Travels in the Blogging World

Return to Christchurch and Auckland

kiwicadence — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:00:00 GMT

+Took bus from Mt. Cook to Christchurch, stopping again in Lake Tekapo and back again at the Chruch of Good Shepherd and statue of the collie dog. +Enjoyed returning to Christchurch to do some last-minute souvenir shopping and have a wonderful Indian curry. +Took flight from Christchurch to Auckland. +Val met me at the airport and took me to the backpacker place where I had reserved a room and a shuttle to the airport for tomorrow's very early flight. +Man at backpacker reception told me he didn't have a room at the rate his wife had told me and wanted me to pay more. He then became very rude and obnoxious and although I was polite and restrained (seeing as Val was with me and I didn't want the situation to escalate), he asked me to leave and go check a hotel down the street! +I've been kicked out of far better places than his, thank you very much! +The name of his place is Skyway Lodge near Auckland Airport. Tell everyone it's bad and the man there is rude. I intend to tell everyone I know!!! +Given the above, Val took me to her place and I stayed there. Val got up at 3:15 a.m. (th e middle of the night!!!) and drove me to the airport. Val's kindness is the exact opposite of the Skyway Lodge. +Everyone was very helpful in NZ except for that one man!!! +Anyway, after the early alarm call, took over an hour for check in at the airport - sigh. +Then sat in the plane for an hour's delay before take off. +Finally arrived in Sydney and was randomly selected by customs for an explosives screening.

+Flight to LA was then coincidentally delayed by one hour.

+Watched total of five movies on my flights home: An Inconvenient Truth, The Queen, A Bunch of Amateurs, The Last King of Scotland, and The Proposal.

+Also watched two episodes of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. (My Brit friends will appreciate this.)

+Back in LA, caught the SuperShuttle home. Enjoyed walking back into my little place!

+There on the dining room table waiting for me was a copy of American on Purpose, signed by the author! "To V..., Craig Ferguson x" What a welcome home!

Lake Tekapo and Mt. Cook

kiwicadence — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:56:00 GMT

+Took my first trip on the Magic bus network because connections with Intercity weren't so good to go from Dunedin to Lake Tekapo. Was pleased to have a Maori driver. +First stop on the Magic bus was Baldwin Street! I went there yesterday! :-) +Visited the Moeraki boulders, spherical boulders on the beach. +Stopped in Oamaru, known for blue penguins (too early in the day to see them) and historical commercial buildings (time of day doesn't matter with the buildings, so got to see those). +Bought Edmonds Cookbook, supposedly THE New Zealand cookbook to buy if you buy only one. +Drove along the Waitaki Valley, home of hydroelectric dams and canals (never knew there were such things). +Also is home of salmon farms, built in the canals. +Stopped by Lake Pukaki, a beautiful blue color. +Spent afternoon and night in Lake Tekapo, again a beautiful blue lake. +Visited the Church of the Good Shepherd and saw the statue of the collie dog, tribute to all the collie dogs which made sheep farming possible in the region. +Spectacular views of lake and snow-capped mountains from everywhere in town and from the youth hostel. +Feasted on bangers and mash, which came with a glass of free NZ wine. +Next day, walked more around the lake. The sun was shining! Beautiful. +Caught bus to Mt. Cook. +At risk of being repetitive, the drive was beautiful, snow-capped moutains and lakes. +The bus was glass-topped so you could see the mountain tops. +Youth hostel in Mt. Cook has wonderful views of Mt. Cook. +Walked around Mt. Cook enjoying the sunshine and views of spectacular mountains. +Mt. Cook is highest point of NZ: 12,316 ft. +Visited Sir Edmund Hillary Center. Sir Edmund alongwith Tenzig Norgay was the first man to summit Mt. Everest. Enjoyed the center very much, in particular a movie documentary about his life. He's from NZ and did some climbing on Mt. Cook. +Today I saw a black person and realized I've only seen three black people while on the South Island. Main population is white, Asian and Maori. Other travellers I meet are white or Asian. Quite different from Long Beach, which has people from everywhere! +Enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate at the Hermitage Hotel looking right up at Mt. Cook in beautiful blue cloudless skies. +There are mail boxes here which are for international mail only. +The Lake Tekapo and Mt. Cook region has some military folks such as SAS and Green Berets doing alpine training. +Maori name of Mt. Cook is Aoraki, which means Cloud Piercer or is name of one of the sons of the creator (depending on which guide book you read). +The stars on the NZ flag are the Southern Cross constellation.

More Dunedin

kiwicadence — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:17:00 GMT

+Visited Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Walked to the top. Phew! It climbs 47.22 meters, has average gradient of 1 in 3.14 meters, with the steepest section being 1 in 2.86. In a word, it's steep! Some of the houses are built in strange ways to accommodate the steep incline.

+Every year, there is a race on Baldwin Street and it's called the Baldwin Street Gutbuster. Orange candies (made by Cadbury, of course, and called Jaffas) are rolled down the hill and chased after by children.

+Visited the Botanical Gardens and fed the ducks.

+Walked around the University of Otago campus and ate at the student union. A very nice campus.

+Visited the museum once again. Again, surprised at the quality of museums in Dunedin.

+Tomorrow have a bus journey planned to go to Lake Tekapo.

+Like in England, people in New Zealand like fruit cake. At least, I see a lot for sale here.

+Saw tubs of dripping in the supermarket (this will appeal to the English readers of this blog rather than the American ones).

+National dessert is pavlova (although the Australians claim it's their national dessert too).

+Vegemite brought out a variation which included cream cheese and asked people to come up with a new name for the product. The company chose "iSnack 2.0". Consumers then complained about the name making lots of negative posts on the Internet, so the company has changed the name to "Vegemite Cheeseybite."

+On the InterCity buses, there is a screen at the front of the bus which shows first the time and after a few minutes switches to the date before switching back to the time again after a few minutes. Thsi goes on throughout the whole of the journey. How many people on the bus, I wonder, need to be reminded of the date so frequently?! I certainly don't.

Dunedin (the Edinburgh of the South)

kiwicadence — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:04:00 GMT

More travel updates and trivia.

+In emergencies, in England you dial 999, in America 911, and in New Zealand 111.

+Shopping carts are called trundlers here.

+Savory scones are popular here in addition to fruit scones. I had one today that had tomato, spinach and cheese all mixed into it.

+There are only two mountain ranges that run truly north-south in the world. One is the Rocky Mountains in the US; the other is the Southern Alps here in NZ.

+Took early bus from Te Anau to Dunedin. Dunedin was settled by Scottish immigrants and is nicknamed the Edinburgh of the South.

+I've heard at least two people use the word "wee" here to mean small as they do in Scotland. Old habits die hard, I guess.

+Bus journey to Dunedin was beautiful, the norm for NZ.

+Passed through town of Gore, which coincidentally is not far from the town of Clinton. The highway is called the Clinton-Gore highway. Any guesses why!

+Gore was home of the hokinui moonshine whiskey museum.

+Passed through Lumsden, home of the man who developed the kind of grass which is now used at Lords Cricket Ground and Wimbledon.

+Staying at a hostel/backpacker place called Hogwartz.

+Dunedin was also settled by Chinese immigrants. As a tribute, the center of town is built in the shape of an octagon, the number eight being lucky in Chinese culture.

+Surprisingly impressive museums in Dunedin. Also home of NZ's first university, the University of Otago. Very nice campus. I also walked around the student union building there.

+Dunedin's railway station is supposedly most-photographed building in NZ.

+Took the Elm Wildlife Tour of Otago Peninsula. Saw beautiful scenery (surprise, suprise). Also on the tour, went to private beaches to see wildlife: Royal Albatross (the only albatross colony anywhere in the world that is based on the mainland), Hooker Sealions (the rarest of the world's five species of sealions), Yellow-Eyed Penguins (the rarest of the world's 18 species of penguins), black swans, paradise shelducks, and fur seals. Had no idea the trip would involve hiking up and down some v-e-r-y steep hills.

+Was surprised to see the penguins hiking up the steep hills. Even more suprised to see the penguins hiking up the steep hills alongside the sheep and lambs. They seem to get along together quite well.

+The penguins are considered "forest birds" here. They spend their days swimming in water in search of food and their evenings in their nests in the steep hills.

+Rode the Taieri Gorge Railway described as "one of the world's great train trips". Is mind-blowing how folk can build a railroad seemingly clinging to the mountainside with steep drops down to the river below.

+Met a NZ woman called Vivienne, and we went together on the train ride. We were the only ones in the carriage, so consider we had our own private carriage. The only way to travel.

+Vivienne's son Jeff gave us a tour of the Otago Daily Times newspaper and Channel 9 news station, where he works.

+Visited the Cadbury chocolate factory in Dunedin. Got a goodie bag of chocolate and learned how chocolate was made.

+Saw the world's only free fall of chocolate.

+The purple color of Cadbury was adopted by Cadbury after he received permission from the Queen of England to use the color (it's a royal color). Cadbury presented the Queen with a huge amount of chocolate!

+I've noticed that Cadbury chocolate tastes different in England and NZ vs. America. I asked why and was told that the recipe is exactly the same, the different is the result of the diet of the cows - grass-fed vs. corn-fed. Who knew?

+Have bus booked to Lake Tekapo on Wednesday and from there to Mt. Cook on Thursday.

Milford Sound

kiwicadence — Fri, 9 Oct 2009 14:37:00 GMT

Today mum and dad treated me to a trip to Milford Sound, supposedly the highlight of New Zealand. I have to say I had very high expectations of this trip, and I have to say the trip did not meet my high expectations. The trip exceeded my expectations 100-fold, 1000-fold, 1,000,000-fold or more!!! I am truly at a loss for words to describe this amazing day and this amazing place. I have visited 60-70 countries in the world and the trip to Milford Sound and Milford Sound itself have to be in the top few places in the world in my opinion. How many ways can I say breath-taking, beautiful, amazing, etc. I truly recommend everyone to visit it if they ever come to NZ. It's absolutely breathtaking and is truly a highlight.

+Passed the 45-degree south latitude marker.

+Saw snow-capped mountains, towering peaks, teaming waterfalls.

+Had a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride through Te Anau downs and the snow-capped mountains. The bus had a glass top for viewing the high mountains on either side of the road.

+Took a two-and-a-quarter-hour cruise on Milford Sound.

+Milford Sound actually isn't a sound at all. A sound is carved by a river. Milford Sound was carved by a glacier, so technically it's a fiord.

+Went through the Homer Tunnel.

+Trees grow on the mountain sides even though there's no top soil. First lichen grow on the mountain, then trees latch onto the lichen and other vegetation and other trees and dig their roots into any niche or opening they can find on the mountain. When one tree falls off, it often brings other with it -- called a tree avalanche.

+Saw fur seals sunbathing on the rocks.

+Saw kea birds (like big parakeets).

+The sun came out - beautiful, but it was at times very windy, which was actually quite fun!

+The best description I can come up with is to imagine Yosemite Valley semi-flooded with water and you have to take a boat out on the water to view it. It's on the scale of Yosemite and Grand Canyon.

+Thanks mum and dad. It was one amazing treat. It was so amazing, I think it's my birthday and Xmas present all in one for the next several years!!!!

Queenstown - Te Anau

kiwicadence — Fri, 9 Oct 2009 14:26:00 GMT

A few more updates:

+Visited the underwater observatory in Queenstown and enjoyed the diving ducks - they can dive up to 8 meters under water and stay under for 45 seconds.

+Visited a McCafe - pretty upmarket! Like a Starbucks really. Also figured out that a flat white coffee is a cafe au lait.

+Saw bog pine, the slowest growing tree in the world. Grows one foot every 100 years.

+All mammals have been introduced to NZ. None is native.

+Birds here had no predators at first and plenty of food on the ground, so many lost the ability to fly, e.g., the kiwi. When mammals were introduced, the result has been that 50% of NZ native birds are either extinct or on the endangered list.

+Ate at a Fergburger, described as "maybe NZ's best burger." Mine was excellent although a little small compared to the "Big Al" featured on the menu: "double serving of prime NZ beef (1/2 lb), lashings of bacon, a whole lotta cheese, two eggs, beetroot, lettuce, tomato, red onion, relish and a big wad of aioli." And we thought it was the Americans who did things to excess!

+On the plane from Sydney to Auckland, the man sitting next to me cut his finger on a razor in his toiletries bag. Last night in the hostel, a woman in my room also cut her finger on a razor in her toiletries bag. Moral: watch out for dangers in your toiletries bag, or (guys) grow beards and (women) don't bother shaving your legs.

+Traveled from Queenstown to Te Anau - once again, beautiful scenery (am I becoming repetitive?)

+Went through the deer capital of NZ.

+Finally tried lolly cake - a cake I've seen everywhere. Very tasty, but very sweet. Has brightly colored candy in it.

+Visited the Fiordland Visitors' Center, saw the movie there and exhibits.

+Visited the Dept. of Conservation Wildlife Center: birds in enclosures, including parakeets, the rare takahe, NZ pigeons, tui, kaka and some ducks. The ducks I recognized!

Queenstown and Arrowtown

kiwicadence — Tue, 6 Oct 2009 14:15:00 GMT

+Rode the gondola for a spectacular view over Queenstown - absolutely breathtaking - mountain, lake, snow-capped mountain, cute little Queenstown. Beautiful and one of the highlights so far.

+Rode the luge (a little three-wheeled cart for want of a better description) on the scenic route around the mountain.

+Visited the botanical gardens and actually lay out in the sun (complete with jacket and scarf).

+The North Island has suffered a snow storm with about 600 people stranded and having to be sheltered overnight, and a highway closed for hours. I'm in the South Island. Phew!

+Still cold here. Bought a possum merino hat. I love all this possum merino stuff - it's soooooo soft and I need it to keep warm.

+Sat by the lakeside and ate dinner of Thai green curry and rice. What a view!

+Visited neighboring Arrowtown, small former gold mining town. Some original buildings still remaining and a former Chinese settlement that housed the many Chinese immigrants who came to work the gold mines there in the 1800s.

+Often cafes here charge 50 cents extra for decaf coffee as opposed to regular and 50 cents extra for tomato ketchup.

+"Gluten-free" is a big deal here. It's advertized everywhere. Had no idea it was such a selling point.

+Tried a Louise Slice - have seen them everywhere. Very tasty. Pastry with jam and coconut topping. Yum!

+Tax is included in the price of things, so when the price tag says $10, it's $10.

+The smallest coin is 10c, so when you buy something priced at $3.99, stores round up and you pay $4. Equally, when something is priced $4.02, the stores round down and you wind up paying $4. Now, comes the question, why don't they just price it at $4 and be done with it?

+I have a bus ride booked to Te Anau for Thursday at 6:50 in the morning.

+For a country that has so much rain, it's admirable to see how much NZ focuses on water conservation.

+Recycling is big here - all kinds of bins in which to separate your waste. I'm always wondering if I've put things in the right bins!

+When you unlock a door, you have to turn the key the opposite way than you would intuitively (or at least the opposite way that you would in the US or England).

Franz Josef to Queenstown

kiwicadence — Mon, 5 Oct 2009 07:02:00 GMT

+Poured with rain the whole day in Franz Josef, so didn't walk out to the glacier. Figured I must have seen glaciers in Nepal and didn't fancy a good soaking.

+Guided glacier hikes involve going up 200 ice steps.

+Bought a local newspaper and read that instead. Really enjoy the newspapers here. They're written like English ones. Wandered from cafe to cafe. Talked to my roommates from Bangladesh and the Maldives(!). The woman from the Maldives says owing to global warming, her country may well be under water 50 years from now and completely disappeared. Hmmm...

+Needed a day to relax anyway after the constant moving from town to town.

+Took bus from Franz Josef to Queenstown. The drive was spectacular with each and every turn bringing a picture perfect view. Amazing, spectacular, beautiful, impressive, OK, you get the idea.

+Snow-capped mountains, lakes, rainforests, ocean, waterfalls, a salmon farm, deer, sheep. This region is included in the Southwest New Zealand World Heritage Site.

+One of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken.

+Had an amazing bus driver George, who gave a running commentary non-stop on every thing from flora, fauna, photosynthesis, possums, and even managed to include blood pressure readings! I intend to send a letter of praise to InterCity buses.

+Saw the site of A.J. Hackett's first bungy jumps.

+Stopped in beautiful Wanaka, a nice little town by the lake.

+Arrived in Queenstown to see people hang-gliding off the mountain.

+Love Queenstown, the adventure capital as it's nicknamed. Beautiful lake, beautiful views of the snow-capped Remarkables mountains, cute little town with shops, cafes, and restaurants, delightful lakeside walk. I think Queenstown is my favorite place in NZ so far.

+Checked in at the Youth Hostel, which has fabulous views of the lake and mountains from the kitchen and lounge.

+Walked around town and had a Japanese meal.

+New Zealand folk say "No worries" like the Australians do (or maybe it's Australians here saying it and I think they're New Zealanders?).

+Desserts in restaurants here seem very over-priced. The "entree" here is the appetizer, the main course is "mains".

+Off to do the gondola ride in Queenstown today.

Christchurch to Franz Josef

kiwicadence — Sat, 3 Oct 2009 08:02:00 GMT

+Tomato ketchup has a clove taste to it.

+New Zealanders seem to have adopted the British love of Indian food. Lots of Indian restaurants. Not many Mexican restaurants.

+Found a wonderful kiosk selling sausages, run by an East German guy who didn't speak a word of English when he came to New Zealand. Is now running his own business.

+The earthquake in Samoa resulted in a small tsunami on the beaches of Christchurch (only 1 meter high).

+Many restaurants seem cold. Several I've kept my jacket on while eating!

+Found a trinket box to add to my collection: made of coconut and contains a maori-inspired pendant (I suspect it's made in China, but oh well, what isn't these days!).

+Caught the bus to Lyttleton, which as the name implies was "lyttle".

+Enjoyed an eccles cake in Lyttleton!!

+Lyttleton is the home of Joe Bennett, newspaper columnist Joe Bennett, who wrote Land of Two Halves in which he hitchhiked round NZ. I read the book as "research" before coming here. Like Bill Bryson, only not as good.

+Caught the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth. Described as one of the greatest train journeys in the world.

+Train journey went via snow-capped mountains, alpine foothills, Canterbury Plains, the Waimakariri Gorge,up to ARthur's Pass (737 meters high), through the Otira Tunnel, then through rainforests of the west coast.

+Train trip was 231 km, included 19 tunnels and took 4 1/2 hours.

+Enjoyed a free Devonshire Cream Tea on the train.

+From the train, I rode the bus for four hours to Franz Josef, home of Franz Josef Glacier.

+It rains in Franz Josef 180 days a year. Today is one of those days.

+Enjoyed a lovely dinner of roast pork and apple sauce with crackling!

+In Nepal, it's called trekking, in the US and England, it's called hiking, in New Zealand, it's called tramping. +Hope to visit the glacier today.

Wellington to Christchurch

kiwicadence — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Here we go again...

+Took the Bluebridge Ferry from the North Island to the South Island. Great scenery especially leaving Wellington and entering Queen Charlotte Sound in the South Island.

+Ferry arrived in Picton in time for lunch: a meat pie. Meat pies are very popular here.

+Love my merino possum scarf! Wish the weather were warmer though so I didn't have to wear it.

+Saw seals in the water from the ferry.

+From Picton to Christchurch took the TransCoastal train along the coast. Oceans on one side, snow-capped mountains on the other (and lots of lambs everywhere).

+The lambs are so cute, I don't think I have the courage to eat a lamb meat pie.

+Saw seals from the train.

+Train journey was 347 km long, went through 21 tunnels and over 175 bridges, not that I was counting.

+Arrived in Christchurch. Felt right at home immediately. It seems so English!!!

+Took shuttle from train station to the backpacker place where I'm staying (for Paul and Janet, the first stop on the shuttle was the Hotel SO).

+Cathedral bells were ringing in Cathedral Square.

+Visited the cathedral, the museum, the art gallery, the botanical gardens. Saw the tram and generally wandered around.

+Have booked another train trip and bus ride over to the west coast of the South Island to see Franz Josef Glacier. Should be there on Friday.

+Discovered what the crunchy bits were in the afghan cookie: cornflakes.

+Christchurch has pedestrian crossings which go diagonally across an intersection (like Tokyo). I'm never sure when I can cross so just follow a local.

+When driving in New Zealand, they drive on the left. When making a left turn into a street, they have to give way to an on-coming vehicle who wants to turn right into the same street. Basically opposite of US and England.

+Couldn't resist checking out youtube to watch Craig Ferguson's interview on David Letterman show, where Craig appeared on the same show as the NZ prime minister.

Taupo to Wellington

kiwicadence — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:13:00 GMT

Here are a few more updates:

+Am drinking "flat white coffee", not sure if I can explain what it is but it tastes good.

+Have found coconut mushrooms (no, they're not hallucinogenic) and candy milk bottles (some of my favorite English candies)

+Am eating Marmite.

+Other than food, I am finding time to sightsee.

+Met a British woman who did a sky dive in NZ, wound up marrying the sky dive instructor.

+Enjoyed a visit to Huka Falls, created by NZ's longest river, the Waikato.

+Didn't stay at the nearby Huka Falls for obvious reasons($1,800 a night).

+Went to the Honey Hive, a place devoted to bees and honey. Did the honey tasting. My favorite was the Pohutukawa honey...and the manuka honey and chestnut ice cream.

+Read in the newspaper that Craig Ferguson will be shown here on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday -- in the same episode where David Letterman interviews John Keys, New Zealand's prime minister. Way to go Craig! The kiwis will love you, I'm sure!

+Took six and a half hour bus ride to Wellington, capital city.

+Bus ride was spectacular - beautiful scenery, seems to be the norm here.

+Rode a cable car here and visited Botanic Gardens. Was an event for spring tulips and saw the Dutch ambassador to New Zealand.

+Visited Te Papa, the national museum, twice and saw the only colossal squid to be on display in a museum in the world.

+Bought myself a pair of socks and a scarf made from merino wool and possum fur. Softest things in the world! Love the possum fur (although New Zealander without exception HATE the possums!).

+Visited the World Press Photo 09 exhibition. Wondered why there weren't any pictures by the world's best press photographer -- Adrian, my brother.

+Bought manuka honey. Honey is a big thing in NZ.

+Tried an afghan cookie -- (chocolate with other bits in - not sure exactly what, but was tasty).

+Saw the Beehive, a building shaped like a beehive, which has become a symbol of Wellington.

+Saw government buildings, which include some of the largest wooden buildings in the world.

+Rains a lot and is windy here.

+Tomorrow off on the ferry to the South Island follwed by a train ride on the TransCoastal to Christchurch.

Next few days in NZ

kiwicadence — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:01:00 GMT

It's pouring with rain so I'm sheltering in an Internet cafe.

+Visited Glowworm Caves in Waitomo. Adult male glowworms apparently have no mouth and can't eat so die. Hmmm...

+Stayed in a converted train carriage (supposedly there was a ghost which roamed around in it at night, but I slept soundly so can't verify the rumor).

+Soaked in mineral springs in Rotorua, saw mud pools, geysers, a Maori show, and the museum in Rotorua.

+The water runs clockwise down the plughole, at least according to my research.

+Saw the Southern Cross constellation.

+Saw a sheep show. I'll let you figure out what in the world a sheep show is about.

+Now in Lake Taupo, which is a very nice place (all the places I've been to have been very nice) but it's raining here.

+Found currant buns!!! Love all this English food.

+Love the NZ countryside,green rolling hills, sheep, cows, pine forests.

+Next stop Wellington, the capital city. Going there by bus.

+Val has now left to return to her home in Auckland. Was great traveling with her. I've never met anyone who has traveled as much in the world as she has and with such a great attitude to travel. She and her husband and family are amazing folk, I think.

First few days in NZ

kiwicadence — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:40:00 GMT

Sorry folks, I haven't been able to get to Internet before. Now have just a few minutes, so here's some bullet points:

+Flights were fantastic.

+ Arrived in Auckland, met at airport by Val holding a "VIP V... J..." sign. Went to her home in her taxi. Met her husaband Bill and daughter Robyn - last saw them all 17-18 years ago!!! Great to see them all. Felt right at home right away!

+Did big tour of Auckland, seeing all major sights.

+Went to a remote beach west of Auckland - Whatipu beach. Beautiful

+Drove to Coromandel Peninsula - stayed at Robyn's beach house in Cook's Beach. Visited Cathedral Cover, Hot Water Beach. Fantastic!

+Tried white bait fritters

+Found sausage rolls!!!

+Drove south along the coast with Val seeing spectacular scenery all the way.

+Drove inland to Waitomo where I am now to see the Glowworm Caves. Again, spectacular.

+Visited a public toilet that spoke to you, played music, and automatically opened its doors after 10 minutes. I kept an eye on my watch to make sure I didn't exceed the time limit.

+The water seems to run clockwise down the plughole here!

+Seen lots of sheep, lambs (aahhh, so cute), deer, and LOTS of cows.

+Visited a gold mine.

+Seen lots of British candies. Difficult to resist temptation!

+Next stop Rotorua.

+Val is driving me around places and will go home I think tomorrow after which I will head from Rotorua to Lake Taupo.

+In short, I LOVE New Zealand. It's absolutely wonderful!!!!! I'm having a great time.

Departure Lounge

kiwicadence — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:17:00 GMT

I've never written a travel blog, and I've never been to New Zealand. Apparently, now it's time to do both.

If you wish to join in on my four-week trip to the Land of the Long White Cloud, just show your virtual passport, check in your cyber travel bag, and check out my blog on worldnomads. I'm not sure how often I will post a message. Like I said, blogging and New Zealand are new to me.

In the meantime, put your seats in the upright position, fasten your safety belt, and prepare for departure.

Here we go...