NZ - WELLINGTON TO PICTON....BIG DAY

today we catch the ferry to the South Island…..the day is looking sunnier and after breakfast we walk into Wellington and take the cable car to the top of the city…..the view is great and the hill offers many trails down which take you through botanical gardens of all kinds, particularly Kiwi plants, trees and flowers - including some extinct varieties…..the gardens are what you might expect - this is early summer so there is no lack of flowers blooming…..one of the trails takes you past the Henry Moore sculpture, Inner Solace…..we climb back up to the top of the hill and catch the cable car down to the city centre….time to head to the ferry and drop off the car……we have a lot of stuff to take across to Picton - chairs, mattresses, tents, etc. - but the girls get it checked in to baggage no charge…the ferry ride is great - coming into the Picton Harbour the views are unbelievable - Cook describes this area as the most beautiful in all of the South Pacific….still cloudy but not overcast……the rental car is waiting for us - a Subaru Forester RV……we have more room and the car is actually better on the windy roads, bigger, faster, etc.….after a brief stop for dinner and breakfast groceries we head for Momoranghi Bay…..the rain starts but as we reach the top of the hill out of Picton Harbour, we are greeted with the most brilliant rainbow that I have ever seen…..at the base of one end is the ferry leaving for Wellington….I can’t get the telephoto on fast enough but I manage to take some pictures…..a colourful greeting from the South Island….we wind our way to the campsite, set up and have a dinner……the sky is loaded with stars and even the milky way can be easily seen from here……we’re asleep about 30 minutes after our meal…..

first thing in the morning we decide to take a walk through downtown Wellington and ride the cable car up to the top of the city.....

this little bit of Kiwi architectural ingenuity will make a perfect place for me to tie my sneakers......now that's Canadian ingenuity....

3 little mer maids.....posing with the giant street clams on Langdon Quay.....

gimme 5 big tall metal lady!!.....

top of the city....time to leave the cable car ladies!!

top of the cable track....

 Wellington's finest volunteers protecting the great port of Wellington from attack.....I just feel so safe knowing that they are out there!!

Cathy passes by the original observatory on the hill.....they put it up there to be as close to the stars as possible.....good plan!....

these cool little flowers are everywhere in NZ......

these not so much.......

the groundskeeper facilities...looks like they are growing something on the roof......

in case the old Rolex fails......this timepiece is quite accurate - almost to the millicloud.......

tropical touch - - trying to help some of you forget the ice storm.........

we donated our Christmas tree.......

did he say something to you, I'm pretty sure he said something??...I didn't even touch his frog...!!

at the bottom of the picture is a man who, along with an older woman, was facing the Chinese embassy and gesturing - I think they were protesting??

the ladies demonstrate "Inner Solace" in front of the Henry Moore sculpture of the same name.....

Wellington Harbour from the upper city......

Lambie realizes yet another dream - this time he wipes down a Wellington cable car - dreams coming true left and right!!

sculpture outside of the legislative buildings....for some reason I'm craving hot dogs??

leaving Wellington Harbour on the InterIsland Ferry headed for the South Island......

crazy Kiwi kite surfer in Oriental Bay.......

2 dreams come true in one day for Lambie - like a Disney movie!

last point markers before we sail out into Cook Strait

if you look really close, you'll see the ferry at the base of the rainbow where the pot of gold usually is.....

NZ - WELLINGTON - Island Bay and Kapiti Coast

today we wake up to rain and overcast….not the best conditions to explore Wellington so we motor out towards the west coast through Oriental Bay, Lyall Bay and Island Bay…..within a few minutes from downtown, the communities transform from the beautiful urban harbour town feeling that is Wellington to lazy little harbour villages - the commute to Wellington from them is 10 or 15 minutes but they feel like they are 1000 miles away…..Island Bay was a victim of a combination of king tide (highest possible tide), shortest day of the year, an earthquake and a full moon which has the greatest tidal impact) all occurring at the same time…..the sun was also at its’ furthermost point from the earth - an additional 5million km more than normal position when this occurred….these events all coincided within about 30 minutes and the town which is well back from the shore was hit by tsunami force waves, breaking away roads, tossing ocean debris into driveways and doorways and generally making a serious mess…there was no warning to residents…..I learned all of this from Stavros, a 53 year old Kiwi residing in Island Bay….he was out in the morning checking on his beach sculptures which consisted of various lengths of driftwood balanced on other driftwood or stones in a way which allowed them to tip like teeter totters or twirl…after some lengthy explanations of why the earth is about to fly apart under the ever changing forces of tides and fault lines, we say good by and drive out to the Kapiti Coast…..we were hoping to find more sun but today is not our day so we head back to Wellington.....after a little backpacker kitchen magic, we take a walk in Wellington...the evening is warm and colourful and the town is surprisingly quiet again.....the sunset is less dramatic but provides us with a show.....tomorrow we make our way to Picton......

Island Bay Harbour......

yes, that is a bicycle powered kayak.....oh those Kiwis!!

Jess and Cathy in front of a house  - not a real lighthouse - a house....

Linda and Cathy in front of a house with a boat for a balcony.....about 5 minutes later, the mayor of Wellington walked past dragging a kayak......

the girls outside of the Backpacker Hotel (used to be the Hotel Waterloo)...

Wellington Harbour.....

this is a Kiwi Bridge, very cool.....

and another.....

the old Wellington Rowing clubhouse.....

 collage of architecture near the art gallery....

Wellington sculptures near the gallery....

stingrays in Wellington Harbour - there were orcas in the bay so the rays come into the harbour for safety.....

sun sets on the harbour.....

3 little maids in a bunk bed at the Backpacker Hotel........

NZ - WELLINGTON DAY 1

we wake up to more rain so after a hearty backpackers breakfast, we get on the road to explore some of the lower west coast….we head up into the Kapiti coast and scout beaches….at our first beach we use an outdoor toilet that plays music and gives us verbal instructions, - really - and we meet Sandra who is a lover of books….she shares some of her favourite Kiwi female writers with the girls and gives us some tour recommendations…..an hour later we are all old friends, sorry to have to part ways and all that…the sun is starting to shine and we find a beach walk that turns into a 3 hour stroll….there are divers, swimmers and some other swimming fishermen catching paua and large snappers…..the sun is burning off the moisture on the sand….we decide to come back tomorrow…..we head back into Wellington and prepare a backpackers feast - pasta, parmesan, potatoes, Kiwi wieners and salad…..time to take in a drier, warmer Wellington…the sun set is unbelievable (again no camera - trying to fix the problem)….the city is really very beautiful and laid back…..Saturday night and you can’t hear a club or a scream……it’s very much like Victoria, B.C……..or Ottawa, ON…..we wander back to our bunk beds and crash easily……

beaches that seem to go forever....

beach bikers...if you look closely, you can see the steam rising from the sand......

Wellington is on the other side of those hills.......

 the backpacker hotel kitchen.....caution, chefs at work......

and the secret ingredient!!

NZ - NAPIER TO WELLINGTON

we get an early start and pack the tents before more rain occurs…..they are not too wet….today begins the Kiwi vacation presence on the roadways - Christmas is over, let’s go camping……the traffic is heavier but not impossible….we make our way south and stop at the Pukaha Mount Bruce Reserve….this is one of the NZ facilities that is working at re-introducing or increasing populations of endangered species to the wild….the development of NZ has included mass destruction of forests and the species that inhabited those forests….the destruction is beyond what we know in the way of clear cutting and similar industrial endeavours where reforestation practices were poor or non-existent, Kiwi’s simply burned down millions of hectares of rich forest vegetation and dependent wildlife in order to have clear areas for livestock grazing…….I know!!….the attempts to repair some of this extensive damage are challenging to say the least…at Pukaha, we were lucky enough to see some rare birds including the Kiwi bird…my camera craps out part way in so I’ll have to just describe the beautiful 11 day old Kiwi chick…..amazing little creatures, they don’t fly, have fur, nostrils, come out only in the dark - - google one if you have a moment, they are really cool….we also see the worlds oldest species of lizard, the Tuatuara…..again, very cool, drink through their skin and have 3 eyes when they are born….NZ is full of these kinds of unique lifeforms…..after a little bush walk and some viewing we head on down into Wellington….foggy and rainy….cold even….the Downtown Backpackers hotel is old and could use about 3 million gallons of paint…..but the bunk beds are pretty comfortable and the communal kitchen has a big fridge and lots of stoves….we head into town to look around and find a New Orleans restaurant…..we decide to give it a try….the gumbo, jambalaya and ribs are to die for…..we are warmed up now and should sleep well in this odd hotel….I do!

the birds here are native to both the north and south islands and are endangered....the reserve prepares them for release into the wild and away from predators when possible.....this one is the karikieri

sorry - I forgot the funky name of this one....

this is a kaka....hey, I didn't name it so don't look at me......

NZ - NAPIER - Te Mata - Christmas Day

today is Kiwi Christmas and we exchange some gifts and hugs….lots of thoughtfulness went into this - the challenge of overcoming limited space was easily met by all….some FaceTime with the folks back in Canada lagging behind in Christmas eve mode then we hit the road….the traffic is sparse on the road to Napier….we arrive in good time, set up the tents then head for the Te Mata Peaks for a good old fashioned birds eye view of Hawkes Bay….the hike up is steep and satisfying…..we could have driven but we are all game for some decompression…..we follow up with a drive into Napier and we drive up to Council Bluffs to enjoy the garden and survey the bay from a Napier high point….the day is beautiful and we decide to head back for our Christmas pizza and come into town for boxing day…..we stop at the waterfall at the base of Council Bluffs and the girls decide to climb up the wall….the waterfall and pool are man made, prisoner made to be specific…..a rather large Maori approaches me to tell me the stories of this achievement, including the advantages of low cost labour…..as a former inmate, he is able to share details that the average bloke on the street may not be aware of…..gratefully, we bid him a happy Kiwi Christmas and head back to camp for the feast of the day….Dominoes delivers!!…..(I’ve waited this whole trip to say that)…..some music, some cards - then sleep…..


Cathy opening up one of her fabulous gifts......

How did you know that I wanted one of these???!!!

The 3 Lees having an Xmas moment - OK, let's pack and get on the road......

Te Mata....you might ask, what's Te Mata??.....I'll leave that with you to sink in a bit.....

the climb up to the upper peak.....

funky little bushes cling to the side of the rocks.....

Hawkes Bay in the distance over the lower Te Mata peak......

the 3 little maids at the top of the Te Mata peak for a photo......

might as well get what's his name in it as well........

Napier harbour from the top of Council Bluffs

funky little plants on Council Bluffs........

a Norfolk Pine on top of Council Bluffs.....

not sure what this is but it looked so cool.....

3 little maids crawl half way up the cliff for a waterfall shot.....well done ladies!!

I'm hungry....can we go back to the camp sight for dinner??  Please??

ahhhh.....Xmas pizza.....delicious......(note the distance between the 2 tents - something about snoring??)

wifi starved - we are hoping for better wifi tomorrow - blogs need wifi