Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Factory Produced Housing
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Water Shortages, Game Fishing, Wine and Diamond Beach
On Friday morning, we left
That afternoon, we found ourselves in
We followed a 'tourist drive’ and ended up at
We were surprised to find that most of the accommodation in town was fully booked, yet there was hardly anyone on the streets, on a Friday night. That evening we learned why. The next morning, the largest game fishing competition in
The restaurant was very attractive, and quite expensive, with the mud crab costing $45, the lobster (crayfish) $80, and a seafood platter for two $150. But there was no wine list. Like many Australian restaurants, it was BYOB. The corkage fee was two dollars a person.
We got onto the subject of wine, and I asked Mike if he was familiar with my great bookshop find, Quaff, Peter Forrestal’s guide to the best 400 wines in
a bottle. Quaff reports that 49.8% of all wines sales are casks (cardboard boxes), that is down from 63.7% in 1988. We may give this category a pass.
On Saturday morning we got up early to join the town residents, family and friends and watch the parade of game fishing boats as they left the harbour.
We then played golf at Pacific Dunes, a highly rated new course. We asked in the pro shop whether it was walkable. “Most definitely”, said the sweet young girl behind the counter. But we soon noticed we were the only group walking, and by the eighth hole we realized why. With the temperaturein the high 30’s, and very little shade, it was much too hot to walk. We got a cart for the back 9.
Diamond Beach
That afternoon, we discovered that even though it’s hard to get lost when you don’t know where you’re going, you can. We took another tourist drive, but this time we ended up hot and hungry at a very dry and dusty old town, with nowhere to eat. We eventually made it back to the coastal town of
I called the manager’s phone number and got his voice mail. By 8 we realized this wasn’t going to work and set off to find another place to stay. We found Tallwoods, a nearby golf resort community. The reception was also closed, but at the clubhouse bar we found someone with keys to a vacant unit. We took it. Fortunately, it too had a barbq, along with a two car garage, four bedrooms, and a view over the course. We didn’t want to leave. But the next day, we did return to Diamond Beach where the management was very apologetic and accommodating, and we have been here for the past two days, playing golf, visiting the beach, and popping into town to seek out more ‘bloody good’ wines.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Greetings from Kissing Point
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Goodbye New Zealand
On Sunday the 18th after more than 5 weeks in NZ, we decided it was time to leave. And as expected, our plane reservations did get confirmed, and Emirates did send a chauffeur to pick us up and take us to the airport. Does Air
Friday, February 16, 2007
Bubbling Rotorua
Rotorua is one of New Zealand’s top tourist destinations. And for good reason. How many developed places in the world have hot steam rising out of bubbling mud beside the road, and no one pays much attention! Well that’s not quite true. In some instances, a makeshift fence is placed around the source. In others, it is turned into a major tourist attraction. But you don’t need to see the bubbling mud and steam rising out of the ground to know something is happening here. There is a permeating odour of sulphur in the air. We were told we would get used to it, but after a couple of days, it’s as prominent as when we arrived.
As a result of its geological properties, generations of families have come to Rotoru ‘to take the waters’ and that’s what we did. We went to the Polynesia Spa, (despite its name), since it was close to our hotel, and voted one of the 10 best spas in the world by Conde Nast magazine. Sally had a dry treatment, with mud; I had a wet treatment! (No Rubenstein, that’s not what you think!) Water showers you from above while you enjoy a full body massage.
And so that is where we’re headed. We may make a final stop on the way. But all being well, we will fly out of Auckland on Sunday. I say all being well, since agent Veronica at Emirates Air seems to be having trouble dealing with an open ended Business Class around-the-World Airline Ticket over the phone. So far, they have not confirmed our booking, although they will send a car to pick us up and drop us off from the airports. I’m sure it will all work out in the end. Otherwise, we’ll continue to drink New Zealand pinot noirs instead of Australian cabernets.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Dunedin to Queenstown to Fox Glacier to Nelson to Picton to Rotorua
Queenstown
We went to Queenstown, in the heart of the skiing region, because it was described as a must see, and New Zealand’s St. Moritz. It was also the departure point for a trip to Milford Sound, recently voted New Zealand’s number one destination for Kiwis. When we arrived, we were a bit disappointed. It seemed that every tourist in NZ had decided to assemble in Queenstown for the afternoon. While it had a lot of buzz and excitement, we are spoilt by Whistler, which is so much better. But one good thing did happen in Queenstown; we finally found The Lord of the Rings on video.
We watched it in an apartment that I booked because of a web photo of the living room. It opened onto a balcony. However, rather than a conventional sliding door, the entire double-glazed glass wall folded open. It’s a detail that would work nicely in Vancouver.
We had a very enjoyable round of golf at the Kelvin Heights Golf Club. The only problem occurred when we played the 18th hole instead of the 4th hole. We discovered this when Sally asked a lady near the clubhouse “Where’s the next hole?” She thought we were mad.
That evening we experienced our first wine tasting machines. It seemed like a party going on in a downtown wine store. Then it was explained to us. You purchase a card, insert it in a slot, and then choose amongst hundreds of different wines. You can have a taste, a half, or full glass, with the cost automatically added to your card.
The next day, we had planned to go to Milford Sound. Rather than drive ourselves, the choices were a coach trip, followed by a cruise and return coach, (13 hour day) or a helicopter or fixed wing flight and cruise. After some research, we decided to take a flight on Air Milford, but the weather wasn’t cooperating and there were no flights. We didn’t want to wait another day and so we headed off. (In a discussion with Hank Sproull of Air Milford, we learned that last year they were only able to fly 118 out of 365 days. It’s a shame, because I know we missed a wonderful trip, but next time…)
Historic ArrowtownArrowtown started in the 1860’s during New Zealand’s gold rush. Today, many of its original wood buildings have been renovated, and the town has become a tourist destination. While some find it a bit too cute, we really liked it, especially the early housing. Coincidentally, the day after I took these pictures, there was a story in the newspaper about a developer who had become a local hero as a result of these properties. They had been slated for redevelopment by an off-shore owner. However, he had purchased them, and agreed to sell them to a Heritage Trust at his cost, so that they could be saved. There was also a lovely golf course there, but we had to move on. It’s a shame, but next time...
The drive to Wanaka, past Mt. Aspiring, was literally breathtaking. Every 15 kilometres there was a different landscape, and it was all the more impressive because we were the only car on the road for over an hour! To give you an idea of the road, although the posted limit was 100 km/hour, many of the hairpin turns were restricted to 15 km/hour, and I was afraid to drive that fast!
Fox GlacierWe spent the evening at Fox Glacier. The next morning we walked past all the people assembling their ropes and picks for a climb up the glacier, and instead headed off to Lake Matheson to join busloads of German and Japanese tourists for a hike around the lake to a special spot, from which you can take one of the most spectacular photographs in New Zealand. It’s a shot of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman reflected in the waters. My shot is not as impressive as it might have been because of a loutish Brit who decided to dive into the perfectly still water to make some ripples, just before I took the picture!
The West Coast
We should have stopped at Franz Joseph Glacier, and climbed to the base, but we didn’t. Instead, we drove off to Greymouth, in search of more whitebait, which although just out of season, is quite good. (The fish are so small, they are served as a patty, or in an omelette.) We ate at the 124 Café which was described in our guidebook as having some rare Greymouth commodities: outdoor tables and vegetarian options.
After lunch we set off for one of the most remarkable places in a remarkable country, Punakaiki, to see the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. As noted in our guidebook, ‘Through a layering-weathering process called stylo-bedding, the limestone has formed into what looks like piles of thick pancakes’. While I questioned the reference to pancakes, it was an impressive place; especially the sound of the water surging through the rocks. When we get home, you are all invited over to watch the video!
The drive up the coast reminded us of the Oregon Coast with miles of beautiful and deserted beaches. However, the vegetation is much more varied: in places it is wild and tropical; in others it is very colourful with the road lined with lupins, agapanthas, wild hydrangeas, and bright red flowers.
Nelson
After driving just over 500 km, which is a long way in New Zealand, we arrived in sunny Nelson, which the Lonely Planet described as ‘the home of an enthusiastic and progressive community of artists, craftspeople, winemakers and entrepreneurs.’ Furthermore, there were two golf courses. We checked into The Rutherford, a large hotel in the centre of town, with all the ‘mod cons’, because it was very different from where we had slept the night before.
The next morning, I set off for the Nelson Golf Club where I met an engaging couple from Toronto, who had discovered New Zealand two years ago, and were back for an extended golfing holiday. Over drinks in the clubhouse, we agreed that this country is a relatively undiscovered treasure, especially for golfers. They had joined the Nelson Golf Club, with annual dues of $700 a year. This entitled them to unlimited golf at the club, plus free golf at many of its reciprocal clubs around the country, and membership in the New Zealand Golf Association which entitled them to significant discounts at most of the other courses in NZ. Next time, I’m joining the Waahi Taakaro Club. There the annual dues are $350, with similar privileges!
That evening, we had one of our best meals in NZ at the Boat Shed. We heartily recommend the roasted whole fish with fresh herbs and shellfish.
Green Shelled Mussel Capital of the World
On the advice of my new Canadian friends, the next day we set off for Havelock, the green shelled….There we had, what else? After having to limit the number of glasses of different local sauvignon blancs, we set off for Picton for an evening cruise on Marlborough Sound. But it wasn’t to be. It was too cold and wet; just the third time in over four weeks, when the weather had forced us to change our plans. So we ended up in an Irish Pub with a couple of dozen motorcyclists who were touring the country on bikes. I tried to tell them about the book ‘Investment Biker’, but they really weren’t that interested. Instead they were downing pints of Guinness, while the local fisherman were downing shooters made with vodka, grand marnier, and an equal amount of Tabasco sauce. It hurts, just to think about them.
And that brings us to the present. We plan to stay until the 18th. We’re now off to Rotorua for more golf, thermal pools & massage, and a Maori Concert and Hangi. More later.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Waitangi Day 2007
Following the train ride, we had lunch at a downtown outdoor café. In keeping with the local practice in NZ and Australia, we paid an extra 20% on the bill, to cover the additional staffing costs since it was a national holiday. Now there’s an idea for Peter Horwood at Bridges! We then set off for what had to be one of the most dramatic drives of our life, along the Otaga Peninsula High Road, in search of penguins and flying albatrosses. I have always been fascinated with albatrosses since I saw one of Neil Kornfeld’s golfing partners almost get one on the 18th hole at Richmond Golf and Country Club. These were not quite as impressive, but they did put on a good show, with their three metre wing span, and ability to soar with relatively little wing movement. But they do need wind to get started. And apparently they mate for life, which seems silly for a bird that can travel over 500 km a day.
As for the road, it made the Sea to Sky highway feel like Highway 1 in from Chilliwack. I couldn’t believe the cars, and large tour busses would manage to negotiate every turn, and pass one another, without getting into an accident, or falling off the road. We were both queasy for much of the drive. On the trip back, we took the low road, which hugs the edge of the water. With the sun setting, it was quite magnificent, and much less terrifying.
We returned home to 12 Royal Terrace for yet another fabulous meal. This time it was smoked salmon, artichoke, venison, fresh berries and cream. I believe everything, except for the salmon and deer came from the garden. We spent the evening trying to understand why many retired people, and those on holiday, often feel guilty when they are not doing something ‘productive’. It’s certainly true in my case. But it’s getting easier!