Here endeth the 2008 trip

That's it for another year, I'm sure we will be back for more adventures...

Penultimate day...

Another overcast day, as expected though, although it never actually rained as had been forecast. Although it's still warm I would prefer blue skies and being a bit cooler than these dreary grey skies.
Started the morning with a quick visit to a loal art gallery, nothing really got our attention though. Then a stop off to check out Whangarei falls, another 20+ metre waterfall situated pretty much in the town center itself. Then headed out along the Tutkaka coastline, millionaires play area here. The coastline is littered with flash steel and glass houses sitting on top of hills overlooking the wonderful coastline, with mega yachts moored up in the bays or harbour. That said anything similar in the UK would be significantly more but I guess it's all relative really, here the cost of living is much lower.
Stopped at an art gallery / cafe for lunch and a mooch around and came away with some nice modern ceramics to hang on the wall. Will be fun getting all this stuff we've bought back on the plane, fortunately it's neither bulky or heavy so should be able to go in the cabin.
Finished the afternoon with a walk through one of the local forests to get some fresh air and exercise and have spent the evening chatting with our hosts, eating and generally sorting stuff out for the trip home tomorrow! It's not all over yet though, we're not flying until very late Monday evening so that gives us all day to explore. We'll be heading across to the west coast of the Northland and checking out the Kauri forests (some measuring 45 feet in circumference!), running down the west coast through the Maori museum and then on down to the airport.
It's likely this will be the last entry 'till we get home... Yes, we've both enjoyed it as much as last time and everything once again came up to our expectations...Photo: Hatea River, Whangarei, NZ (Joe)

Hobnobbing round the harbour and fine dining...

Overcast but warm all day, the sun never broke through all day today which made it a little muggy.
We were up a bit later this morning so we cut our schedule back a bit so we weren't rushed. Started with a couple of hours wandering round Whangerei centre and harbour side. All very nice, the town has everything you could need and of course the harbour side was very pleasant with lots of cafes and galleries. The cafes were very busy with folks having brunch, we didn't succumb though!
We then took off up the scenic road, in fact only road, up to Ocean beach which is a popular surf beach. Lovely drive up with the obligatory great scenery and amazing houses dotted around (I did have a sneak peak at the property press in Whangerei - 10 acres with bay views ~£300K and prices dropping!). Property appears to be priced on a number of factors here, of course view is one of them but distance from a town centre is another. As the public transport systsem is non-existent over here everyone has to use cars, so the closer the property is to the town i.e. walking distance, the price is significantly higher. This means the prices drop significantly being 10 minutues out of town, go even further and you can buy your own bay or valley with acres for the same price you'd pay for a decent town house! Enough of that.... now where was I?
On the way down to Ocean Beach we popped in a local gallery and found some nice bits and bobs, Deb saw some nice glass jewelery she liked, I had feeling we'd be coming back! Got up to Ocean beach and other than half a dozen surfers we had the place to ourselves, I had a peek over the headland at the end of the beach and you could see other completely deserted white sandy beaches stretching for miles down the coast! We explored some of the other bays round the headlands, completely unsploit, parts of which were part of conservation areas. Although I say unspoilt it would be remiss of me to point out there is a massive oil refinery just the other side of the bay! Oddly enough it wasn't that imposing, certainly the folks who owned properties overlooking it didn't seem to think so anyway.
And of course on the way back we had to pop in the gallery again for me to buy Deb her belated birthday present!
In the evening we then went out for a fine dining experience at one of Northlands top restaurants set in a converted period art deco house. As you would imagine the food was excellent, with Deb not having been to a fine dining restaurant before I did have to correct Deb on her table manners a couple of times ;o))) The biggest surprise was the price, far lower than I would have expected, certainly at least half the cost of something equivalent in the UK. Then back to the accomodation for a good old cup of tea!
Photo: "a Deco" restaurant, Whangarei, NZ (Joe)

Bay of islands...

Woke to a dull overcast day, still warm though ;o) Typical, we deliberately scheduled 4 nights up in the north to catch some good weather before we came home and what happens? The glorious summer they have been having decides to break. No rain to speak of so far so not so bad. Forecast looks the same until we come home though.
We took a short drive up to the Bay of Islands today, a really picturesque coastal area with bays and harbours brimming full of yachts. First stop was to see where they signed the Waitangi Treaty - The Treaty established a British governor in New Zealand, recognised Mâori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave Mâori the rights of British subjects. The site included amongst other things the largest Maori canoe. Spot of lunch in the cafe there, overlooking the manicured lawns leading down to the beach.
After lunch we took the car ferry over to Russell, quite similar to AKaroa - a town visited earlier in our trip - lots of quaint wooden houses clustered round the sides of a bay. In the early 19th century this place had the reputation as being the "hell hole of the south", lots of drunken debauchery taking place as a result of the sailors coming ashore letting of steam! The sun also popped it's head out of the clouds for a couple of hours making it a realy nice hot afternoon.
We then took a nice slow drive back alongside the coastal road to rejoin the state highway to Whanagerei. You had no choice but to go slow, this was the twistiest road I had ever driven on and it went on for miles. Spectacular scenery though, with precipice drops to the rocks and sea below, stunning properties hanging to cliff faces and ancient forests all over the hillside.
After we had eaten our hosts invited us into their section of the house and we had a chat for a couple of hours about stuff, how they came to be in NZ, etc...
Photo: Sailing ship, Russell, Bay of Islands, NZ (Joe)

Final leg of the journey...

Woke to a nice bright crisp morning, shame it would be mostly spent travelling but at least the views from the plane would be good.
Flew out of Dunedin just after 11am, great views of the southern alps (incl. Mt. Cook) as we made our way up the island. A quick stop at Wellington to drop and collect a few other passengers. Added time to the flight but at least it meant we got to have snacks and drinks twice! Landed into Auckland about 2pm then into the hire car and set of heading north by 3pm.
Straight into heavy traffic crawling up state highway 1, remind me never to live in Auckland! One city is just like another wherever you are in the world! Once we were away from the city boundaries the views opened up and we settled back into the holiday. Noticeably more people north of Auckland than south, almost entirely down to the wonderful environment I guess. First off it is much warmer, it is classed sub-tropical and the countryside and coastal regions are fabulous. Plus, you do have reasonable access to an international airport and although Auckland isn't the actual capital you could class it as based on it's population and the type of business and commerce run from it.
Into Whangerei and immediately felt comfortable, the vibe was right and the choice of accomodation was spot on. Efectively a self-contained comfortable modern apartment set on a hillside overlooking the town. We are doing bed and breakfast for the first time and our hosts Wendy (English) and Urbi (Swiss) have made us very welcome.
No photos from today folks, more to report tomorrow after our day up at the Bay of Islands...

Devizes!

Yes, for the keen eyed from Wiltshire looking at the gallery, that is the small English town of Devizes just 30 miles from where we live up on this post!!! I'm not sure the distances are quite right though, it shows London and Devizes being only 50 KM different, I can only think it's something to do with the curvature of the earth!
Photo: Signpost at Oamaru lookout, Oamaru, NZ (Joe)

Late breaking news...

... Joe took no pictures on Thursday!!! I went cold turkey and managed to go the whole day without taking a picture.

Mystical stones and fairy penguins...

The weather goes from one extreme to the other here, from pouring rain yesterday to bright clear sunny skies today. Certainly a bit chillier though, you can certainly tell we are a long way south and autumn is beginning to kick in.After the wash out yesterday for Deb's birthday we postponed it 'till today so she could have some better weather! A nice easy morning to start with, wandered in to Dunedin town center via some shops for retail therapy then into the public art gallery to see what exhibitions were on. Not surprisingly there were a different couple of artists being displayed from when we were here last year! Both of whom we enjoyed, being abstract in style. Followed with a coffee in the cafe next door then a bit more strolling round the sights.After lunch we then headed north up the coast se we could find some more wildlife, visit the Moeraki boulders and finish the day with a trip to see the Blue Penguins coming ashore at Oamaru.First stop was Shag Point where we saw large colonies of Seals and shags but no penguins this year. It was a bit early in the day to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins, ordinarily they don't come ashore until dusk.Next stop was the Moeraki boulders, almost "mystical" spherical shaped boulders formed 60 million years ago and now being slowly exposed by the action of the seas on the cliffs. These boulders can be as small as a football or as large as a mini car.Then on to see the Blue Penguins, the smallest penguins in the world standing at just 12" tall and weighing ~1KG. They are also known as fairy penguins in Australia. They come in just after dusk, which in these parts is ~8pm. A whole business has grown up around viewing these penguins coming in, with a visitor center and grandstand to view them coming up the beach and into their nesting colony. They use sodium lights which give a very yellow cast over the area, apparently they aren't bothered by this as penguins vision is tuned to see best in the green / blue range. I guess this is so they can see better in the sea and at night?We only got to see a small number of penguins, enough to make Deb's day! Of course she wanted to take one home with her!!!QUite a late night for us, past 11pm when we got back to the motel then we had to sort the bags ready for the flight up to Auckland the next day...Photo: Moeraki Boulders, Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, NZ (Joe)

"Fungi" found in the woods...

Chance shot from Deb, makes me look the size of an ant. I think it looks far ruder...!@%&$!Photo: Somewhere in Sandy Domain, Invercargill, NZ (Deb)

Rainy days make great waterfalls, not so good for birthdays!

Deb's birthday today, would be rude to say how old she is though, so I'll keep that one to myself! Well too date the weather had been great and then just when Deb wanted the sun, we got rain, lots and lots of rain! Until mid-day that is and then it cleared a little. Consequently, as we had been travelling and from the bad weather we decided to re-schedule Deb's birthday for tomorrow instead! The weather should clear and we're of to see the Blue penguins at Oamaru, the smallest penguins in the world. Deb was hoping we would have time to stop by the beach where we saw the yellow eyed penguin last year, I said not to hold her hopes high, it had probably been eaten by a great white shark!#!There is one benefit to all the rain, it tops the rivers up and makes the waterfalls look good! Selfish sod I am, Deb was having a miserable birthday from the rain, I was having a great one at the thought of the photo opportunities. They do say every cloud has a silver lining and today these clouds were going to be a silver halide opportunity - well not strictly true as I'm using digital equipment!!!The area we were going through today, The Catlins, has a large number of waterfalls all within easy walking distance from the roadside. So the plan was to take a steady drive along the Southern Scenic Route from Invercargill up to Dunedin stopping off to check out the waterfalls as we passed. We had to take a pass on a couple as they would have added too much time to the journey. The Catlins are a beautiful area, even in the rain, you could easily spend a lifetime exploring and photographing this area alone.Where the rain was too heavy Deb elected to stay put in the car, the thought of her hair curling from the moisture gave her goose pimples! Rain or not I headed off into the forests to see what I could find and was pleased to find the recent rain had swollen the rivers enough to make the waterfalls look good. We must look a funny pair to other people, I don't mean the height difference! Whenever we turn up somewhere photogenic, there's me with all my gear taking ages to line everything up, then there's Deb who pulls out her camera from the handbag and rattles of a few shots before I've even started - then ribs me as to why I'm taking so long ;o)We found a nice little cafe tucked away in the middle of nowhere for lunch and then headed up to Dunedin. We're staying in the motel we used last year, Deb liked the creature comforts it had, so we rebooked. Arrived at the motel, settled in within 2 minutes, quick run to the supermarket and wash and scrub up to head out for a meal. We've got this down to a tee now! After the meal I fired up the laptop and set Deb up with a MSN video call back home to her Mum & Dad.Agenda for tomorrow is to have a lay in, stroll down to the art gallery via a few shops no doubt, coffee and lunch then to take a drive up the coast to see the penguins. We'll head past the Moeraki boulders on the way up the coast, which we saw last year but again the weather was miserable as well then so I didn't get any decent shots. Although I won't get the atmosphere of dawn or dusk, all being well there should at least be a fluffy cloud or two bobbing around in the sky to liven things up a bit....P.S. Deb says a big thanks to everyone who gave her cards and the luggage friendly gifts for her birthday. She'll thank you personally when she gets back.Photo: Lower section of McLean Falls, Catlins, NZ (Joe)

Times flying fast...

... can you believe it, only a week to go!
Started the day cloudy and overcast with a spot rain mid-morning then cleared to another warm sunny day ;o)
I wasn't sure what to think of Invercargill, it had all the markings of boring old Swindon or Reading, but actually, not withstanding the poverty in the area, the place does have character! That said, it wouldn't be on my top ten places to live in or visit again!
We spent the morning mooching around the museum and art gallery out of the rain and took a drive out to Sandy Domain after lunch. Sandy Domain is a large park area, similar to the Cotswold Park at South Cerney, with lots of walks and great scenery. It was great to be able to wander about listening to the silence, only broken by bird song, with not another soul in sight for several hours! Twice we came across a NZ Falcon feasting on some rodent it had killed, but every time I went for my camera it flew off! Must be camera shy!
Also came across some bright and colourful fungi in the woods!
I finished the day by going out for the day whilst Deb stayed in to paint her nails! All in all a nice relaxing day.
Moving on to Dunedin tomorrow, again following th southern scenic route. Looking forward to this bit as it takes us through The Catlins, an area of outstanding beauty...
P.S. Debs birthday tomorrow, Tuesday.... yep, April fools day ;o)))))

War Of The Worlds - The Sequel...

Came across these concrete platforms whilst out for an evening drive. Reminded me of the the film; The War Of The Worlds!

Sun set from Oreti beach...

Watching the sun go down from Oreti beach

Trip to Stewart Island

Weather report; clear and sunny without a whisper of wind. You can tell it's Autumn here now, geting a little cooler in the mornings. Should be ideal for the ferry crossing to Stewart Island this morning though.Up a little earlier for both of us today to make the 9.30 ferry from The Bluff, about a 30 minute drive from the motel and an hour crossing. A nice drive down the coast road and into what is clearly one of the poorer areas of NZ. A lot of derelict properties and just general signs of low income family homes. You wouldn't call Invercargill itself a full on tourist destination, it's mainlhy agriculture and industry. As a tourist it's more a place to base yourself for Stewart Island, The Fjords and The Catlins. That said there are some lovely areas bordering Invercargill, namely Oreti beach where we watched the sun set and the areas directly behind the beach and south of Invercargill where there are huge expanses of Wetlands.The ferry crossing was uneventful, just enough swell to make it interesting rather than uncomfortable! Pulled into Stewart Island a little early and jumped straight onto an island tour bus to show us what was what. Of course their was the usual tour guide that jovially told us all the stories about the island, with a little embelishment I expect!We then has fish and chips for lunch, freshly caught Blue Cod, tasted lovely ;o) Then spent a nice leisurely few hours wandering around some of the local coves around the small and only town of Oban (Most things down here are named after Scottish things and rather weirdly they speak with a mixed NZ / Scottish accent!).Back on the ferry later in the afternoon for the trip back, for an even smoother ride back over. Apparently it was about the calmest day they'd had this year! Suited me, within 10 minutes the gentle rocking action had my head nodding, and Debs, and we were soon having a few winks sleep!Popped up to the top of the Bluff on the way back to check out the panoramic views around and then back to motel to have something to eat. Finished the day watching the sun set from Oreti beach. The sand is so hard you can drive along it quite easily. This beach was where parts of the film "The Fastest Indian" was filmed. FOr those of you that don't know, "Indian" refers to the motorcycle, not the race of people! A great story, I watched the film on the plane over!

Into Invercargill

Blimey, I've finaly caught up on the blog!
We were expecting rain today, never got any, in fact turned out to be a beautiful day for the drive down from Queenstown to Invercargill on the Southern Scenic route. This involved a slight detour as the drive straight down to Invercargill is just shy of 200KM, but taking a detour across to Te Anau means you can track down the edge of the SOuthern Alps but clock up a further 100KM. Well worth it though, another memorable drive along a virtually deserted road.
Stopped off In Te Anau for lunch and watched the toursist buses on route to Milford Sound disgorge their cargo for photo opportunities at the lake and then back on again 10 minutes later. I'm glad we're travellling independently, I couldn't face being herded around like sheep!!! Of course we're not as independent as the camper van crew but Deb does expect a few little luxuries (I'd be happy with a tent!) ;o)
Pulled into Invercargill mid-afternoon and settled straight into the motel. Popped out to the local supermarket to get some groceries and low and behold they didn't sell alcohol! I'm not sure whether it's unique to this town or not, whether there is a drinking problem or something, but in the end to get Deb a bottle of wine meant tracking down a licquor store. She did look like an alcoholic walking
out with her bottled wrapped in a brown paper bag though ;o)))
Fingers crossed for another nice day as we are taking the short ferry ride over to Stewart Island tomorrow, looks like it might be a little breezy though ;op I'll let you lnow how we get on later...