Tag: New Zealand

Down Under: Kaka Point to Te Anau

JWF Leave a comment

SOUTH ISLAND–KAKA POINT & SOUTH

On Sunday, we reluctantly left the comfort and warm hospitality at Pen-y-bryn Lodge and headed south toward Kaka Point on the coast doing some of our drive on the Southern Scenic Route which mostly skirts the coastline and is winding and often up and down as well. Our first stop was to see the famous Moeraki Boulders on a beach just outside Oamaru. These are large deposits of silt and calcite that formed through the combined actions of waves and erosion and are unusual for their very round shapes. They vary in size and some are smaller and not as round; others are large enough to stand or sit on. We were skeptical before we saw them, but quickly decided they were worthy of a number of photos.  

 

 

The farther south we’ve gone the less populated this area is except for the two cities of Queenstown and Dunedin. It’s heavily sheep farming and both Sunday and Monday we have seen field after field of sheep. It’s spring and so every mama sheep has one or two lambs gamboling after her. We drove through Dunedin, a university town with strong Scottish routes, dubbed the “Edinburgh of the south.” Had the weather been better, we would have stopped and wandered around as there is some lovely Victorian architecture that has been well preserved. We drove on.

The small towns and villages are a trip back in time and in many you will not find any gas stations and, in some, not even a café. But, every single one that is more than a crossroads has public toilets that are clearly identified on a directional sign. Much better on this issue than the U.S.! There are virtually no fast food restaurants and the eateries that do exist often feel dated in décor. And sometimes finding some place to have a bite to eat is a challenge that requires continuing on the road through several more towns.

On this Sunday, we had lunch at Kellys Kitchen in Milton, recommended by a woman in the previous town. We drove the one main street and then down several residential streets and couldn’t find it. We had been told it was near the country club on the right. After driving out of town and then back in, we saw the country club, slowed down, and then spied a tiny sign with faint lettering that said Kellys. The place was full of families and the menu options were extensive, more than we realized since there was a whole case of pies and wraps that we overlooked. In any case, my BLT on ciabatta with arugula was so good and something different from what I’d been eating!  

We arrived in Kaka Point, a tiny beachside burg in an area of the South Island called the Catlins, which sits right on the Pacific Ocean. We were warmly welcomed by Carolyn and Ken, our hosts at Breadalbane House, their B&B. We stayed upstairs in a comfortable small apartment with windows overlooking the water.

View near Nugget Point

Before dinner, we took a short drive partway up the road to Nugget Point, a dramatic headland and site of an old lighthouse. Unfortunately, the sky was quite gray and it was cold. Kaka Point has 200 residents, but draws tourists and beachgoers in the summer months. There’s one café in town and that’s where we had dinner. Since it’s the only game in town, we had to have a reservation and our table was ready with our name on it. I was yearning for some pasta and decided on the fettuccine with chicken, bacon and mushrooms and a side salad while Greg, probably regretfully, tried the schnitzeled beef. He would have been happier with blue cod.

On Monday, we headed further south and then west to our destination of Te Anau. At this point, New Zealand felt really empty. Miles of road with almost no other cars and field after field of sheep on the undulating hills, then flat land and more snow-capped mountains. And a wonderful reserve of red tussock (grass) covering the mountainsides giving it a brownish red color and bumpy texture.

These billowing rounded grasses really appeal to me. Like long hair blown wild by a hairdryer, they look like they’d be soft to the touch. Apparently, some of these tussocks are more than 200 years old. 

 

 

Te Anau is one of the best-known lakes in the Southland region. And the town of Te Anau is the gateway to Fiordland National Park, larger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined, and the jumping off point for the scenic drive north to Milford Sound. We will be here for one night before heading to the town of Manapouri and the start of an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound.

Note:   All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Down Under: To Lake Tekapo

JWF Leave a comment

CANTERBURY PLAINS ONWARD

Leaving behind the gorgeous Banks Peninsula on Thursday, we backtracked toward Christchurch, but headed mostly south through the Canterbury Plains and then the Mackenzie Basin to our destination of Lake Tekapo.

The Canterbury Plains are the flattest section of New Zealand and very green and fertile. Again, more of nature’s beauty. As we made our way across rivers and through a few small towns, we began to see in the distance, and then closer up, the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps. In the sunlight, they seemed to shimmer with silver.  

This richly fertile area produces fruit and is home to many sheep and cattle. We learned from Mr. Kruse on our audio guide that there are different kinds of sheep and depending on how steep the land is or how flat determines what kind of sheep are raised. Only about 15% of the wool produced today is merino wool. Other sheep produce less special wool or are raised for lamb for the table.

We had planned to have lunch in Asburton or Fairlie, both towns that primarily provide services for the area’s sheep and other farmers, but happened upon the Farm Barn Café at the top of a hill with yet one more gorgeous view. We took photos all around first, then went inside to eat. Offerings were panini and pies and sandwiches. We opted for a bacon and cheese pie and the special salmon quiche, both of which came with a green salad and a grated carrot and almond salad. The café included a small gift shop with children’s books, tea towels, and various stuffed sheep and kiwi birds.

After the Canterbury Plains, the topography changes and the mountains are brown and dry looking as you enter the Mackenzie District. The ground is stony with boulders and tussocks here and there, a very harsh soil not easily tilled. The British settlers who came here gave up in desperation and left this dry inhospitable climate, but some Scots came later and had better luck working this land. Temperatures vary from highs in the upper 80’s or more in summer to bitterly cold in the winter. The color brown predominates here, but you are closing the distance on the Alps and the distant mountains’ snow is even more apparent.

We traveled through several valleys and passes and eventually reached Lake Tekapo, a tourist town catering to adventure seekers (you can arrange a walk on the Tasman Glacier, a helicopter flight, a tube ride, or go skiing) and backpackers as well as bus tours. The lake is backed by the Southern Alps and quite lovely. We thought it was exceptionally so at sunset when we tramped over the gravel and rocks to take some evening photos.  

 

 

 

 

Accommodations in Lake Tekapo run mostly to motels and a small hotel and one resort, all of which offer some sort of lake view. Our room was well equipped (except for slower wifi) with a small outside porch looking toward the lake.

 

Dinner in the resort restaurant was better than we anticpated. After starting with some dumplings and stuffed wontons on the Asian platter, we both enjoyed the panfried high country salmon (a local specialty) served with bok choy and carrots and a crab tortellino. The couple at the table next to ours struck up a conversation. They were from Timaru and had several recommendations for us for when we reached Oamaru, our next stop.

Note:  All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).  Header photo is reflection of the Southern Alps in Lake Tekapo.

Down Under: South Island Banks Peninsula

JWF 2 Comments

TRAVELING THE SOUTH ISLAND

For the next week and a half, we have a rental car and will be doing more driving and sightseeing on the road. We’re also staying at a bunch of different places as we work our way farther south and then west to end up near Doubtful Sound.

Today we left the serenity of Marlborough and flew north from Blenheim to Wellington (15 minutes in the air) and then connected to an hour flight from Wellington to Christchurch. There used to be direct service from Blenheim down to Christchurch, but no more. Fortunately, the first flight was on time as there was only thirty minutes to connect. We got off one plane, walked to the new gate, and boarded the second flight. We didn’t stay in Christchurch, but got another car and drove the approximately 45 miles over to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula.

This peninsula is shaped like a horseshoe curling around the harbor and was named for Joseph Banks, the naturalist who voyaged with Capt. Cook. It’s stunningly beautiful; the mountains are contrasting shades of green, and we wound around up and down and around enjoying the sun and the view.  

About halfway we stopped outside Lytleton for lunch at the Blue Duck Café, a simple straightforward place. We ordered ham and cheese sandwiches and an order of chips (read fries) that came with ketchup and aioli. The owner was chatty (who in this country isn’t, we now think) and told us he spent eleven years in London as a head chef, but got tired of the hours and returned to New Zealand to have his own restaurant. We talked a bit of politics with him (we want to export our president or gain asylum for ourselves; he bemoaned the fact that New Zealand still doesn’t have a formal government more than three weeks after the election), and then were on our way.

We missed a key turn toward Akaroa, our destination, but it turned out that Pigeon Forge Way gave us some wonderful views of Akaroa harbor we might not have gotten. That meant several stops for photos.

Akaroa was founded by a Frenchman and, consequently, reflects both French and British influences. We’re staying less than a mile outside town in what I would call a “cabin in the woods”, but what here is a cottage. There is no restaurant for food service and hence, after checking in, we went into town to wander around and buy provisions for breakfast. There was a lovely French bakery (croissants and sausage rolls), several French cafes, and a butchery whose cases were laden with tempting looking cuts of lamb, homemade sausages along with the usual chicken and beef. Backpackers must be regulars here in the summer as there was also an adventure center and some lodges and accommodations designed with them in mind.

Temperatures today were the coldest we’d experienced, and it’s windy. I’m very grateful for my on-sale L. L. Bean cashmere pullover sweater and the short down jacket I purchased at Costco some months ago. I wore them both!

We dined at the Little Bistro on the main street that seemed to be popular with the townsfolk. I tried their local littleneck clams with saffron cream (quite tasty) and the salad with pickled rhubarb and blue cheese (nice combo) while the C.P. had roast chicken and rosti potatoes. It was all very satisfying.

Down Under: On the Road to Wellington

JWF Leave a comment

DRIVING SOUTH TO WELLINGTON

On Wednesday, we left Napier and drove south to Wellington. A distance of about 280 km and estimated to take 4 hours or so. The main routes here are practically all two-lane roads so you always have traffic coming toward you. The first hour of the trip was challenging for the driver, simply for the number of roundabouts where he had to always remember stay left and then choose the appropriate exit. Between Napier and Hastings and a few other towns around Hawke Bay, there was a fair amount of traffic added to the mix. The sky was mostly clear and then began the off and on heavy showers that plagued us all the way to Wellington. But when it wasn’t raining, I gazed out at the rolling hills and green grass and saw three separate rainbows, one complete at both ends!

I haven’t yet been to Ireland, but New Zealand is very green, layers of green of different shades (grass green to hunter, emerald, and yellow green) that intermix from ground level to the trees and then the hillsides and peaks.

We brought our own new GPS from home (loaded with New Zealand maps), and we rented a Kruse device. Mr. Kruse’s device can also be used for navigation, but mostly it’s intended to provide history and background about the towns and villages along the route. When he doesn’t have info to provide, you can set it for background music (after awhile we turned this off, not caring for his selection).

We went through several market towns, Masterton, Carterton, and Featherston, which provide services for the neighboring farms, mostly sheep farms. Masterton is famous for hosting an annual sheep-shearing contest that attracts shearers from all over the world. Downtown Masterton was a bit of a time warp feeling like the 1950’s. Dining options were limited to Food for Thought, a cafeteria; Chan’s, a Chinese takeout restaurant; a fried chicken fast food place; and the Ten o’ Clock Cookie, a bakery and café all in one. The cookie restaurant looked like the best option and was filled with mothers and children and a few grandparents with kids, it being spring break week.

We snagged one of the remaining tables and after ordering and getting our food at the counter, tucked into a beef and mushroom pie (very good!) and a Philly beef and cheese pie along with some fresh fruit and a couple of cute mini cupcakes which were irresistible at the checkout station. Both Carterton and Featherston looked a bit more prosperous and one had a center island on the main drag with some lovely old deciduous trees and then a stand of grand old palms.

The rain had stopped while we walked to lunch, but as soon as we began the last leg of the trip, it poured hard. And continued to do so all the way up and over the Rimutaka Range with its narrow twisting roads,  no shoulder to speak of, and very sharp turns. Higher and higher we climbed (views would have been fantastic on a clear day, but mostly it was mist) until we reached the peak at just over 3,000 feet, and then started down the other side.

Almost immediately, the weather was better and the mountainsides were bright with yellow gorse, lots of it. The final 20 km into Wellington was along a short span of motorway (divided road with real exits);  fortunately, the distance to Budget Rental to drop off the car upon exiting was fairly short. Even better, the young woman who dealt with the car kindly offered to drive us to our hotel in said rental car! This offer we quickly accepted.

Our hotel room is large and pleasant with a view of a garden below. But, it’s pouring again so we have not yet ventured outside. Soon we will, with our umbrellas!

We did head out for a short walk in the heavy rain and were mystified to see so many people on the street without umbrellas. A woman informed us that it’s so regularly windy here that people don’t bother carrying them. It wasn’t windy then, but very wet; we were very glad we had our umbrellas!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).  Header photo is part of a mural near the transit yard.