New Zealand April 2025000nnere

11th April: It was a long night departing at 8pm and arriving at 1.30am our time which was 7am NZ time. We went to the Cafe and had breakfast because we couldn't collect  the car until 8.30. That all went smoothly and we drove out about 9am. We then drove up to our accommodation just to orient ourselves. It is high in the hills above Auckland rather like Darlington. The vegetation is some what more lush though.

We introduced ourselves to our hosts and they politely said the unit isn't ready, go way and come back later. They suggested the Cafe at the Old Railway station for lunch. It lived up to the recommend and was an interesting classic old station. Suburban trains still go past which adds to the atmosphere.

We then went back,  met our very friendly hostess and crashed onto our very comfortable beds for a couple of hours sleep.

We had driven through Downtown Auckland on the way up to the hills to give Lyn a glimpse of the city. After a walk, up around the neighbourhood we drove down to the Cafe area of the city for dinner. Found a good family restaurant called Goode Brothers and had our dinner.

Then early to bed.

12/4 Saturday Auckland

Went for a drive north of Auckland up the west side of the Peninsula to Wellsford and then down the east coast to home. The scenery was interesting are we drove around the perimeter of a huge Lake. Fairly level and grazing land, As we drove further north  it was more mountainous, We went for a bush walk to see a summit called the Dome after lunch. It began with steps but this is not unusual so we set off, we climbed and climbed and climbed about 4 ( I think 5) sets of about 25 steps straight up with minimal level bits in between. Lyn was faster than us and went ahead. Eventually I got the wobbles and Bob and I reluctantly decided we had to desist. We strolled back down and  Lyn came panting in  triumphant as she had made it all the way.

13/4 Sunday Rotorua

This morning we set off for Rotorua  and had an interesting drive through much more mountainous terrain. In the beginning it was very slow as the drive out of the hill area where we had been staying was very narrow and winding. We eventually reached the motorway and moved along,  I was interested to see Hamilton and Bob obliged but it slowed us down again and made it a lot longer day. We arrived just before our check in time and settled  in before going up to the Park for a walk. After an early dinner Lyn and I indulged in a visit and wallow in the hot spars. It was very relaxing and we came out blush pink all over. Relaxed and ready for an early night.

14/4 Monday Taumarunia 

This  morning we went Back to the Park for another short walk hoping to see the  mud  pools. On the way we were lucky to see a steam vent doing it's thing and stopped ro take photos.We did have a walk through a magnificent Grove of ancient Kauri trees but as we approached the swampy area I realised it was very dry. When  I checked with a woman coming from the right direction  she confirmed that it was dried up. We retraced our steps and headed out of Rotorua.

We were driving to Taumarunia and the countryside was beautiful. We drove through a contant roller coaster of rounded and also steep sided hills quite unlike anything we see in Australia. Not even in Victoria.

This town is a typical country town though larger than most, sprawling along the valley. A stop off at the visitor centre alerted us to the fact that like several other towns they have a glow worm cave. Despite the fact that Bob has booked us onto an expedition to see them

at Te Anua  he and Lyn have gone out to look for them here  partly  because it is free and it is too early to go out for dinner.

We have now discovered that we need to replan our route down to Materton tomorrow because of a landslip and resulting road closure. Such are the challenges of International travel.   Off to the RSA (RSL) for dinner tonight. More tomorrow.

15/4/25  Masterton

We have had  beautiful weather but today a change was forecast. Regardess it was a lovely day when we set off this morning. We had our longest drive so far today to get us close to Wellington for the ferry tomorrow..The scenery was predominently the very steep hill country which is quite beautiful but you feel as if you are on a roller coaster winding around a huge amusement park.

About half way to Masterton we discovered the Central Plateau. This is home to a large Army trainng facility and  supposedly Heritage wild horses. We drove through the Army town but didn't see any horses. It was strange to see this huge grassy plain with no fences or cattle and sheep when they had dominated all the other rural areas.

What did reappear were the very tall hedges that had been around the outer areas of Auckland. They are so impressive and obviously important for providing shelter for stock.

This afternoon we could see a huge cloud bank towering over the mountains to the East. It looked like a huge fluffy doona  sitting on the mountains. Then at about 3pm after it had been sneaking closer ever since lunch time it started to rain. Fortunately it was just sporadic light showers and it was dry to unload the car at the motel at Masterton. Tomorrow we drive into Wellington  to catch the ferry to the South Island.

16/4/25  Picton

Today we were catching the ferry to the South Island departing  from Wellington. As usual we left early and were confident that by doing so we wouldn't have problems. It was quite a nice sunny  morning with no sign of the treatened rain. As usual we had a few items of shopping to do. We needed a pharmacy because I had lost my chap stick and Lyn  had lost her glasses. She now has a pair of the pharmacy specials.

We soon discovered that it was a good thing that we were not pressed for time because the road south wound through an extensive mountain range. The scenery was spectacular but is was like driving though the Swiss Alps only the curves were closer together and the road narrow and quite long. Then we saw some interesting sights along the way such as driving through the area of Rivendel and some lovely old towns with well preserved pioneer settlement houses and shops.

We were of course very early for the ferry but considered being towards the front of the queue was worth just waiting it out as it would pay dividends in terms of early exit on arrival. And it did. The ferry was full with lots of family groups due to the school holidays. It was interesting in terms of people watching. It did start to rain before we arrived in Picton but it was not heavy and didn't really inconvenience us.

Had an interesting chat with a man who has a property close to where we stayed last night. He has been co-opted to come to the South to help his daughter move house and was not looking forward to a wet weekend. He had been in Australia as a young man and worked  on rural properties around Harvey. He has a daughter working as a nurse in Tenant Creek. She has been home recently to plan construction of her retirement home and has realised she wouldn't have enough money so has gone back for another three years. 

The ferry was on time but it still took a while to get off and drive the 6 kms to our accommodation. It is comfortable and more importantly warm because the Max temp today was 17 C and this morning it was 12c when we were leaving.

That is it for today. We are staying here two nights so to tomorrow will be a relaxed day.

17/4/25  Thursday Picton

Well the day certainly began relaxed as we didn't wake up until 8 am. Once we were Tjw organised we went into town and straight to the Info Centre. Here we were given maps to various lookouts, We began with the yacht club harbour. We have seen so many cyclists on the roads we decided t,hat they are really into cycling in NZ but now we have added yatching. A harbour full of very fancy yatchs. We then went up a couple of very winding roads to lookout points and the views were worthwhile. You will have to wait till I get home for the visuals as I have forgotten how to upload my photos to the blog.

We then did some shopping and came home to do our washing. This was easy because we had access to a washer and dryer at our accommodation,

After a very nice roast lamb dinner in town I am only fit for a shower and bed. Good night.

18/4/25  Good Friday Kumara Junction

The weather was a bit showery yesterday but we were  told that it would be finer and warmer as we drove South. This seemed a bit counter intuitive but proved to be correct. Initially it was very misty over the nearby hills  but as we watched the mist drifted down the valleys  and created some fantastic scenery.

We began the day at about 15 degrees but it was 23  degrees by mid afternoon when we arrived at this delightful cottage accommodation.

Our route took us along a huge river valley which was the Marlborough wine region, We will sip our NZ wines with more nostalgia in future. Aa the valley was narrowed by the mountains it reverted to the impressive dairy herds and pine plantations. About mid trip we came to the St Arnauld Reserve where we could see an interesting geology of the rounded topped mountains which we now recognise as extinct volcanos but fronted by Much more rugged  brown sharp hill country, When we stopped at the Park Visitors Centre we saw a display that explained  that this  was the area where the volcanic Pacific tectonic plate  collided with the Australoasian plate causing the sea floor to be thrust up and crumpled against the older more stable mass, Very interesting.

After a delicious lunch of home made tomato soup our road south was a little less winding and we made good time to our farm house accommodation. Had a relaxing  time flat on our backs untill the idea of dinner rallied the chefs . We were self catering tonight as we are a bit out of town and not sure what would be available on Good Friday in a small community, Easy dinner of cooked chook and vegetables,  Good Night,

19/4/25  Easter Saturday Franz Joseph

We left our very nice Mont's Cottage at our usual time of about 9am. It had rained during the  night but it was quite a nice morning with the usual mist in the mountain valleys and tops. We stopped for a bit of shopping in Hokitika and had a drive and walk around the Quay area. It was then a pretty straight forward run down to Franz Joseph. On the way there were a number of towns with names hinting at the Scots ancestory of the early settlers, It was rich looking dairy land around the river flats interspersed wit h very heavy tropical vegitation . This is the unexpected aspect of the South Island in that this west coast has quite a mild climate.

When we arrived we drove straight out to the glacier park and tackled one of the walks. This was quite a long one and we were optimistic about doing it. However after we had been walking for about 20 minutes we realised it was  becoming very steep and decided to return, We then set off on the most popular30 minute walk and soon had good  views of the glacier. This worked out well in terms of the weather as it began raining just as we arrived back at the car and  it hasn't stopped since. We had our own lunch makings because we had bought rolls earlier. It was 2pm by then so we decided to sèe if we could check into the motel because the parks do not seem to provide picnic tables. That was no problem so we had lunch in comfort and then a nap.  Dinner was early because all the restaurants seem to stop taking orders at 8pm. The nearby restaurants were all busy when we began looking at 6,30pm but we did get a table and had a very nice meal  Time for coffee and a chocolate biscuit. Good night, 

20/4/25 Easter Sunday Franz Joseph

This blog is a day late because the wifi was not strong enough  to work in our room last night.  So yesterday we woke up to sunshine after the previous day of rain,

This meant that we could go on the 30 minute helicopter ride over both the Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers. I had a few anxious moments before we took off that I was not admitting to but it was spectacular and well worthwhile.

From there we drove down the West Coast Highway to Cromwell. Although it was the coastal hway we only had two short strip's of ocean viewing. The most notable was Bruce Bay Beach. The surf was huge and generally people were not venturing off the sand. In between there were broad river valleys carrying sheep cattle or deer  and otberwise coastal vegetation. The vegetation is layered with ferns closest to the roads then tree ferns which grow to an amazing height and then mixed woodland  up to very tall trees.

There were a couple of small communities with perhaps one shop but in the main this is a very lightly  populated area. Initially the road was the usual challenging going up and down and around sharp corners. Bob has found that the warning signs  recommending cornering speeds are pretty accurate. It was more relaxing for the last part of the day as it was straighter and gently undulating. Now on to today.

21/4/25  Monday Cromwell

The sun was shining and all was right with the world until we had loaded the car and went to get in. Then  Bob saw the flat front tire. After quite a  bit of blue language

he changed it and we found a tire place and it was quickly repaired. The mechanic was obliging because Bob had done most of the work by getting if off. The problem was a leaking valve which is apparently quite common here and was quickly replaced.

We had a pleasant  run down  to Te Anua after our later than  usual start. I started this blog early because at 6,30pm we have to be down at the foreshore for a boat trip over to a glow worm cave. So it is time for a cuppa and some pizza so we will be ready in time.

22/3/25 Tuesday  & 23/4/25 Wednesday Te Anua

Well the boat trip along the coast of Lake Te Anua went well, The Glow Worms were cooperative because they were hungry so were glowing to attract insects.  Far more interesting to me was the caverns complex we walked through to see them. We were tolin track,d it was formed about 15 million years ago and has been steadiiy worked on by the water/ since. There was a Torrent under the walkway and a magnificent waterfall about half way along. The area we walked through was only a small portion of the complex the remainder being too dangerous to develop,dates haven'tThos

This morning was g,oriously sunny for our drive to Milford Sound. Our cruise was departing at 11.10 and we had a two hour drive first so we were up and away early. The countryside became more mountainous as we approached but we passed many very round ewes fenced in small paddocks. We assume that this is for ease of managing lambing.

The cruise was on a small vessel and only half full,  The skipper took us in close to a couple of waterfalls and some baskng fur seals. They gave us a good history of Milford emphasising it's great depth and the roaring wind it can experience. Also told us a couple of times it is a fiord created by glaciers and not a Sound.

It was a very pleasant day.

24/4/ 25 Thursday  Dunedin  

Somehow my days and dates haven't chimed but I am now back on track. This morning when we were getting ready to leave Te Anua it was 2 degrees C, by 10am on the road it was up to 10 degrees. Initially it was cloudy  but as we drove east it became a beautiful

 Sunny day. Still cold. Today we once again  saw dead possums on the road. These Aussie invaders are not mourned by the locals of course.

Yesterday morning we had to clear the windscreen of ice with wet newspaper.. This morning we went down to the car armed with bottles of warm water only to find the windscreen clear.

As we drove east towards Duneden we met all the incoming buses heading for the  Milford Sound cruise.  We were early for our 11am cruise yesterday and there were only a couple in the car park but when we were leaving there were about 30 parked up. 

This morning our fathfull little Corolla had racked up 2000 kms since we left Auckland.

When we arrived in Dunedin we went to the historic area for a walk around. The buildings are all highly decorated 18thC grey stone trimmed with white paint and in immaculate condition. The Presbyterian Cathedral and the Railway Station were pride of place but interestingly the nearby Gaol built at the same time  was of mundane red brick.

 Tonight we are on the outskirts of Dunedin and had dinner of take away fish and chips from the highly recommended nearby very small F & chippery. It was delicious but we felt guilty about all the people we  could have fed with the left over chips.

25/4/25 Friday  Christchurch 

This morning we had our usual yoghurt and toast breakfast and headed off for Christchurch along the East Coast. It was a pretty straight forward run being the ANZAC holiday and we had quiet roads until lunchtime. Along the way we saw evidence of Dawn Services but at about 11 o'clock we drove through a town where there was a large crowd just dispersing with a Scots Band in full regalia.

We had prepared for a picnic lunch because the shops and eateries were closed. At Timaru we found a beautiful park by the ocean with lots of kids enjoying a very elaborate play area but still plenty of space for picnic tables and strolling around. We have noticed that these larger towns do playgrounds very imaginatively.

After lunch the traffic was heavier but we were still at our motel  by 3.30pm. Time for a relax especially because our enthusiastic young receptionist outlined where we could walk to a good  restaurant area when we were ready. Furthermore when Bob investigated the laundry he found the young man still hard at work doing the motel laundry.. He immediately offered to do our load as long as we paid for the machine. It was duly processed while we put our feet up.

Tonight we walked to the restaurant area and found a very reasonably priced Indian restaurant which had a much more expansive menu than we are used to so tasted some very enjoyable new dishes, The authenticity was verified by the number of Indian husbands who came to collect Take Aways. Good Night.

26 /4/25 Saturday Kiakoura

It was a very quiet day today, We were driving north to Kaikpira. Initially it was fairly straight roads with gentle undulations and the mountains off to our left. We had occasional glimpses of the ocean but the road was not always close to the sea. As we headed further north the road was winding through the  foothills and the traffic  was heavier. We stopped for lunch at Cheviot and discovered that it is a very crafty town, Lyn and I bought a couple of useful things from a stall that was groaning with  beautifully made items, 

As we  drove closer to Kaikoura the road showed us more ocean as  we wound along the very narrow stretch of land between the mountains and the sea, The railway line was right alongside and went through numerous  tunnels and the road also tunnelled a couple of times, Approaching Kaikoura the mountains were still covered with sheets of snow although it was definitely a thinner layer than the  glaciers down south, The weather was definitely warmer as we drove north and reached a Max of 17

degrees. Kaikoura is definitely a tourist town and we had plenty of choice for dinner  venues, Bob and Lyn had fish again which has been  beautiful but I needed a change.

Over and out.

27/4/25 Sunday Nelson

It has been another lovely sunny day today as we drove north to Nelson. For the first hour and a half we were following the coastline. Occasionally the road veered inland but in the main the mountains kept us pressed against the ocean. We were surprised as we approached Kaikoura last night to see that the mountains were displaying more snow than down south. They must be higher or the valleys more protected  or the valleys are simply more exposed to view. The snow certainly seemed lighter than the depth in the glaciers. 

We were heading slightly west of North so we eventually resumed the mountain roads and our progress was a bit slower. However we were soon back in the vineyards of Marlborough which we saw on the first days of our trip south. We were also back among  the one lane bridges where you have to res5 pect the priority direction signs  and any oncoming traffic already on the bridge,

Nelson is very definitely a tourist town . This afternoon we had a bit of a nap and then went for a walk along the ? beach. The question mark is because apart from a small area of soft sand the rest was a  hard packed grey expanse. People seemed to be making the most of it though.

I keep forgetting to mention the use of Poplar trees to create wind breaks. These as well as pines are anywhere the land is flat and used for farming. I haven't seen them in profusion any where else and previously only in my childhood at the  Bridgetown railway station. Makes me quite nostalgic ( well slightly).

Off to dinner at the Thai Restarant up the street. Bye.

28/4/25  Monday Wellington

Today we boarded the ferry for the return trip to the North Island. It was another misty morning as we wound through the hills heading  East.  As we started to climb the mountains out of Nelson there was a red truck just ahead of us. However once we started climbing the road was so windy that we didn't catch sight if it again until we were coming  down to the final slope. The Bureau suggested rain later but it did not eventuate. The ferry trip was uneventful and we were in Wellington in good time to check into our Central unit and stroll down the street for a very pleasant Italian meal. Nothing else eventful. Goodnight.

29/4/25  Tuesday  Lake Taupo

This was a fairly straight run from Welligton to Taupo today. Last night we had a very nice pasta dinner at an Italian restaurant in Cuba Street which was a North Bridge type of area near our apartment.

 This morning it looked like it might rain but the clouds dispersed as the day progressed. Then after we arrived at our accommodation and went out to go to dinner we found it had rained here and we hadn't noticed. Taupo is a bigger town than we had expected.There are all the usual lakeside houses and many many motels. After we had perused a list of advertised  restaurants and decided which one would provide a bit of variety from the standard fare we have been eating for the past two weeks Bob Googled restaurants in Taupo and found there are 120 places to eat in this town. The restaurant /pub we selected,The Ploughman's  ranked 24. We chose it because they serve Venison pie and we haven't tasted any until now. The waitress was clearly very surprised when we all ordered this meal. We saved ourselves from total boredom by each choosing something different to drink. The pub was a beautifully rendered  version of an Old English pub. The meal was good too. Tomorrow is our last day before we fly home.

30/4/25  Wednesday Auckland

Well the weather forecast for our last day was for heavy rain and possible thunderstorms so we left Taupo in fine weather but with some trepidation. We were due at Hobbiton at 12oclock for a tour but as usual we were early. As we were checked in we were offered space on a  earlier tour and grabbed it because the weather was fine at that time. We enjoyed our tour because everything from the design to the structures to the tour guides was very organised and professional. The weather held fine until almost the end and even then it was only light rain for a few minutes.

We were then on the road to our accommodation in Auckland and were very pleased to have been early birds because the heavy rain arrived. We are now booked into our hotel and Bob has gone to return our trusty little Corolla which has taken us to so many beautiful places. We have enjoyed New Zealand and have even flagged some places we would maybe like to come back to explore further.

End of this Blog.

The English Garden

These magnificent trees are Cedars.

The largest of these Koi were at least a metre long.

 

22nd July Germany

 We set off at about 9-30 this morning and went out to a nearby Nursery with a beautiful English Garden. It as called Ettenbuhl -just in case you can find it on Google. Maria and I had a lovely time and Bob found it interesting I think. Roland  would rather have been getting on with the day but he coped.  

From there we went on to Lorrah which was probably a town worthy of exploring in it's own right but our focus was shopping. Germany is cheaper than Switzerland for pretty well everything. We lucked on to a department store  having a major sale and found bargains with the things we were looking for.

Roland then drove us home through the Black Forest. The plan included a stop at Titisee which is a beautiful lake that has been well developed for holiday makers. .However it is now school holidays in Germany and there wasn't a parkimg space anywhere. There was no temptation to park illegally when we spotted a policeman moving in to deIiver fines.

We ar now back in Bulach with a busy last day ahead of us as we pack up and get ready to board the plane home on Sunday. So apart from some photos it is over and out for this trip. Gail

Along The Doub

Retired Shetland aged 25 yrs.

water fountain

The Martured Saint _ the statue dates from 17C

Entance to Ferrette
 

21 July River Doud then Germany

 We began the day driving alongside the river on unmade road. Just a bit pot wholy and very pretty. A few kms along things came to an abrupt halt with a tree across the road. It had obviously blown down in the previous nights storm. The road was very narrow so Roland had to reverse for about 500 metres back to a turning area. Maria and I walked back ahead of the Jeep and as  we went we found dozens of tiny frogs hopping across the road.They were really cute and just like the ones I used to find in the garden at the farm.

We were travelling through rural land again and saw a deer foraging in a mowed paddock then some storks feeding on ploughed land. We stopped at an ancient town named Ferrette and I don't know if there is any connection to the four legged ones or what the name actually means. It was quite delightful with fountains all through. They were mostly long toughs designed to make collecting water easy in the days before piped water. There was a notice forbidding housewives to do their washing in the drinking troughs and go to the laundry specific one.

There is a typical stone bridge with a statue of the towns patron saint whose name was difficult to remember so of course I have forgotten it. I do remember that in the  13 Century he was thrown in the river by King Wensalus and drowned because he would not betray the secrets of the confessional. We have always been told that Wensalus was a good guy. He must have had a good PR team.

As we progressed we went in and out of France a few times and then on to Bad Belingen in Germany for an overnight stay. 3 countries in one day. Our hotel was one M & R  had stayed in before. Omce we had settled in Bob and I went for a walk. We found the park just down the hill from the hotel. Maria had told us it had a mini golf course. We weren't looking for it particularly but when we did we were most impressed. It was 18 holes and most of them presented a challenge. I was most gobsmacked by the one where you had to hit through a rotating waterwheel. Putting through consecutive wine barrels where the holes would have just about accommodated a mouse was another. All of them had sneaky slopes guaranteed to send your ball into the never never.

Dinner was very enjoyable. For the first time Bob and I chose the fish on offer. It was just what we hoped and we enjoyed it. There had been no way we would have chosen the steamed trout the previous evening once we saw it being served to other patrons.

Wed 20th July River Doubs

This days plam was to follow the Swiss French Border along the River as closely as possible . This took us through wider shallower valleys with more extemsive farmimg land at times. In between we were in the historic Doub Park adjacent to the River. Initially the River was a sad spectre as it was almost completely dry. Boat hire and cruises were impossible and restaurants which rely on this activity were closed.

Our first stop was in Coldesroches to visit a ancient and very unique mill. Back in the 17th C the local people were hampered by the lack of a river to provide water power for a mill. Then the discovery that their river was underground and travelled through a cave system changed everything. Innovative locals built a grain mill down in the caves to access the power. Over time the mill was taken over and enlarged by financiers until it was operating several waterwheels of great size and powering a flour mill and a saw mill. Needless to say the conditions of work were pretty grim especially because the temperature down in the caves is a steady 7C and all the work for maintenance and expansion was done in what we now consider to be highly dangerous conditions.

Forewarned we had our jumpers on and went down through the very well set out tour but a group of young people from a holiday camp shivered their way through at much faster progress. It was really incredible to see the way in which people had managed to create such a major industry in such a difficult environment.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the bank of the Doub and then wound our way through the Park. We stopped at a beautiful hotel restaurant tucked into a narrow part of the valley. Maria had hoped to book us into the hotel but it was closed for the day. Instead we took photos and moved on. A slight detour took us to a huge stable complex  set up to rescue old horses. It was very well organised and each stall had the name and birth year of its usual occupant. Most were out in the feed area but Bob found  the sleeping place of a 36 Y O.

The weather had become increasingly thunderery and right on the French Swiss border we found the Hotel du Doub. We were just unloading our luggage from the Jeep when the rain and hail arrived. It was impressive but fairly shortlived.  There was an impressive riverside covered terrace for dinner and the temperature was mild so we had a meal of local specialties in a convivial atmosphere. We passed up the frogs legs.

Photos of the Grand Canyon, Asphault and La Brevine

 

Rock outcrop in a most unusual extruded formation dominating the area.