Queenstown
The flight to Queenstown New Zealand on Air New Zealand was great. I saw an empty row and scooted over right before take off. New Zealand customs x-rayed the bags coming off the plane. They caught my macadamia nuts from Hawaii but approved them as they were sealed and not from Fiji. The car rental place tried to upsell me more insurance on top of my zero deductible rider?? The Shotover lodge, $82, was just outside of town, clean, spacious, and quiet. I am actually getting quite comfortable driving on the other side of the road, after Japan last year and Fiji this year.
Queenstown is the adrenalin sport capital of the world. They invented bungee jumping here. They have parasailing, paragliding, hang gliding, ultralight flying, sky diving, helicopter tours, small plane tours, Jet boat tours, white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, 4×4 safaris, ATV tours, race car driving, segway tours, go carts, luge, canyon swings, mountain biking (electric and pedal), canyoning, river surfing, hiking, Ziplining, fishing, horseback riding, Lord of the Rings site tours, golf, swimming, wine tasting, frisby rentals and more I don’t remember. They even had a machine that looked like an enclosed jet ski that would dive two meters below the water and leap six meters out of the water like porpoise. I drove thru town, hit the ATM, bought a bottle of wine, and was glad I was staying out of town; I did not fit the demographic. Dinner was at Gantley’s across from my hotel, a rustic stone cabin with a fire in the fireplace. I opted for the vegetarian tasting menu as it looked highly creative; think beetroot ravioli and vegetable Wellington among the six courses. They had unique sweet red wine that I had with the chocolate dessert course, $70.
Wednesday morning I headed for Arrowtown for breakfast. I sat outside at a nice cafe and had coffee and a bacon buttie (canadian bacon and fried egg sandwich.) Arrowtown is a quiet old timey town with several restored buildings. They had the remnants of a Chinese settlement from the gold rush days. After wandering around for a bit I took the winding road over the pass to Wanaka. The views were stunning and I had to pull over for pictures several times. Wanaka is a new, laid back resort town set on a picture perfect lake. Very nice but it did not feel like it had much character, too new. I drove some back roads, visited some small towns, stopped at an art glass studio and eventually arrived at Lake Hayes and the Amisfield winery and Bistro for a late lunch. This was very elegant patio dining, they even had their own forager to gather wild stuff from the forest. They had a fixed tasting menu, two small bites, the most beautiful and delicious asparagus dish, blue cod, and lamb shoulder. With two glasses of wine, $60 but so worth it. This was the most creative food I have had since Copenhagen. After a few more picture stops, many one lane bridges and some tramping around, i got back to my hotel and worked on posting the first part of the trip.
Thursday I set out for Glenorchy. They filmed part of the Lord of the Rings movies in the area. The drive along lake Wakatipu was delightful. I arrived a little after nine and found the cafe I was looking for but it was closed. I rechecked the guide book and saw it opened at ten in November . By 9:30 people were gathering outside so I drove up the road to see if I could find the walking track that had been recommended. When the pavement ended and the rain started, I gave up and went back for breakfast. 10:30 and a crowd was still waiting to get into the tiny cafe, I gave up. I went back to Queenstown and was going ride the lake steamer but figured out it just went up the lake to Glenorchy and back and I had just seen all of that. So I wandered the waterfront looking for lunch. The place that looked the best had a street musician playing close by accompanied by his dog who was so mournful it sounded like he was being spayed. Eventually I settled on another place with a great lakeside table. After lunch I walked the peninsula with the Queenstown Gardens which was quite nice. Going back I stopped on the Shotover River. I considered the jet boat trip, but they crammed them in like sardines and $120 for a 30 minute ride did not seem worth it, besides I spent lots of time riding in and driving jet boats long ago in Texas. For dinner I tried the Burmese place across the street. The first course was outstanding but the next two were just OK. I cannot rave about my time in Queenstown but I did get oriented to New Zealand and had the start of a plan for the next 16 days.
Milford Sound
I headed out early for Milford sound taking the Southern Scenic Byway. There were baby lambs everywhere, it is spring here. Like everywhere, spring means road construction, so there were several stoppages. I stopped at a cafe for breakfast, it wasn’t open yet but the one across the street was. It was a bakery and they had a large, thin slice of bread coated in cheese and grilled onions and rolled up. They heated it for me it it was quite tasty, with coffee $4. The road to Milford Sound from Te Anau is 85 km and a couple of hours, more if you stop. I stopped a lot even though it was occasionally misty and rainy. At several stops there were birds that looked like drab parrots that would hop right up to the car, they were Kea, an endangered local species. I saw more waterfalls than I had in my entire life. In places they were just meters apart. I walked into a place called The Chasm, and the water was pouring thru the rock with more force than seemed possible. I finally reached the Sound and there were tour boats galore, some were huge. I had lucked out getting Mitre Peak Cruises, $50, the smallest boat, and there were only ten other people on my trip. It was still misty but not raining, so the pictures came out poorly but the scenery was worth the trip. I have been in lots of fjords but none with so many waterfalls, they were even more numerous than in the canyon driving to Milford. As we came around the point from the dock the first fall was 162 meters and after the first 40 meters it hit a rock ledge and shot straight out ten meters before falling the rest of the way. Some of the small falls would hit a ledge and blow away without ever hitting the bottom. There was a young man with the boat spotting wildlife for us and we saw yellow eyed penguins, fur seals and harbour seals. Since the rock went straight down, the captain could run the boat into some of the waterfalls, a good time to be inside. The best two hours of the trip so far. It was gloaming as I drove back and I did not stop. I checked into the Shakespeare B&B, $115, and got the Hamlet room. Rhododendrons and azaleas were blooming everywhere. I was a block off the lake, so I walked down the lake and into the main part of town to The Fat Duck. A hearty serving of venison goulash and a glass of wine made up for no lunch.
Dunedin
After a nice breakfast and some driving advice from my hosts, I set off southward. I stopped at an interesting 19th century wooden suspension bridge, now bikes and pedestrians only. Before too long I hit the coast and there were big breakers rolling in directly from Antarctica. They say the surfing is always good, if you have a wetsuit. I meandered east thru several tiny seaside towns. The only one of any size is Invercargill. It has the world’s best collection of old trucks and an aluminium smelter. I didn’t have time to stop although I would have enjoyed the trucks. In Fortrose the Scenic Byway split, so I stopped at a place with an information sign. It turned out to be a gas station, cafe, information place. I had a great bowl of seafood chowder and got a map of the Catlins and some advice. The Catlins are a wild and wooly part of SE New Zealand. I stopped at one lighthouse, managed the 13 km of gravel road, passed the Cathedral Caves (only open 2 hours before low tide until one hour after) and finally reached McLean falls. I remembered to grab my trekking pole and it was about 25 minutes in. The falls were worth all the steps and wet slippery rocks. They do a great job with their trails in NZ. I kept following the coast around and eventually arrived in Dunedin (from the celtic for Edinburgh). My hotel, the Law Courts Hotel, $58, is everything I want in a hotel. Great location, super clean rooms, good bed, fluffy towels, lots of hot water and electrical outlets (usually a problem in old hotels). The first floor is a proper English pub with the Jury Room bar and the Wig & Pen restaurant, roast of the day and five sides $12. When your order a pint, $5, you get a real British pint not a puny American pint and the local ale is quite good.
Sunday started out nice. Breakfast was 3 poached eggs on toast, $7. I wandered around taking pictures and visited a few galleries and used book stores. I visited the Settlers Museum and learned about the early interactions of the English and the Maori. Apparently the English treated them with respect, after some brutal battles, buying land from them and signing a treaty in 1840. They encouraged intermarriage and assimilation. Next door is an authentic Chinese Garden, one of only three outside of China including the one in Portland. There were strong similarities to the one in Portland. I had booked the afternoon train thru the Taieri Gorge, $62, thinking the weather would be better. At 2:30 it was raining. The train was over an hour late and by then the sun came out. The train chugged out of Dunedin and thru horse breeding country. The fields were full of horses and newborn foals. Soon we went thru the first tunnel and entered the canyon. The line was built in the late 19th century and has some exciting trestles and 10 tunnels. The Broom and Gorse were in full bloom and the hillsides were a stunning tapestry of yellow and green. The trip was two hours each way and I barely got back in time for dinner at the hotel. The most interesting restaurant in town, two Chefs Bistro, was closed on Sunday and Monday.
Monday I decided to drive the Otago Peninsula. The first stop was Larnach Castle built in 1871. After his first two wives died, he committed suicide and left everything to his third wife and children. In 1967 the Baker family bought it from the government, restored it, and created a museum, lodge and function destination. The castle is quite nice, with great views and significant gardens. The end of the peninsula has the Royal Albatross Centre. They have been nurturing albatrosses since the 30’s. Since it was blowing so hard I could barely make it to the visitors center, I passed on the tour. On the south side of the parking lot there were viewing platforms sheltered from the wind. I wish I could say I saw an albatross, but I did see some stunning cliffs and seascape. On the north side of Dunedin are the botanical gardens. I spent an hour there but could easily spent two, many trails and not many people. A few days ago I had noticed that seven of the eight screws holding my camera together had disappeared. A local camera shop replaced a few of them at no charge.
Timaru
Tuesday I headed north. I saw a route on the map that looked interesting and followed it thru Port Chalmers where there was a Royal Caribbean ship docked, I didn’t stop. When I got to Osborne and the road ended, I realized the line on the map was a railroad line. I had followed the ridge with views to both sides and had no regrets. My first stop was the Moeraki Boulders. A few had cracked open and were yellow inside. All together an interesting diversion. Soon I came to Oamaru, the coolest city on the south island. The city was once bigger than Los Angeles and sports many victorian buildings. There are lots of galleries, craft shops, used bookstores, a micro distillery, and steampunk (sculpture made from junkyard scraps) art. I loved it and wish I had spent the night there. I had booked a room at the Grosvenor Hotel, $80, in Timaru. The hotel dated from 1875 and the current facade from 1915. It was a pit, the room had no furniture except a bed, not even a chair. Dinner was at the Copper Cafe, fish and chips, $ 18 with wine, elephant fish was quite tasty. Oh well ,can’t win every stop.
Christchurch
Wednesday did not start great. The rain had just stopped as I headed to breakfast. As I approached the two Stags cafe I realized I had left my bag in the room. After I went back and returned and was drinking a very nice coffee, they said they were out of spinach for what I ordered. We substituted bacon and it was tasty but bit heavy. I stopped at the Aigantighe Gallery mainly because they had a sculpture garden. The inside exhibit was better than the garden and I bought a mask. I had to pay cash and leave it until the end of the show, so I asked them to ship it to me, fingers crossed. There was an inland scenic drive that I decided to follow. It was mostly farming country but some nice views of the southern Alps. Pleasant Point was supposed to have 200 sites of Maori rock art but the guys at the gas station had no idea where they were, no signage any where either. Geraldine was full of tour busses and I could not find the cheese place. I stopped at Stavely for lunch, Quiche and salad. The bathroom was across the street. I finally pulled into Christchurch. The Hotel 115, $105, was a brand new four star place in the heart of town, nice room. Yelp rated 27 Steps as the best restaurant and I could walk there. I counted 25 steps up the stairs and I guess the other two were on the intermediate landing. I had the asparagus risotto (awesome) and the lamb kidneys with salad; with two glasses of wine and an espresso martini for dessert $50.
Thursday was a walking around day. I started at Supreme Supreme with a cheese and spring onion scone to go with my coffee. The blocks were long with many construction detours. The Christchurch Art Gallery was a striking modern structure. One exhibit was kinetic sculptures which were interesting, one room was all yellow pieces (fun) and then there was a stark landscape by Quentin MacFarland that was mesmerizing. A block further down was the Canterbury Museum. It had a nice Maori exhibit and a very good Antarctic exhibit. I decided to pass on the free shuttle to the Antarctic center visit and walked the botanical gardens instead. With all the construction and condemned buildings it is not an especially desireable walking city. Dinner was at Fiddlesticks, another top rated place. It was two for one oyster night and they were superb. My main was a lightly seared locally caught piece of tuna. With wine, whisky, and desert, $54.
Friday I decided to drive the Banks Peninsula, it was cloudy and misty but the scenery was stunning. This area was formed by the eruption of several volcanoes eight million years ago. I took one side road which wound up the ridge of a mountain. When the pavement ended I sat for a bit and the Postman came by. I asked him where it went and he told me about all the little villages; then he said all wheel drive was recommended. So I backtracked a bit and eventually came out at Akaroa, originally settled by the French. It sat on a beautiful bay but the only French influence left were the flags outside of the souvenir shops. From there I took Summit Road to Okains Bay. This road is not for the acrophobic, as it crawls along the ridges and over the mountain. You go to Okains Bay for the Maori and Colonial Museum. It was started by a local farmer whose collecting eventually became an obsession. All the individual buildings are original and have been relocated to the sight. The canoe building had canoes over 200 years old. There were over a dozen Maori and Colonial buildings lovingly restored. The extent of pre-European Maori artifacts was overwhelming, but still well explained. The entry fee was $7 but after I had been there for an hour I gave them an additional donation. Finally the sun came out and burned off the last of the fog. Another hair raising drive up and over the ridges brought me to Pigeon Bay. From there I took a mostly gravel road to Port Levy, this road was so narrow a motorcycle would have trouble getting past me, fortunately the only other car I met was at the very end. Dinner was at The Monday Room, recommended by the people at Fiddlesticks. It was a nice modern space and the only open business in a block of damaged masonry buildings. They put mayonnaise in the ceviche which was odd but still tasted good. The local salmon was very good once I pushed away the sauce which overpowered it. They did make the perfect espresso martini.
Kaikoura
I woke up hungry so I headed to Black Betty’s for breakfast. It had a pirate theme and the bacon buttie had avocado, lettuce, and tomato on ciabatta bread, it was huge and delicious. I had learned that there had been an earthquake and the road north was closed. The tourist office said the coast road was open on weekends as far as Kaikoura. It was a partly cloudy day as I headed out, the scenery was mostly farms. I stopped at Waipara, the heart of the local wine country, the first winery had a terrific Chardonnay and an interesting Port. The second stop, Greystone, also produced Muddy Waters wine. One is grown in limestone soil and the other in clay soils, both harvested at the same time and handled the same way, but two very different tastes, both good. I had the Muddy Waters at Fiddlesticks and liked it so a bottle of the Pinot Noir was added to my stash. The road still was not very interesting so I took a short loop road down to Gore Bay, a lovely rocky beach with several people camping, swimming, and surfing. Even on S-1, the main north south highway, they have one lane bridges; just not enough traffic to matter. Eventually I reached the construction zones; they were numerous one lane sections and when the road started skirting the Pacific, they were almost continuous. It has been a year since the earthquake and they expect another year before all the roads are fixed. In Kaikoura I checked in to Brook House B&B, $90. The room was huge, breakfast was nice, and the hostess, Judy, was a fount of information.
I drove to the end of the Kaikoura Peninsula to the Kean lookout. From there I clambered over the rocks for about a kilometer to where the seals were. There were hundreds of them, sunning, rubbing noses, pushing each other; but I did not see any pups. As I walked out there I passed a bird nesting ground and they really were screaming at me. On the way back they started dive bombing me. By the time I got to the car, the whole back of my jacket was white. They did not seems to be bothering anyone else, so maybe it was the red jacket. At least they did not get my hat and the leather cleaned up easily. Judy had recommended I eat at the seafood barbeque, which was open until six or whenever they sold out. It is a caravan that sits by a public park, I saw him pulling out at three, guess he had a good Saturday. Instead I stopped at the Pier Hotel, an old historic building with a great view of the harbour. I could not decide and I was hungry so I had both the crayfish and the mussels. What they call a crayfish, we would call a rock lobster and it was large and yummy. The mussels were very big green shell mussels cooked with lemongrass and coconut, probably the best mussels ever. With a pint, $54.
Nelson
The road north was closed, so Sunday I headed south on the inland scenic route. Some of the route was quite scenic, some was thru a broad valley, and all of it was long. It took six hours instead of the expected two and a half. I was beat when I arrived, but after a brief rest I walked to the Cod and Lobster Brasserie. They were out of oysters, so I had a Ceaser salad and the grilled fish of the day. Monday I tried Sweet As Cafe for breakfast. They had corn fritters with grilled mushrooms plus a cappuccino, $14. The weather looked iffy, so I drove east. The first part of the road was windy and scenic, once I got to Havelock it hugged the coast. Eventually I got to Picton. This is where the ferry to the north island docks. I stopped to see the Edwin Fox, a merchant ship from 1853. It had an interesting history and the exhibit was about the preservation, so it was essentially unrestored.
I then headed to Blenhiem, heart of the Marlbourgh wine country. By the airport there was a museum of WW1, $17, aircraft. It was donated by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings director) to house part of his collection of old aircraft. It was extremely well done and a great insight to the history of aviation at that time. The British did not allow their flyers to have parachutes because they were afraid they would use them prematurely, better to let them die in flames. There was another section for WW2 but that would have been too much warfare. I stopped at a cople of wineries and picked up a bottle for the room. I decided to stopp for dinner in Havelock as that is the New Zealand capital of mussles. The mussel pot was the top recommendation but it did not open until 5:15 so I visited the local museum. It was unattended and by donation. I was blown away by the quality; lots of first person stories and related artifacts, the best one room museum I ever saw. By 5:10 there was no light at the Mussel Pot, not even in the kitchen, so I went to the Captain’s Daughter, a great old building with a view of the bay. I had the seafood chowder to start (huge and deliscios) and the tried the broiled mussels. I was supposed to get three each of four differnt versions (parmesian, garlic, coconut,plain) but got four of each. They also poured my wine glass completely full. I think I will stick to steamed in the future, but for $28 it was hard to beat.
I had hoped for a sunny day Tuesday but it was not to be. I started for the most northern point on the island in a foggy mist. I had breakfast at Alberta’s in Mapua, right on the wharf. The avocado smash had sprouts, peas tomatoes and an egg on top, $12. The drive was winding thru the mountains but visibility was nil. I stopped at a few lookouts but pictures did show much. It is interesting to see palm trees mixed in with regular trees in the forests. Eventually I arrived Farewell Spit, a 35 km long sand and scrub arm reaching due north. You can walk a couple of kms up the beach, but need a permit to go further. It was an interesting sight, as wastelands go, and I walked some of it. The fog still had not burned off as I drove back to Nelson. I visited WOW (World of Wearableart and Classic Cars) an odd combination but quite interesting. Apparently they have an annual contest for outlandish costumes and the winners are presented here. The car side was interesting too, a few marques I had never heard of, many I was familiar with and some I had owned; i.e. Jaguar XK 150S and Jaguar Mark IX. Dinner was at the Urban Eatery and Oyster Bar. Oysters here are expensive, but I started with six and my main was roasted veal sweetbreads, with three tiny veal chops.
The West Coast
Breakfast was in Wakefield at The Villa, I am enjoying hitting these small town cafes for breakfast. A frittata and cappuccino was $8. It was a long and scenic drive to the coast. Road construction seems to be the main industry on the South Island, between the earthquakes and the rain, they are always working. In retrospect, I should have gone to Karamea and then tramped in the Oparara Basin with the natural arches. As It was there was not enough time so I went south from Westport, a coal mining town, along the coast. At first the road was too far inland to be very scenic, but soon it skirted the Tasman Sea. This is a dramatic coast to match Oregon’s. The clouds finally burned off as I reached Punakaiki (pancake rocks). This is a unique rock formation with the sea thundering into multiple blowholes. I stopped in Barrytown to check out a place that did a one day knife making workshop. Unfortunately Steve just turned 68 that day and was taking the next two days for holiday. They were delightful people and meeting them made the stop worthwhile. I stayed in Greymouth at the Nikau B&B, $97, which was quiet and had the best bed I have slept on in years. Dinner was at Buccleugh’s; Whitebait starter and super succulent roast lamb rump. Whitebait is a local specialty this time of the year and is baby fish too small to even be called fry. They are translucent and about an inch long. They serve them in patties that look like potato pancakes (with the whitebait instead of potatoes) with egg and onion mixed in, delicious. Greymouth was very grey, Hokitika, a little farther down the road looked more interesting for a stop.
Thursday was overcast, again. The drive south is quite nice when it hugs the coast. The highlights are the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, however the clouds were so low the visibility was nil. I did stop at Lake Matheson for a short stroll. It is a lovely lake with a 4km walk starting with a wooden suspension bridge. The bridge swung a bit as I crossed, coming back someone got on behind me and the swinging was magnified so I had to hold on. South of that stop the highway had many suspension bridges, all one lane of course. There was a river every few kilometers, each one more beautiful than the last. The sun finally came out and there were several great overlooks to stop at. There never seems to be many people on the highway, but whenever there is a stop it is packed, especially with rental motorhomes and camper vans. Eventually I reached Haast and checked into the Aspire Motel, $89, a small place with a nice view as I drank my wine. I walked to the Hard Antler cafe, the only place in town and the grilled blue cod and wine for $26.
Friday started out sunny but quickly faded. I waited for the Prickly Gorse cafe to open but they didn’t. I did find the completely empty dining room at the World Heritage Hotel and had the Whitebait breakfast, two patties with coffee and toast, $14, and I was stuffed. Every town on the south island has jet boat tours, jet boats were invented there. I finally signed up for Waiatoto River Safari as it was a small boat and more nature tour than thrill ride, 2.5 hours. There were 3 couples, all from NZ, and the guide was very informative. The coast gets 100” of rain a year but up river, the rain forest can get two or three times as much. I learned that what I thought were palm trees in the forest were tree ferns.
I had seen a lot of “Ban 1080” signs; 1080 is a poison they are using to kill off the possums, a non native invasive species. The problem is 1080 kills everything and the carcasses are poisonous too. New Zealand has had lots of problems with introduced species. The Scots brought deer, but they ate everything in the forest within ten feet of the ground. Someone figured out they could hunt them from helicopters, then they found out they could get good money selling the meat to Europe and Asia. That solved the wild deer problem and started a significant venison industry. They introduced stoats for the fur, but stoats kill for the fun of it and decimated the wild bird population, so they poisoned them. Possums were also introduced for the fur but they eat everything. So that is why they are so picky about what you bring into the country.
After the jet boat, I continued down the road to Jackson Bay, the absolute end of the road. It was in a spectacular bay and is primarily a commercial fishing port. They do have “The Craypot” a kitchen in a caravan, so I pigged out on a whole Crayfish. I finished the crayfish, more meat that two lobsters, but could not quite finish the salad and potatoes, $60 with a ginger beer. It was midafternoon and time to head for Arrowtown over the Haast pass. Haast was not connected by road until 1965 and the road is really something. I stopped three times and walked in to see waterfalls and all were worth the trek. Thunder creek Falls were especially dramatic with a 28 meter drop. After my usual number of missed turns, GPS speaks up too late, I arrived at Shades of Arrowtown motel, $105. This was the prettiest room so far, great gardens, steps from the quaint downtown. I was still stuffed from lunch so I skipped dinner.
Thames on the North Island
Saturday was moving day, moving to the north island. After a good breakfast at Provisions, i pulled out of the motel; into the Queenstown marathon. In spite of several detours I got to the airport in plenty of time. Air New Zealand $98, treated me just fine (exit row seat) and I arrived in Auckland before 2pm. I had booked the cheapest car on the web, Ace Rental, and went across the street to where the car rental companies were. They sent me back to the terminal and after asking twice I found the phone to call them. The shuttle was prompt but the office was slow, however they did upgrade me so they were forgiven. On both islands I bought zero deductible riders on line, Amex doesn’t cover car rental in NZ and I am getting paranoid in my retirement. It was about an hour and a half to Thames, a gritty little town with quaint English cottages. I checked into the Sunset Motel, $82. I was concerned that there were no reviews on Booking.com but wanted to save some money. It was an adequate two star room with a million dollar view over the bay to the west. Unfortunately it was too cloudy for the sunset that evening. I passed on the fish and chips place and had Indian food at The Cumin; their butter prawns were great, $24 with beer.
Sunday was raining, again, but I decided to drive the Coromandel Peninsula anyway. The road hugged the coast, no shoulder, and if you wandered a foot off the road you would be tumbling down the rocks into the surf. There were trees growing straight out and then up from the embankment the road was built on. The roots stabilize the road I guess. It was a very dramatic drive through the pictures don’t show much. At the pull offs you could see many small islands just off the coast. Just outside of Coromandel town there was a stand shucking oysters for $15 a dozen. It was still before noon but who could resist. They were good but not as good as the ones on the south island. I kept driving to Colville where the pavement ended, a quaint wide spot in the road. After backtracking a bit I cut over to the Pacific coast, which has stunning beaches, but no one was on them that day. The rain had finally stopped so I took the infamous 309 Road back over the spine of the peninsula. It is mostly gravel, but not as rough as the roads in Fiji. It climbs steeply and gets deep into the bush, pretty dramatic. Dinner was Thai food, not bad, and then I sat on the tiny deck at my dumpy motel and had an unobstructed view across the bay as the sun set.
Whakatane
Monday was sunny and I had breakfast at Grahamstown Coffee Shack, a nice scone as big as a softball and a cappuccino, $8. The drive between Paeroa and Waihi, thru the Karangahake Gorge is beautiful with lots of stops and walks. There is also a train on weekends. Many of the small towns were former, or still are, mining towns. Waihi is on old gold mining town with a very small open pit that you can walk around. . Katikati is an Ulster planned community and has a plethora of murals on various buildings but not as good as the ones in Toppenish Washington. Just south of there is a bird garden, the garden was pleasant but the birds were mostly ducks, chickens, and geese. There were few native species in cages. It turns out Kiwis are nocturnal so you never see them in nature. I stopped in Tauranga which looked promising. I visited the site of the old redoubt from the Maori wars and saw a replica Waka (war canoe). I was headed for the oldest house in the area when I ran into Pat, a local Scotswoman, in the rose garden. She was 78 and talked my ear off. Her husband and all her family were dead and it was hard to cut her off, until she got to the part about god had sent Trump to rule America. Back in the car and down the road, phew. I got caught on a short section of toll road and did not see any other way south. I am supposed to go online and pay a $1.40 toll. I did pick up some strawberries, golden kiwis and an avocado at various fruit stands along the way.
Whakatane got its name a thousand years ago when the Maori landed here, While the men were checking things out the Waka started drifting back out to sea with all the women. Women were forbidden to row or steer a canoe but the chief’s daughter shouted out “I will act like a man” (Whakatane) and saved the canoe and the women, becoming a hero. I checked in to the Alton Lodge Motel, $78, which was a huge improvement over the last place. The super nice lady at the hotel recommended the Sport Fishing Club for dinner. It is a private club but out of towners can be guests. The catch of the day was a fish I never heard of, but three pieces, pan fried, with salad and fries was $16 and wine was $3.50; delicious and a great deal. I sat at a high top table with a view of the harbour and fishing boats. One of the women in the line to order, had her chin tattooed, just like the Mojave Indians did 200 years ago (Read the Blue Tattoo).
Tuesday was a gloriously sunny day. I was tired of driving, so I extended my stay another night, and started walking. My first stop was the Whakatane museum, where google led there was no sign and the building was being demolished. I decided that I needed to go to Information and pick up a current city guide. There were several Maori sites in town. When the original chief landed there were three landmarks his father had promised him; a huge rock (with an Arch in it) that they used for ceremonies for hundreds of years, even signing a treaty with the British there in 1840, a cave which has mostly collapsed and a delightful waterfall. By the cave there was a replica of the waka they arrived on. The most interesting site was Mataatua, a massive meeting house built in the 1870’s. It was subsequently moved to Australia, England, back to Australia, to the the south island and in 1996 it came home to Whakatane. After much restoration it is now a cultural center. I was the only one there for the noon show, $26. They did the full show but skipped the costumes. I spent an hour and a half there mostly talking to some of the women. The Europeans think they treated the Maori well but the Maori have the same tale of murder, rape, land confiscation, language suppression, children being removed from their homes that indigenous people everywhere tell. The treaty guaranteed their sovereignty, but was ignored as soon as it was signed. It was only in the 1980’s that they could teach their own language. They fed me some native tea and fry bread, which was very tasty. They did not even have a gift shop. Eventually I found the museum had moved to a room in the the public library; great stuff, not much of it, and no explanation.
Wednesday I headed to Rotorua and its geothermal sites. The main thing I wanted to see was the museum, but it was closed, indefinitely, for seismic upgrades. I found Ohinemutu, an enclave where many Maori live now, not a tourist place but they did have a meeting house and wooden Anglican church that was interesting. I stopped at the redwood forest. The trees were brought in because they grow faster than the native trees. The big draw was the skywalks 20 feet up and connecting the trees. I stayed on the ground and found some solitude on a brief walk. Having exhausted all the free places, I went to Whakarewarewa Village, $27, in the Thermal Reserve. About 400 Maori’s still live here and they do tours from 8:30 to 5pm. Lots of geothermal pools and steam vents, used for cooking. A decent view of the geysers but they put out a lot of steam in addition to their eruptions so t is a bit hard to really appreciate them. The show was very well done but I left when they got to the audience participation part. On the way back to Whakatane I came to a road block, road closed ahead. Garmin had led me down an alternative route and I only had to backtrack 5km to get on the main road. When I got back to the motel they showed me a flier for a Hangi (Maori Luau) but I was 30 minutes too late, darn. Dinner was back at the fishing club.
East Cape
Thursday was sunny and I drove the East Cape Road, 400 km. I stopped for breakfast in Opotiki, a quaint town with several pouwhenua (Maori totem poles). The cape road was stunning and deserted. The road did not hug the coast but was higher and the vistas were dramatic. The communities were miniscule. When the road did get close to the coast the beaches were covered in driftwood. By noon I reached Hicks Bay at the point of the cape. Te Araroa is the only actual town with any stores. I needed gas but they only had self service pumps, which don’t take foreign cards. I waited a bit and someone came along that took cash and put some fuel in for me. The south side of the cape had some of the most beautiful beaches I ever saw, kilometers long sweeping arches of perfect sand and not a soul. At one point I had to stop at a tavern just to get out of the car. I drank my beer standing on their porch looking out over Tokomaru Bay. Tolaga Bay had an old wharf that was half a mile long, now restored and used for fishing. I did encounter sheep on the road, 1000’s of sheep. They were moving east and sometimes they got out of the way and sometimes I had to wait for the dogs to chase them out of the way. It was probably 15 minutes before I got thru all of them. I finally arrived in Gisborne (Gizzy to the locals) and checked into the Beachcomber motel, $80 and a delightful room. This is the start of the Hawke’s Bay wine district. I walked down the boardwalk to Peppers for dinner, It was right on the beach and the sunset was perfect. The mushroom arancini were great, the grilled fish was a bit dry, and the chardonnay was sublime. The view alone was worth the whole $52 tariff.
I got a leisurely start on Friday, it was too foggy to walk the beach early but it quickly burned off. The lady in the motel told me to go to the top of the lookout hill, and while I was not expecting much, it was quite a view of the harbour and the whole coast line. There is a statue up there but they have no idea who it represents. A brewery owner bought it, thinking it was captain Cook, but it turned out to not be. The local Tairawhiti Museum packed a lot into a small space. Lots of Maori exhibits and the back of the museum was the wheelhouse and captain’s quarters salvaged from the Star of Canada which foundered in 1912. A leisurely drive brought me to Napier and BK’s Fountain Court Motel, $100, what a dump. It smelled vaguely of fresh paint, the carpet was badly stained and I could hear every move the people upstairs made, of course I did not discover all of this until later that night, as I immediately headed downtown for the 5pm Art Deco guided tour. The city was razed in 1931 by an earthquake and subsequent fire. The surrounding land was raised almost eight feet and 10,000 acres that was previously undersea became dry land. The entire downtown was rebuilt in Art Deco style and is well preserved. Even many of the storefronts still have the wood framed windows and leaded glass. After the walk I started looking for dinner and walked past the Hunger Monger (terrible name) which looked like it was attracting a foodie crowd. I had oysters to start and grilled fish with a trio of salads, two glasses of wine, $40, wow.
Wellington
Saturday promised to be a long drive, so I held off breakfast for a bit. A little after 9 I was driving thru Waipukurau and saw the Cambodia bakery and cafe. Everything in the cases were beautiful. I had a large sausage roll and a large cappuccino $4, extraordinary. There was a steady stream of locals and no wonder. The first part of the drive was pretty boring, farming country, but the second half started winding thru the mountains. SOme of the towns were cute but not worth a stop. There were a few pull offs with good lookouts. Eventually I came to the Mt Bruce National Wildlife refuge. It was mainly a bird sanctuary. I did get to see a Kiwi in a darkened exhibit, and it was an albino one at that. The refuge is a tract of the primeval bush that was set aside in 1888 and they have a significant Kiwi breeding program. Kiwis only have a 10% survival rate in the wild. I wandered around the various aviaries outside and felt it was well worth my $14. Further down the road I drove by Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, but there was no sign of where Jabba the Hutt was from. Wellington is a picture perfect harbour town and I booked into the Victoria Court Motel, $140, because of the location. I wanted two days without getting in the car. My room was a suite! It was half a block to Cuba street, where all the restaurants and nightlife are. Dinner was at the Olive Cafe. The starter was mozzarella balls made from cashew nuts and fried, very unusual but tasty. The roast lamb was perfect, $50 but I probably should have skipped the espresso martini for dessert, as it was small and bland.
The next morning I went to Te Papa the national museum, free, and top site in town. The museum was impressive and the exhibits were dramatic; but there was not a lot to see and most of the signage was in Maori. Next door was a Sunday farmers market and the veggies looked great. I picked up some more avocados and some radishes. In the afternoon I wandered thru downtown with the street performers and pre christmas promotions. I took the funicular up to the botanic garden, $15 return, and the view was great. The garden was nice but hilly. I was beat by evening and just hit a Malaysian place for dinner. The Nasi Goering was delicious but enough for two so I took some home. Monday was bright and sunny so I took the ferry to Day’s Bay and back. It would have been better to get off at Matiu Island and wander for 30 minutes and go back if you are not getting off in Days Bay, anyway it was a lovely cruise. The waterfront is great for just wandering and people watching. The Wellington Museum, free, is very well done especially the maritime exhibit which includes footage of an interisland ferry that sank in the harbour in 1968 with much loss of life. Dinner was at Floriditas and the best grilled fish yet. I think they must use a salamander to get the skin so crispy. Wellington is known for its awful weather, but I had two perfect days without getting in my car.
West Coast (North Island)
Tuesday I did not have high expectations for the drive to Hawera and I was not disappointed. Early on the road hugged the coast dramatically for a bit but soon turned inland. I stopped at a cafe in an old church and had the best cheese scone ever. Whanganui was a place worth lingering. This is an old port town that is now all galleries, glass studios, and cafes; a cute, laid back town. A couple of beach walks were pleasant with jet black, powdery sand with silver sparkle in it, when I dumped it out of my shoes it was as fine as soot. I stopped in Hawera because it was on the coast and I did not want to drive any further. The Kiwi Court, $91, had a huge room and when they gave me my fresh milk for my cuppa, it was in a glass bottle. They recommended a place called “Rough Habits” for dinner. I did not like the name but could not find anything that sounded any better. It was a nice cafe, and I had a platter of grilled fish, salad, potatoes, green beans, and a healthy pour of wine $20. I asked the cashier about the name, she turned out to be the owner. She named the place after a famous race horse!
So about New Zealand motels; The rooms are generally quite large. They all have kitchenettes, with complete utensils and wine glasses. The bathrooms are utilitarian and often have exposed plumbing and separate hot and cold faucets. They give you a half pint of fresh milk when you check in. Generally pretty good value for the money.
Wednesday I drove the Surf Highway around the Taranaki peninsula. The drive was not that scenic but there are many black sand surf beaches to stop at with left hand breakers (surfers think that is special). Mt Taranaki is a looming volcano 8261 feet high in the center of the peninsula, but it was cloudy at the top so no good pics. I got to New Plymouth just before noon and stopped to see the Len Lye Gallery. The building is a piece of art itself, beautiful concrete work with the exterior clad in undulating chrome. Unfortunately they were changing over exhibits, so there was not much inside. The last third of the road up to Mokau was quite dramatic looking over a rocky coast. From there I wanted to take a back road to Marokopa, but neither Garmin nor Google maps wanted to take me there. I found a sign that said the road was open and headed up anyway. It was narrow, it was winding, it was deserted, 10km was gravel, but it was one of the prettiest drives in NZ. Marokopa was a cluster of houses on a black sand beach, not even a tavern to wash the dust out.
Heading back east are the massive 30m Marokopa Falls, just a ten minute walk steeply down hill. Fortunately this is the rainforest and the hike back up is fully shaded. I stopped at Piripiri caves but looked at the stairs and looked at the blackening sky, and went back to my car. As I drove into the car park for the Mangapohue Natural bridge, it started raining, then pouring, then I could not see to drive even if I wanted to. I sat for 15 minutes and it cleared up. I walked in to see the natural bridge and it was the best 5 minute walk I ever took. Basically the river used to run thru a cave which has mostly collapsed except for a double arch over the river. The boardwalk to get there goes across a suspension bridge and hangs on the side of the rock face. After all that I pulled into the Waitomo motel in Te Kuiti, $94. Te Kuti claims to be the shearing capital of NZ. Dinner was at Stoked Eatery in the old train station, mussels, salad, wine, $28, yes a great day.
People have been coming to this area for 130 years to see the Waitomo (water hole, etched out of the limestone) caves. The area is littered with limestone caves and sinkholes The coolest thing is the glowworms, actually bioluminescent larvae of the fungus gnat. There are many companies doing tours of the caves, rappelling into the caves and rafting the rivers in the caves. Waitomo has a population of five but gets 6000 (yes thousand) visitors daily. You can even don a wetsuit and float thru the darkness on an inner tube. I chose Spellbound, a company that does small group, 12, tours of one of the more remote caves, 3.2 hours, $50. There were no other Americans on my tour. I have had no problem driving on the left side of the road, but sitting in the front passanger seat of the van was positively weird feeling. In the first cave we boarded a raft in the pitch dark and floated along a river, as our eyes became very sensitive to the dark it was way cool and you could almost see by the light of the glowworms. The second cave was meh if you have been in caves before. There were bones purportedly of an extinct Moa. Well worth the stop. Dinner was at the Riverside Lodge. Built in 1902 at a gentleman’s club (not that kind) it seemed to not get many tourists, but they treated me like a special guest. An amazing lamb shank and two healthy glasses of Pinot, $21. I love it here!
Friday I headed up north. My first stop was Kawhia (pronounced Kafia) a fishing port in the heart of Maori country. It is beautiful location but not even a cafe. The whole morning I drove past various Mares (Maori meeting houses), no admittance. I took a gravel road to Raglan, a famous surfing town, many shops, and had breakfast. From there I took back roads as much as possible until I had to take the motorway to get around Auckland. I got to the Hillside B&B early, and it was way out in the sticks. But for $80 I got a full apartment with a full kitchen. Strangely for a B&B, they gave you the fixings for breakfast but you made it yourself. Dinner was a challenge, I started at The Tasting Shed but it was booked, they sent me to Hallertau but it was a beer garden and I was not interested. Google sent me to Settlers but it was closed. I was getting desperate so settled on a Sushi place that was tolerable.
Northlands
Saturday was a meandering day. I took the Twin Coast Highway north. My first stop was at the Kaipara Coast plant center and sculpture garden. They were opening their 2018 show that day and I was the first one in. It was a lovely stroll thru the woods with 50 installations, a few of which were quite nice. The nursery business seemed to be flourishing. A little further on I stopped at the farmers market in Paparoa. Not much farmers, mostly junk and food stands. They did have a geezer rock band that was pretty good. The most interesting stop was the Kauri Museum in Matakohe. They had an extensive exhibit of what they called gum which was a form of amber, complete with insects trapped inside. The exhibits on logging of the Kauri trees, some of which were 2000 years old was great. At the Trounson Kauri Park there was a delightful walk thru some primeval Kauri bush, and I was the only one there. The Waipoua Forest has been turned back over to the Maori and has some nice stretches of old growth including Tane Mahuta, a massive Kauri tree 14 meters around, 52 meters high and maybe 2000 years old. Time was getting away from me but I still had to stop at Omapere at the entrance to Hokianga harbour, the far side was sand dunes that may have been a couple of hundred feet high. I finally got to Paihia and the Ala Moana hotel, right on the beach, $81, and a nice suite to boot. Dinner was at Only Seafood, oysters and grilled bluenose cod.
Paihia is the poor cousin to Russell, New Zealand’s first capital, but I actually prefer it. It has a lovely beachfront that goes on for a couple of kilometers. It is on the Bay of Islands which describes the bay perfectly. There was a local car show with many Jaguars, some American Iron, and a few old beautiful restorations. Especially for a weekend the town it was really laid back. I took the ferry to Russell, $8 return. There are three ferry companies but the ticket is good on any of them. Russell is a classic seaside resort with grand clapboard hotels right on the beach. I sat on the harbourside for coffee, I have not had a bad cappuccino or scone anywhere in NZ. On the dock I spotted a sign for a sailboat, saying “We only Take 10,” which sounded like my speed. After a totally lazy day, dinner was at Alfresco. The roulade starter was snapper wrapped around crab, yum. I left just as they seated a group of 22.
Monday I was back on the road to Cape Reinga, the northern tip of NZ, and the place where the Maori believe the spirits leave the land to go home. There were lots of detours to scenic beaches and overlooks along the way. The Cape had a nice walk to the lighthouse but lots of tour buses. A big thing in that area is surfing the sand dunes. The dunes are hundreds of feet high but you had to slog up by foot. The whole west side of the peninsula is called 90 mile beach. It is only 55 miles long, but wide and like no beach I ever saw. It is even an alternate highway, thought 4×4 is recommended. I parked and walked out to the beach only to see a giant tour bus buried to its axles in the sand, and full of people. Another interesting stop was the gum diggers place. Gum, the ancient sap drippings from the kauri trees and a softer version of amber, was used in paint and linoleum. They mined it for several years. There were Kauri forests buried 45,000 and 100,000 ago. They now have an industry making things from this ancient wood, preserved in the peat bogs. Dinner was at Charlotte’s kitchen, I had the frutti de mare and a salad, good food, but the staff had an attitude.
Tuesday morning was bright and sunny, as I took the early ferry to Russell. The yacht Phantom, which had been on, off and back on again was the plan of the day. After stopping for a cappuccino and scone, I boarded. There were four guests from Melbourne and Rick and Robyn, the hosts. There was a 15 knot wind, so the sailing was great. We stopped at noon in a cove and I walked part way up to the the look out. After I slipped, twisted my knee, bent my glasses, and landed on my posterior, I gave that up. Lunch was tasty and appropriately light. I wish we had sailed more and loitered less at anchorage, but it was a fabulous day. The daughter of the family from Australia was celebrating her 19th birthday and they shared their wine with me. I do not understand how a day of laying around on a boat can wear me completely out, but it did. Since I was beat, I just went to Rayz Bar next to the motel and had very good fish and chips, with a healthy pour of wine $15.
Wednesday morning I woke up completely ready to go home. I was done, after two months on the road. I just needed to use up the last 36 hours. I meandered down the coast stopping at Whangarei, the only real city in the Northlands. The coast was beautiful but after five weeks of stunning coast line I did not stop that often. Whangarei had a clock museum that was quirky but the art museum, which had great reviews, was closed to set up a new exhibit. I stopped at Mangawhai Lodge, $130, which promised great views and close to the beach. My room had no view and walking to the beach was not an option. I did walk to the only restaurant that was close but it turned out to be a bar with not much to eat. The brisket sandwich was edible, barely.
I had not wanted to spend much time in Auckland, as it seemed like just ABC, another big city. The traffic at noon was thick but I made it to the Auckland Museum. They had some dramatic Maori installations but the cafe was only so so. My knee hurt, so I skipped the rest of the city and checked into the airport five hours early. The lounge had some pretty good Pinot Noir that was only $9 a bottle at the duty free shop. Air New Zealand had seats that turned into real beds, almost long enough for me. I slept better than I had on a plane in years. The guy across the aisle looked familiar and turned out to be Peter Jackson. I did not bother him. I went thru customs in LA and my bag was fine. When it came off the plane in Portland, it was taped shut and both locks were broken. Oh well, I was gone 62 days and something had to go wrong.