New Zealand - The Last Few days

We had a great weekend in Auckland with my niece, Katie, and her family, walking around the city, dining out, but mainly just chatting. 

On Monday we headed out of downtown Auckland to a suburban motel nearer to the airport. I had a couple of part days at the NZ Archives, which is very close to the airport, and Marlene did some last minute shopping....mainly for chocolate and candy. 

Yesterday we discovered the Auckland Botanical Gardens and Totara Park, a large expanse of trees, plants, and native bush, which we explored at length. 

This morning we drove to Howick, once a small village but now part of the Auckland mega city, where we had one last latte and a wander around the shops.  Then it was back to the Botanical Gardens for lunch and another walk. 

Today I met the girl of my dreams....she has very skinny legs and a large nose, but once you get passed that she is perfect. But Marlene told me that I couldn't have them both, so after much thought I left my dream girl on a park bench and we headed to the airport. 

Me And My Dream Girl

So here we are, with three hours until our flight, sitting at our departure gate with all the other people paranoid about missing their flight. The instructions for our flight on the departure board say to relax, but I don't think that Marlene will be doing much of that, knowing that she will see the grand kids tomorrow. 

Although we will be back in Canada tomorrow, it will be a few more weeks before we are back home.  But more on that later.....

New Zealand week 8 - Tauranga and Raglan

The primary reason for visiting Tauranga was for a reunion of my maternal grandparents' descendants.  William Sherlock and Mary Gleeson had a total of 138 descendants, and 53 of them were able to attend the reunion, including all of my first cousins from my Mum's family.  It was great to catch up with the older cousins, whom I had not seen since my Mum's funeral in 1998, and meet several new ones....more details to add to the family tree.

The 10 Sherlock First Cousins

On Sunday night, after more visiting with the cousins, we opted for fish and chips for dinner.  The photo below shows some of the delicacies available at a New Zealand fish and chip shop.  Of particular note, although I did not try it, is the bottom item in the second column - Battered Moro Bar.  Three of those and a large Coke would make a wonderful meal.  We had our fish breaded, not battered (so healthy), and only 1 scoop of chips between the four of us.

New Zealand Takeaway Menu

We had been wondering where to spend the next 4 days, thinking possibly Lake Waikaremoana, but the weather forecast was not promising for that area, and it would make for a longer drive to Auckland at the end of the week, when Tricia suggested Raglan, which she had heard was a nice area. A few Google searches later, we decided to give it a try, so, on Monday morning we said goodbye to my sisters as they headed home to Wellington, and we travelled from Tauranga on the East coast to Raglan on the West coast of the country, a 2 hour trip.

Raglan is a small town located on an estuary, and is a popular surfing destination.  Our accommodation was about 7 Km out of Raglan in a farming area, and was very quiet.  It was a 2-bedroom suite attached to the owners' house, but modern, comfortable and fully self-contained.  We loved it.  The most notable building in town is the Harbour View Hotel, which has retained a lot of its earlier charm.

Harbour View Hotel, Raglan

We started with a walking tour of town, and after wandering across a pedestrian bridge, came across a wonderful children's play area.  A young girl made the climbing equipment look easy to negotiate, so Marlene tried it, swinging precariously at times, and insisted that I try it also.  It was a challenge, but I think it is easier with longer legs

Jim on Climbing Equipment, Raglan

On Tuesday we visited Bridal Veil Falls, a 55 metre (180 feet) cascade in beautiful native bush.  It was only a 10 minute walk from the road to the top of the falls, and another 15 minutes to the bottom.  The climb back up took a little longer.

Bridal Veil Falls

Needing a more challenging hike, on Wednesday we decided to tackle 2,500 ft. Mt. Karioi, but with no plans to reach the summit.  The lady at the iSite told us that the last 4 Km of the drive was on a narrow winding road, and she certainly did not lie.  From sea level the road wound up to the top of Te Toto Gorge, and as we climbed, Marlene gripped the door tighter and tighter, and demanded that I drive slower and slower (I was doing 30 KPH maximum).  When we reached the parking lot she said that she was never leaving if she had to go down the same way, as she would be on the cliff side.

Te Toto Gorge From Parking Lot

After taking in the views of the gorge from an observation platform, we started the climb up Mt. Karioi.  After climbing for 30 minutes, the parking lot was just a speck, far below us.  Thankfully a lot of the climb was in bush, so there was some shade from the relentless sun.

View 30 Minutes Up Mt. Karioi.

The climb continued along the peak of the ridge, with a steep bush-clad drop off each side of the track.  After an hour and a quarter we were about halfway up the mountain and had encountered chains and a metal ladder to negotiate some of the harder sections, so decided to stop for lunch.  Two young women coming down the mountain told us that the views from the lookout point were not that great, so we decided that, considering the heat of the day, we would not waste our energy, and headed back down the mountain.

Mt. Karioi From Halfway Up

Reluctantly, Marlene got back into the car, and we headed (slowly) back down the gravel road, successfully passing 3 vehicles travelling up the hill.  On our way back to town we stopped at one of the surf beaches, just to check it out.  From the point on the south side of the bay, the waves have a left-handed curl, which, according to the local brochures, can provide a 2 Km ride for a good surfer on the right wave.  We did see a few long rides, but nothing like 2 Km.

Raglan Surf Beach

Today, our beach and bush experience comes to an end, as we head north to Auckland to spend the weekend with my niece and her family, in the heart of the city.

New Zealand week 6 and 7

Since our side trip to Palmerston North we have not been idle, but I have had trouble finding time to post to the blog.

On the Saturday we watched my niece, Hollie, at her swimming lesson.  At 8 years old, Hollie can definitely swim better than me (not that it is difficult to swim better than me), doing 30-40 lengths, in a variety of strokes during her 45 minute lesson.  We then had coffee with Hollie, Adam and Colleen at Revive in Petone.

With Colleen studying for a Monday exam, we joined Adam and Hollie for a walk around Oriental Bay in Wellington on Sunday.  This of course involved coffee for Marlene and Adam, and ice cream (gelato, to be completely accurate) for Hollie and me, followed by a light lunch at Elements in Kilbirnie, before picking up my sister, Tricia, at the Wellington railway station.  A good day out!

Oriental Bay, Wellington

By Monday, tropical storm Pam, moving in a southeasterly direction, was sitting off the east coast of New Zealand, after devastating Vanuatu a few days earlier.  Pam brought much rain and gale force winds to Wellington, so we did not spend much time out of the house....a last visit with Auntie Noeline and a last coffee at Revive, and then back to the shelter of Margaret's house in Koro Koro.

We were not looking forward to our flights to Auckland on Tuesday, with the winds forecast to continue, but our flight and Tricia's flight were both unaffected by the weather, and we got to Auckland on time, picked up our rental car, and headed off to Whitianga, our home for the next two nights.

We have visited Whitianga several times before, but it was a first visit for Tricia, so we had to show her all the touristy things.  On Wednesday we visited Hot Water Beach, site of natural hot springs on the beach at low tide.  People dig holes in the sand and soak in the hot water.  Perhaps it was the aftermath of Pam, or perhaps it was our location on the beach, but we only found luke warm pools.

Hot Water Beach

On Friday we headed to Tauranga for the Sherlock family reunion on Saturday, but made a few stops along the way.  First stop was for a walk in the Karangahake Gorge.  The walk is along a disused railway line, and is part of the Hauraki Rail Trail.  We only walked a small section of the trail but it was good to have a break from the car.  Needing sustenance after the walk, we headed into Waihi, for a snack at a cafe, where I had the biggest scone that I have ever seen.  I ate the whole thing and part of Marlene's also, so I was well fortified for the remainder of the drive to Tauranga.

Enormous Scone in Waihi

We also stopped in Katikati, to see the Haiku Walk, which we had read about online, and also to eat our picnic lunch.  I don't profess to understand the rules of Haiku, but this is the only Haiku walk outside of Japan, and the words are etched into large stones along the walk.  I also found a bench with my name on it (literally), for a little break.  An added bonus was ripe figs on a tree along the Haiku walk....I climbed the tree and picked about a dozen figs, to enhance our breakfast over the next few days.

Jim's Rest

Haiku on a Stone

Even with our stops we made it to Tauranga by mid-afternoon, and were joined by my other sister, Margaret, within about 15 minutes of our arrival, so we are all here safe and sound for the family reunion tomorrow.

Three Day Trip - Palmerston North

We arrived in Wellington on Monday, but on Wednesday we headed to Palmerston North, the city of my birth, for two nights.  The primary reason for the trip was to visit Auntie Bridie, my Mum's 94 (almost) year old sister, but we also wanted to visit some friends.

Auntie Bridie was in good spirits and still has her sense of humour.  The first visit started off a little frustrating, but improved drastically once we found her hearing aid and glasses. We had two good visits with her, as you never know if there will be any visits next year....I am sure that she will be around, but I might get run down by a bus. 

We stayed the two nights with friends, John and Marilyn, who live on a farm about 15 Km out of town, where they primarily raise bulls, maize and a few sheep.  It is very fertile land, and as you can see in the photo below, it is about as flat as Saskatchewan.

I got to ride the quad, with Marlene on the back, when we went out to feed hay to the bulls and again when we moved the electric fence the following day to give the bulls some fresh grass.

Marlene Waiting For Her Driver

I also helped John and Marilyn recover one of their son's bulls which had escaped into the neighbouring farm through a hole in the boundary fence.  This involved making the hole larger, to get the quad through the fence, separating the bull from the neighbour's herd of cows, and coercing him back through the hole in the fence.  Then we had to repair the fence!  John and Marilyn then captured a sheep that needed some attention and took it away on the quad, leaving me in the field with 11 bulls for a half hour.  But the bulls were more interested in hassling their herd-mate which had just returned than they were in me, so I didn't have to make any fight or flight decisions.

In his spare time, when not helping his son out or restoring old tractors, John makes little people out of wood scraps.  The picture below shows a few of his creations on their back steps.
 

John's Wooden People

Thursday night we had a barbeque at Jen and Ali's farm, which is a few kilometres down the road.  Ali is John and Marilyn's son, and Jen is the daughter of our neighbour from 1978-1980 when we lived in Palmerston North.  Jen's Mum, brother and his family all came over, so we had a good catch up with them.

Overnight there was a big electrical storm, which brought 23 much needed cm of rain, but when we went to move the electric fence, we found one bull out beyond the electric fence, and a gate off its hinges - the storm had knocked out the power unit for the electric fence system, and the bulls had realized that they could do what they wanted without shocking consequences.

On Friday we went with John and Marilyn to the Central Districts Field Days in Fielding.  It is a big farm show, where you can buy anything farm related, from a bag of seed to a new tractor, including electric fence power units.  In addition to the equipment for sale, there are all sorts of farm-related competitions, where you can demonstrate your skills.  In one competition they attach a kettle to the bucket of a digger, and the contestants have to pour water from the kettle into a cup, without spilling it, using the digger controls.

Even the police were there with their shiny new tractor, decked out in New Zealand Police livery, and complete with a flashing blue light on top.  Perhaps an unmarked tractor would be more use in reducing rural crime, but it would be fun to watch the boys in blue on their tractor, in hot pursuit of criminals.
 

New Zealand Police Tractor
 

The vintage machinery club were displaying some of their members' handiwork, including the collection of old pumps in the photo below.

After a pie and a cookie in one of the hospitality tents, we said our goodbyes to John and Marilyn and headed back to Wellington, our home until we head North on Tuesday.

New Zealand week 5 (Nelson)

Our last week in Nelson was a very active one, and I have already posted the details of our four day hikes, so all that remains is to cover off the other things that happened during the week. 

On Friday we had our first significant rain and the Maitai River which was normally just a small stream flowing through town, was soon running fast and bank to bank.  The photo below was taken on the Saturday morning above the tidal portion of the river.  At Trafalgar Street, with the high tide, the river was cresting higher than we had seen it in our four weeks here.

A side note here - the river height varies more than 10 feet from high tide to low tide, in the tidal portion of the river. 

Maitai River After A Day Of Rain

We also spent some time studying the night sky, assisted by a neat app that I found, called Skyview, which I loaded on the iPad.  Standing on our balcony we were looking almost due North and we had great views of Jupiter, and the Gemini and Cancer constellations.  On the South side of the apartment we could easily make out the Southern Cross.  You just hold the iPad up toward the sky and it identifies the stars and planets that you are seeing.  When you point it towards a constellation, it identifies the constellation, shows the stars that make up the constellation, and superimposes a picture of the associated astrological sign. The two photos below are screen captures of Jupiter with Gemini and Cancer. The horizontal line near the bottom of the first photo is the horizon, and the N indicates North. 

Jupiter And Gemini

Jupiter And Cancer

For those interested in the topography of the area, I have included below a screen capture of the topographical map of the area around Fringed Hill, our last hike. 

Topo Map of Fringed Hill and Area

All good things must come to an end, and on Monday we left Nelson, and flew back to Wellington, our base for the next week or so.  I snapped the photo below at the airport....it truly is great scenery, and the beer is not bad either. 

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Nelson's Good Points

- one of the sunniest cities in New Zealand

- very calm, warm and stable summer weather

- big enough city to have everything that you need, but small enough to get around on foot

- great hiking and biking trails

- wonderful cafes

- excellent farmers' market

- friendly people

- affordable housing within walking distance of city centre

Nelson's Bad Points

- our grandkids and friends do not live here

Day Trip - Fringed Hill

Today was our last full day in Nelson. We leave at 1 pm tomorrow for Wellington. 

After a couple of wet and stormy days, today was beautiful, 25 degrees and mainly sunny, so Marlene wanted to do a good hike, but also wanted to avoid stream crossings as they are running fairly high after the rain.

We drove to the pipeline bridge in the Maitai Valley and then set off hiking uphill towards the Tantragree Saddle, with a plan to decide where to go once we got there.  The pipeline bridge is a bridge built on top of the water pipe carrying the City of Nelson's water supply from the dam in the Maitai Valley to the treatment plant in the next valley over.  A good secondary use for the pipe.

Maitai Valley Pipeline Bridge

We made it to the Tantragee Saddle in 30 minutes, so the 10 Km loop trail over Sharland's Hill and back up the Maitai Valley seemed a little wimpy.  Stupidly, I suggested hiking up Fringed Hill (793 metres / 2600 feet above sea level).  We walked up Fringed Hill Road, a gated, gravelled logging road, almost all the way to the top. There was very little shade, and the road climbed continuously, with no respite from the incline. The photo below was taken from about halfway up Fringed Hill, looking back down into the Maitai Valley to show where we started - where the road disappears at the bottom of the photo  (you can see the pipeline coming down the hill on the right, and it then crosses the road and river).

Maitai Valley From Halfway Up Fringed Hill

The photo below was taken from the same location as the photo above, showing the view of Nelson City and Tasman Bay.  The building in the middle of the photo is at the Tantragee Saddle, now well below us. 

Nelson And Tasman Bay From Fringed Hill

As we climbed higher, we got great views to the west.  The photo below was taken almost at the top of Fringed Hill, looking towards Stoke (on the right) and Richmond (on the left).  

Stoke And Richmond From Fringed Hill

We paused just below the summit of Fringed Hill to eat our lunch, having climbed 2200 feet in 2 hours. A much needed break - cheese and marmite on corn crackers (Marlene was trying to empty the pantry today) never tasted so good.  Up to this point we had not seen anybody since we left the car. 

It was all downhill from here, and we set off on what we believed was the right trail, heading down to Cummins Spur, which you may remember was our destination from the other side of the hill earlier in the week.  I had taken a photo of a trail map on a sign board, and had also saved an image of the area from a topographical map I found online, so I was somewhat confident, but would not have wanted to walk back up the hill if I got it wrong.

The trail was not at all labelled at this point and the trail makers were somewhat more rustic than we have become accustomed to. I guess we have been spoiled. The photo below was of the only trail sign we saw.  The tree is a Black Beech, and if you look closely you will see that it is covered in bees....the bees like the sweetness, so are very plentiful in the beechy forests.

Rustic Trail Markers And Bees on Black Beech Tree

The trail meandered through a mixture of native bush and mature pine forest (see photo below), and after about 15 minutes we heard an animal run through the bush, scared by our approach. Being Canadian, our first thought was bear, but of course there are no bears in New Zealand. It was likely a deer as we had seen a few areas of dug up dirt next to the trail a little further back. Just after that excitement we met a young woman hiking up towards us, and she was able to confirm that we were on the right track and only about 10 minutes from Cummins Spur. 

Track Between Fringed Hill And Cummins Spur

From Cummins Spur we followed the Dun Mountain Walkway back to Tantragee Saddle, where we rejoined the track that we had climbed on the way up.  Along this section of trail we saw many mountain bikers and a few hikers. 

We arrived back at the car, 4 1/2 hours after we started, having walked 16.6 Km and climbed 2,260 feet. Needless to say we were glad to get back to town, for a drink and date scone at Yello Cafe. 

Marlene seems to think that Nelson is hiking heaven.  Or perhaps she is just trying to kill me!

Day Trip - Matai Caves

Still no rain, so back on the trails again. 

Today's destination was Matai Caves.  The "Walk Nelson" guide indicated that the walk is largely flat and 4 hours in length, so seemed a good choice, for what may be our last major walk in Nelson this year (the rain really is going to start tonight).  

The walk begins just below the Maitai Dam (city water supply reservoir), so we set off up Maitai Valley Road, a wide road with one lane in each direction.  Soon the road narrowed, then no more centre line, then down to one lane in total, then it turned to gravel.  To plagiarize Arlo Guthrie, "on one side of the road there was a mountain, and on the other side, there was nothing".  Luckily we didn't go into the mountain, or off the other side, in fact we did not see another vehicle on the 10 Km trip up the valley.

There are many trail options from the Maitai Dam, and all are well signposted and marked.  Maitai Caves is 6.5 Km each way, and the sign tells us that we can get to the caves in 1.5 hours, rather than the anticipated 2 hours....good news indeed.

Trailhead Sign at Maitai Dam

After crossing the Maitai River on a footbridge, the trail winds mainly through native bush, and although not steep, we definitely felt that we were walking up hill.  Thankfully the day was somewhat overcast, and we were under the canopy of trees most of the time, but we still worked up a sweat.

Lower Section of Trail

Marlene in the Beech Forest

The final 15 minutes were definitely steeper, and when we reached the caves we had gained 800 ft. of elevation.  So much for "largely flat".  The cave has a narrow entrance, and although we could see ropes inside, anchored to the rock, we chose not to venture inside, as the flashlight in my phone just did not cut it.

Instead, we sat and enjoyed our lunch in the peace and tranquility, until a shirt-less young man appeared, with a large backpack.  He told us that he lives halfway up the valley and gets his water from the Maitai River, but comes up to the cave twice a week to collect "pure" drinking water from the stream at the  bottom of the cave.  He mountain bikes as far as he can up the trail and then jogs the rest of the way, returning with 15 litres of water in his backpack.  He told us that it keeps him in shape for rugby.  So now you know why rugby players are so tough.  To complicate things, he doesn't like drinking out of plastic, so he brings glass containers to fill with water.  I thought that I was listening to my son, Will.

Lunch at Maitai Cave

Young Man Filling Water Bottles In Cave

I ventured into the cave, but did not attempt the descent to the bottom as the limestone was slippery and I wasn't willing to risk a broken neck (although our young friend could probably have carried me back to the dam).  From inside the cave I was able to get the above photo of him filling his bottles.

The walk back to the dam was definitely much easier, and we made the round trip in 3 hours, including lunch  and chatting at the cave entrance.  We were both pleased with the power that we have developed in our legs.

Tonight will be dinner at the local pub, with a well-deserved libation, and then a more restful day tomorrow as the rain settles in.

Day Trip - Dun Mountain Walkway

As the rain had not yet hit Nelson, we decided to do another walk today, this time closer to town, and chose the Dun Mountain Walkway.  From the parking lot on Brook Street, the track zigzags up to the Tantragee Saddle and then follows the route of a pioneer rail line, climbing up to 875 metres above sea level.  Our 3 hour walk was planned to follow the route of the rail line up to Cummins Spur (425 metres ASL) and then down a service road, ending with a walk back along Brook Street to the parking lot.

The Dun Mountain Railway was built in 1862 to carry Copper and Chromite 21.5 Km from the hills to the port of Nelson, and is arguably one of the earliest rail lines in the country.  It used horses to pull the wagons along the track, and carried passengers within the city portion of the track.

We thought that the walk would be fairly flat but it actually climbed continuously from the Tantragee Saddle to Cummins Spur.  The track passed through Pine forest, native bush and some clear-cut areas, and thankfully was largely shaded from the morning sun.

Dun Mountain Walkway

A View Of The Valley Below (Where We Started Walking)

About an hour into the walk we reached Bullock Spur, which provided great views of Nelson, the port and Tasman Bay, and a very welcome picnic table, to take the weight off for a few minutes.

Marlene At Bullock Spur

From Bullock Spur we continued up for another 30 minutes, reaching Cummins Spur a little earlier than anticipated.

Pine Forest / Tree Fern

From Cummins Spur there were many options for further hikes, and our planned 30 minute route down to Brook Street, but seeing the path down, and not wanting to walk several kilometres along Brook Street, we opted to walk back the way we came,  making the walk a little longer, but much more pleasant.  We ate lunch on the picnic table at Bullock Spur, knowing that it was all downhill from there.

Trail Options From Cummins Spur

Today was not a record for the distance travelled, but the 1260 ft. of elevation gain was a new 2015 record for elevation.

I am almost looking forward to rain tomorrow.

Day Trip - Lakehead Trail (Nelson Lakes National Park)

Yesterday we headed back to Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park, to walk the Lakehead Track, a 10 Km jaunt.  There is rain forecast this week, especially in the mountains, so we wanted to get a good walk in before the rain came.

Rather than walk up to the lakehead and back we opted to take a water taxi to the lakehead and walk back to St. Arnaud.  Hamish, the water taxi driver, told us that the cloud formation in the photo below indicates that there are 3 days of rain ahead.

We had a choice of being dropped off on either side of the river that enters the lake through the flat area in the foreground of the photo below.  As there is no bridge, we opted for the East side of lake, to avoid getting wet feet.

Lake Rotoiti Lakehead

After Hamish dropped us off and left, it felt like it was just us, the ducks and the black swans, but as we stepped off the dock onto the trail we met a young woman jogging up the trail.  Oh well, we didn't have the place to ourselves, but it was still beautiful.

Black Swans - Lake Rotoiti

As I said, there is no bridge at the lakehead, so what do you do if the river is in flood?  You walk an hour and a half upstream to a swing bridge and an hour and a half back down the other side.  On either side of the river mouth there is a tramping hut - the Lakehead hut on the East side and the Coldwater hut on the West side.  When the river is low, it is a 2 Km walk, (with wet feet) between the huts, but if the river is high you have a 10 Km walk between the huts,

From the lakehad you can access a series of trails that take you all over the surrounding mountains. Althouth it was in the opposite direction to our destination (St. Arnaud), being nosy we walked up to the Lakehead hut to take a look. Almost to the hut we came across a nice camping area under the trees.

Camping Area near Lakehead Hut

At the hut we met two young guys, one from Germany and one from Switzerland.  They told us that there had only been 4 people at this hut the previous night, but at the hut they stayed at the night before, that hut was full.  So the trails / huts are obviously very popular.  There is no electricity at Lakead hut, but there is a kichen area with a sink and counter, a wood-burning stove to cook on, and two sets of bunks, with matresses supplied, that would sleep 28 people.  The matresses lie side by side on the base, so you could have 7 people sleeping side by side on each top and bottom bunk....communal living at its best!

Sleeping Area of Lakehead Hut

After promoting Canada to our two new European friends, we set off toward St. Arnaud.  The walk follows fairly close to the lake shore, so there is not a lot of elevation variation, and is through native forest, which is predominately beech trees - the black trees in the photo below.

The Beech Forest

The forest was alive with birdsong, and the Bellbird was particularly plentiful.  We came across one little bird, species unknown, who was not afraid to come within a few feet of us.


Friendly-Bird, Species Unknown

There were many peaceful little bays off the trail, and it was in one of these that we stopped for lunch.  The water was crystal clear, but despite the warm day we were not too keen to have a dip - the water is a coolish 19 degrees celsius, and we had seen the size of some of those native eels on our visit here last week.  But the cheese and marmite sandwiches tasted really good.

Peaceful Spot For Lunch

Nearer St. Arnaud we managed to see a Bellbird fairly close to us.  He is not the prettiest of birds, but one of the sweetest sounding.

New Zealand Bellbird

We made it back to St. Arnaud about 2:30 pm and then endured an hour and a half drive home without air conditioning.  The drive was more tiring than the hike.