Travel Tips

Thursday We were up and away by 8.30 on a beautiful morning, my birthday although it is not so bad to age on holiday. We left Dunedin and headed across country to our next stop, which is Te Anau. We stopped, or rather were stopped because there was a house coming along the road! Sounds strange but we were driving along and saw a car with the notice "house coming" then there was another car which stopped us and said we were to get on to the side road because there was a house coming. So we got onto the side road but we could not believe our eyes when we saw this huge house on a lorry coming towards us. It certainly gives a totally different meaning the words "I'm moving house" We drove from Clinton (where we had stopped for coffee) to Gore along the Presidential Highway. Well Al didn’t quite make it to president but the idea is fun. We had a picnic lunch in the sun before moving on to Te Anau. We stopped at the information centre and walked to the Wildlife Centre where we saw a few of the NZ birds. It was especially good to see the Kea, which we had seen at Mount Cook, and the Takahe, which is very endangered. They are large flightless birds but it makes a lovely little sound. We have a lovely B&B for two nights. Although it is a B&B we have a little cottage ... a separate unit. We unpacked and went back to the centre again for an hour before shopping for our dinner. It cloudier over in the later afternoon so we have our fingers crossed for tomorrow. We went back to the centre and I phoned mum, it was 07.45 in the morning in England but she was awake. Then we wandered around the centre again as the shops, or at least some of them, were open. Koos treated me to a pair of lovely black pearl earrings and a hanger for my birthday.

Friday It started raining in the night and it was pouring with rain this morning, and the clouds were right down over the mountains. We had slept very well and had breakfast at 7.45 before going to Manapouri where we joined the Doubtful Sound tour. We checked in and collected our lunch packets; we had booked the tour and arranged for lunch packets when we booked our trip to NZ. Doubful Sound was originally named “Doubtfull Harbour by Captain James Cook ” when he sailed past in the Royal Navy ship Endeavour on his first circumnavigation of New Zealand in 1770. Captain Cook skirted the entrance wondering if there was sufficient wind to manoeuvre his ship in the narrow reaches. He thought it not worth the risk even though some of his scientists on board wanted to try to land. The trip over Lake Manapouri lasts about 45 minutes and then we transferred to buses for the trip over the Wilmot pass to the wharf where we got the boat for the trip over Doubtful. Fordland has a temperate rainforest complete with lots of ground ferns, vines, orchids and trees. The forest on the mountainside has grown in the absence of deep soil development. Solid rock scraped smooth by glaciers is not far under the interlaced and matted rooks of the trees. These trees depend on the build-up of leaf mould of their food. Because of this tree avalanches are common and are usually triggered by snow or heavy rainfall. Our driver and guide for the day, Peter, was great fun but very good. He ha a very dry sense of humour. The boat takes 120 people but there were only 80 on the trip today. It continued to rain all day although at times the rain was a little lighter but in fact the rain does add to the enchanting atmosphere of the place. Doubtful Sound is in the middle of a designated World Heritage Area and is remote, wild and breathtakingly imposing. It is the second largest of Fiordland National Park's 14 fiords - Dusky Sound is the largest. Doubtful Sound is three times longer than Milford Sound and has a sea surface area about 10 times larger than Milford Sound, this is because of Doubtful's greater length and its three arms. The three arms are found on the southern side of the fiord and called Hall, Crooked and First. Doubtful Sound At its maximum depth Doubtful Sound is about 430 metres deep. Near the entrance there are sills where it is only about 90 metres deep. The waters of the Sound are subject to tides but the range is moderate – between 2,5 to 3 metres. The temperature of the waters is a chilly 11 degrees Celsius on average but in warm weather it can get up to 15 degrees in shallower parts. Doubtful Sound has one of only two marine reserves in Fiordland. It covers the narrow passage called Te Awaatu Channel between Bauza and Secretary Islands.

The water is relatively shallow, just 30 metres in places and it is a popular diving area. Doubtful Sound is home to a resident pod of about 60 Bottlenose Dolphins. Research has shown that these dolphins rarely leave Doubtful Sound. They are among the largest of their species and are a lot larger than dolphins found in temperate or tropical waters. Fur Seals can be seen at Nee Islets near the entrance to Doubtful Sound all year and they can also be seen basking in the sun on rocks around the fiord. We were lucky enough to see the Fiordland Crested penguin, they have a distinctive yellow stripe over each eye and they grow to about 70 cm high. We did not see them but Blue Penguins may be found in Doubtful Sound (usually in the water) they are the smallest of the penguins species – reaching about 40 cms. We went out to where the Doubtful Sound joins the Tasman Sea, where the trip got a bit choppy. It was there that we saw a large seal colony and a small group of Fjordland crested penguins. Fjordland is actually the wettest part of NZ so it was a normal day really. In Maori legend Doubtful Sound and the other fiords were made by a godly figure (atua) who came wielding a magical adze and shouting incantations. The creator of the fiords (Tu-Te-Raki-Whanoa) tried to make long winding inlets which would act as refuges from the often stormy seas. He started in the south and headed north using his great strength and splitting rock he opened up the land and the sea rushed in. There is little evidence of Maori occupation of Fiordland. Captain Cook met a Maori group in Dusky Sound.On the way back we went under the mountain to see the hydro-electric works and then it was back over Lake Manapouri and back to Te Anau. It was a lovely day.
Saturday We were up at 8.15 to rain, it had rained all night, we had breakfast and chatted to Jane and Ross for a while before packing and setting off again towards Queenstown for our next overnight stop. We checked in and then headed to Arrowtown – this is an gold-mining town which has been restored. It is touristy but also interesting and the local museum tells its history very well. There was a sale on of Icebreaker merino woollens in town and I found a lovely jumper from it. We then headed back to the hotel for lunch and then we were out again. This time it was to go and see the Bungy jumping, at the place where it was first time in 1988. Bungy jumping really started in Vanuatu in the Pacific, when the people threw themselves off high places with only twine rope around their feet. This inspired the Oxford Dangerous Sports Club to try a few jumps in the late 1970’s. Then after lots of testing on latex cords a series of jumps were made. The first was at Ponts de la Caille near Annecy in France. Then in 1987 A.J. Hackett jumped from the Eiffel Tower and the legend was born. The Kawarau Bungy Bridge where we watched a couple of people jump is the world’s first permanent Bungy site, it was opened on 11th November 1988. We took a different way back to Queenstown and went up on the Gondola and the view over the town and lake is wonderful. We were very lucky with the weather, the rain from this morning had quickly cleared up. After the gondola trip we spent the afternoon in the centre along the lakeside. We had dinner and packed in our things again, it gets more difficult each evening as we seem to gather more things each day.

Sunday We were awake just before 7.00 thanks to our fellow hotel guests. They were either Koreans or Japanese and they talked in high squeaky voices - the ladies sounded like cats! It was very dull when we set off but it was dry then. We headed back up the road towards the Bungy jumping but it was still closed. We had planned to take the scenic road over the Crown Range to Wanaka but it started raining heavily and there were low clouds and mist plus the road sign said that the road was icy with grit. So we decided not to risk that because there would have been none of the views we had hoped for. Just before Wanaka we turned off and headed towards the west coast. It was pouring with rain and there was no break in the skies at all. We stopped for coffee and then headed through the Haast Pass. The road is narrow and very twisty and with all the rain there were so many waterfalls along the route. We stopped at the Fantail Falls and walked to the lookout point. That was a very short walk but it was worth it even in the pouring rain! Then we moved on and stopped at the Thunder Creek Falls, it was a longer walk to the very long thin falls but it was lovely BUT wet walk. Further along the road we stopped at the Roaring Billy falls. It was still absolutely pouring with rain but we did the ten-minute walk through the rainforest to the falls. It does its name justice as it is very loud but actually the other two falls were nicer. There were hundreds of waterfalls in different sizes along the road because of all the rain. We stopped at Haast Visitor Information Centre, which gives lots of information about the area, after filling up with petrol we headed another 30 kilometres along the coast to the Moeraki Wilderness Lodge where we were staying for the night. It was just after 2.30 when we arrived, the room is lovely and it will be quiet tonight.

Lodge Lake Moeraki nestles beneath an 800-year-old Kahikatea tree and is on the banks of the Moeraki River. The lodge is pretty unique, it is committed to the protection of the environment. They run their own hydro-electric generator for all the Lodge’s power. They recycle all possible rubbish and work in close partnership with the Conservation Department. This department administers the surrounding World Heritage rainforests. The Lodge also gathers scientific information about seals, penguins, birds, earthquakes and rainfall to help in future management of the area. After a welcome cup of tea we decided to walk to Monro Beach in the hope of seeing the Fjordland crested Penguin again, we had seen him on Doubtful Sound. The walk is 45 minutes through the rainforest and is wonderful. Luckily by the time we had arrived at the Lodge the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. I just love all the different colour greens and the thousands of little ferns and mosses. In fact the rain drops on them and the soft sunshine filtering through the forest is marvellous. We saw a Tui and certainly heard him and a bellbird but when we got to the shore there was no penguin to be seen. The sea was rough and the tide was coming in, although the sand flies were a nuisance it was lovely in the sun. We spent a while wandering along the sands before turning back for the walk through the forest to the lodge. We sat in the lounge with a cup of tea before dinner. While I was reading the paper there was a crash against the window - a pigeon had flown into the glass. The people from the hotel got him out of the flowerbed. He had a twig in his throat, probable been building a nest but the twig was a bit long and had got stuck in his throat while trying to get rid of it he had not noticed the window. The man from the hotel took the twig out of his throat and although the poor old thing was in shock he was still alive when we went into dinner. There were three Belgians, an American couple and us two in the lodge for the night. The dinner was delicious... Simon the chef really can cook, finished with kiwifruit and strawberry Pavlova. Then we went for a walk along state highway 6 with the guide. It was really dark and just partly cloudy so that we could see the Southern Cross and Scorpio, we heard Opossum calling and saw lots of glow-worms along the high side of the road, we also heard Moreporks and in a little fresh water pool we saw Crayfish. It was a magical evening, what wonderful place this is. The guide on the walk was great, he had three statements which he used a lot – “magical”, “cool” and “that’s a great scenario” – he knew so much about the area and its nature and could tell it well. Mind you with the meal it is good we only have one night here.... a longer stay would ruin any diet. There was a bird’s nest with tiny chicks in it on the eaves outside our door.

Monday I was awake early and it was a bit cold but the sun was shining and the skies were blue. We had a lovely breakfast before packing up and checking out. We were heading north along the Glacier Highway to Hokitika for the night. Our first stop was the Fox glacier, we parked and walked to the glacier. it was a walk of about 45 minutes to the base of the glacier. After walking back to the car we had a welcome cup of tea before moving on. We stopped at the Franz Josef glacier and walked to the Sentinel Rock viewpoint. Although it was only a 10-minute walk it was a steep climb. The views over the glacier made it worthwhile though, the ice was lovely in the sun! We stopped in the township and had lunch. Then we continued on north under darkening skies to Hotitika for the night. We had a sharp shower of rain and on a tiny part of the road there were hailstones but that was soon over. We checked into the chalet park for the night. The units are lovely fully equipped wooden chalets. We went shopping for our evening meal - we had hoped to get pumpkin pie again but the shop did not have it so we ha to settle for another meal. The huge park dog sat at the glass door with his tongue hanging out while Koos enjoyed his veggie meal - he only got to lick out the dish. Koos did not fall for his big brown eyes.

Tuesday Up and away by 8.20, it had rained very heavily in the night but it was dry when we left. We headed north on the Coastal Highway to Greymouth and then on to Punakaiki rocks. They are known as the Pancake rocks and they certainly do look like pancakes. there is a lovely walk along the coast and among the pancake rocks there are four blowholes and because the sea was quite rough there was water rushing through them. We had a cup of coffee and shared a piece of banana cake before moving on. We had to go back to Greymouth to get on the road through Arthur's Pass and on to Christchurch. We had a couple of very short showers but they were never any problem to us. The pass is 920 metres above sea level. We stopped at the Visitor's centre in Arthur's pass and it was good that we did because there were two Kea's in the car park and we got some photos of them. The Kea is the only alpine parrot and it is only found in the mountainous regions on the south island. These two were very anxious to get to our lunch but by being very careful they did not get a taste of it. You could see that they were actually used to getting food from tourists. The views through the mountains were wonderful and we were in and out of the car all day. We got to Christchurch just after 3.30 and parked in the centre and ha a look around the centre. That has certainly changed from how we remembered it but then that was 18 years ago. The hotel is not far from the centre and not far from where we have to return the car tomorrow. We had dinner, showered and packed our things for the last time this holiday. We decided to go out and check where we had to return the car to and to fill up with petrol now instead of tomorrow morning. Then we though it would be fun to see where Merl Place was, we stayed there with friends 18 years ago. Once I saw the house again I remembered it as if it was yesterday but if I had been asked about it before I could not have described the house at all. When we got back to the hotel a large group of Koreans had just checked it, they were luckily in another wing of the hotel but we certainly heard them shouting to each other over the balconies.

Wednesday We slept later, although we had been woken up by Korean group singing at 4.00, and had breakfast in the hotel and checked out. We returned the hire car, the office we just along the road and they took us to the airport. We were early there but really there was no chance of doing anything else this morning. We had coffee before checking in. We do not have window seats for the flight to Singapore but do for the flight to Amsterdam. We spent our last NZ dollars and wandered around. The time went quickly, we did not see the people we had met on Doubtful Sound last week. They were flying back to Melbourne today. It is difficult to realise that four weeks have gone by. We left on time, there were four babies two seat in front of us – two were very quiet but the other two cried most of the way to Singapore – 10,5 hours. Mind you it was the mother who was mainly to blame I think – the children were asleep and she kept waking them up for a drink and then they were crabby and it took ages before she got them back to sleep….. only to wake them up a little while later for another drink! We changed planes at Singapore – we had a three hour wait there. We had the last row in the plane and had a very quiet trip back to Amsterdam – 13,5 hours. We got into Amsterdam at 7 in the morning and were quickly through passport control and customs – we only had hand luggage. We had to wait about twenty minutes for the train to Rotterdam and them again for the train to Nieuwerkerk but we were home just after 9 o’clock. There was so much post that we had problems opening the door! What a wonderful holiday we had.