New Zealand Diary

January 30 – February 1, 2009

Flight to Auckland . It took more than 30 hours. We shifted plane in London and Sydney, and we tanked the plane in Bangkok. I landed at noon, and I met the guide at the hotel. We started with a presentation tour around in Auckland. The tour went over Grafton Bridge to the great Park called Auckland Domain. Here we visited the Winter Gardens with trees and flowers from all of New Zealand. The tour ended at a restaurant at the Princess Wharf.

February 2, 2009

We left with the ferry for Waiheke Island at 11 hours. It took 3 quarters of an hour to reach the island. We visited three wine estates and an olive oil factory. At Ridgeview Estate we ate lunch. At Topknot Hill we tasted wine and beer from their brewery. And at Mudhill we tasted wine. At Rangihoua Estate we saw olive oil production The stone is removed from the olive and the remains are mashed in a screw. The product from the screw is fed to a centrifuge. The yield of oil is 15%. Another 10% is water and the remainder is dry stuff.

February 3, 2009

We left Auckland early and drove south. We visited the Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park. This was the first Kiwi house we saw. Later on we saw many more. The Kiwi is the national bird in NZ but it is endangered. It is a small ostrich like bird, and it cannot fly. The habitat is the bottom of the rain-forest. It is raised in Kiwi houses with the aim to be reinstalled in nature.

After Otorohanga we left for Waitomo where we stayed for one night. In the neigbourhood of Waitomo is several caves, and we were to visit two of them. The first was Spellbound Cave known for its glowworms. These are hanging on the ceiling, and are best seen when the light is turned off. The second cave was called the Cave of the spirit, and it was more conventional with stalactites and stalagmites. It had also skeleton parts of the Moa, an extinct giant ostrich.

February 4, 2009

The first stop was a swing bridge over Waikato River at the Arapuni Power-station. From there we drove to the Agrodome Show at the outskirts of Rotorua. The show is an exhibition of different sheep races, demonstration of sheep shearing and many other things.

After lunch we visited Te Pua a great exhibition and nature area. In one end of the area is the Maori Arts and Craft Institute with working craft shops showing wood carving techniques and ornamentation. The greatest part of the area is a vast nature park with thermal activities called Whakarewarewa Thermal Park. Here are boiling mud pools and geyser's. The two biggest geyser's are called Prince of Wales feathers and Pohutu (great splash). The name of the first comes from a remark of the Prince of Wales when he visited the Park. He said the splash reminded him of the feathers in his coat of arms.

We stayed at a motel in town and we had a spa in connection with our room.

February 5, 2009

Whakarewarewa Forest Park is a plantation of Californian Redwood trees. We started the day with a walk in this forest. The trees are not yet as big as they are in America. The next stop was Ohinemutu with a small Anglican church and soldier graves from both world wars. The area is bordering to Lake Rotorua.

The next visit was Rainbow Springs Nature Park, and we ended in a Gondola up to a viewpoint over the town.

The rest of the afternoon was free, and I spend the time in the Polynesian Spa.

In the evening we had the option to visit Tamaki Village. It was at extra cost, but it was worth the money. First you see a show or a play about the time around year 1800 where the Maori's got hold of the white men's fire arms. After the show, dinner was served. The dinner was prepared in traditional Maori way on hot stones in an subterranean oven(Hangi)

February 6, 2009

We left Rotorua and drove south to Taupo. First visit was Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Every day at 10:15 the Lady Knox geyser springs. All tourists have found their seats, and a ranger steps up beside the geyser hole and tells us how they discovered that they could make the geyser spring at will. Then he pours a bag of detergent into the hole, and then true enough the geyser springs

After this performance we had a round trip in the great nature area. We took the longest trip and it took more than two hours.

Next visit was Wairakei Geothermal Power-station. Here energy is made from geothermal steam. Deep in the ground liquid water is found under extreme pressure. This water is pumped to the surface and a controlled relief of pressure produce a partial vaporization. The vapor is separated from the liquid and fed directly to the turbines. The pressure is relieved further on the remaining water and now heating steam of a lower pressure is formed. The turbines is running the electric generators and they produce electricity.

The last visit of the day was at the Huka waterfalls.

February 7, 2009

In the morning we drove from Taupo to Napier, well known for many buildings in Art Deco style. In 1931 the city was hit by a very big earthquake, which demolished the city to ruins. The architectonic fashion of the time was Art Deco and therefore many buildings in the center of town was rebuild in that style. Today the Napier Art Deco Trust maintain these buildings and try to prevent the building of buildings in other styles in the center of town.

During the afternoon we visited Cape Kidnappers and the Gannet colony there. The Gannets of this colony seems to be used to human visitors. They are behind a very low fence which either parts stay behind. It was interesting, but there were a bad smell.

This day started a heat wave with temperatures about 40 degrees centigrade which are quite unusual for NZ. The heat stayed on for the next couple of days.

February 8, 2009

In the morning we met at the Art Deco shop, where we had a lecture about the earthquake at the subsequent rebuilding and the actions of the Art Deco Trust. Among other things they run the shop. After the visit to the shop, we had a guided tour around the city. Another building style used is Spanish Missionary style but there are fewer buildings in this style.

We left Napier and drove south. This day we should reach Wellington. We had lunch in Dannevirke a large village build by danish immigrants. It was Sunday, so only the cafeterias were open.

Late in the afternoon we reached Wellington. The Wellington Museum was recommended to us and I managed to get in and have a look at the Colossal Squid, one of the attractions of the museum before the museum closed.

February 9, 2009

This day was reserved for the discovery of Wellington. The heat was gone and the became shadowed and cool with showers. I went alone into town. First I took the cable car to the Botanical Garden. There is a very small Cable car Museum on top where the cable ends. I took my lunch at the Botanical Garden Cafe. On my way downhill I passed the Beehive an office building for Government Officials.

Later I revisited Wellington Museum (Te Papa Tongarewa), and now I had better time. The museum has both historical and natural history collections.

February 10, 2009

We sailed from Wellington across the Cook Strait and into the Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton. The tour lasted 3 hours. The first visit in Picton was Edwin Fox Maritime Museum. It is a museum build over an old ship hull. The ship sailed troops during the Crimean war. Later it sailed convicts to Australia and finally immigrants to NZ.

February 11, 2009

Cruise on Queen Charlotte sound and hike on Queen Charlotte track. We had the choice between a 3 hours hike and a 5 hours. I chose the short trip due to my bad knee, and it was a good choice. In Ship Cove some of the group landed and started walking. The rest of us walked from Resolution Bay to Furneaux Lodge at Endeavour Inlet. We used little more than 3 hours. The last hour my knee hurted. We were picked up at Furneaux Lodge and sailed back to Picton.

February 12, 2009

Took the train to Kaikura. It was raining all day.

February 13, 2009

Rain again all day long. The whale excursion was canceled due to bad weather at sea. We saw the Seal Colony at the tip of the peninsula instead. The next stop was Hanmer Springs. This city is known for its hot bath like Rotorua. I tried 36 – 41 degrees centigrades while the rain still poured down.

February 14, 2009

Drove from Hanmer Springs to Christchurch. The driver made a tour of the town with the bus and later we were walking around with our guide. It was Valentin's Day so nearly all restaurants was booked. We had dinner at our own hotel.

February 15, 2009

Free day in Christchurch. Most of the group including me had booked a trip to Akaroa on the peninsula south of town. Akaroa is an old French whaler colony. There are French signs in the streets.

We sailed out in the very great natural harbour to watch dolphins. The smallest dolphin in the world is Hectors dolphin (1,2 – 1,4 m) and it is endemic to NZ. I took a small film of them. We also saw a small blue penguin in the water. Again the smallest penguin in the world. We passed a cormorant colony and saw some seals at a great distance.

February 16, 2009

Drove from Christchurch over the mountains to Hokitika on the west coast. The first pass was Porters Pass (940 m). Then came Arthur's Pass (925 m). Arthur's Pass is also a small village where we had our lunch. It is also a national park. Before lunch I went up to the waterfall called Devil's Punchbowl.

After our arrival in Hokitika we went on a trip around town. We left Christchurch in rain. It cleared up in the mountains and there were bright sunshine on the west coast.

February 17, 2009

Drove from Hokitika south along the coast. Soon the road turns into the mountains and meadows and cattle are changed for rainforest's. The first stop was Franz Josef glacier. There is a small tourist village at the road, and a path leads to the glacier.

At Ships Creek (Taupirikaka) we went on a tour on a nature trail along along a small stream in the forest. The next stop was a waterfall called Thunder Creek Falls shortly before Haast Pass. On our road to Wanaka we drove between the two great lakes Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.

February 18, 2009

We drove from Wanaka over Arrowtown to Queenstown. The whole area became known when gold was found in 1861. Some of the gold diggers were Chinese, and I saw a Chinese village in Arrowtown. We saw the place where the first Bungy Jump was taken.. The bridge is called Karawau Bridge, and people are still jumping. It cost 165 NZ$ and the place is a multi million dollar business. We were there for an hour and during this period 3 people were jumping.

Queenstown is the place for tourists that want to play. Apart from bungy jump there are para gliding hang gliding, white water rafting jet boat sailing and many other things.

February 19, 2009

Extra day in Queenstown. In the morning I booked a trip to Skippers Canyon and a tour in jet boat. After this was done I went for a long walk in the City Park which lies on a peninsula into the lake. At noon the bus left for Skippers Creek which lies 10 km from town. The last part of the road was a narrow dust road in the mountains. There was no rail, and the mountains went vertically down beside the road.

Jet boats have no propeller but are driven from a jet stream. The jet nozzle can turn and this makes the boat turn (even 360 degrees) with a small radius. It can sail in shallow waters (10 cm)

We sailed under a bridge called the pipeline bridge because it was build to lead a big water pipe across the river. The water was used to separate sand from gold at the downstream river banks.

Later when I returned to Queenstown, I first visited another bird park with Kiwi houses and thereafter I took the gondola to a viewpoint called Bob's Peak. I was possible to para glide from there and down to the town, but I preferred to take the gondola down again.

February 20, 2009

When we woke up it was raining, and it rained almost the whole day.

Drove to Te Anau, where we saw an exhibition about Fiordland National Park. From there we went to Manapouri and crossed over the Lake Manapouri to the West Arm. Here is a big subterranean Power Plant working on the water head between the lake and Doubtful Sound. From here buses run through a dirt road across Willmot Pass to Doubtful Sound. Here the Passenger Boat Fiordland Navigator was awaiting. We were to go on an overnight Cruise at Doubtful Sound. We were installed in 4 berth cabins on the lowest deck. There were no doors to the cabins only a curtain. First we sailed to the inlet of the fiord. Here was a small island with many seals. Then we sailed to another arm of the fiord called Precipe cove where we anchored for the night. There was an entertainment arranged before dinner. We could choose between rowing a kayak, sailing a tender craft or take a swim in the fiord. I tried the two last.

Here in New Zealand they have their own variation of biting insects. They are called sand flies, and they are ever so active as ordinary mosquito s. They live in the rain forest and here in Doubtful sound where even the steepest cliffs are covered with forest, they are plentiful. We were attacked when we sailed close to the forest and they followed us on board the ship. I was bitten in my berth during the night.

February 21, 2009

We woke up to overshadowed but dry weather. Fiordland is the place of NZ where it rains the most. It is only Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound which has access from land. All the other fiords have only access from the sea. We were sailing between high mountains which are as empty as they were in the time of Captain Cook. No path, no cabins only rainy forest. The sand flies do their best to keep everybody else out of this great nature reserve.

On the way back to the starting point the ship took a deviation into Hall Arm another part of the fiord just to enjoy the silence.

We went back to Manapouri again. It started raining and it kept on the remainder of the day. Our bus driver was waiting in Manapouri and we drove south to Invercargill. After being installed in a motel, we visited Southland Museum. They are renown for their Tuatarium, but also have collections of art and techniques.

February 22, 2009

Woke up again to rainy weather. Drove to Bluff where there is a ferry connection to Oban on Stewart Island. It was very hard weather at sea, and we had to wait for the boat. Also we had to wait for the skippers decision to go back again. The ferry boat is a big catamaran. We did leave and it was a very hard trip taking about an hour to cross the Forveaux Strait. I had cold sweat but the contents of my stomach stayed where it should. Not so for some of the other passengers. It was still raining when we arrived and we stayed indoors for the rest of the day on our motel. Here we were visited by a Kea. It wanted food and we gave some. Later it returned with 6 other friends.

February 23, 2009

Ulva is a small island not far from Stewart Island. It is turned into a bird sanctuary in order to preserve some of the endangered species. First the national bird the Kiwi, but also other birds which cannot fly and which are threatened by martens, weasels, rats and possums. The rats are totally exterminated on the island, where the endangered birds now are raised. We sailed to Ulva early in the morning and we had a couple of hours to walk around on the paved paths in the forest. I managed to see some birds but not the Kiwi which are most active during night. I took pictures of a Weka while I was waiting at the boat to bring me back. On our way back we saw two small blue penguins swimming in the sea

In the afternoon I went on a stroll on a nature trail not far from our motel. My knee started hurting and that put an end to the tour.

February 24, 2009

First day for a long time without rain. The Foveaux strait showed a better side so we had an easier return to the mainland. We drove to Dunedin where we arrived at noon. During the afternoon we went with a tourist train along the Taieri River Gorge. It was a very beautiful trip. The railroad was build to open up the area for sheep farmers and other farmers in the area. It lost its significance around year 1900, but was saved and now it runs as an tourist attraction.

February 25, 2009

Extra day in Dunedin. In the morning I saw Otago Settlers Museum, and in the afternoon we made a trip to the peninsula south of town. First we visited Larnach Castle which was the mansion of a very rich man, now a museum. Then we visited first the Albatross Colony and later the Penguin Colony. The Albatross Colony has a hidden access to a building with a view to the birds. We can see the birds, but they cannot see us. The Penguin Colony has long trenches to the viewpoints where it is possible to see the penguins. It was impossible to get very close to the penguins.

February 26, 2009

Drove from Dunedin to Mt Cook village at the foot of the mountain which is the highest mountain in NZ. Before leaving Dunedin we saw the steepest street in the world (Guinness record). At the coast north of Dunedin we saw Moeraki Boulders, a collection of great spherical stones displayed on the beach. Nobody knows exactly how they were created. Later we saw a cave with Maori drawings on the walls. They are from 1800 century and not very old. Mount Cook village is a small alpine village living only from tourists. Here are many activities all with relation to the mountains, the rivers and the glaciers. I hope to get on a helicopter flight tomorrow if the weather permits. You can fly over the central massive and see all the glaciers. This evening the summit of Mount Cook is covered in clouds, and there is a light rain. At noon we had bright sunshine.

February 27, 2009

It cleared up in the morning and we had sunshine the rest of the day. Some of us started the day with a wonderful flight 45 min over the Mount Cook massive.

After lunch I started a hike first passing Lake Müller and the Müller Glacier on the path to the Hooker Glacier. You are passing two swing bridges on the path. There were small icebergs on Lake Hooker below the glacier. My knee started hurting on the way back. At that time I had been walking for three hours.

February 28, 2009

Drove from Mt Cook to Christchurch. On the road we saw The Church of the Good Shepard in Lake Tekape. Farewell Dinner tonight.

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