Fjords of New Zealand and Beyond!
The fjords of New Zealand were definitely Ken’s favorite. The dramatic upheaval of volcanic mountains and the great depth of the water left us with an otherworldly feeling. The waterfalls and changing colors of the folds in the mountains were mesmerizing and kept us taking pictures and looking through the binoculars. Every time we thought we could put down the camera we were wrong! We spent an entire day winding through the fjords, with the Queen Mary 2 sounding her whistle each time we cleared a headland and the sound echoed for miles and miles.
Dunedin was our first stop in NZ. It is a small very nice town set up around a small hilly square with statues, government buildings and shops. We shuttled in and wandered around, bought stuff (which we are actually already using) and had coffee, etc.
The locals had set up a small market in the square and were selling homemade soaps and lotions (I am a sucker for these!), artwork, knitted things and jewelry. The vendors were fun and friendly, and it was hard to say no just because they were so nice, lol. We did manage “no” sometimes!
It was very, very nice to be off the ship after crossing the Tasman Sea which is not altogether friendly. Our equilibrium seems worse off the ship now than it does on the ship and we are constantly rocking while standing still! Lol. I wonder how long it will take this to stop after we get back to the U.S.
Akaroa was a wonderful stop in a beautiful, large bay which is deep and long and surrounded on 3 sides by volcanic mountains. This is a seaside resort area with a wonderful waterfront area filled with good food, shops, music and a feeling of wealth. Lots of very small condo/hotels and rental homes available which are generally filled with people who come back every year for vacation. A local artist had the “Giants House” (her home) which is surrounded by and filled with sculptures and artwork of a large scale.
Our stop in Akaroa was caused by the lack of port facilities in Christchurch. Although the great earthquake took place in 2011 there is still much damage to be repaired, as told to us by our driver and friends who went on tour to Christchurch. In addition, the Maori own the land on which the port stands and there is division about whether and how to rebuild.
The perimeter of Akaroa – the mountains – are the crater top, with small towns dotted around the base of the mountains. We took a tour and wandered thru these villages and up to the rim of the crater for a drive around, down and back to Akaroa. We bought local cheese from a small dairy and passed on the local wine!
People lined the shores of the bay as QM2 set sail. They waved and shouted and took pictures. As we cleared the headland the whistles were once again sounded and we could feel the sound roll back through and up to the top of the crater. Such a wonderful, memorable moment.
Wellington is a typical city. Nicely done, clean and with great transportation, but still just a city. Government houses, churches, department stores, retail, office buildings. We took this day to stock up on things we were running short of: toothpaste, razor blades, lipstick and Diet Coke, lol! This is a very walkable, live-able city though, and you can feel the energy of people making their way in life. Again, everyone friendly and laid-back.
Tauranga, on the northern island of NZ, is not typical! We had 2 days here and made the most of it. As I have probably said, we are not good bus tour people. Also, we had heard wonderful things about the Coromandel Peninsula. Planning ahead we had hired a driver/car for the day and went off in a different direction than our shipmates.
Ken calls this the trip that cost $1 for each of the 1,000 curves. We headed north out of Tauranga and through kiwi farms, fruit orchards, and into the mountains – definitely full of curves and and reminding me of my Tennessee hometown area. We chose the Coromandel for its reputation as a sort of hippy commune, artsy lifestyle – and the fact that it has a “hot beach”. Hot beach meaning geothermal pool under the sand. Intriguing.
Our guide had picked a great place for lunch on the trip. A tiny, neat as a pin town on the edge of a sea inlet. The restaurant was out of a movie – a tiny, picturesque place locals like across from the tidal pools. It was a Sunday and there was a guitar player of our age playing James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison easy listening stuff. We almost hated to leave after great food and music. So, onward.
And the hot beach was grand! Rent a shovel for $5 and wade through a little inlet to an area obviously the right spot. About 40 people sitting in holes in the ground let me know I was there. I dug in, stuck in a toe after the hole filled, and it was too hot to handle! Looking around I figured out a place that would not be directly over the center of the geothermal where I would melt myself was necessary! I dug out my new spot and lowered into the wonderfully warm and cushy homemade hot tub. When I got too hot I simply walked to the Pacific Ocean about 50 feet away and cooled off. One of the most fun things ever! Everybody around was laughing and having a great time. Something I hope to always remember.
A quick ice cream for the guide and us and then back a different way to the ship. The tropical feel and look, the ease of movement and lack of urban sprawl made this one of our favorite places. This is a second visit place!!
Bay of Islands and the Big Canoe! What a great time here. A very, very small village accessed by tender, and known for the Waitangi Treaty grounds located here. This is where the British and Maori came to peace after the Maori whopped the British!
This was also a fun place, though. With Ken on the ship I opted for a Maori war canoe (called a Waka Taua) trip to sacred Maori falls. Touristy, but what a blast! There were 2 large wakas (each holding about 20 people) and we were taught scary face-making techniques, Maori chants and rhythmic tapping of the paddles that made paddling fun and kept us working together. We had races with other canoes, we stuck our tongues out and roared (a Maori face meant to frighten enemies,lol!) at hikers on shore and in other boats! We paddled across a large lake to the sacred falls, Haruru Falls. Quite a sad place, really. Our Maori guide became animated as he explained the phosphates from fertilizer run off was causing the gray foam we saw floating around and pollution that was killing the fish. All this in 5 years. The Maori are fighting the same pollution of their lands as we in the U.S. are fighting. He also gave us a political run down on the Maori and NZ citizens. Again, something that is happening in the U.S. and around the world.
A paddle back to shore, pictures take and local honey purchased. Time to head on.
General Thoughts
New Zealanders in general are friendly, laid-back and easy to be around. There is a sense of peace with their lives with most everyone we met, although the input from our Maori guide (who was not shy about sharing his opinion of where things were and are) added a good dose of reality to the political situation. It does seem, however, that the citizens of New Zealand have actually figured out a way to coexist and make allowances for the various cultures found here. There is here too, though, as in Australia and Africa, a concern about Chinese immigration and buying of property.
The lack of sprawling cities, over-population and beautiful landscapes, the sea and mountains, make this a wonderful, refreshing place to want to be. New Zealand was the place we felt we could head back to for long periods of time and be comfortable.
In fact, we texted our children to pack up and sell everything – we were all heading to New Zealand! And we were only partially kidding.
QM2 2018 World Tour 