Motorhome News from New Zealand 8

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Motorhome News from New Zealand 8
4th December 2008

Waitomo Caves - Kawhia - Cambridge - Hamiton - Auckland ........and farewell, New Zealand.

Death would come quickly beyond the sealed door beside us, even on an early summer's day in New Zealand. For it is officially summer now with the coming of December. But a bitter wind drifts through the crystal sky here, none-the-less. We are high above the clouds. The sunlight dazzles our eyes as it continues on its uninterrupted journey across the heavens. It is - 52 degreesC out there - a vicious wind howls and whistles on the gleaming metal, the instruments record wind-speeds in excess of 90 mph and at this height there is little oxygen to speak of. A violent death, however quick, were we to venture outside!
For the time-being then we'll stay where we are, tightly belted in our seats on Malaysia Airlines Flight 130 from Auckland NZ bound for Kuala Lumpur. We leave behind some 4 million people living on the edge of the world with 48 million sheep - in New Zealand.

A somewhat devious route took us from Waitomo Caves northwards to the muddy estuary of Kawhia harbour and on into Cambridge en route to Hamilton - it proved too tempting for us to miss Cambridge with the 'real' one only 35 miles from our UK home. There are no narrow streets, no scurrying students or bicycles leaning lazily against ancient monuments, no universities, and no evidence of scholastic history, but there are similarities. This boutique town of some 16,000 people carries the title 'Town of Trees' proudly, with leafy avenues and parks, and a cricket green surrounded by massive oaks. You might say that's a trifle English - and you would be right; Cambridge, New Zealand, prides itself on being 'extremely' English. Its Cambridgeness is exemplified by its association with rowing on the world-class Lake Karapiro, nearby.
It was not particularly the town or its name that held our interest so much as the horses; horses everywhere; stud farms, racing and showjumping thoroughbreds in white-fenced paddocks, watching us with interest, ears pricked as we passed, and so reminiscent of Newmarket, close to Cambridge back home. This jogged my memory; I had hoped to get to see Harness Racing whilst in New Zealand but it seems I was destined to miss this spectacle here also. It came as no surprise for us to learn later that Newmarket is a suburb of Auckland, less than one hours drive away! That's New Zealand; so far, yet so near. And so English.

Working our way back to Auckland we ventured into Hamilton to catch up with Jean and Greg whom we had missed on our way south ten weeks ago. Where have ten weeks gone? That's how it is when we are enjoying yourselves. As it so happens, Jean and Greg lived in Cambridge, England, whilst Jean was an exchange teacher back in 1999 - and that's where we first got to know them, as members of our local Exchange Teacher Club. Now they have a comfortable home in Hamilton NZ where they smothered us with Kiwi hospitality over the weekend - and a real bed, our first for many weeks!
Hamilton, we noticed, was described as 'nice' in our guide-book, and indeed that's not a bad description; it has many of the right ingredients: nice shops, nice parks, nice homes - though this rapidly growing town is now beginning to show the less attractive signs of urban sprawl. The pleasant side of New Zealand housing is clearly seen here, in the individual design of each property; generally 'bungalow' style, single storey, and the adequate space for their neat and tidy gardens. Greg has a passion for bonsai, and the wonderful examples laid out statuesquely in the garden show he's quite an expert. This common interest in trees took us out walking together in the local arboretum early one morning - and out into the rainforest late one evening.
Jean was aware of our passion for wildlife from reading the blog and a piece in the local paper had recently caught her eye. It talked about the development of a wildlife reserve; an enormous ring-fenced area of 10,000 acres where introduced possom, mice, hedgehogs, stoats and rats are being eradicated successfully, allowing the reintroduction of many endangered species: kiwi and saddlebacks amongst them. We went together to the Maungatautari eco-Island Reserve where we were introduced to Phil, our guide for the evening. Phil has been working as a volunteer at the reserve for several years and he joined us for dinner to explain the work of the Trust and allow us time to ask questions before taking us out as darkness fell over the 'island mountain'. The cost of dinner included a contribution to the Trust's funds, valuable income that supports the investment of grants and donations. We were impressed by this innovative approach and the evidence of successful rainforest regeneration. Time will tell if threatened wildlife can be successfully reintroduced and sustained here, but we must join them in hope. Such 'islands' may be the final chance for survival of many of the rare or endangered species that remain in New Zealand. We did hear, but didn't see, the recently introduced kiwis, and we did hear the Morepork Owl and saw many spiders, wetas (grasshopper like creatures) and glowworms as we wandered the tracks by torchlight until nearly midnight! Memorable experience number 1,327!

All too soon it was time to return to Auckland, the 'City of Sails', to prepare Lizzie, our motorhome, for final inspection at the hire company depot, conveniently situated near the airport. That night we were back at Anne and John's home in Titirangi to pack all our belongings into the two bags we had left there, (max 20kg each to meet flight restrictions) and meet the family once again, this time sleeping next door, care of the generousity of their motorhoming neighbours, Owen and Carole.Yet another night in a real bed! That's New Zealand hospitality.
We have to keep focus on the things we buy as we travel, bearing in mind the various weight restrictions imposed by the different airlines. This time we were forced to transfer our heavyweight birding scope to our hand luggage - and we were still a little, within acceptable limits, over the top! We are actively considering the formation of a lobby group to campaign for airlines to weigh both the luggage - and the passenger, at check-in! That would seem more fair to us. Anyone want to join?

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city by far, but, like most towns and cities here, there seems to be a distinctive 'village' feel to the suburbs; rather in the manner of joined up communities, each with its own shops, cafes and restaurants. A short ferry ride across the bay took us to Devonport, one such community, with 1890's white clapboard and shingle houses at its heart, Victoriana mock wrought-iron porches and white picket fences - Key West without orchids or Charleston without its inimitable grandeaur. Along with the name of Devonport to delight English newcomers from southwest England to New Zealand, the same ferry terminal offers a journey across to Birkenhead for those who would admit to a northwestern heritage!

We shall be home shortly and out of politeness, you are likely to ask us few questions about our visit to 'this 'Land of the Long White Cloud'. I can hear your words now: 'What was your favourite place?' you ask.
Without hesitation we would both answer, 'Mount Cook and thereabouts for its unbelievable scenery. We like mountains, which is quite natural when you hail from East Anglia! The South Island of New Zealand is truly spectacular, from the dark water of its fiords to its snow-capped mountain-tops and ice blue lakes. But if it's towns you're asking about, then Christchurch would be up there at the top - we particularly enjoyed our brief encounter there.'

'And your most exciting experience?'
'The ferry crossing out to Stewart Island,' we should surely reply. 'A very hairy, but exciting, fairground ride!' Now we know why it's called 'The Roaring Forties'.

'Your best hike?'
A difficult one this. There were so many and we had decided against some of the toughest for a number of reasons: most notably, we didn't want to book remote huts in advance and be stuck out in the wilds in pouring rain for four days. I guess we would have to say, Kaikura; up over the cliffs and back along the shore and limestone pavement - and not too strenuous! Farewell Spit and Whararika Beach up near Cape Farewell were fabulous for their stunning rolling pastures and endless beaches. Some of our rainforest walks were challenging and interesting, Abel Tasman for example, but often the continuous forest became monotonous, short on birdsong and distant horizons.

'And your best birding experience?'
No problem with that one. 'The Albatross Encounter' out from Kaikura, though that might be a little biased by our spacial attachment to this delightful town. But the best bird would be the Fiordland Crested Penguin for Janice - and for me, the Shining Cuckoo, most unexpected and most obliging! We never doubted we would see the Brown Kiwi, that's our sort of challenge - and it turned up after just a few days! In all we saw 125 different bird species, many, indeed most of them, new to us. New Zealand is far from being a birding paradise, but, as you know, birding is only our excuse for travelling to parts other travellers don't reach.

Lizzie, our motor-home for eleven weeks, was basic enough to get us around 6,000 km of New Zealand's best and worst roads safely, economically and reliably, with basic comfort thrown in for good measure. Britz, the hire company, supported us well when necessary. Perhaps they should have known about the cooking grill before we booked it out, but we got it sorted in the end and were recompensed for our trouble. As we've doubtless said before, there are dozens of rental companies here, offering a wide variety of vans for all ages and levels of comfort and convenience at whatever price one might be prepared to pay. Motorhoming is not everybody's choice of travel mode we know, but we love it and it suits our nomadic lifestyle. A motorhome to sleep four proved a good choice for us given the duration of our stay in the country. We would not have survived in the confinement of a tiny 'backpacker' unit, where the bed takes up all the living space and there's absolutely no room for cat swinging. However, most commercial campsites cater well for the younger set with the sprit to rough it, where price is paramount and comfort quite secondary. Campsites usually provide cooking and eating facilities on site for them and often there's a lounge area with TV and internet facilities. As with all motorhome rentals it's essential to think about what you bring and how you pack your baggage. We're minimalists these days when it comes to clothes; we've learned there's no space for suitcases even in a motorhome the size of our Lizzie! There is no question that New Zealand is unique in its approach to motorhoming and it provides for it well.

It's inevitable we have missed a few of the places that have delighted others, but we are content with our endeavours. We shall probably never remember the names of most of the places we've visited - they all begin with either a W or a T and end with an i, with a handful of vowels thrown haphazardly in between; shaken gently or stirred. Driving was pleasantly docile and New Zealanders drive on the left which makes sense, doesn't it? They're heavily into personalised number plates on their cars, though unlike those in the UK they are not merely a way to disguise the age of the vehicle, but perhaps more reflecting the US term, 'vanity plates', and also often quite humerous. One we particularly liked was 'NICKER' seen on a car outside the police station.

We were surprised by the number of people walking about the strees with bare feet, even in supermarkets! It has been suggested that this is a sop at their neighbours just across the water in Australia, to emphasise that subtle difference between them by saying, 'We don't have venemous snakes or spiders here!'

The ever changing Antarctic ozone layer is of some concern to the natives and a great deal of care and attention is attached to this. All school children wear wide brimmed hats whilst out in the open. Like most westernised nations, the average age of marrige has shifted from the 20's to the 30's, women now share the job market, and the use of the term, partner, rather than husband or wife, bears similarities to changing social structures throughout much of the world. The average Kiwi is not wealthy but they all seem to have enough. We saw no signs of poverty, though newspapers suggest some 90 homeless people are somewhere on the streets of Auckland each night. But New Zealand is yet a young country. It offers opportunity and an outdoor lifestyle to be envied. And they do have rugby!

It would be quite natural for us to have fallen in love with New Zealand. It is so 'frightfully' English and it would be easy to imagine each day as a short drive into the country from our front door at home. But here the hills are greener than green and there is space; space - that thing of the past us oldies remember from the England of our childhood. Nothing is more constant than change however - and we are learning, through travel, to embrace it. But, love it as we might, there is a feeling of isolation here way out on the fringe of the World, and therein lies the barrier; it would take wild horses to drag us.

And so, our motorhome affair with this land comes to a close. We must now forgo the pleasures of new pastures each day, pack away those desires to seek beyond the ridge of the next hill for a while, put aside that habit of collecting packets of sugar, coffee, teabags, salt and pepper from roadside cafes, and learn again the art of filling each day with the same mundane pleasures of real life in a real home with all its trappings and responsibiliies. We are left with mere dreams and memories, a few thousand photographs with which to bore our friends on our return to the cold damp and dark winter of home - and a map of the world to chart our future travels.

Meanwhile, the pilot has just announced our descent into Kuala Lumpur. 'Kindly fasten your seat-belts.' Next stop; the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, for a taste of tea, temperate rainforests and temples.


David and Janice The grey haired nomads

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Photos

Kawhia Harbour
along the muddy estuary

Hamilton
St Paul's Cathedral

Hamilton
Spectacular Rose Gardens - a touch of olde England

Hamilton
...and the Italian Garden

The endangered Saddleback
This youngster put in a guest appearance for us.

Auckland
from the ferry

Delightful Devonport
...one such 'village' community

Mount Cook
our favourite spot

Lizzie
Our home for 11 weeks

Motorhoming for backpackers
... and some like 'em small

Motorhome Rentals
There are dozens to choose from!

personalised plates
seen outside the Police Station

Tramping with friends
on a high with Brian and Kathryn. We shared our final NZ days in their company in Auckland.

Pukeko
Its cousins take some finding in Europe

Kaka
noisy friends to have on your balcony

And Todd came too - with a new friend.
Yes, it's Wiwi, the kiwi.

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