Top of the Ski Mountain
39°12′59″ S 175°33′14″ E

Get a cup of coffee & a comfy chair – this is an extended length blog entry 🙂

Today was an exciting day for us but ironically, one of the things that got us so excited today is something we came to Australia & New Zealand to avoid – SNOW! However there was lots of snow where we went today & we were very happy to see it.

Yesterday we arrived at our hotel in Whakapapa Village in the fog & pouring rain & there were no mountains to be seen anywhere. Today, especially this morning, was a completely different story! The mountains were “back” to greet us & they did not disappoint!

Whakapapa Village sits at the bases of Mount Ngauruhoe, also famous for its inspiration as Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings movies, & Mount Ruapehu – the highest mountain on New Zealand’s North Island.

We started the day by taking a short drive to the Whakapapa ski area. On the way there we got some fantastic views of Mount Ngauruhoe.

When we arrived at the base of the ski area we saw that someone had a bad experience parking their vehicle. It was a humorous sight to see but it could have just as easily been me – so I don’t want to be too smug about it.

The Whakapapa ski area is the largest downhill skiing place in New Zealand. Staff there told us that they host about 6,000 skiers per day during the peak season & that the season (June – October) has just recently come to an end.

The landscape on the mountain is interesting as it’s a volcano that is completely devoid of any trees & other plant life.

We took a gondola from the base of the ski area up to the top of the mountain – about 6,600 feet – the same elevation we were at in Ghandruk, Nepal last year but with way less effort!

There is a huge day lodge up there that offers amazing views.

We were very fortunate that there were no clouds on the mountain while we were there & we got lots of great photos.

There were also notices posted in the bathrooms for everyone to read telling you what to do if the volcano started to erupt!

Made me think of Jimmy Buffett’s song lyrics “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know where I’m a gonna go when the volcano blows!” Something to contemplate while you are sitting on the toilet….

We spent a couple of hours at the day lodge & then took the gondola back down to the parking lot.

Next on the agenda were a couple of short walks on nearby trails. One trail we took was to Tawhai Falls which we found out later was the location where in one the Lord of the Rings movies Gollum was shown fishing in the “pool” at the bottom of the falls. If I would have know that earlier I would have jumped in the pool myself!

After our short hikes we went to the Visitor Information Center to learn more about the area & see their displays. We watched a short movie about how New Zealand is trying to deal with invasive species predators such as rats & stoats (weasels) that are posing a serious threat to native wildlife – especially the Kiwi bird.

We have been in New Zealand for almost 2 weeks & we haven’t yet seen a live Kiwi. I was feeling a bit deprived until one of the presenters in the movie stated that he had been working with wildlife in this country for almost 20 years & has still not seen any live Kiwi in their natural settings.

We did see this stuffed kiwi bird at the visitor centre

and this very unique road sign!

We finished the day by walking up to a backpackers lodge that was close to our hotel. We had beer & nachos in their scenic laid back lounge complete with comfy couches and fireplace.

While we were there a staff member showed us a photo of the most recent eruption of Mount Ngauruhoe in 1977. I copied the photo below of the 1977 eruption from the internet. Thankfully the mountain giant lay sleeping while we were here.

We were pretty tired by the time we got back to our hotel – but we were just in time to watch a free movie showing of James Bond’s Skyfall in the hotel’s cinema lounge. Hard to pass up an opportunity like that so we dipped into our energy reserve tanks & settled in for a few hours more entertainment.

Popcorn anyone?

Nov 19 – Tongariro
39°11′58″ S 175°32′23″ E

We were sad to say goodbye to our B&B hosts Wendy and Peter in Napier this morning. Not sure if we will ever make it back to Napier but if we do, we will certainly be staying here!

After another hearty breakfast we hit the road. Wendy recommended going east to Waiouru on a less traveled road and stopping there to see the National Army Museum.

We passed through some spectacular countryside, through agricultural areas famous for kumera – sweet potatoes and carrots as well as fruit orchards.

The highway had many twist and turns and changes in elevation through gorges and valleys then opening out into grazing lands of sheep, cattle and the occasional horse.

We were amazed at how wide & expansive these grazing lands were as we were up at a pretty substantial elevation.

We watched a storm coming in from the west and soon were in the middle of a downpour. We were glad for a stop at the New Zealand National Army Museum in Waiouru. The 3 photos below were copied from the Museum’s website.

The weather suited the sombre displays of New Zealand’s armed forces through the two World Wars and earlier times as well.

The museum was very well done.

Cath was especially taken with a special exhibit of women through both wars, with details of their lives and mannequins of clothing that they would have worn at different decades.

It was still raining heavily when we left Waiouru and made our way to Tongariro National Park about an hour away.

The clouds were low as we drove up to Chateau Tongariro where we were going to stay for the next two nights. We were very glad to be getting out of the car and into such a grand hotel.

It was still pretty unpleasant outside but we made the best of the situation & had a great “high tea” in the hotel’s classy lobby/relaxation area.

This treat brightened Cath’s (& my own) perspective.

Here’s hoping the clouds lift tomorrow!

Cheers!

Napier, Art Deco City
39.4892° S, 176.9186° E

This morning started off with “Pete’s Special” breakfast for me – poached eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and toast with homemade lime marmalade. Cath opted for fruit and yogurt! No need for lunch for me.

During breakfast we enjoyed chatting with two sisters from Germany who were also staying at the B&B.

Today we had a mixed agenda. Napier is well known as an important vineyard & wine production area with 74 local wineries & also as a city that has over 100 art deco style buildings.

The city was destroyed in 1931 by a major earthquake. At the time of rebuilding art deco architecture was very much in vogue so a significant part of the downtown commercial area was filled with buildings built in this style.

Years later, when other architectural styles became more popular, the local citizens & the government realized that Napier had something very unique & the majority of these buildings were preserved & are still here today.

We wandered around the downtown enjoying the building facades, stained glass and tiled entrance ways. We also walked along the beach front. Hawke’s Bay is huge but there is no sand, only smooth grey pebbles/stones. There were many beautiful flower gardens along the walkway.

From there we drove up to Bluff Hill for a view of the harbour.

Our B&B host Wendy had recommended the Mission Estates Winery for a tasting. Established in 1851, it is the oldest winery in New Zealand. The winery & the main buildings are part of a former French Catholic seminary that once trained as many as 600 priests.

They did not offer a tour but had many historic photos of the seminary & it’s beginnings as a winery. Our host Jacquie gave us a tasting of several different wines, starting with a bubbly and finishing with a dessert wine.

The outdoor restaurant area was very busy with large groups of well dressed locals mixed in with tourists like us. Happily they fit us in! I opted for a salad while Cath enjoyed green lipped mussels, a local specialty along with a glass of Pinot Gris. We drove out happily on the driveway lined with trees planted 100 years ago!

We went back to our B&B for a little rest and then I drove Cath back downtown for a swim at the City’s 25m outdoor pool beside the ocean. It wasn’t as spectacular as Bondi Icebergs but it was warmer!

Back at our B&B Wendy and Peter invited us to join them on their back deck for a glass of wine and some nibbles. They are such warm and welcoming hosts who really wanted us to have an excellent stay as their guests at the B&B and in the area. Easy to do!

Cheers!

38°21′27″ S 176°22′9″ E
Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Area

This morning we took a short walk to see the avocado orchard owned by our hosts at the Purple Hen B&B.

Avocado trees looked nothing like we expected!

Then we traveled south to Napier with a stop along the way to see the geothermal pools at Wai-O-Tapu which is just past Rotorua.

This geological feature is amazing & is well developed to accommodate large numbers of tourists. It was the first time that we felt a bit crowded here in New Zealand. That said, the crowds did not interfere with us having a good experience & being able to see almost everything we had hoped to see.

There is a geyser that erupts every day around 10:00 in the morning but unfortunately we were about 45 minutes too late for that. However there was still lots of other sights here to see.

There were numerous deep sulfur craters with bubbling mud at the bottom & others filled with steaming hot water.

There were no places to soak as all of them were far too hot – some well over 100 C!

Depending upon which way the wind was blowing the smell of sulphur was quite strong – almost enough to gag you!

We left the hot pools and continued south to Napier, about a 2 hour drive through rolling hills and winding roads.

We checked into our B&B – 119 on Georges – and were greeted by our genial hosts Wendy and Peter.

After a brief rest we drove to the downtown area, had a late lunch/early supper at a sidewalk cafe, then headed back to our cozy room.

More adventures in Napier tomorrow.

Cheers!

36.3712° S, 174.6299° E
Sheepworld, Warkworth, NZ

This morning we headed south on State Highway 1 towards Auckland. We arrived at Sheepworld after an hour and a half for the 11:00 am show of sheep dogs and sheep shearing.

The setting is laid out like a small farm with pens of different kinds of sheep, cows, donkeys, pigs, alpacas and emus. We bought some bags of food and enjoyed feeding the animals. The emus were very keen to meet us & have a snack! They reminded us of some of the creatures in Jurassic Park!

Our host & guide, John, took to the small stage introduced us to the dogs – Boy, Mac and Muz.

Boy and Mac are New Zealand Heading dogs that he called “Eye Dogs” for their ability to maintain eye contact with him and not barking. They are descended from Border Collies whose long hair was not suited to the heat. Muz is a Huntaway Dog bred for their loud, deep bark to help with herding. John put them through their paces.

Boy was off like a shot over the fence and up a hill to herd a flock of about 20 sheep down to the paddock.

It was great to watch Boy respond on cue to the calls and whistles of John. Mac, only 7 months old, already knows his rights and lefts and how to work in a circle with John.

Muz barked on command and did his duty without the natural herding instinct of the other dogs.

We went back inside and John did a great job explaining the sheep farming industry in New Zealand and then demonstrated how sheep shearing is done. Very physical labour!

Shearers are expected to shear a minimum of 300 sheep a day and world record holders can do more than 700! At $2.15 per sheep!

Muz’s work was done so he settled in for a rest on a fresh wool rug!

We left the rural setting of the sheep paddock and continued on our way through the very urban environment of downtown Auckland, with construction and volume slowdowns. It was quite a contrast but not too difficult.

Our destination was the small town of Katikati on the east coast. We had hoped for a farm stay on our trip and this was pretty close – the Purple Hen Guest House with an avocado orchard!

We found an Indian restaurant in town and enjoyed a tasty dinner before retiring to our room at the guest house.

Not a baaaad day!