Picton to Opua in a flash!

01/04/2015

 

Kiwi country? South Africans will be thinking chickens!

We caught the 1.15 pm ferry from Picton, and although the sea was flat, the sky was dull, grey and chilly, so we hunkered down in comfortable chairs for the crossing. After disembarking, we headed north in foul weather through the Hutt valley and on to the wine district of Martinborough, via a quite hairy pass!!

Our late arrival combined with big rain, led to us once again choosing cabin over tent! This also enabled us to have an early start to Napier, which was our next stop.

Napier had also suffered a major earthquake in about 1931, and much of the rebuilding was done in an Art-deco style: a theme which has been continued to this day.

A cruise ship was in when we arrived, and the place was a madhouse!

We decided to retire to the Kennedy Holiday Park, to watch the RSA vs NZ match, and to explore Napier the following day. A very sad outcome, where our strike bowlers failed to deliver when it mattered……..nevertheless, it was a fantastic, and exciting match!

Even the salesman in the fresh fish shop next morning gave us his commiserations and said it was worthy of a final! We enjoyed exploring Napier, and really liked the town.

We had originally intended to return via Gisborne, where Cook first made landfall, but decided to take the more direct route through Taupo, as we still had a date with a Spa! We had also rushed through the area with Kate last year, and knew that we had missed things.

Lunch at Lake Taupo

Watched by ever-expectant gulls

We found our totally exclusive, FREE and 100% private spa…. Right in the middle of a cow paddock! Butchers Pool! After much deliberation, we changed into our cozies, and much to the amusement of all the cows around, eased into the very hot, soothing waters with no sulphur pong!

Cooked like a crayfish!!!!
We also visited the Aratiatia Rapids, which now only perform when the sluice gates are opened a few times per day. The main flow of the Waikato river is diverted through the Hydroelectric power station, so the rapids can only be seen when the gates are opened.

From there we drove down towards Tauranga, where we camped at the Papamoa Beach Holiday Park. Once again we needed to find a Sky Pub to watch the Aus vs India match. The Aussies gave the reigning champions a hiding, and gave the Black Caps something to think about!

Our next leg was up to Whangerei, where we stayed for two nights in a Motel cabin with Sky. We met up again with Chris and Steve, who invited us for supper, with Steve cooking a fantastic Carbonara.

The next morning, Mary and I dried, and repacked our tent and camping gear, and used the laundry to wash all our bedding and clothing before going back to Sheer Tenacity. That night, Chris and Steve joined us for a lamb steak meal in our Motel, and to watch Australia completely outplay the Black Caps, and win the world Cup!

After a big Countdown shop the next morning, we were on our way to Opua, where we were reunited with Sheer Tenacity.

5500kms, and 6 weeks of fantastic touring and camping behind us….. but it is great to be back, and sleeping in our own bed again!! New Zealand is a spectacular country in which to travel, but Mary and I could not help but feel that it lacked something.…the diversity of birds and wildlife, which we take for granted in Africa.

As I post this last blog of our  southern road show, I can also report that we have just sold our little Toyota Ipsum… our fantastic “Mrs Paki”, and will have to hand her over next Friday…….. which means a whole heap of things to do between now and then!

Hanmer Springs, Kaikoura and Blenheim.

22/3/2015

 

Bungee girl

From the cold and wet Christchurch, we headed up to Hanmer Springs, intent on a warm Spa Bath!  On the first bridge on the turn off to Hanmer Springs, we came across a young lady about to bungee jump . We drove on to a look out point, which was about ½ mile away, and too far away to see……. But not too far to hear her screaming as she enjoyed her 10 seconds of terror! Enough to confirm our view point that bridges are made for driving over, … and not jumping off!!

The town itself is primarily a winter ski resort, offering river adventure sports, and spa baths in summer. It is quite attractive, in an Alpine style, and we decided to stay in a cabin with TV, rather than pitch the tent…. Besides, RSA were playing NZ!

Well, that did not go too well, with rain once again getting in our hair, and F… worth and Clueless, setting the targets! To be honest…... we had enough runs, but our key bowlers let us down. Were Dale and Vernon fit?

The next morning dawned even colder, so we bailed out of the Spa bath option. The thought of dropping one’s rods in subzero temperatures, with a streaming cold, and jumping into a hot tub at R180 each for 15 minutes, and then having to get out and dressed again….. just did not appeal! We promised ourselves a luxury spa bath all to ourselves, at some later stage!

Instead, we drove up the Lewis pass, and took in some lovely scenery, returning in time for a cheese and wine lunch and a nap.

The next morning we drove down to Kaikoura, the crayfish capital and whale watching centre of NZ, determined to sample their “crays”. As luck would have it, the season was closed, and we felt we had seen enough whales in our lives not to have to pay yet again!

When we saw the cray prices at R350 a pop, we were not too sad to have missed out… especially when we remembered our Hout bay pig outs!

From Kaikoura, we headed north to Blenheim, and Sauvignon Blanc HQ. The viticulture techniques were quite different, and entirely geared towards mechanised grape picking. The vineyards were all very neatly laid out.

Perhaps the most memorable visit was to Peter Jackson’s Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, which houses the world’s best collection of WW1 aircraft and replicas, brought to life, with a series of dioramas depicting dramatic wartime scenes, such as the death of Baron Von Richthoven ( Red Baron).

Picture can tell the story better than words! 

Death of the Red Baron and the looting that occurred

The stolen boots have subsequently been recovered

Blue Max

Geraldine, Akaroa and Christchurch

18/3/2015

NZ country entertainment!!

 After the Mt Cook experience, which was a real highlight of our travels, we headed on towards Christchurch, passing Lake Tekapo , the Hydroelectric power station, the Salmon farm, and the skiing town of Fairlie, before stopping in the Top 10 in Geraldine.

We were amazed to find it so full! I asked a local why it was so busy. “It’s the National Sheep shagging competition!!”, I thought I heard him say. “What!!!!?”

“The National sheep speed shearing competition”, he repeated. I had heard that New Zealanders had some strange habits, but I was very relieved to have this one clarified!

Mary and I had wanted to find a Pub with Sky, so that we could watch some cricket anyway, so we set off into Geraldine. It’s a pretty country town, and the Pub with Sky was right in the High street…… exactly where the Speed Shearing event was taking place. Cricket fetched a low priority, on the list of entertainment that evening. Being a Sports & Gaming Pub, the ranking was as follows: -

1)    Meat raffle tickets for the local rugby club.

2)    Dog racing

3)    Horse racing

4)    National Speed shearing completion with full on TAB betting!!

5)    Blues vs Hurricanes rugby

6)    ICC cricket RSA vs Pakistan!

The trucks and trailers for the Sheep Shearing formed a lager around the Pub, and despite the rain, this was where the real action was taking place.

Sheep were being sheared at the rate of 2 per contestant every 1 minute 25 seconds! The cheering, clapping , foot stomping and cat calls were worthy of a rugby world cup final!

Yes , we watched in amazement for about 10 minutes……. But this was an all-night event, where the Champion was going to be challenged by the Retiring New Zealand National  Speed Shearing  Champion of the past 18 years!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!

Too much excitement for one night! We had to go back to camp, to plan our next day!

The magnificent view approaching Akaroa Harbour on the Banks Peninsula

View from our campsite overlooking the harbour

The town of Akaroa lies in a flooded volcanic crater, on the Banks Peninsula…. Named Banks by Cook after his biologist, who mistakenly thought it was an island. It has a lovely French ambiance, as a result of the first 57 settlers there being French. A French whaling captain, Jean Langlois, had bought the land from the local Maori chief, and after his return to France, had arranged it to be settled by French Immigrants. By the time they arrived in 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed by the British,  so with about 7 days to spare, the Brits stopped the French from occupying the South Island! The 57 French settlers decided to stay anyway……. Hence the French culture there!

 The following day we drove on to Christchurch, where we stayed with Sid and Vangi Weil. Sid and I had first met in 1968 at UCT, where we studied Business Science together. Sid and Vangi later emigrated to NZ , where they raised their two gorgeous  girls, far away from the madness of South African society.

 Sid has retired as Professor of Accounting at Lincoln University, and Vangi, a classical pianist, has a very successful music and piano teaching business. It was great to be able to catch up with each other’s lives, and equally special to do so sharing a bottle of 1993 Nederberg Pinotage, which Sid opened for the occasion.

With Vangi and Sid both teaching on Tuesday , Mary & I went to explore  the city of Christchurch. 

 

They are trying to preserve some of the original facades and this is how they are going about it.......using banks of containers to prop it all up while rebuilding from behind

80% of the old buildings are being recycled, hence this huge pile of concrete

Restart Mall, set up using containers to bring life back into the city centre quickly

The original trams are once again operating albeit on a limited route

The Museum and Art Centre seemed to escape the worst

The gardens were peaceful and colourful after the gloom of the rest of the city 

A pretty restored street, of pastel coloured Spanish Mission architecture

The future of the severely damaged Cathedral still hangs in the balance 

 Strange blend of architectural styles.......a modern construction tacked on behind an old facade

The cold gloomy weather did not help, but we left with the feeling that it was a rather sad and depressed city, struggling to find itself again. We can only wish them all well.We saw the devastation, and the reconstruction efforts, after the Quake. We travelled on the trams, went to the Botanical gardens, and learnt of the pain and anguish the people of Christchurch are enduring, in respect of the lost buildings, the insurance settlement issues….and the divisions…. to demolish or to restore the Cathedral etc.