On Our Way Home

An update on today, we had a leisurely start, packed without needing the UN. I went for my final New Zealand run, number 23 out of 24 days, only day I missed was when we were on a boat in the middle of Doubtful Sound, good excuse I felt. Then we had lunch at the hotel while overlooking the Queenstown Lake. It was then to the airport for the flight to Auckland, even saw Mt Cook on the way and the sndspit at the end of South Island. Unfortunately the flights give a 5 hour connection in Auckland, so no rush. Fell very sad to be leaving but looking forward to seeing family and friends.

Marion: Well, we’re sitting at Auckland airport with a bit of time on our hands to reflect on our holiday. We have had a really great time and it was everything that we hoped it would be – probably the only real disappointment was the TranzAlpine train. Everything else at least met our imaginings – many exceeded them. NZ is truly a country of great scenery and, despite a very well-organised tourist infra-structure, conservation and ecology methods appear to be working in helping the country avoid being spoiled. Scenery-wise I guess we’d head the list with Doubtful and Milford Sounds. I was also very fond of the coast at Whangamata, turquoise sea rolling onto golden sands. Also the art deco town of Napier and the wine and art deco tours we had there, as well as Nelson and the Able Tasman Park were real highlights. More surprising was Martinborough which looked a real one horse town on first arrival was a place we put on the list of “like to return to”. The case of wine we treated ourselves to is being shipped home from this region. Since being here I find I prefer Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay and have developed a real love of Pinot Noir (the latter is what our shipment home will be!!) Everything has been great and now I am looking forward to coming home and picking up all my usual threads.
Nigel: Coming back to Auckland this evening made me realise how much we have done since we left here 3 weeks ago. It has been a great holiday, a totally different experience from any one we have had before. I think this is because it has such a relaxed feel, people have the knack of being efficient without seeming to try. Everything worked and the only couple of times that I felt hassled was with other groups of tourists. There is also of course the sheer lack of people particularly on South Island. Also of course the lack of pollution, the air seemed so clear particularly for the runner. To me every region had different merits, I loved the remoteness and wild feel of Cape Palliser, marvelled and the volcanic outpourings at Rotorua, and thought that the Tongariro National Park was out of this world. Otherwise I agree with Marion’s thoughts even though she left out the Marlborough Sounds and Able Tasman Park.
Unexpected to me was the amount of running that I managed, encouraged I think by the great and varied environments that I was able to run in. So I shall return fitter though probably heavier due to the great food that we ate. I have started to plan the return trip, although that might not be for sometime yet. Biggest downside is of course the long trip home!

Bungy Jumping in Queenstown & LOTR

Well our last day in New Zealand, I was going to write this blog about our twin bungy jump but that of course would be fibbing. However Queenstown is the only place I have ever been to where the site of the first commercial bungy jump is a historical monument!!! Altogether it is the liveliest place we have been to, probably because it is dominated by young people seeking thrills, white water rafting, jet boat rides, all terrain vehicles etc.. Well we settled on some of the more genteel pursuits.
First a ride on the chairlift to get a perspective of the town. First thing the views were tremendous, and you got a good impression of the spread of the town and the beauty of the lake and mountains. We then drove around the lake to the small settlement of Glenorchy, again the road was only built in the fifties, previously it had been supplied entirely by lake steamer. It is also LOTR country, an expression you hear a lot of here, LOTR – Lord of the Rings of course. Not having seen the film or read the book I cannot verify this, however it is very beautiful with the combination of mountains, lake, and rivers. It also had an excellent cafe where we refreshed on sandwiches and coffee. On the way back we stopped at a small beach and read our books for an hour, to the sound of the lapping waves and the biting sandflies. Time for a long run around the lake slightly spoilt by the rain.
Tonight we headed off on the TSS Earnshaw the world’s only working coal fired steamship. Absolutely brilliant you were able to walk close to the machinery and watch the stokers at work. The clang of the signal bells from the bridge showed how much of an art there is to controlling one. It was also quite hot as of course the funnel passed through the ship and is full of very hot exhaust fumes. It made me wonder how the heat was dispersed in the big ocean liners. Perhaps Thomas know about this. Anyway it was like travelling on a living thing.
We alighted at a sheep station where we had a buffet dinner followed by a demonstration of sheep shearing, now I know it is impressive handling a 95kg animal but I am afraid that I found it rather boring. As they say when you have seen one sheep shorn you have seen the lot. The sheepdog demo was impressive though. Then back on the steamer to Queenstown.
This maybe the last blog in New Zealand, it depends on the schedule tomorrow, when we will try to reflect on our wonderful holiday in a most interesting and hospitable country.

Milford Sound and non performing seals

An unexpected day today, we always planned to drive to Milford Sound as the road is reputed to be spectacular. So after a substantial cooked breakfast we set off early to be in front of the tour buses. The road journey was indeed spectacular, a gradual climb through mountain pastures to a tunnel that was only completed in 1953 having been started in 1935. The tunnel is very crude and completely unlit so it is single file throughout. We then dropped to Milford Sound over a steep winding road between sheer rock faces.
On first appearance Milford is disappointing, it is rather like a pleasure boat version of Dover Harboar, but undeterred we booked trip. Once on the Sound (it is really a fjord, there that Geography degree was not wasted), the scenery is awesome. Sheer rock walls drop down into the sound, punctuated by huge waterfalls. At one point a perfect hanging valley enters the Sound. We stayed on the top of the boat throughout the 2 hour cruise despite the very high winds that drove everybody except another stoic English couple downstairs. Having said that it was good and sunny so that we got a considerable tan.
We also had much amusement as there was the usual trip to the seal colony, by now I wnat to see those seals bouncing coloured balls on their noses, but instead as usual they just lay there, wallowing in the sun, really you cannot get the performers now a days.
The character of the sound was very different from Doubtful which was more brooding and atmospheric. This was more a fjord with light and shade, the magnificence being in the sheer scale of the rocks, the waterfalls and the sea. Interestingly it was not discovered until 1820 as Cook sailed straight by twice as the entrance is so disguised.
The drive back to Te Anau (120 kms) was even better, probably due to the perspective, there were frequent photo stops and then finally are first subsistance of the day at 4pm. (there are no facilities whatsoever on the drive). So then onto Queenstown where we arrived at about 6.30. Time for a quick run along the lake observing the world’s only working coal fired steamer which we are travelling on tomorrow. Then a surprisingly good meal in the restaurant with lovely views of the lake, sampling Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir from Otago which was delicious and a Riesling from Marlborough Sounds. And so to bed after a brilliant but tiring day.

Doubtful Sound Part 2

Well, Doubtful Sound was quite a trip! Woke up this morning to sheeting rain but somehow in this environment it simply doesn’t matter. After a very satisfactory breakfast with the Dutch people we met last night, we went to the observation lounge and divided our time between cosy, warm observation of the brooding hills and water from inside and the more bracing experience of the outside! We saw a couple of little penguins and a highlight for us was when the boat was taken to the edge of the mountain – no shore here and one of the crew collected water from the waterfall for brave should to try. Then the skipper killed the engine, switched off the generator and asked everybody to be silent to enjoy the total peace – it is hard to explain how wonderful that was – I braved the elements outside (cowardly Nigel was safely in the lounge , note because it was very very wet) and so enjoyed the rain on my face, the roaring of the waterfalls and the sight of the mountains looming through the mist .All my senses were engaged. Nigel and I both agreed that this overnight cruise was one of our holiday highlights. Also we’ve picked up some wonderful hints for the English tourism industry on how to make such a virtue of wet weather, that a nice sunny day seems like the rubbish option!!!
AS soon as we started our coach, lake coach trip back to the lodge in Te Anau the weather picked up and was warm and dry - Doubtful Sound Is one of the wettest places on earth. We spent the rest of the day pottering about at the lodge and deciding how to spend the last couple of days of our NZ odyssey, which will be in Queenstown.
Marion has well expressed the enormity of our trip to Doubtful Sound. The sheer remoteness of it, whether it was the absolute silence, or the complete darkness. This is a completely natural landscape, man’s only influence being the introduction of predators which he is now trying to eradicate. There is also the sense of awe that a sailor from North Yorkshire was first to map and discover these lands all in a converted collier. It is an imperative to read a biography when we return home. A really stunning trip probably like no other we have undertaken.

Tomorrow we are undertaking one of the worlds great drives to MIlford Sound.

Doubtful Sound Part 1

I am afraid that you will belate receiving this episode as we are sleeping the night on theFjordland Navigator in Doubtful Sound. There is no communication coverage at all, to give an idea how remote we had to travel 30 minutes by coach, a lake transfer for 1 hour to a hydro-electric site and then another bus trip across a dirt track. We then have navigated 20 miles out towards the Tasman Sea. When we went on deck it is pitch dark outside, it is just black there is no light source of any sort. We are also the farthest south we will ever sleep, 45 deg 20 mins, I have a photo of the ship GPS to prove it.
Well where to start, Doubtful Sound is simply a place of superlatives, it is a remote fjord, that is gloomy, because it is one of the wettest places on earth. The mountains come right down to the sea, interspersed with frequent waterfalls. Through the gloom there are occasional rays of sun. And it is remote.
The boat that we are on holds 70 people and we have a comfortable double cabin with ensuite facilities. The boat moves slowly, does not feel crowded, there is an informative commentary and ample viewing space. You can even visit the bridge and ask the captain things, they have an open door policy. Presumably there are not too many hijackers in these parts. It even made us feel enthusiastic about wild live even though we did not see a penguin, plenty of seals and albatrosses though.. Included in the tour was an opportunity to get out on the water in kayaks, which was fantastic feeling so low down and quiet in such a landscape.
To make it better we had great conversation with an American couple from Milwaukie (they are Packers sason ticket holders), and a Dutch couple who I made the mistake of calling German, all was forgiven over Fawlty Towers jokes. Well I must to bed as we have to be up at 6.45 tomorrow when the boat sails for more fantastic scenery. A real highlight of the holiday.

No pictures again I am afraid!

One end of South Island to the other

Today was a long drive as we moved from the West Coast to Fjordlan; around 700 kilometers, it is one of the surprises of New Zealand that it is so long, I suppose it is like driving from London to Edinburgh, without motorways, or dual carriageway. And even that is not the entire distance as there is another 300 km north of where we started in South Island. So it was an early start and away from the B & B before 6.30. The owners had kindly left out breakfast for us.
The first part of the drive was flat along the coast until we climbed into the mountains at Franz Josef Glacier. I am afraid we hurried through, but did stop at Fox Glacier (sounds like mint to me) for coffee. This was full of people arranging tramps or flights to the glacier. Interestingly the brochures were along the lines of we are better than the other glacier. The drive then followed some flattish forested land to the coast where after 300 kms we came to Haast a place that had been sign posted since the start. It turned out to be a petrol station and a couple of cafes, still we purchased some excellent rolls and drinks for a picnic lunch.
The scenary then grew more spectacular in what was described as the largest wilderness area in the Southern Hemisphere. Apart from the road it was a totally natural landscape of mountains, valleys and lakes. The lakes were an amazing turquoise blue, but quite rough because of the strong wind. At this point we had driven three hours without passing through any community big enough to have a speed limit.
Later we travelled through an area specialising in soft fruit. Marion bought fresh cherries at roughly half the price of the UK.(NB from Marion – not much is cheaper here!) There were vast cherry orchards completely enclosed by anti bird nets. Then it was a narrow gorge as we dropped down into Queenstown. The last part to Te Anau was little bit of a trial as we were tired. However we have a chalet room with a fantastic view over the mountains and lake. Hotel a little eccentric, I think Laura would appreciate some of the characters.
Tomorrow we are looking forward to our overnight on Doubtful Sound. All the pictures look marvellous. So beware readers our blog post might be delayed as I doubt there is a broadband connection on the boat. It will also be the first day that I will not have run, difficult on a boat. Maybe some kayaking instead.

Pancakes, Rocks not Tea

Woke up quite late this morning and had a leisurely breakfast chatting to the other people staying at this lovely B&B. The huge windows have beautiful views and in our room you can hear the Tasma n Sea pounding on the beach. The other guests were all racing on to Franz Joseph to visit the glacier but we had decided when planning the holiday to have 2 days here as a bit of a rest. Listening to the others, Nigel and I decided we’d made the right decision. Franz Joseph sounds a bit of a circus. Asked our B&B host what he would recommend for us to do and he suggested a place to the north of here called the Pancake Rocks.
The weather has bucked up again and the drive northward along the coast was lovely. The mountains (Southern Alps) come right down to the ocean and it is really lovely. When we reached the rocks, it was quite a busy place with a bit of infra-structure; proper car park, tourist office and café. We soon saw why. A proper path had been cut through what would once have been native bush, with important species of trees labelled. As we approached the ocean the amazing Pancake Rocks became visible. They were huge stacks still joined to the headland but only just. They have their name because they consist of layer upon layer of thin rocks (literally like a stack of pancakes), with blow holes in. The scientists still do not really understand how such a strange rock formation has come into being. After our stroll around we decided to go a little further north, to enjoy more of the fabulous coastline – apparently some of the most spectacular in NZ.
On our return drive we stopped in a little place called Brunner, which had once been quite a big place with a coal mine. At the end of the 19th century a lot of miners had been encouraged to come to NZ to work in the mines further north of here but then proved an unpopular workforce because they had brought fledgling notions of unionisation with them. So they and their families moved on to the mine here at Brunner. An interesting point was made about the relative stability of this community compared with that of the gold mines nearby. The coal miners were living with their families whereas the gold mining communities were all male preserves.
I’m writing this while Nigel is out running. He has run every day of our holiday (only a couple of times resorting to hotel treadmills) and he is feeling very fit. He won’t be able to the day after tomorrow when we have our 24 hour cruise up Doubtful Sound, although he hopes to go sea kayaking – me, I’m happy with a good book and lovely scenery!! (Although I walked and scrambled quite a bit today).
It seems funny that we have been talking about our journey home today. The time has gone so fast, although we are beginning to look forward to returning to see everyone and pick up our routines.