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Published: August 28th 2007
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So, we dropped off our rental car (which Stephen had become quite attached to, as he'd done more driving in it than he'd ever done in any other car!) in Picton and took the ferry back to Wellington. After a couple of days to work out a route and enjoy Waitaki Day, we set off to explore the north island. However, our extended stays in Wellington had left us a bit short of time, which meant we could only do a whistlestop tour of the north. And we decided we'd have to do the north island cheaply, as we'd spent far too much money in the south! So we said a final goodbye to the O'Neills and took the coach from Wellington to Napier.
Napier was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and was rebuilt in Art Deco style, which was in vogue at the time. The city is pretty much the best preserved Art Deco town there is and there are some fantastic examples there. Unfortunately it obviously took the locals a while to cotton on to what a great thing they had, as many of the facades have been changed, with only some upper floors retaining the
Napier
Keeping the Art Deco spirit alive! Art Deco style. But it was great to see so many examples of a classic architectural style, Stephen's favourite. The area is also known for the Hawke's Bay wine region and we took the opportunity to visit a few vineyards on an afternoon tour. We had a very pleasant afternoon learning about wine tasting techniques, visiting vineyards and forgetting everything we'd learnt as the alcohol kicked in!
From Napier we went on to Taupo, an area known for its hot springs and volcanic activity. We enjoyed our couple of days there, making the most of mineral baths and hot spring pools, walking to Huka Falls (NZ's version of Niagara) and visiting the amazing Craters of the Moon. We found the craters after a very long walk, involving several wrong turnings. When we finally got there, late in the day, the place was open (well we could walk in, at least) but completely deserted. It seemed like everyone had packed up for the night but left the place wide open! The desolation added to the other-worldliness of it all, as we were the only people walking around hordes of craters with huge plumes of steam coming out of them! Spectacular
but spooky.
The volcanic theme continued as we headed to Rotorua, one of the most popular destinations in the north island. There are some amazing sights there, such as bubbling mud, volcanoes, erupting geysers and some amazing mineral deposits, colours and formations. But for all that, Rotorua didn't really do it for us. Maybe it was the smell - there is so much sulphur in the air that the whole town smells like rotten eggs. It's about as pleasant as it sounds. Or perhaps it was just that after 5 weeks of travelling around New Zealand we were looking forward to getting to Fiji and relaxing on a beach! We just had to get to Auckland first...
And so we finally arrived in Auckland, the final stop on our New Zealand tour. With our typical foresight and forward planning we hadn't booked any accommodation at all until the last minute. It's something that has worked fairly well for us on this trip but this time it meant that we had to pay a bit over the odds for two nights in two different B&Bs in two different locations! Our first night was spent in Devonport, a suburb which
Auckland ahead!
Joanna looks over from Devonport to downtown Auckland is a 10 minute ferry ride from the centre of town. It has a lovely villagey feel to it, with local, independent cafes and shops and a very pleasant ambience. We enjoyed spending time there and had a lovely walk around there on our second morning, taking in the great views across the water to the city. On our second day we transferred to our second B&B in a different suburb, Ponsonby, which is closer to the centre and has a trendier and more urban feel. Auckland is fairly compact and we spent a fair bit of time in our two days walking round the city. It was nice but not particularly memorable and though we liked Ponsonby, and Auckland as a whole, we were glad to move on after a couple of days and head for the beach!
But we had a fantastic five weeks in New Zealand. It is quite possibly the most beautiful country we've ever been to, with some of the most stunning geological sights, the most beautiful clouds we've ever seen!, welcoming people, a great environment and a lovely laid-back feel. But we felt like we'd seen a lot in our five weeks and
we looked forward to Fiji and our next adventure!
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Matt Young
non-member comment
Good to see...
that you're having lots of fun! It's only slightly annoying for us stuck here in London. Many of us are thinking that the end of the world is nigh. After a week of really lovely weather, it's gone arctic, and we've had snow flurries all week. Anyway, been following your adventures, and really happy that you've both had such a good time. I can also identify with Stephen's not having driven a car since 1994. Although I've never driven a car, but there you go. Well, enjoy the US of A, and see you when you return to the daily grind!