Off the Square, Sticky Fingers, Gothic Gourmet, red noses and other delights in New Zealand's South Island

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March 27th 2007

Published: August 12th 2007

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Ang and Pete

The Lone Ranger and not so quick-silver

Enjoying the views at Lake Tekapo

Guest Writer: Mr Dennis Barlow

Because he decided to gate-crash our honeymoon we decided he could also gate-crash our blog. Ang's dad has joined us for the first two weeks of New Zealand...so over to him...Guest Writer: Mr Dennis Barlow

After a day and a half of flying, gate crashing was the last thing on my mind - crashing in our hotel had much more appeal. We'd booked a hotel in the centre of Christchurch - the "Off the Square Hotel" - which was described as a boutique hotel with displays of art. Despite being situated just off the Cathedral Square, it's name was chosen because none of the rooms are square but each is uniquely shaped! It was tastefully decorated with a large number of photographs on display; those by Alan Brydon stood out - beautiful compositions, outstanding quality, world standard and very tempting purchases that were extremely difficult to resist!

Another feature of the hotel is that the trams that tour the centre of Christchurch actually pass through the hotel, in fact under our rooms. Angela and I looked at each other the first time one passed but the deep rumble made no impression on

Off the Square Hotel

Elegant surroundings and fine art can be found throughout the hotel

Pete (his work colleagues will be amused to hear this according to Angela). Fortunately the trams did not run during the night and the hotel proved a comfortable and very enjoyable choice.

After a short rest and shower, we set off the find a suitable restaurant for an evening meal. Christchurch has a vast range of eateries, and we were impressed by the ones we tried. Our first meal was at "Sticky Fingers", which had a lively and friendly atmosphere and served good food and drink. The next morning we found a local cafe for breakfast before embarking on the tram tour. The tram driver had a wonderful patter for the visitors, that is for the first circuit of Christchurch, but after a circuit or two it started to lose it's apparent spontaneity!

I had flown from London Heathrow via Hong Kong. It wasn't until after I'd booked that I found my baggage was limited to two pieces of total weight 20Kg, whereas travelling via LA would have given me two pieces of 23Kg each. Furthermore my carry on luggage allowance of 7Kg hardly covered my camera gear, let alone other electronic items, so I packed as many

Tram lines under hotel

Our initial concerns about noise were ill-founded as the trams stopped running during the night.

photographic and electronic items into a photographer's vest and tried not to look too much like a Michelin man. Many things had to be left in the UK; when you're carrying your tent, sleeping bag, various gifts and clothes, you have to be very ruthless. Out went the tripod (big mistake), airbed, crockery, cutlery, battery chargers, Cadbury easter eggs, books and many other desirable items. However, returning through LA meant I could carry some of Pete and Angela's items back to the UK. Lesson learned - travel weight allowances vary significantly according to your route so check this out before booking your flight! Consequently we spent some of the first day visiting camping specialists, trying to replace the items I'd had to leave in the UK but with little success. A warning for photographers; don't expect to buy any equipment you need, I couldn't find a suitable tripod.

The remainder of the first day was spent exploring Christchurch and we finished the day with an enjoyable meal in a Mexican restaurant. There are many attractions such as galleries, museums, the Antarctic Centre and gift shops, but this was not the New Zealand we'd come to see. The following day

Rainbow over the road

We had read that New Zealand could experience very damp and changeable weather. Fortunately we saw very little rain.

we visited a large retail outlet, the Warehouse, and I found all the camping items I needed, at very good prices.

We then drove out of Christchurch towards the North East coast and made our way to Hanmar Springs. Although it was a picturesque area, we found it rather disappointing and continued our journey to Kaikoura, a coastal resort renouned for whale watching cruises and seal colonies. We found an excellent camp site, then arranged whale watching. There were warnings of "extreme" risk of sea sickness, but after missing a few trips we decided to take the risk rather than wait for ideal conditions. During our wait, we'd managed to enjoy a bbq at the campsite and celebrate red nose day. Pete and Angela proudly wore their red noses and tee shirts (Dennis had left his in the UK - weight limitations you understand!). The sea sickness warnings on the cruise were justified, but we managed two very close sightings of sperm whales venting and diving, then enjoyed a playful but very athletic display from a school of dolphins. We even managed to get some good pictures! The Kaikoura peninsula also provided excellent walks and close access to seals.

Kaikoura Peninsula

This area on the east coast was lush, unlike the central areas of the island

Slightly further north, we managed to photograph some seals on the coast; the particular seal I'd approached wasn't too happy and much to the amusement of Pete and Angela, chased me off. I was surprised just how quickly it moved across large boulders!

We continued our journey up the East Coast and across to Moteuk, a suitable point for accessing the Abel Tasman National Park. On route, we were treated to a most enjoyable wine tasting and midday meal at the Hunter Vineyards in the Wairau valley. Most of the vinyards offer tasting and many had restaurants offering superb meals to complement their wines. Cold meats, cheeses, smoked salmon, beef and lamb were consumed with relish, and we managed a vintage bottle of Hunter Merlot which sadly was no longer available on sale at the vineyard. Definitely a must-visit area for wine lovers and foodies.

At Moteuk we discovered another gastronomic delight, the Gothic Gourmet. This restaurant was a converted church with a wide range of foods to tempt us. We'd intended to try the local seafood but Pete chose the stone-baked beef, all half a kilogram of it! Dennis weakened too, so it was left to Angela

Sky over Kaikoura Peninsula

A breathtaking view, but we had to take care to avoid sunburn.

to stick to the original plan and she chose blue cod. Pete's face was a picture when we were presented with what can only be described as an uncooked family joint on a hot baking stone. The silence of gastronomic bliss was only broken by the sizzle of cooking meat, and requests for more beer!

Conscious that we needed to take more exercise to compensate for our excesses, the next day we travelled by AquaTaxi to Bark Bay in the Abel Tasman National Park. This allowed us to walk one of the most picturesque parts of the coastal route without spending days walking there. The coastal path wound it's way up and through hills but always within eyeshot of the coast. The weather was glorious, we weren't pestered by sandfly and we thoroughly enjoyed this excursion. There were several campsites on route with toilet facilities that would shame some motorway service areas in the UK. If we'd had more time, it would have been great to use some of the campsites and do a longer 'tramp'. The AquaTaxi ride had been fast and exhilarating on the way, with a wet landing. The return journey from Torrent Bay, with a

Seabird cracking shellfish

There was abundant food on the shore - this bird was dropping shellfish from a great height to break the shells.

wet boarding, was even more exciting. Luckily we managed to sit within the sheltered area at the front of the launch. The sea was very rough and the poor souls at the back of the boat had a good soaking. All part of the fun.....

The next leg of our journey took us to the west coast to see the Franz Josef glacier. This was the most disappointing part of the holiday. Although the weather near the town was glorious, each time we booked the heli-hike to the glacier, got booted, briefed and ready to board the helicopter, the trip was cancelled due to impending poor weather on the glacier. Safety was a key consideration of the tour operators and any hint that the helicopter would be unable to pick us up at the end of the hike was treated very seriously. We used our time to explore the countryside and enjoyed several walks but this did not compensate for missing the heli-hike. After a couple of days, we decided to move on.

Our next drive took us down to Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of the South Island. On route, we enjoyed an excellent cod and chips meal

Walking on the Kaikoura Peninsula

at a popular cafe; as usual, it was superb and very reasonably priced. Queenstown was bustling with young, fit, nutters so I immediately felt at home (well, one out of three ain't bad!). We decided to try an indian restaurant in the centre of Queenstown and we weren't disappointed. Pete and Angela made a note of some of the adrenaline fixes and planned to return after I'd left (see the next entry in this blog).

Finally we headed for our most distant location, Milford Sound, via a long and very scenic route over and through the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking and we couldn't do justice to it in our photographs. Had time allowed, this area could have kept us amused photographically speaking for days. We took a cruise along the fjord to the Tasman sea in the late afternoon, and this really brought home to us the grandeur of the fjord. Milford Sound itself was a small cluster of buildings serving the tourists who flocked into the area in coaches, then retreated the same day. If there is one thing that spoils New Zealand it is the tourists. The New Zealand people were delightful but some of the

Chimping

Pete and Dennis checking their photos ("chimping")

tourists really didn't deserve the privilege of visiting this country.

Our journey back to Christchurch through the central part of the South Island showed us yet another facet of this island. The damp, lush coastal area was replaced by tinder dry rolling hills punctuated by glistening light blue lakes; simply stunning scenary. We camped at Wanaka next to a beautiful lake and were treated to a glorious sunset and the travelling exhibition of aerial photographs by Yann Artus Bertrand. We also enjoyed a visit to Puzzling World, a mixture of optical illusions, puzzles and a wooden maze that kept us occupied for many hours. Next we drove across to Tekapo passed Lake Pukaki with its brilliant milky blue water set against the mountains of the West Coast, Mount Cook in particular. Tekapo was a delightful community and we enjoyed a walk in glorious sunshine around the local hills and horse trecking around Mount John. We bought locally farmed salmon for a bbq feast with sweetcorn, mushrooms and courgettes, washed down with a local ale. Bliss!

On our final day we headed back through Queenstown to visit Bank's Peninsula. We chose the scenic route through the hills, much of

Red nose day reaches New Zealand

Pete and Angela entered into the spirit of RND with noses and tee shirts!

it above cloud level, and enjoyed marvellous views across the peninsula. Our final evening was spent in Christchurch where we enjoyed another spectacular meal of beef and lamb. We spent our last morning packing our bags and transferring those items that Pete and Angela no longer needed into a new case purchased from The Warehouse, a large discount retailer with a vast range of goods at spectacular prices.

So what lessons had I learned from this trip? Well, it was great to spend some quality time with Pete and Angela after an absence of six months. They were great company and were obviously enjoying their life together. I'm so grateful they allowed me to "gate crash" them! As for New Zealand, it's wonderful. The autumn weather was exceptional, the people were delightful, the countryside was mind-blowing and the restaurants, hotels and campsites were of a very high standard. Air New Zealand proved a reliable and efficient airline. Only one regret - I didn't spend long enough to really enjoy everything the South Island has to offer. Oh, and those bl**dy mass tourists!

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