Tongariro Northern Circuit Track

New Zealand is a great country for hiking, or, tramping as it is called here. There are developed walks (tracks) that criss-cross the country with a great, hut-to-hut support system available on most of them. There are seven walks classified as 'Great Walks'. These are the most popular routes and the world-famous ones, like the Milford Track, are booked a year in advance. We hope to do at least three of the walks while we are here. We started with the Tongariro Northern Circuit on the North Island. It was very appealing to us because it had volcanoes, both alive and dead, a walk along a crater edge and spectacular Alpine lakes. The walk is mainly focused around Mt. Ngauruhoe (a.k.a. Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings films), a classic cone-shaped volcano.

Many views of beautiful, multi-peaked, Mt. Ruapehu were also on offer.

There are two ways to do this track. One is to just do the most spectacular and most difficult 19.5 km Alpine Crossing of the track in one long day, or, as we opted to, complete a three day circuit which shortens the first day to around 15 km and adds two additional days of walking and two nights spent in huts/campsites along the longer route. In hindsight, I think doing just the one day walk would have been the better choice because you can pick your day for the best weather and you only have to carry a day pack. As it was, the reservations we had made weeks in advance happened to land on one of the worst days of weather we've seen here. We woke up to sheets of horizontal, windblown rain with no letup in sight. The mountains were fogged in and the advice by our shuttle driver was to forget it and go the next day when the weather was forecast to be better. It was good advice, but, it meant losing our long-held reservations for the campsites and we were all packed and ready for a three day hike, not a single day scramble. We decided to just head off to the first hut, two kilometres distant and see if conditions would improve by lunchtime. If not, we'd turn back and make other plans.

Day 1 - By lunchtime the rain had stopped, the fog had turned to just mist around the mountain tops and the wind had decreased from 40 km/hr to around 20 km/hr at the summit. So, we decided to go ahead. We wouldn't have the long views we'd hoped for, but, it would salvage our trip and as a fellow walker remarked: "these are mountains, you're never going to see them always at their best and mist-covered can be just as beautiful as full-on sunshine".

After the rough and rustic conditions we'd experienced on trails in Canada, this track started out like a super-highway. It was wide and well-worn, there were a lot of boardwalks and many staircases, the steepest of which is the Devil's Staircase leading to the summit. As we got close to the top the weather closed in again and visibility was very poor. That was maybe a good thing because when we got to the part where you had to haul yourself up along a heavy chain bolted to the rock face, I didn't really want a clear view of how far down it was! It was a relief to cross the level South Crater before tackling the final steep climb, up a loose slope, to Red Crater. We walked along the ridge and started down just as the mist cleared, somewhat, to allow a fairly good view of the Emerald Lakes. This photo, taken from the internet, is what it looks like on a clear day.

After passing the Emerald Lakes, we started down into the Oturere Valley. The climb down, first on loose scree and then on a ridge consisting of very sharp, volcanic rock was actually harder than going up. Each sideways step had to be carefully considered. We descended into a valley of very unusual, jagged lava forms and a desert-like environment. The fog and light rain drifted in and out until we stumbled into the Oturere hut around seven p.m. to be greeted with heat and good company. There was room in the hut so we upgraded our tent reservation to enjoy a warm, dry sleep in the hut ready to tackle Day 2.

Day 2 - The second day dawned bright, clear and stunningly beautiful. It was a perfect day for the Alpine Crossing we'd completed the day before, but, it was not to be, we were pushing along a short walk of 7.5 km to the next hut, Waihohonu, where we had a reservation for the night.

The walking was quite enjoyable except for a final, very long, uphill climb after which we got a distant glimpse of our goal, Waihohonu hut and beyond it, our next day's hike out of the valley.

Day 3 - was a fairly easy 14.3 km walk from Waihohonu hut back to Whakapapa Village to complete our circuit. It was another lovely walk through many fairly gentle ups/downs. The rain held off until the final hour.

Three days, 36.4 km, and up/down an elevation range of approximately 700 metres, we were glad it was over, but, proud of our achievement.

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Are we twitchers?

You may have noticed that I've been publishing a lot of bird pictures lately. Actually, I've just realized how much I like having birds in my life. I don't think we're classified as twitchers (a birdwatcher whose main aim is to collect sightings of rare birds) as we don't seek out only rare birds, carry binoculars, high-powered telescopes, notebooks and wear matching khaki hats and clothing with lots of pockets, but, we do like to take note of and study the birds around us. Now that we're in a different country and hemisphere, we're finding even the most ordinary of local birds very interesting to see and listen to.

Along the same lines, we've also encountered an unusual (to us) bird phenomenon here as well. Almost every little picnic area along the roadside has, usually, at least one feral chicken walking around. They're usually roosters and must be escapees from somewhere with no natural predators to pick them off. We had one hop into the van when we left the door open. We hit the jackpot at one campsite with a whole flock of feral fowl! I was really enjoying watching them strut about, but, not so much when they all stood outside the van and started crowing at 3 a.m.

On our way to the Coromandel peninsula we visited the Miranda Shorebird Sanctuary. There, we learned to identify a few of the birds we'd been seeing. These are Pied Stilts, a particularly long-legged and graceful bird that make a sound like a dog barking.

These long-beaked birds are Godwits. They fly all the way from the Arctic to breed in NZ.

Black swans we already knew. They are not native to New Zealand, but, were imported from Australia. There are a lot of them around, but, we haven't seen many with cygnets, so, we were happy to see these.

Here's another portrait of a beautiful, 'ordinary' bird.

We haven't seen a lot of the native birds yet. We're unlikely to see kiwis, which are nocturnal, in the wild, but, we definitely hope to see tuis, wekas, bellbirds, fantails and other beauties soon. Expect more bird pictures in future posts!

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The Road North

As we continued our NZ Road Trip, we made our way north around the coastal road that winds along the East Cape of the North Island. It's an isolated, very rural and undeveloped part of NZ where most of the Maori live in small villages. The road is so tortuously winding that it will probably stay isolated for some time to come.  We saw many examples of the elaborately carved gateways that mark the entrance to a traditional marae, or, meeting house. This one isn't a gateway in the true sense, but, it stands in front of the largest pohutukawa tree in NZ, Te-Waha-O-Rerekohu, which stands in the schoolyard at Te Araroa. It is allegedly 350 years old, 20m high and 40m wide.

We'd never heard of pohutukawa trees before, but, they're a national cultural icon, known here as the Christmas tree because they bloom, spectacularly, in December. We seemed to be just a couple of weeks early to see the full display, but, there were a few examples on show of what it would look like and it must be amazing to see whole hillsides ablaze with them.

We continued north towards Opua, a yachting centre, where we planned to attend the annual potluck dinner of the OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) of which we are members. It was a very enjoyable evening high in the hills, overlooking the Bay of Islands, at the private home of the club's Port Officer.

The next morning at, Paihia, we went out on a sailing day charter aboard Carino, www.sailingdolphins.co.nz, a 50 ft. catamaran to explore the fabled Bay of Islands.

The morning mist soon burned off and we had a really nice day exploring this legendary cruising area.

A bonus was seeing a large pod of dolphins which surrounded us, including two babies.

Next, back on the road, we travelled all the way to the furthest point of the North Island, Cape Reinga, known by the Maori as the Meeting Point.

It was a spectacular place, with Cape Maria Van Diemen arcing off to the west.

Although it maybe hard to tell in the photo, the waves in front of us were clashing in a decided v-shape, one side from the Tasman Sea, the other from the Pacific.

The west coast of the northernmost cape is known as Ninety Mile Beach, which is just what it says. Cars and even buses are able to drive along the beach when the tide is right. We were forbidden by the van rental company to travel on the beach, but, no worries because we wouldn't want to have risked it anyway. Apparently, there are lots of vehicles that get caught out and stuck forever there.

The sand dunes in the area introduced us to the sport of sandboarding. It looked like a lot of work to clamber up to the top, but, the speeds coming down were incredible! No, we didn't try it.

On our way back south, we headed east again, over towards the Coromandel Peninsula, a particularly scenic coastal area. We enjoyed views like these over the Hauraki Gulf, a popular sailing area near Auckland.

Also in the Coromandel area, we visited the Hot Sand Beach where, two hours either side of low tide, hot springs under the sand are exposed and you can dig your own hot tub in the sand. It was mobbed with people so we didn't stay long. We did get to experience almost burning our toes just wiggling them into the sand.

Popular Cathedral Cove and beach was another pretty destination nearby with too many tourists and it's not even high season yet.

The Waitomo glowworm cave was also a highlight. It's one of those places that you think will probably be a tourist trap, a $50 per person entry fee, punters arriving by the busload, large groups being herded about, the exit through the flash gift shop etc. The tourist brochure promotional photo looked too spectacular to be real, but, you know what, it was spectacular! After a walking tour through the limestone, cathedral-like entry cave, we entered boats and floated off into the darkness. The guides did a good job of making people stay quiet and the boats glided through the calm, black water silently. Overhead, thousands of hanging worms lit up the cave's roof with bright, tiny, pinpoints of light looking like stars in the night sky. It was magical.

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Gannets (and Terns) Galore

We've sailed in Scotland quite a bit and it was always a treat to see gannets in action, diving en masse, head first into the sea, at speeds of up to 145 kph. In Scotland, the birds usually nest on remote islands and you could only view them from a great distance. So, we were pleased to find that not only do gannets breed here in NZ, but, there are two mainland colonies of them where it is possible to get quite close to the birds without disturbing them.

On the east coast we first visited the colony at Cape Kidnappers. Although the birds are accessible once you get there, it's quite a hike, 20km return, along a beach at low tide to get to the breeding area.

Once there, we thought we were back on the Isle of Wight in the UK, with this remarkable view of what could be confused with Alum Bay and the Needles.

Up a long, final hill to the top and the colony was spread out in front of us. The estimate is  there are around 8,000 birds breeding here. There is a low fence around the birds, but, you can get to within a few feet of them.

A few days later, we visited the colony on the west coast, just north of Auckland, at Murawai Beach. This was a lot easier to access, just five minutes from the parking lot. The view of the birds here was just as dramatic, if not more so, as they were both on the mainland and on a large rock pinnacle just offshore surrounded by a wild sea. It was very special to stand with the sun shining brilliantly, a strong, warm, wind blowing and the birds wheeling overhead. We didn't see any diving and feeding behaviour as the eggs were still being incubated and the birds were on the nests, but, it was spectacular nonetheless.

Let's not forget the terns. At both gannet colonies, there were small populations of terns nesting just to the side of the gannets.

Luckily, these weren't like the vicious arctic terns we encountered in Svalbard, Norway which divebomb your head and actually will take chunks of flesh while you're just walking along. These white-fronted terns were content to just sit on their nests and tend to their chicks.

Murawai Beach is a volcanic, black sand beach and interesting in itself. The sea was wild on the day we were there.

A walk on the beach brought us to this natural sea cave that you could walk right through.

We also came across a few of these items that glowed with a beautiful, iridescent, pearly, blue/purple/pink colouration. They looked like pieces of Venetian blown glass highlighted on a black sand background. In reality, this is some weird kind of jellyfish!

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NZ Road Trip

Here is our new home for most of the next three months, while we tour New Zealand. It doesn't look like much, but, trying to book a campervan in New Zealand for a reasonable price seemed an almost impossible task and we almost didn't get one at all.

A few posts ago, I remarked that we were glad to be back on land after our cruise and making our own travel choices again. I take it back. Making our own travel choices is a lot of hard work, especially here in New Zealand. This is a long post and will sound like a real whinge, but, it's a warning. If you come here, decide what you want to do and book well in advance of your arrival.

It's not that we're procrastinators, really. It's just that we had a lot of unknowns to work with which led us to trying to make travel bookings only a few weeks in advance instead of the months, or even years, in advance, it seems to require here. We thought we wanted to rent a campervan for some, or all, of our time here as it seemed to be the best and most flexible solution. We started getting quotes months ago and due to the high rental cost we'd decided against it and thought it may be better to buy a campervan once we got here (and worry about reselling it at a huge loss before our visas ran out), or maybe buy a regular van and minimally convert it ourselves, or travel by car/tent (either buying, or, renting a car?). How about car/motels/BandB's? How about renting a flat and doing day trips from it? How long did we want to spend in NZ anyway? How long did we want to spend on the North Island? How long on the South Island? Which island should we do first? What if we booked a hugely expensive campervan and ended up finding a suitable sailboat to purchase here in which case we didn't need a van anyway? Too many choices and variables at work!

After much research and analysis of all the various options we decided to shorten our length of stay to just three months, from the planned six, to make it more affordable and to go ahead and book a campervan for that period. We started while we were still on the ship, a month ahead of when we needed the van. We trolled a lot of websites and could no longer find any availability at all! We contacted a broker who scraped the bottom of the barrel and came up with one. We were on the cruise ship with limited internet and missed it because we didn't respond fast enough. There was now not a single campervan to be rented, starting from Auckland where we got off the ship. If we picked up in Christchurch (South Island) there was availability, if we could do two different vans, with two different companies, with a ten day gap between rentals. It would mean the cost of an extra ferry crossing, but, we grabbed them both and started making plans to get ourselves to the South Island for van pickup.

First, from the cruise ship, we took a taxi to our first night at an airport hotel. The taxi driver ripped us off with a $97 fare which should have been a $60 flat rate as we found out later. Unfortunately, we'd only booked one night at this hotel and it was fully booked for the immediate future so we had to move.

Next, we tried booking another hotel in Auckland for a few more days. There were no reasonably priced, reasonable quality, hotels left. Even all the backpacker hostels were booked up. Against our better judgement, we booked three nights at a place in the boonies, for a not inconsequential $140 night. I won't even describe the place. Once we got past the smell of cheap air freshener and dirty socks and having to flick a cockroach off the bed, we got in bed, shut our eyes and tried to imagine we were somewhere else very far away.

Despite the unfortunate Auckland stay, we were looking forward to the change of van pickup plans which meant going to Christchurch to pick up the van. We'd researched and booked the scenic Kiwi Rail train trip and ferry combination. We'd paid a premium for this as it was a 'last-minute' fare. We'd booked hotels for both ends of the trip. It was all looking good and the future seemed bright. We were due to depart on the train early Thursday morning. Overnight Monday, the earthquake happened in Kaikoura and as I'm sure you saw on the news, the train track from Picton to Christchurch was devastated and there was no way trains would be running along there anytime soon. Our rental van company contacted us from their base in Nelson and said they wouldn't be able to deliver the van to Christchurch as the roads were closed. Could we come to Nelson instead? So, we quickly cancelled the two trains, two hotels and one ferry and booked ourselves on a flight to Nelson instead. We only lost about $75 on the currency exchange differences. The trip to Nelson went ok except for the surly parking security staff at the Nelson airport.

We picked up the van and turned right around to make the trip back to North Island as we'd decided to tour that island first. Arriving at the ferry office in Picton, we were surprised to find the cashiers sitting in an outbuilding on the pavement. The office building and the ferry dock were both damaged in the earthquake. Usually, there are so many ferries we were told that you can just drive up and get on. Not so today. We were informed the earliest we could get a ticket was a week hence due to damages and schedule changes in both Wellington and Picton. We could buy a ticket and go on standby arriving each day to wait in the queue. We decided to do this and by some miracle, we got on the first sailing. It was a very rough crossing across Cook Strait with sick bags, ice chips and ginger drinks being handed out by staff, but, it was only a few hours and we got through unscathed. At least we weren't marooned out there like the ferries that were in transit when the quake happened. They were unable to land anywhere and I guess they just had to hold off until they got word of what to do.

This first van is old and well-used, but ok, a Fiat Ducato, diesel, five-speed. We decided to 'do' four weeks in the North Island first as it's warmer there now followed by six weeks in the South Island. All our travel bookings are now complete to the end of January and after the rather rocky start, we can now just execute and enjoy, hopefully! We have booked a couple of three-day hikes on Great Walks and a three day sea kayak tour in Abel Tasman park near Nelson. We'll be dropping this van off in Nelson just after Christmas and picking up another one in Christchurch ten days later. We have rented a car for the gap and will do some tenting during that period. It can only get better from now on.

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Napier NZ

The town of Napier, New Zealand, was almost destroyed in a 1931 earthquake. This has turned out to be almost a blessing in disguise. The town was rebuilt in the architectural style of the time known as Art Deco. There are many remaining buildings of the period concentrated in the central core. Everybody is cooperating to restore and maintain the buildings to the period (a difficult task in a small town, from personal experience). This has given the town a very unique and rather genteel atmosphere which draws people to it.

Although Art Deco isn't my favourite architectural period, you can't help but admire the many examples and consistent theme of the storefronts and signage.

The town has, admirably, embraced the theme and run with it to build a very appealing destination. When our cruise ship docked, there was a brass band playing 1930's music on the pier.

A fleet of about a dozen vintage cars, with drivers and passengers all dressed in 1930's clothing lined the pier as well. It made for a festive and very welcoming atmosphere.

Vintage cars were also stationed around the town.

The shops were selling quality Art Deco-style collectibles.

Even the street art was themed.

Last, but not least, I couldn't leave this post without another photo of the engaging little blue penguins at the rehab facility in the National Aquarium of New Zealand, also found at Napier. It was a very pleasant walk to the Aquarium along a Marine Parade lined with Norfolk Island Pines and past Sunken Gardens and other interesting sights.

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