Zesty Mumma's Words

A life lived without passion is a life half lived

Archive for the tag “New Zealand”

30 Apr 2015

Giant Wood Fungus and Earthquakes, There Is A Link !

Do you like maps? I love to pore over them, firing my imagination to a journey of discovery. I’m sure that’s how Dr Livingstone felt when he peered at early maps of darkest Africa dreaming of what he would find. The first time I saw the Banks Peninsular on a map I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, for all intents and purposes you would swear you were looking at a giant wood fungus. So mesmerised by its appearance was that I couldn’t get the image out of my mind for weeks.

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Where is the Banks Peninsular you might ask and directly east of Christchurch would be the answer? The northern face is easily accessible to the city but that wasn’t always the case. A tunnel dug by the sweat and tears of hardworking men, with out the benefit of modern engineering equipment changed that, bringing you out to the harbour and the town of Lyttleton. It was built by the English in their very English brick and mortar style that was exported to so many lands whether suitable or not. This fact almost lead to Lyttleton’s down fall in the earthquake of 2011, sitting precariously on the hills that tower over the aqua blue water of the harbour the whole town nearly tumbled into the water. In spite of this, however, Lyttleton is well worth a visit with the imaginative use of containers, as in other parts of Christchurch, helping to open the town to locals and visitors very soon after the quake.

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Having seen the Northern side of the peninsular on my first visit, I was drawn to explore the southern side, purely because of the intriguing shape on the map. The Road to Akaroa follows the circumference of the southern edge of my giant fungus. This beautiful little town started life as a French colony, notable established as far away from the English on the other side as possible.

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What you see when you drive around the base of the peninsula heading for matches exactly to the topography displayed on that map that I had been so obsessed with. You might think “isn’t that always the case”? Well know not really, sometimes the urban environment obscures the natural or sometimes the feature just doesn’t stand out. This absolutely not the case with the banks peninsular. Remembering that this is earthquake territory may help when I say that the sides of the peninsular look as if a giant has picked it up with two hands and flicked it, the way an ordinary human might pick up a floor rug, with the resulting waves of Fabric settling back down in a series of folds. This is seriously amazing countryside and the fact that under the peninsular actually lay two volcanoes made it even more so.

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Driving over the last hill, which I will warn you is actually more of a mountain, the decent into Akaroa is mind blowing. Words do not adequately describe the vista and the town itself no less so. Tourists have definitely discovered Akaroa and now due to problems in the Lyttleton Harbour it is also the destination for cruise ships. However an afternoon of wandering around the town, not just the shops is great. I will go back to Akaroa, but stay longer and take the opportunity to go kayaking around the bay.

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Our accommodation at Halfmoon Cottage sits snuggly at the Head of Barry’s Bay, one of the many little bays formed by the unusual geology. The old house draws you with its warmth and nestles into a rambling, verdant garden seemly producing every vegetable or fruit that grows in New Zealand. We enjoyed the late afternoon sun in the secluded garden and early evening in conversation with other like minded travellers who also appreciated the peace of our location.

Tips and Extras

*  Make sure you stay more than 1 night, so much to explore

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12 Oct 2014

Dunedin is Not a Sunny Place – But Who Needs Sunshine for an Interesting Holiday

Dunedin is not a sunny place, but having said that, it is quite possible that the Scottish Farmers that were the founding fathers of the city probably thought it was in comparison to what they left behind in Britain. To put this in perspective when you are planning your trip, the average maximum temperature in January is 18.9 degrees Celsius where as Sydney (also in the Southern Hemisphere) has an average maximum of 25.9 for January. Trust me, this is not a place you plan on visiting for a beach holiday

But here in lies a certain amount of contradiction. The photo below is taken at a beach on the eastern side of the Otago Peninsular. During my first visit I sat on a log eating my lunch, the warm sunshine super heating me through my jeans (it was November and the only sunny day during my three days in Dunedin (the other two being drizzly and cool) and I was overwhelmed, as I often am, by the desire to swim. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t been in the ocean for a few weeks or the beach looked so much like home that I just had to try it.

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After changing in to my swimmers I made my way down to the shore, the squeaky alabaster sand ran through my toes as I walked. The same clear blue Pacific Ocean water that I had known for most of my life rolled in lovely shore breakers towards me, I was feeling very positive.

When the first wave touched my toes it was a bit of a shock. Like little needles really and very, very, sharp ones at that. By the time the water had reached my calves I think my legs were about to change from fire red to vivid purple and I ran from the water just like all the “cold-a-phobes” I’d always bemoaned. I did eventually manage to get to the point of lying in the water, but the moment the wave rolled over my back I was out of there, never to return.

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But the Otago Peninsular is a visually splendid place. The road hugs high cliffs most of the way around and presents amazing, “to die for”views, which doesn’t take too much imagination to believe to be quite possible. Such is the height of the hills on the peninsular, one minute you can be driving along admiring the view and the next thing you are driving through low-lying cloud as thick as any London pea soup fog.

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Things were no different on my second visit to Dunedin. The gothic nature of many of the churches and other buildings seems extremely fitting in respect to the weather. Otago stone is a renowned building material in New Zealand and has been used extensively in and around Dunedin giving the entire city a solid, stoic feeling. One of the best things to do really is looking at the architecture, built on incredibly steep hills this can be quite a physically demanding thing to do, but fantastic “old everything” is everywhere.

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If you like good food, make sure your visit includes a Saturday. The farmers market held at the world famous train station (also made out of Otago stone) is an awesome place for breakfast. You also have the chance to wander round the station, which really does deserve its notoriety. My second visit also coincided with the Thieves Alley Market, which sees the Octagon (centre of the Dunedin CBD) and surrounding streets closed for the day. On this particular day many of the Artisans from Christchurch were there and it made a fabulous market.

I stayed in the Manor House Backpackers on my first visit and it was fine, great old house close to the Octagon. Unlike the place I am too embarrassed to mention (Penny Backpackers) on my second trip and would advise you to avoid like the plague.  One of my fondest moments for the first trip was watching “500 Days of Summer” with an American Girl, two German Girls and a Chinese Student at The Manor House. The American and I may have been the only ones laughing but you knew the other girls got it they just weren’t as loud as us.

I have watched that movie many times since then and I always think of Dunedin. It helped me realise that a good chick flick can break down even the biggest language barrier.

Tips and Extras

• Port Chalmers, where the cruise boats dock has some interesting quirky shops and is a nice drive, well worth the trip, and good coffee.

• Also visit the entrance to Port Otago

• The Otago Gallery in the Octagon is great art gallery.

• Dunedin has the best op shops

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02 Sep 2014

The Catlins – Home of Elephant Seals, Waterfalls and Kind People who Know How To Dance

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Alex Mclean was an hard working, yet interesting man who loved music and dancing. Extremely generous to his family, donating a whole farm to a brother that had been badly injured during wartime.  He lived a quiet rural life tending for his animals and farm during the day. At night he read and created exquisite handmade violins. He never married but cared for his sister who lived alone on an adjoining property. It was noted at his death that he was ” a kind man who danced a mean jig.”

So said the plaque dedicated to Alex McLean at the entry to the waterfall named for him, Mclean Falls, in the hinterland of the Catlins. PI knew I’d like the  Catlins long before I went there or heard about Alex Mclean,  but I didn’t know why.  I knew the beaches were white sand, I knew it was south of Dunedin and North of  Invercargill but that was all I knew. What we found was an unspoiled, beautiful, wild and windswept land, way off most tourist maps but well worth the little bit of effort to get there.

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After leaving Queenstown we headed south to Invercargill, a large sprawling town at the bottom of the island. It reminded me of an old gold town, wide streets and impressive stone buildings, but it was obvious it’s heyday was long past. It took approximately two hours to make the trip to Invercargill but we chose to stop another half hour further further on at Bluff.  Many of you may not have heard of Bluff or the famed Bluff Oyster, I hadn’t until I went to NZ the first time. Unfortunately I can’t tell you if they are as good as legend has it cause their season only runs for a brief few months from about late March and as it was mid February I was a little early.

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We  only had an overnight stay in the area but if you had the time could easily stay a  longer stay. The beaches are great with some long stretches, perfect for walking and two lighthouses worth viewing. There are also lovely rainforest tracks leading to magical waterfalls and breath taking views.

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 At Papatowai  Beach we even found a great vegetable garden in  someones front yard with a sign offering free veggies to pick. Unfortunately we didn’t see any Elephant Seals on the beach, only this sign.

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I fell in love with the Catlins and I think Alex Mclean as well (unfortunately he died in the 1940’s).

Off to Dunedin

Tips

* go to the antique shop in Bluff – really good value

* Stay at the McLean Falls Holiday Park

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21 Aug 2014
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Functional Dysfunctionality – Families Where Would We Be Without Them

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Families are complex and I don’t think there are many people  on the planet would disagree with that. Just navigating the intricate labyrinth of internal relationships can be a mine field and can make your mind bleed at the same time; brother sister, mother daughter, husband wife, father son, then lets add aunts, uncles etc etc to the mix. I believe that most of our families work on the basis of functional disfunctionality.

Which brings me to my mother, Monica, a spritely impish woman in her seventies. She is incredibly active, still playing tennis and riding her pushbike many times a week, looking after grandchildren and great grandchildren on a regular basis and walking everywhere she can. Born during the Second World War she lost her father while he was a soldier in the British army. Her mother, having four children, had to find work and placed three of those children in an orphanage. Like so many of the children of that time loss was just part of her life and just like the English do so well, she just got on with life.

As you would imagine security to my mother is a very important thing. She doesn’t understand the waste she sees constantly in society today. People have far more disposable income than ever before but use it far less wisely. I tell you all this to explain what happened on my first trip to New Zealand and Queenstown in particular.

Even before we left Australia, in the planning stages of our trip, my mother told me that the main thing she wanted to do was visit Milford Sound. It wasn’t a trip I had envisioned for myself but as the tour guide I knew I would have to find out a little bit about about it. The first part of that trip saw us spend ten days in the North Island before taking the ferry to Picton. We stayed in Wellington for a few days, where I picked up some brochures. When I read the price of the trip I knew I would have to be skilful when breaking this news to my mother. After dinner the night before we left I sat down next to Monica, who was happily watching the television, drinking a cup of tea and nibbling on chocolate, perfect I thought, her heaven.

“So mum” I say, carefully as you go, “I’ve been looking up about your trip to Milford Sound”.

“Yes,” I could tell by her tone she was excited; phew I thought this is going to be easy.

“Well from what I can see, you take a bus from Queenstown all the way to Milford then on to a boat ……” I went through the whole scenario with her.

“This trip here” I held up the first brochure. “Is $159 NZ” I heard a squeak come out of her mouth but I ignored it thinking I could finish her off with my secret weapon.

“But look at this one, it’s on special for $144,” who could argue with that I thought. Monica that’s who, I think she nearly had a coronary.

“Oh that’s too much I can’t afford that,” Mind you this is the same woman that wouldn’t hesitate to buy a $200 dress if she really wanted it.

Eventually I had to let it go cause there was just no reasoning with her and the argument was getting heated. Even the fact our exchange rate at that time gave us $1.25 NZ for every $1.00 AU, could not sway her.

On the South Island things calmed down and I didn’t mention the trip to Milford again. A couple of days before we arrived in Queenstown out of the blue my mother says.

“I think I will do the trip to Milford Sound, I was just being silly.” I remained calm; I’d kind of expected this about face. Generally it is just the unexpected that people react to, when their brain has time to process the information they’re usually ok. So I didn’t say too much, not wanting to gloat.

“That’s good mum, I know you’ll enjoy it”.

“We’ll see,” she said ominously.

The day we arrived in Queenstown was a cool day, so once mum was settled with her cup of tea I went to reception to use the Internet. Deciding that I probably needed to book the trip to Milford while I was there I made it for Tuesday, two days away.

When I got back to our accommodation mum had found a couple of young backpackers to talk to so she was in a great mood.

Waiting till we were alone I said in the brightest voice possible, “ I booked our trip to Milford Sound.”

Monica nearly choked on the marmalade toast she was eating, “what did you do that for, I can’t afford that.” She proceeded to huff and puff, working herself into lather. I thought at that moment that my mother might have been suffering from either Alzheimer’s disease or Schizophrenia.

It was my turn to “WHAT” her.

“Excuse me. Didn’t you tell me the other day that you had changed you mind and wanted to go”?

“Oh, you shouldn’t listen to me,” to say I was flabbergasted at that moment was an understatement.

I won’t bore you with anymore details; needless to say it was very tense for a while. I did take the trip to Milford and had an amazing time, while my mother stayed in Queenstown. As I say families are not for the faint hearted, you possibly may need a PHD to understand them.

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20 Aug 2014

Deer Wars – Only in New Zealand

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New Zealanders are a resourceful bunch. Historically there has never been a huge manufacturing base in that country so most products were imported. Funnily enough most of the western world is now in the same boat due to our dependence on the monolithic Chinese industrial juggernaut, but that’s another story.

So out in backyard sheds and farm buildings all over the country, with only Mable the Sheep for company, Kiwi inventors for generations have found answers to the most vexing of life’s problems. Using only a few bits of wire, a solder iron and some gaffer tape they have created and built every tool and device they ever needed. If you don’t believe me, watch “The World’s Fastest Indian and you’ll see what I mean.

These ingenious people are the same ones that gave us the bungy cord, Jet boats and my personal favourites, eggbeaters and hairpins. The contributing factors to this resourcefulness are simple. They are situated a long, long way from anywhere (other than Australia) and have a very, very small population (most of which actually lives in Australia).

Deer hunting in the Fjordland of the South Island is likewise a good example. These crazy men perfected the hunting of feral red deer from helicopters. At the time the government had decided there was a need to cull the deer due to their great numbers and the damage they were doing to the environment. The terrain as you would imagine was beyond rough and it became a time consuming activity. That is until the idea of hunting with helicopters became a reality.

During the 1970’s crews of three; a pilot, a spotter and the shooter, ranged through out the mountain country searching for the prize. At first the deer were plentiful and the money was good so it drew men from all over the country. They were hungry for work and adventure, just like the gold rush times of old. This was not an easy occupation by any means and death was a common occurrence. Approximately 80 hunters and pilots died during the time that has come to be known as The Deer Wars.

As the years rolled by the deer became scarce and smart. Just when the industry was on the verge of collapse the demand for live deer to stock new farms saved them. However, this became an even crazier time. Instead of shooting the deer’s, once they were spotted the helicopter would hover as close as it could above the startled animal.  Once the chopper was in place a hunter would actually jump out on top of the animal. As you can imagine accidents and misses were not uncommon, contributing greatly to the death toll.

Apparently there is a global job crisis, anyone thinking about retraining? I have a couple of suggestions, travel, adventure, what are you waiting for!

 

 

 

 

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29 Jul 2014

Gorgeous Gorges, Flat Rocks and lots and Lots of Water – the Trip to the West Coast NZ

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Motueka Valley Road, sounds magical doesn’t it, well it was. This is the route we chose to take from Motueka and eventually met highway 6 which took us to the West Coast. Don’t be deceived, despite the fact that I say we travelled on Highway 6, it is as unlikely a highway as ever there was. Mostly single lane each way  but  there are sections  that you will never forget. At the Buller Gorge the road actually cuts in under a cliff (it’s not a tunnel) and winds around a couple of corners like this. No joke, it is only wide enough for one car and you can’t see if anything is coming. There is no warning signal, you just have to keep honking your horn and hope if anyone coming in the opposite direction hears it. You feel like your in one of those reality TV shows “The Worlds Deadliest Roads”.

We had given a young German backpacker a lift earlier in the day but he only lasted in the car about fifteen minutes before informing us that he had decided he wanted to hike down to the river. I’m sure it wasn’t my driving that freaked him out but I’d hate to have seen how quickly he would have tried to get out of the car if he’d been with us when we went around the gorge.

The river side park where  we stopped for lunch was charming and I went for a swim in a mountain stream. It is amazing how many people stopped to stare, it seemed amazing to them that anyone would want go swimming. Before leaving Claire went to use the toilet, she undid her jeans and pulled them down, then lifted the lid to sit down. The moment she lifted the lid hundreds of wasps flew out of the bowl. Poor Claire she had to try and get out the door, while trying to pull  her jeans as she went and fell out the door followed by a swarm of angry wasps at the same time.

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The South Island’s West Coast is unique  due to the fact the Mountains run like a crooked spine  it’s full length. Being the west the sun doesn’t rise till later in the morning and the sky is covered in clouds ninety percent of the time. All I can say is it is a very moist environment.  We decided to stay at Punakaiki for the night.  We hadn’t booked anywhere so we took our chances. Arriving at the Punakaiki Caravan Park we paid for a cabin. which was $65 a night but it was awful. There wasn’t any linen, bare thin mattress, a peeling chipboard  bench and it smelt like it had been closed up for eternity. Needless to say we got our money back and went 1 km up the road to the Punakaiki Beach Backpackers, booked the last room (which was the same price) and was knocked out by the cleanliness of the place. Situated right on the beach and a nice walk up to the Pancake Rocks it was awesome. Clean white sheets, spotless well equipped communal backpacker kitchen and stunning views for about the same price. I would suggest you book though we were just lucky and got the last room, there were still travellers arriving after us that couldn’t be accommodated.

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view from the verandah of the backpacker

We walked up to the rocks after  unloading a bit of gear and will tell you that this wasn’t a place I had honestly wanted to visit. You know, ho hum, rocks by the beach, I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The rock formations are amazing and the NZ national park have done a terrific job of making the area accessible for every type of traveller. Lucky for Claire there enviro toilets do not come with complementary stinging things.

Which brings me back to sandflies. The west coast is rife with them and again make sure you have your insect repellant.

It was late when we arrived back and the accommodation so we just cooked a simple meal. I had bought a few pack of vacuum packed indian style veggie dishes a few days before. These are so yummy and they only cost  a few dollars NZ. Mixed with a pack of pre cooked brown rice and served with natural yoghurt it was a great meal and it only cost in total about $3 each. The other nice thing about backpackers accommodation, they usually have a few herbs in the garden that you can add to your meal.

Tips

* Make sure you arrive by at least 4.00pm as you want to enjoy Punakaiki cause you will probably head south first thing in the morning.

* As I mentioned in this story I went to an Indian Shop (Actually in Wellington before we left for the ferry) and  bought packets of vegetable dishes in vacuum pack. They were so cheap and no nasties like preservatives in them.  Have something quick to prepare is really important when you are getting back late, your tired and there are no shops around. This particular location is a little isolated so this rule definitely applied here.

 

 

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22 Jul 2014

Abel Tasman totally Missed Australia and Ran into New Zealand Instead

 

 

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The road from Nelson to Motueka is a nice relaxing drive through rural and semi rural countryside. If you are into gleaning (that’s finding free food) this is the place for it. We picked up “found” apples, pears and stonefruit on roadside trees.
There was also a ready supply of vegetables on sale at little stalls in front of homes. This usually involves an honesty box but they are so cheap I would hope that everyone would actually pay the price. Some of this fruit lasted for a couple of weeks and I was stewing apples for breakfast with yoghurt right up till we left the country. Make the most of the abundance as you will save yourself a bit of money by  stocking up.

As it’s a major fruit growing area with lots of picking work in season, there is a good supply of backpacker accommodation. Be discerning however, this was one of the places  where I really wasn’t entirely happy with our accommodation. We had booked into the White Elephant (that should have been enough of a warning) and all the reviews were ok. It’s a huge old house on the edge of the town with an amazing garden. Smoking in proximity to the guest house is an issue to me and know matter how many times I asked the same people not to smoke outside our bedroom window they just kept doing it.  The other big problem was the fact that that there is no one in charge inside the house at night and it is a big house with lots of guests. Finding a guest conducting a head shaving business in the bathroom at 11.30 pm was annoying but you had to applaude his entrepreneurial spirit. The fact their newly shawn head for some reason gave them a sense of freedom that caused them to frolick loudly through the corridors till around 12.00pm was a bit hard to handle. I couldn’t help seeing the similarity to how sheep behave once they are let out of the shearing shed once they are shawn, kicking their legs, head butting each other and baaing loudly. I suppose it is New Zealand after all.

We didn’t hang around once we had booked in and headed out of town to Tarkaka, a small town in the Golden Bay area of the far North West. To get there, like everywhere else in the South Island, you had to drive up and over a dirty big hill. To give you an idea it’s really only about 54 km in distance but it takes between 1 hour and 1 1/4 hours to get there.

Tarkaka is  a funny little town set in a magical valley and is easily compared to Nimbin in Northern N.S.W. ( near Byron Bay). I only knew about it cause I had spoken to another traveller on my last visit to NZ and was significantly intrigued to eventually get there, I’m glad to say it was well worth the trip. There’s more than just the town though, scattered through the valley are artist studios, stunning coastline, the obligatory beautiful mountain scenery and great cafe’s.  The day we were there, which was a friday, a small market had been set up in a park, selling nice handmade items but more importantly there were  fantastic food options that were very affordable. We bought a french crepe to share ( plenty for two females) stuffed with great fresh fillings  and it only cost us $4.00 each.

Back in Motueka we spent the evening at Toad Hall, a lovely little old public building. By day it is an organic grocer and cafe but at night the garden outside transforms into a pop up beer garden, complete with festoon lights and wood fired pizza oven. Playing on the large raised stage was a local band called Tom Fields. They played a mix of music in a rousing folk style that totally complemented the fabulous pizza that we ordered and the bottle of nice South Island Pinot Noir. The Pizza only cost $15 and the wine was  $25 for the bottle. So we got amazing entertainment, meal and wine for $20 each, fabulous.

The next day we drove the ten kilometres to the start of the Abel Tasman track,  this is one of a series of tracks that wind through the Abel Tasman National Park.  We chose a 7.5km section from the Abel Tasman Centre to Cyathea Cove. This was a reasonably easy section with some minor inclines. The track winds around the park, through forest and along cliff faces and can be accessed in a number of ways. We drove the the start of the track but we also met walkers, going the opposite direct, who had paid a water taxi to drop them at a certain point along the track. They would then be picked up from to the car park which was our starting point. After walking 2 hours we broke for lunch and a swim at 12.00. As I have said previously the Vacuum flask is a necessity. Sitting having a cup of tea and eating the sandwiches we had made, under the Rata and Pohutukawa trees you could imagine you were in Paradise.

And then you get bitten by a New Zealand Sand fly.

As you may or may not know there is a great sibling rivalry between Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealanders like to tell you that Australia has all the bitey things in the world and that is true. They also like to tell you that they don’t have any, this however is not.  I will tell you more about NZ Sand flies another time, at this point let me just say they have the most annoying bite I have ever experience and believe me having grown up in Austalia I have been bitten by just about everything thing there is that can bite you with out killing you. So make sure you take insect repellant.

The Abel Tasman National Park was named after the Dutch explorer of the same name, who discovered the south island in 1642 purely because his ship was blown of course when he was trying to travel north. He had previous to that totally miss the great hulking  mass that is Australia and only just spotted bottom of the tiny island of Tasmania, which he called Van Diemens Land.

We left Motueka the next morning (Sunday) having visited the market in town, stocked up on a bit more fruit and Veg and headed to the west coast.

 

Good Ideas

*  Take a pack lunch

*  Always carry insect repellant

*  Buy a coffee plunger in New World ($4.49)

 

 

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01 Jul 2014

The Road to Nelson – the home of Sid and Night Swimmers!

What I didn’t tell you last week was that I was travelling with my friend Claire.

I used to think, when I was married and had children in tow, that I would love to be alone sometimes.  But once you are it is a very different situation.  I remember the first time I was able to wander around Byron Bay (my favourite place in the world) by myself. The first hour was great and I was able to be just Stephanie, not mum or wife, just Stephanie. But a very strange thing happened – I began wishing that I had someone to have a coffee with, very strange and very unexpected. And to coin a phrase made famous by that prophet of modern cinema, Hugh Grant, in “About a Boy”, I realised   “I was not an island”.  Anyway so, the point is I realised that I needed people, so now I travel with friends and at least the last couple of times, that would be Claire. So my advice is find a travel buddy!

We arrived in Nelson after about an hour drive from Picton, past wineries (Stoneleigh was one that I remember) and picture perfect scenery.  Nelson is  a pretty little town set by the water. It is actually a major port for fishing, timber and yachties. We had already booked our accommodation at The Bug Backpackers. It turned out to be a great choice, situated about 1km from the Nelson CBD but that wash’t a problem for us cause we had a car. It is very clean and has a great garden out the back. I was glad we had pre booked a twin room cause everything was full. It was perfect for us and  even had a sink, which isn’t always the case The owners  are an English couple who love living in NZ. They care about their backpackers and you can tell, which is more than I can say for some. In the morning there is freshly brewed coffee and fresh baked bread in the kitchen, but you have to get in quick cause  it is a first in first served situation.

Nelson is an arty town and there is plenty to see and enjoy. It is funny cause many years ago my ex and I gave a person called Sid  a lift to Sydney from Queensland. He actually came from Nelson  and worked on the fishing trawlers there. I had this badly misconceived idea about the type of person that lived in Nelson based on what Sid had told us about his live in Nelson, and that wasn’t pretty if you know what I mean.

We did try to find some live music on the second night we were there but unfortunately on a Thursday night the entertainment doesn’t start till 10 or 10.30 pm. Far too late a start for me and I can hear all you young people scoffing, don’t worry you’ll feel the same soon.

Anyway there  is something else that is very interesting about Nelson, it is the closest in Temperature to Australia than any other NZ destination. Apparently it i is very sheltered so the weather doesn’t vary too much  from Summer to Winter. The temperature in February when we were there was fabulous.

There is another interesting thing we noticed about Nelson, the residents come out to swim after seven o’clock at night. Apparently they have this tradition of evening swimming. Weird right? They have a long twilight so it is still quite light till late at night even at the end of Summer.   I heard a story while I was there about a group of swimmers in Nelson ( they were actually a club of night swimmers) that were followed by something with a fin. It was said to be a dolphin hut hey I’m Australian and I know that if you are being followed by anything with a fin at night you can bet your life it’s usually a shark.

* Nelson had great op shops in the same street as we were staying.

* We picked up the cutlery etc I mentioned last week.

* We did our shopping at a major supermarket in Nelson

* I also picked up homemade jam, relish and lemons from senior citizen stalls

Motueka and Golden Bay next week.

 

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24 Jun 2014

Touring New Zealand – Expect Visual Overload

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New Zealand is an amazing place, most of the time it is simply an assault on the senses.  Visual overload goes with out saying, I find myself literally gasping at every bend in the road.

The waters of Marlborough sound, so deep and pure rush past the ferry as it makes it’s way to Picton. The hills that form the sides of the Sounds stand steep and tall, like the buttress walls of a fortress, and race at an astonishing gradient down to the water. Snuggly nestled in the little bays that line the shore are picturesque homes, ready fuel for your imagination. What would it be like to get your mail or go shopping by boat? What do you do if you run out of milk, no 711 round the corner?

Picton is a lovely town and perfect entry point to New Zealand’s South Island, with a great “I Site” (tourist information centre) close to the ferry terminal.   There are many good eateries in and around the main street, and you should take the time to refresh, check your petrol and map before heading out of town.

Most tourist keep moving but there is of course an excellent range of accommodation in Picton for anyone wanting to explore the Sound.

It’s really important to remember that although New Zealand may only be a small country with relatively short distances between destinations that doesn’t mean the your trip will be quick. The steep nature of the country and windy roads can double and sometimes even triple the time it normal takes to cover the same distance on a straight road. Having said that, the roads generally aren’t congested and driving is quite relaxing, except when you get stuck behind a convoy of camper vans heading up a mountain pass.

Helpful Hints

* I always travel by hired car when I tour  NZ. Their government requires vehicles to have safety checks every six months, therefore, even the cheapest of hire cars are well maintained. So don’t feel you need to go up market.

* If you pre- order your ferry tickets from the Inter Islander you get a significant discount

*Bring (or buy from an op shop) a thermos, always important to have access to warm drinks in a cold country. Also from the op shop find some cutlery & crockery. Another good thing to pick up is a blanket, you never know when the weather may change.

* A $3.00 insulated bag from Countdown (NZ supermarket chain) will mean you can carry milk and any other food Item that may need to be kept cool.

Next – On to Nelson and Golden Bay

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