Looking for Wally

We had slept all night with an open window, as it was so warm; this meant that we were "lulled" all night by the sound of the creek flowing through the garden outside our window.
We rose early and had our morning tea outside by the stream.
Breakfast was at eight and was a substantial meal and we were joined by Rosie our hostess at the breakfast table; we talkked so much that we had to rush out for the excursion which she had booked for us.
We went down to the jetty and boarded the Ecotours boat for a trip across lake Wanaka to a small uninhabited Island on which a breeding colony of Buff Wekas had been established to save them from extinction.  The trip was quite bumpy with some fairly rough conditions owing to the 60 knot head wind blowing through the narrow part of the channel.
We reached Mou Waho after about 30 minutes and saw a woodpigeon in flight and a bell bird in a tree.  Mou Waho is unusual being an island within a glacial lake, itself containing a lake 30m deep 150 m above Lake Wanaka.

Seeing this view, it is difficult to imagine that this is a lake on a rock in a lake!

We climbed a little higher and then met Wally, the first Buff Weka to be introduced to the Island in 1994.  Buff Wekas, like Kiwi, are flightless birds and so very susceptible to predators, none of which are allowed to exist on the island, where there are extensive traps laid just in case a stoat or rat manages to swim across the lake.

Wally was very inquisitive and even tried to steal the biscuits which Chris our guide had brought for our morning refreshments!
On our way down we offset our carbon footprint by planting a lance tree; Chris does this on every visit.
We went back to the B&B for lunch and spent the afternoon sorting our photos and meeting some new guests who had arrived from Te Anau, where will be staying tomorow.
In the evening we visited Paradiso, the local cinema, with a diffence.  Inside there are two moris minors and numerous settes and armchairs.  We pre-ordered our interval snack, which we ate outside, but equally, some people took their food and drink into the audiorium!
We cried through Les Miserables, which was a great experience, especially in that location!
Wanaka has again been entirely different and enjoyable. Not even time to visit the shops, apart from the supermarket to buy our  food!

Fox Glacier to Lake Wanaka

Laundry went in before breakfast (only $4 here). Another continental breakfast  seved by matthew, Kelsey's boyfriend.   After the clothes had dried (following a brief power cut), we paid our bill and set off to the village, where we had a coffee/tea and posted the parcel for baby Michael to Jonathan and Philomena.
Our first stop was at Bruce Bay, where the breakers were coming in from the Tasman sea and the beach was littered with driftwood.  We spoke to some locals who were collecting the wood for use in their gardens.

 We drove on to the salmon fishery, where we had a smoked salmon sandwich, and then onm to Knights point a lookout high above the rocks, where fur seals could be seen.
We crossed the very long, single lane Haast bridge and stopped at the roaring billy waterfall, which involved a short bush walk.

The wind was whilstling up the river valled disturbing clouds of stone dust from the pebbles, in temperatures of 28+ in the shade.
We moved on to the gates of Haast, just below the summit of the Haast pass and stopped at |Makarora filling station for a much needed ice cream (boysen berry with choc ripple or hokey pokey).
Our last stop en route was the spectacular view point at Lake Hawea

We were greetd at our Wanaka accommodation by Rosie, who offered us tea and cakes whilst we discussed what were going to do tomorrow.
The evening concluded with a barbecue in the garden, (joined by Sophie the cat) at the garden table by the side of the flowing creek.
Once again, superb accommodation in a stunning location with unbelievable weather!

Lake Matheson and Fox Glacier

For the first time we have had continental breakfast (no eggs or bacon or even croissants!).
We are sure that it is good for our health.
We also received the welcome message from Chris and Ruth that they were grandparents again!
Congratulations to Jonathan and Philomena!
After breakfast, we went into the township to check out the local shops and confirm our afternoon booking for the Glacier walk, one of the highlights of this trip.
Afterwards we drove the short distance to lake matheson for a limber-upo walk in prepration for the afternoon and to see the famous reflections of the mountains in the lake.
Alison made the first viewpoint, but Peter persevered for another 15 minutes and two floghts of steep steps to the View of Views, and obtained this picture for his efforts.

Unfortunately, the waters were not calm enough for any reflections today.
after a snack at the lake cafe, we headed back into town and checked in for our walk. This started at 1.35, with a briefing in the boot room, where we received our boots and crampons.
gthe bus took us the ten minute drive to the start point and then we had a 45-minute climb on shale paths to get the the start of the ice.  There picked up alpenstocks and negotiated an even more treacherous path to get onto the glacier, where we stopped to fit our instep crampons.
progress was slow as the guide had to re-cut the steps in the ice, which had melted away since the morning walkers. The glacier is melting at about 10-25 cm per day in  this hot weather.  It was anything but a starightforward walk, as we had to climb up narrow crevasses and cross small ravines.  After about an hour we reached oine of the highlights, which was the "moulin" where a hole in the ice  has collapsed away to reveal a large ice-bowl with waterfalls down its sides and water flowing out of its base into the inside of the glacier.

Then we walked further up to see a new feature which had appearwde that day - a complete archway in the ice, formed by a moulin collapsing into a crevasse.

Then the long trek back over the ice , down the crevasse and then bacl along the shale tracks - we had the benefit of two hours on the glacier, rather than the advertised one hour, meaning that we did not get back to the base until half past six - a total of five hours.
We received individual certificates to mark our achievment.
 Needless to say we were exhausted - a quick shower and into the restaurant for another excellent meal.
Washing day tomorrow before we head off south to Wanaka.

The Trans-alpine experience

Up at six for what had been promised as help yourself buffet and bring your own coffee early breakfast, only to discover that as there were five of us on an earlt departure, the staff were in and we had our normal full service, including eggs and bacon!
We were collected by the shuttle at 07:30 and taken to the station to check-in for the train.  We had managed  to squeeze everything into our 4 suitcases, with just a few bits and pieces in our backpacks.
Our suitcases were loaded into the guards van and we went to our allocated seats on the train, which departed on time at 08:15.
The staff came around with headsets, which were complimentary, to enable us to listen to the GPS-intiated commentary slots throughout the journey.  We passed through some stunning scenery ove impressive viaducts and through countless tunnels. until we reached the summit of Artur's Pass.
By this time, the observation car was four deep each side!  We were allowed off for five New Zealand minutes to take photographs.
We then passed through the 15-minute tunnel linking Arthur's Pass to Otari, which, when built was the third longest rail tunnel in the world (it now ranks 45th).
After Otari there were fewer people in the observation car and we were able to get some better photographs.

We were half an hour late getting into Greymout becasu we had to wait in passing loops for a coal train, a works train and because of speed restrictions due to maintenance following the recent storms.
We collected another car at Greymouth and made our way along the winding and very scenic road towards Fiox Glacier.  We stopped en route to try our hands at some gold panning, but were too late!
Alison chose to do the driving in teh most challenging parts, which included a very narrow bridge which was shared with the railway line, much to her surprise!  Fortunately not many trains use that route!
We arrived at our hotel, again with faultless navigation, and were given a spacious room which is very comfortable, except for the lack of air-conditioning.
After a very pleasant dinner at the hotel, the clouds cleared just in time to be able tro take a picture of the snow-covered peaks of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook in the gathering gloom.

No sunset tints tonight!

The Grand Tour

After our "continental" breakfast, which included scrambled egg and bacon, we reorganised our suitcases so that we could board the train tomorrow.
We were then picked up at the guest house by a 45-seater coach for "the grand tour"; there was another guest from our accommodation and ... no-one else!
First stop was the boatyard for our punting on the Avon.
This was a 30-minute trip on a wodden punt steered by a well-dressed man in a boater (Cambridge-style"!

We the re-joined our coach for a mini-tour of Christchurch and then headed for Tarkaha reserve, a high look-out point over the Canterbury plains.  As you can see, the weather was glorious and reached 26 degrees in the afternoon.  Our driver then took us to the coast at Sumner, which had been badly affected by the eathquakes, as its subsoil was much sandier and the cliffs were more fragile.  Many of the very expensive cliff-top residences have been condemned and the insurance has yet to pay out.
Containers had been placed at the roadsides to protect the road from rockfalls in subsequent aftershocks.

Many had been decorated with artworks or graffitti.
We were then taken back to the botanical gardens for a tour on the "caterpillar"
We returned to the guest house, picked up our car and took a trip out to New Brighton, which was the most commercialised seaside town we had seen in New Zealand.  There were crowds there enjoying the warm sunshine and the conclusion of the busking festival.

It had a very strong pier, which had survived the earthquakes and was vibrant and very different from its namesake inthe Wirral!
We drove back to the airport and left the car in the designated place, walked through to international arrivals and were just in time to catch a shuttle which took us all the way back to our accommodation.
We got bakc just in time for our free glass of wine and then we sat outsaide in the picnic area and drank our Georges Michel bottle of Syrah and ate the snack we had bought in the supermarket at new Brighton.  Iona, who had been with us on the Grand Tour, joined us and shared our picnic.  Other guests passed by for a friendly chat!

Kaikoura to Christchurch

After another excellent breakfast, we packed up the car and made our farewells to Oli and Rosmarie.  we set off at the eartly hour of 09:30 for our 180km trip to christchurch, with enough fuel for 170km, so thought we should add a little just in case.  The coastal route really did hug the shoreline most of the way, with the railway line mostly on our lanward side, passing in and out of tunnels and sometimes under the road zappearing on the other side of us.
At Oaro, the road went inland, climing high up over the mountain whereupon the temperature rose from about 16 to 24 degrees as we entered the lee of the strong onshore winds.  We found our filling station at  a tiny hamlet before Cheviot (Hawkswood perhaps).  Then, fully fuelled, we immediately decided to divery down a coastal drive to Gore Bay and cathdral cliffs, where a junior surfing championship was in progress.

It was necessary to hold onto your hat!
We went onto Grea valley for milkshakes and a snack for lunch, then continued on admiring the great scenery all the way to Christchurch, when once again, we found our B&B without any hitch.
the afternoon was spent walking around the city and in particular the RE:Start, where the shops which were devastated by teh earthquake have re-opened in shipping containers.

It is a very lively place .
back for our complimentary glass of wine at this superb colonial style house, where we were able to socialise with the other guests. We booked a table by phone at a nearby bar/restaurant Fiddlesticks, which was magnificent and reasonably priced, considering we are in a major city.
came back and emptied the car as we need to be fully suitcased up for our trip on the train to Greymouth on Monday.

Whale-watching in Kaikoura

Breakfast arrived in our room at 08:00, unfortunately it was not warm enough to eat outside on the decking.  After breakfast we went out side and a voice from the balcony above us yelled "I've just seen a whale in the bay".  It was Marilyn from Vancouver, who claimed to be an expert in such things.  Ivo, our host, took pains to tel that it was a "Whale rock" that appears as the tide goes down and disappears when the tide rises!That didnt do her street cred much food!
As she was going on the same trip as us, we gave her a lift to the "Whaleway station" where we were relieved to discover that the weather forecast was calm and the excursion was on.  We wathced the 30-minute promotional video followed by the inevitable safety briefing. A bus took us the shor trip to the jetty, where we boarded the catamaran.
Once onboard, we were told to stay seated, since the craft could do up to 40 knots, which it did, giving us an exhilataring ride out into the bay.  We headed out to where a whale had been spotted, only to see its fluke disappearing just as we drew near.  No worries we were told, the whales spend 10 minutes on the surface oxygenating and then dive for 45 minutes, so with luck we shoudlo see "Tutu" when he3 resurfaced.
We went in search of "Tiaki" their other regular inhabitant, the captain turned off the engines and placed a hydrophone into the water to listen for the sonar click that whales emit when diving.  When they are about to surface, the click disappear anad the whales emit higher frequency pulses, which cannot be detected, so silence means one of two things - lost the whale or its coming up"!

Our search was successful and we found a whale on the surface, blowing away.

A few minutes later our guide, who understood whale body-language, said "watch out, he is about to dive".  True enough in a few moments the tail fluke appeared and then slowly sank into the sea.

A very successful trip was concluded with a visit to a fur seal colony.
After that, we returned to the car and drove to seal point in Kaikoura for a "coastal promenade" which commenced with a climb of about 100 metres, but did give some great views of the surroundings!
In the evening we had the mandatory crayfish meal at the green dolphin restaurant, before returning to our accommodation.  we calculated that we would need to get a few extra litres of petrol to get us all the way to Christchurch.

Havelock to Kaikoura

After an early breakfast (more fruit salad and scrambled egg) we packed up the car ready to leave for the drive to Kaikoura.  We thanked kaern for her hospitality and set off, Alison driving down on the SH6 through the mountains towards Blenheim.
We noticed a number of vineries on the road into Blenheim so decided to stop at a "French Vinery" Georges Michel, where we had a tasting. Since Alison was driving, Pete had the tasting and she had a sipping. We mentioned that we came from Guernsey, and had just come from Havelock, to the lady serving us wondered if we had stayed at the Motel, as Karen's daughter was their accountant!  Some coincidence!
We particularly liked the Syrah, so purchased one bottle, plus some "unbreakable picnic wine glasses" and went on our way.  the route was very scenic and in many places ran between the railway line and the beach or vice versa, but unfortunately we seemed to have brought the misty weather with us from Havelock - the temperature was just 14 degrees outside!
The next stop was The Store, a large restau on the coast about half way to Kaikoura, where we had a coffee and cake for "lunch".
the road twisted and turned as the railway line popped in and out of tunnels until we came upon the NZ fur seal colony on the rocks at the side of the road.
We called in at the Whale Watching station on our way, so thet we knew where to go in the morning.  Some of the sailings had been cancelled because of the poor weather, so fingers crossed for tomorrow!
We reached our guest house again withour any navigation issues and were shown our room, George, which had a magnificent terrace looking out over the bay (which was unfortunately still covered in mist).
A wlk down the road took us unto the township where we we disappointed to see that the "beach" was steeply shleved shingle, and definitely not for swimming!  We found an Italian reasturant where we had some pasta / rissotto before walking back up a path to the Lemon tree.
failed to do the blog or send any emails as the internet speed was pedestrian, so this is being done the following morning, without any pictures as the speed is still very slow.
will retry the emails!

Walking around havelock

Woke up to our first real day of misty rain.
Home-cooked breakfast of fruit juice, scrambled egg, bacon, toast, marmalade, yogurt and of course coffee!
After breakfast we decided to try the waterfall walk just behind our motel; its well signposted at the start but then the signs disappear and its down to intelligent anticipation.

Our first sight of a "waterfall" proved to be a stream, with the real waterfall some distance awayWe reached the viewpoint and were greeted with a misty vista.  On the way we encountered fallen trees, which added to the excitement of the trek.
Afterwards we  made our way down past the old "dam" which had provided Havelock's water supply, we called into the cafe to dry out and enjoy tea and a date scone, before driving a few km to Cullen point, where we decided to try what was advertised as a "35minute to 1 hour walk, depending on fitness level".  The rain had become more persistent, so we donned our waterproofs for the first time and set off down a gentle slope which led towards the sound and gave us some different misty views of the landscape, particularly the mudflats at low tide.

 We continued along the gradually descending path for ages, remembering that what goes down must eventually go up.  By the time we got back to the car 1hour and 15 minutes later we removed our raincoats, which were if anything wetter inside than out!
Back to the Motel to have a shower, change and a clothes wash!

Queen Charlotte Sound

Pete went shopping this morning at 07:30! so he could make breakfast of freshfruit salad, yogurt toast and marmalade finished off with coffee.  Even in a Motel the standards are not slipping!
We then drove to Anakiwa, the start of the Queen Charlotte Track.

We did not manage the 70 km, but did manage to get as far as Davies Bay, about an hour's walk in temperatures approaching 24 degrees (that's 24 degrees warmer than the UK.).
back to the car park for a welcome ice cream from the Green Van kiosk, which had just opened and was so desparate for change that he gave Alison a $10 note for $9.50 of her small change.

We then drove what looked like quite a short drive on the map to the next stop on the QCT, which was Te Mahia; in fact it took us an hour of twisting and turning, the last bit on a gravel track (dont tell Hertz);  (but would have taken about 4 hours on the track).  This was a single hotel resort bay.
we had a very wellcome cup of tea and zuccinin cake, which was delicious - does anyone know a recipe?
Alison drove us back to havelock, where we strolled around the marina area and saw a very posh restaurant.  We were not tempted and instead took back some delicious fish & chips for dinner, washed down with Red wine and cheese.  We are hoping to try a BBQ tomorrow, but the choice in the local supermarket is a little limited. We will see how we get on.  havelock may be the green mussel capital of the worls, but is a one street town with just a few places to stay and a limited choice in restaurants.  But as always what we have seen has always been of a high standard.

North to South

We had spent yesterday after dinner fighting to fit our belongings and purchases into our luggage so that we could return the hire car at Wellington. Eventually, once Pete decided to wear his boots, all was squeezed in.
After breakfast, our car arrived at the front of the hotel and we made the short trip to the ferry terminal. We saw a strange bird and a local informed us it was a spotted shag.

We boarded the ferry and found the Panorama lounge with its swivel chairs which had to be manipulated so that we could get through to sit on them. A remarkably smooth crossing in rather misty conditions in Cook Strait, but the weather improved once we reached Queen charlotte sound, where we saw salmon and mussel farms.
On arrival at Picton the Diamond Princess cruise ship was in the deep water berth.
We collected our luggage and were given a silver car this time.
Had a walk around Picton sea front and after a cuppa we set off on the wriggly road towards Havelock, stopping frequently to admire the view.

After about 30km, we saw Havelock bay and were soon into the township and again 100% successful in finding our accommodation.  We were greeted by Karen's husband, Alan, as she was bowling of course.
Went down into the town just in time to see all the shops close, so made do with a visit to the Mussel Pot, where we had steamed mussels, with sauces of blue cheese and wine (Alison) Chilli and Coriander (Pete) followed by home made gelato. So much for self catering!
Karen was pleased to see us and gave us our access code to enable us to blog away.
an early trip to the supermarket is needed tomorrow if we are to have any breakfast.

Walking in Wellington

No Wellingtons needed today!
After a substantial buffet breakfast at our hotel, we headed off to the3 railway station to see if we could see any trains (and to buy some water at the station supermarket)

We then walked up to the "Beehive" (Parliament building) but were too early for a tour, which start later on a Sunday.

Next stop was the cable car to the Botanical gardens.  Bettine would really love it.
a fantastic display of roses and an even more stunning display of begonias.

Lots of pictures on the web album (together with a picture of a yellow Wellington bus for Margaret)
The gardens were on a steep slope and if we had realised that we would not have had to walk all the way back up to get the cable car down into town again!
Afterwards we walked along the sea front to the cool of the Te Papa National Museum, where we stayed for about two hours and probably saw about 10%.
back to the Hotel to empty the car, pack everything into cases ready for our ferry trip tomorrow and a new car at the other end.
 South Island here we come!

Napier to Wellington

We bade farewell to our hosts, Raymar and Phillip, who excelled themselves with customer care by cleaning our windscreen before we left!  Before leaving Napier, we made the short trip to Bluff Lookout, which gave us some spectacular views of the harbour, Ahurihi village and Kidnappers Cove.  The Sea Princess was moored up in the harbour near to a large quantity of wood.

We then proceeded along the SH2 in the general direction of Wellington and after stopping to take on fuel in Hastings, managed to completely lose the route as the signs to Wellington had disappeared, to be replaced by ones to Waipukurua (a small town on the way). We found the route again and promptly lost it when we found ourselves at Havelock North!  Clearly the extra fuel would be needed.
Once we rejoined the SH2, progress was uneventful and we just before Dannevirke to change drivers.  Alison then drove up to our planned stop at Pukaha, where our hosts had recommended that we should visit the National Wildlife breeding centre and bird sanctuary.  This proved a great relaxing break, the cafe food was excellent and the park visit  very interesting and both were reasonably priced. It was possible to do walking routes of from 15 minutes to 2 hours - we chose the 45minute option and saw some endangered birds plus a white kiwi in a very dark enclosure. (picture not good enough to publish)
Peter resumed the driving and after bypassing Masterton on the basis of recommendations, we once again entered mountian roads on the route from Featherstone to Upper Hutt; some great views, but nowhere sensible to stop!
According to the local paper a young lady was arrested by the police for dancing in her car at Lower Hutt - she was subsequently released without charge!
We arrived safely at Rydges once again with about 60km of fuel left and no further navigational issues but in very cold and windy conditions, so much so that we could not empty the car!  this bodes well for our crossing to south Island on Monday!  A very welcome swim in the hotel pool was followed by a tasty bar snack as we did not feel like combating the gales.

Exploring Art Deco Napier

the day started with an excellent breakfast prepared by Raymar and Phillip, complete with home-made bread and preserves.  They also gave us some good ideas for spending our time out.
We drove down to "the Parade" and left the car rather further away from the city centre than we needed to. We arrived at the I-site just in time to join the Art Deco guided tour, which lasted for an hour and afforded us views and descriptions of the most significant architectural highlights.

we then saw a 20-minute film summarising the aftermath of the earthquake and the rebuilding of the city.
We browsed the rather expensive Art Deco shop, had a coffee and then explored the Cathedral of St John, which was also rebuilt in Art Deco style.

 The organ was being rebuilt so there was scaffolding all around the altar.
We then drove on the tour suggested by Raymar and reached the car park which was the start of a 5-hour trek to the Gannet colony at Kidnapper's point.  the tide was not ideal for this walk, so we stopped in the cafe instead.
Alison took over the driving, so it was back in the mountains again, with fantastic scenery aand view of the crags, but as always nowhere to stop for photos! We stopped in Havelock North and concluded with a visit to Abbey vineyard where there was some degustation followed by the inevitable purchases.  after a welcome drink of water, Peter drove on to the guest house, only taking one extra circuit of the hill in the process.

Rotorua to Napier

We were on our own for breakfast so Gavin cooked us an enormous tasty omelette for breakfast!
we managed to find our way out from the Lodge frist time and headed off south at around 09:45 on SH5.
After a sunny start, it began to rain as we drove past the Wai-o-Tapu thermal site we had visited yesterday, so we were pleased we had seen the geyser in the dry!  the roads were reasonable straight and wide with rolling countryside.
We stopped at Huka falls, as recommended in our itinerary, just north of Taupo, to view the falls.

They were more like rapids that falls, but still impressive.
We stopped off at Taupo at around midday for a coffee, but the effects of our breakfats were still with us, so no cakes!
Alison then took over the driving for the more exciting mountain drive (plus roadworks) to Napier. we missed the Waipunga falls, as they were just signposted as "Lookout" and by the time we saw it we hadn't looked out.
Arriving early, we parked up at Ahuriri village (the Maori name for Napier) and managed our first picture of a bus with bike rack (Margaret please note).

more Art Deco pictures of Napier will follow tomorrow!
We found our accommodation, again first time, following the excellent instructions and maps and are now looking forward to our evening meal at Mission Estate (Phillip our host has kindly agreed to take us there and we will taxi back, so that we can enjoy our wine).
The meal could only be described as memorably excellent, on arrival we were greeted by name and invited to sample the cocktail bar - we chose one clean and one dirty dry martini cocktail. Alison had carrot and coconut soup, followed by rare lamb, whilst Peter had a cured salmon starter followed by cheek and loin of pork on a bed of Pak choi and asian vegetables.  For dessert we had a tiramisu and a chocolate fondant.  On our return we were unable to face the complimentary glass of port and chocolates that had been left in our room by our hosts!

Wai-o-tapu and Rotorua

We had booked an early float plane flight,but the cloud cover was too low, so we drove down to the volcanic area of wai-o-tapu.
We arrived just in time to see the "Lady Knox" geyser burst into its daily activity, which is prompted by the addition of surfacants to happen at 10:15.

After cleaning the spray off the cameras, we drove back to the visitor centre to see the volcanic craters and pools.
We followed the official walk around the craters and pools

and then drove back to Rotorua via the mud pools

on the way back we heard a beeping sound as we were (predictably) low on petrol.  We found a filling station and then tried for what seemed ages to open the filler cap until a Toyota expert showed us where the filler cap release lever was hidden!
Our delayed flight in the only de Havilland seaplane in New Zealand had been re-booked for 14:00 so we dashed back and arrived just in time to be weighed in as the youngest passengers amongst an accompanying Saga group embarrasingly from the UK!

We navigated did a 30-minute flight (with Pete in the jump seat keeping clear of the joystick) up and around the crater of Taraweira, which last erupted in 1826.

Finally we returned to the Lodge for a relaxing spa session outside by the lake.
Dinner was taken at the top iof mount Ngongotaha, reached by gondola, affording spectacular view of the lake and surroundings.
And so to blog!
.

Hahei to Rotorua

After another splendid breakfast, we left our lodgings at 9.30 and headed down to the shops for a few last purchases (the shop opened early specially for us!). We stopped for a moment at Whangamata to take a quick photo and then headed on the winding roads towards Waihi.  we did a short detour to have a ride on the goldfields train, which took us on a 45-minute trip to Waikino. After a short stop for lunch, we returned to Waihi.

Next stop was mount Maunganui for an ice cream.

The dawn princess cuise liner was in port.
Alioson drove us on to our accommodation, the Kauro Lodge at Rotorua, where we were surprised to receive an upgraded room, complete with spa bath!

We were invited to take a dip in the outdoor jaccuzzi, but felt we had no time because we were due out to a maori evening soon.  It proved a good decision as the heavens opened shortkly after - our first rain in NZ!
The maori evening and meal were a great entertainment, lasting for three hours, so we returned back to the Lodge exhausted!

Hahei area

Our host gave us a lift to the car park at the start of the 45-minute walk to cathedral cove.
Although it was a long way down it was worth the trek.

A kindly gent offered to take our picture, rssulting in unexpected wet feet!

afterwards, we walked nack to the car park and then on another 30 minutes towards hahei beach

after a quick "swim" in which Alison did a somersalt in some strong surf, we had a cheese toastie lunch and then headed towards hot water beahc, where volcanic springs rise to the surface, resultiung in very hot water pools in the midst of cold sand!
Then we headed for Cook's beach, parking at the Pukangi reserve and walking along the beach searching for shells.

quite a god collectgion, which we left behind! Any ideas what the middle shell is? it;s flat and round with a number of radial segments .
then back to the B&B for a quick shower and change before walking down for a meal at the Luna cafe.

Auckland to Hahei

After another great breakfast at Mecca, we picked up our hire car, checked out of our accommodation and trhen headed off just before 11:00 on the SH1 towards Hamilton. We turned off onto the SH2 and crossed over the new bridge at Kapu then headed on the SH25 to Thames, where we had a snack lunch at about 13:00.  From there we took the coastal route to Coramandel - a very scenic drive along narrow twisting roads with "one lane bridges".

It's not realle obvious, but the estuary was green, presumably with an algal bloom.
At Coramandel we called into a shop to buy jandals and then took the shopkeepers advice not to take the narrow mountain track, but carried on the SH 25 to Whitianga, where we stopped for an ice cream at about 15:00.
Some more twisting Gurnsey-like driving and we arrived at our accommodation at Hahei just after 16:00. 

Great view from our balcony.
Quick unpacking and a short walk down to the beack for a splash in the 25degree surf.
We stopped on the way back at the Luna cafe for a reasonably priced dinner.

Exploring Auckland

We had a great breakfast at the Mecca restaurant and then got ready to meet Blair.

He drove us to Titirangi and then on the scenic drive to Arataki visitor centre.

 

We walked around the area and saw the views over a dam to Auckland and did a woodland walk, preceded by a boot wash to combat Kauri tree infection, before returning to the car and driving on to the Muriwai national Park to se the gannet colony.

 

 

Here the birds can be seen nesting on the cliff-top rocks, which is rare for gannets, which normally choose isolated rocks in the sea.

We had lunch at Riverhead, which is one of the oldest pubs in NZ.  Food was great, but service a bit slow, so we were there for two hours!

A rather unusual grilled lamb salad, a calamari Mediterranean salad and a chicken salad. We agreed to postpone the dessert course until later!

We then drove to a volcano at North Head, a gentle climb up past a wedding party, then on for great views of Rangitoto island and Auckland city. Ice creams at Devonport (Hokey Pokey, Boysenberry, ginger nut) . We took our leave of Blair and thanked him for the day out, returning by ferry to Downtown Auckland.

 

Arrival at Auckland.

Another smooth fligh, which arrived 20 minutes early. Immigration was a breeze and we were allowed to bring in our tin of biscuits and tea bags, but we "lost" a passport temprarily, only for the staff to notice it poking out of one of Pete's many pockets!
Our ATS rep was waiting for us and drove us to the hotel which is righ on the harbour waterfront.  He gave us a veritable mound of information including an excellent touring atlas.
Two TV's in our suite which has kitchen, washing machines and dishwasher.  First weeks washing and drying done!
Wandered around the waterfront which has far too many restaurants for us to know which one to choose!  Saw the rainbow Warrior, but declined the conducted tour.  bought sunscreen and insect repellant in readiness for tomorrow's bush walk.

Hong Kong to Auckland

Finished packing after breakfast (Excellent English/Chinese buffet selections).
Took the free shuttle bust to Hong Kong Station, where we were able to check in our bags at around 10:00 even though our flight did not depart until the evening. Changed our Octopus cards over to "Elder" from Adult, which gave us half price travel and bought discounted tickets for the airport train.  Weather was warmer at around 12-15 degrees.  Staggered uphill to the Botanical gardens, and didnt realise how far up the mountain they were!

Went around the zoo and found apes and minkeys, but no reptiles visible.  Walked around the aviary, but could not find the greenhouse.
coffee and ice cream and rolled back down the hill to the central area shopping centre.
took the airport express train - it was so hazy we could not see the sea in the bay!
Found out options for left luggage on our return.  immighration was straightforward and we once again found our lounge. 
Boarded ontyile and this time we were seated one behind the other. Good food again, but a different menu (presumable because some people do the whole trip in one go.)

arrival at Hong Kong

Had breakfast shortly before landing at HK very smooth through immigration and then spent some time searching for our meeter and greeter on desk B17 (but there were three desk 17's so we found him eventually). Car transferred us to Hotel we had a welcome shower and change. In no time at all it was "dinner time" (lunch had disappeared in the 8 hour time shift). We just nmanaged two drinks and snack at the hotel and then went off to buy our Octopus card (as recommended by Travel agent.)
Were woken at 1am by the Hotel as we had not secured our door properly! then we made some tea at 3am and discivered Ami's text message which had arrived at 2!

Exploring Hong Kong

After breakfast found the tram to go to Hong Kong Park, but discovered it was in the opposite diorection! Aloighted at a shopping centre, travelled up three escalators and then entered the Park

A very wet shower!
Wlked what seemed to be half way up a mountain to find the peak tram which then took us to th Peak, where we had fabulous views over the harbour and across onto Kowloon mainland.  Lost a tram ticket, but the very friendly staff issued a receipt which enabled us to get back!
In the evening we went on an organised esxcursion across the harbour to the night market at temple street which has every sort of stall and food.  Alison eventually managed to find a cover for her mobile.  Thern onto the Jumbo floating restaurant at Aberdeen harbour for an 8-course Chinese banquet with the rest of the group.

The restaurant could seat up to 3,000, but was fairly empty by those standards.