Mount Cook - Lake Tekapo - Akaroa

Photos: Lupin fields, Baldwin Street (Dunedin), Bono, Mount Cook (AFTER the hike ...at sunset), Nellie and Herman by Lake Tekapo, Sharon at campsite overlooking Akaroa









We left Mount Cook behind us and forged on to Lake Tekapo, another fabulous turquoise lake surrounded by mountains and lupins. Our campsite overlooked the lake and it was a glorious sunny day with temps at 24C. We got settled then decided to walk the 1 km into town to do some emailing (it's where I posted my last entry) and blogging.

As we walked toward town, who did we see? Herman and Nellie! They were at a dump station, cleaning out their tanks and moving on toward Christchurch where they would fly out today (Dec 1). We certainly did not expect to see them and called out that we were NOT going to say "farewell" again. It was a lovely surprise.

Bob soon got fed up with the internet cafe and walked back to the campground. I continued working away at the blog and suddenly realized that the wind had picked up. By the time I stepped out the door, we once again were experiencing gale force winds. It was all I could do to bend into them and walk without being lifted off my feet. I wasn't dressed for the temperature either which had dropped about 15 C since we had left the camp. Such a shock and the locals tell us, the most unusual weather they've had in 15 years.

Yesterday morning (Nov 30), we awakened to high winds and rain and by the time we finished breakfast and were ready to go, we were experiencing a blizzard. It was unbelievable!! We felt we were back in Ontario (or should I say B.C.?). The campground owner suggested we leave immediately in case the roads were closed so off we went, into the unknown. We drove around 30 km on fairly straight highways (thank God) before the snow turned to rain.....a great relief.

We were heading toward Christchurch in order to catch Hwy 75 down to Akaroa, a sheltered harbour south-east and 88 km from Christchurch. It seemed pretty straight-forward and we were sailing along until, through my excellent navigational skills, I somehow got us off course, and although still on a sealed road....you guessed it....on precarious mountain roads with no guardrails. All roads seem to lead to Akaroa eventually, however we would have preferred to have remained on the major highway. The views (what I could see of them when I managed to pry my eyeballs from the tarmac ahead of us and the HUGE drops beside me) were spectacular. I figure that Edvard Munch must have come up with his painting "The Scream" due to motoring through New Zealand! Holy %!#$ Batman! Along the most treacherous stretches they have cat-eyes on the top of sticks...I suppose so it will be the last thing you see as you plunge to your death.....and several of these sticks were snapped off. So reassuring!!! I wasn't certain if I should be responsible and look down the cliffs for bodies or take care of numero duo....

Nevertheless, we made it back to the highway, just as we were at the outskirts of Akaroa which brought a gut wrenching laugh from both of us, relieved the tension immensely and stopped Bob from throwing me out of the van.

Akaroa is the most beautiful town we have visited. Discovered by Captain Cook (what wasn't in this part of the world?) but settled by the French, it has many original buildings still here. It is a relaxed and trendy town on a beautiful harbour. Our campsite is above the village and the harbour and just a fabulous place to spend a couple of days.

We walked into town yesterday, had a "mocha" and decided to book a reservation at the most popular restaurant in town C'est La Vie, for dinner tonight. We dropped by while it was closed to customers and met the owner/chef who is a delightful French fellow. The outside and inside of the restaurant are autographed by the customers who dine here.....even the ceiling is covered in comments and signatures. Tiny and brightly painted, it is very welcoming. Everyone dines together so there are no "intimate" encounters but lots of fun (so we hear) and opportunities for new friendships. Apparently the food's pretty good as well! Charlie (the owner) asked us what part of the U.S. we were from and when we replied "actually, we are from Canada", he said he had visited Toronto while working at a restaurant in New York and loved our city.

Tomorrow we head for Christchurch where we will depart next Tuesday for Sydney. It will be pretty difficult to say "goodbye" to this magical country and it's people.

More later!

Love to all!
Sharon

Kaka Point to Dunedin

Photos: Milford Sound waterfalls;Milford Sound Lodge; drowned rat; Kea bird; speed bump; Dunedin Harbour; Dunedin Train Station....most photographed building in N.Z.






Great sign entering Waihola on Highway 1! Small town of probably no more than 200 people. The sign reads: "PLEASE SLOW DOWN! No doctor, no hospital, one cemetery!"

We arrived in Dunedin by noon, did laundry then walked downtown. Another San Francisco kind of day! The streets are incredibly steep and walking downtown didn't take much effort....it was the climb back up that almost killed us.

This is where we logged on to update the last blog and although the staff were (as always) wonderful, the computer keyboards desperately needed replacement. It was the most frustrating blog update I've done yet. I type pretty quickly and found I couldn't look at the screen while typing because the words appeared about a minute after I'd typed them. I was moved to another computer and of course, it had the same problem! By the time I'd typed the blog I just couldn't spend another hour in there uploading photo's so I'm hoping they'll upload easily from this internet cafe.

We left the cafe after 2 1/2 hours and found that it had begun to rain so we debated whether to take a cab back or walk. Walking won out and off we went, up those incredibly steep streets. Rain turned to sunshine then back to rain, then as we neared the campground, it began to hail. We were soaked and laughing. Just after climbing into the van, the largest hailstones began pounding the van.

The next morning (Nov 27) we left Dunedin but not before visiting Baldwin Street which is purported to be the steepest street in the world (hey, after Niagara Falls, who am I to argue?). It certainly is steep and there is no way you can drive a van up it, so we walked it. We saw a fellow running up the hill then skipping down then back up, then back down. Turns out it was his 60th!!!!! time and he does it every day. Bob thinks (old cynic that he is) that he does it for the tourists and the accolades he receives. The legs on the dude (he looked about 50 or so) were like tree trunks!

Off we went, up Hwy 1 to Hwy 83 then Hwy 8 (for those of you with the perseverence to track us as you seem to be doing), on our way to Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand. We decided to stop in the town of Twizel, about 55 km from the mountain and stayed at a little quaint campground. Very sweet couple who own it with a beautiful black lab dog. We suppose that travellers feed the dog because there was a sign in the office saying: "Please don't feed Shade! He only thinks he's hungry". We can't get over the sense of humour here...it's everywhere!

After dinner, we walked around the village. It was around 7:45 p.m. and a lovely evening and we noticed something quite disconcerting. No one was outside! No children playing (well, not quite....we only saw two little girls playing together)! Loads of playgrounds, a fair sized town and no children. No sounds of laughter, tv...anything coming from the houses. Very strange!

The next morning, we left for Mount Cook and on the way, passed over a river and slammed on the brakes then pulled over the side of the road, as everyone else was doing. Along the river banks and on little islands in the middle of the river were millions of lupins (I'm not exaggerating this time!). Every colour imaginable and the scent was fabulous! Even Kiwi's were stopping by to take it all in. Apparently here, they are a weed but such a beautiful weed!

Mount Cook is actually on the east side of the mountains from Franz Josef however once again, there is no direct route from one to the other and it's a good thing. The terrain is different again and now we saw lakes that were brilliant turquoise. We passed Lake Pukaki and the entire lake is the same colour with no variation from light to dark. We discovered that this colour is due to rock flour sediment in the water. The flour was created when the lake basin was gouged out by a stony-bottomed glacier moving across the land's surface. The rock on rock grinding created fine particles that ended up being suspended in the glacial melt water. The sediment gives the water a milky quality and refracts the sunlight, giving it the brilliant colour.

Half way to the mountain, we were stopped by a film crew working beside the lake. It was for a Volvo commercial and must be intended for a country where they drive on the same side of the road as Canada because as we sat and waited, we watched them bomb toward us on the same side of the road as we were. Saw them in another location again this morning. Fun!

We booked a campsite at Glentannen Peak then drove to Mount Cook and did the Hooker Valley Hike (moderate....without any headwinds!) which was 4 hours return. We set off in pleasant conditions however once again, it began to rain. We crossed two swing bridges with signs that warned "Falling rocks! No stopping between the signs", giving us such a sense of security as we scrambled over rocks to get to the bridges and across before being knocked senseless by the imaginary rocks tumbling down above us. Amazing what those little mind monkeys can do to you over a wee sign!

Approaching our ultimate destination, the Hooker Glacier fed lake, the winds were bitter cold and we had sleet in our faces. Our Tilly hats were fantastic (caught sight of my reflection and kind of thought I looked like Bono with my sunglasses on....not certain if that's a good or bad thing) as were our merino wool inner clothing. Body was hot, hands were freezing. The effort was worth it as we bent into the very cruel wind because the lake was filled with icebergs that broke away from the glacier and were floating down the river. It was very amazing.
200 hikers and climbers have been killed in this park since it was established and we could see why. Avalanches are a common occurence and even experienced climbers have not made it out of the park. Mount Cook, framed by smaller peaks was spectacular, even in the rain!

Back to the campground where we dried out and reunited with a terrific couple we'd met at the Maori event in Rotorua; Nellie and Herman from Holland. There they were, a few campsites away from us. Nellie prepared a huge plate of fruit and we sat in the sunshine behind our camper, getting to know each other better and exchanging email addresses. We know we'll see them again. Such joyous people and such world travellers. Nellie has cycled so many countries of this planet ....Herman too but he declares to not having done as many as Nellie.

Speaking of cycling; we learned last week from our friend Margaret, that fellow boaters from Crates (Dwight and Wendy Powell; boat name "Beyond the Barrier") are here on a cycling trip.
All we can say to that is "Good on ya!" and "Yiikes!" We know they are very fit and have cycled many countries however this one must present unique challenges. Dwight and Wendy, we wish you a safe trip!

Queenstown to Milford Sound

Thanks Ray and Janet for your question regarding the ice tunnels you saw in our photo's of Franz Josef. These are called "worm holes" and they are caused by the many thundering rivers that flow under the glacier, creating long tunnels. With the speed of the glacier, the tunnels are forced to the top and become holes for crazy people to play in. The inside is extremely slippery solid ice so you find yourself using the pick and crampons very aggressively when climbing through.

The caves are formed by two huge shelves of ice being forced together and upward. Our guides told us that a cave with a ceiling of up to 6 ft in depth can lose it's roof in two days, due to the speed of the glacier. The guides are exceptionally diligent because they said that conditions change so very quickly.

You also asked the nearest town to the glacier. There is actually a town called Franz Josef.

Ray, your puzzle is being worked on by Bob at this moment. Thanks for the challenge!
_______________________________________

Our campsite in Queenstown was right next to a cottage that was rented by two Aussie couples. We were so close that we could reach out our camper window and shake hands with them while they did their dishes in their kitchen. The humour in this situation caused us to become instant buddies and they asked us over for coffee in the evening. They are such lovely people and have invited us to visit them in Perth once we get there. They also gave us endless bits of travelling information for Australia.

The next morning (Nov 23) we left early and had to circumnavigate Lake Wakatipu (go back north to go south) since there are not many highways in N.Z. and although Milford Sound looks quite close to Queenstown, ya can't get directly there from here!

For some time now we have been passing locations that were used in Lord of the Rings movies. We all know that Peter Jackson is a Kiwi but even if he wasn't, filming the movies anywhere else would have been crazy! This country was perfect! We passed: middle earth, Amon Hen, Pillars of the Kings, River Andouin, Dead Marshes (spooky place). Our road atlas marks all the locations so it is very neat to see these places.

We drove through more amazing country until we began to see more and more mountains. We reached a place called "The Divide" and immediately the vegetation changed to total rainforest; shaggy moss, fuschia and other rainforest plants. Just as immediately, the weather changed from brilliant sunshine and warm temps and it began to pour with rain and become cold. As the mountains closed in around us, enormous waterfalls gushed down around us. They were incredible! More twisty turny road and then there appeared before us, Homer Tunnel......a ONE lane tunnel. At least there were stop lights!! Light turned green and in we went and it was the ugliest tunnel I've ever driven through! It is exactly as it was when it was blasted through and so black that Bob wasn't even certain he had his lights on. No illumination whatsoever. Being a tad claustrophobic, it wasn't my most thrilling moment. Nevertheless, we made it through and arrived safely at Milford Sound.

There is only one facility for camping at Milford. This is not a town, this is a harbour and just up the road is the Milford Sound Lodge. When we drove down the rutted road and spotted the lodge, we thought it was deserted however there were vehicles parked there so we pulled up and entered the office. What a contrast! The inside was so warm and cozy; completely rustic and filled with backpackers. Once checked in we were instructed to park around the back by the river. No power to the sites. We were on a rise about 15 feet above a fast flowing river. It didn't appear very deep and there were many waterfalls coming down the mountain on the other side of the river, feeding the river.

It was a very rough night with high winds and loads of rain which, as it turns out, is a perfect day in Milford Sound. The van shaked and quaked and we had visions of the embankment giving away and us plunging down the river to the sea. With no heat in the van we cuddled under our duvet and managed to get a few hours sleep. When we awakened to (you got it) more rain, we peeked out the curtains and saw that the river had risen several feet and the waterfalls were even bigger.

We had booked a cruise on a small boat so we had breakfast and drove down to the harbour.
Our boat was new and lovely and our captain and crew young and enthusiastic. They were thrilled with all the rain, telling us that when the sun shines, most of the waterfalls dry up within an hour so we were fortunate to have the hundreds of waterfalls we saw that day. A drought in Milford Sound is 9 days without rain so they were very happy and so were we.

The crew pretty much forces everyone out on deck to check out all the falls and the captain wiggled right in to the falls so that they were cascading down on us.

The Sound is a 22 km long fiord and leads out to the Tasman Sea. The mountains soar above our heads and bottle nose dolphins played around us. Fur seal hung out on the rocks and it was pretty much spectacular! I was on the bow when we entered the Tasman Sea and huge waves rolled in swamping me and a few others who were out there.

We stopped right in front of a waterfall the captain claimed was higher than Niagara Falls (I would have challenged him on that but he had the microphone so I kept the gob shut....I know, hard to believe isn't it? Guess I've learned the lesson it's better to be happy than right!) and one of our guides told me that if I stood under it with my back to it and tipped my head back (sucker!), I could gaze up at it without drowning. Well, believe it or not, it does work ....however...I was still soaked and when I entered the cabin I was confronted with cameras and laughing people....all taking pics of the crazy lady who stood under the waterfall.
So much fun!

We were dropped off at an underwater observatory; a floating cylinder where you descend a deep staircase into the sea. All the wildlife viewed through the windows are in their natural environment. We saw black coral (which is white when it's alive), anenome, star fish and schools of beautiful fish.

Milford Sound gets 6 metres of rainfall annually!

We returned to shore and headed south, back through the blasted tunnel and stopped on the other side to pay a visit to the Kea birds. Mom and Dad had told us about these parrots many years ago when they visited N.Z. and we were excited to see them at work. These are the birds I mentioned in the Rotorua blog, that are considered among the smartest birds in the world. As we sat in the parking lot we watched them land on cars and chew the rubber seals on the windows, the tires, the antenna, anything that is rubber (can't say they are that smart!). It was hilarious! They dance on the rooftops and squawk at everyone and I swear they have a furtive expression.

On we went, driving through terrain that could have been Big Sur in California, huge surf and gorgeous countryside and guess what? The sun shone again and it was hot!

It took us about 5 hours to get to Invercargill where we spent the night. Invercargill is the most southerly city on South Island and other than having more churches than any town visited so far (I counted 14 in 3 city blocks), nothing too much else to report.

Nov 25 - We left Invercargill early in the morning and drove along Hwy 92 to Kaka Point. Once again the land changed and we were passing yucca as tall as trees by the sides of the road and the rolling hills and farmland looked like Ontario with the first plowed fields we'd seen so far.

Along the way we saw the most unique mailbox so far - a microwave nailed to the top of a post. Waterproof, easy opening and very clever! More laughs!

Kaka Point is a little village on a cliff, overlooking the Pacific. There are beaches as far as the eye can see.

The lovely young couple who owned the campground welcomed us and gave us a great site. The winds were once again at gail force and we were in a protected enclave. We walked the village which was an extra workout since the streets were steep and on the way back to the camp, we were facing into the wind. Awesome!

At 5 pm, we drove to Nugget Point, hoping to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins return from the ocean to their nests on shore. This penguin is the most threatened of any. Farmers allow their herds to trample the nests and the penguins have been leaving the region to find safer nesting grounds. Currently, at this site, 12 nests have been spotted. We walked a path until we saw the "hide", a hut built into a cliff. There we discovered 10 other nature lovers waiting for the penguins. Seals lazed on the rocks below, sunning themselves. Suddenly Bob spotted a penguin zooming in through the surf. It waddled up toward us, groomed itself and continued up to it's mate waiting on the hillside. They are magnificent creatures with a wide band of yellow over their eyes (like a mask) and right around their heads. Their eyes are also yellow. In total, we spotted four of these lovely creatures. Another perfect day! Photo's to follow!

Love,
Sharon

Other Pics!

Bits and Pieces

Here are some things I have omitted from other entries or things I picked up that I thought you mind find interesting:

"Haka": Maori for any form of dance but it has come to be associated with the war chant that precedes battle. The most famous haka comes from a chief of the Ngati Toa tribe (1768 - 1849) and has been made famous by the All Blacks rugby team and is a powerful national symbol of pride and identity. Here is the English translation.

It is death, it is death
It is life, it is life
Behold the hairy man
Who caused the sun to shine
Abreast, keep abreast
The rank, hold fast
Into the sunshine

Very powerful....and it seems to be working for the All Blacks as they clean up at the rugby tournament in France. If you want to hear how they intimidate their opponents, look it up on the internet and have a listen.

Cormorant: When we were kayaking the other day we were introduced to the N.Z. cormorant that looks and walks like a penguin. It has huge black webbed feet and it flies and lands in trees. Nothing graceful about it's landings and we happened to see one land on it's nest. We almost fell out of the kayak laughing. It soared in, stuck out it huge feet, floundered, scrambled and appeared as if it was going to crash...then at the last moment it got it's toes around the nest and looked almost relieved as it settled in. Very cute!

Shop in Hokitika: I was about to pay for a purchase and the owners were both serving. The woman asked me where home was and when I replied "Canada", her husband (who was trimming a Christmas tree about a foot away) peered up over his glasses and said "Love, it's a good thing you didn't say "American" or I'd have had to give you a proper bottom slapping!" His wife added "He would too!" Too funny!

Jandles - are Kiwi for flip flops

In Kaikoura, we returned to our camper after being in town for the evening and saw two children close to our van, hunkered over something really small on the driveway. I asked what they were looking at and they replied "a baby hedgehog". It was adorable! So were the children. They were from Christchurch on a weekend getaway with their parents. She was 11 and her brother was 8. They asked us so many questions about Canada and our visit to their country....I thought I'd never get to bed. So very sweet.

That's it for now folks!

Franz Josef Glacier Heli Hike

November 21/06









We had no idea how fortunate we were to actually get on the hike until a day later! Upon arrival at the tour office we were told that the pilot had requested a delay. The ceiling was low and we thought it might not happen and were asked to check in in 15 minutes. We had some lunch and returned to find that we would indeed be flying up to the glacier. It was a 7 seater helicopter (including the pilot) and Bob and I were instructed to sit up front beside the pilot. Could we have had a better vantage point? He flew about 3/4 up the glacier, giving us all a good view of the tons and tons of ice below us. Hikers appeared like gnats on the surface of the glacier. He landed after a few minutes and we couldn't believe where he landed. I wouldn't have landed a toboggan on this tiny, uneven, slippery place.

Our guides, Goose (that's right!) and Sean were waiting for us, had us strap on crampons and gave instructions on how to walk in them and also how to use the ice pick provided without maiming ourselves or our 6 fellow hikers. We had quite a riot practising walking in the darn things.

We tromped over very rough ice and saw fabulous sculptures, crevices and caves and even had a good bit of exercise to boot! It was magnificent!

The glacier is the fastest moving glacier in the world; 10 times as fast as those in the Swiss Alps at speeds currently of 4.5 metres per day. You can almost hear it advancing! The rate of descent is staggering. In 1943, a plane crashed on the glacier, 3.5 km from the terminal face. It made it to the bottom 6 1/2 years later, a speed of 1.5 meters/day. In 1985, after a long period of retreat, the glacier started advancing again and progressed nearly 2 km until 1996 when it began it's retreat again. Currently, the glacier is 5 km from the town.

We could hear the many water flows under the ice, sounding like roaring waterfalls.

Our guides kept monitoring the skies and at one point, called the pilot to see if he would be able to get us off the face. It had begun to rain and the clouds were very low. The response was that it was raining in the town and that the intrepid pilot Jamie, (a Scottish lad so of course he'd be intrepid!) would indeed be coming to pick us up. They do keep barrels filled with tents and emergency nourishment should anyone get stuck on the glacier.

2 1/2 hours after we landed, Jamie appeared through the clouds and picked us up. Once again I was directed to the seat beside Jamie and Bob had to sit second class so I had the added advantage of the trip back down. Due to the rain and turbulence, we had to fly very close to the mountainside which was awesome, exciting and seemed to be quite dangerous. For all I know, he might have done it for effect.

This experience ranks right up there in the Top 10 Wonders of our world!

Next stop Haast!

November 22

Left Franz Josef later in the day and decided to drive to a campground in Haast, just before the pass.

Awakened today to brilliant sunshine and a fine day to drive about 5 hours to Queenstown.

Driving through the pass was another first; the vegetation through the mountains is extremely lush, unlike the east side with it's almost nude mountains. This was truly a rainforest. The mountains loomed over us and we saw many snow capped peaks. Stopping at one lookout we encountered an English woman and her daughter who seemed to be having car trouble. It turned out that all was ok however we discovered that the woman's father had spent a few years in Toronto during the war and had loved it but didn't have the courage to move his family from England. Her daughter is working in N.Z. for a year and just arrived here. It turns out that they had been at Franz Josef for 6 days, waiting for the weather to clear enough to get up on the glacier for the heli-hike. They left the morning we arrived having given up on it. Needless to say, she was heartbroken when she found out that we had enjoyed the experience.

Arrived in Queenstown early this afternoon. A very Banff or Whistler kind of place. Alpine skiing in winter and exciting skydiving (no, we aren't going that far!), hang gliding (that either!) and jet boating (done that at home!).

Off to Milford Sound in the morning.

Love ,
Sharon

Kaikoura to Nelson

We left Kaikoura on Nov 17th and had a lovely ride back up toward Picton and through towns that made us think of Canada; Blenheim, Collingwood, Hope, Nelson and Richmond. Very pretty places and a beautiful day!

We stayed at a campground in Richmond and then the monsoon arrived. We decided to do laundry (what else do you do on a rainy day I ask?) and hang out and relax. The rain got worse, the wind picked up and we were reminded of our earlier experience when we couldn't pass through the mountains. At least we were in a lovely campground this time, with many neighbours (something comforting in that).

Our plan was an early night and up bright and early to travel back to Nelson (15 km) for the farmer's market Saturday morning, pick up a few things then move on to Motueka and Abel Tasman National Park. By the time we went to bed (don't ask...it was soooo early!), the wind had diminished however the rain was relentless. One thing we know for certain, all seals on the van work and not a drop entered our little nest.

I was awakened in the wee hours with a peculiar sensation. Didn't know what it was however the wind had picked up and was flailing the van so it felt pretty vulnerable. It was difficult to get back to sleep in these conditions however eventually I did indeed get a few more hours.

When we arose at 6 a.m., I turned on the radio (by the way, we haven't listened to ANY radio while here) and discovered that there had been an earthquake (5.9) just east of Picton....then the wind began to roar.

We went to the market and as we have found everywhere on the islands, people engaged us in conversation. One woman who lives on a farm nearby told me that she was awakened at 3 a.m. with the trembling of the ground, then the winds started. I assume that is what awakened me as well. Not to worry however; apparently N.Z. gets hit by up to 1700 earthquakes per year! Most of them are insignificant .....whatever "insignificant" is since I wouldn't classify a 5.9 as insignificant. Apparently Wellington was hit with one the day before and it was felt by everyone.

The market was fabulous! It is whitebait season (small transparent fish which is apparently immature smelt) so Bob and I decided to have a sandwich at one of the stalls. They mix the whole fishies in egg, a bit of flour and salt and fry them at high temps in oil. Then they plant it on a piece of bread so you are eating an open-faced sandwich. My, my, what a delicious treat....if you didn't look at their wee eyes....we loved it!

We picked up loads of veg and fruit and while Bob was gazing at something he heard someone say "hello", turned around and there was a couple we had met on an Auckland bus our second day there. They are from Kelowna and we'd enjoyed a great chat with them while touring Auckland. Here they were in Richmond and soon returning to Canada. It was wonderful seeing them!

With fresh supplies we headed off to Motueka. It was once again a beautiful day! The weather here changes so quickly that it is quite amazing. It was a fairly short drive and once we settled into the park, we walked through town and decided to eat dinner out. (Darla, stop reading for the next paragraph please).

Bob has been craving lamb roast ever since we've been here and we looked at the menu's at all the restaurants and couldn't find lamb .....however, the signboard outside one restaurant said the roast special was "hoggit". We entered to determine what exactly "hoggit" is. Turns out it's not wee lamb, it's a bit older lamb but not an ancient beast which is "mutton". Bob got his roast lamb which he declared delicious and I had vegetarian lasagna.

(Start reading again Darla...)

November 19th, we awakened very early, excited by our daytime plans. We had booked a kayaking/hiking trip through Abel Tasman.

There were only 8 of us in our group (including the guide) and after our orientation and safety instruction, our guide Wade, instructed us how to load our double sea kayaks on the carrier then we were loaded onto a wagon and pulled by tractor to the beach. It was a magnificent day and we set off with me as rudder person and Bob in front giving orders (what's new in that?). Wade had said that it's best that the person who likes to "give instruction" should sit in front. Occasionally I would get distracted and stray toward the rocks however I even managed to keep us straight going into and backing out of a cave without damaging us or the kayak. Not bad I'd say!

We kayaked for a few hours then landed on a beach where the rest of our team took off to walk back to Motueka while Wade cooked Bob and me an awesome lunch of green mussels, shishkabob and accompanied by salad, fruit and awesome desserts. We were instructed to lounge around while Wade cleaned everything up then he took us on an instructional hike into the rainforest. He pointed out leaves that we could chew if in pain and would take us to another dimension, the silver fern that is their national emblem and that of the "All Blacks" (oh, didn't I mention the #1 passion in N.Z.? Even we are huge fans of this rugby team!). It is also what the Maori used for many purposes, including pointing the way for others to follow through the forest. He pointed out tiny hairs on a tree and explained that an insect bores into the tree and leaves behind a hair (excrement) and from this hair drips what they call honeydew. We tasted a tiny, tiny drop and it is very sweet, just like honey. After around 40 minutes of steep climbing, Wade left us to hike to a place called Anchorage Bay. We could see it in the distance and once we got there found it to be a magical place. Kayakers were coming in the bay and landing and it is here where campers can stay in co-ed buildings; 20 per bed (looks like bunks however is really two platforms one above the other where thin mattresses are provided ....side by side). Bob laughed and said "can you imagine me with my snoring in that situation with 19 other people?" I replied "IF you made it through the night!" No doubt in my mind that he wouldn't make it to his 60th birthday!

It was in this lovely place that we were to be picked up by water taxi and returned to our camper. Wade told us it would be a black water taxi with the name "Vigor" on the side. Well! Let us tell you about our next little adventure! Vigor arrived and I must say it was probably designed around the time of Noah's ark! It was old however it was made of steel (Yuri, you'd love it!) and seemed strong enough. It appeared as if it would seat about 10 people comfortably. Wrong, wrong, wrong!! We were the first to board then we drove to another bay where we picked up at least 16 other kayakers. The seats were designed for hobbits I figure, not North American's! Bob and I are not particularly large however both our arses were hanging off the edge. If there was once comforting thing in this, it was the life vests which were the newest you can buy, are slim and look like suspenders. The cynic in me says that would be because there wouldn't be room for regular life vests on our bodies, sitting on the incredibly small seats!

Soooooooo off we go at sound barrier breaking speeds, across this huge expanse of water. Brent (our lovely captain who looked all of 10 yrs old) told us that the total trip would take about 40 minutes. We flew by poor kayakers whose faces reflected abject terror, other water taxi's, deadheads and other "stuff" until we reached Motueka safely. You just won't believe what happened next! Brent drifted off shore for a bit and was scanning the beach. He then explained that he was waiting for the trailer and tractor to come and get us....no, we were NOT to disembark....the tractor backed the trailer right into the ocean, Brent drove the boat up onto the trailer and that is how we returned to camp.....driving down the flippin' road past cars and buses, right into the parking lot of the kayaking company. So efficient and so hilarious. ALL of us still wearing our life vests and looking like total freaks out of the water riding on a boat, on a trailer!
Only in New Zealand I reckon!

What a day!

November 20th: We left Motueka behind us and headed down the west coast of South Island; destination Franz Josef Glacier. It was a long day of driving for Bob (no, I'm still not driving!) so we broke it up by visiting the jade capital of the country....Hockitika. Another beautiful drive and a lovely day. Hockitika is a sweet town right on the Tasman Sea. We visited all the jade factories in town and watched craftmen/women at work. Awesome and very expensive although not as expensive as it would be at home! We had lunch then headed out on the highway once again.

We have encountered many one lane bridges while here and being as civilized as they are, you are instructed when to "give way" and when you have the right of way. The bridge we encountered this day was one we had not seen before. It was quite a long bridge and the surface is shared by vehicles and TRAINS! No stop lights! Nothing to indicate WHEN exactly the next train would be arriving! We have had more laughs here than anywhere else on our travels.

We arrived here at Franz Josef around 4 pm yesterday and could see one of the glaciers glistening in the sunshine.

Today we are taking a helicopter up to the glacier, it will land and we will hike for a couple of hours then will be lifted off and brought back down. Are we excited? You bet!

Film at 11!!

Speaking of film....I apologize for not loading more pics as yet. I do plan to get it done, probably in one blog.....when I get the time and the appropriate computer.

Thanks again everyone for writing and commenting! It is just wonderful to hear from all of you.
We miss you and love you!
To Jaki (Ray and Jan's niece) in Auckland, a special thanks for writing! Unfortunately we will not be back in Auckland but do thank you for connecting with us. Ray and Jan...thanks for passing on the blog.

Be well!

Dreams Realized

Today was a very special day for me!

Firstly, Kaikoura is a beautiful town right on the Pacific Ocean with snow capped mountains as a background. It is a backpacker favourite because it offers just about anything an outdoor type could dream of ...and more....

For many years now, I have dreamed of swimming with dolphins. Although there were opportunities before this day, it never happened and now I know why. It was meant to be THIS particular day in this special place.

Bob booked the Dolphin Encounter very early this morning and we were fortunate to get spots on the boat. Our trip took place at noon and following being outfitted with wet suits (we brought our own snorkelling gear with us) and hoods, we were given a 15 minute documentary on protocol, safety and treatment of the dolphins. We were strongly reminded that these Dusky dolphins are wild and that WE were the entertainment for the day, not the dolphins. It was up to us to attempt to swim as much like dolphins as we could (arms by our sides with feet smoothly flipping), sing, and make other noises to attract these beautiful creatures. Under no circumstances were we to touch them. It is their world and if they chose to touch us, that was fine.

Following a short bus ride, we boarded three separate boats with around 20 people per boat (not all were swimming) and off we sailed. It was a sunny day with smooth waters and we drove around 12 miles finding small pods of dolphins along the way. Whenever they were spotted, the captain brought the boat to a stop, sounded the horn 3 times and we slid into the water......freaking cold water! The temperature was 13C and until the water slid inside the suits and warmed up and insulated us, it was a big shock to the old systems.

Our encounters with the first two pods were wonderful and I had a couple eyeball me at fairly close range then off they swam, seemingly not impressed with my melodious tunes.

We continued on and found the most enormous pod that circled around the boat and as we got into the water, they played with us, circled again and again, over and under...eyeballing us all the while. At one point, my fins were hoisted up out of the water and I turned, expecting to see another swimmer. No one was there and I knew it must have been a dolphin. Two circled and came so close I could have touched them and another came face to face, staring into my eyes. What an incredibly emotional experience!

A large purple anenome floated in front of my mask and huge albatross soared over my head.

The swells became larger and after around 3 hours, the horn was sounded and we all boarded the boat and were rewarded with warm water being poured into our wet suits.

We had been told (so I'd thought) that we would have a room to change into dry clothes however what we now believe our guide said was "there will be room to change". It was co-ed! Everyone in this big cabin, stripping off, drying and dressing. No kids, this was not "the dream" I was talking about in my title!
Most of the swimmers were half our age and at first I felt embarrassed then figured...what the heck, they don't know me and it's probably time these young pups learned what happens to the human form after more than 6 decades. Once we were dressed and back on deck there were a lot of buckets being used by people with upset tummies. I'd like to think it was because of the huge swells however who knows, perhaps it was catching a glimpse of the wrinklies that did it.

In spite of the upset stomachs, everyone was over the moon with the experience. It is one more dream I can tick off my list. Bob felt as euphoric as I did and I know that tonight we will dream of wonderful, playful, comical creatures in the sea.

Blessings!
Sharon

Longest Place Name in the World

Your challenge for the day dear readers is to take a HUGE breath and pronounce what is considered to be the longest place name in the world....created by the Maori a long, long time ago:

TAUMATAWHATANGIHANGAKOAUAUOTAMATEATURIPUKAKAPIKIMAUNGAHORONUKUPOKAIWHENUAKITANATAHU

which is the "shortened" form of: "The Brow of a Hill where Tamatea, the Man with the Big Knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, Known as Land Eater, Played His Flute to his Lover".

Don't you just love it?

xoxo

Nov 15 - Wellington to Picton

Beautiful drive through the pass that the previous day had been so horrible. Saw where the van had turned over and was being cleaned up (imagine being the poor driver!) quite high in the pass.

Arrived in Wellington with little time to see the city. We checked in at the ferry terminal and decided to take the cable car to the top of the hill downtown. Had a brief visit to the Botanical Gardens at the top (very pretty) however couldn't see that much. Back down to a little pie shop tucked away in an alley downtown for the best meat pies I've had since England years ago. Excellent!

Back to the terminal we raced, in time to drive on and take off across Cook's Strait to South Island. The day was perfect; sunny and hot and the views were beyond belief. We sailed through islands and beautiful water. The ship (Bluebridge Ferry) was absolutely gorgeous. Everything on it is top drawer; bars and cafe's in beautiful wood. All seating was leather and immaculate burgundy carpets. There was a large theatre with a huge screen. Don't know what was showing but it looked very impressive. The trip took 3 hours and 20 minutes. We were offloaded quickly and off we headed to Kaikoura.

The South Island is completely different from the North. Here the mountains are bare or grassy with very few trees at all. Fewer sheep and they are more of a brown colour than the white of the north. Loads and loads of wineries (yippee!!!)! The highways (so far) are straighter on the east coast however we hear that will all change when we cross over to the west coast. Highway 1 took us beside the Pacific on one side and a railway track on the other, very close to the road. Tall cliffs on our right side with lots of "falling rock" signs. Always makes us feel secure, especially since we'd heard that until the last couple of days, there had been a lot of rain here. We were also surprised to discover that it is much hotter here. We'd expected it to be colder since we are further south. The ocean is more of a baby blue than in the north where it tended to be turquoise or jade colour.

We arrived late at the campground and were fortunate to get one of the last sites. First time this has happened to us. Kaikoura is a hot spot for tourists so this is probably why.

Later!
Sharon

Hwy #2 to Wellington

Best road signs so far:

On the highway: Bugger! I just missed the best lookout in the Northland, 200 feet back!
Sign on a camper sunroom: Buggers and Beer Here!
Sign for a hotel: The Waddle Inn

Great sense of humour in this country!

Fabulous drive...sunny and hot....through the interior and heading south to Wellington. No problems until about 50 km north of Wellington and just south of Featherston. We were about to enter the mountain pass when the weather changed. The wind became ferocious and it began to rain. Bob had to work really hard keeping WALUT on the road. We rounded a bend and police were all over the highway, stopping traffic. They told us we had to turn around and go back because the high winds in the mountains had already overturned a van and they wouldn't allow smaller trucks and vans to go through. We asked if there were campgrounds anywhere in the vicinity and they directed us back around 30 km to Greytown. We entered the grounds and immediately thought of the movie "Deliverance". We drove through a forest with low hanging branches and into a camp that had one lonely trailer. In actual fact, years ago in Canada, we would have found this camp to be luxurious however compared to those we'd experienced, it truly was rustic. There was no office to "check in" but a notice on the wall that said we had to pay before we stayed and we should see "Ed or Runella". After wandering around for a bit, we heard a door bang and a sweet little old man (Ed) appeared with a mop in his hand. Of course, in the atmosphere of a dark gloomy park and a darker day and my imagination, it could have been a weapon! Ed told us that the trailer belonged to a woman who had been there for 3 months. With no activity around her trailer, we immediately began to speculate whether she'd been dead or alive for 3 months. We were relieved to see her drive in and then to see runners galumping through the park. Several other camper vans arrived and almost immediately took off....not giving us much comfort.

We had an uneasy sleep with the high winds and rain continuing into the early morning...and waiting for the "Claw of Death" to scratch on our door....got up early and bolted. The next morning was beautiful and sunny and the park looked much more inviting I must say. Hey, for $15 it wasn't so bad!

We'd booked the ferry crossing from Wellington to Picton (South Island) so it was important to get through the mountains to catch the 12:00 sailing.

Cheers!
Sharon

Hwy #5 to Napier

Another beautiful drive through unusual terrain. The inland mountain range is quite different in shape to others we've seen in the north and it seems there is a lot more logging being done here.

Arrived in Napier by noon and had some difficulty finding the campsite. Most towns and cities are fairly easy to drive however this one was not...at least for these two wrinklies. A few curse words from both of us...then we remembered to "breathe into it" as in yoga (always our giggle to bring us out of a suck attack) and looked at it as a sight-seeing tour and adventure.

Napier suffered an earthquake in early 1930's, killing 260 people and in the end, giving the town 48 square km more city than they had prior. This created a town that has towering hills in the centre with houses built on them. Very beautiful however it begs the question "why does anyone build a house high on a hill in a volcanic and earthquake zone?". Kind of like building your house on a cliff on the San Andreas fault! Does it make sense? Oh well, at least you'll probably be happy dying in a spectacular way in what was once a beautiful town.

Since Napier was rebuilt in the 1930's, it is also known for it's art deco architecture, rivalling Miami (but without the neon) for #1 in the world. The buildings are fabulous and because there are stands of palm trees everywhere and Napier is right on the ocean, it is probably the most beautiful city we've visited in N.Z.

We spent the afternoon on a wine tour (I know, you are ALL surprised at that!) and visited around four of a possible 30. Bob was too loaded to drive after that (just joking!) so we took our loot and returned to the camp. We found the prices much higher than at Villa Maria and believe it or not, in the supermarkets, however we did buy a few good bottles.

The campground here was fabulous and we are now beginning to recognize other visitors we've seen at other camps. We assume we are all heading to South Island!

Very sunny and warm and a great day to leave for Wellington.

Love,
Sharon

Google Earth

Some of you who are following us on our travels on Google Earth have asked that we give names of places and highways so that it makes tracking easier.

We came down Hwy 5 to Taupo and will continue on Hwy 5 to Napier today. Not many highways here however it will help you to know this information. We are at the Taupo Top 10 Holiday Camp on Centennial Drive in Taupo so if you are real quick and look now, you will see me waving at the satellite (just kidding! My friend Margaret told me she could see me doing laundry in Whitienga the other day).

Jan and Elliot, your question was re the clutch and brake and which side they are on....thank the Lord, they are on the same sides as at home. Now THAT would be a huge treat and we would be a statistic by now I'm certain if they were reversed.

Let us know if there is anything else you'd like to know.

Rotorua and Lake Taupo

First of all, we would like to thank each and every one of you who have so kindly either commented on our blog or emailed us with your love and thoughts. You have no idea how much it means to us. We haven't been gone from Canada 5 minutes and yet every comment, every email and every hug means so much to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Keep 'em coming!

We spent our second day in Roto very casually; Bob was off to shop for new sandals (Chaco's preferably and difficult to find) since his busted a gut, while I sought an internet cafe to upload photo's. As you probably have noticed, I found that cafe. It was the most peaceful place and the owner the most awesome man (Jeff) who brought me the best coffee and helped me with the upload. I could have spent days there never mind 2 hours. Some difficulties with the photo's so not as many on the entries as I would have preferred. Now that I know what to do, I promise that when I have another opportunity (we are now at a campsite and have limited functionality), I will be quicker and have more for you to see.

We found a fabulous farmer's market very close to our camp and watched people (our favourite hobby) and wandered among not only the stalls, but also the geothermal pools that were everywhere in the park where the market is held. What a sight! Spirals of sulphuric smoke and all the wonderful produce batched together. It was surreal!

This morning we left for Lake Taupo, found our camp location, checked in then left on a hike that took us to the most beautiful falls imaginable (I'll think of the name later since I left my diary back at the van). It was a good workout and so beautiful. Because this area is set in an area where the earth's crust is so thin, we are surrounded by pools that are at boiling point and these pools drain into the cold rivers that are a brilliant jade colour. As we hiked, we could not stop staring below us into the river, having never seen this shade anywhere we have travelled. Oh yes, it's called Huka Falls!!

Returning to the camp, we settled into the naturally heated pool, right beside our campsite. It was beautiful! The temperature was 38C and the swimming pool adjacent was around 28C...all heated naturally. We met (in the pool) a lovely couple from England who have been travelling for a year. Their travels included Ontario and Quebec so we had much to talk about. They had a lot of information that will help us as we travel.

Back to the van, a huge beer then a stir-fry with local produce. It was sooooo good.

In season: strawberries, asparagus, tomatoes, avocado............feeling a little envious yet? Ok, I'll resist the bragging.

Almost time to go nite nite......tomorrow we are off to Napier, art deco centre of New Zealand.

Almost forgot; did I mention the wondrous scent of this beautiful place? We can't quite describe it and Bob and I have discussed it forever (alright, I'm embellishing again since we've only been here just over a week)...all I can think of is sweet smelling pine. So beautiful! We catch it everywhere and it still stuns us with it's beauty. We think we've found the tree responsible (I pinched the needles and it sent me heavenward) however don't know the name.

Enough!

Namaste! Sharon

Passings

I felt it appropriate to post a separate entry to honour those who have passed away in the last week.

Our grandaughter Sidney, lost her maternal grandfather (Opa) very suddenly. He and her grandmother lived in Victoria and had arrived at their winter home in California. Our love and thoughts are with Ria, Sidney and their entire family at this time.

Tina (our daughter in law) lost her paternal grandfather (Nono) this week. To Tina, Shanelle and their family, we send our sympathy and our love. This has been a tough year for their family, having lost several members. We pray that this is it for a very long time.

Laura, my wonderful stained glass teacher and owner of Glowing Panes lost her husband Ted this week. He was a huge part of the business and was loved by everyone. We will miss him and his quiet humour.

To all of you, we send you hugs and our warmest thoughts.

Coromandel Peninsula

We spent most of the day travelling south, back through Auckland then up to the Coromandel Peninsula. Once again, we were faced with very winding roads with mountains on our right (driver's side) and huge drops to the ocean (my side) on the left. The roads are paved however at times when we reach a hairpin turn, it seems that there is only room for 1 1/2 vehicles to meet....and when the opposing vehicle is a HUGE logging truck, well, needless to say, we know our hearts are strong. Poor Bob didn't get to see much of the view and I found that concentrating on either the map or the view was best for my nerves, leaving the road to Bob.
Our friend Yves who just returned from 4 years in Jamaica and who we refer to as Canada's Mario Andretti, would love these roads!

Just a few km short of the city of Coromandel, I decided to take a "shortcut" through the mountains to Whitianga (pronounced "fitayanga") on what I thought was a sealed road. It was paved for about 2 km (we had to go 22 km) then we were on gravel roads about one vehicle wide. We were under rock outcroppings, saw where there had been rock slides and generally thought that this might not have been the brightest idea I'd had since being here.....but good old Bob plodded on through treacherous conditions (by the way, as part of our camper contract, we are not allowed on these roads...shhhhhhh). After what seemed like several lifetimes, we reached the highway and in a few short minutes we arrived in one of the prettiest villages we've seen. It was very new looking and had a gorgeous harbour with many yachts. We stayed at a nice quiet campground and walked around town. While walking down by the harbour, we watched a bus driver (presumably on his way home from work), park his coach, take off his trousers and in his underwear, walk into the water with a bucket in his hand. He was digging for clams! This must have been his idea of picking up take-out on his way home. Too cool!

The next day was the first full day of rain since we got here. If you got the news, you would have heard that the Skytower in Auckland was closed due to 150 km winds and there was quite a lot of damage done in the Auckland area. We simply had driving rain so we booked a bone carving class. The artist is a great guy who explained how he buys the bones from the butcher (they no longer use whale or other endangered species bones for this craft), removes the marrow, and using absolutely no chemicals, naturally whitens the bone. He then cuts them into long thick strips. We had a blast making each other a Christmas present using dentist tools and sandpaper to finish our work. They turned out really well and it was a super way to spend a rainy day.

I forgot to mention earlier that we drove 960 km before having to fill the tank! Isn't that wonderful? Of course it's diesel and we both said almost simultaneously "better get a new boat!". Diesel prices range from 98 cents to $1.06 per litre. We're happy with the mileage.

Following our class, we headed back down the peninsula to Mount Maunganui where we camped in the shadow of the mountain and right on the beach; a huge surfers paradise. We watched the surfers being bowled over by the surf. Some were excellent surfers!

The next morning (Nov 9), we hiked (or "tramped" as they say here) to the top of the Mountain and were greeted by magnificent views. Following our "tramp", we jumped in the camper and off we went....destination Rotorua, 82 km away for a very short driving day.

Nov 10:
Rotorua is a stinky town due to the sulphur from the geysers and mud pools that lie underneath the town. Our campsite is right downtown and everywhere we walked, we saw wisps of steam coming from mud pools and ponds.

We took the gondola up over the city and had lunch then visited Rainbow Springs for a nature walk through a forest with beautiful native birds (including the beautiful Kiwi), fish and reptiles. There are no poisonous creatures here however there are some pretty prehistoric looking critters. We saw the most comical parrot that is considered the smartest bird in the world. It runs/hops on the ground almost like a galloping horse. It does fly however seemed quite happy loping along. It's feathers are blue/green all over except under it's wings which are brilliant orange. We had a very close encounter with an emu who stuck her beautiful head right in my face; huge eyes with long eyelashes. She seemed to be examining my face then just when I thought she was going to communicate something, she pooped all over the ground. Charming!
Her babies ran around our feet....so cute.

At 4:30, we were picked up at our camp and taken to the Maori Cultural Centre where we had a tour of the grounds which included the mud pools, the geyser (which blew just as we were about to walk away), the carving school where young Maori are taught the craft from their elders and the museum with examples of ancient carvings and original carving tools.

At 6 pm our group of 40 people were taken to the Meeting House for our official greeting from a Maori Chief. We had to elect a chief of our own and he was to represent us for the rest of the evening. It was a very solemn affair and we were instructed by our guide to show respect to the warriors and not laugh or show any form of disrespect. As we stood outside the gate to the Meeting House and as our chief (Mark) stood inside the gate, two warriors came out of the house and blew into conch shells, signalling the arrival of the chief. A huge man stepped out of the house and signalled one of his strongest and fastest warriors to approach our chief. The young man flew down the path, rolled his eyes up in his head, stuck out his tongue (down to his chin) and emitted the wildest most threatening sounds I've heard. He then took a fern from his pouch and laid it on the ground. Our chief picked up the fern and put it behind his back, signalling that we came in peace. We were all then invited into the Meeting House (shoes off) where we were formally welcomed with a speech in Maori. Our chief responded by saying that he represented all tribes of the world and that we thanked them for their hospitality. We then were treated to an amazing concert and performances of dancers, singers and story-tellers. It was a very emotional experience.

Following the concert, we were taken to a replica ancient Maori village and each of the performers talked about a different perspective of the way they lived prior to the arrival of the Europeans. They said that they were never placed on reservations like our aboriginals however almost all their land was taken away from them and they were left with a tiny plot of land. This is currently being rectified by the government.

We then were taken to dinner consisting of seafood, corn, chicken, goat, lamb and salad. We sat with about 8 others, including two Dutch couples, English and Australians. The Australians told us that they are from Queensland and that the east side of Australia is being destroyed by the drought. It is the worst in 1000 years. It may even be possible that tourists will be restricted from travelling there although we haven't heard that for certain.

It was a beautiful day and we learned so much.

I must share with you one of the funniest experiences we've had so far. We aren't into toilet humour but this is worth telling you about.

There are public toilets everywhere in N.Z.......so civilized. They are immaculate and convenient.

We stopped at a little park the other day and saw what looked like small trailers. There were lights on the doors; red and green. Green meant the toilet was vacant; red that it was occupied. I entered on green and a male voice in surround sound instructed me to close the door and press the green button to lock the door. I was then told that I would have exactly 10 minutes. I was laughing so hard it was a wonder Bob couldn't hear me in the next cubicle! Then the music started! It was hilarious. Once finished, you press the green button and the door unlocks.
As we took off and were laughing about it, Bob commented that all he could think about was a malfunction in the electronics and pondered how long he could be locked in there before someone came to his rescue. Talking toilets! What a concept!

Nov 11: It's Remembrance Day! We are spending another day in Rotorua, exploring the town and remembering all those who have served in all wars.....a day ahead of the rest of you. We will remember our own tomorrow as no doubt you all will.

We shall never forget!

I'm also going to attempt to load photo's from this terminal so check the past postings to see if it worked.

Love and peace.
Sharon

Cape Reinga

Oh my, what a place!

We left the camp quite early this morning and began the 110 km drive to the Cape. More than 1/2 of the journey was on a gravel road and of course it was twisting turning road through farm country. We have never seen so many sheep and cows! The herds are huge. Bob figures it would take a tanker per farm to collect the milk. Today we also saw wild turkey and a few goats.

The terrain became more and more mountainous as we neared the Cape and as we have found on so many occasions since being here, we rounded a sharp curve and the surprising vista before us was so astounding that we almost left the road. We parked the van and climbed a huge knoll and at the top were rewarded with the spectacular view of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meeting in what are called "confused seas". The Tasman Sea is turquoise and the Pacific is a dark blue. Looking down from the cliffs high above the water, our breath literally left our bodies. We sat and stared for the longest time. Below us was the lighthouse and we climbed down to another beautiful sight, this one a bit closer to the water. A sign has been erected beside the lighthouse, indicating the direction and km's to: London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Los Angeles, Vancouver (11,222 km) and Sydney. Really neat and yes, we did take photo's.

Following lunch with this view, we trundled back down the road and moved on to the east coast. We'd been told of the most famous fish and chip shop in a small harbour town and we took advantage of the close proximity to our route. It lived up to it's reputation. You eat with your fingers and we consumed every last bit and laughed as we looked at each other and saw oily fingers and faces. What a treat!

We bought fresh avocado right by the side of the highway; $2 N.Z. for 6 large.
The kiwi fruit is wonderful and we are eating it like a boiled egg (thanks Paul and Maggie), cutting off the top and eating it with a spoon. Yum, yum!

The seafood is inexpensive and delicious.

We buy the newspaper every couple of days and in the news:
-Possible evacuation of New Zealanders and Australians from Fiji
- Cleanup of all city waterfronts
- Complaints of littering
- Complaints of global warming
- Better treatment of the Maori

If you eliminated the names, it could be Canada. As a matter of fact, N.Z. reminds us very much of all the wonders of our country packed into a tiny country....and we haven't even visited the South Island yet. The roads remind us of Jamaica with all the tight turns although the drivers here are not as crazy as in Jamaica.

Enough for today. Tomorrow we head for the southern parts of this island.

Sharon

As We Live and Breathe

So there we were, our first day with the beast (that from now on shall be referred to as "WALUT"...not because she costs us a lot but because she reminds us of another holiday vessel that those of you who know us well can figure out), lost in Auckland and trying to wend our way to highway north when we encounter a San Francisco type hill where there was a traffic jam.
This is a wonderful standard transmission Mercedez van with lots of weight so you can imagine the challenge for Bob; creeping forward and attempting to keep moving forward while using the hand brake (left side), gears (left side) plus clutch and brake. Yiikes!!! We both white-knuckled as we crept forward and discovered that the hold up was due to a city bus that had broken down. This meant that once we reached the bus we had to then poke our nose out into oncoming traffic to get around the darn thing. Nice introduction to N.Z. driving. I must say that Bob was fantastic and managed it all very well.

For the first couple of days and prior to take off each morning we have our little meditation, chanting "left side, left side" for a few moments before heading into traffic.

The first night with WALUT was spent in a town called Orewa in a Top 10 camp right on the beach. It was fantastic! We became members of Top 10 which gives us a discount and we can use the campgrounds and the discount all over N.Z. and Australia. The facilities are beyond anything we've seen (kitchens where you can cook and store your food, stainless appliances, outdoor grills, laundry, hair dryers and all stainless sinks). Lovely people who run the places.

We celebrated Guy Fawkes with the locals who had set up fireworks on the beaches so we were surrounded by displays of colour no matter where we looked.

The next morning we headed up the west coast to Matakohe and Trounson Park, stopping at the Kauri Museum to see the history of logging of the Kauri tree. It was almost wiped out before the Kiwi government clamped down on the logging. These trees are ancient with shallow roots and can be destroyed by people touching and tramping on the compost that feeds the trees. The wood is magnificent and the furniture and boats built from the trees has a wonderful grain and is extremely heavy.

We moved on to our next Top 10 camp site beside a river and in a forest. We booked a night walk to try to find the shy Kiwi bird and to see the flora and fauna in the forest. Left at 8:30 and returned at 10:30 p.m. The Kiwi is nocturnal and extremely difficult to spot. Our guide asked us to stop walking from time to time and listen for the cry and tromping (yes, it tromps!) of the bird. We heard it so very close and it's cry shocked us because it seemed to be right beside us however no luck. Not to be seen this night. We did learn so much about the Kauri tree and saw insects called "weta" that have not changed since prehistoric times.

Nov 6: Continued driving up the west coast and stopped in a huge old growth forest to see "Tane Mahuta" (God of the Forest). This fabulous tree is 2000 years old and is enormous. We knew we were in the presence of God as we gazed at the most beautiful of trees. Imagine a tree that was standing since the time of Jesus. We were in awe and everyone who was there, gazed silently...honoring this beautiful tree.

Off again up the most twisting, turning road we have ever encountered. We met a gentleman last year who told us that he'd visited N.Z. and thought there was a law written when the roads were built that there MUST be a hairpin turn every 500 feet. He wasn't kidding! Lots of fun.

We stopped at a fabulous lookout overlooking the Tasman Sea and where the waves crashed in with a roar. We watched a power boat ride the crest of what appeared to be a 20 foot wave...right in to the harbour below us.

Onward to 90 Mile beach where we spent the night last night. This beach at low tide is hard packed and vehicles drive at allowable speeds up to 100 km per hour. They actually post the speed limit on the beach. The surf is huge and this is considered to be a very dangerous beach..surfers and divers are warned that they are on their own.

We reconnected with the young couple we met at the rental office in Auckland. They sensed they would see us today and when they pulled in to the camp site, there I was, walking back to the van. I heard someone honking and lo and behold, there were Jen, Mark, Juliette and Luke.
Beautiful family! We are certain to spend more time together.

Weather has ranged between 22C on the up side and 5C at night. Continuing sunshine.

We are blessed!

Today (Nov 7) we are heading to Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific; the most northerly tip of N.Z. Then we are off to Bay of Islands on the East coast.

Sorry we haven't been able to share photo's with you yet. The internet providers have not allowed us to do so. A bit disappointing.

Catch ya on the flip!

Love to all.
Sharon

Auckland Tour

We were up very early this morning and feeling very well rested, a bonus for a full day of touring.

The tour bus picked us up from the hotel and took us downtown where we visited the zoo, seeing meerkat (hilarious), red panda (virtually extinct), kiwi, giraffe, zebra, ostrich, lion, gorilla and cute little penguin. We aren't much for zoo's however this one is about as natural as they get.

Our lunch was at the Skytower (shorter version of the CN tower) where we stayed long enough to have lunch at the revolving restaurant. Beautiful scenery and a fantastic harbour.

The next stop was an Antarctic experience. We rode on a snow cat underground where it is very cold and there are beautiful penguins diving and walking right next to us. When we left the snow cat we were under an enormous acquarium with large stingray, shark and other huge fish. Looking at the stingray and knowing what happened to Steve Irwin, it gave me a shiver remembering Darla and my visit to Grand Cayman years ago where we scuba dived with these enormous creatures. They scooped squid right off our hands. Darla had one on top of her head at one point. We were so naive that we never once believed there was much danger there.

We visited fabulous gardens filled with orchids and other exotic plants native to New Zealand. Great photo's which unfortunately we can't share with you until we can access an internet site that will allow us to upload to our blog.

This truly is a gorgeous place and we hear from other tourists that it will only get better as we travel the islands.

As idyllic as it is, we did learn today that everyone in New Zealand is a contract worker. The employer rules and no one is paid overtime and in many cases, workers do not get benefits. This does not sit well with the natives and they feel extremely ripped off.

One of the highlights of our day was spotting an ad in the newspaper for a merino wool clothing sale at 75% off retail prices. We purchased a few things and were thrilled with the bargains. Day two and we've blown the budget already!!

We pick up the camper van tomorrow morning and no doubt there will be enough excitement to keep our cardiac paddles busy for the next few days, at least until we get used it.

Pray for us....please.......

Kisses to Canada!
Sharon

Hello Auckland!

We're here!

We left Vancouver at 12:05 p.m. October 31st and arrived in Los Angeles on time at 2:45 pm. We had 4 hours to kill until our flight to Auckland. Great flight to Auckland on the largest airplane we have travelled on....at least a million people...oh, alright, so I embellish....it "seemed" like a million people. We do believe Air New Zealand is by far the most efficient and friendly airline we have experienced to date. Everyone was boarded and seated for take-off in half an hour and we took off on time. The crew was simply amazing and filled with good humour.

I fell asleep right after dinner and managed to get about 7 hours while Bob felt he only dozed (which I assume to be true since he didn't awaken me with his thunderous snores).

We had a great conversation with an American who told us he had immigrated to New Zealand because he was fed up with his government. He just can't take it any more. His wife and child will join him next March. Big move for the family. Very interesting views on what is happening in the U.S. at the moment.

Arrived in Auckland at 6 a.m. November 2nd, and we were at the hotel by 7:30 a.m. Our first impression of N.Z. from the air and land is that it is very green. Beautiful mountains and lush vegetation.

We slept for 4 hours then got up and walked for a couple of hours, had lunch (Indian) then stumbled upon (of all things), a winery! Fancy Bob and Sharon finding a winery...within 5 hours of planting our feet on the ground! The nose knows!!!

The winery, Villa Maria, is nestled in the hills on the edge of the city and there is a beautiful winding driveway through the vineyard and to the buildings. A Land Rover pulled up beside us and we were offered a ride. Turns out that Peter is the Hospitality Manager and he told us a bit of the history as we drove. He turned us over to the Cellar Manager, James, who gave us a wine tasting of 6 (yes SIX) of their international award winners. They are sold in Canada so look for the name Villa Maria.

We bought a few bottles for the camper trip. I figure that if I have to submit to driving on the wrong side of the road with Bob driving from the wrong side of the vehicle, I'd better have a stash of good wine for the end of each day.

We walked back to the hotel and are just about to find a nice restaurant.

Tomorrow - downtown Auckland on the Hop On Hop Off tour.

Sharon