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 ....
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