The Catlins and Banks Penninsula: Coastal Calm and New Zealand Farewell

The Catlins and Banks Penninsula : Coastal Calm and New Zealand Farewell

After leaving the quiet and slow pace of Stewart Island, it was a bit of a shock to see cars and traffic and trappings of modern times. We felt like we had slipped back in time on the island. Our desire for more bucolic tranquility was met in the Catlins. It is an area of about 80 ks in length in the southeast corner of the South Island, about 80 k from Bluff. There are few inhabitants, no banks and only a couple of general stores. The land is gently rolling , with sheep and cattle farms mostly, and some spectacular coastline scenery. We stayed in a cute century old cottage, and Griz had fun with the wood fire ( skills well developed on Stewart Island) and doing laundry , his favorite task. We had some great beach walks, saw a fantastic sunrise on the harbour across from our house, and saw lots of wildlife , including sea lions, penguins and dolphins ( but the dolphins were too far away to photograph) . It was a great stay.

After the Catlins, we headed north to the Banks penninsula, a scenic wonder, just 90 k west of Christchurch. The area was formed by former volcanos, with steep cliffs and fiord-like inlets around the former bowls of the craters. The main town, where we stayed in a spectacular new cottage, perched on a cliff, was beautiful . Akoroa, as the town is called has been called the Riviera of the South Island and has been a honeymoon and holiday destination since the turn of the century. There is a huge esplanade next to the harbour with palm trees, norfolk island pines and a few cafes around the wharf. The houses are Victorian cottages and well kept. We had several spectacular hikes up the cliffs with great views of the harbour and surrounding areas. The summit road, which runs on top of the crater rim for quite a distance offers great views, if a little scary driving. At one point we had to follow a double trailer stock truck up a 60 degree road that looked too narrow for our little car. There are many small farming and fishing communities along the penninsula from Christchurch. There are many art galleries, vineyards, olive groves and cheese factories around- a combination of agricultural and creative. The area was calm and scenic, but being a 2 hr drive from Christchurch, not as isolated as the Catlins. I could picture living here. Apparently many authors and creative types live here. It was with some regret that we packed our things for the last time, said goodbye to the owner's resident donkeys ( and even fed them some apples) and contemplated our lovely view. This afternoon , we head for the airport and our journey home. We will be glad to get back , but will definitely return to New Zealand. Farewell. Signing off the blog. Next stop.. London, Ont.

Stewart Island : Wilderness Paradise

Stewart Island : A Wilderness Paradise

Stewart Island is a magical spot, one of our favorite places of our whole trip. It is unspoiled and undeveloped and we felt part of the nature and part of the community. Seeing the kiwis on our last night was a truly spectacular experience.

The island is the most southerly part of NZ. It was the mythical anchor of Maui's boat, which became the south island , as he caught the fish which became north island , according to Maori legend. The island is 40 k south of Bluff, the most southerly city in NZ. Eighty- five percent of the island is national park, and the total population, centring mainly on the tiny village of Oban is 400 people. Getting to the island was a bit of a challenge for me. Foveaus Strait , the 40 k of ocean between the mainland and the island, is known to be one of the roughest pieces of ocean around. I managed to avoid the white bag brigade by taking my ginger pill, deep breathing and praying the the one hour of huge waves, pitching seas and general mayhem would soon end. It did.

The island hospitality started with a warm greeting from our host, who met us at the ferry dock, showed us the town ( which didn't take long) and escorted us to our little cabin. We climbed up a steep flight of steps and felt like we were living in a tree house. We looked out over giant tree ferns, rimu trees, and heard a chorus of birdsong , from bellbirds to tuis to wood pigeons. On our first morning, as we sat having coffee on the porch, we were greeted by a kaka ( a native parrot) who posed obligingly for photos until Griz payed him off with a few cheerios. That night, as we were preparing dinner, we heard a tapping at the sliding door, and there was the kaka, wanting to join us for happy hour. He came every day that we were in the cabin.

We had an amazing hike on Ulva Island, a small island offshore, that has been a park and has been totally predator free since the 1930s. Many birds that were nearing extinction are thriving here , and the birdsong and the lush forest were awe inspiring. Many of the birds were so tame, they came to us, one robin posing on Griz's shoe while I took his photo. We took many hikes through wild bush, beach landscapes and spectacular views.

We had a great time meeting the locals at the local fish and chips cart. There were only 2 inside tables so we had to share. They served the best blue cod and mussel chowder we have ever tasted. One night, we sat next to Tom, who lives part time on the island and part time in Galliano Island in BC. We had met him 17 yrs ago when we took a trip on his catamaran charter boat when we were in Galliano. Small world.

The most moving experience of our whole visit was the kiwi spotting adventure. Because the boat has to cross open ocean, anchor in a bay and then ferry passengers into a dingy to a small beach, the weather has to be calm. There were gale force winds for the first 4 days we were on the island and the trip was cancelled. We were thrilled when the wind finally dropped on our last night and we were able to go. The water was calm and we watched a gorgeous sunset as we motored to the landing spot. Our guide instructed us to be extremely quiet as we waited on the beach for the group to be ferried over. We stood, holding our breaths. We had to walk about 600 metres through the bush to a beach where the kiwis usually forage for food at night. We all had flashlights and it seemed like a magical ritual as we walked silently through the bush to the beach, afraid to make a sound. When we arrived at the beach, our guide spotted a kiwi immediately, as it hunted bugs, oblivious to the hushed sighs of the 15 of us awed souls. It was amazing to see the bird in its natural habitat, not just in a zoo as we had done before. We saw 2 chicks, one on the beach and one in the woods. All were silent as we headed back through the woods to our landing spot. After the darkness of the woods, we were shocked by the display of stars on the beach, the best we had seen since being on the island. It was an amazing night- a fitting ending to our Steward Island adventure. We will certainly come back. Next stop- the Catlins and Banks Penninsula...

Oamaru to Otago : A Plethora of Penguins

Oamaru to Otago : a Plethora of Penguins

We left Nelson in the p0uring rain and had an interesting but not too scenic ride over the Lewis Pass to Hanmer Springs. I'm sure the view over the pass would have been fantastic if we could have seen it. We tried to take a bit of a bush hike but got drenched when we arrived, and really appreciated our hot springs dip, especially the 40 degree pool . We then headed to Oamaru and our favorite little blue penguins. We saw a couple of yellow eyed penguins just coming on to the beach after a long day of fishing ( but too far to take a photo) . These penguins are about 2 ft tall and extremely rare. That night we were treated to a show of little blue penguins. They swim up to 40 k all day searching for food and return at night to feed their young, who stay home in their burrows. At the time we were there, most of the young were old enough to have left their nests, but there were 2 young chicks, as big as the adult birds , that would wait and attack any adult that came by looking for food. I guess it was like any adolescent raiding the frig. It was quite comical to see these tiny penguins ( only 1 ft tall).
We weren't allowed to take photos so you will just have to take my word for it. The next day Griz posed with the blue penguin statue and we headed to Dunedin and viewed the famous train station and the octagon. Our next stop was our little batch on the sea on the Otago penninsula. We were able to see albatross adults feeding their chicks. The albatross is the world's largest bird with a wing span of 9 ft. The Otago penninsula is the only place in the world where they breed. Once they are adult size ( about 10 months old) , they fly away and circle the Antarctic Ocean, not returning to land for 3-5 years, when they return to breed and start the cycle again. They live about 60 years and can breed the whole time, one or two chicks per year. We then visited a farm where a local farmer has been working to protect the little yellow penguins. He builds nesting boxes and hides so we could watch them undisturbed. That night we saw 8 penguins come ashore and saw several up close.

We took a hike the next day on a wild and windy beach. The sand was blowing so hard, Griz wasn't looking when he jumped over a sand dune and almost landed on a 500 lb sea lion, which looked just like a big rock. Luckily he missed. The cliff views and beach walks were spectacular, even though it was a bit cold and rainy. As ususal , there were lots of sheep. We had a brief tour of Invercargill and the famous tower before heading off on the ferry to Stewart Island . More on that later...