Post one

Hello all, this is the first of the Blogs from our trip doon under. Spring has certainly come out to greet us here in South Island, NZ. We walked back from church this morning with a huge, snow-capped mountain range to our left and the ocean and beach to our right. The gardens are full of rhododendrons, liliac, wisteria and all sorts of spring flowers and the trees are in new leaf or blossom. Its like waking up and find yourself born again!

Not that the journey contained much sleep. It was two days of purgatory as far as I was concerned, with about two hours of successful dozing in all. Stephen fared much better and managed to plug himself into Mozart on the headphones and fall asleep for good stretches at a time. However, he also missed some of the memorable journeys over remoter regions of the world. I found looking down over the bleak hills of Afghanistan a very moving experience, particularly as we had just learned that the mother of the British woman murdered there, last week, lives almost next door to us.

The dawn coming up over the outback in southern Australia was pretty memorable too: a vast red and purple landscape tattooed with snaking rivers and water holes. We stopped for a fuel stop in Bangkok where a refreshing tropical smoothie made from local fruit made a welcome change from aeroplane food. We also stopped in Sydney where we changed planes, had, a wash and a very welcome stroll around the airport to stretch our legs.

It was very hard to be so near our daughter, in Sydney yet not being able to see her for another fortnight. However, having arrived in New Zealand, I am glad that we came here first. Lord of the Rings may have brought welcome tourism to the country but the films do not prepare you for the splendour and stunning beauty of the New Zealand Alps in real life. They are a spectacular backdrop to the scenery here. Last night there was a fresh fall of snow on their tops so today they glittered white and pristine in the spring sunshine. The sunlight is very clear and strong here and the air sharp and cold, as if it is blowing straight in from Antarctica: a curious mixture of two intensities.

This morning, we went to St Mary’s Anglican Church for the Choral Eucharist. It is a delightful Victorian building with what the Archbishop of Canterbury described as the best "Stained glass windows in the Southern Hemisphere". The organ casing is decorated with local birds which appear to be singing their praises to God. The Scottish granite pillars are capped with stones depicting carved leaves of local flora. As for the service and the congregation, you might have been worshipping in any country church service in England. In fact, quite a few of the congregation were English, including a lovely couple in their eighties from West Sussex who came out three years ago to spend their last years with their daughters over here.

After a delicious pub lunch with our friends, sampling some of the local lamb, we went for a "Tiki tour" – a drive around Timaru to see the sights. The Botanic gardens and the rose garden by the beach were both superb. The Botanic Garden was a riot of rhododendrons and other spring flowers. The shopping areas were empty, as are the streets. It is so strange to drive around with so few cars everywhere. The population of Timaru is about 28,000 but I don’t know where the people are hiding! At night the place is silent with no sound of traffic or rowdy drunks. It is most strange.

After ten hours sleep, last night, I am beginning to feel human again but I can now feel sleepiness descend and I think its time for an afternoon nap- A good thing, in moderation, this jet lag! We’ve been dashing about so much that a over a week has gone by and I’ve not had time to sit down at the computer. In fact, we fly to Oz in 2 days time and we have to say good bye to this lovely country. In that time, we have covered a lot of South Island but have had no time to venture to North Island which is ironic because it was community of contemplative nuns living on the North Island that first made me want to come to New Zealand.

However, we have had our own times of contemplation. I’ve learned a great deal about waiting on this trip. We’ve waited to see albatross, penguins, whales and kiwis – long waiting that has finally ended in fulfilment. While we have waited we’ve seen other things too which seemed inconsequential at the time but are now part of the memory that we will take with us. I think T.S. Eliot made this point in the Four Quartets somewhere!

On Monday of the first week we went with our friends for a drive to Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki. These lakes are most extraordinary turquoise which come from the volcanic dust in their depths. Lake Tekapo has a small church of the Good Shepherd on its shores and the altar and congregation look out over the lake. The snow capped mountains and shining blue of the water make a stunning scene. We moved onto Lake Pukaki which is a man made lake fed by a canal from Lake Tekapo to provide hydro electric power for the area. It is no less stunning for that, as Mount Cook , New Zealand’s highest mountain at 12,349 ft, makes a noble backdrop to the water. It was a hot day and the lake water looked so cool and inviting as it lapped the shore that I could not resist going down for a paddle. I had not reckoned on very aggressive, nesting terns who screeched at me angrily and dive bombed my head. Not to be deterred, hand bag on my head, I moved down the beach away from their space and enjoyed my paddle immensely.

On Tuesday, we decided that the lure of the mountains was so great that we ought to try and book a helicopter ride over the Southern Alps and some of the glaciers. We spent ages arranging this in the local tourist office in Timaru, then went on an ‘explore Timaru’ expedition. The local museum was a good source introduction to local birds, geological history of New Zealand and culture. We also visited a fantastic local art gallery which was full of Modern and Victorian New Zealand artists with some really stunning pictures and sculptures.

On Wednesday, our friends, Stephen and I set off down south to the university town of Dunedin. On the way we stopped at Moeraki beach where there is the most amazing geological phenomenon. The beach is littered with a series of completely spherical boulders. These are a mixture of mudstone and crystals which have emerged from the cliff face through erosion and one is in the process of emerging, as if the cliff is laying an egg. They were quite fascinating.

When we arrived in Dundedin, we had a good look round the University of Otago campus which is the oldest in New Zealand and looks like any other gothic Victorian campus with modern buildings added on except it is surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds bursting with wisteria and rhododendrons and waterways. The railway station is another stunning Victorian edifice with Royal Doulton tiles on its floors. After a curry and a good, night’s sleep in a local motel, we drove on to the Otago peninsular.

Our first stop on Thursday was Larnach Castle. It is New Zealand’s only castle that was built by an enterprising chap with his first wife’s money. Unfortunately, she never lived to see its completion. It is a little bit of baronial Scotland in New Zealand but it is its gardens that are the most compelling. There are all sorts of sections of planting which include areas of native New Zealand plants, a wonderful rockery, a South Seas garden and fantastic avenue of laburnums that looks out over the bay. The garden is still being developed and planted and has been a lifetime’s labour of love for the present owners and their family.

After delicious coffee and cakes (the kiwis do love their cakes and pies!) in what was once the ballroom, hung with crystal chandeliers and great swags of curtains, served by kilted waitresses, we drove to the tip of the peninsular to see Royal Albatross. These stand over a metre high and have a wingspan of three metres. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to go near them as they were nesting but we caught sight of a couple of them as they wheeled overhead. Their size and elegance is quite staggering. There was a very informative centre which told you of the threat that multiple hooks on line fishing boats are causing to Albatross and the ways this is being combated by the fishermen themselves.

We also went on a trek around the nesting area of Yellow-eyed penguins, up and down hills and through camouflaged dug outs to see them in a variety of poses as they sat under protective A frames made for them in the bush. Yellow eyeds are very monogamous and usually mate for life. The parents take it in turn to sit on the eggs while the other one goes out to sea to eat.

We finished off the day looking at other breeding penguins at Oamaru on the way home . We had to wait until dusk for the tiny blue penguin to come up from the sea to greet its brooding mate. After what seemed like hours of staring at the water and the failing light, 70+ little penguins slowly made their way up the rocky beach in groups of about 15, pausing at established resting places before making their way to the nesting area. They made a considerable racket for their tiny size which is only about 12" tall. They were absolutely delightful to watch, particularly as they all stood at the edge of the path and waited as if they were crossing a busy thoroughfare then made a dash for it!

Friday was up in the sky day. We set off in the morning to slowly make our way to Lake Tekapo and the helicopter flight we had booked. However on the way our friends rang to say that the helicopter company had cancelled the flight due to bad weather. We decided we would drive to Mount Cook and then go to see a glacier on foot. However, when we arrived at Lake Tekapo the sun was shining and we decided to see if there were light aircraft flights taking place. We were told that a flight was due to leave in 15 mins or so and dashed to the airfield before we had chance to feel really nervous (which I was!).

Our pilot was young and confident and from England. He had studied geography at Leeds and then come out on a visit to NZ and stayed. It was just as well he exuded confidence because the flight was pretty hair raising. We were joined by three Americans on a coach tour and then set off in a very rickety old plane which we were told was chosen because it had the extra boost to get up and over the low cloud. We needed it. The weather over the mountains was very rough and the ride was very bumpy indeed. I hung onto the handle of the plane petrified but also staggered by the beauty of it all. We were not able to fly right over the Alps to the West Coast because of the weather but we flew round Mount Cook and looked over two glaciers. We were so close to the summit of Mount Cook that I felt sure we were going to crash, but Phil the pilot was very reassuring and able.

From the air, we were able to see the vast glacial plain at the foot of the Alps and the impressions that glacial melt water had made on the landscape. Across this plain, the turquoise canal carried water from Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki and then onto another lake, in the distance. In the winter this is an area where skiing, skating and other snow sports are enjoyed. The plane landed at Lake Pukaki first, where the American tour party was waiting. They all stood at the fence and greeted us like long, lost heroes. Then S & I flew back to Lake Tekapo with the pilot. Both of us emerged from the plane somewhat shaken but so glad to have had the experience. I shall carry the image of the ice blue glacier cascading off Mount Cook in slow motion and the black snake of the Tasman glacier crawling along the valley bottom in my mind from now on. To steady our nerves we ended the day with a posh meal out where the pudding was an amazing composition of crème brulee, chocolate brownie, double choc ice cream and summer fruit compote! Just as well I had sole and spinach and salad for the main course!

On Saturday, we had a slow start but we went to St Mary’s to celebrate the feast of All Saints. Then we had to make our way up to the north of South Island for whale watching on Sunday at Kaikoura. We ambled up the scenic route to the pretty town of Geraldine where I sampled some very good ice cream- ginger nut and fig and honey flavours. (The Kiwis love their ice cream too- they are the 3rd largest consumers in the world, which, considering there are only a few million of them, is pretty impressive indeed.) It was a long rainy journey to the north and our hopes of seeing the whales were getting lower and lower as we had been told that rain and fog were not good for whale watching. I drove the last leg of the journey which happened to be over slippery mountain passes and certainly challenged my steering.

However, when we arrived at Kaikoura, we found a beautiful motel room with all mod cons overlooking the ocean. The motel receptionist assured us that the weather would be better by the following day, and it was. Meanwhile we consoled ourselves with a wonderful meal in their posh restaurants where our neighbours were a huge party of Russians who seemed to know how to enjoy themselves. I sampled the local crayfish for which Kaikoura is famous. Its not like our freshwater crayfish but more like a smallish lobster. It was certainly very good, with sweet, tender flesh. We had new season’s asparagus in hollandaise with our main course.. This was followed by the most delicious chocolate and Grand Marnier crème brulee with hazelnut and chocolate tuiles and oranges in a Grand Marnier syrup. Stephen had some equally delightful concoction based on mangoes. They like their composite puddings, the Kiwis do!

After a long sleep we awoke on Sunday to brilliant sunshine and the bell bird singing out its sonorous notes. The sound is unbelievable and carries clear and strong across the air. Our balcony overlooked the ocean which was glittering in the classic way you see in Holywood films but it was real! We went decided that we had time to go to church before we booked in for the 10.30 whale trip. However we had not reckoned on the church having a visting preacher who had got up at 5 and driven all the way down from Nelson for the 8.30 service. He was obviously determined that we should get our money’s worth and went on for what seemed like hours, so we were relieved to dash out straight after communion to the sunshine and flowers and the sound of the bellbird.

The whalewatch was tremendous. They had warned us that it would be very rough- "like a washing machine" so we took some travel sickness tablets as a precaution.These stood us in very good stead. However, although the ride was bumpy. the boat was so comfortable upholstered that we enjoyed the high speed bouncing through the wave. We saw two sperm whales and watched as they flung theior tales up in the air and dived. The whales in the Kaikarou area are all males. the females and youngsters are up in warmer waters where the males join them to mate. However in irder to be considered a suitable male for mating you have to grow fat, so the males tak advantage of the deep ravine about 10 miles from shore where the giant squid, there favourite diet is plentiful. Sperm whales are toothed whales and were called sperm whales because some early whalers thought thought that the giant oil pool in their heads was, in fact, their reproductive liquid. Some masculine fancy, I guess.