Sunday/Monday/Tuesday

Well, the holiday is just about over - at least the interesting bits. Pete is doing his 3 days work in the office here in Dubai & Abu Dhabi whilst Ingrid chills out, edits the video taken on our trip and catches up on the reading. It's a bit too windy to really do any sunbathing but pleasant enough. We will be on our way home tomorrow night (Tuesday) so home on Wednesday morning - just the packing to do!  Thanks for following us and we'll see you back in the UK shortly

Last Day of Holiday for Pete

One of Pete's former partners is a member at Yas Links, a course in Abu Dhabi.  Having fixed a date some time ago, the course was booked for a golf day this afternoon so a shotgun start was arranged for members and their guests.  A 7.30 tee off meant a 5.30 alarm call and a fast drive to Abu Dhabi.  The sandstorm of yesterday seemed to have abated as we we going along the motorway, although there was still a breeze.  By the time we started playing the breeze was a wind and, from about 3 holes in, it was a three club sand storm!  Having started at hole 4, we turned into the wind at the 7th and didn''t turn back until the 15th.  As the greens were slick (11 on the stimpmeter for the golfers amongst you), the course was, to say the least very challenging.  It was an occasion when Pete's glasses were a benefit as he got less sand blown into his eyes.  All in all it was a huge challenge and some of those that started gave up, whereas we continued and played out the full round.  By the end, we were very sandy and in need of a long shower.  Now we are into the few days of work that Pete has to do and Ingrid is hoping that the weather will allow her to go outside to

enjoy some sunshine

What is it about boat trips?

We awoke today looked out of the window and were greeted by the sight of date palms bending in the wind and a somewhat gloomy view across the road - we were in the midst of a sandstorm!  This meant having to consider a different approach to the day - what to do in Dubai when you cannot stay outside for long.  We consulted the concierge, whose initial suggestion of shopping was dismissed quickly;  we thought about a museum trip and found that there was a hop on hop off bus route that included the museum and a boat ride on the Creek.  We thought this might work as we could be out of the sand and, if it cleared, get off the bus.  In short, we did the bus tour - sniggering at every point that the commentary said to get you cameras ready as there was a great view of 'x' coming up - because there wasn't.  We did the visit to the Dubai Museum and curtailed it so that we could do the 5.30 boat trip.  We walked from the Museum to the departure point and loitered.  End position is that we failed on a second boat trip - this one was cancelled because of the weather.  A poor record for us on sightseeing boat trips!!  We rejoined the bus thinking we would get off at a stop nearer to our hotel and get something to eat.  As it was, the bus stopped at a mall  in the western end of the old city (we are to the east in the financial centre) and, it transpired, was going no further.  No choice for us, therefore, but to look into the mall and follow up with a taxi ride home.  Taxis here are plentiful and very cheap.  End result of the day is that there are bits of commentary that we know by heart, we know that you need your glasses or sunglasses in a sandstorm and we know that if you actually want to get out on the water on a boat, it is probably best not to arrange to go with us  

Long Day in Dubai

For once a flight arrived early - not necessarily what you need when the arrival time was about 0500 local time!   We collected our bags and made our way through immigration and customs all too efficiently.  As a result, we arrived at our hotel before 0630 and left most of our baggage with the meeters and greeters (as our room would not be available until later) whilst we negotiated that we could use the pool changing rooms to freshen up.  Having had a shower and changed, we decided to have a wander.  This is not always the best option in Dubai (a) because of the drivers and (b) because the footpaths may end abruptly as one comes across the next building site (of which there are many).  Not much was happening so we went back to the hotel and decided to decamp to Dubai Creek golf course where we were due to play later.  We managed to secure an earlier tee time (some 2 hours better) and, therefore, scurried about to get ready to play.  We played with a nice Japanese couple.  The course has been remodelled a bit in an attempt to get the Dubai Desert Classic back and was both enjoyable and a good test - especially the last two holes which have the creek down the left hand side and other hazards down the right.  We went back to our hotel, had a swim and another shower.  When we were considering dinner, the decision was for something straight-forward so we went out to one of the shopping areas and found a Rivington Grill (basically the same format as the one in Greenwich);  as the evening progressed, the tiredness set in and approaching 9 o'clock we had both had enough and we set off back to the hotel to get some sleep in the hope that a good night would get us over the long flight here.  And, yes, we had to get "that" photo at Dubai Creek

      

Signing off from NZ

As an addendum to yesterday's blog, mention must be made of our last dinner in New Zealand. Pete had had the forethought to book us in for dinner (in a very posh restaurant) as he thought that finding somewhere at short notice on Valentine's might prove troublesome! It only had 24 covers so everyone had some personal attention from the very good staff. It was a 10 course tasting menu (1 veggie, 2 fish (with an alternative for Pete of course), 4 meat and 3 puds). The range of tastes and the presentation were amazing and we both tried some things we wouldn't nornally go for. The quail dish was superb and the strawberry dish, to die for (and, with the exception of the Roquefort cheesecake which wasn't really to our taste, the other courses were pretty good too!)

All in all a fantastic end to our NZ trip (well almost) THANKS PETE for a lovely evening x x

(piccies showing the style of the food.....)



Today was a grey and miserable day in Auckland.  We went to the NZ Navy museum in Devonport, which was very interesting and well set up.  We then decided that a harbour tour would help fill the time - we had a leaflet for an operator running a tour at 2 p.m.  Having found some parking relatively nearby (after a few u-turns), we went to the advertised place, but there was nothing there.  We asked, were pointed to one of the quays where we went and waited.  At 2 we decided that this was not to be and so we aborted that plan, wandered around the marina for a little while and decided to visit One Tree Hill on the way to the airport.  We managed that bit and went to the top of the hill for some views of grey and wet Auckland - an unfortunately damp end to what has been a great holiday here.  We are now back using the airport wifi and waiting for the call for our flight.  Not looking forward to the 19 hours or so that it takes to get to Dubai (via Sydney)!  Love to all at home.

Gulf Harbour and Sightseeing

The forecast for today was for showers developing into possible afternoon thundery showers.  This did not bode well for our last game of golf in New Zealand as we did not want to be packing wet gear and clubs for our flight tomorrow.  As we drove across the Harbour Bridge northwards, the morning seemed bright.  When we eventually found the golf course (the sat nav suggested there were roads where there were not!) it was sunny and warm.  As the morning developed, it got warmer and more humid.  The course starts off relatively gently and then develops nicely into quite a challenge with the back 9 being both very picturesque and quite tough.



11th Gulf Harbour

There are two holes where one is driving over gorges with cliffs and the sea on the right hand side.  From the very back tees, the shot is quite daunting and requires a huge carry.  There is one par 5 of some 570 metres.  Altogether though, it was one of the best courses we have played during our visit.  After rehydrating in the clubhouse, we decided that, if it was still bright when we got back to Auckland, we would go up the Skytower.  This is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and, they tell us, weighs the same as 6000 elephants (clearly an important piece of information!).  There was quite a queue to get in as there was a cruise ship in today, but the wait (when one got up the tower) was worth it (even though we had to pay full price today compared to yesterday when we were admitted as senior citizens!).  We were able to look out on where we had been over the past few days, watch some people 'walking the tower' and, indeed, one mad fool jumping off the tower (all roped up, we should add).  Not one for Rachel this as the lift has a clear door and there are windows on the way up and, when you get to the top, there are sections of plate glass floor to let one see straight down!  An opportunity for a few photos though.  Out for our last dinner in New Zealand tonight and, we reckon, a gentle day of sightseeing tomorrow before our flight.



Checking the video footage

 

To Auckland

Today we left the very wet Coramandel Peninsula to drive to Auckland.  It stopped raining as we got back to the main highway and brightened up as we neared Auckland.  We saw more cars on our drive today than we have in the whole of the remainder of our time here!  We went to the Auckland Museum to see the Maori Gallery and some of the other exhibits, we did this in two sessions sandwiching a trip to Takapuna (one of the suburbs) to meet up with Matt Lambert.  In trying to find Matt and then a parking space, we missed meeting Rochelle, his girlfriend, by 5 minutes, which was a pity.  We have checked in to our last B&B now; golf tomorrow and then some more sightseeing.

Coromandel Peninsula

Today we drove up to the Coromandel Peninsula.  The sat nav took us an interesting way (up what appeared to be the equivalent of a B road through the farming country).  As we went on to the peninsula, we noted that there was, by kiwi standards, a veritable traffic jam of cars and motor homes coming back from where we were going.  They clearly knew something we didn't!

We had been driving in pleasant sunshine and it was warming up nicely.  However, now there was cloud hugging the hills and, as we climbed, we went into the cloud and the mizzle.  As we went down the other side and towards the coast, things did not improve.  We got to the Lakes Resort where we were due to play golf about 2 hours ahead of our tee time.  It was raining well at that point and groups were pulling out.  We went to check in to our accommodation and dump some gear.  As we did, it rained even harder.  The promise was that it should clear up.  There was a vets tournament at the course on Monday morning, so deferring for an early start tomorrow was not an option.  We, therefore, donned the waterproofs and went for it.  The course is meant to look like this:



Our view was more like this:



There had not been rain here for some 3 weeks;  today it was making up for it.  The fairways were getting very wet but, give them their due, the greens stood up very well and were still fairly quick.  We made it round (probably with those in the pro shop talking about the mad Brits on the course).  The only moment of note relates to a piece of native New Zealand fauna - the tussock grass (example below).



In a moment of wrong pedal buggy driving, Ingrid managed to relocate a reasonably substantial example of this plant which required recovery from under the buggy and replacement - maybe they won't notice that the top is a bit flatter than it was!!

It is still raining and the cloud is closing in again - time for a glass of wine!!

From this end it is quite scary that we have only 3 more nights in New Zealand.  Hope all at home are well or at least improving from Thursday night.

As a footnote, deferring to Monday would have not been a good plan - it has not stopped raining, 65mm in the last 24 hours, and the Lakes are now not limited to the water hazards!!

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

A drive from Napier to Rotarua was today's challenge.  The morning in Napier was miserable - grey and wet - which left us hoping that things would clear up before our scheduled walk and boat ride in a volcanic valley near Rotarua.  The news on the radio reported that there had been two earthquakes last night in New Zealand - one in Christchurch and one in Napier.  It was a by-line in the news and the Napier 'quake was only 3.7 and 40km east and, therefore, we did not even feel it.  As earthquakes are basically a daily occurrence here (see http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html), this is hardly a headline event.

As we cross the hills toward Taupo, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.  We called in at Taupo on the way to Rotarua and passed the Swiss Chalet where we stayed in 2001.  We had a wander around the town so that we did not arrive early for our booked trip.  The Waimangu Volcanic Valley is claimed to be one of the world's youngest geothermal systems and we had arranged a self guided walk (advertised at 1hr 50 mins) and a boat trip.  The walk was well organised (and signposted) and a leaflet explained all of the main sights.  There is, half way through, a choice of route - the 'easy walking' route or the Mount Hazard hiking trail.  We opted for the latter and set off up the hill.  Half way up we were not convinced it was the right choice given the steps and the humidity, but it was worth it as we saw a couple of craters that you cannot see from the main route and, because you are higher, the views along the valleys are probably better.  The boat trip was very interesting in that one is in a lake created by a relatively recent eruption and which has covered the principal tourist attractions of the late 1800's (the white terrace and the rose terrace).  There is plenty of current activity around the lake and we saw a couple of geysers and several hot springs, one of which only appeared 3 weeks ago!

From there it was on to Rotarua.  The smell here is much the same as we remember it!  Oddly though, the volcanic valley was not as pungent.

Napier Day 4

We had a quiet morning as there was lots of activity and comings and goings in the Lambert household.  This was followed by the somewhat odd situation of Liz, Kristi and Nicole packing and us saying goodbye to them as they left their house!  This was all because today was the kick off of Kristi's hen weekend and they were off with 9 friends to Wellington, leaving us house and cat-sitting for one night.  In amongst the preparations, Ross and Beau came to say their goodbyes.

After their departure (and a bit of emotion from some), we went into Napier and did a bit more walking around and along the promenade.  On the way back to the car we passed the crazy golf course and failed to resist.  Jade had acquired some rhubarb and left it for Pete the day before and, as always, up for the challenge, Pete was determined to do something with the fruit and leave it.  Part of the evening was, therefore, spent preparing a rhubarb sorbet which is currently residing in the Lambert freezer disguised as a Thai take-away!  This allowed Ingrid some time to pack for the last leg of our New Zealand trip.

Napier Day 3

This morning we started slowly and, mid-morning, went out for a coffee with Nicole. Afterwards, we went up Ta Mata Peak, which gives views over Hawkes Bay and the remainder of the area (being the highest point for some distance). As it was a sunny day, we got good views over the surrounding area. The hill is steeped in Maori legend. It is said that Maori chief Te Mata O Rongokako fell in love with the daughter of his rival, the Heretaunga chief. To prove his worthiness and win the beautiful Maori maiden’s love, Rongokako accepted a series of near-impossible challenges. He choked and died attempting his final task, which was to eat his way through this rocky range. It is said that Te Mata Peak depicts the outline of his body and is called the Sleeping Giant by locals.

From the peak we could see a vineyard in the next valley which would give a view of the crags we were standing on.  We, therefore, visited the Craggy Range winery and tried their reds - they do two Pinot Noirs (one from Martinborough on the north island and one from central Otago in the south) and it was very interesting to compare them side by side.  After our visit it was time to go back to Liz's so we could get a lift into Napier from Nicole and meet Liz at her office.  We had been invited out to the Linden Estate with Liz and some of her work colleagues for a tasting.  We were the only people at the winery and were able to sit outside, enjoy some wine and a cheeseboard having tasted the four wines they offered (a sauvignon blanc which was quite nice, a chardonnay which was not, a blended red which was a bit thin and a shiraz which was very drinkable and the wine we alighted on to go with the cheese).  Altogether a very nice evening on the best day weather-wise that we have had for some time.

Napier Day 2

Today we went for a walk in the local nature reserve/Maori site, Otatara Park.  There was a Maori settlement there and the site sets out to show how a large 'village' was set up and established.  The walk is meant to be a circular tramp from the car park, through the site and back again.  Sadly, there is a bit of an issue with signage and having thought we were on the route, we found ourselves with a disappearing path.  With overnight rain and long grass, this led to wet shoes and trouser bottoms.  Town shoes also proved a disadvantage for Ingrid as she slipped on the wet stuff and added to her dampness!  We decided that a return to Liz's was necessary for a change.

We then went into Napier and did a self guided walk around the city to look at the many art deco buildings.  We managed to get into the theatre and have a look at that (we were looking at the foyer when we were invited to have a shufti by someone working there) - they have retained much of the art deco interior in spite of extensions over time.



As we had offered to cook for the workers today, we were then off to the supermarket and the kitchen.  Cooking was punctuated by a quick trip to Kristi and Ross' to say hello.

Napier Day 1

Liz had taken today off and we were expecting her to be out when we got up as Ross was due back from Australia this morning.  However, his flight from Perth was cancelled and he was to come in via Sydney and Auckland and not due to arrive until early evening which meant a change of plan.  So, after a gentle start and Ingrid doing the washing so that stocks of socks etc are replenished, we went out.  First up, we visited a winery - unusually for us, it was not to taste any wine!  This was a trip so that we could see the venue for Kristi and Ross' wedding next month.  The winery has a lovely setting amongst trees and vines and, if the weather is good (which one very much hopes it will be) the ceremony will be held outside.  The winery itself has enough space and function room areas that dining and dancing can take place and those wanting a chat can be away from the main room.  Then we went on to a gallery near Havelock North called the Birdwood.  This has been set up by a family forcibly evicted from their farm in Zimbabwe - there is an eclectic mix of art and handicraft in the gallery and a sculpture garden too.  The highlight was, though, the next door old fashioned sweet shop!  From there we went into Havelock North and wandered round the shops and had a coffee before calling in at the information booth to get some details of local walks etc.  From there we went into Napier and to the top of Bluff Hill to have a look over Hawke's Bay and the port.  Sadly it was a bit misty and rain was gathering over the hills so the view was not quite the full monty.  We had lunch down by the Marina and, after that, went on to the Mission Estate winery, which was founded by Marist missionaries.  It planted vines for sacramental and table wines and there are records of commercial sales from 1870.  The building is very impressive - it comprises the old chapel and seminary - even more so, when one realises that the whole building was moved in 1910 up the hill from a coastal site prone to flooding.  We could not miss out on tasting a couple of wines here.


From there, we went back to Liz's to await redelivery of Beau from his child care.  Liz's parents popped in to say hello - we last saw them on out trip here in 2001.  After a shy 10 minutes, Beau was content to play (aeroplanes, trains and buses being the order of the day) and, by the end, he was happy enough to sit on Ingrid's lap for a couple of stories before being taken off to meet his delayed dad at Napier Airport.

Into Napier

This morning we played golf at Cape Kidnappers, which is a course that has been laid out over some fairly severe landscape.  The layout follows the tops of the ridges and these drop off into severe hay and then bush.  The greens are quick and very grainy so some of the breaks on them come as a bit of a surprise and down hill, down grain is quite scary.  We had a caddy (a +1 player) who could give some guidance on the grain but, on occasions, we set him a bit too much of a challenge with the clubbing.  Whilst ranked the No 1 course in New Zealand in some ratings, it is one of those places that you tick the box to say you have played it rather than think that it is a place that you must get back to and play again.

Some of the views when the holes were near the cliffs were quite spectacular.  From Cape Kidnappers (named because Captain Cook's - yes him again - had his cabin boy 'kidnapped' by the local Maori tribesmen there) we went on to Liz's in Taradale near Napier.  A warm reception awaited us and we are looking forward to a few days in the same location.

Otaki and Gannets

We were a bit delayed this morning chatting with our hosts.  When we got on to the road, we headed up State Highway 1 to the nearby town of Otaki.  We had been told that there were some good outlet stores here.  We had a wander round but limited our browsing as we knew we had a fair drive to go on our gannet safari this afternoon.  As things happened, the drive was a little longer as the road in one part was closed and we had to follow a diversion which added about 15 minutes to the drive.  We arrived at the place we were meant to check in to find the office closed and a sign saying 'next tour 0930'!  This was not exactly encouraging.  We were about to go up to the house above the car park (which said private property) when we spotted a tour bus refuelling.  We accosted the driver.  He knew nothing about us but was able to contact the owners and, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, the lady in charge made an appearance.  It seems that she had taken her eye off the time and she asked the chap we had spoken to to take us out.  We were driven up on to the Cape Kidnappers estate, which is absolutely huge, and through to the coast.  There are four colonies of gannets on that piece of coastline;  one of them is on the cliff top and we were able to walk up to within a few yards of the nesting gannets.  There were a number of chicks of differing ages on the nests and adults both preening their young and flying out to get food.

The number of birds and the noise was quite something to see and to hear. This is the largest publicly accessible gannet colony in New Zealand.  We will be playing the golf course at Cape Kidnappers tomorrow morning and then it is on to Napier to meet up with Liz.

Kayaking and the Cook Strait

Today we got our water taxi from Furneaux Lodge and, by a round-about route, made it to Torea Bay where we were picked up by our guide, Marius, and taken over the saddle to Portage Bay.  It was drizzling (or perhaps we were just in the cloud base).  We got kitted up for our day of sea kayaking and headed off to the water. The plan, we were told, was to head to a bay that we could see across the water, look at a few coves, have lunch and come back.  We set off and Marius was quickly into a rethink as we reached the chosen bay somewhat sooner than anticipated.  We paddled on (and on) and were able to hug the coast and see mussel beds and oysters on the rocks.  There were stingrays and jellyfish in the water and shoals of whitebait making the surface 'bubble' as they broke the surface.  Pete was also cajoled into trying fishing from the kayak with a mussel as bait - something bit, but only took the mussel not the hook.  We paddled back to our start point with Marius telling us we had done most of the whole day trip not just the half day - when we asked how far we had been, he said he reckoned we had covered the thick end of 20km!!  It did not seem that far at the time.  Then it was back by water taxi to Picton, repossess our bags and check in for the Interislander.  The ferry takes over 3 hours but had the television on so more viewing of the Sevens on the way across.  We arrived in Wellington in the glare of the floodlights of the Westpac Stadium (where the rugby was still going on - England were playing the 3rd/4th match as we disembarked), got our last rental car and set off for our B&B.  We were warmly greeted when we arrived and, as we got our bags out, our arms were telling us that we had, indeed, paddled quite a distance earlier.  Sufficeth to say that we both slept well!

Queen Charlotte Track

Back in the intenet world, a quick report on the last couple of days.  Today, Friday, we drove from our lovely lodgings near Blenheim to Picton and found (a) the ferry terminal and (b) the place where we were to be briefed on our walk (in that order because our instructions suggested that we had to walk our luggage from (b) to (a) tomorrow and that we may only have 15 minutes to do so!).  The plan was to take a water taxi across the sound to the end of the walking track and then walk back to a place called Furneaux Lodge where we were to stay the night (about 15km).  We had packed what we needed in our backpack and camera bag and were handed our packed lunch to add to these.  The water taxi is intriguing in that it is the local delivery service, bus and means of communication.  The route is dictated by who and what needs to be where and who needs picking up - the passengers included the tourists and locals who were off to their 'batch' to tidy it up for an upcoming rental (a batch here is a holiday home, not a loaf).  We were advised that there was a waterfall near Ship Cove (our drop off point) that was worth a visit.  As with most of the places we seem to visit, Captain Cook got there first and there is a memorial to him in the bay!

We did the kilometre or so to the waterfall (which was very pretty) and back again and then set off on out 'tramp'.  The first part was uphill to gain height to walk around the headlands.  It was through the temperate rain forest and, every now and then, there are views over the sound and the bays in it.



As we had loitered in Ship Cove, we had let the others that were on the same taxi get ahead and, therefore, had the track to ourselves for a while.  The walk was somewhat more defined than the Hollyford and one did not get the same feeling of being out of the way as there were little houses about here and there and regular views of boats on the sound.  We did the run to Endeavour Inlet and on to Furneaux Lodge (an extra 25 minutes) in about 4 1/2 hours.

Blister Prevention en route

We were pleased to get into a shower, sit and read for a bit and then adjourn to the bar for something to eat and to watch the Rugby Sevens from Wellington.  We both agreed that we felt more tired from this walk than the first day of the Hollyford, but then worked out we had done the same distance in about an hour's less time!!

Marlborough Wines

A cool, grey day here today (all the locals moaning about how cold it is) - a good day for a chauffeured tour around some of the vineyards around Blenheim.  Our first stop was at Te Whare Ra where we were shown around an organic, bio-dynamic vineyard and winery by one of the owners.  This was followed by a tasting of 7 of their wines (5 white and 2 red).  The surprise package was that they make a dry riesling and, whilst we would normally avoid it, this one was certainly worth trying and some views as to this grape type were blown away.  Next we went to Auntsfield, which is on the site of Marlborough's first vineyard and has something of an interesting history - another wander around followed, this time, by 5 wines to taste (the best being a Pinot Noir Rose).  Then we went to Wither Hills - the winery there is fairly new but the estate is large and they supply wines to the UK with Tesco being a stockist.

We tried 6 wines there with each of our favourites being a white (Ingrid a Pinot Gris and Pete the dry Riesling), but the most interesting was one that has only been released for 6 weeks - a sparkling Gerwurtztraminer - which was much better than it sounds!  We had lunch here overlooking the vineyard.  Just as well to have some food at this point as, from here, we were of to Saint Clair vineyard (one of the bigger family owned wineries).  Again, we tried half a dozen different wines - they rate their sauvignon blanc, but neither of us were particularly keen, and the chardonnay which was meant to be 'lightly oaked' but was still a bit claggy to our tastes.  Their Shiraz was better than average though.  From there it was on to a chocolate factory where Ingrid had dessert by way of the tastings on offer and then to another tiny vineyard called Seresin and a couple making organic, bio-diverse wines and trying something different.

Again we tried an array of wines and, perhaps even more interesting, their own olive oil where they cold press the olives with citrus fruit (they had lime, lemon and orange to taste) and they were all very clean and tasty.  We finished our tour at a vineyard call TerraVin, which had six wines to taste, the best being the two Pinot Noirs (a 'house' wine and their 'reserve' wine).  Had we drunk everything poured for us, we would be struggling - there were some who do the wine tour on a bike, which has the makings of being quite dangerous!  We kept taking on the water and poured away what was not wholly to our taste so we survived and, we are sure, will be ready to do battle with a bottle of something at dinner time.  Now time to pack again - this time for a hiking day and a kayaking day.  We are unlikely to be able to get internet access on Friday or Saturday and, if we can't, we will let you know how the Queen Charlotte Track is come Sunday.  Have a good weekend all.

Where's Whaley?

This morning we were woken before the alarm by a text message (only 10 minutes early, thank goodness).  The only benefit of this was that we were just in time to see the sun rise over the Pacific and a rainbow over the mountains across the bay!  After breakfast we went to check in for our whale watching trip.  The forecast was for winds building during the day so we were pleased to be on an early trip.  We were slightly less pleased to see the sea-sickness warning when we checked in.  The excursion here is of some 40 odd people on a catamaran which heads out into the ocean hoping to find one of the sperm whales that pass through the area.  We are on the second trip of the day and the crews are radioed up to pass on information.  The first boat hadn't found a whale when we went out so our skipper took to a different part of the sea in the hope of finding one.  After a while there was a bit of activity as a whale had been seen diving - the bad news is that they take 45 minutes or more to surface and it was about half an hours ride away into the north-west swell.  The next bit was a test of mental fortitude and stomach strength as things became somewhat choppy and a few people succumbed.  We held on.  We had been out on the water for the best part of 2 hours when a whale finally surfaced and the view we got gave an impression of size, the power of the spouting and the like before it dived again.  At this point we had to head full steam back to the harbour, somewhat behind schedule.  Not quite as we had hoped, but it is a matter of luck with these trips.

From Kaikoura we drove along the coast road to Blenheim;  an expensive ride as a sneaky policeman with a speed gun was hiding in a farm gate and Pete copped it (ho hum).

Blenheim is the heart of the Marlborough wine country and one gets to a point where it is wall to wall vineyards and a game of spotting the labels one has seen back in the UK.  On the way to our B&B we passed Villa Maria, Oyster Bay, Wither Hills and other brands we have seen at home.  Our accommodation is in the middle of the Dog Point vineyards - we look out at some Pinot Noir vines.  The family of our host here, Kirsty, own the vineyard and, having checked in, we went for a wander over part of the estate and past the winery.  We will, we hope, sample some of the product later (and will report) (link here if you are interested http://www.dogpoint.co.nz/.  The setting here is lovely - in the hills outside the town (our room is in the building below).

Good news from Rachel too as she is now teaching the former head of department's timetable (with A level classes) and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this will mean full time teaching and a full time contract to go with it.

Kaikoura

A nice leisurely morning, collecting another rental car and then driving up the coast to Kaikoura. The weather continues to be kind to us and it's a very pleasant 27 degrees. After booking into our B&B, we wandered down into town - a very typical seaside town, with a real holiday feel to it, grabbed some lunch and paid an impromptu visit to the local golf club. It wasn't on the itinerary but looked very quiet and inviting in the sun so decided to play - very nice little course and we were round in less than 3 hours.

We then decided to continue with some more exercise and took a walk on the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway which has some great views over the rocky bays. There was a 2-3 hour option but I'm afraid we only managed an hour on the southern side!

Rocks in Limestone Bay

Then it was back to base to freshen up before dinner. looking forward to whalewatching tomorrow - just hoping the bad weather doesn't come in so that it gets cancelled.

Finally CONGRATULATIONS to Kirsty on getting her place at Christchurch Canterbury - knew you would and hope the dentist goes okay tomorrow x

Back to Christchurch

From Hokitika we drove up the coast toward Greymouth.  We turned off to visit a jade workshop where we were able to chat to the Maori who finds the greenstone and works it into jewellery and ornaments.  He was able to explain the importance to the Maori of the stone and the meaning of the shapes carved.

The mine train at Shantytown

From there we went to a place called Shantytown - a reconstruction of an 1860's township which included some original buildings that had been moved there.  It was more museum than themepark and quite interesting.  Then on to Greymouth to the station and the TranzAlpine railway.  The train crosses the Southern Alps and runs some 250 km to Christchurch.

The TranzAlpine

The scenery along the route is quite stunning and using the train meant that both of us could enjoy the journey rather than have a driver having to watch the road.  We are back at our first B&B and were welcomed with a glass of their pinot noir (oh what a shame!).

Blue Ice and Driftwood

It rained very heavily overnight in Franz Josef.  After a leisurely breakfast, we drove out to Okarito - a settlement that originally opened for mining but which diminished in size after as it had grown at the beginning of the Otago gold rush.  Nowadays it seems that the tourists are the only thing that keeps it going (and even then it is not buzzing - the general store which used to open two days a week closed in the mid 80's).  We then went back into Franz Josef township as we were booked on a 1230 glacier walk.  This entailed getting kitted out with boots, crampons and a rainjacket - we declined the hat and glove and overtrouser options as the weather had cleared up very nicely.  We were advised to wear 3 or 4 layers of clothing (which we ignored as it was warm and we are English).  Having been coached to the car park at the bottom of the valley, we walked up a track through the rainforest and emerged to get our first view of the glacier and an impression of the scale of it.  It is difficult to convey the scale as, even looking at it first hand, being told that something on the ice is 6 km away does not quite do it.

The first ice fall beyond the glacier face - and, yes, those are another group of walkers coming down the ice

What looks in places like rock is, often, ice that has been covered in rock dust and debris by landslides or rock falls.  The natty footwear of crampons is a must on the glacier - even though the guides helpfully cut steps in the ice with axes to help the tourists.

Pretty cool eh?

The walk takes place on the lower end of the glacier because that is the area where there are the first ice falls and stresses that open crevasses and create 'caves' and holes.  The fresh ice below the surface is blue - something to do with its reflective quality and blue being the first colour we pick up (the same reason that the sky is blue apparently).  We walk down some of the larger crevasses and through a hole.  Most of the holes are created by water running through and under the glacier.  One we walked through went from a metre diameter to the size it is today in 4 days.



In a crevasse



There was also a huge ice cave which had formed in less than 10 days with millions of tons of ice having collapsed from its ceiling - one could hear more ice falling in the cavern (which was quite spooky).

From there, we had a 90 minute drive up to our next stopping point - Hokitika.  As our walk overran, we did not arrive until 7.30 and, as NZ is not quite like England, we were advised to get out quick to get some supper before everywhere shut!  After eating we went down to the beach to view the annual driftwood and sand sculpting exhibition which finished today - there were some odd and some very good pieces of work.  The overall winner was a cow constructed from pieces collected from the beach, replete with udder and horns!

Tomorrow we are on the move again, so we will have a quick look at Hokitika in the morning as it is the biggest town we have been in since Christchurch and has, we are told, a reputation for jade.



Through the Southern Alps to Glacier Country

Today we had a fairly serious drive to do - you could tell that when, an hour in, the sat nav announced as we turned on to Highway 6 'follow the road for 294km to your destination'!  The first part of the trip from Queenstown to Wanaka was in sunshine and followed a scenic route through the mountains.  The road had been subject to a couple of rock slides and bits were being repaired.  Unlike home, we turned one corner to find a bulldozer and a road sweeper lorry in the middle of the road - no coning off here.  We then had a run along the lakes to the east of the mountains before climbing to go through a pass and down to the west coast.  As we got to the mountains, we found the rain that had been forecast and it did not leave us until about 7.30 this evening.  We drove to Fox Glacier and, as the rain was not much more than a misty drizzle at that point decided that we would walk to the glacier face.



A potential Helen Money moment - remember Dovedale?



From the viewing point (c100m)



It is about a kilometre and a half's walk along the valley, over streams and up the rocks to get to the viewing area - everywhere there are warnings as to rock slides and the like.  In today's gloomy weather, one could see how things get washed down the sides of the steep valley and, potentially, hit people.  The scale of the glacier is quite something to see.  The ice we were looking at is probably in the milions of years old and one gets a mix of blues and whites in the main flow (it is a bit grey round the edges where it is eroding the rocks).  The face advances some 5 years after a heavy snowfall at the seat of the glacier (it takes that long for the effects to be translated down the length of the valley).  The walk up and down is easy - they recommend walking boots or stout footwear but, to back-packers and some visitors that appeared to equate to a pair of flip-flops.

We then went on to Franz Josef where our accommodation is.  As it is so wet, we spent a while doing some laundry (very exciting) and trying to book a trip on to the Fox Josef Glacier for tomorrow (which we achieved).  We are hoping that the weather is a bit kinder tomorrow.

Remarkables!

View from 1st Tee

No, the heading is not a typo.  Yesterday evening the Milford Sound downpour reached Queenstown and it hosed it down for much of the evening and night.  We woke, though, to some sunshine and, on opening the curtains, saw that above a certain height the rain had fallen as snow - we had a great view of it from our hotel.  Today was a golf day - at a place called Jacks Point, which ranks very highly in New Zealand's best courses and, on one review, is number 1 on the South Island.  The course sits on a headland alongside Lake Wakatipu and is quite spread out on the estate.  The lake is in another glaciated valley and both sides are, basically, mountains.  The scenery was stunning.  Why we say that the heading is not a typo is that the range to the east of the course is called The Remarkables and this morning with the snow laying above a certain level they certainly lived up to their name.  At times concentrating on the course was less than easy as, everywhere one looked, the views were a major distraction.

The course itself was described as a links course - which it isn't really, by UK standards - but it was still a very good course to play as the fairways were in beautiful condition and the greens were good and true (albeit not as fast as usual due to the 35mm of rain they got overnight).

View over Queenstown, its park and golf course

After golf, we went back into Queenstown and up to the local viewpoint in a cable car.  Up the hill they have activities such as bungee jumping, sky swings, paragliding and an option to cable car up and then mountain bike down the hill.  Sadly the sky swing and paragliding were closed (well, we were not really sad) and we avoided the bungee jumping - we did though decide to do one of the actvities.  Our girls (and Liz, Nicole,Kristi & Matt) will need to cast their minds back to Rotorua as being the last time we did this!!  There was a wheel luge run and, therefore, we took the chair lift further up the hill, donned our helmets and rolled off down the hill.(Good nostalgic fun!)  The views over Queenstown and the surrounding area were very good and we were able to get a perspective as to where we had been over the past few days.  It is our last night in Queenstown tonight and tomorrow we are off to Franz Josef to see the glaciers.

Hope all at home are well.

Hollyford Track - Day 3

The variant this morning was that we were woken by one of the guides (Bard) singing a Maori greeting!  The forecast today is horrible and the clouds are already dark at the tops of the mountains along the Hollyford Valley.  The usual form is that having done a morning's walking, guests are flown out in a light aircraft along the coast and into Milford Sound.  We are told that the plane company is not going to fly today and that we will be helicoptered out!!  After breakfast we go in the jet boat to the sand dunes at Martin's Bay.  Our walk teaches us to how plants colonise the dunes, stabilise them and how, eventually, the rainforest takes over.  We see the evidence of the Maori settlements and the remains of one of the few houses uses by the later settlers who tried to make a living in the area.  We are regaled with a number of stories (not all wholly believable) as to why a certain grass grows toward the sea, how a daughter of the settlers was wooed and why there is a stand of Eucalyptus trees on the dunes in New Zealand.  The last stretch of walking is a walk along the beach back to the mouth of the Hollyford River - this is some 4 km of sand, some of which is soft and therefore quite testing for some (by now) rather tired legs.  Some of our group found it very hard work and we are soon stretched out over a good few hundred metres.(guess who was at the front!!!!) All was going well until a rogue wave caught Ingrid by surprise and she ended up with one very soggy foot (she was very grateful it didn't happen on day 1)  Then it is back by jet-boat to the Lodge for lunch.  As we are eating, the first helicopter arrives.  We are to go out in three groups.  As the weather is closing in, the helicopter company is sending in three machines to get us out (rather than by doing it in relays with two machines).  We are in a six seater and no sooner than we take off, it starts lashing down and the mix of the rain, wind and pace of the helicopter makes for something of an adrenaline filled ride.  The view is limited by the rain but, in Milford Sound, the waterfalls that have not been flowing are now cascading down the fjord and it is very impressive.  The only sad point is that one does not get a view of the whole of Milford Sound.  After landing, we scurry to the coach and a four hour ride via Te Anau back to Queenstown.  All in all, we were very lucky with the weather on our trek - those starting today (and there is a group including the mother of one of the lodge hosts) are in for a very wet and miserable first day.

Martins Bay Lodge

Hollyford Track - Day 2



Our wake up call came as advertised and both of us were dreading getting out of bed to find that we were too stiff to move.  Pleasantly surprised, we were both fairly mobile although Ingrid had a niggle with a blister (brought on from her golf shoes not her walking books).  After a hearty breakfast (necessary given the walking to be done) we were off on the trail again.  First up we walked up to Lake Alabaster which lies in a tributary valley to the Hollyford River.  As the water levels were fairly low, we were told that we would be shuttled down-river on a smaller boat.  We volunteered to go on the first shuttle as it meant that we would have a chance to see a piece of the landscape that we would otherwise miss.  There is a flood channel that, when the river is high, creates an island in the middle of the river.  On this island is a hut maintained by the department of conservation for the 'freedom walkers' (those not on guided trips).  We had seen one person leaving the track on day one and no-one else.  We toured the 'island' and visited the McKerrow Hut - this has two huge bunks and 12 (yes, twelve) mattresses so that six can sleep per bunk!!  When all the others were at the island, we boarded a bigger jet boat and headed off downstream and into Lake McKerrow.  We had a couple of stops - the main stop being at Jamestown, which was the intended settlement of the region by the local government.  The settlement lasted only a few years as the area was, basically, wholly inhospitable and lines of communication to the local centres were not (and could not be) established.  There is nothing there but a plaque and a cemetery now.  Next stop was to jump back on to the trail (this trip misses out a piece called the Devils Trail which is a day and a half's difficult hike.  We resumed our walk through the rainforest and saw how the vegetation changes as you get nearer the coast.  Our lessons were punctuated by lunch as we got nearer the coast.



The warning sign for part of the track - we only had to do about a kilometre of it!



After seeing 1000 year old trees (which pre-date the Maori by some 200 years and Euopean settlers in the area by some 850 years), we reached the coastal part of the path.  Next up was a visit to a seal colony.  We were near the front of the group behind one of the guides when there was a splashing and a bit of turmoil in a bit of water on the land-side of the path;  a penguin popped up, jumped between the two of us (close enough almost to be on Ingrid's toes) and shot into the bush on the seaward side.  As the penguin was a Fiordland Crested Penguin - the rarest in the world - it was a very exciting moment and as much so for the guide as us.  It was also a piece of the trip that only 4 of us got to see up close.  On then to the seals and a sighting of adults and pups basking in the sun on the rocks;  we even have some video of a pup suckling.

Tearing ourselves away from this scene, we went back down the path to a landing site and were collected by the jet-boat to be taken to the Martin's Bay Lodge where we were to stay for the night.  The lodge hosts served salmon that they had hot-smoked themselves at the lodge;  this was followed by a very chocolate-y pudding.  Strangely, the starter was a cheeseboard.  Suffice it to say that it did not take long to go to sleep in anticipation of another early wake-up and a poor weather forecast for the next day.

Hollyford Track - Day 1

Tramping under the forest canopy

An early start for us this morning as we were picked up from our hotel at 0640.  We were coached to a place called Te Anau where the group for our walk congregated.  We were a group of 14 - 5 English, 2 Danes, 5 Aussies and a pair of Kiwis.  We had two guides - Mike the chief guide and Bard (sic) who used to be chief guide and had been called back in to cover a gap in the roster so we were going to be well looked after.  Back on the coach we had a further ride into the Fiordland National Park and down to the start of the walk.  We actually started walking at about 11.30.  In spite of the doomsayers at the briefing and the general weather pattern of the Southlands, it was sunny (although, we were told, there was rain on the way sometime over the next day or so).  The first limb of the walk is predominantly under the rainforest canopy and the guides talk you through the types of tree and how the climate and other matters affect the fauna.  The walk is along the Hollyford valley, which was created by a glacier and has steep sides and plenty of creeks that, when it rains, turn into cascades of water.  We stopped for lunch about 2.20, which we ate whilst sitting on the rocks in the river bed - the river being low at this time of year both by virtue of it being summer and because it has been drier than usual.  The stop was not very long and we were back on the track for another botany lesson.  Although most of the track is fairly close to the river (which is quite drinkable so it was handy to keep topping up our water bottles!) and, therefore, not overly hilly, there is a gorge and part of the first day's walk is over a hill to avoid this.  The uphill section is about 45 minutes of climbing (not too bad really and not as tough as we feared);  the downhill stretch the other side turned out to be more difficult - a mix of the gradient, the loose surface and the slight imblance given by the back-pack.  The reward at the bottom was a short break by a beautiful waterfall.  After this was the final push to the 'hut' where we were to spend the night (which was about an hour and a quarter);  at this point the guides fell to the back of the group and in the knowledge that there were only three showers at the hut, we pressed on with a view to getting out of our boots and into a shower as early as we could.  It was a successful tactic and, refreshed, we were able to adjourn to the lounge and get a drink and chat with the other members of the group.  After dinner not many were enthuastic to feed the eels or go and see some glow worms (we had just spent nearly 7 hours walking with a back pack!) - a glass of wine and an early night were in order as a 6.45 wake up call was to greet us next morning.  We adjourned to our bunks (yes, each room had two bunks in it) and hoped that we would not be too stiff in the morning.

Queenstown Golf

Today we played golf at Millbrook, a course that gets good reviews for its views. It would have been better but for the building that is ongoing. We then had a walk around Queenstown, which does not take long! The park, though, is beautiful. The 18 hole frisbee golf course was a novelty. Then it was on to the briefing for the trek we set out on tomorrow. We have now packed our rucksacks as lightly as we can as we have 17 km to cover and have to carry our three day's worth of gear. As this is a 'wilderness' trail, we will be offline for the three days. We are hoping for fair weather and will report in on our return.

Sunburn to Snow!!



Lake Tekapo with cloud capped mountains

 We woke at Terrace Downs to find that it was raining and still blowing and was only 8 degrees.  Some brave souls were going out on the golf course there - we were due to leave after breakfast for our drive down to Queenstown.  It rained throughout the first leg with one 10 minute deluge which made driving quite tricky.  Fortunately as we approached Tekapo there was a break in the weather and, when we stopped to look at a monument to sheepdog there and a church with a stunning view over the lake, it was actually quite bright albeit still quite cool.

Lake Tekapo runs up to the foothills of the Southern Alps and is almost a 'Tiffany' blue - the photo does not do it justice.

The next leg took us past the next lake - Lake Pukaki - which is in the valley below Mount Cook, the highest peak in NZ.  At the time we could not see the mountains because of the cloud.  However, as we carried on the cloud seemed to be clearing so we decided to make the detour and head up the side of the lake in the hope of getting a sight of the mountain.  It was worth the trip for the scenery alone.  As we got further up the valley we were able to see some of the mountains, the snow on the top and the dry valleys that, after the spring thaw, must be torrents.  When we got to the hamlet below Mount Cook it started to snow!  We could not get a sight of the very top of the mountain as the cloud started coming in again. 

We headed back down the valley and resumed our journey.  It was sunny for all but the very last bit of the remainder of the trip.  We were driving through some stunning scenery and through the Otago vineyards.  We did not stop at any of the wineries to sample the local Pinot Noirs but there is a serious risk that we will give that a whirl this evening when we wander out for dinner in Queenstown

Christchurch to Terrace Downs



View from the 16th tee

Awoke this morning to learn that the sunburn was not quite as light as we had first thought!  Pete's forehead and nose is glowing;  the backs of Ingrid's legs are good and red.  Today involved a drive from Christchurch (via the supermarket to pick up some aftersun) to a resort in a valley near Mount Hutt.  The drive was through farming country on the Canterbury plain where we moved from cattle to sheep and then on to venison.  We played golf on a very good course called Terrace Downs which had wonderful views of the mountains and, when you were on certain holes, the gorge and river in the valley below.



Chalet view



Our accommodation tonight is a chalet and it seems that we have been upgraded from the one we booked so we have loads of space and a view over the valley to the mountains.  Glad we did not have a late tee time as the wind has got up and it is blowing hard now - we can see why the nearest village is called Windwhistle.

Hope that Lexi is over her ordeal and that the painkillers are working for Kirsty.

Love to all.

Clearwater and Kiwis

Ingrid did make par at this par 3....

Having managed to get a decent night's sleep, we hope that we will be over the trip out here.  After a good breakfast at our B&B, we went to the golf course (all of three minutes away).  Clearwater has hosted the NZ ladies open and a Nationwide tour event - Ingrid was even greeted by the course designer, Sir Bob Charles!  The course was very good - water on nearly every hole to narrow down the target area - and the weather was splendid.  The sun down here is very strong and we missed a few spots with the sun block! 

After the golf we went to the local wildlife park and wandered around that.  We did spot our first kiwis - we cheated a bit as they were in the 'nocturnal' part of the park/sanctuary.  We also saw some of NZ's other native and endangered species amongst a number of enclosures where the endangered species were absent hiding or, perhaps, just absent!  Then it was back to the B&B and a quick dip in the pool before getting ready for supper.  Altogether an excellent first full day down here.