A New Zealand Christmas and New Years in Christchurch

Santa Claus found us fit and happy sharing Christmas with our new found friends at the Karamea Domain campsite.  The weather around the 24th and 25th was dreadful so Ken and I stayed in the bunkhouse at the campground, warm and dry.  Christmas Day was spent walking for a few hours up the bottom end of the Heafy Track, visiting the Oparara Caves and sharing a potluck dinner with two other couples that were also staying at the campsite.  The rain let-up on the 26th so we headed south along the coast which is very nice, different than in the north as it is rocky and the beaches are much more dramatic.  Our trip down the coast road consisted of many stops to take pictures including a stop at Punakaiki or Pancake Rocks and a few more walks before we headed across to Christchurch to visit our friends Shaun, Charlie and little Cody.

Christmas dinner, from right to left, Roger and Yvette(from Holland),  Kelly(US)and James(Australia) and of course Ken and I.

The Christmas main consisting of Beef Burritos with Rroasted Vegetables and Ham, for starters we had soup with Spinach Salad topped with warm Mushrooms and Zucchini.  Anything but conventional but yummy.

A stormy walk up the bottom few hours of the Heafy Track(one of NZ's Great Walks).

Damp weather but still nice for walking.

Blue Penguins are suppost to be seen along the coast on the rocks and borrowing into banks but we didn't see any :(

The Coast Highway winds along the shores joining beaches and cliff sides.

Pancake Rocks, layers of sandstone eroded by time and weather.

Just another great campsite at the Marble Hills DOC campground located in the Lewis Pass, at the head of the Lake Daniells Track.  The Track was a nice 17km that we did before lunch and leaving the next day.

There are lots of birds here, this little guy just kept hanging around waiting for a crumb to drop.

The hut on Lake Daniell.  There are over 1000 huts located in NZ for the use of trampers.  By the way, I found out that a 'tramp' is when you hike with a pack and a 'walk' is not.

Tucked in, in the back of Deep Purple.

Ken, Charlie and Shaun carrying Cody on our walk around the 'Crater Rim' trail in Port Hills.

Lining the road an art exhibit consisting of muraled containers, which just happen to be placed against the red bluffs where houses hang percariously over the edge of the bluff, also keeps rubble from falling on the area below.

                        Christchurch

Christchurch was hit by a major Earthquake in 2010, along with many after shocks, that devastated the city.  Even though we had heard about the quake the full extent of the damage done in the city didn't really register until we arrived and saw it with our own eyes.

A Quake City museum was established with lots of pictures and movies with accounts of what happened that day from survivors and the people who worked as emergency response.

Ken and Shaun look at photos of the damage done in the earthquake, behind them is a full size picture of one the streets in the city after the disaster.

The back of the doorin the bathroom in 'Quake City', pictures on the Long Drops or Outhouses the people had to use after a lot of the infrastructure was distroyed.  In some cases a portable outhouse was dropped off on a street corner in a subdivision and all the people who lived on that block had to us it...if they were allowed to stay in their homes.  In many cases now, empty houses line the streets.  Red zones that will never be inhabitable again.

 

In the downtown core, which was hard hit, many businesses that where torn down because of damage now use containers as storefronts.

Yes, even the bank...portable...hmmm!

The end of North Island and off to the South Island

It was a nice drive, thru farmland and vineyards, down to Wellington from Tongariro National Park.  Wellington being our finally destination on the North Island and the city where we will catch the ferry to Picton.  We left the North Island on the Interislander ferry early in the morning and luckily we booked our passage a month ago as the boat was sold out.  The crossing was good, the weather being clear and calm gave us a nice view of the Queen Chariotte Sound on the way into Picton.

The summer holidays are starting here and the Kiwis are starting to think about their vacations, from now until the end of January will be very busy.  Campsites are starting to fillup and we are starting to worry a little where we spend Xmas, all the Kiwis are heading to beaches themselves so maybe we should head for the hills.  I guess we will have to try and book something ahead of time...something we don't often do.

Having landed in Picton at noon we had the whole day to drive toward the Golden Bay area, the first on our list of places to see on the South Island.  We ended up camping at Abel Tasman National Park at the Totaranui DOC site for three nights, doing some great hikes and walking on the beaches.  What beautiful beaches they have here!  While staying at the DOC site we met 5 crazy Kiwi ladies spending a few nights, what fun, they gave us some great tips on what to see in the Golden Bay area so when we left there we spent the next few days checking off the 'things to do' list.

The top thing on the list was Farewell Spit at the very tip of the Island.  We did a 12 km hike out one side of the spit, on the beach, and then crossed over and walked back, on the beach, on the other side of the spit.  A long walk in the sand but nice just the same.  Second on the list was Whanganui Beach for more sand and, this time, wind as well but the Archway Islands off the beach were absolutely magnificent at sunset.  One of the final things we wanted to see was the area down the coast road, 40 km of gravel, in the Kahurangi National Park.  We found a little campspot(free)out of the wind at Paturau River to spend the night and then it was off again in the morning, back to Takaka and a visit with our Kiwi lady friends.  

The people here are so laid back and friendly!  We spent an evening with the girls and their partners and friends at a pub then went back to spend the night at one of their homes(thank you Sandy!).  Also, thanks for the recipe for your famous Edmonds Ginger Crunch, recipe to follow.

Give it a try!  Ken will tell you they are very tasty...he should know!

Ken can't believe his luck, a pizza place just km's from our campsite...an apple and cinnamon dessert pizza, yum, yum.  A Swiss guy bought this old log house and turned it into a bakery/pizza place, The Water Mill Bakery(Friday night pizza only, between 5 & 8) which serves up some great food to mostly locals but every now and then a tourist pops in...thanks for the tip Mike and Linda!

 

Ken just can't get enough shots of the beautiful pigeons!

The view of Wellington from Mt. Victoria. Moari art in the foreground.

There she is...the Interislander ferry that whisks away happy tourists from the North Island to the South... and the cruiseship behind.

Someine told us the roads on the South Island where straighter than in the North...NOT!

A glimpse of the coastline at Anapei Bay in Abel Tasman National Park.

We make friends so easy here.  And this one was definitely not camera shy.

Who knew the beaches where so beautiful and plentiful here in New Zealand?

We have got back to basics, doing handwashing.  And while Heather did the washing...

Ken has gone to the birds!

Pupu natural springs, the largest spring in the world...lots and lots of water, and oh so clear too!

Deep Purple is parked under "The Devils Boot".  We will do anything to find a little shade.

Outside the Langford store, where they make a mean coffee and scone.  In behind the table and chairs you can see a white tank with a pump on it...an old time petrol pump!

Just another beautiful campsite.  A quiet site in Pakawau on the Golden Bay.

A glimpse of the "The Archway Islands" at Wharariki Beach.  ("Wh" is pronounced "F".)

Even a small thing like a shell can stop the sand dead in it's tracks.

Dusk is a great time to go and visit Wharariki Beach, even if there is a bit of wind!

Another hike, this time out the "Farewell Spit".   Lots and lots of sand.

And more sand!

The spit is a bird sanctuary, here the Godwits and the Oyster Catchers mingle on the beach, I know it looks like snow.  The Godwits have flown here all the way from Alaska!

 

A view of the spit in the background.

Like I said "Who knew they had so many beaches".  This shot was in the Kahurangi National Park, down along the West Coast.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Bright and early we are up and at the trailhead.  The weatherman said the weather was not going to be with us but we woke to clear skies...yeh!  We dropped off Deep Purple at the end of the track and took a shuddle to the trailhead which was a good idea because she would be ready to take us back to camp when we finished our 19.4 km trek through a pass between two volcanoes in just under 7 hours.  Lots of time for pictures and snacks.

What's to think about???  Blue sky and happy feet, just don't think about the fact that one of the volcanoes last blew in 2010!

A picturesque view of the crossing between Mt Ngauruhoe, in the background, and Mt Tongariro.  We had just finished crossing the plain below and were beginning the slug up Mt Tongariro.

Yeh, I know!!!  We live on the edge;)

Ken starts the desent down to the "Emerald and Blue Lakes".

What a view.

The steam still rises from the volcanoes as we continued our decent.  Lake Taupo in the background and lots of blue sky.  What a day!

Coromandel and the East Cape area to Rotorua

We found a place that we think we could actually live if we wanted to leave Canada.  New Zealand is a beautiful mix of beaches, mountians and beautiful farmland.  Not too populated, great fishing, the tramping(hiking)is bar none and the weather is moderate most of the year.  We could definately do 6 months here.  We have been enjoying both the beaches and hiking, not to mention the camping.  Kiwis have a great mix of campgrounds, private camps with everything including kitchens, laundry and t.v. rooms for the nasty days to Department of Conservation, DOC sites with just the essentials, pit toilets and maybe a table-but in really nice locations.   

The Coromandel Peninsula was stunning with the road travelling along the shore.  We stayed at a couple of DOC sites, one at Stoney Bay(Ken's favourite so far) and one at Waikawau Bay.  Off the Peninsula we made our way thru Karangahake Gorge, where we did a hike thru the old mining tracks, to the town of Rotorua which is best known for its geothermal activity.  Next, we turned east and headed for the coast again and found a great DOC site in Matata, just off the beach, before we headed across the East Cape to Grisborne and on to Te Urewera National Park.  Lake Taupo was the next stop after the park and a really nice city...large town really, with more than a few Canadians living at it enjoying the golf and weather.  Lake Taupo is actually a big volcanic crater lake with crystal blue water.

This is where we are today as we do our chores and get ready to head south a bit to Tongariro National Park where we have plans to do a 20 km alpine hike tomorrow, this hike is rated the best one day hikes in N.Z. ...we shall see.

Driving along the Coromandel Peninsula the road winds closely to the Pacific past bay after beautiful bay.

N.Z. has more birds than we have ever seen.  Waking in the morning to the sound of them is a great alarm clock.  Ken caught this photo of a N.Z. pigeon sitting and watching us walk by.  This pigeon is the largest native N.Z. bird.

 

This Tui bird is all dressed up in a black tux and white tie!

At the lookout on our hike from Stoney Bay to Fletcher Bay, located at the very tip of the Coromandel Peninsula and only accessible on foot.  

A beautiful view down the coast from this same hike.

Tramping is a favourite pastime here in N.Z. and people have been known to go through a pair of boots or two.

 

We hiked from Waikawau Bay, where we camped at a very nice DOC campsite, in the background to a viewpoint above Little Bay, which is pictured in front.  Who knew N.Z. had so many beaches?

 

The little towns located along the bays are a little isolated but they want for nothing.  This energetic lady plans to travel between Waikawau Bay DOC site and the community of Little Bay selling expresso, farmer style...on her Massey Ferguson.

Ken takes a look through the "Cathedral" at Cathedral Cove.  It was a nice 2 hour hike out and back from our camp in Hahei.

 

Small rocks dot Cathedral Cove, it reminded us of The Flowerpot Rocks in Nova Scotia.

Help!!!What is the name of these flowers?  They are abundant here and out in full bloom.

The Karangahake Gorge was once the home to several large mines, now you can hike along the old tracks, through tunnels where the ore cars once ran.

On a hike that we took at Karangahake Gorge we stayed on the trail but were still able to see many deserted mine shafts.

Also on this hike, Ken found a freshwater eel laying in the ditch beside the road.  The weather had been very wet and we figure it must have tried to swim up the ditch when the water was flowing(and I mean really flowing)down during the rain, the day before.  Yes, it was still alive and Ken saved its life by throwing it back into the stream about 50 metres down the road.  Note: no CPR was needed!

Check out the size of the fiddle head beside Kens foot...big, big, big.  Nice pink anklet, Ken...oh by the way it is for repelling flys and the jury is still out as to if it realy works!

We were not too impressed with Rotorua.  The city itself was nothing special, it's claim to fame is the thermal areas all over the place.  There are lots of spas but Ken I and didn't partake.

The carving at the head of a Mauri canoe.  

A local meat shop at Makaraka near Gisborne, at the bottom of the East Cape.

Now that is one fluffy sheep!

Around 75 km of gravel road took us through the Te Urewera National Park, a rainforest with a beautiful lake in it's centre.  Deep Purple handled like a dream on the dirt, and airtight too, not much dust got inside.

Looking down Huka Falls near Taupo where the Waikato River flows from Lake Taupo on it's 425 km journey to Auckland and the Ocean.