28th - 29th March

On 28th March we left Kaka Point and drove to Dunedin. We followed the Southern Scenic Highway, and the second half of the drive was alongside a beautiful coastline through Taieri Mouth and Brighton.
On arrival in Dunedin we decided to head for the Otago Peninsula to try to find a motel with a sea view (we got spoiled by the wonderful view we had at Kaka Point). But we felt the peninsula was too far out of town so we did an about turn and headed back to the city. We found a nice motel, Tourist Court Cottages, and we are in a very modern unit and have great hosts who even do the washing up for us!
Today, 29th March we took the trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway, a unique half day train journey from Dunedin to Pukerangi and return which offers some of the most spectacular scenery in New Zealand. This scenic journey had been recommended to us by several people and they were not wrong.

It was spectacular. We followed the Taieri River looking down to it in a deep gorge. With the sun shining on it, it was like a silver ribbon deep below us.





We went over the Wingatui Viaduct, 197m long and 47m high and is one of the largest wrought iron structures in the Southern Hemisphere


On return the lure of a visit to the Dunedin Cadbury World was too great. With the offer of loads of free chocolate we felt we just couldn't miss out. But the visit was disappointing. We were hoping to actually see the chocolate making process in operation but because of strict H&S rules we didn't see anything of the production lines at all, just presentations on various DVD's along the way. But we did leave with a bag full of goodies!
Next to Cadbury World was the Chinese Garden. We passed it on the train and it looked lovely. It was:


Our final visit of the day was to Baldwin Street which, according to The Guinness Book of Records, is the steepest in the world. Terry would not let me drive to the top but made me walk up. Believe me, it was very steep





So ends another fabulous day in New Zealand.

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26th - 27th March

The weather forecast for Stewart Island yesterday, 26th March, was rain so we decided the night before to set an early alarm and go for the 8am ferry back to Bluff. We were originally booked on the 6.30pm ferry but as there is very little to do on the island except outdoor activities, like walking, we thought it best to get back to the mainland and journey onwards. It was a good decision as it was pouring with rain.

We collected our luggage and the car from the Backpackers in Bluff and headed off towards The Catlins, a major highlight of the Southern Scenic Route in Otago. It was a lousy day, rain and very low cloud hiding the hilltops so we missed out on any spectacular scenery although the drive through the Catlins Coastal Rainforest was lovely. We stopped off at Curio Bay to see the fossil forest which was exposed at low tide. This forest was destroyed by volcanic debris in the Jurassic Period and fossilised tree trunks are clearly visible (obviously not the wooden pole in the foreground!)

We were heading for the town of Balclutha but saw a signpost, just before we reached the town, to Kaka Point so we turned off the main road to see what we could find. And we had no regrets at all as we found a nice motel set up a hill above a beautiful beach. This is the view from the balcony:


After we checked in our host showed us on a map where to go to see the rare Yellow Eyed Penguins come ashore at dusk. It was only a short 15-20 minute drive from the motel along the coastal gravel road to Roaring Bay on Nugget Point (visible in above photograph). There was a hide there, and we were lucky enough to see 3 penguins. Two were asleep in the grass just off the beach and one of them was kind enough to stand up to have a stretch and pose for us for 10 minutes or so. Long enough to get a good view through binoculars and to take a zoomed-in photo


A third penguin appeared out of the sea and waddled up the beach


How lucky were we?

Today, 27th March has been a complete washout. Fog and heavy rain all day. So we took advantage of it and had a 'rest day' after our somewhat hectic time on Stewart Island. We did some laundry and made a brief visit to a supermarket in Balclutha for a few necessities and a visit to a garage to top up with petrol. In this area both supermarkets and petrol stations are in very short supply, so we are ever watchful of the fuel gauge in the car.

Tomorrow we are heading up to Dunedin for probably 3 nights.

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25th March - Penguins, Albatross and Kiwis

I am loathe to use the word 'awesome' but today has definitely been an awesome day. We woke up to a glorious morning, wall to wall blue sky and sunshine. The dawn colours were amazing:

We were booked to go on the 'Paterson Inlet Cruise' during the afternoon so spent time until then strolling around the Halfmoon Bay area. We walked the short distance to the next little bay called Bathing Bay, and it really did give one the urge to don a cossie and brave the water:


We boarded the boat at the wharf at 12.30 and set off across to Ulva Island. On the way over we were lucky enough to see the tiny Little Blue Penguins, which are hardly bigger than your average seabirds, and White-capped Albatross which were really big.


Ulva Island is the largest of several islands in the Paterson Inlet and is a place where native plants and birds can live in a safe environment.


We had a walk, led by a nature guide, through the pristine native bush where we saw many interesting birds including the Stewart Island robin, the New Zealand wood pigeon, kakas, and a rare viewing of a saddleback. (This pic is the best I could do I'm afraid).





We then cruised the Inlet and were able to see lovely little deserted beaches and coves only accessible by sea. A very interesting afternoon.

During the morning we heard of a night time cruise to another part of the island for kiwi spotting. We went to the Information Centre to book it but were told the trip depended on numbers - a minimum of 5 were needed and, at that time we were the only two who had confirmed although there were another two who could be interested. We were asked to return at 6.15 to see if the trip was on or not. So we were on tenderhooks all day waiting to find out. Seeing a kiwi in it's natural surroundings was something I really wanted to do. Anyway, the gods were with us as the other two confirmed and the skipper said that as we had been patient enough to wait all day he would go with just 4 people.
So we set off from the wharf at 8pm and motored at speed for about half an hour to where the the kiwis are usually seen. By the time we got there it was completely dark and we set off with a torch each, following a guide through the bush. Never was I so pleased that there are no snakes in New Zealand! We couldn't see a thing except the pool of light from the torches guiding our way along the rough path. After about half an hour's walk we came to Ocean Beach where the kiwis come out of the bush at night to feed on sand hoppers. And ..... we saw FOUR! Well, it may have been three as we saw a male (which is smaller and has a shorter beak than the female), a chick and two females but it could be that we saw the same female twice. It was such a thrill to see these rare and elusive native New Zealand flightless birds. That trip was almost worth coming to New Zealand for even if I didn't see or do anything else! We walked the length of the beach and back being plagued by millions of sand flies and sand hoppers and it also started to rain slightly, but that didn't matter at all!
Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos as only the guide's torch was used so as not to frighten them away, and it was too dark for photography. Believe me, I did try - on just about every camera setting I had - but ended up with about 25 plain black photos!
Finally, here is a photo of the sunset we experienced on the way to the kiwi beach. A glorious ending to a glorious day.


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23rd - 24th March. Stewart Island.

Someone recently said, and I can't remember who, that Stewart Island must look just the same today as New Zealand did when Captain Cook discovered it in the 1770's. That I entirely agree with. It is New Zealand nature in the raw. An amazing place.
Yesterday, Wednesday 23rd we drove from Arrowtown to Bluff. About 220kms. The first part of the journey was very scenic, down the length of Lake Wakatipu to Kingston. The remainder was mainly farmland and we passed through very few villages or towns. We did stop in a small town called Lumsden for coffee, then a break in Winton. We had lunch in Invercargill which seems a very nice place and we may well take a further look around there when we leave here. We arrived in Bluff and found our accommodation. I will not say 'hotel' or 'motel' because it wasn't. It was a very basic Backpackers Hostel. I think adequate describes it. But at least we had a bed for the night.
Bluff seems to be the 'be all and end all' of everywhere. A totally non-descript town which seems to have nothing going for it at all except to be a port and the terminal for the Stewart Island Ferry. There are a few interesting facts about Bluff, one being it was the place where Europeans first settled in New Zealand, and another is that it is the closest port to Australia. Not a lot of people know that! It was lovely at Stirling Point - the very beginning of Highway 1 which goes all the way up to the northernmost Cape Reinga in North Island.

Today, 24th March we caught the 9.30 ferry to Stewart Island. We carried only a small bag each as we were able to leave our suitcases safely (we hope) at the Backpackers. We were able to leave the car there too.
The ferry crossing took an hour and we arrived at this little paradise on earth. After settling into our hotel, right on the seafront of Horseshoe Bay



we met an Australian guy who told us of a 2 hour walk he had just returned from. It sounded good to us so we decided to do it too. It was a glorious walk along a coastal path through native bush. It was quite spectacular. The sun shone and the sky and sea were deep blue. The Oz man said 'there are a few steps'. I must find out the Oz definition of 'few' - there were ruddy hundreds, both up and down! We were quite exhausted at the end but both agree it was a walk well worth taking.








We had pre-booked a guided walk for the evening, and went along to the meeting point at 6pm with some trepidation as to what we had let ourselves in for, especially after such a long walk, probably 6 or 7 kilometres up and down hill (with hundreds of steps) this afternoon. The evening walk turned out to be about 5 kilometres led by a very likeable and knowledgeable nature guide who went to great lengths telling us about the native trees and plants of New Zealand and the conservation and replanting efforts here on Stewart Island. We were so interested in listening to him that we forgot how tired we were.
All in all a beautiful day. Helped no doubt by the glorious weather.


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22nd March - Arrowtown

Terry and I have spent the day in and around Arrowtown. We both agree that this is probably the prettiest town we have seen in New Zealand - and Terry is a born and bred Kiwi!
After a slow start we wandered into the town, looking at the lovely houses and gardens and then browsed the shops for a bit. Many of the houses in the old town area are original old settlers houses, beautifully cared for

and the little old settler's cottages equally so.


The main street seems as though it has hardly changed since it was built in the late 1800's.


In 2009 Terry and I visited Alaska and this town reminds us of Skagway - built in roughly the same era, both gold mining towns and both surrounded by mountains.
We bought ourselves a picnic lunch and sat by the Arrow River to eat it and
afterwards we took a long walk along the river, very pretty.


After a brief sojourn at our motel


for a much needed cup of tea we drove a short distance up a nearby high hill (small mountain?) to a viewing point. This photo shows the road we drove up. Luckily it was Terry's turn at the wheel


and this final photo shows a lovely view towards Lake Hayes with a deer farm in the foreground.


All in all, a very pleasant day in this beautiful little town.

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17th - 21st March

Life has been fairly hectic since last posting, hence the delay. 17th and 18th March were spent at Terry's house sorting out and packing for our departure to the South Island on the 19th.
We departed Wellington Airport for Christchurch at 5pm. It was just a 40 minute flight and, after collecting our luggage from the carousel and picking up our hire car we were on the way to a small town called Geraldine where were were booked into a motel for the night. It was about a 2 hour drive. Our original plan to stay 3 nights in Christchurch were thwarted by the earthquake. We have a very nice automatic Toyota Corolla hatchback which suits us very well.
20th March (Happy Birthday Clare) was spent on the road. Our first stop was at Lake Tekapo from where we had booked a helicopter flight to fly around Mount Cook and the glaciers, with a snow landing somewhere. But, disappointingly, this was cancelled due to low cloud. We plan to try for another flight from the West Coast somewhere the week after next. Lake Tekapo is a beautiful place, so peaceful and with the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd on the shore of the lake.

We met up with Clare, Dave and their friend Georgie in the evening for a birthday meal. They had been recommended a restaurant in Queenstown on the shore of the lake called 'Prime', and it was excellent. We all had a really good evening.


We are staying 3 nights in The Settlers Cottage Motel in Arrowtown about 20 minutes from Queenstown. It is very quiet and comfortable.
Yesterday we met up with Clare et al and had a wander around Arrowtown and the Chinese Village, where the Chinese settled on their quest for gold in the 1860's. We then drove about 30K out of town to visit the historic Goldfields Mining Centre. On the way we stopped at the original bungy jump bridge, A.J. Hackett. People were queueing up to pay the NZ$180 for the privilege of scaring themselves to death! I have to admit to being a little bit tempted but in the end was not stupid enough to risk life and limb. I'm probably too old anyway.
We drove past the goldfields on our way into Queenstown and decided we wanted to pay a visit. It was very interesting and we panned for gold but, unfortunately, hopes of finding enough gold to fund this holiday were dashed, I found none! Clare, Dave and I also had a jet boat ride. That was terrifying but terrific. I got absolutely soaked right through but luckily the sun was hot enough to pretty well dry me out afterwards.

We went to Clare's lovely lakeside apartment near Queenstown in the evening for a BBQ. There is one in the grounds for all to use.


A lovely evening, and they put on a great spread. Clare etc leave the area today and are heading back up to Chrisrchurch and tomorrow we head south to Bluff and Stewart Island.

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16th March - Kapiti Island

Today we had a beautiful day on the offshore Kapiti Island, a protected nature reserve owned by the local Maori tribe about 3 miles off the mainland. There are no predators whatsoever on the island - rats, mice, possums etc. Although a stoat somehow got onto the island recently, goodness knows how, but it was trapped. Fortunately, it was a male. Had it been a pregnant female it could have been catastrophic.
http://www.kapiti.org.nz/kapiti.html
Access to the island is very limited, only 18 people per day are permitted to the north end of the island that we went to. Lynne, Terry's niece, came with us and we set off on a small boat from the beach at Paraparaumu. There is no landing stage there so the boat was towed onto the beach by a very large tractor. We had to have our bags searched to check we were not inadvertently carrying a rodent.

The day dawned disappointingly cloudy and drizzly, but fortunately it cleared up to be a lovely sunny day with unbroken blue sky. The crossing only took about 15 minutes, and we disembarked onto a beach.


After an introductory talk by a local Maori resident we set off on a 2 hour nature trail. We climbed up to one of the peaks, not the highest on the island although in the hot sun it felt like it.


We had our picnic lunch at the top, accompanied by an ever hopeful Weka. They are known to take food out of picnic bags. We had to be very careful as the feeding of birds on the island is strictly prohibited.


The whole day was very scenic, beautiful views both over the unspoilt island and across the Otaheke Straight to the mainland.


The walk down seemed almost as arduous as the way up. We took a slight detour at the bottom to go to the area around the Okupe Lagoon which is very popular with water fowl. There is no fresh water inlet to it so it was a bit brackish and somewhat smelly, but that didn't bother the birds!


We arrived back at the beach about an hour before the boat was due to depart so we went to a local house that served tea and scones - very welcome. There were lots of Kaka's there (a brown New Zealand parrot) who would take the food out of your mouth if you weren't careful! Again, bird feeding is not allowed - I wished someone would tell the birds.


We were also very fortunate as we saw the very rare Takahe. This lovely bird (which looks a bit like a blue chicken and about the same size) was thought to be extinct until a few were found in the late 1940's. There are now 14 on the island with others in protected areas on the mainland. We saw a mother and daughter:



On arrival back at Paraparaumu the boat was towed out of the sea by the same huge tractor, over the beach and right into the car park. Very novel.
All in all, a lovely but tiring day. Takeaway was on the menu for our evening meal!

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11th - 15th March

I haven't blogged much for the past few days as we have just been chilling at Terry's house in Waikanae.

On Friday 11th March we drove from Ohakune to Waikanae. It was a very scenic drive as far as Whangangui where we had morning coffee. It was pretty amazing that on the almost 100K drive to Whanganui we passed no townships at all. Not even a garage or small general store. We were still in pretty mountainous country and the views were again stunning - what I could see as I was driving that day! We again drove down through Bulls, with the a-bull signage, and stopped at Foxton Beach to eat our 'Subway', bought in Bulls (again, I loved the 'Subway' sign)

On return to Terry's house I had the luxury of unpacking my suitcase and actually putting my stuff away in drawers and wardrobe for a week, until we take off on our travels again on 19th.

Apart from the walks on the beautiful beaches around here and out for morning coffee, we have done very little this week. Sunday was a beautiful day and we walked along Paraparaumu beach


and in the evening we went a little way up the hill behind Waikanae to take some photos of the sun setting over Kapiti Island


I have been so lucky with the weather since I have been in New Zealand, mostly warm/hot sunshine, very little rain at all.


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10th March - A River Adventure

Today has been a fabulous day. We were booked for a full day trip on the Whanganui river on a replica old riverboat called Adventurer II.
http://www.adventurer.net.nz/content/17/54/
We were collected by minibus at 7.15am and it took around 2 hours to reach the landing stage at Whakahoro, over the last hour of which was over a single track, unsealed, rough and stoney road. Quite hair-raising at times, especially on the hairpin bends with huge gorges below. Luckily the driver has done the route hundreds of times so knew the road well.

When we reached the landing stage we had a bit of a shock. Most of it had been washed away by a flood a few days ago and we had to scramble down a muddy bank then 'walk the plank' to get on board.


There were only 5 passengers (6 including the minibus driver) and 2 crew: Vance, the skipper and Robert, the boat builder and part owner - a couple of real characters and difficult to describe. But they were both brilliant and knew and could read the river well.

Although the river had been in flood a few days ago the level was very low today and Vance had difficulty in setting off and turning the boat to face the right direction. Eventually we got underway and it was a stunning trip in unspoilt natural surroundings. So peaceful and the only sounds were the river and birds.


We had difficulty navigating the rapids (we were going against the current) and several time the boat's reinforced steel bottom rubbed along the rocks and stones making somewhat alarming sounds. The river was only a few inches deep at times.


Eventually we reached some shallows that the boat could not cope with so the crew tried winching it over. But unfortunately the tree trunk the cable was tied to became uprooted so we gave it up as a bad job and moored alongside the river bank where we were served a lovely lunch. We spent probably a couple of hours there chatting amongst ourselves and at one stage were joined by a Swiss couple who were kayaking the river. They were invited for a cup of tea by Vance, to much hilarity!
All too soon we returned to the landing stage and began the long tortuous journey home. We are both pretty exhausted this evening.

There are more photos with descriptions on my Picasaweb site:
https://picasaweb.google.com/judystevens17/NewZealandFebApril2011#

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