Wednesday 2nd January – The Real Adventure begins towards North Island

Beth and John were very generous in giving Jo and Hamish a lift to Christchurch airport at 4.30am to catch a 6.30am flight to Sydney. That is more than their parents were prepared to do: we offered to pay for a cab for them! They had a lovely house and garden which they generously shared with us for a short period of time. Chris and I left about 9am to return the van to the depot at the airport and collect a smaller vehicle for our trip to the North Island. Dick and Toni were catching a plane to Perth in the early afternoon so they had longer to linger in the lovely garden.

Chris and I were now off to the North Island for a week and got on the road to Kaikura where we would stay the night before getting the ferry from Picton to Wellington on the North Island. We stopped for coffee at a converted railway station.

So far we have been very fortunate with the weather, our accommodation and travel arrangements. It was not to continue. The car we collected was a Nissan Bluebird with 324,000 kilometres on the clock. Now, admittedly New Zealand Rentacar is at the cheaper end of the market but they had done us well up to now. During the course of the next two hours the engine cut out about20 times, mostly on steep and windy roads through the hills. Eventually we had to stop and call roadside assistance to come and tow us into Kaikura where we were staying the night. Unfortunately the mechanic was on another callout and we had to wait two and a half hours outside a farm for him to turn up. Unfortunately today was a public holiday in New Zealand and there were a lot more cars on the road with few garages open to repair broken down cars. As we had a ferry to catch the next day we insisted that, Simon, the manager at NZRentacar in Christchurch came up with another car for us. Despite all their cars being out on hire, they managed to find a station wagon which he said he would drive up to Kairkura the next day by 9am.

Ian, the man with the tow truck, took us and the sick car to our bed and breakfast, much to the surprise of our hosts, Gwenda and Peter. The place we were staying was Gwenda’s family home where they now only raise a small number of sheep as the rest of the land has been sold off for development (hotel and golf course). We were just in time to see Peter (not me, the one who runs the B&B) do his twice daily sheep shearing show to a group made up mostly of Japanese tourists who are seen in greater numbers now in New Zealand. The weather was changing again with very strong winds and a very choppy sea. We had hoped to go on a boat to see some whales who were just off the coast but the wind was too strong for the boats to go out. So instead we took a very blustery walk into the town and had a lovely fish supper at the Green Dolphin restaurant.

Tuesday 1st January 2013 – Back to Christchurch

Happy New Year everyone!

After a brief final visit to the Church of the Good Shepherd to say goodbye to the beautiful lake and mountains at Lake Tekapo, we got on the road to Rolleston, a growing suburb near Christchurch airport, where we going to spend the night before we went our separate ways. It wasn’t very far to drive but we were still amazed by the rapid changes in the scenery from farmland to forest to city with mountains very close to the road. We stopped en route at Farlie (where Gene’s parents have their farm) for a leg stretch and a chance to  visit the local alpaca shop where Hamish bought a lovely warm jumper. Lunch was the last of Dick’s lovely sandwiches next to a very fast-flowing glacial river (cloudy from the rock flour and very cold!).

When we arrived at Rolleston, our hosts, Beth and John, had prepared tea and cakes for us which was a lovely welcome. A friend of theirs, Phil, joined us and between them they described to us their experience of the two earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011 and the aftershocks since. The epicentre of the first quake (at 4am in the morning) was close to their house and they suffered some structure damage to the floor which was quickly repaired as they were a business (Phil was still waiting for the damage to be repaired to his house). There was no loss of life but a lot of damage to buildings – a warning of what was to come. The second quake was during the day and different kind of quake with 185 people dying and a lot of buildings severely damaged. They told us some heart wrenching stories of people being trapped under rubble with the emergency services unable to reach them because of the lack of the necessary equipment. There is still a lot of anger amongst people affected yet at the same time some positive stories of people being brought together in their grief to campaign for changes to building regulations.

After a short time of snoozing and blog writing, we walked down to a nearby shopping centre where there was an Indian restaurant called Coriander’s for us to have our last meal together on this trip. It was a good time to reflect together on the highlights of the trip – so many and each of us remembered something different. We came back to a lovely sunset over the roofs of Rolleston and a cup of coffee with our hosts before retiring – Jo and Hamish were allocated the ensuite room, ahead of their new accommodation in Sydney which is slightly smaller.

Monday 31st December – New Year’s Eve by the Lake

Chris and I took an early morning stroll to the Church of the Good Shepherd at 9am when it opened and before the crowds arrived.  There is a picture window above the altar which looks over the lake with the snow-capped mountains in the background: a beautiful and moving experience. There is also a statue of a collie dog nearby which was created in recognition of the role that dogs have played in the sheep farming of the area. What a crowd puller – every hour a new coach load of tourists arrive to spend a short time there.

We managed to connect with Caroline (our niece) and her boyfriend, Gene, who were in the area. Gene was brought up on a farm near Fairlie which is about an hour from Lake Tekapo, so he knows the local area pretty well. They came over for lunch and joined us for a trip back up to Mount St John to see the wonderful view in the daytime. Toni and Hamish walked back down but the rest of the group took the easy route back for tea!

We spent the rest of the day gradually preparing for our New Year’s Eve feast: prawns, venison, cheese and Dom Pedros (vanilla ice cream and whisky). We had made up a fire in The Library where we could have pre-dinner drinks. Aldourie Lodge is a rambling old property with wonderful flowers and rose bushes all over the place. There are 3 bedrooms in the house but there is also ‘Andrew’s Hut’ with a double bed and heater in – Jo and Hamish braved it. It was wonderful way to celebrate all that has happened in 2012 and look forward to what 2013 will bring us. At 12 midnight we tuned in to Radio New Zealand and popped our poppers and raised our glasses to friends and family all over the world.

Sunday 30th December – the Long Road Trip up North

A lot of driving today and we feared the worst with the weather. The forecast was heavy rain coming from the north. We did have some but most of the time it was dry. We did see a lot more cars as people started their journeys back home and for the New Year celebrations. We stopped en route to buy  venison for New Year’s Eve dinner at the Vege Shop (with an alarming cockerel) and groceries / petrol at Frankton (near Queenstown Airport). At Lake Hayes (where we had swum on Christmas Day) we had our sandwiches overlooking the water just before a short shower got underway.

Strangely enough Jo and Hamish didn’t want to have a crack at bungee jumping but we stopped at the bridge where it was being run from, just to see how it looked from the river bank. I was amazed that even a couple did it together; Dick wondered whether there was an eye specialist on site to put eyeballs back in place after the jump. It really started raining then, so we left in  a hurry, glad that no-one was keen enough to join the queue.

As we had time on our hands we stopped at a row of shops which included one which sold clothes made out of marino wool and possum fir – a luxurious combination. Hamish homed in on the scarf section immediately as he had been looking for one for some time – he has yet to take it off! Just after that I took over the driving and was stopped at the roadblock on the route and had my breath checked for alcohol – nothing registered on the machine and we were offered a fatigue stop by the nice policeman which included tea and sausages! Sadly Mount Cook was not visible from the viewpoint (just a very blue glacial lake and a lot of cloud – that is why the picture below is just of the blue lake and cloud!). And then we arrived at Lake Tekepau.

We had booked a house called Aldourie Lodge on the Parkbrae Estate which turned out to be within yards of the Church of the Good Shepherd. It is an amazing little church which is used by three Christian denominations for services and a very popular place for weddings with its picture window looking over the lake and mountains. It was closed when we arrived but we said we would go the next day when it opened at 9am – to avoid the vast numbers of tourists who appear at all times of day and night to take photographs.

The high point of the day was going on a tour of the Mount St John observatory which is located on the hill next to the lake. It starts at midnight so that you have the darkest possible sky. We thought the rainclouds might stop us going but the forecast was ‘clearing’, so four of us stayed up late to catch the bus up a very steep and windy road. It was pitch black when we got there but they had given us little red torches so we could see our way and some very padded Antarctic jackets to keep of the cold wind. It was an amazing experience as through powerful telescopes we saw planets (Jupiter and four of its moons), the Southern Cross, and Orion’s Belt, as well as faraway galaxies with stars just forming. I spent quite a bit of time with the professional photographer who helped three of the party set up our cameras to capture some stars between the clouds and then fix the camera bodies onto a telescope to take some fantastic pictures of the moon. Bit of a late night (in bed by 3am, but definitely worth it.

Saturday 29th December – Activity Day around Manapouri

We were warned that rain was on its way and that proved to be the case. On our boat trip yesterday, we were told that Doubtful Sound can experience up to 16 metres of rain in a year – that is 630 inches. In Manapouri it is only about 4 metres as it is on the relative sheltered side of the mountain but it wouldn’t be so green and lush if it wasn’t for a fair chunk of rain. But that was in the early evening. We had some respite before then.

So we split up into 3 and went our separate ways. Chris, Jo and Hamish drove off to Te Anau to meet up with their guide from a riding stable where they were kitted out and went off for a three hour horse ride through forest and across open moorland (well land with gorse on – a plant which has been introduced to New Zealand and is not welcome as it spreads wildly. Toni hitched a lift with this group to a starting point of the Kepler Track along which she walked for 15km.

Dick and I met up with Mike, a craggy fisherman, who drove us to a remote part of the River Waiau to try out fly fishing. Apparently the change in the weather conditions (from glorious sunshine to impending rain) meant that the fish (Rainbow and Brown Trout) were hiding and not biting. Whilst Dick and I were both fly fishing beginners (even though Dick is a hugely experienced beach fisherman in Perth) Mike has been fishing for trout since he was a boy. After an hour Dick and I had not landed anything, I asked Mike to get his rod out and catch us a fish. Within minutes he had caught a Rainbow Trout….and that was it for the rest of the morning. Luckily Mike’s mate, James, appeared with his son; they had been fishing upstream and had caught three, one of which he gave to us. So we could return to the troops with some reward for our hours standing in the river.

Once everyone was back we took stock of the weather. Dick and I took the easy option and drove to the local café with wifi and did the connecting thing for half an hour. Whilst we prepared dinner, Hamish and Toni (who hadn’t had their requisite exercise fix for the day) went off for a short rowing boat trip across the river and a walk in the hills for a couple of hours. During this time the dark clouds arrived and it tipped down with rain. Not surprisingly Toni and Hamish arrived back completely soaked but had had a great time walking in the rain, clouds, and moss covered forest.

Friday 28th December – Cruising and Kayaking on Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound

We have not always had wifi access in our accommodation, so these postings have been a bit sporadic recently – apologies. Today the party split into two: those who love extreme sports (and I don’t mean extreme Uno!) and those who are happy with a more leisurely approach to life. Basically it was the same trip with the major difference being that Jo, Hamish and Toni did it in kayaks, and Chris, Dick and I did it all on cruise boats.

The first part of the trip was the same but on different boats: from Pearl Harbour at Manapouri (five  minutes’ walk from where we were staying) across the lake to the underground hydro electric power station. It is an amazing feat of engineering which takes advantage of the height of the lake above sea level (178m) and after going through the turbines the water exits into Doubtful Sound. It was completed in 1972 and supplies an aluminium smelter 191km away at Bluff with any excess being put into the national grid. Quite an experience.

The other part of the trip was a four wheel bus drive over the Wilmot Pass and onto the harbour at Doubtful Sound. Our driver / guide, Chris, displayed the very dry and understated humour that we have become used to in New Zealand from the driver on the Tranzalpine train to our fly-fishing guide (more of that later). The trick is to only believe half of what they say.

Once we were on the boat on Doubtful Sound the scenery changed dramatically and we were treated to some amazing views of earthquake cracks in the hillsides, seal island, mountain tops that that looked like the face of a man lying down, two cruise ships entering the sound from the sea, and a variety of vegetation. Doubtful Sound is the second largest fiord in the national park and reaches 430 metres at its maximum depth with the water temperature averaging 11 degrees. Whilst this isn’t Norway, the South West part of the South Island is a huge national park and provides breathtaking, close-up views of the landscape created by glaciers. After dinner, Chris and I took a short trip to the next town to us, Te Anau to do a little bit of late-night shopping (I bought a ‘buff’ to keep the sun off my neck); we were really glad we were in the quieter Manapouri!

Thursday 27th December – Moving onto Fjordland

We knew we were in for three to four hours of driving today, so Chris and I went for a final swim in the lap pool. In fact Chris tried to use some of the equipment in the gym but they didn’t always work as they should do (always a dangerous thing in a small gym – who said exercise can be bad for your health?). Scott, the general manager, had been a great help to us (he even collected the lamb and venison sausages from the butcher for us) and so we gave him a box of chocolates as a present for his trouble – worringly he said he would keep it in the office and hide it from his children!

So off to Queenstown (worth giving a miss as it is very busy with retail outlets such as Fergburger) and rapidly onto Frankton where we found a large supermarket on a retail park next to the international airport (strangely there were no signs to there at all from Queenstown). After a massive shop for the next three days we pushed our 7-seater Toyota Estima up a few more hills (notably the Remarkables Range), round a few more bends and across some extensive farmland to get to Manapouri. Only stop worthy of note was at Garston which had a honey shop which also sold some very old and unusual furniture; the Garston Hotel had clearly seen its heyday in the gold mining and railway era but surprisingly was still open despite the lack of life evident within and outside.

And then we were in Manapouri which is a very quiet little place but hosts the centre of boat trips across the lake and into Doubtful Sound. We arrived at out little house at 2pm, just before I read the arrival instructions which said we were welcome to go into the house anytime after 2pm. The key to the property was in a little lock box with a secret code (well it couldn’t have been that secret as the numbers were already set to that one!). Our landlady and landlord arrived unannounced shortly after we had gained entry; we thought they had spies in the close, but it turned out they were spending the day at another property they own just over the road. Once we had paid they kindly gave us a bottle of the local white wine: a sauvignon blanc semillion blend. It didn’t take us long to find the Frasers Beach on the glacial lake to take a dip in the 10 degrees temperature: beautifully clear but not the sort of place you would stay in for too long! After dinner we talk a stroll down the prom (!) to the Lakeview Pub for a quiet beer looking out at the sunset – beautiful.

Wednesday 26th December – Leisurely Trip to Glenorchy & The Hobbit

No cold turkey for us today! However, it did feel like the day after Christmas with a special treat in store for us in the afternoon. First though we thought we would all take a trip towards one of the film locations for Lord of the Rings (not that you can pinpoint exactly where it was, but it was in the generally area). Glenorchy is a remote township at where the Dart River enters the enourmous Lake Wakatipu and you can participate in jetboating up the river to experience the stunning scenery from the perspective of the water. We chose to take the more leisurely option and walk for an hour round the nature reserve. We had already gone paddling in the beautifully clear water at Bob’s Cove (named in honour of Grandad’s 90^th birthday!) and the water was still icy cold. This apparently was the best place to see the level of water in the lake change by 150mm every 5 minutes (reason unclear from guide books): we did see some movement but it was more likely to do with the passing motor boat than a natural phenomenon. The scenery continued to be stunning with mountains / hills of upwards of 1,500 metres towering next to the lake with snow still evident at the summit.

And then….as we were in Lord of the Rings country and The Hobbit film had just been released, we thought we had to see it – in 3D! Arrowtown is pretty small but it still manages to boast a complex of three characterful cinemas. Admittedly they are all pretty small but the screen in the one we were in was pretty big with large seats and lots of leg room; as we were in the front row (we had booked the last six tickets a few days before at Chris’s suggestion) we were right in there with the action. Despite it not being that faithful to the book (some pretty yukky parts of the script), it is a great film. Amazing how Peter Jackson can spin things out – such a small book will be shown in three parts over three years (talk about cash cows!). It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon on Boxing Day and we popped into the Fox and Tap for a pint of the local brew afterwards. Toni and Hamish went for a walk afterwards as exercise levels had been pretty low today – just as you would expect at this time of year!

Tuesday 25th December – Christmas in 30 Degrees

Difficult to describe this one! It wasn’t too hot in the night despite being a very warm evening. A few flies about which gave you a nip but nothing too dramatic. Chris and I woke up around 7am and decided that the best strategy for Christmas in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere was to go for a swim – first in the indoor pool in the complex of houses that we are staying in and then in the glacial lake that is just down the road. Which did I prefer? The glacial lake, of course! The water was cool but not cold, lovely and clear. It was amazing to appreciate that while we were wallowing in the cool water, only a few kilometres away, the mountains rise up steeply to over 1,000 metres and that, despite the amount of sunshine, there was still some snow on top.

Christmas dinner was a combination of northern hemisphere (hot lamb and vegetables) and southern hemisphere (salads) cooking. It was a leisurely affair but, given the time difference, we missed the Queen’s speech. It also felt strange when we went out for a walk later in the afternoon as it was still hot outside – we are used to wrapping up and venturing out in the wind and cold in the UK. It was a shady walk along the banks of the Arrow River which runs alongside the town and there were a few people swimming: Pooh stick races included.

Late in the evening we managed to skype the family in the UK but the connection was poor and so we only had a few minutes seeing everyone before we resorted to old technology, the telephone. It was lovely to spend Christmas with Jo and Hamish for the first time in 5 years.

Monday 24th December – Lord of the Rings Country

When we planned this trip we decided to stop in a small number of places in South Island for two or three nights so we weren’t always on the move. Our next stop is going to be right in the middle of the country where quite a few of the Lord of the Rings locations could be found. So real Hobbit land. It took us about five hours in total with a few stops at lookout points to marvel at the scenery, stretch our legs and change drivers. We saw seals playing in the water at Knights Point, paddled in the River Haast, water spilling over the rocks at Thunder Falls, drove over the longest single car bridge in New Zealand, stopped at Wannaka for Christmas Day food, and stood at the top of the Crown Range Road looking down on Queenstown (the next town to Arrowtown where we would be staying for the next three nights).

We turned off at the sign that said, “Historic Arrowtown”, which proved to be absolutely spot on – it was like a town in the Wild West but with fancy clothes shops. Seriously it was a very sweet town with some great shops and restaurants – and a wonderful cinema (more of that on Boxing Day!). We found our house quite easily (after I had asked at the visitors’ centre) as it was on a small estate out of town on the way to Queenstown. We are so fortunate to have booked our accommodation so far in advance as it is a very busy time of year. Great space for spending Christmas – and there was a 25 metre swimming pool onsite.

We thought we take a break from catering for ourselves and took ourselves out to one of the many restaurants in Arrowtown called the Postmaster’s Residence for dinner (sadly now up for sale). Lovely fish to start and fish for main – even though we are nowhere near the sea! I had a chat with the owner afterwards about the benefit of Tearfund’s affinity credit card. We walked back through a reconstruction of a Chinese settlement which celebrated the role of China in the gold rush. We had found a lovely small church in the town where we went for midnight carols and communion. It was one of the few ways that we could have a sense of Christmas (in addition to Phil Spector’s Christmas Album) as we are not used to the 25^th December being 30 degrees centigrade. Back at 1am just in time for Santa coming down the chimney.