New Zealand — Milford Sound
Just a note here. I managed to catch up and post two blog posts in 12 hours so make sure and check out the one before this one!
I don’t know where to start. I’m trying to sift through the 350 photos I took on Friday. We left Queenstown at sunrise on a bus driving 4 hours to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful spots on the earth. It is a “sound” carved out of the rock by glaciers thousands of years ago. Properly, it is a fjord. And the entire lower, outer segment of the south island is Fjordland National Park. It was here, while on the way to Milford Sound that we saw the true Southern Alps covered with ice and snow. After arriving at Milford Sound around 130 PM, we set out on the water for a 3 hour tour (don’t go there!). Then, we left Milford Sound for the bus drive back to Queenstown and arrived at 830 PM. A 13 hour day!
I was exhausted from very little sleep the night before. As I mentioned yesterday, I fell off of a really large boulder and the pain in my left elbow and in my chest kept me awake most of the night. Fortunately, the bus ride was sedate and the tour of the sound allowed me to stand or sit so we did very little walking.
Here is a photograph of the map of the national park. Queenstown is in the far upper right hand corner and if you follow the red line down through Te Anau and around and up again to the far left hand corner, you will see the route we took.
Te Anau on the way to Milford Sound
The beginning of the Southern Alps
Sherry and Alex. It was cool especially when we got on the water.
Along the way, we stopped at the Mirror lakes!
A river along the way showing the snowy peaks in the distance.
Finally on the boat on the sound heading out to the Tasman Sea, the part of the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and Australia. The wind was unbelievable here up to 80 knots!
Words cannot describe this beauty!
The “Queens of duh woyld!”
We saw several of these white streaks on the mountain. This is where trees, barely perched on the thin moss and rock, break loose and tumble down in an avalanche or ‘treevalanche”.
One of several falls on Milford Sound.
As well as seals sunning on a warm rock.
Could this be the elven door to the Mines of Morea? Speak “friend” and pass!
Heading back toward port from the open sea.
That’s enough scenery overload for today. I am now caught up with my blog posts. Today, here is Saturday, America’s Friday and we are touring Queensland before heading back up the west coast toward the north island. We have now come from tip to tip of this wondrous land and the final leg of our journey is about to begin.
Say a quiet prayer for our vehicle. It was smoking Thursday night upon arrival here and I can’t blame the poor thing!
Tomorrow, I hope to show you some maps along the way and throw in some photos you haven’t seen yet as I recap the journey so far.
Kia Ora!
New Zealand — 2nd Thursday
I begin today’s post in great pain. I am writing this on Friday night (our time) about our trip from Geraldine along the east coast of the south island to the central portion of the southern tip of New Zealand. We traveled to Alexandra (Alex’s namesake!) and then on to Queenstown.
The rolling green hills of the farm we stayed at.
Imagine driving out of those wonderful green hills dotted with cows and sheep and having an abrupt change in geography six different times in three hours! It is amazing the changes in the topography and the mountains and valleys in this country! One minute, you are surrounded by lush green hills. The next, brown grassy hills covered with sheep and cows. Next, an emerald green lake surrounded by rocky, brown hills. Next, towering peaks with blues and greens and grays. Next, the southern Alps not yet covered with the coming snowy mantle of winter. Next, a virtual rain forest!
As a man said to me on the cable car in Wellington — the south island is scenery overload!
So, we paused several times to take pictures and there was this huge open plain of brown grassland surrounded by towering gray and blue peaks with a touch of snow on one side and harsh rocky brown mountains on the other. I recognized it instantly. I had purchased a Lord of the Rings guidebook in Wellington that showed were all of the scenes in the movie were shot. Here in the vast plain surrounded by mountains I once again imagined the oliphants, those giant elephant like creatures rampaging across the battlefield toward the Riders of Rohan. I saw the ring wraiths swooping on their reptilian beasts attacking the fellowship of the ring. Here was the location of the final battle in the third movie, The Return of the King. In this vast area somewhere between the towns of Twizel (Twhy-zull) and Methvyn this epic battle was shot using many of the locals as extras. So, we stopped and I stood by a fence that overlooked this area.
The wind was amazingly strong. We started down the road and stopped again as we got closer to the mountains used as a backdrop for the battle. There, sitting just off the road was a huge boulder with an inviting flat top. I grabbed my camera and hopped up on the boulder only to be grabbed, I thought, by the claws of the nazgul, only to learn it was the wind and tossed off the boulder like so much chaff.
I fell onto my left elbow and my camera and dug the lens into my upper left ribs. I was stunned and in so much pain I could hardly breath. I just knew I had broken or dislocated by elbow and had cracked or broken some ribs. I still have an indentation in the skin from the lens of the camera. It is now blue and green.
So, I have been trying to recover from my fall on the battlefield. Where was Gandalf when I needed him?
We soon found a lovely tiny stone church sitting on the edge of a huge, emerald green lake. 
This was the Church of the Good Shepherd erected in 1935 and we later met, purely by chance, a young woman in Milford Sound (on our tour) who got married in this idyllic setting. Nearby was a statue of a dog erected in honor of collies and their hard work in the area. We couldn’t get a good picture due to the heavy tourist load.
Soon, we pulled into Alexandra, a quaint little town on the way to Queenstown. Alex was ecstatic and we drove around the small town.
We traveled back toward Cromwell and stopped to take a look at the crossroads sign above the convergence of two rivers that created a huge lake.
The Kiawarau River is a large body of water that dumps into this gigantic lake. Near Alexandra in the city of Clyde, this huge lake flows through a hydroelectric dam. This river was the sight of the Argonaths — the giant king statues on the water at the end of the Fellowship of the Ring.
As we headed for Cromwell and on to Queensland, we encountered more geography and a very common road sign that is self explanatory.
Here are some high speed pictures of the river near the area where the scenes were shot with Frodo, Sam, Legolas, Borimir, Gimli, and Strider in boats fleeing the orcs. The orcs were heard running along the edges of this river. The actually area used is on a private farm where the river cuts deep into the rock to make the tall cliffs seen in the movie. Portions of this area were used for the forest scenes in all three movies and the scene with Arwin on the river where she confronts the nine ring wraiths to save Frodo.
And then, over a hill we started to witness the beginnings of the Southern Alps. These tall, majestic mountains were the sight of the opening scenes in the first movie as the camera soared over the snow covered peaks. These mountains had little snow this time of year, but you can still appreciate the sheer, amazing size of these mountains as the rose up from the flat plain to over 2000 meters!
As our day drew to a close and my pain began to intensify, we checked into our hotel in Queenstown on its lovely lake and ate on the hotel’s veranda. This was our view as the sun set. I will post more pictures of Alexandra and the trip later as soon as my pain permits.
New Zealand — Our Second Wednesday
The mail run on Tuesday ran longer than we planned. We were supposed to be back at our car by 430 for a 3 hour drive to Hamner Springs in time to “have a spa” meaning get in the hot tub! But, the mail run lasted until 6 PM and now we had a long drive along the east coast at sunset. What we did not anticipate was the rain, fog, and very winding roads.
Grant started out driving but he had been awake since 330 that morning so he switched out with Alex. I have been on many harrowing drives. I’ve bested the road to Hana on the island of Maui. I’ve been up the switchback out of Cade’s Cove in Tennessee. I’ve driven on Louisiana highways since age 15! But, this was like nothing we had ever experienced. Hairpin curve after hairpin curve assaulted our hosts first in the dark, then with rain, followed by FOG! I was hanging onto my shoulder belt in the back seat like a harness on a parachute! We prayed and Alex got us through this incredibly dark and stormy night with only 13 one lane bridges along the way. We pulled into this tiny but very nice motel at 11 that evening and had to rouse the host out of her bed to let us in. We were all exhausted.
Wednesday morning we set off for the Christchurch area and eventually to a farm in Geraldine. Along the way we saw many sights along the east coast. Christchurch is still recovering from a massive earthquake so we did not go into the city. In the tiny town of Geraldine, we set off into the country side for David and Nikki’s farm. Friends of the Stitchbury’s years ago, the couple now reside on a 400 acre farm. David raises cattle and deer. Yes, deer! Upon our arrival, we mounted up on ATV’s and David gave us a tour of his farm. The huge, rolling hills were amazing. Divided into paddocks, the farm has an area for cattle and an area for deer. There is a separate section with trees and brush. When fawns are born, the mother and fawn are put into this paddock so the mother can hide the fawn away in the bushes!
David and Nikki also have other activities on the farm such as kayaking, canoeing, and watching cows being milked, among other things. They took us down the valley to the pond where an eel lives. Fantail sparrows sang in the tree overhead while David cooked us a meal on an open fire. I don’t particularly like venison but his venison was outstanding! As the sun set, a three quarter moon rose over the hills. And shooting through the amazing dark sky was the Milky Way, something we never see up north. We returned to our cabins only to find that Alex and Grant’s cabin was infested with spiders.
So, let me pause for a a moment. We would never have survived the evening in Louisiana. New Zealand has no snakes! I kept glancing at the pond waiting for a water moccasin to crawl out. But, no worries! No snakes! And, they have no fire ants or ticks or bird sized mosquitoes! And, they have only one species of poisonous spider. No black widows! No brown recluses! But, the spiders in the cabin, regardless of their benign nature were too much for Alex and they soon joined us in our cabin.
What a strange and wonderful experience! The next morning, Alex, Sherry, and Grant went to view the cow milking while I finished up editing my depression book manuscript for B&H Publishing.
For your enjoyment, some Kiwi sayings:
Tea, as I mentioned, means supper.
Crisps are French fries.
Have a coffee means lunch time. At lunch you can have a “pie”. This is not a fruit pie but a meat pie and it looks like a small apple pie only filled with beef or chicken and cheese and mushrooms and it is to die for! Definitely a trend we need to start in America. Kiwi fish and chips are served in plain butcher paper and you have to ask for (and sometimes pay for) tomato sauce (ketchup). Don’t bother asking for ice tea or yellow mustard. A schnitzel can be beef, pork, or chicken and is basically a chicken fried steak only with leaner batter. You always order your food at the counter and you always buy your drink from the bar. The water is self help. And, there is no tipping! That’s right! It took me days to get over this, but there is no tipping. Period. Nada.
You leave your vehicle in a “car park”. Stores don’t have bathrooms unless they are huge stores. Instead, there are public “toilets”. These are surprisingly clean and fresh. Some charge a fee. Others sing to you! And, they won’t unlock until you wash your hands. Most toilets are bigender — not particular for man or woman. And, I will say this. New Zealand is neat as a pin. Clean as a whistle (that’s for you, Alex). I have never seen a country so universally neat and clean. Everyone is proud of keeping things up. Everyone picks up trash and recycles. It is amazing and so refreshing. America could learn lots of lessons on this one issue alone!
And, every downtown area no matter how small or large has tiny, quaint storefront stores. Even the malls are integrated into the storefronts and are found inside the storefronts. It is like going back in time to Mayberry. There are even barber shops that still have the red and white rotating pole! And, of course, every 10 meters, there is some kind of coffee shop with the most amazing goodies to eat and coffee to drink. I don’t think I can ever go into a Starbucks again. Unless they start serving flat white!
One town so beautiful, so amazing awaited us and what a surprise it would be – Akaroa. More on that later. Here are some pictures:
After losing a salmon to Gollum earlier, I found one that would choke even him!
Safety first!
A new experience for Sherry!
One of the one lane bridges we passed in the dark the night before. It was used for bungee jumping!
View before your last jump!
Sherry says, “No way!”
Rain clouds still brewing but they held off as we headed for Christchurch.
Many rock formations look so familiar as they appeared in the Lord of the Ring movies.
This amazing valley was farm land and we wove our way from that far mountain top all the way around until we found . . .
Akaroa, just over the mountain top. A wonderful town perched on an inlet from the sea. This was an amazing sight and the photos don’t do it justice. We wound our way down the mountain side and around the lake to that far cove.
I have my own hotel in Akaroa!
The water side was dotted with lovely cottages beneath amazing mountains and hills.
The water was even more beautiful than any I have ever seen in Florida.
Everywhere you looked, you could make a postcard.
I could easily make this my writer’s retreat!
Finally, we tracked down the elusive pukeko (pooh-keck-oh) a wild bird that most Kiwis try their best to ignore!
More photos tomorrow as we leave the farm and head for the crown jewel of the south island, Queenstown.
New Zealand — This Past Saturday and Sunday
Sunday and Monday in New Zealand saw our intrepid travelers leaving the fair city of Napier and journeying southward to Palmerston North. There we spent the night after visiting with Alex and Grant’s oldest son, Sam. Monday morning we headed into the winding hills and mountains of the southern part of the North Island toward Wellington.
Wellington resides on the sea with a large harbor. We will boarding a ferry in the morning for a three hour journey across the sea to the south island. Pictures below are from Saturday and Sunday in Napier and Monday in Wellington.
Napier is a beautiful and quaint town as I mentioned in my previous posts. We drove southeastward to Te Mata, a large mountain overlooking Hawke’s Bay. It was a beautiful sight as you will notice in the photographs below. We took some time to walk the streets of Napier, do some shopping at a market place and ended up at the beach. Then, we drove to the top of the “bluff” a precipitous cliff in Napier proper overlooking Napier’s harbor. That evening, we had a Kiwi barbecue with grilled chicken kabobs, steak, sausage, patties and “jacketed” potatoes and lovely desserts I mentioned earlier.
Sunday, we had the privilege to worship at Napier Baptist Church. I have met only a handful of New Zealand natives in Napier. But, when Sherry and I walked into the church, we felt instantly at home. When we were greeted by the members, it was like rekindling an old acquaintance. I had an opportunity to talk very briefly about my depression book and had several conversations with members of the church after the service during the “tea”. We sang several worship songs. Two young people were baptized and the pastor invited friends and family to come and stand around the baptistery during the ceremony. He also invited anyone who wanted to share a prayer, Bible verse, or a word of encouragement just before the actual baptism. It was stunningly moving and profoundly beautiful.
It seems the modernized world is now turning against Christianity. Even here in New Zealand, Grant tells me that persecution is beginning. We are already facing persecution in America and I would say the Christian’s greatest mission field IS America. We are called judgmental, intolerant, legalistic, hate mongers, and man other names I will not repeat in this blog. It is true that there are many who claim to be Christians whose behavior warrants such prejudice. But, true followers of Christ; true disciples of Christ are compelled by unconditional love, not hate. It is this love that pulled us into the church family instantly. In fact, I would say that a Christ follower could walk into any real, committed gathering of other believers (called a church) and feel the same kind of caring and acceptance we felt here in New Zealand. Wow! It was a balm to soothe my soul. It tells me that we must press on with our love and devotion to the Creator God of the universe who is also flesh and spirit among us. It tells me that we are more than a footnote in history; more than a cult of strange folk; more than a smokescreen for hateful fundamentalism. We are called Christian because we are like Christ!
On to Wellington. Just a few words about this city. It is much smaller than Auckland but a large city in its own right. It spreads out over lush, green hills overlooking the harbor with tight, narrow streets surrounded by tall modern buildings and preserved historical buildings. I fell in love with Wellington instantly. It reminded me of London while Auckland reminded me more of Paris. I would go back to London and Wellington in a heartbeat.
A small surprise was WETA, the special effects workshop for all of Peter Jackson’s films! I was so excited, but I was not allowed to take pictures in the actual workshop!
I am now sitting in my hotel room, tired, weak, hopefully coming out of this cold I’ve had for five days. I am praying for safe waters in the channel tomorrow as we journey to the south island. I am praying for a healthier tomorrow. More will come in the days ahead as we hit the South Island. We me a couple returning from the south island today and they told us to be prepared for “scenery overload”. Bring it on!
Below are pictures from Te Mata, the highest peak overlooking Hawke’s Bay and Napier. Followed by this are photos of Sherry at the beach. And Alex’s favorite flower. Finally, the sheep you see are right across the street from the Stitchbury house!
Second Week in New Zealand
Wellington from the ferry.
Sailboat on Queen Charlotte Sound
Ship’s Cove in the sound where Captain Cook landed on New Zealand and made his home there on return trips.
Sherry and Alex napping on the Mail Run boat.
The Mail Run is to deliver mail to homes around the sound without roads. This is a famous New Zealand author.
In Queen Charlotte Sound South Island
I have been unable to post for several days. The wifi is spotty at best and there are limits on uploads and downloads. We left Napier this past weekend and set out for the south island. Below are some photos of Wellington and the trip across Cook Strait to the south island where we landed at Picton. We set out on the “mail run”, a four hour boat trip through the coves and bays of Queen Charlotte Sound. Truly a wondrous site, I am already suffering from scenery overload. I’ll bring more notes on our trip later. I have a narrow window to post these photos. Oh, yes, we visited the WETA workshop in Wellington where all of the props for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie were made. I met Bilbo’s trolls while there.
New Zealand Day 6 — Napier
“We spent two days in Auckland when we could have been here?”
Sherry nailed our reaction once we arrived Friday evening in Napier. We’ve spent the last two days at “home” with Alex and Grant’s family here in a city known for its art Deco appearance. In 1931, an earthquake hit Napier and the city rose several feet above sea level. Much of it was rebuilt in the current architectural style leaving behind a delightful town perched on the emerald green waters of Hawke’s Bay. The moment we saw the ocean, we knew we should have been here long ago. Don’t get me wrong. Auckland was exciting and bracing and something to be seen. But, in all of our travels, Sherry and I have always found the smaller towns more inviting than the busy, bustling cities. My one exception would be New York City and London. We loved both cities but they are creatures unto themselves.
Napier resides on the eastern coast of the North Island tucked into Hawke’s Bay. Just south of Napier is Hastings and surrounding this area are mountains and wine country. We passed through orchards and vineyards and more rolling hills dotted with sheep. As we drew closer to the east coast winding our way up and down through these wonderful mountains, the hills grew greener and more lush. The tall, waving fronds of the silver fern — the symbol of New Zealand — were soon replaced with tall pine trees. We instantly felt at home with my thoughts drawn back to the pines of our Louisiana. The only difference would be the lack of a thick film of yellow pollen we would hopefully miss out on this year. March is the autumn for New Zealand.
We met the family at a Kiwi barbecue on Saturday. The meal was sumptuous, delicious and capped off with several huge desserts ranging from trifle to banana cream and upside down chocolate pudding cake and cupcakes. Everyone here is so friendly and so open and accepting. As I mentioned in my last post, this is the culture we have lost in America. Grant assured me New Zealand was about 15 years behind America in adopting our ways. Let us hope and pray New Zealand does not catch up with us. Here, civility, manners, kindness, friendliness, hospitality are all a way of life. In our own country, we are in danger of forgetting these virtues.
Before I go on about our trip in Napier to the mountaintop of Te Mata or to the beach in downtown Napier I want to finish out our first week in New Zealand with a few photographs from the past seven days.
- Our first stop was for coffee last Sunday and now I understand how much they love their coffee!
- Medication we have gotten to know all too well!
A hobbit’s work is never done!
But, there is the promise of the Green Dragon pub.
Oh, well, they put me to work at the pub!
The Green Dragon Lantern
Alex popped in for a bite!
At the Mitai traditional Maori cultural experience
Okay, a giant pukeko (pooh-keck-oh) made of corrugated iron.
Sherry did see the sign at Hobbiton.
The New Zealand opossum. More about this later.
New Zealand Days 4 and 5
It is Saturday morning here in New Zealand, Friday America time and I just witnessed one of the most moving and beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. We are now in Napier at Alex and Grant’s house. I’ve gotten behind on my blogging so I wanted to catch up on the photographs.
Let’s see, on Tuesday we drove to Waitomo cave area and went through the cave with the glowworm grotto. The glow worm is a fascinating insect. The female lays an egg in the caves then dies since the adult male and female insects have no mouths! The egg hatches and the larva emerges as the glow worm. The worm has a bioluminescent tip that glows in the dark. The worm spins a long single thread. The thread is sticky and the light attracts moths and insects in the cave. When the insects fly toward the glowing light (and this also includes the aforementioned adult insects) they get stuck on the thread. The glow worm then pulls the thread up and feasts on the insects. This fat and happy life lasts for 9 months. But, eventually, every larva turns into an adult. The male adult is waiting patiently for the females to emerge from their cocoon and impregnates them immediately before they die from starvation. What a life!!!
I could not take an photos within the glow worm grotto. A river passes through the cave and at the bottom of the cave we loaded onto a boat in almost total darkness. Our hostess, Dorene then pulled us quietly through the grotto. In the hushed silence where only the occasionally tinkling of water drops from the stalactites broke the dark solace, we moved through the grotto like the Phantom of the Opera gliding his boat across the waters of Paris underground. Above us were thousands of tiny blue green glowing dots. To me it was a wondrous site. To the glowworm, it was just life. Just a passing through this world from egg to larva to pupae to adult. All on a 10 month cycle. The difference between the glowworm and me, of course, lay in my ability to appreciate the beauty of what I was seeing. More on that later.
Here are some pictures from our cave trip.
Witomo Glowworm Cave
The Cave Names I can’t quite yet pronounce.
Maori
In the Caves
More caves
On Thursday and Friday, we traveled to Rotorua where the lake filled a huge extinct volcano crater. But, the volcanic activity was far from dormant. Below are numerous photos of the thermal “playground” around Rotorua. The air was cool and crisp but tainted with the odor of sulphur. Our room was situated overlooking the beautiful lake. By now, I was getting Sherry’s cold and I spent the first night in Rotorua shaking with a high fever. Alex, a more than capable nurse, watched over me as we sat on the patio overlooking the lake beneath a billion glowing stars. I was shocked to recognize Orion’s belt and Scorpio and there, above me was the Southern Cross ruling the southern hemisphere sky as our Big Dipper and Polaris, the north star, ruled the northern sky. Alex talked me through my fear of having some kind seizure due to my high fever. Here I was sick in a foreign country my mind filled with fears that most people would never think about (as a doctor, I know too much!) and yet, I was at ease with Alex just a few meters away. I was very thankful she was there to watch over me. I made it through that first night. Thursday and Friday were busy days visiting Rotorua and its many hot springs, geysers, and steam vents. Here are some photos from that visit.
The Thermal Playground
A Caldera
The Artist’s Palette
The colors are from different chemicals
Sulphur deposits
The Devil’s Bathtub
Bubbling hot mud!
Huka Falls
The Jet Boat at Huka Falls
Sherry at Huka Falls
Lake Taupo
Waipunga Falls
I will pause now for a day or two. We are resting up here at home in Napier before tackling the South Island. Tomorrow (Sunday) we will go to church with Alex, Grant, and their boys and I’ll have more to say then. For now, I am resting and trying to heal.
New Zealand Day 4 — Hobbiton
It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.
Bilbo Baggins
There are those among you who occasionally read my blog and, hopefully, are waiting for my daily reports regarding my trip to New Zealand. I realize I have missed two days but this was due to circumstances beyond my control. Namely being somewhat exhausted and having a limit on data transfer at our hotel, I was not able to sit down and sift through over 500 photos I have taken in the last two days.
On Day 3 we left the bustling metropolis of Auckland and set off bravely into the countryside. Or, I should say with great relief as our most excellent hosts assured us that the REAL New Zealand was NOT Auckland. How true that proved to be!
If you have seen any of the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies you might recall scenes of rolling, green hills covered with sheep and cows and, of course, hobbits. Or, you may recall rolling hills dotted with huge boulders as the wargs and the orcs and the goblins came after the fellowship of the ring or the company of dwarves. Well, for the next couple of hours we passed through dozens of these rolling hills undulating around us from the foot of majestic mountains. I was enthralled as we passed through these magnificent hills. Of course, the road became winding and hilly as we passed through these wondrous sites. Each town we moved through was so quaint and lovely with storefronts abounding and, of course, lots of small coffee shops. The Kiwis LOVE their coffee!
We stopped in Waitomo and toured two caves, one with the famous glow worm grotto. I’ll come back to that later because I want to move on to Wednesday (Tuesday American time) because I spent the most wonderful two hours with hobbits. Yes, with hobbits!
In the rolling hills between Waitomo and Hamilton New Zealand there is a sheep farm, a quite large sheep farm. And, hidden away in these rolling hills dotted with grazing sheep and large boulders that seemed poised to roll down the hill and tall, feather like trees pointing to heaven and tall, green hedges to block the nonstop wind there is a tiny village that is truly magical. It is Hobbiton.
After driving for almost an hour from Alex and Grant’s dear friends’ house, we paused on a lonely hillside so I could hop out and take a photograph. I just had to stop. Every turn brought new vistas of this quaint countryside. I stood on the side of the highway and took some photographs and imagined that idyllic scene in the very first Lord of the Rings movie, Fellowship of the Rings, when the camera shows just such a scene with rolling green hills and tall feathery trees and an early morning fog. Only that scene was ruined by the arrival of one of the Nine on his hideous black horse. I whirled around to see if a Morgal blade was poised to pierce my heart and saw only Alex smiling behind the wheel of our minivan. Right then, let’s get on to Hobbiton, I thought.
We arrived at the ticket center and gift shop and the surrounding scenery alone would have been worth the trip. I kept asking myself if Sherry and I were really here in New Zealand. Gone were the bustling streets and harbor of Auckland. Here was peace and contentment and I could easily see how someone could settle into a leather chair by the fire with some fine apple cider and just . . . BE!
Some facts about the set. There are 44 Hobbit holes in all, that is, houses built into the hillsides. Some are large enough to give the impression that a full grown human can be a small hobbit. Others were true to scale so that Gandalf could look tall next to the tiny houses. The center area is a real garden complete with vegetables and a scarecrow. And overlooking it all is Bilbo Baggin’s house at the very top of the hill. By the way, the tree you’ll see in the photos is not a real tree. The real tree from Lord of the Rings had to be moved (don’t worry, it was moved there in pieces to begin with and never survived) and replace with an artificial tree, hand made down to each leaf because the Hobbit takes place 60 years before LOTR and the tree had to look smaller and younger. Only two Hobbit holes had a door with a small inside. And, only Bilbo’s door had a small chamber that appeared to be the inside of his house. The house interior was shot on a set in Wellington.
But, the Green Dragon was a real standing building and was converted into a pub for visitors. We spent two hours wandering around Hobbiton arriving at the Green Dragon pub for some cider and a moment to rest before the fireplace since it was a bit windy and cool outside. Then, we boarded our bus to return to reality. Ah, the simple life!
Below are a few pictures of Hobbiton. The place was truly peaceful and calming. Much like our friends we have met in New Zealand. America is a fast paced, pedal to the metal juggernaut and I fear our culture has lost so much in the rush to be the best and the fastest and the richest and the greatest. Sometimes, it pays to simply slow down and watch the butterflies and sip some cider with good friends. Ah, this place could be my new home in a heart beat. Bilbo, pass me some of that bread and cheese!
Our Dear Friends Alex and Grant.
My own private Hobbit Hole!
The view from Bilbo’s house.
Checking Bilbo’s mail while he is on holiday.
Alex found her perfect hobbit hole.
Bilbo’s House from the party pavilion
The mill at the Green Dragon
Alex having a mug of cider at the Green Dragon
Even the scarecrows are content.
Ah, the simple life!
But, there is work to be done.
There’s ale to be delivered . . .
And, Grant has to work the pub!
New Zealand Day 2 – Sky Tower and Devonport
DAY 2 — Auckland Sky Tower and Devonport
After finally sleeping through a New Zealand night, we woke up at 645 AM New Zealand Time on Monday morning (Sunday in the States as they say). It was 1145 AM Shreveport time. But, I slept for eight straight hours without waking up and I felt like it was truly early morning and not nearly noon! I was almost acclimated to being down under! I have to stop for a moment to digress. We are down under. I don’t recognize the stars. The water swirls the wrong way in the toilet. And, it gets warmer the further north you go, not south! Also, sitting in the front seat of the minivan whilst Grant or Alex bustle about this metropolis known as Auckland can be a bit disorienting. They drive on the other side of the street here and every time we turn, I panic because I think we are heading into traffic going the wrong way! Also, you have to train yourself to look to the right for oncoming traffic before crossing the street.
We loaded up the luggage and left one hotel and drove downtown toward Auckland on the “motorway” to our final hotel our last day in this city. Our room overlooked the harbor but we set out toward downtwon for Victoria Market. Little did I realize that what was to be a simple walk to the bank to exchange US dollars for NZ dollars and then on to the marketplace would be such a challenge. Why? It was uphill. Both ways!
Seriously, we walked about a mile up a steep incline through downtown Auckland surrounded by tall buildings and bustling citizens. We paused at the foot of the Sky Tower and were relieved to see that the next mile to the marketplace was downhill. But, when we arrived at what was once a busy, bustling marketplace filled with small shops, we discovered that the economic downturn (global it seems) had forced most of the shops to close. It was still a nice experience shopping but now we had to walk back uphill to the Sky Tower.
By the time we reached the base of the Sky Tower, both Sherry and I were exhausted. In spite of getting plenty of sleep, it seemed our bodies were lagging behind our relatively rested minds. Alex refused to take the elevator to the top of the tower (at least she admitted a fear of heights) but Sherry, Grant, and I bravely soldiered on. I pause for a moment to comment on what I can only assume is a prelude to insanity. We passed a gift shop on the way down an escalator to the ticket counter. Hanging from the ceiling of the gift shop was a mannequin dressed in blue overalls, arms outstretched, hanging from a cord. Grant pointed it out to me and told me there was a free fall from the tower on a vertical sort of zip line if I was interested. I have never jumped out of a perfectly good airplane or off of a perfectly good building! I did not plan on changing that record!
So, here is a picture of the Sky Tower from street level. Next is the platform at the base. A person is clipped into this vertical wire assembly and quickly pulled up to the top of the tower. Then, the person is released and plummets to the ground. All very controlled, of course. The third picture shows the harness on its way back up without a person clipped in. I watched one young man land on the platform and the way in which he was walking, hunched over and stiff legged led me to believe he should have been wearing Depends. It would seem he had, shall we say, “soiled himself” as Alex commented. Not a reliable cure for constipation, I would conclude!
The Sky Tower from street level.
Here are some pictures from the top of the Sky Tower of Auckland and the harbor area. The many hills you see not covered by buildings including the largest across the harbor are relatively young volcanoes that shaped Auckland. Also, there were glass panels in the floor allowing one to look downward at the ground and to contemplate the overwhelming mastery that gravity has over our lives. Sherry was brave enough to monkey around on the panels. I refused to even look down them! Grant was as reluctant as I was but did stand on one of the panels. Sherry promptly grabbed him and he latched onto a nearby handrail as if he were about to plunge through the glass lending credibility to my strong belief that Sherry would have done the same thing to me if I had agreed to stand on a panel. I can assure you someone would have been performing CPR on me! We almost had to do so to Grant. But, the view was breathtaking as the photos reveal and well worth my trepidation. Sherry did comment once during our time at the top of the tower that I seemed a “little pale”. You think!
Let me pause for a moment and acquaint you with some Kiwi phrases. You go to the “loo”, not the bathroom. You throw trash in the “rubbish” can. Vanilla ice cream with caramel and toffee is called “hokey pokey” ice cream. While still thinking of the Sky Tower, a funeral parlor here is known as a funeral “cottage”. An expresso with a little less milk than a latte is known as a “flat white”. I had two of these today and I am now convinced Starbucks should add this to their menu. New Zealand loves coffee shops. There must be a thousand little niche coffee shops all over the city each with their own unique brand of coffee. The young man on the Sky Tower Free Fall must have soiled his “nickers”. Don’t call your belted travel pack a “fanny” pack. Fanny refers to something to do with anatomy that I cannot speak of in mixed company. You don’t tip in New Zealand. Rather, you say “Thank you very much for your service.” and that is sufficient. Also, the check isn’t brought to your table. You must go to the “registration desk” and pay for the check. Grant had what we would call a chicken fried steak only with pork known as a “pork schnitzel” with “chips” meaning french fries. Carbonated water is “moving” water and non carbonated is “still” water. There is no such thing as ice tea in New Zealand we discovered and is sorely missed by this Southern couple. Enough for now. I’m sure I will share more of these words in the future.
We set off downhill after the Sky Tower, thank you Jesus and I mean that reverently, back toward the harbor. We bought a ticket for the ferry to take us across the harbor to the far peninsula to an exclusive area known as Devonport. Built during the Victorian era, the village has retained its architecture and is now filled with small, exclusive shops and restaurants and, yes, dozens of coffee shops. To finish off today’s post, here are some photos from Devonport including one area of a small beach overlooking Auckland downtown and, of course, the Sky Tower.
By 530 PM Kiwi time (add 5 for hours plus one day) Sherry was exhausted and we headed back to have “tea” meaning supper at an Irish Pub, O’Hagan’s. This is where Grant had his pork schnitzel and Alex had steak and eggs — a huge slab of steak topped off with two poached eggs and chips (remember, these are french fries. Remember this so I won’t have to keep reminding you!) I had a hamburger with cheese and bacon. But, their bacon is more like our thick cut bacon with lots more meat than fat only not at all fried crispy. But, it was quite tasty as you can imagine. By this point I was pushing six miles of walking and had only eaten a scone with my flat white since breakfast so I indulged. We had nachos with rich New Zealand beef chili, cheddar cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on top of corn “crisps” (this would be what we recognize as chips) in a skillet. It was MOST yummy! Sherry had chicken quesadillas. Let me just say that I have eaten in Canada, Mexico, France, and England. The food was most bland in the United Kingdom followed closely by Canada. Mexico’s food for me has had the same effect on my body as the Sky Tower Freefall had on the aforementioned young man! France’s food was very buttery and very winey?!?, if that is a word. Sherry packed a can of Tony’s spice in case New Zealand food was similar to the UK. So far, we have had some of the most delicious food! Far too much of it, in fact.
Finally, here are the two girls sitting on the bench waiting for our ferry to take us back to Auckland and the end of a very exciting, but tiring day. Tomorrow, it is off to the cave of the glowworms! Good on you, Mate!
New Zealand Day 1
Day 1 New Zealand
The departure time on the monitor changed abruptly. I sighed. Sherry and I sat in the terminal of the Shreveport airport waiting to board our flight to Houston. We had a narrow window to transfer to our flight from Houston to Los Angeles and then from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand. Someone had just tipped over the first domino! Soon, all of our plans could be wrecked.
But, I remained calm. We had wisely planned a seven hour layover in Los Angeles before boarding the flight to down under. Our flight from Shreveport left an hour late at 1141 A. M. and we landed in Houston with ten minutes to journey across the airport to the Los Angeles flight gate. If you’ve never been to the Houston airport, I would say Frodo had a much easier journey getting the ring to Mount Doom than Sherry and I had getting from B14 to C45. We arrived one minute before the flight was scheduled to leave and, of course, they had “closed the door”. But, our agent in Shreveport had been kind enough to schedule us on the next LA flight just 30 minutes after this one. So, we hurried from C45 to C29 which was about three football fields in length!
Our flight to LA was uneventful, if not long — 4 hours. Now, we faced a new hurdle. When we made our flight reservations, we were assured our luggage could be checked into Shreveport and transferred all the way to New Zealand. But, alas, our small airport in Shreveport didn’t “have the app” that would allow them to send our luggage on to Auckland! So, we had to with an hour and a half to pick up our luggage in LA then make it across LAX airport to another terminal where we finally checked in for our flight to New Zealand. Frodo, give ME the ring!
We boarded our flight to New Zealand at 915 P.M. Pacific time, 1115 PM our time. By then, we had been in airports or on an airplane for 12 hours. And, we were facing a 13 hour flight to Auckland. Do the math. More than 24 hours of travel time. The only positive development would be our seats. We had purchased “economy premium” and we had the new “spaceseats”. You couldn’t lay down flat like the seats in business class. But, the price was far more reasonable and the spaceseats were extremely comfortable like being enclosed in a cocoon of comfort and seclusion. Sherry slept for 10 hours of the 13. I watched “The Hobbit — The Desolation of Smaug” in preparation for our arrival in Middle Earth.
The flight was, as they say down here, lovely. As we were descending into Auckland, the sun rose over the high clouds and filled the sky with a fiery display of beauty unlike any had long seen. I couldn’t take a picture because all “electronic devices must be stowed and placed in the off position”. Oh for a simply instamatic again.
We made it safely and quickly through immigration and customs and our friends, Alex and Grant were waiting with a hot pick banner with a Kiwi on it. And, we were off on our first day in New Zealand. It was early, around 830 AM by the time we climbed into their mini-van. We headed to downtown Auckland for a busy and windy cool day. My mistake was not changing out of my work shoes into my running shoes. We covered 5 miles in walking and by 3 P.M. New Zealand time (8 P.M. Shreveport time) my four hours of sleep had long left me weak and tired. But, here are some pictures from our first day. Just check out the captions for details.
Officially in “Middle Earth” aka New Zealand.
Must . . . Have . . .Caffeine! Our first stop with Alex and Grant.
Pictures of Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
Look! It’s a Pukeko!
Maori carvings at the museum
On the steps of the Auckland museum with Sherry, Alex, and Grant.
Reproducing the sculpture, “The Dying Gaul”. Not sure why.
The Skytower in downtown Auckland.
Random “Kiwi” in the breezy park.
Beautiful!
Bruce Hennigan 
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