Day 19

We had a Jet Boat tour scheduled for today.  The weather forecast when we got up showed rain starting at 2.  Since we were supposed to be back by then, we figured we'd be OK.

We were wrong.  Just before the bus left the city, they gave us the option to cancel because the conditions where we were going were "heavy".  That meant not good.

Due at lot to the fact that we had already experienced many cancellations, we decided to go ahead.  Most people on the bus made the same decision, but several cancelled.

It was raining and very windy on the boat.  Michele and Cheryl lucked out and sat in the front row, behind the windshield.  Malcolm and I were in row 3.  Not behind the windshield.  Kind of in the spot where everything that doesn't hit the windshield goes.

BBs in the face from a machine gun.  Sleet at 50 mph.  Riding a motorcycle in the rain with no helmet.  I think you get the picture.  Still, it was fun.  Not nearly as fun as bright sunshine would have been, but still...

We also got to see some of the places they filmed the LOTR and Hobbit movies.  We got to walk in one of the woods used for filming.

Left at 7:45, got back at 1:30.  Had lunch at the harbour, then the rain began.  We're packing it in for the day, unless it clears enough for ice cream.  Always time for ice cream.

Day 18

More nice weather today.  Today is only a short drive from Wanaka to Queenstown.  Made a couple of stops along the way, but the highlight was trading in the POS Holden Captiva we have been driving since Day 1 for a brand new Toyota Highlander.  What a difference!  More storage, more legroom, comfier seating and best of all - better gas mileage.  And only 1,900 km!

The weather forecast for Day 19 was not good, and we had an evening boat cruise scheduled.  We managed to get it switched to tonight.  We cruised on the TSS Earnslaw.  It's a 100+ year old steamship that still runs on coal.  A nice cruise followed by a very good BBQ and sheep shearing demonstration.

Queenstown is a decent sized resort town that at first glance reminds me of Lake Como in Italy, if you're familiar with that.  Without all the millionaires.  I'm thinking more of the view from the harbour.  Malcolm said it's like an upscale Niagara Falls.  It's certainly touristy, but I wouldn't be that harsh.  So, it's somewhere between the two.

Day 17

More great weather.  After debating several options, we decided on the Rocky Mountain hike.  It was very tough.  Took about 5 hours, including a lunch break at the top.  450 metre vertical ascent.  Length is somewhere between 7 and 10 kilometres, depending on whose device you believe.  Exhausting but exhilarating.  Fantastic 360 degree views at the summit.

In the evening we went to the Cinema Paradiso to see Black Panther.  This is a funky local treasure.  The seating includes bus seats set in the back of a Morris Minor convertible and many living room couches.  At intermission (yup) they shut off the movie so that everyone can go out and get the most delicious hot-from-the-oven cookies you can imagine.  Once everyone is back in their seats, the movie restarts.  Mostly first run movies and an excellent screen and sound system.

I've added a few photos.

Day 16

Beautiful weather this morning.  We drove through the Haast Pass today.  This was the nicest scenery of the trip so far.  We travelled to the town of Wanaka, but stopped many times along the way to take in scenic viewpoints as well as take several hikes ranging from 5 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Wanaka is a picturesque lakeside town with much to offer.  It would be easy to spend a week or more here.  Spectacular vistas and many activities.

This is beginning to look like the New Zealand that we were anticipating.

Day 15

The weather broke this morning at around 11 AM.  Too late for our heli-hike tour, though.  It was cancelled.  They were fully booked for the next two days, so we couldn't reschedule.

Instead, we hiked to the Franz Josef glacier.  Not too hard, took about 2 hours return.  At least we got to see it.

All things considered, even with the train cancellation and the heli-hike cancellation, we were much luckier than other tourists.  Some never got out of Christchurch, some got trapped in between closures on highways, many couldn't get accommodations, some had to sleep on buses that couldn't go anywhere.  We heard of at least one campervan blown over by the winds.  The highways around us were still closed this morning but reopened by noon.

Just watched Canada lose to Great Britain in curling, now a little R&R outside on the porch.

Forecast looks good for tomorrow.

Day 14

Quite the day today.  The scenic train trip we had scheduled was indeed cancelled due to the impending cyclone.  We did manage to retrieve our rental car and were able to drive to Franz Josef, our next destination.

The weather all day was bad, really bad.  Rain and high winds.  I believe the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm, but it still had gusts up to 150 km/h.

We managed to reach our destination just before they closed the highway.  Very fortunate.  We've had power outages all evening, but it seems to be more stable now.

We have a heli-hike tour scheduled for tomorrow, but it's very likely that it will be cancelled.  The manager of our lodge says that all tours are cancelled until Saturday.

So, it was an inside evening doing laundry and watching Canada lose to China in curling.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Another random thought

You know how when you have a single lever faucet in the sink or shower, hot is always on the left and cold on the right?

In NZ, that's true if it's a kitchen faucet.  But in the shower, cold is on the left and hot is on the right.  Makes for quite a surprise until you figure it out.

Day 13

Good weather again today.  Drove to Christchurch where we took a ride up the gondola to the top of Mt. Cavendish.  Nice view up there, but it's quite a bit away from the town centre and not outstanding enough to recommend.

Then took a tram ride part way around the city and walked a bit.  Went to Quake City, which is a museum dedicated to the Christchurch earthquake.

We should mention that Christchurch is almost entirely under reconstruction from the devastating earthquake of 2010 and the aftershock in 2011.  You can't walk a block without construction.  And this is 7 years after the fact.

The highway into and out of Kaikoura (our last stop) was entirely wiped out and is still in the process of being rebuilt.

Just as we were walking back to our hotel, we received word that our scheduled scenic train trip tomorrow has been cancelled.  And the day after as well.  We were all really looking forward to this, but because of the impending cyclone, it has been cancelled.  This has left many tourists scrambling to find accommodations (there are none) and rental cars (also none).

We were very fortunate in that Budget (where we had a car reserved at the end of the train trip) called us to let us know that the train was cancelled.  We had already turned in our car today in Christchurch, but Budget said they would hold it for us so that we could drive tomorrow instead of taking the train.  Above and beyond the call of duty on their part, and very lucky for us.  Without that car, we really would have no options.  Bravo Budget!

We're being told that the mountain passes will be open tomorrow in spite of the weather, so we have our fingers crossed.  Wish us luck. 

Until next time.  Photos have been added.

Day 12

Outstanding weather still holding.   Sunny and hot.  Today we had two tours:

Tour 1 was a boat ride to spot albatrosses (albatrossi?).  Fantastic tour.  We got to see 4 different albatross species, as well as shearwaters, and a couple of different kinds of petrels.  At one point there were 10 different albatross around us.  We also got to see dozens of dolphins.

Tour 2 was also a boat ride, but for whale watching.  It's not whale season here, but we did manage to see a couple.  The first one we saw was a first for us as well - a sperm whale.  We have seen humpbacks, minkes, belugas and even a fin whale, but never a sperm whale.  They aren't that easy to see because they can dive for up to 90 minutes at a time.

Later we saw a humpback with a bunch of dolphins.  Even saw a breach, but no photos of that.

Perfect day.

Day 11

Sorry for the delay.  As anyone who has travelled knows, wifi and cell coverage can be unreliable.  Back on the grid again, so three days of updates to come.

Today included a drive through wine country and along the coast to Kaikoura.  Kaikoura is a bustling little coastal town with lots of tourists and many things to do.  The coastline is spectacular and this is a place you could spend a lot of time in.

We arrived after lunch and did a clifftop hike followed by a beach hike.  About 2 hours in total.  On the beach we spotted a fur seal colony and they let us get up close.  Quite exciting.  Looking forward to tomorrow's tours.

Update on Bulls

The funky town of Bulls, NZ which we loved, is in the direct path of Tropical Cyclone Gita.  No bull.

Random thoughts on New Zealand so far

• Gas is expensive in New Zealand.  Over 1.80 CAD/litre.  Something to take into account when doing a driving tour of New Zealand.  We did not.  It's costing a fortune on gas.
• We're driving a Holden Captiva SUV.  While it's the perfect size and quite a nice vehicle, it's a total POS when it comes to gas mileage.  About 12 L/100 km.  That's horrible for any vehicle.  Our Altima at home is about 6.5 L /100 KM on the highway.
• Diet Coke is very expensive in NZ.  A 600 ml bottle is $4 NZD, about $3.60 CAD.  At home we can get six 710 ml bottles for less than 3 bucks.  About 850% more expensive here.
• Overall, things are a little more expensive than back home, but not by a lot.  Restaurant prices seem a lot higher at first glance, but you have to remember that the prices include all taxes and tips.
• People here all seem friendly and helpful.
• Unless you're in town, almost all roads here are 100 km/h.  Even small, twisty turny small roads.
• While NZ lamb is much desired in North America, and there are 6 sheep per person in NZ, it's hardly ever on the menu anywhere.  Seems like locals don't eat it, at least not in restaurants.
• On the North island we saw cows and sheep everywhere.  And I mean everywhere.  The whole island is covered in cattle and sheep farms.  The only crop we saw was a little bit of corn.
• Only on the South Island for two days, but we have seen many produce farms so far.
• Early thoughts are that the South island is much more scenic.
• Ketchup is called tomato sauce.
• Cormorants here are called shags.  Must make for interesting conversation.

Day 10

Another beautiful day today!  Two in a row.

We did an all day boat cruise/hike along the Abel Tasman coast.  As pretty a coastline as you're likely to see.  The boat seems to act as a taxi/shuttle, putting ashore at numerous secluded beaches along the trip.

TIMEOUT - Something like an air raid/tsunami warning siren just went off.  We'll have to check it out.  There is a cyclone in the forecast.

It's all good.  They have a volunteer fire brigade here, and we're next door to it.  The sirens alert the volunteers to the fact that there is a fire.  So, good news is that there is no tsunami.  Bad news is that something's on fire.

The boat dropped us off at one beach and we hiked about 2 hours and got picked up at another.  Nice trail, lots of shade, which was needed.

Great day finished off by a good dinner at a local pub.  Pics tomorrow.

Day 9

Fantastic day today!  Took the ferry from Wellington to Picton.  It's a beautiful ferry ride with great scenery, through the Queen Charlotte Strait, around many islands, past many mountains and bays.  A great sightseeing tour for the price of a ferry ride.  Reclining window seats, tray tables, free wifi and lots of legroom.

Sunny all day and 30+ degrees.  A nice change.  We took the Queen Charlotte Drive to get to our hotel in Motueka.  Very scenic.  The views along the coast are spectacular.

We stopped at a place for lunch called The Mussel Pot in Havelock.  Excellent lunch and service.  Highly recommended.

Curling on two different channels in our motel room.

All in all an excellent day.

Day 8

A driving day today, from Rotorua to Wellington.  Lots of interesting scenery today.  We drove through at least 4 distinctly different areas - rainforest, desert, rolling hills, prairies.  A much easier drive than some of the other days which were all twists and turns.

We stopped for lunch at a little town called Bulls, mainly because it was called Bulls.  This is definitely a town with a sense of humour.  Almost all of the businesses include "bull" in their name or slogan.  One exception was "The Rat Hole" bar and grill.  This was our choice for lunch, of course.  How could you not eat at a place called The Rat Hole?  To our disappointment, we were turned away.  Banished from The Rat Hole.  Ended up at a place called the Mothered Goose.  Quite decent and not a rat hole.

Another stop was at an excellent car museum, the Southward Car Museum.  Hundreds of cars, motorcycles and memorabilia worth millions.  One of my favorites was a 1913 Mercedes Benz that was powered by a 24,000 cc (not a typo) 1,000 hp aero engine that was used in zeppelins.  Apparently you had to use 4th gear because the tires spun too much in the first 3 gears.  And a Rat Fink tricycle (see photos).

Dinner was at the Wellington harbour, which is what a waterfront should be if it's not covered in condos, like Toronto.

After dinner we did a night walk at Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary in Wellington.  We saw our first (and maybe only) Kiwi birds on this walk.  They are nocturnal and very hard to spot.  I have photos, but nothing that would convince anyone that it was a Kiwi.  You can't use flashes and the only lights have red filters, so photos don't really work well.

I'm writing this on the ferry from Wellington to the South Island, where we spend the rest of our time.  Hoping for sunshine.

Day 7

Turns out that you do get used to the smell after a couple of days.  Today was a good day, albeit overcast and sprinkling for a good portion of the day.  Pretty decent though.

We visited the Waimangu Volcanic Valley.  Did a 2 hour hike through areas of geothermal activity - hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, etc.  Very interesting and scenic.  Likely the highlight of the trip so far.  After the hike we took a boat tour on Lake Rotomahana, which is basically a huge volcanic crater filled with water.  Informative and interesting.  The lake is home to dozens of black swans.

In the evening we attended a Maori cultural event and concert followed by a traditional Maori dinner.  The highlight was to be an eruption of the Pohutu geyser, but apparently no one told the geyser.

All in all, a good day.

Day 6

Sunshine!  30 degrees and sunny today!  So what did we do?  Cave exploring, of course.  We drove to Waitomo, where we visited the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and the Ruakuri Cave as well.

The glow worms are really glow maggots and what glows is their poop, but the Waitomo Glow Maggot Poop Caves apparently was nixed as a name by the marketing people.  They are fascinating, however.  The cave is in complete darkness and the ceiling sparkles like thousands of stars.  Unique.  Just keep your mouth closed.

We travelled to Rotorua at the end of the day.  It's in a geothermally active area, and as such, smells really bad.  Sulphur.  Apparently all of the recent rains magnify the smell.  Perfect.  We're told that you get used to it after a couple of days.  That seems unlikely.

We've added a photo link here.

Day 5

Raining again today.  The day was a fairly leisurely drive from Paihia to Whangaparaoa, stopping at a few viewpoints and seaside towns along the way.

Photos link

Any photos we upload can be found here.

Day 4

Another day in Paihia.  Woke up to torrential rains again.  Sat around watching Olympic doubles curling until it was time to go for the boat tour.

The boat tour was cancelled because of the weather, so we decided to drive to the northernmost point of New Zealand (6 hours roundtrip).  There is a famous lighthouse there and spectacular views.  Not so fast.  The whole area was socked in by clouds and you couldn't see more than 100 feet.  Oh well, we had a very nice and quite surprising lunch on the drive up.

Got back in time for a late dinner.  Hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Day 3

A bit of a sh*t show today.  Drove to a town called Paihia on the north east coast.  Torrential rains for a good part of the day.  We were supposed to go on a boat tour in the afternoon, but due to a series of almost comical coincidences, we missed it.  The good news is that they let us reschedule for the next day and we were able to juggle a different reservation from Day 4 to Day 3.

In the afternoon, we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, which is a very important historical spot for the Maori people.  There is an excellent historical museum onsite.

In the evening we took a ferry across to a town called Russell, which is quite picturesque and is a holiday spot for rich Aucklanders.  Russell was the first capital of New Zealand.

Day 2

Sorry for the delay in Day 2, but we were off the grid.  No wifi at the place we stayed and even though we have a SIM card, reception is spotty once you get out of the larger towns.

Today was mostly driving to a place called Hokianga up on the north west coast.  Sleepy little beach town.  The highlight was a stop at a place called the Kauri Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Kauri tree.  It's really a fantastic museum and it's huge.  If you ever come here, it's a must do.

The Kauri tree lives thousands of years and is massive.  We saw the oldest and widest living tree in the Waipoua forest.  It's over 2,000 years old and is 17 feet wide.  We did a walking tour with a local Maori guide and learned about the trees and some Maori history.

Had rain on and off for most of the drive.

We've arrived

Well, it took more than 24 hours, but we got here with no issues.  All people and bags arrived intact.  We came on American Airlines, and it was a good flight.  On time and the best onboard entertainment system I've ever experienced.  We paid for the extra legroom and it was worth every penny.  Having said that, the next time we have to take a flight of this length, it will be in whatever class has those sleeper "pods". 

We just walked around the Auckland downtown and harbour area today.  The downtown has a lot of cool art deco buildings and the marina is packed with many incredible super yachts.  Like this one.  And this one, which was purchased a few years back for 45,000,000 USD.  They were docked next to each other.  There were several more.

No photos today, but likely tomorrow.  We're understandably bagged and will be hitting the hay early tonight.

An interesting aside - on the plane our friends were sitting next to a professional card player who travels all over the world playing cards.  He's sponsored and has qualified for the world championships.  You may be thinking that's not so interesting - there are thousands of professional poker players.  But I didn't say he played poker.  This guy is a professional Pokemon card player.  

The Adventure Begins

We're leaving today and returning on March 9.  We'll be doing both the north and south islands, mostly by car, but also train and ferry.  A map of our north island stops is here.  The south island stops (part 1) are here.  The south island stops (part 2) are here.

Flying Toronto to Los Angeles, then to Auckland on American Airlines.  Long flight, but we got the extra legroom.  Also, the inflight entertainment is excellent.

Until we get there.....