Elizabeth and David are a couple on our trip. They came to New Zealand for their 25th anniversary (late ’80s I believe), but Elizabeth didn’t “get to” bungee jump. So she was going to do it this time around.
They went when we did the Dart Jet Boat – Elizabeth wished she could have “done it all” but time didn’t permit.
David was born in 1935 – Elizabeth in 1942. They’ve been together for a long time, and are quite a couple. (David is our “Rangatira,” you might remember.)
David shared the photos of Elizabeth’s jump – so I thought I’d share with you. Look at that joy!
Today we took a trip out to Arrowtown. It is a picturesque mining town about a half hour bus ride from Queenstown.
Rod did an orientation walk, and then Lynn (who leads Chinatown Tours in San Francisco and worked the Immigration Station on Angel Island) headed over to what had been the Chinese portion of the town (basically gone now).
One thing that was different than the San Francisco Chinese “experience” is that there wasn’t violence against the people – though there was just as much prejudice.
Chinese men from Guangdong (formerly Canton) had come out to work in the gold fields. Once the gold petered out, they turned into the main farmers for the area, and faced a lot less prejudice because the “white folk” didn’t consider them to be competition.
Dave, um, “posing” at the open pit toiletinside the home – quite amazing dry-laid stoneMark shows how short the doors were! (Mark is 5’7″)
Lynn had been looking for “just the right” pounamu necklace. Part of what I’ve done is scout out different shops while she’s been doing something else. I found three in Arrowtown, but one had great promise. And – yay! – she found a wonderful one. I found one too. Can you see me shaking my head at myself?
After the shopping, we headed to the “bakery on the corner” for hand pies. Lynn got a spicy chicken (which was very spicy) – I got a steak and mushroom. They were DE-licious!
We took them to The Winery, not knowing that they had cheese boards and tapas . . . but they let us sit outside and eat our pies with their wine! It was a gorgeous day so that was great.
The Winery is a genius idea. You turn in your credit card, and they give you a card with a chip in it. You insert the chip above a bottle of wine that you want to try, and choose if you want a “tasting pour,” a “half pour,” or a “full pour.” I tried out a tasting pour for a few reds (one a different Bordeaux blend from my New Favorite Winery, Man O’War!). When it was getting close to the time to catch the bus back to Queenstown, I spied an Arrowtown “dessert wine” made from quince in the “whisky room” that contained a good 15 whiskies, a gin, and a few dessert wines “on tap.”
The “Broken Heart” (quince liqueur) smelled like honey and cinnamon (very “Christmassy”), but upon sipping it was not the super sweet, viscous wine that I was expecting. It was definitely “on the sweet side,” but it had a dry finish. It tasted of sort of an apple/pear/tropical combination – delicious! If I had an extra pound in my luggage and a way to wrap it, I was tempted to bring a bottle home. It was so different. But in reality, Herbert was the one who loved dessert wines, and I’m not sure I would actually open it. I can definitely recommend though if you like something other than your standard port or madeira after a meal.
I’ll just add a quick note about the space-age public toilets in Arrowtown. You press a button to be let in, and it not only talks to you, but everything is automated inside. The funniest part? You’re locked in, until you washed your hands OR wait 10 minutes!! (I imagine that any “non-hand-washers” might just have done it to get let out!)
Tonight we go on the steamer Earnslaw (mentioned in the previous post). It will take us to a dinner on the other side of the lake, at a large sheep station. It’s our Farewell Dinner, as five of our “merry band” are heading off. The rest of us will be heading to the Bay of Islands, including glowworms, some other things Rod mentioned and – of course – the Hundertwasser Toilets!!!!!
UPDATE: The steamer was great – Don went down and talked with the engineer, who was ecstatic to talk to someone who could really appreciate the “workings” of what he did. Don took the photo and video below. You can see the feet of the guy who is shoveling coal in the still photo! I’ll also include a photo of the sheep station from the boat.
“workings” of the Earnslaw – very “steamy”!!!
After a delicious dinner, we had a “farm demonstration” from the shepherd. She ran her “eye dogs” (border collies), and her huntaway for us. Her huntaway was part Labrador, part English pointer, and part “barky dog.” Yes, a mélange! The shepherd said that she was the “ideal dog” because she could be taken hunting and used as a huntaway to drive the sheep.
Rabbits have overrun the South Island as pests, so they are hunted, as are some of the other “varmints” like possum and stoats. When she takes her dog out for hunting, the lab and pointer kicks in – silent, plus helps to point out the game and fetch it back! When she is running sheep, the “barky dog” comes out, and the dog works to move the sheep by barking at them from behind (I talked about this more in depth on the post where we met with Chris the shepherd up North). Very versatile and useful dog!
We were in an open amphitheater for the demonstration, which is quite cold. We all thought we were just going to the dinner inside, so were not prepared for the “nip” outside! Gluten-free Marilyn and Jan – both of whom were raised on farms – stayed in the lounge of the restaurant, because they said “they knew” what “farming was all about” and “it’s just cold and miserable to do this after dinner in the dark.” It led to a very funny interchange – they said that “Farm” was a “4 letter word that started with F” to which Lynn and I said we would try to replace our “usual” “4 letter word that started with F” with it. As in “It’s farming cold out there!” “What the farm is going on?” (Reminds me of when Herbert was watching Battlestar Galactica and replaced that “4 letter F word” with “Frack,” their made-up swear word of the same usage!)
We got back to the hotel, and had some hugs and farewells to the five that are not going to the Bay of Islands. Gluten free Marilyn gave me the sweetest thank you card for making her the hat! I hope that I can stay in touch with her and Jan. They travel together a lot and are really great. It might be fun to try to be on a new trip with them. Actually everyone was really super. I think that Jim and Marilyn, and Don, are going in June on a trip that includes Paris and Italy. It got us into a discussion of whether the part of Notre Dame that is being touted as “to be open” for the Olympics (in July/August of next year) will really make it. I watched a fascinating documentary on everything that they’re doing to fix it. Jim said no way would it be open at all – I just said that the “plan” was to have the apse open – we’ll see!
I’ve been hearing about the potentiality of the House ReTrumplicans holding the government funding hostage, which would lead to a government shut down back home, which could lead to flight cancellations. I’m hoping that won’t be the case for us, as we go straight from Auckland to San Francisco. If we had had a stop in LAX (like on the way out), I think we might be more likely to run into trouble. However, we received the following this morning:
Good morning all: At 4.04am this morning I received notification that our Flt NZ614 to Auckland was cancelled. The only alternative for us was NZ616 departing Queenstown at 11.55 am a delay of 2.15hrs. We will now depart the hotel for the airport at 9.45am so please have a long breakfast and suitcases out at at 9.00am for the porter. This will impact my plan for the day however don’t worry I’m working on another plan. So sorry about this. Rod
We were already up early to get our bags out for the flight we thought that we were going to be on, so didn’t quite get the extra sleep we might have, but at least I got a bit more time to update the blog! With that said – here’s hoping that’s our only “hiccup” and everything else goes perfectly!
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
After breakfast at our hotel, we were given a “Bee” pass. You swipe this as you get on public transportation and again when you get off. It allowed us to use a bus to get down from our hotel (which is on a hill to the side of town) and – perhaps more importantly – back.
Rod walked us around Queenstown to give us our bearings. This first photo is from the description of the steamer that will take us tomorrow night to our “farewell dinner” across the lake. It was built the same year as the Titanic and has had many jobs. This photo shows when it would go from sheep station to sheep station, gathering up sheep.
Here is a life sized moa (now extinct) with Dawn, and a cute tea house near the Botanic Gardens.
We had read about “Fergburger,” which was just as busy as the “best burger in New Zealand” has a right to be. Lynn and I hit it early – at 11:00 – and split a venison “Bambi burger” and fries, plus had a glass of wine (of course we did). The line wasn’t terrible and – more importantly – we were able to snag two seats at a table outside. (Seats are really at a premium – most people sit on a wall out front.) When I ordered the wine, I was told that I “couldn’t take it outside” (all the inside tables were obviously packed), but I pointed out the “server window” to where Lynn was sitting. The cashier told me that was the only outside table that was allowed wine, as it was “under and awning” and so still “counted” as being “inside.” (Right when we were about to leave, Cindy and Toshiko were in line – Cindy had gotten a “Fergpie” from the bakery next door, so she took my seat, and held the other for Toshiko, who was getting a burger. Great timing!)
Afterwards, we headed to Patagonia (no, not the clothing shop) to have gelato for dessert. Check out these treats! And – need a job?
Patagonia is known for its ‘world famous’ hot chocolate, but we were too stuffed to think about it.
There are a lot of restaurants in New Zealand with names that makes you smile. (This one is a Mexican restaurant):
it’s a chocolate-dipped churro. what were YOU thinking?
After our walk around Queenstown and lunch, it was time for our jet boat adventure on the Dart. The jet boats skim over the water, which can be as shallow as four inches! It was quite a long drive to get there – about 45 minutes on a winding road. We made it though, and were outfitted in long water-proof, warm jackets plus life preservers. Gluten-free Marilyn was kind enough to “pose” in what we were calling our “penguin getup.”
It was definitely nippy, but turns out that the railings that you can hold onto in the jet boat have hot water running through them to warm your hands. Genius!
I have some shots of the beautifulness:
The guide showed us all the various spots where parts of The Hobbit were filmed – it wasn’t until the middle of the last one that I realized I should be doing a Marco Polo to Leann about these, as she has a friend that’s a Lord of the Rings nut. Missed opportunity!
Here are some shots that the boat driver took of our “merry band”:
A couple of panoramas:
And finally, a video of what the adventure was like! This is 5 minutes long, so it might take a bit to load . . . but I was determined to keep filming until the driver did a 360* turn in the river! (If you forward to about 4:30 you get the idea.)
Lynn and I eschewed heading to town for dinner, opting instead to head back to the hotel to catch our blogs up! Tomorrow is a trip to Arrowtown, which is apparently a mining town, and then our trip on the steamer and Farewell Dinner. Jan and Gluten-Free Marilyn are heading to Tasmania, and Toshiko, Bev and Jim are also not doing the post-trip to the Bay of Islands.
In the meantime, I’m trying to get the photos to load (it’s been SO TEDIOUS) and we’re swapping some things around to try to get our suitcases to 50 pounds and 15 pounds for the trip from here to Auckland. 🙂 (Lynn arrived with less “weight” than I had, but we have both been buying presents which doesn’t do much for the weight situation. We’re wearing our heavy boots on the plane!)
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
We woke up on the boat and headed up to breakfast – then the boat took us from our mooring out on the Tasman Sea. Whew, the boat was really thrown around! You could see, however, how Captain Cook just saw what was actually the opening to the sound as a “shallow cove” – the opening hooks around, so it’s completely impossible to see from the Tasman Sea.
I mentioned the forest penguins in my last post – we saw more as we headed out to the Tasman Sea. We also were told about the study center that you see in the picture below. They are studying the black coral of the Sound. The coral itself is actually white, but its backbone is black. Birch/beech trees apparently lay a slick on the edge of the water, and the coral “thinks” that it is deeper than it is. This means that the coral is only a few meters under water, which makes them very easy to study.
scratching his back. penguin yoga?the study centerthis rock formation is called The Turtlescoming in from the Tasman Sea, rounding the corner, et voila!a gigantic tree fern on the hillwaterfalls and….….waterfallsa final look back at Milford Sound
After bidding Adieu to the Milford Mariner, we were back on the road, it was drive-drive-drive-drive-drive.
Once we got out of the tunnel on the other side, it was quite foggy again. We stopped for a quick break at a rest stop, then back on the road!
Cindy’s jacket makes a colorful addition
I finished the white wool portion of the scarf for dad, and so planned to see if I could find some wool in Ti Anau, where we would stop for lunch.
*gigantic* nephrite/greenstone/pounamu in Ti Anau
Stopped in Ti Anau, and while most everyone went to the “Pie Shop” (hand pies – mostly savory, some sweet), I tried to find a wool shop. Unfortunately, the actual “sewing shop” had a sign on it that said “Gone to Italy.” (Oooookay then!) I walked a couple of stores down the main street, and saw two knitting needles and a skein of yarn on a chair outside the Art Gallery, and a sign that said “Sit and knit a bit.” So, in I went.
Hand spun yarn – spun by the artist right there! (No photos) I picked out two skeins of brown wool, which I thought would go nicely with the white. So the scarf would be 1/2 white, 1/2 brown!
I also saw some very cute and affordable ceramic containers. I have a ceramic sculpture that I purchased from the Sausalito Art Festival of two women laughing. One’s black, one’s white, and they’re just having a marvelous chat about something. Any time I find a tiny ceramic “vessel” that looks like it could be theirs (they came with 2 vessels) I buy it, so that they have lots of choices.
As I was buying the wee vessel, the artist came out from the back! He wasn’t shy about photos, and wanted to show me his studio. He apparently teaches classes for many of the townspeople, and he showed me a lot of their work, waiting to be fired or glazed. Then he punched some clay for the photo 🙂
Back on the road, to the Ti Anau Bird Sanctuary!
Having a bit of fun with Rod, our Guide:
They have Takahe – which are the largest flightless bird in New Zealand. They were thought to be extinct, until some were found in the depths of a forest. They are very well protected here and they are trying to breed them, then release them in areas that are free of rats, possums, stoats, etc. There is one island that we heard about that is nearly clear, and the plan is to reinstate Takahe and Kiwi there. (You can’t really tell how big the bird is from the photo – or how thick and big his legs and feet are!)
The next bird that we saw was the Kākā, which is a local parrot-like bird. There were two – a young 5 year old male and a 25 year old female. The male showed off for us, doing things like opening a spigot to sip some water, then turn it off, and flying and whistling from end to end of his enclosure. It was a bit hard to take photos, as they were through the fencing.
hard to see, but turning on spigot…and off again (spigot is brass, top of his head is white, cheeks yellow for reference)so colorful!
This is what they call a parakeet – pretty big for a parakeet!
A very pretty duck. Cindy took this photo.
Aaaaaaand, on the road again! Sheep and mountains:
“The Remarkables,” a mountain range outside Queenstown, and grass-fed, farmed venison on the hoof:
We have approached Queenstown with a bit of trepidation, because they’ve had a serious outbreak of Cryptosporidium. This is a very nasty bug. Lynn, in fact, caught it on a trip some time ago, and though she took the outrageously expensive pills to “cure” it, it still flares. That’s not something that I want to deal with, certainly! We were given one bottle of water by the hotel to use in tooth brushing, etc., but Lynn and I each picked up another at the grocery store (and another bottle of wine, of course!)
Tomorrow, an orientation walk around Queenstown, and then the jet boat on the Dart River!
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
I’m filling in Day 11 and Day 12 on the evening of Day 12, because our boat in Milford Sound did not have Wi-Fi. So, these two posts are going to be more “impressions and pictures” than a lot of words.
The first thing that we had to do was figure out what to bring aboard the Milford Mariner overnight . . . because we were only allowed a backpack! The evening before involved a lot of “this and that” – as in “Do I need this? Do I need that?”
After breakfast at the hotel, we were on our way. We had a really heavy mist that morning. This shot isn’t the best, as we were speeding by, but you can see the mist on the river.
One of the towns that we drove through was Balclutha. Balclutha is, of course, the masted ship docked at Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco (right next to the SERC docks). The ship’s, and the town’s, name is derived from a township that spans the Clutha River; “Clutha” is the Gaelic name for the River Clyde in Scotland. (The Māori name for it is Iwikatea: iwi: bones; katea: whitened – refers to a battle which left human bones strewn over the ground.) Balclutha (the ship) was the last to fly the flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
We drove through the town of Clinton – the next town was Gore (pronounced Gorrrre) – Didn’t have my camera out to take a photo of the “Clinton/Gore” highway sign. I wonder what these towns thought of that match-up in American politics and if that sign had a lot of Americans pose by it “back in the day”!
This is a photo of the Creamota factory – I believe that our guide said that it is closed now. “Sargeant Dan” was their spokesman for kids to eat more oat/wheat hot cereal:
The gigantic rainbow trout from Gorrrrre:
We stopped in Gore for a “bio-break” – and amazing pastries! I asked the gal who was serving the coffee whether they were made locally . . . and she said “Yes indeed – by me!” Her daughter had the store “Floral Victoria” next door, and there were some beautiful bouquets and floral arrangements in the coffee shop!
In this area of New Zealand, you are expected to have a “chocolate fish” after your breakfast. They are chocolate covered . . . well . . . sort of minty marshmallow candies.
I asked the woman how many “flat whites” (like a latte without foam) it would take to fill up my Thermos, and she said two. So that’s what I got, filled right into my Thermos so I didn’t have to use a “to go” cup:
I managed to miss the Gore “Wool and Haberdashery” unfortunately! I decided that the perfect present for my Dad would be to take the wool that I had gotten from the sheep station and make him a scarf like I made “gluten-free Marilyn” the hat. I knew that I likely didn’t have enough wool to make a full scarf . . . if I had seen the “Wool and Haberdashery” I could have supplemented my “stash,” but no such luck.
Here is the “Red Tussock” conservation area (and our first view of the Alps):
Some lamb and venison “on the hoof”:
I can’t quite remember the name of this town. Maybe it was Gore? In any case, we took a quick stop. Note how the recent rains had swollen the river enough that the picnic table is in the river!
We hit the town of Ti Anau for lunch. This sign in front of the restaurant made me laugh!! Also, some photographs of an Australian magpie, which is a bit like a mockingbird. It sings all sorts of different birds’ songs.
this sign at the pub cracked me upAustralian magpie in a cherry treeAustralian magpie
The next few photos are taken between Ti Anau and Milford Sound. There is 4,800 square miles of “Fiordland National Park.” It is very rugged country, and the largest in New Zealand. We saw the “remainder” of the Elizabeth Glacier (pronounced: GLASS-ear) – in 1975, New Zealand had 4,100 glaciers that were over one hectare. Now, there are 3,900.
Again, on our way to Milford Sound, this is the Eglinton Valley. The “scar” on the side of the hill is from a tree falling off the top, and taking all the trees below with it.
see the scar?
Then we stopped at Mirror Lakes. It’s a World Heritage Area as the longest continuous inland waterway from North to South, which is especially important for indigenous fauna. Check out these trout! They were easily two pounders. The water was so clear I was able to photograph them!
Mirror Lakes (taken by Cindy while I was taking trout photos!)
We kept driving, driving – from our first “big” waterfall, to a stop to see if we could spot the kea (New Zealand parrots) that frequent the area. We sure could! The one below was quite intrepid. He had probably been fed at this rest stop (verboten, but you know how it goes). Since we were warned not to feed him . . . he headed for the bus!! He even took a chunk out of the first stair! There is a close up in his nest with his mate.
our first big waterfall
keathis photo looks weird – he was shaking his wings – you can see the red underwing thoughGot Treats?husband and wifedoes Toshiko have treats for me?
Another glacier (GLASS-ear) on the road, and then the tunnel to Milford Sound. It was a bit less than a mile, but only one car could go at a time. Sometimes apparently the kea hitch a ride on cars, so that they don’t have to fly up and over the mountain!!
Once we got on the Milford Mariner and stowed our backpacks in our rooms, we were off. The Māori word for Milford Sound is “Piopiotahi” (pron: Pippy-oh-tah-hee) – which means “a single piopio.” What’s a piopio? It’s a now-extinct bird, that was done in by ship rats. 🙁
The first thing that we saw was the “Fairy Waterfall” from which you can always get rainbows in the mist:
Mo’waterfalls again – if you look closely, there is a 2nd rainbow mirroring the first, on the outside:
see the 2nd rainbow on the outside, mirror-image?
Here’s Lynn getting ready for our ride out in the Zodiac (we opted for that versus the kayaks):
The Zodiac gang:
me, Bev, Jan, Cindy, Toshiko, Jim (Marilyn’s Jim not Bev’s Jim, who took the picture), and the side of Jim’s Marilyn’s face
The Milford Mariner:
Penguin shots from the Zodiac! It was SO far away but I did my best! (With the cell phone!). This is the only forest-dwelling penguin. They can actually climb, and make their nests up on the cliffs. The name of this penguin in Māori hearkens to their God of Thunder (a la Thor), because the yellow feathers that extend from behind the eyes back look like lightening.
see the “lightening bolts” on his head?
We did see another penguin on the next day (which I will talk about in the next post). We have a widower on our trip, Don. He’s not only very handsome (looks like Daniel Craig, about 20 years older), but he had a wonderful situation with his wife. They got together in junior high school! So they were together 58 years! She passed away suddenly about 5 years ago from a quick-onset brain aneurysm.
Anyway, he takes a lot of photos, but every time we would compare notes, he would have a rock (and I would have the same rock), but somehow, the penguin, or bird, or rainbow, or what-have-you that I had in my photo was missing from his photo. It got to be so comical! He’s been super nice to me and it’s nice to have someone like that on the trip. He’s traveling with Jim and Marilyn, as the four of them used to do trips together. They come from Arizona, though he’s originally from Pennsylvania. Think I mentioned before, he went to Penn State, where an ex-boyfriend of mine went. He’s a big fan, with lots of logo things, and even Nittany Lions in his garden LOL!
After dinner, the crew asked if anyone wanted to “take a dip.” Well, I had brought my bathing suit, and thought I’d surprise everyone and do it! I certainly did surprise them! Our guide said that in all his time with OAT no one had ever taken the crew up on it. I was the only one on the whole boat (we weren’t the only passengers). WHEW it was cold!
When I was climbing down to the fantail to get in the water I realized, first, I had my room key, which I stuffed in Don’s breast pocket as I went past. I might have said something like it was his responsibility, if I died, to take care of Lynn! Then I realized I still had on my necklace and ring, which I gave to Bev from our group. She said she was glad I got back out – but kind of sad that the necklace wasn’t going to be hers (ha ha!) My plan had been to swim around the boat, but I only swam about 20 meters or so away from the boat and the water got precipitously colder. I guess that the engines had somehow warmed the water some? (I went off the back deck.) Once I was back out of the water, I ran down and changed into lots of clothes, and Rod even kept my hands in his to try to warm them up – and bought me another glass of wine for my bravery 🙂 (Toshiko said: “Sugoi!!!”)
realizing “DANG it’s cold in here!”heading back in!getting key from don’s pocket to get a HOT shower (Lynn waiting with my wine to left!)
Rumor had it that you could see the Milky and possibly the “Southern Lights’ if you stayed up, but I was exhausted. I did go up to the very top deck (where the Bridge is) and lie on one of the big wooden benches. I did get to see the Southern Cross – and three satellites! – and then Orion’s Belt.
Southern CrossOrion’s upside-down belt – can you see it between the wires?
When Herbert would be traveling on business, we would always go out and look at Orion’s Belt before going to sleep, me from home, he from wherever he was. When I saw the three stars of the belt, I had to smile. But they “looked different” and I couldn’t figure out why – until l saw the two stars that make up the “sword” going upwards from the belt! Of course! We are in the Southern Hemisphere – the belt is tilted in the opposite direction (why it “looked weird”) – and the sword is “pointing up!”
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
Our hotel in Dunedin is the former Main Post Office. They had some fun with it. Their restaurant is accessed through the “Parcels” doorway – hence, it is “Parcels Restaurant.”
They also made small private dining areas out of the former vaults! (That was my favorite).
And below is an old picture of the queue outside the Post Office for Christmas parcels.
This morning was a bit of a rough one. The clocks had “Sprung Forward,” giving us one hour’s less sleep. I suppose the “good” part of it was that, instead of waking up at 4:00 a.m. as seems to be my schedule in New Zealand, I was up at 5:00 a.m. The “bad” part was that I got to sleep at what would have been 11:00 p.m. the night before!
A friend send me THIS ARTICLE, which I found fascinating, when she found out I was “down South” (laugh!) It’s about New Zealand being left off many world maps.
Did I tell you about Man’O’War winery Bordeaux blend called “Ironclad”? It’s a Waiheke Island wine and it is the best Bordeaux blend I have had in memory. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Gorgeous deep dark color – huge voluminous nose. Complex palate – brambles, blackberry, cassis, exotic spice, graphite, and little “salty” deliciousness. Lynn and I had a bottle last night with a steak. NOM NOM.
This morning I reached for a cereal bowl and taking it off the pile disrupted the bowl underneath, which shattered with a great crash. The breakfast room fell silent and what could I do but shout “Ooopah!” Jim, Marilyn and Don delivered a piece to me later that had not been swept up, as a “memento.” I thought it made a perfect hat.
After breakfast, we were off to Larnach Castle. It is now privately owned by the Barker family. When they purchased it in 1967, it was empty and in a very sad state of repair, with many leaks, etc. They slowly re-gathered the furnishings from the surrounding town, as most of the original pieces hadn’t “gone far.” HERE is a link to their website, including a bit about the history.
Driving to Larnach Castle:
Larnach Castle
china set for tea
We started out in the Ballroom, which had a fire going, and tables set up for tea.
The first owner was originally in banking, and then started an import-export company.
The “ballast” on the ships were items for his home . . .
. . . such as ceiling beams, double-paned glass, and three enormous alabaster bathtubs, only one of which was able to make it into the house!
(The others wound up in the garden!)
Well – I shouldn’t say we started in the Ballroom. Actually, we started in the Castle Shop, because we had to wait out another tour group. I found another present for my Mom. This is unprecedented. Well, “unprecedented” unless the present is a tribal necklace! I purchased another coffee cup for myself, and am thinking I should let Dad choose one of them for himself (Hi Dad!).
After we had looked at the Ballroom (and stood a bit in front of the roaring fire!), we moved to the Music Room.
The beams in the ceiling were Douglas fir shipped from America.
the original local stoneLoved this lamp of an angel hugging an eagle. Just couldn’t get it focused.See the gecko? (He looks like a “C”)servants’ “mirror”
The “servants’ mirror” was fascinating. The dining room wasn’t all that big. You, of course, needed your servants to be there to attend to your every whim; however, in such a small room, you didn’t want them “hovering” or – Goddess forfend! – looking at you! Et voila, the servants’ mirror. The servants would stand with their backs to the table, watching in the servants’ mirror on the wall. If someone at the table needed anything, they would be able to attend to it.
I thought the tile behind the grate was lovely. See the handle on the wall to the right? You’d wind it around, and it would call a servant. All the bells were down in one room that was monitored constantly.
In the Dining Room, the English oak panels in the ceiling were adorned with flowers, birds and butterflies carved from mahogany and applied. Mr. Larnach imported two Italian plasterers for the sculptural work of grapes and vines to the sides of the ceiling. When he had the first two shipped in from Italy the ship delivering them went through Sydney – and they were having such a good time in Sydney that they decided not to leave! So he had to ship in two more! Three people spent six-and-a-half years carving the ceiling in the Main Foyer alone. The gecko you see in the photos above was the trademark of Louis Godfrey, who was contracted for wood carving at the Castle for 12 years.
In the Main Foyer, hand-etched Venetian glass represents the rose of England, the shamrock of Ireland, the silver fern of New Zealand, and the Scottish thistle. Scottish wild cats hold the Larnach motto “Sans Peur” (without fear). Of course, it’s a play on words too – Without (“Sans”) Purr 🙂 “The Camp” in the floor mosaic is what Mr. Larnach called the property.
The meaning of “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit” is “No one attacks me with impunity” – motto of Scotland and the Order of the Thistle.
The Staircase is a so-called Georgian “hanging” staircase. It is the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. The balusters are of mahogany and the handrail is not steam bent, but carved from solid kauri. It’s called a “hanging” staircase because it doesn’t have a central pillar around which the stairs curve.
embroidered “3d” foxglove/digitalis……on a room dividerMr. Larnach’s roomview through the curtains
Mr. Larnach married his first wife – who died at 38 after having 6 kids. Then his second wife also died at 38. He married his third wife, Constance, at 37 – maybe she didn’t know of the curse of marrying Mr. Larnach? He was far older than she was, and while he was away on business, she took up with his son. Ultimately she and her sister “went away to England for 10 months” (hmmmmmm). When they returned, it was such a scandal that Mr. Larnach, who was a member of Parliament, shot himself during a recess in session.
The above photos are from Constance’s room: The photos show her wedding dress, a close-up of its lace lily-of-the-valley pattern, and then her mourning dress. The “flying” woman might depict the ghost of the first wife – or might just be showing guests the Victorian undies. 🙂
One of the parts of a house that would break – and was difficult to then repair – were the cords that raised and lowered sash windows. Mr. Larnach found a far stronger solution – he replaced the rope cords with bicycle chains!
After exhausting the rooms of the castle, up we went a steep, narrow stone staircase to reach the battlements. From 320m above the sea, the view commands a panorama from Dunedin, down the harbor past Port Chalmers to the Heads, and then along the coast.
The Harbor Cone is an extinct volcano and is the cone-shaped hill you can see through the crenellations in the photo below at the far right, and in the larger panorama below. At the Heads is the only accessible albatross colony in the world, and penguins nest along some of the beaches.
After finishing with main house, we were off into the gardens.
The stable is now lodging, as is Camp Estate and Larnach Lodge. There are a lot of “Alice In Wonderland” tributes in and around the garden.
stables
To the left is actually the methane “factory.”
Mr. Larnach would have all the excrement gathered up that was “produced” on the estate, and then piled up in here. The methane coming off the “poop” powered the gal lights, etc. (Yes, really!)
dry-laid wall
Lynn decided on a spot to leave one of Jim’s cremarbles.
(She followed my “Celebration of Life” idea and had some of his ashes made into marbles.)
The spot is a nice place to rest and watch the ocean.
Jim’s marbles are larger, and blue. I tried to take a photo of it in the actual spot, but it was pretty dark in there! (In the big photo below, look for what look like white ‘sparkles’ to the right side of the hole, then you can make out the blue marble around them.)
The below is from a casino boat (though not the legs). You can see the size courtesy of Betsy my model ;-). In the close-up of the glass, you can see that it has opium poppies in the design, at the bottom!
A few photos from the “Native plant” garden. Mr. Larnach had had all the trees/plants cut down while he built the castle. After it was finished, however, he researched and had Natives re-planted (in the “correct” garden, of course!)
I have mentioned it before, but the enormous camelia, rhododendron, peony, etc. trees (yes, trees) throughout the area have been absolutely stunning.
After leaving Larnach Castle, we took a wee nap (1/2 hour) then headed out for a tour of Dunedin with Rod. We saw the churches, Robbie Burns statue (his nephew was somehow involved with Dunedin), and random penguin statues that were tied to local businesses.
frieze above a store – see the kiwi?Nittany Lion?Rod and RobbieCindy + penguinrailway station in the backgroundThe Dunedin Railway Station receives a huge number of visitors, 2nd only to the Sydney Opera House in the Southern Hemisphere.railway station garden……cabbages featuring prominently!
inside the Railway Station:
stairslooking down on the imported tileslocomotive stained glass
My foot was about ready to call it a night, but I had spied a “Rock Shop” on the main street and headed in to see if there was something special for Melissa. And, why, there sure was! I’m super pleased with myself. I’m having some good luck with presents.
Though the “gang” was at a pub down in town, Lynn and I opted to stay in the hotel and eat at Parcels. (In fact, our waitress was the one who showed us the “private vaults.”) We are now packing and re-packing and re-organizing, because we are only allowed to bring a small bag (a la a knapsack) onto the boat we will be living on in Milford Sound. I think that we’re nearly set – but if it’s super warm down there, we are going to be in trouble!
My knapsack right now holds silk underwear (top and bottom), meds, extra button-down shirt (I’m wearing a cashmere tank and button-down shirt, this is another one that goes with the tank), extra socks/undies, a bathing suit (unlikely, but I do have it), waterproof pants, PJs, a bottle of wine (hey now, don’t judge), a hokey pokey bar (yes, I know, bad . . . ), my “Whisper” (personal tour guide listening device), sunglasses, passport, money, a Henley that can go over the whole mess, hot/cold Thermos hanging on a clip to the side. Then, on top, H’s ditty bag pared down to brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hair clip, face lotion, meds, sunscreen, NED Mellö Magnesium (use discount code JOY and please one of my clients LOL). I will also be wearing a down vest, flannel hat, gloves, and a raincoat. Once I finish this blog, the computer and power source will go in there – tomorrow, the cell phone 🙂 But as you can see, if it’s actually warm down there, I’m in trouble, ha ha. (It’s supposed to be between 9-16C or about 48-62F.)
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
Today was a travel day. We headed out from Christchurch early, enjoying some lovely scenery along the way. I didn’t get any photos of the “venison on the hoof” that is farmed in New Zealand – maybe tomorrow.
One scourge has been (like back home!) the Scotch Broom. Unfortunately, as the sheep/venison/cattle are basically just allowed to graze away up and down the hills and dales alone, the Scotch Broom can get a foothold before the farmer even has a realization that something is going wrong. As you can see from the pictures, it’s taken over prime pastureland – and it’s likely to just keep going unless there’s a concerted effort to pull it out. One of the other gals, Pam (from California), and I were opining that it didn’t look like they could possibly get a handle on it. 🙁
We stopped in a small town for a “bio-break,” and I not only found more crochet hooks at a thrift store that sends the money to Sherpas in Nepal, but also a couple of unbreakable wine glasses to “celebrate” Lynn’s new house in Chicago. (She’d told me a story about breaking a few of her daughter’s glasses through “unfortunate circumstances” – I thought this would be a bit of a giggle and – hey – they were only $1 apiece.)
I finished the hat for “gluten-free Marilyn” (v. “Jim and Marilyn” Marilyn) before we hit Oamuru for lunch. Not only did it turn out to be her favorite color, but she even appreciated my feeble attempt to put a “silver fern” on it to commemorate New Zealand. She took a few photos of me making the hat, and I took a few of her in it!
Lunch in Oamaru was delicious. We generally pre-order, so as not to overwhelm pubs/restaurants. I had a vegetarian pasta that was made with a pumpkin/curry type sauce. It was just delicious. (Point of fact, we haven’t had a bad meal yet!).
As we were coming into Oamaru, I was excited and surprised to hear our guide Rod announce the big Steampunk Museum!
Oamaru’s Victorian precinct is the perfect setting for steampunk, as the architecture is a great backdrop for this “alternative version” of 19th century England, with all steam-powered technology. HERE is an article on Oamaru Steampunk.
“Steampunk HQ” is located in an old grain elevator, built of the “white stone” (limestone) for which the region is known.
why, is that the SF Ferry Building?
For $2NZ, you can get a full scale train engine outside to spit fire and billow smoke. This is only 1/4 of the “action” you get – I couldn’t get my gloves off fast enough to record it all. Sound on!
Inside, you’ll find a museum of contraptions & bizarre machinery featuring heavy use of copper, gears, pipes & gas cylinders, as well as an ensemble of skeletal sculptures lit by flickering lights & accompanied by film, projection & sound. It’s something referred to as “retro-futuristic sci-fi.”
A back door leads to a large yard with projects in various stages of being steampunked.
you climbed in side and pulled at lever, & all sorts of lights/elements made you feel like you were moving
This is the inside (sound on):
One of the areas was really remarkable. It was called The Portal. With mirrors, lights, and sound, they had created an “immersive” experience (sound on):
I knew of course that this was the perfect place for my 2nd H cremarble. H absolutely loved steampunk. I held onto the marble for a while, trying to figure out the right place for it.
Finally I decided – as H also loved trains – that the train in the back yard was perfect. I tried to get onto the top, but without doing a James-Bond-run-down-the-top-avoiding-the-curved-sides-of-the-locomotive maneuver, I thought I’d be out of luck. However, I realized if I climbed on the “cowcatcher,” I could lob the cremarble up and behind the skull topping the engine. Perfection! Herbert is now part of a winery, and part of a steampunk exhibit. Nothing better!!!
getting ready to place the cremarble behind the skull on the locomotivesuccess! just after pitching the cremarble behind the skull
new next to old
Now – here’s the crazy part – after placing the cremarble, Lynn and I realized we were running short of time, but I wanted to get a sticker for the back of my computer.
We headed into the small guest shop – and there was a light shining from a window onto a dragonfly necklace, made of “parts” (very steampunk).
It reminded me of the necklace H had made for me out of car parts, which I had brought on the trip. I was afraid to see the cost – but it was super reasonable, and so different! So, of course, I got it 🙂
dragonfly
Right after buying the necklace, I signed the guest book – and look at the town of the person right above me:
Come to find out that “Herbert” is a town just outside of Oamuru – because we passed a sign (a bit blurred here), as well as signs for the “Herbert forest” and “Herbert grange.” Think he liked the placement? I sure do!!
can you read the sign?Herbert ForestHerbert Grange
On our way to our final stop of the day, Dunedin (pron: Dun-Eden – as in “a color like tan” and “the place Adam and Eve came from), we hit the Moeraki boulders. HERE is a story about them.
see the boy standing up on the last one?the person helps to gauge the sizeA new one poking up……and a weird cracked one.
Dunedin is where we are staying for the night. It touts itself as having the steepest street in the world – Baldwin Street. The top of Baldwin Street is concrete, because when it was all asphalt, it would heat up and slide down the hill in the summer! There was apparently a “fight” between San Francisco and Dunedin about the steepest street “award,” but it turned out that Baldwin Street won by a 1% grade over the San Francisco competitor. I think that my 20% grade driveway could have been a contender if a public throughway! 😊
The story of Baldwin Street is that when City Planners in England drew up the street plan for Dunedin, they just basically “laid it down” without considering the topography. The result was Baldwin Street.
Our hotel, another Distinction (like in Rotorua) is built inside what used to be the old Post Office. This town definitely has some grand buildings! We had a really delicious dinner tonight at the hotel. And…Lynn and I found, and split, a bottle of my precious Waireke Island Man-O-War wine!
We will get to explore the only castle in New Zealand tomorrow, and then some more of the town. After that, we are to Milford Sound. We understand that the snow that’s blocking the road should be gone by then, so we can get to our liveaboard! 😊
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
Our breakfast today at the hotel definitely highlighted the fact we are in the “breadbasket” of New Zealand.
It included an actual full honeycomb just pulled out of the hive, plus gorgeous yellow new cream.
This reminded me of when I lived in England – the milkman would bring you your bottles of milk in the morning, but you had to put a board out. Why? Because the milkman would put it on the top of your bottles – if you didn’t, the crows would peck through the foil caps on the bottles and suck the cream top off your milk!!!
honey still on the framecream
We got out at 9:00 a.m. to do a bit of walking near our hotel before getting on the bus to head to the sheep station.
The first place we went was the “transitional” cathedral. It is all (Christian) denominations, because so many churches were destroyed by the earthquake. The interior of the church is made of cardboard! I couldn’t get over it! And the entire thing – which seats 700 people – only cost $5 million to build.
The story goes that a few weeks after the earthquake, a Cathedral staff member saw an article in a design magazine about an “emergency architect” called Shigeru Ban. After the Kobe earthquake, he had designed a cardboard church to replace one that had been destroyed. He was invited to Christchurch and offered to do the same for them. It’s not just made of cardboard – it’s cardboard, local wood and steel, with a polished concrete floor and a polycarbonate roof – but mainly waves of cardboard tubes, that draw your eye and attention upwards and forward.
More about its fascinating history is HERE. (The crane behind the Cathedral is building the new sports center.)
On the way, we walked through a park with this sculpture.
It’s hard to tell in the picture, but it’s floating in the air, suspended on guy-wires.
It represents the spire on the steeple of the Cathedral downtown (that we saw yesterday). People come and picnic under it and often remember the earthquake and the victims.
I always light a candle for my grandmother Tutu.
However, there weren’t any matches!
So I had to “go walkabout” and find someone who had them!
(I wound up finding a guy at a computer behind an office door – he was chagrined he’d forgotten to set matches out.)
the sun actually came outfront “glass” from outsidethe “stained glass” insidestepping insidethe altarclose up behind the altartribute origami peace cranesa small chapel
Next we headed over to a park where the CTV Building used to be. The CTV Building housed Canterbury Television as well as an education languages school, a medical center, and several other offices. On 22 February 2011 just before 1:00 p.m., the 6.3 magnitude earthquake collapsed the CTV Building. 115 people who were in the building died – 61% of the total 185 deaths – and many many others were injured in the collapse.
the concrete in the back is part of the buildingsome of the postings speak for themselves
The people who lost their lives were not just from New Zealand, but from Japan, Malaysia, China, Turkey, Philippines, etc. This garden was completed in 2018 to reflect the thoughts and wishes of bereaved family members as well as those injured in the collapse. There is a wall upon which you can place your memories and thoughts.
I thought this might be a piece of the CTV Building, but it’s a piece of the Berlin wall! The murals change periodically.
frontbackthe piece of the wall coming downdescription
“runaway” sheep – the border collie is trying to herd them as are the wet owners!
And off we went after our walk to the sheep shearing station. We learned so much from Chris and Dell! Luckily, we were mainly under cover, as it was raining (but not snowing, as had been forecasted!)
Chris had two border collies, which as we all know are silent, “visual” dogs, plus a “huntaway” dog, which barks at the sheep and gets them moving fast. I’ve never heard of a huntaway, but boy could she bark and boy, did those sheep run!
Jim (of Jim and Marilyn) from our group was chosen to be the “helper,” and was taught how to sort the sheep using a gate that swung one way if you wanted the sheep to go back out into the field, the other if you wanted to pen them.
He did great – he didn’t let any of the sheep that we wanted to “keep” out on the field, just “penning” one wrong one.
This was, of course, after the main border collie (not the one “in training”) had gotten them into the first pen to begin with.
huntaway dog and ChrisJim learning how to “pen”sheep inside to keep dry/waiting to be shorn
The sheep that were used in the demonstrations were Romney Sheep. They are “rug quality” sheep, with their wool running about 28-32 microns. It’s very sturdy – but super itchy – wool.
The demand for wool is way down in both clothing and carpeting. It’s been supplanted by plastic byproducts of various and sundry. However, sheep need to be sheared for their health – if they aren’t shorn, the wool gets too wet and heavy, which can lead to infections and such. Interestingly, wild sheep only have about an inch-long coat – and they shed their wool. So this “problem” is a man-made one.
Unfortunately, 45 years ago, you could get $7-9/kilo for wool (a sheep generally gives about 3) and paid about 85-90c to have the sheep shorn. Now, you get $1 a kilo, and it costs $3 to the shearer to have the sheep shorn – so, no profit!
However, 40 years ago, you’d receive $10-11 to export lamb – now, it’s about $110. So the sheep you see are mainly ewes, used to lamb. Males are always sold for meat, whereas some of the females will be kept to increase the flock.
A mother sheep is shorn before lambing – the ewe that Chris sheared for us was very pregnant. The reason it’s done this way is that the ewe then gets cold in the rain/bad weather and will head for cover – and the lamb will follow her. Unfortunately, sheep aren’t the greatest mothers, so if you don’t shear her before she lambs, she won’t be cold/need to head for cover, and the lamb will be out in the elements with her, which it can’t withstand.
We learned about the different types of wool from Chris. For example, merino wool is from merino sheep, which are smaller and live in high, arid country. Their wool is only about 18-19 microns, so not itchy – but also not for carpets or strong socks, as the fibers will break. Romney wool is strong for socks, rugs, outside sweaters (with a shirt underneath), but, again, itchy. You can’t raise a merino where the Romney can be raised – the weather is too wet and they get foot rot, plus they aren’t used to such green, abundant grass, and they get too fat. The Romney is a “tough sheep with a big engine,” perfect to raise in the area where we were having the demonstration.
After five years, a sheep isn’t profitable. They grow 2 teeth a year (bottom teeth only) until they’re 4 years old. After that, the teeth wear down, so they can’t eat enough and can’t feed their lambs milk properly. Sheep can live longer – the problem is, their teeth won’t.
yep – me and ze alpaca
Then we learned about alpacas. Alpaca wool is a cottage industry. You get about 14 kilo per alpaca, however, it’s not like sheep where the wool is basically the same all over. The “saddle” area of the alpaca is 19 microns of fine wool (about a kilo), but the rest the wool is far less fine at about 30 microns. As you can see from the picture, he has a black and a white alpaca. Because the wool is colored, you have to wash and card it separately by hand, which is difficult and expensive. Chris just gives it away to “cottage spinners” and if he can’t give it away, he puts it out in the garden or burns it. Alpaca don’t spit like camels or llamas (I was actually afraid of that, but – nope).
Formerly they packed duvets with wool and sold them (because the color didn’t matter) and they were warm like a down comforter. However, they have moved away from that because – again – duvets are generally now filled with an acrylic – similarly warm and less expensive to produce.
Another issue is that black wool can be black/black, brown/black, blue/black, or grey/black. If you happen to want to make something from natural alpaca wool, first, you just want that “saddle” area, second, to get enough, you have to stick with the same animal! And sometimes that doesn’t even help, as if the animal is out in the sun, the wool will bleach from black to a brown.
Black wool doesn’t pick up the dye – so that’s why merino sheep -which were originally black – were “modified” over time to be white. Even if there is a small black spot anywhere on a lamb, it will be sold for meat early, as you don’t want this recessive gene in your gene pool. Chris explained it this way: Imagine that you have a pile of wool, and it has even a tiny bit of black wool in it. You die the white wool pink, to make pink sweaters. But the black wool won’t take the dye. So you wind up with a sweater with a teeny tiny bit of black in the weave. Would you buy that sweater? No.
However, this is a 4th generation farm, and for the first time, there are two black sheep that currently won’t be slaughtered, because the “4th generation wife” wants to spin and weave it. So it is hand shorn away from all the other sheep (so the black fiber won’t get mixed in). But this is almost like having “sheep as pets” which is not “the thing” on a farm. As Chris said, for example of his dogs, “they are better than pets – they are tools.”
The floor of the shearing shed is varnished, so that the sheep will slip if they happen to get away. As sheep’s wool has lanolin in it (which makes them slippery already), with a grippy floor, a shearer wouldn’t stand a chance. I took a number of Marco Polo videos of our day out in the paddock, sheep shed, etc. and sent them off – but won’t download them here. Chris did the bulk of the shearing with the electric clippers, that (as you can see), take all the wool off. He also showed us using the metal “sheep shears,” which actually don’t clip down so close to the skin, leaving a bit of the wool on the sheep for warmth.
So are there better ways to get wool off sheep? They tried at one point to have an injection that would make the sheep just drop the wool. But it would take 10-20+ days, and if you didn’t time it right, you’d find wool all over the field and naked sheep standing around. To remedy that, they decided to put nets on the sheep (truth! I asked because honestly I thought he was joking with us). However, then (once the sheep “blew its coat”), you had to unwind the wool from the net. Too time consuming. They also tried robots, but they would cut “bits of the sheep that weren’t mean to be cut” if the sheep squirmed. So, shearers it is.
Chris could shear by the time he was 12. You start off giving the child a little bit to do (like the last bit on the leg), then from there more and more. He went from being on the farm to being a cop for 20 years because “it was way too hard being a farmer” – then once he’d retired, he came back to have a farm where he could educate people about farming, but he doesn’t (for example) raise the sheep, he “borrows some” from the neighbor for demonstrations, etc.
We went in after our demonstration to a delicious “shearer’s lunch” of lamb, fresh bread, salad, corn, fruit, egg salad, potatoes, tea/coffee. One of the “jams” was a delicious “apricot and capsicum” spread – unfortunately, made fresh and not for sale!
But the big surprise was Happy Birthday To Me! Rod had given me a birthday “medal’ to wear for the day, but I was surprised by a big card signed by everyone, fancy New Zealand champagne in not-so-fancy glasses (“for the sommelier”) and a delicious Sacher torte-type cake! We did the “COVID candles routine” where I had everyone take a candle and make their own wish, so as not to blow them out “on the cake” – and raised a toast with the champagne to Chris and Dell, Rod, Tony our driver, and to my “Whanau.” 😊As you can see, I was so surprised I didn’t even have the presence of mind to snap a photo until I had taken the candles off!
I bought some wool from Dell, because one of the gals forgot her cap and has been borrowing mine, and I thought it would be kind of fun to make her one. She apparently was in New Zealand before and said she “left her New Zealand-branded warm cap” at home by accident. But she was teasing it was probably actually “Made in China”. So Dell was kind enough to give me a crochet hook, and I bought the wool to make her a real New Zealand hat. 😊I also got myself a wool coffee “cosy,” and then got a present for my Mom that I think she’s going to love. This time – I’m not telling!!!
Once we were back in Christchurch, Lynn and I went to get gelato at the best place in town per Rod – we got a “hokey pokey” which is the one with chunks of honeycomb. NOM NOM.
Unfortunately, New Zealand food is amazing. I’m going to roll home.
And then, as a final capper, champagne in our room! What a day!
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
Today was mainly a travel day – and also mainly will be photos.
We stopped by on our way to Rotorua Airport (about the size of Santa Rosa airport) and visited a redwood forest that had been planted about 100 years ago.
It was odd to see coast redwoods in and amongst huge tree ferns!
“walking in redwoods” sculpture (made of redwood)our guide, Rod, talking about the redwoodsredwoods and giant tree ferns!
This was interesting to me – this gigantic redwood “celebrates” the first woman – in the world! – to get a forestry degree. (She was Welsh, but settled in New Zealand.)
Check out these bathrooms at the redwood grove! Super cool and artsy 😊
Finally was able to snag a photo (in passing) of the gigantic camelia trees!
Our plane – and a shirt and the airport that made me laugh (Hello, Dr Seuss!)
We did have some turbulence on landing – though I didn’t think a lot of it. I spoke with Lynn later, and she was actually going over her finances/will/trust in her head! I believe that she blogged about it. We weren’t sitting together, so I didn’t know about it til we got to the hotel!
Our hotel is the Rydges, about a 10-15 minute walk from the CBD. Unfortunately upon heading to our room, Lynn and I were given one bed – nope. I had to wait quite some time to get this rectified – we now have a room with a queen and a single. We therefore had a lot less time than the rest of our “merry band” to get acclimated/unpacked/etc.
The Silver Ferns – New Zealand’s women’s professional “netball” team (basically like basketball) is staying at our hotel after a game in Australia. Coming back up from securing the new room, I was in the elevator with some of them. One had a chill pack on her knee, and I asked if she was all right – she said yes, it was to keep herself all right – which made me laugh. They commented that I was “regular sized” and asked if I had “played ball in my day” (ah yes, now that I’m a faded glory…). Instead of mentioning that I’d done fencing (which I had done in college), I said that I rowed and they nodded knowingly. 🙂 Rod was quite taken by the fact that they were in our hotel. It was kind of fun to see his reaction!
I will insert more about the devastating 2011 earthquake later, but the photos pretty much tell the story. There were many murals on the walls. The government invited artists to “pretty up” the sides of building that were left uninhabitable by the earthquake. Basically, Christchurch never thought it would be hit. “Everyone” though that the surrounding hills (“Ring of Fire”) would bear the brunt of it, so the buildings, people, etc. just were not prepared. Here’s some murals, and our tram around Christchurch:
the tram – a/k/a – cable car!this was the clock at the tram station – made me laugh!
These photos are of the cathedral. It will be 2027 before it’s functional again. During the quake, the tower of the original neo-Gothic Cathedral collapsed. Further aftershocks destroyed the iconic rose window and cracked the whole Cathedral like a plate.
A tram going past the cathedral (taken from the 4th floor of the library):
Fun photos from the library – completely new after the earthquake.
on the kids’ floorthe 4 floors’ stairs (from the bottom)
“urban” sheep outside the library.
War memorial (“Canterbury” is their county):
From the wall of the ice cream/gelato store – made me laugh (okay, and, of course, copyright infringement!):
okay, and another that made me laugh (chip shop)
And an arch memorializing the farmers’ kids who had headed off to war – basically to be cannon fodder.
Finally, quite an amazing “trompe l’oeil” mural – of what used to be there before the earthquake. Yes – this is all painted on (except the very last building, facing you, with the windows – that’s real 🙂 – there is a street between that and the trompe l’oeil murals).
We went to an Irish pub for dinner – half of us wound up there, the other half at the “food market” area that reminded me of the one in Seattle. Had some lager and a delicious Irish lamb stew New Zealand food does not disappoint! Tomorrow – when it’s supposed to snow! – we are off to a sheep shearing station and for a lamb bbq lunch 🙂
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
Waimangu (Wai = water, Mangu = black) is the world’s youngest thermal valley. The Waimangu Geothermal system was created by the eruption of Mt. Tarawera on 10 June 1886, the only one created as a direct result of a volcanic (basalt) eruption. In the earliest hours of that day, persistent and increasingly large earthquakes were noticed as far away as Rotorua. At about 2 a.m., a column of black ash suddenly erupted from Ruawahia, the mountain’s highest dome. For the next two hours, the whole length of the mountaintop was a gigantic broad sheet of erupting fire. At about 3 a.m., an enormous cloud was seen above Rotomahana (“Warm Lake”), indicating the eruption was extending to the southwest. The rift eventually opened in both directions until a line of 16 kilometers extended from the northeast of the mountain to the Southern Crater at Waimangu.
At Rotomahana, the rising basalt magma triggered a tremendous explosion of the hydrothermal system that had fed the hot springs there, which had become a big spa destination for visitors, including both pink and white “terraces” very similar to Pamukkale in Turkey. The resulting “ejecta” rose to a height of about 11 kilometers of dust, sand, rock, lava, steam and other gases. As it fell, it inundated the surrounding country in a circle of about 6k with a rain of boiling debris. Further explosions continued for hours. Altogether, an area of about 15,000 square km received an appreciable covering as a result of the six hour upheaval. Seven small villages were destroyed, with 105 lives lost and all plant, bird and animal life extinguished.
closer to Echo Crater…even closer
We walked down into the volcanic valley. In 1917, the last major event occurred with the hydrothermal eruption of Echo Crater. This led to the formation of Frying Pan Lake, which is acidic with a 3.2 pH and a temperature of about 50C (130F).
frying pan lake – stay away from the edge!frying pan lakehuge digitalis (foxglove) . Used for heart ailments – just like in the West 🙂
these are called the “angel wings,” though Jon told us that due to the rains, the other “wing” is under the surface of the water.
The evolution of the Waimangu ecosystem has been carefully recorded since the entire ecosystem was destroyed by the eruption. Rotomahana has many bird species, such as Grey Duck, Scaup (the native Diving Duck), Cormorant, Black Swan (of course), Mallard, Coot, Grebe, White-Faced Heron, Pukeko (New Zealand Swamp Hen – we’ve seen many of these), Kereru (New Zealand pigeon – like ours but a gorgeous almost surreal green running up to a red/green head/white chest), kawaupaka (“little shag” – we saw one today – a bit like a sea hawk, they eat eels, fish, etc.). Also American steel head rainbow trout were introduced in the lake in 1913 and are now prolific. Difficult public access conserves the population, which is a pure breed as there is no escape from the lake.
We learned a lot more about the “imported” fauna that is doing so much damage to the New Zealand habitat. Reminds me of the “Little Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly” situation in Hawaii where one animal was brought in to “combat” another then overran the islands and another was brought in and another…We saw some of the possum and stoat (ferret) traps with which they’re trying to combat this situation. (Their possums look nothing like our opossums btw – they are more like a gigantic bushy-tailed squirrel. They were brought here for their fur and – surprise – escaped and multiplied as there are no “apex predators.”)
these critters cause SO much damage in NZ. Locals say that the only good possum is a roadkill squashed possum…
Our hiking guide, driver, and now boat driver, Jon, then took us on the cruise on Rotomahana. This lake is about 20x bigger than it was before the eruption and its water level is 40m higher due to the blockage of the former outflow valley. We chugged over the areas that used to be the white and pink terraces (now 40m under water). The lake is 100m deep, mainly from rain water.
this is actually a spring. The yellow is not sulfur – it’s a yellow algae
no sulfur smell like at Yellowstone
We saw many “hot spots” along the edges on our cruise:
hot spot
Elizabeth and I were looking at Rotomahana, “trying” to see the crater that Jon was discussing. Suddenly, I realized that the “shadow” on the side of the mountain was the crater! I outlined it for her, and we were both open-mouthed at how big it was! I took the photo on the left, then enlarged it and darkened it a bit, so you can see the crater clearly (below). Wow!
Rotomahanaclose up of the crater – see it?
We had a sandwich lunch back at the valley lodge, and I bought a pair of paua shell earrings (New Zealand abalone – lustrous nacre, but deep blue instead of pearly white like our abalone). I also bought two T-shirts, because the price was quite reasonable for the quality, and a pack of cards for my grandson Caleb, who (at least at last check) collects them (he does card tricks), plus a “rangatira” necklace for my friend Marty.
I’m not very good at buying presents – I am terrible at “giving things” or “buying things” just for the sake of it. If I see something that “speaks to me” for a specific person, I do get that – but I don’t buy just to buy.
(Point of fact – ahem – I bought a “possum G-string” for my friend James who is a bit outrageous – but I haven’t gotten “chachkis” for anyone and keep trying to remember that people like things like that.)
Lynn and 10 others are currently doing the Canopy Tour/ziplines and high bridges. It was voted #1 in the world – but without my BFF Sharon to protect me, I passed. (We did one on the Big Island – one and done, bay-bee…)
wee carvings are everywhere
We head from here to the Home-Hosted dinner on Lake Rotorua. I will post this now to get it up, but you might want to re-visit it tomorrow as I will post about the dinner. I am bringing two big one-pound bags of assorted Ghirardelli chocolates as my gift, because the S.F. sourdough was rejected. (I understand this a bit more now, as Kiwis are rightly proud of their New Zealand sourdough, made entirely from local yeast.) Let’s see how the chocolate compares to their “pride and joy,” Whittaker’s!
Tomorrow – up early, then flight to Christchurch!
UPDATE: The home-hosted dinner was SO much fun! Apparently, usually, the group is split up, so that 4 or so folks go to a home. This time it was a big meal, all together, with one Whanau. It was a big one though! We had the mama and papa, then his sister ?Ruth? (I believe she said that they were a family of 14). She was the youngest of her siblings…just turned 65 four days ago and looked about 42, Papa was the oldest boy. Then also there was Uncle Walter who might have been her brother or might have been mama Maria’s brother, then Maria (daughter), her husband, and 2 of her kids . . .
We had amazing lamb straight from the firepit, salad, sweet potato, bread, and then “Hokey-Pokey” ice cream for dessert.
some of the family
The family split up and sat at the different tables. Mama Maria and I started talking when others were “talking story” at the fire pit, and she came and sat with us, as did ?Ruth?. So we had two members of the Whanau at our table of of six!
We talked a lot about the idea of pepeha. I’m really taken by that. I was directed to a video that talks a bit about it in a song, which is lovely. We also talked about the concept of “Manakitana” – which means giving the best to others, even if you have to do without.
Turns out that there are a lot of “September babies” in their Whanau! ?Ruth? had had her birthday on September 19th. Then – surprise! – Papa, me, and one of Maria’s kids were all on September 22nd!
Well once I found that out, Papa was over tending the fire, and I brought him over my “home-host gift” (the chocolates) and told him that was his birthday present. He was so cute about it!
at the outdoor fire (“Papa” is in the middle of the shot, white hair, beer in hand)
One of the stories that Ruth told me was about Aokapurangi. The story (though a scan from a newspaper from 1962) is HERE. She and I were talking about things like whether you track your lineage back through the maternal or paternal line (they are paternal), how women in myth and legend save the day, etc. The short version of Aokapurangi’s story is that a very fierce and strong warrior came to kill her people. She stood up to him, and he told her that she could “save the number of people that she could get between her legs.” Well, she thought about it, got up on the Marae roof with its steep pitch, spread her legs across it and had her whole village get into the Marae. When the “bad guy” came to slaughter all those that were not “between her legs,” he found this – and saved everyone due to her ingenuity.
I got a hangi from Papa (a long one, there were like three breaths before I felt the break-away), Mama, and ?Ruth?. That just felt really special. Not sure if they do this with everyone but I know I was one of the last in the bus, and it seemed like we had a special connection. Great night!
If you want $100 off, call OAT at 1-800-955-1925 and request a catalog, tell them you were referred by Sandy Shepard, customer number 3087257, and get $100 off your first trip!
