May 2010 New Zealand Trip Report Part 1 Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Tauranga Bay, Fox Glacier My friends have been raving about their trips to New Zealand for years, so in May 2010 I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Slightly complicating this trip was the fact that my wife and I would be bringing a 3 month old infant with us. However I found New Zealand to be a great place to travel with a baby, and many of the B & B owners doted over our young child. Our trip was during New Zealand's fall and for the most part we had great sunny and mild weather. The only time I needed my winter coat was in the Doubtful Sound. We flew into Auckland from Los Angeles on New Zealand Air, rented a car, traversed both the North and South Islands, and then flew out of Queenstown to Auckland, and then back to the United States. Here is a summary of our trip: North Island 2 nights in Rotorua 1 night in Wellington Ferry from North Island to South Island South Island 2 nights in Fox Glacier 1 night in Tauranga Bay 3 nights in Queenstown 2 nights in Te Anau 1 night in Doubtful Sound 1 night in Queenstown Part 1 Auckland, Roturua, and Wellington At LAX we board a double decker Air New Zealand flight to Auckland, NZ. The flight has quite a few empty seats and we have a row of four seats to ourselves. I think most people go out of their way to avoid sitting in the "baby row" (the seats near the bulkhead). The flight attendants are extremely friendly and go out of their way to assist with our child. After the flight approaches cruising altitude they come over and attached a metal bassinet to the wall in front of our seats. I'm actually a bit jealous of the bassinet as our baby gets to stretch out and sleep in while I'm stuck sleeping in an aircraft seat! 11.5 hours later we land in Auckland. We left the United States on Fri and ended up in NZ on Sunday so somehow our Saturday disappeared. We had reserved a rental car from Apex Car Rental. Unfortunately our flight landed early (around 5:00am) and their office is not open until 6am. It seems like the larger national companies such as Avis and Hertz are open. So we wait a bit and then use a pay phone to call them (you can use a pay phone to make any call to an 0800 number for free, most tourist related businesses will have this type of number). Their van comes and picks us up outside the airport shortly after 6. We are given an older Toyota Camery that ends up operating with no issues during our trip. Annoyingly though it has no IPOD input on its stereo unit so we end up using my I-motion portable speakers for providing a soundtrack for our trip. We also rent a child seat (adequate but not probably not as comfortable for the baby as the one we own and left at home) and a GPS. The GPS provides invaluable assistance in finding our hotels or supermarkets and also shows which exit to take during the many roundabouts. A huge sunrise greets us in Auckland. Driving on the left takes a bit of getting to used to, as does the Kiwi's preferences for roundabouts over traffic lights. Instead of hitting the turn signals I often hit the windshield wipers by mistake for a few days. Our Camery, note steering wheel on right side. We skip seeing any sights of Auckland and head immediately towards Rotorua (about an hour drive ). Along the way we lunch at Scott's Epicurean in Hamilton. As it is Sunday morning there was a brunch crowd and lots of little kids running around, but still plenty of seating. I have a nice meal of pesto and pasta along with a soy latte. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere, including sidewalk tables and a back patio. The weather so far is warm and sunny, probably in the upper 60's (F). We pass through Tirau and admire their Dog shaped visitor center. Driving so far is a breeze, most Kiwi's seem to be pretty mellow drivers (but maybe that's because I'm used to driving on aggressive highways in an east coast city back in the States). The speed limit is 100 km (about 62mph) and it is a good idea to stick to it as we pass many speed traps. Around noon we get to Rotorua. If you have ever wanted to see a large bubbling pool of mud, then Rotorua is your place. We watch the mud pools near the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland for a bit, then go into the park. There are lots of thermal features to see here, I liked the Champagne Pool, (with its neat ochre-colored petrified edge) and the views of the emerald lakes (complete with geothermal reactor tower visible in the distance). There is a distinct sulfur smell in the air and the park reminds me a bit of Yellowstone National Park. The place is pretty absent of visitors although a tour bus pulls up as we are leaving. Big Dog Information Centre along State Highway 1 in Tirau, New Zealand Champagne Pool in Rotorua, New Zealand We have an interesting lunch at Fat Dog Cafe in downtown Rotorua. There is outside dining next a piano anyone on the street can attempt to play. We order some veggie burgers expecting the usual veggie patties but are instead served a bun with a huge stack of grilled veggies inside. Not the best meal but other items on the menu are probably better. Our GPS leads us to Sandi's B&B (http://www.sandisbedandbreakfast.co.nz ). Sandi is a great host and gives us lots of helpful advice regarding Rotorua. Our detached cottage in the back is perfect for a baby that sometimes cries during the night. Sandi's has wifi but the signal is a bit weak so I usually have to sit on the outside picnic table to access it. Sandi volunteers to do a load of laundry for us and even cook us dinner. Every morning she brings a breakfast to our cottage. I drive out to the local supermarket in Rotorua and thankfully I'm able to buy a U.S. - NZ plug adapter as I left mine at home, glad to see they carry a rather obscure item. Sandi's B&B in Rotorua, New Zealand May 3rd Monday Jetlag has us up at 3:30am! I snooze back asleep until 7, then Sandi brings us breakfast to the cottage. We go to the Agrodome (http://www.agrodome.co.nz) and watch the entertaining sheep and dog show. Most of the audience is from Korea and they do a baseball style wave periodically. The M.C. is wearing a tank top and brings a parade of different sheep on stage, cracking jokes the whole time. He demos shearing an unlucky sheep and then brings a pack of sheep dogs on stage. They promptly leap on the back of the nonplussed sheep. He also gives an outside demonstration. Fun stuff for adults or kids. Dogs leaping on the back of nonplussed sheep at the Agrodome in Rotorua, New Zealand A nonplussed Black Romney sheep at the Agrodome in Rotorua, New Zealand Demonstration of sheep herding fascinates Korean tourists at the Agrodome in Rotorua, New Zealand The Agrodome also includes some "extreme" sports so we tried the Freefall, Shweeb, and Zorb. Freefall involves jumping over a huge fan so you feel like you are freefalling. Shweeb entails racing a recumbent style bike in a space capsule around a monorail like track. These were all fun but my favorite was the Zorb. Zorbing involves jumping into a huge plastic ball filled with warm water (so bring a bathing suit and towel) and then rolling down a downhill obstacle course. Lots of fun and two people can even jump into a Zorb together (I watched a father and daughter do it before my go). The Zorb course in Rotorua, New Zealand End of a fun Zorb run in Rotorua (note Zorb ski lift like contraption in the background), New Zealand We break for lunch in downtown Rotorua at a spot called Relish, they serve nice pizzas and Greek salads. Beware of the meter maids in downtown Rotorua as we saw several eyeing our car. After lunch we do a hike in the local Redwood forest in Whakarewarewa Forest. It is a bit odd to see California Redwoods in the Southern Pacific but it is very pretty never less. We do the easy 30 minute Redwood Memorial Grove track and see few other people apart from a random jogger. For dinner I get some salmon and a good panini as take away from Capers Epicurean. While I'm waiting for my order I browse the local newspaper and I'm amused to see that one of the top stories is about a women finding a canned pear shaped like a demon. Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua, New Zealand The "Demon Canned Pear" was one of the top stories during our trip. May 4th Tues Sandi bids us a found farewell as we check out of her B&B. Today is our longest driving day of trip as we are heading all the way to Wellington. (about 6 hrs) We stop at Huka Falls and admire the rushing water going through a narrow canyon. They have jet boat touring options here but the hours don't fit with our schedule so we skip it knowing that there a jet boat options in Queenstown. We have a nice lunch at Annabelle's in Huntville, they really make great lattes there. We drive through windy desert areas where we see the New Zealand army on maneuvers. We also view what seems like a large percentage of New Zealand's 47 million sheep. The road is a bit slow going due to lots of construction. We arrive at Wellington around 5 o'clock. Wellington is very large city by New Zealand standards and has a bit of hustle and bustle to it. We check into the Southern Cross Apartments. These are somewhat bland corporate style apartments but the location can't be beat. I pay $10NZ extra to use the apartment parking spot across the street. They do not have wifi here but if you have an ethernet cable you can use internet for free (the apartment also loans out cables for a $20 NZ deposit). We stroll down nearby Cuba St. past hip clothing stores and restaurants. We take a cable car up the top entrance of the Wellington Botanic Gardens for a quick view of the city and harbor. Seems more like a funicular to me but I'm no cable car expert. We have a very nice Mexican meal in the basement of Flying Burritos Brothers back on Cuba St. My goat cheese, eggplant, and capsicum quesadilla comes with a nice citrusy salsa and is quite yummy. I also try a pint of the local Montreith beer, good stuff. Sheep seen on the North Island, New Zealand Views from Wellington Botanic Gardens at Wellington, New Zealand May 5th Weds We are out of the Southern Cross by 6am. I have an interesting conversation with a Japanese worker at the Starbucks about how the local New Zealanders tend to only visit local coffee shops (I usually do too but this was the only coffee place I could find open at an early hour). He also hypes up the bungee jumping on the South Island. Caffeinated, we join the line of cars at the Interisland Ferry. After a short wait we are directed by their staff to drive onto the ferry (Our ticket for the car were free with our Apex car rental). The ship is huge with several levels and even two movie theaters. We grab a window seat in the cafeteria and hang out for the 3 hour crossing. Once at Picton on the South Island we drive through wine country (Wairau Valley) towards Cape Foul Winds. We see our first Kiwi Crossing sign on the way. We randomly decide to stay at Tauranga Bay as the sun is setting. This area is known for its Fur Seal colony and Wekas (an endemic New Zealand bird also known as the woodhen or bush hen). Looking for lodging I randomly stumble on a Bed and Breakfast called the Great Beach House (http://aatravel.co.nz/main/listing.php) and get a room for $130NZ from the friendly Yvonne and Michael Allan. We have a glass of wine and some cheese with them and admire photos of their nine children, then go to the Bay House restaurant. This is supposed to be the best place to eat on the West Coast and lives up to its reputation. I get some spicy pasta, salad and fries. I decide that Montheith's Summer Ale is too sweet for my liking though. The Interislander Ferry docked in Wellington, New Zealand Enjoying the cafeteria's cheese plate on the Interislander Ferry Weka Crossing at Tauranga Bay, New Zealand Weka in New Zealand New York is very far away (12,749 km or about 7,921 miles), sign post at Seal Colony Lookout, Tauranga Bay, New Zealand May 6th Thurs We get up shortly before dawn and have some coffee and tea in the downstairs kitchen of the Great Beach House before walking down to the beach at dawn to see if we can catch a glimpse of the Blue Penguins coming out of the bush to go to sea. We can see their distinctive footprints but it looks like they have beaten us and passed by minutes earlier. Perhaps we should have gotten there when it was still dark out? We enjoy a great breakfast with Michael and Yvonne, Michael makes up some of his signature homemade bread. No wi-fi here but you can use the house computer if needed. We drive to the famous blowing rocks at Punakaiki. The most dramatic time to see them is high tide but even at low tide they are pretty cool. Some Italian tourist is climbing all over the rocks despite the warning signs prohibiting this. We do some tramping (the Kiwi word for hiking) on the nearby Truman Track. There is great beach at the end of the trail but the sand flies here are brutal. I enjoy inspecting the strands of black kelp before fleeing the swarms. We continue past the drab town of Greymouth. Lots of farms along the route have handmade signs protesting the use of 1080 (a controversial pesticide used to control invasive mammals in New Zealand) along the way. This country is still trying to figure out a way to control its severe weasel, stout, and possum problem as native birds and plants are disappearing fast. At Fox Glacier we check into Rainforest Motels. It is pretty empty. We walk to dinner at Cafe Neve, they have nice Italian themed menu. Get some sundries from the local store (including the rare Dark Chocolate Kit Kat) and relax in the room. They have free wifi here. Waiting for Blue Penguins (note their tracks in sand) at Tauranga Bay, New Zealand Pancake Rocks during low tide at Paparoa National Park, Punakaiki, New Zealand Pancake Rocks during low tide at Paparoa National Park, Punakaiki, New Zealand Coastline at the end of Truman Track complete with starfish on the beach, Punakaiki, New Zealand Long strands of black kelp found on the coastline at the end of Truman Track, Punakaiki, New Zealand May 7th Fri Today in Fox Glacier we experience the worst weather of our trip and it puts a total damper on any outdoor activities (and there are not many indoor activities in this small town). It rains hard all day and does not stop until the evening. Our planned helihikes to the top of Fox Glacier are cancelled (this is very common). It is raining too hard to even hike outside so we do a driving tour down to Franz Joseph and back. A nice lunch is enjoyed at Cafe Neve again (pesto margerita pizza). When the rain tapers off we do the very pretty 20 minute fern filled Minnehaha walk and part of the Lake Matheson walk (see a few native birds including Fantails and Silvereyes). Get some food for dinner to go from Cafe Neve yet again and keep our fingers crossed that the weather improves tomorrow. On to Part 2 Queenstown, Te Anau, and Milford Sound Trip Report Index