Diary Update - Auckland to Nelson + Bird ID Update
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
1
20
27
Trip End
Apr 04, 2007
Nelson,
New Zealand
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Thursday 1st February
I already reported how much we enjoyed the Auckland Museum, especially the ground floor which is full of an array of Maori artefacts, including a whole "whare", or house which you can walk into. That evening we bought fish and chips from a great place near kohimaramara beach which we took and ate on the shore looking over the bay.
Friday 2nd February
We spent the day doing necessary things in Auckland, and in the afternoon we prepared for the evening's barbeque. We had garlic prawns to start and then steaks, chicken kebabs, sweet corn and salads
01 Huka Falls
. A great meal for our last night in Auckland.Saturday 3rd February
After packing a picnic made up of left-overs from the barbeque the previous evening we left Auckland and made our way to Lake Taupo in the centre of North Island via a small town called Tirau where we stopped off for a drink in a café called Alley Cats, and a wander round the green stone and paua (abalone) workshop. We got to the town of Taupo and checked in to our hostel, and then went for a walk along the shore of the lake, which affords a spectacular view south to snow-capped Mount Ruapehu. That evening we ate at the Irish pub downstairs from the hostel where they offer a $10 menu to hostel residents, and then had an early night so that we would be ready to make the most of our stay. Unfortunately, being Saturday night and a full moon to boot, we were kept awake during the night by partying residents, who, it turned out, lost their key deposits as a result!
Sunday 4th February
Our first stop of the day was Huka Falls, a few kilometres north of Taupo. The most visited waterfall in New Zealand, the drop of ten metres doesn't prepare you for the drama of the 400 cubic metres per second of crystal clear water that tumbles over the narrow ravine
02 Craters of the Moon
. The clarity of the water means that it reflects a deep blue, and the rush of the water and the spray it throws up is spectacular. Next we had our first geothermal experience at the Craters of the Moon, another couple of kilometres further north. A varied landscape with a walk of about one kilometre, there are columns of steam rising directly out of the ground, small fissures and larger craters all over the site, as well as some burbling mud pools which make it sound like the earth's tummy is rumbling. After that we followed advice in the Lonely Planet guide book and found a geothermal walk, again another couple of kilometres further up the road. We loved this site, with its stream carving a steep gorge through it and its lush native bush. There was a feeling of ancient landscape, and we were told that one sulphurous wall was two million years old! We took an hour and a half to do what was billed as a half-hour trek, and finally managed to drag ourselves away to get lunch at a tropical prawn farm whose waters are warmed by the local geothermal activity. On the road back to Taupo we stopped off at a wood workshop where they make artefacts out of native woods such as kauri, and a honey salesroom where they have all manner of products relating to locally farmed honey. To finish off the outing we drove a way down the coast of Lake Taupo and then back to the town for another cheap dinner at MacCuhal's. Sadly the rowdy residents had not learned their lesson the previous night and once again we were disturbed
03 Kai Iwi Beach
!Monday 5th February
That morning we did the white water rafting on the Tongariro River in the name of the MHMF (which I reported on in the previous entry). After we returned to the rafting base at Tokaanu we took a look around the nearby geothermal pools. The pools ranged from tiny puddles which bubbled like a boiling kettle to mini lakes with columns of bubbles rising to the surface. Next we had a longish drive ahead so we had our picnic in the car before setting off on the road to Wanganui on the southwest coast. The views from the road were spectacular, our first real introduction to New Zealand landscapes. We took the Parapara road, and we were told that parapara means clay in Maori. Clay banks were evident all along the route, and the soft quality of the soil explains the dramatically steep gorges which are carved into the landscape by the abundant streams and rivers. We arrived in Wanganui in the early evening and we made our way to the home of our hosts, Clarry and Penny, who we had met just last June when we went to Israel to attend the wedding of Mim's best friend. When they heard about our plans to travel to New Zealand they offered us their hospitality, and we were pleased to visit them in a town which, undoubtedly, we would not have thought of otherwise. We had a summery meal of chicken salad in their garden while the sun went down and, finally, got a peaceful night's sleep!
Tuesday 6th February
Waitangi Day, a national holiday in New Zealand which marks the signing of a historic treaty between the Maoris and the British Empire in 1840. As our hosts had a day off, the four of us went into town and had breakfast at a café close to the museum
04 Kapiti Island
. Then AD and I went off to explore Kai Iwi beach, Kai Iwi Tavern and Bushey Park which is a historic homestead with several acres of grounds and native bush. Then we made our way back into town and went shopping for the ingredients of the dinner which we cooked later and ate in the garden.Wednesday 7th February
Time to make our way from Wanganui to Paekakariki just north of Wellington where we went to stay with a cousin of my father's, Prue, and her partner. We didn't know before we arrived that their house is perched on the shore above the bay with views across the water as far as South Island as well as Kapiti Island which is about three kilometres off the coast. After lunch on the deck we made a phone call and managed to secure limited passes to Kapiti Island for the next day, and then we had to go and pick up our permits that entitled us to visit the island. Then Prue gave us a guided tour of the area, including a lookout point high on the hills above the little town of Paekakariki as well as the highlights of the town itself - the park, the beach and other landmarks like the fish and chip shop! In the early evening we went for a walk down the beach to some rocks where the famous New Zealand mussels grow, and we gathered a bucketful of our own mussels which, after a swim, we took home and steamed as an appetiser
05 Sunset Over South Island
! How fresh and tasty they were, and what a thrill to think that we had gathered them ourselves not an hour earlier! And what a perfect setting for the meal, watching the sunset from the deck.Thursday 8th February
With only one day in the area, we had previously planned to spend it in Wellington, but the opportunity to visit Kapiti Island seemed much more up our street! Our boat was towed from the beach into the sea by a tractor and after arriving at the island we were given the obligatory introductory talk on the island. We then had around six hours to explore the tracks and shore of Kapiti. First we made our way up the first few hundred metres of the steep Trig Track and we were lucky enough to spot several of the island's bird species, some of which are pretty rare but are thriving in the protected environment of the island, which is a nature reserve. Next we went down to the shore where we had our picnic lunch before going snorkelling around the rocks. The half dozen species of fish and the kelp, sponges and sea cucumbers were very different from our previous diving experiences. Then we were about to start climbing the MacKenzie Track when another visitor to the island showed us to the grassy area where she had spotted the island's star bird inhabitant - the takahe, of which there are only around 250 in the world - the most rare bird species we have had the pleasure of seeing in our world-wide twitching travels
06 Queen Charlotte Sound
! Finally we had a short while to explore the MacKenzie Track before the boat came to pick us up at 3pm. With only half the afternoon gone by the time we got back to the mainland, we went further north along the coast to the small town of Waetanae where we had a drink before going down to the shores of the shallow Waetanae river. Then home to freshen up before going for a meal at the Fisherman's Table where we ate on the terrace while watching the sun go down over the bay.Friday 9th February
After breakfast we left Paekakariki and drove to Wellington where we had a couple of hours to spare before catching the Interislander Ferry to South Island. We had something to eat on Courtenay Place in the centre of town and then drove up to the Mount Victoria lookout which commands a 360 degree view of the city. We got the ferry port an hour before departure and boarded our car, and then explored the ferry's facilities as it started its journey. It was a spectacular crossing, with calm waters leading us from the harbour into the Cook Strait and then into Queen Charlotte Sound, where Picton was the destination town. From there we drove the two hours along the Queen Charlotte Drive and further on to Nelson where we arrived with our hosts, two of my Net friends, Wayne and Jennine and their son Corey. We spent the evening chatting and eating fish and chips!
Saturday 10th February
Today we had "Introduction to Nelson 101" - first a visit to the regular Saturday morning market and the Myazu Japanese Garden, then to the local beach which stretches as far as the eye can see, then to Nature Land where we had our first view of the native morpork owl and the kea, the largest of the cockatoo family. This afternoon we have had a chance to catch up on plans, washing and diary writing before eating chicken focaccia for dinner! And that brings me up to date!
I really must take this opportunity to update you on our bird identification challenge, especially in light of the Kapiti Island sightings.
208 &am p;nb sp; Cattle Egret
209 &am p;nb sp; White Necked Heron
210 &am p;nb sp; Australian Brush Turkey
211 &am p;nb sp; Australian Pipit
212 &am p;nb sp; Little Osprey
213 &am p;nb sp; Wedge-tailed Eagle
214 &am p;nb sp; Masked Lapwing
215 &am p;nb sp; Green Sandpiper
216 &am p;nb sp; Little Egret
217 &am p;nb sp; Silver Gull
218 &am p;nb sp; Laughing Gull
219 &am p;nb sp; Bar-tailed Godwit
220 &am p;nb sp; Temminck's Stint
221 &am p;nb sp; Barred Cuckoo Shrike
222 &am p;nb sp; Australian Darter
223 &am p;nb sp; White-browed Robin
224 &am p;nb sp; White-throated Treecreeper
225 &am p;nb sp; Southern Cassowary
226 &am p;nb sp; Magpie Goose
227 &am p;nb sp; Shining Flycatcher
228 &am p;nb sp; Forest Kingfisher
229 &am p;nb sp; Black Bittern
230 &am p;nb sp; Forktail Kite
231 &am p;nb sp; Peaceful Dove
232 &am p;nb sp; Blackfaced Cuckoo Shrike
New Zealand
233 &am p;nb sp; Australasian Harrier
234 &am p;nb sp; Black-tailed Gull
235 &am p;nb sp; Little Shag
236 &am p;nb sp; Little Black Shag
237 &am p;nb sp; Silvereye
238 &am p;nb sp; Fantail
239 &am p;nb sp; Grey Duck
240 &am p;nb sp; Welcome Swallow
241 &am p;nb sp; Tui
242 &am p;nb sp; New Zealand Pigeon
243 &am p;nb sp; New Zealand Robin
244 &am p;nb sp; Tomtit
245 &am p;nb sp; Rifleman
246 &am p;nb sp; Weka
247 &am p;nb sp; Bellbird
248 &am p;nb sp; Stitchbird
249 &am p;nb sp; Whitehead
250 &am p;nb sp; Saddleback
251 &am p;nb sp; Takahe
252 &am p;nb sp; Kakariki
253 &am p;nb sp; Kaka
So as you can see, we have now identified over 250 species! You know what to do if you would like to sponsor us!
Tomorrow we will be spending the day at the Abel Tasman National Park, and on Monday we will be leaving Nelson to explore the rest of South Island where we have two weeks in total before going back to North Island for our last few days in New Zealand. It's amazing how, with all this time travelling, we always feel that there is more we would like to do, given more time!
Email access will be sporadic over the next few weeks, but I'll be doing my best to check them from time to time.
Bye for now!
xesther & AD
