A Gorge-ous Weekend

Arbon Farm, bottom left

"Be good, take care of
yourselves—and
DON'T LEAVE THE PATH!" (Tolkien, 1937) 

A swift five o'clock Friday departure from Welly took us up to Dora's Aunt Helen, who lives in a wonderfully remote farmstead in the Pohangina valley, north of Ashhurst. The area has rural beauty and a HUGE wind farm that caused much excitement in our little Holden Barina - for me because of my love of large infrastructure, for Dora because of its relevance to her new job.

Intrepid explorers/excitable tourists

Helen's home is a great weekend retreat, with idyllic scenery in which to complete our second tramp (more on this later) and Dora's first trail run; clear mountain streams in which to cool off (and get bitten by sand flies); an unlimited supply of fresh venison; and an indoor cinema in which to eat ice cream and watch 'The Woman in Gold', 'Hot Fuzz' and (it was only a matter of time) 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

Admiring Te Apiti - Meridian's first wind farm

A lean, white, windy eyesore, and a wind turbine

On Saturday we tramped the Manawatu River Gorge, which takes you across the spine that separates the southern bit of the North Island. A precarious road and railway run the length of the Gorge below a mountainous footpath, and are occasionally severed by giant landslips that become tourist attractions in their own right. Highlights of the walk included eating sandwiches at a spectacular viewpoint, almost bumping into a wind turbine (cue sustainable infrastructure-selfies) and watching Dora spend 20 minutes photographing a fern. 

Returning to Welly, we're now making plans to move into a rented apartment. It's near the middle of the city (so 5 mins from the countryside), fully furnished and will be warm in the winter. More on that to come!

Next week we'll muse on working life in Wellington, once we've recovered from the Rugby 7's this Saturday!

Welcome to Wellington: Food and Activities

We've now been in Wellington a week, and so reckon it's time to round up the experiences so far. These can be broadly categorised into 'Food' and 'Activities'. We hope 'Friends' might feature at some point soon...

Fresh figs and fig-and-honey ice cream

We have been spoiled living with my uncle Douglas, particularly because he is such an excellent chef. The chicken and olive tagine mentioned in our last blog was topped only by an incredible salade nicoise with a twist: addition of mango, avocado and pine nuts, and a tangy dressing. We tried to recreate this this evening and failed. Douglas has also introduced me to the fresh food hall at Moore Wilson's, which feels very French and provided the figs opposite.

I lied about Friends: we do have one here. Possibly my oldest friend in the world, Tom, with whom we enjoyed artisan wood-fired pizza in a trendy place on Cuba Street that rivalled Shoreditch eateries. That is until we discovered the chocolate pizza on the menu (pictured). Then it became better! We also had a really lovely Pinot Noir (by accident). 

Sliding down the gourmet scale now, on your right is Roger's first New Zealand pie, eaten after a very informative tour of the Beehive and Parliament House. Roger and I both answered questions correctly. 

On your left is the enormous serving of potato wedges we ate after kayaking (see 'Activities' below), lying on bean bags in the sun at Mac's Brew Bar, sipping craft beers. Roger cunningly kept moving the bean bags to chase the sun as the shadows grew longer.

Following the parliament tour, pie, kayaking, beer and potato wedges (Roger's Christmas present day out) we tried to find room for contemporary Kiwi fare at Chameleon restaurant. Roger had paua (pictured) and I had fejoa juice. We also enjoyed melt-in-the-mouth venison and melt-in-the-mouth gnocchi, which probably impressed us the most!

Our 'Activities' began on Roger's Christmas present day: we hired a double kayak and paddled ("piddled") round the harbour, through the marina and across Oriental bay, debating at that point whether to join the children jumping off pontoons into the water. On the way back we piddled under the wharf on the waterfront, enjoying the gloom and exploration. Suddenly, two people waded out from a big stone pipe. Apparently they were storm drain enthusiasts and it was a particularly old (Victorian!) one. Later we came across them again, perched on the muddy 'bank' under the wharf. Each to their own.

Fergs Kayaks

We returned to Fergs Kayaks to use their indoor climbing wall - one with proper ropes and harnesses. In addition to a collection of fiendishly difficult walls, Roger also climbed a rope and I climbed a rope ladder. With the belaying of the other person and twice-as-high-as-bouldering ascents, we (well I) left exhausted. Thank you Julius for the Christmas present - you can pay me back!

Success!

Our final big Activity was a real New Zealand tramp (hike) in the Rimutaka Forest Park, a mere forty minute drive from Wellington. We tackled the steep uphill Butcher Track first, to a lookout with views back over the hills to Wellington. Avocado sandwiches demolished, we walked along the Clay Ridge Track, admiring ferns, bush views and alarmingly successful possum traps. A steep descent led to the Orongorongo River bed, where sadly there were no swimming holes, but we cooled down. The final stage of the walk tested our legs again, with a steep climb to a dry ridge with manuka trees.

On the way back into town we stopped by Pak'n'Save, hoping for a Lidl-like experience. Verdict: closer to Asda.

See below for pics of the tramp. Until next time,

Dora (and Roger)

Avocado sandwich time

Effective possum trap

Bush!

Fun on the farm

In our jetlagged excitement to get the scenic train ride story to you, we missed two great photos. Here is Roger with the train engine and the Kapiti ice cream we enjoyed on board.

In the late afternoon on Saturday the train arrived in Palmerston North. John Cleese has referred to 'Palmy' as 'the suicide capital of New Zealand' because of its uninspiring urban architecture and layout. We didn't have a chance to form our own opinion on this, however, since we were immediately whisked 45min away to Craigend - Trish and Andrews' farm (Dora's aunt and uncle). 

A Palmy street

Craigend is a favoured hangout of the Coventry family, which is unsurprising given the warm welcome provided by the hosts and the lovely views over breakfast (across the rose garden out to the rolling green hills of the farm and beyond to Ruapehu on a clear day). Highlights from our weekend included:

Enjoying tea and muffins at Craigend

- Cycling up and down the Wanganui River: Dora and I had a chance to flex our mountain biking muscles, in preparation for the acquisition of a new hobby in Wellington. Despite almost being blown into several hedges by strong winds I managed to get slightly sunburnt, which I've been assured is a foretaste of New Zealand's contradictory weather. 

- Experiencing some farming: Dora expertly helped Andrew round up some sheep, whilst I was introduced to quad biking following a short safety briefing. I then received an anatomy lesson from Andrew as he de-boned a lamb shoulder. This went on the BBQ to slow cook, with sprigs of rosemary and chopped tomatoes to make a delicious smokey roast.

- Enjoying the flora and fauna: I found out that tomatoes from Trish's vegetable garden actually taste quite nice (overturning 25 years of 'I don't like tomatoes' dogma), whilst Dora found out that pointing out an attractive-looking hare hopping towards the veggie garden was the quickest way of shortening its lifespan, as Andrew grabbed a gun and strolled off in pursuit.

All in all, we had a great time. So thanks Trish and Andrew!

Home-grown artichoke flower centrepiece at Craigend

On Monday Dora played chauffeur for the final leg of our journey down to Wellington in our new nippy car, to be greeted with a delicious chicken and olive tagine at Uncle Douglas'. We'll cover our first impressions of Wellington in the next post, once we've recovered from walking up all these hills...

Roger (and Dora)

From Kings to carrots, via Mount Doom

Luckily we didn't realise our taxi driver was wearing flip flops (sorry, jandals) until the end of the drive to the TraNZ Scenic station. We read some information boards about the golden age of railways in New Zealand (air travel scuppered all that) before taking our incredibly spacious seats and excitedly discovering the audio guide headphones.

Note the Raurimu Spiral info board above Roger's head

Travelling out of Auckland we heard about market gardens, through the King country about battles then peace-making between the British and Maori, and through numerous small towns about their busy logging, mining or railway junction past. This included the carrot capital of New Zealand, Ohakune. We also heard about the location of feral goats (which one could hunt) and feral horses, and 2,000 sheep that died from ingesting ash during recent volcanic activity.

The first major excitement came at the Raurimu Spiral, an engineering feat of rail track that overcomes a 139-metre height difference. Raurimu means one hundred Rimu trees, so we looked out for those too, breaking through the canopy.
Very soon after we'd recovered from the spiral we glimpsed Mt Ruapehu peeking out from behind a hill up ahead - we were in the National Park!

As we chose and ate lunch (brie sandwich and curry soup) Ruapehu got bigger and the view got clearer and the tourists took more photos. Stunning! We could also see the well-recognised cone of a snow-less Mt Ngarahoe (Mt Doom for the film nuts). We didn't see any hobbits though. 

Flax, Toitoi, Ruapehu, even the power lines are picturesque

Viaduct over the Rangitikei River

The third highlight of the trip was passing over several very high viaducts, crossing the Rangitikei River as we descended to the Rangitikei River valley and plains. You were trundling along and suddenly there was no visible track or ground under the train, just a railing and a huge drop down to the river below, which is flanked by tall cliffs.

Through Marton (near our final destination but unfortunately no longer a scheduled stop) we heard about the postal service that used to use the train network, where postal staff would sort the letters in a special train carriage overnight and at rural towns mail bags would be flung out onto the platform from the moving train, to be collected by the station master in the morning.

Finally, we arrived at Palmerston North, where we were met by Dora's aunt Trish and uncle Andrew!


Next time: Roger tries farm life.

Bye bye Ruapehu - until the ski season!

'Migrants' on the move

Fond farewells to family at security, admiration of the Terminal 3 upgrade, checking 80kgs of our life into the hold (thanks again to Cathay for classifying us as 'Migrants'), sending of final WhatsApp goodbyes...and then finally we were on our way!

LHR to HKG

Highs

• The poshish menu card handed out before take off
• The doubleish G&T - no faffing about with miniatures, just a big glug from the bottle
• Bridge of Spies (Roger) and The Martian (Dora)
• Cup noodles on request

Lows

• Not winning a million dollars on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire game

Hong Kong

Roger listens carefully to information about Victoria Harbour

We jumped aboard the Airport Express. Islands, skyscraper apartment blocks and jungle-fringed flyovers whizzed by futuristically. Dora's trusty HK-in-5-hours-instructions blog directed us to the number 15 bus, which took us right to the top of the Peak but meant we bypassed the traditional tram. We still enjoyed brilliant views over the endless high rise blocks, but didn't get to experience the optical illusion of the blocks 'leaning in' above the tram tracks.

The 360 degrees viewing tower atop the peak unsurprisingly afforded spectacular views: one way across Hong Kong central and Victoria Harbour to Kowloon and beyond to the 9 dragons (8 hills names by a young Emperor, with him as the 9th); the other way out across more tranquil looking waters and big but lesser-known islands. We diligently listened to the hit-and-miss audio guide and soaked up some sun!

Enjoying the sunshine and wind atop the Peak

Keen to avoid getting DVT in our second leg (no pun intended) we walked back down into town, following the Old Peak Road, which was so steep in some places we had to do the zig-zag walk. Roger admired the concrete, water-chanelling slopes that seemed to now comprise half the hill. Having heard on the audio guide about the large escalator network, connecting central Hong Kong with the mid-levels, we excitedly followed blue tourist signs to it. As we descended the many flights of steps under the escalators we became more and more impressed. It was, indeed, very extensive. We liked the bustle and international feel of HK, without it feeling too different from London - the buzz and hordes of people particularly!

The start of Old Peak Road

Our scheduled 'noodles' involved cheap but wholesome pork-and-rice and beef noodles, the latter's beef 'brisket' unfortunately turning out to be chunks of gelatinous gristle, and there were cured whole geese strung up on the walls. We definitely saw a cured cat in one shop window (sorry Greg and Lydia).

The train ride back to the airport showed glimpses of Hong Kong nightscape, and we were able to fit in some wifi time (phew!) at the airport, plus a luxurious stretch on the departure lounge floor, before boarding. 

HKG to AKL

Highs

• The menu card again
• Winning a million dollars on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire game
• Most delicious in-flight meal of braised pork casserole

Lows

• Roger's film (The Gift) giving him such a fright he yelped loudly and woke up many of our fellow passengers

The next post will be a photo-heavy special from our Scenic Rail Journey, and highlights from our stay with Dora's lovely relatives Trish and Andrew, on their farm.

Dora and Roger

Parties, Packing and Passionate Partings

Final view of
Bloomsbury offices

Welcome to our blog, which will keep you abreast of our adventures in NZ (and beyond). We hope this keeps you – our friends, family and people-who-read-strangers’-blog-posts – informed on how we’re doing ‘over there’. Posts should be short, peppered with pictures, roughly weekly and as interesting as reality allows (or we'll make them up).

Leaving the UK directly after the festive period has been a great idea, since it’s allowed us to appropriate lots of celebrations to say multiple goodbyes. Indeed, with several work leaving parties, a London farewell celebration, an Aberystwyth valediction meal, a brilliant New Year’s Eve send-off at Tom L’s new flat, a final parting brunch (in a Wetherspoons in Victoria station – how quintessentially English!), countless family bon voyages, and a last afternoon tea leaving-taking… I think we’ve made the point that we’re leaving. Thanks to those who have hosted, attended or sent apologetic text messages – we’ll miss you all (in that order).

New Year's Eve - a special thanks to Natalie's Selfie Stick

How easy is it to pack for an extended time abroad? I (Roger) am very much an ‘underwear and toothbrush’ kind of traveller, but Cathay Pacific’s presumptuous labelling of us as ‘migrants’ has given us 40kg of hold luggage each to play with! This should just about be enough for Dora, who is already talking ominously about how many tote bags she can fit into her pockets… Anyway, it’s good that we have enough space to take some items to make our new home homely, particularly as the norm in Wellington seems to be for rented properties to have a washing machine, a brilliant view and little else!

Dora's half-packed case

Despite the unavoidable sadness at not seeing lots of nearest and dearest for some time, we are already looking forward to visitors – New Year’s Eve was spent doing some efficient planning with Greg and Sam to make sure we pack lots in during their stay in March. Much to the horror of the older generation, we have already pretty much decided what we’ll be doing every day, and much to Sam’s satisfaction have presented these plans in a collaborative Google spreadsheet. We’re keen for more friends and family to come and visit (to justify a second bedroom in whichever place we end up), so get in touch if your thinking about it so we can send you the ‘Roger and Dora visitor brochure’.

In the next dispatch we’ll cover our seven-hour stopover in Hong Kong and our journey on the TranNZ Scenic train from Auckland to Palmerston North. After that you'll be treated to highlights from our house hunt in Wellington.

Until next time!

Roger and Dora