View from Awarua

This is the view down (literally) my road as I walk/drive into town. It was taken one sunny afternoon.

Just an interesting house I saw

The hills of Wellington have an interesting architectural impact. I saw this house while I was tramping through the bush over by Newtown.

Underwater petting zoo

Yep you read it right, and let me tell you octopus.co.nz is certainly a place worth visiting, especially on a cold wet Wellington day.

Dennis saw a poster; very similar to this one, at the local library and after asking a few times we scheduled a trip down to Island Bay to check it out.



The trip down there was uneventful. If you can call traveling over the mountains, even ones these small, uneventful. I mean the views alone are enough to take your breath way. We saw glimpses of the south island through the rain, as the ocean was alive with white caps.



Arriving at the building we made a mad dash inside as it was pouring.

<<>>

I did not know what to expect and certainly at the time I would have never considered a petting zoo as one of the options. But there you have it, an aquatic petting zoo. Only in New Zealand I suppose.

The star of the place is a shallow table, elevated to the perfect height for adults and children (if they stand on the many boxes around the table) to see and touch the plants and animals that live in the Cook Straights. Here you see a very happy Dennis holding something very slimy.



All the plants and animals in the petting aquarium have about a two-week tour of duty then they are released back into the cook straights as another batch are brought up for duty. Some divers affiliated with octopus.co.nz go on weekend diving expeditions; I suppose it gives them some purpose to be at the bottom of cook straight.

The water in this aquarium, as well as all the others, is continually pumped in from the straight and drains back into the straight. So the animals are in as close to their native surrounds as they can be, except for the continual “petting” by all the kids (and adults I may add.)

I am sure you are wondering why they call it octopus.co.nz. So without further delay here is one of the two reasons.



I chatted up one of the attendances about the Octopus as it was just sitting there on the bottom of the tank. After a brief discussion about the history of the place he started to get the octopus attention. Thus the picture above, and this one of Dennis enthralled by the Octopus below.



There are two of them in the petting zoo. The other one was enjoying a crab dinner while we were there. Nothing graphic about this just sitting on the bottom of the tank tentacles wrapped about the crab in a death grip.

Now is a good time to explain a bit of the history of the place. A bunch of Italian fisherman settled Island Bay right after WWII. This building was where they would clean their catch before sending it off to the Wellington market. After years of the neighbors complaining about the smell the fisherman moved the cleaning station to another location and over time the building was abandoned. Well someone got the idea of the petting zoo and managed to pull together the required support (and funding.)

From the start this project was supported by the local fisherman. For some reason or another they loved the idea and donated their old tackle to the effort. And to this day they support octopus.co.nz by donating fish.

In addition to the odd octopus that gets pulled up in their nets there are native fish that are generally not on the supper table so they donate them to the museum. I wish I had taken a few more pictures of the inside of the place. Oh well next time, but one last picture for now ...

Dennis petting the octopus.

View from the road

This linked picture from the Wellington Daily Photo, it is a production of my good friend Jeremy.  This is the view I see if I walk up the hill the "long way" from Wellington.

http://blandforddailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/11/904-kaiwharawhara.html

The word is pronounced Kai-fara-fara.

Lake Ferry

This past weekend (Saturday through Monday) Dennis and I went to Lake Ferry.  For those who do not know New Zealand Geography (and I suppose for those who do) Lake Ferry is about 20 miles from Wellington ... if you were to fly East South East over the bay and over the Rumitucka mountains.

It is a 90 minute drive.

You have to go all the way to Upper Hutt, and then over the mountains, and then all the way down Martinbrough Valley to the water.  There are two bridges over the river that runs down the valley so choose your route, and your bridge wisely.  (BTW Google shows another bridge which doesn't exist, mercifully I spoke with some friends who have family who live down by Lake Ferry.)

We stayed in a tent at the Gateway Holiday Park (www.gatewayholidaypark.co.nz) the park is small even by New Zealand standards however we had a great time.  This is so typical New Zealand.  We arrived an the inn keeper was in Wellington for the soccer game.  He left a sign on the door saying to text him if you needed a room, and if you wanted to camp just have at it and come find him in the morning.  This place is so trusting!


So we choose a well sheltered place from the wind.  And a good thing we did as the winds were upwards of 70mph over the weekend.  I was waken up more than once as the tent attempted to fly away with me in it.  Yes they were very strong winds.  Dennis enjoyed the trampoline and meeting the other guests at the park.  There were no other children which was disappointing but he made up for it by befriending the park dog.


On Sunday Dennis and I went to the Seal Colony and light house.  This is the furthest south on the north island.  Desolate is the word that comes to mind.  The road goes right along the ocean for most of the drive and there is no one there.  One town outside of Lake Ferry and a few Batchs (summer homes) here and there.


The Seals were the hit of the day.  Dennis loved them and wants to go back.  I am quite keen to do so for there are a few other sites down there which I would like to explore.

wainuiomata

What do you do on a Saturday when your son is at a friends house? Well you drive to yet another view of Wellington that you have not seen before. This time I wanted to go to Wainuiomata, which is called nappy valley around here. (nappys are diapers) so nappy vally roughly translates to “new family town.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainuiomata)

It is across the water from Wadestown, and we see the lights of the road going over the hill every evening at dusk. So today with some time on our hands I wanted to go over to this town and see what there is to see.

Let me tell you there isn’t much to see. As a NZ town it is pretty blah. Quite a bit of 1960’s vintage housing (the same stuff as there is in the states.) And no views to speak of. Nothing but some hills as it is in a valley.

However on the way out we stopped at a scenic lookout and wow Wellington fresh from a different angle…

One of the tings I love about Wellington is the fact that the weather is alive here. You are always so close to it (not just because we were 1000’ fee in the air for these pictures) but it seems to come from no where. See how the light changes in these next two picture (this is looking at the hutt valley)

And here is a picture of Chris with wind blown hair …

Hey how did this picture get here ?

hehe)

Blueberries!

Like most things in Wellington we know someone who knows someone. In this case a coworker at the Ministry of Health lives near an Organic You Pick Blue Berry farm. As it was close to the end of the year we were given the opportunity to pick at a discount. So we went!


The farm is at the far north end of the Hutt Valley. Hang a left when you are just at the top of the valley and they are on the left about five miles. Turns out the blue berry bushes are right on the Akatarwa river which means we had to meander by the river for about 10 minutes before we got to the field. Poor us. There are no houses down by the river, with the only evidence of humanity being a house up on the bluff.

When we got to the Blueberry fields they were all under a netting. So I really could not see anything until we found the door. And this is what I was saw ...

As to picking the blueberries. Well what could be better? We ate too many picked way to many for our budget and had a great time. And we met another co-worker there, one I particulary like, so it was great time.

The weather was one of those perfect fall days. Not too hot, not too cold. The sun was behind the clounds but no compliaing here. Just a light jacket and all were comforable. Here is a picture for you, makes me want to go buy a blueberry farm! (and figure out how to turn the photo clockwise 90 degrees!)

Wrights Hill Fortress

On Saturday the 25th we went to Wrights Hill Fortress. It is situated just south of Wellington over looking the entrace to Port Nicolson Harbor (that is the formal name of the bay that Wellington is situated on,) and the Cook Straights.
It was a WWII fortress designed to keep the Japenese out of Wellington. http://www.whfrs.org.nz/

The drive up the hill was lovely, we got views of the city, water and moutains that we had not previously seen. The view from the top was amazing! We could see everything.

The trip through the fortress was great. One really connectedwith history wandering through the partially restored facility. There were gun rooms, powder rooms, radio rooms, site rooms, up and down stairs and ladders. It was great to see. Dennis got an opportunity to fire a gun. It was loaded with a blank but the bang was loud! I have a video of him doing so, I will get it posted eventually!

The whole tour was about 90 minutes. The visitors were pretty much left on our own to explore. With volunteers to explain things to us like the radio room.

South Island

We finally made a trip to the south island! We left on Thursday, 5 February and returned on Sunday, 8 February. Our car and the three of us went on the Interislander Ferry. Going there we were on the Arahura (Pathway to Dawn) and we returned on the Aratere (Quick Path). It was pretty cool driving the car on and off the ferry. Cars line up about an hour before the ferry is scheduled to leave. On Thursday it looked like a big tailgating party. So on the return we were ready for the wait with sandwiches, cider and ginger beer (ginger ale). Dennis made a friend on the return trip and enjoyed running around the boat.

We stayed at Echo Lodge Bed & Breakfast in Picton for one night. It is a lovely old house. The new proprietors have plans to do it up. We were very comfortable and well cared for by Sharon.

Friday morning we headed for Nelson. We elected to take the longer route towards Blenheim. The shorter route along the Queen Charlotte sounds is very curvy and we weren't in the mood for car sickness! Around Blenheim are lots of vineyards; this is the Marlborough wine area. When we arrived in Nelson we grabbed a picnic lunch and headed for Tahunanui Beach.

After lunch, we checked in at the Nelson City Holiday Park. We stayed in a kitchen unit and brought our own linens. The bed was very comfortable; I was thrilled since this is budget accommodation. We got our room set up; Dennis jumped on the trampoline.

We didn't have enough beach time so we checked out Rabbit Island. It is connected to the mainland by a short causeway surrounded by salt marsh. (Reminded us of Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia.) The beach here was just lovely. All three of us swam and let the waves rolling in splash us. We saw horse trailers and horses since a section of the beach is designated for them.

Tom barbecued burgers for dinner. Dennis made friends and ran around the park and jumped on the trampoline.

Saturday morning we went to the Nelson outdoor market. Here we bought a head massager, cherries, 1 kg. jar of peanut butter, a wool scarf, lavender soap and a sun hat. We had a picnic lunch at Queens Gardens. The ducks kept hoping for a hand out from us.

Then we toured the WOW and Antique Car Museum. WOW stands for World of Wearable Art. WOW is an annual show that started in Nelson and is now held in Wellington. People from all over the world design costumes for this show. The costumes go on real people, with choreography, music and lighting to create the show. We got a flavor of the show seeing the costumes and video clips of past shows. Tom and I plan to go to the next one in September.

We took Dennis to a Fun Park where he spent an hour going up and down a hydro slide. He also got to ride in a bumper boat. We thought three activities were enough for one day, so we went back to the holiday park.

Dennis made friends with a new neighbor boy. They invited Dennis to go across the road to play some soccer. At the park were some young men towing one another on a mountain board or roller skis behind a van. Dennis and his friend got to try it out too. While there were were serenaded by two older men, one playing the accordion and one a harmonica. When they finished a song, we clapped for them.

In the evenings Tom read to me from A Labyrinth of Waterways by W. Frank Ponder. It is about the pioneers of the Marlborough sounds. I pulled out a map and a magnifier to find the places talked about in the book. The return drive to Picton had new meaning after we had read about theses places and the first settlers.

Sunday came too soon. We ate our Sultana Bran (raisin), repacked the car and headed back towards Picton. Unfortunately we didn't see any open vineyards so we went into Blenheim for lunch. A cafe along the river with a fountain appealed to me. We sat outside and had delicious meals and coffees.

Back in Picton we had plenty of time before we needed to check in for the ferry. I shopped in town while the boys went to the park. Picton has a beautiful playground and park along the harbor. One section has a mini sailboat pond and railroad run by the Lions Club. Dennis got to put a boat in the pond and ride the train. Next to this is a mini golf and merry go round. The three of us played mini golf. Dennis wanted to go for a swim. We went to the beach where Dennis swam out to a raft. He wanted to warm up, so he did that in the kiddie wading pool in the middle of the park. Tom and I stayed cool in the shade of a gazebo. After a few hours it was time to queue up for the ferry.

Rotorua

We got to Rotorua on Tuesday evening and checked into the Sudima Hotel. It is right along the lake and we could smell the sulphur smell quite well. Lake Rotorua is a big thermal area. One can see steam vapors in many places. The hotel is close to the central business area so we walked to dinner every night. We stocked the mini fridge with snacks and breakfast foods. In the mornings it was handy to eat breakfast in our room.

On Wednesday, Tom headed to his 3-day work conference. Dennis and I headed to the gondola and luge at Skyline Skyrides (top left). The gondola took us to the top of the hill. We put on our helmets and were given instructions on how to stop the luge cars. They are low to the ground with bicycle handlebars. First we took the scenic path that was about 2 km long. It was fun! Dennis was eager to go again. We had to ride a chair lift to get back to the top of the hill. In all we made three trips; twice on the scenic path and once on the 1.6 km intermediate path. We finished up with an early lunch at the cafe on top the hill where we got to see the panoramic view of Rotorua and the lake.

In the afternoon we soaked in the hotel's bath-water temperature pool. Dennis and I had it all to ourselves. The pool was semi-enclosed so we heard the noisy seagulls along the lake shore. The sulphur smell was strong. Dennis called it "pong," a British term he picked up from a library book about a stinky dog.

On Thursday, Dennis and I did more tourist must-dos. In the morning we checked out the Agrodome and saw the sheep show (bottom left). Dennis got to pet the sheep and dogs. I learned about sheep in a short time. In the afternoon we went to the Polynesian Spa and soaked in the pools there. We went to the Family Spa and Dennis found some kids to play with.

On Friday, we drove by one of the Maori style churches (top right). Tom got off early so all three of us went to the Redwoods in the Whakarewarewa Forest. The forest has 15 acres of Californian Redwoods that were planted in 1901 as part of an experiment to find out what trees could be grown for timber in the area. We followed the red path and admired the Redwoods for half and hour in the rain (bottom right).

We ended our time in Rotorua with dinner at a Latin American restaurant called Sabroso. Mexican restaurants are few in NZ, so some familiar chips, salsa, quesadillas and chimichanga were welcome. The salsa was sweet and mild since the restaurant is catering to the Kiwi palate. The chocolate dessert with a dash of cayenne pepper was superb.

We didn't get to a hangi dinner and concert which is a Maori cultural experience. That's something we will have to do some other time.

On Saturday it was time to drive back to Wellington. We left at 8:00 a.m. and got back home at 3:30 p.m. On the way we drove through Palmerston North. Along highway 57 in a town called Tokomaru we stopped for lunch at a cafe off the beaten path. Bent Horseshoe Cafe is a converted small school building. The school slide is still there as well as outdoor seating. We sipped our lattes while we viewed spring green hills with two creeks at the foot of them. What a delightful discovery!

Taupo

On Monday afternoon 13 October, after Dennis and I enjoyed the beach, we picked Tom up and continued our road trip. We drove on highway 1 on the Desert Road and saw Mt Ruapehu (bottom right). You can see in the photo that the desert consists of small scrubby bushes. Mt Ruapehu is a prime ski area and it's an active volcano. We kept driving since our destination was Taupo. This city is on Lake Taupo (bottom left), a lake created by a volcanic eruption in AD 186. It think it's the biggest lake in NZ. Stunning scenery wherever we looked.

We drove on the Thermal Explorer Highway. Along it were some thermal power plants. We appreciated the heat at our hotel swimming pool. We stayed at the Wairekei Resort and the pool was like bath water. This resort is just north of Taupo. Tom and Dennis were a bit disappointed that we weren't staying on Lake Taupo. This was just a one night stop, so we will have to come back.

On Tuesday we went to Huka Falls (top right) and Craters of the Moon thermal walk (top left). Then we headed north to Rotorua.

Vacation First Stop - Wanganui

We made our first road trip a week ago. We drove about 2 1/2 hours on Sunday, 12 October and spent the night in Wanganui. Our hotel was called Burwood Manor. It was a simple, no frills motel. For dinner we ate at Thai Villa in downtown Wanganui. Dennis discovered that he likes prawn crackers; they look like pork rinds but are shrimp flavored. I ate meat and vegetables smothered in a peanut and coconut sauce.


On Monday, Tom went to a business meeting while Dennis and I shopped and explored. First stop was a local cafe for a scrumptuous eggs benedict breakfast. We needed to buy some jandals (flip flops) for our walks from hotel room to swimming pool. After that we headed to the beach. On our way to Kai Iwi beach I had to stop and wait for sheep to cross the road. Dennis greatly enjoyed playing in the black sand and finding pumice stones and other rocks. The playground had an excellent flying fox. The scariest part was getting on it, but once I did it was a blast! It went downhill over a creek/inlet and then came backwards over the creek. Dennis did part of it, but I got tired of pulling him up the hill.

Wanganui is an old city built on the Whanganui River (the wh is pronounced like an f). It reminded us of Dubuque and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We were there for only one day and did not have time to take a riverboat ride. So we will have to visit Wanganui again. It would be a great place for a weekend away.