Where have we been lately?

We are heading back up the east coast of the South Island, making our slow way back to the Ferry Terminal.  Staying at Christchurch for a couple of days gave us the opportunity to catch up with son Michael again.  And I had so enjoyed our previous visit to Sign of the Kiwi Café on the Port Hills last time we were here, that we collected him from his home and went there for lunch.  It certainly was a long and winding drive up the road.  There were plenty of people there already there enjoying their lunches in the fresh air, and we ordered whatever took our fancy and found ourselves a table too.   Outside in the gardens seemed an ideal place for a few photos – “Oh, Mum, not again” said Michael, rolling his eyes.  But that’s what mothers do, don't they, take family photos when they can.

Michael and his Mum

While out and about we came across a large hollow metal ball – wonder what this is?  So we stopped to find out.  “Fanfare” was designed by Christchurch born  sculpture Neil Dawson and was suspended from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark New Year in 2005.  Then it was gifted by the City of Sydney to Christchurch City in 2007.  Fanfare is 20m in diameter, 24m high and weighs 25 tonnes, and is covered in 360 steel fans, each 1.5m in diameter and each one rotated by the wind.  It certainly is a mesmerizing sight.

“Fanfare”

With Cyclone Gabrielle wrecking havoc in the North Island, and not being sure if she would travel down south, we decided to stay in the Christchurch area for a few more days.  We moved from where we were staying as all those tall trees surrounding the property had me worrying if they would blow down on us in the strong winds.  So we moved 10km or so up the road to Kaiapoi.  The brand new  Kaiapoi NZMCA Park had just opened the previous day, so we were delighted to be one of the very early customers.  This new park is built on the substantial red zoned area, (previously a large subdivision)  from the massive 2011 Christchurch earthquake and all the badly damaged houses have been knocked down and removed. 

No more housing can be built on this red zoned land, so it is good that other low impact activities like sports fields and a large enclosed dog park are making use of the land.  Another great idea in this area  is the Food Forest, quite a large area built around many fruit trees.  Other items are planted in the gardens, I noticed many pumpkin plants spreading about and just starting to flower, and plenty of thorny berry bushes with not a single fruit on them.  I collected some apples and pears plus a few peaches from old mature trees to take back to the caravan.  All these trees would have been part of neighbouring home gardens before all the houses were destroyed in the earthquake.

I checked out the Food Forest

Kaiapoi was an important trading hub with the Maori people and the Kaiapoi River and surrounding waterways were used to transport pounamu (greenstone) from the Arahura River, and mutton-birds from Stewart Island.  These days the river is used by pleasure boats and cruise boats, including the Kaiapoi River Queen.  There was a trip scheduled in the weekend after we had departed.  So we will certainly have to return to this town and have a lunch or dinner cruise of the wonderful looking boat.

Doesn’t it look great

A couple of days later we drove up SH1 to Kaikoura.  Oh look – tunnels.  There are two sets of these tunnels, carved through the rock.  They may look tiny but plenty of large heavy trucks pass through them on a daily basis, so there was no problem that we would fit.

Two tunnels cut through the rock

Kaikoura township was buzzing with cars and campervans, the tourists had certainly come calling.  The car park at the Whale Watch encounter was packed with vehicles as the customers had climbed onboard the boats for a thrilling trip.  Down at the coastline the bleached white uplifted rocks from the big 2016 earthquake were ghostly white in the sunshine – all this coastline was originally under water.  There were several seals basking in the sun – some people walked over the rocks and got alarmingly close to them.

Seal basking in the sun

We finished off our sightseeing with an ice-cream.  Not a real ice-cream, the vendor was selling either Gelato or Sorbet.  We chose a gelato each and sat down in the sunshine trying to consume them before they melted in the sunshine and dripped all over our fingers.

Happy days

Then it was off to Blenheim.  Driving along the now repaired coastal highway, we reflected on how it was during our last trip to the South island when the road was still being repaired after the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake.  This tore through fault lines, demolishing houses, ripping up roads and railway lines and causing massive landslides.  Kaikoura was cut off and isolated.  1700 engineers and workers toiled for over a year before Kaikoura was finally reconnected.  Two years later on  our South Island trip in 2018 we remember how the road on the hill side was lined with long lines of containers to keep further rock fall at bay, so work was still ongoing then.  There was not a container in sight this time as we drove along. No wonder New Zealand is called “The Shaky Isles”.

Gemma wasn’t the only cat in camp in Blenheim, there were two others.  A white cat with black markings was nicely behaved on his harness and lead.  And the van next to us had a “catio”, I had only ever seen this before on an American quilting blog, so went to check it out.  The older tabby cat enjoying the fresh air in safely has only recently been caravanning and hated the harness and lead.  So the owners decided that the catio was a great idea for their cat, and made one themselves which hooks on to the side of their motorhome.  The cat is free to hop in and out of the motorhome through the window, and really enjoys his room with a view, I was told.

Cat in his catio

I’ve been doing a little stitching on a rainbow lately, but nothing really to show just yet.  I was really impressed when I asked Robin if he knew the colours of the rainbow, and he rattled them off, no trouble.  Although I had a general idea, I would have asked Mr Google to get it correct.  Luckily I have all the thread colours  my bag, so I’m stitching merrily away.

Cruising about

Something ticked off the Bucket List, and what an adventure we had.  We are currently in Te Anau (which means place of swirling waters) and recently enjoyed a Coach/Cruise/Underwater Observatory combo to Milford Sound and through the Homer Tunnel.  Our adventure started in Te Anau when we boarded the big red coach – with several photo stops along the way.  The scenery here is spectacular. The very pretty Mirror Lakes were just off the roadside, and it was a nice easy 5 minute  boardwalk there and back.  People everywhere, we certainly weren’t the only bus in the car park.

Us and the big red coach, and the Mirror Lakes

I was looking forward to going through Homer Tunnel.  It is 1.2 km (0.75 miles) long, and was  opened in 1953.   William Homer and George Barber discovered the Homer Saddle in 1889, and Homer suggested that a tunnel through the saddle would provide access to the Milford area.  But work didn’t start till 1935  The tunnel and the associated Milford Road were built by relief workers during the Depression.  The men had to live in tents in a mountainous area where there might be no direct sunlight for half of the year.   Progress was slow, with difficult conditions, and work was also interrupted by World War II and a avalanche.  These problems delayed the tunnel's completion and it was finally opened in 1953.   So there we were, waiting at the red traffic  signal to start our trip through the single lane  tunnel.  And out the other side where we drove under an avalanche shelter, certainly a danger on parts of this road.

Homer Tunnel

Here we went onboard The Lady Bowen  for the afternoon cruise.  Most people had rushed upstairs to sit on the outside deck, but we secured a table downstairs under cover.

The Lady Bowen

First things first, we redeemed the ticket for our picnic lunch.  Wonder what was in them?  We were pleasantly surprised – sandwiches, two pieces of fruit, cheese and crackers, two Anzac biscuits, small bag of chippies and a chocolate bar.  There was plenty of help yourself tea and coffee available too.  We ate the sandwiches, cheese and crackers and a mandarin each, and took the rest back to the van for later.

Our picnic lunch each

Nothing says Milford Sound more than the iconic 1683m high Mitre Peak, named by Captain John  Stokes of HMS Acheron in 1851, who found it’s shape reminiscent of the headwear worn by Christian bishops.  Our Captain pointed out places of interest and wildlife  as we cruised along, as we gazed at awe at the shear granite cliffs, then taking us right out to the entrance of Tasman Sea. 

Views from the stern

There were several waterfalls tumbling down, and in the rains many more appear.  The Captain nosed into Stirling Falls, giving those on the bow quite a splashing.  Never mind, getting drenched is meant to make you look 10 years younger, we were told.

Stirling Falls

On the way back we stopped at Underwater Observatory, one of the highlights of the trip.  The Underwater Observatory was built in 1995. The construction project involved building the viewing chamber in 3 sections in Invercargill and assembling them in Bluff. This unique floating underwater observatory is the only one of it’s kind in New Zealand.   After an interesting talk about the facility and wildlife we descended the spiral staircase to 10m beneath the water – 50 steps down.  There were lots of viewing windows, and we all moved around, checking out the marine life.  And to see the black coral, which is actually white.  The fish swimming nearby are not fed, they are just going about their business, and no doubt looking in the windows at all these strange creatures looking out.

The Underwater Observatory

After climbing back up those 50 steps, it was time to climb aboard the boat, cruise back to the dock, where we all disembarked and made our way to the correct bus for the ride back to Te Anau.  Everyone was quiet, no doubt reflecting on our trip, and I’m sure several nodded off as we drove along.  And why not, it had certainly been a big day out, from 10.30am to 6.30pm with lots of lovely sights along the way.  It was a great trip indeed, we would certainly recommend it.

We booked another short cruise (two hour duration) a day or two later, to visit the Te Anau Glowworm Caves.  Way back in the mists of time (about 35 years ago) we did this same cruise after the completion of our four day Milford Track walk, we were much younger and fitter then, of course.

 

All Aboard

The trip took us for a 30 minute cruise to the western shores of Lake Te Anau.  On arrival we walked up to the Visitor’s Centre. There was a full contingent of 72 people, and we were split into groups of 12, and away we went into the cave for a guided tour.  No photos are allowed in the caves, and when in the boat, we must be silent, we were told, otherwise the glowworms take fright and their lights go out!

Photos from the brochure

Luckily there were handrails to help us walk through the cave, and in some parts we had to bend our head and shoulders to get under the low ceiling!  That was a bit tricky.  What I had forgotten was just how loud the rushing water was in the cave, it was so noisy the guide had to shout to get her messages across.  The rushing water exited the caves, and our boat ride thankfully took us across still waters deep inside the caves.  With just a torch to guide us as we clambered into the small boat and then we moved slowly along in silence and complete darkness.  And there they were, tiny dots of light on the roof of the cave, certainly a sight to behold.  The boats have no motors and our guide told us later that she moves the boat along, standing in the front and  pulling on a chain, all in complete darkness.   What a woman!

After our cave experience we walked back through the wet cave, drip, drip, drip, to return to the Visitors Centre where we helped ourselves to a hot cuppa and listened to a presentation on the life of a glowworm.

Back on the boat for our return trip to Te Anau, and we decided to take ourselves out for diner after our wonderful trip.  The meals were huge, neither of us could finish them.

Dinner for two, please

The weather here has been exceptionally hot, up to 30s some days.  Gemma found an ideal way to cool off.  After snoozing away  on the cool grass  under the caravan, safely on her lead, she came inside and we wondered where she was.  Believe it or not, she had curled up inside the hand basin in the bathroom, just her size and obviously nice and cool! 

Gemma put herself in the hand basin

My knitting is coming along slowly, a few rows here and there as I feel like it.  There is no rush for this, and it is slowly growing.

Stitching and Holiday Snaps

Have to admit that only a little stitching has been happening, but every bit helps, doesn’t it.  Packed away in my stitching bag is a set of 12 pre-printed small Christmas panels, designed by Bonnie Sullivan, my new hand stitching project.  This was a gift from my penfriend Carol from South Dakota, and has some felt pieces attached.  Here I am working on block number one.

My new stitching project

Our tripping around continues, and it’s always exciting finding “new to us” places  to stay.  We had never heard of Te Anga, a small rural community along SH37, past the world famous Waitomo Caves.  Our hosts were young farmers who made us very welcome at their property Awamarino, meaning “beside still waters”.  For such a tiny place, there was certainly a lot to see and explore in the surrounding area.  First was the beautiful Marakopa Falls.  Walking through beautiful native bush we soon heard the sound of rushing water, and there it was, breathtakingly beautiful indeed.  The 35m high falls are often described as the most beautiful in the country, cascading as they do over the undercut greywacke basement rock.

Marakopa Falls

Robin had heard about Tunnel Beach so that was the trip for the next day.  After driving up and over hills, along miles of gravel road, we finally arrived at our destination, Waikawau Beach.  The only access to the beach is through an 80m tunnel.  A couple of friendly locals took our photo at the tunnel entrance.

At the tunnel

The tunnel was dug through the sandstone cliffs in 1911 by three Works Department employees with picks and shovels.  It was made for driving cattle up the beach from Nukihatere Station on the hills above the tunnel and out to the road.  Now closed to vehicles, the tunnel is now used for pedestrian access to the beach.  Once through the tunnel, it is like stepping into another world, with the isolated black sand beach at the end.  A huge tree trunk had been washed up on the beach, we wondered where that had journeyed from.  Such a lovely place indeed.

Tunnel Beach

We have seen some lovely sunsets whiles we have been away, and this one was a beauty.

Our plans will be changing as some community Covid cases have been detected and Auckland had been placed into Level Three lockdown with the borders closed this week into Auckland.  There are daily TV briefings and we are awaiting developments before we decide exactly where we will go.

Off and Away

Our three week caravan trip away started off with a weekend rally with our caravan club buddies.  And what fun we had.  There was quite an adventure planned for Saturday, with a trip to Day’s Bay and back on public transport.  Originally we were to travel from Naenae to Wellington by train, but track maintenance was being carried out and the trains were replaced by buses.  Not such a disappointment, as along came a big yellow double decker bus to carry our bunch of OAPs into the big city.  It’s been a while since we were in the big city, and we didn’t even realise that Wellington had double decker buses in their fleet.

Our double decker bus

It was a brisk walk along the waterfront, or in our case, a quick taxi ride, to save the sore knees and back from  too much stress.  Then it was “all aboard” the Cobar Cat East-West Ferry to Day’s Bay.  It’s certainly a sign we are getting older when people such as doctors, policemen, and in this case, the ship’s captain, all look so young!

Cobar Cat

A big family group laden down with large packs and chilly bags full of supplies departed at Matiu/Some's Island to stay overnight.  Matiu/Some's Island is now a predator-free scientific reserve.   It may be a small island but its place in New Zealand’s history is huge. Its harbour location made it an ideal location for New Zealand’s first inner harbour lighthouse, a human quarantine station, an internment camp, military defence position, and an animal quarantine station over the years.

Leaving the ferry we walked along  Days Bay wharf, across the road to Williams Park and into the very popular Pavilion Café for lunch.  Plenty of great choices on the menu, and it was just as well we had a large table booked for our group, as the place was packed.  It took us two buses to return to Naenae, and we arrived back at the college tired but happy after our big day out.  Such a fun day, and we all traveled free courtesy of our Gold Cards.

On Sunday after our evening meal we went out for dessert to the Berry Berry Nice Café in Jackson St, Petone, formerly the old Post Office building.  What to select from this range, we wondered, as we contemplated the selection.  There was certainly plenty to choose from.  Most of us chose to sit in the rather trendy little half circular seating arrangements.  We all enjoyed our desserts, with coffee/tea to follow.  What a great weekend we had, full of fun things to do.

Dessert time

Then it was time to head off on our three week caravan safari, spending the first night in Wanganui, then moving on to New Plymouth where we stayed at a former tamarillo farm.  Such a well set up place to stay for a few days, with very friendly hosts.  While in New Plymouth, we always try to catch up with Robin’s school friend Gary and his lovely wife Glenyss.  They were off on a trip themselves the following day so it was lucky that they could squeeze us in before they departed.  Forgot to take photos of our visit, but quite by chance, their mutual friend John had sent through a photo showing four friends after a fishing trip. Just look at those happy faces, the boys are all in their 70s now.

Robin and his schoolfriends out fishing

On our last evening Robin took us on a little tiki tour before heading back to camp.  Would I get to see Mt Taranaki/Egmont before we left the area, I wondered?  There is a saying in these parts, if you can’t see the mountain, it’s raining, and if you can see it, it’s going to rain.  We certainly had more than our fair share of rain lately.  Robin drove up to Churchill Height's to see if we could get a view, and there the mountain was, unencumbered by clouds in the dusk.  What a great finale to our evening.

Mt Taranaki/Egmont

The weather was glorious the next day for our 77km trip which took us along the coast, and up and over Mt Messenger and through the Mt Messenger tunnel. The single lane tunnel as originally opened in 1916, later enlarged to provide two-lane access and to allow trucks with big loads to pass through. Mt Messenger is named after Colonel William Messenger, the commander of the garrison at nearby Pukearuhe redoubt during the 1870s and 1880s.  I love coming across these little historic tunnels, originally hewn by hand  through the mountain rock all those years ago.

Mt Messenger Tunnel

We were staying at Mokau for the next night.  This little village is “world famous in New ZEaland” for the Whitebaait Inn Café, serving giant whitebait fritters.  Although we  hadn’t been there before, two of our traveling companions always stop to indulge when passing by.  Seemed a great idea to us, so we all went for lunch.  Our orders arrived, a massive whitebait fritter each served with a slice of lemon and freshly buttered bread.  Goodness me, a feast indeed, its been a long time since we enjoyed whitebait.  The coffee was nice too.  This is a very popular establishment, with a steady stream of customers.  Whitebait is a New Zealand delicacy, and are the fry (young) of native New Zealand fish found in coastal creeks, streams, rivers and lakes.

Giant whitebait fritters for lunch

Sunset at Mokau

There hasn’t been much handwork done so far on this trip, just a little knitting so far while I was waiting for the laundry to finish the cycle.  Never mind, we’ve been traveling, eating out, socialising, and I’m sure there will be time for a little stitching sooner or later. And more adventures to come.

Hand Stitching

Its hard work being on holiday, places to go, and people to see.  But I’ve managed to squeeze a little hand stitching in here and there.  One of my traveling projects is a little traced stitchery of a steam engine.  So far I've stitched the wheels, and feel like singing “the wheels of the train go round and round” as I’m sitting here stitching.  This will eventually be made into a cot quilt, I think.

Steam train stitchery

And tonight I sat outside with our caravan friends and did a little more on the border of my Autumn stitchery, hand quilting around each little Autumn leaf in the border fabric. 

Hand quilting the border

So what holiday adventures have we had since I last reported?  The annual Festival of Lights at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth was on our “must see” list.  We joined throngs of other people as we walked though the park, family groups, excited children, teens, and plenty of oldies like us.  The waterfall changed colours as we stood and watched, and the peacock was a sight to behold.  There were lights through the trees, on the bridge across the lake, and plenty of light wands being brandished about.

Lights at Pukekura Park

Our next adventure on our safari was a two day trip along the Forgotten World Highway, ( SH43) starting from Stratford.  SH43 is New Zealand’s oldest heritage trail at 155kms long and follows ancient Maori trade routes and pioneering farm tracks.  Eventually we arrived at our stop for the night, the Whangamomona Campground, formerly the local school, and rather rustic.

Whangamomona (doesn't that name just roll off your tongue) was first settled in 1895, and was once a bustling frontier town.  The 300 residents worked on roading and railway construction, and farming, but sadly by the 1960s the population had declined to about 20 residents.  But they were a force to be reckoned with.  When changes to the local boundarys were mooted, the locals strongly disagreed and declared themselves a Republic in 1989, and held their own Presidential Elections.  The famous Republic Day is held every two years and attracts visitors from far and wide, and Presidents have included a dog and a goat, with the occasional local wearing the chains of office too.  We spent our “happy hour” at the famous Whangamomona Hotel to soak up some of the “Whanga”atmosphere.

Whangamomona Hotel

The next morning we continued on the second half of our journey, crossing up and over the 4th saddle of the trip, and next up was the Moki Tunnel.  The single-lane 180m long Moki Tunnel was built in 1936 and is known locally as the 'Hobbit's Hole'. Home to fossilized giant crabs, the floor of the tunnel was lowered in 1989, increasing the height to 7m to allow access for triple-decked stock trucks. It has a timber gabled roof and hand carved walls.  We stopped the car, out I rushed to take a photo, then we were on our way again.

Emerging from the Hobbit’s Hole tunnel

We are still traveling, with more adventures beckoning, and hopefully a couple of lazy afternoons for stitching.