Nobody in, no one working. If you are lucky there may be a sign in the window stating, 'back in half an hour'. The sign may well have been there for a month. Seems it's just so much more interesting to stay in bed!! (Probably counting sheep).

Anyway the most photographed tree in New Zealand was where it should have been, so Yvonne photographed it and so did Mike, several times.

Next stop Queenstown to find a few places that are open.

Leave you with some photos... A tower, Yvonne found a ice cream place that was open, New Zealand's most photographed tree, New Zealand's most photographed tree, New Zealand's most photographed tree, New Zealand's most photographed tree.