World Travels: 2012

Sunday 30 December 2012

Auckland after Christmas

The 4 bedroomed house in which we are staying in the suburb of Ponsonby would have served well for our needs except for the fact that the owners had left all their many possessions in place including all their clothing. We all had to live from our cases spread around the living areas. They also left their two cats!

The main compensation for us was the great view of central Auckland with its Sky Tower, which dominates even at night. On our last and only wholly sunny day we went up the tower to its top observation platform at 220m and were able to look down on the places we had been to during our stay.

Looking over the Domain, a parkland and within it the grand mansion housing the Auckland museum. Not up to the standard of Te Papa in Wellington - too much crowded in and poorly displayed.

Looking out towards Waikeke Island to where we took a ferry crossing and then a hop-on hop-off bus round it...

...and had lunch and a walk along one of its lovely beaches.

Looking out over the harbour bridge we crossed to another beach, Takapuna, where Peter went with Helen at the end of his last visit here. We have a photo of him in the water there. I took my shoes off and went paddling in the water and thought of him. Very upsetting but I'm pleased I did it.

While we were looking out from the Sky Tower people were taking the Skyjump; a leap off and fall for 11 seconds at 85k per hour. Another thought of Peter when Olivia said she wouldn't want to do it but her daddy would have. He probably would have, too.

And looking out towards where we were staying, in about the centre of the picture, and with Victoria Park not far from us.

One of my guide books on Auckland says its centre can appear rather 'scrappy'. That has been my impression so far. But it goes on to say there are some hidden nooks and crannies including the town hall and civic theatre in Aotea Square, which I looked down on from the Sky Tower and determined to explore those and others suggested by the guide when we return to Auckland after Russell.

Robert Cole

Auckland over Christmas

Our stay in Rotorua completed for a while our tours round New Zealand. We now drove to Auckland where we found in Georgina Street the house, which we are hiring together for the week over Christmas. Matt and Denise had already arrived and showed us to the first floor bedroom and sitting area with great views from a small balcony over central Auckland. Great views when it was sunny...

...but not quite so good when it rained, as it did frequently during the first few days.

I managed mainly to get in walks between showers and otherwise got wet.

The area our house is in is a pleasant enough suburb but the walk to get to the centre is through a rather shabby area and passes Victoria Park, which is not much more than a patch of grass in the shadow of the overhead viaduct of the motorway system.

The Central Business District is ok but the most attractive part of Auckland is round the harbour. Matt told me that was developed for hosting the America's Cup in 2003. As New Zealand lost the Cup and that was followed by the recession, the area has not been developed further and has an unfinished feel.

On Christmas Eve I went along with Clodagh and others, including granddaughter Olivia, to a children's mass at the Catholic Cathedral. Whether one believes or not, the Christmas story is a good one and it was very well portrayed by the children and young people. To my surprise I quite enjoyed it all.

Clodagh busied herself wrapping presents.

Christmas Day with 12 adults and Olivia. Good food and wine - Matt cooked a most succulent turkey - and exchange of presents.

Olivia officiating as one of Santa's elves.

A restful few days over Christmas.

On one of my walks around Auckland I came across this Maori sculpture entitled

'relationship with God and the Earth and the People'

One of the streets near our house has developed a tradition of putting extensive lights over the properties and so one evening we took a stroll with many other sightseers to view them.

Robert Cole

Sunday 23 December 2012

Rotorua

After booking in at our hotel and lunching in the sunshine, Clodagh and I visited the nearby St Faith's Anglican Church. This Tudor-style church, built in 1910, has beautiful etched glass windows, including one overlooking Rotorua Lake depicting Christ dressed in a Maori chief's cloak and appearing to walk on the waters of the lake. The interior is richly embellished with Maori carvings and woven wall panels.

Rotorua has developed on the site of what was the Maori settlement of Ohinemutu and Lyall told us it is still predominantly a Maori town. Opposite St Faith's is a Maori meeting house of the Arawa tribe.

Clodagh returned to the hotel and I followed the pathway round the lakeside to...

the Rotorua Museum

and to the nearby Government Gardens

In the evening we went to a Maori village of the local Arawa tribe where we were introduced to traditional Maori customs.

Their welcoming ceremony, which does not appear particularly welcoming to our eyes.

They demonstrated some of their games and skills,

showed us the lifting of the Hangi meal, which is cooked underground with hot stones and which we were told we would be eating later,

they entertained us with traditional songs and dances.

we had the buffet Hangi meal and then back to our hotel.

Lyall said he had found it all very moving but Clodagh and I were more sceptical and felt it was a show put on for tourists. It certainly looks a good business venture. We were part of four coaches of people and we saw that another party preceding us which required them to operate two dining rooms, and all at $110 per head!

Robert Cole

Taupo

The road from Napier to Taupo is over the Ahimanawa Mountain Range and it and our heavy load often stretched our little car. The roads are winding and hills long and steep. I drove and was pleased when we got to our lakeside motel, where we booked in and went off to Taupo. The day had started sunny in Napier, got increasingly cloudy as we travelled but cleared for lunch in the warm sunshine.

I walked back the 4k along the lakeside to our motel.

We dined in the town at a lakeside restaurant. It was a warm evening and we happily lingered over our meal until the sun set on the longest day.

After an early morning walk along the lake and breakfast at the motel, we left for the 30 minute drive to Wai-O-Tapu. This is a volcanic area of geothermal activity.

We wanted to see the eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser, which we were told occurs at 10.15 every day. Lady Constance Knox was daughter of a former Governor General of New Zealand. He had come to inspect prisoners who worked on the site, brought his family with him and his daughter had started a geyser eruption, which was then given her name. We were there in good time and waited expectantly with many others.

It was then explained to us that the eruption cycle would occur naturally every one or two days but it is stimulated with detergent. This reduces the surface tension of the waters below, causing the hot water in one chamber to mix with cold water in another and to release steam. Detergent was duly added and a jet of steam shot in the air. This can reach heights up to 20m.