Wrapping up with Wellington

Now that we've been home for several days, I'll write the last post for this trip.  Our last 3 days were spent in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, located on the north island.  Wellington is a bustling, vibrant city on the coast.

The city is nicknamed Welli-wood because of the film industry's influence there.  We visited the art-deco Roxy Theatre.  The art deco façade of the 1928 building has been retained, with the interior completely rebuilt to highlight movie history.

Next up was the Weta Cave, the world's leading special effects and prop studio where characters and scenes from movies including "The Lord of the Rings", "Avatar" and "The Amazinng Spider-Man 2" were created.

We happened to be in Wellington during its World of Wearable art weekend.  There were some interesting costumes on the streets and in shops.

Note the cheese graters and milk containers

Then we checked out the Island Bay Marine Centre.

Wellington also boasts a fabulous botanical gardens and Zealandia, a predator-proof 550-acre eco-sanctuary and safe haven for endemic animal species, including the country’s rarest birds, reptiles and insects.

If  that weren't enough, Wellington also has a beautiful waterfront filled with fun shops and restaurants.  The lovely spring weather encouraged everyone to come out and enjoy.

One of the most moving exhibits I've seen in a long time was the Gallipoli exhibition in the Te Papa Museum. The Gallipoli Campaign in WWI was the first major military action of Australia and New Zealand as independent countries and the April 25th date is still a very important day of commemoration in both countries.  The life-like displays of actual participants in the campaign were designed by the Weta Workshop and are quite moving.

This blog of our travels to Australia and New Zealand is done.  There were many other highlights I haven't included, but I hope I've given you some insights into these two neighboring countries that are so uniquely different and equally awesome.

A Sheep Farm

On our last day on the south island we had tea and scones at a quaint B & B in the Rubicon Valley not far from Christchurch.  The location would be a perfect place to enjoy a relaxing holiday in nature.

I thought of my brother-in-law Vance when I saw this.

Next up was a large sheep farm where we  learned some basics of raising 3000 sheep in that part of New Zealand.

"Snack?  Did someone say 'snack'?"

A sheep herding demonstration

Alpacas got in on the action too.

The Wild West

Continuing our exploration of the west coast of the south isaland, we spent 2 nights near the Paparoa National Park's picturesque coast.

The park is also home to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, bizarre formations representing more than 30 million years of geological history.

This area has a colorful history owing to its gold and coal mining elements. This is rugged, isolated and harsh terrain with remote settlements tucked into the hillsides.

The West Coast Gold Rush from 1864-1867
populated the area which, up till then, had been visited by few Europeans.  At the peak of the rush in 1867, there were probably about 29,000 people in the area---around 12% of New Zealand's European population at the time. One in five of the European men in New Zealand were on the "roaring" coast.

The town of Reefton is dedicated to preserving the gold rush era.  We stopped there to have coffee with local "miners" and get a lesson in panning for gold.   We also got a guided tour of the town's museum and met The Guiness title holder for New Zealand's Most Traveled Man in the World, John Bougen. (191 countries in a 151-day journey)

Tim, our tour leader, (left) and John Bougen

Coal production and its hazards both to miners and the environment are "hot botton" topics in New Zealand politically.
An explosion in 2010 that killed 29 miners brought the issue to the forefront again.

The Southern Alps

For the past few days we've been traveling along the west coast of the south island which has cooler weather than we've seen recently.  The mountains are breath-taking and are known as the Southern Alps including Mt. Cook.

We explored "the Mario Andretti of glaciers--Franz Josef Glacier ".  After steadily advancing down the valley since 1982 at the astonishing rate of about 17 feet per week,  it reversed course in 2003 and is now in slow retreat.

Kiwi Food Day

We are traveling along New Zealand's west coast taking in the spectacular scenery.

Wednesday was "kiwi food day". Our first stop was at an iconic fruit stand. ($1 US = $1.36 New Zealand).

Next up was a boutique winery.  We sampled 3 wines and nibbles.

Rachel, the owner, discussing wine with Debbie

Then we drove along Lake Wanaka and found a lovely spot for a picnic of traditional meat pies, L&P soda, and fruit.

Terri, Judy and Margaret having lunch

My lunch of mushroom and chicken pie and lemony L&P soda

Finally,  a real delicacy, white bait.   Yes, we actually ate the tiny fish and they tasted like a fried egg, if you can get past eating the eye.

Step one:fresh white bait

Step two:fry on griddle

Step three:Randall watches the sandwich being made

Step four:Mel enjoys

Queenstown on the South Island

We flew from Auckland to Queenstown and are now on the South Island. It seems strange to those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere that the further south you go, the colder the weather is. But that's the case. However, we've had nice, brisk, sunny days since we arrived here a couple of days ago.  The scenery here is spectacular.

Our hotel sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. The majestic mountains called the Remarkables are in the distance, snow-capped.
Because of the lake's unusual shape, it has a "tide" which causes the water to rise and fall about 10 cm (about 4") every 25 minutes or so.

View from our hotel room

Rotorua and the Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Rotorua is the center for Maori culture. It is believed the Maori People settled on the North Island about 1000 years ago and they have firmly held to their identity and traditions here. Nearly a quarter of a million indigenous Maori still maintain their unique lifestyle and culture.

Saturday evening we attended a dinner show much like the one we had seen in Hawaii at the Polynesian Cultural Center. This one, however, concentrated exclusively on the Maori traditions, including a "hangi", a traditional feast that's cooked underground.

             

                                          

 Rotorua is often called a thermal wonderland because of its volcanic activity.  Mt. Tarawera erupted in 1886, resulting in the region's bubbling mud pools,  geothermal geysers and steam vents.  After a hike in the lush green valley, we took a cruise on Lake Rotomahana where we learned more about the history of the geothermal sites.

Auckland to Rotorua

Friday we drove from Auckland to Rotoua with several stops along the way.  One of them was in Hamilton at the Hamilton International Gardens.

Then we drove through beautiful farmland where there are many dairy farms.

We stopped at a small dairy farm and had lunch with Ray and Dorothy who own 130 cows that produce certified organic milk.  They told us about the history of their farm and the stringent requirements for organic status.  Much of their milk is sold as cheese in the U.S. in Wholefoods and Trader Joe's stores.

Ray was a gracious host

Dorothy served wonderful muffins