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March 20, 2015 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park New Zealand

Aoraki Mount Cook 12,316 FT

We had not originally planned on visiting this national park, but after reading about it we realized we were about to miss a real treasure so we changed some reservations and altered our itinerary to allow us to spend a day and night in the park.
In 1851 Captain J. L. Stokes, while mapping the West Coast of New Zealand, sighted a huge mountain which he named Mount Cook after Captain James Cook. The Maori called the mountain “Aoraki” which means cloud piercer. In 1998 Mount Cook was renamed Aoraki Mount Cook to incorporate its Maori heritage. Aoraki Mount Cook is the only place to have its English name preceded by its Maori name.
Aoraki Mount Cook National Park became a park in 1953 and is 270 square miles, with 40% of the area glaciers. The park has 27 mountains with 140 peaks more than 600 feet high. Mount Cook at 12,316 feet is the highest in New Zealand. The park is a gorgeous combination of grasslands, huge river valleys, lakes and snow/glacier covered mountains.
Sir Edmund Hillary is New Zealand’s most famous New Zealander. It was at Mount Cook in 1948 that he climbed his first major mountain, including the difficult south face of Mount Cook. Hillary trained here for his Everest and Antarctica expeditions.
We splurged and stayed overnight at the Aoraki Mount Cook Village – Heritage Hotel with a breathtaking view of Mount Cook from the balcony in our room.
Before heading home the next day we decided to hike the Tasman Glacier Lake Trail which gave us a view of Tasman Glacier Lake with small icebergs. Our non-trusty tour book called it an easy 15 minute walk each way. When are we going to learn not to trust that book? The hike started out easy enough and we enjoyed meeting a couple from South Carolina along the way. About a third of the way up the trail we started to come to some rocks to climb on. Uh oh! The climb got steeper with a greater number of rocks. I do okay with steep trails, but I don’t do well with rocks. I would have never made it to the top without my walking sticks and Bill’s patience and helping hand. I felt like quite the wimp as young children sailed past me over the rocks and young people rerouted around me. By the time we got to the top I was sufficiently traumatized and stood frozen to the spot while Bill took pictures of the lake. The icebergs over the years have dwindled.
While Tasman Glazier is New Zealand’s largest glacier and icebergs periodically tear away from the face of the glacier into the rapidly growing lake, the effects of global warming and other climatic processes are taking their toll on glaciers. The Tasman Glacier is melting and calving at an exponentially increasing rate. In recent years the Tasman Glacier has changed from mainly melting to a calving (pieces breaking from the glacier) and melting resulting in a lake that is rapidly increasing in size.
After Bill enjoyed the view and I pondered how in the world I would ever get down, we began our descent. Did I mention we also had winds of around 30 mph during the ascent and descent? Actually the descent wasn’t nearly as bad as climbing up had been but I was relieved to see the car in view. This was my most difficult hike ever and I was proud of myself for doing it.
Some observations:
It feels strange seeing the leaves begin to change color and the farmers clearing their fields as autumn begins in New Zealand.
The drivers in New Zealand are very courteous. If you turn on your signal to change lanes they immediately back off and allow space for you. Merging is called “Zip” on traffic signs because you are supposed to merge alternating one lane at a time like a zipper.
Cost of living here is very high. There is a GST (Goods and Services Tax) of 15% added to all goods and services purchased in New Zealand.
There is no industry in New Zealand so everything is brought in. For example they ship their logs to Japan where they are made into paper products and shipped back to New Zealand. Products may be labeled made FROM New Zealand products but it doesn’t say made IN New Zealand. Everything in New Zealand is centered around farming and horticulture. One man Bill talked with said a Ford F150 pick up truck here would cost about $95,000 New Zealand dollars. The man has family in Dallas, Texas that he goes to visit and he said he is amazed how cheap everything is in America.

March 17, 2015 Christchurch, New Zealand

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We left Nelson and headed to Kaikoura. During the two hour drive we saw many fields of sheep and cattle, as well as several fenced fields with large herds of deer and a field of llamas. Venison is a popular item on menus here.
Shortly before reaching Kaikoura we stopped at Ohau Point where there were a large number of seals of all ages and sizes on the rocks and in the water. People were able to walk down on the rocks and get up close and personal with the seals. They had no fear of people and we hope that people respect the marine life rule: look but don’t touch. While looking at the seals we talked with a family from New York State. Always great to meet people from back home!!
We loved our motel room in Kaikoura. For the equivalent of $106 American dollars we had a large room with a view of the ocean and small kitchenette, but best of all was the bathroom. It had heated towel racks, a heated floor and a heater when you turned on the fan so the air was warm when you stepped out of the shower. Loved, loved, loved it!
After a short one night stay in Kaikoura we headed to Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island with a population of 340,000. The first recorded settlers here were Maori, with European settlers arriving in 1840. In 1850 the first organized group of English immigrants arrived on four ships and are considered the city founders. In 1856 it was declared a city and land was set aside to build the first dwelling, a cathedral.
It is called the “Garden City” but today it is very much a city under extensive regrowth and change. The people of Christchurch are an extremely strong, resilient people full of hope and strength and resolve. You see, since 2010 Christchurch has been shaken by over 10,000 earthquakes. One earthquake was 7.1 magnitude, three earthquakes over 6 magnitude, fifty-seven over 5 magnitude, and many thousand more. The 7.1 earthquake occurred in 2010, but the 6.1 earthquake in February 2011 did the most damage since it was shallow and close to the city center. The 2011 earthquake killed 185 people and brought down many buildings already weakened from the 2010 quake.
The destruction was evident to us as we walked and drove around the city. Complete city blocks in the downtown area are now vacant after the destroyed buildings were razed. In the face of all this tragedy the people have risen to meet the challenge. Two perfect examples are the Cardboard Cathedral and Re:Start.
When the original Angelica Christchurch Cathedral was badly damaged in the quake, the people of Christchurch, just like the city founders before them, found a way to build a church. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed one of his famous “Emergency architecture” buildings in which a cathedral was built from 96 cardboard tubes, timber beams, structural steel and a concrete pad. The cathedral opened in August 2013 and is a symbol of innovation, hope, and inspiration. It is built to last for fifty years while the new permanent cathedral is designed and built.
Another example of the tenacity of the people is Re:Start. After the quake destroyed their stores in the downtown area, business owners brought in converted steel shipping containers and operated business from these containers. While many containers remain, we read that the containers are gradually disappearing as more permanent stores are being built. We walked through the shopping area and had lunch at one of the vendors set up near the containers. Bill had a lamb souvlaki which he said was very good.
There was evidence everywhere of construction as the city is hard at work rebuilding. It is somewhat sad to see all the beautiful old buildings razed to make way for the larger new ones because the real charm of the city lies in these past structures.
As we walked their streets, ate in their restaurants, shopped in their stores, stayed at their motel, we were always met with smiling, friendly, cheerful people. It was our pleasure to meet them. They are an inspiration!
The next day we took a day trip to Arthur’s Pass which is the highest pass over the Southern Alps, connecting the east and west sides of the South Island. The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island and forms a natural dividing range along the entire length of the South Island. Arthur’s Pass is both a national park formed in 1929 and a small village where we had lunch at a small cafe.
After lunch we hiked to Devil’s Punchbowl, a 430 foot waterfall. We use a tour book which we have found tends to underestimate the difficulty of the hikes, and this was another example. This hike was marked as an easy though steep hike to the waterfall. Not quite! We met a couple coming back from the hike and the woman shook her head and sighed and mentioned 289 steps. Didn’t seem a big deal to us until we had started the hike and discovered that some of the 289 steps were cut into the earth and/or high steps which really presents a challenge for my short legs. It was hard for me but the view at the top was amazing. While there we met people from Seattle and Tampa, Florida. For some reason we are meeting many more Americans on the South Island.
Some observations:
Most motels have guest laundry and if you don’t want to use the dryers they often have clothes lines outside. Clothespins are called pegs.
Emergency is 111 not 911.
Reservations are called bookings. When you go to a restaurant they may ask if you have a booking.
All New Zealand tap (faucet) water is among the world’s best and safe to drink.
On both the North and South Islands the motels all keep electric blankets on the bed. The blankets are put under the sheet not on top of the sheet. If you are not careful you will lay on one of the controls which is uncomfortable. The first time we felt it we thought the springs were coming through the mattress. We find having the blanket under the sheet where you lay on it with the wires odd.
The cold and hot water faucets are reversed with the cold water on the left and hot water on the right.
They include French fries (chips) with everything on the menu. Bill ordered chicken parmesan last night and it included chips (no spaghetti). Bill asked if they would substitute mixed vegetables for the chips. We are both really tired of French fries even though the fries here are always good. I never thought I would say I am tired of potatoes, but I am!

March 14, 2015 Nelson, New Zealand

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We arrived by car ferry in Picton on the South Island. We were excited to see what how the South Island differed from the North Island. We knew that less than one fourth of the population of New Zealand lives on the South Island. We followed the coastline for awhile before starting a steep ascent up a curvy road with many large trucks. We have learned it is a given that on any day when driving from Point A to Point B, at some time during the trip you are going to be driving on a steep and winding road. We didn’t know that New Zealand was so mountainous. The drive to Nelson took longer than we expected and we were tired by the time we arrived.
We were especially glad to be on the South Island since Typhoon Pam was forecast to hit the east coast of the North Island in the next couple of days. We are expected to only get a little rain.
Nelson is New Zealand’s oldest city and this whole area known as “Marlborough” is known for having more sunshine hours than anywhere else in the country. The entire region is known for seafood, horticulture and wineries. This area is New Zealand’s largest grape growing region with 77% of New Zealand’s wine production happening here. It is said that the wine from here tastes like no other wine anywhere else in the world.
One day we drove to Golden Bay to a beach there called Wharariki Beach. We had read of a beautiful short hike from the car park to the beach. The walk turned out to be more than we bargained for as it led us over four fences, through a pasture with cattle and sheep grazing in the fields and then through up and over several sand dunes to get to the beach. When we finally reached the beach it was a beautiful sight to behold. We walked along the beach and Bill took some pictures of seals on the rocks and frolicking in the water. We walked down the beach to a cave where we saw a mother, father and baby seal. They were positioning themselves for a nap and didn’t pay us much attention. Bill found a geocache and we headed back to the car.
The next day we went to Abel Tasman National Park, which was made a park in 1942 and is New Zealand’s smallest national park. It is named for Abel Tasman, the first European in the region. He never landed in New Zealand but was the first to see the area in 1642, even beating James Cook in 1770. We thought it rather odd to name a park after someone who never actually set foot on the land! The park is known for its golden beaches, tranquil lagoons, clear water, walking tracks and forested hills. It is New Zealand’s most visited National Park.
There are no roads into the park so your options are to get their by boat or park and walk about twenty minutes into the park. Many people prefer the water option. You can get water taxis that will drop you off and come back and pick you up after you have finished hiking and enjoying the beach. We chose to take a three hour narrated cruise of the 50 kilometers of shoreline. We passed by Split Apple Rock, Adele Island which is a bird sanctuary, and Pinnacle Island and Tonga Island with seals lounging on the rocks. Every cove had beautiful beaches with the clearest blue water. The main rock along the coast is granite approximately 135 million years old. The granite breaks down and forms the gorgeous golden quartz sand beaches. We put some people from the States for the first time on our tour of the Parliament in Wellington. On this cruise of Abel Tasman National Park we met a couple from Houston.
On the way home we stopped to find some geocaches and came upon this sign along the sign of the road. We loved the picture of the pony on the pottie!

Some observations:
Often the motel proprietor walks you to your room, turns on the lights, puts your milk in the fridge, etc. A nice touch that is not done in the States.
Everywhere we go we notice all the motels have No Vacancy signs by the end of the day.
Many people, especially men have tattoos, some quite large. Many seem to be typical of the Maori culture.
In order to qualify for citizenship you have to be under the age of 55.

March 11, 2015 Wellington, New Zealand

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I forgot to mention in the last blog when we arrived in Napier we couldn’t figure out why there were cars parked everywhere…on every side street, full parking lots, and up on the grass. Turned out they were having one of the 2015 World Cup Cricket championship playoffs. New Zealand was playing Afghanistan. There were quite a few Afghanistan fans staying at our hotel and dining in the restaurants. Cricket is so popular in New Zealand and every restaurant TV had cricket games playing. Seemed like a weird form of baseball to us!
Before leaving Napier we stopped by Pak n Save to pick up a few supplies. I stopped by their bakery department and bought some fresh blueberry muffins. They were delicious! I told Bill at last I found something better here than back home. Our sales receipt gave us four cents off per liter at their gas pumps so we decided to get gas there too. Their gas pumps are without attendants so you put cash in the machine and push your pump number. If you need money back you have to trot back into the store and wait in line at the service counter. A bit of a hassle but with the price of gas here it is worth it to get the four cents per liter discount.
The drive to Wellington is four hours and with stops for lunch and rest it took us over five hours. We took turns driving. We have found driving here to be tiring. It is as if you are constantly fighting your brain which is yelling that you are driving on the wrong side of the road. And so much to remember with the turn signals on the right of the steering wheel and the passing lane to your right.
We arrived in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand around rush hour but fortunately most of the traffic was driving out of the city. Wellington reminded us of San Francisco with its high density housing dotting the hillsides and the hilly streets.
We settled into our motel and asked the hotel proprietor for a restaurant recommendation. He said there was a restaurant at the bottom of the hill with great fish and chips. We made the short walk down the hill. After two weeks I have come to the realization that I am happiest ordering off the sides part of the menu instead of the entrees. I can make a delicious dinner from a garden salad, fresh mashed potatoes and fresh bread. Here I ordered a garden salad and some garlic bread. It was the best salad I have had since leaving the States. Bill said his fish and chips were the best he has ever had.
The next day we caught the city bus to the cable car. When you board the bus you place your $2 coin in a small tray next to the driver. A machine prints you out a ticket. Seemed like a waste of paper to us but the purpose is to show proof you paid should anyone ask for it.
There was a line at the cable car ticket booth because there was a cruise ship in town and everyone wanted to ride the cable car. We enjoyed chatting with a young lady who was a librarian at the local public library. She had hoped to make a quick run home via the cable car to pick up something she left, but got caught in the cruise ship line. The cable car was fun to ride, especially the trip down when it was less crowded and we stood in front and Bill chatted with the very friendly cable car operator. The trip up and back was steep and went through two tunnels. Quite different from the cable cars in San Francisco. The two cars are connected by ONE cable where the cars are balanced, one car is going up and the other car slides down using gravity. As you can see the cable looks pretty small. At the top we walked through a cable car museum and enjoyed the great views of the Wellington area.
After lunch we walked to the New Zealand Parliament building. After going through security we signed up for their next tour. IWe had an hour to spare and they said we could sit in the public gallery and watch a Parliament session. We went through additional security where we basically had to leave everything behind with the guards except what we had on and Bill’s wallet. Today’s meeting was a question and answer session. On one side of the room was the government and on the other side the opposition. The opposition was asking questions of various government members. The session was presided over by the Speaker. We were amazed as the government and opposition members yelled at and interrupted each other and shook their heads and rolled their eyes. We received a copy of the twelve questions being discussed. There were such questions as:
To the Minister of Climate Change: Is the Government’s objective to increase New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions or is the Government’s objective to decrease New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions?
To the Minister for Economic Development: What reports has he received on GDP growth in New Zealand’s regions?
To the Minister of Justice: What advice, if any has she received about Iriheke Pere given that it is over 18 months since he was shot in the back while he was handcuffed and not resisting arrest.
To the Minister for Social Development: What recent announcements has she made on steps to protect children?
Some of the greatest heated responses came came from questions related to roads. One member of the opposition asked the question to the Minister of Transportation: How much has been spent in total by the New Zealand Transport Agency on roads in the Northland region under the National Land Transport Programme set by the current Government since it was elected in November 2008? This question led to a lot of yelling by each side and eye rolling by the opposition. The man who asked the question then held up a big photo of the road mounted on poster board. This infuriated the Speaker who asked him to remove it. When the opposition man got up to take it out he held it up and paraded it out for all to see. This infuriated the Speaker even more and he told the man to collect all his things and leave the session which he did. It was all very entertaining and fascinating and we were sad when our hour was up and we had to leave for the tour.
We had a nice tour of the Parliament building, a beautiful old building. Next door is a building called The Beehive which is very much like our White House except it is not a residence. Their elected government is confusing to us and we still don’t get the government vs opposition thing. The Crown (currently Queen Elizabeth) appoints the Governor General. For the first time since arriving in New Zealand we met some Americans also taking the tour who where from California and Utah.

We finished the day with a drive through Mt Victoria Tunnel and a drive up a steep, narrow and winding road to the Mt Victoria Lookout which gave us a nice view of Wellington and the harbor.
The road was extremely narrow made worse by residents being allowed to park on the side of the road, making it a one lane road in places. You never knew what might be coming at you as you rounded each curve. A real nail biter for me!!
The next day we caught the Interislander car ferry from Wellington to the South Island. Our ferry was named Arahura meaning “Pathway to Dawn”. It is capable of carrying 125 cars and 550 passengers with a crew of 45. It has eight decks. We got there early and were near at the front of the long line of cars, motorcycles and campervans.
The trip took about 3 hours and we sailed 50 nautical miles. It was a perfect day for sailing with blue sky and calm seas. We sailed through Queen Charlotte Sound and Cook Strait. James Cook first sighted land here in 1770, but he wasn’t the first European to do so. More about that in the next blog post.
We landed at Picton, a small seaport on the South Island and began the drive to Nelson, our next overnight destination.
Some observations:
They only put the house dressing on salads, they never give you a choice of dressings. Fortunately most of them have been very good. A couple times I have been disappointed to find beans in my salad….lima, kidney, etc. Love the roasted pumpkin seeds in my salads.
Pharmacists are called chemists.
Catsup is tomato relish or tomato sauce and is not as good as the ketchup back home.
Churches in New Zealand are small and plain, usually made of stone or wood. We have not seen any large, grandiose churches.
Eggs are not refrigerated in the grocery stores.
There are no artificial sweeteners on the tables in restaurants. Only sugar and raw sugar.
They do not put salt and pepper on the tables in restaurants.

March 8, 2015 Napier, New Zealand

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We left Turangi and drove toward Napier. We stopped at an an overlook, only expecting a view of the cloud draped landscape but were pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful waterfall Waipunga Falls.

Our two and a half hour drive took us through pastures and I mountainous terrain before descending to the coast and a fabulous view of Hawkes Bay in the Pacific Ocean. Due to its fertile soil and temperate climate, it has thousands of acres of farms, orchards and vineyards. It is a major food producing area of New Zealand.
We arrived in Napier, scene of a devastating earthquake in 1931, and checked into our motel. Our room was on the third floor and motels do not have lifts (elevators), so we had to haul all our stuff up the stairs. It was all worth it when we opened the door to our room and saw the balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean and heard the waves crashing against the shore.

Napier is a cool little town with tree lined boulevards along the beach and an art deco theme. It is one of the cruise ship destinations and we saw a cruise ship in port while we were there.
We spent one day just exploring the little town, doing some geocaching and enjoying our ocean front balcony.
Our second day we chose to do a hike to Shine Falls. It is 190 feet tall and without a doubt one of the prettiest we have ever seen. It was about an hour’s drive from our motel along some

pretty winding roads that included six miles of gravel road. We passed pasture after pasture of cattle sheep and horses along the way. While the hike was advertised as “moderate” in difficulty, it did include some challenging ascents and descents and we were glad we had our walking sticks and hiking boots. We started by walking through a pasture and the path led us over hills to the bush (forest) area. We arrived at the falls hot and tired, but my oh my was it worth the trip!! We sat for awhile drinking in the beauty. Bill contemplated getting in the pool of water at the base of the waterfall until he felt how cold it was!

Some observations:
In our travels so far around the North Island we have seen very very few billboards of any kind along the roadways.
I mentioned the price of gas in the last blog posting. It has averaged us around $1.38 US dollars per liter so far. There are 3.785 liters per gallon, which puts the gas in New Zealand at around $5.22 US dollars per gallon.
We often hear radio stations in restaurants and stores playing American music.
We have been able to watch American Idol, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and occasionally Fox News on about a seven hour delay. Many other American shows we normally watch on CBS, ABC and NBC are several weeks to months behind schedule so we have seen many of them already. We have also been able to watch some great American movies on the tv in our motel rooms.
Sometimes we see New Zealand on a map in a Visitors Center or on a weather map on tv and we are struck by just how remote and isolated New Zealand really is! We really are in the middle of nowhere! COOL!

March 5, 2015 Turangi, New Zealand

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Our next stop was Turangi, about a 45 minute drive from Taupo. We were glad we had timed our visit to Taupo just right since they were having an Ironman Marathon competition there that weekend and hordes of people were beginning to descend on the town, traffic was picking up and the hotels were all displaying No Vacancy signs. I had practiced a little driving while in Taupo and felt comfortable driving to Turangi. Along with driving on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the right, the turn signals are on the right side of the steering wheel with up meaning left turn and down a right turn. The windshield wiper control is on the left side of the steering wheel. The lights on the right. My biggest fear are the round a bouts where you drive on the wrong side of the road going in a clockwise direction in a circle. Back in the States we drive in a counterclockwise direction.

We arrived in Turangi, a sleepy little town known as the “Trout Fishing Capital of the World”. It is known for three things: trout fishi white water rafting, and its close proximity to Tongariro National Park. Can you guess which of those three brought us to Turangi?

We checked into our home for the next two nights which was really a fishing lodge with several cottages spread around the property. We are no longer surprised to receive our complimentary bottle of milk (we always have a choice of whole or skinny). We were pleased with our cottage with a living room area, kitchen, bathroom and separate bedroom.

If you guessed Tongariro National Park as our reason for coming to Turangi, you are correct! Tongariro National Park is the first national park in New Zealand and the fourth oldest in the world. It is a Dual World Heritage Area because of its cultural and physical attributes. It is made up of three active volcanoes, Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Ngauruhoe. It is a 80,000 hecacre park with lava flows, craters, hot springs, forests, and ski areas in the winter. Much of the Lord of the Rings movie was filmed in this park. Mt Ruapehu is New Zealand’s largest volcano with its peak rising to 2797 meters and the largest ski area in New Zealand.

We knew that bad weather was forecast for the next day, so after settling into the cottage we drove part of the way to the park in hopes of getting some pictures of the mountains before they became fogged in the next day. We stopped at an overlook on the way back to grab a geocache and spent a few minutes chatting with some French tourists. We are surprised we have still not met any Americans.

By now we were getting hungry and since the restaurant choices were very limited in Turangi, we decided to stop by the grocery store. There was only one grocery store in town, a chain called New World. They proudly advertise themselves as being 100% New Zealand owned. We prefer Pak n Save since the prices tend to be a little cheaper, but the New World stores are always clean and the people very friendly.

We decided to get some bread, peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches since eating lunch out was getting old and we needed to pack a lunch to take to the park the next day. We noticed you can buy sliced bread for sandwiches or thicker bread for toast. One of the first things we did after arriving in New Zealand was purchasing a large cooler and that has really come in handy as we travel from place to place.

The frozen dinner selections in New Zealand are extremely limited, no matter which store you go to. We settled on a frozen pizza to cook back at the cottage. I needed something to cook the pizza on so it wouldn’t make a mess in the oven, so I walked up to the office and asked the owner for a cookie sheet and a pot holder. He looked at me like I had three heads since he had no idea what I was talking about. After explaining why I needed them he went into his house adjacent to the office and after consulting with his wife he came out with something resembRings (LOTR) a cookie sheet and a dish towel. Guess they don’t use pot holders/oven mitts in New Zealand.

The next day we awoke to clouds and showers and drove to Tongariro National Park. New Zealand does not charge a fee to enter their National Parks. In return you are not furnished with free maps and information on the park like we receive in the States. We passed the beautiful Tongariro Chalet on our way to the Visitors Center. The rangers at the Visitors Center were warning hikers about the forecast calling for heavy rain, cold temperatures and gale force winds, especially on the mountain trails which are famous for their hiking, one being the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. They had stopped running the shuttle that takes hikers to the beginning of the trails in an effort to discourage hiking that day. There were still some die hard hikers who failed to heed the warning and headed out. We contented ourselves with seeing two great movies about the park which explained how in 1887 Chief Horonwku presented the land to the Crown for the purpose of a national park to ensure the land’s everlasting preservation. This area of New Zealand was one of the last to be settled. Development was slow until the railroad reached there in 1909 and the first visitors began to arrive. In 1936 WWII servicemen settled in the remote valleys under a government program to transform the forest into farmland. Though initially prosperous, the farmers eventually gave up due to difficult access for trading and the Great Depression. A bridge called “The Bridge to Nowhere” is a memorial to their dreams. Development began to mushroom in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the building of roads.

After finishing at the Visitors Center we decided to drive the loop road around the park and do some geocaching. We had hoped to take some short hikes, but by now the rain had picked up and the wind was really whipping. With temperatures around 50, not factoring in the wind chill, any hikes were unpleasant. The rain did let up long enough for us to take a short hike to Tawhai Falls and we did stop a few times to grab some geocaches close to the car. With the rain and fog we didn’t have a chance to see much except for field after field of sheep. A lot of sheep! By the time we headed home the rain had turned into a steady downpour. We stopped for a quick dinner at a pub and were glad to get home, somewhat wet and cold.

Some more thoughts on food:

If you want a burger most like back home go to a fast food restaurant. All larger towns have a McDonald’s or a Burger King or both. Wendy’s is most like back home but they are harder to find. If you order a burger in a sit down restaurant it is standard for it to come with an egg, beets, carrots, lettuce, tomato and onion all piled on top. If you ask, they will leave off the egg and beets, but we went in one restaurant where the snarly waitress told Bill that is the only way they fix it and told him to order something else. That kind of rudeness is rare here. Most people are eager to please and helpful.

I am supplementing my diet with shortbread cookies, but I am getting tired of them. They have never heard of White Zinfandel wine here so I have adjusted to drinking Rose and it isn’t bad. Wouldn’t you know my one positive adjustment was wine? And I don’t drink that much.

Bill’s biggest adjustment was the coffee. Both the price and the weak taste. He finally decided to buy some instant coffee at the grocery store and uses the pot furnished in all the hotels to heat water. American beer is also ridiculously expensive here or not offered.

Since we have no way to keep ice cream in the tiny freezers, we have broken our habit of eating ice cream at night. Just as well since the ice cream here isn’t as good as back home. There are no donut shops in New Zealand. They have bakeries but things taste different. I think it is the flour. French fries are always good and mashed potatoes are always fresh, never instant.

Some observations:

The government wants to make the country completely smoke free which makes the tourism industry very nervous because they feel it will keep tourists from coming.

Gasoline is averaging about $1.92 a liter. Half of the money goes back to the government. We got a free card from BP which gives us a few cents off at the pump and gives us more money off as we add up points from purchasing fuel. There is no pre-pay at the pump. You pump your gas first and then go inside to pay.

No 7/11 convenience stores here. They have something similar throughout the country called “The Dairy”.

March 3, 2015 Taupo, New Zealand

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We drove the Thermal Explorer Highway from Rotorua to Taupo, occasionally seeing steaming vents puffing steam from deep inside the earth amid the scenic farmland. It was easy to see all around us where the land had been pushed up leaving tall pointed hills. After about an hour drive we entered Taupo, a beautiful town hugging the shoreline of huge Lake Taupo. With many shops and restaurants lining the shoreline, this town appeared more like a resort town.We stopped for lunch and parked in a P60 space (60 minute limit). We noticed what appeared to be sensors in the asphalt under each car. We surmised these must be a kind of device that keeps track of how long you have been in that parking spot.
For the first time since we arrived in New Zealand we saw several souvenir shops. We did not see any in Thames and Rotorua only had one.
We checked into our motel with a small fridge, microwave and private patio with table and chairs where we could sit in the mornings or afternoons and relax with coffee or a drink. No plunge pool. Once again we were given a container of milk for coffee or tea, so Bill uses it for his cereal.
While in Taupo we visited the Aratiatia Rapids. This once natural whitewater gorge was damned up behind the gates of the Aratiatia hydro-dam. Due to public outcry over the loss of the rapids, four times a day the floodgates are raised and a torrent of river water rages again through the Aratiatia gorge. Beginning eight minutes before the gates are raised and at two minute intervals, bells and whistles sound. We had a choice of three viewing platforms and chose to hike to the highest one. We arrived early enough to grab a geocache close by the viewing platform. Bill showed a family walking nearby with small children the geocache and explained geocaching. The parents were intrigued and the children thought it was really neat! By the time the gates were raised all three viewing platforms were full of observers.
Also while in Taupo we visited Huka Falls. This is advertised as one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in New Zealand. The Falls are a 100 meter basalt crevice channeling the Waikato River over a 15 meter ledge. The falls were lovely though we felt the viewing areas did not provide a really great view of the falls. The water flows through the crevice or channel at 62,000 gallons per SECOND!
Our last day in Taupo we spent geocaching. We searched the geocaching.com site and chose several caches where people had given the caches many favorite mark. We have found that geocaching in new places takes us to beautiful areas we would not ordinarily know about and see. And this day did not disappoint with two geocaches that led us to a cave and one with a beautiful view of Lake Taupo.
Some observations:
Tipping is not expected and the service reflects this. Once your order is taken and your food delivered, you never see the waiter again. No one checks to see if you need anything or if you like your food. If you need something you flag a waiter down. We learned after waiting for our check a couple times that your check is not delivered to the table. You go inside to the register and they ring up the bill.
Salad and bread is never provided with your entree. They are separate items on the menu.
When you order water with your meal it rarely has ice and they give you a decanter since they won’t be coming back!
If you order a burger and it says it comes with a salad, the salad is the lettuce and tomato on the burger. After waiting a couple times for the salad that never came, we figured it out.
If you order a side salad with your entree it is delivered with the meal, not ahead of time.
The mattresses are on the floor. There is no space between the box springs and the bed.

March 1, 2015 Rotorua, New Zealand

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We arrived in Rotorua and checked into our motel. Our room had a private patio area with our own plunge pool. It is similar to a hot tub but without the jets. The motel owner gave us milk for our tea or coffee and bottle of gel for the plunge pool. We enjoyed the small fridge and microwave in the room.
Tour books say Rotorua is known by locals as RotoVegas because of the strip of hotels that resembles the Vegas Strip. I can tell you that comparison is a real stretch with Rotorua being nothing like Vegas! Thank heavens! We learned on a hike that Rotorua was the fourth city in New Zealand to have electricity.
Rotorua is an active geothermal area and it is common to see steam rising from the ground. Another thing you immediately notice is the smell of rotten eggs that permeates the town, with some areas being smellier than others. Just as many places in the western United States have taken advantage of solar and wind turbine power, the people in the Rotorua area have taken advantage of the geothermal activity. A sign at the motel described how they use the geothermal energy to heat the water we used for showers. When we filled the plunge pool up the first time we were amazed at the steaming hot water coming from the faucet and had to quickly add cold water.
On one of our days in Rotorua we drove to the Hamurana Springs Loop Walkway for a short walk through a forest of California Coast redwoods. Yes, I said California coast! The redwoods were planted in 1901 as an experiment to test the suitability of different forest species for commercial planting. They discovered other trees were faster growing and more suited to this area. It was a beautiful walk through the 200 feet tall redwoods but did not begin to compare to the redwoods in California we saw last year.
Next we visited Okere Falls and the Kaituna Rapids. At seven meters, this is the world’s largest commercially operated rafted waterfall drop. We hiked the trail down many steps to the falls overlook and a cave. We hoped to see some rafters shoot thru the rapids. We waited awhile with no luck and since we had more to do that day we hiked back to the car.
We finished the day at Kuirau Park. What a unique park this was located centrally in the middle of Rotorua. Where else could you see a children’s playground, a ballfield, barbeque pits, picnic tables and beautiful walking paths amid seething mudpits and steaming cauldrons spewing from the earth? We spent time walking around looking at all the steaming vents and boiling sputtering mud pits. We came across a foot pool provided for people to soak their feet in clean water heated from the geothermal activity. Some Japanese tourists were sitting enjoying the water and invited me to join them. I put one foot in and was shocked at how hot the water was. I took my now very pink foot out of the water and we continued on our way. We decided to finish our time at the park by finding a geocache located close by. As we were searching it dawned on us that a young New Zealand couple near us was looking for the same geocache. We struck up a conversation with them and joined forces in the quest for the elusive geocache. Eventually it was found and we signed the log and told our new friends farewell. It sure was fun geocaching with them!
On our last day in Rotorua we decided to hike the Whaka-Rewa-Rewa Viewpoint Trek. We had read that this trail would take us to a beautiful view of Rotorua and the Pohutu Geyser. This geyser was recently ranked as one of the world’s top 5 geysers by Lonely Planet. It is said to erupt 100 feet twenty times a day. It is said that eruptions can last for several minutes to several days. In 2000-2001 it erupted for a straight 250 days.
We parked in the carpark and hiked up and down a fairly difficult trail which at times was no more than a deeply rutted path. By the time we got to the lookout we were pretty hot and tired and with no shade or place to sit, began the wait for an eruption. After close to an hour we were discouraged and ready to give up. A Kiwi (New Zealander) came by and told us due to a drop in the water table and more and more people tapping into the area’s geothermal resources, the dependability and frequency of eruption is changing. Broiling in the heat and sunburning by the second we decided to give up. The Kiwi told us a shorter and easier way to get back to the carpark. Even though we only got pictures of the Pohutu Geyser teasing us with lots of steam, we still enjoyed the views of Rotorua and if truth be told the exercise wasn’t bad for us either. We did spend some time in the plunge pool that night relaxing our tired muscles.
The next morning as we were heading out of Rotorua we stopped by the Ohinemutu Village to see the impressive museum and some Maori carvings. We noticed a group playing a game on the village green. We found out it is a type of bowling played there since 1901.
Some observations:
I struggle a lot with different food in new places. Bill will eat anything and has enjoyed venison pie and lamb.
I do love their shortbread cookies here!
Coffee is ridiculously expensive at a minimum of $3 USD for a medium cup at McDonald’s or anywhere.
You do not see health signs in restaurants warning of everything that can cause cancer or birth defects.

February 28, 2015 Karangahake Gorge, New Zealand

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We left Thames and headed to Rotorua (Row-toe-roo-a). Along the way we stopped at Karangahake Gorge. Here the Waitawheta River charges out of its steep rocky canyon and merges with the Ohinemuri River. Almost all the names of streets, road, cities and towns and geographical places are named by the Maori people. Generations ago canoes of Maori ancestors sailed from East Polynesia and landed in New Zealand. Due to mixed marriages there are now very few Maori of pure Maori descent in New Zealand.
Here at the Karangahake Gorge we elected to do the Windows Walk which took us over two swinging bridges, up many many steps, and through tunnels which required flashlights which fortunately we had brought from Phoenix. The mine tunnels had a series of openings or windows which looked down at the remains of the batteries and river below. Panels along the path told the story of how over 100 years ago gold was mined in this area. Gold was extracted from quartz ore and was the nation’s third largest and most productive quartz gold mine. An incredible four million ounces of gold was removed from this area.
After our hike we stopped to view Owharoa falls then we continued on to Mt Maunganui which is really a lovely and popular beach town in the shadows of Mt Maunganui, an extinct volcano. This seemed much like a California beach town with many shops and restaurants as well as sun worshipers. We saw people making the long trek up to the top of the volcano for the view of the town below, but we found people watching more entertaining. On this day they were having youths between the ages of 10 and 14 competing in an ocean lifeguard event. All of the youth had qualified to be lifeguards and this competition was to recognize the best of the best. We chatted with one of the mothers of the competitors and she said that since New Zealand is surrounded by water, children train at a young age to be lifeguards since they are in high demand.

Some observations:
Everything in New Zealand is metric so we are having to refresh our knowledge of the metric system.
A “track” is a walk and a “tramp” is a hike and expect some challenging terrain.
A “torch” is a flashlight.
A large pizza and a large coffee is the size considered medium in the U.S.
New Zealand does not have many traffic lights or stop signs. Instead there are round-abouts everywhere. Bill loves them and I hate them.
All the beef used in fast food restaurants is 100% New Zealand beef and it is really good.
The New Zealand people are friendly and eager to help. They are curious about where we have been and where we are going in their country. Strangers say hello and wish you a good day.

February 27, 2015 Thames, New Zealand

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We left Auckland and headed toward the town of Thames ( pronounced Tims). Along the way we drove to the Coromandel Peninsula. This stretch of scenic highway is considered one of the best on the North Island. The road hugs the coast of the Firth of Thames (a bay) and has narrow roads and several one lane bridges with signs telling you which side has to “give away” (yield). We passed through one particularly harrowing stretch of road that was extremely narrow and we wondered what would have happened if we had passed one of the many large trucks traveling the road.
We stopped along the way at a rest/camping area and talked awhile with a New Zealand couple camping there in their camper van. They owned their camper van but this also seems like a popular way for tourists to travel in New Zealand since they are readily available for rent. New Zealand is very friendly to campers and there are several options available with campgrounds as well as places you can camp for free for two nights. This couple was staying in a free two night area near the water where they could swim and fish. We seriously considered this option when planning our trip but decided to go the rental car/hotel route.
We arrived in Thames for a two night stay. We usually do not do bread and breakfast places, but this place had excellent ratings and private chalets. We were greeted warmly by the owner and given homemade shortbread cookies and a bottle of liqueur. We loved our little chalet which was bigger than a hotel room and had a small fridge, microwave and hot plate/convection oven. We had access to the hot tub steps away from our chalet and the use of their large barbecue grill. We certainly enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub and watching the sun set over the Firth of Thames.
The new day we drove to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Cathedral Cove is known as the most beautiful small beach on the North Island. We were lucky to find a parking spot in their very small lot and walked around admiring the beautiful views. It is possible to hike from the parking lot down a very long steep path to the beach, but on this hot day we decided to pass on the hike and admire the beauty from afar.
Our next stop was Hot Water Beach. This is one of the North Island’s biggest tourist attractions. During low tide scalding hot water pulses out of the sand. You can rent a shovel and dig yourself a spot to make your own spa pool. All this must be done within two hours of low tide and since low tide was 9AM and 9 PM we missed it. Somehow knowing we had a nice clean hot tub waiting for us at the chalet made the thought of wallowing in hot mud less attractive anyway.
Some observations:
A car park is a parking lot.
The New Zealand sun is very intense and hard on fair skin. It is possible to get a sunburn through the car window and 50 SPF doesn’t help much.
The New Zealand currency is much like the U.S. dollar in some ways. They have coins for one and two dollars instead of paper. The smallest coin they have is 10 cents so if you purchase something and need change less than ten cents they keep the difference. Hey! That adds up!
The days here are 13 hours long.
Bill says the coffee is not very strong.
Living out of a suitcase and moving every two or three days has its challenges. If I had 10 cents for every time we said “I can’t find” or “do you know where….”, I would have enough money to buy me one of those $4 cans of Diet Coke!
A note on immigration. The government here makes it very hard to immigrate to New Zealand. Before we boarded the plane the airlines made it clear to everyone boarding the plane that you better have proof of a return ticket when you got to Customs in New Zealand. When we arrived they did ask us how long we were staying and we signed a customs form declaring that to be true. They did not ask us for any proof.