Greymouth, largest town on the West Coast

Back in the states, we live in the village of Bradford. Here in NZ, they don't have villages, they prefer to call them towns. We set off to explore Greymouth, on the weekend of their 22nd annual Street Racing. It sounded like fun and we were not disappointed. To get to Greymouth from Christchurch, we had to drive over the Southern Alps through Arthur's Pass National Park. We got an early start so that we would have time to take advantage of some of the many beautiful walks in Arthur's Pass. The scenery is stunning and like so many of the places we've been so far, not very populated. You can get serious whiplash from twisting your head around to look at all the magnificent views. We were treated to several massive waterfalls, lush rainforest and views which made us feel like we were on top of the world. Happily exhausted, we continued over to the West Coast. We stayed in Hokitika, 30 mins from Greymouth and situated on the Tasman Sea coast. Hokitika is an old gold mining town and is renowned for its Pounamu, NZ greenstone. Choice pieces are carved into ornate sculptures & jewelery. The Maori's place great spiritual significance to this stone. We hiked out to the Hokitika gorge and travelled across the swingbridge, high about the crystal blue water. The next day, we drove over to Greymouth to watch a day of motorcycle racing. It's held downtown on the city streets and only a thin metal cattle fence seperates the crowd from the racers. They are not all professional riders, some are just farm boys looking for a day out but they scream by at obscene speeds.To their credit, there has never been a serious injury in the all the years they have held this. The only thing more exciting than that was watching the All Blacks win the World Cup Rugby match that evening against France. It was a real nail biter with NZ winning 8-7. The following day we drove back across the Alps and enjoyed another hike through the forest this time to Bridal Veil Falls. We arrived back in Christchurch a few hours later. The trip from East to West takes only 2.5 hours so we look forward to doing it again in the future.

Dogless in NZ

I've been a dog lover all my life and I've been fortunate to have several to call my own. The decision to come to NZ and leave our three Dobermans behind was not an easy one for me to make. My husband had a much easier time with it. I had many sleepless nights. However, the opportunity to visit and explore the land of two halves was too great to pass up on. So I said goodbye to 11 year old Zeus, 6 year old Cooper and 2 year old Bella and left them in the very capable hands of my sister-in-law, Marsha.
I admit that life is easier without having to take care of the dogs. We only have to look after ourselves without the added responsibility. That said, there is so much I miss about my dogs. But, because we are so very,very,very far from home, thinking about them is not a luxury I can afford. So instead, I flirt with every dog I meet. A beautiful Vizsla, a Hungarian Pointer, who greets every visitor at his wool shed with an intimidating bark, all at a full run. He reminded me of Zeus, the Protector. Then there was a Border Collie who attached herself to me while I combed the beach for driftwood one day. No owners around but some houses nearby where she must live. She loved to fetch beachstones, and reminded me of Cooper. And then there's Gizmo, a Papillon/Chihuahua mix living on the farm at Lansdowne. Gizzie beats to a different drummer, just like my Bella. Marsha assures me that the dogs are doing well and carrying on just fine without us. So I will have to wait until it is time to return home and be greeted with that old unconditional love again!

The unique wildlife

Since NZ has only two native land mammals (both bat species),our wildlife sightings have been mostly of birds. But my, what a glorious assortment of birds, some flighted, some not. Some like the NZ Falcon, Kokako and Kiwi are endangered and are the intense focus of conservation efforts. Kiwis, for example have an extremely high mortality rate the first year. Only 5% of chicks will survive to adulthood. To increase their chances, wildlife experts take eggs from the wild, incubate them and hand rear them until they are big enough to be put into predator-proof enclosures. When they are of an adequate size to be released, they are taken back to their original home territory. It's been fascinating learning about the effort people have put into these restoration projects. Birds we have spotted in the wild include the Fantail, Tui, Kaka, NZ Falcon, Magpie,Harrier,Shag and our favorite, the Bellbird. "The melodious Bellbird, imitating small bells but with the most tuneable silver sound imaginable" said Joseph Banks (in 1770) a naturalist on Captain James Cook's first expedition to the South Seas.
In captivity, we have observed the Brown Kiwi(nocturnal), the Kokako (beautiful singing voice) and the ancient reptile, the Tuatara (evolved 220 million years ago). Along the coast, we've seen wild Hector's dolphins and the NZ fur seal. The flora is amazing here as well. Ancient trees such as the massive Kauri and Rimu are mixed in with native ferns. It is springtime and flowers of all colors are blooming. Here there are a collection of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. We are so humbled to be experiencing the beauty that is Aotearoa.

Our first A & P Show

Much of New Zealand depends on their very efficient agricultural and horticultural systems. Leading NZ exports include dairy products, meat, fruit, veggies and wool. This was very evident when we attended our first A & P (agriculture & pastoral)event this past weekend. New Zealanders take farming very seriously. And they start the kids early. We were treated to a sheep shearing competition, various displays of tractors and other farm equipment and many judging competitions of sheep, cattle, alpaca and chickens. We arrived a wee bit too late to see the sheep dog competition, unfortunately. The atmosphere was similar to our North Stonington or Washington County fairs except the farm boys here wear oilskin vests and mudboots (also called Wellies). We enjoyed mingling with the crowd, and except for the camera around my neck, we don't look so much like tourists now. Yeah, right.

Wingspan- Birds of Prey Trust

New Zealand's first and only Bird of Prey Centre is located 10 mins. outside of Rotorua, in Paradise Valley. It is here that the endangered NZ Falcon is both rehabilitated and raised in a captive breeding program. After explaining why we had come, we were given a behind-the-scenes tour of their incubation ward and restoration project. Like most Birds of Prey, the NZ falcon chicks have a high mortality rate and so eggs are taken from the wild and incubated at Wingspan until they hatch. Then they are placed with "foster parents" so that they will not imprint on humans. When older, they are placed with falconers who free fly them every day so that they may learn the necessary hunting skills needed for their survival. We were treated to two flying demonstrations with both a male and female NZ falcon. The falconry training appears identical to those techniques used at Born to be Wild Nature Center. Dangers affecting the NZ Falcon are predation by stoats, ferrets, wild pigs and oppossums as well as man, who continue to shoot a hundred per year.

Rotorua- heartland of Maori culture

We were warned ahead of time so we did not really mind the pungent smell of sulfur as we headed for our destination, The Kowhai & Colonial Motel in Rotorua City. What a lovely place, our fully equipped apt. included a private little patio, containing a 4 person Jacuzzi. Also on the premises, was a hot mineral pool (John soaked his aching elbow) and a heated swimming pool (Viv did laps). After a short time, we became oblivious to the sulfur smell. Rotorua is nestled in one of the most active geothermal and volcanic regions in the world.Towering volcanoes, now dormant, are reminders of the land's turbulent past. Volcanic basins are a chain of crystal blue lakes. Bubbling hot mud pools are all around the city. We enjoyed exploring this interesting region and one of the highlights was seeing the Tarawera Falls. One of the most spectacular falls in the Bay of Plenty, the Tarawera plunges 65 metres down a sheer cliff before tumbling down bush-lined rapids. The roar of water was deafening. Such a powerful sight and the walk to the falls through lush rainforest will be one of our greatest memories.

Not all who wander are lost

We began our first full day on the North Island at the Pukaha Mt. Bruce Wildlife Center. This Center houses some of New Zealand's most threatened species such as the Takahe, Kokako and Kiwi (birds), the Tuatara (reptile). The primeval forest at Pukakha Mt. Bruce is the largest remaining remnant of ancient forest on the North Island. We watched a baby Kiwi being fed by one of the staff as part of their restoration project. We enjoyed walking around their outdoor aviaries and even got a photo of a wild Kaka, a native parrot. Then it was off to Napier, in the heart of the Hawkes Bay region. Driving past kilometers of vineyards, we soon knew why they call it the wine capital of the North. We managed to find NZ's oldest winery, Mission Estate, which is housed in a converted Seminary, nestled above Napier. They have produced fine wines since 1851. After an overnight stay at a motel, we headed off to Lake Taupo, NZ's largest lake. The main road leading to the lake was again a steep, narrow, winding passage across the "hills". We discovered that logging is a big industry here and there were many, many precariously close encounters with huge, tandem logging trucks on these narrow roads. Not the most relaxing ride! Lake Taupo overlooks a volcano and is a beautiful lakeside resort community. It is springtime here so the summer time crowds and boats have not yet arrived. Pretty much every where we go, we have to ourselves. It's really heaven here!

A tour of the North Island

We were treated to the sight of an unexpected waterfall this morning on the way to catch the ferry in Picton. We were driving on highway 1, a narrow,winding coastal road and came around a corner to see it. Luckily, we've learned to keep the camera on our lap when driving. Often, there's no room to pull over so you have to click as you drive by. We arrived at the ferry early so we got to stroll through the shops in downtown Picton. The ferry ride was 3.5 hrs long but it's a huge ship with a food court, cinema, pub,observation deck etc on board(it even had cattle in the freight area). For $7 you could get internet service as well. We were car #7 off at Wellington, so we were happy to get on the road quickly. We drove out of Wellington and over the gorgeous Mt. Tararua Range with it's deeply grooved valleys. Again, the roads are steep and narrow with many, many hairpin curves. We arrived an hour later in Masterson, for a good night's rest at a nice, little motel. Tommorow, it's off to Mt. Bruce Wildlife Ctr. and then up to Napier, the art deco city-ooh la-la!