Antipodean adventures: Part 2 - The South Island

KIA ORA!

Welcome to the South Island!  Three hours by the Interislander Ferry from Wellington, across the Cook Strait.  Smooth sailing all the way.

We landed in sunny Picton, settled into our B&B, and walked through the town in search of a) lunch and b) a proper sun hat (with a brim!) for Jeff.  There's not much to see in Picton, but the surrounding mountains and blue sea were easy on the eyes.

Later, after a pub dinner, we watched the sunset from the ferry pier.

Another beautiful day greeted us the next morning.  Off to the pier where we boarded a small water taxi to the Queen Charlotte Track (QCT).  I had been looking forward to this hike (the locals call it tramping) since we arrived in New Zealand.  Although we had walked many kilometres in the North Island, we hadn't yet done a "proper" hike.  Thank you to Debbie C. (HK) for recommending this trek.  It was spectacular!

The boat dropped us off at Ship Cove, the start of the very well-maintained trail (the Hong Kong Hikers group would rate this about a 2.2 - not too much elevation, but a lengthy, 26.5 km walk).  As you can see, Jeff was raring to go!  We were in no rush, our suitcases were being delivered to our destination, Punga Cove Resort, and we would surely arrive in time for a hot tub soak, shower, and dinner.  I reassured Jeff that we would walk at his pace, and that if my feet ended up going slightly faster, I would wait for him along the trail.

Before we set off, we paid homage to Captain Cook at this very historic spot, the site of his first landing in New Zealand.  What a very long journey from England.  He must have enjoyed the trip, since he repeated it five times!

And then we were off!

Spectacular scenery, and very few hikers.

Mostly national park, but some private farms.  And sheep!

Road repair guarded by a weka bird.






I was surprised that the QCT has quite a few cottages lining the shore.  Several were for sale ... a little too remote for us!

Just as we were dreaming about a nice cup of tea, we arrived at Furneaux Lodge, a charming inn about 10 km. from our destination.  A very civilized spot to have a snack and a rest!

Soon after we left Furneaux, it suddenly dawned on Jeff that we were still a few hours from Punga.  The whinging began ... he couldn't figure out why he was so tired!  He said "Surely I've walked this far on the Hong Kong trails?"  I said, "No, the farthest you've ever gone is 12 or 13 km, and we've already done almost 20!"  I kept cheering him on, but he was done for.  Especially when we arrived at a tricky little rope bridge (not his favourite type of passage) where only one of us could cross at a time.  Exasperated, he looked like he was about to give up, especially when he saw the sign that said Punga Cove Resort 2 km, 45 minutes!  I reassured him that 2 km on this type of road would take us about 20 minutes, so he grudgingly carried on to the beautiful lodge!  He collapsed into an armchair in the reception area, while I checked us into our cabin.  The staff fell all over him, and reassured him that he didn't have to continue on the QCT the next day if he didn't want to - the water taxi would fetch him after breakfast and bring him back to Picton, while his crazy wife carried on tramping.

A soak in the hot tub, and a long, hot shower revived both of us, and we thoroughly enjoyed the steak BBQ on the waterfront, a few glasses of wine, and a restful night in our cosy cabin.



Storm's a coming!  The tail end of a typhoon was forecast to pass through the QCT the next day about 4 p.m.  High winds and heavy rain had already soaked the North Island, and the system was moving south with great force.  Jeff and I had a quick breakfast, and then he bade me farewell at the trail.  I was determined to finish my hike before a drop could fall on me.  Jeff looked very pleased to have the day off.  The water taxi was due to pick him up around 10:30, and he had plans to mosey around the library and a few museums in Picton.  My destination that day was a tiny dock in Torea Bay, 25 km away.  Unlike the easy terrain of the previous day, day two's hike was very hilly.  Up 400 metres, down 400 metres, up another 400 metres, and down again.  My favourite kind challenge!  Once again, I have to commend the QCT maintenance team on the excellent condition of the trail.

I set off at exactly 8:30, and for the first few hours I played tag with a friendly group of mountain bikers.  They were co-workers from Wellington who were bonding while riding the entire Track.  I easily outpaced them up the hills (pushing/pulling bikes up hill didn't look like fun), and then they sped past me on the down slopes.  After a few hours, the trail levelled out considerably, and they left me in their wake.  Aside from that small group, I only met one other hiker!  The loneliness of the long distance hiker.  Jeff would have hated the constant climbing, but I loved the entire walk.

Although the clouds had set in, the views from the summit of the trail were still breathtaking.  The staff at Punga Cove Resort told me not to miss the famous Eatwell Lookout.  Tacky signs like the one on the right were placed every few hundred metres along the way, so I couldn't have missed the trail even if I wanted to.  However, when I detoured onto the Eatwell Lookout path, the fog set in, and after about 2 km, I couldn't see my feet, let alone the supposedly magnificent scenery below me.

I reluctantly trudged back to the main trail, resumed my pace, and hiked the rest of the way rather quickly, stopping to take only a few photos in the thickening mist.

Five hours on the dot from start to finish!  Pausing to read the sobering WWII memorial, I then walked down the paved road to the Portage Resort Hotel.  The water taxi was due to pick me up at Torrea Bay, about 2 km away, about 4:30 that afternoon.  I settled into a comfy armchair in the lounge, ordered a flat white, ate my peanut butter sandwich, and read the last few hundred pages of my book.  Jeff had made a terrific suggestion the night before - he said that instead of carrying the whole paperback, I should lighten my load by carrying only the pages I hadn't finished.  By 3 o'clock the rain had begun.  I was dreading the uphill walk to the ferry pier.  No worries in New Zealand: the bartender rang the water taxi company, and when the pilot was nearing the pier, he telephoned the bar, and the owner gave me a lift to the pier!  The boat ride back was bumpy, but I was safe and warm inside the cabin.

Jeff met me at the dock in Picton, where a pre-arranged taxi was waiting to take us to Renwick, in the heart of Sauvignon Blanc territory.  The Olde Mill was a cosy B&B, especially on a night when the rain just wouldn't let up.  As is typical of small towns everywhere, only a few pubs were open for dinner.  More fried food!

The rains persisted the following day, so we scrapped our plans to bicycle around the numerous wineries.  Our B&B host recommended a minibus tour instead - excellent suggestion.  The bus picked us up at 11 a.m., and over the next few hours shuttled us to five or six Marlborough vineyards.  Having sampled several different labels during our trip, I had already decided on my favourite - St. Clair Sauvignon Blanc.  Lo and behold, that was our first stop, as well as our lunch destination.

Unlike the wineries of Niagara and Napa, the New Zealand wineries are less formal.  Our group had a delicious meal, washed down with (in my opinion) the best white wine that New Zealand produces.

I got rather bored after visiting two more wineries.  At Framingham, I noticed a gift store that sold fudge.  Doesn't take much to make me happy!
When we finished our tour, Jeff checked the LCBO (Ontario liquor board) website to verify which New Zealand wines were sold in our home province.  I am pleased to report that a few bottles of St. Clair Sauvignon Blanc are now cooling in our wine fridge!

Mercifully, the sun shone again the next morning as we picked up our rental car (from Omega, not Jucy).  No photos of this little Nissan.  Not as cute and peppy as our Hyundai, but it did its job.  We pointed the car south and headed for Kaikoura.

We stopped along the highway to admire the seals at the Ohau Seal colony.

Picturesque Kaikoura!

Sheep shearing exhibition by the owner of The Point B&B.

Fyffe House - oldest surviving building in Kaikoura.  Built on whalebone pilings.

Up at the crack of dawn the next day to go whale watching.  As Jeff says "You pay your money and you take your chances".  Seven a.m. departure.  The boat was filled with Chinese tourists, so the guide talked incessantly for two hours in English and Mandarin while the captain roamed the seas looking for whales.  Boring!!  Finally spotted one lonely whale, and we watched him blow and blow until he took a final dive (10 minutes later) and disappeared under the sea.  What a waste of time.

By this time on our trip, we realized that, although New Zealand is a very small country, each place we visited offered something different.  However, we were quite unprepared for the sorry state of Christchurch, which is very slowly trying to recover from the devastating earthquakes of 2010-2011.  Unlike Napier (Hawke's Bay, North Island), which was rebuilt very quickly after the 1931 earthquake, Christchurch seems mired in political battles regarding its structural future and arguments between building owners and insurance companies.

The first cracks that we noticed were at Fendalton House, our B&B.   There were cracks on the walls and ceilings in almost every room.  Our hostess explained that the insurance companies are so busy dealing with the large commercial claims, that the individual homeowners will have to wait several more years to repair damages to their properties.

The Canterbury Museum and the Botanic Gardens next door to it were not damaged by the quakes, but over 1000 buildings in the Central Business District were destroyed.

Broken sidewalks and roads.

The Cathedral - one of the saddest sights.  Looks like Canterbury (UK) during the blitz.

The Cardboard Cathedral designed by Shigeru Ban.  A temporary solution to the dilemma of the cathedral (tear it down and rebuild, or restore?).

Another "nice New Zealanders" story from that afternoon:  in conjunction with our good friend, Frank, the best (in our opinion!) real-estate agent in Toronto, we had begun to plan the sale of our house.  Frank needed copies of our drivers' licenses and passports.  Off to the library!  The Central Library is still behind fencing (no decision yet on its future), so we were advised to visit the Peterborough branch, also in the city centre.  The helpful librarian (is there any other kind) scanned our documents, enabled us to email them to Frank, and didn't charge us a penny!

That same evening, we participated in quiz night at The Craic, a pub near our B&B.  Whilst in HK, we were members of The Dolphin Manoeuvre, a very successful quiz team at the Trafalgar Pub in Wanchai.  We thought we would show the New Zealanders just how smart we were.  Alas, many of the questions required local knowledge, so, although we had a lot of fun, we fared miserably.


The following morning, Jeff's allergies were acting up.  Our hostess recommended a clinic in the city centre.  Excellent service, good advice, and some meds.  Jeff was feeling better by the time we exited the clinic!  We set out on foot to see more of Christchurch.

A gaily-painted temporary park with food kiosks.

Interesting trompe l'oeil on brick walls.

185 empty white chairs - a memorial to those who died during the February 2011 earthquake.  Each chair is distinctive and has its own personality.  Diagonally across the intersection is an empty lot where a language school once stood.  Most of the earthquake victims were international students studying in that building.

Punting on the pretty Avon River.

Damaged buildings held up by containers.

Bridge of Remembrance - yet another monument being restored.

There's a wonderful project underway in the very centre of the city, where none of the original buildings survived the earthquakes.  Re:start is a (perhaps temporary) pedestrian-friendly shopping and dining area.  All of the stores (including Lululemon) are housed in brightly-painted shipping containers.  The area is upscale, funky, and hopeful, a welcome sight after all of the destruction around it.

While I wandered in and out of souvenir shops, Jeff sat on a bench, guarding our belongings.  After buying a mug adorned with Andy Warhol's sheep, we moseyed over to a cafe to enjoy our coffee in the sunshine.  I decided to take a few more photos while sipping my cappuccino.  NO CAMERA!  Jeff had left it on the bench outside the souvenir shop!  He bolted out of the chair and ran across the mall to find the camera.  In the meantime, all of the amazing people around me offered to look after my stuff while I ran after him.  There is always a happy ending to stories like this in New Zealand.  A man who runs a Greek take-away in Re:Start noticed the camera bag and turned it into the security office.  It took us a while to locate the security office (in one of the containers at the back of the mall), but once we did, John, the officer in charge, happily returned the camera to me.  It turned out that while Jeff and I were frantically running around, John  was already trying to chase me down via Facebook (an Air Canada tag with my name is attached to the camera bag).  All's well that ends well!

Enough drama for one day.  That evening, we had dinner with Kathy and Warwick, retired teachers who had worked in Hong Kong for a few years (thank you Barbara T. for the introduction).  It was a nice change of pace to have very good Indian food.  Kathy and Warwick gave us the insiders' scoop on Christchurch - they described the city as a donut: most of the businesses have moved to the areas around the core, leaving the centre a more-or-less dead zone.  I would very much like to revisit Christchurch in five or ten years to witness its rejuvenation.

We were now about half-way through our trip.  At this point, I was becoming bored with my small suitcase of clothes, and kept rummaging around to find something different to wear!  The joys of travelling light.

Continuing south, our next destination was Oamaru, home of the yellow and blue penguins.  Oamaru flourished as an important wool port in the late 19th century.  Its main street is lined with stately Victorian buildings made from the local limestone.  Many of the warehouses along the waterfront are now antique stores.  Jeff loved browsing among the old radios and electronics in one shop.  He kept pointing to items and saying "we had one just like that when I was young", or "this one is like the radio in your parents' kitchen on Pinedale".  It only took us about an hour to "do" the entire city.  We sampled the famous NZ meat pies for lunch.  As our son, Andrew, used to say when he was little, "no me like".

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from The Criterion Hotel, which I had booked (and paid for) online.  What a pleasant surprise.  Pub downstairs, rooms upstairs (alas, no elevator).  Our "suite" was basic but adequate.  The hotel reminded me of Rabiners, the lodge in the Laurentians where our family spent many winter vacations.  Very cosy.

Late in the afternoon, I suggested that we go for a "walk" to see the yellow penguins.  The distance to the viewing area didn't appear to be very far on our map.  However, most of the walk was up a very steep road.  Jeff was not pleased.  Moreover, the weather was cold and wet.  We waited on the viewing stand for about an hour, and finally saw ONE penguin.  Adorable!  The so-called yellow penguins are grey, but they have a yellow stripe on their heads.

We warmed up at the pub (a glass of Sauvignon Blanc does the trick!) and then walked to the blue penguin viewing stands - a short walk on a flat road!  The penguins (lots and lots of them) emerged from the water in small groups.  Hunched over, they climbed over the rocks (and seals) to reach their nests at the top of the hill.  Fascinating!  Jeff said they looked like weary people coming home from work.  I snuck a few photos before the guard yelled at the crowd and said "no cameras".

We were cold through-and-through by the time we returned to the pub.  Luckily, we were able to order soup and sandwiches before tucking in for the night.  The bartender/waitress said that we could pay for our meal when we checked out the following morning.  However, when we prepared to leave, the only staff member in sight was a cleaning lady who was washing the floors in the pub!  She couldn't accept payment from us, so we asked her to have the manager put our charges on the same Visa account that we had originally booked with.  By the end of the following week, we still hadn't heard from the manager, so I emailed the hotel.  They asked us to send a cheque instead of Visa.  We explained that we couldn't (they couldn't seem to understand that), and the upshot was that we got a free meal.

Sunny weather again as we drove towards Dunedin.  We stopped to walk through the unusual Moeraki Boulders.  I will let my photos describe this beautiful beach.




Dunedin is as far south as we will ever be.  As our friends, Shirley and Colin say "it's the last post office before you reach the South Pole".  In October 2010, Jeff and I took a short cruise to Vietnam with my parents, Helen and Lou (blog Nov. 25, 2010).  Our dinner companions were Shirley and Colin and Averil and Ross - all from Dunedin.  We became instant friends and shared a lot of laughs.  Shirley and I have continued to stay in touch via email (she's a much more conscientious correspondent than I am).  Jeff and I were looking forward to seeing these friends again.

We checked into the Beachhaven B&B around the corner from the beach (and from Shirley and Colin's town house).  The surfers were enjoying the fine day, while we had an al fresco lunch as part of a beautiful afternoon.

We prefer to use public transit in cities, so we hopped on the bus and rode downtown to see the sights.  I loved the Edwardian architecture, especially the railway station and the majestic office buildings.  The Otago Settlers Museum was an unexpected treat - an overview of the different waves of immigrants in NZ - Maori, Chinese, European.  Overall, we came away with a very positive view of Dunedin.

After breakfast the next day, we Skyped with Frank in Toronto.  Our house was scheduled to be listed the following week.  To take our minds off the impending sale, we decided to go for a hike (well, I decided, and Jeff tagged along with a smile).  We drove up and up through the fog around Mount Cargill looking for the entrance to the Organ Pipes Trail.  A bit lost, but we finally found it, and off we went.  The trail was pleasant - and short - until we arrived at the organ-pipe-shaped rocks.  Not for me!  Jeff scaled up a little way, but the footing was precarious, and some of the rocks were loose.  Been there, almost done that.

Pleasant afternoon strolling in the Botanic Gardens.

And through Dunedin University campus.  Student housing is the same everywhere!  Old furniture strewn in front of the houses and shoes strung along a wire above.

Drinks at Shirley and Colin's with Averil and Ross.  Big hugs.  Lots of catch-up.  Followed by dinner at Salt, an excellent restaurant on the beach (thank you Shirley and Colin).  This was a very special visit!

Time to head west to Te Anau, a sleepy backwater on Lake Te Anau, the largest lake on the South Island.  We stretched our legs walking part of the trail that circles the lake, and then spent some time doing our laundry at the B&B.  As we walked through the town searching for somewhere to eat, we bemoaned the fact that we were missing the NCAA basketball tournament for a 5th straight year.  Coincidentally, we noticed a shop called Go Orange - the cheer for our favourite team, Syracuse University!  Since there wasn't a pub in sight, we opted for fish and chips, and had an atypical NZ experience.  Not only was the food overpriced, of poor quality, and the service rude, but when we asked for lemon slices for the fish, we were told that they don't provide any.  As I was writing my nasty review on TripAdvisor, I noticed another complaint - the reviewer was charged for ketchup!

Since leaving Oamaru, we had experienced excellent weather.  Unfortunately, our luck ran out the next day.  Thick skies and a relentless downpour escorted our bus tour to Milford Sound.  The driver announced that many of his travellers prefer rainy days because of the numerous waterfalls that quickly dry up in the sunny weather.  Personally, I will take clear skies over cold and wet anywhere, anytime!

The ferry ride through the fjords was gloomy and monotonous, but Jeff enjoyed it.  Lots of waterfalls, but very few peaks.  The photos appear to be in black-and-white.  I felt sorry for all the hikers who would be tramping through the trails nearby.  This was a very long day.

Still pouring (even harder, if you can believe it) the next morning as Jeff drove to Queenstown, our last stop in NZ.  After a few wrong turns, we finally found the Omega Car Rental office and returned our wheels.  Our estimate was that we had driven about 2000 km since leaving Auckland.

We spent a lazy afternoon walking around Queenstown, stopping for lunch at a restaurant that offered free Wifi, so that we could respond to Frank's questions about the house sale.  The receptionist at our B&B printed and scanned several documents for us - gratis, of course - this is New Zealand!  Pub dinner and quiz again - similar results to Christchurch.  We weren't doing the Dolphin Manoeuvre proud in New Zealand.

Our last day in New Zealand dawned brightly, thank goodness.  Off to McDo for breakfast (free Wifi).  Then one more hike for me - up Bob's Peak, while Jeff opted for the cable car.  My climb was terrifying in parts - the trail was steep and untended, and there were many times I couldn't find the path.  Towards the top, some crazy mountain bikers came thundering around a corner and almost ran me over!  When I reached the top, there were hundreds of tourists mulling about, but I easily found Jeff and we enjoyed some spectacular views of Queenstown, the most beautiful town in NZ (on a clear day, that is).

And on to Oz.
(Stay tuned to Part 3 of the Antipodean Adventure)