(Nearly) a month in New Zealand

Day 1 – Friday 3rd October 2025 – arrive in Auckland

Day 2 – Sat 4th – Northland; Treaty of Waitangi

Day 3 – Sun 5th – Bay of Islands

Day 4 – Mon 6th – back to Auckland

Day 5 – Tues 7th – Waitomo caves; Rotorua

Day 6 – Wed 8th – Hobbiton; cultural experience; geysers

Day 7 – Thurs 9th – thermal highway; Napier

Day 8 – Fri 10th – Wellington, Zealandia

Day 9 – Sat 11th – ferry to South Island; wine tasting

Day 10 – Sun 12th – Abel Tasman National Park; Nelson

Day 11 – Mon 13th – moving on to Christchurch

Day 12 – Tues 14th – Tranz Alpine Train; Helicopter flight

Day 13 – Wed 15th – off to Queenstown

Day 14 – Thurs 16th – free day in Queenstown

Day 15 – Fri 17th – Milford Sound (actually a ‘fiord’)

Day 16 – Sat 18th – retracing our steps

Day 17 – Sun 19th – Mount Cook

Day 18 – Mon 20th – quiet day in Christchurch

Day 19 – Tues 21st – Christchurch suburbs

Day 20 – Wed 22md – Banks peninsular

Day 21 – Thurs 23rd – final day in NZ

Day 22 – Fri 24th – fly to Australia

Week 1, Day 1

I arrived in Auckland, after a 7 hour flight from Bali, at about 6.00am, having lost 5 hours across time zones. I had tried to sleep on the plane but had only dozed.

A lot in NZ felt like I was home after Bali – beef stew served on the plane; proper toilets in the airport; English spoken more clearly, although obviously still with an accent; less smiley service; rain. Yep it was raining and only about 18 degrees when I arrived, so not the hot humid temperatures I had been used to. And hopefully no mosquitos.

The security at the airport was different though. There are fines of up to 400 NZD (about £200) if you are found to be bringing in any prohibited items, which includes eg any fruit, like bananas. There is a detailed separate notification that needs to be completed before you can progress through immigration, with questions about where you have been and where you are going. Once you have collected your hold luggage there is a separate process of talking through what had been declared on this form. I had highlighted that I had used my hiking boots in the Balinese jungle, as specific to one question, and also had to show the agent a wooden bowl I had purchased in Komodo. These questions all relate to bio-diversity and an attempt to keep foreign pests and diseases out of the country.

I was directed down a specific aisle which went into another room where a dog and its handler quickly sniffed me and my luggage. The dog didn’t pick up anything and I was allowed through.

After using a shuttle bus to get to my hotel (not as cheap as Bali, but reasonable enough at £17 for a 25 minute journey through the rain downtown), I arrived at the Grand Millennium hotel in the CBD (Central Business District). I was too early to check in to my designated room, but I could pay for an upgrade for £50 for a room already available. I gladly paid so I could get some rest.

The luggage I had sent from the UK was brought up to my room, alongside my rucksack. I organised some laundry with the hotel – I just made their 9am cut off to get the clothes back the same day. The service was not cheap, but it was an easy way to get caught up

I paid for breakfast in the restaurant, before going to bed for a couple of hours – I was exhausted. Even after catching up with some of my blog I was, however, ready to go exploring by 3.30pm.

I came across an All Blacks NZ Rugby experience, and their last tour of the day had just started at 4pm, so I was able to quickly join in. The tour was informative and interactive. The best bit was probably the huge cinema type room where we stood opposite the men and then the women’s team whilst they performed their own haka – it was obviously a film, but you felt like you were standing facing them, as they were life size, and it was very loud.

There is a tall ‘Skytower’ with a viewing deck overlooking the city so I paid to go up and have a look. The lift was the best bit – on the way up to floor 51 I filmed the view from the doors facing out, and then on the way down I realised there was a glass floor looking down to where the lift was racing down to!

I wandered around the streets a bit and got my bearings. By this time a lot of the shops were shut, so I made my way to the marina in search of food. In a restaurant with a guy playing the trumpet I ordered a glass of Pinot Gris (my favourite!) and small plate of chicken. The waitress came back after taking my order, and asked to take my card as security – I was reluctant to let it out of my sight so agreed I would pay up front instead. After talking to her manager they obviously decided I didn’t look like a run risk, and let me pay afterwards.

Sunset was at 7.30pm ish and the city looked lovely lit up as I walked back to the hotel, although it started to rain heavily after I took the picture

Back at the hotel I found a note under my door from the tour guide, Kevin, saying there was a group dinner at 6.30pm in the restaurant in the hotel lobby. It was about 2 hours later by now, but I went down anyway, and most of the group were still there, although they soon dispersed, having travelled from the UK and were very tired (13+ hours to Singapore, 5+ hours lay over and then a further 9.5 hours from Singapore to Auckland). I had a longer chat with Kevin, and it was nice to have made contact. I assume the group of 14 will get to know each other better as we travel around NZ.

In the meantime I had to sort my cases ready for an 8am start the next day.

Week 1, Day 2

I am going to like NZ, I can tell! Our first stop today was Parry Kauri Park, where 2 old Kauri trees are preserved, within a natural forest. These native trees are now protected but were used since the Maori arrived in the 13th Century for canoes and building. They are considered sacred. The atmosphere as I walked around the decked path was magical, and I found it more peaceful than any area in Bali that I had visited

I was the only one who walked around the boardwalk which I was surprised about – I am not sure why the others didn’t want to. Perhaps the station at the beginning to disinfect your shoes put them off – this is an attempt to stop Kauri dieback which is killing these native trees

The tour guide Kevin, and the local kiwi driver, Russell, both give titbits of information as we travel on our 52 seater coach to the north of the north island. There is plenty of room on the coach for just 14 guests, pure luxury compared to the cramped minibus with poor air conditioning that we had in Indonesia

Some fun facts I have been told already:

• Population of Auckland is 1.6 million (London is 9 million)
• The next populous cities are Christchurch and Wellington. The 4th biggest is Hamilton where our driver Russell lives, with population 100k (200k per google?)
• Auckland has suffered extensive roadworks for 4 years whilst a new underground train system is installed
• The Harbour Bridge is only one of 2 bridges used to access the North Shore area. As the suburbs grow so the road over the bridge is getting more congested. Almost as soon as it was built it was realised that it wasn’t big enough, and Japanese contractors added 2 more lanes each side, referred to locally as the Nippon Clip-on
• Western settlors only arrived in NZ after Captain Cook discovered it in 1769. The first to make the island their home were mainly whalers and sealers, especially around the northern shores and Paihia
• The island was covered in trees, which were suitable for ship building, replacement masts etc. After trees were cleared other settlors started to move in to farm the area
• Beef and sheep farming is popular. Apparently lamb is not eaten often as it is so expensive. Russell said NZ lamb is cheaper in London than it is in NZ, which doesn’t make much sense
• Dairy products are also relatively expensive, despite being produced all over the country. This may be because of a lack of competition as there are really only 2 supermarkets.
• A lot of Kiwis are moving to Australia as the cost of living is about the same, but wages are higher. The mines in Australia pay particularly well
• Immigration is largely people from South Africa and Asia
• No animal in NZ can kill you, unlike the various poisonous and dangerous animals in Australia
• The possum is a nocturnal pest – most Kiwis believe a good possum is a dead possum. There are metal cuffs around electric poles to stop them climbing up on the wires and causing damage
• A lot of pests like rats, mice, stoats and weasels are not natural to NZ but have been introduced from other countries – they cause issues to the kiwi whose eggs are eaten
• There used to be a large flightless bird called a moa in NZ, but these were hunted to extinction by the Maori within 100 years
• Houses in NZ are often moved in their entirety on the back of a lorry. A house can be sold separately from the land it is sitting on, to two different buyers if the buyer for the land doesn’t want the house, which is then just moved. A lot of the houses are clapboard clad timber framed properties.
• There is a saying that most things can be fixed with a no. 8 wire, which is reference to a certain grade of wire typically used in fencing

There is only one road heading north, with no parallel roads along the coast, so the first glimpse we had of the sea was Bream Bay – so named by Captain Cook, as he caught a lot of fish there which he thought were bream, but were probably more likely to be snappers

We passed through a place called Waipu, which has a Scottish heritage arising from a Reverend and his flock who settled there from Scotland after first trying to find a permanent home in the US and then Australia. A traditional Highland Games is still held in Waipu every New Year’s Day.

We stopped for lunch at Whangarei, pronounced Fangeray – the Maori people do not have the letter F in their vocabulary but use Wh instead. We were given some free time to look around and to have lunch at the variety of cafes – I took the opportunity to visit the Hundertwasser Art Centre. The centre celebrates painter, architect, ecologist and visionary Friedensreich Hundertwasser and contemporary Māori artists

Hundertwasser was an eccentric character who had a love hate relationship with his home town, Vienna. He had a hatred for straight lines, especially used in architecture, as there are no straight lines in nature. He also loved colour. He must have been influenced by Gaudi. He was not a trained architect but was involved in helping to design various buildings, including this one to display his art in NZ, his adopted country. He was ecologically aware, and the grass roof was integral to his wish to use and re-use nature everywhere

His art was abstract and colourful, but embodied his fluid design ideas. He had some unconventional ideas about where he wanted to be buried. He died from a heart attack in 2000, aged 71, on the QE2 in the Pacific Ocean and was buried as he wanted in NZ, and a tulip tree was planted on the site.

Russell mentioned that the only hospital in Northland was in Whangarei and that some people have to travel quite a difference to get there. Initially I thought he meant the whole of North Island, but Northland is a specific area within North Island! I assume Auckland has a hospital of its own.

Another confusion is the use of Aotearoa – apparently this is the Maori name for NZ, and translated means the ‘long white cloud’ – it was originally used just for North Island but is now used to encompass the whole of NZ.

Our overnight is further north, in Paihia, gateway to the Bay of Islands. The area was very popular with whalers and other settlors because of its location, access to fresh water and trading opportunities with the Maori people. The settlement of Kororareka (now renamed Russell) became known as the Hell Hole of the Pacific, however, due to the lawlessness and rowdy behaviour arising from alcohol and prostitution. In 1831 thirteen Maori chiefs petitioned the King of England, King William IV, to send someone to sort it out and gain some order. A James Busby was sent who, together with Rev. Henry Williams and his brother William, were instrumental in drawing up the Treaty of Waitangi some seven years later

The first National flag was prepared on this site, at the request of the Maori people when a ship of theirs and all of its contents was confiscated because it wasn’t flying a flag, and was therefore deemed to be a pirate ship. James Busby invited the Maori chiefs to choose one of 3 designs, and the resulting flag was accepted as a national flag. The British acceptance of this separate flag indicated that this country was regarded as an independent nation in international eyes.

The Maori chiefs had written a Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand in 1835 which was accepted by the King, and the Treaty of Waitangi was drawn up in 1840. The Treaty was originally drawn up in English, and then translated into Maori by the Williams brothers who had lived amongst the people for some time and had a grasp of the language.

There has been a lot of dispute since whether the Maori people understood what they were signing. The language was a spoken one, and had only been written down 5 years earlier in a dictionary prepared in Cambridge, UK, when one chief travelled there. Not many locals in NZ would have been able to read or write.

Furthermore some of the language used had different meanings in English and Maori – for example the Maori people had no concept of land ownership at that time, believing they were merely guardians of the land for the future. They didn’t realise the Treaty embodied the right of the Crown to take ownership of the land if they felt it was necessary. Even today with 20% of the population of NZ being Maori, they only have about 6% ownership of the land, and this has been hard won from pressures in recent years.

The term sovereignty was also misunderstood and the New Zealand Wars started within 5 years of the signing of the Treaty, leading to a hardening of the British position, and the dispossession of a lot of the rights and representation of the Maori people, which have still not been fully resolved. The guide who took us around the site at Waitangi was careful not to be drawn into controversial ground, but it was obvious that her sympathies were with the Maori

The ‘Treaty House’ built on this land and in which Busby and his wife lived, was constructed first in Australia, and then dismantled into pieces for shipping, using roman numerals to identify each piece. Subsequently a Maori meeting house has been built within the grounds, to counterbalance the existence of the Treaty House.

Also within the grounds is a ceremonial waka, a huge ‘canoe’ which comfortably seats 83, 80 rowers, and 3 to steer and organise the rowers. This was built in 1940 to celebrate the centenary of the signing of the Treaty and is used every February on the anniversary (Waitangi Day)

The face at the front of the waka is showing signs of wear as people perform a ‘hongi’ with it – a traditional Maori greeting, with both parties touching forehead and nose to forehead and nose.

In the free time after booking into the hotel I wandered back along the shore of Paihia, browsing in some of the shops and soaking up the sun when it shone. We had had very changeable weather, going from really quite warm in the sun at times, quickly followed by a downpour.

We are staying at the hotel for 2 nights as the next day we are going on a boat ride around the bay

Week 1, Day 3

The popular thing to do in the Bay of Islands is to cruise around some of the islands, and travel by boat through the ‘Hole in the Rock’, weather permitting. Luckily the tour included this cruise. There was also the possibility of seeing dolphins or perhaps even a whale, but unfortunately none wanted to show their faces on this occasion.

With the changeable weather, and situation and speed of the boat, it was sometimes very cold and windy; other times warm and sunny. The view was at all times stunning. It is obvious why the first settlors would have chosen to use the area as a base, protected from the harsh elements in the Pacific Ocean, with everything they would need to hand (drink and prostitution, as well as food and water and other provisions)

The seas were a lot rougher as we headed out towards the Hole in the Rock, as we were then in the open Pacific, away from the protection of the islands

If conditions were kinder the boat would have sailed right through – the hole is 60ft high, but obviously varies with the swell of the seas. The boats have to approach from the North side, which is more exposed, and the Captain decided conditions were not safe enough for us to go through. Instead we went around and the boat went in from the south as far as possible, both forwards and backwards.

On the mainland peninsular is an old lighthouse, which has now been replaced with an automatic light. It is possible to stay in the little cottage further down the headland, but getting there by boat can be a bit hit and miss with the weather so changeable. Helicopter is a possibility if you have enough ‘coin’ but most hike – it would be a 5 or 6 hour hike from the closest settlement of Rawhiti.

We returned to Otehei Bay for an opportunity to walk around a bit of Urupukapuka island, or have coffee/food. I took the trail around the southern edge and the views were just amazing

We were able to stop at Russell on the way back, and catch a ferry back later to Paihia, or continue back to Paihia on the cruise boat. I chose to get off, as did most of the tour group, and 9 of us ended up getting a table at the Duke of Marlborough for lunch. I had expected a dark and dingy pub, but this was an airy colonial style building, with an enclosed front ‘porch’ with comfortable chairs, views over the bay and great service.

I wandered the shops and bought a warm, light jumper made with a mixture of cotton, merino and possum fur which I am assured will be very warm. The lady who’s shop it was came from Perranporth in Cornwall, but had been in NZ for many years, coming first as a qualified teacher, and then retiring to Russell after years teaching in secondary schools. We chatted about the differences between Cornwall and NZ, and she mentioned the high cost of living in NZ, and house prices that are out of reach of most people – she said when they go back to the UK they are always surprised that you can buy a decent house for £250k, whereas here the equivalent 500k NZD would not get you a house. She reiterated that many Kiwis are moving to Australia where wages are higher and house prices relatively lower.

Before catching the ferry back I bought an ice cream – Kevin, our guide, had said that a popular flavour is Hokey Pokey, which is a mixture of caramel and honeycomb – I can confirm that it is very good!

Week 1, Day 4

Back to Auckland today, as unfortunately we are not going to go any further north, given the time restriction, so will miss the Ninety Mile Beach at the top of North Island – I will have to go there next time!

Quick stop in Kawakawa, to see the railway line in the middle of the road, and Hundertwasser’s first design project – some public toilets! The railway was designed to transport coal but is no longer used for that, so some has been restored for weekend tourist trains. When the train goes through the town it takes priority. Russell pointed out the sleepers stored all the way along the disused section – apparently one government minister spent a lot of money buying them as he thought the whole railway could be restored, but they have stood idle for 4 years, and Russell cannot imagine anything will ever happen with them

It was quite a long way to our next stop, but pleasant to sit in the spacious coach with the sun on my face, looking at the countryside

Whilst travelling Russell gave us the benefit of his experience as a kiwi about some random subjects:

• 87% of the power used in NZ comes from renewable sources, including hydro-electric, thermal, solar etc
• There is at least one coal powered station, which oddly uses imported inferior cola from Indonesia, whilst better quality coal deposits in the South are exported
• There is a lot of dairy farming in the area – Russell himself was brought up on a dairy farm, with 100 cows on 100 acres. Everything is bigger now, and more usual to have 300 cows on 300 acres to make the farms viable. Sheep farming is more in the South, on thousands of acres
• The second hand houses which are moved about can be bought for 100k NZD, but money needs to be spent to renovate (and presumably attach services etc), and of course you need to own the land to place them on too. Russell said this compares to the cost of building a 3 bed new house, which would be 500k NZD (which contradicts what I was told in the shop by the lady from Cornwall)
• Medical care is provided FOC, although there is a nominal charge (20NZD to 50NZD) to see a doctor. Dentistry is expensive. Waiting lists are long – years for an operation. Hours in ED. Many are buying private medical insurance to get better care, but expensive
• Stoats apparently eat over 90% of kiwi eggs – stoats are an imported pest which has spread everywhere. Some kiwi eggs are collected and hatched in centres to avoid the stoats (and dogs and feral cats) getting to them

Coffee stop was at Warkworth, with the usual main street, and pleasant walk by a river behind

Once back in Auckland we had a brief tour of the town in the coach, stopping for photos of the harbour bridge, and then lunch at Mansion Beach.

The Auckland Museum was a bit random, with 3 floors with all sorts of exhibits, ranging from WW2 spitfires, to dinosaur bones, to short videos about people living in the area

The coach took everyone back to our first hotel in Auckland centre, but I decided to walk, and this proved to be my favourite part of the day. Went through a park with trees in blossom and even a daffodil!

Back at the hotel I made use of the swimming pool and sauna, before getting ready to join the rest of the group to go out for dinner

A little bit of excitement after eating our various dinners in Eliot Stables, a sort of food hall – the fire alarm was activated and we all had to clear the space, out onto the street. The place where we got our food was only part of a whole hybrid of shops underneath the Eliot Hotel, and all had to evacuate, the whole block. One fire engine was there within a few minutes and by the time we left there were 4 on site, although we didn’t see any smoke or flames…

Week 1, Day 5

The rain really made its presence felt initially as we set out south of Auckland. Eventually the sun prevailed, and we drove past a lot of farmland, on lush green hills

Our guide Kevin, and bus driver Russell continued drip feeding more facts to break up the coach journey

• There are more Pacific islanders (eg Fiji, Tonga, Samoa) in Auckland than there are left in the Pacific – they were attracted here in the 1980’s for jobs, and the 2nd and 3rd generations have stayed
• Tip Top is no. 1 ice cream brand in NZ, now celebrating its 90th year. They eat a lot of ice cream in NZ
• There is a Maori Queen, although largely symbolic. There has been a recognised head of the Maori tribes since the late 1800’s, mostly kings, but the most recent king died, and his daughter has taken on the role
• There was a Waitang tribunal set up in 1975 to deal (slowly) with disputes from the Maori tribes about land taken from them and repatriations due. Their work is ongoing
• Some tribes have had big repatriations paid, into several million NZD. A lot has been invested wisely in land and various tourist attractions. The Maori people have always been good business people, right from the days of the trades with the first settlors. They were never confined to reservations, like the aborigine people in Australia
• Maori call white people (i.e. light skinned non-Polynesian New Zealanders, particularly those with British ancestry) ‘pakeha’
• There are still ongoing grievances with some tribes advocating more fighting

We stopped en-route at a roadside cafe just north of Hamilton, and I spoke to some ladies who were part of a weekly ‘knit and natter’ type group. They were very friendly but wanted to talk about their trips to Europe rather than offering any insightful snippets on their own lives

The highlight of today was Waitomo caves – these are large limestone caves discovered many years ago by the Maori, with stalactites and stalagmites formed over hundreds of thousands of years. The real highlight are the glow worms that live in the caves. These glow worms have a life span of about 12 months, spending most of it growing after catching and eating flying insects like midges. They make sticky silk threads that hang down to catch their prey which is initially drawn by the light they emit. We were all taken on a boat deeper into the caves which weren’t lit so that we could see a huge display on the roof of the cave. We were not allowed to take pictures or video. The guide used ropes to pull the boat around, without sound. Quite magical

Lunch was at Otorohanga, although I didn’t eat having had a warm cheese scone at the coffee break. The town prides itself on Kiwiana – i.e. promoting all things relevant to NZ. I spent some time reading information displayed along one alleyway

The town is famous for a dispute it had with Harrods, of Knightsbridge, in 1986. Apparently a local restauranteur had called his place Harrods, for years, as it was his family name. Harrods of London suddenly sent a cease and desist demand, insisting on a change of name. The whole town came out in support, temporarily changing the town name to Harrodsville. Harrods Of London eventually gave up their demand.

Along the route to Rotorua we passed Sanctuary Mountain in the distance – this area has been completely fenced in (over 47km, with high fencing that also goes under the earth) to prevent predators, and to have an area where indigenous animals can be reintroduced. Later we drove through Fitzgerald Glade – this is an area which has been maintained as it used to be, with all land covered by trees and other plants. This would have been what NZ looked like before the first settlors used the timber up, and then cleared the other plants to use the land for farming

We crossed Waikato river several times – this is the longest river in NZ, about 420 km long in total. There are 8 power stations on the river, and it is an important source of water for the population

Before Rotorua we crossed the Mamaku Ranges, hills which form the backbone of North Island. These hills are tectonic rather than volcanic, but on the top are mounds called ‘tors’ which are lumps of solidified lava, thrown up when the volcano at Rotorua erupted over 240k years ago.

Rotorua was built inside the caldera of the volcano, which has not erupted for the last 20,000 years. A huge lake fills the space, and the area is a thermal wonderland. Rotorua is also known as a cultural centre and also attractive to those who want to do activities like mountain biking, water rafting, bungee jumping, zorbing, downhill luge etc. Tourism, farming and forestry are the main income sources for the area. Forestry is based on commercially grown pine forests as native trees are now protected

The name Rotorua means ‘Lake no 2’ – it was the second lake the Maori found on their first journey from the sea where they landed having sailed from Polynesia (probably because of volcanic activity), and headed inland

There are geo thermal pools available for swimming in, so I headed straight to the ‘Polynesian Spa’ as soon as we arrived at our hotel, which was next door. The water varied between 39deg and 41deg, so just like a hot bath – bliss! I had thought to have a treatment but they were fully booked for the short time we would be able to visit.

The area behind the spa is a protected area, but also very dangerous, as many signs kept telling me as I wandered out to Sulphur Point. The birds that live in the dead area have to fly elsewhere to feed before coming back to roost.

The walk got prettier as I carried on

I walked back through the Government Gardens, and saw a rose garden which wasn’t yet in bud, with an arbour covered in wisteria about to flower. There were camelias and magnolias, tulips and bluebells. There were red hot pokers in the same bed as the tulips and bluebells. Whilst the flowers were familiar the combinations were a little off key compared to what we have in the UK.

I carried on wandering and ate at another food mall that Kevin had pointed out to us when we drove in – a lovely warm lamb salad with chick peas – very tasty indeed. I got talking to a NZ man who was travelling for business, about our various travels, and he confirmed that people in NZ who haven’t travelled are the same as those in the UK – a little quick to pass judgement on others. He is keen that his 3 young sons have the opportunity to travel in the future.

Back at the hotel I joined the group, most of whom had eaten in the restaurant in the hotel (or not at all). The food had been disappointing (not hot, just left in a buffet style and gone cold) but were offered 50% discount which they accepted.

Week 1, Day 6

The Hobbiton movie set is about an hour and a quarter ride from Rotorua. In 1998 Peter Jackson, director of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy, found a 1250 acre sheep and beef farm owned by the Alexander family which looked ideal to use as the setting for Hobbiton. The set for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was made first, was temporary and removed after filming, but when the site was reconstructed in 2009 for the Hobbit trilogy it was rebuilt in permanent materials, and the set has been used as a tourist attraction ever since

After leaving our coach, visiting the cafe etc, we were then taken on Hobbiton buses for the 8 minute journey to the set, with a guide. It is all very slick, with a short film on the bus with an introduction by Peter Jackson and Mr Alexander

The hobbit holes are very impressive, and generally the attention to detail is amazing. At each point the guide gave us information about various aspects, such as how the filming was able to show hobbits as being shorter than humans/Gandalf (eg using perspective so that Frodo was 3m behind Gandalf although they appeared to be next to each other; creating hobbit holes that were different sizes so that Gandalf appeared big next to one and hobbits small against another)

We gradually wound our way up around the paths and up to Bilbo’s house at the top, which is the biggest. All the props are as real as possible, although some are fake. There is a huge ‘oak’ tree above Bilbo’s house which is completely fake, originally with thousands of leaves individually wired onto the tree, but later (for the Hobbit films) replaced by an artificial tree made out of steel and silicon

I spoke to the guide, who was French. He said there were about 60 guides – most are temporary and just work one season and move on, but some have been there 10 years. In the Spring they do two tours a day, but in the summer they do 3 each – he admitted it can get hard to keep the enthusiasm levels up. The set is open to visitors 7 days/week. You can get married on site, but tours will continue – he wasn’t sure how much it would cost but thought it was in the region of 7,000 NZD.

Most of the hobbit holes are just frontage, as the indoor shots were done in a studio, but two have been set up with replica internal rooms, and again the attention to detail was just amazing, with everything being small sized, 60% of human I think (or was it 80%)

We were given a complimentary alcoholic drink in the pub, the Green Dragon – a choice of a cider, stout or ‘Amber Ale’ which is what I had. Even those on the tour group who weren’t interested in the Hobbit had to admit seeing the detail of the set was fascinating and worth the visit.

We stopped for lunch at a place called Tirau which is well known for models along the high street made of corrugated metal.

Rather than going for lunch with the rest of the group I wandered down to a park and got chatting to a man who appeared to be very knowledgeable about a lot of subjects, eating his packed lunch. He had traced his family history back to Scotland, with his ancestors being one of the first to arrive in Dunedin in the South Island, which has a lot of ties to Scotland. He had lived and worked in London, within the IT industry, as well as NZ. He spoke of his frustration of the claims being made now by some sections of the Maori people. He accepted that the Waitangi tribunal had had valid claims to sort when first established in the 1970’s as some land had been claimed from the Maoris during the two world wars, for defence purposes, and never returned. He believes that other groups have used the opportunity to put in more spurious claims, however, and this has led to too much of a diversion, stopping NZ from reaching its full potential.

I asked what that potential might look like, as I had thought NZ was happy to be a back water, eco friendly, maintaining the eco system. His answers surprised me as he said NZ was developing a competitive space program; a world leader in engineering and medicine; very successful in the agriculture industry, with a huge proportion of the world’s seeds produced in NZ; at the forefront of the IT industry. Apart from issues resolving the tensions with the Maori people he also mentioned problems with resources, especially power – the hydro power stations are max’d out and he suggested that the country needs to invest in nuclear power, but the ‘Greens’ are stopping this development. I later googled the future of NZ and saw a report which suggested these were indeed the areas that would be important into 2050 for NZ

After less than an hour back at the hotel, we were then taken to Te Puia, a Maori cultural centre. We were shown around the Arts and Crafts Institute, where Maori students on full scholarships spent 2 or 3 years leaning traditional skills, such as cutting and fashioning stone/jade/whale bone; wood carving and weaving

The site is based on a thermal area with geysers, which we got to see, together with a mud pool

The geysers blow in a regular pattern with the biggest (Pohutu) every 30 minutes or so. Some are inactive and haven’t erupted in recent years. Even Pohutu stopped for a while until all the local hotels were told to cap off their steam outlets so that the pressure was restored

On the way down to the geysers the Maori have some kiwis kept in an enclosed space, where they have artificially reversed day and night so that we may see them during our day time (their night, as the enclosed space is blacked out). Unfortunately whilst we were there the male, female and new chicks were all taking a nap and we didn’t get to see them, which is unusual.

As part of our admission we were given a buffet dinner – this was huge and included everything from soup, salads, cooked meats, ice cream and lots of different puddings. You could go up as often as you wanted to, and we certainly felt well fed. The star of the puddings was the pavlova, which NZ claim they invented (although Australia say the same), as a tribute to Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballerina, who toured both countries

After dinner we were invited to attend a cultural performance in the Maori meeting house. One of the visitors was selected as a chief, and presented to the Maori inside the meeting house, requesting that we be allowed to enter. We were asked to keep quiet as the meeting ceremony took place

Once we were seated the display became much less formal, and we were entertained by music, singing and dancing, which included the haka.

We went back down to see the geysers again after the show, which were now lit up. We were taken down and retuned in a land train, and given hot chocolate to drink.

Week 1, Day 7

There is a line in the North Island from Mt Taranaki in the west, right across to Rotorua and beyond in the East which is subject to volcanic activity of varying degrees. One recent eruption was on White Island to the East of Rotorua, in 2019 when 22 people were killed. From Rotorua we followed the thermal highway south and stopped at Waiotapu to see a mud bath – it looked and sounded like porridge bubbling away

Further along we stopped at Huka falls, which are on the Waikato river, the really long and powerful river which starts from Lake Taupo nearby. The sheer quantity of water flowing down the falls and the power was awesome – about 200,000 litres of water falls over the 9m drop on the falls every second – enough to fill 5 Olympic swimming pools every minute

Lake Taupo was our (long) coffee stop, so after a little walk along the lakeside and a meander around the shops, I stopped in a very efficient nail shop and had my nails re-done. It was interesting to see the difference between the salons in Bali, when water is brought to you to wash your hands, compared to this conveyor belt – staffed by Asian ladies all talking in their own language, my gels were removed, nails shaped and re-painted by 3 different people, all within less than 40 minutes, and charged 37 NZD.

Lake Taupo is the biggest lake in NZ – so big you could fit the whole of Singapore in it. To the south are 3 mountains, all active or dormant volcanoes. At least one has snow on the top and is a popular ski resort – the only place to go skiing in the North Island.

The thermal activity in the area is captured for energy generation in various power stations. Russell, the driver, confirmed there are no nuclear power stations in NZ – “we don’t like nuclear here”

The surrounding country had changed from the rolling farmland further north, now covered in commercial forestry. Radiata pine is grown, and harvested after 20 years or so. Logs are then taken by lorry/trailer to ports and largely shipped to eg Japan for further processing. A lot of timber is used for the timber framed housing in NZ. A lot of organisations have an interest in the forestry, including the government, the Maori, corporate entities, and particularly a Canadian pension fund according to Russell.

We saw some scars on the landscape as we approached Hawke’s Bay. Apparently Cyclone Garbielle caused a huge amount of damage in the area in Feb 2023, devastating the vineyards and fruit orchards in the Esk valley. All the debris from the forestry slash and burn methods usually left to rot whilst new trees are growing was washed down into the valley. The silt left after the floods turned into a really hard solid and had to be removed

Napier in the Hawke’s Bay area was our stop for the night. We had some time to look around ourselves before being taken on a walking tour of the city. Originally Napier was built on a smallish piece of land surrounded by swamps, but next to a lagoon. In 1931 a devastating earthquake and subsequent fire cleared a lot of the town centre. At the same time the land rose by several metres, and the lagoon was completely drained and became land, as did the surrounding swamps. A Navy ship that happened to be moored in the harbour was tied down with steel ropes, and also hemp made out of NZ flax, which has always been used a lot for making rope etc. The steel ropes snapped, but the hemp stretched and held, and the ship remained upright. The sailors on the ship helped the town a lot to regain law and order and rescue people who were trapped – over 250 people are recorded as having died.

A lot of the surrounding residential buildings made of wood survived the earthquake, and were not caught in the resulting fire. The fire was started from a chemist premises, and moved around the town centre because of onshore winds in the afternoon. It couldn’t be put out as water pipes were damaged and no water was available, so buildings were demolished to form a fire break to contain the spread.

Because the residential parts were not destroyed it was decided that the business and retail part of the town should be rebuilt. However, to avoid ad hoc renovations, a moratorium was put in place, preventing any building for 12 months whilst a plan could be agreed. In the meantime a temporary tin town was built, so that the traders could continue to sell their wares, based in Clive Square, now a pretty park. There are bells there now, which play tunes on a regular basis, which sounds like hand bells

Once building started in Napier it was agreed that the roads be widened and corners be chamfered. The verandas that are common in NZ (to protect the merchandise from the sun apparently, rather than pedestrians from the rain) were to be left, but pillars removed and replaced by cantilever wires instead, again to make the streets feel more open. The rebuild was successful and completed within a further 2 years – there was more building going on in Napier in this time than in the whole of the rest of NZ – it was the time of the Great Depression and money was tight – the Art Deco style was cheap to build, but stylish

In the 1980’s some buildings started to get torn down, which resulted in a movement to save the Art Deco buildings. It was recognised that the town had something special, because most buildings were still in this style, whereas in other countries they are spread amongst other styles. The buildings are now protected by Listing with Grade 1 preventing any changes at all

The Art Deco style has now become an iconic feature of the town, and used on souvenir gifts etc. There is a festival held every February, when people come from all over the world, dressing up in the style of the time, and even bringing cars from that era

Week 2, Day 8

When driving out of Napier it struck me how all the houses are single storey – this has been the case everywhere we’ve been. Land used to be cheap and all plots were circa 1/4 an acre so there was plenty of room. Single storey is cheaper and easier to build and can be transported more easily if moved. Land prices have increased a lot in recent years and there has been a lot of building in the plot behind the original houses, with a shared drive. Russell had spoken too about ‘tiny houses’ which can be installed without planning permission to provide an extra rental income (I forget the dimensions he quoted). Russell has a house built of straw which is unusual, but he said it is a lot warmer than some of these ‘clapboard’ style properties

When we left Napier the sun was shining, and the weather app said the temperature was likely to be 26 deg all day. The same weather app said Wellington was 17 deg and raining…The Hawkes Bay area is known to be the sunniest part of NZ, and there is a lot of fruit growing in the region and vineyards. A lot of seasonal workers come from Fiji and other islands, on short-term visas, to pick the fruit at harvest time. During the Covid pandemic a lot of fruit went to waste as there was nobody available to pick it. Frost fans are used to keep any frost off the fruit.

Because the land is relatively flat, and the sun shines a lot, there are some biking trails between vineyards in the area. It would have been nice to stop for a day and do one of these cycling trails, which I would have done if I was travelling under my own steam – this is a downside of this type of tour as there cannot be this type of flexibility. I would not have been able to cover the same ground in the time on my own, however, as the driving would have been very tiring

Along the route we passed Waipukurau, where Bernard Matthews started his business processing meat to sell to the UK market. We stopped at Dannevirke (Dane town) for a coffee break – the town proudly displays its Danish origins with Viking models. Danes were very good at felling trees, which was needed when the earlier settlers wanted the timber for building, and the land cleared for farming. The town is now one of many along the route supporting the farming community.

Unfortunately one of our group, Kat, an 81 year old mother of 3 (including two 60 year old twins) had a bit of a tumble, perhaps because of the strong winds – lots of people stopped in cars and on the street to help, but Kat was ok, and gamely carried on

Lunch stop was Greytown. A shopkeeper told me this town had become particularly popular in the last couple of decades, with boutique shops selling homeware, clothes and antiques. It is about an hour out of Wellington and is popular for weekends. The town was always genteel compared to the more agricultural communities and really took off when the White Swan Hotel was opened in 2003. The building was previously a railway administrative building which was cut into 6 sections before being transported to Greytown on the back of trucks. One trailer got off balance coming up and over the mountains and nearly lost its load before being rescued.

Between Greytown and Wellington we crossed the mountain range we had seen before, forming the backbone of North Island. We left behind the sunshine and travelled towards the grey mist…

Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, although it has a smaller population than Auckland. Originally the capital city was moved to Wellington from Auckland to make it more central to the whole country, and was known as the administrative capital. There is a big student presence.

The museum of NZ is housed in Wellington in a very impressive, spacious building. The exhibits were very informative, but it was impossible to read all the information available. The exhibits covered everything from the natural world and how the various human settlers in the last 700 years have changed the islands from temperate woodland to farmland; the impact of the Maori’s to the history of the country; stories about the varied immigrants that have ended up in NZ for many different reasons; a display about the Battle of Gallipoli and the loss of so many NZ lives. The country remembrance services are held on 25th April every year, rather than the normal VE day in the West, because of this battle.

Wellington is known as the windy city in NZ, and it certainly lived up to its name. The museum had great views over the harbour, from which the boats sail to the South Island.

In the evening I had signed up for a tour of Zealandia. To get there I took the ‘cable car’ (a funicular railway) from just outside the lower level of the hotel, on Lambton Quay. Lambton Quay used to be the seafront of the city, but is now well inland after land was reclaimed and built on.

I walked down through the botanic gardens, following a route to Zealandia

I hadn’t realised how much the route would be downhill and uphill, so although only a 30 minute walk from the top of the cable car route, I was warm by the time I arrived.

Zealandia is an enclosed sanctuary set up 20 years ago. They use fences to keep out the ‘pests’ that have been introduced to the country, and which have had such an impact on the indigenous wildlife. The fences have been developed over time, and been successful in keeping out cats (2m tall fence), possums (metal rounded lid on top of the fence), rabbits (metal fence extends underground and a foot out to stop them digging), and other animals. The only pests they know have got through are mice – they could navigate the fence despite the height and metal cap, until further adaptions were added. Baby mice can also slip through the gaps in the fence – it is not solid as the high winds will have knocked the fence over. Some of the indigenous birds have adapted to catch the mice.

The sanctuary has been set up with a 500 year plan – the idea is to restore the area to as it was before human settlement – i.e covered in native trees and undergrowth and with native wildlife. In 20 years the previous sheep pasture has been transformed, and there have been some successes in increasing the native wildlife, but the hope is that the area will be quite different again in 500 years time. The only things that cannot be re-introduced are the moa (the huge flightless bird that used to roam the country before the Maori arrived) and its predator, the big Haast’s Eagle, which are both now extinct.

The guide, Toby, a young lad who said ‘sweet’ all the time and reminded me of my son, George, is studying ecology at the university, and is obviously passionate about the project. We were also accompanied by 2 volunteers who went ahead to scout for wildlife to show us. We were given torches with red lights which would not disturb the wildlife too much

Toby explained that the only wildlife originally on NZ after it appeared as a separate land, having split from the continent that previously encompassed Australia and Antarctic, were birds, as they could fly there. There was also some small reptiles and other animals that floated to NZ on logs etc. It was an unusual habitat as there were no mammals. Over time the birds became flightless as flight used energy and was anyway unnecessary. Predators found their prey through sight, as birds do, and so the wildlife developed camouflage to protect them, and stayed very still to avoid being seen. Unfortunately this didn’t protect them when other animals made their way to NZ via settlers’ ships etc – eg rats smell their prey and could catch anything that stayed still.

After a short film which explained some of the history of the last 700 years, we went on a guided 2 hour walk with Toby around the sanctuary. I had hoped we may spot some of the 600 kiwis (Little Spotted Kiwi) that live here, but we were one of the 20% of visits that don’t get to see these iconic birds, although we could hear the male and female calls as darkness arrived.

We did see some of the other wildlife, however:

• Kaka birds (New Zealand bush parrot) – these have been a success, with many birds now spreading from the sanctuary and setting up nests in people’s lofts etc within the wider Wellington community. Whilst not strictly nocturnal the birds are known to be noisy all night, especially when disturbed
• Tui (birds) – again the population is growing thanks to this sanctuary
• Karuhiruhi (Pied Shag) – these have introduced themselves into the sanctuary
• Pateke (Brown Teal) – these ducks are unusually nocturnal and would rather seek food on land (insects) than in the water
• Ruru (Owl) – we didnt actually see these but we could hear them
• Takahe – again, we didnt see these birds, as there are now only two in the sanctuary, a pair, and rarely show themselves. There used to be a pair which could be fed, but they died last year, and are due to be replaced
• Titiwai (Glow-worm) – we saw a display similar to the one we had seen in the caves we visited a few days before
• Slugs – very big, and apparently very good for the garden, as they eat the pests there, and don’t touch the vegetables
• Weta’s (Flightless crickets) – we saw 3 different sorts. The tree weta can grow to 6cm, and weigh more than 2 mice…!
• Pepeketua (Frogs) – unfortunately we didn’t get to see these either. They are unusual frogs – they don’t croak, have big round eyes to see at night, and don’t go through the tadpole stage, but instead give birth to froglets.

I hadn’t planned a way of returning to the hotel, but was lucky enough to be able to share an Uber with 2 American ladies, on a different tour of NZ. I grabbed some food in McDonalds, as the only place open at that time. The streets were deserted – for a student town it seems the nightlife is unusually quiet!

Week 2, Day 9

We said goodbye to Russell today, as we will have a new coach driver in the South Island. The ferry takes just over 3 hours to travel between the two halves of NZ, almost east to west as the more northern point on the South Island is further North than the southern most point on the North Island. The ferry used to run across the English Channel as the P&O ferry (Pride of Cherbourg), but was bought by the Interisland ferry company

We were the first foot passengers to disembark, and surprisingly we were told to walk between the parked cars and lorries before they were allowed to move, right across the deck, and taken off via a gangway, and a long walk to the car park, where we met our new driver, Rob

As we drove to Blenheim, and onto Renwick we saw some dead trees – these have been killed off on purpose, in another attempt to eradicate non native species. At Zealandia they had spoken about draining the reservoirs they inherited on the site and their efforts to eradicate the perch (breed of fish). The reservoirs had been abandoned by the water authority as they realised they run along the fault line between two tectonic plates. The founders of Zealandia removed as many native fish as they could, drained the reservoirs and poisoned the perch. Once these had been removed, the reservoirs were re-filled and the native fish put back

We had a wine tasting booked at Forrest Wines. This area, Marlborough, has become famous in recent years for its vineyards and production of Sauvignon Blanc. The area used to be know for growing stone fruits like peaches, but these have all been replaced by vineyards now, with more Sauvignon Blanc being sold from NZ than France. This particular vineyard, or winery, was established by a couple, the Forrest’s, who were previously trained as Doctors. Brigid Forrest set up a GP practice as they settled in the region, and provided the finance for her husband John to experiment with different grapes and processes. They had 3 children, and the eldest, a daughter, now runs the business.

The vines are pruned each year, leaving just two canes (called the Vertical Shoot Position, or VSP method). This potentially reduces the chance of disease and hopefully produces a better quality of wine as the vines are limited to these two canes.

The business now has 16 different varieties of grape, including the standard Sauvignon Blanc, which is unusual. The Sauvignon Blanc can be processed and bottled every year much more quickly than other grapes, and has a consequently higher profit margin, so other vineyards concentrate on this product. We tried a sample of wines, including a rose made with Pinot Noir and other grapes that I liked, and a Chemin Blanc which I liked enough to buy a bottle of! The ‘Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc which had been developed with just a 9% proof I wasn’t keen on, nor the ‘red’ Pinot Noir. NZ doesn’t have the right climate to make a good deep red, which needs higher consistent temperatures, especially overnight, as they have in Argentina where the Malbec thrives. We didn’t get to try the Pinot Gris, which I usually like, but perhaps I will have to look out for it now (TattyBogler is apparently a word used in Scotland for scarecrow!)

Our hotel for the next 2 nights was in Nelson, next to the sea. We had to cross a range of forest covered hills/mountains? on the way, covered in mist, but the weather cleared again as we approached Nelson – generally this seems to be a feature of NZ, with rain, wind and mist co-existing side by side with sunshine

Week 2, Day 10

Because we were staying in Nelson for an extra night we didn’t need to pack all our stuff up ready for the coach, although an early start of 7.30am meant we didn’t have too much time to spare. We travelled to Kaiteriteri beach to catch a boat which would take us up the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park.

The boat had a very well engineered gangway which could be lowered onto a beach for easy access on and off. As the boat pulled away from the beach, so it was levered back onto the boat

We travelled up the coast and admired the beautiful beaches and coastline

Despite the rain I sat up on the top deck. Luckily I had brought my waterproof trousers, so could sit on the wet seats, but had to admit defeat after a while as the rain was like little needles in your face as the boat picked up speed

We had the option of getting off at one of the Bays (Anchorage) and walking around the headland, which 6 of us decided to do. The others went further up the coast (into rougher water they told us later) and would return to pick us up.

We found the path through the campsite off the beach and walked around the headland stopping at some lookout posts on the way. The path was a clear trail, but got steep and muddy at times, and the tree roots made the way difficult for some

We were joined by a man who had got off the boat with us, but we thought he was with some other people. They seemed to disappear, and this older man (who had a very bruised face and bandaged nose from a recent fall) just seem to latch onto our little group. He said things got harder once you turned 80, so I assume he was in his 80’s – he seemed quite confused at times, and unsteady on his feet. I took his bag off him, so that he would have 2 hands free if he tripped. He was Australian and talked about skiing in Queenstown in NZ in the past, and had promised himself a trip back to NZ to see the rest. I was glad we got him around the loop in one piece!

Te Pukatea Bay was on our route, a deserted unspoilt beach with golden sands – absolutely breath-taking

It would have been nice to have stayed at Kaiteriteri beach for the afternoon, as the sun was now out and it was quite warm. We could have kayaked and swam in the bay. As always the itinerary didn’t allow for this flexibility, and we returned to Nelson, with free time for the afternoon

Determind to make the most of the sunny weather I headed straight back out again. I saw Jan, one of our group who had decided not to come out on the boat trip at all today, sitting outside a cafe with a cocktail, enjoying some live jazz music. I joined her for a coke, and enjoyed the sun

I moved on and climbed up the path to the ‘Centre of New Zealand’ (depending on how you define the centre). The views at the top were stunning and worth the effort

From this monument there is another trail that leads across the headland back towards the sea, so I followed this and enjoyed more of the views of the city

Eventually the trail led to some free Japanese gardens, which I found beautiful and peaceful. It was like a summer’s day with the sun so warm, birds singing (always a chorus in NZ) and couples and families sitting enjoying the end of winter

It was a good time of year to visit, with the blossom coming out

The walk back to the hotel was another opportunity to see locals enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon

The hotel was next to the cathedral, which has an interesting open tower, and you can see the bells hanging there

Quite a busy day again, with a freshen up (a soak in the bath) before joining the rest of the group in a local Italian restuarant

Week 2, Day 11

I missed out a few details from our walk in the Abel Tasman National Park, which I will record here.

• The first picture below is of a ‘Weta’ which everyone seemed to know on my walk around Zealandia, but I looked it up afterwards – it is a type of flightless cricket. This one we saw in a box left for the purpose, similar to what we had seen in Zealandia
• The second picture is a ‘Weka’, a flightless bird which is native to NZ and is known to be curious and a scavenger – we later saw one on the beach approaching visitors, presumably looking for food
• Finally the third picture below is a good example of the Silver Fern which is so iconic in NZ – it is displayed everywhere. The fern is green on the top, but silver on the underside. Apparently it was used by the Maori to mark a trail which could be seen in the moonlight, and it has been adopted as a national symbol.

There is so much information that I am soaking up as I travel through the country, and I am sure I am not recording it all on this blog! I would like to, so I can remember in the future, although it may not have the same interest for every reader

Leaving the city of Nelson behind, we all agreed we had liked the feel of the place, and could see it was a nice place to bring up families. Apparently the city lays claim to many 1st’s, being the first accredited city in the South Island in 1858; the first place in NZ that rugby was played; the first high school. The hotel was called the Rutherford, named after Ernest Rutherford, born in 1871, awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry because of his work in nuclear physics.

We set out on the long route to Christchurch, first surrounded by fields in which hops were being grown. The area had been a big tobacco growing area until the 1980’s when taxes and changes in people’s habits made the product unviable. The climate is apparently perfect for growing hops, and the industry has bloomed in the last 10 years, with most being exported.

Gradually the scenery changed to more mountainous, with large river systems. The commercial pine trees were gradually replaced by native forests. Rob, our new driver, spoke about the waste arising from the slash and clear policies used in the commercial pine forests, and how heavy rain has led to some being washed down, causing damages to bridges and other infrastructure – there is a hope that the waste can be turned into a commercially viable product (firewood?)

Next to the road at one point was a cycleway – apparently a lot of money was spent establishing a cycleway which meant anyone could cycle from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. Once established it was left to local authorities to maintain, and some bits are in better condition that others. There are a lot of local trails however, as cycling is very popular – especially in areas like Napier and Nelson

Rob pointed out some signs referring to 1080 – this is a poison used to kill off possums, and is highly dangerous to all mammals, including humans and dogs. The signs are supposed to warn people not to enter the area but it seems that New Zealanders don’t like being told what to do, and will still use the areas for hunting. If their dogs find a poisoned possum and eat it, the dogs will die too. Apparently hunters need a licence for a shotgun, and handguns/pistols are not allowed, so similar to the UK. Rob did say, however, that cross bows, and other bow and arrows are Ok and often used…

Deer are kept for commercial purposes in the area, but there are still some wild deer which are hunted. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the kids used to shoot possums with air rifles and get a dollar or so for its skin. They also used to catch white cabbage butterflies which were considered a pest, in jam jars, and again pick up a few cents

We stopped at Murchison in the rain for a coffee stop, and then continued to the Lewis Pass over the mountains, climbing up into the mists. The pass was initially developed by the Maori who used it to bring their goods to trade to the East coast, including the green jade they use for jewellery.

As we came down the other side of the mountains we again saw huge rivers, making their way to the coast.

Rob pointed out a type of gorse lining the road at one point – this is called Matagouri, a very spiky plant which is native and therefore protected. If it grows on your land, you just have to put up with it. There have been some ‘accidental’ fires, but the Matagouri seed can just lay dormant after a fire, and then the plant will grow again. Apparently sheep shearers hate it, as if it gets caught in the wool of a sheep (which it will if they are grazing on land on which it is growing) the sharp spiky thorns will cut the shearer’s hands, and also the sheep’s skin, making it less easy to work with. If the thorns are stuck in the wool they are difficult to remove

We followed the Hope river until it meets the Waiau river, and then over an original wooden bridge and on to Hanmer Springs. The small town is popular for good skiing in the winter, and a pleasant weekend break in the summer, with a golf course and other activities. I tired out one of the PJ’s pies which Kevin so likes – there was a few manual workers queuing for the pies from the kiosk too. It was good, but you can’t beat a Cornish pasty!

Whilst making our way to Christchurch, Rob talked a bit about the cars and trucks used in NZ. In the 1950’s and 1960’s you either used a dealer to buy a care, or if you had access to money abroad you could import your own – most had funds in the UK, so a lot of British cars were imported. Because of the cost cars were not replaced often, but in the 1990’s when tariffs on imports from Japan were lifted, more Japanese cars were and still are imported. There is no manufacturing of cars in NZ anymore, with all vehicles imported. Most trucks come from Scandinavia, as tariffs for US imports are too high. There is a reluctance to adopt electric cars, because of a lack of charging stations, but hybrids are more popular.

Rob referred briefly to ACC – Accident Compensation Corporation. This is a government organisation that provides a no fault insurance scheme for accidental injuries. It covers everyone in NZ, including citizens and visitors. The scheme pays for medical and hospital treatment, rehabilitation, weekly compensation up to 80% of income if you can’t work, mental injury counselling and equipment, to anyone injured in an accident, regardless of fault. The scheme is funded through business and worker levies, and levies charged to vehicle owners.

Once in Christchurch we were dropped off in the Botanical Gardens whilst our bags were checked into the hotel. Despite the rain the gardens were beautiful, with the Avon River floating through, used for punting in the summer

Lovely to have such a nice garden available to all, free of charge. There were separate water gardens, rose gardens, and a huge herbaceous border which will be lovely in the summer

A lot of conservation work is concerned with bringing back wetlands. When settlers first arrived they drained a lot of land for agricultural purposes, and to enlarge flat areas that could be built on. It is estimated that up to 91% of all wetlands have been lost in NZ since humans arrived, with a subsequent loss of habitat for wildlife and plants that like those conditions

I also popped into a courtyard within the college buildings and could hear some lovely singing from a vocal class, whilst sheltering from the rain

Week 2, Day 12

Christchurch is recovering from an earthquake that destroyed a lot of the town in 2011. The initial quake in September 2010 damaged some buildings, but the aftershock in February 2011 was more devastating. 185 people died, and 6500+ were treated for minor injuries. Unfortunately over half of the 185 who died were in a TV company building which had been damaged in the initial earthquake, but the local government had allowed it to be used afterwards, and the subsequent aftershock caused more damage and a fire. The earthquake caused the water table to rise, which caused more issues to the buildings than the initial quake. Over 10,000 homes had to be rebuilt, and the only corporate building which wasn’t affected was the local casino. A lot of the buildings have been rebuilt stone by stone, but reinforced against future earthquakes. Many residents moved out of Christchurch in campervans, tents etc and lived elsewhere, some making a permanent move. 15 years later the Cathedral has still not been rebuilt

Today we were travelling on the Tranz Alpine train from Christchurch across the huge Canterbury Plains, and into the Southern Alps. Christchurch was named after the college at Oxford, whilst the area of Canterbury was named after the Archbishop of Canterbury. Many European settlements were named after familiar places from home, and these persist alongside many Maori names for other towns and rivers etc

Once we started to climb in the train the temperature dropped. We passed many gorges with huge braided rivers.

The very red stones next to the river were that colour because of the vivid lichen growing on them

We got off the train at Arthurs Pass, the top of the mountains, and got back on the coach. The train goes into a tunnel after this stop and we would have better views on the coach.

We travelled on to the coastal town of Hokitika, which is famous for the pounamu (greenstone, or NZ jade) which comes only from this region. The Maori own this precious gemstone, and it is carved and polished into traditional designs. It has always been used for making tools, but also jewellery and different shapes have different spiritual meanings

The beach is covered in driftwood, which is often used to make different structures – on this day someone had used it to frame the name of the town – I have used a photo John took, one of the members on the tour

As we travelled on down the west coast, Rob told us that the area gets the most rainfall in all of NZ, as the clouds get stuck as they reach the Alps, and the rain falls, sometimes as much as 12 to 14 metres each year. It is also windy, coming in from the coast, turning into the dry Nor’wester that travels across the Canterbury Plains and onto Christchurch on the other side of the Alps – great for surfers on the east coast, but not so welcome for the farmers who need to irrigate their lands on the Plains.

Although there are a lot of sheep on the South Island, there are less than there once were, as some farmers are turning to dairy instead. A ‘kiwi-cow’ has been developed, a cross between Holstein-Fresian and a Jersey, to increase the fat and protein content of the milk

We passed through a few little settlements as we carried on south – eg Ross Goldfields, which is famous for the biggest gold nugget found and eventually presented to the Queen, and used to make a canteen of cutlery. Apparently those living in the area may own their home and the land it is on, but they do not own the mineral rights. If gold is discovered, they just have to move their house somewhere different – they will be compensated, but will not share in the spoils of the goldmine

Whataroa was another small town we went through, famous for its sanctuary to protect the white heron.

Eventually we reached Franz Josef, our stop for the night. We were due to have a helicopter flight up to the Franz Josef Glacier – something I had been really looking forward to. Initially we were told it wouldn’t go ahead that day and we would have to try again the following morning, but then the mist started to clear and we were told it would after all. They had 3 helicopters and could take all 14 of us at once, for a 20 minute flight. I saw the cost was NZD395 (about £200), but it was included in our holiday so no extra cost to us

After we were all weighed and sorted into order according to weight etc, we were taken to the helicopters. I was in the back with Kat and John, whilst Pam and Judith were in the front of ours.

I have never been in a helicopter before and it was an amazing experience – has to be the highlight of the trip so far

We landed on the snow, at the head of the Glacier, and were able to get out and walk about a bit, mainly to take pictures and have our picture taken

When our time was up we came down a slightly different way to avoid the mist

We had more than our 20 minutes because of the mist and the different route the 3 helicopters had to use to return to base.

The Glacier takes about 50 years for snow at the basin where we landed to reach the bottom. If we had more time in the area I would have liked to walk to the foot of the Glacier, which I believe is possible

Instead, after dinner sitting in the sun with a beer, in what felt like an Apres-Ski village (which I assume it is in the winter) Susanne and I walked up the street and into a native woodland. We had hoped to see glow worms again, but it was too light when we were there. The woods, were, however quite magical, and we could hear many birds although only saw one which looked like a green parrot

Week 2, Day 13

The journey from Franz Josef to Queenstown took all day, but passed some superb scenery as we again crossed the South Island, this time via the Haast pass. First we travelled further down the west coast with the mountains on our left, with snow still visible on the peaks.

Just outside the Haast township we crossed the longest bridge of its type, 750m long over the braided river system

Over the coffee break in Haast (enjoyed with a huge lemon curd muffin) I had a chat with Rob, the driver. I wanted to know what ordinary people living in NZ thought about the idea that the country should almost become a living reserve, restoring all native plants and animals/birds, and eradicate all introduced species. Rob said he lives in Hamilton, in the North Island, and there was more manufacturing in that area. He believes the vast majority of NZ citizens want the economy to grow and the country to prosper, by developing expertise in Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism. He also confirmed that IT and the space industry are areas of growth. He said the Greens have very low support (borne out by a news item I saw on the TV a few days before). He believes the country wants to see other industries from the rest of the world investing in NZ. I think as a visitor the emphasis on protection of the natural environment does not accurately reflect the outlook of everyday people, although they are nevertheless very proud of their country and the natural resources that makes the islands unique.

The naming of the various features along the routes in NZ are often amusingly literal – we passed Pleasant Flat Recreation Ground; Thunder Creek Falls; Fantail Falls; Trickle no.1 and Trickle no.2; Blue Pools. The names often arise from the Maori language, who designate names according to what they find

There are a lot of campervans along this popular route. There are lots of places to stay FOC, if the campervans (or converted vans) are fully self-contained, with their own toilet – each has a sticker on the back to show they have been accredited as such. The campervans range from cheaper converted 7 seater vans, through to brightly covered ‘Jucy campers’, then smaller white campervans usually driven by young NZ, called ‘road maggots’ and finally the bigger white campervans driven by ‘silver surfers’.

A lot of the bridges are single carriageway, as this is how they were built after the war, to save on costs, and the design has remained. Many are ‘temporary’ and often get washed away as boulders are washed down from the mountains and damage the bridges. The roads get very busy in the summer with campervans and cyclists. There is very poor phone reception in the area, but nobody would be left stranded without offers of help.

The lunch stop was at a busy service station stop at Makarora – an isolated spot where most coaches stop. Very efficient and happy staff running the cafe, and the dog ‘Tuck’ loved the attention.

Lake Wanaka is the 4th biggest lake in NZ, 300m above sea level, and 300m deep. Truly beautiful

Route 6 then hops across to Lake Hawea, through ‘the neck’. This lake is even deeper because of a dam that was built, so now 390m deep. The colours of the lake were truly superb, better in real life than in the photos

The road we were travelling stays open all winter, but snow chains are usually carried just in case. In Canada winter tyres are often mandatory, but 4 season tyres are ok in NZ because conditions are not quite as bad. Snow chains cannot be used on bare roads, but need to be carried in case specific stretches become impassable.

From Wanaka we followed the Clutha river – whilst not as long as the Waikato river we had seen in the North Island, the Clutha has a greater flow of water, up to 600 litres per second.

After Cromwell we travelled along the Kawarau Gorge, which includes the biggest area of goldmines and later vineyards, and also the site of the first commercial bungee jumping site.

Eventually we reached Queenstown, the adventure capital of NZ. A lot of Australians come here for skiing in the winter. I immediately liked the vibe, which reminded me a lot of Whistler, Canada. I walked down to the edge of the huge Lake Wakatipu and sat admiring the view with fish and chips takeaway. I passed on the deep fried kiwi fruit!

The gondola was open until 9pm, so I decided to go up and see the view whilst the sun was shining. The gondola itself had recently been updated, with beautiful 10 seater cars with clear windows, which silently took me up the steep cliff, looking out over the whole of Queenstown

I could have come down by ‘luge’ but decided to stick to the more sedate cable car.

I agreed to have my free photo taken at the bottom which I accessed later through a QR code I was given – presumably a promotional gimmick with a false background, but I liked this image anyway

Week 2, Day 14

The weather has a big impact in NZ, and this is no different in Queenstown. Today was a free day to do whatever we please in this centre of adventure, and I had weighed up various options including jet boating; skydiving; cycling…so many different options. In the end I decided to do a small plane trip over 8 glaciers, as I had enjoyed the helicopter ride so much (and also the seaplane from Vancouver to Whistler which we did a couple of years ago). I booked for 8am, but I received a call from the operator to say the weather wasn’t playing ball. As I only had one day in Queenstown, they offered a FOC upgrade for 4pm, flying to Milford Sound and back again, which would still have given me the experience over the snowy mountains which I wanted – I had to call at 3pm for a weather check

After a more leisurely breakfast than usual as we had no coach to catch, I wandered around the town, looking in the shops and had a coffee outside next to some patio heaters, with the weak sun trying to get through.

I had thought of going for a cycle ride around the lake, as there is lots of km’s of bike trails, but there was a bit of drizzle and a lot of wind, so instead I walked around the Botanical Gardens, situated in a headland sticking out into the lake

The plants seemed to be a bit behind the North Island, with daffodils still in bloom. It is odd to think of the North as being warmer than the South – I have seen adverts for houses being sold, stating that they are north facing, which I thought was very strange until I realised this is like facing south at home

Within the Botanical Gardens there is a course for frisbee golf, which is apparently quite popular here. There are special ‘goals’ which the frisbee is aimed at, and signs warning of possible low flying frisbees!

I took the opportunity of wandering back to the hotel and doing some washing, as I was running out of underwear. I also had some work to do on the laptop.

At 3pm I called for the weather update to ensure I could go on my flight, but unfortunately the flight had to be cancelled. Although by now it was quite a pleasant afternoon in Queenstown, apparently conditions were not suitable at Milford Sound

Instead I sat outside my hotel toom and enjoyed the view with my book, before heading to join some of the others from the group for cocktails in the bar.

The Thursday night special in the hotel restaurant was a ‘grill special’ which turned out to be a ribeye steak, huge portion of chips and salad, with an included glass of wine or beer (lager) for 44NZD, which several of us chose. This equates to less than £20, and seemed good value. I had been surprised how reasonable some prices were – at our coffee stops we could often get a coffee and a cheese scone for less than 10NZD. I believe wages are not keeping up in NZ, and taxes and levies are high. Certainly a lot of people talk about the lack of affordable housing

Week 3, Day 15

We left Queenstown early (6.45am) so that we could get ahead of the other coach parties all heading for Milford Sound like us. We drove down past the mountain range called the ‘Remarkables’ perhaps because they unusually lay north to south. The town was called Queenstown as when the first settlers saw the lake and the mountains, they declared it was fit for a Queen

Farming, especially sheep farming, is very important in the area. Back when the land was being originally allocated between settlers, the more animals you had the more land you were given – inevitably there are stories of some farmers moving their animals around whilst the count was taking place, so they got counted twice, and they were allocated more land. The lambs we saw were much smaller and obviously younger than those we saw further North, as Spring is slower to arrive

We passed through Garston, population about 150, which is the centre of the island, equidistant from east and west coasts. The village is well known for curling, on the frozen lakes, in winter

Mossburn, population 400, further along the road, was known for red deer farming. Originally imported deer were wild, and had to be culled because the numbers got out of hand, until it was realised they could be caught and bred commercially for meat.

I had had a conversation with Kevin, our tour manager, the day before and he had explained that he isn’t supposed to use the microphone and inform of us anything en route, because of tax and immigration laws – the driver is the tour leader as far as NZ authorities are concerned.

Some of the group had done a different tour on our day off in Queenstown (4WD tour of the Lord of the Rings sites) and were told it is a personal responsibility to use the seatbelt in a coach, and if seen to be not using it subject to a personal fine of 150NZD. I hadn’t been using it before, but perhaps will do so from now on

We arrived in Te Anau about 2 hours after we left Queenstown, so still only 9am. We stopped for coffee, before continuing along the route to Milford Sound. There is only one road in and we would be coming back the same way and staying in a hotel at Te Anau that night

There is a hike that some do into Milford Sound, which can take 7 days, staying at conservation huts etc, with a guide. The hike needs to be booked a couple of years in advance, as it is so popular

After passing through some wide open areas running alongside the river we entered a more wooded valley. Native timber is protected, even to the extent that any old and dead wood has to be left in the native bush and cannot be removed.

We stopped at Mirror Lakes, which on a really still day reflect the mountains behind

We crossed the 45th parallel south, which is half way between the equator and the south pole. We had crossed this before near Cromwell, just outside Queenstown. Most of the 45th parallel crosses oceans, but does cross land here in the south island of New Zealand, Argentina and Chile.

The road to Milford Sound can be treacherous, especially in winter. Sometimes vehicles get into trouble, and are abandoned.

At Cascade Falls we saw a Kea, a native bird which likes the attention of humans, as they are usually connected to food. At Monkey Creek we saw another which was pecking at the rubber around a car window, which they are also known for

A long tunnel (Homer Tunnel) cuts through the mountains, dropping 200m over its 1.2km length. The tunnel was started in 1935, but not opened to cars until 1953. The delay was caused by the great difficulties of getting through the rock, the second world war and then an avalanche, but once opened it gave the only road access to Milford Sound.

Milford Sound is actually a Fjord, or Fiord as it is spelt in NZ. When settlers first found it, they didn’t have a word for a fjord so they named it a sound. Now, a fjord is defined as a U shaped cutting made from glacial activity whilst a sound is a V shape, created by a river. Rather than renaming all the ‘sounds’ in the area, the whole area was instead called Fiordland.

We were booked on a cruise to sail down the fiord. The mist and light rain made the whole area very atmospheric. I sat outside on the top deck, very glad I had bought a warm coat, scarf, hat and gloves, as well as waterproof trousers!

The fiord is apparently over 300m deep, as the sides go straight down. We saw evidence of copper and iron deposits which were exposed on the cliffs, turning green and red respectively as they oxidised.

As we headed on down the fiord it got VERY windy, and cold, and most people went inside. I enjoyed imagining what the first settlers must have felt like, turning up on wooden boats with no idea what they were likely to find.

As we reached the sea the waves picked up, and some sea spray reached up to me right on the top deck. Apparently to the right is a huge seal colony with many hundred’s of fur seals.

Heading back into the fiord we saw lots of waterfalls all along the cliffs, because of the recent rainfall. A couple are a permanent feature all year, although the wind was catching the water as it fell

A baby fur seal was spotted relaxing on some rocks, although difficult to identify surrounded by more grey!

The boat got as close as possible to the second permanent waterfall, so that the spray was covering us at the front of the boat – apparently legend has it that it will take 10 years off your appearance – I will take that!

From the boat we then got back on the coach and drove the 2 hours back to Te Anau, to our hotel, admiring the snow topped mountains again on the road back

I had a wander around the lake and the small town once we got back, before an early night

Week 3, Day 16

Today was all about getting back from the south of the South Island towards Christchurch, as we are nearing the end of our tour. First we retraced the route back towards Queenstown, stopping at Garston for a coffee in the rain

Instead of going back into Queenstown we visited a place nearby called Arrowtown. This was a rough and ready town during the goldrush, and a lot of the original buildings have been restored. After a lovely walk along the river in the sun I visited a restored settlement of tiny houses that the Chinese community used, at the end of the gold rush. Apparently the Chinese were welcomed to pan the rivers for the slim pickings available when the other gold hunters had moved on. Conditions were hard as the Chinese were not used to the relatively harsh winters and faced a lot of racism. They built their own community by the river

I strolled down the main street of Arrowtown, and looked in some of the many shops on each side, It is a popular tourist location and the shops catered for their market. Further one I had a pumpkin soup with a coconut foam for lunch which was surprisingly filling. The best bit was sitting in the cafe garden soaking up the sun!

A bit further up the road is the original place where bungee jumping was started by AJ Hackett. We were not in a rush so pulled in to see if anyone was jumping. Apparently those over age 75 could go for free, but the relevant members of the tour were not keen. Otherwise it costs something like 240 NZD. It used to be free if you were willing to do it naked, but too many took up the offer so they stopped that. The crew that work there have to try out all activities, and whilst nobody was using the bungee jump (‘bungy’ in NZ) one showed us what the ‘swing’ across the river was like. We were not tempted by that either…

We moved on to Omarama after crossing the mountains at Lindis Pass. Apparently these tussock covered mountains can be covered in snow in the winter – the pass connects the Mackensie Basin with Central Otago. Just outside Omarama are the Cathedral or Clay Cliffs

Omarama itself is tiny. It is known for having big wide skies, and less light pollution. There was a hot tub place where you could look at the stars whilst in a hot tub, but none of the others on the tour seemed keen to join me. The pricing is expensive for one person to have the whole hot tub.

As the tour approaches its end we are all feeling quite tired, dozing off in the coach. The rest of the tour fly home on Monday and they have started to think about that long plane journey. I have booked myself an extra night in the hotel at Christchurch and intend to have a lazy day after they have gone!

After joining most in the bar and having dinner I went for a walk up the road and back and felt better for it

Week 3, Day 17

Before making our way back to Christchurch we travelled from Omarama to Mount Cook Village. The scenery along the route was enhanced by the light snow that had fallen overnight

We passed a commercial salmon farm, with campervans parked up next to the lake. Apparently they can legally catch one salmon a day for themselves with no penalty.

As an aside Kevin and Rob explained that car insurance is not compulsory in NZ. Any personal injury claims are sorted out via the national ACC. However, if a car is damaged because of your actions, the insurance companies will want reimbursing for the cost of that damaged vehicle. If you happen to hit a Ferrari it will get very expensive – car insurance (which is much cheaper than the UK because there is no liability for personal injury claims) is probably still worth having

We travelled through Twizel, a town that was meant to be temporary to house construction workers for the nearby hydro-electric power station in the1970’s. In the 1980’s the residents successfully fought to keep the town in existence.

To reach Mount Cook all visitors travel the one road alongside Lake Pukaki.

I kept moving from one side of the coach to the other as the view was equally stunning on left and right, especially in the early morning sun

I have also included one photo taken by Janet, another tour member:

Definitely the most scenic drive

When we reached Mount Cook village we parked behind the historic Hermitage Hotel, and used their restaurant for morning coffee and the views. We all agreed we would have paid a few hundred £ more to have stayed at this (expensive) hotel on our penultimate night, rather than the downbeat hotel at Omarama. Kevin suggested we all make this point in our reviews to Riviera Travel

Another factor was the weather – we were lucky enough to see the cloud clear from Mount Cook as we looked at it up the Hooker Valley. Sometimes it is covered in mist, but as the clouds cleared we could see the peak

We had to then retrace our steps back along the sides of the Pukaki River. As in Canada the glacial silt (rock flour) in the water makes the water turn turquoise to our eyes, especially in the sun

Whilst we were travelling this road Kevin and Rob explained the importance of the ‘fish hook’ in Maori design. There is a Maori legend that the North Island was ‘hooked’ by a small boy out with his brothers in a boat, and the whole island brought to the surface. The boy wasn’t supposed to be on the fishing trip, but had hid under some blankets. For some reason he had a fish hook made out of his grandmother’s jaw.

Along the route we saw canals which connect 3 lakes, and used to provide power to hydro-electric stations. Apparently sometimes water skiers are seen being pulled by cars along the canals

Further along the Mackenzie District (named after James Mackenzie, an infamous sheep rustler who managed to evade capture several times, and became a local folk hero), we came to Lake Tekapo. This lake with the mountains as backdrop was again stunning, and I sat and just looked for some time

Further around the same lake we saw the Church of the Good Shepherd, and the statue of the collie dog, a homage to all the collies that make sheep farming in the area possible

I could have stayed in this area looking at the mountains and lakes for a week at least! If I come back to NZ this is where I would have to come. Again the photos don’t do justice to the majestic mountains and surrounding countryside, nor the colours.

We had to move on down the road to Christchurch. We passed Dog Kennel Corner, named when collie dogs acted as a fence to contain the sheep farmed here, before actual fences were installed, and through Burkes Pass (‘Heritage Township’) which would have been a trading post for those on the west trading with others from Christchurch.

Geraldine was our lunch stop, and most of us made for the farm shop for lunch. Again there was a river running past, and some beautiful gardens which were a pleasure in the continuing sunshine

We made it back to Christchurch after a slog across the Canterbury Plains, which we had previously crossed by train. I saw canals installed by the farmers, as irrigation is so important on these dry plains to the east of the mountains. Water collected in their own lakes and canals can be used liberally FOC, better than having to pay high prices to use the national water supply. The huge irrigation apparatus in the fields has been a common sight throughout the South Island – these links rotate around a central hub. I saw fences built on a curve to mirror the path of the irrigation equipment.

Back in Christchurch we stayed again at the same hotel as before, with our last dinner planned for 6.30pm in the hotel. This is the end of the tour and everyone else will be going home tomorrow, flying from Christchurch

Week 3, Day 18

Today I said goodbye to the rest of the tour group, as they got on their coach for the last journey back to Christchurch airport

From left to right: Pam, Judith, Leslie, Steve, Carol, Kat, Susanne, Janet, Kevin, Shena, John, Christine, Me, Hazel, Sharyn, Rob (14 of us, plus tour manager and driver, perfect size group)

After a morning of admin, trying to sort out two suitcases into what I would need for the rest of NZ and then onto Australia, and dealing with some emails etc, I ventured outside with my coat on. I soon realised that it was much warmer despite it being windy and had to return to the hotel to put my shorts on – a first for NZ!

I decided to follow the River Avon and see where that led me, and enjoyed just sitting in the sun here and there

I thought about walking right down to the beech but thought better of it, and just returned to the city

NZ was the first place to give women the vote, and I saw a memorial to the women who were instrumental in achieving this in 1893. At the next election a few months later 70% of women exercised their right to vote

I followed the loop of the river back through the Botanical Gardens that I had seen a few days earlier. As always the gardens looked even better in the sun

I had thought to catch the tram, but at 40 NZD (an all day pass so you can hop on and off) it seemed a bit wasteful when I had walked most of the route anyway.

Some of the tour group had attended a service at the ‘Cardboard Cathedral’, a temporary structure built using cardboard tubes, as well as other materials, after the earthquake. The old Cathedral has yet to be rebuilt and is still covered in scaffolding – there have been some disputes about funding for either building, but the restoration of the old Cathedral is still supposed to be planned

I stopped for dinner at an outside cafe next to the hotel, with a couple of beers. It had been a lovely relaxing day

Week 3, Day 19

Before moving onto Australia I had arranged to stay with some friends from Launceston, Cornwall for a couple of days – Steve and Sarah. Whilst Sarah was born in the Uk, she lived with her NZ mother in NZ from age 7, before traveling ats a teenager, ending up back in the Uk and meeting Steve. After many years running a successful business in Launceston, they had both decided it was time to move to NZ, after having visited for many years. They had bought a 10 acre (4 hectare) plot of and had a house built, near Oxford, about 40 minutes outside Christchurch, whilst living in a converted bus.

Steve and Sarah picked me up from the hotel and we drove up Dyers Pass to the ‘Sign of the Kiwi’ cafe for coffee. We had amazing views looking back over Christchurch

We then drove down towards the coastline, enjoying stunning scenery on the way. We stopped at a little bay called Corsair Bay, which looked beautiful in the sun, with yachts bobbing in the sea

After driving through Lyttelton, we went up and stopped at a lookout overlooking the bay

We drove on and stopped at Sumner Bay. We had thought to have a walk along the promenade but it was really windy and the sand was being thrown at us like little needles. We decided to move on

We drove through New Brighton which is a town which was particularly affected by the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, and the liquification in particular. Apparently this isn’t just related to a rising water table, but more associated with the earthquake mixing up that water with the existing soil, turning the area into a swamp again. This makes the buildings previously built on solid ground unsafe and they had to be pulled down. We drove past whole areas of land that used to be residential housing and streets which are now just open swamp land. the remaining houses in New Brighton are cheap, even right on the beach, as many are still damaged and subject to issues with the underlying land.

We talked a lot about the risk of earthquakes, and how the local people just accept the risk, and don’t think about it in their everyday lives. Fire and floods are considered bigger risks. Flood is managed by trying to build away from flood plains, but Steve and Sarah’s daughter Emma and her husband had a bad experience in Hawke’s Bay when the cyclone destroyed the riven bunds and their house was unexpectedly flooded

Fire is a bigger risk, especially in the dry Canterbury Plains where Steve and Sarah live. The weather was lovely and warm and sunny, and even the ever present wind was warm – ideal conditions for a fire of the open grasslands

After a lovely lunch in Rangiora we drove through a new town called Pegasus. This is like a gated community of properties with everything on site, including a golf course, doctors, shops cafes etc. There are lots of rules for owners of the properties to comply with to ensure the town stays immaculate, and most of the properties seem to be complying. It had a touch of the Stepford Wives about the whole place.

Leading off from the town over some wetlands is Pegasus beach – this was huge and empty, with the wind rippling across the sand. The sea is shallow here and would be ideal for families – I assume it would be much busier in the summer and/or weekends

We headed back to Lyttelton for fish and chips for dinner (elephant fish!) and ate this overlooking the bay from the lookout we had used before

Week 3, Day 20

Steve and Sarah very kindly took me out to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular, which is a 2 hour drive each way. It was a perfect day to visit such a beautiful seaside town, with the wind also having dropped a bit

On the way we stopped at Birdlings Flat, which had a huge stone beach, with many different rocks that can be tumbled and polished into gemstones. We spent some time walking up the shoreline picking up various coloured stones, admiring the waves breaking and the flowers/succulents along the beach

All the pebbles on the beach were rounded by the sea, and must have been there for millennia. The sea, which dropped away steeply from the beach, had waves forming calmly from one end of the beach to the other – again the sea must have been breaking this way for millions of years

There was a local museum displaying 50 years of tumbled and polished gemstones and petrified wood. Vince, the 85 year old owner, was a builder up to age 65 and had spent his life building up the collection, which was impressive. There were newspaper clippings showing him taking the exhibits into schools, but now he had retired to his ‘bach’ (pronounced ‘batch’), his holiday home on the beach. He had built his museum shed when the collection had taken over his house. He was trying to sell all as a whole, valued at 650,000 NZD, so that he could leave his children money instead of a ‘pile of bloody rocks’. He was advertising in the shop for a single woman to care for him, so I assume his wife has now died.

After passing over the mountains (following a car which wouldn’t pull over at the designated places, despite going too slow), we crested the top of the hill and were met with this view

The bay must be deep as Steve said they sometimes have cruise ships in

We had lunch sitting outside – my tuna was very pink, with a delicious salad, washed down with some lager, admiring the view

We strolled out to the end of the pier, before walking back through the town

Some of the town has some very old buildings from the late 1800’s. It was a French settlement, tolerated by the British who had recently claimed ownership of NZ as a colony.

Week 3, Day 21

A red weather warning for wind over a lot of the east of NZ, including the Canterbury Plains, meant that we weren’t going to travel far on this, my last full day in NZ. The storm had been brewing for a few days, resulting in rain on the west coast leading to flooding as the rivers carry the water towards the sea. The Lewis Pass has been shut for a few days. There has been a major fire up the coast in Kaikoura, which has resulted in some houses being destroyed, but no loss of life

The ‘major weather event’ started slow, initially appearing to have been overstated. The wind grew as the morning went on. The poly tunnel that Steve and Sarah had been using for years had previously taken a battering but held, but on this day the winds proved too much, battering the metal frame into submission

The double glazed windows on the house appeared to flex and bow inwards as the winds grew – later reported as gusts of up to 200 km/hr on the South Island. There were some bits of vegetation that flew past, but nothing that looked like it would do much damage, luckily. In the past Steve said he had seen a horse box they used to own move, pushed by the wind, despite the fact that the handbrake was on

We later drove around the area and saw some more extreme local damage – a shed had blown right across the road, and was only stopped from going further by the conifer hedge which is used everywhere as a windbreak. There were some trees and fences down, and debris, but on the whole not as much as would have been the case in the Uk with that level of wind – the trees are well rooted from previous Nor’wester winds, and can withstand the onslaught. Whilst high winds are a regular feature, Steve and Sarah both said they hadn’t seen winds this bad before

The worst problem was identified as caused by a telegraph pole holding up the electric wires having snapped in two, causing the electric power cut that kicked in mid morning

Going without electric is not unusual. All winds in NZ are prone to damage the system, as the cables are above ground out of the cities. The warnings the day before said residents should be prepared to be without power for up to a few days. With the constant threat of earthquakes, many in NZ are prepared for catastrophe, and accept that they will need to look after themselves. Steve and Sarah had a generator which at least gave a bit of electric for charging phones which could be useful in an emergency. A bigger problem was the water supply – they have water stored in a big tank but need electric to get it into the house. Heating is supplied by air source heat pumps, which again don’t work without electric. Heating nor air conditioning were a problem this time of year, but hot showers were problematic!

Because of the isolation and constant pressures related to living in such an environment NZ has a macho, independent way of life – work hard, play hard. Health & safety is nominal – there are signs perhaps warning of hazards, but after that it is assumed NZ residents will take care of themselves. The roads are winding and hazardous with big drops down mountainsides, but there were skid and drift marks on the roads where cars had been driven at speed for fun. Hunting and shooting are important pastimes, with kids being given guns to shoot pests. Downhill mountain biking and other dangerous sports cause accidents as adults cheer on their children to go faster. This self sufficiency and acknowledgement of the constant dangers around them (including earthquakes, volcanoes, even tsunamis) makes the average NZ resident quite resilient.

Because of their self-sufficiency NZ citizens, especially those living out of the cities, don’t like being told what to do. Regulation is kept to a minimum as otherwise it would just not be tolerated. Whilst the rest of the world thought that Jacinda Ardern, prime minister during Covid, did a good job at protecting the residents from NZ and saving lives, she became to be vilified when she kept the country locked down longer than others, until she left the country and now lives in the UK after some time in the USA.

The work-life balance is also very different in NZ, compared to the UK, with the emphasis on life and not work. It is not unusual for trades people to just not turn up for work, or late, depending on what else they want to do. If they take holiday they will just return when they’re ready. Shops and restaurants shut relatively early so everyone can get to do what it is they want to do. There are twice as many public holidays in NZ compared to the UK. It is assumed that if you have a sick day you are not really sick, but have something better to do. Whilst it may be a good life for the workers, it would be a nightmare running a business and expecting your staff to turn up on time!

The other side of the coin, perhaps, is that if you are stuck, NZ will not hesitate to help you out. Steve and Sarah struggled getting their bus into position across the grass when they first arrived. In no time at all farmers stopped and brought chains and helped them get into position, with no thought as to what other jobs they were supposed to be doing that day. Neighbours are always friendly, and will wave when you pass, even if you don’t know them – I assume it pays to keep your neighbours onside in case you need help another day

Another feature of the outdoors lifestyle that many in NZ enjoy is that they are very much less concerned about the size of their house, nor their internal fixtures and decor etc. They are more likely to spend money on outdoor pursuits, and quite often own a boat.

It was not unusual for families to have a ‘bach’ – a small holiday home next to the sea or a lake. These may not have been more than a basic hut, but they would have provided a base for outside activities for the family. As these property locations have become more desirable they have often become very valuable, and sometimes been sold for a lot of money. This has enabled the recipients to live well without working hard.

I saw some larger properties, especially around Christchurch, which is a well heeled city considered to be more English than England. Apparently the British could get over 3.5NZD to the £ at times in the 1990’s and 2000’s (today just over 2) and this meant they had relatively a lot of money to spend when emigrating here or with a UK source of income.

---

It has been interesting talking to Steve and Sarah about how we each feel about retirement. Steve and Sarah had worked many hours on their business in the UK before coming to NZ, and their life is quite different now. Sarah decided to enrol in the university in Christchurch, with majors in Anthropology, Sociology and Art History – she is loving the course and finding it challenging. Steve, however, has not yet found his thing, and is struggling with the lack of focus, especially once their house was finished.

The house is lovely, surrounded by their own land, not far from the town of Oxford which has a lot of amenities including shops, fire station, hospital, library, town hall, cinema etc. It isn’t possible to walk to Oxford from their house as there is a river in between – the single carriageway bridge is not open to pedestrians, and the alternative route is across a ford which cannot always be crossed on foot. Their nearest neighbours are at least a field or two away – they have been very friendly and would definitely step up in a crisis but when Sarah was at the university full time Steve could go for days without seeing anyone.

They have recently decided to sell up and are looking for other opportunities – perhaps a house to renovate, or a place where they can have a small holiday letting business or can grow fruit and vegetables to sell.

They have decided to sell first before committing to buying. The system of selling your house in NZ is different to the UK. The legals are all done before the house is marketed. Buyers can then make unconditional or conditional offers depending on their own circumstances – unconditional is preferable as the buyer then needs to pay a deposit and has a timescale to procced. Conditional would normally mean the prospective buyers have a house to sell and are not yet in a position to commit, which can lead to the chains like we have in the UK. Steve and Sarah had already accepted an unconditional offer, and their buyers were due to sell their house by auction at the time of my visit. If the house is not sold the buyers have a period until the end of the month to sell privately, or they can request an extension which Steve and Sarah can agree to if it suits them.

---

After the wind subsided Steve and Sarah brought me back to Christchurch as I had booked a room in a pod hotel – I was flying out the next morning at 8am so I didn’t think it was worth paying much, so paid £25 for a pod in a shared dorm.

There is an Antarctica Centre next to the airport in Christchurch, as so many expeditions to Antarctica start from this part of the world. The centre is just behind the LyLo where I was staying, but at 4pm I was told it was too late, as it is recommended that 2 hours is allowed to see everything, and they closed at 4.30pm. I had some cash left over so said I was prepared to pay the 49NZD entrance fee if I could spend half an hour with the little blue penguins. The manager working on the tills said I could go in for nothing!

It is a rescue centre for adult penguins who are injured, who will then spend the rest of their life there. They have 12 currently, 7 females and 5 males. The mating season had just taken place, and the penguins were taking turns to sit on the eggs. Penguins don’t mate for life, so sometimes swap partners. The females are older than the males, so fertility rates are low. The centre can look at the eggs through special lights and see if they are fertilised, and sometimes swap eggs around so that the better parents look after the fertilised eggs.

The Centre does not have a breeding licence, and they want to make sure they retain room for the rescue penguins, so they have just agreed to send fertilised eggs to Auckland Zoo, who have had some success at breeding from eggs received from other sources. The timing is really important – the embryos have to have been developed enough inside the egg to protect against the perils of the journey, but not enough that they may hatch en route

The average lifespan of a penguin in the wild is about 7, although the number is skewed by the fact that 60% of baby penguins die in the first year. There are many adult penguins that live to 10, but here in the Centre the eldest now is 17, and they had one which lived to age 25. They are obviously fed more consistently than they can feed themselves in the wild perhaps. They are also given supplements for eg arthritis at the Centre

Week 4, Day 22

Time to fly to Australia for my 3rd month of consecutive travel!

My experience in the hostel had been interesting – I had booked it as it was close to the airport and cheap. I hadn’t wanted to pay a lot for a room that I would hardly use. I went to bed relatively early so I could get settled before others came in, but it wasn’t particularly comfortable – the space was good, but I was very aware of the noises every time I turned over.

At 4am someone else in the same room got up, so I decided to call it a night, and use the bathroom to freshen up a bit. I was in the airport before 5am., and had to wait a bit to check in at 5.05am, for a 8.05am flight. Obviously I then had oodles of time, but managed to catch up on the laptop a bit, and it was better than just laying in my pod afraid to move!

The flights were all back on time, after the ‘weather event’ of the day before, and I had a pretty uneventful flight to Australia