Solo Senior in Oamaru

Where?

Oamaru is about half way between Dunedin and Christchurch and is one of those small towns and surrounding areas blessed with a range of genuinely interesting attractions (as opposed to touristy hyped up so-called attractions like in Geraldine where I went after Oamaru). These attractions are:

1.     Wonderful old buildings, gradually being restored and used either for civic activities or museums, galleries, artists’ workshops, classic cars etc

2.     Meticulously cared for public gardens with one of the best flower displays I have seen anywhere (and the holiday park I stayed in lies within these gardens making for a most attractive setting)

3.     Penguins you could actually see

4.     Moeraki Boulders and a beautifully sited visitor centre and cafe

5.     A cheese factory -  “Whitestone”

Definitely worth spending a day or two here!

Unexpected rewards

I am sitting here in Roma in a place called Moeraki that I had no intention of staying at. This is our view looking out from Roma’s open back doors (the girl has no shame!).

It has been two days of doing things I didn’t plan to do, perhaps because I am nearing the end of this grand adventure!

The weather had turned dirty in Te Anau so instead of heading inland I decided to take the Southern Scenic Route (where the weather was even worse!) because at least driving is a way of sight-seeing, especially when you take little turn offs and side roads. As it turned out I had two days of unexpected rewards, even though I couldn’t experience everything this wonderful route has to offer. I would highly recommend it (reminded me a lot of Scotland)!

Reward 1: Great coastal scenery

Reward 2: Cows in close up (the sheep run away - you'd think it would be easy to get a sheep photo in NZ but it isn't)

Reward 3: A museum cafe in Tuatapere, where all the museum pieces were things I remembered from childhood!! And the food! Oh the food – good hearty home baking.

Reward 4: A petrified forest on the coast (so wild and windy I could hardly hold the camera straight)

Reward 5: The walk to McLean Falls

Reward 6: Nugget Rocks and lighthouse

Reward 7: Dunedin art gallery in a grand building (and Dunedin generally, because by now it was mild and sunny)

Unfortunately despite staying in Invercargill overnight it was so wild and windy and wet I didn’t get to see the gardens and grand architecture that the city is famous for, although i did get a replacement wine glass for the one I broke).

So now it's up the East Coast and a bit inland - Oamaru, Lake Tekapo, Geraldine.

Te Anau and Doubtful Sound

I spent a night in Queenstown purely as a stop over – the place holds no appeal even though it is beautiful. The motor camp was the most crowded I have been too even though it is of a high standard, but vans are cheek to jowl and there are no views at all.

A side visit to the old gold mining town of Arrowtown is recommended however!

Then on to beautiful Te Anau, for the main purpose of visiting Doubtful Sound. I chose this in preference to Milford a) because I have driven the delightful Milford road before, b) because Doubtful is even bigger than Milford and just as lovely, c) Doubtful is less crowded and d) the journey out is more interesting.

The joy of travel is often in those occasional moments that make you smile or just create a sense of wonder and awe, yet usually cannot be captured in a photo. I experienced both as I was heading from Te Anau to Manapouri to join the tour, it was raining, light snow, very misty. Rounding a corner I saw a flock of shorn sheep (about 50), all huddled into the same corner of a paddock, all with exactly the same stance, all with their heads in the same direction and all with the same miserable expression on their faces. Sheep are just so....well, sheepish! They made me laugh.

Then, as so often happens in New Zealand, suddenly there was a break in the weather and the mist lifted to reveal a rugged, shining, snow-capped mountain with a huge rainbow arcing up it. Wow!!

The trip to Doubtful Sound is varied.

First there is a cruise across beautiful Lake Manapouri,

then into a coach to drive across the spectacular,

and in this instance, snow covered Wilmott Pass

then into a larger boat for the cruise of the Sound.

Lots of waterfalls, beautiful rock formations,

a few seals and penguins and it is so peaceful.

Highly recommend this trip.

Then on the return trip you visit an underground power station that includes a drive down a 2 kilometre tunnel!

Unfortunately the weather changed for the worse the next day so I still have not done the walk along Lake Te Anau despite two visits there now.

Wonderful Wanaka

Nothing else besides photos needed of this beautiful place! Easily spent 3 days here.

Solo Senior the Ice Queen in glacier territory

I spent a night (unplanned) in Hokitika on the way down the west coast to the glaciers. Hokitika is an interesting place – a lot of art and craft, some history and a wonderful place to watch the sunset. The motor camp was also cheaper than Franz Josef’s with the latter being one of those annoying Top 10 camps that charge the double rate for a single. The lady in the FJ park said to me that they charge extra for more than two people, so my question of course is, why don’t they have a reduced rate for a solo traveller? Solo discrimination!

Franz Josef Glacier

Two days spent around Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers were rewarding, although I was a bit disappointed by FJ – a long walk to a dirty pile of ice.



Peter's pool FJ Glacier



Maybe I preferred Fox because I did a half day glacier walk – although the 800 steps to climb before reaching the ice access point didn’t make me all that happy. I had to trot out the “I’m 60 and slow but I’ll get there, and despite being red in the face I am not having a heart attack” line. However, well worth the effort and produced some good photos.

Fox Glacier

Eight more 'spishal things about New Zealand

1.     Rolling surf and snow capped mountains in the same vista (eg at Hokitika on the West Coast)

2.     Walking on a high path cut into a cliff, in dense forest but with the ocean lapping way below (eg Abel Tasman Coastal track)

3.     The colours of the sea around Kaiteriteri – grey, silver, light blue, aquamarine, deep green

4.     Whitebait fritters and Greenlip mussels

5.     The sunset at Hokitika

6.     You can go into a shop with no intention to buy and people will still chat to you and give you tips on local things to do

7.     The food tastes like Australian food used to. For example, lamb has a more intense flavour, apples are crunchy and juicy, cakes and bickys are real home baked flavour

8.     There is a photo almost around every corner

Some days just call for a big red!

...and of course it has to be an Australian one. Even the Kiwis admit that they can’t make them although my market research into NZ Sav Blancs confirm that they are pretty damn good. But the reds....nah!

Solo Senior has spent 3 delightful days in Golden Bay, not commonly on Aussie tourists’ radar, but it should be. Roma has been parked at Pohara Beach, enjoying her view of the sea and knowing she has to go only 20 metres to dip her wheels in the ocean even if she elected not to because the water is cold.

Takaka, the nearest town is largely inhabited by arties and crusties (Aussies would call the latter ferals). Lots of dreadlocks, beads and daggy clothes, but cute shops and movie theatre (below) and great coffee, especially at Wholemeal Cafe.

The best journey to take is an Eco tour of a 30 km sand spit and estuary, about 50 kms north of Takaka. The sand spit (Farewell Spit) is a nature reserve so only the tour company has access, in the big red bus (see below). Lots of bird life, lazy seals, great rocks and wonderful stories from a real local who just loves the area – the best kind of tour.

Then it was back to Motueka, a more sophisticated version of Takaka, but very close to Kaiteriteri where the famed Abel Tasman Coastal walk begins. I am doing the walk in 3 sections and am transported by boat and then returned safely to Roma each evening. So today I walked 13 km of this grand track, accompanied by two young women – one Scot (called Heather would you believe) and one Swiss. It was in fact the most social day I have had. Lots of people on the track and I also met up again with a couple from the Eco tour. So after a day’s walking, a half hour in the spa and a glass of Aussie red, I am ready for bed. Unfortunately it is only 5:30, so I have to wait. In the mean time, you can enjoy the photos of today’s walk. Two more days to go – will the red last that long?

My walking companions - Vanessa and Heather

PS

The red is still going after a second day of walking. Only 10 km today and it took 2 hours so I could catch the boat on its return journey and explore beautiful Kaiteriteri, recommended by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s top beaches. It is gorgeous.