Mount Cook and homeward bound

 

While we were at the glaciers, the top of Mount Cook could just be seen peeking over the top of the nearer mountains as it's literally just on the other side of that mountain range.  However, to see it properly, one has to get to the other side of the range which can be accessed only by driving well south then directly northwards from Queenstown or almost all the way back west from the east coast.  We did the latter – the island’s really not that wide.   

This was a trip not to be missed.  Again, I don’t know what we did right but the weather was perfect and our first sighting of Mount Cook looking over Lake Pukaki was picture postcard perfect.  

 

Just prior to us leaving Opua, New Zealand had been hit with a severe storm which they referred to as a weather bomb.  This system dropped a lot of snow on the higher mountains throughout the country which is why we were getting such great snow views despite it being the end of summer.  Mount Cook was no exception – it was an outstanding sight and certainly worth the drive all the way back to the other side again.  Rising to 3754 metres, its jagged top covered with snow, it really is a spetacular sight.

As we drove closer and closer, we loved the fact that there are no literally no signs of civilisation, just pure pristine vistas in every direction.


We stayed at a campsite in the middle of the lake region where the changing leaves made me a little homesick for autumn in Canada, my favourite season there.

One of our campsites

Once we left this mountain range, we headed back to the east coast to Ashburton and Christchurch closing the gap in our circuitous route of the island.  This is the region that was so devastated by a massive earthquake just on a year ago.  Evidence of the damage was everywhere and it is still impossible to visit Christchurch’s city centre.  

Building and construction sites are the norm throughout and one can’t help but feel their pain.  Apart from driving over a mountain pass to Lyttleton on the Banks Peninsula where we spent a night, we really just skirted the outer edge of the city to move on further northwards on to Kaikoura.


Kaikoura is a holiday hotspot and popular for the crayfish caught in the kelp fields along the shores there.  Very similar to Cape Town in this regard.  However, the hopes of finding reasonably priced crayfish dinners flew out the window very quickly.  Even the little roadside stalls were hideously expensive.  I love crayfish but…..not that much!


Time to get back to Picton and the ferry returning to North Island.  Another beautiful day with calm conditions for the crossing.  A few days before, the majority of the ferries were cancelled due to severe weather and sea conditions in the Cook Straits.  We chose right yet again.

Almost four weeks have come and gone and, as you can imagine, Paul is getting a little antsy about how our dear Calypso is fairing in the rather adverse conditions that have been predominant in the Northlands region of North Island during our absence, so he wants to move a little faster now.  But not before we visit our dear friends, Otto and Lil of Vagabond who have now moved down to Tauranga. 

En route, we stopped at Napier, another city that had been totally flattened by an earthquake and subsequent fires back in 1931.  It was totally rebuilt in the art deco style of the era and remains true to this style to this day.  We loved it.  The buildings are pieces of art and even many of the shop signs are reminiscent of that period and the gardens along the seafront are exquisitely maintained in keeping with the age.   We stopped at an Irish pub to watch a bit of the final NZ vs SA cricket test and thoroughly enjoyed our brief visit.

To get to Tauranga from Napier meant passing through Lake Taupo again and we were amazed to see that there was no snow left on the distant mountains. Our timing had obviously been perfect on the way down.

Bay of Plenty vineyards

After a fair bit of research, Otto & Lil chose Tauranga to settle and set up their new business and we can see why.  It’s a beautiful town with spectacular beaches and sporting activities and also seems to be much drier than Opua.  A two-hour drive gets one to Auckland but it’s far enough away not to feel the negative effects of a large city.

We visited their factory / warehouse that they’re busy readying for the arrival of a container filled with the goods they’ve ordered and spent a day doing the tourist thing.  We’re going to miss them like hell in our cruising world but are happy to see them getting the next stage of their lives so organised.  .  Guys, we think you made an excellent choice and wish you every success in the future.

On our way back through Auckland, we stopped off to visit our Mariposa cruising friends, Andrew and Kerri but sadly Kerri was off being busy but we chatted with Andrew for a while before moving on.  We had just heard that Steve and Heidi, the great couple who so kindly gave us a weekend away last year, were returning from a month’s holiday that very afternoon so we dumped ourselves upon them for the evening.  It was wonderful to see them again and catch up.  For a while we thought we might not get the chance to visit so this rounded our trip off so nicely. 

Our return to Opua was back to rain, wind and cold and we got the impression that that’s what it had been like during most of our time away.  Horrible. 

Back on board the good ship Calypso who looked in good shape and, with her new port lights, no evidence of leaking (thank goodness).  The only little niggle was the severe winds had torn out a section of our canopy and broken a clasp but nothing too serious.

It was fabulous to be away but it’s great to be back home!

And now on to more boat projects!

PHOTO GALLERY:

Seals at Kaikoura

Back at Picton

From the ferry

Wind farm en route to Tauranga

These things are 70 metres tall!

Vineyards along the way

Scenes around Napier:

 

The white sands of Tauranga's beaches

Sheep everywhere, even on the beach

And other cute wildlife

With Lil & Ots in Tauranga

Acting like grownups

 

Farewell aboard Vagabond