Hosting, toasting and boasting

Roger’s friend from volunteer policing days, Tom, arrived in Wellington a week and a half ago. He had a long 'to do' list, which we supplemented with advice on other parts of the country he could explore.

But first, a play at local Bats Theatre, The Rime of the Modern Mariner. The production showed promise in its unusual, expressive movement of characters within and between scenes, but ultimately tried to do way too much both thematically and theatrically. 

Kaitoke Park

On Saturday, we set off for Rivendell (or at least the site thereof) in Kaitoke Park. Indispensable Roger got called back to Wellington to help out an earthquake-stricken client, however, so it was just Tom and I who experienced the anti-climax of the elves’ minimalist hangout. Still, the forest park was beautiful with the Hutt River rumbling through, and we did the Norbert Creek Loop which involved a steep climb through beech forest and getting our feet wet in Norbert several times (once intentionally). A good intro to tramping ( 'hiking' in the UK) for Tom!

A relaxed evening in front of 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' set us up for the wine festival 'Toast Martinborough' on Sunday. Logistically impressive and with great entertainment, if a little expensive overall, the festival had us sipping rosé, wandering through vines, sipping chardonnay, lying on the grass, sipping fizz, admiring glamorous outfits, sipping pinot noir, eating small desserts, sipping reisling, dancing to a folk band, sipping ???, eating ice cream, queuing for a bus, bopping to an 80s girl covers band, eating pizza, sipping water and finally sleeping all the way back on the train.

On a wine hunt

We managed to watch a second kiwi classic, 'What We Do in the Shadows', before crawling to bed. Tom headed off to Nelson and the Abel Tasman on Monday. Roger and I headed to work, and tried to zen/exercise off Toast with yoga and a run. Tom returned with tales of dolphins, inlet wading and a ghost in the historic hut.

Following repeated boasts of epic tramping adventures, we convinced ourselves and Tom to attempt the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Saturday, despite the weather warnings of our Auckland-based Airbnb host (who clearly hadn’t mastered the 3-day Rain Radar forecast on the Metservice website like we have). We rose at 5am and were on the trail at 5.50am (with apologies to Trish, who as our 'emergency contact' was woken up by our good morning text). It was an 'atmospheric' morning, which is a good way of saying 'cloudy'. But it did make us look at the volcanic rock, the marshy flats and rivers more closely than the last time we walked over the Crossing. Resisting the temptation to fall headfirst into the marsh like Frodo, we pushed upwards over the saddle and into the South Crater. Which really was 'atmospheric'. We wouldn’t have been able to continue without the poles marking the route.

 

Climbing the far side towards the Red Crater we encountered increasing wind and had to have some chocolate behind a rock. Arriving at the Red Crater sign post we were the only ones on the mountain! We battled through the wind that sent cloud pouring up and over the ridgeline to the summit of Mt. Tongariro via a couple of snow patches. Sitting out of the wind, a 9am lunch of cheese-and-avocado-baguettes revived our sense of adventure and we returned to the Red Crater (still obscured by cloud) to find we had company at last. Several groups emerged and disappeared into the mist.

Descending towards the Emerald Lakes, the low cloud suddenly cleared and we were blown away figuratively for once, by the view that appeared below. Excitedly we checked out the lakes and lava flow, before starting the descent to Ketatahi carpark.

Dora and Tom, with gaseous volcano in the background

New to Roger and I, this winding track gives views of significant volcanic activity, including damaged Ketatahi hut, where the bunk room was hit by a falling rock a few years ago in the most recent small eruption. Our second lunch there passed uneventfully and we wound our way down through bush and across a lahar path to the carpark.

The spa pool (hot tub) at the Airbnb was perfect for tired legs and celebrating Tom’s acceptance as a Detective. Luckily we’d brought some prosecco. Then we reluctantly left the log-burnered house for a hearty dinner at the Speights pub (the only place to be in National Park of an evening), thwarted by the lack of takeaways.

View downhill from the Brooklyn Turbine,
which generates enough power for about 490 homes

Sunday was a culinary adventure. We started at the Station Café in national park, with pancakes and eggs (not on the same plate), then drove through the rain to Craigend for a yummy salmon flan, Shand signature date-and-orange scones and a Weta viewing. Back in sunny Wellington we drove briefly up to the Brooklyn Turbine for panoramas of the city and rubbish tip, before joining my uncle Douglas for an impromptu dinner.

On Tom’s last night we ate vegetarian at Cuba St Bistro (recently discovered and also does very good steak) before enjoying the art deco décor and the engaging but ultimately flawed film Allied at the Embassy Cinema (venue for the LOTR premieres).

We bade farewell to Tom on Tuesday. New Zealand has lost a charming Brit, and Britain has gained a charming detective.

This weekend we're boarding the party plane to an engagement part in Christchurch. We'll tell you all about it next week, and may even include some Go Pro footage from our South Island adventure.

Testing the macro lens on Mt. Tongariro

Earth-moving events and a super Auckland interlude

Mum and my baked fish at the flat

Simon departed on Tuesday. Unable to bear an early farewell, I joined him on Monday night in Auckland (where I was also needed the next day for work). Unfortunately we arrived too late for a farewell dinner, so it ended up being some left over pizza dough from a soon-to-close pizzeria, and a couple of beers.

The week continued, and Trump was elected US President. I saw it unfold in Auckland airport, where at least it got strangers talking to each other. [Dora] I was singing Dachaulied, a poem composed by Austrian Jura Soyfer whilst in Dachau, with my choir at a Kristallnacht anniversary concert. Mum was in the audience, who joined in with the chorus in what was a very charged and rousing performance given what we knew of Trump at the time.

[Dora still] After the performance Mum and I went for dinner with Mum's school friend Pippa. Over three delicious steaks we shared our shock and concern, but also stories from Mum and Pippa's travels through Asia and the Middle East together on their OE (like a gap year). Pip had brought her diaries from the travels, which included details such as lists of bus journey times, itemised costs and present lists. After one more lunchtime meet and one more meal at the flat Mum left early on Friday morning.

[Roger] By Friday I was getting flight withdrawal symptoms having spent almost 48 hours away from an airport, so we whizzed up to Auckland on a plane to see Dora's cousin Tom and Sophie and baby Sylvie.

On Saturday we took Tom’s advice on ‘good places to walk in stormy weather’ and went to Bethells Beach. The rugged coastal walk reminded me a little of South West Wales. We lunched in a relatively sheltered spot and then headed back to the car via the beach. Dora fell in a river, so we grabbed a coffee at Elevation café to warm her up.

The remainder of day was mainly spent entertaining/being entertained by Sylvie. A lovely (Craigend) roast lamb dinner and some intense Articulate (a word game) polished off a great day.

Sunday saw us head up the dormant volcano island of Rangitoto. There are 48 volcanoes within about 30km of Auckland’s city. “Ha” we laughed – “how silly to have such a major city so close to such natural hazards”…more on this later. Rangitoto is a symmetrical low cone-shaped island made of lava lump rocks complete with a crater covered in bush and lava tunnels you can walk through. What strikes you is how recently it was formed - 500-600 years ago.

From the summit of Rangitoto - looking back to Auckland city

Lava cave entrance

We joined Tom & Sophie at the Auckland museum and gardens to look at Zero fighter planes, Maori and Pacific art, an exhibition about New Zealand childhood and glasshouses of flowers. Another of Dora’s cousins, Julia, her partner Andy, and another new addition – chilled baby Felix – came over to Tom & Sophie’s place for afternoon. ([Dora] We are well comfortable with babies now!) [Roger] Sophie’s homemade cheese ball went down so well that we could barely fit in homemade pizza later in the evening.

Full stomachs meant we slept well at our favourite Auckland-Airport-based Ibis hotel. We awoke to the news of a devastating earthquake near Kaikoura, which also caused much damage to Wellington, although we didn't realise the extent at the time. New Zealand’s main rail and road links were cut, two people had died and hundreds have now been displaced.

We flew back with trepidation, walked through the deserted CBD and worked from home as aftershocks shook the city, and our flat. The damage to our flat was thankfully limited to a cracked window, but other parts of our home-away-from-home town haven’t been so lucky, buildings are now being condemned in the CBD. The Port is taking some time to recover, and there is a palpable sense of nervousness that this may not be the end of some energetic rumblings from mother earth.

No need to worry though – we’ve packed our emergency escape bags and are ready to Drop, Cover and Hold at a moments notice. Meanwhile, we’ve welcomed a friend from Roger’s policing days – Tom – to our shaky capital. More on this next time!

Rangitoto Island - spot the volcanic rock and Sky Tower of Auckland's CBD

Working, lunching, running and rafting

Monday 31st October was a tough day at the office for Roger, Simon and me. But we were joined in the evening by my Mum, who had been at a school reunion, and Simon made lentil bolognese which made us feel better about the holiday being over. We all dug into the enormous pavlova Roger had found in Pak 'n' Save, with strawberries and unwhippable cream (not for lack of trying). 

Back to work - ok not so bad

The week was filled with sunny lunches, work Skypes, runs in the hills round Wellington, Mt Vic fish and chips, and a memorable slab of lolly cake. On Thursday, buoyed by our success in Christchurch, we took on the Wellington Escape Room. It was really hard. Really really hard. But we managed to stop the creation of a chemical weapon of mass destruction and get out within the hour. We celebrated at Little Beer Quarter, then with prosecco and cocktails at the Library. Then we realised it was a school night.

The sea is never far away on a Wellington run

Having missed out on watersports in the South Island, Roger and Simon went off white water rafting on Saturday. Mum and I spent the evening giggling over the go-pro footage from the holiday (video to come!)

[Roger] Simon and I nipped up Highway 1, enjoying views over toward Kapiti Island on the way to Trish and Andrew’s. They’d kindly offered to put us up en route. We shared the remainder of the Port we’d purchased in Waipara, and enlisted Andrew to join us white water rafting before getting an early night.

An early morning drive took us to River Valley Lodge on the Rangitikei River, which held some Grade 5 rapids. The Rangitikei is the only river in New Zealand that requires two – as opposed to one – qualified instructors per trip. However, we took any dangers in our stride as we headed downstream, buoyed by the complements of our guide on our stroke timing (and the boat beneath us). We’ll be uploading some movie footage of this this next time we have the energy to wrestle with the Go Pro editing software.

On the way back Andrew showed us some great spots to mess about in the river and drop stones from great heights. Simon and I then nipped back down highway 1 to run the Paekakariki Escarpment track. This contained great views and slightly too many steps. My legs still ached on a run a week later.

[Dora] Mum and I had a relaxed Saturday and popped out to David Jones, the new big department store in Wellington, in the Kirkcaldie and Staines building. Initially unsuccessful we finally hit upon a navy shirt dress with pineapples on it. Sold! 

In the evening the lads were back and we all rugged up (forgetting it wasn't Nov, UK seasons) to watch the Wellington harbour fireworks from the balcony of the Meridian building. Possibly the best seats in the capital, we felt like people who'd got into a royal box for free! After the show, we had a nightcap with Wellington friends I've met recently (one American, one English), sitting on sofas near the harbour-front. 

Quiche patterns

On Sunday Lucy and Rich came round for a buffet lunch: quiche (or rather asparagus flan, as it turned out) accompanied by olives and salad and buck's fizz (to celebrate Simon's business' Finnish breakthough and my new(ish) job). Afterwards, we sat down to look at the holiday photos and reminisce about the big trip. 

In the evening Mum and I went over to Selwyn Terrace to see Douglas, Diana, David and Georgina, and I met little Grace, Georgina's daughter. A delicious dinner was almost ready there, but being Simon's last night I dashed off into town for a last meal the three of us together at Ombra, our favourite Venetian tapas spot. It was very yummy and of course very emotional.

Roger and Simon left for Auckland the next evening (R for a conference). Until the Reunion South Island Road Trip, 2020!

Mum and I had a sunny evening walk on the waterfront, a contrast to the driving rain Simon left Welly in only the day before!

South Island Adventure: Coast to Coast

Leaving historical Hokitika behind us our vehicle growled up into the Southern Alps once more, past ‘Death’s Corner’ (!) and into the small town of Arthur’s Pass.

Miner's hut, Arthur's Pass

Spot Dora and Simon on the ridge

Roger wanted to “do a summit”. After some research on the Wilderness site and debate over which mountain (Qn: would we really need crampons? A: yes) we chose Avalanche Peak (1833m) as a safe summit climb: a 5km walk that climbs over 1km vertically. We checked in at the Visitor’s Centre where the sensible staff warned us the weather was coming in off the West Coast and not to do anything stupid. We promised to turn back if we couldn’t see.

The 20% gradient and rocky, loose surface of Scotts Track soon made itself felt on our legs, but we made good time to the bushline and out onto an exposed ridge with steep drops and stunning views up the mountains and up and down the aforementioned Pass.

The weather rolls in

Alas, as we neared the summit it was smothered by a dark cloud, and with the weather visibly coming in we didn’t do anything stupid; we nipped back down the mountain, tried to swim in the famous Devil’s Punchbowl waterfall, got just as wet getting within 20m of it, admired the gold miners’ tiny cottages lining the road, and bid farewell to the Pass.

As our vintage van (its odometer read half a million kilometres) descended into the foothills of the Southern Alps, the beauty of Lake Pearson and surrounding mountains captured us so strongly that in a moment of spontaneity we stopped there for the night. More used to setting up camp in the dark, we enjoyed the long evening light and sunset next to the lake.

Dinner was becoming increasingly inventive as we ran low on supplies (thank goodness for pesto) – who would have thought you can present a restaurant-worthy dessert of stewed pears and dark chocolate from a Jetboil? (It turns out you can’t, but it still tastes nice). After dinner we re-aligned our chakra with some flow yoga, in hiking boots, at the edge of the lake. And later admired the starry night:

Morning meditation

The morning brought with it a hunger for pies and a thirst for wine. We sated the former in Oxford, New Zealand, with a bacon and egg-filled pastry.

The latter, however, had to wait until we got to the Waipara valley, which has recently come to wider connoisseur attention in NZ. We snuck in a first tasting on the road at Terrace Edge, a modern-feeling family-run vineyard where we had an excellent yarn with the mother of the family, who ran the tasting. We went away with a “Liquid Geography” Riesling and a jar of superb olives.

We’d booked accommodation in some old train carriages and tracked down hire bikes from a talkative chap called Kym (who was in the process of laying patio slabs with his son), having escaped a brief stint back in time at a cult-like “Boys’ Brigade” adventure camp. Finally, we were ready to hit the vineyards.

Waipara Springs (about 15min into the trail) was our first stop: a lengthy sun-filled, platter-accompanied tasting (wines not as good as Terrace Edge), where the proprietress expressed surprise that we were biking round in our “good clothes”.

We soon found out why. Some gravel hills and off-road peddling led us up through the fields of grapes, past a closed cellar door (too much time spent at previous vineyards!) to Black Estate. Unfortunately the most delicious of these wines were also $60+ so we bought cheaper blends from two of their slopes rather than the pure from one!

The view as we peddled back to Kym’s winery, Torlesse, was bright green under a huge sky. Kym was excited to show us the finished, level patio and we did a haphazard tasting to celebrate with him. This turned into an hour and a half of mutual entertainment during which we tried everything from pinot to sticky Riesling to port to cassis. Finally, Kym’s wife rang to see where he’d got to (and whether he’d finished mowing the lawns) and we left weighed down with our spoils: pinot, sticky Riesling, port and cassis.

That evening we managed to complete Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which given it was the extended edition was our greatest feat of the trip.

Fresh eggs and fresh bread have been supplied to guests at the Waipara Sleepers since 1996 and the next morning was no exception. We drove on to Christchurch. After wandering round the centre, container mall and sunny botanical gardens we tested our teamwork on a shipping container escape room – The Crate Escape. With effortless coordination we cracked the codes, read the patterns and stopped the evil time traveller scientist, and in the fastest time yet for a team of three! #smugface

Christchurch Transitional Cathedral, made from rolled cardboard

On the way over the Port Hills and through Akaroa to Onuku Heights on the Banks Peninsula Roger and Simon ran up Gibraltar Rock and back in a record 12 minutes, ensuring we were on time for dinner and Jack and Charlotte's place. It was lovely for Roger and me to be back! Dinner was a team effort; together with Jack and the German woofers (Working On Organic Farm travellers) we served and ate a huge salad, venison fillet and roasties and an impressive cheeseboard, Whittaker's chocolate and Torlesse port.

The next morning we struck out up the hill behind the farm house, through regenerating bush (mostly kanuka), learning more about the farm and flora as we climbed. We also kept an eye out for possible mountain bike tracks in case Jack diversifies to attract thrill-seekers! Near the trig we joined the Banks Peninsula track and enjoyed another clear, stunning 360 view over the harbour inside and down the slopes of the old volcano on the outside.

We left Akaroa via the scenic drive to visit my cousin Henry and his family. It was lovely to catch up after several years, Simon and Roger were big hits with the kids and we learnt how to use a Japanese abacus! Our journey came full circle back to Mark and Katie's, where we ate delicious pulled pork buns and ended up staying the night ahead of our early morning flight back to Welly and work.

Tui (we think!) in the late flowering kowhai

South Island Adventure: North, West and East

The part of the night when we were attacked by a Moose

The part of the night when
we where attacked by a bear

A never-ending happy hour, a bucking bronco controlled by an unhinged barman and some surprisingly talented open-mike performers were the highlights of an enjoyable evening in Queenstown, South Island’s tourist capital (I was there too - Dora).

View over Queenstown 

In the morning Simon and I (Roger) ran up towards the top of the Queenstown Gondola to clear our heads...

...before we grabbed some pastries and dived into some hot pools overlooking the nearby hills and power boat-ridden river (thanks to Greg and Becky for the voucher than funded this!). Onsen Hot Pools, for any future visitors. Beautifully set up with fancy changing rooms and showers (Dora). 

After a pleasant lunch in Arrowtown we drove north over the Crown Range, with further awe-inspiring views over the Southern Alps delaying our trip to Wanaka as we regularly stopped to add to our photo hoard.

The road to Rob Roy

Arriving in Wanaka, we shot out west towards Mt Aspiring, fording several streams in our aqua van then donning trail shoes to run to the Rob Roy glacier.  

The path wound its way up a narrow river gorge with rushing water below us and the glacier looming bluey-white ahead. 

Mt Aspiring from the clearing

We emerged from the trees onto rocks and into the shadow of Mt Aspiring, clouds and blue sky rolling through, and had the clearing to ourselves! 

Every now and then the creak and groan of the glacier was followed by a crash and a new snow waterfall cascading down the rock. 

As we ran back we saw peeks of golden mountainsides through the trees, running faster and faster down the trail and emerging into sunlight streaming down the river valley. An exhilarating moment.

We picked up supplies then camped on the bank of Lake Wanaka. We allowed ourselves to watch 20 minutes of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as a reward for overcoming a potentially lazy day.

Morning swim in Lake Wanaka

The next morning our climber van conquered the Haast Pass to cross the Southern Alps. The town of Haast itself had little – aside from a coffee shop, a bin, and a loo – to distract us from our continued glacier hunt.

"Will this be Franz Josef Glacier in 2100?" (or now?!)

The Fox Glacier was the next major stop, followed by the Franz Josef. The latter in particular was incredible, but a shadow of its former self. Indeed, it more closely resembled projections of ‘what the Franz Josef Glacier could look like in 2100’ than pictures of ‘what the Franz Josef Glacier looked like in 2010’. The information boards were also pretty much silent on the cause of all these glacial retreats…

Morning swim/wash in Lake Ianthe

Nevertheless, the next morning we jumped into our CO₂-belching van and continued north up the coast. We’d stayed the night on the shore of Lake Ianthe, waking for a morning swim before driving to Hokitika.

Hokitika (or, as Simon pronounced it, "Hokitikiraka") is the setting of the Luminaries, the Booker-award-winning novel by Eleanor Catton. A twisting, turning tale of opium, intrigue and gold - found, lost, banked, stolen and sewn into the lining of dresses - I (Dora) enjoyed peering down old-looking streets with names from the book and imagining the characters there. The characterisation in the book is particularly good - if you haven't read it you must!

The next best thing after the self-guided Luminaries walking tour (wouldn't stand a chance in Wellington!)

After downloading some more tunes onto our road playlist, our musical van darted east into Arthur’s Pass to escape some inclement weather that was making the West Coast a Wet Coast for the next few days. Avalanche Peak, Lake Pearson, the Waipara wine region and Banks Peninsula awaited.