Apr. 14/16: Last day! (Raglan, fall temperatures, RNZ)

Well, I am just about to go to bed for the last time, this trip. What a wonderful four months it has been.

I spent my last day in Raglan, a seaside community of about 3,000 close to 50 kilometres from Hamilton. The ride out there (by bus, for me) was very scenic. Lots of rolling hills. The town is very popular with surfers. The day was perfect. High of 20 or so and crystal clear skies. I did the usual thing, wandered through the town, and did a few short walks by the water. Here's what the area looks like.

Raglan's Main Street

Walking out of town

Walkway by the harbour

I saw something in Raglan I had not previously seen, but had heard about. Wicked Campers is a company that has come under considerable criticism because of the slogans they put on their vehicles. In fact they have been banned in some places, which of course has only increased their business. The slogan on the back of the van (below) was mild compared to the one on the side. 

 Fall: Well, it's here. Trees are beginning to turn. Still the daytime highs are about 20 and nighttime lows about 10, so nothing to complain about. In February, the highs were 25-28 and lows 15-18, so it does feel noticeably cooler.

Radio NZ National: This is NZ's equivalent to CBC Radio 1. Earlier I'd said it was not bad. I need to correct that. I think it's very good. All interviews, generally very good and usually quite long, and on a wide range of subjects. CBC, given it is now trying to appeal to such a wide range of people, is working against itself, in my opinion.

Well, that is it for this year. Tomorrow, home!!

Apr. 9-13/16: Hamilton (Gardens, Cambridge, Waitomo Caves)

I have now spent 4 1/2 days in Hamilton, and environs. I had been given the impression that it was a rather uninspiring place. From the point of view of location that may be so, as it is inland and therefore not surrounded by the sea, as Nelson and New Plymouth were.  And this area is also relatively flat. But it has certainly not been difficult to fill my time here, even though many of the things I have done have taken me outside Hamilton.

Hamilton is the fourth largest city in New Zealand, with a population of about 150,000. It was settled by the Europeans a bit later than Nelson and New Plymouth, about 1863. You can be in Auckland by car in about 1.5 hours, so an easy day trip if the big city beckons.

Once again I am staying at an Airbnb, located very close to the Waikato River, and the 20 kilometres or so of walking/cycling path beside it. And it is also just a 10 minute walk from the downtown area, or CDB (Central Business District) as it's called here. Perfect location. I love Airbnb!!

So here's what I've seen in the past few days:

Hamilton Gardens: These gardens are absolutely outstanding and were named the International Gardens of the year in 2014. The gardens are divided into a number of different areas, each representing gardens from different parts of the world: China, Japan, Italy, England, India. There is also a Maori Garden. And in each area there are not only plants/trees but also structures to help transport you to that part of the world. Here are a few examples:

Tudor Garden

Italian gardens

 Japanese Gardens

Maori Gardens

Cambridge: Cambridge is a delightful little town of just under 20,000 about 25 kilometres from Hamilton, 40 minutes by bus. I couldn't find a street sign but I did find this. Most towns here have one, and I have heard some wonderful concerts from people who have obviously been playing the piano for some time.

The streets in most towns have a similar look to them. There are wide awnings over the sidewalk so it matters not if it rains. Why don't we do this back is Canada? And parking is most often angle parking. Here is a shot  taken in Cambridge:

Cambridge downtown

There are a number of walks to be done around the town. Here is a natural arbour I found beside the river walk. Can't beat nature!

 And of course the museum is a must visit spot in each place I've been. This one was very small but very well done. Again lots of information on the Maori history, settlement by Europeans, and the land wars, which seem to have taken place throughout New Zealand.

Cambridge Museum

Waitomo Caves: These caves are one of the big tourist attractions in New Zealand. There are three main caves, but the most popular is likely the glowworm cave. Glowworms are found in only a few locations in the world;  the  ones in New Zealand draw people from far and wide. This sign gives you a good idea where many of these people  come from.

Glowworms,  I was disappointed to find out,  are the larvae (maggots) of a fly called the fungus gnat. In the larvae stage they live 6 to 9 months and look much like worms, with a tip that can glow in the dark. The larvae secret long sticky threads, each producing many. The light from the larvae attracts insects, which are caught in the thread. In a dark caves the sight of the glowworms is most impressive. You can't take pictures so I pinched this one from the web.

And here are a few shots I took in the other caves.

Movies: I also been to four movies in Hamilton, in four days. A record for me. Two New Zealand movies I wasn't sure I'd get to see back home (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Mahana), Valley of Love from the French Film Festival, and Sherpa, a very powerful movie filmed on Everest. The LIDO Theater, where they all were playing, is described as a boutique theatre and certainly is that. It has a lobby about 200 feet long filled with big comfy sitting areas, and seats in the theatre that are like sofas. Not only that, you can buy wine, excellent goodies and ice cream, and take them in to the movie. Go figure. That's just not allowed back in Canada. We must be too messy!

 Seats in the Lido Theatre

This morning I went for my jog around Lake Rotorua, just a shot distance from my Airbnb. What a beautiful spot.  The path around it is almost 4 kilometres. Lots of bird and fish life, including my favourite NZ bird, the pukeko. They are obviously used to people as a number came bravely tramping up to me, clearly hoping for food.

So now I have just one day left. I can hardly believe it. I will spend it in Raglan, so stay tuned!

April 3-8/16: New Pymouth

I wasn't sure what I would find in New Plymouth but, once again, I've not been disappointed. The population is not that different from Nelson's (just under 50,000) but the two places have a very different feel. Both were settled about the same time, in the early 1840s. Nelson is quaint and charming. New Plymouth feels like a much bigger city, and is much more contemporary, as it seems much of the city is relatively new.  It's economy is based on oil, discovered about 50 years ago, which might explain that.

New Plymouth is located on the west coast of the north island, by the Tasman Sea. Running along the Sea is a coastal walkway, 13 kilometres long.  One of the area's most appealing features. The sea is quite wild, so more suited to surfers than swimmers. I've been staying at another Airbnb,  about a 25 minute walk to the city centre along the walkway. In the other direction it doesn't take long until you are in the country. Here's a few pictures:

Signposts along the walkway

The walkway in front of my Airbnb

Beach by my Airbnb

Sand is fine, and dark

Sign along the walkway warning of high waves

This sort of wave does not rate a warning

Heading away from town along the walkway, 

it's not long until you see this sort of thing

I spent the first day walking through Pukekura Park, 52 hectares of native bush located right in the city. Here's a few shots taken in the Park. You could spend the better part of the day there.

One the way to the park I passed St. Mary's Church, opened in 1846 and the oldest stone church in New Zealand. The graveyard around the church contained tombstones of  early settlers who died in the Taranaki Wars of the 1860s, which resulted from disputes between Pakeha (Europeans) and Maori over land. The deaths from that war included not only those killed, but also others who died because of the appalling conditions at the time.

St. Mary's Church

Pakeha who died in the Taranaki Wars;

no Maori graves here!

Grave of a mother and four young children;

casualties of the war, I assume

My second day in New Plymouth I arranged to go to Mt. Taranaki, about 30 minutes from New Plymouth. It's about 2500 metres high, which makes it the 65th tallest peak in New Zealand. The tallest is Mount Cook, about 3700 metres. (Just as a point of comparison, Canada's highest peak is about 5900 m. and there are 124 over 2500 m.. I had no idea!) A Maori guide drove me to and from the mountain, and talked about what the mountain means to the Maori. That in itself was a highlight of the day.

I did a 3-hour walk that took me from about 1000 m. to about 1700 m. Probably the toughest walk I have ever done. Getting to the summit and back takes about 8 to 10 hours. I can't imagine doing that, although many young folk did. I had a crystal clear day, which is unusual. How lucky! A very steep climb and then a path that was often hard to find. I was expecting something like the groomed trails on the great walks! 

Mount Taranaki from the Visitors' Centre

The track, above and below

At least there was a ladder!

View along the way

Looking back, on the way down

On a short walk through the "goblin" forest,

after the big walk

Yesterday I borrowed a bike from my Airbnb hosts and rode up and down the Coastal Pathway, and another pathway, the Te Hanui Walkway. Here are a few shots I took along the way.

The Te Rewa Rewa Bridge is so striking!

On a clear day one can see Mt. Taranaki on the other side.

One can never go far without seeing a few sheep

And not far from the path, the endless coastline

Today, my last day in New Plymouth, I went to the museum and art gallery. Both are very contemporary, as you can see from the shots below.

Puke Ariki Museum

Excellent exhibits of the area's past

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre

What an amazing structure! Unfortunately almost all of the gallery was closed, preparing for new exhibits. Very strange!! But it was possible to see some of Len Lye's work. I had never heard of him. He was born in Christchurch in 1901 but lived most of his life outside New Zealand. He's known for his kinetic sculptures, which are massive, and engineering marvels. The photo below is of the Windwand, a design of his along the Coastal Walkway, very close to the city centre.

Tomorrow I leave New Plymouth for Hamilton, my last stop before heading home!

Apr. 3/16: A weekend in Welllington

I left Nelson three days ago. Here is a final picture, of the pagoda in the Japanese gardens across the street from my accommodation. Such a peaceful place.

I took an Air New Zealand flight from Nelson to Wellington. It was my second time in the Nelson airport. It's tiny, there is no security check, you walk out on the tarmac, and climb the steps to the plane. So easy! No fuss! The airport may not be large but it has a delightful cafe that would rival those at our biggest airports, and they don't charge an arm and a leg for their offerings.

In Wellington I took the Airport Flyer to the railway station and then the train to Paekakariki, a wee town about 40 kilometers north of Wellington, by the Sea. I'm at another airbnb, returning to a place I stayed last year. It's a two minute walk from the train station and perhaps four to the beach. Easy to get to the city but so peaceful up here.

The public transportation system in Wellington is fantastic. At all the bus stops there are electronic signs listing the numbers of the buses that stop there, and, for each,  the wait time until the next bus is expected. Either I was very lucky or the buses run very frequently, as I never waited more than a few minutes. This system serves a population of just over 200,000 in the city proper, but perhaps half a million in the region. My airbnb hosts tell me the transportation system beats Auckland's, where there are 1.4 million people.

It poured much of Saturday so I decided to go to Te Papa, Wellington's world class museum. I was there for 5 hours, but that was not enough. Highlights were the sections dealing with:
- the geological forces that impact on NZ (it lies where the Australian and Pacific Plates meet, the reason it is so prone to earthquakes) and
- the world of the Maori, before and after the arrival of the Pakeha (Europeans), including a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi signed in 1840, NZ's founding document and the source of considerable controversy between Maoris and Pakeha. Here is a look at the inside of the museum, and one of the Maori waka (canoes).

I had seen much of this last year when I was in Wellington, but what I did not see was a new exhibit on Gallipoli, the 1915 battle fought in what is now Turkey, where so many kiwis were wounded or killed. The aim of the battle was to capture the Dardenelles but at the end of the eight month campaign it was still held by the Turks. Almost 2,800 NZ soldiers died. The exhibition was so effective. It traces the campaign through the eyes of eight "ordinary" New Zealanders, and actually had bigger than life size images of each of them. Here is one, a doctor:

They appeared to me to be four times our size; I felt like a lilliputian. They looked so very real, down to the hair on their arms. Looking at them I expected them to move at any moment, and get on with their duties. There was also a re-creation of a bunker, complete with the sound and feel of explosives. Something I hope I will not soon forget.

The museum closed at 6, so I had to leave. And walked across to the Circa Theatre, where I had supper and saw a play called Joyful and Triumphant, which followed a family through eight different Christmases over 40 years, and the changes in their family, their attitudes and NZ over that time. Very well done.

Circa Theatre, just across from Te Papa

Sunday was another overcast day, so back into Wellington, this time to see the birthplace of Katherine Mansfield, one of NZ's most prominent short story writers. What a life she had. Born in 1888, very much a bohemian, lived most of her life in Europe where she hung out with the likes of DH Lawrence, and died of TB at 34. That's just a brief overview!

Also happened by Old St. Paul's Church, built in 1866 and one of the finest timber Gothic Revival Churches in the world.

Old St. Paul's Church

Inside Old St. Paul's Church

Here's a picture of a typical Wellington home I passed along the way, with the current and now future NZ flag flying outside. Now that the referendum is over, and thoughts of a new flag gone for the time being.

Ended the afternoon at the Botanical Gardens, which I would love to see in the spring or summer. There was not much in bloom at this time of year. From the Gardens, you can, and I did, take the Cable Car down to the city centre, an easy walk then to the train station and "home".

And tomorrow I move on to New Plymouth, new territory for me.