Destination Loverna (2016-10-03)

We were not expecting to be back on the road so soon, but needs must.  Marlene's Mom's sister, Jean, whom we had visited in hospital in Edmonton in July, passed away in late September, and a celebration of her life was held in Loverna, Saskatchewan, this past Saturday.

 

Why Loverna you ask?  Jean was raised in Loverna, married in Loverna, and raised her family there, before moving to Edmonton later in life.  Jean's son lives in Kindersley, the nearest centre of habitation.

 

You have likely never heard of Loverna, Saskatchewan, so I will give you the abridged version of its history.  It is situated just East of the Alberta border, due North of Alsask, in the middle of the Canadian prairies - so flat that they say you can watch your dog run away for 3 days (a slight exaggeration, but you get the picture).  Loverna was first and foremost a railway town, and back in the 1920s boasted a population of more than 500, with 3 churches, 2 doctors, 2 banks, and numerous other businesses.  Marlene's maternal grandfather, Fred Sim, was a railway man, who was transferred to Loverna in the late 1930s, and became mayor of the town in 1945.  By 1980 the railway was gone, and Loverna lost its raison d'etre.  The town is now unincorporated (no more mayors), the population is less than 20, and Loverna is now essentially a ghost town.

 

Our trip was made a little more complicated by the fact that we had agreed to look after our daughter's dog, Charli, as Heather and her family had booked a vacation in San Diego.  So we left Delta, BC, on Thursday morning, with Charli perched on her doggie car seat, and headed to Kamloops, where we dropped Charli with our son, Will, before moving on to Golden, BC, where we spent Wednesday night, as this was more than halfway to our destination - Kindersley, Saskatchewan.

 

On Friday we continued through Lake Louise & Banff, bypassed most of Calgary, and then across Alberta highway 9 (Drumheller, Hanna, Oyen) and Saskatchewan highway 7 to Kindersley.  From the point of leaving highway 2 at Crossfield, Alberta, there are probably not more than 20 curves in the 400 Km to Kindersley.  Our 4 year old granddaughter, Kinley, could probably have driven it!

 

We spent Friday evening visiting with Marlene's cousins in Kindersley and then headed out to Loverna for the celebration of life on Saturday morning.  Once you leave Highway 7, there is no more asphalt, and soon the roads are unnamed (thankfully we have a GPS).  It reminded me somewhat of driving to my Gleeson ancestral home in Ireland last year, but without the hedgerows.

 

The Road to Loverna (just off 317)

The celebration of life was held in the Loverna Community Hall, one of the few buildings still in use in the town.  It was hard to imagine a once bustling town.  The celebration was well attended, as witnessed by the number of vehicles in the photo below.  I have pasted photos of a few of the other remaining buildings in Loverna, at the bottom of this page. 

 

Main Street Loverna today

After the celebration of life, we joined the family in laying some of Jean's ashes to rest with her husband, Floyd, in the Loverna cemetery, and spreading the remaining ashes on the family farm just outside of town.  This provided opportunity to test the AWD capability of the Subaru, as we drove through the alfalfa fields....the fields had less potholes than some of the local roads.

 

On Sunday morning, after coffee with Marlene's cousin, we started the trek homeward.  We overnighted in Revelstoke, BC, a town which impressed us - lots of happy young people and well cared for heritage buildings.  The winter would not suit us (long and snowy), but Revelstoke could be worth a September visit some year, after the summer tourists leave, and before the winter tourists arrive.

 

Monday was a long travel day, as we left Revelstoke at 8 am and did not arrive home until 11 pm.  It was not all driving, as we had an hour with friends in Sicamous, 3 hours with Will in Kamloops, and  3 1/2 hours waiting for / riding the ferry to the island.  Charli was an excellent traveller, and seems none the worse for spending 4 nights in a house with a cat (Giz), although she has supposedly developed a taste for fish-flavoured cat food.  Charli and Giz seemed to consider all available food as being jointly owned.

 

We are tired after travelling over 3000 Km in 5 days, and are happy to be home on the island for a few days before we take Charli home on Saturday.

 

Photos of some of Loverna's remaining buildings -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nelson to Parksville, via Sicamous (2016-09-19)

The warm sunny days of the past week in Nelson ended on Saturday, with the return of the rains, which made the leaving a little easier.  Rather than head straight back to the coast on highway 3, we took the opportunity to visit our friends Neil and Heather in Sicamous, which made for a longer drive home, but it spread the drive over two days.  The fastest route from Nelson to Sicamous, is north up highway 6 to Nakusp, and then continuing north on highway 23 to Revelstoke, on to Highway 1.  But our neighbour, Moe, had suggested an alternate, more scenic route from Nakusp, via Fauquier, so that became the plan.

 

As it was a drab, rainy day, we did not stop for any walks or sightseeing, as most of the sights were covered in cloud.  We made good time to Nakusp and so we stopped at "Whats Brewing on Broadway", the best cafe in Nakusp (according to Trip Advisor), for coffee / tea and a shared cinnamon bun.  It was a cute cafe, with lots of funky signs for sale, but the cutest sign of all hung above the counter (see photo below).

 

Sign at Whats Brewing on Broadway, Nakusp, BC

The challenge for road builders in the interior of BC has always been getting across the lakes and the mountains - the roads skirt the lakes and cross the mountains at the most convenient points, resulting in a route that can be quite circuitous.  Hence from Nakusp we turned south to Fauquier, took the ferry across Arrow Lake at The Needles, and then over the Monashee mountain range to Cherryville, Lumby and Vernon.  We ate lunch in the car while waiting for the ferry at Fauquier, as it was raining too steadily to sit at the picnic tables.

 

Ferry Crossing at The Needles, BC

 

I remember a Trivial Pursuit question from days gone by that asked which Canadian province has the most ferries.  The correct answer at the time was Saskatchewan.  But today Saskatchewan has only 12 ferries, while BC has 25 (BC Ferries only) on the coast, plus many more on inland river / lake crossings, so would now trump Saskatchewan's claim to fame.  Several of BC's inland ferries are required as a result of hydro dams flooding large areas.

 

After a brief stop at Jitter Beans in Lumby (thanks again Trip Advisor) for a tea refill, we headed for Sicamous.  The only disappointing part of the journey was that the weather prevented us from seeing much of the scenery.

 

The weather cooperated in Sicamous, and we were able to enjoy a walk around town on Saturday afternoon, and we had a walk along the Eagle River plus a bike ride on Sunday, all without getting wet, although it pored with rain at other times.  These activities were of course intertwined with lots of eating and conversation with Neil and Heather.  The District of Sicamous has decorated the downtown area with planters containing fruits and vegetables, which you are welcome to eat, so you can actually graze while you walk.  What a cool idea!

 

Strawberry Planter in Sicamous, BC

 On Monday morning, in torrential rain, we left Sicamous and headed to the coast.  It rained most of the way, so again, no stops for walks or sightseeing.  We gassed up & picked up coffee / tea in Salmon Arm, refilled the drinks in Kamloops, had a bathroom break at the top of the Coquihalla highway, and were at our daughter's house in Delta by 2:30 pm.

 

Our son and his girlfriend were also visiting our daughter in Delta, so we had a short visit with the family over dinner and then caught the 8:15 pm ferry home, to complete our 2500 Km vacation.

 

It was a great trip and we hope to return to Nelson in the future, as there are still many trails that we have yet to walk or ride.  But for now, the garden beckons.

 

 

 

 

Nelson, BC - part 2 (2016-09-16)

On Wednesday we decided to explore the area south of Nelson, and headed off down highway 6.  Our first stop was in Salmo, for coffee at the Dragonfly Cafe, followed by a walk around Salmo. The coffee was good, and we spent more time at the Dragonfly than it took to walk around town.

 

Back on the road, we took highway 3B towards Trail, but turned off to visit the Champion Lakes Provincial Park and to walk the trails identified in the Walking Trails Around Nelson brochure.  Champion Lakes are a chain of three lakes, beginning at Champion Lake No. 3, with walking trails along / around all three lakes.

Marlene at Champion Lake No. 3

 Armed with water and our lunch, we took to the trails to get away from the large group of school children who were having a day in the park - they were swimming, playing volleyball, bike riding, but most annoyingly, beating on drums, on the beach at lake no. 3.  We walked past all three lakes, to the end of the trail at a beaver dam at the bottom of lake no. 1, which was our selected lunch stop.  The only sound we heard over lunch was the occasional jet aircraft passing high above us in the clear blue sky.  On the return journey we took an alternate route back to the top of lake no. 2, which of course went over the hill rather than around it. 

 

End of the trail at the bottom of Champion Lake No. 1

 By the time we got back to the beach at lake no. 3, the kids had all left, but there was no time to enjoy the beach, as we wanted to visit the town of Trail and get back to Nelson by 5 o'clock.

 

The person who wrote the description of Trail for the tourist map deserves a marketing award - "....slip down the Columbia in a canoe or walk through Little Italy,.... meander the narrow streets, climb the covered staircases, or check out the amazing stone retaining walls of West Trail....".  They certainly put a lot of lipstick on that pig, as the reality is that Trail is dominated by Teck Cominco's lead and zinc smelter, which is right in the middle of town, you could sail the Queen Mary down the Columbia River it is so big, and the other "highlights" were not that impressive.  Definitely not our sort of town.  We drove through downtown and Little Italy, saw the covered staircases from a distance, and headed back to Nelson.

 

With only two days left, we decided to bike some of the Slocan Valley Rail Trail, and that turned out to be a good decision.  This trail is very pleasant riding, with a grade of less than 1%, and is very well-maintained.  It follows the Slocan River along most of the route with a few forested sections away from the river.  Over two days we rode two sections of the trail, Crescent Valley to Passmore & Passmore to Winlaw.  Day 1 was a 32 Km round trip, with a stop to pick up a tasty treat at Valley Vittles in Slocan Park.  There was much bear poop on the trail, but we did not see any wildlife at all. 

 

Jim admiring the Slocan River

Day 2 was a 26 Km round trip, with lunch in a nature park just outside Winlaw, where we had the whole park to ourselves, and a stop for coffee at the Sleep is for Sissies Cafe south of Winlaw.  Whilst having our coffee on the patio, an interesting young woman regaled us with her troubled life history, during which time she wafted the smoke from 3 cigarettes our way.  But hey, at least we weren't in Trail.

 

Marlene having lunch at a park outside of Winlaw

 

Jim taking a well-deserved break

We had one last drive into Nelson later in the day, and found that we are actually getting used to the town on a hillside.

 

The weather has been great for the whole week that we have been in Nelson, with no rain at all, but tonight that all changes, with rain settling in for the next few days.  As we can always enjoy the rain at home, it is time to move on.  Tomorrow morning we will leave Nelson and begin the journey home, but it will be a 3-day journey.

 

We really enjoyed the Nelson area & our home away from home at Bio Bio Suite.  Hopefully we will have an opportunity to return in the future.

 

Bio Bio Suite (below the verandah)

 

Nelson, BC part 1 (2016-09-13)



Nelson is in a beautiful location, nestled in a valley on the west arm of Kootenay Lake, surrounded by tree-covered mountains.  There is however very little flat land between the lake and the mountains, so the town is built in tiers up the side of the mountain, with each parallel street higher than its predecessor.  Even Baker Street, the historic main street of town, is well above the lake.  So everywhere you go, you go either uphill or downhill.  It is a busy town, with lots of amenities (and lots of visitors).

 

We spent the first day getting acquainted with Nelson, which included a walk around downtown and a bike ride on the Lakeshore Trail.  We thought that the trail was 7 Km each way, but after about 4 Km we passed no trespassing signs, and then rode through a homeless camp in the woods, on what did not seem like a city-maintained trail.  At this point we battled our way uphill to a road and headed back into town.  It turns out that the trail is 7 Km round trip.

 

On Monday we decided to ride part of the Nelson - Samlo rail trail.  Online info on the trail was sketchy, and I had the impression that the trail came from the lake up to Nelson and then down to Salmo, with a gentle grade.  We started at the top of Gore Street, where the Nelson station had once stood, thinking that this was the high point of the trail, but boy was I wrong.  The previous day we had scouted out the parking, but when we arrived at the parking lot, a crew was busy preparing it for paving, so we had to head back downhill and park on the street (with the parking brake on and the front wheels turned into the curb, as it was very steep).  After pushing our bikes back up the hill to the trail, we were ready to start our ride, when we saw a large fresh (wet) pile of bear poop, right in the middle of the trail.  This encouraged us to get going, despite the cool temperature (it had dropped to 6 degrees overnight and we were in the shade).  The ride started out uphill, but we found a pace that we could maintain, and soon were cruising through forest, crossing old railway trestles, while frequently ringing our bicycle bells, to let the bears know that we were coming.  12 Km later, on a steadily deteriorating trail (especially after Cottonwood Lake), we arrived, half frozen, at the summit.  After a short celebratory rest and some nuts, we turned around and headed back towards town, with minimal effort

 



Marlene at the summit of the Nelson - Salmo Rail Trail

In the afternoon we headed north to Kaslo.  Just after leaving Nelson, I had to brake extremely hard (throwing everything in the back seat onto the floor), and leaving rubber on the road, as a young woman pulled out right in front of us. Yikes! 

 

Our first stop was Kokanee Creek Provincial Park, where we planned on walking the Canyon trail, but on arrival found the trail closed off with yellow tape, as there were bears in the area.  The bears were there as the Kokanee (fish not beer) were spawning in the channel near the lake.  We watched the fish for a while, and then asked the volunteer on site if we could use the trail and she gave us directions to get onto the trail above the spawning area.  We had a great walk up the trail to a lookout, returning by a circuitous route that took us along the lakefront.

 

We then headed up to Kaslo, just to check it out.  It was nice little town to wander around, and we came across a store selling Island Farms ice cream, my favourite.  To help the island and local economies, we just had to have an ice cream - great ice cream, but poor value for money (half the size of the ice creams at the Log Cabin in Parksville). 

 

Kootenay Lake & mountains from Kaslo

 Fortified with sugar we headed back to Nelson.  About 2 Km north of Nelson, I glanced in the rear-view mirror (Marlene heard a bang, so maybe I did too) and saw that two cars had collided right behind us.  I stopped and we ran back to see if anyone was hurt.  One car was in the middle of the road, blocking both directions, and the driver was lying on the road beside the car.  He said that he was just winded (he had some rib damage from the airbag deployment).  The other vehicle was on its side, but the driver was standing up inside and said that they were all okay. While Marlene helped another woman get the two children out of that vehicle, I called 911 and went through their 20 questions until the ambulances arrived, followed by the fire department and police.  We had to hang around until the ambulances left with all 4 people on board and the police were finished their evaluation, to give a statement, but eventually we were back on the road to Nelson.  Maybe we should stay off the roads tomorrow.

 

A nice woman at the Information Centre in Nelson had given us a brochure on walking trails in the area, so on Tuesday we decided to walk the Millsite trail at Sproule Creek, as it was a comfortable 10 Km walk and close to home (to minimise exposure to the local drivers).  The first 4 Km up were great, walking along the creek through a forest of evergreens and deciduous trees.  But the bridge at the 4 Km point was broken and this seemed to put people off going any further.  Not to be beaten, we clambered over the broken bridge and fought our way through the largely overgrown trail up to the old mill site.  The sun disappears very early from the valley bottoms and by 4 pm there was a definite chill in the air as we headed back down the trail. Next time I will take a sweater.

 

Bridge weight limit - 1/2 a Jim

 

We have certainly have had no difficulty filling our first three days here, and with warm sunny days forecast for the rest of the week, I am sure that we will see more of the great outdoors around Nelson.

On the Road Again - Delta to Nelson, BC (2016-09-09)



We had thought of taking a road trip in September, heading east to Saskatoon via the northern highway 5 and then returning via the southern highway 3, perhaps doing some camping along the way.  But then the weather turned cool and wet at the beginning of September, and as Marlene gets antsy in the car after 2 hours, we decided to head to Nelson, BC, which is only 7 hours from Vancouver.  We will perhaps hit Saskatoon in November, weather permitting.

 

On Friday morning, after spending a few days with our grandchildren in Delta, we hit the road to Osoyoos, which is about halfway to Nelson, and a logical place to break the journey.

 

We broke the journey with a lunch stop at Coquihala Canyon Provincial Park, just outside of Hope.  I had read online about a trail in the park that takes you through 4 tunnels on an old railway bed, and wanted to investigate further.  This rail line was part of the Kettle Valley Railway, built in the early 1900s and abandoned in the 1950s.  The trail is very flat, and only 2 km each way, so a nice break from the car, but not too strenuous.  The tunnels are all short, so we did not need flashlights (although we had them with us), and between 3 of the tunnels you cross bridges which span the river flowing down the Coquihalla Canyon, providing some great views.  A little beyond the tunnels we reached an intersection with the Hope - Nicola Valley Trail, and this provided a 3 km alternative route back to the parking lot.  Marlene of course chose the longer route back, and we trudged up 800 feet to go over the hill that the tunnels took us through so effortlessly.  But we agreed that it was worth the extra effort. 

 

Othello Tunnels - Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park

 

Our motel in Osoyoos was clean and comfortable, and we walked into town to pick up food supplies for dinner, which gave us an opportunity to see some of the town.  While loading the car the next morning, the car started rocking and I could see the motel windows moving.  The rocking went on for about 30 seconds, and we later learned that it was a magnitude 4.2 earthquake, centred East of Oliver, which is just north of Osoyoos.  I hope this was not an omen for the rest of the trip.

 

Osoyoos from lockout on Highway 3

 Lunch was a picnic at Nancy Green Provincial Park, followed by a 1 hour walk around the lake.  I asked Marlene "who the heck was Nancy Greene?" and she responded that all Canadians know about Nancy Greene, our famous olympic skier.  My excuse is that it was before my time as a Canadian.

  

Picnic lunch at Nancy Greene Provincial Park

 

We noticed that there are lots of provincial parks along highway 3, and they were not very busy, but probably a little cool for us fair-weather campers.

 

Our accommodation in Nelson is a suite on an organic farm about 10 minutes west of town (BioBio Suite).  Our hosts are a Swiss carpenter, his Russian wife, their two sons and two Burmese mountain dogs, and they are self-sufficient on their 5 acre property.  In addition to vegetables, they grow berries and tree fruit, and keep a couple of dairy cows.  They gave us a tour of the property and were happy to share their knowledge of organic farming.  The suite itself is beautiful (and inexpensive), and we know that we will enjoy our seven nights here.

 

Home Again (2016-05-15)

We have been back in Canada for a month now, and home for 3 weeks, but I have heard a few comments that my postings just stopped, so thought that I should wrap up the New Zealand trip with one last post.

 

Our last few days in New Zealand were spent with my sisters, talking walking, and doing a few little projects - tree trimming and replacing some rotted wood near Margaret's front door, and a last few Windows 10 lessons for Margaret.  But leaving was still difficult....we were ready to come home, but not ready to leave.  But we are already planning next year's visit.

 

The trip home was uneventful, with both flights on time.  The photo below does not really do it justice, but we were blessed with one last New Zealand sunset as we flew north from Wellington to Auckland.

 

 

Our Last New Zealand Sunset

 

We arrived back in Vancouver on the Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday morning Norm and Heather had set off for a short holiday in Uclulet, leaving us jet-lagged with two young grandchildren.  But somehow we survived, and even enjoyed the annual nature walk and salmon release in a local Delta park on the Sunday.  The grandkids loved it as they each got to release several buckets of young salmon into the creek, and watch them swim away.

 

So now we are back home, have caught up on most of the things that just have to be done right now, Marlene's Mom has had her hip replacement surgery and is recuperating at home, so life is almost back to normal.

 

Friday was a beautiful day, so we rode our bikes down to Rathtrevor Park and back.  The views toward the mainland and the coast mountains were amazing.  When we have scenery like this at home, why do we travel.

 

The Coast Mountains from Rathtrevor Beach

We have no other international travel planned for this year, but possibly a road trip in the summer.  Stay tuned....

Whanganui - Palmerston North (2016-04-09)

This week we did another road trip, travelling to Whanganui and then on to Palmerston North.

 

Searching for Wanganui online can be confusing as it is in somewhat of a transition from being Wanganui to being Whanganui.  All of the highway signs point to "Wanganui", but most tourist information refers to "Whanganui".  Why the change, you might ask....it all has to do with pronunciation.

 

Current linguistic theory suggests that W in Maori is pronounced as W, as in water, while Wh is pronounced as F, and some bright spark has decided that Wanganui should be pronounced with an F sound, so therefore should be spelled with a Wh.  So Whanganui joins Whakatane (Fok-a-ta-nee) and Whangarei (Fon-ga-ray) and is pronounced Fon-ga-new-ee. 

 

But, in school (50 years ago) we were taught that the Maori had no written language until the European missionaries created one, so why would English-speaking people have written down an F sound as Wh, when they could simply have written it as F, or at a stretch as Ph, as in Physician or Pharaoh?  My guess is that the actual 1800s Maori pronunciation of the Wh sound was probably something other than a simple English F or W, but until we can travel back in time we will never know for sure.  Meanwhile we continue to be confused, but as I like to live on the bleeding edge, I will use Whanganui from now on.

 

We have passed through Whanganui many times and even overnighted there a couple of times, but we have never explored the city or surrounding area.  This time, with two nights in town, we had time to see what the city had to offer, which is actually quite a lot for a provincial city.

 

If you are into architecture, you would enjoy Whanganui, as it has retained many of its older buildings.  Take a walk up Victoria Avenue from the river, and turn right onto Guyton Street, keeping your eye on the upper floors of the buildings and make sure that you walk both sides of the street.  If you cannot visit, you can do the same walk on Google street view, and see some marvelous older buildings.



Whanganui Architecture





The downtown area also has lots of open spaces, with Queens Park and Cooks Gardens being only a few blocks off the main street.  The area from Victoria Avenue to Queens Park has quite a European feeling as you walk through Majestic Square and up the steps to the Sarjeant Gallery.

 

Sarjeant Gallery

The Whanganui River is the longest navigable river in New Zealand, and in days long past, river boats were the only method of moving people and goods into the areas inland of Whanganui.  One such boat was the MV Wairua, which was built in London, England in 1904, and plied the Whanganui River until in the 1950s it sank at its moorings.  In 1986 a group of enthusiasts recovered the Wairua from the bottom of the river, restored her, and they now offer rides about 7 miles up river to the village of Upokongaro.  We took the trip and enjoyed learning more about the boat, the river and the history of the surrounding area.  We ate lunch at Cafe 4Forty4 in Upokongaro and had time to explore the village before returning down river to Whanganui. 

 



River Boat MV Wairua

When you see a speed limit sign in New Zealand, don't be lulled into thinking that you will be able to travel anywhere close to the speed limit and survive.  Just outside of Upokongaro I spotted the sign in the photo below, on a road that is too narrow to have a centre line, has a hill on one side and a cliff on the other (with no guard rail), and the posted speed is 100 kilometres per hour.  The sign indicates the maximum permitted speed, not a safe speed or the maximum survivable speed.

 

NZ Speed Limit Sign

 

While we were in Whanganui we experienced an earthquake, while sitting eating breakfast.  It sounded like a large truck approaching, then a sudden jolt, and it was all over.  It was only magnitude 3.3 and centered about 20 Km from Whanganui.  Thankfully there was no damage.

 

From Whanganui we headed into the Manawatu region to stay with our friends, Marilyn and John, who live on a farm between Palmerston North and Fielding.  Enroute we stopped for lunch at a cafe in Bulls.  Bulls is a small town where the Whanganui highway splits from the main north-south highway, and the town has tried to capitalize on its unique name (its only claim to fame), including signs as you come into town, telling you that it is "A Town Like No Udder".  Throughout town there are other "Bull" signs pointing at various locations around town.  Trying to cross the highway in the middle of town is not for the faint-hearted as there are no pedestrian crossings in town - unbeliev-a-bull.

 

 

Bulls Signs

We enjoyed 3 nights with John and Marilyn at their new farm, caught up with their extended family, and learned some more about farming.  We even visited the Fielding Sale Yards for the Friday stock sale.  The Fielding stock sale is the biggest in Australasia.  Animals are sold by the pen lot, with a sheep pen having as many as 400 animals per lot, but cattle are sold in much smaller volumes.  Pricing is per animal for sheep and by the pound for cattle. 

 

We sat and watched the cattle auction, which was a very efficient operation - a pen lot of cattle is herded into a pen at the entrance to the sale room, where the pen lot is weighed and the average weight per animal displayed on an overhead screen.  The animals are then moved into a second pen in the centre of the room and the auctioneer begins the bidding process, while a new lot is moved into the scale pen.  Bidding is per Kg, and the price varies depending on the size, condition, and type of animal (cow, bull, steer).  Within a minute or two the lot is sold, and it is driven out the other side of the room and onto waiting trucks for transportation to its new home.  There were about fifty trucks parked at the back of the sale yards, ready to move in to pick up a load, all very real time. 

 

Fielding Sale Yards

 

While in Palmerston North we visited Auntie Bridie, my Mom's sister, who celebrated her 95th birthday this week.  She was in great form despite all her visitors and the excitement of the week, and still as sharp as a button.

 

Enroute to Wellington, we met Margaret & Tricia in Foxton, and with help from the local funeral home we interred the ashes of my Auntie Noeline who died last September.  Noeline is now at rest with her parents and brother in the family plot.

 

We now have only a few more days before we fly home, and these will be spent with Margaret and Tricia, having a final catch-up, although we have several activities already planned, so I had better get on with it.

 

Wellington (2016-04-02)

This week we heard the interim result of the great New Zealand flag referendum, and there will be no change of flag. 

 

The Prime Minister (and big business & national sports teams) wanted a new flag, as the current one is very similar to the Australian flag.  The PM claims that they followed a "world-class" ($26 million)process, but in my view it was anything but....

• The government appointed a committee, stacked with business and sports people, to review new flag designs submitted by the public (a biased committee - strike 1).
• The committee chose 4 designs out of 10,000 submissions,for the public to vote on, through a mail-in ballot, but a lobby group complained that their flag was not included, so a 5th choice was added (did not follow their own process - strike 2).
• The ballot involved preferential voting, so the flag that got the most first choice votes, was not chosen as the possible new flag, after adjusting for the voters' second choices (the flag that was first choice of the most people was not chosen - strike 3).
• The final step in the process was a second mail-in ballot, where voters got to choose between the current flag and the selected alternate flag.  There was good voter turnout and 57% voted to keep the existing flag.

 

This is a great example of the people refusing to change something just because the politicians and businesses decide that it should change.....Power to the People!

 

The Old & New New Zealand Flag



We have had a less active but more cultural experience this week, seeing two movies and visiting a museum.

 

First up was the New Zealand movie "Mahana", a serious show about the intertwined lives of two Maori families, based on the book "Bulibasha" by Witi Ihimaera, who also wrote "The Whale Rider".  A good story and a well-done production.

 

Mahana Poster

Next up we attended the more light-hearted New Zealand movie "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" on its opening day.  This show was based on the book "Wild Pork and Watercress" by well-known New Zealand author Barry Crump.  This is a hilarious show, about a boy in foster care, and is destined to become a kiwi classic.

 

 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople Poster

Jim and Marlene would give both movies two thumbs up!!  Now lets see if either one makes it to Canadian theatres.

 

Today we visited the World War I exhibit at the National War Museum.  It was a very well done exhibition with much detail of New Zealand's involvement in the war.  New Zealand suffered the highest loss of life of any nation in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign, losing 1 of every 3 fighting soldiers (compared with 1 in 7 Australian soldiers).  The Gallipoli exhibit was of particular interest, as I had a Great Uncle who fought there, and survived, only to die two years later at Ypres in Belgium. 

 

To end on a lighter note, I have posted details of a couple of the many words that we have inherited from WWI.

 

 

Pushing Up Daisies (Becoming a Landowner)

 

Bumf (Bum Fodder)

 

We now only have about10 days left in New Zealand and we will be on the road again on Monday, but more on that trip next week.

Gisborne - Rotorua - Turangi (2016-03-24)

We are now back in Wellington after a great week travelling to Gisborne, Rotorua and Turangi.

 

In Gisborne re re-visited the Eastwoodhill Arboretum (Arboretum of New Zealand) and enjoyed several hours walking various trails.  We were almost the only visitors on the day of our visit, and only saw one other family (as we were leaving), so it felt like we had the place to ourselves.  If you are interested in photos, check out the posting from our visit in 2014.

 

We also checked out something new in Gisborne, the Footrot Flats statue which has recently been erected temporarily in a riverside park, while it waits for its permanent home to be redeveloped.  Footrot Flats is a cartoon by New Zealander Murray Ball, a local Gisborne boy, and was very popular in the 1980s and 90s.  The main characters are a farmer named Wal, and his dog named Dog, who lived at Footrot Flats.  In the photo below I tried to do my best Wal pose.

 

Jim, Wal & Dog

 

While cruising the residential streets of Gisborne, I spied the road safety sign shown in the photo below....food for thought.

 

Road Safety Sign

 

From Gisborne we headed to Rotorua, where our destination was the Blue Lake Holiday Park, which is a little out of town, beside the Blue Lake, and close to the Green Lake and the Buried Village.  We only had two nights in Rotorua, but managed to fill our time well.  On day 1 we visited the tea house at the Buried Village (great scones) and later did the walk around the Blue Lake, which stayed close to the lake, and was primarily in native bush. 

 

Blue Lake, Rotorua

 

On our second day in Rotorua, before heading to Turangi, we walked in a Redwood Forest, amongst the massive trees, which reminded us of the Douglas Firs on Vancouver Island.  There was a great network of trails within the forest, and certainly more for us to explore next time.

 

Redwood Forest, Rotorua

 

Turangi was intended only as an overnight stop to break up the journey from Rotorua back to Wellington, but it turned out to be a highlight.  Firstly, our accommodation at Creel Lodge was a great surprise - an excellent unit in a quiet location, with direct access to 15 Km of walking trails along the Tongariro River.  If only we had brought our fishing rods.....next time maybe?

 

As children we enjoyed several summer holidays in a bach (holiday house, pronounced "batch") at Pukawa, a few miles from Turangi, on Lake Taupo, and we decided to go and see if it was still there.  Fifty five years ago, Pukawa consisted of 3 houses somewhat back from the lake and 1 house on the lakeshore, with no electricity, all accessed down a narrow dirt road if it had not rained too much.  Today, the area is covered in houses, fully-serviced with utilities, accessed down a 2-lane asphalt road.  Without too much trouble, we managed to find the childhood bach, tucked in behind a Maori marae, and the other 3 houses were also still standing and recognisable.  The area brought back many memories of our childhood holidays, making for a very nostalgic visit.

 

Bach at Pukawa

Before heading out the next morning, we did a short walk along the Tongariro River, but again, much more to explore on our next visit.

 

The trip back to Wellington was uneventful, with coffee in Taihape and lunch at a (noisy) picnic area along the Himitangi straight.  We delivered Tricia to the 5:30 pm train back to Featherston, and so ended another great family vacation.  I wonder where we will go next year?

 

Always being on the lookout for items of interest, I noticed the sign below in a Kiwibank branch.  Interest rates in New Zealand tend to be higher than Canadian rates at the moment, as the New Zealand economy has not needed as much stimulus, although that is likely to change.  The 2-year mortgage rate of 4.39% is a little higher than the current RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) rate of 3.25%, and the 150-day term deposit rate is substantially higher than the RBC rate of 0.35%.  But what is most noticeable is the difference between what the bank charges in interest on loans and what they pay as interest to depositors - Kiwibank survives on a 1.14% spread, while RBC takes a whopping 2.69%.  It is worth noting that RBC also charges a monthly fee to deposit our money with them, but Kiwibank charges no account fee.  I know where I would rather keep my money.

 

Kiwibank Interest Rates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waikaremoana (2016-03-17)

On each visit to New Zealand we try and do a short touring holiday with my sisters, and each year it gets harder to include places that we have not visited before.  This year's trip began with a new place for us all, Lake Waikaremoana, which lies within the Te Urewera National Park, about 65 Km inland from Wairoa & 160 Km East of Rotorua.  Te Urewera contains some of the most rugged and remote areas in the North Island, and was a place of refuge for Maori warriors during the land wars of the 1860s. 

 

Not knowing what services to expect, we bought lots of groceries, filled the car with petrol and set off from Napier, up the East coast towards Wairoa, our destination being the Lake Waikaremoana Holiday Park. The guide books and maps tell you that the road from Wairoa is sealed all the way, but the reality is that a large portion of it is actually gravel / very clayish looking earth.  Our accommodation, the only game in town, was far from new, but was clean and functional.  Margaret & Tricia took the beds and Marlene & I took the mattresses on a sleeping platform which was up a ladder in the peak of the room (our tree house).  Our mattresses were very comfortable, but it was somewhat difficult to get Marlene's large suitcase up there.  At the holiday park there is no television, no internet and no cellphone service, so we were forced to disconnect from the world.

 

Lake Waikaremoana is the site of one of the New Zealand Great Walks, a multi-day hike on the West side of the lake, but we contented ourselves with several of the shorter walks on the East side of the lake, close to the highway.

 

Tuesday was forecast to be the best weather, so we did four of the walks in the vicinity of the holiday park.  First up was the Aniwaniwa Falls, a series of 3 waterfalls that cascade down from the visitor's centre to the lake.  After crossing the river on the road bridge, the walk was through dense native bush.

 

Aniwaniwa Falls

We four below Aniwaniwa Fall

Next up was the Papakorito Falls, on the same river, but upstream from the visitors centre.  Access was on a quiet gravel road, then a short bush walk to the falls.

 



Papakorito Falls

After lunch we followed the Hinau Walk from the holiday park, past the site of an early hotel, then continued on the Tawa walk, to visit the largest Rata tree in New Zealand.  The Rata is an interesting tree as it begins life as an epiphyte, growing in the fork of an existing tree, and then extending its roots down, eventually smothering the host tree.  This large specimen is estimated to be 800-1000 years old, and is about 13 metres (43 feet) in girth.   As shown in the photo below, this tree has grown very tall atop its long-dead host.

 

NZ's Largest Rata

 After heavy rain overnight, Wednesday brought fine misty rain, and walking was much more difficult on the bush trails.  In the morning we walked a short portion of the great walk, to reach the Armed Constabulary Redoubt, the remains of a fortification from the land wars of the 1860s.  Soldiers of the time carved dates and their names / initials in a nearby rock face.  A short walk from the redoubt took us to Lake Kiriopukae, a pretty little lake surrounded by large rocks, and the site of a cemetery with graves from the time of the land wars.  As we pulled into the car park, our cell phones beeped and chirped, telling us that we had service again, so we all rabidly checked our emails, texts and the latest news.

 

After lunch we did the much more adventurous Onepoto Caves walk.  Lake Waikaremoana was formed about 2200 years ago when a large rock slide blocked the end of the valley, causing it to fill with water.  The rockslide was 200-300 metres thick and consisted of large slabs of sandstone.  The piling of large slabs of rock resulted in gaps between the slabs, now known as the Onepoto Caves.  The area is littered with bluffs, holes and caves, and the path winds its way amongst them.  Being wet, the path was very slippery and we had to be somewhat careful to avoid sliding off the path into the holes.  We all agreed that the walk challenged us in several ways, and would not be a good choice with young children.

 

One of the Onepoto Caves

 The rain continued through Wednesday night and into Thursday, but on our way out of the park we did the Lake Kaitawa, Green Lake, Fairy Springs walk.  This took us around the two lakes and the springs which are fed by water from Lake Waikaremoana, forced up through gaps in the rock.

 

 

Swans on Lake Kaitawa

By 11 o'clock we had checked Lake Waikaremoana off our bucket list, and headed back to Wairoa, then North to Gisborne, our home for the next three nights.