Pt 2 - Tiri Tiri Matangi and Clooney (Restaurant)

Sunday 14 February – Tiri Tiri Matangi and Clooney
Awake by about 6:45 NZ time. The sky is grey. To the north and west the visibility is poor due to the rain. We overcome some initial wavering due to the weather but in the end we decide to just do it. This was the right decision. We check into the 360 office and the captain is saying to someone that often it’s raining in Auckland but fine on the island. Tiri sits in a rain shadow and for some reason bad weather seems to just skirt around the island. Right on time at 9am the Tiri Kat pulls away from pier 4 and out into the gulf.

Sky Tower is obscured by cloud as we motor out beyond Devonport and round north head and onwards to Gulf Harbour.

Housing encrusts the coastline north like barnacles as we head northward. Rangitoto Island, the youngest volcano in the area forms a low cone to the east.


The Tiri Kat is travelling quite quickly and a small flock of pelagic birds decides to fly along side us, occasionally darting across the bow. I hear a few passengers contemplating what sort of bird they might be.. petrels? Shearwaters? I wouldn’t have a clue but enjoy their flight display enormously.
About an hour north of Auckland as we approach Gulf Harbour we are informed that the marina is the biggest of about 9 in the Auckland area and the development here as modeled on Portofino in Italy.

As we pull up to the wharf a long queue has formed ready for boarding. A pied oyster catching is sitting quietly alone on the breakwater.
Alongside the wharf a twin hulled vessel is moored sporting elaborate carvings front and rear on either hull and with a large rudder between. A fellow passenger informs me that this is the vessel that was built as a reconstruction of the original waka that brought the Maori to this land. Well this is how they believe it was at any rate.

From Gulf Harbour it’s only about 20 minutes to Tiri. The coastline has evolved into a line of creamy coloured cliffs topped by the cleared land of farms and an occasional crusting of development.


During the last stages of the trip we notice a volunteer is wandering about offering maps of the island for $1. We gratefully accept the deal. A flock of terns is wheeling about the area as we moor at Tiri, finally settling down on some exposed volcanic rocks nearby. We excitedly disembark, and walk along the long jetty to congregate for an address by todays ranger.



Activity on the jetty gradually eases, baggage having been brought off the bought in a large container wheeled along the rail tracks that remain presumably from the days when the island was a farm and livestock were sent to market by barge. The terns see their opportunity and as one they rise and fly across to perch in a dapper carpet along the jetty.
Today’s rostered ranger sets about briefing us for our visit: acknowledgement of the volunteer guides and supporters of Tiri; please take all your rubbish back off the island with you; location of toilets; no smoking on the island outside of only two areas here on the concrete at the jetty and up at the visitor centre on the concrete there. Be sure to be back for boarding the Tiri Kat by 3:15. There is no emergency overnight stays. If you miss the Tiri Kat, it will be a water taxi at your own expense. You will NOT be staying on the island. Also please do not feed the birds. It’s bad for them and no matter how hungry they make out they are, be assured the birds are very well fed. A number of companies are also given thanks and recognition: for example Dilmah supplies complementary tea up at the visitor centre; another company supplies the food for the stitchbird breeding program. A final plea to all to please sign the visitors book, it is useful in obtaining additional funding. Laughter greets a wry plea to spend up big in the gift shop.
Next it is the lead guide’s turn to say nice things about the Dept of Conservation. Niceties completed independent visitors set off while the lead guide sorts everyone else out into small groups to be escorted by the guides that have been brought over at no charge by 360. First of all larger travelling parties and families with kids are sort assigned to their guides. A little while before I had tuned in as one of the guides was giving advice to a couple about which tracks are good for seeing the birds. Something about this lady seemed really appealing so when she was still unallocated when the rest of us are told to head over to a guide, I’m pleased I’m standing nearby and move quickly to her group. Her name is Sue and she proves to be an outstanding guide.

Sue starts by consulting with our part of 6 or 7 visitors as to which way we’d like to go. Another couple are keen to see the birds so I am saved the trouble of saying so myself but enthusiastically support the choice of going to where the birds are most easily seen. This takes us along the wattle valley track. With so many groups heading up the hill we take our time so as not to run into them and admire beautiful views across the bay. We learn that the flax plants here on the island have somewhat mangled seed spikes. They look quite different here due to the local kakariki (parakeets) who are exceedingly fond of the green seed pods. When the kakariki (which are the red fronted variety) are finished the seed spikes are just a twisted bare prong. We stop again to learn about some fruiting plants. With so many new plants and information I can’t remember the name. In one case as the island was replanted the fruiting of the young plants was prolific and providing a source for the Polynesian rats, resulted in a rat population explosion.. and some amusing stories of rat plague experiences before they were eradicated in an extraordinarily successful single poison drop. Apparently you need a range of particular conditions to an optimally successful feral rodent eradication, so to eradicate the entire population in one fell swoop was quite extraordinary.



Next up is the dam where brown teal can sometimes be seen. It’s been a very dry summer this year and although the pond was very full in winter it’s now virtually dry. No ducks to be seen. There is a frame with bracken piled all over it and this we learn is to provide cover for the ducklings which otherwise are easily predated by raptors. Though last winter the pond was so full that the frame was submerged so it was a fat lot of good at that time!

Moving right along we admire some fruiting trees of various types one has pretty red pink flowers and is a favourite with some birds because it always has fruit. The flowers are produced sporadically creating a slow but steady stream of flowers and fruit all on the tree at the one time. Another tree has an abundance of seedpods that are filled with sticky seeds. These are spread by the seeds sticking to the plumage of the birds… yet other trees called Mahoe (?) produce fruit directly from the branches, which if memory served is called being cauliforous!

As we admire the vegetation we see our first spectacular local, a north island robin hopping about the path. You beauty! Not quite as happy to socialize with the human visitors as the south island robins on Ulva Island, we watch as he catches a small moth and skips around working hard on finding a meal then takes off. With the season being so dry it’s harder to attract them over but Sue informs us that in wetter times they can (like the SI robins we observed) be attracted by scraping away in the leaf litter for them.



We walk through the area that was replanted with pohutukawa quite thickly. The team had thought that they would probably lose a few of the seedlings and so thick planting would be a smart move. Turned out that pretty much all survived, but never mind. Nature will take care of it.

Our next bird is a small group of whiteheads who pass through foraging and calling in the shrubs all around us. At some times of year the whiteheads flock and a visit may bring you the opportunity of watching groups of maybe 50 whiteheads partying in the bush. The various times of year bring different spectacles. Sue tells us that winter can be among the best times to visit with visitor numbers down and plenty to be seen.

Soon the first of the saddlebacks for the day appear. Glorious birds in their velvety black and umber with matching umber wattles providing a bright jewel of colour on their faces. In the course of our visit we see saddlebacks everywhere. There are so many of them and they seem in no hurry to move off away from us. Perching beautifully almost upside down on tree branches and trunks today we see them usually travelling with at least one other bird, often three. Their posture and behavior reminds me of the Australian babblers who chatter away in often noisy family groups very much like the saddlebacks. Fantastic!

All the infrastructure of the boardwalks and paths, feeding station, nest boxes and seats for visitors is provided and maintained by the wonderful Supporters of Tiri Tiri Matangi. What a fabulous job they do! Regularly placed along the route we are taking are water troughs or stitchbird feeding stations, usually with a curve of seats on the opposite side of the path where you can take your leisure and watch the birds come in. It is simply brilliant. Stitchbirds are now everywhere. There are heaps of them. Bellbirds too. Stitchbirds, Bellbirds, Saddlebacks. Tui. This island is magnificent. It would be no hardship at all to simply hop off the boat and sit and watch at one of these stations until home time.

Just as interesting are the stories Sue tells about the bird study progam, banding, monitoring and breeding. Translocation of birds to other sanctuaries, the eradication of the rats, the original project to study the feasibility of replanting the island.


We head down to the wattle valley and as we come in sight of the light house and visitor centre we hear stories about the takahe. On one occasion when Sue was watching the “lighthouse gang” who had been feeding down the hill in the were coming back up and talking to eachother quietly along the way.. when suddenly they all stopped and lifted their heads high obviously listening carefully. Suddenly they let out a scream – as only takahe can- and turned and went barreling down the hill, returning a short time later with a chick that had apparently been forgotten.
We conclude our guided tour at the visitor centre where we are again encouraged to spend up big as it’s the island’s only source of on-island revenue. We laugh when we are warned that it is (allegedly) illegal to leave Tiri with any money left in your pocket! We start our visit here by checking out the lighthouse, which, as you generally expect in this part of the world, is situated nearby a cluster of very quaint white weatherboard houses and it also has great views. Surprising to find that this lighthouse was originally painted red! Wow. I have never seen a lighthouse that wasn’t white. The building just down the hill is accommodation for people staying overnight. The cicadas are singing enthusiastically and are quite visible if you look carefully.



Adjacent to the lighthouse is a very nice gift shop and we are delighted to find the little oil/vinegar/dip dishes we fancied at the gallery in Devonport are also available here and what’s more they are $5 cheaper. Good stuff. We decide to have our picnic and then make our purchasing decisions on a full stomach!
We have no trouble finding a table and tuck into some beautiful New Zealand cheese on Rutherford and Meyer gourmet wafers. Ferndale Southern Gold. Delicious. Our smoked blue cod and smoked mussels are a treat. Plums too. Hubby washes it down with a ginger beer purchased in the gift shop. Great lunch.
As we eat a takahe appears and prowls around the tables waiting for someone to lose their attention or leave something edible within reach. The children are delighted with it and after a time have to be firmly encouraged to keep their distance. Takahe can bite and it is reported as being a very painful experience. The takahe is persistent and waits its opportunity. A little girl unthinking lowers her arm, pie in hand. It’s all the takahe needs. Snatch! It steals a sizeable wad of pie and takes off, clearly knowing it’s carrying contraband. After a short while it’s back prowling again. Never keeps still for a moment making a portrait difficult.



Lunch finished we buy a few oil/vinegar/dip dishes, and a giant weta made from copper. With some trepidation the ladies manning the gift shop tell us that it is planned to release giant weta on the island. Cool. Clearly this is a place we will have to return to as if we needed another reason.
Time is a tikin’ away. Time we hit the road. But there’s enough time to spend a minute or two admiring the birds at the bird feeder station.


Heading for the old forest and the giant pohutakawa tree we turn up “coronary hill” to the lookout. This is a grassy knoll with 360 degree views around the Harauki Gulf. Barrier Island out towards the open sea. The mainland across to the north and west with rain drifting down like a gossamer veil. South the city skyline of Auckland is plain to see and moving on around Rangitoto Island sits brooding. Closer at hand it is a particularly nice aspect for viewing the lighthouse and it’s facilities. It is a spectacular view!

The veil of rain is approaching and as we walk on we see the shower clearly over the forest ahead. Time to don our rainbirds once more and stow the camera out of the elements.



We regain the track. We are heading to a section of old growth forest where in the vicinity of an 800 year old pohutukawa we understand we may get to see riflemen and kokako. A highlight of our walk along the ridge track is a grey warbler (?) and surprisingly the one fantail we see for the day. Fantails have been much less common to see than I would have expected. At home the almost identical Eastern Grey Fantail is a very common sight and it seems to do pretty well in an environment with predators so it is a puzzle why it seems so rare here. We continue to see the by now, ubiquitous saddleback. “Only saddlebacks” you say when you glance into the bush to see what the movement is. What a luxury that phrase is. Only saddlebacks.. Who could ever tire of seeing saddlebacks! Not me that’s for sure. Glorious birds.
As we turn down the Kawerau track we almost immediately come to another stitchbird feeding station, this time it’s run out of nectar, but another station a short distance along the track there is one with plenty in the bottle. No birds at the moment and we don’t have time for stitchbirds just now. The feeding stations are encased in a mesh which has holes big enough to allow the stitchbirds through but small enough to exclude the tui, which we understand to be quite an aggressive bird.
Still further along there is another of the stitchbird demonstration nest boxes. We had stopped to examine one of these on our guided walk. These are a real nest box with a real stitchbird nest in them, but the sides have been removed and replaced with Perspex for the benefit of visitor education. The birds progressively fill the boxes with sticks. In a natural setting the stitchbird likes to nest in hollows in tree trunks, but there are insufficient such things on Tiri. Fortunately like many native species the native birds breed rapidly and successfully when the multitude of feral predators is out of the picture. After each nesting event the nest boxes are cleaned and disinfected by the volunteers.
Moving right along we progress down an impressive board walk with many steps and the usual netting overly which creates a non-slip effect over the wood. The forest is beautiful in this section. Much prettier than the newly planted area we can through this morning. Soon enough a huge spreading tree comes into view. At first it is just the huge spreding branches with no sign of the trunk. This we know from the directions Sue gave us is the ancient pohutukawa. Wow wee!! What a tree! What an amazing tangle of branches spreading out across the forest floor. We are in the presence of royalty.



We hunt around the ancient tree for movement, and in the forest in the gully on the other side of the path. At the viewing area up the hill a little we catch up with some people from our guided group this morning. Aaghh, they tell us they have just been watching three kokako move through. This was about 5 minutes ago and they are still waiting hoping they may show themselves again. The seats curve around another magnificent fruiting tree. There are a number of other birds hanging out in and around the tree. Kereru, tui, bellbirds. However the kokako are elusive. We’re five minutes too late. I would like to just sit patiently in this area and wait for riflemen too, but time is a luxury we don’t have right now. We are consoled by a friendly robin whose colour band identiy is red over pink; silver over blue.

It’s well after 2:30. We need to be down on Hobbs Beach by 3 to make it around to the ferry in plenty of time. We reluctantly move on. Again we admire saddlebacks and bellbirds and suddenly emerge in the open as we head steadily down to the rocky shore. Quite a few of today’s visitors are hanging out with their kids on the beach, some swimming, some sheltering in the shade from more magnificent and enormous pohutukawa trees. I really have to come back to see the pohutukawa in flower.



It’s a short walk over to the Tiri Kat, but it’s not one we are keen to rush over. We stop to admire the lovely arc of the beach behind us.


..and then there’s nest boxes alongside the path and nearby in the undergrowth for the Korora (aka little blue ie fairy penguins). Made from stone, with lids that can be lifted for viewing the residents inside, they are quite substantial.

Wandering along the jetty once more to reboard the Tiri Kat, a pair of sooty oyster catchers forages on the rocks nearby. Another less showily plumaged wader walks quickly along but has vanished by the time I can raise my binoculars.
Back on the boat we settle in up on the top viewing deck while the weather holds. We can see that we are travelling back into a heavy shower and this hits shortly before we arrive at Gulf Harbour. We retreat downstairs and settle out of the way while the hordes disembark. We settle in by a window and nap as we head back to Auckland. It’s been an awesome, awesome, day.

It’s a simple short walk off the Tiri Kat back to Quay West. We settle in for a rest: showering; journaling; a quick few minutes of TV for hubby. It feels like no time at all before we are dressing for dinner and hubby is organizing a taxi to take us to Clooney where we have reserved a table.
Clooney is situated in an old industrial area. You wonder where you’re heading. We pay the taxi (rounded ever so slightly to a neat $10) and are momentarily a little confused as to which of several entrances to 33 Sale St we should be using. We wander into the one we feel is most likely, but it’s all very dark. Is it open? We keep heading in and find the lighting so dim we wonder what we’ve struck. Our waitress guides us to our table which is at a quite sizeable round booth. It could easily seat 4 as is demonstrated nearby.. or even six comfortably… This quiet area has a long black fringe hanging from floor to the curved ceiling tracks around the booths…. It’s all very funky. Different to any other restaurant we’ve been in. We quickly adjust as we peruse the wine and cocktail menus. Hubby orders a Galbraiths Munich style lager. Locally batch brewed in the shadows of Mount Eden. Hubby finds it delicious and promptly orders a second.

The valentines day menu is a set menu for $95. As we wait for our entrees we devour a delightfully crusty hot bread roll with lashings of salted butter. The ambience is so relaxing and the benefit of the booths is that you can cuddle up between courses. Dim lighting with spots over your plates when you need it you cannot help but relax.

Our first course arrives. Hubby has gone for the Truffle Butter Poached Lobster w. glazed veal sweetbreads, globe artichoke & hazelnuts, while I have chosen the Matakana Blue Panna cotta w. compressed nashi, fig, candied walnut, bitter greens.. Both are a triumph. Superb.
The main has much to live up to now, but it does not fail to hit the mark. I am enjoying the Slow Cooked Black Angus Beef w. boulangerre inspired garnish while hubby tucks into Crisp Confit Duck Leg w. lustau px soaked prunes, creamed parsnip & apple and elder flower jelly. My steak is wonderful, but the duck and soaked prunes is nothing short of a revelation. The duck is also accompanied by a special salad which, if I know my veges, is based around a couple of witlof leaves. Our side of beans, broccoli and almonds is great too. We’re running out of superlatives to report to the waitress.

As we relax in the afterglow we are brought a complimentary pre dessert treat of meringues shaped as a heart with lychees, and fresh raspberries. Nice touch. There is only dessert to go now, ordered along with the rest right at the start. My meal has been superb, but hubby is currently in front in our friendly ordering competition. Too far in front for me to regain equal standing, but can I at least win this round….Hubby has chosen the Baked Xocopili Chocolate Fondant w. green cardamom ice cream.. Very rich and indulgent. I opted for the “bombe” which was not on the menu I was sent when booking.. it is a short base topped with sorbet and surrounded again with an assortment of diced fruits, raspberries, lychees, orange, glace peel shreds. Light summery and refreshing. .. hubby wins again though… he’s on fire tonight…We skip on the coffees and decide to walk back to our apartment. It’s up hill and down again. 1.4 kms following googles oh so useful directions. It’s a pleasant evening not too cold not too hot. What a spectacular meal. What a spectacular day. We’re loving Auckland and could cheerfully stay here for a week no worries.

Pt 1 - NZ Arrival and Auckland

Friday 12 February – Sydney to Auckland
So here we are sitting at gate 54 at Kingsford Smith International Airport. It has taken just over an hour from drop off by daughters, check in; clear customs; immigration and the duty free MAC counters on the hunt for some makeup for daughter ‘s girl friend. Boarding should commence at 5:35 pm, however some flights have been delayed by the thunderstorms that have been letting loose around the area this afternoon. It was a hot day in Sydney. 37C – 38C but it’s hard to resent the heat when the thunderstorms deliver the promised cooling rain.

To amuse myself while we wait I catalogue video from our south island trip. I haven’t bothered bringing a book. I plan to hit the Auckland book stores continuing my quest for some Frank Sargeson or other kiwi titles.

It’s almost 6:30 before we are called for boarding. No surprises with our cheap ticket prices we are way down the back of the plane. This is no problem of course except that we are among the last to get dinner service and by the time my teeth are sinking gratefully into the tasty chicken pie I could pretty much gnaw the leg off a horse. Hubby selects the lamb and rosemary pasta bake. Both main options come accompanied by bean salad and a serve of vanilla bean Kapiti ice cream for dessert. Kapiti ice cream really is a first class product.

As with our previous Air New Zealand flights the personal inflight entertainment keeps us amused. I manage to catch a fairly recent Australian movie called The Square. An original story by Joel Edgerton and it is directed by his brother Nash. As seems fairly typical for Australian movies it’s all a bit grim, but by no means predictable. I guess I would classify it as a cautionary tale. Joel Edgerton of course also plays one of the central characters. Great actor. He played Stanley to Cate Blanchett’s Blanche in the Sydney Theatre Company production of A Streetcar Named Desire that recently won great acclaim in Washington DC and New York.

I follow The Square with a couple of episodes of b-guided TV. We travel the Marlborough Sounds and then explore Auckland. I make a mental note to be sure and visit the excellent aviation museum when in the Marlborough region, and note that a visit to Molten at Mt Eden does indeed look tempting (already penciled in but not booked yet). Too bad we won’t have time to visit Gina’s pizza and pasta bar or some of the other excellent looking bars and restaurants around Auckland. Our dye is cast. In typical fashion I have our eating plan well and truly mapped out!

We make our approach over Auckland on a clear mild night. The lights of the city and the motorways a brilliant fairyland spectacle as the city wends it’s way around a myriad of bays and inlets. Beautiful.


Touch down just after midnight, a great first impression is made by a fabulous carved archway decorated with touches of paua through which we must pass on our way to immigration. We have e-passports so head for the smartgate to have our first experience of face recognition technology then it’s not long before we are retrieving our luggage and heading through quarantine. Nothing to declare this is pretty speedy and they simply xray all your stuff to check up on you on your way through.
We follow the signs to the shuttles and find enthusiastically friendly Super Shuttle staff keen to take us in hand . We prebooked so we get shuffled onto the appropriate vehicle and we make our way around the various accommodations of the other passengers.

What a contrast Auckland is to Christchurch. It’s dark so in many ways a comparison is difficult, but here in Auckland the roads are much bigger and the motorway is in the process of being upgraded to four lanes each way. This is a metropolis. The uber-urban vibe is quite a contrast to Christchurch with it’s grace and elegance. Our shuttle driver asks if it’s our first time in New Zealand. First time in the North Island I reply. He advises that “we’re crazier up here”. “well we should fit right in then!” I reply. Auckland has a buzz. Young people dressed for a night on the town make their way along the streets.

Rocking up at Quay West the clocks are making rapid progress towards 2am. The lobby is nicely appointed but a bit stale smelling. We have a bit of an adventure when our room cards don’t work in the lift, but this is quickly sorted and with growing alarm when the corridors likewise don’t smell well aired, we’re walking into our apartment… which to my great relief is just fine and beautifully furnished.

We unwind, and I add to my trip journal, serenaded by a droll kiwi on the inhouse entertainment cheerfully explaining that should we wish to access the adult options on the menu the titles will NOT, repeat will NOT appear on our bill. I have not before come across an inhouse system that had an actual human host to walk you through how to operate it. There seems to be a good range of movies on the movie link network…. where “I have the power in my hands” apparently. Well time to hit the sack. It’s wonderful to be back in New Zealand.



Saturday February 13 - Auckland and Devonport
Up at body clock time 5:45. Nothing unusual there but after such a late night we both feel like death. I drag myself awake as local time is slipping away and we need to adjust. I promise myself never to take another similarly timed flight again! Kills us.
Although one of the cheapest options at Quay West the view from our apartment is pleasant, looking out towards the bridge and the edges of viaduct harbour.



I spend a little time mucking about with the camera. Also need to access internet to download our itinerary which I forgot to print off before we left home. In Quay West internet is $5 for 15 mins with better deals for longer periods, but pricey in all ranges. I download the itinerary off gmail. Phew. Hubby says that Quay West has some sort of printing service. They also have a gym but I’ll hopefully get some exercise walking in the course of our sightseeing.

Plan for today is to get the ferry across to Devonport. We finally set off after 9 am and wander down towards the harbour. We take a detour into a Westfields shopping centre hoping for an ATM. As we wander around we must be looking a bit lost as a lady comes over and offers advice about the machines. She lived for years in Sydney. We ask for directions to the closest supermarket and this is, as we expected, the local Countdown (aka Woolworths in a thin disguise). Cash replenished I realize I haven’t brought sun screen and I’ve left my hat in the room so our supermarket adventure becomes a matter of urgency. We turn in the direction the lady indicated and find a delightful mini farmer’s market operating. The signage on surrounding buildings indicates that this is a regular Saturday thing from 8:30 – 12:30. Less a produce market than food stall heaven it is a wonderful diversion. Not having broken our fast we sample an Israeli pastry the name of which now escapes me ($3). Rounding the corner a hawker invites us to sample their venison sausages. They smell good and after tasting we opt for a sausage on a French roll ($5). Turns out to have quite a kick to it. We look around at tempting stalls of fruit and French pastries. Breads. We sample a freshly made pita bread with nutella. Tasty and satisfying. ($1). Noting some tempting stalls with potential picnic fare we head off in the direction of Countdown. It’s a bit of a treck and we feel like we’re going into the unknown and away from the action. A quick wander through selecting some fruit, milk, kiwi cheese in wax. It looks like one they had on the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise. Fingers crossed. Cereal, fruit, shampoo… almost forgot the sunscreen again. Pretty soon we’re heading back towards Quay West.

Fortuitously our route takes us past the memorial for the Rainbow Warrior which is a mosaic on the street in front of the site where the Greenpeace vessel was bombed and sunk by the French secret service. A quick photo and we turn to the south and head back to the farmers market. Now around 11 am the market is much busier. There is a musician playing and there’s a short queue for one of my target stalls. I fill in some time buying a punnet of blueberries ($3). Then we manage to get a space for tasting some tamarillo infused vinegar, dukkah, tamarillo paste and horopito olive oil. The horopito is a native plant and infuses a sort of peppery taste to the oil. Yum. I settle on a twin pack of 100 ml tamarillo vinegar and horopito olive oil ($18) and a small jar of tamarillo paste ($9?). Finally we select some smoked blue cod and some smoked mussels and we think we’re pretty much done for our picnic tomorrow.

Back to drop of the supplies and change into some shorts then it’s down to the wharves once again. Ah, that’s right, we really must get a road atlas today. Whitcoulls in Westfields wasn’t quite open when we passed earlier but we duck back in and pick up both a North Island road atlas and an Auckland street directory. While I’m here I make some enquiries about Frank Sargeson titles. None in stock. They are a special order. Probably take a couple of weeks as they are apparently available from a NZ supplier. Hmm. I need something to read so I pick up Cousins by Patricia Grace and Witi Ihimaera’s new book. The Trowenna Sea. This one seems doubly appropriate as it is a story of Maori sent in chains to Maria Island in Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania). Though this is fiction apparently there were in fact Maori convicts transported to the Australian penal colonies.



Hubby takes the books back to the room while I head down to the quay to admire the Queen Victoria. (love those Cunard ships). I missed her on her first visit to Sydney a year or so ago so I feel very lucky to see her here today. We loiter about picking up the odd brochure for some Auckland attractions we fancy. 12 oclock sees us boarding the ferry to Devonport and before long we are admiring the views as Auckland city slips away and Devonport approaches across the green water of the harbour.
The harbour is dominated by mostly industrial infrastructure, with some residential areas hugging low hills with shrubby trees. The southern shore across to the east a bit looks inviting and worth exploring. Devonport displays an abundance of heritage weatherboard cottages. Very lovely little cottages.

In no time we are disembarking and heading out of the wharf complex filled with cafes and food outlets, art dealers and second hand book shops. I stop in one of the book shops. “”do you have any Frank Sargeson?” I ask. No hesitation on the part of the lady behind the counter “No. We don’t get much of him”. Her tone suggests that Mr Sargeson’s books are prized by those that own them and snapped up by others. Another lady in the shop helpfully suggests that she thinks she’s seen Michael King’s biography of Sargeson in the bigger book store up the road. We give thanks all round and head on our way.

There’s a festive atmosphere and the place is busy with people but not too crowded. A wagon drawn by a trio of lovely heavy horses waits at the wharf for passengers. There are food stalls and a woodfired pizza wagon.


As we cross the road Hubby spies a sign on the corner. Peter Raos Gallery this way. Great. I was heading to the i-site for directions. This will save time, of which we are short. Along this stretch facing the waterfront, another gallery is just too tempting to resist. Crammed full of paintings, pottery and arts of all kinds we spend some time admiring their wares. My goodness there are a lot of tasteful but striking kiwi pieces. Flowering pohutukawa feature prominently and I make a mental resolution that next time I come to the north I really must come when the pohutukawa is in flower. I am sorely tempted by some cushions with weta, or pohutakawa and any number of iconic kiwiana cropped into richly coloured velvets in tones just right to look great in our new living room which is only in the very first steps of being kitted out. ...however little furnishings of this type are yet to feature on my shopping list and our money is slated for other things. We resist some georgeous lava glass vases. There are green ones and red ones and there’s a white version with darker brown flecks, which is my favourite of the assortment. With a sigh we move along to Peter Raos Gallery which is our prime destination today.

We have long admired Peter’s work in glass having first purchased one of his lily vases (in white with rose pink glass) over a decade ago. There are others in the shop when we arrive and we move slowly around the display cabinets, pausing to examine in detail the magnificent pacific series with their submerged coral reefs and vibrantly coloured fish. Extraordinary. The most expensive pieces in the gallery are vases and paper weights with pohutakawa leaves on them. The detail of the leaf structure and colour patterning is nothing short of exquisite. The technical skill required is extraordinary. Delicate curves of stems. Colours ranging from the fresh green of newly matured leaves to the reds and oranges the fallen leaves acquire, each leaf is a work of art marked with crisp clarity against the background glass. Photos and websites could not do these pieces justice.

As I am admiring these beautiful works of art, Peter finishes with his other visitor and noticing that I seem intrigued by the leaf design pieces sparks up a conversation with us. “they must take an extraordinary level of concentration to make” I comment. “Yes, they do require a lot of concentration”. We talk on and eventually I move across to the cabinet full of lily vases. Oh my, they have the rich blue version I have wanted for sooo long but had thought was no longer available as it's not been pictured on the website. Wow they have gone up in price since our last purchase! Peter is pretty chuffed to find we bought one of his vases from way back when he was supplying the Sturt gallery in Mittagong. As the discussion proceeds my excitement builds as it seems that my darling is about to buy me the spectacular leaf paperweight and the blue lily vase to match the pink one we have on display at home. I’m almost holding my breath. We discuss it over dinner and we realize that virtually every significant piece of art glass I own hubby has bought for me like this as an on the spot surprise. What a sweetie!! What an awesome souvenir of our (somewhat delayed) 25th anniversary trip! I'm smiling ear to ear.

During the conversation with Peter the subject of the lily glassware I saw in Chicago comes up. Turns out that Peter used to supply an outlet in Chicago but when he stopped it was apparently the inspiration for them commissioning the small lily perfume bottles, such as I bought as one of my souvenirs of that awesome city, from another source. It’s a pretty little bottle, but certainly not a patch on a Peter Raos original. It is interesting to have both in my little collection.

Grinning ear to ear we walk back down the street noting that there’s not a heck of a lot of time until we need to get back to the city if we are to see the movie I had my eye on at the Academy Cinema. The Academy claims to be Auckland’s only arthouse cinema. In the time remaining in Devonport we wander up the street of interesting shops. I wander into another second hand and rare books store and ask about Sargeson. No joy there either. Great shelf of kiwi fiction that I could spend a lot more time browsing but time is of the essence. Back down at the wharf a mobile wood fired pizza vendor is spruiking their wares. Oh why not. We order a margherita pizza with fresh basil. ($12). Delicious!!

On virtually no sleep I am working off the wrong end of the ferry timetable. I realize my mistake when we see the ferry scooting off just after 1:15. Oh well, this gives us time to eat the pizza without a rush. We are sorry to be leaving Devonport. There is no question I could spend an entire day here pottering about exploring. What with the literary walks and the naval museum and cute shops of all descriptions. Busy but not crowded. It’s just right.

Waiting to board the ferry we watch an interesting vessel with ornate sails maneuvering on the water. It makes a beautiful sight.

Back in the city time is pressing so we jump in a cab and between us manage to find our way up to the Academy. Turns out the Academy is not so good at keeping their own website up to date. Flicks website showed the correct session times and we have missed the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I know, I know, why allocate precious sightseeing time to a foreign movie... I have heard rumours this one will be released in Sydney in March, but I have not been able to confirm it and I badly want to see the Swedish version of this story.. so wasn't taking chances..and anyway we're really tired. Oh well. On the up side there is a documentary called “land of the long white cloud” starting at 2:55. We explore the neighbourhood for a while then return to take our positions in the tiny little screen room. Hubby tucking into an icecream and nursing a stubby of Mac’s Gold All Malt Lager.

The land of the long white cloud poster says that “Fish meet philosophy on Ninety Mile Beach”. This sums it up nicely. The doco is set at what is described by one featured fisherman as the richest fishing competition in the world. The Snapper Classic. Over a period of 5 days surf casting off ninety mile beach, the biggest snapper each day nets $3,000 for the fisherman. Largest snapper for the comp attracts $50,000. Quite a bait for the local anglers and the shore is lined with fishermen and surf rods.


In all weathers they front up and do their bit. Impressive stormy weather, fine balmy weather, they are out there. As the comp progresses the doco makers take to asking each fisherman what they think about some deep and meaningful issues. Do you belief in an afterlife? What about love? And people open up. It’s an intriguing 75 mins. My favourite line came from a local woman. “It’s a beautiful place up here. Beautiful place up here…. Can’t say too much for some of the people… but it’s a beautiful place up here.”

Movie concluded we wander back to the apartment via first Lorne St and then Queen. Passing a tempting and original looking asian pancake outlet, not much more than a hole in the wall. We pass little alleyways with street tables on little restaurants and cafes. Masses of little avenues for exploration everywhere we look. With advertisements for Kelly Tarleton’s joint and the maritime museum, there’s so much to see. As we walk we discuss how much there is to do. I find it hard to fathom why you read so often that there’s no need to spend virtually any time in Auckland. We find it fascinating just being here. .. of course it doesn’t hurt at all having watched the b-guided tv Auckland edition. However even on our own observation it seems to us that Auckland is awash with great international food outlets, and we enjoy museums and art galleries and historic houses, and nice gardens. Auckland has plenty of all these things. It’s great.

Finally we collapse for a short rest before dinner. 6:20 we’re heading out the door on our way to Soul Bar and Bistro in Viaduct Harbour. It’s an easy walk on a balmy evening. Viaduct Harbour is overwhelmingly similar to Darling Harbour in Sydney, with an overlay of Opera Bar buzz... or should that be Darling Harbour is similar to Viaduct harbour…. Who know’s. Doesn’t really matter I guess. It’s a humming spot for a meal. Soul does not appear to have our reservation which was confirmed by email 6 or more weeks ago. Hmm. No problem however and we are seated inside but with good views out over the marina.

We start with Soul Chowder for hubby and I go for the South Island whitebait fritters with lemon butter sauce. Both very nice. The Chowder with a strong overlay of corn and accompanied by a beautiful slab of lovely soft fresh sourdough bread. The whitebait fritters were more like a whitebait omelet in my kitchen parlance but very enjoyable.

The service is attentive and one waiter in particular who seems to be our main guy, is really friendly and shares a joke with us. He was great. A real asset to the business. We note also that many of the staff are a little older than you often see at home. Professionals rather than students filling in. Excellent.

Hubby amuses himself with a Speights Gold Medal Ale between courses and we chat about the prospects of the footy match later this evening as we wait for our mains. Hubby has opted for the crab and prawn linguine which has plenty of shredded crab flesh and has a bit of a chili kick to it. I have gone for the Hawke’s Bay lamb rack with braised cos and and broad beans accompanied by cheesy potato bake. A side of beans. This lamb has a completely different flavour to the lamb at home. Though just lately, there has been an increase in restaurants carrying specialty varieties of meat, different breeds apparently having quite different characters. This Hawkes Bay lamb is reminiscent of the Suffolk lamb we’ve had elsewhere. Very strong flavor.

We joke with our waiter as he brings us the dessert menu before we ask for it. It’s a tough choice but as a gesture of reconciliation, we decide to go for the pavlova which we consider a highly risky choice. It is so rare to buy pavlova anywhere that is even vaguely a competitor for the home made version. What you pay doesn’t seem to matter. Our second selection is the chocolate, toffee and banana pudding. I’m curious about the chocolate etc pudding. Could be the flavours may find it hard to compete with eachother, but no, it is a delicious combination. The pavlova raises some eyebrows when it arrives. A couple of perfect little mounds of soft centred meringue. The plate smeared with lemon curd, with sliced kiwi fruit, fresh lemon jelly and tiny sprigs of new mint leaves all arranged artistically on the plate. That’s a pav? Interesting interpretation…. Well…. The pavlova was superb. Simply superb. The mint was the crowning glory. A fresher ligher more delicious summer pudding you would go a very long way to find. Hubby jokes with our waiter… “ok you win. As an Aussie I have to say that Pavlova was absolutely brilliant. You win” “What was that?” our waiter replies. We dutifully repeat and we all laugh.

Hubby has not been able to resist the Soul Trinkets. This is a tray of petit fours to have with coffee. A generous selection of tasty morsels. Nice, but not a competitor for similar complementary things offered by places like Aria in Sydney… sorry but Aria has set the highest bar on petit fours in our experience… very very hard to compete with any of their miniature offerings and their macadamia nougat is to die for. Even just the smell as they bring the tray to the table is a mouth watering delight… but I digress. We claim our bill. $191 including beer. We’ve had a delightful dining experience here at Soul. OK if I wanted to be picky I would comment that overall if you were judging the meal on food alone, I would say that while Soul produces nice food in a professional atmosphere, it’s not quite up to “hatted” standard which is the measure at home. However we’re really just talking fine levels of finesse and of course once converted, Soul is also slightly less expensive. The main thing for us tonight is that we have very much enjoyed our visit to Soul. We have enjoyed the food. Enjoyed the friendly service. Enjoyed the buzz and beauty of Viaduct Harbour. We’d certainly come back.

Home time and we decide to walk around via the waterfront, past the Maritime Museum. A lovely balmy night. An easy enjoyable walk. We’re home in plenty of time for the kick off of a momentous sporting moment for Australia. The Indigenous All Stars match. In this match the best of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander rugby league players are pitched against the best of the rest, including kiwis. (I guess we should note that most kiwis prefer rugby union, so most of their best play that code rather than league). We are looking forward to a tough game, and expect the Indigenous All Stars to win. The indigenous players are not only very talented, but they want this so badly. Have wanted it badly for a long time. I have to say I want it for them too. Great to see the indigenous supporters out in mass screaming pride, in themselves, in their team. It’s awesome.

I leave you briefly with the score at 10 : 4. Indigenous in front. The Indigenous All Stars have held up 2 tries so far. For international readers, this means they got in for what appears a certain try, but with shear strength and heart the defenders prevent the player grounding the ball. It’s rare. Two in one game says everything about the quality of the defense and the intensity of the play.

.....13 minutes to go and the NRL stars are making breaks. Indigenous are scrambling and look like they are tiring. Can they hang on? Gasp. Benji Marshall, kiwi player extraordinaire, goes in for a try for NRL. Now it is 10:8. … the NRL stars are going for the second try. It was a difficult kick and would only at best have drawn them level. If they can get the second try they will edge in front. No. Indigenous retain the lead.

It is a tight game with either team scoring and the other coming back with a try in reply. Final score indigenous 16 NRL 12. The great Jonathan Thurston playing his usual key role in the victory for the indigenous team.

I am out of it by the time the presentations and speeches are on, but hubby tells me the indigenous captain presented the ARL captain with a didgeridoo worked on by all the indigenous players. This event is a great new tradition.

NZ Sth Island - Pt 10 Christchurch and Home to Sydney

Day 18 (Wednesday 2 December)

Happily ensconced in the Arthurs Court Motor Lodge on this, our last day in New Zealand. We have a lot we'd like to do, but foremost among them is to not completely expire from excessive fatigue. There's a bit of fuss as a problem with the hot water system is revealed and our hosts, clearly horrified at the problem and perhaps a little defensive, find us a solution before summoning an electrician. Luckily the hot water is working in a unit across the way so we pop over there to shower.

It's midday before we get to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens where the first order of business is to put the hire of the mobility scooter back long enough for us to grab a bite to eat in the gardens cafe. The meal was OK but not really anything to write home about. Quite expensive for what you got. It was however delightfully on the spot.

Lunch out of the way we claim the scooter. Sis is inclined to skip a walk around the gardens until persuaded to hire another scooter. This she finds delightfully liberating and the bonus for Mum is that she doesn't feel so conspicuous. We trundle quickly down to the Rose Garden where a beautiful display is in full flight. Mostly modern varieties, but not entirely. Some are familiar to us and others not so, perhaps because they are more suited to the milder, moister conditions to be found here in Christchurch.




As is hardly surprising by now, Daughter spends considerable time in macro zoom and in the process captures some lovely portraits.


The gardens are quite unlike gardens in Australia and there is a large variety of enormous cool climate trees and, for us, unusual shrubs. Magnificent elms with curly branches or weeping skirts. A giant gingko. Deep shade and traceries of bright green foliage over black stems and branches. It is utterly lovely. One day I will be back to go punting on the river.



There is a wide variety of features among the displays including some intriguingly tangled trunks.



Amongst the arboretum we are blown away to find the most enormous eucalypt. Safely planted as a specimen here you'd be hard pressed to find too many eucalypts like this in their home country. The sort of thing only to be seen in historic photos of timber getters of the 19th century. Incredible. I think the name on this one was Eucalyptus giganteum or something like that. Something that translated as "enormous eucalyptus" anyway!! We greet our fellow Australian warmly and pose for photos. What an amazing tree.



Sprinkled here and there at strategic intersections are a range of attractive sculptures of similar style but different subject matter. As well as an unfurling fern frond there is a single stemmed rose. Everything is very tastefully done here.



There are so many plants that are new to us. One of the most striking was what we presumed to be a giant acanthus but were later informed is a Gunnera. It's massive leaves almost dwarfing mum in her scooter.

Making sure we pass through the heather garden we make our way back to return the scooters. We make a few purchases in the gift shop. A Lui the Tui picture book is added to the family collection.

Our next stop is to the Museum of Canterbury. We utilise the mobility parking outside the museum and fetch mum a wheelchair. I would swear on a stack of sacred texts that the website for the Museum says they have a "collection of glass models of marine invertebrates made by father and son glassworkers, Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka" purchased in 1884, that offers a "unique combination of scientific accuracy and breathtaking technical skill". I really want to see this. It's the same guy/s whose glass models of a different subject are in a museum in Ireland (also on my list of things I'd like to see). The staff don't seem to know anything about them. I can't find them. I'm a bit rushed for time, so perhaps I didn't see everywhere or didn't look carefully enough. I skipped the kids discovery area with the small fee for entry.. very disappointing, but oh well. It's not like I don't plan to return through Christchurch again one day. Shame Mum won't see them though.

While we're here we pop in to have a look at the Paua Shell house. Very quirky and amusing. I think its great that the long term hospitality of this lovely couple has been preserved like this. A nice and humorous commentary on the arguments between Aussie and NZ re things like pavlova too. We were really pleased to have seen it. The rest of the museum is also really well done and as I hurried through there were several galleries were I really regreted not being able to stay longer. I got a quick trot through the birds gallery which was great. I could have spent a LOT longer in the museum, as it was we only had about an hour. Some time was allocated to the gift shop. Time is getting precious and we have to face the rellies back home, some of which will be looking for a little something. Daughter in particular is getting desperate for something to get her other half. He likes tacky souvenirs and we've not seen many.

Mum has found some excellent stuffed toys of birds that make the bird call. Can't go without a kea. A morepork is also irresistable. Sis finally finds some small tiki that she likes with a nice amount of carving on them. All in all we find the selection here very good... but I have to say you can get those bird stuffed toys several dollars cheaper duty free at the airport when you're leaving the country.
Our purchases safely stowed it's time to head to the Southern Encounter Aquarium. Sis and Daughter in particular have been looking forward to this but its not long to closing and Daughter is getting seriously desperate for two things. The tacky souvenirs and something for her bites which have been getting worse and worse and are now enormous arrangement of weeping festiness. The Soove just isn't helping anymore and she's being driven crazy with itching and consequent sleepless nights. She simply must get to a chemist. We say kia ora to Mum and Sis as they enter the aquarium and we head across the street. The staff in the chemist examine Daughter with interest and recommend some creams and some powerful Telfast antihistamine. These provide some relief but she's still suffering acutely. The only similar experience Daughter has had was getting bitten by the sandflies on Fraser Island in Queensland when she went hiking and camping there. That was bad, but these kiwi sandfly bites are just out of control and showing no sign of retreat. Why? We figure that the one major difference is that Fraser Island involves ocean swimming and Daughter went straight from Fraser Island to Lord Howe Island with us and spent a week largely in the salt water swimming. We always find the ocean a brilliant medicine for any skin ailment so as soon as we get home I ordered Daughter to the beach (not that she ever needs much persuasion to go swimming). Ocean bathing made an astonishing difference right away. She made daily trips for medicinal purposes and after a few days the bites were a thing of the past.

As we are conducting the transaction in the chemist our eye is caught by a display for a clearly fail proof hangover cure. We read the assurances on the stand. We crack up. That would be an awesome souvenir. We examine the boxes. Nah, the same claims are not made on the boxes. There's a lost sale. A photo of the display will have to do.

Next we do the rounds of the souvenir shops around Cathedral Square of which there are plenty. This proves rewarding with some particularly tacky options available. We go middle of the range on the tacky meter and get a cheap vulgar beer can holder. I can't resist getting yet another magnet. This time a faux roadsign with three cute woolly sheep and "next 800 kms" underneath. The sheep around the countryside are awesome. I'll enjoy having that on the fridge with the others.
We figure the logical way to meet up is to just head back to the car. We sit. We sit some more. Clearly the fatigue factor is kicking in for Mum and Sis. For some bizarre reason they went elsewhere - unknown to us - and waited for us there. A highlight of this anxious time in the car which was right outside the police station in time limited mobility parking (fortunately other vacant spots were available all during this time) -was a pass by the Christmas Tram which added a nicely festive touch.

Away at last having done a detailed post mortem on the reasoning behind the last hours mix up we head back to change for dinner. Need to make an effort on our last evening. We have a reservation at Sezn in Dallington. Our road atlas isn't exactly a Christchurch street directory and thinking it's too much to assume that the street the restaurant is on is the same one of that name in the city centre we give the restaurant a call for directions. They tell us a short cut, but the street is the same one that runs all the way from the CBD. At long last we find a park and wander inside. It's a modest streetfront. Not somewhere too attention grabbing. Clearly it's word of mouth that brings people in the door here.

We are greeted warmly by the staff and seated. The atmosphere is cosy and so far, it being fairly early, we are among the first tables to arrive. In due course the owner introduces herself and explains the philosophy of the restaurant. Locally grown organic wherever possible. Purists who love food. Where this could be coupled with a healthy dose of pretension, there is absolutely no sign of that. Down to earth people who just love food. So far so good. We are given a run down on the special features of the menu and settle down with our pre-dinner bread to await our first course.

In a short while an amuse bouche of a tiny little salmon cake is delivered to the table. Delicious.
Daughter and I have gone for entres. Daughter the Seared Venison with beetroot and hazlenut salad, and myself the pumpkin and marscapone tortellini with almonds and sage. Both Excellent and we all enjoy them as we give taste samples around the table.
Three of us went for the Ribeye with tongue'n'cheek pie onion rings and herb butter; Daughter headed (as is usual) for the fish - pan seared brill with lemon parsley and capers. Our steak was divine. No other word for it. Cooked to perfection as we ordered it, melt in your mouth perfection. The tongue'in'cheek pie was a small cushion of wonderfully delicate pastry encapsulating a quite dense and strongly flavoured meat ragout. Quite an intense flavour. I enjoyed that however Mum and Sis felt that was a little strong and wasted on them so donated theirs. Too good to waste!
Advised that each side dish was only of modest proportions we opted for the hand cut fries with house made tomato sauce and aioli; brocolli brown butter and almonds; and rocket avocado and bacon salad. All excellent.

A leisurely chat and we head into the pudding course. We have enjoyed being ridiculously self indulgent on this trip. Sis Daughter and I ordered pudding. Mum ordered a spoon.. It's a very difficult choice but in the end daughter went for the Dark chocolate delice with peanut butter icecream and macadamia praline. Sis the lemon tart with granny smith sorbet and marscapone. I opted for the Caramel parfait with milk chocolate mousse and caramelised banana. What can I say. Superb!! For the first time in our lives we order seconds of the pudding. Another round of the Dark chocolate delice, and while you're at it hit us up with the Creme Brulee with coffee sorbet and shortbread. Now you would expect we would regret that when it comes down to actually polishing off more sweets after such a full meal. Not a chance. They were fabulous. We gush our compliments to our host who assures us the chef responsible will be thrilled to hear we enjoyed everything so much.

We have ended our trip as it began - with a superb meal.

Day 19 (Thursday 3 December)

We have a ridiculously early flight departure. Drag ourselves from our beds and head to the airport. We are rather surprised to find lots of people bedded down in their sleeping bags around the terminal. It's all quite routine this morning. Drop the hire car keys and so on in the secure slot at Europcar; do a spot of last minute duty free buying in the liquor store. A few souvenirs including a buzzy bee for my little niece for christmas. In no time we're on our Air New Zealand flight home, once more enjoying a comfortable trip with entirely satisfactory service. We're home by 8:30 am and busy declaring away to our hearts content. We are a while at customs as a result. The main delay was the need to have our shoes thoroughly cleaned. The usual teary embraces as we greet our other halves. Sis, who's never been away from home so long before and seldom without her other half, is almost beside herself to be home and back in his arms. She's had a wonderful trip but was getting pretty homesick. We are all very happy to be home.

We head to our various homes and promptly proceed to collapse from exhaustion! Talk about needing a rest after a holiday!! Mum was a bit of a write off for a couple of weeks, but has no regrets on that score.

So what do we say to close. In a completely fabulous holiday what really stood out among so many other marvellous experiences?

I think it's unanimous. Kaikoura. We concede that it didn't hurt that it was our first stop. It also didn't hurt that all our plans went like clockwork and we had optimal conditions for everything. However we just had the most wall to wall brilliant time there. From the minute we arrived and got a look at the beautiful snow capped mountains running right down to the ocean to the moment we made the turn south back to Christchurch it was wonderful. Kaikoura was also the scene for our No1 top of the mountain experience - seeing the seal pups at the waterfall. The Green Dolphin (both staff and food) were a highlight too... but the whole South Island trip was just so wonderful. It will be an experience none of us will ever forget.
I asked mum what her favourite things were and one of the things she ranked highly was the camaraderie of the group. That of course is so important and ultimately the main reason for the trip in the first place. We made unforgettable memories together. New Zealand will feature in our fondest recollections for many many years to come. We couldn't have chosen a better destination.

NZ Sth Island - Pt 9 Hokitika, Punakaiki, Arthurs Pass to Christchurch

Day 17 (Tuesday 1 December) Off to Christchurch via Punakaiki

Today we sleep in. Some of us until after 9 oclock. I lie in bed listening to the rain and writing up my notes. Ever health conscious we are obliged to share a litre of icecream for brekkie today. Daughter and Sis simply couldn't resist some high fat percentage walnut and maple syrup variety when they were at the supermarket and time is running for opportunities to sample. Delicious, but it will be good to get back on a healthier eating plan when we get home.

This morning we have a few shopping errands. First up we go back to the glass studio and watch some glass manufacturing as there was none yesterday due to the public holiday. Having mulled over the options overnight we each make our souvenir purchases then it's off to the possum shop. I am very sorely tempted by a beautiful possum skin throw, but at $1000 it's a bit steep for the moment. I resolve to wait and see how the new house is in winter. No point having a possum throw if your house is too warm to ever use it. We settle for some luxurious possum slippers and a possum skin for daughter 2. In the course of our conversation with the person serving we mention that I hadn't heard of the availability of possum skins in NZ until I visited the Museum of Australia and read about how some of the indigenous people from areas most greatly affected by European settlement were wanting to resurrect some of their traditional skills. They referred to possum skin cloaks that had been collected back in the first days of contact and set about studying them and figuring out how they were made. Then they got busy making the cloaks that are now on display in the museum. Possums are protected in Australia, so for the project to go ahead they had to import skins from NZ. We are pleased to discover that it was this very same company that they bought the skins from. In another amazing turn of good fortune for us this shop only opened 3 days or so ago. It was still in the process of setting up!

Our Hokitika business completed we head north. We have a number of options again today and discuss the alternatives. It's absolutely pouring rain, but Mum is very keen to see the Pancake Rocks so that settles it. We head north. It consistently pours rain the whole way as we pass through Greymouth. Noone could doubt our faith as we press steadfastly onward to our next natural spectacle.

North of Greymouth the traffic ahead slows to a stop as we reach the site of a landslip that has just occurred. The road is blocked. A little way before we had overtaken a slow moving piece of earth moving machinery. Ah. Now the slow moving earth machinery overtakes us and heads to the pile of debris across the road. We watch the slow clearing of the blockage as sand continues to trickle down the escarpment. Most entertaining. It must have been alarming to be driving along here when the slip was taking place. Eventually the road is cleared enough to allow a single lane of traffic to pass and the cars queued in either direction take their turn to continue their journey.



Pondering on the chances of further road blockages before the deluge eases, and secretly happily philosophical about even a slight risk of maybe having to drive around to Christchurch via Nelson. I drive on as (temporary?) waterfalls cascade down onto the road and mist shrouds the bordering vegetation.

On arriving at Punakaiki I am somewhat surprised at the scale of the pancake rocks and the visitor facilities accompanying them. This is obviously a major tourist attraction. From the off hand, not a must see, sort of way in which I have heard them spoken about in the course of my research this was not what I was expecting at all. It's all very impressive.

On queue the rain which has been absolutely belting down, eases. Not that Mum was about to be deterred. She has already located her umbrella. We park and head through the impressive rock entrance to the very pretty walk to the viewing area. Daughter wastes no time in her appreciation of the macro attractions of the area when she sees some bright orange fungi peeping out from the leaves on the embankment.


In contrast to the beautiful tiny flora the mysterious pancake rocks are on a large scale. These are eroded cliffs. I was thinking they were an eroded rock platform or something flatter and more tide affected. Perhaps my confusion has stemmed from the references to trying to be here at particular tide conditions. The blow hole is indeed tide affected in terms of when it puts on a display, but the rocks themselves are enormous and would be worth the visit at any time. The infrastructure also is very very nice. Stone walls leading around the site. Bridges for viewing the deep hole where the swell surges and breaks. The whole precinct is fabulous.
There are a lot of people here and everyone is bearing expressions that suggest a sense of wonder is widespread. Mum and Sis in particular are loving it as they slowly move from one spectacular vantage point to the next.






Another marvellous attraction at the site is that it is a sea bird rookery. Now that's a happy bonus!! Terns and red billed gulls. Sitting on nests. Chicks! We settle in for some extended viewing of some nesting terns and have the great good fortune to see the parent bird return with a shining silver fish. The offering gratefully gobbled it heads back out to sea before some minutes later returning again to the nest with another silver morsel dangling from its bill. This is apparently the shift change and the bird sitting on the nest rises and it's place taken by its partner. Fantastic! Fancy seeing that!!

One of my favourite parts of the place was the huge hole where the tide surges and the foam of the breakers washes over the submerged rocks. You can't rush an appreciation of this area.



The rain is continuing to drizzle lightly like an aerial varnish for the beautiful flowers of the native vegetation. Here and there honeyeaters are dining on the flowers of the flax. Playing hide and seek with curious tourists like me.


The rain gradually accumulates and drips from the tiny flowers of what appears to be a species of hebe. The light shining around the edges of tiny water droplets as they hang weightily on the edge of a petal. How much we would miss if we only ever ventured out in the sunshine.


We are amazed at the continued restraint of the clouds overhead which are clearly aching to dump their load. Just one tricky obstacle to navigate. Some steep uneven steps in the track. Daughter hangs back to steady her grandma. We return slowly towards the road marvelling at a spider's web heavy with rain sparkles. Beautiful but shy for the camera.
Back at the road we venture into the cafe and gift shop. There is a broad range of quality souvenirs including the most beautifully carved pounamu we have seen so far. Daughter wishes she had the $600 necessary to buy me a gorgeous small piece called Spirit Carrier. I wish she had it too. I guess it would be cheating to lend it to her.
The others have an intention of picking up some snack wraps from Maccas or KFC or wherever in Greymouth (they were paying attention as we passed northward). I'm not keen on that and decide to try something take away from the cafe. I get a sort of quiche like product from the cabinet and decide to give the large Anzac biccies a go. The service was distinctly surly and the food pretty average. Quite disappointing. The Anzac biccie was OK, but I'm in the crisp school of Anzac biccie officionados and these are the chewy sort.

Conscious of the time we assume our travelling positions once more and head south. The coastline is quite striking with stacks of black surf sprayed rocks by a sea of pale green. We pull over at one of the lay bys to capture some memory joggers and hopefully decor shots too.



It's late for lunch but not dettered we do the rounds of the multi-nationals in Greymouth before turning towards Christchurch. (Ah, I inadvertently lied in my previous report from Dunedin. Oops.) It is in this area that we see what we decided is one of the most remarkable sights of our trip. We have had no difficulty negotiating the many single lane bridges but here the shared use of infrastructure takes a turn to the really extraordinary. Here there is a single lane bridge used not only for both directions of road traffic but for the rail line as well. It is closely followed by a large roundabout with the train lines running smack bang through the middle of it. What the... Noone will believe this. We head back to video the experience of travelling through this set of hazards. We find that we have just missed a freight train coming through. Drat! Clearly the local populace must be quite accustomed to the situation, but it seems unbelievable to us to see the local police patrol car queued up on the railway tracks waiting for their turn across the bridge.



Whilst enjoying this entertainment we take a particular liking to the hazard warning sign for cyclists. We think it communicates the risk quite effectively.


As we head up the valley towards Christchurch once more we find ourselves back in the realm of broom (or is it gorse?) which blankets the ground in bright yellow. Through the rain a little further up the valley wild foxgloves have established, their purple spires dripping. They are mostly just a pink blur through the rain today though.

We know we have climbed in altitude when we start to see the beautiful Mt Cook lily flowering on the hillsides. We failed to take any photos when we've seen them previously so make a point of pulling over when we see a safe opportunity.



Travelling through the pass, the scenery resumes what I can only describe as broad scale grandeur. By now its well after 6 pm and we are dull to say the least as we recline heads against headrests and periodically doze as the glorious scenery slips by, although not always unappreciated.





It is not often that I find I have a distinct sympathy with an arsonist, but yes, I discover that even this is possible as we enter the little community of Springfield. Now I have to say that I did enjoy the first several seasons of the Simpsons (we'll choose to disregard the 15 or so seasons since they ran out of ideas worth actioning). However I think things are really getting out of hand when a little town like this decides that a large pink donut with a bite out of it, should be its claim to fame. I guess I should note that my sentiments are not shared by all in our vehicle. Sis and Daughter think it is funny. Even funnier still when we notice the abortive attempt to obliterate it. A photo stop is demanded.



Having done the photographic deed we do a double take as in our peripheral vision we spy a sign that seems on casual glance to be a little extreme. One could be forgiven for wondering if Nazism is alive and well in this town. Then again, if that were the case surely the Simpsons would be the first to go.

The wagons are rolling into the Arthurs Court Motorlodge quite late after a stop to photograph an ostrich farm. 8:30 sees us stopping once more at Starmart Russley for a sneaky trip through the (fairly ineffectual) car wash. None-the-less the evidence of our explorations is less apparent when we emerge. None of us have any recollection what we did about dinner that night. Now tomorrow night, our last night of the trip - that is memorable!