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

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.

 

 

 

 

After this display we did the 3k of walks around the area, seeing steaming craters...

 

 

 

multi-hued steaming lakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

mud pools

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hissing, steaming fumeroles

 

 

 

 



 

mud flats

 

 

 

and steam vents

 

 

 

 

By this time we had had sufficient steam and mud and went on to Rotorua.

 

Robert Cole

Art Deco Napier

Napier's Art Deco architecture is so great I got up early.

 

Left the hotel and ...

I was wandering round the town soon after 6.00.

 

 

 

 

 

It was the longest day.

A warm and sunny one.

The town looked really good.

I walked along the sea front.

Through the parkland.

Back through the town.

I love it.

 

 

 

 

It all happened because of an earthquake. In 1931 the city was destroyed.

The quake pushed up the harbour bed to provide land for urban development.

The then fashionable Art Deco style was adopted by the architects.

It has stood the test of time.

Back to the hotel and tea on the loggia looking over the sea. Then sorry to leave.


 

Robert Cole

To Napier

Lyall picked us up from the hotel for our drive to Napier with Clodagh taking over the driving partway through.

We drove through some lovely countryside with a brief stop to admire the view over a reservoir.

 

Our aim was to the Hawks Bay area with a view to finding a winery for lunch. Lyall sought out a recommendation and directions tonElephant Hill winery, which we found was only about 10k from Napier.

 

We had a very pleasant lunch in the sunshine looking over the vines to the bay. Lyall and I shared one of their Sauvignon Blancs and Clodagh continued our drive to Napier.

 

Our hotel is one of the many splendid Art Deco buildings of the town and looks out over the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

When Clodagh and I found our room I used the bathroom; came out and Clodagh had disappeared; I called out and she said she was in the bathroom. Two bathrooms? I checked mine and saw there was a door to the next room and someone's washing kit by the basin. I hastily retreated and tried to lock the door to no avail. We were moved and to a far better room!

 

Robert Cole

Another day in Wellington

The day started cloudy, so we went again to the Museum, Te Papa. First to the exhibition 'Blood, Earth, Fire', with displays of how New Zealand has gone through change: the almost complete take over of the land from the Maoris; deforestation and cultivation of the land; the killing off of some species of animal and the introduction of many others; the change of exports from almost complete agricultural products to now a much smaller proportion. Startling and dramatic and leaves one feeling somewhat uncomfortable about man's 'progress'.

Then up a level to History. A whole section on the Maoris, which we left aside knowing we would go to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds later in our trip. A good exhibition of the history of the settlers. The photo shows the portrayal of a mother chastising her daughter for spending too much of their clothing coupons during WW2.

Also a superb interactive 12 minute film, 'Golden Days'. We sat in a junk shop, first looking out through a window to the street. The proprietor locks up, pulls the blind and we are shown a montage of events over the past 100 years, interacting with items in the junk shop. Very cleverly and effectively done.

Up to another level and an art exhibition including a collection of European art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a snack lunch at the museum. Clodagh stayed on and I walked along the harbour front and then round to the cable car - in fact more a funicular, as it runs steeply up on rails. A good view over Wellington from the top.

 

 

I walked round the botanical gardens at the top, which is on a hilly site restricted by the roads around it and so less impressive than the one in Dunedin. Clodagh was wise not to have come, as she would not have got around it.

 

But she did miss the beautiful rose garden.

Back down on the cable car and a walk round town viewing other dining possibilities from Simon's list, but they were either closed down or untraceable.

 

Robert Cole