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I have jumped ahead three days with this entry. The last three days were spent with our family in Auckland doing unstructured things. Scott worked, Jess went to her spinning exercise class early one morning, Isaiah started a new job with a start-up company who plans to make deliveries in the downtown area using electric assisted bicycles and Yvonne and I vegged out a little.  We did go with Jessica to see a couple of homes for sale that interests them, as they are seriously considering buying something instead of paying the high rental fees. We went grocery shopping at their local store and learned they do not refrigerate eggs in New Zealand-no need to because of the way they are processed. We walked down to the beach and watched the world go by.  We went out for an amazing breakfast one morning where the dishes were works of art. And on the day we were to leave Jessica signed us up to go at 6:30 AM to help 25 other volunteers make 2025 sandwiches for school kids who could not afford lunches. And I thought the USA only had children who could not afford lunches. The company who donates these lunches is rather unique. They are in the catering business and for every meal they sell they donate a school lunch (sandwich, apple, snack mix). Since beginning the program they have donated over 700,000 school lunches.

Our return flight to seattle left Auckland at 11:55 PM on April 4, and will land in Seattle on April 4. We regain the day we lost when we came here. The first leg takes us back to Honolulu where we change planes for the flight to Seattle. It actually worked quite well. We boarded, told the staff we were not interested in a meal, donned eye shades and both got 5-6 hours of sleep during the 9 hour flight to Honolulu. There was a 2 hour layover in Honolulu and then a 6 hour flight back to Seattle. We did eat on that flight and also caught another few hours of sleep so when we arrived in Seattle at 10PM local time we were surprisingly awake and alert. It was raining, as expected. We picked up the car, drove to Edmonds in plenty of time to catch the 11:45 PM ferry to Kingston which is only 10 minutes from our home. We arrived safely back at Miller Bay by 1:15 AM. Moral of the story:  if you fly North to South or vice versa, the time zone change is minimal and not as tough on the body. Also leaving late at night helps as you are ready for bed anyway.

Perspective on the trip:

After flying over 15 hours to get to New Zealand, you realize how big this planet really is.

The people of New Zealand are welcoming and friendly.

We still equate life in New Zealand as being like the US in the 1950s- No big box stores, a much better balance between work and home life, small neighborhoods with locally owned stores. It is a more laid back pace of life there. We should be jealous.

Everyone says the South Island of New Zealand is much better than the North Island. We disagree. We both like the North Island more. Of course, the beauty that the South Island offers (oceans beaches, mountains, rain forests,glaciers) reside in our backyard. Don’t get me wrong. We did enjoy what we saw and did but it did not overwhelm us. I guess we are simply lucky to be living where we do.

 

Quote of the day:  “Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world”  Gustave Flaubert

Our flight to Auckland was not until 2:20 PM so we had the morning to do a little more exploring in Napier. Scott and Jess went to buy coffee and we took time to walk the beach one last time. Packed up, we decided to visit the National Aquarium of New Zealand, which is located here in Napier, before going to the airport. It is not large but it is well done. They have a great exhibit of injured/abandoned Little (also called Blue) penguins who only live in New Zealand and parts of Australia, and an exhibit of live kiwis. Kiwis are only active at night so the exhibit is darkened. As a result people can see them actively searching for food. This species of kiwis are about the size of chickens. My attempt to take a picture proved futile because of the lighting conditions. We even got to see bones of the now extinct 500 pound Moa bird that once inhabited the island. They were obviously a tasty bird as they were hunted to extinction centuries ago.

The flight to Auckland is about an hour and we arrived to sunny conditions we have had all weekend. On the way home Scott took us to see his workplace at Z-Energy where he is Chief Innovation Officer. We were proud to see what he has accomplished in assembling a team and creating a “Refinery” workspace in the year he has been with the company.

We were reunited with grandson, Isaiah, and we all walked down to the nearby waterfront for a celebration at a local Mexican restaurant where we sat outdoors and enjoyed the early autumn evening in Auckland.

We awoke to brilliant sun and blue skies. One could get used to this climate. Yvonne and I had wanted to take a walking tour this morning to learn more about how the city became the Art Deco city that it is. Scott and Jessica wanted to go bike riding on some of the many trails that criss-cross the city, so we went our separate ways and planned to meet in a few hours.

Napier was another city that earthquakes devastated. Their calamity occurred on February 3, 1931 when a 7.8 quake shook the city at 10 AM.  256 people were killed and the downtown area was destroyed. We signed up for the tour, sponsored by the Art Deco Center, an organization that promotes and oversees the development of the city. Before the walking tour we watched a 20 minute movie with film clips and photographs of the 1931 quake and what city fathers did to rebuild the current city. What amazed me was that they completely rebuilt the city with an Art Deco motif in two years! The Art Deco style of architecture was selected as it was the popular style of the times. Over time the city continued promoting its Art Deco heritage and today it is known world wide for this. The city even sponsors a special Art Deco weekend in February where people come from all over to relive the 1930s.  The weekend features the dress, music, and events to celebrate that era in history. There are also many old 1930’s vehicles still in the city that are used for city touring.

Our walking tour, lead by a knowledgeable docent, lead us past different buildings in the area where she pointed out the Art Deco design features of the building. We learned that when the city was rebuilt they gave total authority to only two men to oversee the work. Maybe that is why they were able to accomplish what they did in two years! The result is a vibrant downtown area with heritage trust oversight to preserve its future.

 

After the tour we met Scott and Jessica and learned they had biked over thirty miles along the waterfront while we were on our 2 hour walking tour. After a quick pizza lunch, It was time to seek out some of those wineries that were not open yesterday for wine tasting. We stopped at two different sites. Although I equate the area to Napa Valley it is Napa Valley of decades ago. With a couple notable exceptions the wineries here are small, family owned ventures. Tasting is often free. I focused on the rose and Syrah as that is what the area is noted for.

Before we knew it, it was time to eat again. We decided to make it a picnic and stopped at a local grocery to buy some cheese, crackers, salami, olives and fruit and simply “nosh” back at the bach, followed by a beach walk. The latter was rewarded by experiencing a novel fishing method used by fishermen here. A battery powered boat (torpedo shaped) pulls a fishing line 1-2 km out to sea. Attached are a series of about 25 baited hooks. After an hour or so the vessel is reeled back in and hopefully some fish have been caught. Of course, this is accompanied by a bottle or two of beer/wine while waiting. We happened to come on the beach as the vessel was being reeled in and we engaged in pleasant conversation with the fishermen/women and watched the action. The catch was light- two good sized fish but the people were happy as they had caught three that morning, so a decent meal of fresh fish was guaranteed.

The sun was rapidly setting and our day came to an end. Tomorrow we all fly to Auckland.

Napier and Hawke’s Bay is definitely a place to add to your visit list if you are in New Zealand. It is Easter weekend and the kiwis make it a 4 day holiday. Most stores are closed Friday and Monday. Luckily tourist oriented stores and restaurants are open. On holidays many establishments will add a 15% surcharge to their bills because their employees have to work on a holiday. They feel people should be compensated extra when having to work on a holiday.

We had stopped at a local grocery store last night to buy some breakfast items, figuring we would eat in our “bach” (kiwi term for cottage) then go exploring. We did head out for coffee after breakfast and found a fabulous little cafe hidden in the old fishing port area of Napier, called ”Ahuriri”, now a bustling area of shops, bars and restaurants. Even though I already had breakfast, when ordering coffee I saw they had freshly made hot cross buns which I really like. One called out to me and I had my second breakfast of the morning while enjoying our coffees!

We had wanted to go see the gannet colony that seasonally nests in the area called Cape Kidnappers but we learned that the only way to see them is to hike 5 miles alongside the beach or take a tour via tractor, but it can only be done a low tide. Well, the older folks in our group voted for the tractor but we learned that the tour was sold out for the entire weekend. We were put on a waiting list but never got a call. Maybe next time.

Instead we drove to a marvelous lookout called “Te Mata Peak”. Again Scott and Jess wanted to walk up to the viewpoint but the elders in the car convinced them it was much nicer to drive up as far as we could before climbing the last few feet. It is an absolutely stunning location-360 degree views of green rolling hills, studded with groves of trees and biking/hiking trails. It reminded me of the area near Napa Valley as you cross the mountain range.

After numerous pictures it was time for some wine tasting and lunch. Well, it so happens this is all in the area of the Hawke’s Bay Winery country, a miniature version of Napa Valley. We wandered back to Elephant Hill Winery where we stopped last night (but could not taste wine as we were there after 5 PM). We quickly learned that because it was Good Friday the wine tasting room was closed.

Scott had received some recommendations from people who worked with him of other places to visit and we soon found ourselves sitting outside under a huge grape arbor at the Black Barn Vineyards. Again the wine tasting room was closed but the bistro was open for lunch. Because we had dinner reservations in Napier we did not want to overdo lunch so we created a charcuterie of bread, cheese, olives, and a couple of small salads, accompanied by their local wine. Our server was a young lady from France (we ran into a lot of young foreigners who are working in New Zealand for the summer) with a lovely accent and it all made for a magical luncheon.

On the way to the bach we stopped at a special weekend festival called the “Extravaganza Fair” that was advertised in the local press, hoping to find music, artisans and food. It turned out to be a roving caravan of  young, modern day gypsy hippies who travel from town to town in their home-built “motor” homes entertaining and selling homemade products and services. It was a hoot!  There was a fortune teller, a kissing booth (empty when we were there), blacksmith making and selling utensils, henna and face painting, a musician playing guitar, cotton candy and other food. Their “homes” were creative and often hilarious adaptations of a motor home. We spent about 20 minutes walking around and the ladies had cotton candy (because the sign said it had only two teaspoons of sugar in it) before we moved on. Fact check: All of us questioned the 2 teaspoons of sugar claim so I researched it. Turns out a typical cotton candy serving has 30 grams of sugar, which is 9 grams less than a can of Coke! Calorie content is 115 calories.  Who knew? So you can enjoy that cotton candy the next time you see it.

Back to our bach for a quick nap and then onward to a rousing game of miniature golf located in the park right across the street from our restaurant before our dinner “booking” at a local popular seafood restaurant. Seafood here is fresh, fresh, fresh, as you would expect.

By the way some kiwi terms we learned while here are:   Crosswalks are zebras, a car trunk is a boot, a cooler is a chilly bin, saying hi is kia ora, a popsicle is an ice block, a stroller is a pram, ketchup is tomato sauce, a cookie is a biscuit and a piece of candy is a lolly.

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Our ride to the airport was scheduled for 12:20 PM so we decided to head into town and take the 50 minute tram ride (with narration) through the city center. For the heck of it I called up my Uber app and surprisingly they are active here in New Zealand (later learned that Lyft is not here).  

The Christchurch tram is a classic; the trolley cars date back to the early 1900s. It is run on rails by a driver dressed in period costume and a conductor who controls the ticket collection. Both gentlemen offered informative narratives of what we were seeing as we negotiated the downtown area. We learned we were riding in the Centennial tram, the tram that has hosted dignitaries like Queen Elizabeth. We felt like royalty!

We were shocked at how much devastation was caused by the 6.3 earthquake that stuck the city on February 22, 2011. It was actually one of the aftershock earthquakes that followed the 7.1 earthquake that hit the area in September, 2010, which  surprisingly did much less damage than the 2011 earthquake. 185 people lost their lives and thousands were injured. We were told there has been over 19,000 earthquakes in the area since that time; they average several a day, most of which are not felt by anyone. New Zealand is on the same fault line as the west coast of the USA, something we did not need to hear.

The whole downtown area has had to be rebuilt. Supposedly 2,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed; there are 400 yet to even be addressed. The downtown area was inaccessible for two years.  A lot of progress has been made but much remains to be done. Several different people said it might take another 7-10 years to finish the rebuilding of Christchurch.

The most iconic news we all heard at the time of the quake was that the main cathedral built in 1864 was heavily damaged. It still stands but remains untouched.  There are ongoing discussions about whether it should be repaired or simply torn down. A temporary church was built nearby, called the cardboard cathedral, as it is made of steel and cardboard with a life expectancy of 30-50 years. We walked over to see it. Nearby is a emotional memorial. There are 185 white chairs sitting on a simple plot of green grass, representing those who died.  What makes it especially poignant is that there are many different types of chairs, including several baby chairs.

We returned to the hotel via taxi as it began to rain. Interesting data point- the taxi fare was twice what we had paid for the Uber. Our flight to Napier on the east coast of the north island was about 1.5 hours. Scott and Jessica had arrived from Auckland before us and were waiting for us. Scott had arranged to rent an Airbnb home in town across the street from a lovely beach. The sun was shining and all was good.

We headed out for a late afternoon drive to the famous Hawke’s Bay area wineries where we sat under the shade of an umbrella, overlooking the vineyards (where grapes had already been picked, as it is autumn here), and enjoyed some local wines. The area is noted for Pinot Noir, although they grow many grape varieties and offer a full range of wines. Rose wines are very popular here.  We went back to the waterfront in Napier and found that unless you had a “booking” at the more popular restaurants you were out of luck for the evening. We made a booking for the next night and settle for some good old fashioned Mexican food at a local eatery for this evening.

Our collective discovery of the Napier area with its Art Deco theme begins tomorrow.

 

The gods of nature had their fun yesterday, pouring rain on us the entire day, often with winds and torrential downpours. It continued into the night so we could not even stop to see the pancake rocks near the hotel.

This morning we awoke to sun and blue skies so we retraced our steps to the rock and blowhole area. It is truly unique, limestone rock with a softer material between layers which has eroded over the eons, leaving a structure of stacked rocks that resemble a stack of pancakes. Sea erosion has also created sea stacks offshore. The tide was not high enough this morning to create any action in the blowhole area, but the seas remaining from the storm did create some interesting booming waves crashing against the rocks. This location is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Although it is still the summer tourist season the traffic on the roads has been surprisingly light. All the roads are only two lanes and virtually all the bridges over the rivers are one lane bridges; vehicles simply take turns crossing over. Drivers are also very good about pulling over into “slow vehicle bays” to allow cars to pass. These are needed because I saw very few straight highway sections where one can safely pass. The roadways seem to be made of nothing more than a series of curves! As a result travel is slow and you cannot maintain normal highway speeds.

As we head eastward from Greymouth toward Arthur’s Pass (and Christchurch) we passed through some lovely pastureland occupied by herds of cows. There seems to be very few sheep in this area of the island.

Arthur’s Pass is only 920 meters high but with a 16% grade coming up one side! The surrounding hills are tree covered and we could see higher peaks in the distance, although none of them exceeds more than 1500-1700 meters.

Once you enter the valley on the east side of Arthur’s Pass the climate and vegetation changes dramatically. It is drier here, there are fewer trees and there is much more brown rather than green. By about 2:30 PM we were down on the flatlands driving due East to Christchurch. There are more sheep, irrigated fields, cars and straight highways. We are almost back to civilization.

Suddenly traffic became heavier and housing projects loomed ahead. We are in Christchurch, the scene of a devastating earthquake in 2011. We reached our hotel right at the predicted 4PM arrival time. People said their goodbyes and retired to their rooms to prepare for their onward journeys. We chose to have a quick dinner at the hotel.  We will have some time in the morning to explore a bit before heading to the airport.

By the way I neglected to highlight a sighting we had while leaving the Cardrona Hotel back on March 24.  About a mile from the hotel is a monument that only the kiwis would create. A bit of background to set the stage. There are many locations around the world that have created “locks of loves” sites where lovers have put a lock on a bridge or fence as a commitment to their love. Well, here in New Zealand someone decided that a more appropriate display would be a “bra fence”. Yes, I said bra.  Sure enough we passed a long fence decorated with all colors and sizes of bras. None of the ladies on our bus volunteered to add to the collection so we continued on our way. I did manage to grab a quick photo as we passed by to prove its existence!

Kiwis have names for the weather of the day. A soft day is one that is cloudy but not rainy. A misty day is one when it is drizzling. Today it is simply a wet day! It was raining again this morning as we left the hotel at 8:30, heading further north along the coast. The rain squalls come and go; it is not a constant rain. “M” said autumn weather can be variable here. Normally it is dry but sometimes it is wet as we are currently experiencing. This autumn has been overly wet. It looks as if we came the wrong year. The scenery is pastoral – small farms, an occasional tiny community (old logging towns), lots of streams and rivers (big rivers, little rivers, clear rivers, glacial rivers), all with mist shrouded mountains in the distance. We are driving more inland now, with no views of the ocean which is about 12 miles to our right.

They could easily call this region “Fernland” as there are green ferns growing everywhere you look. I recognize some but there were dozens of varieties I have never seen before. They are quite lovely, as the locals would say.

We stopped at the town of Hokitika for 1.5 hours to sightsee, shop and find a bit of lunch. The town is home to many artisans and there are many shops featuring their varied works.  We found some intriguing trivets made of flat stones found on the beaches in town. Yvonne also found a warm knit hat made of merino wool and possum fur. Most of the garments made here are a combination of possum and merino wool for both softness and warmth. I asked if they raise possum for their fur. The clerk said “heavens no, the possum are pests in the wild and we kill as many as we can“!

Since we had a large breakfast most couples skipped lunch and we found an old-fashioned bakery that reminded us of our youth and everyone had hot tea and a sweet snack.

The rains continued, sometimes accompanied with an (uncommon) blustery wind, which provided horizontal rain for a time.  The air temperature is the warmest we have experienced in quite a few days. We arrived at our destination for the night, the ocean front Punakaiki Resort near the famous Punakaiki rocks and blowholes. Because it is still raining hard we skipped the blowholes and rock formations and came directly to the hotel. We will hopefully have better weather in the morning and then hike the area.

The location of the hotel is right on the ocean. Our room looks out at the surf which is about 300 feet away. The sounds of the water will be a soothing background noise tonight.

Tomorrow is our last day with the tour so we are having a group farewell dinner here at the resort. In the morning we will sightsee our way to Christchurch where we will spend the night. Everyone goes their own way Thursday morning. We will fly on to Napier on the North Island and meet Scott & Jessica who are joining us for a few days. Our grandson Isaiah is busy working so we will join him back in Auckland on Easter Sunday.