Bob & Claire's Travels

Queenstown day 3: Rain in the rainforest

bob-claire — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:14:00 GMT

Up early and out the door door for a two hour ride to Lake Manapouri to begin the bus/boat/bus/boat trip to Doubtful Sound, a rainforest at a similar latitude to northern Maine. through mostly spitting rain, we saw penguins, shags, gulls and a myriad of waterfalls that the folks who get the rare sunny day for the trip never get to see. Oh, also the underground power station that the bus drove us to 1 1/2km into a rock mountain in a long corkscrew that brought us 178m below the earth's surface to see quite an engineering feet: power created by a fall of water 178m to turn turbines. scary but amazing.

In the fiord the fog, cliffs and islands made it easy to imagine another world. Notice the rare crested cute couple of penguins in the left of the picture. They are hanging around the fiord feeding their young and spent the rest of the year "out to sea".

A quick dinner in Te Anau before the drive back to Queenstown, fields of sheep, cattle and red deer along the way. All in all amother good day'

Gosh, just one more day here...

claire

Queenstown Day 2 - Whitewater Rafting

bob-claire — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:18:00 GMT

Began the morning with a short run on bike path path which runs about ten feet from our back patio. Our hotel is right on Lake Waktipu and the bike path runs a mile or so along the Lake before heading out of town. It was quite a luxury to run early in the AM in shorts and a T shirt and be comfortable in late November. I'm afraid I'm in for a rude awakening next week when I wake up in the dark to run in the cold.

After breakfast we all headed off for a morning walk, then an early lunch since Mark, Pat and I were booked for a whitewater rafting trip on the Shotover River. The company offers two rafting trips and Mark and Pat chose the one billed as "grade 5 rapids, for experienced rafters only." The rafting turned out to be quite a lot of fun and not nearly as death defying as I feared. The bus ride into the canyon on the other hand was easily the most harrowing drive I have ever been on. Forty minutes of driving along a high mountain cliff with a road about a foot wider than the bus and at least a thousand foot drop into the gorge. After all the safety briefings they announce that anyone who is nervous can ride back on the bus and get a full refund. I was nervous enough to actually consider the offer until I thought about the alternative. I decided I'd rather take my chances in the raft than repeat the bus ride. In fact the rafting was great fun. We had an excellent guide and actually breezed through the rapids without incident. Between sets of rapids we were invited to jump in which was refreshing. (Everyone had a two piece wetsuit, a wind jacket and a lifevest). during the ride, 1 1/2 hours, we passed through some spectacular canyons and through some very exhilarating rapids.

Queenstown is different from every other place we have been in NZ. The downtown is just like Aspen, Lake Placid or St Moritz, a succession of high end shops selling brand name clothing and gear at top prices, but the outdoor offerings are quite unique and in some cases insane. You can bungy jump, para-sail, mountain bike down cliffs and so forth. Brian would get dizzy contemplating his options. I get nauseous just watching.

Queenstown Day 1

bob-claire — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 09:06:00 GMT

A lazy day from dawn to dusk. We are staying at a very nice hotel right on the lakefront a few K outside Queenstown. We have a very nice two bedroom unit with a large kitchen and livingroom and a deck outside. The accommodation is especially nice because we are here for five nights,the longest stay of our entire trip.

We booked a tour to Doubtful Sound for Wednesday, a white water rafting trip for tomorrow PM and then headed off by car for Arrowtown, a restored gold mining Village about 15K away. After a few hours touring the museum and wandering the village we had a picnic lunch and headed off on a walk. Back to the hotel by three PM. I went for a brief swim in the lake--temperature seemed at least several degrees colder than the ocean swim the other day. Claire and I cooked supper in and we had a quiet evening here.

Queenstown is the adventure capital of NZ. I find it interesting that in a country as small as NZ there are such distinctly different regions. For tourists the options include bungy jumping, jet boating, white water rafting, skydiving, mountain biking and so forth. Townspeople all look fit and outdoor types.

On to Queenstown

bob-claire — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 06:29:00 GMT

It looks as if we've come to another country, though to be honest, I've said this before on this trip. The palm type trees are nearly gone now, replaced by much more familiar looking trees, but on closer inspection the maple leaves are attached to birch trunks and branches!

We left Betty's Bach early enough to spend some time in Dunedin since really all we'd done there was to go to the Otago Museum, but when we got back to the city all of us wanted only to get back to that museum. We all knew that a new exhibit had opened called Cantebury Quakes and it was memorable. I think for me a big surprise on this trip has had to do with the quakes, the two in/around Christchurch as well as the two some of us felt in the last few days. these last two were confirmed by the exhibit which stated that there had been six tremors in the last 24 hours, 1200 since June. That, as well as the spewing volcano not too far away, gives me a rather unsettled feeling, but it is part of the culture here.

After a few hours in the museum we headed up to the green belt at the top of the city and had a picnic lunch with two women eating "real fish and chips"(out of newspaper) and a man snapping pictures remotely of Dunedin and the changing magnificent sky above. Then we began the drive to Queenstown through huge vineyards, increasingly hilly country and finally, The Remarkables, snow covered mountains that are as advertised.

Otago Peninsula

bob-claire — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:31:00 GMT

We woke in Betty's Bach (from bachelor, a primitive waterfront cabin), with eyes opening wider and wider at the display of all sorts of water birds (my current favorite is the Various Oyster Catcher, a lot like a Raven with bright red eyes, long pointy red bill and 10" red legs, a jaunty fellow). By the time we left the crib (a Bach) we had watched a sea lion come onto the sand flat about 200' away and loll and roll around in the sand. Our time here has seemed as if we are in the middle of a wild life sanctuary, with, of course, 10,000 sheep thrown in. By the end of the day we had visited two beaches, an albatross protected nesting site (complete with red eyed seagulls with perfect polka dot feathers on the edges of their wings), seen two dozen large sea lions, and some yellow eyed penguins for whom the word trundle was invented, at least I'm pretty sure that's where the word came from!
We ended the afternoon with a trip to Sandfly Beach: a drive that was scarily picturesque (steep hillsides) and involved a walk through a sheep pasture complete with sheep ("hey, we're IN the same fence as these guys!"), then down thru dunes 1/4 mile to the beach. Here we found sea lions lolling again (had been warned by signage to stay 10m away). I felt again as if I'd walked into a calendar page for the South Pacific, too much to see, too much beauty between eye blinks!

Bob had a quick swim outside our Bach door modifying his plan,when the current got hold of him, to swim closer to shore. We finished the day in the Portobello Brew Pub. Home at 8:30, still bright and sunny out. tomorrow we leave the Otago Penninsula, on the edge of Dunedin and head off to Queenstown, our last stop before heading home.

On to Dunedin

bob-claire — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:41:00 GMT

Had breakfast with Robert and Beth and headed off at 8 for Dunedin. Stopped about halfway at Fleurs', a highly recommended restaurant well off the beaten path on a bay overlooking the coast and had a suburb seafood chowder and salad. Then after a brief stop in Omarau, a quaint town with quite attractive stone buildings we headed on to Dunedin, a city of 120,000 with 20,000 university students. Along the way we never tired of spectacular landscapes and the ever present sheep. We are certain we see in excess of 10,000 each day we drive.

Dunedin was the largest city in NZ in the 19th century when whaling and gold mining were flourishing. Now it is a beautiful, hilly Victorian city with a lively downtown and lots of restaurants and pubs. We spent the afternoon at the Otago Museum which had terrific exhibits on both cultural and historical background. we left when the museum closed at five, grabbed a quick supper in town and headed out to the Otago Peninsula, a short 25K ride on very windy, hilly roads reminiscent of the roads we travelled years ago in Tobago.

Christchurch

bob-claire — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:26:00 GMT

Our itinerary called for a train trip to Arthur's Pass. By the time we arrived in Christchurch it had become obvious to all of us that spending our one day in Christchurch on a train heading away and then back in the evening was not the right answer. Over a wonderful supper of barbecued lamb and vegetables we made a plan to spend the morning at the botanical gardens, taking the bus tour through the "red zone" and the "restart mall"' then head for the Antarctica exhibit in the afternoon. I don,t have works to describe Christchurch. Beth sat in the seat behind Claire and me, and occasionally gasped or choked up at what she saw. This was her first visit into the red zone since Feb 2012, and although there was no damage she had not been aware of and had seen in pictures and videos, the reality of the devastation was at times overwhelming. Bearing in mind that Christchurch is the South Island's largest city and commercial and business hub, the fact that virtually every building in the central core has either come down, is scheduled for demolition, or scheduled for assessment and/or repair is almost beyond one's ability to appreciate. we saw entire residential neighbors of hundreds of homes which were uninhabitable and scheduled for demolition. We never got to the vast, primarily residential, section of lowland to the east of the city that was shaken, and consequently enveloped in salt water, a process referred to as "liquefaction". Ironically the Christchurch economy is doing rather well in one sense as cranes and work crews are everywhere. Tourism, a major industry here, has all but dried up owing to hotel destruction, heritage site destruction, and the rebuilding process itself.

Beth was a great tour guide. We had lunch at a cafe in the restart mall, a collection of shipping containers and shops being resurrected in the former shopping district. One can already see, 18 months later, how life will one day return to some semblance of normal. the Antarctica exhibit was different from what I had expected but no less interesting. no a word of Shackleton and only a few about Scott, but lots of information on the geology, weather, flora and fauna of this remote region.

We took Beth out for supper at a Thai restaurant then headed home for a glass of wine and off to bed.

On to Christchurch

bob-claire — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:07:00 GMT

we said goodby to Rosie after breakfast and headed off for Christchurch to visit Robert and Beth Winn-Wiliams, also friends from our days in Guelph. We had two options--a coastal route through Marlborough and wine country or a mountain route through the interior. We opted for the mountain route and suggestions from Rosie for a coffee stop mid-morning and a lunch stop in Hammer Springs, a ski and thermal springs resort town about 2/3 of the way to Christchurch. The scenery was striking with many snow capped peaks not far off as we drove through mountain passes alternating with relatively flat sections with large sheep and dairy herds. We stopped for gas in Lewis Pass, a small village about halfway along. We are used to NZ gas prices, $209 per liter which is just about double what we pay in the US. In Lewis Pass, an hour from the nearest competition, that price jumps to $2.34. I opted to leave the tank half full which caused concern in the back seat, and would most certainly not been endorsed by Bob Welsh, but we rolled into Christchurch with plenty to spare.

Beth and Robert have a very nice property within the city limits, but outside the urban district. We sat in the back yard, sipping wine and chatting for a few hours until our dinner feast of barbecued lamb and roasted vegetables. This morning we head out for a bus tour of the devastated downtown, a walk though the. Botanical gardens and a visit to the Antartica exhibit.

Pupu Springs

bob-claire — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

We had a wonderful day of touring twitch Rosie yesterday up to Pupu Springs at the top of the South (island). Our friend Rosie said she wanted to drive and we understood why after only a short time. The hill we went up and over took about an hour of strenuous driving--hard on the arms and shoulders as it wound back and forth upward.

That covered Takata, Upper Takata and east Takata, and it led to views of snow covered mountains as well as the Golden Beach area. Once down to a lower elevation again we found Tata beach and enjoyed walking along looking at the small camps and cabins mixed among the larger expensive homes. again a new bunch of plants and flowers and trees. On the way home we stopped at two roadside stands for a bag of fresh cherries and a bag of just picked green kiwi fruits.

The kiwis went for $2. for about 18 or so. We also stopped at the Jester Cafe, a very rural gift to the world where we fed "tame" eels. about fourteen swam up to us to get a feeding of mince. several were a yard long, many only two feet. after my roily stomach settled a bit I was able to reach out and stroke them as Rosie likes to do...

A long day with many adventures.More soon, and Happy Thanksgiving all you all,

Claire

Abel Tasman National Park

bob-claire — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:34:00 GMT

Claire opted for a day poking around in Nelson and visiting with Rosie. Mark, Pat and I headed off about west northwest to Abel Tasman National Park for a day of "tramping" and kayaking. The park is inaccessible by car. We drove as close as we could then boarded an aqua taxi with four other tourists and our guide. The boat is towed to the beach by a tractor which then backs the boat into the Tasman Sea and off we go about 10K to Torrent Bay, a beautiful beach within the park. We headed off on a 2 1/2 hour guided hike (tramp) up and down along the coastline. we saw tons of ferns, ancient trees, orchids, and birds. Darren, the guide, looked like a SoCal surfer. He did a fine job of describing the landscape while keeping up a challenging pace. we had lunch at Back Bay beach, then boarded two man sea kayaks for three hours of seal watching and beach cruising as we made our way back towards Torrent Bay. Around 4 PM we boarded another aqua taxi for the return trip to our base, a shower, coffee and the trip home. The day was outstanding. One of the few with bright sunshine and minimal wind all day. I found the kayaking quite a challenge and was very thankful for the benign conditions. It would have been gmuch more difficult in cool or rainy conditions or with a strong headwind. As it was the surf was occasionally fairly active with waves coming up over the boat as we paddled. The water temp was mid 60s, warm enough for the occasional splash to be more refreshing than anything else.

On to the South Island

bob-claire — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:13:00 GMT

We were up early to catch the 8AM Inter-Island Ferry. It's a beautiful three hour ride. The first part offers a spectacular view of Wellington and its harbor. The city, New Zealand's capitol, is built on hills, much like San Francisco. The ride then wends its way through the Queen Charlotte strait and into the harbor at Picton. We had a quick lunch, a pint of ale and off to Nelson and Rosie Potter, a good friend from our days at Guelph. Nelson is the smallest of the cities we have visited. It's a craft and cultural center loaded with small shops with beautiful ceramic and visual art. We spent our first afternoon hiking through a bird and wildlife sanctuary where Rosie volunteers, then found a small pub with cask conditioned IPA which was outstanding. ad dinner at home and spent the evening catching up with Rosie who we hadn't seen in twenty years.

Welington

bob-claire — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 07:25:00 GMT

Wellington, the bottom of the North Island. Hard to believe we had only one more day on the North Island. Seems like a huge city to me, but not surprising after all the small communities we had spent so much time in. Wellington is tall skyscrapers, lots of them, and that's appropriate for the capital of a nation. We found our hotel, then found the parking for it, not an easy feat. Wellington is so hilly that, well I never understood how the hotel worked, but reception was on the 6th floor on one side and ground level on the other.

With only a day to spend in the city we knew we wanted to take the cable car to the top to see the Botanic Gardens, and we bought our return tickets and made our way up. The Botanical Gardens were eye opening, wonderful serpentine paths through huge trees, tiny and large succulents, more roses (though not as nice as those in the Marston garden). We abandoned our return tickets for a walk down through a very old cemetery and across a bridge to see the rest of the cemetery some of which had to be moved to make room for the motorway coming into the city. A very wide variety of gravestone types and fashions and fonts, more than I 've ever seen. Our walk brought us to the waterfront--lots of walking room, looked like a huge lego setup to me with all sorts of cranes, containers, piers and "boats".

Since we had had a sandwich at the Botanical Gardens, we made our way to the other "must see" in Wellington, the Te Papa museum which is supposed to be the best museum to explain and illustrate Maori history. We found it a teriffic museum, but by this time much of the Maori history was beginning to seem familiar to us. Our favorite exhibit (though not in an entirely positive way) was the earthquake section of the museum. Way too realistic for me. But the attitude here seems to be that since an earthquake is such a real possibility throughout the nation, if it happens to you you won't know, it will just be all over. On our way back to the hotel we found a casual italian restaurant on the waterfront and had a good meal there. Early to bed because we had to be out the door by 7am on the way to the ferry to the South Island.

Our trip is 1/2 over...

More soon,

Claire

Marton, North Island

bob-claire — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:03:00 GMT

This morning we headed off right after breakfast for a 260K ride south to see Tim and Trisha Pearce, a couple of NZ veterinarians I met 32 years ago when they travelled with me on my AI route in Ontario one weekend when I was in veterinary school. We shared a beer at the end of my Sunday route and they said "be sure to get in touch if you ever come to NZ. Thirty-two years later I took them up on what I hoped was a sincere offer. Turned out it was a good move. They are delightful people with a very impressive horse and sheep farm which they run in addition to their veterinary work. Both compete in show jumping and Tim last week won a grand pre event--a level of competition just below Olympic level. We toured a magnificent garden maintained by one of their neighbors and then were hosted at a "barbi" to which they invited about a dozen friends and neighbors. The attached pic is of one of their ewes ith her triplets.

We spend most of the afternoon and evening chatting with them about NZ agriculture, and gained the kind of insight and perspective one can only gain in this kind of setting. We all left feeling that the few bottles of wine and gifts we left behind, were hardly sufficient for all they gave us. It was great fun. Weather has been quite good. We seem to have a half hour or so of rain almost every day, but it is never heavy and is almost always followed by bright sunshine. Temps have ranged from 6 to 19 (40 to 65 for you Americans). Tomorrow we are off to Wellington for a day, and Saturday morning we board the ferry for the South Island. weRe two weeks down and two weeks to go.

Rotorua Day 3

bob-claire — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:23:00 GMT

what a great day! We did two things: a thermal area in the morning and a zip line /canopy tour in the afternoon.

Both were amazing and new to me. First we drove about an hour out of Rotorua, saw another half million sheep and cattle and found ourselves at Ohrakei.

We took a little one minute ferry across the lake and began our journey on boardwalks through about 1 1/2 km of thermal activity, from plopping mud pools to steaming sinkholes of all sizes,to quarter acre size areas covered with silica that resembled snowfields. And one cave that looked like a scary Halloween backdrop. All along the boardwalks were informational signs about tangle fern, tea tree plants, manuka trees. On the way back to Rotarua we stopped in tha Mihi Mihi cafe for a snack. Among a few antiques sitting around we saw two old Bakelite table phones, one with a crank where the dial area later would be and one with a crank on the side.

The afternoon trip was with a brand new company which has gotten a pile of acclaim for its ecological treatment of the bush.

This area had never been cut over and it was a thrill to see ancient Rimu trees as well as huge Silver ferns and other mighty giants. Nine of us made the group with two guides.

While the zips were exciting and gave me the opportunity to dig down deep and get up the nerve to jump off a platform 22m high, it was also a great tour for what we learned about the NZ forests, the blasted invasive mammals and the damage they have done to the bird populations.

Again, I'm so impressed with NZ. seeing how Maori and later immigrants have managed to live together gives much food for thought, and today we saw how much the concern for their environment affects many, many citizens here.

Rotorua Day 2

bob-claire — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Rotorua is a center of Mauri history and culture. The area is very close to the geographical center of the North Island, about 150 KM west of the coast where we did our bike ride. Yesterday we focused on caves and glow worms, today we spent at a museum and in a historic Mauri settlement and its adjacent church. The picture is of St Faith's Church built in 1910. Hopefully the picture is clear enough for you to see the elaborate carvings on this Tutor style building. Quite spectacular both inside and out.

Rotorua ais situated on a volcanic rift and has hundreds of underwater pools and geysers all over town. There is a sulphur smell in the air which is striking when you first arrive, but quickly becomes unnoticable. After we left the Mauri village we walked over to the museum which is in a building that served as a spa center for many years after it was built in 1908. The wealthy, sick and famous came from all over the world to be soothed or cured by the hot sulfur baths. Now there are spas all over town but this building is a museum with the shell of a bathhouse on one end and a museum of Mauri culture and history on the other side. The area has not seen a volcanic eruption since 1886, but truly it is only a matter of time before another eruption occurs. In the meantime Rotorua is a busy town of about 30 ,000 people, a Mecca for mountain bikers and tourists. We have had some excellent meals at Thai, Indian and Mauri restaurants. Claire, Mark and Pat plan to do a canopy tour tomorrow afternoon. I plan to use the time exploring what the thermal baths can do for my ailing hip and knee. In the morning we will all visit a cave and thermal park abut 50K south of town.

Rotorua Day 1

bob-claire — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:47:00 GMT

Today we faced a darkish and rainy day and decided that the best way to spend it was by doing a cave tour underground and seeing New Zealand's famous glow worms. We drove over hundreds of hills and dales to reach Waitamo. It turns out that the owners of the farm land also own the caves beneath, and those caves are leased by the caving companies which get sole access to the caves and pay the farmers a royalty for each tourist as well as the leasing fee. To reach the cave access we waited while sheepdogs rounded up cattle, then sheep and moved them to fresh pasture.

It was a three hour tour and there we six in our group. We were dressed to the gills in swimwear, a farmer John wetsuit with a long sleeved jacket over top, two pairs of booties and Wellingtons over those. We wore helmets with lights, and those of us with glasses had them taped to the helmets, and down in we went!

I don't know what we had in mind, but all of us were thrilled with underground drama, with swimming at times in 50 degree water, with tubing and with being scared out of our minds. A snack break midway of hot orange ade and chocolate was perfect somehow for this occasion! We emerged three hours later the most bedraggled bunch I'd ever seen. Each of us had gained about 15-20 lbs. with boots full of water and mud. A hot shower and a nearby pub ended the perfect adventure.

My favorite thing currently about NZ is the diversity we confront everywhere. Last night at a special Maori dinner 22 nations were represented among the 150 diners. This trip is turning my understanding of the world and geography literally upside down.

More soon,

Claire

East Cape Bike Ride

bob-claire — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:13:00 GMT

Our East Cape biking adventure was a ton of fun. We were quite surprised by the physical challenge. The Lonely Planet cycling book Eli gave us for Christmas described this ride as fairly flat and moderately difficult. I would say the hills were respectable West County or VT/NH bumps, and the wind coming up from the south was the strongest wind we have ever biked in. Toward the end of day two I found myself in my middle ring and large cluster on the back (27) pedaling hard to keep moving while riding downhill. The payoff was some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever seen and wonderful people along the way. We were biking through the most rural area of NZ, a region populated predominantly by Mauri people living on small holdings raising kiwi, sheep and cattle and harvesting wood for timber and pulp. Sadly the great majority of the logs are being trucked to Gisborne where they are loaded on ships bound for China.

The first day we rode in beautiful sunshine and no wind. We travelled 75K and settled for the night at a very nice B&B right on the Pacific with a direct view of White Island, New Zealand's largest active volcano. We set out the next morning for Hicks Bay and met the aforementioned south wind as we neared the point of the cape. The final 15K was an effort, but we were rewarded to arrive at the Hicks Bay Hotel and Tavern where a shower, a bed, good food and ale were all available. The proprietor, John Campbell, asked where we were from and shared that he had spent some time in Boston. Turns out he ran the Boston Marathon in 2:11 at the age of 42. That set a masters record which still holds twenty years later. He holds a twelfth place finish in the Olympics as well. Truly an amazing guy and a lot of fun to talk to. The next morning we headed off for Takamoro Bay, a 95K ride with several nasty bumps early in the ride and a wind that never let up. Fortunately the last nine K are downhill and a pub is at the bottom of the hill. We found a very nice place to stay and met a couple form Tanzania who we joined for supper at the aforementioned pub. Thursday morning was overcast and we indulged ourselves and ate a leisurely breakfast and waited around for the sun to come out. We biked 35K in the afternoon and stopped for the night in Tolega Bay at the local inn where we again had supper company. This time it was a physician and his wife from Auckland. He was traveling the East cape giving CE talks to docs and nurses on gout and diabetes which seem to be very common in the Mauri, They had Internet access and were able to tell us that Elizabeth Warren had won. NZ TV Covered the presidential race and we had found out that result when we finished our ride Wednesday (Tuesday evening in MA).

We woke up Friday AM to sunshine and NO wind. he ride into Gisbone, 55K was a breeze. On he way we stopped at the site where Whale Rider was filmed. It is actually a site where several dozen whales were beached and there is a memorial plaque to honor the whales and those who tried to help. We arrived in Gisbone early in the afternoon and walked the town enjoying wine tasting and just being tourists. We had mixed feelings about finishing the ride. We were both relievEd to have finished safely with no mechanical or other issues, but a little sad that this portion of the trip was over. We figure we saw well over 5000 sheep, spectacular coastline and landscapes and met a number of very enjoyable people. Saturday morning we boarded a bus for Opotiki where we were reunited with our luggage and prepared to meet Mark and Pat for phase two of our trip. We join them in Rotorua where we will stay for four days before heading suth.

Opotiki- begin our ride

bob-claire — Mon, 5 Nov 2012 05:27:00 GMT

It is a beautiful but cool morning as we get ready to begin our ride. Yesterday we rode a bus from Auckland which gave us a great view of the central North Island. The first fifteen miles or so are through the suburbs of Auckland, but the landscape then quickly becomes majestic with pastures, volcanic outcroppings and large dairy and beef herds, flocks of sheep, some horses amid even a few pastures full of deer. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing dairy herds out in pasture. For whatever reason, probably tied to land values, one just does not see dairy cows in pasture in the US. We saw milking herds of several hundred wandering in beautiful fields and later in the day being herded toward the milk house. They looked clean, robust and contented. The pastures too steep for cows had sheep grazing on terraced hillsides. I suspect as we move further south we will see more and more sheep since the population of sheep in NZ is reputed to be twenty times the human population.

We had put a lot of thought into the logistics of getting the two of us, our luggage and the bikes to Opitiki from our hotel in Auckland. In fact the maneuver unfolded better than we allowed ourselves to hope. I think Frank would be impressed with both the planning and execution. We selected a hotel only three blocks from the bus terminal figuring that walking was the only way to get everything there. No cab would take us with the bikes. The plan was for Claire to walk the two bikes to the terminal with me alongside wheeling one suitcase and carrying the duffle with bike paraphernalia over my shoulder. She sat in the coffee shop with an eye on the luggage and bikes while I went back for the second suitcase. Our bus reservation included the bikes, but the bus company policy is that the driver can refuse to take the bikes if he does not think there is room. We were quite relieved when's the driver showed up and cheerfully loaded our bikes and luggage aboard prior to loading anything else. We sat in the front seat with a terrific view of the countryside and enjoyed the ride in beautiful sunshine.

If I ever figure out how to attach photos to these postings I will do so. For now you are stuck with my descriptions. So far I would say that the towns and cities are nothing to write home about, although I seem to be doing exactly that! Every town we enter has a main street that looks like a long strip mall featuring lots of local businesses along with the ever present McDonalds, Subway and Burgerkings The countryside, iin contrast, is quite breathtaking. We cant identify many of the trees. Yesterday Claire noticed a suburban house from the bus with a lemon tree, grapefruit tree, and orange tree all bearing ripe fruit. Farm fields have their first hay crop wrapped in plastic in the fields. Corn is a few inches high and strawberries are in full bloom. Pastures are very lush and livestock looks well fed and content.

I need to load up the panniers on my bike and get ready to roll out. We will most likely not have Internet access during the ride, so do not expect to hear from us again until Saturday. Hope all is well at home.

November 2

bob-claire — Fri, 2 Nov 2012 17:01:00 GMT

After a remarkably smooth trip, on the heels of a flight cancellation only hours before departure, we are now comfortably situated at the Shakespeare Pub and Hotel (top floor) in the heart of Auckland, NZ. We got in today at 6:30am, cleared customs and headed directly for the bike shop which was only a mile from the airport. They were great, put our seats and pedals on the bikes and set them up for us, and then one of the guys drove us, our luggage and bikes to our downtown hotel. We checked in and headed right back out for a latte and a one hour bus tour of the city. Not much on the schedule for the rest of today except fish and chips in the pub downstairs with ale to wash it down. Tomorrow we will explore Auckland and then Sunday AM board a bus to Opotiki where we will stay overnight before embarking on our 6 day like trip around the East Cape of the North Island.

Initial impressions--Kiwis are warm and welcoming, Auckland makes Montreal seem flat, Melatonin and Ambien are the answer to a 13 hour flisht in coach seats, and crossing streets in countries where vehicles travel on the left is the most dangerous thing I have ever done. A typical crossing involves two near death experiences: the first when I look right and step into traffic from the left and the second when I reach the median, look left and step into traffic from the right. Wish us luck trying to safely ride bicycles 300 miles on the left side of the road!

Bob

Photos: profile

bob-claire — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:16:00 GMT