Honolulu... & book 'em, Danno

A long short trip.... north-north-east for 7,800km and only one hour difference in clock-time... but a whole day appears out of nowhere! We gave up Valentine's Day when we traveled from LAX to AKL... and we got back the 8th of March in return. We left AKL at 1030 on Tuesday 8 March and landed at HNL at 1905 on Monday, 7 March - how about that!




It was warm (29C) and humid when we stepped onto US soil at Honolulu's International Airport and the sun was just setting. It was a beautiful tropical evening. After being welcomed by the CBD and DHS folks and treated well - as Canadians (no complaint here), we left the terminal, bags in hand (or, better said, bags on wheels) and made our way to the arrivals pickup area. Our shuttle dropped us at the Hawaii Prince and we were checked into our room by 2000... with a great view of the Honolulu marina below and a view to the west along the south coast of Oahu - one of the 7 main Hawaiian Islands and home of its state government. What a view of Waikiki! The hotel is an aging dowager of a hotel - no wi-fi but huge well-appointed bathrooms with a separate walk-in shower room - with full windows opening onto the Waikiki marina area.



Our second Tuesday, 8 March, 2011, gave us an opportunity to walk around the Ala Moana area of Honolulu and visit its world famous shopping centre (310 stores with all the big $ retailers represented therein). The better half enjoyed the unparalleled shopping choices... but soon became disillusioned because of the obvious opulence and ostentatious wealth. It was something to see...but, I agree with her - it's really too much!

We decided to get our luggage (bags #1, #2 and #4) organized on Wednesday morning and take a guided 4 hour tour around south-eastern Oahu in the afternoon. As the hotel did not have wi-fi available for residents (just cat-5 cable connections), we slipped across the street to the MacDonald's Cafe for a MacBreakfast and free wi-fi - a needed service for email-junkies like me. It was excellent (free) service, btw.



The afternoon was quite interesting... we visited or passed-by a number of well-known (Diamond Head, KoKo Head) and not-so-well-known (Waimanalo Beach); we were treated to visits to the Halona Blow-hole and the Pali Lookout (the location of King Kemehameha's victory over O'ahu's army in 1795... to unite the Islands under one governance - his). When we returned, it was time to change clothes - getting ready for cooler temps - and getting to the airport. Our AC flight, a REALLY old B767-300, took off on time arriving at YVR 20 minutes early. The trip was notable in its general quality of service from that experienced on the smaller and less technologically advanced Air New Zealand - it was NOT nearly as good; ANZ's cabin staff really "get it"... they seemed to engage the customers more positively AND they had no difficulty providing hot meals in the 'back of the bus' as well as a seemingly unending availability of really good NZ savvy or pinot noir.




These comments are experience-based... and do not necessarily have significance in the market place... or do they...

YVR at 0450 - raining and 8C - sort of the same way we left it... and our rented vehicle was ready - Budget was open at 0500... WOW! We were surprised. We ate breakfast (A&W + Starbucks) at the airport and then off to our hotel - they were so accommodating, we were able to check in way early. The "do not disturb" sign went out and we went down for sleep - most of the day. it was still raining when we awoke - a drive around the city to show the better-half what Vancouver really looked like and then we decided something else was needed to eat. Supper from a deli (with a prosecco and a Road13 Okanagan Valley red blend) and enjoyed in our hotel - good stuff.




Friday - we enjoyed a breakfast in the hotel and then made our way out to Stanley Park and the Vancouver aquarium - really fun... an incredible number of young kids in attendance - all of whom seemed to be enjoying the aquatic marvels before them. We were certainly impressed...

Yup! still raining - and we got a bit wet. More deli in the room... and early to bed for a tad more sleep.

Saturday - lazy trip to O'Doul's for a leisurely breakfast... trip to the deli for some fresh foods and back to have supper (with a Kim Crawford 2010 Savvy) pack for the trip home with a get-up ring at 0400 to finish packing and trip to YVR.

Sunday - up early... packed... ready to go and off to YVR for the 1-bounce (YOW) trip to YHZ.


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Traveling the penultimate leg to Hawkes Bay and AKL...

We are packed and out... but not too far. Time for coffee - that'd be a flat white - and breakfast... and it's raining. We drove a few blocks to the Martinborough Village Cafe for both - in the rain. The breakfast was OK but the flat whites were large... in a bowl! must have been nearly a half-litter of really good coffee - so much that we asked to have the remainder put in a take-away cup to take with us in the car. No problem...

Oh... Martinborough, as a small place, didn't seem to have any wi-fi hotspots AND my Vodafone 3G service was, at best, spotty - no service to one or two bars... nothing I can rely on for send-receive. There, a few doors awe from the Village Cafe, was the town's small library... with - you guessed it - FREE internet and wi-fi service. I stood outside to 'steal' a free signal to get mail and post my blog pages until the librarian invited us in and pointed to a chair and table... "You'll find it more comfortable than standing outside." Very accommodating - very friendly... and the free library-provided wi-fi was nearly the best service I found since arriving.

The free wi-fi services in the country is, generally, not great when compared to NorAm or Europe or Asia... surprising for a country with all the technology in place but it needs to see ubiquitous wireless service as an economic advantage rather than a cost. But that's another story...


The previously collected Central Otago pinot noirs were still in a wine box along with several others which are, to my chagrin, to be consumed before we leave this marvelous country. It is obvious that additional luggage space will be required - a situation we were trying to avoid... but all good plans sometimes don't always work. We needed to augment the luggage set and Martinborough was not a place with a great deal of retail available. Locals traveled to Masterton or even into Wellington to shop... Masterton was on our route so a stop there was inevitable. Farmers - not a dairy but a NZ Department store chain - came through and after the better half checked out the luggage section, she returned to the car with "bag #4" (bag #3 was filled with winter clothes and left in storage at YVR). We were off again enroute north-east to Hawkes Bay and our Napier motor hotel for a few nights.


The trip was reasonably comfortable but seemed longer than it really was... guess I am getting more used to the roads and drivers so the fear-factor was no longer keeping the adrenaline levels peaked; we drove through many many dairy farm areas and, of course, sheep ranches. No major urbanized areas on the route we followed after our stop at Masterton. Road work was much more evident along these North Island trails, however, so the pace of driving was somewhat disrupted by the 'stop and go' nature of maintenance activities on a two lane thoroughfare.

At last, as the land flattened out to 'softer' rolling hills and terraced river valleys, sheep and dairy herds were replaced by food crops and as we passed-by signs for Hastings, we were greeted with our view of the first of the many fine vineyards of the Hawkes Bay region - the oldest of the wine-growing areas of NZ and, arguably, the best known world-wide. As it was moving into the supper-time period, we decided to push on to our Napier abode - on the Hawke Bay 'waterfront' in Westshore - and get settled; winery visits would wait until tomorrow. As we pulled into "On The Rocks Motor Hotel" (a reference to the beach - which is really well-rounded pebbles on their way to becoming sand - in a few thousand years, of course), the rain, which had been threatening most of the afternoon held off as we made our way to Napier, came down with a vengeance! After the now 'ritual' activity of unpacking bag#1 and bag#2, we ordered-out take-away food and awaited the promised sunshine of Saturday morning before venturing outside.


Dawn broke - grey, overcast - and periodic rain showers swept past us from the west on their way eastwards into the Bay. So much for sunshine! Reassessment of the old plan - visit wineries - led to the new plan - visit Napier, have something for breakfast, see some of the world-famous Art Deco architecture for which the town is known, visit some shops and then, maybe, if you're lucky... visit a winery or two in the afternoon... when the sun shines. Done!


Napier is a relatively 'modern' city - it's core was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 with great loss of life and was rebuilt in the architectural style of the day and is one of the best examples of the Art Deco style in the world. We viewed film footage and many photographs of the after-quake damage to Napier and surrounding area when visiting the Te Papa Museum in Wellington... quite traumatic for the country and the city people who, unlike the CHCH quake 80 years later, did not have the on-site organized rescue forces to remove people from fallen and burning buildings and rapidly address the many failed infrastructure problems. The Hawkes Bay quake claimed the lives of over 250 New Zealanders and the more recent CHCH quake has to-date toll of 200 souls... but the damage done to the central part of CHCH is consistent with that done to Napier and Hastings in 1931.


Napier's waterfront is the shoreline of the southwestern boundary of Hawke Bay; it has a beautiful gardened walkway along the beach and the main boulevard - Marine Parade - which boasts shops, small pensions and hotels, restos and a great opportunity to stroll... but for the rain, it would have been great! The low buildings (none over 5 stories) rise gradually back from the Bay shoreline into lushly forested low hills surrounding the downtown and its plentiful small parks, giving it an appearance of a cross between south-Florida pastel beach-house-scape and hillside Mediterranean villages - unique and altogether pleasant. Shopping for tourist and local alike is better than in other NZ centres of similar size.

That sounds so much like a travelogue... sorry.

After coffees, morning snack and souvenir shopping, it was time to head out into the countryside vineyards... and, after careful consideration of the list of wineries-to-visit (compiled by the aforementioned Timothee and other), we headed first to Brookfield for a tasting and late lunch. After a short drive southwards on several roads which became more narrow the closer we got, we arrived at the gate... only to find it closed for a private function. An Ah-hA! moment... it really does pay to call ahead... we then headed northwards to Mission Estates Winery, a very large operation with vineyards in almost all wine-growing areas.


We were surprised to find a large colonial-style combined winery, restaurant, museum and cellar-door on the side of a hill overlooking the large manicured property - this was the most commercial operation we had run across in all of our NZ winery visits. Busses of winery tourists arrived and departed... sales were brisk the young salesman noted from behind the mahogany tasting bar (salesman rather than wine-lover - clearly a job for him)... the restaurant was full with waiting line... visitors strolled the grounds posing in front of the fountains and shrubs and snapping photos... it all had the air of a carnival attraction rather than a winery. Oh... the wines I tasted (the better-half was not interested... she was somewhat disappointed with this un-Kiwi-like ostentation) were, IMHO, the most forgettable set of wines tasted on the entire journey to date. I'm sure the winery produces some excellent products but the tastings were not impressive and the salesman was perfunctory, at best, in his presentation. Enough said... we left without regret.



Traveling westward, now, along the Ngaruroro River to Fernhill and the small (recommended) Stonecroft winery; a study in contrast! As palatial and grand as the Mission Estates was, Stonecroft was small, humble and very unassuming. The artwork on the tasting room walls was made up of posters from wine festivals over the past decades and framed awards this winery had received for its excellent wines. The owner and tasting manager was leaving as we arrived but immediately turned around, welcomed us in and set up their 9 wines for tasting. The tasting room was small and not artificially cooled... needless to say, it was quite warm inside but after tasting the wines, it was well worth the trip. This 4-5 thousand case/year producer had won gold for several of his wines... and is reputed to produce the best Syrah in NZ (and I agree); his reserve gewurtztraminer was also award willing - amazing for such a low volume producer. When we mentioned our surprise that he had so many good wines, he told us that he had too many varieties under cultivation and had to take out a few... Stonecroft proved that the biggest were not always the best!


Next, we drove 'around the corner' to Trinity Hill Winery and proceeded to make the wrong turn - into the vineyard rather than the cellar door operation. We travelled through many vines... acres of them - before we emerged back where we started... and left TR without having tried their offerings. Supper was to again be a take-away order but this time from a 'gourmet' retso a block away from our room. It was reviewed well and the menu looked appetizing... so we ordered 2 full meals. Much to our chagrin, the delivery service was 'manual'... a poor young waitress, all of 5' in height, walked up the driveway to our motor hotel room with 2 full meals on a tray and she looked like she was going to crash & burn. That's an awful load to carry in a resto from kitchen to table but to walk a block in the rain with it was more that we had expected. She didn't seem overly concerned but did say she wasn't sure she was going to make it... anyway, the meal was excellent but we were even more impressed with the 'service'.


Sunday - our last day in the countryside before heading back to AKL for our flight. A visit to Craggy Range was the order of the day... an excellent winery and an award winning restaurant. We were not disappointed. A late lunch allowed us to sample the best this world-class eatery had to offer as well as the pinot noir (from Central Otago, of course) and their award-winning Syrah from their Hawkes Bay vineyards. The architecture of the resto was well in keeping with the surroundings - sheer ridge cliffs on one side; a trellised garden with vineyards on teh other and a great view of the rolling vine-covered hills beyond. We truly enjoyed the ambiance, the venue, the food and the wine - a perfect 'last supper' for our bucket-list trip.


Packing up for the next leg consumed the evening and a very early start for the long drive to AKL saw us on the road headed north-east at 0630... with the sun rising in the rear-view mirror and the cloud-shrouded and green-covered mountains of the Huiarau and Kaweka ranges before us, the early drive seemed like something out of a storybook. After navigating the steep grades, 'S'-curves of the main (and only) route to the center of North Island, we arrived at the town of Taupo - situated on the lake of the same name - a very large caldera filled with fresh water from the many mountain stream and rivers that empty into it. Taupo - a breakfast stop for us - is a Kiwi fisherman's dream... the lake is teeming with trout and anglers from all over the Islands make this a must-do destination; it also attracts numerous non-fishers so it is quite a bustling centre of tourism - more that we'd encountered since our Queenstown visit.


Taupo also provided us with our first view of the use if thermal energy; a number of steam vents (water evaporated by the very close magma sub-surface) is used to drive turbines which, in turn, provide electricity into the NZ power grid. Just need to be close to the volcano to make this puppy work...




Onwards to the north-east... and we made a slight unplanned diversion to the site of LOTR's Hobbittown - unplanned because the tour conductor (me) was trying to find a shortcut back to the main highway... and we ended up in sheep country again. This diversions did, however, afford the tour conductee (the better-half) the opportunity to find, try-on, and acquire something she had been trying to find - a wool-possum blended sweater; I was no longer an outcast!

We continued on to AKL without further incident... the afternoon becoming considerably warmer as we approached the city. On the only divided multi-lane highway we encountered as we entered the outskirts of the big city, the temp rose to nearly 30C - the warmest we had found it through the entire trip. Our hotel was air conditioned so we did not suffer long... and, that evening, re-packed all the suitcases - including bag#4 - for the early morning's excursion to AKL and then on to HNL. Up before sunrise, packed and ready to go, we departed to drop off the trusty Corolla which had been our carpet with wheels for the past nearly 4 weeks... and than the quick shuttle to AKL and the Air New Zealand departure lounge.


As we lifted off, we both realized that this small but exceedingly friendly place with the fantastic scenery, great wines and good food was far more than just a check-mark on the life-list of to-do's... it is a place that we can honestly say we enjoyed more than any of our other travel destinations over the years... and one that will be on our list of places to return to... sometime before we can no longer do so.

Next stop - Hawaii's capital and a 2 day mini-vacation...


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Location:Hawks Bay and AKL, North Island, NZ

North Island, Windy-Wellie and more wine country...

Tuesday morning, 1 March 2011... we pulled off the wharf at 1105 (an hour delayed) and started the short but exceedingly scenic cruise north-east out Picton Harbour and along the Queen Charlotte Sound... this is a most spectacular voyage; it must be one of the most beautiful 1 hour trips one could take - anywhere in the world... not as 'vertical' as Milford Sound but absolutely as stunning. Ships and boats, including sister InterIslander ferries, passed between hills and mountain walls while the sunshine flashed off the dark green-blue waters... this goes into the 'ultimate eye-candy' bucket, too and it's in good company. as we cruised towards the entrance to the QCS, the outer-most rocky cliffs of the sound presented a dramatic closing of the chapter of our South Island adventure drama... and, as the swells of the Pacific moved under the ferry, we nosed in to the Cook Straight headed east-north-east towards Wellington and the North Island.


One coast turned grey and was enveloped by the clouds and sea-mists while to our north, the groggy peaks of the southern tip of North Island became clearer and more defined... at least until the clouds and mists began to occlude the coastline. A short hour after leaving the protection of the QCS. We were provided our first glimpses of the outer reaches of Wellington... white (or white-looking) houses and other structures perched on rocky promontories climbing from the rolling swells below... sounds neat, but what about the winds and spray?



As the ferry approached the outer markers for the entrance to Wellington Harbour, there came, from the grey towering clouds to our west, a curtain of rain and gale force winds that soon made the sky, mountains, cityscape and distant ocean reaches disappear into a driving opaque wet wall... and for several minutes, it seemed like we were standing in front of a horizontal waterfall. Then it was over... the dark grey turned to broken light grey clouds and blue patches of sky and the odd sun beam, like a large bright stage light, shining through onto t he harbour waters as we turned westwards and then, eventually south to the ferry terminal and docking. We were, of course, politely asked to return to our vehicles to disembark but the polite voice did not happen to mention that the sheep truck - so recognizably odiferous, would also be sharing the departure queue with us... and I was pleased to see that it turned right as we went left into downtown Wellington.

First impressions of windy Wellie: clean, green (vegetation everywhere) orderly (even though the city exists up and down the numerous hills), windy, well-signed, people well-dressed in suits and dresses (mostly not seen on South Island - at least the parts we have visited), chic (that's an old-speak word, I know), somewhat grey except that when the buildings were colored, the colours were pastels (reminiscent of Bermuda), did I mention windy(?), multi-cultural, and altogether charming (a descriptor chosen with care). Those were first impressions.

We arrived at our hoter - the Museum Hotel - opposite the sight-seeing target-du-jour, the Te Papa Museum (best collection of Maori artifacts in NZ); it is also located on the waterfront and just in front of it is the Wellington Yacht Club - home to the VELUS 5 Oceans races but a week earlier... we just missed saying hello and bon voyage to Derek Hatfield - our flag-bearer and really great single-handed sailor - on his second trip around the world. Although I have been following his exploits a from the internet services, it was only through the e-mails sent at periodic interbals that I was able to get a real sense of Derek's trials and tribulations... as well as his feelings of angst and success as he sailed into Wellington... and is not completing the final stages of his trip up the coast of South America in the Atlantic. Sorry we missed him but glad he traversed the Cape without incident.

The Te Papa was a real education - excellent descriptions and exhibits of NZ flora and fauna... most of the fauna were reptilian (aviary) rather than mammalian - the mammals, as noted earlier, were introduced onto the Islands by... yes, you guessed it... m-a-n.... and that's another story... Also, Te Papa's large collection of Maori artifact - from hair combs to 60' outrigger war canoes, from jade ancestral 'paddles' to a fully functional family meeting house (reminiscent of 6 Nations long houses) with really ornate wall carvings or totems depicting the history of each family). Traditional rites are described and, for me, on of the more impressive displays is the 3-story tall hall in which on one wall, the treaty between Queen Victoria and the Maori chiefs is displayed (it has only 3 articles - simplicity and grandeur) and on the wall opposite is the same treaty but in the Maori language.

Unfortunately, display photography is not permitted within the museum...so I left my camera back at our hotel... or I would have been taking lots of them; some, arguable those who cannot read english or Maori, were blissfully 'snapping & flashing' away and the docents were obligingly looking the other way... so much for rules in the Te Papa, EH?



That evening, we were to try to get together with a couple we met at FEAST, the resto in Cromwell... they invited us for dinner. We called but, to our chagrin, no answer. (We e-mailed them and, as it turned out, Robyn was engaged in some unplanned activity and her husband was working out of town that evening... so, it was just 'not to be'.) We decided to enjoy our evening meal at the hotel's renown 4th floor restaurant - the Hippopotamus - and were elated when it turned out to be such an excellent restaurant. The maitre d'hotel, Timothee, met us at the entrance and showed us to our table - we were seated overlooking the yacht basin - and our 'best meal on the trip' commenced. Amuse bouche preceded our appetizers - a glass of bubbly for the better half and a great Marlborough savvy for yours truly - followed by an excellent beef filet main enhanced with a Central Otago Excelsior Pinot Noir from Carrick vineyards (WOW!) and we shared a marvelous desert with flat whites. We also had the chance to talk with Timothee who suggested a number of wineries and rests we might visit in Martinborough and the Napier (Hawkes Bay) areas... and we thankfully accepted his recommendations and offered the best lobster dinner anywhere should he visit with us on his next stop in S-W Nova... which he also accepted.

Our departure from Wellington was heralded by the rain-gods deciding to impress us... it rained 'cats and dogs' as we drove out of the city and along the south east coastal road... so hard that even when the wipers were on 'full blast', they couldn't keep the water from cascading across the windshield. Although the rain was hard to drive through, I was thankful that we were not driving along the QCD road or many of the mountain pass roads on South Island... this was relatively straight or gently curving highway with wide shoulders and, thankfully, not a great deal of traffic. I thought the drive to Martinborough would be somewhat uneventful and pretty easy... after all, we were going into wine and fruit farm country... country described to me by my friend Mac as being 'kind of boring and flat farmland'.




I did't even see the mountains of the Rimutaka Range coming and all of a sudden, we were climbing back up the 90+degree switchbacks of State Highway 2 through these huge lushly-vegetated hills with the walls of rain falling and winds which, I swear, were not far off hurricane strength - at least when they were gusting. The strong winds blowing through these mountain passes actually held the rain suspended in the air; it wasn't able to fall to the ground hundreds of meters below but was lashed into the hillsides (and anything traveling on them). Although the camera was beside me, I was not about to relinquish control of the wheel to try to capture this phenomenon... but it was, none the less, quite amazing to watch as it happened around us. Eventually, we descended to the flatter farmlands of the Wairarapa Valley below and to the east of the mountain range... and, surprisingly, no rain had fallen there even though the clouds were apparently ready to dump... it was dry and hot and very very grey... not the most welcoming weather for this area of NZ wine country.


We spent two nights in Martinborough visiting the wineries of the area - some ofthe best in NZ and, one could argue, the world... ate lunch one day and enjoyed dinner the next day at Tirohana Winery (welcomed by Toby James and recommended by Timothee) - and we were made to feel right at home... even the vineyard dog, Bob, was there to greet us.. although, Bob is a little less steady on his 4 legs than when he was younger, we were told. A beautiful 'boutique' winery with great staff and excellent wines - and the 2005 pinot noir (almost gone from the cellar now) was stupendous!




Alas, the clock is ticking and our next leg to Napier and the Hawkes Bay wine area is nearly upon us... out time in Martinborough memorable, we are off in the morning (Friday) to drive through the south east farmlands of North Island and enter the Art Deco capital of NZ... Napier...


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Location:Martinborough, North Island, NZ

Onwards to wine country... again...

Thursday morning, as the emergency workers were on their third 24-hour shifts, we bid a strong farewell to our Bellagio hosts, Ross and Lynley and their staff - we hade become more than guest tourists in their motor hotel... after all, we had shared an earthquake and fish 'n chips (there being no other rests open in CHCH except take-aways) and we promised we would correspond before we left NZ... which we will. Out of the city centre - a route with which we had become familial in the past few days... and onto the north road leading through - yes, you guessed it... the wineries of Canterbury and up the eastern coast of South Island.



Less than an hour outside CHCH, we found the Pegasus Winery open for business - a beautiful property with lush gardens and really good wines... so far, there have been no mediocre or bad ones, in case you were keeping score. We were happy to be on the road again and really looking forward to our night's rest - mostly just having a shower... but at Pegasus, we found flushing toilets and running water - a big first step. Unfortunately, their award-winning dining room was closed as the staff were all still in CHCH with their families.


Certainly understandable... we moved on and just up the road, we found yet another Canterbury winery - Mud House - open for business AND, more importantly, with an open restaurant. We enjoyed the first real-meal we'd had for almost 4 days... a lamb ragout for me and beef stew for the better-half... and a bit of the ol' pinot to help it on its way. This time, the bottle was only half empty (I'm really a half-full type, but...) and, as the civilized Kiwi's are wont to do, we re-capped the bottle, stuck it in the box in the trunk and carried on our trip.



A series of windy-road signs foreshadowed the up-n-down-n-round type of countryside through which the main highway travelled... and us along with it. About 1500 or so, we pulled over at a rest stop, parked under the shade of a large leafy tree and snoozed for an hour or so... just what we needed. The remaining kilometers passed uneventfully, except for the spectacular vistas of coastal cliffs and turquoise ocean waters that faced us as we drove down from the mountains to Kaikoura. We arrived at our motor hotel in well before sunset... and it set behind the mountains to our west before it "really" set... the sun's reflections off the eastern clouds over the Pacific were pretty colorful, though.


Kaikoura is a bit 'touristy' and held an obvious appeal to the younger set... lots of back-packers roaming the street(s) and hostel-type accommodation along the main thoroughfare; a number of cottage and second home properties for those from CHCH well-enough off to be able to afford seaside accommodation, too. Grocery re-stocking completed, we both enjoyed a leisurely shower and a hot meal - cooked by us in our self-catering two bedroom suite by the ocean. And, the better-half was able to do the laundry... a big plus after using our few 'clean clothes' so sparingly for the past week.

Oh, I forgot to mention... another thing that happens when folks around you experience an earthquake, they tend to stockpile and hoard... water, food and gasoline. We were unable to buy bread or gas... everything else seemed to be in normal supply. The grocery store suggested the bakery would be open in the morning with fresh bread and the one operating local gas station had signs up that they, too, hoped to have a product for sale after 0900 Friday morning. Night fell!



Friday - after a liquid breakfast (juice, not wine), we took our leave and headed into town for bread, gas and a hot coffee (we have become big fans of NZ's 'flat-white') with toast. All elements satisfied (full tanks all 'round), we headed north again up the coast - as spectacular as it was when we first viewed it yesterday afternoon... water colours always changing, rocky cliffs waxing and waning. An obligatory stop or two along the road at resting areas afforded the opportunity to capture some descriptive photos of coast and forest... not to mentions a few birds and seals. Craggy coast turned into grassy windy fields covering low but growing hills as we ventured inland. Winding roads, again... and, tout-a-coup, vineyards! We had crossed the invisible boundary into the eastern extremities of the Marlborough region... and soon, we arrived in Blenheim, the eastern anchor-town of the Marlborough region and a busy and, obviously, reasonably well-off town. Time for late lunch.


The first large winery we came across - with resto - was Brancott (aka Montana - it's in its final stages of re-branding after changes in ownership two+ years ago). Some will be familiar with Brancott's 'B' savvy - a fruit-forward (a true exemplar of the NZ-style sauvignon blanc of today) boomingly big savvy - enjoyable with almost anything you want to eat that isn't too spicy. We enjoyed this marvelous substitute for grapefruit juice along with an appropriate meal in the outside al fresco seating area of Brancott's property... just across from the large well-equipped supervised kids play area (for the kids of parents tasting, touring or eating). Welcome to the Marlborough. Next, we moved on to our motor court accommodation for the next 4 nights in Picton - 17km further up the road in the Marlborough Sounds area - more spectacular fjord-like scenery.

After hunkering down for the evening, unpacking and getting our plans adjusted, we stopped to take stock - our CHCH impacts were catching up on us and we didn't realize how much we had been affected. Needed sleep kept us from venturing out much before noon on Saturday morning but venture out we did... after all, wineries needed visiting!

The Wairau river valley from the western slopes of the Richmond Range to Blenheim at the the eastern end makes up the bulk of Marlborough wine growing area; its soils and micro climes are ideally suited to the growing of vines and each smaller area has it's unique 'terroir' to claim. As much as the local folks don't appreciate the comparison, I found it much like the Napa Valley in appearance - not orientation - with its nearly-dry river bed, alluvial soils and brown hills on either side spotted with patches of forest growth... as well as its dry breezes predominantly down the hills from the west. Good grapes are grown here and really good wines produced - some small vintners and some large... and many still proudly family owned and operated! I will not dwell on those visited (St. Clair, Alan Scott, Cloudy Bay, Wither Hills among them) except to say that nary a one was not worth the trip (double negatives, EH?).

Sunday - the planned visit away from the wineries in the opposite direction to Nelson. To get there required a trek of unknown duration along a road of unknown pedigree known as the Queen Charlotte Drive... it sort of imparts an image of a regal cruise along the coastal hills to the town of Nelson... only a mere 100km or so... and easy stroll of a drive... right?


Transiting the QCD gave new meaning to the term gut-wrenching fear (and amazing vistas)! After climbing out of Picton along a well paved wide-ish road for about 2 km, we turned a 90-degree corner and the road almost disappeared. for the next 30km, the car never exceeded 30km/hr and ofter - probably way more often than local drivers would like - we rounded blind corners at 10-15km/hr while trying not look over and down... as it was, in some instances, straight down through rain forest to the ocean below. And did I mention, you couldn't tell where people's cars went through the guard rails since, on most corners, there were none. meeting an oncoming logging truck on the corner is a shattering experience - one we've had the privilege of sharing - and one which does not bear repetition. The remainder of the drive - through rain, fog, and bright sunshine was uneventful by comparison. Sure glad I wasn't going back that way... it would mean being on the outside of the corners.

Nelson was a bit of disappointment and did not present itself as well as other locales we have visited in this marvelous country. I will not dwell on this - no sense in being negative... but we would have been better off spending the day in the wine region. As our sunny and Sunday afternoon waned towards late afternoon, we agreed it would be reasonable to return to Picton while we still had sunlight. A quick iPad map and GPS consultation provided the bad news - if we look the long route back it would be well over 240km and we would inevitably be driving the latter portion of the trip in the dark... still on mountain roads. Decision to brave the QCD route back taken, we left Nelson with some trepidation. This time, however, the fear-factor was not as strong... after all, we'd already been through this trip in not-so-great weather and the roads were now dry, visibility good (at least to the next corner) so we great fully arrived back at our digs before the sun set and in time to enjoy an evening meal at a local resto, with a good Marlborough pinot, of course.


Our parting visits to more wineries (notably Lawson Dry Hill and Isabel Wineries) and a good (but late) winery lunch at Wairau River winery capped the afternoon. Back to Picton, final trip this time, and we must get ready for the voyage via InterIsland Ferries to Wellington on the 1005 crossing Tuesday morning.

Morning early checkout... short drive to the ferry terminal... better-half anxious about the crossing - she's not pleased about the Digby-Saint John crossing, either - and we were told the ferry was delayed for an hour. We walked back to the cafe in Picton, enjoyed another flat white and biscuit, and walked back in time to see that the ferry terminal staging area was full of cars, vans and did I mention what a truck-load of sheep smell like? right next to us in line? It got quite uncomfortable in the car with the windows rolled up and the fan turned off... Finally, we boarded and began the next leg of the journey... to journey to the North Side!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kaikoura, Marlborough and Nelson region, South Island NZ

CHCH... expectations and realities...

Up 'n out of Cromwell on Monday morning - after a coffee and a figurative tear for those many good vineyards and their fare which we were leaving for our next trip...

The drive to Christchurch (aka CHCH or ChCh or, sometimes, just CC), the second largest city in NZ (pop. around 400K folks) and the eastern cultural centre of NZ. We plan to spend 3 days looking at the attractions in the city - the older buildings and, of course, Cathedral Square - the historical and architectural centre of the city and, arguably, the single largest draw for tourists to this part of NZ. Our small motor hotel (the Bellagio - proprietors Ross and Lynley Macleod - a good NS name, EH?) is situated on the north side of the city centre (commonly known as the Central Business District or CBD in TLA-format) and a very easy walk - and shorter drive - to Cathedral Square and other attractions. Perfect location at a reasonable price!







The trip from Cromwell took us first through more vineyards of Central Otago (and did I mention that the greatest PN comes from this region?????), then through the central part of the South Island... roughly parallel to the Southern Alps (previously mentioned) and up, around and down through passes and valleys... each with their own particular micro-climate and seeming endless array of sheep and cattle (in the valleys, anyway). Temperatures varied from 14C to 25C - all daytime temps - depending on the angle of the sunlight (yes, it was sunny throughout the day), the elevation and the terrain.

Our first major pass through the mountains was the Lindis Pass (between Tarras and Omarama) which I likened to the Crows Nest pass but with one significant difference - lines of sight - on the road, that is - not over the edge of the road and down. They were sometimes measured in meters rather than portions of a kilometer; concentration on the road is essential or one could easily become one-of-the-missing! BUT the vistas were tremendous... Peter Jackson got it right!






In the early afternoon, we stopped at a small town situated on the southern tip of Lake Tekapo (a bit like a large mulit-vendor rest stop on major NorAm highways... gas stations, restos, grocery store, gift & trinket shops and a hotel... and lots of busses disgorging and taking-on passengers constantly); we gassed-up, watered-down and took on fuel for the body... small grocery store with appropriately elevated prices - and headed out towards the east - through Burke's Pass (more short lines of sight and wheel-gripping white knuckles) and then into more sloping hills, warmer breezes and sheep.





We got lost - first time on the trip - as we made a turn towards Geraldine but it really was a turn back wast towards the Alps... always present to our left, it seemed, with Mt. Cook prominently capped with snow in the distance. Farmers fields aflame as they burned-off stubble from the first grass crop and lots of sheep. We were treated to a great lesson in crown control as a sheep dog herded a flock of soon-to-be-pregnant ewes from one paddock to another - the one with the ram lounging around - patiently awaiting 'fresh meat'. that's when we figured we had made a wrong turn.





iPad and GPS to the rescue... we were soon backtracking (the sheep dog had done its job and was now sitting quietly in the back of the rancher's pickup waiting for his ride home...) and eventually ended up in the fair ville of Geraldine on the southern end of the Canterbury Plain... we were now entering CHCH territory.

Flat dry land, parched-looking trees - some devoid of leaf (poplar, mostly- used as wind breaks in farmers' fields) - crossing over nearly-dry river beds with nothing but trickles of water below (compared to the fast-flowing streams and rivers we had experienced in the Otago region) and a hot dry wind blowing from the west (remember the Southern Alps... anybody been in Calgary in the high summer?) at 20-35km/hr... dust in the air - not sure if its farmers fields or just river-bed dust... either way, it could be any western town in NorAm from Texas to Alberta. Stopped again for something cold to drink and added more fuel to the Corolla... the former needed more than the latter.





We pushed across the plains and eventually began to notice the population density increasing until - suddenly - we were entering then city of Christchurch. Warm (25C), breezy, early evening sunlight streaming from the west and not too much traffic combined to make our entrance to the city really enjoyable. We found our hosts and their 14 room motor hotel easily after cruising past Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens (which beckoned "Come See Me" - tomorrow, we replied) on Bealey Avenue - one of the four "Boundary Avenues" of the CBD.

After the requisite trip out to a grocery store, a couple of km distant, and a quick run through the CBD looking for a Starbucks coffee shop - we were running out of fresh coffee for breakfast - which was located but closed for the evening, I returned to our residence-du-jour. We dined on supermarket chicken, crusty rolls, a fresh-from-the-store green salad and some really remarkable savvy... and crashed.

We awoke the next morning - Tuesday, February 22, 2011 - breakfasted, toileted (a nice shower stall in a 'spa' tub...) and organized for the day's sight-seeing. I checked with our hostess to get directions to the best place to park in the downtown area to be central to "all things tourist" and she strongly suggested a parkade on Lichfield street - multi-story, lots of parking, easy access and egress and central to all the sights we wanted to take in.

Time: 12:35... and I was running behind. Isabel got in the car, as did I... I pulled out our rental cell phone to call the sister of a Toronto friend - she lives near CHCH - and I couldn't get the phone to work - so much for techie training... seems the telephone numbering systems are as confusing now as they were 2 decades ago!

Time: 12:45... and I left the better half (fuming, by now, because I was REALLY late) sitting in the car... in the parking lot of the hotel on Bealey Avenue... while I went back to the room to make the call on the room phone. After several attempts, I connected and we started talking about when/where we might get together...

Time 12:51... CHCH experienced a Richter 6.3 bump... better-half sitting in the car rock-&-rolled across the parking lot (no other cars in the lot, TG... remember, I was late)... and I watched as the room walls "accordianed" and everything that was not part of the basic room structure became animated and took-off into the air... only to meet with the resistance of a wall opposite or the floor - which, obligingly, came up to meet these errant articles. Glass and glasses shattered; micro-waves flew into walls, fridges left the security of their cabinets and marched into hallways and into rooms... disgorging their contents enroute; pictures ended up on beds which also marched in all directions to the slow resonance of the earth's movements; irons became missiles and ironing boards their landing pads... suitcases and contents were unceremoniously dumped in every direction... and so it went...for what seemed like never-ending minutes but which, in reality, were discrete seconds...

Time 12:53 or so... "I think we're experiencing an earthquake" I explained to Mandy on the other end of the telephone line... and she replied "Yes, I think we are too... we'll ring back later."

The walls and floor had stopped moving... silence... then crying, sirens, people outside exclaiming... I walked out over the debris which was once the contents of our room... realized that I was fortunate to be alive... and saw the better-half standing beside the car... in shock. Three Bellagio employees who were in the process of cleaning rooms, were standing in a group, hugging and crying... also in shock. Apart from that, silence. I saw a cloud of dust - brown and thick rolling north on Montreal street towards us... then it spread out over us and the dust began to settle on everything; it was the dust of ruin - the dust of history - the dust of the centre of CHCH.

We couldn't see the buildings collapse or the people - injured and frightened - running in all directions, trying to escape the rain of debris as buildings and building faces failed and collapsed into streets filled with mid-day tourists and business people, kids and nannies, cars and taxis... and others just going about their daily activities. we just stood in awe of the event which had just occurred... seeking human comfort... wondering what had really happened...

Below, I have included some snippets of emails sent to family and friends over the next 24-48 hours... these were written in 'real time' as subsequent events unfolded. We did not photograph the disaster - we felt it wasn't right to record, as tourists in this fair land, the demise and catastrophe of CHCH and the pain so many must feel at losing their beautiful historic buildings... not to mention the nearly 200 lives lost and many many more injured. There have been many other photos and videos of the quake and its aftermath... for those who wish to view them, a google search will bring much more than you ever wanted to see.

Here are excerpts from our emails of 22-24 Feb...
--------------------------------
to daughter...

CHCH Earthquake
Sent 22 February 2011, 1315

We're ok.... City sure isn't... More later - bit of chaos right now...

L, d

Sent from my iPad
-------------------
To daughter and friends later

Subject: Re: CHCH earthquake....
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:55:40 +1300

We are well and relatively safe.

It was a bit of a shock, I must say, and Mom was very frightened & upset... when the main quake started, I was on the phone trying to get in touch with a friend's sister and was watching the walls 'flow' and the glass crash from every direction... as I sit here to type this, the after-shocks continue and each one is a trigger to rush out the door. The dust cloud coming up the street from the CBD was reminiscent of the cloud that followed the collapse of the WTC towers...

The old cathedral steeple, from which ChCh draws a lot of history, collapsed - along with a number of other structures in the CBD. A large number have died (65 with the count rising) and many more injured.

We would have been in the CBD but, for the Grace of God, I was late getting organized this morning and had just finished getting instructions on how to get to the Cathedral - Mom was sitting in the car waiting for me and upset because I was so late... Guess she'll be OK with my tardiness now. (During the main quake, the car bounced around and moved about 3m across the parking lot with her in it.)

We have spent the time since the main bump helping the proprietors cleanup as much as possible; their home inside was devastated - not a cupboard or shelf left standing; also went round with the staff and took photos of the 14 rooms in the motor hotel.

Our low-rise motor hotel has weathered the main quake rather well... lots of minor damage but no apparent structural damage. The owners tell me that it was built (3 years ago) to withstand 8.5 (richter) and it did. There is, however, a long opening in the land next to our room (we're on the outside of the building) about 4-6 inches wide and deep.

We will stay here for the next 2 nights - we have water and (fortunately, I picked up some groceries last night)... so P-B sandwiches, cheese and crackers are the order of the day... :) Will probably sleep (?) with our clothes on, though, and the doors open... The military are now very much in evidence... we are on the edge of the Central Business District.... and the military & helicopter air traffic has been hectic for the last few hours... again, no surprise.

Certainly not what we expected when visiting ChCh, our concerns are for those who are still trapped or the families of those of were killed just 4 blocks from here. I expect you will see a lot of the damage on the TV news - we are restricted from going across the street into the CBD.

There's a lot of after-shock action right now and for the last 2 hours... the ground does not feel 'solid' any longer... so we rush to the exits every few minutes...

Sent from my iPad
-----------------------------------------
to a VON colleague

Reply to: Are you OK?
Date: Wed, 23 February 2011, 0929

First, yes, we're OK... It was - and still is - a terrible situation, though. We were just about to leave our motel on the edge of the city centre to head down to the tourist areas when the Quake hit... Isabel was in the car waiting for me and I was making a phone call from inside. The car moved about 3m with her in it as it bounced across the parking lot and I watched the walls buckle and rebound in our unit... Everything was up in the lair and the floor was moving like the deck of a lobster boat in a storm. All the kitchenware (glasses, dishes, appliances incl. the microwave and fridge) were on the floor and I had to climb over them to get out...

Needless to say, it was a frightening experience - especially for Isabel.

We were not in the worst of it, though; 4blocks away, large buildings collapsed and a number of people - tourists and locals - were killed and injured. There are still fires burning and the rescue workers have worked straight through trying to extract injured from the rubble... and some successfully! The military and police were did a good job of getting the 'walking' out of the CBD; water and gas were shut down almost immediately and I'm sure that has saved hundreds, maybe thousands, from being killed.

We're staying on Bealey Ave., one of the boundary avenues of the CBD. We spent the afternoon and evening helping the proprietors of our motel clean up... the aftershocks have been constant - probably near 100 since the quake, the early ones were 5.7 and 5.3 - and last night, it was hard to sleep... psychologically and physically. This morning, the sirens of emerg vehicles are quiet... and this area of the city we're in is also. We watch people walking by carrying their bedding... looking dazed. Everything is shut down - businesses, schools and all retail and commercial establishments. Liquefaction is a real problem - a lot of it in the suburbs and some in the CBD... and that's an awful mess, tool.

Anyway, we are currently planning on leaving ChCh tomorrow morning - if we can get out... and head north towards the ferry to North Island. Our thoughts and prayers, though, are with the people here who have to deal with the big "clean-up" and those who have lost family and friends

Sent from my iPad
-------------------------------------------
to the sister units

Reply to: Worried about you
Date: Fri, 25 February 2011, 2015

We have just arrived in Picton on the Marlborough Sound... the departure/entry for the Inter-Island ferry service between South & North Islands. We left ChCh on Thursday morning... just as the city was beginning to refocus on recovery vs rescue. Although the teams from NZ, AU and Japan continue to probe the ruined buildings, hope for any more rescues has pretty well faded. The death toll continues to rise - now that the officials are able to match dental records, finger prints and, in some cases, only DNA. There are still a number of missing - about 50% foreign - and the appeals to self-identify are constant.

The city is slowly bringing back some services - power is now on for about 80% and water is starting to be turned on... but the main sewer systems are still shut down and may not be back on for months... they suffered severe damage. City residents are being asked to use "port-a-lou's"... or other alternatives; you know, I wonder if our municipal planners have given serious consideration to sewage system alternatives...

Finally, Mayor Bob Parker has asked that visitors consider leaving ChCh in order to free-up accommodation for recovery workers who must be brought in from other parts of the country. We were accommodating.

(btw, I had watched Mayor Parker's response to the earlier 7.1 bump and was impressed by his seeming control over the situation and his messaging to citizens... I have been doubly impressed this time - especially as he suffered physical injury in this last quake... his handling of the information to citizens has been exemplary!)

As much as we are enjoying the travel in NZ - the scenery, people and, of course, food and wine are excellent - we cannot help but be saddened and empathetic for those families and friends (local and visitor) whose lives have been changed and for those who remain in ChCh to try to bring the city back on stream. The impacts, economic and psychological, are evident now and will take considerable time to be mitigated... if ever.

Sent from my iPad
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Those memories, likes all the other from this voyage of exploration - seniors style - will remain etched in our minds until that is no longer possible... and our thoughts will remain with those stalwart and courageous Cantabrians who have braved this natural disaster so well so far... I hope they can continue to do so.

"Quel che non ammazza, ingrassa."





Our next leg is through Kaikoura and into "Marlborough Country"... not the tobacco - the wine... stay tuned....




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Christchurch, Canterbury region, South Island NZ