Kaikoura, New Zealand

Lunch, that is. I gave all my lunch over the side into the South Pacific Ocean. It was a tiny boat, the waves came up over the mast and the Captain said he’d never seen it so bad . . . so far today. It was a fearsome gale. But nevertheless, with my eyes glued to the viewfinder, I pressed on to get a shot or two of the mighty Wandering Great Albatross off Kaitoura.

OK, it wasn’t that bad; no one else suffered like I did. The waves were maybe three feet high and I, like Lord Nelson, suffer from sea sickness on uncertain seas. And, without getting into too much detail, I was rather neat and orderly in my distress, heaving overboard and leaving no evidence that wasn’t immediately cleansed by the first wave when we were once again underway.

But what an interesting adventure it was, capping another different kind of day. That’s something Judy and I have noted: all 13 days in New Zealand has been unique. OK, sheep every day and magnificent views everyday but the experiences have all been unique. And if you’re keeping score at home, we’ve now completed 15 days of our trip (counting travel days) and so we’re over half way done in our 28 day journey.

We started the day after dawdling over breakfast. The jam was too good and the company too interesting to get away early as we’d planned. One couple at our B&;B was from the Czech Republic and were spending six weeks in New Zealand and Australia where their daughter and boyfriend now live. The other couple was from Medford, NJ. They are finishing a three-week trip and will have had 15 separate flights and are more than ready to get back home. They, like others we’ve met, are on trips set up by travel agents who, it seems, think that driving an automobile is something no self-respecting tourist would ever do.

We drove Highway 1 south from Renwick toward Kaikoura, a seaside town famous for seals, dolphins, whales and lots of birds, including the aforementioned Albatrosses, said to be the bird with the largest wingspan in the world. We stopped about 10 miles north of town at Ohau bay where we saw a number of fur seals lolling on the rocks, swimming occasionally and fighting among themselves frequently. Territorial squabbles, we’re told although no one animal seemed to dominate the rest nor was any real damage done. Seals have to have something to do while digesting their meal.

We got to the Albatross Discovery center at about 12:30 PM for a 1:00 departure. We signed in and got a bite to eat (MISTAKE) before meeting our guide, bus driver and boat captain Gary. There were three couples, one from the UK, one from Australia and us. The UK folks had actually met Gary in England when Gary was appearing at a bird watchers convention, promoting his company’s bird watching trips.

Gary looks the part of an aging sea captain: of ruddy complexion a lined face and a look that seems to be scanning the horizon for whatever might appear. He told me that he had circumnavigated Antarctica. “Took a year and oh, what a miserable trip it was. Heavy seas all the time. The calmest day was one with winds of 40 km/hr.” His trip was on a research vessel.

And yes, we did see three kinds of Albatrosses plus seven others. I’ll try to post a picture of one of each – I think I missed the Black Backed Gull buy hey, if you’ve seen one gull you’ve seen them all. We also saw some dolphins (“Don’t tell my boss I let you see dolphins. You’re not on a dolphin watching trip.”) And yes, we did get back to shore even though there were parts of the journey that I was sure it would never end.

Now we’re in our B&B with a sliding glass front overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately we can’t see the far side where, Julie, our proprietress, tells us, you can see snow-capped mountains. Maybe in the morning. Julie also mentioned that she had another couple staying with her who were on our trip. Sure enough, it’s the UK couple, Sylvia and Bret. We’ve hooked up and are going to dinner this evening. And it turned out to be another great dinner. Judy had the pork belly. I had some fish I’d never heard of but a very flavorful white fish. And there was hokey pokey ice cream, part of a three-ice cream medley homemade in the restaurant. I made a big deal about loving hokey pokey ice cream with the proprietress. When I paid the bill she gave a heaping cupful of hokey pokey as a take away gift. How am I, on my weakened and now stuffed stomach, ever going to down that tonight?

Renwick, New Zealand

. . . So the grapes will grow and they can make more wine. (Apologies to Dean Martin)

Yep, we did it – toured the vineyards around Renwick by bicycle today. We did about 20 kms (about 12 miles). And it did indeed rain while we were out, but not continually nor very hard. The temperature wasn’t too bad, some wind and so we had a good time.

Check out the video of Judy on her bike in the pictures.

We ended up visiting five wineries, sampling the goods at each. We took it easy on the quantity each time so we only weaved across the highway just a wee bit. Some of our route was along two-lane roads with no bike lane (some did have a bike lane) with the standard NZ rural speed limit of 100 km/hr (about 60 mph). But the locals are used to crazy Bike-2-Wine tourists so it wasn’t too scary.

In travel there are some constants, things that work the same no matter where you go. Today’s vineyard visits were just like those in California, New York, Virginia, South Africa and other places where we’ve tasted over the years with the exception that only one charged us a fee. Of course the wines are different. For one thing, the wines in this region are mostly whites. Pinot Noir is about as far red as they go and those are generally on the lighter side. But the souvignon blancs, pinot gris and Rieslings are quite nice. Judy had no problem finding several on the sweeter side that she liked.

There is one type of creativity (actually many types) that I’ll never master: picking out descriptions for wines. You know, “hints of mackerel, overtones of moth balls with a delightful compost heap finish.” That kind of thing. Where they come up with those descriptions is beyond me. It ranks right up there with names of paint colors. Every paint company has a never ending palate of colors, each with a name that suggests some feeling or taste that the color is supposed to invoke.

We’re off to dinner at a vineyard this evening, one we didn’t visit during the day. It’s supposed to be good (and having just returned, it was very good). Last night we had a fun dinner at the Keg and Cork British Pub right here in town. The service was terrible – it took over 40 minutes to get our lamb shank dinners. But the food was great and we really didn’t mind the wait since they had the Maori All Blacks (not the top All Black team – this team’s members are all Maori, some of whom play for the All Blacks) on the telly. They were playing a US team in Chicago. The USA team got whummped. Badly. This was apparently a demonstration match to garner interest in rugby in the US. We’ve got a long way to go to make it through test matches some day. We watch it every chance we get and it’s a sport that grows on you. I wouldn’t like my little grandsons playing it, however. Far too violent!

Tomorrow we’re going seaside – Kaikoura and the Albatross Encounter boat trip. The forecast is for sunny skies, cool (60 degree) temperatures and not too strong winds. Should be fun!

Renwick, New Zealand

By google.maps.com it’s about two and a half hours driving time from Abel Tasman to Renwick, our B&B accommodations in Marlborough wine country. We managed to do it in six hours with frequent stops including a picnic lunch along the way. That’s a lot of picture taking stops.

And the big news of the day is that Judy took the wheel on lefty New Zealand for the very first time. And an admirable job she did too. (Her driving had nothing to do with the added time but she did ask me later on if I really enjoyed driving like a mad man all the time. “Yep,” was my reply.) I only yelled for dear life once or twice when she hugged the left side of the road too close, something I did when I first started. I will say she’s much more polite in pointing out the issue when I’m driving. “I think you’re a little close dear,” versus “Arrrgh (insert naughty word here). Watch where you’re going!!!

Someone once said that the best way to explore a new region is to get lost and find your way out. And Rebecca and Kevin, when they did this route seven years ago, reported that they were lost for a while and even worse, almost ran out of gas. We took that last thought to heart and filled up before leaving the Abel Tasman area. And a good thing it was too since we’ve yet to see a gas station all day long.

Judy and I tried our best, taking back roads, including a 15 km stretch of single lane dirt road that wound its way through a hilly section. But we’re too Type A, I guess, to just cut loose and follow our noses. We’d stop every now and then, get out the map and figure out which road would be the most interesting, twisty, out of the way route to take. But to no avail. We never were in doubt of our location and plan to reach the final destination.

Nonetheless, we did see more magnificent scenery. This time we followed the Motueka Valley Highway and the Kahatu-Kawatri Highway (the name alone is enough to get anyone lost). Both followed valleys between low mountain ranges on either side. There was, of course, lots of farms along the way but the farms, while neat and tidy, were a bit more on the hardscrabble side and the farm houses not quite up to the level of those found on the major thoroughfares. And of course we stopped to photograph lots of animals, including goats, alpacas and deer. Someone complained recently that we’d allowed a whole day – maybe two – go by without a sheep picture. There were lots of sheep, cows too, so we’ll make up for lost time today.

In the pictures you will notice a bright yellow shrub-like plant. We have been calling it New Zealand forsythia but our hostess just told us it is in fact gorse. Gorse was introduced by, who else, the Brits in the 19th century. It grows like a weed and takes over wherever it can. In the pictures you will see gorse competing with young pine trees. Other places it attempts to take over grassland grazing pastures. There is apparently no technological way to eradicate it. It is New Zealand’s number one agricultural weed. But in November it makes a magnificent accent to otherwise dark green hills of pine and light green fields of pasture.

At an overlook stop along the way where we had sandwiches left over from yesterday’s boat/hiking excursion, we met a couple visiting from Switzerland. She asked where we were from. “New Hampshire, how wonderful! I’ve been to New Hampshire a dozen times at least. Did you know it was a Swiss man who introduced skiing in New Hampshire at Franconia?” Small world.

We’re checked into the Olde Mill House B&B and Cycle Hire and starting to think about dinner. The choices are fine dining at restaurants reached by car or pub-style food within walking distance here in town. We haven’t set foot in a restaurant all day and our breakfast and lunch were modest so we’re due for something substantial but we’ll see.

And tomorrow is wine by bike. The forecast calls for 70% chance of rain, which doesn’t sound so good. On the other hand, weather.com says there’s a 60% chance of rain 13 minutes from now and it’s a beautiful sunny afternoon. Once again, we’ll see.

Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

Well, part of it anyway. The day’s plan was pretty simple: up at 7, to the Split Apple Beach by 9, a boat ride North up the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park, arriving at our drop off point at about noon, then a 2 hour hike (but turned out to be 2 1/2 with picture stops) and then pick-up at 3 PM, off the boat at 4:15 and drive back home. And that’s exactly what we did on a beautiful, mostly sunny, rain free but still not warm (mid 60s) day.

Speaking of “home” I mentioned to Judy that we are creating homes with every stop. Initially, while trying to find for the establishment, checking in and getting settled, everything is new. We have to learn how find the attractions and a place to eat. We’ve been staying at each spot for two nights, arriving on the evening of the first and leaving the morning after the second night. By the time we leave we’ve figured out how to get around and we’ve managed to stave off starvation. It feels like home and we’re just a little bit sorry to leave behind the known for the unknowns of the next adventure.

The boat ride was fun. We sat up top in the open air most of the way out even though the wind was strong and the air was brisk and then some. We passed by an island with seals doing their usual seal things (basking in the sun, wallowing around in the water). Our guide told us female seals have four to six weeks after giving birth in which they can eat and get fat. Then its back to the mating game, new pups and the cycle repeats itself. There’s not much time for fishing and eating while you’re doing the mommy seal thing. Glad I’m not a mommy seal (then again being a mommy person is something I don’t aspire to be – it’s hard work too).

We were on a tour package that took us to the northern end of the run and then turned around to drop us off at about the half way point. We then hiked up moderate hills and back down, closely following the coast line. The vegetation felt jungle-like but of course it isn’t really a jungle. It’s dominated by ferns – big ones and little ones – some pines, etc. and other low-lying bushes we can’t identify. But it has a really different feel from hiking in the Maine woods, that’s for sure.

We hike about 4 Kms (2.5 miles) of the Abel Tasman Coastal Route, a 55 Km hike much like the section we did. We met one interesting couple: 20-somethings from California who were backpacking the length in three days – about five or six miles a day. Not the Appalachian Trail but enough to make it fun.

“We’re in NZ for four weeks,” Judy told them. “How about you?”

“We’re here until about April, living out of our car.”

“Are you going to work while you’re here,” asked Judy.

“We might for fun, but we don’t have to,” was the reply.

We met another pair of 70-something sisters from British Columbia. They hiked the same 55 Kms with an organized group but they stayed in resort lodges on their two nights on the trail. Hot showers and electric blankets plus gourmet food. One had a husband who is fly fishing for trout while his wife hikes.

On the way back we stopped to see the effect tides in this area – up to 16 feet on average – have on boats in a protected bay. They’re left high and dry.

So now we’re back “home” typing, looking at pictures and planning on dinner up the road a few hundred meters. We will have then tried 2/3 of the restaurants in Marahau. Maybe we’ll do Hooked for breakfast, making it a clean sweep.

Tomorrow it’s off to the Marlborough wine country. It will be a travel/sightseeing day but the day after is “vineyards by bike” day. That oughta be something to write home about!

Marahau, New Zealand

By any measure this is turning into a foodie expedition. And when I say any measure, I mean the bad news the measuring tape will tell when we try to wrap it around our bloated waist lines when we get home. But on the other hand, when you’re on an adventure in uncharted territory it doesn’t hurt to load up. You never know where or when your next caloric opportunity will show itself. At least that’s the way we’ve operated today. Details to follow.

But first, the bad news (spoiler alert: it all works out OK in the end). “Give me your camera and I’ll put it in its bag,” I say to Judy as we pack to leave Wellington this morning. “Oh no, it isn’t here. I must have left it somewhere.” I’ll spare you the anguish – should we cancel our Inter islander at 9:00 and rebook on Bluebridge at 1:30 PM, thereby arriving after dark? Or should we charge ahead and ask for help via telephone. Long story short: we left on schedule (I did take out an insurance policy on our cameras right before we left), called the Te Papa when we arrived at Havelock and yes, they found it and yes, they will send it to our Blenheim B&B to arrive Friday, no charge! Crisis averted.

Back to the waistline issue. Here’s our feeding schedule for today (so far):

6:30 AM – Croissants and buns, yogurt and OJ at the hotel

10:00 AM – Split a muffin pick-me-up on board ship, Judy had a cappuccino

1:30 PM – Split a sandwich, potato chips and 2 oranges in the car

3:30 PM – A collection of green-lipped mussels in Havelock, the self-proclaimed green-lipped mussel capitol of the world. Turns out they occur naturally in this region of New Zealand but the young ‘uns are harvested and raised on ropes in commercial farms all around New Zealand. And boy, what a treat. This meal ranks right up there with the feed we had at The Vine in Taupo the other night. Mussels fixed six different ways:

– Traditional steamed, just like back home
– Grilled with cheese topping
– Smoked
– Marinated
– Batter fried
– Plus a cup of mussel chowder

Drop what you’re doing, book a flight and get yourself to the Mussel Pot in Havelock. You’ll thank us later.

Now we’re staring down dinner. The best (which is to say the best chance for a small meal) is Fat Tui’s just down the street from our Chalet.

Speaking of our room, we’re really out in the sticks but as the name suggests we have an ocean view. The room is small but very nice, the Wifi is free and so far reasonably speedy and the gal at the desk is helpful and friendly. The neatest part of our accommodations is that this is the same place Rebecca and Kevin stayed when they did their New Zealand trip seven years and two kids ago!

The ferry ride was great. The ship is large, the size of a small cruise ship almost, fits a gazillion cars, is very comfortable and has great views from the upper deck. It has bars, lounge seating and even a movie theater if you want to stay inside. The trip took 3 1/2 hours; we were among the first to disembark.

The GPS and Google both suggested a route from Picton to Havelock that traveled the main roads via Blenheim, roughly 2 hours over 50-odd Kms. The Queen Charlotte Drive however hugs the coast and takes 2 hours to cover 25 Kms. Which do you think we took? Right. My arms are getting a good workout from another day of twisty-turny roads but the scenery made it worth it.

Now we’re settled in and ready to head to The Fat Tui. It’s 7 PM and they roll up the sidewalks here pretty early except for the place across from The Fat Tui that has live entertainment, will be packed with locals and will go ’til 1 AM. Not for us: if we do that we’ll end up doing whatever the New Zealand equivalent of Salsa turns out to be.

We’re up tomorrow for a combination boat ride and beach hike in Abel Tasman National Park, here in the Northwestern most corner of the South Island.

P.S. – We’re back from The Fat Tui and no wonder the bird is fat. So are we. Take a look at the menu. I went with the Cowpat. Judy did Fish and Chips. We both ate half of what they gave us.