I say somehow, I don’t really know why.
No doubt, something to do with National Geographic.
For me, so many things at that age sprang from the pages of National Geographic.
Read and imagine.... I could go anywhere.
Fast forward nearly fifty years.
Have yet to make it to New Zealand.
Perhaps the time is now.... not getting any younger, you know.
Fall of 2017, just finishing up a large and complicated building project.
Empty time.
Need a challenge.
Research and write an itinerary for a South Pacific trip sounds just about right.
Challenging...just about.
Fall passes... the itinerary and supporting documentation swells, now filling a one inch thick ring binder.
Most complicated journey I’ve ever planned.
Why?
Well...for a start, it’s a long, long way to go.
And... I’ve decided that since Bora Bora is on the way... well sorta... that we’ll make a detour.
I’ve always fancied Bora Bora... you know... one of those over-the-water bungalows.
The honeymoon we never had... at least that’s how I pitched it to Sandy.
Ignoring for the moment the “little detour” to Bora Bora, New Zealand itself presents the traveler with some pretty unique obstacles.
It’s a small place ... right?
Well yes and no.
It’s really two islands and it’s a lot longer from north to south than you might think.
And... it’s a modern country as it were, but, north to south passage requires a ferry crossing.
The roads are adequate.... however, I sorta knew and would later discover that to drive what appeared on a map to be the shortest of distances, would slowly... emphasize slowly here... devolve into the longest of journeys. More about that later.
At first, five weeks seemed like more than enough time... then... no, obviously not enough.
But... New Zealand has this all figured out for me.
Commuter flights.
When you have a divided country, ferries, long drive time roads and little train service... you use commuter flights.
A lota commuter flights it would turn out. Six in total, just inside New Zealand.
All told, we would board thirteen different flights during the course of this journey.
You read that right.
Lodgings booked.
Tickets booked... all 13 of them.
Itinerary finally complete.
The journey is upon us.
It’s funny, but I did.. I did find myself wondering...no, surely not.
Wondering... once there, would I want to stay?
And... some fifty years later... my tastes and attitudes changed.
A self described foodie, I am well aware of New Zealand’s reputation as the “Garden of Eden”.
It’s lamb legendary, it’s wines outstanding and it’s seafood unequaled.
I am so looking forward to this.
And so it begins....
First stop, that little “detour” to Bora Bora.
But, that’s another story... indeed check out “Fifty Shades of Blue” on this same Blog.
No, this story begins with our arrival in Auckland. On the North Island, a thoroughly modern city, it is the country’s largest.
Impressive? Yes.
Livable? Yes, at first impression, seemingly quite so..
But a big city none the less and I’m not particularly fond of big cities.
But it is surrounded by water, beautiful beaches and countless islands in the bay.
Also known as the city of fifty volcanoes, it is literally built upon the remains of an old volcanic field. They punctuate the city creating a truly unique landscape.
Auckland is also a hub for ferry and plane connections.
Largely, this is why I’m here.
With limited time in Auckland, we utilize the excellent ferry services to explore Devonport, a beautiful vintage suburb of Auckland with awesome vistas of the city skyline.
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| Auckland from the ferry. |
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| Auckland Harbor |
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| Auckland from North Head |
The following day my favorite, a day trip across the bay to Waiheke Island. I was smitten by Waiheke. The picturesque ferry ride set the tone, but the island was gorgeous. Many people live on Waiheke and commute to Auckland to work.
Not a bad life.
Walking has always been our passion and it was the perfect way to experience Wiaheke.
Collect supplies for a picnic and off for a most agreeable walk with scenic overload.
The first of many similar experiences to follow
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| Approach of Waiheke |
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| Waiheke walk |
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| Waiheke walk |
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| Waiheke walk |
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| Waiheke walk |
Commuter flight one was to Napier, also on the North island.
Napier is a time capsule. Destroyed by an earthquake (pretty common in NZ) it was rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the time. It is a virtual museum of Art Deco.
Love it!
It has obviously been through some difficult economic times, but has never-the-less managed to carve-out a viable tourist economy from it’s architectural heritage and it’s wonderful pebbled beaches, it’s welcoming people.
Oh... and then there’s the bicycles.
Napier has embarked upon an aggressive bike path building program that is nothing short of amazing. Bike rentals are plentiful. Pathways are well marked and with almost no contact with traffic, you can ride as many miles as you care to.
Oh... and then there’s wine.
Napier sits right in the middle of the Hawkes Bay wine producing area.
New Zealand produces some amazing wines and Hawkes Bay is one of the premier regions.
Wine and bicycles.... perfect!!
We rent a couple of bikes in town.
Staff recommends a route through the wine country, with a well timed lunchtime rendevous at
Mission Estate Winery.
The ride was superb.
The rendevous at Mission Estate arranged for us by our bike rental staff.
Lunchtime at a winery is always something special. Mission Estate did not disappoint. Summer’s produce was lovingly shepherded to the table. It would be one of our best meals while in New Zealand
The Chardonnay, an excellent example of a Hawkes Bay Chardonnay.
Dessert was followed by a raucous thunderstorm, timed perfectly just prior to the continuation of our ride.
Yes...the ride was just about perfect.
Napier would also mark my first encounter with driving in New Zealand. Having driven in the UK some twenty years ago, I was not completely caught off guard, but... it had been twenty years ago. I managed, but, I must admit that the whole experience is awkward at best and not the least enjoyable.
Yet, I managed... just about.
Arriving and departing from Napier’s little airport was a dream, a throw-back to how regional air travel used to be. Carry your bags and no security checks. It all worked and was almost a pleasure... almost.
From Napier, a short flight back through Auckland then on to Queenstown, “gateway to the Lakes District”.
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| Napier's Deco charms |
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| Napier's Deco charms |
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| Deco tree, Norfolk Pine |
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| Sunset over Napier |
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| Waipatiki Beach Hawkes Bay |
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| Waipatiki Beach Hawkes Bay |
The flight into Queenstown has to go down as my most memorable.....ever!
The flight was maybe a couple of hours, largely over mountains, NZ is after all largely mountainous. Maybe twenty minutes before we were to land, the plane began it’s descent.
Looking out the window I suddenly became aware of the mountains.... really aware.
You see, we were flying down and through a canyon.... inside the canyon that is.
It was of course an illusion, but you wondered if the wingspan would clear the canyon walls. Now I know that I exaggerate a bit, but it really was a snug fit and we really were quite low. Seriously, I remember watching people walking on pathways alongside the canyon walls, we were that close and this was a regional jet flight, not some little turboprop.
Suddenly, the plane banks sharply to the left, the canyon opens up, and the plane descends quite rapidly and then...... touch down. The engines roared , more so that I can usually remember as the plane struggles to slow it’s speed to a stop. Well... it all went well.
Upon de-planing, I spied two large fan devices adjacent the wheels. I later asked and was told that because of the difficult landing conditions, the airport kept them on hand to cool the brakes.
Interesting flight.
Round two of automobile rental, I am getting a bit more comfortable at this point.
Still not pleasurable.
Queenstown is the birthplace of extreme sports. Kiwi’s, young Kiwi’s at least, are obsessed with extreme sports. Bungy jumping, para sailing, extreme downhill mountain biking.
Many a pilgrim comes to Queenstown to risk life and limb, his/her reward the adrenaline rush.
Me... not so much.
For me , Queenstown is a way point to the Lake District and to the legendary Milford Sound and its walks. It is far from undiscovered, and it is summer with throngs of young people coursing through the town.
It does however, present a jaw-droppingly gorgeous natural setting, best observed from the summit of the Skyline Gondola which affords the most awesome of views.
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| Queenstown |
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| Queenstown |
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| Lake Wakatipu |
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| Glendhu Bay |
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| Glendhu Bay |
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| Glendhu Bay |
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| Lake Wakatipu |
This is what New Zealand is best known for... the most awesome of views... again and again.
On the road again, behind the wheel... wrong side of the car... wrong side of the road.
A short 171km drive down to Te Anau, gateway to the Milford Sound. Google maps- two hour drive, reality three hours. This experience would be repeated over and over again.
The roads were reasonably good two lane, well marked.
I was driving about 50-60 mph.
Scenery was predictably gorgeous, thousands of sheep everywhere.
But it takes forever.... I still don’t really understand it. I had much the same experience in the UK many years ago. It remains a mystery.
Milford Sound, a great fiord in Fiord Land National Park, looks like it belongs in Norway, not New Zealand. It has been a destination for me for as long as I remember.
Twenty years ago, I would have attempted the four day walk, arguably the most famous walk on earth.
That was then, this is now.
Now, an excursion boat on the fiord and a series of guided walks led by a retired ranger proved a lovely introduction to Fiord Land.
Remote, unbelievably beautiful and did I say remote . Next stop, Antarctica.
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| Milford Sound |
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| Milford Sound |
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| Milford Sound |
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| Excursion boat on Milford Sound |
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| Milford Sound |
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| Milford Sound |
On the road again, repeat the journey back through Queenstown and on to much anticipated Wanaka and Lake Wanaka.
Getting there was a challenge on par with the jet’s approach into Queenstown Airport.
Not surprisingly, because of the ... well....those mountains.
I am not a nervous driver by nature, never have been.
But the route up and over the mountains from Queenstown to Wanaka tested me.
I was not found wanting, but... my god... I’ve never encountered so many switchbacks on a single route in my entire life. I won’t go into a lengthy explanation of this next expression, but the roadway as viewed from above must have resembled “pigs intestines”.
Interesting drive.
And.... of course it took far longer that expected.
Wanaka lying picturesquely alongside Lake Wanaka easily earns it’s reputation as the most beautiful spot in all of New Zealand.
I was not disappointed.
From our round, yes round, rental house set above the town, Lake Wanaka spread out before us.
Perfect... simply perfect!
No Queenstown crowds, no crass over development, just a very comfortable living experience situated on one of the most beautiful landscapes that I’ve ever seen.
Wanaka was just my speed.
This was New Zealand that I came looking for.
It would be a fine week.
Walks alongside the lake, bicycling alongside the lake. Walking into town.
I could get used to this.
Truly a small town, but, what we needed, we could find here.
We were self catering at our lodgings and it was a pleasure to get back in the kitchen.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love food and I love to eat out, but after a while I yearn for the food of my kitchen.
No market, but the supermarket in town was well stocked and our rental had a gas grille on the rear deck, allowing me to grille some of those delicious lamb chops I had dreamed of, but were proving so far, surprisingly difficult to find in the restaurant.
Nearby Central Otago wine region supplied many superb bottles of Pinot Noir, my favorites coming from the Schist Hills area. Rich and jammy, perfect they were with the chops.
Evening meals, out on the front deck, overlooking Lake Wanaka and Wanaka town.
Pure magic !!
Oh... and a special mention. The Cinema Paridiso, perhaps the quirkiest little cinema cum hostel cum brew pub cum bakery (known for it’s “giant cookies”). A Wanaka landmark.
Two wonderful evenings we spent at the Paridiso.
Loved it !!
Saying goodbye to Wanaka was a bit sad, but our next destination, Nelson, held much promise.
But first, what goes up must go down..... and so it was that we had to go up and over and down again to return to Queenstown and our next flight to Nelson.
“Pigs intestines” in reverse.
Still just as “interesting” and once again taking longer than expected.
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| Wanaka Beach on Lake Wanaka |
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| View Lake Wanaka |
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| View Lake Wanaka |
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| View Lake Wanaka |
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| Dinner with a view, Lake Wanaka |
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| The "Wanaka Tree" |
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| Wanaka Sunrise |
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| Blue waters Lake Wanaka |
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| Rainbow Lake Wanaka |
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| Lake Wanaka |
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| Lake Wanaka |
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| Lake Wanaka |
After the mountains of the Lakes District, the relatively flat plains of Nelson, situated on the northern shore of the South Island were in stark contrast.
Billed as New Zealand’s, funkiest, perhaps most livable city, we were both intrigued.
It was in fact a “living city” What I mean by that, it still had a functioning, somewhat vintage town, and not just populated by only tourist shops.
People lived here. And, despite economic hardships that echoed through many of the areas we had visited, doing a pretty fair job of it.
It had a funky, artistic vibe about it.
It had a weekly market.
.It had book stores and coffee shops.
It had a pedestrian zone with a vibrant food scene.
It had an enormous beach, a short bus ride from the center of town.
It had the buses to get you there.
And... it was quite walkable.
Again we rented a self catering flat, this one a second floor walk-up above retail and with the most wonderful main street view through the tallest windows and with grand skylights overhead.
Home for two weeks... this would do nicely.
Now Nelson is almost equally situated between Abel Tasman Park and it’s renown Abel Tasman Walk and the uber-picturesque Queen Charlotte Sound with it’s myriad islands in the bay and it’s equally renown Queen Charlotte Walk.
Together with the Milford Track, these are three of the most celebrated walks in the world.
Additionally, we were adjacent to perhaps New Zealand’s most famous wine region, the Marlboro and it’s equally famous Sauvignon Blanc Wine.
All known to me and largely the reason for the two week sojourn.
Plenty to do here.
A bit of reconnoitering at the very helpful TI, and arrangements made for Abel Tasman.
Bus to the remote park, stunningly beautiful ferry ride to the even remoter trail head.
Again, twenty years ago I may have attempted the multi-day walk, but today we were being dropped off for a particularly remote and scenic part sea side walk.
Six to seven miles, moderately strenuous terrain, and beacoup stops for photos.
The tour company had packed us a delicious lunch, all we had to do was find the perfect picnic spot.
Difficult task. So many choices.
Three to four hours had sounded a gracious plenty, but with a high tide blocking the shortcut across the bay and us having to do the perimeter walk around the bay, we were more than a bit concerned. We of course made it with time to spare, but given that it was the last ferry of the day and there was no alternative, it put the pepper in our step.
Another glorious walk.
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| Abel Tasman |
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| Abel Tasman |
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| View Abel Tasman Walk |
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| Swinging bridge on Abel Tasman Walk |
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| Abel Tasman Walk, high tide coming |
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| Abel Tasman Walk endpoint |
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| Abel Tasman Walk endpoint |
The following days were punctuated with lazy days walking and lounging on Tahunanui Beach,
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| Tahunanui Beach @ low tide |
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| Tahunanui Beach @ low tide |
Next up, and over to The Queen Charlotte Sound and it’s famous Queen Charlotte’s Walk.
Mass transit proved difficult for this excursion, so...third rental car experience.
Still unpleasant and quite possibly the longest of the longer than expected travel times.
Eighty three miles.... over two and a half hours.
Driving in New Zealand was either “pigs intestines” or “go around you elbow to get there”.
Still not enjoying it.
Picton, the jumping off point for the Queen Charlotte, was, how shall I put this... not my favorite.
Lets just say uninspiring and be done with it.
It was, none-the less on the edge of what is arguably one of the most beautiful vistas in New Zealand, and there are many to compare.
The ferry ride through the verdant green islands of the bay was nothing if not magical.
Finding ourselves again dropped off at the trail head for todays walk, I regard the finality of our ferry’s departure into the distance.
Six to seven miles, moderately strenuous terrain, packed lunch... by now we are entirely comfortable with the drill.
The walk proved almost effortless, the scenery, just over the top beautiful.
Walking through forest so green, with the water so blue by our side.
Leisurely picnic lunch in the midst of all this beauty.
I’d give it a 10!
No flooded bay this time to block our way, the three to four hours allotted time, more than adequate.
Arrival at the venerable old Furneaux Lodge overlooking Endeavour Bay with time to spare.
Beer time !!
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| On the Queen Charlotte Sound |
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| Drop-off point Queen Charlotte walk |
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| View Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| View Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| View Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| View Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| Walked across path on Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| View Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| Tree Fern Queen Charlotte Walk |
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| Waterfront Picton |
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| Beer time Furneaux Lodge |
Return, Picton to Nelson in reverse.
Still not enjoying it.
The next few days lapsed into a serene pattern
Lazy days on the beach.
Lazy afternoons of cherished café time on the pedestrian square, exploring bottle by bottle Marlboro’s best. Cheers to our friends at the Cod and Lobster, their lovely “Gin Cured New Zealand Salmon” from the nearby mountains and the totally unexpected Fromm La Strada Pinot Grigio . Magical !
And...slow, sumptuous evening meals. Most notably an awesome chef’s tasting dinner paired with the local tipple. Hopgood's...Pricey, but so worth it.
Relaxed... return to reality is upon us.
Return flight to Auckland, maybe an hour at best.
Last time in Auckland, saw some treasures.
This time in Auckland, buy the treasures.
Farewell dinner, Parnell 149. First visit... awesome meal. Second visit lives up to first.
Long, long, long flight
Twelve hours to LAX.
Four hour layover.
Five more hours to CLT.
It was a long, long, long day.
ADDENDUM
Some parting thoughts on my New Zealand adventure:
I/we have wanted to go there for a long, long time, but... it always seemed so far away..
Then there’s my childhood dream of someday living there.
My preconceptions, no one I’ve known who went there returned disappointed.
It is going to be a foodies and wine lovers paradise.
It will have boundless natural beauty and incredible geographic diversity.
Life there must be paradise.
It is really far away from everything. Even the Kiwi’s joke about being immune from the world’s problems... no one bothers with them. But the fact remains, to get anywhere takes a very long time indeed.
By the time I had departed, I realized that if I found myself there, I could live there, perhaps Wanaka or Waiheke being my choice, but I don’t think that I would choose to be there.
New Zealand is a veritable Garden of Eden, able to grow a wide diversity of produce, seemingly endless choices of sea foods and the lamb.
But... if I were paying in NZ dollars not in US dollars which were worth considerably more at the time, for that food, I would have found it to be quite expensive. Mind you, the average Kiwi doesn’t earn the equivalent of , say their American counterpart. That has to smart a bit.
Also, remember those lamb chops in Wanaka. Well I never did find them in a restaurant while in New Zealand. I was told that all of that lamb that I passed on those unexpectably long drives was largely for export to Europe where it was sold for a handsome price. Therefore, in New Zealand, this lamb selling for a similar price to the export market, was not attractive to the local population. If they were going to splurge on meat. It would be for beef, a perceived luxury meat, which is experiencing a boom in production.
And those green lipped mussels New Zealand is so famous for, and being so close to Havelock, home of these mussels, I was so anticipating them. The first time Auckland, they came out so enormous and the beards so tough, I simply could not enjoy them. Second and third times, they got progressively smaller, and the mantles less tough, but still they will never be my favorite.
Perhaps looking for a foodie paradise was a bit naive on my part. Kiwi culture remains largely influenced by it’s British roots. Pubgrub is still quite popular out in the provinces. Only when you venture into the larger cities, often with diverse immigrant populations, do you begin to really experience a diversity of cuisine, particularly the Pan-Asian that is defining modern New Zealand cuisine.
But, in all fairness, this is not so different from my American experience either.
And... in all fairness, I did have some memorable meals, the lunch at Mission Hills, the chef’s table at Hopgoods in Nelson and the two dinners at Parnell 149 in Auckland rise to the top.
There was , however, no such disappointments with New Zealand wines. They exceeded my expectations. We visited the principal areas of Hawkes Bay, Central Otago and of course Marlboro. A good representation by anybodies reckoning. I won’t say I never had a disappointing bottle, however, I can’t remember it.
And, there is the undeniable beauty and the incredible diversity of the place.
To say that I rediscovered my camera on this journey would be an understatement. I took an unbelievable number of photos. It was so easy, jaw droppingly beautiful scenes were at every turn. Some of my shots were good, very good even, but it was the landscape that deserves the real credit. As Sandy says “even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again”.
Drive fifty miles in any direction and the landscape would change.
Seaside, subtropical forest, glacier spilling off a mountain and into the forest, turquoise lake, other side of the mountain, you might find a semi-arid desert.
This diversity truly exist and it was amazing.
But.... there’s always a but.
In every sense of the word, and in every experience, the sense of remoteness permeated.
I think that in an earlier time and place, I may have been more likely to overlook this, less bothered by it in any event.
But, again in all fairness, in my current life I find remoteness in any setting to be less desirable.
I suspect that the many years of travel in a Mediterranean environment have molded my perceptions. There, you find scenes of great beauty. Yes, yes... I realize that it is a different form of beauty.. But the point is, there is seldom the remoteness associated with it. There is culture, ancient as well as current infused throughout.
I just think that my current self has come to prize ths infusion, and to see the beauty accordingly.
So....
Did I enjoy New Zealand? Oh... beyond a doubt... yes.
Would I return to New Zealand? Probably not. There are many other destinations to see and I am not getting younger.
Would I recommend the journey to someone else? Oh, absolutely, yes. I don’t think you would be disappointed. Remember, I’ve Never heard anybody who’s been there who didn’t have a good time.
You know, It’s true what they say....
Paraphrased: “If you search for paradise, you will not find it”.
Just have a good time!!
