The Big Trip 8 – North Island (Auckland)

8 - 11 March 2018

There and back again

We now feel really included in New Zealand. I forgot to mention in the last entry that it was census day in NZ on 6 March and on arrival at the Waitangi site, we were required to complete forms. Needless to say it was not too onerous - answers to a few basic questions, skip the rest as non NZ residents and sign. But nice to know we are in the numbers!

On the last day in Waitangi we spent several hours at the Treaty Ground to hear lots of NZ history especially surrounding the signing of the treaty between the British government and the Maori chiefs in 1840.

By then we were really coming to the end of the motorhome trip and headed south again to Auckland.  We stayed at Takapuna Beach for the last night which, on paper, was reasonably close to where we needed to return the motorhome. However, the satnav was having one of its unhelpful days and we found ourselves driving through central Auckland instead of bypassing it on the motorway.

Having returned the 'van (we travelled 2305 miles in total) we then spent two nights in Auckland. While walking along The Quay, where all the old wharves have been transformed into shops and eateries, we came to an area where a local radio station was doing a live broadcast on some yacht racing out in the harbour. Much to John's delight the Volvo Ocean (round the world) Race was between legs and the boats were doing some match racing. 

There was also a full-sized cutaway model of the type of boat to clamber over. Apart from that, sorry Auckland, but you did not inspire us. But going out to Devonport on the ferry, walking to the top of Mt Victoria and North Head for splendid views over the harbour and visiting the Naval Museum filled one of our days admirably.

On the second evening we met up with Hazel and Rick, friends from Cambridgeshire, who coincidentally were in Auckland for a family wedding.

The Big Trip 7 – North Island (North)

2 - 7 March 2018

Concerning Hobbits

While in Rotorua at the request of the Lord of the Rings fans (John R and Jane) we visited the Hobbiton film set at Matamata. We walked around the lovingly constructed part of The Shire with its many Hobbit holes created in fine detail, ending with a tankard of ale (or cider or ginger beer) in The Green Dragon.

On the final day in Rotorua after a quick dip in the thermal pool we left the site and then drove into town and parked by the lake for a late breakfast. We walked to Kurai Park where there are more thermal pools and conveniently passed an "artisan bakery" to grab a baguette and enormous chocolate eclair for lunch. We also found a wonderful handicrafts shop, where I was able to get supplies for a knitting project.

After that it was on to Waitomo, where we were booked into one of the best sites of the trip (good facilities, lovely quiet location, small pool). Next morning we had a visit to the Waitomo Glow-worm cave - the limestone formations were impressive and the boat trip under the clusters of glow-worms on the roof was amazing. Back at the site we decided to chill out for the rest of the day and enjoy the glorious weather.

The next part of the journey took us towards Auckland, but as we haven't done many miles (ha ha) we took a diversion to Kawhia and Ocean Beach. They were well off the beaten track and although a nice contrast to tourist hotspots, in the words of the Michelin guides it did not 'mérite le détour'!

A one-night halt at Orewa Beach followed. We knew that the site was close to the beach but hadn't quite expected to be almost parked ON the beach! It was delightful and before breakfast next morning John and I had a paddle in the sea.

The next stage took us to Waitangi, through some delightful scenery often as high as the top of the pine forests, overlooking first one side of the island, then the other. This is the furthest north we shall stay.

Live from 90-mile beach towards Cape Reinga!

We are just having the most surreal experience, driving along 90-mile beach in a normal coach at approx. 60 mph with the sea 20 metres to our left and sand dunes a similar distance to our right. We shall be making a stop but not just yet as apparently the tide is coming in so we need to be at the far end of the beach in readiness for a hasty departure. The driver is occasionally using the horn, not because of other traffic, but to scare birds out of the way. We have seen one or two other vehicles.

We have just negotiated a bluff necessitating driving into the lapping water to avoid soft sand! The strip of sand between sea and dunes has visibly narrowed. Apparently 90-mile beach (originally unreliably measured by how long it took a horse to walk it - 3 days) is actually about 75 miles in length.  We have stopped for a paddle, to photograph the Hole in the Rock or just to wonder at the huge expanse of sand.

The highspot was a second stop at ginormous sand dunes where about a third of the passengers tried sandboarding. John and I bottled out of that but John N represented England very well. 

We exited the beach in dramatic fashion, splashing along a shallow stream which flowed into the sea. Poor coach! It seems rather boring to be back on the road.

Cape Reinga, not the most northerly point of the North Island (that is North Cape), is the point where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean collide and is a very spiritual place for the Maori. 

We walked to the lighthouse and took plenty of photos of the spectacular scenery. On the return journey we stopped at Puketi Forest, where there are Kauri trees over 1000 years old. We shall visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds before moving on.

The Big Trip 6 – North Island (Southern half)

21 Feb – 1 March 2018

Many meetings

From Hanmer Springs our journey took us through Lewis Pass and then through the vineyards of the Marlborough region bringing us to Picton. A pleasant town with harbour and ferry terminal from which there are a few walks along the headland, eg. to Bob's Bay. 

We left Picton next day in glorious sunshine, admiring and photographing the scenery. The water was reasonably calm as we crossed Cook Strait.

The campsite at Wellington was supposedly the closest to the city and we were advised (erroneously) by reception that large motorcaravans were not allowed in the city centre. So we took the bus in (45 mins) and the first thing we found was a car park containing several large motorcaravans! Although we only had a few hours in the city we managed a walk along the waterfront, a ride on the cable car, a walk past the Beehive (parliament building) to Old St Paul's, the earlier cathedral, a beautiful wooden structure, coffee and lunch stops.

The same evening we drove out to Tawa to the home of John Robinson and family. He and our John have been corresponding on a garden railway forum for around 6 years. John R and his family were very welcoming and provided a bbq. Our John was delighted to see the railway and spectacular model of a sawmill in the flesh, previously only seen in photographs.

On the following day, we had a relatively short drive to Palmerston North calling in for lunch with Rebekah (one time colleague of Ruth) and family. It was a relaxing day and nice to appreciate for the second time New Zealand home life, getting us out of tourist mode for a few hours.

The campsite at Palmerston North backs onto the Victoria Esplanade which provided a pleasant walk in the evening sunshine. Next morning John visited the Rugby Museum before we headed off to Lake Taupo. It was a tedious drive with dreary weather, a bleak landscape through what is called Desert Road which is volcanic rather than desert, hardly anywhere to stop and numerous road works. 

Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake and offers a myriad of adventure activities. John and I settled for bike hire and did an 18 km ride along the lakeside, which was very pleasant, apart from the steep hill back up to the campsite.

On our way out of Taupo we stopped at Huka Falls, where the river is squeezed through a narrow gap in the rocks resulting in a most dramatic waterfall.

Towards Rotorua we were in the geothermal area and stopped at Wairakei Thermal Valley for a walk among the steaming vents. Once in Rotorua, with its pungent sulphur smell, we briefly explored the area south east of the town where there are several lakes and a Redwood forest. We have spent this morning at Te Puia, a geothermal site with Maori history which was really interesting. 

This evening was spent at Tamakai Maori Village for a slice of Maori culture (including an attempt at the Haka by the male visitors!) and finishing with dinner cooked in the Maori way (Hangi). One more day here before next leg.

Only (!) 9 days left before we return the motorhomes ....

The Big Trip 5 – Dunedin and the east coast

16 - 21 Feb 2018

A hard rain’s a-gonna fall

Dunedin was founded by Scottish settlers in 1848 who wanted to create an Edinburgh of the south. And rather appropriately on the day we were there, there was a bagpipe band competition which was entertaining ... and loud! 

We had taken the local bus into town and first port of call was the railway station which is a very ornate building, with mosaic tiles on the walls and floors. 

There was time for a quick visit to the Otago Settlers Museum and lunch before joining a wildlife tour by minibus across the Otago Peninsula. The highspots were the Albatross Centre where we saw albatross chicks and eventually one or two birds in flight and yellow eyed penguins making their way from the sea to their territory. Fur seals and a solitary sea lion also featured along with a huge variety of wading birds during the outward journey.

Before leaving Dunedin next day we visited the Botanical Gardens and took a look at Baldwin Street, supposedly the steepest street in the world. 

The next stop was Oamaru and on the way there we stopped to look at the Moeraki Boulders on the beach. Amazing. And glorious sunshine too.

Oamaru was a one-night halt but we did manage an evening walk into town in the hope of seeing some Little Blue Penguins coming ashore; the tour was unfortunately full. No luck with that one but the town itself was quirky with Victorian buildings now being used as galleries, shops etc.

On the way to Akaroa we had an interesting experience while driving along SH1 at a good pace when a small lorry approaching in the other direction caught our attention by waving a red stop sign out of the driver's window. We slowed down not seeing anything untoward for a minute, then there appeared a low loader carrying a pre-constructed house bearing down on us at a fair rate, accompanied by a couple of pilot vehicles, the first of which told us to pull over onto the grass verge "we need the room, mate". The house-carrying lorry fairly flew through leaving us gob-smacked. We thought that in the UK the road would have been closed for at least part of the day!

Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula south of Christchurch sounded lovely in the guidebook and probably is, in good weather. However, it was a slow, winding, mountainous journey to get here and we fortunately arrived just before Tropical Cyclone Gita did. 

Strong winds and heavy rain were forecast for a 24-hour period. But the site management did not seem unduly concerned so we spent an afternoon in the van, having walked into town in the morning for a coffee and supermarket trip.

Fortunately, we didn't get hit by the worst of the weather, but it was very windy with torrential non-stop rain for 12 hours. Having checked weather and travel websites this morning, we decided it was safe to travel to Hanmer Springs, a change of plan as the road to Kaikoura is closed. On the journey we crossed some very swollen and mud coloured rivers and although it was dry for some of the time, it is raining in Hanmer Springs, but at least we got here safely.

The Big Trip 4 – West coast and Fiordland

8 - 15 Feb 2018

South side of the sky

We collected the motor caravans on 8 Feb and after a lengthy handover stocked up at a supermarket before driving through impressive Arthur's Pass to Jacksons. The site there was a delight. It was in dark sky country and we have never seen so many stars in our lives - it was as if we were in a planetarium. We also went out on a successful search for glow-worms and did a short walk through the forest to Ngarimu waterfall.

Then on to the Franz Josef Glacier where there was only time for a short walk to a view point but the weather forecast for the next day was grim so we thought we had better be satisfied with that rather than not see it at all. It was only a short hop next day to Fox Glacier but we unable to make much use of the time we had as there was torrential rain all day. The rain stopped in the evening, and we were rewarded with the sight of a double ended rainbow.

Franz Josef Glacier

Our site at Franz Josef

From there it was a long drive to Wanaka, broken up with various stops along the way and through the Haast Pass. Another long drive to Te Anau followed, where we stayed for three nights to enable us to have a tour through the Fjordland National Park and a two-hour cruise on the Milford Sound. Jono, our tour guide, was brilliant, firing off information of all kinds and taking us to places we wouldn't have found on our own. Apparently Milford Sound gets 220 days of rain per year - thankfully, we managed to choose one of the other 145. The cruise was amazing, stunning scenery and sightings of bottle nosed dolphins. 

En route to Milford Sound - Lake Gunn

Milford Sound

On Milford Sound

Today (Thursday 15) should have been a chill out day but unfortunately both John and Jane's van and ours needed some attention at the garage. However, we had a very nice lunch at The Ranch with desserts to die for while the work was being done. 

Tomorrow it's onward to Dunedin. ....

The Big Trip 3 – Christchurch

6 - 8 Feb 2018

The Two Towers

At 12.51pm on 22 February 2011, Ruaumoko, God of earthquakes and volcanoes, kicked the earth below Christchurch. Twenty four seconds later, 80% of the central district was destroyed and over 180 people had lost their lives. *

Arriving in Christchurch on an overcast and cool afternoon, we were confronted with what looked like an enormous building site. Walking out in the evening everywhere was very quiet, and the place had a slightly eerie feel. The next day we discovered that (a) the previous day had been a public holiday, hence the quietness, and (b) the sun shone and the city was much livelier.

Walking past the ruins of Christchurch cathedral, we headed for the Transitional Cathedral, commonly known as the “cardboard cathedral”. This amazing structure, designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, was built in only 11 months, using recycled materials, including shipping containers and 98 enormous cardboard tubes.

Next we visited the Quake City exhibition, with artefacts, photographs and a rather moving film of locals recounting their experiences on that fateful February day.

In the afternoon we rode the Christchurch Gondola to the top Mt Cavendish with views over the city, 

then had a short walk through the botanical gardens alongside the River Avon!

We could easily have spent more time here, but I expect we shall be saying that many times in the next few weeks

·         * The Maori explanation for the 6.3 magnitude earthquake, 5km below Christchurch and centred 10km to the South.

The Big Trip 2 – Sydney

1 - 6 Feb 2018

Down under

We arrived in Sydney at 6.50am, somewhat bleary-eyed after a flight of a mere seven and a half hours, but five hours of time difference. We were delighted to find we had been upgraded to Business Class, with its amazing seats and footrests, which transform into beds if you adjust the buttons correctly! The food and attention from the cabin crew were in a league of their own.

We abandoned our cases at the apartment hotel and, after grabbing some much- needed breakfast and coffee, explored Darling Harbour until our apartment was ready. The next day we took the ferry across the harbour to Manly, passing under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and past the Opera House. Manly was pleasant, but not a must-see destination (though the fish and chip lunch was excellent!).

The hotel was well located; another day we walked to the Opera House and around the waterfront to Mrs MacQuarie's chair (named after the wife of an early governor), a rocky lookout point.  From there you get a good view of the bridge and opera house. We passed through the botanical gardens and celebrated Ruth’s birthday in the evening at an Italian restaurant in Darling Harbour.

We also walked to the Rocks, the area where the first settlers made their homes and climbed the south east pylon of the bridge where there is an exhibition about its construction and fabulous views from the top. There was a huge çruise ship moored - 1100 feet long and able to accommodate over 4000 passengers. 

We tried out the local bus service to get to get to Bondi Beach -beautiful - from where we walked along the coast to the next two bays in the warm sunshine.

We really enjoyed Sydney, but we had to be moving on, so after 4 days we caught an early morning (and delayed) flight to Christchurch.

The Big Trip 1 – Singapore

27 - 31 Jan 2018

On a little street in Singapore

This was to be the “Big Post-Retirement Trip” – travelling around New Zealand for a month in a motorhome. We booked the trip through the Camping and Caravanning Cub’s Worldwide Travel Service, who did an excellent job with all the arrangements. We were travelling with our old friends John and Jane and were taking the opportunity to see a few other places on route. First stop – Singapore.

We arrived at Heathrow on a damp Saturday afternoon to find automation was on the increase - we had to check in, label and despatch our cases ourselves! The flight to Singapore was unremarkable, just long, and we appreciated being met at Changi airport the following afternoon. On arrival it was pouring with rain, so very humid as well as hot.

Our hotel was located close to the river and gave us the opportunity of a short walk to get our bearings. A tour we had pre-booked took in Little India, the National Orchid Garden at the Botanical Gardens, the Thian Hock Keng temple, and the area around the colonial district to which we returned another day for a longer walk. 

Thian Hock Keng Temple

One evening we explored Chinatown, lit up with lanterns and inflatable dogs in readiness for the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog. 

We enjoyed a river cruise with an excellent English commentary on the history and development of Singapore including the old trading houses now restaurants of every ethnicity. 

Decaffeinated coffee has been hard to source and much to our shame we have had to occasionally patronise Starbucks.

There was also a visit to the Marina Bay area and the Skypark viewing platform on the 56th floor of the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The speedy elevator took less than 35 seconds to rise 55 floors!  Amazing views. 

Then on to the Gardens by the Bay where light shows in the gardens and on Marina Bay rounded off the evening. 

On the final morning we had a walk around the old colonial quarter, with its old buildings dating back to the height of the British Empire. 

Sadly, the Raffles Hotel was closed for refurbishment, so no Singapore Slings on the terrace! After an enjoyable farewell lunch in one of the “shop houses” by the river (mentioned above) we headed for the airport and our evening flight to Sydney. We left Singapore as we had arrived, in torrential rain.