The “ Rocket Quickie”

28 March 2015

Our return trip up from the South island has been pretty quick, and our stop overs dictated more by cabins with Sky TV to watch cricket, than the need to catch up with blogs, and sleep in tents!

This out of sequence blog has forced its way to the front of the queue, before we forget! Our leg up from Tauranga to Orewa beach was about5 260kms, and meant fighting with Auckland’s Friday exodus, (more bad driving and road rage than usual, even by NZ’s underwhelming standards!)

So we detoured passed a Countdown, to pick up a bottle of cold Chardonnay, and a roast chicken for supper, and managed to erect our tent just in time before the heavens opened. An hour later, it was all gone, and the sun came out again. Mary and I laid our plastic African print table cloth on the camp table, set out our meal, and opened the Chardonnay. We seemed to be the only people watching the lovely sunset over the Owera beach.

I then became aware of the bright orange “Rocket” camper, 2 metres to our right,  beginning to take on a life of its own. I pointed this out to Mary, and asked, “Do you think what I think???” She took one look, and by then the rocking and bouncing had evolved into an unmistakable frenzy… Mary whispered back..”Oh …yes…. Definitely YES!!!”

The sudden realisation of our very close proximity to this primeval passion, made normal conversation, wining and dining somewhat awkward… so we sat there smiling knowingly, sipping our wine, waiting…….

After an impressive period of activity, the rocking slowed down to zero, and Mary said, ”At least they did not have squeaky springs!” Like a passing storm, calm was resumed, without even a Meg Ryan style “YES…YES…..!” or even a murmur.  Impressive self control we thought…. Unless it was a damp squib!

5 minutes later, a boxer shorted young man emerged with sponge bag and towel, and headed off to the “bluts” without giving us a sideways glance.

I, of course,  was more interested in seeing to object of his affections!  After some time had passed, when no-one else appeared, I began to think that this “Rocket Concierto”, must have been a Solo Artist……., when suddenly , the sliding door opened, and out popped a very flushed, pretty young woman, almost wearing her strappy sundress! She just smiled at us as if she had won the Olympic Gold, and said in her German accent,” Good evening!”

I was quite impressed with myself for managing to calmly reply, “Goeten Abendt?”, when what was really on the tip of my tongue, was “Goeten Bumpsen??”

Down south on South Island

 7th March 2015

46 deg 36.54 South,
168 deg 21.26 East

Originally we just regarded Invercargill as our turning point… a place to photograph the sign post, and try out the famed Bluff Oysters. But that was before we saw the “World’s Fastest Indian”!!  The film that is. 

Even then we imagined it being about some new, incredibly fast bowler making an impact in the ICC world Cup, or at the very least , some  “Dubbin shad fisherman” burying his over the limit fish in the sand with his toes!

Invercargill Main Street

The film, featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins, in fact tells the story of Invercargill’s Burt Munro’s  quest to break land speed records in his “Munro Special” .  This was his much modified  1920 vintage, 2 cylinder”Indian”motorcycle, which he took to Bonnievale in 1966/67, setting class speed records up to 308kph, which still stand to this day.

Fast Mary.....in the Munro Special. This can only get me into big shtuck as she is neither vintage nor fast!!!!!

At the time, he was in his sixties, and in 1977, shortly before his death, Norman Hayes , who owned the local hardware business, bought the Munro Special, together with all his tools, spare parts and bike bits.

"Offerings to the god of speed", the collection of all Bert's handmade pistons and things, made for his bikes

Munro’s collection, together with a fascinating collection of other special bikes, cars and machines,  now make “E Hayes & Co”, in Invercargill, probably the most interesting and different hardware shop in the world!

Built and owned thr pop singer Meatball

1965 6 cylinder Corvair powered Special......the sign stated "ideal for towing a caravan up Everest"

 We spent hours in the shop, before heading off to the bluff. Although it was a fine day, we decided that the return fares to Stewart Island, (+/-$155 pp) could not be justified, so we took a couple of photo’s of it, from the Bluff, and headed instead for the Catlins!

Deep fried and beer-battered Bluff Oysters.....R10 a pop!

The closest we got to Sterwart Island

Views from Bluff Lookout

The unique and special thing about Stewart Island however, is the variety of birdlife, which, unlike the "mainland islands", has not been devastated by the introduction of egg eating predators (mainly Possums and Stoats).

To do justice to this aspect would require a couple of days on the island, and we could not spare the extra days either, let alone the hotel bills! 

Stirling Point Lighthouse where we met a local skindiver with his  quota of 6 Paua (NZ perlemoen) and a couple of sea urchins

Reminded us of the kelp around Cape Point

The trees are shaped by the prevailing winds....luckily we avoided them

Moody..Magnificent Milford !!

3/3/2015

Mitre Peak lost in the clouds

 Our much anticipated Milford Sound adventure dawned all wet and miserable, and we, along with our fellow bus part, were pretty disappointed.  Our bus driver/tour guide, Rhys, then told us how lucky we were that it was raining, as this would allow us to see Milford at its magnificent best! 
‘Ya,well no , fine”… I thought, what else would you expect from a tour guide who has to sell Rain to tourists 240 days in a year?

Waterfalls in wonderland?

He was, however right, although he did qualify his view by adding that the rain needed to stop, and the clouds lift, while we went out on the launch! For the most part… it did this too!!

On the 120km bus trip from Te Anau to the Sound we passed the lovely Lake Gunn, the Eglington Valley , Knob Flats. We learnt that Milford was in fact a Fiord, and not a Sound….. created by a glacier, not a river.

Gunn Lake en route to the Sound

Mirror lake

Knob Flats

The Chasm

 We saw the Mirror Lakes, the Chasm, and the 1.2km long Homer tunnel, and thousands of non permanent waterfalls decorating the cliffs like Broekie Lace!

Our tour boat, the Spirit of Milford, was big and comfortable, and intentionally only carries about half of the 240 passengers it is capable of carrying, so there is ample opportunity to move around, and get out of the weather at times!

Bowen Falls

The Bowen Falls, at the head of the sound, provide not only the drinking water for Milford, but also the hydro electric power for the township.

The concealed entrance to Milford Sound from the Tasman Sea

The numerous waterfalls indeed made for a spectacular sight, as we headed out of the entrance into the Tasman sea,... an entrance that had been missed by Cook, and only discovered much later by a Welsh Sealer, driven into the sound while trying to escape one of the frequent storms!

 As we re-entered the Sound, we passed ”Seal Point”, and approached the Stirling Falls….one of the permanent falls under which the tour boats poke their bows, to drench and amaze their guests. The falls are incredibly high, (at 151mts, way higher than Niagra falls), but in the scale of the enormous sheer mountain cliff side (way taller than the world’s tallest buildings), it is easy to forget this.

 

Some nutty woman base jumped off this cliff face for an advert a few years back. She first had to climb down the face to the overhanging lip, after being lowered by helicopter, before leaping away and releasing her ‘chute. When she was lifted out of the water by the camera boat, the photographer apologised to her and said “Sorry, the camera jammed”, so you will have to do it again….

Her reply was unprintable ..   

Discovery Centre

From there we were taken to the Discovery Centre, a unique ,10mt deep reverse aquarium, where the creatures and sealife of Milford are afforded the chance to view tourists through glass windows, all peering out at them.

As we left the centre to head back to the Ferry terminal, the weather closed in again, and we realised quite how lucky we had been, to see Milford in all her moods.    

Yet more rivers and lakes

28^th Feb 2015

After our beautiful Fox Glacier experiences, we continued down the West Coast, stopping briefly at a Salmon Farm in Lake Paringo area, to purchase some fresh and smoked goods  in which to indulge. We continued down the coast to Haast, at the river mouth of the same name.

One of the breeding stock

Along the Haast River

A short walk through beautiful rain forest brought us to the Blue Pools

 From there we turned inland, following the Haast River Pass up along the river, past the “Gates of Haast”, until we reached northern end of Lake Wanaka. 

Lake Wanaka

The road follows the shoreline for about 20kms, before cutting eastwards, and meeting up with  yet another gorgeous lake,  Lake Hawea. 

Lake Hawea.........

..........lakes

and forgive me.......

more beautiful lakes!!!!!

 Again the road follows the shoreline for many kilometres, before cutting back to the most southerly end of Lake Wanaka.

That was enough beauty for one day, so we made camp at the Top 10 in Wanaka, which to be honest, was the first rather run down holiday park of this marquee that we had stayed in.

The next morning we woke up to a rather gloomy day, which dampened our spirits somewhat, as we made our way  past Lake Wakatipu, and through the tourist mecca of Queenstown, and on down to Te Anau, on the shore of Lake Te Anau!!!

From here we had booked our Discovery Tour of the Milford Sound for the Sunday, and we held thumbs that the weather would cooperate!