Haere ra Aotearoa Ka kite ano!

Good Bye New Zealand, until we see you again! Here we are back in Lake Mary learning to drive on the right side of the road and looking left before you pull out.  Still a little fuzzy after a  32 hour journey from Auckland to Orlando via Sydney and LA. We have taken all  most 1000 pictures, yet the best will be in our hearts and minds and not on our camera.  We will  begin  to sort them out and reduce to a manageable  level then will start posting on the blog and face book.  We have had over a hundred hits on our blog and appreciate those who followed our wonderful journey.  If you took the quiz, send your answers to Nan at rnan2@aol.com or me at jwpiotrowskijr@aol.com.  we will post the answers on the blog.  The tacky souvenir cannot be claimed by our kids as we bought plenty of tacky souvenirs for them anyway.  I hope to start uploading some of the photos soon.  Right now my brain is too fried to deal with techno stuff.

Kia Ora (Hello) from Auckland

Had a wonderful day in Auckland.  Rode to the top of the Sky Tower and watched people jump off the 625 ft tower (tethered of course) but still very thrilling,  then a ferry ride to Waiheke Island where we took a tour of three vineyards and sampled wonderful wines.  The last vineyard was Te Whau which had a restaurant that was voted one of the top five restaurants in the world for the view.  It really was breathtaking.  Then back to Auckland where we hiked to the Parnell district which is an upscale restaurant and boutique area.  Next a bus ride to Posonby where we had a delightful french meal finished off with creme brulee prepared by our roommate at Joy's city house who is the chef at the restaurant. This was not a day to find out we left our camera in Papakura at the ranch. 

Politics and a small world

We have been listening to both Australia and New Zealand news and if you ignore the accent you would swear you were listening to the evening news back home.  Political parties both blaming each other for the current state of affairs.  Uncontrolled government spending, budgets bloated with entitlements, high unemployment and financial institution failures.  Gas prices off the chart.  We are paying two dollars a liter (a little more than a quart)  We have calculated our petrol costs at $1.96 per mile, yes $1.96 per mile.  We have days where we spend $100 per day in gas otherwise the prices are quite reasonable especially wine where the house wine cost about $4  per glass for house wine.

Safe in the north Island

For everyone who was concerned, we were 20 nautical miles out to sea at the north end of the north island when the quake hit.  We were hundreds of miles away and perfectly safe.  When we got back to the mainland the Internet at the hhotel was acting up and we had limited access.  We were able to put up a short notice on face book but that was all.  The Internet access had nothing to do with the quake.  God was truly watching over us.
We forgot to tell you about our trip north where we went through the town of "Bull"  The locals have a great sense of humor and they have named everything using the word bull.  The police are called constabulls, the bank is bankabull, the hospital is curabull, hotels are rentabull and the peace DE la resistance; the church is the Bully Pulpit!
Headed North of Auckland to the "Bay of Islands" wonderful area, 144 islands stretching out 20 nautical miles.  We went past a light house that is 160 feet above the water and during the storms waves lap up against the door stoop.  We had a wonderful 2 bedroom apartment on the waterfront and great views.  Cooked a seafood pasta/marinara with squid,clams,mussels, shrimp and scallops.  Made the marinara from scratch and it was wonderful. We are in Auckland for a few days at Joy's city house and can walk every where so we are going to soak up the local culture.  I hope to upload photos tomorrow to bring that project up to date.  Coming home March 1.

Back at the ranch

Back in Auckland at Joy's house for the night and then on our way to Bay of Islands.  Getting ready to enjoy homemade sausage soup.  Mass today at St. Johns Anglican in  Te Awamutu the Vicar was a dead ringer for Barry Fitzgerald for those of you who remember "The Bells of St. Mary" with Bing Crosby.  Yesterday we went to Waitomo Cave 44 meters underground and 600 meters in.  The cave itself is 13 km long so we only saw a small part of it.  The cave is illuminated by millions of glow worms in the ceiling and I could not do justice in describing it. Tour included a silent boat ride where you could hear the water dripping into the underground  river.  I will try and start uploading more photos as we are now back on line with good modem speed.

What I have learned about New Zealand "musings of a mad yank"

I have learned a lot of things about New Zealand want to share them.  First and foremost I feel safer driving here than anywhere in the world.  Despite driving on the left side of the road I find the kiwis to be the most courteous and respectful drivers in the world.  The only time I have been concerned is when our friend Joy is behind the wheel.


Random musings I have learned:


If you find yourself driving straight for more than a half mile.............you have left the road.
No shirt, no shoes, no problem.
Take your wife 15,000 miles and she will be impressed with the bathrooms.
If your wife can tell you where you are on the map.  She more than likely has it upside down.
If you seen a sign with a word you can't pronounce it is probably the next town.
Beyond every curve.......is another curve.
The distance between point A. and point B. is always twice as long.
The posted speed is not a target.
Every time you pass a truck on the grade up, it will be inevitably behind you on the down side.
Go North to get warm and South to cool down.
Hot on the left, cold on the right.
Spring is fall forward.  Fall is spring back.
XL is too small
A windshield without a chip is brand new.
If you see a car coming at you....make sure it is on the right.
A one way bridge goes both ways.
if you drive......drink.
New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels....don't have lips.
The more pockets your wife has in her knapsack, the longer it takes her to find anything.

Heading back to the North Island.

Right now we are on the Kaitaki a 9 deck ferry as big as some ocean liner on a beautiful day with clear blue skies and turquoise seas.  Looks like we will have another smooth crossing.  We upgraded to a "club lounge and  it is all you can eat and drink with free wifi and great views. We have already seen dolphins and are hoping to see whales as well.
More about our trip to the south Island.after Kaikura we headed to Christ Church a very European city where we took a city tour via a trolley then wandered around "Cathedral square.  The earthquake damage was bad but most of the city was spared.  Then it was on to Springfield which is at the foot of "Arther's Pass" the lowest trans ocean crossing of 4. Spectacular views but mostly seen  by Nan as the roads were narrow, with single lane tunnels and bridges, horseshoe and "S" curves.  Then it was up the coast to Punikacki and Pancake rocks. Natural limestone formations that resemble stacks of, guess what, Pancakes.  The south Island is amazing as the east coast seems to be grey and foreboding seascapes with brown hillsides on the inland side of the road.  The west coast is sun drenched inviting beaches and tropical rain forest.  Our trips are getting shorter as the drive is getting harder and we are getting picture weary. Found a boring little town called Westport and found another "Back Packer"  We are doing mostly our own cooking as most places we book have kitchens and we frequently make picnic lunches to enjoy at the numerous road side picnic spots.  After Westport we drove to Nelson with a stop to hike "Buller Gorge" crossed the gorge on the longest swing bridge in New Zealand and hike to an old mining camp.  In Nelson we found the best back packer and had a beautiful stay.  We would definitely like to spend more time in Nelson, it is the largest fishing port in the country.  We dined on a fish chowder of perfection and then fish and chips to die for on a balcony overlooking the ocean.  Then we had the brilliant idea to scramble up a "widow maker" of a hill so we could find the exact geographical center of New Zealand.  I am proud to say I have lived to tell about it.ended up celebrating with a beer at an outdoor pub on Trafalgar St.  We  have decided to try and stay longer so we have our travel agent looking to keep us here a couple more weeks.  Plan to be home no earlier than Feb 28 or no later than March 4 but it all depends on the penalties.

South Island

We have tons of photos to post but need to get somewhere where the modem speed is better.  I will go back and insert them where they belong
Question #11, If you were looking for "comfort down under" What would you be shopping for?


Decided to turn the "Quill" over to my bride today,,,,,,,,,,


<P>Okay, it's me, Nan. The South Island is fantastic, and it turns out you can't see everything in 3 1/2 weeks. We may extend our time here - but there will still not be enough time. Everywhere we go, I can't help thinking how much my kids would love it here. My wish is they will all be able to come to New Zealand. We have seen such amazing sights and the hiking (tramping) must be spectacular!
We went to Christchurch and took the cablecar tour. Wonderful time. We moved on and spent the night in a backpackers in Springfield. Heading towards the West coast, we passed beautiful country all day today. The highlight was the gorgeous coast, reminiscent of Carmel and the California coast. "Pancake rocks"-AMAZING! . So now we're in Westport and we'll be heading inland towards Nelson tomorrow. I took a zillion pictured today. We'll try to edit them as best as we can. Hey, Jazz girls...let's do a slide show and John will narrate! We have seen amazing sites around every turn so taking pictures seems fruitless
Geography stuff over. I've reassessed this trip and how we would have done things differently. Packing would have been modified. I have made notes, but will I be able to find them when then next time comes?

quiz questions

#7 If you were told you were "rat faced" would you a. have a huge overbite, b. be plain ugly or c. have too much to drink
#8.  What would you need a panel beater for?
#9.  If you were at a "Swapa Bottle" what would you be doing?
#10.  What would you be doing if you had "chocolate hail"?

More Wellington

Found Wellington to be quite like San Francisco, hillside homes, a cable car and a large free park that reminded me of what Golden Gate Park used to look like.  Had lunch on the beach 20 minutes north of Wellington before we boarded the ferry.  Ferry holds 1600 people and several hundred cars on three floors.  I wanted so much for Nan to see the 360' sunset but just as the sun was going down the sky clouded up.  The clouds also made the crossing through the Marlborough sound very gloomy so we did not take a lot of pictures.  Speaking of which the last several places we have stayed had slow internet so we have not been able to upload pictures to the blog.  Will get caught up when we find the right hook up and speed.
Stayed in a neat "Backpacker" where we had a two bedroom flat to ourselves.  We met a young man who is heading to Mackinac Island to work as a chef at the Iroquois Hotel so we stayed up late talking about the Island. 
Got a late start today but made it to Kiakoura and had hoped to take a whale watching tour but the weather was so bad no boats were going out.  And tomorrow we head to Christ Church so we won't see the whales this time.  Did get to see some seals.

Interesting Travel to Wellington

Two hour drive from the B&B to Wellington.  Quite a dicey trip, spent over an hour crossing a mountain pass that was so steep and winding, we averaged 25 km an hour (18mph)  Nan tells me the views were breathtaking, I never took my eyes off the road or my hands off the wheel. Spent the afternoon visiting the New Zealand National Museum Te Papa and now back at our first "backpacker"  a hostel type accomodation reasonably priced, private bathroom and tv.  We are down in the 4th floor common area where we are getting ready to prepare chicken stir fry and a salad plate.  Plan cook up everything we have and then share it with the youth surrounding us.  Taking the 6pm ferry to Picton so Nan can see the 360'degree sunset. Then book another backpacker in the South Island

Morning at the Tidsfordriv Rural Retreat

Downtown Napier and the Art Deco

Road Art

Tail gate lunch, chedder with sage wine and garlic cured salami, apple cucumber tuna and 3 bean salad

Wellington here we come

Toured the Lake Taupo museum yesterday and learned that the lake is actually a volcanic crater with depths up to 300 meters and the average is 100 meters deep.  Good place to deep skin dive?
Left Taupo this morning at 10 and headed to Napier about a two hour drive from central New Zealand to the East coast.  Napier was destroyed by earthquate in 1931 and was rebuilt totally Art Deco, kind of reminds you of old Hollywood on the way we drove through a mountain pass where the peaks were so high the clouds were beneath the peaks.  Will post photos tomorrow as exhausted right now.  Booked a B&B on a 64 acre ranch in the boondocks of Masterston 2 hours north of Wellington and arrived at 6pm. 300 kilometers and $100 worth of gas. Gas is $2.00 a liter an average tank costs us $100.  The B&B has wonderful views from our bedroom and the master bath  www.bnb.co.nz/tidsfordriv  Had dinner in town our food was cooked at our table on a "stone grill" which is a piece of granite heated to 400' celsius, food is brought to the table raw and you cook it yourself sort of "fondue on a brick. Photo should be posted tomorrow right now G"d night mates.

Leaving tomorrow for Napier and Wellington

Acacia Bay opposite side of Lake Taupo

View of Taupo from accross the lake

Court Yard "The Village"resort

All for $159 a week!!!

Last full day in Taupo couple of short walks planned, a trip to the museum and packing.

Wednesday in Lake Taupo

Tailgating in Taupo

Beer O'clock

A man named John. "Let him be,let him be"

Spent party of the day at our 4th thermal park took only a few photos.  You could say we are running out of steam.  A pint of Murphy's Irish stout at the Jolly Good Fellows Pub and fish and chips for dinner.

Lake Taupo update

The lake provides fresh water to Auckland several hours to the north and feeds Huka Falls.  Temps have been in the high 70's to low 80's the weather has been slightly overcast due to the bad weather in Australia, so our pictures are not as colorful as they would be normally. Quiz #5.  If you saw this sign "More suck for your buck" what kind of store would you be in.
Quiz#6.   A car park is a. valet service, b.a place you take your car to play, c. parking lot.
G'day mates

Sheep

Nan and Big Foot

That is right 100'celsius you can cook your food in theses lakes

More Pictures along the Thermal Hwy

click on the photos and you can read the sign

More Pictures along the Thermal Hwy

Too many pictures to post but I am trying to find the more interesting ones.

The Thermal Highway

Spent the day on the Thermal Hwy between Rotorura and lake Taupo.  First was Wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland and then Waimangu Volcanic Valley incredible and beautiful.  Took 118 photos and have to sort them out.  Came home and cooked lambchops on the barbie after a pint of Murphy's Irish Stout at the pub right next door.  I pledge to have one pint there a day till we leave. More photos of today to follow. 

Sunday in Lake Taupo

Almost caught up posting photos.  You will have to start at the beginning of the blog.  Today started with breakfast of fried "streaky bacon" and eggs and a slice of New Zealand's national bread, a multi grain made with soy and linseed.  Then to mass at St. Andrews Anglican we got to hear Bishop John Buck give the sermon and it was very moving.  Then to a trek up to the New Zealand Alps.  Photos to follow.  This trip has been quite strenuous, more than I expected.  Nan has become concerned about my weight so now I am forced to drink several cans of beer just to keep my weight up.  Come to think of it, it is also helping me drive on the wrong side of the road which I am quite good at.  Maybe it was all the practice I got it the states.  Hint if you click on the photos I posted they will enlarge.
Quiz 2.  If you needed a "Nappie" would you need a. to change your diaper, b, take a nap, c.wipe your face.
Quiz 3.  If you have a "trundle" would you have a  a. day bed, b. shopping cart, c. workout machine.
Quiz 4.  If " merge like a zip"  would you a. make an ethnic slur, b. fix a zipper, or c. enter a traffic lane every other car.  "Good on ya mates"

Lake Taupo

Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake.  240 sq miles.  The city of lake Taupo is located on the east side of the lake about midway.  Today we drove to the south end of the lake and it was 47km or a little over4 29 miles