We arrived in Auckland early in the morning on February 28, and spent a couple of nights there. One day we took a short hike to a rose garden (the first of many in New Zealand). The Auckland War Memorial Museum was nearby and we spent several hours there. We took in the somewhat touristy Maori Show at the museum.
On March 2 we drove our rented car (think left!) north toward the Bay of Islands. Along the way we stopped to walk out to the Whangerei Falls, the first of many falls we saw.
We stayed three nights in Kerikeri. It was really nice and very relaxing after that left-sided drive north. Our B&B host dropped us off at the Rainbow Falls and we hiked down the Kerikeri Track to the village (and "home") from there. There is a reason for the name of the falls, and here is the rainbow. The hike down is through a forest where they have many kauri trees. There is a lower falls known as Wharepoke Falls. We saw some colorful fungus along the way. The next day we took a cruise on the tall ship R. Tucker Thompson. A good time was had by all, or at least by Dick and Amelia.
On March 5 we drove south, past Auckland, to Rotorua. We stayed out of town on a peninsula jutting into the lake for three days (actually, I think it jutted into the lake longer than that, but we only saw it three days). Rotorua is the site of lots of thermal activity (much as found in Yellowstone Park). Here is Amelia reading about a mudpot. A little later we visited the Klamath Falls Rose Garden. We were joined in the garden by some worker bees. Being after lunch time, we took a "classic tea" at the famous Blue Bath Tea Room. One morning a large group of shags (a kind of cormorant) were flying across the lake outside our window. I thought they would soon be gone, but finally grabbed the camera and got this shot of the last few stragglers. Missed the good shot. We went kayaking. on the stream connecting Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti, and on Lake Rotoiti. There we saw large numbers of black swans, some with cygnets. It was in Rotorua that we discovered truth in packaging in New Zealand. Guess it could be anything in that bottle.
From Rotorua we drove to Napier to see the art deco architecture employed after an earthquake destroyed part of the town in the 1930s. After that we drove to Palmerston North and spent the night (just an overnight stop, although there could be things worth seeing) before driving on to Wellington to catch the ferry to the South Island. While waiting for time to board the ferry, we saw some unexpected folks. Although neither of us were to be there that day, we ran into friends Ron and Linda Morrison from Grants Pass.
After the ferry trip, it was off to Christchurch. We got there on March 10 for a three day stay. Along the way (throughout the islands, in fact), we saw a few sheep. We took the TranzAlpine Express from Christchurch to Greymouth. Along the way the train passes over Arthurs Pass. While there was some nice scenery and I got a shot, or two, it just was not as spectacular as we had expected. Then it was time to take a balloon ride (the one you see is not the one I rode under). In fact, there was a wedding being performed in it, and this shot shows the photographer hanging out to get a good picture (maybe he should use a wider angle lens). It was a beautiful morning - here's the sunrise over Christchurch and the Canterbury plains extending to the Southern Alps. OK, here is the shot of my balloon deflating. After all that exertion, we visited the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, and wound up at (would you believe!), the rose garden. Boy do those lavendar ones smell good.
It was off to Dunedin on March 13. However, along the way we stopped at the South Canterbury Museum in Timaru. They have a replica (the original was destroyed in a crash) of Richard Pearse's airplane, which may have flown on March 31, 1903. It is quite a sophisticated craft, with tricycle landing gear, elevator, and ailerons much as later aircraft incorporated. On to Dunedin, where we stayed two nights. In between we visited the Royal Albatross Colony on the Otago Peninsula, where it was very windy and a good show was put on by several 10 foot wingspread juvenile Royal Albatross. The B&B we stayed at had special slippers for us. The peninsula is also home to a yellow penguin colony.
On March 15 we drove to TeAnau. Along the way we passed through the towns of Clinton and Gore. Outside of Clinton I took this picture of the sign commemorating the presidential(sic) highway. We decided to go to the Doubtful Sound instead of the Milford Sound. There is only one way in (well, two if you count coming in from the Tasman Sea by boat), and that is by boat across Lake Manipouri, then a bus over the mountain (with an obligatory stop at a unique underground hydropower station, not shown here). No helicopters or airplanes and not many other boats. As you can see, the day started out just beautiful. In the Doubtful Sound there was rain, off and on, but this made the temporary waterfalls run, and it was all pretty spectacular. I've culled my long set of pictures to just 14. Feel free to cull them even more yourself. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Then, on the way back to TeAnau from the trip to Doubtful Sound, guess what we saw. Ah you guessed it: sheep!. The next day we took a (short) hike along the Kepler Track. It passes through a beech forest typical of the area. Quite open and pleasant. We also saw some more fungus, and here is a particularly ugly one.
On March 18 we drove to Queenstown. Along the way (as well as many other places) we saw this herd of domesticated red deer. Near Kingston we saw the Kingston Flyer. I thought of Ian, and took the picture for him. In Queenstown, we did another touristy thing, and went for a ride up the gondola, and ate dinner (suggest you save on this one by skipping dinner), but the view is pretty spectacular.
The next day (March 19) we turned in the car and flew to Nelson. Nelson seems to be a very nice town, a little touristy, but not too much. On March 20 we caught a bus to Havelock to meet our Sheep Farm hosts for the trip to Pohuenui Island. We arrived there ahead of them, so we had lunch at the Mussel Boys Cafe. No, they weren't quite as big as the ones on the roof, but they are raised nearby in the Marlborough Sound. Pohuenui is about a one hour boatride from Havelock. It was a stormy day. When we arrived the power was out, but we opted to stay anyway. We had a candlelit dinner with our hosts and some visiting friends, and the next day we had power. We took a hike in the morning. Here is a picture of the dock at Pohuenui Station, showing the rugged character of the island in the background. After a bit of rest, I thought I'd poke around by myself. I looked around at the hills, and decided to take another hike. Along the way I got a picture of this butterfly. Eventually, I got way up there, and here is another picture of the dock. As I came down, the sun was near setting, so naturally I got this shot of the sunset. Our final full day there, March 22, was an absolutely georgeous day! We had lunch on the deck. After a rest from the luncheon exertions, we set off on another hike. This one was to the Saddle, which promised great views of the surrounding Sound and other islands. Just up the rather gradual path, I turned around and got this picture of part of Pohuenui Station (see dock at lower right) and showing the slope I climbed to the top of the previous day (just to the middle of the picture on the ridge - unfortunately, on the other side is a large canyon and a higher ridge beyond, so I could not see out to the Sound on the other side of the island). Our efforts were rewarded handsomely. I got another butterfly shot, similar but different from the previous. But the real rewards were the vistas out over the Sound and adjacent islands. I've attempted to piece together a panoramic view of what we saw. The different exposures showing where the 4 pictures were stitched could be compensated for by a more dedicated operator, but you'll just have to live with it (or not look). In another direction, I got a shot of a boat and its wake. Unfortunately, the scanner completely missed picking up the wake (about midpicture vertically and 3/4 to the right - a small light smudge instead of a vivid wake). To end a perfect last day on the island, we had a spectacular sunset. The next morning (March 23) as we left Pohuenui Island, I took one last shot back at the inlet where Pohuenui Station is situated.
Back on a bus once more, we traveled back to Nelson to pick up another car. We then drove to Marahau, at the lower part of Abel Tasman National Park. Since our time was short, the next day we opted to take an AquaTaxi ride up along the coast. We boarded the boat on a trailer at the office, and were then pulled out into the ocean by a tractor. The sight of several tractors sitting in the ocean makes an interesting picture. Our first port of call was at split apple rock. The park is pretty remote, and beaches like this one are only accessible by hiking or by boat. We had an hour for a hike before returning. We found these grinding stones that I supposed the Maoris had used to make small things from big things, but Amelia didn't agree. Later that day, on the way to Picton to catch the Lynx ferry to Wellington, we stopped along the Queen Charlotte track and got another picture of ourselves. On our arrival in Picton, it was time for the Interislander ferry to come in from Wellington.
We were overnight in Wellington, then flew to Auckland on March 25. We got a Rent-a-Dent for a day, and I went in to the Museum of Transportation and Technology (MOTAT) where I found another replica of the Pearse airplane.
On March 26 at 6:15 pm we left Auckland (not really; we spent about 45 minutes on the ground after boarding), and arrived back at LAX more on less on schedule on March 26 at 10:05 am, and back to SFO by 2:30pm.
Looking back, several things made this a great trip. As you can see from many of the pictures, the scenery is fabulous. Not seen in these pictures, but sometimes alluded to, were the New Zealand people, who we found to be very friendly, helpful, and all-around wonderful folks. And we met many visitors from many other countries (and the US) who were also great folks with a lot of useful information on touring New Zealand and other places. Last, but not of overwhelming importance, was the strength of the US$ versus the NZ$. This enabled very economical travel, with one interesting exception. That is bread in restaurants. We think of "free" bread as a given, but in New Zealand bread or garlic toast as a starter or with meal is generally 5 NZ$ (about 2.25 US$). The food was quite good with a very artistic presentation, especially on the North Island. We heartily recommend a trip of at least a month to New Zealand.
Richard Franke
