Maureen's Travel Blog

Judith had a meeting this morning in the city and dropped me at the Art Gallery for a couple of hours and we arranged to meet 12.15 at the Museum nearby.

The Art Gallery is a modern stylish building opened in 2003 by prime minister Helen Clarke, I read on the plaque.  However, Judith told me later that it has been closed for three years owing to subsidence caused indirectly by the earthquake, and only opened a few months ago.

There were some lovely pieces in various exhibitions in wide light open spaces.  I particularly liked the wood engravings and some work by Petrus Van der Velden.

I walked on down to the Museum along the tramway and noted the beautiful botanical gardens alongside.  Buildings all around are being restored, particularly the Arts Centre which used to be the old university, where they had built a new roofed turret.

The museum was something else!  Room after room of well designed exhibitions on subjects including of course the history of New Zealand and the Maoris and then Captain Cook.  Two groups of school children were having a history lesson.  I enjoyed listening to their intelligent answers but not quite what the teacher was wanting from them.

There was an excellent exhibition of the birds of NZ with life size stuffed models in their habitats.  I saw the Waxeyes as well as the poor hawk Jessie and I had saved from suffering.  I was also able to confirm the sighting of a harrier on the way down to Christchurch yesterday.

There were also exhibitions of Antarctic expeditions and energy and ecological conservation…. by this time I was on overload and it was getting near 12.15.

My silly Alcatel started making a weird noise…. had to be an incoming call from Judith wondering where I was but could I answer the darn thing????  Fortunately she suddenly appeared in front of me.  Off we went to a little cafe attached to the YHA for lunch.

After lunch Judith took me on an amazing tour of the city which included the River Avon, her beautiful school, Rangi Ruru Girls, many buildings which had been condemned or in the process of restoration, or completely replaced with a brand new design.  Often there were huge open spaces where buildings had once been.

Judith then took me out to Mount Pleasant,  a lovely coastal area, popular for walks.  On the way there she pointed out cliff faces that had come away during the earthquake leaving homes hanging, their contents exposed.  There was a primary school at the foot of a rocky incline that had been closed ever since.  Containers are being used everywhere to shore up unsafe areas.  We also saw an area once occupied by an Anglican Church.  All that remained was the lychgate! I think we saw these growing near Napier Leigh, when I was last over. Can you remind me what they’re called?

We returned via the local Mall where I managed to buy an Apple connection lead for uploading images from my camera, after the cheap one I bought on line appeared to have failed.  I also got a few lessons from Spark how to use my Alcatel (soon no longer to be mine, I assured them!)

At last back to Hyde Park for a welcome cuppa while Ross showed be round his productive garden.  

Now just about to sit down to a roast lamb dinner, with fresh runner beans and carrots from the garden… how lucky am I?!

Thank you for a great day Judith and thank you both for sharing your lovely home with me.  I’m sure Lee will love to see the photos.

I have just made a few notes here along the six hour journey to Christchurch as the wifi was intermittent on the bus so updating the blog was not easy and I frustratingly kept losing big chunks, so decided to just look out of the window instead.

A grey morning as I left Picton on the intercity bus armed with my packed lunch bought at the ferry terminal.  I settled myself in the front seat as usual so that I had plenty of opportunity for photography and asking the driver any questions I may have.  In fact the driver was informative along the way and pointed out any items of interest.
Initially we passed through so many wineries.  I think we were told on the previous day’s tour that 85 per cent of NZ wine comes from this area but New Zealand wine represents only 1 per cent of wines of the world.  We experienced some exceedingly steep hills with some scarily sharp and high hairpins.  The land was very dry and brown compared to the North Island.  Judith had mentioned in an email that Christchurch had hit a record 40 deg.  I think that will be different today, thank goodness.

The journey was fairly uneventful but I’ve included photos I took on the iPad which are rather wobbly and blurred.  I have decided to try and get a new card for the camera, which the gadget may be able to cope with.  Just notes of places we passed through in between me dozing off….. Ward, apparently named after the prime minister, Grassmere, Salt plains.  By this time you could see swathes of cloud swirling round the hills like candy floss.  Eventually we hit the coast again.  The ocean was trying to be blue.  The driver pointed out the seal colonies on the rocks below which I remembered from my previous Kiwi bus journey up this piece of coastline.

Eventually it began to rain, the first rain, apart from one wet day in Taupo.  It got heavier, so miserable after all the lovely sunshine.  It was ironic to see all the fields on either side of the road being intensely irrigated here, yet it’s pouring with rain!  I guess someone had forgotten to turn them off.

The road passed over and under and beside the railway for many kilometres and there were many little tunnels through the hillside.
The roads are now flooded!

Arriving at Kaikoura – lunch stop half an hour in the rain, I walked briefly along the Main Street, memories flooding back of swimming with dolphins and enjoying seafood chowder with a young backpacker companion in a little restaurant which hadn’t changed a bit in the last five years.  This time the gulls tried to share my lunch on a rather damp beach.  I chatted briefly to an American whose friend was swimming with the Dolphins as we spoke.  Her earlier slot had been cancelled because of the weather.

We were finally allowed back on board the bus and passed through more extremely hilly areas then yet more vineries.  We were given a toilet stop at Cheviot then continued through more heavy rain and gloom.  We dropped someone off at Pegasus before finally hitting the city traffic of Christchurch.  It soon became evident by the number of cranes throughout the city, that there was still major repair work going on….

It was lovely to meet Judith and Ross at the bus station.  I don’t think they recognised me at first…. could it really be this dishevelled traveller with a backpack??  But smiles all round as we introduced each other.  Judith had apparently known my artist friend, Lee Belcher, since she was 19.  They had met in Holland, I learned later.

I was then given a quick tiki tour of the parts of the city worst hit by the earthquake that happened just prior to my visit five years ago and which prevented me coming to Christchurch at all.  I have to say I was horrified when they pointed out complete areas cleared where there had once been high rises, the whole of the city centre a changed landscape beyond recognition, Judith said.  They took me to the ‘temporary’ cardboard cathedral and it was there I saw the sad photos of the ruined one.  I had planned to ring the bells there on my last visit…. Even outside the centre on the way to their home in Hyde Park, they pointed out evidence of the earthquake’s destruction.  A dormer window missing from a roof where there were two on a beautiful old lodge; Judith’s local church, in fact every stone church in the city was damaged and closed.

We finally arrived at Judith and Ross’s beautiful house in a quiet suburb.  After showing me around we relaxed and chatted into the evening over a very nice Pinot Grit and a delicious salmon dinner.

Not a bad night’s sleep, according to my sleep monitor app!  A cup of coffee in the garden while I devise a plan for the day.  I was delighted with The Villa guest house.  Clean, smart with quite quaint features.

I watched some little birds flitting on the trees – not sure what they were – any ideas anyone?  Would be nice to know who’s reading this.

I decided to borrow one of the hostel mountain bikes and head towards Karaka Point in the morning….. and book myself on a wine tasting tour for the afternoon.

Now I haven’t been on a bike for years, well not since Gill and I went off for a bike adventure in Bauge, France! So not feeling very confident I chose one from a motley bunch in the corner of the garden and gingerly pushed myself off. It was exceedingly uncomfortable and the chain seemed to slip so I took it back and tried another, thinking that perhaps Shanks’s pony would be preferable. One more try – yes, this one was much better and one of the gears at least worked and turned the wheels round.

Wobbly at first and feeling vulnerable I set off on the route given to me by the receptionist in the hostel. It was pretty warm but I had plenty of water. After about 4k I came upon the Marina and remembered I hadn’t had any breakfast. This might give me some energy to peddle up the steep hills. So I cycled into the complex which was very quiet and found the Jolly Roger. They must have seen me coming as the doors opened as I leapt off my bike.

A delicious hot toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a flat white and I was back on my bike peddling up the hill. Unfortunately, the toaster had thrown a wobbly and I had to wait a while which really didn’t leave me enough time to get right to the top. Also I saved my energy where there were photographic opportunities. You see so much more from a bicycle and I became very confident and enjoyed covering so much more ground than walking.

My wine tour was leaving at 1.15 so I decided to turn around at 12 to be back in time although I’m sure the high viewing point of Karaka was probably around the next bend. I flew back downhill nearly all the way with the wind in my hair and arrived back at the hostel in plenty of time for a shower.

Unfortunately the little gadget that transfers photos from my camera card to my iPad has stopped working.  I think it’s on overload because I’ve taken too many pictures!  So will just be words for a bit I’m afraid…..

There were 11 of us off to the Blenheim region in a minibus driven by Sam.  Three Aussie couples, one American couple, one young German couple and me.  Oh heck, all flipping couples!   I felt that having visited the wineries in Hawkes Bay, I must at least do the same while in the Marlborough region. We visited 4 wineries for tasting – Hunters, Hui, Gieston…..  I remember passing Stoneleigh and Cloudy Bay.  I was told when asked that Cloudy a Bay don’t have groups round much as they are quite small.  Needless to say, the details about each wine became a blur as the afternoon went on and we all got to know each other quite well.

I was amazed to hear that Jan, one of the Aussies, had won a medal in the Dragon boat races that I’d watched in Wellington a couple of days before.  She had come over from Sydney with her team especially to race for cancer survivors.

As before at my last wine tasting session in Hawkes Bay, I find the red wines a little light and watery.  My favourite was probably the Hui Sauvignon Blanc (must make note).

Our driver filled us in on the background and various growing techniques and climate according to what part of Wither Hills etc they grew as we made our way between vineries.  I think he expected us to be singing along to his 60s cd on the way back but somehow it was only me humming and tapping my feet.  Nothing like the Hawkes Bay tour Leigh!!

Our last port of call was a very posh chocolate factory where the Americans spent lots of dosh. I was tempted by some Irish creams but would be paying more for the posh box and ribbon than for the 6 chocs inside which would be eaten in a flash.

By the evening I was feeling very hungry so booked a table at the Seabreeze restaurant in town in a lovely spot overlooking the harbour. A huge amount of food arrived, I think I rather over ordered – King prawns in coconut sauce, mixed salad and chips, with Sav.  Some had to go into a doggie box!

….more photos when I get the problem sorted…

We said our goodbyes to Leigh and Dan as they headed off back up to Taupo.  Thanks so much for bringing me down to Gilly’s Leigh.

Gill and I sat and chatted about travels – such kindred spirits!  The time went so quickly though and before we realised it we had to set off for the ferry.  On the way, we saw a mini version of the Kiwi Experience bus pulling a trailer.

It was a beautiful crossing, calm but fairly windy out in the open ocean.  The time on board passed all too quickly.   By the time I’d had a walk about, sat in the sun on the top deck til it got too windy, and enjoyed some battered fish and a Sav, we were nearing Picton and a great opportunity for some photography.

The Villa minibus was waiting outside the ferry terminal as expected and carried just two of us the 2 minute journey to the hostel.  The hostel looks just great and I managed to get a bottom bunk bed, always good to avoid shinning up and down the scaffolding to go to the bathroom in the night if required.  My fellow companions, 3 young girls and an older traveller like me are all very friendly, so all good.

I will now bid you goodnight and look forward to what Picton and the Marlborough Sound has to offer me tomorrow.

Will post pics of the hostel tomoz.

We all enjoyed a hearty breakfast together before Leigh and Dan went off to meet up with Craig.  Gilly and I got the bus into the city which was easy as we didn’t have to think about parking.

It was a bright warm morning and the high rises sparkled before me as I alighted from the bus, a refreshing change from the pungas and tortoise!  It was good to have a local with me to point out the sights of interest.  Five years ago I had done a quick walking tour at 5am when everything was shut and not a soul about…. but that’s another story.

I will just post up pictures here and make a few notes otherwise I won’t be leaving myself enough time to catch the Interislander.

I was intrigued by the design of this building which has shutters which open and close automatically according to the amount of sunlight coming through the windows.

We went round three art galleries – The Portrait Gallery, The Contemporary Gallerry and of course The Te Papa.

An interesting design for public toilets – crayfish!

I delighted in the friendly signage on the walkways.  In fact the atmosphere along the Quay was generally happy smiley people of all ages enjoying their many and varied pursuits in the summer weather.

The Dragon boat race was on – how lucky was I to witness this big team event which takes place only once a year.

The last time I was at the Nomads Backpacker’s hostel was nearly five years ago.  I showed Gilly around – fond memories came flooding back!

Getting hungry, we sat down in the Crab Shack on the Quay to enjoy shrimp salad, beef chips and Savs before heading on to the market and the pop up village – people selling their wares from individual haulage containers!

We met up with Leigh and Dan at the Te Papa and went round different exhibitions.  Gilly and I walked round an interesting exhibition of New Zealand mainly 60s black and white photography.  But I particularly liked this one of the Moa, an extinct bird, which was clearly taken long before the 60s!

We then went through an exhibition on Earthquakes and their cause, which included an actual simulation.

Although feeling quite tired by now, we still hadn’t seen the Gallipoli exhibition.  So after a brief sit down hoping we might see Leigh and Dan coming out, we decided we must do a quick tour, at least, in case I missed it on my return to Wellington in a few days.  In fact this turned out to be the most well designed exhibition I’ve seen in a while.  There were some incredible giant sized models of human suffering, sound effects and brief poignant illustrated passages that took you through what happened in a way that held your interest.

I came out of this exhibition feeling physically and mentally exhausted but nothing like what these men must have endured.

We met up again with Leigh and Dan and decided it was time to look for somewhere for dinner.  On the way out Gilly showed us how they have a new rubberised way of supporting buildings at risk of earthquakes.

Finally we all sat down to a huge Chinese meal in a restaurant nearby.

We left Taupo for Wellington, and the next stage of my adventure, around 1pm – Leigh, Dan and I.

Dan and Leigh planned to meet up with Dan’s son, Craig, who lives in Wellington. We were going to stay a couple of nights with Gilly, an old friend of Leigh’s.

Taupo Lake looked absolutely stunning as we left it behind for the mountains.  It had taken on a hue of deep cobalt blues and turquoises I had not yet seen on this trip.  Leigh said the wind on the surface was a contributory factor.

The sparse vegetation on the desert road took on a beauty of its own not seen in the spring when I was here before.  The tussocks in seed looked like acres of soft hay ready for gathering and the road was lined with purple heather interspersed with clumps of frothy golden Toitoi reaching up against a back cloth of navy blue mountain range.  There was only the smallest evidence of snow near the summit.

We stopped occasionally on the long journey for me to take photos and for a bite to eat.   We spent some time looking round The Wool Company where they sold Merino and Possom wool in large skeins and gorgeous colours.  I just wished I had a pattern for quantity.

We continued on through scenic hilly areas, fairly flat farmland and fertile fruit-growing land, stopping only once again at a liquor store for essentials, before finally hitting the coast as we neared Wellington.

By this time the sun was going down over the harbour and we pulled in to a shopping complex to stock up with grocery items for the next couple of days with Gilly.

Gilly welcomed us at her front door in Newlands and soon we were sitting round her table chatting over a very large amount of fish and chips takeaway we had brought in – not cod as we would normally have at home, but shark!!  ….and of course the G&Ts!

A fairly quiet day in Wembley Place.  Dan showed me his fish and, in particular, his turtles which were babies when I was here before.  Now they are huge and quite tame.  I hope to do a painting of one sometime as they have extraordinary markings and interesting faces.

I continued painting the New Zealand weed in the garden…. so nice to be painting outside again.

I was so absorbed in my painting that it took me a while to get my thoughts together for a walk down to the Sail Club for the Yardarm.

Such beautiful light down there by the water.  Jessie was already there chatting to Kelly, an actor who travels the world in his work but is currently home and working at the gym.  He had painted a mural on the gym wall.  Leigh and I got settled with our G&T and Pinot Gris…. so enjoyable but strange to be enjoying hot summer weather by the Lake.  If I’d had my togs with me, I’d have been in!

Jessie collected Hunter from ballet and we watched her elegance against the setting sun.

We walked slowly back through the Reserve and Leigh pointed out the Bignonia on the way.

All credit to Leigh for this stunning photograph of the evening sun rays.

……and before you ask, no it wasn’t the Tongariro!

Leigh was attending one of her conferences, this time in Tauranga, and invited me along for the ride and to visit a new city in The Bay of Plenty.

We left at 7.30am, a 2 hour drive, to get there for 9.30.  It was a beautiful morning though still coolish in Taupo – about 15 degrees.  The Lake was sparkling as the early sunrise reflected on the yachts anchored here and there.

Steam from the underground thermals caused a mist to hang over the countryside as we headed up through Te au pe and past the Power Station funnel, reminding me of Didcot. However this one was powered by steam from the thermals.  There was also steam emanating from Rainbow Mountain in the chilly autumnal air this morning.

Leigh gets irritated by vehicles  slowing down in front of her, especially tankers, loggers and farmers, for which she has choice names!  This morning was no exception. ‘Pricks’ she exclaimed aggressively as she at last managed to accelerate past two tankers struggling up a hill.

As ever we passed through soft undulating countryside, with pines, poplars or mountains in the distance until we reached a deep gorge.  Here we stopped a while to photograph the pongas and an interesting carving.

Once up out of the gorge, on the other side, the climate changed.  It became a much warmer fruit growing area with Passion and Kiwi fruit as well as honey.

Leigh dropped me off in the city for the day and I picked up a simple map and some tips from the Information Centre.  I did a little walking tour of the city (actually a small town by English standards) to get my bearings.  Loved this piano in the street which said “play me” and wished I could play.The town was smart, modern and well sign-posted.  It has a sea frontage walking area the length of the town just across a single railway track (They all seem to be single in NZ). This sign seemed to capture the moment.

I decided to take a look around the Art Gallery where there was an interesting exhibition of New Zealand contemporary artist, Toss Woollaston.  I was not allowed to take photos but some of his work was influenced by Paul Cezanne, whose work I admire. There was also an exhibition of New Zealand metal artists and a film demonstrating work carved from cuttlefish.

I took a number 1 bus out to Maunganui (about 20 mins) and was dropped off in a busy little seaside town.  First things first! A frittata (I do love them) and a coffee at a restaurant looking out to sea.  I also raised my gaze to the right higher and higher to the top of Mount Maunganui.  Yes I would take a hike up there today for a bit of excercice after sitting around doing very little for the last couple of days.  Stocked up with plenty of water, suitably sun blocked and hatted, I set off along the beach boardwalk to the beginning of the mountain climb.   This photo was taken of the mountain from a distance before the cloud lifted.

It was fairly easy to start with but after a while I found myself stopping to recover my breath and slow my fast beating heart as the ascent steepened.  More pain more gain – the views up here were stunning.

I got chatting with an American guy and we walked together for a bit.  He was there for the scenery with his big lens, clearly not for the climb as he was getting as breathless as I was.  We reached the summit independently and took photos of each other as proof that we’d made it. 

I took a different path down and began to wonder if I’d taken a wrong route as there was not a soul about and there was a sign indicating falling rocks.  However, it turned out to be even more scenic with huge Monarch butterflies dancing about in the Pohutukawa.  The Toitoi was the best example ever and the pungas created beautiful patterns on the descending pathway.

I met someone taking a breather on her way up. ‘How much further?’ She asked pleadingly.  ‘Not far now, and definitely worth it when you get to the top!’ was my reply.

The descent was easy and I spent some time on the beach marvelling at the huge waves.  I tried to paddle to cool off but was soon engulfed to my knees so had to back off.

I watched surfers for a while before returning to Tauranga on the number one bus.  Pictured here is another bus going somewhere else!!

It was 3pm by now so I had about an hour – maybe 2 before Leigh would be ready to leave.  Tired and hungry, I settled myself  at the seafront seating area of The Badger & Crown with an ice cold beer and three huge crispy spring rolls.

Wifi was good so picked up a couple of emails and was just ready to walk along the beach when my NZ toy Alcatal phone pinged with a message to say that Leigh was almost done.  She picked me up and we headed back on the same road.  This time not only tankers and loggers got in her way (bloody mongrels), but some poor tourist who was unsure of her direction and sat in the middle of the road so we couldn’t get past – “stupid fart!” yelled Leigh.  We finally arrived in Taupo where they had hung flags for the weekends Ironman events.  They had been hanging Christmas decorations just over 4 years earlier as I left for my flight home.  Leigh reported that she spied the good ole Kiwi backpacker’s bus passing through Taupo.

After some problems with the credit card machine in the fuel station, we eventually returned home to a welcome G&T, especially for Leigh after her hard working day, (and road rage) and a delicious meal – thanks Dan…. sorry we were late.

Day off from blog…. more tomorrow.

I woke early after a fitful night with Maori place names running through my head in a jumble of letters.  It was dull and overcast with rain in the air.  A day at home today to take stock and catch up a bit.  The blog was probably my first priority as we had had such a full on weekend travelling over to the East Coast, I hardly had time to make notes.  Leigh will probably go over it with corrections in her teacherly fashion… the ole buzzard!

Some washing to be done…. just a few things by hand to hang out under the verandah.

I spent the afternoon, while Leigh was at a conference, doing another pastel of Lisa, Linda’s cat…. not sure if is much of an improvement on the last one though….bit cross-eyed looking

It rained heavily during the afternoon and was quite a bit cooler than recently.  I just relaxed and listened to my new talking book, ‘A Man Called Ove’ and was dozing when I heard Leigh call out that dinner was ready – my goodness she was back and it was 7 o’clock already.

During the evening with both Shonney and Sally on my lap, Leigh helped me sort out the spellings of Maori place names.

The dull, wet day ended with a most beautiful sunset.