Thankfully I traveled the North and South Islands of New Zealand during this adventure to Australia and New Zealand. Oh how I wish New Zealand was not so far away! (And in fairness to Australia, I missed the west coast of that country … so who knows what the future may bring.)
Below is a map showing the travel done in New Zealand, then some of my sketches during this portion of the trip. Now to dream about next adventures whatever they may be! Anyone have any recommendations? My goal is to see the world so everything is on the table!
When I travel, I listen to the vernacular, the everyday words used by locals, such as when in Australia and New Zealand. For example, the title of this post: “I’ll shout you a lollie, mate.” For starters, I know you already know “mate” is how one can address anybody, but a “lollie” is a candy or sweet. When said, I’ll “shout” you, it means the person will treat you … in this example, to a sweet or candy. More often though it is more exciting when they’ll shout you a beer!
There were phrases helpful when meeting people:
G’day: good day to you
Kia ora while in NZ: meaning hello in Māori
No worries: okay, no problem
In Australia, I knew “outback” was a remote part of the bush, “bush tucker” their native foods, and “walkabout” a long hike in the outback. I was also interested in words used at farms/ranches. At various ranches, we saw sheep herded by dogs: Huntaways and Border collies, and I even saw a short-haired Border collie!
Border collie as I usually think of one
Short -haired Border collie
Sheep that were shorn: Romney and Merino. Food cooked on the “barbie”, yup, that’s BBQ.
Station: is the large farm or ranch; such as a sheep station; we visited a few.
Jillaroo: young woman on a station
Jackaroo: young man on a station
Damper: bread cooked in the outback, but with this rancher’s recipe for an oven.
Tucker: meaning food
Ute: their pickup truck
Jackaroo shearing a Merino sheep at a station in NZ
When you travel, especially when in countries that speak your language, do you heard unique phrases? Are you struck by other vocabulary used by people in the place you are visiting? Of course, the best way to say hello worldwide is always a smile, but do listen to words, accents, and phrases that may be new to you! It is all part of the travel experience … we don’t want everything to be like home!
Also notice landscape! Did you know there are salt flats north of Melbourne, south of Alice Springs in Australia? Australia is the size of the lower 48 USA states so flying was necessary for me in my travels there. Look out the airplane’s window …
Salt flat north of Melbourne, south of Alice Springs, Australia
Australia’s outback
BTW, If you are in my neighborhood, I will shout you a mug of beer or glass of wine, so let me know! G’day!
We crossed Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown on a historic steamship, TSS Earnslaw, to Walter Peak Station. The steamship was in service for 57 years and now used for pleasure cruising. (I will say for a person who easily gets motion-sick, the cruise across the lake was smooth and not a problem for me.) We arrived at the Walter Peak Station where our tour group had a buffet-style farewell dinner. Many other tourists were also here for dinner and just like us also for the “farm show”. This place is beautiful, in a lovely location and the dinner was delicious! I truly did get my fill of lamb meat at dinners on the New Zealand portion of my travels.
TSS Earnslaw Steamship
Coal was shoveled in to run the steamship.
Walter Peak Station … where we arrive!
Dinner … buffet-style and delicious food!
The “farm show”, included the shearing of a Merino sheep… happy to be rid of the warmth of the wool it was carrying on its body! Merino sheep are only sheared one time a year. It’s spring time here and this sheep was ready for a shearing! This man did a very professional job shearing this sheep!
Not one knick to the sheep!
The “farm show” continued with a short-haired Border collie and its owner demonstrating how the dog herds sheep simply by his voice commands. That dog can run! Before I knew it, the dog was running uphill to the peak and herding the sheep for their movement down the hill. It was truly impressive how the dog responds to the commands and the sheep were moved into a pen within 3 minutes. I wish you could have seen it!
Short -haired Border Collie
We had time to walk the property which included wonderful vistas, other animals and flowers, and lots of open space! I loved being able to absorb the beauty of it all, reflect on my time in New Zealand, and ready myself for the long flights home. Back on the steamship, we sang as the piano player banged out at least 30 different songs! It was fun, but I was also ready to go home!
Farewell New Zealand!
As my blog posts continue, I may think about specific incidents to share and write. I know I will hold many more memories than what has been written these past weeks. To travel “down under” to Australia and New Zealand had been life-long dream that has now been realized. I am fortunate and grateful to have been able to fulfill this dream. May I wish you the same with your dreams! Dream on!
We visited Arrowtown, an 1862 gold rush town, a short drive from Queenstown, New Zealand. Our walking tour included discussion of its gold mining history and the arrival of the first Chinese immigrants to New Zealand. By 1865 the first gold rush was over and many left for other goldfields. With fear of a collapsed NZ economy, Chinese miners were invited to New Zealand. The Chinese had hopes of making money and returning home. By 1871 the Chinese outnumbered the European miners on the goldfields.
Like other gold rushes around the world, many flock to an area, work hard, live in poor conditions and hope to strike it rich. Housing and working conditions varied for workers. The Chinese laborers were miners and builders of various places, homes and bridges within this town, though they lived in tiny, tin and adobe shacks compared to the Europeans who hired them. The town now has the restored remains of the Chinese settlement a distance away, as they were in the cold shadows of the mountains. On a couple of main streets are restored Victorian style houses and quaint shops; many parts of the town are now protected Heritage sites.
Ah Lum’s Store, now restored; private property is next door.
It was a 7.5 hour bus drive, with some stops along the way, to Queenstown after our disembarking the Milford Mariner ship on the Milford Sound earlier in the day. I especially enjoyed the scenery of South Island where we drove along the shoreline of Lake Wakatipu and looked upon the mountain range, “The Remarkables”. They are snow-capped peaks, providing a final couple of days of skiing for the downhill-skiing enthusiasts. Queenstown, “adventure capital of the world”, attracts skiers, whitewater rafters and thrill seekers. Other activities: walking through gardens, bicycling through alpine forests, relaxing in hot pools, a 4-wheel drive up Skippers Canyon, zip-lining, jet-boating on the Dart River or bungee jumping, to mention a few activities.
The Remarkables … final days of skiing!
I walked so many miles in this town. When I discovered I was out of town and walked various local roads to return to the lakeshore, I finally criss-crossed the Queenstown Trail; I walked that lovely trail back to town! At the lake’s shoreline, I saw some Great crested grebes, new birds for me, and spent time in the Queenstown Gardens and city center. Plenty of touristy shops in this town. I enjoyed lunch at an Irish pub, then walked out of town in the opposite direction. Finally, time to head back to our hotel which was an uphill hike.
Great crested grebe
Others in our group enjoyed a gondola ride, some were on the Dart River jet-boating in the fog and rain. Apparently, the Dart River people got a refund as the trip was not done to completion, yet they did get the jet-boat spins in! Cool!
One could not help but notice the amount of clear-cutting of trees in New Zealand. Trees are grown for a period of time, then logged and exported to China. New seedlings are planted and and process continues. The area near the gondola was clear-cut for obvious reasons, but I am unsure as to why a greater swath is being considered behind housing. I hope my information is wrong.
Gondola and clear-cut area
We had a couple of opportunities to walk through California redwood tree forests on North and South Islands. Why are the trees in New Zealand? The expectation was with the climate, rainfall and rich, volcanic soil in New Zealand, redwoods would enhance the landscape and provide timber. Unfortunately, the trees grow so fast their wood is pithy … as described by our NZ guide. Then the thought was to cut them all down. However, a good idea emerged to keep the redwoods and create recreational areas for hiking and mountain biking …. and tree walks and tree-canopy zip-lining! Great ideas!
A walk in a redwood forest; thank you to whoever in our group took this photo.
New Zealand’s population is just over 5.5 million people, predominately on two main islands: North Island and South Island, yet technically it is made up of over 600 islands. Besides New Zealand’s beautiful landscape, I felt a beauty in their heart. I say this because there was recognition of Māori language in signage throughout the country and an appreciation of wild land and wild life.
To take one example, we stopped at a bird sanctuary. Notice the languages on the sign:
Notice languages and the bird
Punanga Manu o Te Anau … Te Anua Bird Sanctuary … has the only surviving population of takahē, a flightless bird once thought extinct. They were rediscovered in 1948 in the Murchison Mountains nearby. The once captive breeding program hand-reared the chicks; however, now eggs are left on the nest for the adult takahēs to rear.
Takahē bird
New Zealand’s goal is to be predator-free of rats, stoats and possums by 2050. Currently they have more than 110 predator-free islands so native species can thrive. Unfortunately it was human-introduced pests that preyed on the island’s wildlife causing some to go extinct. Now New Zealand works to get its native wildlife back by 2050.
I also appreciate the effort by New Zealanders to include Māori language on signage throughout the islands. While this may seem a small thing, Māori are the second largest ethnic group in the country, at almost 18%, and deserve recognition, especially as travelers visit the country. I understand efforts continue to acknowledge the history of this country as we, in the USA, have similar work to complete with our Native Americans. May the work continue to save and respect wild and human life.
We drove along the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island and stopped at the historic town of Oamaru with its Victorian architecture. The Oamaru stone is predominately calcium carbonate (limestone); therefore, white stone. Various shops were along one road I walked and one had a working local sculptor. All signage indicated he wanted no interruptions, so I stood and watched him work. When others left, he stopped working and talked at length! No photos were allowed … yet his name is Ian Andersen for anyone interested in checking his work. The drive was pretty, green and I would have loved a walk!
Many greens in the landscape!
Hedges separate fields … beautiful landscape!
After lunch, we continued down the road with a stop at the Moeraki Boulders. These are large, oddly spherically-shaped stones scattered across the beach. Māori legend: the boulders started forming 60 million years ago through ancient sea floor sediments. The largest boulder is estimated to have taken 4 million years to form. With shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs, these boulders, or concretions, are now more exposed.
Cracked open boulder.
Moeraki Boulders … wow!
We arrived in Dunedin with its hills and cliffs and unlimited coastal views, offering Scottish influences with Victorian style, thus known as the “Edinburgh of the South”. Do you know where “the steepest road in the world” happens to be located? New Zealand’s Baldwin Street in Dunedin!
World’s Steepest Street in Dunedin, NZ
World’s Steepest Street in Dunedin, NZ
During the afternoon, I walked an area near our hotel. It is definitely a college town with plenty of fast-food places and pubs. The weather was cold as I aimed for streets with no steep uphills or downhills and out of the wind. I had fun then trying to figure how to get back to my hotel, Distinction. By the way, this Distinction hotel is quite distinct. It is the first hotel, in all my travels, with each hotel room having a washer and dryer in the room! Convenience for sure … and they provide the detergent!
Dunedin Train Station, NZ
Salvation Army here in 1883
The next day we explored Dunedin and drove to New Zealand’s only castle, Larnach Castle. This Scottish structure was built during the 19th century gold rush for a financier and politician, Larnach in 1871. On our tour through the castle, I was impressed with how ahead-of-his-time, William Larnach was with the construction of his “family home”. The open verandas were eventually glassed in with French glass since the weather and wind was more than expected. He did have double-glazed windows, a billiards room built above the kitchen, a beautiful hanging, or floating, stairway, methane from effluent to light the lights, and beautiful interior work throughout. It took 200 workmen to construct the place in 3 years and gifted craftsmen 12 years to complete the interior design.
Men’s room for discussions
One of 24 rooms in the family home.
Renovation at Larnach’s Castle
Now the castle has been in the Parker Trust, for the last 57 years. Prior to that and after Larnach’s possession, the government had it as a mental institution, then it was a holiday home for nuns, then army barracks, and the family home was finally purchased by the Parkers. Interestingly enough, they put their $500 deposit down before another hopeful buyer who had plans to demolish the place. It is fortunate this place has been maintained as it is beautiful. I enjoyed jalapeño, garlic scone and earl grey tea … at my usual daily tea time!
Scone, tea and sitting in front of a fireplace!
The rain did arrive and so popping up to the brewery for a tour and dinner sounds like a good way to finish this day. Penguin tours were cancelled, but I am looking forward to Milford Sound. There we will board a boat, and have an overnight in the middle of the sound. My posts now return to their usual schedule of 2 per week …
Rotorua is an easy town to walk around. I stopped at jade stores, saw a carver meticulously working on a jade piece, enjoyed seafood chowder for lunch and continued my walk through the Government Gardens to Sulphur Point where I spent some time birding; saw 5 new birds! I thought about a dip in the thermal waters at a spa, but not so much fun by oneself; another time. We did attend a dinner, cultural program and geyser-viewing at TePuia before leaving this town.
Before we caught our afternoon flight from Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand to Christchurch on the South Island, we stopped at a Redwood Forest. The interesting thing about the trees is they grow so fast they have a pithy interior so the wood is of no value. Well the trees have been left to grow anyway and now it is quite a recreational area for walkers, runners, tree-walking activity and a zip-line at the canopy level. I could have spent hours walking the trails here.
Another stop we made the previous day and worth mentioning, since I had not told you, Rotorua is a geothermal area. There are bubbling mud pools, geothermal geysers and steaming vents. You will see steam rising in various places, even at gutters at the road’s edge, and wonder at first if it is smoke, steam or soon to be a rainy day.
Flying into Christchurch
Finally we arrived in Christchurch, organized at the hotel and spent time in the city center. In 2010 and 2011, Christchurch experienced devastating earthquakes. The city has been re-building its English-influenced beauty. We walked around the town with its large Botanic Garden, Avon River, shops and museums and convention center.
Avon River in Christchurch
Many murals in Christchurch, this is just one.
While in Christchurch we also drove about an hour west to visit a sheep farm. Chris and Del actually care for 3,000 of their neighbor’s Romney sheep, along with their own dogs, alpacas, goats and horses, etc. Chris provided a demonstration of how the Border Collie can move sheep from one location to another. Then how their Huntaway dog moves the sheep more quickly into the pen. I never realized the Border Collie doesn’t bark and with Chris he has trained it to follow voice commands, not whistles. The Border Collie knows how to slowly move the sheep forward, left or right. The Huntaway dog does bark and is more aggressive and trained to follow Chris’ direction as he wants that go to move the sheep along quickly and into the pen. He trained these dogs with lessons 5-10 minutes in morning and night for a couple of years. He has found dogs that simply do not want to learn and therefore they are not herding dogs.
Chris and Del also have alpacas and photos were fun to see as the one alpaca was hugged by the person and another alpaca laid its head on the person’s shoulder. Romney sheep are shorn 2 times per year, March and August; Merino only one time per year, and alpacas only one time per year. Chris demonstrated shearing a sheep; not as fast as the professionals they have in to do the shearing, nor as fast as the individuals who win contests at 30 seconds per sheep! BTW, another new bird was heard…New Zealand bellbird …beautiful song.
View from Rubicon Valley- sheep shearing place
We had a delicious lunch here before we left for Christchurch. Once back in town, I took a short walk to the Transitional Cathedral (often called “The Cardboard Cathedral”) which was erected soon after the earthquakes since the 1905-built cathedral was damaged. That cathedral is still not re-built. So for about 5-6 million New Zealand dollars, a Japanese architect and local firm, built this Anglican cathedral from 24 inch-diameter cardboard tubes (98 of them), timber and steel with a poly carbon roof and 8 shipping containers forming the walls. Pretty remarkable as it stands so many years later.
We are off to Dunedin … further south on the South Island of New Zealand.
A “Day in the Life of a Ngati Manawa Community” is an OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) time where we can interact with the local people for the day. This is one of New Zealand’s only landlocked tribes. Our local Māori guide was truly exceptional as we drove around and talked about the goals of the community. We entered a Marae (meeting place) in Murupara and were welcomed with a traditional greeting … forehead and nose touching our host… and then shoes off within the Marae. The inside of the Marae has beautifully carved wood and woven tapestry; no photos allowed.
Greeting us all at the marae
For the afternoon, we spent time with a Māori family. They showed us their hangi pit where food is traditionally cooked underground for hours. Their pit is modified since they host so many people and would have too many pits in their ground. Food, meats and vegetables, is placed on racks with no oils. The fat from the meats help flavor all the food as everything cooks. Nadine Toetoe and her family are doing wonderful work sharing the Māori culture and they were enjoyable and informative people to spend time with. Unfortunately during Covid, 98% of their business ended. However, Nadine created a program for depressed young people to attend for 6 weeks. The goal was to help them learn to trust people and handle mental issues. Her work continues now as a cultural learning opportunity for travelers. She is a giving person. Leftover food is donated to local people, some profits buy school uniforms for students and her family is helpful with other projects for the community. Nadine has received national and international recognition. She’s a pleasant person and was sitting right with us as we learned some weaving and enjoyed our meal. It was a great visit and learning experience on a beautiful piece of property overlooking a lake.
Men cover and uncover the hangi pit
Dressing on top with meats and vegetables on layers below.
Our other Māori experience during this trip was at a home-hosted dinner with Aroha, Darren and their 3 children. They each introduced themself, we had dinner, they danced and explained the moves since they are skills for future use with a weapon if needed. Aroha was a basketball player and had played in the USA and her daughter is well on her way to possibly follow those footsteps. Darren was a trucker driving logs with very long days. He has now retired from that job and is very happy working as a teacher’s aide at a local all-boys school.
We spoke about the continued challenge for the Māori people. Nothing I write here can express the wonderful time we had with this family! So I will leave it with one comment; it was one of the best interactions I have had with a local family. I especially chuckled when Aroha immediately asked me to put the Saguaro National Park magnet on their refrigerator and she loved the book regarding native Americans. Thank you to my family member suggesting I bring that book as a gift!
We drove through the center of New Zealand’s North Island, the epicenter of Maori life, to Rotorua. It was a long drive broken up with some interesting stops along the way. We passed beautiful green fields and hundreds of dairy cows. Dairy is the number one industry, except in 2019 it was tourism. China is the largest importer of the dairy from New Zealand. We have already enjoyed “hokey pokey”, vanilla ice cream with honey bits in it; delicious!
Our tour guide shared historical information as we rode along. The long and short of it: Abel Tasman and Captain Cook eventually discover this area of the world. New Zealand was once a state of Australia; however, in recognizing that Australia did not have New Zealand’s interest at heart, New Zealand became part of the Commonwealth of England.
Our first stop Hamilton Gardens: a public garden on the banks of the Waikato River. We roamed the gardens and enjoyed lunch here also. There were many themed gardens. Enjoy the photos:
Hamilton Gardens-Italian Gardens
Kumara (sweet potatoes) planting at Hamilton Gardens
Fantasy Garden at Hamilton Gardens in NZ
Tudor Garden at Hamilton Gardena
As we continued on our way to Rotorua, we stopped at the Nest Egg Kiwi Conservation Project facility. New Zealand’s national bird is the kiwi, which comes from the Māori language meaning “hidden bird”. Kiwis are nearly extinct in the wild so the nation has doubled down on conservation efforts with nest egg teams across the islands. The work here at this place is amazing, plus the country has set aside predator-free islands so the bird can survive! We had a tour here where they explained every step of their finding kiwis in the wild with their conservation dogs and transmitters on male kiwis.
They have 120 conservation dogs that can sniff out a kiwi, but are trained to then sit and back away for a conservation person to go to the nest the male kiwi has been sitting on. They only collect the eggs, possibly 2, once the male kiwi has been on it for 60 days. They have incubators at their facility to handle the final 18-20 days … even with machines that turn the eggs each day! Once the egg hatches, they rear the young kiwi till it is about 2 pounds in weight and return them to the area they picked up the egg. The eggs are huge! It’s about a third of the female’s body size and when I held the model egg, I would say about 6 times the size of a chicken egg.
Kiwis are small birds and since they are nocturnal we could only see them in the dark. The facility purposely sets up the kiwi’s day and night cycle so visitors can see them at their visit. No photos are allowed, but at least I saw 3 real kiwis. The staff report a high success rate in their breeding, raising and caring for the kiwis …. that was good news!
What a kiwi looks like…
Did you know to refer to the fruit as kiwi fruit … not just kiwi, that is the bird. In the USA, we often see the green kiwi fruit. Here I had a golden, sweeter-tasting, kiwi fruit at one of my breakfasts. Also, I learned kiwi fruit is actually not from New Zealand! Learn something new everyday!
