Sunday 8th March
Sunday was our last day in Akaroa and we were due to fly back to Dunedin in the evening. We had a lovely breakfast at the “Sweet As” French bakery whose eggs benedict were described on the menu as “eggs Cumberbatch Benedict!” After a stroll around the town we went to the harbour for a two hour dolphin spotting cruise. We saw big stingrays swimming majestically under the jetty. On our cruise we were rewarded almost immediately with lots of dolphins leaping around and alongside the boat. This was in no way thanks to Albie the dolphin detecting dog. Albie’s role was to listen for the sonic sounds of dolphins and alert the boat’s crew. In fact he spent most of the cruise either curled up fast asleep or begging the passengers for cookies. He was however very sweet - a sort of spaniel with lovely floppy ears. At one point we did see him watching the dolphins at the front of the boat so he was definitely aware of them. We saw lots of seabirds such as cormorants too, and some young fur seals besporting themselves in a naturally formed rock pool at the foot of one of the cliffs; they appeared to be having a great deal of fun! There were big caves in the cliffs which had been formed by bubbles bursting in the lava flow millions of years ago. The whole trip was great fun and complemented our more up close and personal kayak trip yesterday.
Back on dry land we decided to visit the Matuatua Winery on our way to Christchurch and the two Jameses purchased another couple of bottles of wine. We flew with Jamie from Christchurch back to Dunedin for our last evening in New Zealand. We will be very sad to leave this beautiful country.
Sunday, 8 March 2020
Saturday, 7 March 2020
Akaroa
Friday 6th to Sat 7th March
Friday was a big driving day - bigger than we had realised. We packed up and set off from Tekapo and James drove the two and a half hours to Christchurch where we were going to meet Jamie. He had flown up from Dunedin to spend our last weekend in New Zealand with us. After we collected him I drove the last hour and a half to Akaroa, arriving mid afternoon. This pretty seaside town was very hot and sunny, and very French with street signs and many of the shops and cafés en français. We found out that the French and British had been racing to get to this area first, when they were held up by a storm. The cautious French took shelter but the British pressed on, and when the French sailed into the bay the first thing that they saw was the Union Jack flying on a hastily erected flagpole. They must have been very disappointed, after sailing for two years, to have missed claiming the land by just four days. They were offered some land by the British, with the option of returning to New Caledonia if they didn’t want to stay, but clearly they did like it, as can be seen by the French influence in the town.
Jamie had brought something new with him - a big tattoo on his shoulder! He has been planning to get a New Zealand tattoo for a while and had worked with a Maori tattooist to create a design containing a stylised albatross. For the first couple of days he needed to keep it covered with an antiseptic dressing, and it was a bit tender.
We went wine tasting to the Meniscus vineyards up on the hill above the town which was a gorgeous setting. Akaroa is in the middle of an ancient volcano so it is surrounded by mountains. The volcano hasn’t erupted for seven and a half million years so we felt pretty safe! Later we walked along the beach and had dinner in a tiny bar right on the front called “Harbar.” James and Jamie had bought some Meniscus wine and after dinner they quaffed it on our balcony.
Saturday was even warmer but that didn’t stop my two Jameses from planning a walk up into the hills behind the town. I quickly became rather hot and bothered but they both urged me onwards and I was rewarded from a gruelling 200 metres above the town with fantastic views over the whole bay. The walk downhill through fields of dry grass was idyllic; lots of birds sang loudly in the trees and there were lupins blooming beside a stream. I got some unfortunate nettle stings when I was going to the bathroom in the undergrowth; James put some insect bite cream on them which helped. I was so hot when we got back to our apartment that I had to have a shower to cool down. In the afternoon we went kayaking in the bay. It was brilliant. There were only four of us on the trip; the other person was a lovely Israeli dentist called Helen. Our friendly instructor Jake (from America) kept us safe and gave us lots of information on the area as we travelled, about the geology, seabirds, and edible seaweeds. We paddled mostly along the coast, and when we came out into more open water it felt quite choppy. On the way back to the beach James and I managed to steer straight into a wooden post that was sticking out of the water; Jake said he had never seen anyone hit it head on before! Jake and Jamie were comparing their time in New Zealand and talking about Maori words - apparently the Maori word for a fantail is piwakawaka which I think is a great word for my favourite New Zealand bird.
Later on we went for dinner to a favourite restaurant of Jamie’s; The Little Bistro. It is absolutely tiny and the food was truly delicious. As we strolled back along the bay to our apartment we chatted about our brilliant day.
Friday was a big driving day - bigger than we had realised. We packed up and set off from Tekapo and James drove the two and a half hours to Christchurch where we were going to meet Jamie. He had flown up from Dunedin to spend our last weekend in New Zealand with us. After we collected him I drove the last hour and a half to Akaroa, arriving mid afternoon. This pretty seaside town was very hot and sunny, and very French with street signs and many of the shops and cafés en français. We found out that the French and British had been racing to get to this area first, when they were held up by a storm. The cautious French took shelter but the British pressed on, and when the French sailed into the bay the first thing that they saw was the Union Jack flying on a hastily erected flagpole. They must have been very disappointed, after sailing for two years, to have missed claiming the land by just four days. They were offered some land by the British, with the option of returning to New Caledonia if they didn’t want to stay, but clearly they did like it, as can be seen by the French influence in the town.
Jamie had brought something new with him - a big tattoo on his shoulder! He has been planning to get a New Zealand tattoo for a while and had worked with a Maori tattooist to create a design containing a stylised albatross. For the first couple of days he needed to keep it covered with an antiseptic dressing, and it was a bit tender.
We went wine tasting to the Meniscus vineyards up on the hill above the town which was a gorgeous setting. Akaroa is in the middle of an ancient volcano so it is surrounded by mountains. The volcano hasn’t erupted for seven and a half million years so we felt pretty safe! Later we walked along the beach and had dinner in a tiny bar right on the front called “Harbar.” James and Jamie had bought some Meniscus wine and after dinner they quaffed it on our balcony.
Saturday was even warmer but that didn’t stop my two Jameses from planning a walk up into the hills behind the town. I quickly became rather hot and bothered but they both urged me onwards and I was rewarded from a gruelling 200 metres above the town with fantastic views over the whole bay. The walk downhill through fields of dry grass was idyllic; lots of birds sang loudly in the trees and there were lupins blooming beside a stream. I got some unfortunate nettle stings when I was going to the bathroom in the undergrowth; James put some insect bite cream on them which helped. I was so hot when we got back to our apartment that I had to have a shower to cool down. In the afternoon we went kayaking in the bay. It was brilliant. There were only four of us on the trip; the other person was a lovely Israeli dentist called Helen. Our friendly instructor Jake (from America) kept us safe and gave us lots of information on the area as we travelled, about the geology, seabirds, and edible seaweeds. We paddled mostly along the coast, and when we came out into more open water it felt quite choppy. On the way back to the beach James and I managed to steer straight into a wooden post that was sticking out of the water; Jake said he had never seen anyone hit it head on before! Jake and Jamie were comparing their time in New Zealand and talking about Maori words - apparently the Maori word for a fantail is piwakawaka which I think is a great word for my favourite New Zealand bird.
Later on we went for dinner to a favourite restaurant of Jamie’s; The Little Bistro. It is absolutely tiny and the food was truly delicious. As we strolled back along the bay to our apartment we chatted about our brilliant day.
Thursday, 5 March 2020
Dark Skies at Lake Tekapo
Evening of Thursday 5th March
Lake Tekapo is a designated Dark Skies area of New Zealand. James and I signed up for a stargazing and hot pools experience. Oh my goodness this was amazing! It didn’t start until 10.15 p.m. so after a leisurely dinner we went for a walk around the village centre until it was time to check in. It was very dark because there is minimal street lighting and it’s a muted red colour so as not to pollute the darkness. We were taken to Tekapo Springs by minibus and started our star-gazing under the instruction of the enthusiastic young guides. One of the guides gave a commentary while we looked upwards, and then took turns using the telescopes. Although there were about twenty-eight of us we were still able to get plenty of time taking turns at the four telescopes. Hot chocolate and blankets were available to keep us warm. We saw so much! I really felt that I learned a lot. James and I had already figured out earlier that the moon looks upside down when viewed from New Zealand. To be fair, it’s not the moon that is upside down - it’s us! That means that the moon waxes and wanes in the opposite direction from what we are used to. The same goes for the constellation of Orion and his belt. Beetlejuice and Rigel are still at diagonally opposite ends of the constellation but “upside down” as is Orion’s sword. Even more exciting to me were the stars that we cannot see from the northern hemisphere, such as Alpha Centauri (our nearest star at 4.3 light years away) and Beta Centauri. These two star systems point to the Southern Cross. The Southern Hemisphere doesn’t have the equivalent of a “North Star” in the centre of the astronomical south, so to calculate that you need to point at the Southern Cross with one hand and at the bright star Achernar with your other hand, then bring your hands together and then you are roughly pointing at the south celestial pole. So far we could see all this with the naked eye, and also the Milky Way and the far away Magellan clouds which are in fact galaxies. Through the telescopes we were able to see the Tarantula Nebula (yes it does look like one), the Jewel Box Nebula (different colours of ancient stars), and the Sunflower star cluster which is much younger, only a few million years old. It was all so informative and fun, hopefully we can do some star-gazing in Ullapool this summer if we take the telescope up to the cottage.
However the evening was not over. We quickly got changed into our swimming costumes and hopped into the hot pool, where we floated around on cleverly designed “underwater hammocks” (these supported your head and knees so that the rest of your body could stay cosy under the surface of the water). We were able to gaze at the stars we had just learned about, while one of the guides sonorously told us some Maori creation stories, which sounded just as far-fetched as every other culture’s creation stories.
Lake Tekapo is a designated Dark Skies area of New Zealand. James and I signed up for a stargazing and hot pools experience. Oh my goodness this was amazing! It didn’t start until 10.15 p.m. so after a leisurely dinner we went for a walk around the village centre until it was time to check in. It was very dark because there is minimal street lighting and it’s a muted red colour so as not to pollute the darkness. We were taken to Tekapo Springs by minibus and started our star-gazing under the instruction of the enthusiastic young guides. One of the guides gave a commentary while we looked upwards, and then took turns using the telescopes. Although there were about twenty-eight of us we were still able to get plenty of time taking turns at the four telescopes. Hot chocolate and blankets were available to keep us warm. We saw so much! I really felt that I learned a lot. James and I had already figured out earlier that the moon looks upside down when viewed from New Zealand. To be fair, it’s not the moon that is upside down - it’s us! That means that the moon waxes and wanes in the opposite direction from what we are used to. The same goes for the constellation of Orion and his belt. Beetlejuice and Rigel are still at diagonally opposite ends of the constellation but “upside down” as is Orion’s sword. Even more exciting to me were the stars that we cannot see from the northern hemisphere, such as Alpha Centauri (our nearest star at 4.3 light years away) and Beta Centauri. These two star systems point to the Southern Cross. The Southern Hemisphere doesn’t have the equivalent of a “North Star” in the centre of the astronomical south, so to calculate that you need to point at the Southern Cross with one hand and at the bright star Achernar with your other hand, then bring your hands together and then you are roughly pointing at the south celestial pole. So far we could see all this with the naked eye, and also the Milky Way and the far away Magellan clouds which are in fact galaxies. Through the telescopes we were able to see the Tarantula Nebula (yes it does look like one), the Jewel Box Nebula (different colours of ancient stars), and the Sunflower star cluster which is much younger, only a few million years old. It was all so informative and fun, hopefully we can do some star-gazing in Ullapool this summer if we take the telescope up to the cottage.
However the evening was not over. We quickly got changed into our swimming costumes and hopped into the hot pool, where we floated around on cleverly designed “underwater hammocks” (these supported your head and knees so that the rest of your body could stay cosy under the surface of the water). We were able to gaze at the stars we had just learned about, while one of the guides sonorously told us some Maori creation stories, which sounded just as far-fetched as every other culture’s creation stories.
Mount Cook
James and I went on a fantastic 10 km hike today. Again this suggestion came from Jamie; to walk the Hooker Valley trail to get great views of Mount Cook from Hooker lake at the end of it. And that’s exactly what we did. After leaving beautiful Wanaka - oh how I would love to return there one day! - we drove towards Tekapo, turning off down a 65 km detour to the trail. It was a long drive in but the views were stunning. For a long time we drove along the side of turquoise opaque Lake Pukaki. When we arrived at the car park from where quite a few trails commenced, we were surprised at how busy it was; lots of campervans as well as cars. It is clearly a very popular place and no wonder. We set off along the trail. It wasn’t hard going, but it was a bit too hot for me. The slight breeze was blowing from behind us so only my rucksack was cooled by it! When we arrived at the lake it was so worth it! This lake was also opaque but it was grey in colour and had small icebergs floating in it. Above and beyond it was mighty Mount Cook, hanging glaciers clinging to her upper slopes. In fact the valley that we walked up had once been covered with a glacier but it has retreated. We had a great time paddling in the icy water, it cooled me right down. It was so beautiful that I didn’t want to leave. However there was a bonus on the way back; the gentle cooling breeze was on our faces this time and it made for a much more pleasant walk. Our next stop was the small town of Tekapo, set on a lake and with a very special designation - Dark Skies.
Wednesday, 4 March 2020
Wonderful Wanaka
Wednesday 4th March
I am loving Wanaka! It’s a bit like Queenstown, set beside a beautiful lake, but much smaller and less busy. Our hotel (The Moorings) has its balconies overlooking the lake with incredible views. This morning we drove to the trailhead for the Blue Pools at Makarora, and went on an easy 5 km hike. Jamie had recommended the walk so we knew that it would be good, and sure enough the pools (which are actually just wide bends in the river) are spectacular. There were lots of birds darting around in the foliage including fantails and wee white-breasted robins.
Then we drove back past Wanaka and had a late lunch in the garden of the characterful Cardrona Hotel, then paid a visit to the Cardrona Distillery, another favourite of Jamie’s, a modern and elegant stone building where they make The Reid vodka, Source gin and also “Just Hatched” single malt whisky which will be properly bottled at ten years old (they only started four years ago) - currently they sell small bottles of it to demonstrate how well it is ageing. James gamely tasted all of their products and declared them to be “very drinkable.”
Back at Wanaka we spent the last part of the afternoon sitting on the balcony of our hotel room, soaking up a few rays and watching the sun sparkling on the lake. It was so relaxing. We had dinner at the excellent Relishes Café which I would highly recommend.
I am loving Wanaka! It’s a bit like Queenstown, set beside a beautiful lake, but much smaller and less busy. Our hotel (The Moorings) has its balconies overlooking the lake with incredible views. This morning we drove to the trailhead for the Blue Pools at Makarora, and went on an easy 5 km hike. Jamie had recommended the walk so we knew that it would be good, and sure enough the pools (which are actually just wide bends in the river) are spectacular. There were lots of birds darting around in the foliage including fantails and wee white-breasted robins.
Then we drove back past Wanaka and had a late lunch in the garden of the characterful Cardrona Hotel, then paid a visit to the Cardrona Distillery, another favourite of Jamie’s, a modern and elegant stone building where they make The Reid vodka, Source gin and also “Just Hatched” single malt whisky which will be properly bottled at ten years old (they only started four years ago) - currently they sell small bottles of it to demonstrate how well it is ageing. James gamely tasted all of their products and declared them to be “very drinkable.”
Back at Wanaka we spent the last part of the afternoon sitting on the balcony of our hotel room, soaking up a few rays and watching the sun sparkling on the lake. It was so relaxing. We had dinner at the excellent Relishes Café which I would highly recommend.
Tuesday, 3 March 2020
Lunch in Queenstown
Tuesday 3rd March
I had a pleasant stroll around Queenstown yesterday evening and enjoyed its holiday vibe! It felt strange and slightly surreal to be wandering about on my own on the other side of the world. Even when it was completely dark there were lots of people sitting around outside on the grass, someone rather hauntingly playing the Harry Potter theme tune on a piano on the quayside, music spilling out from the bars. After such a hot evening there was an absolute downpour during the night. I could hear the rain battering down outside as I lay cosy in my bed in the hotel I had booked. This morning I went for a walk along the side of the lake and then had a late lunch sitting outside a café at the harbour while finishing my French assessment which I needed to email to my tutor. It was not easy to concentrate as I was distracted by the beautiful surroundings and also the wee birds hopping around the tables. I was just finishing my coffee when I got a message from James to say that he and Jamie were just arriving from Glenorchy. They came to join me and recounted their many adventures; they have had a brilliant time and told me some very amusing stories. It was great to see them and after some packing and repacking of luggage so that James could return Jamie’s rucksack, we set off to Arrowtown to the picturesque Fork and Tap restaurant, a favourite of Jamie’s to which he also took us in 2017. The last time we were there we sat inside because it was winter but this time we luxuriated in the leafy green and pleasant beer garden at the back. All too soon we had to part ways; Jamie had a three and a half hour drive ahead of him back to Dunedin, and James and I headed about an hour to Wanaka for the next couple of days of our holiday.
I had a pleasant stroll around Queenstown yesterday evening and enjoyed its holiday vibe! It felt strange and slightly surreal to be wandering about on my own on the other side of the world. Even when it was completely dark there were lots of people sitting around outside on the grass, someone rather hauntingly playing the Harry Potter theme tune on a piano on the quayside, music spilling out from the bars. After such a hot evening there was an absolute downpour during the night. I could hear the rain battering down outside as I lay cosy in my bed in the hotel I had booked. This morning I went for a walk along the side of the lake and then had a late lunch sitting outside a café at the harbour while finishing my French assessment which I needed to email to my tutor. It was not easy to concentrate as I was distracted by the beautiful surroundings and also the wee birds hopping around the tables. I was just finishing my coffee when I got a message from James to say that he and Jamie were just arriving from Glenorchy. They came to join me and recounted their many adventures; they have had a brilliant time and told me some very amusing stories. It was great to see them and after some packing and repacking of luggage so that James could return Jamie’s rucksack, we set off to Arrowtown to the picturesque Fork and Tap restaurant, a favourite of Jamie’s to which he also took us in 2017. The last time we were there we sat inside because it was winter but this time we luxuriated in the leafy green and pleasant beer garden at the back. All too soon we had to part ways; Jamie had a three and a half hour drive ahead of him back to Dunedin, and James and I headed about an hour to Wanaka for the next couple of days of our holiday.
Monday, 2 March 2020
The Routeburn Track
Sunday 1st March - Monday 2nd March
I’m back in Queenstown and eagle-eyed readers may notice that I’m back a day early. I have had so many adventures that I hardly know where to start. So yesterday morning James, Jamie and I set off on foot to the Ultimate Hikes office with our rucksacks at the ready (our cases were safely locked into the boot of Jamie’s car). There were twenty-six happy hikers - the maximum is forty so we were lucky to be in a relatively small group. After a picturesque hour’s drive by bus along the side of Lake Wakatipu we arrived at the tiny village of Glenorchy. Normally the group walks in from the Routeburn flats but part of the trail has been washed away by bad storms at the start of February, so rather excitingly we were taken up to the Mackenzie hut by helicopter! Neither James nor I have ever been in a helicopter before and it was brilliant. The weather was beautiful and the views were amazing as we rose up to the mountains and through a narrow pass to a lush green valley. We landed on a little platform behind the hut and set off on our day walk to the waterfall, about 10 km return trip. It was very warm and steep; the path was very uneven due to the recent rains (in fact we were the first group back on the Routeburn track for three weeks) and at one point we had to climb up a vertiginous and muddy patch of hill to bypass a small landslide. This finished me off. I was extremely hot and bothered and chose to turn back to the hut. I was now in a dilemma. I knew that the Tuesday walk over the hill to the Falls Hut would be more strenuous than Monday and I was quite shocked at how steep and difficult I had found the path. Also I’m not as fit as I should be and history has shown that I just can’t cope with heat.
Anyway, the Mackenzie Hut (which is a private hut owned by Ultimate Hikes) is fantastic. It’s simply but beautifully decorated and food and drink was plentifully provided by the young and keen leaders. Some of us went down to paddle in the lake which was a stunning green colour. After dinner we all relaxed in the lounge as Jason ran through the details of the next day’s hike. My blood ran cold. I could tell that it would be too much for me at my current level of fitness or lack thereof! Any pleasure that I would derive from the beautiful surroundings would be ruined by despair and stress. So I persuaded the leaders to let me hitch a ride on the helicopter back down the valley on Tuesday morning. I knew that it would be possible because another hiking group would be arriving and the helicopter would be bringing them up in groups of six. James and Jamie were both disappointed but I know that they will be having a great time together and I will see them tomorrow afternoon. The decision having been made, I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the evening with the very friendly and interesting group. They came from all over the world and there was a great atmosphere. One American guy spent the whole evening strumming on a guitar and James commented that it would have to be surgically removed before the next days hike! However I was aware that at least half of the group were noticeably older than me and all of the group except me were very fit. None of them were carrying a spare ounce of fat. I will have to make some hard decisions about my fitness if I want to be anywhere near their league going forward.
My plans went smoothly and it was very nice to get a second helicopter ride! And here I am on a gorgeously warm and sunny afternoon in Queenstown. I have just had an ice lolly from Patagonia and am sitting outside at a café drinking coffee, blogging and looking at the lake and the mountains.
I’m back in Queenstown and eagle-eyed readers may notice that I’m back a day early. I have had so many adventures that I hardly know where to start. So yesterday morning James, Jamie and I set off on foot to the Ultimate Hikes office with our rucksacks at the ready (our cases were safely locked into the boot of Jamie’s car). There were twenty-six happy hikers - the maximum is forty so we were lucky to be in a relatively small group. After a picturesque hour’s drive by bus along the side of Lake Wakatipu we arrived at the tiny village of Glenorchy. Normally the group walks in from the Routeburn flats but part of the trail has been washed away by bad storms at the start of February, so rather excitingly we were taken up to the Mackenzie hut by helicopter! Neither James nor I have ever been in a helicopter before and it was brilliant. The weather was beautiful and the views were amazing as we rose up to the mountains and through a narrow pass to a lush green valley. We landed on a little platform behind the hut and set off on our day walk to the waterfall, about 10 km return trip. It was very warm and steep; the path was very uneven due to the recent rains (in fact we were the first group back on the Routeburn track for three weeks) and at one point we had to climb up a vertiginous and muddy patch of hill to bypass a small landslide. This finished me off. I was extremely hot and bothered and chose to turn back to the hut. I was now in a dilemma. I knew that the Tuesday walk over the hill to the Falls Hut would be more strenuous than Monday and I was quite shocked at how steep and difficult I had found the path. Also I’m not as fit as I should be and history has shown that I just can’t cope with heat.
Anyway, the Mackenzie Hut (which is a private hut owned by Ultimate Hikes) is fantastic. It’s simply but beautifully decorated and food and drink was plentifully provided by the young and keen leaders. Some of us went down to paddle in the lake which was a stunning green colour. After dinner we all relaxed in the lounge as Jason ran through the details of the next day’s hike. My blood ran cold. I could tell that it would be too much for me at my current level of fitness or lack thereof! Any pleasure that I would derive from the beautiful surroundings would be ruined by despair and stress. So I persuaded the leaders to let me hitch a ride on the helicopter back down the valley on Tuesday morning. I knew that it would be possible because another hiking group would be arriving and the helicopter would be bringing them up in groups of six. James and Jamie were both disappointed but I know that they will be having a great time together and I will see them tomorrow afternoon. The decision having been made, I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the evening with the very friendly and interesting group. They came from all over the world and there was a great atmosphere. One American guy spent the whole evening strumming on a guitar and James commented that it would have to be surgically removed before the next days hike! However I was aware that at least half of the group were noticeably older than me and all of the group except me were very fit. None of them were carrying a spare ounce of fat. I will have to make some hard decisions about my fitness if I want to be anywhere near their league going forward.
My plans went smoothly and it was very nice to get a second helicopter ride! And here I am on a gorgeously warm and sunny afternoon in Queenstown. I have just had an ice lolly from Patagonia and am sitting outside at a café drinking coffee, blogging and looking at the lake and the mountains.
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