Day 8: Martinborough to Wellington (70kms)

We had planned on a full day in Martinborough but our timing was poor. The ferries to the South Island were fully booked in the afternoon of the following day so we made the call and decided to catch the 8.45am the following morning. Rather than having to do this from Martinborough which would have been an indecently early start we decided to move on that day. So moral here 'book your ferry early'.

We did go for a run before breakfast though and we had time to walk round (yes it's small enough to just walk round the vineyards here) a few vineyards before we had to leave.

We tried Tirohana, VynFields (try their Mad Rooster), Schubert (these guys really know what they're doing and the chardonnay and cab sauv were excellent) and finally Voss (great sauv blanc and pinot noir).

Ate at James Murdoch (recommended by B&B) for lunch. Excellent views and location with pretty good food. Didn't think much of the wine though.

The drive to Wellington saw the first pass for us in the little van (boy they do big hills round here). The Hutt Top 10 site just out of town (NZD 26.10) was all we saw of Wellington I'm ashamed to say but the bottle of Matariki Quintology with our picnic-dinner was lovely.

Day 7: Napier to Martinborough (around 280kms)

From one wine region to another in one leap. Actually it's a very long drive but when it was still raining in Napier in the morning it was time to head south. Roads around Gisbourne to the north had been closed because of flooding.

We stopped in Norsewood to buy socks! This is a small town with strong Norwegian connections from way back when and they make damn good woolly things and have great cheap merino wool goods too.

Masterton for lunch was a nice little town with a lovely park but we didn't have time to stop for long. Greytown is also nice with a reasonable little Deli on the main St.

So we passed 6 wineries on the way into town. It was looking good. We booked into the Swan B&B for NZD120 a night (great breakfasts). Very busy here, first time we'd been somewhere where booking ahead may have been a good idea. I'd decided we would eat at the Martinborough Hotel (a beautiful building commanding the centre of the square in town) but it was fully booked. We later ate in the bar for around half the price but the food was just as good (same kitchen). Prior to that though-after the long drive-it seemed appropriate to check a few wines out at the Wine Visitors Centre. Loads on offer. Unsurprisingly great pinot noirs. Bought a Fairmont Block 1 2004 Pinot and a Lucinda 2003.

Day 6: Napier Wine Tour day

And then it rained. Yup. The heavens opened and before long there were roads flooding and fields flooding and it was very wet. The only thing to do in this situation is to find yourself a knowledgable local prepared to drive you around all day and drink wine. This was kind of lucky as Napier is rather well known for the stuff.

But first we did the Aquarium in town which is great (and every other tourist in town seemed to have had the same idea). It's NZD13 entry fee and the divers do a feed at 10am which was good to watch.

Then we lined our stomach with lunch at Church Road vineyard (a great recommendation from the campsite).

Vince is your man when it comes to wine round here. He knows his stuff and seems to know everyone. It also helped that he got to know your tastes as you went along and he catered the tour accordingly. There were, I think, 6 of us this day and at NZD45 a head it was worth it.

So where did we go:
1. Alpha Domus-stand out wine was the Nobel Semillon and the unoaked Chardonnay
2. KW (Kevern Walker-used to be Huthlee)-stand out wine was the 1999 Huthlee Cab Franc (which you can see me drinking somewhere else in this blog in Picton)
3. Ngatarawa (stables run by Coburn family for generations)-beautiful minty 2004 Syrah-absolutely perfect with lamb
4. Trinity Hill on the Gimblett gravels didn't dissapoint with the 2002 Merlot
and 5. Matariki's 2001 Quintology was great but the girl in the tasting room there was rather anxious about getting home as there really were roads closing around the place it was raining that hard.

Had an uninspiring dinner in Charlies on Emmerson St. Nothing wrong with the food but very few people meant no atmosphere and it needed people that place.

Campsite now becoming very, very wet. Very glad we weren't in a tent.

Day 5: Rotarua to Napier (240kms)

Cold got the better of me today so I just followed Paul around. The damp rainy, very British sort of weather didn't help. went to Te Puia or Whaka(rewarewa) to do the cultural thing for a change and it was very informative and interesting. Its in the same place as the Prince of Wales feathers geyers and Pohuha geyers both of which were going of in fairly splendid style. Funnily enough though I really prefered yesterday's sites to todays. Maybe it was the whole tourist trap aspect or something-it is a really incredible site though.

The falls in the picture above are the Huka falls. These are huge, scary, no holds bar it'll kill you territory, apparently people occassionaly try canoeing down it (well Kiwis are well known for extreme sports). If however they aren't successful there are some great places at the bottom of the falls where bodies can be trapped for days before the falls spit them out. Well I wouldn't go in as a diver to try and get them out that's for sure.

Got into Napier around 5.30pm and booked into the Top 10 site again (NZD26 with the discount card) another good site.

Ate in the Jazz Cafe in town 'Take 5' great place. really good venison and a lovely bottle of Brookfield 2003 Syrah helped the evening wind to a close.

Day 4: Taupo to Rotarua via Wai-O-Tapu & Waimanga (80km)

Wai-O-Tapu first and the Lady Grey Geyser at 10am when she is regualary coerced into performing for tourists with the use of some soap flakes. Still very impressive. This is a great site with mud pools, sinter terraces that look like rivers, bubbling pools with completely unncessary don't walk/enter signs. Sulphur crystal caves and whole bunches of nasty elements floating around. As a geologist I was very happy here. The non-geos seemed to be having fun too.

After lunch we went to Waimanga on the way to Rotarua. This is a whole different kind of site and equally, if not more, impressive. The best bit of all was that there were only 4 people including us here that afternoon-couldn't believe our luck. June 10th 1886 the whole valley was wiped out in one fell swoop by geo goings on. Everything. No life left. This makes it a great study in recent time to see how fast an area can recover from a catastrophic event. To be honest you can bearly tell (okay the steaming pools, geysers, sulphrous fumes and smoking rocks are a bit of a give away that it's a long way from over) but now it is full of lush tropical vegetation and quite a lot of the fauna seems to have come back too. This to me, as a geo, was one of the most fascinating places I've ever visited. I could have spent days here quite happily.

Eventually Paul dragged me away (or my rapidly developing cold did) and we booked into the Top10 site in Rotarua (NZD26 a night). This place is quite odd. Once you've got over the hydrogen sulphide smell (and that takes I while I can assure you) it's quite the tourist town. Had a great meal in Zippy Central where they made the best honey, lemon and ginger drink-did more for my cold than anything I'd got at a chemist.

DAY 3: Tongariro Crossing

Some days are better than others and this was worth getting up at 5.30am for even if it was only 1degree above zero. We were walking on the hill by 8am and you could see Mount Taranaki around 300kms off to the west. It was a perfect day with loads of snow still around to accentuate the hills. This is an amazing walk with spectacular views, I know people who've done it in a blizzard and their photos aren't like this one. It pays to be there when the weather gods are smiling. It gets very busy in summer though-today there were around 80 people on the hill so it was pretty quiet. Having your lunch next to a snow patch sitting on rocks that are keeping your behind nice and warm next to a sulphourous fumerole is a little different from your average day in the office that's for sure.

We were down in time to catch the 3.30pm bus but it didn't aid us getting back any sooner as we were caught in a traffic jam behind a light aircraft crash on the road back to Taupo. Amazingly pilot and passenger got out alive, there was very little left of the plane.

Ate in the same place and once more an early night in bed. Still not over the jetlag.

Day 2: Auckland to Taupo (300kms)

Leisurely morning trying to sort out the credit card problems!
Picked up the van from Kiwi Kombis, heard the weather forecast was good for the next couple of days and revised our travel plans to cancel the west coast and head straight to Taupo to get a good shot at the Tongariro Crossing. A good decision as it turned out.

Not a bad drive down. Some nice towns on the way like Cambridge (horse mad). Got into Taupo around 7pm and stayed at the Taupo Motor Camp for NZD26 a night by the river. Nice location but a bit noisy due to the large trailers that drive thourgh all night. Sorted out pick up for the Crossing with Tongariro expeditions (NZD40 per person and they pick you up and bring you back) the following morning at 6.20am.

This meant another early night. But not before a lovely meal in Waterside on the main strip by the beach. This place seems to be growing into the tourism trade slowly and is still really nice.

Day 1: Arrived in Auckland-have felt better

So a 5am arrival in Auckland doesn't feel great even when you've only flown in from Borneo. The guys on the plane from the UK looked way worse. Collected by 'Uncle Harding taxis' NZD 55 into town as recommended by the Great Ponsonby B&B where we stayed (210NZD a night). Really lucky as our room was available so we crashed for a few hours and then were up in time for breakfast-really good.

Off to Devonport on the ferry NZD10 each return. Climbed Mount Victoria (small hill) for fab views of Auckland. They're as boat mad here as the Aussies but a bit more laid back. Our walk down the harbour took in several America's Cup boats.

One thing to remember before you go on holiday is to tell your bank that you're going otherwise they do unhelpful, but very security minded, things like stop your credit cards.
Also worth bearing in mind that it can be cheaper to buy a mobile phone here than rent one (if you don't have one already) if you're here for more than 3 weeks.

Ate at the Belgian Beer Pub on Ponsonby St. Really nicely restored building on the corner of Jervois (?) Rd. Couple of beers and the jet-lag took over.

DAY 23 & 24: Final push to Christchurch and a day in Christchurch before flying to Auckland

Didn’t detail this bit in the diary. But basically it’s a drag to Christchurch around 200km down into the flat plains and along the agricultural belt of the eastern side of the country into move civilised country. I think we found it rather disappointing after the tremendous power of the west coast. It is a charming little place though with a fantastic Botanic Gardens.

DAY 22: Queenstown to Lake Tapeko (220kms)

Left early and got there faster than expected! So climbed Mt John to the Observatory. Really bonny the but Mt Cook not showing-it was only spring. There are loads of salmon farms, old gold mining outfits, vineyards and big scenery the whole way, the reservoirs are all full of glacial melt water and so have a spooky turquoise colour. Mt Cook is a 70km detour off the main road but I’m sure if the weather was good it’d be worth spending time there. I know friends had a fantastic time around Mt Cook when they went.

DAY 21: Queenstown, Arrowtown and dentist

Not my best day as I ended up in a dentists chair with antibiotics and a swollen face. But it could have been worse. We did go lugeing in Queenstown (this is mad fun and not one person I know could fail to enjoy it-you must try this if you get the chance) http://www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/luge/. Buy tickets at the bottom of the gondola as it’s cheaper and get at least 5 goes! This is also the spiritual home of bungy jumpers everywhere and they have one here on the hill too. Arrowtown is an interesting curiosity of a place where the Chinese were involved in the gold mining.

DAY 20: Big Day Out. Dart Stables and Dart River Safaris.

Up early to drive to Glenorchy at the head of the Lake where we met our horses. Paul had a Clydesdale called Dam (15 hands!) and I had a chestnut called Sledge. We wandered down the Dart River with our horses and gained a new respect for anyone who could ride! This is serious Lord of the Rings territory and nearly everyone around the place was involved in some way or another and there are some great stories to be heard http://www.dartstables.com/ . This was for the whole morning. We latched on, by luck, to the Dart River Safaris for the afternoon fun http://www.dartriverjet.co.nz/ . These boats are the business. They can travel on around 6inches of water and can turn on a dime which makes for an interesting ride in the hands of professionals. The equivalent of handbrake turns gets everyone wet! You can take these rides further down river in town where the ride is maybe more exhilarating but the scenery doesn’t come close to what they’ve got in Glenorchy and around Dart and Rees Rivers. There’s also a 4 wheel drive bus tour with these guys through some of the Lord of the Rings hotspots and some useful local info on flora and fauna.
Found another good restaurant in town ‘Finz’ down by the wharf (BYO) for a good fish and chip supper.

DAY 19: Wanaka to Queenstown (100km)

Failed to walk the Rob Roy track (lack of enthusiasm and dreadful weather) so we went to Rippon vineyard instead where they make great Pinot Noir and is in stunning gorgeous setting (see left). It also has a golf cross course-you should see this game-it’s mad. http://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/ and then when it’s raining Puzzle world is more fun than you’d expect.
The drive down Lake Wakatipa is unbelievable gorgeous. Its Scotland times 3.
Tourist information is town is run with military precision and they are very good at what they do. We treated ourselves and booked into the Coronation Lodge/Motel for NZD100 per night and it was only 5 mins from the very centre of town and was really very nice. (We ended up staying 3 nights). Ate at the Lone Star in town. Famous for big portions and they are not joking. Really nice place and do BYO too. Followed by the Red Rock bar (we later learnt this was a bit hit and miss but there was a good guitarist in the first night).

DAY 18: Continued the drive to Wanaka (270km)

The drive to Wanaka was strange after the flight. There are some spectacular places on the way down the west coast. There’s Knight’s Point, Haast Pass (very entertaining driving). Beautiful Blue Pools on the Haast River that are worth stopping at.
Stayed at the Lakeview campsite at Wanaka after unsuccessfully trying to organise a fishing trip-no-one fishes on rivers here. So we drank a bottle of Cloudy Bay sauv blanc on the lake side and ate fish and chips and fed the ducks as the sun went down.

DAY 18: Helicopter flight round Mt Cook and the glaciers

Our first break in the weather in 3 days and we were on the first or second helicopter flight that morning at 8.45am (booked previous night and they have to have a minumum of 4 people to fly but the time of year you‘re going sort this out early). Go for the full package even though it’ll burn a whole in the credit card (it’s the cheapest place to do this flight from although you can do it from Queenstown but it’ll cost an extra 150bucks per person). Also go helicopter-that way you get to land on the neve above the snow line which is amazing-the planes can’t do this. It’s only 45minutes and costs NZD350 per person but I’d do it again tomorrow. I’ve been in helicopters before but not in this kind of scenery it’s very special. The glaciers were awesome but then so was Mt Cook and Mt Tasman.

DAY 17: Franz Josef to Fox

This may be only 20kms on the map but it’s a healthy half and hour in a 1973 combi van. This glacier is very different in character and the valley it funnels through is extremely unstable looking in a ‘I know why they don’t tar the roads round here’ sort of way. Huge debris flows, and no stopping signs on one section for pedestrians on the way to the face! Oh and keas the smartest, funniest birds around and you shouldn't feed them.

We also did the Chalet Lookout Track which gets you above the glacier and at the terminus as it was in the 1830s (I think). Paul went fossicking here too! You can also get down to Gillespies Beach from here which was mined for its gold. it’s a great place to get rid of cobwebs as it’s really blowy this side of the island. Stayed in the Rainforest Motel for the night which was fine and ate in the excellent Neve Café-there aren’t many eateries in town but this one is great and very busy by the way so book ahead if you can. Fox is even smaller than Franz Josef.

DAY 16: Hike on Franz Josef

It's not for everyone but it's great fun and you get to the blue ice up top and a great view down the valley.
(You also get quite wet but the beer in the bar later is well deserved).

DAY 15: Blackball to Franz Josef Glacier (280kms)

These are big driving days but there are plenty of places to stop along the way. Hoki (jade) and one of the biggest towns on the west coast. Stunning scenery down to Ross where we went panning and Paul was bitten by the fossicking bug. We also meet some bigger campers!

From Ross its 100kms to Franz Josef. Unbelievable scenery even in poor weather.http://www.franzjosefglacier.com/ we booked a trek up the face for the following day with these guys. NZD120 per person with the Top 10 discount card. Probably a little too much for some but definitely walk up to the front of it and check it out. Its very easy and flat and spectacular. Stayed in the Top 10 campsite out of town but still within walking distance and it was only NZD28 for 2 people and had great showers (almost as good as Picton). Ate in the Blue Café at the end of the main street (you can’t miss it there is only one street) good value at NZD100 for the 2 of us and they charged 5 dollar corkage-a lot of places out of the main cities do BYO and maybe charge corkage on wine.

DAY 14: Nelson to Blackball (290kms)

Spent a little time in the Saturday Nelson market and visited the Hansen jewellers where we got dads 'precious'. Visited the Buller Gorge Swing bridge on the way over-your first encounter with gold country coming from this direction. Also the first experience of sandflies (very good outcrops of active fault planes here).
And onward to Blackball and the ‘Formerly Known as the Hilton Hotel’ where we camped for about NZD15 in the back carpark. An exceptionally quirky place if ever there was one full of gold diggers and fur trappers. Quite unlike anywhere else we went a really fun night with amazing people.

DAY 13: Renwick to Nelson

Failed abysmally to find the hill we intended to walk up (Mt Royal) so did some little walks in the woods at the bottom of the Richmond Range instead. Drove over to see the Boulders on the western side of the south island (we’ve missed out all of Abel Tasman already here). Stayed overnight in A Culinary Experience B&B (currently building new premises I believe) run by and American couple who seem to sail half the year and live in New Zealand the rest. Not the cheapest at NZD 255 a night including dinner at 45dollars a head (but she is a chef). We donated the wine as by then we had a large collection! http://www.a-culinary-experience.com/ .