Dunedin

This excursion was my favorite so far.  Just a bus ride, but the driver was entertaining and the scenery was spectacular.  We traveled a narrow winding road from Dunedin along the coastline and out the Otago Peninsula.  After about 15 miles we began to climb.  The road got narrower and the driver got more entertaining.  He had a comedy routine, cursing out the oncoming traffic as they tried to negotiate their way by our bus.  We enjoyed the beautiful views of fields dotted with sheep as we overlooked the coastal road we had just traveled.

After the hair-raising ride, we had time in Dunedin on our own.  Dunedin has the vibe of the university town that it is, sidewalk cafes and eclectic dining opportunities.  It's considered to be the best preserved Victorian city in the world.  I wish we had driven through those neighborhoods.  I spotted architectural remnants but nothing Victorian.

On the way out of town we sailed by the tip of the peninsula where seals and albatross make their home.  I was anxious to spot an albatross and I'm sure I did.  Sorry, no picture.

Squatters?

 

Catching up - part 2 (The Two Towers)

Christchurch is the gateway to New Zealand's Southern Alps.  Because we were anxious to get out into the countryside and see some scenery, we booked a Lord of the Rings themed excursion.  The promotional picture shows snow capped mountains, a crystal blue river, and lush greenery.  The picture was probably taken in the winter.  It's summertime now.

The bus wove its way through Christchurch, the city of orange cones.  Since the earthquake of  2011, in which 185 were killed and thousands injured, the city has been rebuilding.  Although I couldn't figure out their purpose, orange cones line all the roads.

Outside of Christchurch are the Canterbury Plains, acres and acres of planted fields and dairy grazing lands for as far as I could see.  Not a sign of "the Alps."  Stopped for tea and scones at Salmon World.  Really good scones, chock full of cranberries.  This is proving to be a long bus ride and still not even a foothill.

Next stop at a little lake community.  This is in the middle of nowhere.  No apparent reason why anyone would want to vacation here.  The highlight, besides the scones, was our bus being mooned by a young man on the dock as we departed the area.  Oh look, mountains-not green or snow capped, though.

Finally we reach our destination, Mount Sunday.  That's Edoras, capital city of Rohan (for you Lord of the Rings geeks.)

Edoras, capital city of Rohan

Galadriel, Lady of the Wood

Aragorn, heir of Isildur

Well, that was pretty hokey.  Now for a long bus ride back to the ship.  The guide played some Lord of the Rings videos, outtakes and interviews.  It helped to make the time pass.  We stopped for a lunch catered at the War Memorial by some residents of Mt. Somers.  I'm assuming that this is a regular gig for them, serving lunch to tour groups in order to maintain the memorial.

I'm not complaining.  We're still having a good time, but our time could have been spent better touring Christchurch on our own.

Catching up - part 1

As I'm writing this we are sailing the Tasman sea.  Our last stop was Dunedin, on New Zealand's South Island, and we are heading to our first port in Australia, Melbourne.  We had been told that the Tasmin Sea could be rough.  That was accurate.  On our third and final sea day, things are just getting back to normal.  The rocking and rolling has subsided.  It's safe to walk outside again.  Bob and I have managed well.  We didn't miss any meals.

I've been lazily passing the the time and haven't done any blog work except for uploading some photos to the destination tabs.  Time to catch up.

Last stop was Rotorua.  After that, we were scheduled for a half day in Napier.  The seas were too rough so the captain decided to give it a miss.  Too bad.  I was looking forward to seeing the Art Deco architecture that Napier is noted for. 
Here's some of what we missed.
Napier just happened to have had an earthquake in 1931.  Most of the city was burnt to the ground.  The citizens rebuilt what they considered to be "the newest city on the globe."  The style of the day was Art Deco.

Wellington is the next stop.  We boarded a bus for a panoramic tour, climbing to the heights of Mt. Victoria.

 

On the way we passed houses clinging to the side of the hill, most without driveways or any access by car.  Paths and lanes served as access to whole neighborhoods.  New Zealanders are very fit.

A visit to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, a little past its peak, and back to the city center for time on our own.

The Zealand Museum, called Te Papa Tongarewa, is a free museum and deserves more time than we can devote.  I started at the gift shop and Bob started with the Gallipoli exhibit.  

We gave up after a short while in favor of a sidewalk cafe and a beer. 

The ladies' room wasn't as entertaining.

Wellington seems like a very livable city.  Repeating myself-I wish I had more time.

Rotorua by bike

The port city of Tauranga is the jumping off point for our trip Rotorua, about an hour away.  We drive past trucks loaded with logs bound for the port and then for China.  Later we drive through pine forests, past paddocks of grazing dairy cows, and past acres and acres of kiwi orchards bounded on all sides by 30 foot cedar hedges.  Sights like these are the plus side of busing to and from excursions.

The excursion was billed as a bike ride about 7 miles (mainly off road) through the Maori cultural heartland of Rotorua, past geothermal pools, geysers and baths.   

We met up with our guides from “Happy Ewe Cycle Tours and Repairs.”  “Repairs” doesn’t seem to be their strong suit.  Bob started out by cutting his finger when adjusting the seat (good thing we signed a waiver) and my bike wanted to go in the opposite direction from what I pointed it. 

Okay, let’s go, 25 seniors on wobbly bikes.  We’re off. 

 I guess by “off road” they meant on sidewalks!  First stop was a two minute ride into a courtyard that was a Maori family enclave.   

We were lucky to have with us Shiloh who was helping out his friend, the happy ewe.  Shiloh’s family has been on this plot of land for 23 generations, according to the family oral history.  Under this courtyard are thermal springs. The pavement is hot to the touch with vents emitting steam on the edges.   Surrounding the courtyard are Shiloh’s family’s homes.   He told us that every home has its own communal bath and the whole family bathes together in the heated sulphur water.  He took us into his backyard to show us the family bath.  You can’t see it, but bottles of Pantene shampoo and conditioner are lined up on the edge of the pool

Back on the bikes, we follow the sidewalks to boiling Lake Kuirau, right in the middle of town.

A few more miles and back the way we came, continuing on to more points of interest, back to the start point for lunch and we’re on our way back to the ship. 

Not the bike ride I was hoping for, but a nice ride in the country.  Our guide drove us back a different way, up hills and through gorges, past river rafting and hiking trail heads.  Lovely scenery.

Auckland-day 2

Wine for breakfast.

Ferries buzz back and forth between Auckland and nearby islands and other mainland cities.  The long holiday weekend is over and we watch commuters streaming into Auckland from these seaside enclaves.  We board the ferry in the opposite direction, heading to Waihke to tour a couple of the 30 wineries on Waihke.  Auckland recedes into the distance as the high speed passenger ferry carries us away.

A bus picks us up at the ferry pier and we wind our way through Waihke to the first stop,  As we pass little hillside cottages, our guide Clark Kent, a native, tells us about the popularity of the island for both commuters and vacationers.  Natives like him are accustomed to renting out their homes in the summer months while they and their families move into a trailer, boat or shack in the back yard. They can make $2500 per week during the summer to carry them through the slow winter months.

A glass of sparkling rose awaits, followed by a pinot grigio and a pinot noir.

 

After sipping wine and enjoying the views, we head for the beach where we have tea and scones at a seaside cafe and time on our own to dip our toes in the Pacific.  Unfortunately, we hadn't been told there would be a swimming opportunity.

On to the next winery. 

This winery also produces olive oil.  We gathered in the olive grove while the tour guide raved about their prizewinning $300/bottle rose, which we wouldn’t be tasting today.

Return trip to Auckland on the ferry.  Wish we had enough time to hop on another ferry and visit nearby Devenport.  Oh well, next time.  I like it here.