While we were in the Bay of Islands we based ourselves in Paihia which was a great choice. While it isn’t really as interesting historically as say Russell, Waitangi and Keri Keri – don’t get me wrong there is still plenty of history here it’s…Read More

While we were in the Bay of Islands we based ourselves in Paihia which was a great choice. While it isn’t really as interesting historically as say Russell, Waitangi and Keri Keri – don’t get me wrong there is still plenty of history here it’s just not as well known for it, that’s all – Paihia is the main departure point for most tours, cruises and things to do.

The central Paihia Wharf is where all water cruises – from the slow boat to the Hole in the Rocks to the jet boat to the Hole in the Rock, Darryl’s dinner cruises up the Haruru River to the Haruru Falls, dolphin watching cruises, etc, - numerous fishing charters and the ferries to Russell depart from. Tickets for all these rides and more can be purchased from the café/restaurant/bar on the wharf or from any of the numerous ticket selling agents within the town.

Paihia has some great Souvenir shops/galleries where you can buy anything to remember your trip by – from the more expensive items such as local artists works of art, sculptures and the like and traditionally carved Maori items (tiaha (fighting stick), mere or patu (club) and pendants) to the cheaper items such as fridge magnets, postcards and T-shirts

Paihia also has some lovely cafes/restaurant/bars, a couple of those being –

The one located at the end of the wharf – sorry can’t remember its name – has a great dinner menu (good pub food type menu). We sat here and had a delicious dinner and a drink, watching the sun go down – I had a really nice salad with beetroot, feta cheese and salad leaves, yummy and everyone else had burgers or fish and chips

35 Degrees South Aquarium Restaurant and Bar – we stopped by here for breakfast on two occasions – the muesli with fruit and yoghurt is a winner in my books – and great location overlooking the water. There’s even an aquarium in it.
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What trip to the Bay of Islands would be complete without a visit to Waitangi? Obviously not ours because we went. Unfortunately we forgot to take our New Zealand passports along – New Zealanders can get in free but visitors from other countries must pay…Read More

What trip to the Bay of Islands would be complete without a visit to Waitangi? Obviously not ours because we went. Unfortunately we forgot to take our New Zealand passports along – New Zealanders can get in free but visitors from other countries must pay the entry fee which, for an adult, is $25.

There are guided tours available, which do cost more – we listened into one of the tours that walked past us at one stage and, if you are not up with the history of the area and Waitangi, I would suggest paying the extra. You also get a live Maori cultural performance.

Once inside the entry there are a number of things to have a look at.

Our first stop was the canoe house and the Wakas (Maori war canoes) –

Within the grounds is a large covered structure, the canoe house, which houses two wakas (Maori war canoes). One of the wakas, called the Ngatokimatawhaorua, is 35 metre long and is one of the largest canoes in the world. The canoe is carved from kauri trees (a native tree of New Zealand). I think it gets launched on Waitangi Day each year to commemorate the signing of the Treaty. Wow, that would be a sight to see, with all the Maori warriors dressed in their traditional gear.

Next we visited the Treaty House and Treaty Grounds –

The house is one of New Zealand’s oldest buildings. Beautifully refurbished back to its near original state it is now a museum about the Busby family with some of the original furniture from the time, the local Maori tribes, the signing of Treaty of Waitangi and the history in the Bay of Islands area. Very interesting and a must see.

It is in the Treaty grounds where the Maori chiefs and the English met from the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 – "the birthplace of the New Zealand nation". You can wander around this vast area on picture perfect lawns, past a small beach where the English officer, Hobson, came ashore to sign the Treaty, past the flag pole that was notably chopped done by a Maori chief Hone Heke – he was once in favour of the signing of the Treaty but later opposed English Rule – this is when he chopped down the flag pole. There are also picturesque tracks through bush areas – great for catching a glimpse of native bird life and maybe a weta (a large brown spiky bug, sort of like a cicada, but without wings, not the prettiest thing) if you’re lucky – look at the specially located posts with hinged doors you can live – they’ve got fern spiders living behind them but we also found a of wetas.

This is a short history of the house from a leaflet I picked up – "It was built in 1834 for James Busby – in 1846 war erupted and Army officers moved into the house during the land wars with the Maori - in the 1870s the state of the house declined and the estate became a farm and sheep camped in the house – in 1932 that the Governor General, Lord Bledisloe, bought the house and grounds and gifted it back to the nation."

Followed closely be the Maori Meeting House –

Not far from the house – to the right of it if you approach the house from the flagpole – is a large Maori Meeting House, Whare Runanga.

You are allowed to wander through this beautifully decorated building but you must remove your shoes at the door - as per Maori custom. You think the curving on the outside is good well the inside is fantastic. Beautifully traditional carved panels are set apart by decorative traditionally woven panels, in the traditional colours of black, red and white, along the walls – each New Zealand Maori tribe has its own carving depicting in their own unique style/figures/area. The central curved poles extend to an equally ornate ceiling. Just to the right hand side of the doorway is an ornately curved throne presented by the South Island tribe. Wow.

This is a brief history about the meeting house - It was built in 1940 to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty and stands as a "monument to the nation, its people and ancestors". The panel carvings and woven panels within the meeting house were presented by each Maori tribe within New Zealand and the large throne was presented by the South Island tribe as their panel was not ready in time to complete the building.

And lastly we went on the Haruru Falls walk –

About 50m from the entrance to the Waitangi Grounds car park there is a sign post pointing to the Haruru Falls walkway. The Haruru Falls are located along the Haruru River and at the base of the falls the freshwater from up-stream mixes with the salt water often trapping freshwater fish. They reckon you can see the shags diving for the fish when the water is clear.

We had already decided before venturing out for the day that if we had the time we would do this walk – it is about a 4 hour round trip. It was about 2pm when we had finished roaming around the Waitangi Grounds so we thought what the heck, let’s do it.

The walk took us along a well-worn track through the native trees and ponga (tree ferns), across narrow walking bridges, down through the mangroves and mangrove swamps and through more picturesque bush to the Haruru Falls.

Now be warned – these falls are not known for their height – the drop is only about 6m or so – but they are shaped in the form of a crescent, pretty cool, and, wow, what a noise, you couldn’t hear yourself talk let alone anyone else who was with you – a blessing in some cases. It had been raining quite heavily the day before so there was more water than usual rushing over the edge. Unfortunately that also meant that the water was very dirty – in fact it was brown - from the soil/dirt washed in from the rain and we wouldn’t have been able to see anything let alone a shag diving for fish.
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On our second day in the Bay of Islands we drove around to Opua and took the car ferry across to Okiato and Russell. The ferry may cost $12 ($10 per car and driver and $2 per passenger) each way but it is definitely much…Read More

On our second day in the Bay of Islands we drove around to Opua and took the car ferry across to Okiato and Russell. The ferry may cost $12 ($10 per car and driver and $2 per passenger) each way but it is definitely much quicker than driving around the country roads to Russell.

First stop once we hit the other side is Okiato which was the site of the first capital of New Zealand – Russell was thought to be too unsavoury at the time and was often called "the hell hole of the Pacific". We followed the sign posts to the location and nothing but grass, a small pile of stones, fencing and signage - Note - do not expect a building of any kind when you reach the site, the site is now a historic reserve with an old well that has been fenced off. There is some signage dotted around at points of interest to inform the visitor of what used to be located in particular areas – nice location though, great for a spot of lunch or to let the kids out for a run.

From Okiato we followed the main road around to Russell where we parked the car and found a lovely café, called the Waterfront Café, on the water front to have some morning tea – a large coffee each, one large slice of lemon meringue pie and one large slice of cheesecake, all with cream no less – not for the faint hearted or anyone on a diet.

We continued down the road, on foot (Russell’s small enough and flat enough for that) and stopped off at an interesting little art gallery/shop, located in the same building as the Russell Museum (the gallery is on the water side and the Museum is on the main street side of the building), selling Artworks by Maori Artists before heading to Pompallier House. Russell has a number of galleries and shops that all appear to have unique and different items.

Next stop was to the Pompallier Mission House -

Wow, this place was really interesting – I kept thinking it was just going to be another museum like all the rest but, boy, was I wrong. The Pompallier Mission House was built in 1841 after the Mission was established by Bishop Pompallier and it has been fully restored to its original layout.

Back in the day it was a working printery – used to print bibles in English and, most importantly, in Maori - with everything manufactured on site from the process and tanning of the leather, for the covers of the bibles, to the printing and assembling of the books. What’s more they have now restored it to a fully functioning printery again with some of the products available at the small gift shop.

The price of admission includes a full guided tour of the joint and it is worth it. The guide will take you through every process the Mission fathers and other helpers would have undertaken to produce the bibles – the process of working the leather, the process of setting up the texts, etc., for printing, the process of binding and covering the books and there is a very interesting explanation on how the walls were constructed.

After the guided tour you can stroll around the Mission museum - a narrow room at the rear of the house which has displays of various items found around the local area - and the surrounding grounds which includes a small orchard and a small uphill track to the top of the property.

Then it was on to the Christ Church - Te Whare Karakia o Kororāreka -

The Christ Church is the oldest existing church in New Zealand and has been kept in excellent condition. Building of the church started in 1835 and the first service was held in 1836. The services were carried out in both Māori and English and probably still are to this day.

I loved the colourful, decorative cushions that are placed on all the pews. Apparently musket bullet holes can still be found in the walls in certain locations. It was also great to stroll around the surrounding graves – some of them date way back and there’s an interesting one from ship sinking, during the wars with the Maori’s.

Then it was time for a lunch/afternoon snack at The Duke of Marlborough Hotel -

We’d stopped to ask a shop owner if they could suggest somewhere to have a late lunch/early dinner and they suggested ‘The Duke’ as well as a couple of other places. We choose ‘The Duke’ and they were spot on – no-one better than locals to know where good food can be found.

Located on the waterfront the current Duke of Marlborough Hotel sits on the site of the very first Duke of Marlborough Hotel – the current building is the fourth on the site, apparently due to fires – during the Maori wars and raids most of Russell was burnt to the ground with the exception of the Mission. The first Duke of Marlborough Hotel was the first licensed establishment in New Zealand. In 1840 all hotels selling alcohol had to have liquor licenses. According to the waitress a small part of the original building remains.

The Hotel has a lovely warm feeling as soon as you walk through the doors, and that’s not just from the warm sunshine pouring through the windows. As most of the latest building appears to date back to the early 1900’s, or so, they have furnished the dining and bar areas to match that period in time. I particularly liked are the old photographs and curios hanging from the walls.

For lunch we ordered two large coffees and the sea food and meat platter which included battered fish fillets (fresh), calamari, salmon, beef, pork, bacon, dipping sauces, olives, a bit if salad, bread and cheese – the plate was huge, this was more than enough for the two of us, and it only cost $65.

We were even cheeky enough to ask if we could take a look at some of the accommodation that was available – very nice, with an assortment of rooms at varying prices depending on the season – some with water views (most expensive), some with little roof top gardens (middle range pricing) and the cheapest with a window overlooking the neighbours.

Last stop for the day was Flagstaff Hill –

Flagstaff Hill is located on Maiki Hill, just east of Russell, and we decided to drive it as it was getting late and dusk was setting in. The flagstaff was cut down a number of times, by the Maori if memory serves me well, in 1844 - 1845. Apparently it flies New Zealand’s original flag a number of days during the year.

Am I glad we made the effort to go up there – the views of the entire area are just fantastic with an also 360 degree outlook over the area – Russell, the Pacific Ocean, The Bay of Islands, Paihia, etc. - and at sunset it is just amazing – simply beautiful.
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On our third day in the beautiful Bay of Islands we decided to drive to the historic Keri Keri Basin, about a ¾ hour drive up the coast from Paihia. Keri Keri is quite a large township with many interesting shops along the road coming…Read More

On our third day in the beautiful Bay of Islands we decided to drive to the historic Keri Keri Basin, about a ¾ hour drive up the coast from Paihia. Keri Keri is quite a large township with many interesting shops along the road coming into the area – a handmade chocolate store, antique shops, gift shops, fruit stores selling locally grown produce (this fruit has plenty of flavour compared to stuff bought at the supermarkets) and the like. We stopped at a number of them along the way.

First stop is the Keri Keri Basin, the Stone Store and Kemp House –

The Keri Keri Basin is where, in about 1820, Reverend Samuel Marsden was granted land and invited, by the local Maori chief, Hongi Hika of the Nga Puhi tribe, to establish a Church Mission and settlement. Hence Keri Keri is New Zealand's most historic site of national importance. The remaining buildings of that settlement are Kemp House - New Zealand's oldest house, built in about 1822 - and the Stone Store - New Zealand’s oldest stone building, built in about 1836.

Both of the buildings are open as museums - you can buy entry tickets from the Stone Store - $10. The price of entry includes a short historic talk by a guide, an interesting, detailed, guided tour of the Kemp House and gardens and admittance to the top two levels of the Stone Store.

The ground level Stone Store has been set up to be exactly like a trading post/store, as it once was, and still operates as a store selling all sorts of odds and ends – lollies, toys, souvenirs, clothing, etc, – with the proceeds going to maintaining the buildings. The two levels above have also been restored to near original condition and are where the museum is housed.

Kemp House has been restored and maintained in its near original state, with the old furnishings and décor – as per the requirements of the New Zealand Historical Trust requirements. Even the beautiful gardens have been lovingly restored back to their original state.

The museum within the Store is about - the local area, the Maori, the Settlers, the land wars and the land - and it is also a museum which shows the workings at the store – the small library section is very interesting with an interactive screen with different slides outlining different, interesting aspects of the subjects the museum is all about.

From the basin it is a short walk to St James Church –

St James Church stands high on the hill, just up the road from the Stone Store and Kemp House, white against the surrounding green trees and changing sky. Whilst I have never actually been inside the church the old grave sites are interesting to wander around and the view isn’t too bad. Unfortunately I don’t really know a lot else about the church, I think this existing building – the existing building is not the original but still has a bit of age in it - has been located on the site of the original church stood.

Cross the river from the Stone Store is Rewa’s Maori village –

We followed the river banks, around past Kemp House, to a walk bridge crossing the river where we crossed to the other side and walked through the park and car park to Rewa’s Village.

Rewa’s Maori village is a reconstruction of a Maori village. This site would have been known as a kainga which is a traditional unfortified village – not a pa which was a fortified village (there are the remnants of a pa located on the terraced hills opposite this site). Kaingas would have usually built close to sources of food. In times of peace most of the tribe would live in the kainga and in times of danger they would relocate to the greater safety of the pa.

The entry price is $5, which is not a bad price for what is here to see. When you first enter there is a short film clip about the Keri Keri area and Rewa’s people you can watch before you head of to wander around the site. The site is set out in a small block of bush land that goes down to the water and has a number of traditional Maori houses and buildings including food stores, a canoe shed, etc, scattered among the trees, along narrow tracks. It would be an interesting place to visit if you had no idea of how the Maori lived and wanted to find out, but for us it was all old news, but we did have fun strolling through the grounds. Adjoining the grounds is an area called the Peoples Garden which I understand is very pleasant to wander around if you have the time – unfortunately we were running out of that for the day and decided to put it on the back burner for another trip.

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Toast Martinborough is an annual wine festival which takes place in the small wine town of Martinborough at the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand. IT is approximately one hours drive out of Wellington or you can get there by taking a scenic…Read More

Toast Martinborough is an annual wine festival which takes place in the small wine town of Martinborough at the bottom of the North Island of New Zealand. IT is approximately one hours drive out of Wellington or you can get there by taking a scenic train ride from Wellington then getting a coach to the location.

What is it?
Well as the name suggests Toast Martinborough is a celebration of wine, food and live music which takes place in November each year. Think - a good old fashioned pub crawl with great wines instead of beers, amazing gastro cuisine instead of kebabs and a wide range of music.

You have to purchase tickets in advance - and be advised get them early as the event is always sold out despite their being 10000 tickets on sale. Your ticket buys you a glass which you get to keep - this is given to you on a clever string so you can wear it around your neck! (Yes really - all becomes clear later on!) You also get a programme which tells you what is going on and where it is. You are also entitled to make use of the free shuttle buses which take you around to the various vineyards to eat, drink and be merry!

Is there a catch?
Yes - unfortunately you have to purchase "festival francs" from the main town square when you are at the festival. Each of the vineyards and producers charge you for tastings (although this is normally less than you would pay on a normal day). You will be charged in francs and these are non refundable so think carefully about how much you want to spend. You can also buy take home wine with them so that is a great solution if you buy too many by mistake.

I would advise that you make a rough plan of the day deciding on your route and perhaps basing it on which band you would like to see. Each performance takes place in a scenic vineyard so expect good music in some beautiful surroundings.

There is food on sale for every taste from Mori Hangi to Italian, to fresh NZ fish. Dont miss the Hokey Pokey (honeycomb) ice cream.

Dont whatever you do try to make it around each venue - there are too many and you wont get to enjoy the food, wine or music if you do. Make a list of your top picks and then see how the mood takes you.

Any advice for festival goers?
Take your mobile phone incase you lose your friends - easier done than you think.
Take a water bottle too - you end up drinking a lot of wine so make sure that you keep filling up your water bottle. It is a long day from 10 - 18 (8 hours of drinking can get messy)
Book early if you are going accommodation and public transport tend to sell out before the tickets to the festival even go on sale (yes really). So make sure that you have somewhere to stay (or a teetotal friend).

Have fun - this is a great event that I cant recommend enough!Close

Although Maori have their own culinary tradition (of which we had no chance to try as we visited southern parts of the South Island), the food that is eaten by the Kiwis of European origins appeared to be along the lines of traditional English food.…Read More

Although Maori have their own culinary tradition (of which we had no chance to try as we visited southern parts of the South Island), the food that is eaten by the Kiwis of European origins appeared to be along the lines of traditional English food. With our CouchSurfing hosts we had basic roast lamb, boiled corned beef (corned beef here being cured beef, not the tinned mushy stuff that goes into horrid sandwiches in the UK) and pork hot pot (as well as amazing purple soup, made with purple sweet potatoes, but this was in a vegetarian multi-national student household so doesn't really count). When staying in paid accommodation, we self catered a lot, and when not doing that we pretty much lived on fish and chips (though we had some other food occasionally, including surprisingly decent Indian meals in Christchurch and Dunedin).

There is a LOT of fish and chips around in New Zealand. The place is surrounded by sea, so eating fish is an obvious thing, though surprising proportion of fish is apparently from frozen. There is usually a selection of different types of fish, and standard condiments include sauce tartare and ketchup (you pay extra for those). It's still pretty good value meal in New Zealand: we paid as little as 5 NZD for fish-and-chips (that is 2.50 GBP, unheard of in the UK), though a standard price is closer to 10 NZD (which is still reasonable value, as you usually, just like in the UK, get a lot).

The best (though not the cheapest) fish and chips we had in our month in New Zealand were undoubtedly from a Queenstown chippie called Aggy's Shack (see a review). I am not sure if it was the best fish and chips I ever had (we do live, after all, within an hour's drive from a few places claiming to sell the best fish suppers in the land) but easily a contender.

Interesting native or local foods didn't register on our radar in New Zealand, apart from the aforementioned purple sweet potato (sweet potato, known locally by its Maori name of kumara, is a very popular vegetable in New Zealand). Local drinks include a rich array of New Zealand wine, of which we sampled some interesting varieties when passing through Central Otago, world's most southerly wine producing region. Although New Zealand is known mostly for its whites, Central Otago produces reds, 85% of which are Pinot Noir which certainly merits attention, we sampled pretty amazing stuff from Gibbston Valley but there are many wineries to explore and what they produce is often very far off the ''big, fruity, bold, easy'' stereotype of a New World wine. Close

At times, the least expected takes you off guarded. Queenstown is one of them. Queenstown is beautiful, vibrant and lively. I may even call that’s a best place to settle down after retirement. Its that beautiful. Queenstown is dramatic by looks and dreamy to feel.…Read More

At times, the least expected takes you off guarded. Queenstown is one of them. Queenstown is beautiful, vibrant and lively. I may even call that’s a best place to settle down after retirement. Its that beautiful.

Queenstown is dramatic by looks and dreamy to feel. Queenstown sits at the shores of Lake Wakitapu and happy to share the canal like shore to the sister town Frankton. Queenstown hill oversees the lake and the little town. This hill measures more than 900 meters vertically. In simple, blessed to be rich with the best of nature’s gifts.

After that stint with the cop, we reached Queenstown in the late afternoon. We stayed at Novotel hotel which is one of the biggest out there offering all ranges of views. It had all the notable touch of the city and the disturbances come free. However, it’s welcoming as the previous week was spent in lonely, quite hotels.

Weather was following us from the Milford sounds which looked to rain anytime for long. We wanted to encash the non-rainy time. The very first of the attraction anyone will hear is Skyline on the Bob’s peak. Reaching Skyline is via Gondola that operates for 3/4th of a kilometre. It has a fine dining restaurant, few souvenir shops, Luge and an auditorium that plays Kiwi Haka (Maori Culture Show).

Mostly these can be combined together and packaged based on our interests right at our hotel itself. We settled with Gondola, Luge and Kiwi Haka show. We had enough time to refresh ourselves and walk to the base from where Gondola starts.

Lake Wakitapu looked ravishing and roaring like a sea. Interestingly the colour was a nice blue color even when looked from the shore. This tows is well planned and built. Am pretty sure their needs will be manifold soon. Town is getting extended along both the side of the shores of Lake Wakitapu.

Within 10 mins of leisure walk, we found ourselves at the base of the mountain. A gondola took us to the skyline. We have got AJ Hackett bungy jumping has their jumping pad here with a breathtaking scenery of Lake Wakitapu. One dares a plunge there, could call himself daring, I bet. Right outside the skyline building a small path takes us to the Luge. That takes us to the peak in open chair lifts. We were thrilled with the Luge (in scenic view). The other route for the luge is faster. We were happy to get inside the building after that as it was starting to get colder.

Kiwi Haka
Maoris ruled this nation for long and the civilization is changed now. Still the descendants of this culture keeps it living forever with their shows. This show explains how their ancestors lived and about their habits. Its little bit interactive too. We were happy to be a part of it.

Later, we walked through the streets of that town to find an Indian restaurant. Happily indulged with our food and called it a day.

Managed to put some pics at the below link. Check it out.
http://www.rainyhills.com/?p=229Close

Finding self catering accommodation in New Zealand is extremely easy. New Zealand is full of specifically those types of accommodation that are either fully self catering or offer self catering options. Kiwis like holidaying, like travel in their own country and like the freedom of…Read More

Finding self catering accommodation in New Zealand is extremely easy. New Zealand is full of specifically those types of accommodation that are either fully self catering or offer self catering options. Kiwis like holidaying, like travel in their own country and like the freedom of self catering accommodation options.

Self catering accommodation options include:

(1) Holiday Parks
These are usually a cross between a hotel, motel, caravan park and a campsite, offering a variety of accommodation ranging from tent and camper van sites to cabins, cottages and motels. Each of these will allow for self catering, with some having a kitchen as a part of self-contained unit and some having some cooking provision (usually a fridge, microwave, kettle and toaster) while the kitchen is available in the communal part of the park. Strangely, there are cabins that are not en suite (i.e. have no bathroom or toilets) but have kitchen provision. Even motels that don't offer holiday park type variety of options usually have some cooking facilities.

(2) Self catering cottages and cabins
Cottages and cabins often come as part of the Holiday Parks, but there are also many independent ones, offering standards varying from basic to luxurious.

(3) Hostels
Hostels always have a communal kitchen, and in New Zealand often a backpackers' hostel will also have a motel section run at the same site as well as self-catering cabins or cottages.

How to find those self catering options?

The first step is to look online. New Zealand's official tourist information site will give pointers, while there are countless websites that will show you what's available. Many of these accommodations have their pages on travel sites such as this one where you can also check reviews by people who actually stayed there.

On the ground, all cities and many towns in New Zealand have official tourist information sites (i-site) which are very happy to advise on accommodation and provide listings, contact numbers and more brochures that you will be able to carry.

Among the best sources of information are AA accommodation guides that can be picked up for free in most motels and other accommodation providers. These list options by location and type and are an excellent source of info. Your travel guide (Rough Guide and Lonely Planet are reliably good and always provide a good selection of budget and mid range options) will also have some suggestions. And finally, in small places you can usually simply drive through and find a place as you arrive – usually well sign posted from main roads.

Do you need to book?

You definitely need to book in the high holiday season, i.e. December and January. Book early: six months early might not be too early for popular destinations. It's also advisable to book, especially in busier and more touristy places, in November and February. Outside these periods, you should be able to find something at a short notice without trouble, but if you have your eyes set on anything in particular, it's always better to book in advance. Close

We leave Queenstown on a morning of my fortieth birthday, and head for Clyde, a small ex-mining village in Central Otago, about 60 miles away. Our plan is to take a day getting there (as it's going to be undoubtedly scenic, as everything is in…Read More

We leave Queenstown on a morning of my fortieth birthday, and head for Clyde, a small ex-mining village in Central Otago, about 60 miles away. Our plan is to take a day getting there (as it's going to be undoubtedly scenic, as everything is in this wonderland of hills, rocks and water) and to go via Arrowtown, a popular day-trip destination from Queenstown.

Scenic it is indeed, and we take a while even to drive the twenty-odd kilometers to Arrowtown, passing through pretty valleys and nearby ski areas. Arrowtown is now something of a tourist trap, aka heritage town, known for its gold mining past.

The town, which is the last of the major gold-rush towns in Otago, sits in a valley at the confluence of the Arrow River and Bush Creek. Gold was discovered here in 1860's and the small river had a reputation of being the richest for its size in the world. This wealth drew scores of prospectors, including a sizable community of Chinese gold seekers (of whom now a museum-village remains on the banks of the river).

There are several good walks nearby, towards the Remarkables and along the Arrow River (the full Arrowtown-Macetown circuit is 32km/almost 20miles long), but it's pleasant enough just to stroll along the river itself, surrounded by willows and poplars. You can buy a (plastic) dish for a couple of dollars and try panning for gold yourself or just poke about, imagining the gold rush days.

Modern Arrowtown is a pretty place, with old, restored cottages and stores lining up the main street. Tourist-trade dominates, and there are numerous gift shops, jewellery and greenstone stores and other purveyors of normal tourist merchandise. We are here in low season though, and the place has a sleepy feeling of an out-of-season resort, recognizable the world round. A look in the estate agent windows shows that it's not just tourist trade that followed gold, as property prices in the area are astronomical. The natural beauty, relative isolation and skiing seemingly draw those attracted by the idea of living the rural dream on their own acreage.

We look into several shops, buy some fudge (which is better than American counterpart but still not a match for a good Devonshire clotted cream product, or, for that matter, even Polish "krowka"). The jewellery shops are more interesting and (as it is, after all, my 40th birthday) I receive a rather lovely greenstone and gold pendant from the Other Adult (as well as a felt beret and assorted gifts form the Older and Younger Child).

After that, it's a lunch of pies and we get going on the way to Clyde.

The road soon joins the highway 6 and we are on the Gibbston Highway, passing through the Central Otago wine growing area. It's the world's most southerly wine-producing region and commercial cultivation only started in the 1980's. The climate and soil conditions make the production quite expensive, which means that the resulting wines are quite expensive boutique products (prices start at around 20 NZD, or 10 GBP, and are usually quite a bit more) but the quality often justifies that. We buy a bottle of a fine Pinot Noir to take to our next host at Gibbston Valley shop and it is (it better be, at that price) one of the best reds I have tried, tight, fragrant and deeply satisfying.

Not far from Gibbston Valley is the site of the original bungy jump, where those in search of a risk-free thrill pay 180 NZD for a five-second, 43m jump off the historic Kawarau Bridge. The concept appeals, but the charge appears as over the top as the original idea must have seem. Watching is free, though, and we spent an enjoyable half hour observing two people leaping (or being nudged) off the bridge strapped to latex ropes.

The Kawarau River gorge cuts through bleak but dramatic scenery of the surrounding mountains, and soon we are in Central Otago proper, approaching Cromwell. Much of Cromwell's old centre is now under water due to construction of the Clyde dam and the Dunstan Lake, and the town is nothing but a service centre for the local area, known for fruit growing and goldfileds related tourism.

The last stretch of the route takes us along the Dunstan lake, a high and open road cut from the rocky hillside. Artificial lakes often look bleak and industrial; it takes many years to create a more natural and appealing shore which vegetation, animals and people can enjoy.

Wet flurry of snow fills the air and we are glad to arrive at our hosts' house; the last couch-surfing experience of our trip and one of the nicest. There is a traditional Kiwi salt-beef meal ready, and even a hand made card and a present for yours truly – such are the beauties of CouchSurfing. Close

Our second day in Queenstown and the weather couldn't be different from the crystal beauty of yesterday. It's raining, and the sky is thick with uniform darkness of grey clouds. The opposite shore of the lake is hardly visible. But we only have two days…Read More

Our second day in Queenstown and the weather couldn't be different from the crystal beauty of yesterday. It's raining, and the sky is thick with uniform darkness of grey clouds. The opposite shore of the lake is hardly visible.

But we only have two days here, so we do need to get out and see things. This is, after all, travellers' duty: to go out and see things.

Into the car it is, then, with our host waiting at home for the news of snow situation on the ski slopes, we set off for Glenorchy. 45 km from Queenstown, Glenorchy sits at the tip of the Wakatipu lake, near the borders of Mount Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park.

In the straight line, Glenorchy is less than 50 km from Milford Sound – but the wall of mountains stands between us and the Fiords and the only road connection is via the incredibly round-about route through Te Anau. Hikers (or trampers, as hill walkers are known here) can do the 32km Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand's great walks which takes the walkers from Glenorchy to Te Anau road across the hills. The mountains are covered in snow, though, so doing any high levels walks is out of question.

We drive along the mist-hidden lake, stopping on the way to look at rain-filled waterfalls tumbling off the rocks at the roadside (we will see hundreds of those later on the route through the West Coast).

It's still raining as we park the car and get out for a wee walk and a look. Even in the rain, though, the lake is wonderful: moody,misty, subdued and yet powerful. The boat shed is empty, and there is only a few cars in the car park, but as we venture into the shop and a cafe, we find people and warmth, and information on local walks and places to go.
We have a cup of tea and then venture out, contemplating a walk up a hill or around the lagoon. Lagoon it is, as it's a gentle and easy walk and we still have plans to drive on - to Paradise.

The lagoon walk has good paths (although the Younger Child still manages to fall into the water on a little detour across a plank-bridge to a sandbank opposite) and further in, a boardwalk that takes us a few inches above the water. There are reeds, willows and lovely reflections in the still waters, but what draws all the eyes and all the oohs and aaahs is the grand, craggy massif emerging from behind the mist and clouds. It's Mount Earnslaw, but I can't help but think of it as Caradhras, the peak that defeated the Fellowship on their way across the Misty Mountains, the mountain raising above the Redhorn Pass and the gates of Moria. I do wonder how much Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand's tourism, and how much New Zealand's beauty did for the popularity of Peter Jackson's film version of Tolkien's epic.

The Glenorchy viewpoint provides the right angle (at least from the Lord of the Rings perspective) to look at Mt Earnslaw, because it's this side of the mountain that featured in the film.

Caradhras is only one of the Lord of the Rings locations that can be found in this part of Otago. A short drive on a gravel road towards the hills from Glenorchy and we enter the broad valley that marks the confluence of the lake Wakatipu and Rivers Dart and Rees.
This is the way to Paradise, a mountain-surrounded, broad and flat valley; idyllic pasture land, apparently named after Paradise shelducks that are common in the locality (though the romantic etymology, seeing the origins of the name in the beauty of the area, also has its supporters).

Paradise represented Parth Galen in the Rings' film, and the thick and misty beech forest on the way to Paradise stood for, quite appropriately in the scheme of things, the woods of Lothlorien.

The gravel road becomes a very much a dirt track, and all the traffic we pass (the whole two cars of it) on our way into the valley consists of four by four jet boating tour vehicles whose inhabitants eye our normal car with a look of incredulity. Still, we are not doing too badly when we come across what seems to me plainly impassable mountain stream.

The Other Adult, though, has different ideas, and clearly encouraged by my rather hysterical protestations, decides to ford the waterway. We are herded out of the car, cross the stream on foot as to reduce the vehicle's load. Quite amazingly, by a stroke of luck or an instance of great skill, the Other Adult makes it to the other side so we can drive further in.

We turn back when it starts to rain again (I have visions of the ford becoming a veritable rapid but it's nothing of the sort) and drive back to Queenstown for dinner and sleep. Close