Welcome back and thank you for the lovely comments on Part 1. There will be plenty more to come as we are keen to document such an epic trip as much as possible to have something to look back on.
For this one Sandra is going to open the batting with her recollections of the trip so far before I resume with the diary.
Sandra recalls:
Well we have been in New Zealand for a few days and have acclimatised pretty much to the time difference. I can also report that we have finally just managed to get some hay fever tablets and I am currently sitting out on our flat’s balcony overlooking the sea, typing, and waiting for it to kick in. If you can imagine a large box of tissues to one side of the laptop, I think you get the picture!
So, as a first-time visitor, what are my first thoughts on New Zealand. Well its hot – getting hotter the further north we have come today. However, I have been truly surprised by how hilly everywhere is – Auckland in particular. I must confess I had not given much thought to terrain, other than there were lots of beaches and hills on South Island. We were fortunate in Auckland that after the first rotation of the bus tour we worked out that – you get on at Bus Stop 1 - down by the ferry terminal – a short stroll downhill …… note this is key! On going back to the hotel you get off at Bus Stop 2 – much higher than the hotel and again a short stroll downhill. With this cunning plan I have managed to avoid climbing any serious hills – seriously though that is something I cannot do anyway. The first venture out necessitated a taxi from the ferry terminal back to the hotel! Auckland is built on at least 7 extinct volcanoes and the old caldera’s are where a lot of the building has taken place.
Auckland is a city of mixtures – old buildings jostling for position between masses of massive skyscrapers – our hotel had at least 17 floors – I certainly didn’t consider it to be a tall building compared to the others close by. The hotel was your typical city centre hotel – fully functioning, air conditioning and a superb, cooked breakfast which set us up for the day very nicely indeed. For our evening meals we didn’t venture far – at the top of the road was the Shakespeare pub – I will leave Richard to tell you about that – two out of the three meals were eaten there so that perhaps gives you an indication of how good it was. The third evening was in the sister hotel next door which was Italian – good food and not far to go.
We visited a few places as part of the hop on, hop off bus – MOTAT, Museum of Transport and Technology and the NZ War Museum and Cenotaph – that was certainly a surprise. Richard took some lovely photos, so it is over to him again for these bits.
So we come to Sunday morning and our time at Auckland, for now, is over and it is time to pick up our hire car and spend the next few weeks touring around – more of that to come as we go of course.
Picking up the hire car was straightforward and the gentleman offered to bring the car down from the car park above as we had enough luggage. From there it was a short hop on to the main motorway north to begin our exploration. We did, however, need to make a scheduled stop at the local out of city retail park – we needed supplies as we will be doing a fair bit of self-catering. Equally, Richard had had a nightmare last night trying to get a NZ SIM card working, again his story to tell but the provider had a shop there so it made sense to ‘kill two birds with one stone.’ On the point of shopping malls – not much difference really, names will be different but the offering is pretty much the same. Costs, however, are understandably considerably higher as most stuff is imported and some distance. A final point for today’s ramblings is how glad I am to have organized the NZ equivalent of a blue badge – this one is shaped like the sign you hang on your hotel room if you want the room to be cleaned etc. Already it is helping, at lunch today we managed to get the car parked under the tree in the shade in a designated space. For £15 it will be well worth it.
Back to the diary:
Thursday 14th December.
The transit through Auckland airport could hardly have been smoother. Pre booked Assistance whisked us to Immigration and with the swipe of the passport we were through, the Visa waiver and Arrival information having been filled in online prior. We soon retrieved our bags and joined the short queue for the biosecurity check – this is to ensure that you are not bringing in any foodstuffs or anything that may be contaminated with diseases that my threaten local produce. They take it VERY seriously – and rightly so – as do Australia. On Trev and I’s last visit to Oz – in 2004 – they discovered an illicit apple in our luggage. Quite innocently when we’d left home there was one in the fruit bowl and we didn’t want to waste it. We were read the riot act at Immigration at Brisbane airport and narrowly avoided a fine – only thanks to Trev keeping his gob shut for once!
Anyway, all good this time, we passed through without drama and were soon in the arrivals hall.
It seemed pointless picking up the hire car straight away as we had 3 nights in Auckland to start with and parking would doubtless be expensive – so we needed transport from AKL to the city. After a very long flight we were happy to fork out for a taxi but then spotted a Super Shuttle – a twelve-seater people carrier with trailer – offering transfer to the city for NZ$20 a head – about a tenner each. Trev and I used these a fair bit back in the day and they were good value – it might take slightly longer as there’d likely be several drop offs – but the saving was well worth it. And so it proved at just over half the advertised price of a cab.
The journey to the city took half an hour or so and we were deposited right of the door of the Holiday Inn Express, a ten-minute walk from the harbour. We were over an hour early of the 3pm check in time but it wasn’t an issue – in fact so far, the National Express coach driver aside – everyone has been so friendly and helpful – but then the Kiwis are noted for it. It was my experience 25 years ago and it seems – so far at least – little has changed in that regard. Good on them.
The Holiday Inn came courtesy of over a decade of collection BA Avios points. We’d hoped to use them towards the flight over but it wasn’t to be and they sat largely unused for a while so this was a good way to reap the benefit of them. Air conditioned, brekky, Wi-Fi, central – it ticked all the boxes to be honest though if I was paying cash I might not be quite as enthusiastic!
After settling in we took a wander down to the quayside, getting our caffeine fix along the way. Back at the hotel I noticed a pub opposite. A quick Google revealed that it was one of the oldest in Auckland and brewed its own beer. That was our venue for dinner sorted.
The bar at The Shakespeare was busy so we headed upstairs to the dining room. It had very much the feel of a London boozer where the noshing takes place upstairs. I went for the sausage and mash whilst Sandra had a chicken burger. I started with the Gravediggers Porter then went on to a local Merlot. There was only New Zealand wine on the menu – good on them – and it was very good.
The effects of the long journey were starting
to tell and by 9pm it was lights out. Tired but happy we were made up to
finally be here and really looking forward to the weeks ahead.
Friday 15th December
We both slept reasonably well – certainly much better than expected for me anyway – I’ve always struggled during past visits downunder. Breakfast was calling and the spread was much more comprehensive than the blurb suggested. The scrambled eggs alone were some of the best I’ve ever had.
We had two full days in Auckland and with neither of us able to walk too, far the hop on/off bus seemed the best option. We bought a 2-day ticket with admission to the Sky Tower – that’s Auckland’s’ impressive offering in the international city willy waving stakes – and made the 10-minute walk down to the stop near the quayside.
Most of the walk was down Queen Street – ahem – and whilst Auckland may be considered a modern city it was interesting how many of the original buildings remain, nestled amongst the high rises.
There are additional stops in the summer and traversing the whole route took a couple of hours, the commentary was fun and informative. We noted what we intended to go back and see then got off for a ride up the Sky Tower, partaking of a coffee whilst enjoying the fabulous views. As you can see it was a little overcast, with the mercury hovering around the 18-20 mark. Perfect for getting acclimatised.
That evening we ate in the bar of the neighbouring sister hotel. Sandra had pasta, I had pizza – you can work out what the theme was.
I’d hoped to stay up a little later, wanting to get the body clock on Kiwi time as soon as possible, but by 9pm the eyelids were dropping again so we called it a night.
Saturday 16th December
I woke for the first time at 1am, then again at 2am, and spent the next few hours tossing and turning, getting increasingly frustrated and grouchy, finally drifting off again around 5am for a couple of hours. Sandra however slept like a log; I was very envious! She saw that tea was needed and duly did the honours. A long hot shower and a big breakfast made me feel more human and we were back at the first stop of the hop on/off bus before 9.30am. The skies were clearer, a much sunnier and warmer day beckoned and I was glad I’d bought my hat – a black (obviously), leather (obviously) Aussie cowboy style affair. Whilst we’re on the subject of couture, you may (not) be interested to learn that I’ve gone almost completely cold turkey with no long leather coats, waistcoats, heavy jeans or winklepickers making the trip down under, for obvious reasons.
Our first stop was MOTAT – the Museum of Transport & Technology. It appealed not least because of a tram that runs from the main museum site, skirting Western Springs Park as it transports punters to the Zoo and the museums’ Aviation hangar a short distance away. At just NZ$18 to get in – about 9 quid – I wasn’t expecting a lot but it was an interesting collection nonetheless. On site is the original pumphouse, housing an impressive beam engine from 1877 that used to pump water from Western Springs to the residents of Auckland.
The tram ride was fun and the driver was keen to explain the finer points of the workings and controls of the tram. The system runs on DC voltage and I’d already seen the impressive and slightly scary mercury rectifiers in the museum that convert the voltage from AC.
The aviation hall housed a decent collection of aircraft from New Zealand’s history, both military and commercial. The sea planes were particularly impressive, once taking Kiwis on trips to islands in the Pacific that didn’t have landing strips.
Our next chosen stop-off was the Auckland Domain, 190 acres of parkland on what was once a volcano, at the peak of which sits the War Memorial museum – and there is a smaller version of the Cenotaph out front.
We didn’t do the museum, heading inside only to partake of a sarnie in the café, but it is one of the city’s main tourist attractions. The park surrounding it is lovely perfect for the Kiwi’s love of the outdoors – a couple of cricket matches were on the go whilst we were there and there were plenty of irritatingly fit people out cycling and running. At the Winter Gardens it looked like a wedding had recently taken place, matching colourful shirts rather than suits seemed to be the order of the day.
That evening we returned to The Shakespeare for grog and grub. Equally good as the night before although we were glad that we were upstairs again as a fight broke out downstairs, sprawling out onto the pavement which we could see from the balcony. Within minutes the cops were there followed by an ambulance and the area was cordoned off and pub closed. Luckily, we’d finished our grub!
Sunday 17th December
Our time in Auckland was at an end – for now – as it was time to hit the road. The hire car place wasn’t that far away but impossible to walk with all our luggage and as we’d both be driving we both needed to be there to sign our lives away. Reception were kind enough to summon a taxi for us.
Just after 10am we were on the road. We’d booked a compact to keep costs down, the only requirements being air-con and automatic. What was brought down was a rather sleek looking Hyundai Elantra, with an impressively spacious boot which easily accommodated all our luggage.
We’d decided to head north first and had booked a motel in Paihia, on the Bay of Islands. Of course everything is done on the ‘net now but back when Trev and I were here in 1999 we just grabbed leaflets and directories and more often than not didn’t pre book anything. There was plenty of choice and we never struggled to get a room.
I was more than happy to take the wheel to start with, our first stop was only 15 minutes or so away, at a shopping centre, mainly to stock up on provisions for breakfast and lunch. The majority of motels here have basic kitchen facilities so we would be able to save a considerable sum having some meals ‘In’.
I also needed to visit the One NZ store – one of New Zealand’s mobile phone networks in the process of becoming Vodafone. I’d picked up a travel SIM at the hotel and Saturday afternoon followed the instructions to load it up with Data for the duration of the trip. Well the website took my money quickly enough but I could not get on the ‘net with the new card. Their online chat was no help at all and when I finally negotiated the labyrinthine menu and got to talk to someone, they could not help either.
Fortunately, the chap in the shop could – the SIM card had ‘expired’ and the plans indicated on the leaflet were no longer available. Why it was still possible to pay for them he couldn’t say but did get me sorted. Whilst most motels seem to offer Wi-Fi it was important we had internet access for finding our way around and using our UK SIMs would have quickly become very expensive.
Back on the road, we headed north on the SH1, at times resembling a UK style motorway – particularly the relatively new tolled section but further north it was more of an A-road – and much more fun to drive. I soon warmed to the Elantra, it was comfortable yet handled well, the automatic box was responsive and the 2 litre petrol engine more than adequate.
The scenery just got better and better, the road winding towards and away from the east coast and we paused for photo – and for Sandra an ice-cream – at a look out point just south of Waipu.
Being back on the road in New Zealand was bringing back lots of lovely memories and I was enjoying it immensely.
At Whangarei we stopped at the tourist information centre for a proper road map, picked up another load of leaflets and chatted to the staff there who were very friendly and helpful. Following their suggestion we turned off the SH1 and headed out on a loop that would take us around the Tutukaka coast. The road had plenty of tight steep hairpins, long climbs and descents and I was thoroughly enjoying putting the Elantra through its paces. I hadn’t enjoyed driving a car this much in years.
A snack stop at Tutukaka turned into lunch and the setting was delightful, a jazz trio playing quietly we tucked in whilst overlooking the blue waters of the marina. Delightful.
A bit further on we paused for another photo stop, at Woolleys Bay. Bearing in mind it was a cracking day and it was the school summer holidays, nowhere was busy liked you’d expect at home.
At Hikurangi we rejoined the SH1 to continue onto to Paihia. There was another coastal detour we could do that came highly recommended but time was marching on and we wanted to get sorted.
On way we discussed what to do whilst up here – we’d booked in for two nights so had a whole day to explore. I’d been up to Cape Reinga before – NZ’s northernmost point and was keen for Sandra to see it too – we could have a drive on 90 Mile Beach as well but having looked at the distances we considered instead spending our short time here staying local and seeing the sights around rather than a long day in the car. Passing a sign for a heritage railway made our minds up.
The motel was easy to find, just a little way out of town and so somewhat cheaper. Fair to say it looked a bit dated but everything was clean and tidy and the pool and hot tub will most certainly be getting some use!
A trip to the local – and pricey – supermarket for some perishables then a pleasant evening on the balcony brought a close to a fantastic day. Whilst Auckland had been great, getting back on the road was even better.
Lots more to come, soon!