It Isn't Over Till . . .

This holiday was memorable for driving round corners and saying, 'Wow' at the unexpected.  Just when we thought that we had ended on a high, we found ourselves looking down on the top of the world.  'Even wow - er',  and the view wasn't any better in Business Class!

I wonder what else there is to see?

Thank you and Goodnight

All good things come to an end, but this is going and eating out in style!

The Big City

We have returned our camper vans and have some time to get to know Auckland.  This is the view from Devonport where there is a naval base and the NZRN museum.  It is a 10 minute commute across the bay from this leafy suburb with colonial timber houses to downtown Auckland with the impressive Sky Tower.

Everywhere there are marinas.  Auckland is reported as having the highest number of boats per head of population in the world and from here that is quite believable.  It is a busy city and quite a contrast to the experience of recent days.  This is modern New Zealand, but the rural New Zealand which has really left its mark.  It feels like a young country in comparison to home with less convention.

Maori

This is a Maori Meeting Hut.  It is not the oldest, but it was built in 1940 both to commemorate the centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and to reaffirm the importance of Maori heritage in the identity of New Zealand.  Like all such buildings, it is a work of art - a master piece - as well as being a place of peace and tranquility where heritage and ancestry are the main focus.

One of the striking parts of our recent travels in NZ has been the encounter with Maori culture which is being retained through an assertive effort from Maori people not to be simply engulfed by the tsunami of European culture.  It does bring to mind the effort in Scotland and Wales to retain the Celtic languages, but here there seems to be a greater critical mass of Maori working to sustain their identity.

Birth of a Nation

At the Bay of Islands, in 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the Maori chiefs and the British which meant that NZ became part of the British Empire.  By 1845, some of the Maori population had begun to realise that perhaps the Treaty was not all that they had been led to expect!  The Union Jack at  Kokorareka was cut down several times by Maori rebels and the township was virtually destroyed in fighting over the following years.

When the town was resettled, it was named after Lord John Russell, the radical leader of the House of Commons, but tension between cultures remained.  Towns have Maori names, but the street names could be anywhere in Britain.

This is the historic spot where the Maoris agreed to be part of the British Empire a major step to creating New Zealand as we know it today.

Bay of Islands

The lump of basalt in the foreground was faulty and fell away forward leaving an opportunity to view both the top view and the side view of these unusual rock formations which, we are told, are to be found in only two other places in the world.  One is the the Galapagos Islands and the other is the Giant's Causeway.

Perhaps Fingal's Cave is basalt without the faulty?

Tall Story

This is a Kauri tree.  They still grow on the North Island although the majority were logged out some years ago.  The wood has a beautiful warm colour when used for furniture and domestic finishing of stairs and panelling.  It is remarkably easy to work having virtually no knots.  It is very durable; some Kauri wood still looks impressive although it is reckoned to have been buried in swampland for over 20,000 years!

Kauri are also MASSIVE - so much so that it is almost impossible to convey this in a photo as they grow in rainforest.  However, of you look at the top of this one carefully you will see that there is another tree growing out of the top of the Kauri.  This example started growing about the time of the Viking invasions of Britain.  Many of its main upper branches have broken, leaving it shorter than it used to be.  It is neither the oldest nor the tallest by a long way; the oldest survivor predates the birth of Christ, but men used to chop these down without a second thought.  It helps to explain why Kiwis are into conservation.

Accommodation

There will be some followers of this account who will have been wondering about the accommodation which we have had on our travels.  While the camper van is quite an efficient combination of conveyance, catering and overnight comfort, we came across some rather bijoux residences today which are proving quite popular and attracting a lot of interest!

Remembrance

In 1939, at the time of the Munich crisis, Neville Chamberlain broadcast to the nation about the difficulties presented by Hitler over Czechoslovakia, describing it as a, "Far away country of which we know nothing".  There were many in Britain who knew a lot more about Czechoslovakia than Chamberlain who, prior to Munich, had never been abroad.

When visiting churches in New Zealand, the war memorials are striking.  This one is in the Maori (Anglican) church of St Faith's in Rotorua.  Yesterday we came across a personal memorial to a young Maori who had died in the Lybian desert.  The memorial was at the entry to a cave in the middle of a geothermal park around which he had guided visitors as a teenager before going off to fight in a foreign country of which he knew nothing.  These encounters are rather humbling.

Early Morning Alarm Call

Meet the Tui.  This bird is found throughout NZ and has a loud distinctive song which really draws attention to itself.  Unfortunately, it also has a habit of mimicking other birds and so identifying it can be a little challenging.  However, as it has a fairly distinctive appearance, visual recognition is less of a problem.

You just don't want two of them in the tree next to your camper van at 6 in the morning!

Hot Water

We had ham and egg pie for supper last night, but this is not it!  This is genuine sulphur coming from another thermal area north of Taupo where all sorts of mud comes to the surface under pressure from superheated water.  The silica which comes with it leaves all sorts of deposits which build up over the years forming interesting patterns and colours. However, the smell is pretty off putting when the steam blows in your direction.

However, if you can find a suitable thermal pool to bathe in, it is a really relaxing way to spend a few hours.

Mudbath

Having been in the North Island for a few days, there is a recurrent theme of seismology emerging.  This is not the sensational stuff of recent events in Christchurch, but the harsh reality that tsunami or earthquake could happen in this part of the world at any time.

The town of Napier has its array of Art Decor buildings which replaced those destroyed in the earthquake of 1932.  However, the ground for a significant part of the town was under the sea before that earthquake!  Here in Taupo and nearby Rotorua, the world is leaking!  Gas and steam bubble up to the surface in all manner of places - some simply at the roadside.  There is no immediate danger, but everyone is aware of the fact that the power of nature is a more significant time bomb here than it is elsewhere.

Agricultural Revolution

30 years ago, NZ had a population of approx 70 million sheep.  The reduction of this population to something more like 30 million is a consequence of all sorts of things such as  the cost of transport to Europe, an increase in the use of synthetics and Britain's changing position in Europe.  The general drift from pastoral farming overall was also hastened by a reduction in demand for dairy products in Britain and NZ itself.

Left with unprofitable acreage, and realising that the climate was overall comparable to that of northern Spain, agriculture has changed to viniculture around Hawkes Bay.  The Pinot Noir is consistently better than elsewhere, but a lot of it is consumed in SE Asia and doesn't get to Europe - which after today's experience is a bit of a shame.

Minor Expats

In the course of conversation today with friends who have come out to settle in NZ, we were told that one of the noticeable features in the country is the number of old British cars which are in evidence.  These exports have stood the test of time better in this climate than those which remained at home.  Perhaps they have also been cherished as links with a previous life which still is a component of the Kiwi identity.

We have always had a soft spot for Morris Minors and so we were glad to see these two in their rest home near Te Anau, no longer operational, but obviously part of the family.

Hikitia

Moored at the side of Wellington Harbour is an old floating steam crane which awaits further restoration.  However, if you stop and read the small print on the plaque beside the vessel, you discover that this ungainly collection of steel and iron was assembled / constructed at William Arrol's yard on the Clyde in 1925 before being sailed out to New Zealand - with the crane erected!

It is thought that this is the oldest ship of its type still afloat and that the trip around the world is a a record for a ship of this type as well.  Now there is another challenge to the imagination!  Awesome.

Moving On

Today we started our return to he real world with the voyage on the Pride of Cherbourg - renamed with a Maori name, but still registered in Portsmouth - to the North Island.

The departure from the South Islands through the sounds of the Marlborough Strait were not as impressive to those of us who had experienced a trip 'Doon the watter' as to less experienced travellers, but the vessel was larger and the channels were narrower, so that it has to be conceded that the NZ experience was more dramatic.  Not surprisingly, the weather was better as well!

Dusky Dolphin

This is a Dusky Dolphin which grows to be about 6 feet in length and can be regularly found in the waters off Kaikoura.  It associates with a large social group who were very happy to provide entertainment for the swimmers who slipped relatively clumsily off the back of the boat into the sea.

It would appear that although they swim over a wide area and are totally untamed, the dolphins are happy to be regularly visited by the tourists.  This seems to beg the question of who is entertaining whom.  Is it jut possible that they a wondering why homo sapiens keep coming back to provide the entertainment?

Background

We have left the west coast and the waves of the Tasman Sea to return to the east coast where we started and the view of the South Pacific from Kaikoura.  This is where you come if you want to see whales - but there is the small problem for us that this is not the season when you can expect to see them.  Most of the Sperm Whales have moved on for the summer and the Orca have not really started to appear.

However in the absence of this wildlife, there are still plenty of smaller species and there is something to be said for looking at the backdrop as well while the weather cooperates.  We could have posted a photo taken around the corner from here where there are over hundreds of seals having a doze, but you would get bored counting them; so here is some rare empty(ish) space.

Problem with Wind

The name of this particular headland on the South Island is Cape Foulwind.  Despite the strength of the wind which was prevailing again, we discovered that the name of the rocks derives from the odour which is created by the large seal colony which are its population.  Further detail is left to your imagination!

The sharp eyed will notice that the seal on the top left has a location transmitter attached on her back.  There is a pup trying to suckle in the centre whose face you can just see. You should be able to find seven seals in this picture.

Top of the World

The top of a glacier in the early morning is truly stunning in the right weather.  This is the top of the Fox Glacier which is created by compacted snow in an area which has an average rainfall in the region of 7 metres per annum or 273 inches for those who deal with real money.  That works out at about 2 inches every 3 days!

Quite a thought.

Foxes Glacier Melts

We went for a walk on Fox's Glacier this afternoon.  The glacier is a living thing which moves relatively quickly at a metre per day with constant slides of rock around the edges as the ice melts.

The glacier may also be dying.  100 years ago, the glacier filled the space up to nearly the full eight of the cliffs in the first photograph.  Until four years ago it was to the height of the tree line in the second photo, all of which is just a bit disconcerting.  Why it melted may be in dispute, but there is no question that the scale of climate change is significant.

Rain Forest

We started to head north today and the weather deteriorated as we went through mountains and into a different environment.  As the vegetation is generally described as rainforest, we should not have been surprised at the amount of rain which was descending and as we neared the coast the attitude of the trees gave a clear indication of the direction of the prevailing wind - which was prevailing quite strongly!

The forest goes right down the cliffs to the Tasman seashore.  The rainwater runs down the cliffs to the Tasman seashore.  The Tasman sea goes all the way to Australia and Tasmania and so the waves on the coast are powerful to watch.  It makes you wonder about the motivation of the European settlers who came here when it was another world.

Wanaka

Today we moved the short distance from Queenstown to Wanaka.  We passed through Arrowtown which started life as a Gold Rush town and still retains that DNA in the architecture of the town centre.  The lady in the jewellery shop was from Ullapool and told us that if we could manage the road to Ullapool then we would have no problem with the scenic high road on to Wanaka!

Wanaka is a much more select resort than Queenstown which is for the young who want an adrenalin buzz.  However, the locals whom we talked to feel that Wanaka is suffering from too much conspicuous consumption, which they didn't think was consistent with being a Kiwi.  One way or another, it is an idyllic spot - for now.

Middle Earth?

You might recognise this terrain.  It is a sheep farm which we toured today and learned that sheep farming in NZ is a considerably different enterprise from sheep farming in GB, but facing many of the same problems.

However, this is also in the heart of Middle Earth!  The Lord of the Rings was filmed on locations throughout NZ and while the are no signs to say "Nazgul were here!", those who have seen the films start to realise why the landscape is not entirely strange to them.  This location is called Glenorchy.  Confusing, isn't  it?

Diasporical

We have travelled today from Lake Te Anau to Lake Wakapitu with the road map telling us that we are passing places such as Athol and Glen Nevis while in the neighbouring valley there are Roxburgh, Teviot, Heriot and Kelso - not to mention Clyde!

However, we come across a tourist board telling us about the ecology of the area around Queenstown which tells us of the wildlings which threaten the native tree species.  Aerial photographs show the relative speed with which wildlings take over an area and make it harder for the native species to survive.  The wildlings are the imported tree species which were brought by the European settlers amongst which the Scots pine is conspicuous.  It would appear that the Scottish diaspora has its negative aspects.

The Milford Sound

We started early this morning in an atmosphere which was reminiscent of trips to Cairngorm or Glenshee to go skiing.  This was reinforced when the snow got heavier and we found that the road to Milford Sound was blocked.  We waited patiently for over an hour before the snow gates were opened and so that we could progress.  We were very glad that the road had been cleared as it was was one of those roads that, on a map, resembles diagrams of the intestine.

From misty mountains, we drove through a tunnel and into clearer skies.  The expedition which was close to being abandoned was now definitely on and the scenery was breathtaking.

(For the benefit of the uninformed, it is worth noting that Milford Sound is actually a fjord, but that particular word was not part of the English language at the time that it got its name.  The Milford sound is that of cascading water.)

Big Daddy

This is a 400 kilo mass of sea lion in it's natural habitat - sleeping on a beach during the day because it usually hunts at night.  However, it can manage a smart 26 kilometres per hour on the sand and it is generally advised that you don't get closer than 12 metres and certainly not between it and the sea!  You also don't turn your back on a big male like this who is just building up his energy for the breeding season.

Being of a prudent disposition, this is as close as we got.  There were five others further round this otherwise deserted beach which is only a few kilometres off the beaten track.  The same planet, but another world!

Dunedin and Otago

This was a day for the exploration of Dunedin.  Again a huge Scots influence with all the familiar names of Edinburgh streets laid out in totally the wrong order on contours which are more like San Francisco.

To the East is the Otago peninsula where there are a variety of threatened species such as this yellow eyed penguin which can be found on certain beaches.  He is reputed to be a bit antisocial and looks it!

The royal albatross is also a native to these parts, but was not at home when we called, which was a bit inconsiderate given the considerable pitching and rolling of the boat at the time.  The sedate sixties have now sampled the Roaring Forties!

Black Birds

We have partly retraced our steps and travelled southwards to the coast where we find large round rocks on the beach which are an interesting curiosity.  There are interesting birds everywhere and the Australasian Harrier is seen everywhere.  There is a White-backed Magpie which apparently is not a member of the crow family and therefore not related to our Magpie at all!

Beside the round rocks we found this little chap who is a Variable Oyster Catcher.  We should have anticipated that the NZ version of this species would be an All Black!

Mount Cook

This the MacKenzie country.  Cook was the explorer after whom the mountain was named; Mackenzie was a Scots shepherd who was looking for an inaccessible area where he could hide some stolen sheep and the landscape was named after him.

That was quite appropriate for the landscape is very Scottish in its form, but simply on a much larger scale and with different vegetation.  When the sun shines like today it is wonderful, but when it rains, I bet it's pretty dreich here too!

Akaroa

Akaroa is about 2 hours drive from Christchurch and is on the sea, in a situation which is very similar to that of many of the towns on the sea lochs of the Firth of Clyde.  It was originally founded about 1840 by French settlers whose legacy remains to this day to create a rather unique environment.

Christchurch

Somebody once said that Christchurch was more English than England, and having been founded by people from Canterbury, that is hardly surprising.  On the other hand, the number of Scottish names is really quite astonishing as well.  Not least of these is Riccarton, which is a major suburb of this, second largest, city in New Zealand.

However, it is a city without a centre, following the earthquakes of 18 months ago and the following after shocks.  Many of the old buildings have had to be demolished - so many in fact that some are still awaiting controlled destruction to complete the work started by nature.  The centre of the cut is in a state of regeneration which is probably not dissimilar to that undergone by many British cities after the destruction of the blitz.

So what you find for the moment is boutiques which are simply imaginatively gathered containers, painted in bright colours and customised to provide a marketplace for some of the displaced traders and the beginnings of a new focus for the community.

In the Air

We have lost track of time.  Having left Heathrow at 4pm and arriving in Los Angeles at 7pm as the sun set, 11 hours later, our bodies started to get confused.  Regular food from the airline as we left on the second leg of the trip simply compounded the problem.  How many meals can you have in a day?  Now we have crossed the date line and are due to land in Auckland in 2 hours as the sun comes up - but the relationship between the brain and the body is not perhaps as logical as we would like it to be.

In Transit

Why is it that being in Heathrow brings to mind the image of a bottling plant where all the bottles proceed at manic pace, one behind the other in a manner which is very efficient and lacks any humanity?  The airport seethes with humanity, but at the same time is a machine which grinds on remorselessly.

Everyone is going somewhere; they all come in to the centrifuge from different places and, if they are lucky, they and their luggage will be thrown out of the vortex into the correct plane going to the desired destination.  It is a monster - but quite useful as long as its in someone else's back yard.

We entered it's orbit and were slung out again in the direction of LA.  So far so good . .

Introduction

The Big Trip

Hopefully if there is enough regular wifi access, we will be able to maintain an account to allow anyone interested to follow progress.

The Map on the right gives an idea of the itinerary, starting from Christchurch.