New Zealand 2025

 

After a bicycle trip in New Zealand 32 years ago, we opted to go back for a hiking tour to see a different side of the country.  We booked with a tour group, HF Holidays, based out of the UK, for we were familiar with how they packaged trips and were pleased by the quality.

Take your time here; we had a lot of things jampacked into our 3 1/2 weeks trip.

March 11+12:  Auckland

All arrivals at the Auckland airport are greeted with the first impression of Maori culture by passing through a beautifully carved gate.

The Maori culture here is very prominent compared to that of the aboriginal cultures in Canada.  One ongoing theme is that of immense reverence for nature and the balance with nature.

Our hotel was situated right downtown near the wharves, so we had lots of opportunity to walk around and get over jet lag.  We arrived just at the end of a large international boat show and saw some incredible craft (representing incredible money) on the waters.  Note this (little) boat with its own helicopter! 

There were massive ships, both sailing and powered:  my little camera was incapable of capturing their size.  We passed by one craft as they were refuelling—when Brian queried the operator, he was informed that this was merely a top up of 10,000 Liters ($17,000NZ) before going to fill another ship with 100,000 Liters.    This is clearly an example of "if you can’t afford the fuel you can’t afford the ship".

 Near to us, there was a small inlet, featuring a drawbridge to allow some craft to pass from the marina into the harbour:  we had the pleasure of seeing it in operation a couple of times. The wharf was fascinating, with features such as a wind sculpture with shapes that fluidly moved around with the wind.

A contest led to a number of artistic kiwis.  

They ranged from fantastic to colourful.

And more colourful....

Oh yes, and colourful.

Auckland features a number of parks which were a welcome break from concrete city streets.  One we visited featured art and a small café.

The people sitting beside us got pestered by a pigeon grabbing food from their table; when they left in disgust the pigeons descended en masse.  Alfred Hitchcock had nothing on this.

Auckland had a marvellous mix of old and new buildings in the wharf area.

 After two days, we met up with our group of 13 other hikers and two guides and got ready to go.  Our group consisted of 7 Americans, 3 Canadians, 3 Brits and 2 from Northern Ireland.  Our two guides, Louis and Ollie came from New Zealand and Canada respectively; Ollie achieved his permanent residency partway through the trip, much to his thrill.

 March 13:  Rotorua

We first stopped at The Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Reserve featuring boiling mud, boiling water and overwhelming fumes of sulphur.  It is very difficult for a non-volcanic mind to realize that this lovely little bubbling brook could scald your hand off.  There were fumaroles (steam vents) everywhere and it was easy to see how the Maori used the area for cooking food.  In fact there are chlorine pools that were favoured for cooking; that must have counteracted any chance of food poisoning!  

Interestingly enough, the collapsed craters were favourite nesting places for birds.

Holes in the ground were often noisy.

March 14:  Lake Tarawera

Forestry in New Zealand is very important as a source of exports; however, the colonists (as usual) had pretty much exhausted the native timbers.  The foresters embarked on creating plantations of imported species to see which ones would prosper.  Thus, our first walk of the day was through a California Redwood stand dedicated to an original (before her time) female forester.

Talk about cognitive dissonance!  Here we are in New Zealand, looking at a lovely stand of California Redwoods, with some tree ferns in the background!  Apparently, the trees do very well here, and grow faster in the rich volcanic soils than in California. To give you an idea of scale, the trunks were easily 1 1/2 to 2 feet in diameter.

The eventual winner of the forest replanting contest was a Monterey pine (Picea radiata) native to California/Mexico (one of our guides had worked in tree planting this species and was very informative).  Eighty nine percent of forest plantations consist of this tree, for they are known for a fast growth rate and straight tall trunks.  Logging looks to be conducted in the clearcut fashion, unfortunately, and there are clear differences between logged out areas and replanted ones. 

By the way, this forest stand had some of the most decorative loo shields I have ever seen.

A quick walk through a war memorial site followed.  The coffins are above ground because customs dictate that bodies would bake if they were situated underground!

We walked along the lakeshore of Lake Tarawera through lush bush with lots of fern trees.  Ponga ferns are medium-sized trees: a mature  fern leaf from the tree would easily be 4 feet long, making the object of this picture much larger than first appearance.  The underside of the leaf is silvery, and was used by the Maori to lay down on the trail upside down, thus visibly pointing the correct direction to travel.  This fern is a symbol of New Zealand (seen on all the sports uniforms) and recognized by all cultures.

Buds of new fronds were the size of a man's arm and fist.

Lunch was at the far side of the lake, looking like a typical Caribbean beach.

Vegetation was lush and unique.

In various locations we would find a Maori ceremonial gathering house.  Although they tended to be devoid of furniture at times, they made up for that lack with amazing decorations inside.

That evening, we were taken for a Māori “Hangi” meal and cultural display. We first met in a Maori cultural house, which featured trememdous carving and weaving art. 

Maori culture has had a resurgence since the 1980’s and the New Zealanders have embraced it.  The country is far more Maori aware, and often signage is in the Maori language first, followed by English.  In some places, three sets of Asian characters are also present, reflecting the popularity of New Zealand as a destination for Asian tourists.

Like their Polynesian forebears,  Maori used underground ovens to cook meals, and I believe that 280 people were present for the dining event tonight, and we were treated to a stupendous buffet of traditional seafood, pork and poultry.

A haka was performed with numerous songs to follow.  The women often get chin tattoos, a sacred practice, signifying their identity, ancestry and leadership.  (I had no compulsion to get one of these this time.)

March 15:  Whirinaki Rainforest

Hiking through a New Zealand rainforest is magnificent. 

First of all, the biggest plants are the Podocarps, with 5 main players:

Rimu, Kahikatea, Miro, Matai and Totara

Each has their own role and story, but the most hilarious one is that of Miro.  Miro trees bear berries that are a favourite of forest parrots and wood pigeons.  However, past a certain point the berries ferment, and apparently there are many instances where drunken pigeons crash to the ground.  Their pigeons are considerably larger than ours (about 20" in length and weighing 23 oz.) so if one drops on you you may see stars as well.

Podocarps are named because of their seeds which consist of a red berry and a black seed that is like a foot.

These trees are BIG.  Here is guide Louis with one of the trees, and guide Ollie with another.  You can see the height of the trees in the background. 

Because this is a mature forest, there is different vegetation at every level, optimized for that particular set of conditions.  Some of these trees are over 1000 years old. 

Vegetation included epiphytes, “air plants” that grow on the top of another plant.  They use the base plants for support, and do not damage the host.

Like many other rain forests, the walk seemed to be in the dark because of the height of the canopy and the extensive vegetation.

Both guides were pleased and proud to show us the world’s tallest moss, which was easily 9-10 inches tall.

Tortura were valued by the Maori for use as canoes.  One of the more interesting bits of Maori culture was that the Maori did not harvest these trees.  The tree had to be beyond life (eg broken in a wind storm) before the Maori would use them. There is a far greater reverence for the land and its parts here because of the Maori culture, and New Zealanders are more aware of conservation issues.

As usual, colonials brought over sheep, goats, deer and rabbits as well as stowaways such as rats and mice.  The rabbits quickly overran the islands, so then stoats and ferrets were introduced as predators.  Stoats learned quickly that birds, especially flightless ones, offered wonderful eggs as well as whoever was incubating them.  For some reason, possums were also brought over, and they liked bird eggs as much as stoats, ferrets, rats and mice did. The damage to the bird population has been profound.  Considerable efforts have been made to lessen the population of invaders, and on this walk and others, we have seen a large number of kill traps.  There are two kill traps in each (both of which are quite considerable of causing considerable human injury), and the lines are monitored on a regular basis to keep fresh bait and to remove remains.

Interestingly enough, the Department of Forests was renamed the Department of Conservation to reflect the changing focus to protection for the local flora and fauna.

This area gets 1,500-2,000 ml of rain annually!

The last major eruption was only 1800 years ago, so it is not common to get an old-growth forest.

March 16: Tongariro National Park

We did some driving to our next stop which was a volcanic plain with three active volcanoes surrounding it.  Our hotel, named Skotel Alpine Resort, is very popular with skiers, and it was modelled like any other alpine hotel with lots of wood and ski’s on the walls, etc., etc.  (A ski area with 3 active volcanoes?  Really?!)

The park has dual World Heritage Status due to both its natural features and its cultural significance.

March 17:  Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Our hike today was theTongariro Alpine Crossing, considered one of the “Best One Day Walks in the World”.  It is a strenuous walk of 19.5 km and 2950 feet of ascent.  Brian and I planned to walk only a portion of it, and that decision was made even easier by the weather. Rain started shortly after we did, necessitating more clothing. 

There was almost no visibility, lots of rain and rising winds as the day went on.  We made an early stop at a mountain hut; these are common here, built for trekkers and campers.  The facilities can vary from a limited lean-to to a big facility with power, heat, and cooking facilities.  This one was a little in-between, with a number of bunk beds and a communal kitchen.  Like us, wood stoves are common sources of heat, and there was firewood neatly stacked nearby.  Park staff came every day to check the facility, replenish firewood, and do general upkeep.

The trail continued on up a bit of a valley to climb up to a volcanic crater, cross the crater, and then turn around after climbing some more.

The group going on the full walk had to turn back after reaching the first edge of the crater because visibility was decreasing to almost zero and the winds were getting dangerous.

Having said that, the scenery, although limited, was still fascinating.  As with other alpine places, there were no tall plants, but a variety of ones adapted to the conditions.  Another botanical disconnect happened when we found heather all along the walk.

The surface was lava covered by ash, which could be quite slippery when wet.  Although there was stunted vegetation where we were, bare patches were becoming more prevalent as we proceeded.  This is a picture of a basketball sized volcanic rock.

Ho hum, you say…..just a rock  NOT!  One feature of volcanic eruptions here are “lava bombs”, red hot lava rocks that fall from the sky.  Life threatening, to say the least.  As I looked around the landscape, I saw a lot of bombs.  At the Skotel, there were posters with information on volcano monitoring systems, levels of alerts, and what to do if an eruption occurred.

The Maori reverance for nature was displayed at the trail head where there was a fountain.

To save you from squinting, the sign reads,"I arrive where unknown earth lies under my feet, I arrive where a new sky is above me, I arrive at this land, a resting place for me, O spirit of this earth, this stranger humbly offers their heart to you as food for you."

March 18+19:  Wellington

 A four-hour drive took us to the south end of the North Island to Wellington, a harbour city that is the capital of New Zealand.  I quote from our trip outline, “On a sunny, windless day, this compact city is wonderful to explore independently on foot”.  Skies were overcast when we arrived. 

The next day, six of us ventured out to see Zealandia, a predator-proof nature reserve that is the epitome of conservation efforts.  It was raining a little when we started on our walk.  Then it rained harder.  Then the winds picked up.  After 20 minutes, Brian and I looked at each other and said, “This is not fun”.  We hustled to the free shuttle which took us back downtown, but we had another 10 minutes of walking to return to the hotel.  It rained harder, and the winds got stronger.  I don’t think we have ever been so wet in our lives, despite our rain gear and my umbrella.  In looking up the weather details, I found that 32 mm of rain had fallen during the day and by 3 pm wind gusts were up to 89 km/hr.  Definitely memorable! 

You might think the New Zealanders speak English.  Not really—they speak New Zealand.  I was quite taken aback by the warning sign at the fire hall near our hotel.  All I could imagine was a couple of toaster ovens racing out to meet the dangerous situation.

We had a brief stop at a site where New Zealand experienced its worst rail disaster in its history.  On Christmas Eve in 1953 a night express train started crossing a bridge that had been badly weakened by a volcanic lahar (a fast moving and destructive flood/mudslide consisting of water, ash, rock and ice).  Despite putting on emergency brakes, the train plunged into the raging torrents, killing 151 of the 285 people on board.  Since New Zealand’s population was only 2 million people, almost everybody had a connection to the disaster.

From Wellington we flew to Nelson on the South Island.  While waiting in the Wellington Airport, a group of school children came in for an airport experience.  They all wore reflective vests, and were neatly herded into a circle by a representation of a giant Tuatara lizard.

It is always interesting to visit other Commonwealth countries to find how many names are similar to ones at home.  Wellington and Nelson are classic examples of familiar monikers.

In Nelson, we were met by our South Island guides, Marie and Kelsey.

Before embarking on a description of travels in the South Island, I should describe the efforts by New Zealanders to develop the "Great Walks".  There are 11 Great Walks in New Zealand, with the latest one added in August of 2024.  Ranging in length of 32-82 km, they were developed by the Department of Conservation to manage and conserve the most popular trails which were increasingly being damaged by unrestricted tourism. (The Tongarira Trail was one of them.)  There is no charge to walk along a trail, but there is a charge to use the mountain huts along the way if you are not capable of hiking 82 km in a day.  Oh, speaking New Zealand, I meant to say these were "tracks" rather than hiking trails.

March 21:  Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman Park was the location of another Great Walk.  (Our guides were puzzled as to the name of the park since Abel didn't even bother landing there and went off to sail elsewhere....)

Our walk was inaugerated by a water taxi ride to our start point.  The water taxies here are big, probably holding a couple of hundred passengers.  Here is a picture of the lower level—there were at least 100 people seated above us.  I don't believe they have Water Ubers, though.

 

The route covered at least 5 drop-offs before we disembarked.  Our trail followed the high tide route; although we missed a couple of beaches, there were some glimpses of very inviting sand.  Again we were walking through a rainforest, although the west coast one had some very different plants in it.

In a regenerated area, a native shrub first grows, eventually spreading its upper branches so that a canopy if formed, creating shade.

Successive plants start filling in everything in between.

We crossed some streams heading down to the ocean and in fact needed to use suspension bridges a couple of times to span the width of the water.  Ten people was the maximum load for a bridge at any point in time; the bouncing as we walked along was way too much excitement for some of our group.

Even the riverbanks had sandy shores.  In one of the rivers we crossed we saw a couple of large eels at least a meter long.

Although this picture doesn’t really capture the details, the local  beech trees were vulnerable to a tiny scale insect that would burrow under the bark, and then throw out an inch-long clear discharge tube that had a tiny sweet drop of honeydew at the end (ie. insect poop).  Both birds and insects thrive on this, and even bees create a dark honey with a complex flavour from this.

The New Zealand Beech trees are nothing like the ones in North America, with very tiny leaves in clusters.

We finally returned to a pickup point with another gorgeous sandy beach, and took another water taxi back home.

 

March 22:  The West Coast

Meet a “Weka”.  Also named a Maori hen or Mudhen.  About the size of a chicken, these flightless birds are masters of mooching.  We could be standing somewhere and all of a sudden a Weka would be checking nearby to see if anything had been dropped.

In popular places, the Weka were joined by gulls, and neither kind of bird would give an inch to the others.

The west coast of the South Island is rugged and beautiful.  We trekked around the end of a spur of land to view a fur seal colony below.  Invitingly named “Cape Foulwind”, it also featured impressive limestone cliffs.

 

Revegetation is occurring on both the North and South Islands, as residents push back against the complete clearing of land by sheep farmers.  This project is being handled by a schoolchildren from a specific school, who will be able to see their progress over the years.

Walking paths are extremely well tended, with the motivation to keep people on the path and not stray into the fragile lands on either side.

The country is dealing with a number of introduced species, including gorse.  Most of them are problematic in some way or another.

Not only did we see Gorse and Heather, but also Lupens, Mullein, Scotch Thistle and Viper Bugloss, the last three of which I have tried continuously to discourage in my back yards in Canada.

Despite the ruggedness of the cliffs, the beaches still had marvellous sand.

 

Another vegetation disconnect:  despite South Island being cooler, we walked through big stands of native palm trees, Nikau palms.

March 23:Punanaiki & the Southern Alps

Today might have been subtitled “Rock Day”.  Our first walk was at the Pancake Rocks, which were impressive limestone layers eroded by the water.

The afternoon brought us to Castle Hill which were again impressive limestone layers, but of entirely different shapes.  These layers had been uplifted by tectonic movement to become vertical rather than horizontal as as the Pancake Rocks.

 

The rocks clearly showed the grinding effects of the glaciers.

New Zealand has been much better than us in recognizing Maori lands and spiritual places.

March 24:  Aoraki/Mount Cook

Today was a travel day, taking us to the notable Mount Cook.  Along the way we hiked up to a an astronomical research station, giving us a chance to see some spectacular views around us.

The terrain here has morphed into topology much like southern BC and Alberta.  The area has been heavily glaciated and soils are thin, leading to more of a grassland type vegetation.  Thousands of acres of grazing for sheep and cattle have been deforested, mostly through burning.

As we drove further south, we finally got our first glimpse of Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand.  This is an iconic destination.  In this most unusual picture you must note:  there are no clouds obscuring the top of the mountain. (!!!)

We arrived at our hotel to enjoy the unmitigated luxury of three whole days in the same hotel.

This is a good point to comment on some of the heavy tourism in the area.  I mentioned that New Zealand is a popular destination for Asians.  They arrive in huge highway cruisers holding 50 people at a time; sometimes they come in groups of 2 or 3 buses.  Although the hotel staff are adept at handling the arrivals, when our two little buses of 8 or 9 people pull up to check in, woe betide us if we are behind the mob.  Very few of these tourists speak English, but some make the effort to check the menu with their phone and then show the wait staff their choices.  Very popular big hotels like ours here provide buffet dining for meals since table service would be impossible.

This is merely half of the buffet, and there seemed to be an enormous selections of foods, including Asian ones.

Despite the space, if you arrived at peak dining time you could count on almost having to indulge in fist fights to (a) maintain a place in line and (b) prevent someone from butting in on you and getting the last of a good something.

The main dining room had a fantastic view of Mount Cook, and there was twice as much more seating available without the view.

At times, it was necessary to point out some local customs.

March 25:  Mount Cook National Park

Mount Cook is famous for its population of Keas, or Mountain Parrots.

These extremely intelligent birds wreak havoc on autombiles by tearing off any stripping around windshields and windows.  Regrettably, human-bird conflict has reduced the population to only about 300 individuals who are now tagged and closely monitored.  Signs abound, begging people not to feed the keas.  We could see a couple flying around the roofs of the hotel complex, but none ventured close.

The hotel was a good example of architectural features meant to provide stability during an earthquake.

Not only was the building festooned with steel cables, but I-beams were a prominent component of the structure.

The end of the day featured another clear view of the mountain.

March 26:  Tasman Glacier Lake

To prevent us from feeling land-locked, today featured a cruise on Tasman Glacier Lake.  We were loaded into a luxury version of Zodiacs (they had seats!!), and our female driver was not only an expert handler but filled with an enthusiasm for speed.

She took us close to icebergs to get a good view of the glacial ice.

Ice that was more clear and deeper blue in colour came from the bottom of the glacier, where it was most compressed.

As was typical with a glacial lake, the water was turquoise with the suspended silt.

The largest glacier in New Zealand, the Tasman Glacier is now receeding at a rate of up to 800 meters a year, despite the rocks on top of it that keep the ice cooler.

To get an idea of the scale of this level of glaciation, here is a Zodiak (teeny yellow dot) in front of one of the huge lateral moraines on either side of the valley where the melting glacier left rock debris.

By the way, Mount Cook was looking very fetching.

After disembarking, we drove to Wanaka, our next destination.

Our arrival was celebrated by one of the most glorious sunsets we had seen on this trip.

 March 27:  Diamond Lake and the Rocky Mountain

 

Walking here provided some challenges, both expected and unexpected.  The trail had some stiff climbs involving stairs, which we don't enjoy in any way.  The steps are uneven in height and breadth, making it a challenge to develop a sustainable tempo.  On the other hand, the views after the climb made it well worth while.

To my surprise, I felt incredibly at home here because the geography was so comparable to what we enjoy at home:  mountains, glaciation, and similar plant life.

The second challenge of the day occurred when we tried to leave the remote parking lot at the trail head.  A number of schools had organized a student triathalon with little publicity, and they were getting ready to close the single road for several hours for the cycling race.  Our vans were literally the last two vehicles to leave the lot before the road closed.  Whew!

March 28:  Lake Te Anau and Kepler Track

Given the choice of a 19 km trek with up to 2500 feet elevation gain versus a 12 km trek with a 500 foot elevation gain, we chose for sanity and took the shorter version. (I should point out that the majority of our group always took the challenging options...sigh.)

Although there was a predicted chance of rain in the morning, the skies cleared completely, and we were treated to a lovely walk in moderate temperatures.

The Kepler Track is considered another of the great walks of New Zealand, and it wound its way up from a river feeding Lake Te Anau, through a beechwood forest. 

Although it was not considered a rain forest here by New Zealand standards, it got LOTS of rain, and the forest was dark and quiet with a heavy canopy from 100-foot beech trees, lots of Spanish moss dripping everywhere and a heavy carpet of moss as far as the eye could see.

The forest floor was a “pit and mound” type.  Beech trees here have a shallow root system, and a storm could easily blow one over, leaving a big pit where the roots had come up with the soil around them.  Over time, the pit would eventually fill in, but in the meantime the fallen tree became a nursery log, nurturing all kinds of vegetation that would grow up and out.  The wood would eventually disintegrate, creating a mound.

We eventually ended up at Shallow Bay at Lake Manapouri for a very picturesque lunch stop.

 

In the foreground you can see a New Zealand plumed grass, Toetoe, which is almost identical to Pampas Grass which has been introduced.  The two grasses seem to live in harmony.

To our horror, there were Canadian Geese here, introduced in 1905 for recreational hunting.  Like every other introduced species, they have become more of a nuisance than a benefit.

 March 29:  Routeburn Track and Milford Sound

 The last full day of activity was chockablock full of events.  We to drove to Milford Sound, stopping on the way, first for Mirror Lake and then for a walk along a section of the Routeburn Track (another Great Walk!).

The walk to the Mirror Lakes was a miniscule 0.2 km, but the scenery was worth it.  A little mist gave a moody feel as we stood there.

 

The segment of Routeburn track made up for any gentleness experienced earlier that morning.

At this point, track was little more than 16" wide, and curved around the side of a cliff.  (I did NOT stop to take a picture at that point.)  We walked through lush forest with waterfalls and springs everywhere.

Our drive continued to Milford Sound, another iconic destination in New Zealand.   (Problem is is that it is a fjord, not a sound!)  The mountains are young and rugged, and the entrance to the fjord was so suble that it took years to discover. (Captain Cook missed this twice...) When we were there in 1993, the road was challenging, despite the tunnel built in 1954, and there were two boat lines operating.  This is the only fjord with road access in New Zealand.

Now, there are many boat lines operating, from small to large in size.  We were directed to one of 10! docks with waiting craft.

A standard cruise takes you around the fjord in a clockwise position, going out to sea, and then returning. With the number of tour operaters in action, it was like watching a measured dance  around the fjord.  While we moved on the water, a constant buzz of helicopters indicated the wealthier tourists indulging in their own sort of sightseeing.  They too operated in a clockwise fashion to prevent congestion.

Along the way, you could see rugged rocks,

Waterfalls, 

and massive mountains.

One of our guides mentioned the three kinds of avalanches common in the area:  snow avalanches, rock avalanches (NZ for rock slides) and tree avalanches.  The last was a new one to me, but this was attributed to the nefarious New Zealand Beech.  As mentioned before, the beech have very shallow roots which are interlaced.  With the almost non-existent subsoil, if a beech toppled it would take many of its' friends with it.  If you look very closely at middle bottom of this picture, you can see some gray-white scarring where beech falls have occurred.

We were lucky to have such glorious weather for this trip, because it certainly wasn't the norm.

March 30:  Queenston

Our last day together as a group saw us visiting a winery for one of the nicest brunches we had enjoyed in a while.  We were seated as a group in a marvellous yard featuring sculptures, beautiful landscaping and various interesting things to look at.  As is common, sheepskins were used instead of cushions on the chairs.

 

March 31:  The Trip Back

 Of course all good things must come to an end.  On departure day we flew from Queenstown to Auckland, where we boarded an Air New Zealand flight back to Vancouver.  We are getting soft and insisted on business class for our travel, which netted us superior service, food and sleeping stations.  Why leave it for the children?

Some PS comments:

PS: HF Holidays did an excellent job of covering logistics for us.  We didn't have to worry about accommodation or meals, and the guides worked really hard to ensure we enjoyed ourselves.  Both sets were sensitive to ladies' needs for frequent washroom breaks, although they were unable to control the race when there were 11 women and only four men in the group.  A lack of toilet paper was considered catastrophic!  Some of our group displayed fantastic running skills.

PPS:  Speaking of accommodation, the relative small size of our group allowed us to stay in what I would consider some boutique hotels (like Skotel) where it was a little calmer than on the regular tour circuit.

PPS:  Meals were downright amazing.  Again, because of the small size of our group, we could fit into more unique restaurants while enjoying food that was out of the world.  The names were tantalizing:  The Good George, the Fox, Wander Cafe and Bistro, Alley Katz Cafe, the Fainting Goat, the Moose Tavern (assocated with the Armadillo Restaurant) and the Fat Duck.  And I am just getting started here.

Meals en route consisted of packed lunches and even some fine dining provided by our tour guides.  A little trailer pulled by one of the buses did trojan duty.

One day we had the privilege of buying meat pies at The Fairlie Bakehouse, in beautiful downtown Fairlie, where their baked wares were considered some of the best in NewZealand.  Judging from the throngs waiting inside and out in line, this was a sure thing.  We had mince and cheese pies (mince = NZ for hamburger) and I am only sorry we didn't buy double quantitites.

PPPS: HF billed this journey as "Highlights of New Zealand".  Wow--did we ever cover ground!  We stayed in 10 hotels in 21 days, and did considerable driving to get from here to there.  We walked on 4 of the 11 great walks and saw iconic destinations such as geothermal hot spots in Rotorua, Maori cultural events, Mount Cook and Milford Sound.  To say we were exhausted at the end of this was an understatement.  Given our quiet life and solitary conditions on Anarchist Mountain, the crowds, the constant go-go-go, 6:15 am breakfasts (! once) and multiple beds required a long recovery period when we got home!!

PPPPS:

On the plus side, large cities were rare (only Auckland), and some of our stops gave us  fascinating little vignettes of another way of life.

One cafe featured funky fabric reindeer heads for no apparent reason.

Post offices were sized to fit the municipality.

I needed some embroidery needles, and guess where they came from?

And yes, they did have a good selection of fishing gear, right down to the waders.

So, in summary, it was a great trip with highlights every day.  Thank you for visiting!