The Time Machine

Those of you who read H.G.Wells and enjoy science fiction may not have realised there is a Steam Punk museum at Oamaru, and the Otago region is dotted with little Victorian and Edwardian gold-mining towns and fruit-growing areas. In fact, the whole region is like stepping back in time…even the petrol pumps are attended!

 

Dùn Èideann

Dunedin, which is Gaelic for Edinburgh, is our base for the week, and feels just like a mini Edinburgh (from what I remember from my college days), cool breeze from the sea, impressive Victorian buildings and even a Princes Street! The school uniforms are tartan, and there are strains of bagpipe music in the streets…..

 

 

At the Otago Settlers museum, we read about the settlers from Europe and China who travelled here for the whaling, gold mining and farming, many from Scotland of course. For the literary folk, Rose Tremain’s ‘The Colour’ details the gold mining fervour, and an interesting read is Jenny Pattrick’s ‘Catching the Current’ which tells the tale of a Faroese whaler who emigrates to New Zealand and creates ties with the Maori.

Gorge-ous!

We continue our journey into the past by taking a ride on a heritage Edwardian steam train, down the Taieri Gorge, from Dunedin to Pukerangi, sipping our lemonade/ beer as the train negotiates tunnels and viaducts along the spectacular river gorge.

 

Trying to take photos while standing on a moving train was interesting, but got a few to show the general idea!

New Zealand’s  ‘Coolest’ Town

My knowledge of the Victorian seaside town of Oamaru comes from Janet Frame novels, and we had not visited here before. There remain many grand Victorian buildings, reflecting the towns wealth from the local limestone, and it really does feel like we have gone back in time in the heritage area.

I am not sure whether it is ‘cool’ and hip because of the steampunk theme, or because it is ‘cold’ and far south!?

Unguided Tour

Our drive out to the Otago peninsular, much of it on unsealed roads, was a superb day for wildlife spotting with many interesting birds, and even an albatross colony! Lots of New Zealand Falcons flying about, oyster catchers, stilts and spotted shags and cormorants along the water’s edge.

The Orokonui ecosanctuary was a good place to start our tour, and learn about (and see) many of the birds and plants we encountered as we continued on our walks.

 

Along the coast are the famous and weird Moeraki Boulders, which were formed 60 million years ago by a similar process to oyster pearls, then as the cliffs eroded they tumbled down the rock face onto the beach.

Our drive to Queenstown was a sort of tour in itself, and we stocked up on fresh fruit for the week, central Otago apricots and cherries were just at the end of the season, and we were lucky to get some!

This part of the South is also famous for its vineyards, but I think Mike may enlighten us with a few tours from Queenstown…….more on that in the next blog!

I leave you with a quote from Wendell Berry, and I hope a sense of place from sharing what we have seen, some of our memories, and the history of this beautiful area.

“If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are”.

See you later in Queenstown!

 

 

 

Singapore Sling

The first time we came to New Zealand, we stopped over in Singapore for four days on the way home, and really enjoyed our time there, so it was with great enthusiasm and excited anticipation we booked a two-night stopover with Singapore Airlines.

Customer service did not disappoint, with glamorous attentive staff, the women with elaborate updoos and long wraparound skirts (not sure where to look when they bend down to pick something up!), the male flight attendants equally smart, handing out regular water and juice, warm socks, pillows and blankets to make us comfortable.

We arrived at the Furama Riverfront hotel very early, 9.00am, which was too early to check in, but the staff were great and had us upgraded to a courtyard poolside room by 10 o’clock! Just what we needed, a nap and a swim to help combat the jet lag.

Singapore feels strangely familiar in a very British sort of way, with our 3-pin plug sockets, driving on the left and Marks and Spencers. The heat and humidity is a bit of a shock though, and a slowing down of our usual pace of sightseeing was required!

We did have a lovely day at the recently built Bay Gardens which was amazing – a bit like the Eden Project (in Cornwall), but much bigger, with a cloud forest dome (no glasshouse needed for the ‘tropical’ areas!) as well as a Mediterranean dome. Bit too cold for us in the Mediterranean dome though, and think the  locals here think it is colder in the Med than it actually is!

We enjoyed tasty snacks and drinks, where all my peculiar gluten free needs were catered for with careful attention and smiling staff. They even surprised me on my birthday with a cake and chocolates!

Bush and Beach

Another long flight, this time with Air New Zealand (another first for us), couple of nights at the Jet Park airport hotel to help sleep a bit, then off in our new Corolla (yes, they make new ones here!) to the Waitakere Ranges, west of Auckland, for a few days ‘tramping’ in the bush.

Armed with our factor 30, DEET insect repellant and lots of water, we enjoy a few walks, taking in the beautiful volcanic brown sandy beaches dotted with surfers.

We tramp through lush forested ‘jungle’ trails, lined with broccoli-type Pohutakawa trees, flax, Nikau palms and Kauri trees, enjoying the occasional honey scent of manuka and the exotic calls of Tui and Bellbirds and even spot a fantail.

The rangers remind us to scrub and disinfect our shoes and walking poles before we start our walks, to help stop the spread of the devastating kauri die-back disease, which is a problem here. There are still beautiful forests though, reminiscent of a Pissarro painting.

At  Lone Kauri Lodge, Keith and Ann make our stay special by providing for our every comfort, and we feel very spoiled to be enjoying this wonderful place! Ann’s homemade jam and marmalade are super tasty, and Keith gives us invaluable information for our walking trips, being a keen tramper himself (and bread maker!).  The outdoor hot tub, looking at the stars was a real treat, and very relaxing!

Everyone we met was very friendly, and we hope to meet up with Erling when we are in Portland later in the year!

On our way back to Auckland, we visit the Gannet colony at Muriwai and saw lots of nesting birds with young chicks on the cliff tops – good opportunity to get the binoculars out!

Wine, beer, friends and feasting!

Back in Auckland, we meet up with friends Joanne, Alastair and the young Fairleys and are treated to a trip to Devonport for coffee, cake and a visit to the Heads (old defensive lookouts), a superb pub lunch and evening BBQ! Awesome time.

Just one more day to squeeze in a trip to the vineyards on Waiheke island…..

Next stop Dunedin, and the cool South…….we’ll keep you posted!