Traveling in New Zealand

My wife and I traveled in New Zealand between 25 December 1999 and 14 January 2000. During our trip we took pictures with our Kodak DC50 digital camera. Using AOL/Compuserve we were able to send them back from our WinBookFX for all to see here on our Home Page. The following journal can be used to follow our adventures.

These pictures are best viewed in thousands of colors!

We made it all right.

I recommend flying Business Class if you can afford it. We arrived without any of the travelling problems I experienced on my trip to Australia. No swollen feet and a good night's rest. There was lots of room and the seats reclined with feet up. I think Nancy is spoiled.

The airport in Auckland could use some better signage. We missed the driver who was there to pick us up. We needed to turn left into the group pickup area, but there was no sign to that effect. We got hooked up about an hour late with the driver and arrived at the hotel around 0730.

We spent the morning doing nothing and then went out to get lunch around 1100. Most everything was closed done here for Christmas, but we found a restaurant in the Americas Cup village and had fish 'n' Chips for lunch. Then we walked around the Americas Cup area for a while. This is called the City of Sails. It certainly looks like that.

We returned to the hotel and lay around until the evening when we had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant.

You can see all the pictures at:

It was another nice day in Auckland. We spent the day being tourists. We started with Lunch at Cin Cin (pronounced chin chin) on the waterfront. Then we took the ferry over to Devonport. Devonport is a part of Auckland, but on the other side of the bay. It's an upscale section originally settled 150 years ago. There are two volcanic mountains there. The location was used by the military to guard the harbor and the navy is stationed there still. We had a nice tour of about 1.5 hours. The views were very nice. My pictures don't do enough justice to them.

Both Nancy and I took a hand at the casino tonight. Neither did any good. These have to be the worst slots I've seen.

Tomorrow we start the bus tour.

We joined the tour and set out for the Northlands. Soon we ran out of motorway and it'll be two lane roads from now on. Much of the day was spent learning about the Kauri tree. No, I hadn't heard of it before either. There aren't many left since the Europeans arrived and cut them all down. Sound familiar? The trees are very large and produce much high-grade wood. We visited some of the areas where the trees are protected.

The afternoon finished with a visit to the site of the treaty between the English and the native Maori people.

We took a different coach today so we could drive along the beach on the west side of the most northern peninsula leading up to Cape Reinga, the northern most part of NZ.

We had a picnic lunch along the beach and a long trip back to Waitangi.

29 December 1999 - Auckland - Temp low to upper sixties

The morning was spent taking a boat tour around the Bay of Isles. The highlight was a journey through the 'Hole in the Rock'. Lunch was at a place called the Zane Grey Resort. This was on an island used by Zane Grey to write his 'western' novels. You remember Zane Grey. I do. My father had a complete collection of his works.

After lunch we had a most remarkable encounter. I looked at the couple next to us on the boat and said 'Now where do I know that person from?' When the woman moved I noted the man's tee shirt said Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He was the Assistant Principle of the cello section. We struck up a conversation and were invited back stage sometime. It was most amazing.

The afternoon was spent travelling back to Auckland. It's true; there are cows and sheep all over the place. And it's GREEN!

We started in Auckland and visited Mt. Eden a volcano and the highest point in the city. Then it was trough the countryside and Hamilton toward Rotorua.

After lunch we went to the Waitomo Caves. These caves are different from your average caves. On the ceiling of the cave live Glow Worms. These are fly larva which attract prey by emitting a glow in the cave. Insects get attracted by the light they emit and get trapped in tentacles. The trip includes a ride in a boat in the dark caves so that the glow worms put on quite a light show.

Then to Rotorua where we attended a Hangi feast tonight. I got to play the visiting Chief. But since we didn't take the camera, you'll have to wait for pictures of that. The Hangi feast is like a Hawaiian Luau (sp?). It was quite enjoyable.

Our morning was spent sightseeing around the Rotoura area. First we went to the Agrodome and were entertained by a bunch of sheep. My words can't describe the show. But, in case you didn't know, there are 19 different kinds of sheep in New Zealand. Some are bred for wool and some are bred for lamb chops.

In the afternoon we walked around Rotorua. In the evening it is raining, but we ventured out to the lake front to watch the Maori canoe come in and light a welcome in the lake. This was at 2100 and we have returned to the hotel. We will venture out in the rain just before midnight to see the scheduled fireworks.

Will report after midnight on state of world here.

We went out to the lake front in the rain. It is about 100 yd. from the hotel. There is a band playing there all night. And a band playing outside our hotel right now. Sleep may be a problem. There was a countdown, followed by a large fireworks display.

We made it back to the hotel and the elevators still work, as do all other
services. No Y2K bug yet.

We had received a Y2K bag with emergency materials and a plan for use in case of problems. Most importantly, New Zealand people included a large bar of bittersweet chocolate as an emergency ration and the bar in the room is well stocked!

1 January 2000 - Wellington - Temp high sixties - Misting

This day was spent travelling from Rotorua to Wellington. Most of the day was cloudy and raining. Highlights included seeing the active volcano Rapehua from a distance and from the coach and seeing the plumbing for the New Zealand's geo thermal electric power generator. Awesome!!

Tomorrow it's across Cook's Strait to the South Island.

There are no pictures for today.

2 January 2000 - Nelson - Temp mid sixties - Raining

Today we took the ferry from Wellington to the South Island. I got some pictures of Wellington harbor and of the Queen Charlotte Sound.

When we got to the South Island it rained most of the way to Nelson.

I think I'm getting a cold. Nancy went out to look around Nelson while I stay in for now.

Today's trip was through the countryside. Most of the time it was sunny and fairly warm.

Highlight of the day was the ocean at Pancake rocks. This is one of the places where the ocean has worn away part of the rocks causing a blow condition at high tide. We weren't there at high tide, but it still was interesting.

We were entertained in the evening by a local show.

I'm definitely getting a cold or something. I didn't feel particularly well all day.

4 January 2000 - Franz Joseph Glacier - Temp high sixties, seventy in the sun - Mostly clear

In the morning we visited a replica of an old gold mining town called Shantytown. Sovereign Hill at Ballarat in Victoria, Australia is much better.

The highlight of the trip occurred in the afternoon when we reached the Franz Joseph Glacier. We took a helicopter ride up over the glacier and stopped on top of Fox Glacier. It was marvelous.

I felt better today, but my cough won't go away. It seems to have progressed down to my chest. Tomorrow we will see a doctor in Queenstown.

5 January 2000 - Queenstown - Temp seventies - Sunny

We spent the morning travelling along the western coast in the temperate rain forest. This area gets up to 30 meters (that's close to 100 feet) of rain each year. It was sunny, which has to be unusual. This is caused by warm moist air coming from the west - Queensland, Australia - which hits the Southern Alps and turns into rain and snow.

Around noon we made it up and over Haast Pass. The rainfall on the eastern side of the peaks falls off dramatically form the 100 feet to only several inches. The area reminds of the high desert areas like in Nevada. There are many crater lakes formed as the glaciers receded at the end of the last ice age. There are lots of sheep and cattle.

I felt better today, but my cough won't go away. We saw the doctor and she pronounced bronchitis and prescribed cough medicine and amoxycillin. The antibiotic should take care of the problem.

Tomorrow is a day 'at leisure' in Queenstown. I don't know if there will be pictures. Stay tuned.

Day at leisure in Queenstown. We did nothing. Everyone else was out jet boating, rafting, bungy jumping, et al. We just walked about the town and lost our money at the casino.

In the evening we took a boat trip on the lake and had a very nice meal at a sheep station. The boat was a steamer driven with coal. This is the last of many used on the lake before WWII.

Have been taking the medication and feel better.

No pictures for today

Today we did Milford Sound. That was great. But even greater was flying back to Te Anau in a Cessna seven seater.

Reflection: Except near Auckland and Wellington, all the roads here are two-lane. There is not enough traffic to warrant more lanes. It's like how I remember driving in the states when I learned to drive in the late fifties. Except!!! The bridges are one lane. Again, they don't think there is enough traffic to warrant building a second lane on the bridge. It doesn't matter what kind of bridge either. The most unusual ones are the ones combined with railway tracks. That's one lane for cars going both ways and trains going both ways.

I'm taking the medicine, but the cough hasn't gone away yet.

This morning was spent travelling from Te Anau to Dunedin. We went south to the Southern Sea and then east to Dunedin. It was cold and raining to start. By the afternoon it was not quite so cold and cloudy.

The afternoon and evening was spent seeing the albatross and penguins. This was quite fun. There will be pictures, but not tonight.

I'm taking the medicine, but the cough hasn't gone away yet.

9 January 2000 - Mt. Cook Village - Temp high sixties - Sunny

Today we made the trip from Dunedin to Mt. Cook Village on the east side of the Southern Alps. Mt. Cook is the highest spot in New Zealand. The mountain is very pretty.

Reflection: The kind of tour we are on is good for seeing a little of a lot of things. It's really not good for stopping to smell the roses. It does allow one to know where the roses are. Then, at least you can come back later.

I'm still taking the medicine, but the cough hasn't gone away yet.