Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Its now the 13th May...happy birthday big brother...soon be the big one for you! ..and to you Lorna for a couple of days ago.
We're in Nuku 'Alofa Tonga..had have just made our internal flight and beach hut...fales here...bookings for travelling to little desert island paradises...where Bob and I are going to make our own fly fishing lures and rod from flotsom, whittle sticks, paint Polynesian pictures like Gogauin ( know who I mean), read books and swim with the fishes.....Oh dear life is soo hard!
but in the meantime....trying to download as much as I can...very slow...very trying!...as where we are going there is no electricity..never mind internet!..the first island we are heading to is Ma'afu in the Ha'apai group....try finding that on google earth....and we'll wave to you from our hammocks
here's the New Zealand story...
Wow...where can I start?.....I've just had my birthday and had my first celebration flying over Mount Cook..in the South island....New Zealand's highest mountain....12,000 ft.....that was just unbelievably brilliant. It was a spur of the moment extravagence...we' taken the Mount Cook road on our way back up North as the weather looked as if it would be clear...and it was... absolutely brilliant day so I suggested that we charter a plane!...well why not?...backpacker budget!...pah!..its my birthday! Phoned the flight company at 3.30 and they said no other bookings but they'd take us up anyway..get here by 4.00 ..so we did.....8 seater over winged small thing....with 22 yr old pilot!...he was great..and the flight certainly was another major if not the highlight ( alongwith sailing in Sydney harbour)...we were told to feel free to wander about the plane...which we did...you had to crawl!...the views of the glaciers, lakes and mountains were more than stunning....and we looked down upon alpinists ...climbers and ski mountaineering..and amazing huts they were heading to...made us think of our days in the French Alps..many years ago....This trip was on the 6th and on the 8th I saw a kiwi....the bird..not the person..and had two hours luxuriating in natural thermal spa baths in Wakite....in the North island. Thermal area South of Rotoroa ( where I'm writing this)...also a thermal active area...and Maori cultural centre...anyway the area is totally unbelievable...driving past collumns of steam. all over the hillside and roadside...a kiwi version of Dante's inferno!. The birthday spa..came free with the campsite....6 thermal pools...which were cooled! to 35 - 42 degrees from a spring which bubbles out of the ground at 99.7 degrees centegrade...and then becomes a stream which carries on for 4km cooling to 57 degrees before it joins with a cold water stream and winds it way on....couldn't believe it ...I've heard of geysers and bubbling mud pools...but never a boiling stream...just amazing to see. ...and birthday spa enjoyed with bottle of bubbly..of course!
So the birthday was just great...but the whole of this trip just gets more and more amazing...we're so so lucky to be experiencing all these things.
The North island....arrived in Aukland and spent two days there exploring the bay in brilliant sunshine. Then picked up our campervan ..Toyota Hiace....we love it...don't want to hand it back. First stop supermarket to buy some supplies and bucket! ( basic camper!)..then headed North. In summary the trip North was great...right up to Cape Reinga...we were on huge sand dunes where people were sledging and surfing!, seeing enormous swamp Kouri trees..which were 3/4 million years old, walking through limestone caves and seeing glow worms..glowing...green, from their bums!. Lovely walks on beaches. We had a great day sea kyaking and snorkling..in quite rough seas, but lovely sunny weather..and stopped for a brew on the oldest piece of land in New Zealand...with interesting landscape. We spent a great couple of days with Mike and Anne Robinson..their address is Rangitani Road...how cool is that! They have a great house and lifestyle ..and they love it and live it. Mike took us out in the Bay of Island in his motor boat ( another highlight!) ...what a great trip....fishing and snorkling...came home with a 6lb something for smoking and a 20lb or so Kingfish!...nice fish for eating ..the evening before Anne had made a great Red Snapper curry ..MIke caught the snapper..and a lovely apple pie..with the fruit from their garden....we really enjoyed our stay..in a bed for the night....Thanks very much Anne and Mike.
Then to the south of the North Island...if you see what I mean.. to Whanganui River...its one of NZ's '10 great walks'...even 'though its a canoe trip on a river! So we hired a canadian canoe for 5 days and set off down the River...each night stopping at DOC Department of Conservation campsites and one night a hut. The sites are basic..but have water and a 'long drop' ..and are the designated places to stop..and actually there are very few other places to stop as the river winds through steep sided gorges....with 3 days miles away from any road. We got our first rain here..got very wet....we don't really have proper gear for cold weather ( actually borrowed 2 fleeces from the canoe-hire folk) or rain on our ' round the hot countries of the world tour'...I've got a light rain jacket, Bob has only a pertex jacket..or rather 'shirt'...but it does pack down to the size of an orange!...but it doesn't keep him dry!. We had to stop for a warm-up brew in the canoe in the rain...no place to go ashore!....and then to the hut at night...which had a big wood burning stove!...just the job. It was a marvelous trip..190 kms...and the first time we'd been in a Canadian canoe going down rapids..the river was grade 2, for canoesits amongst you, and the rapids for an open boat were quite tricky...we only just managed to stay upright, with much paddling then bailing! All our gear was in barrels strapped into the boat...and they needed to be strapped in...we saw a couple of boats couping!
After the River trip we stopped and bough tjumpers and fleeces in a charity shop...and thermal underwear in the Katmandu sale.
Our next adventure took us to Mt Doom! ....Lord of the Rings fans swoon now....amazing volcano looking Volcano...Mount Mt Tongariro is its real name..and just stunning..the clouds parted to give us a magnificent view. This is a famous walking and sking area, around this dormant and other active volcano ( its actually all part of the fault line that we're around now in Rotaroa..further East). We would have loved to do the walk...Tongariro alpine crossing...but just don't have the gear...really need boots and good clothes for these walks...it was snowing the day before we were there. You'll have gathered that the weather has got a bit colder....its autumn here but actually colder than I expected...we had frost in the morning...but then got a bit warmer again further South.
Past other LOTR stunning locations...but avoided the set tours...although I would have loved to go riding in 'Rohan' country ( that was in South Island)
Ferry from Wellington to Picton...and so to the South Island.
Great sunny warm weather again...we had a very pituresque drive around Queen Charlotte Sound..and went all the winding way to Crail Bay...and Ellie Bay..next to it. Then cooked up some green shelled mussles french style in Havelock, and sea kyaked in Abel Tasman. What a stunning area...but very busy..it would be hoachin in the summer. Beautiful bays and beaches...again very controlled with camping only permitted in DOC sites..and you have to book in advance. We hired a sea kayak...double for 3 days and went off wandering around the beaches, kayaking past penguins...blue penguins here...and baby seals...had a swim in the sea...its the Tasman sea here...it was pretty chilly, beautiful clear blue, white sandy beach..and fishing from the boat...I caught a baby Marlin!...about 3ft long!...luckily got off just as it was alongside the boat. Bob is carrying his own fishing rod round the world!
Then down the West coast and along the South...it rained...solid for 8 days more or less...but we still had a ball. I walked up to see the glaciers in the rain..and got soaked..and Bob stayed in the cosy van...he hates glaciers...nasty nasty dangerous things that were a unwanted necessity to cross to get to climbs in his Alp climbing days....but arriving to the hot chocolate with brandy..made the tramp ( thats walking here!) worthwhile. We went to a knife making workshop!...forged the steel and ground the blade and carved the handle from local Rimu wood...wait to you see them....very nice indeed...and a really different thing to do...another half kilo in the sack! Bob also did some fishing in the rivers and caught two trout in the Mclleland River...good luck from our pals namesake...although most of the rivers were unfishable due to the floods...lots of rain...walking tracks closed, roads flooded and bridges swept away!...Millford Sound...very stunning fiord in fiordland was very very wet...which made for very stunning waterfalls...when we could see them! Then caving!...a self guided supposed to be 40min...took us one hour and forty minute underground adventure!...which I have to say I did not enjoy...it was a very very stunning and interesting cave..stactites and mites, crystaline structures, squeezes and crawls..up and down ladders etc... ..but wading through pools of water, and expecting to meet a rushing stream ( hearing it), in a time of heavy rain, and thoughts of getting stuck/drowned just didn't do it for me!....Bob loved it ...and the more I 'whimpered' ..he said...along the lines of .."just keep going I WANT OUT of this"...the more he found the rock formations and glow worms facinating and needy of intensive examination! We were also really lucky to see the quite rare Yellow eyed penguin...another 'got really wet...so better have home made pancakes and maple syrup and hot chocolate to warm up' day!
We had a lovely stay with our friends Sandra and Shef, and their children Julia, Laura and Alex in Dunedin...enjoyed meeting and being with the family, sleeping in a real bed ( with an electric blanket!), and catching up via skype with the parents, and doing some trip research and bookings. Thank-you Rogers family for a great stay.
On the East coast we checked out these Maganakiboulders..in the photo...facinating..need to find out more about them..and a visit to a historic town where folks wear the gear of the turn of the centuary and practice traditional crafts..the bookbinder was in full highland wrap round kilt affair...and had long chat with trug maker...potential business for Bob?...I think so...AND WE SAW MORE PENGUINS ...aren't penguins just great...so amusing..but not as amusing as Bob pretending to be a penguin everytime he sees them...these were blue penguins...coming up at night, in the built up harbour area to nest under the bushes...strange..not a polar ice cap in sight.
Great campy spot overlooking the beach that night with yet another beautiful starry sky...its just weird though seeing the constellations the 'wrong ' way round.
Next day up the Mt Cook road stopping en route for a spot of lake fishing for Bob ...no luck that time...but so amusing as the fish were actually jumping out the water around him!...the stuff of cartoons!
..and then the unforgetable Mt Cook flight...where I started this wee story.
...and then the journey back up North.
So we're going to do 'the Maori thing' tomorrow and then up to Aukland to fly off to Tonga on the 11th ( we extended our visit here by two weeks..so we've had 6 wonderful weeks in all)....and every day is another adventure!
Sorry for the lack of communication..I'll try to do better!
love Heather and Bobx
PS..the cultural experience was as job predicted ..touristy sticking out of toungus and bulging of eyes...but they did sing the 'Rotrua' song ...remember Sinead...and Mum.. I sang it to you ..going something like "Hurry hurry back home love......to the land of Rotarua...tra lal la"...so I was quite happy
- comments