NZ/Aus Day 16: Chilllin' on the Coast

Two relaxing days on the west coast followed. We took a few trips to the beaches in the area, enjoying walks in the surf at Oakura with views of the sugar loafs. We watched the surfers at New Zealand's famous Stent Beach, and were thrilled with our view of Mount Taranaki when we stopped at the island's oldest lighthouse.

Even with it being off-season, we again couldn't get over the lack of people on the roads and at these gorgeous spots. We were the only people strolling through the expansive Pukeiti gardens, adjacent to (or possibly in) the national park..

It's been interesting to find a pace that works for us on this trip as it's our first one with a child. We need to ensure we not only provide ourselves with the down time we need, but Baby the chance to stretch and roll and play and most importantly, be awake, as she normally sleeps in the car and stroller. When our usual downtime is taken up by nursing, burping, bathing, and entertaining a little one, we also need to find downtime that's for ourselves. As such, we've tried to make "creative time" a priority on this trip.

This has included our regular writing and photo/video editing to keep up our blog, but also sketching for Craig and quilting for Erin. It's all a part of the learning experience of being the parents we want to be. We feel so grateful to have this time together as a little family, discovering new things in the outside world, and right here at home.

NZ/Aus Day 15: From East to West

After the exhausting drive to get to Rotorua, we decided that we needed to be better at planning our driving days. So we looked ahead at where we most wanted to stop and mapped out a day that, although longer than it needed to be, allowed for breaks at convienent times in locations we were interested in seeing. We were also getting the hang of sticking to Baby's normal routine so she was less upset about the number of hours we were spending in the car.

We were sick of driving
so we let Baby take the wheel

With that in mind, we pulled out of our Rotorua motel at 7 am and drove straight to the glowworm caves of Waitomo. This excursion had given us much debate. First, were they going to be worth the $100 we'd need to spend on them (for some reason it only ended up being $65)...this seemed like a lot of money to see a giant cave with some mosquito larva. Second, could we bring Baby, and more importantly should we bring Baby...if not, how would we manage that? In the end, we decided not to bring her and to take turns going on the tour because we learned that noise can interfere with the brightness of the glowworms and we didn't want to affect our, or anyone else's, enjoyment of this expensive experience.

Exiting the cave...
The only place we could take pictures

The caves were interesting and incredibly beautiful, so we felt they were worth the money we spent. The best part was the boat ride at the end where we silently glided through a network of caves under a blanket of glowing stars (except the the "stars" were really long sticky larval strands meant to poison prey). Also of worthy note was the intricate rope system the (should we call them ropesmen?) guides used to navigate the boats in the dark so they refrained from touching the delicate limestone edges of the cave.

Photo from: www.placestoseeinyourlifetime.com

With this lengthy break under our belts, Baby was more than happy to be back in her snooze-chair, so we pushed onwards to the western coast where we enjoyed a nursing break and short walk along a silky soft black sand beach, and then another break for a  boardwalk stroll in New Plymouth where we also took in an old timey tea and vintage car gathering.

From the seawalk we could see these stunning and unique landforms called "sugar loaf islands", which were a big part of what brought us to the region. Rather than banking on having the energy to drive back another day (¬30 minutes) we elected to drive closer and take them in beofre picking up groceries and a few of our favourite wines.

One short drive further brought us to our country cottage complete with grass driveway over a gully, and three barking geese that resented our entry. This proved to be Baby's favourite accomodation thus far, her smile lighting up the musty cabin as she admired its wood panelling. It seems that she might take after Craig and her Grandpa and become a woodcarver one day.

Rain clouded the forecast for our time here so we didn't bank on seeing the great Mount Taranaki. It was hidden behind the clouds when we arrived and the following day. We apparently had views from our property (but not the house), so on our second evening, after the rain had passed, we took turns running out every twenty minutes to see if it was showing its face. We were finally rewarded with not just a view of it, but a sunset rainbow extravaganza. How did we get to be so lucky?!

NZ/Aus Days 13 & 14: Rotorua

The Maori Museum was damaged in the 2016 earthquake, and is still closed to the public, so we've been left to our own devices (literally) to learn about the history of the area. We wandered the beautiful lakeftont and square around the gorgeous Anglican church and Maori meeting house and admired the carvings and architecture. We opted to avoid the Maori Living Village as it seemed a bit exploitative from the signage and instead planned our day trip to the multicoloured geothermal pools.

When things aren't going well,
a sense of humour can help...

We realized at the last minute that if we wanted to see the geyser go off (one of the park's main attractions), we'd better get a move on since 10:15 is the only chance you get. We raced along the narrow road leading from the highway to the visitor centre where we were greeted by a well-oiled "get-to-the-geyser-on-time" machine. Employees directed us to a waiting zone where we could park and buy tickets, then were ushured to the turn-off for it where more parking guides waited to reassure us that we had time. It turned out that 10:15 was the start of the geyser pre-show where we learned of its history before the geyser was manually set off using a soap-like mixture.

Our ever-contented baby stayed true to her nature and got upset by the one thing she seems to hate: people. And even worse than that, people speaking into mircophones. Amidst her cries, the geyser went off, then we let the crowd clear so we'd have less company to make our way through the rest of the attractions.

Hmm... those fumes can't be good for the baby. #terribleparenting

A well-marked path led us on a multi-coloured journey through "one of the 20 most sureal places on earth" to see Mother Nature's well-developed palette. The highlights were arguably the Champagne Pool and Devil's Bath, which looked more like something off a late 90's Nickelodeon game show.

All-in-all, our long drive to Rotorua seemed well worth it and we continued on the next day smellier, but more relaxed than when we arrived, thanks to three dips in the motel's hot springs.

A matching family is a happy family ;)

NZ/Aus Day 12: Are We There Yet?

With our longest driving day yet ahead of us, we hit the road as soon as we could in the morning. Our main reason for coming to New Zealand was to see the landscapes, so although anxious to get to our destinations, we were enjoying the drives all the same.

Today would take us from the pastures and vineyards of Martinborough through some very moody hills (thanks to the rainy skies above) to our lunch destination of Napier.

Napier is unique for its art-deco style, having been rebuilt after an earthquake in the 20's. The rain lifted enough for us to enjoy walking along the waterfront and through a quaint pedestrain street before stopping to get lunch. A highlight for Erin was finding an allergen-free bakery, Hapi, where she stocked up on desserts for the days ahead.

Feeling slightly guilty about putting Baby back in the car seat, we forged onwards through a mountainous stretch with way too many construction zones. We found a roadside pull-out to nurse at with views of the forest below, then continued on. It was a relief when we saw Lake Taupo as we knew we were getting close, but we were much later than expected, so we couldn't afford a stop there as well. With aching backs and a cranky companion, we entered Rotorua.

At one of our rest stops

Rotorua is an important Maori cultural centre. It's situated on a large lake and in the heart of a rich geothermal region. Everywhere we turned there seemed to be steam rising off a creekbed or spouting out from a storm drain. The sulphur smell overtook us making it much more difficult to tell if someone in the backseat was in need of a change.

We passed a lodge that seemed engulfed in thick smoke and enviously read the sign that it housed its own hot springs pools, then let out exasperated sighs as Google seemed to lose our destination. After going around in circles and down some questionable side streets, we finally realized that that lodge WAS our destination (and also the cheapest option in town, thank you Craig)!

Though rundown in appearance, the sulphur pool alongside the river made up for what the room lacked. We quickly unpacked and made a surprisingly good meal using what the miniscule "kitchenette" provided.

NZ/Aus Day 11: Martinborough

 

It was a pleasure to wake up the next morning in the 'bach' (cabins varying from high-end villas to bring your own linen wooden shacks) Craig had found. This one, with its sophisticated style and finishing touches, felt like the splurge that it was. The outdoor seating area overlooking the property's olive grove was a great way to relax, and our two night stay easily felt like more because of the setting. We lazed about in the morning, then sunscreened-up for our lengthy afternoon walk.

We chose Martinborough as the wine region we would visit because of its small town centre and easy walking distance to wineries. It was surprising to discover that the area lacked a pedestrian-friendly approach to wine tasting. Thankfully, traffic was light as we pushed Baby along the side of the road in the stroller. We wisely chose a path that would loop us back to our accomdation with several winery stops bringing us closer to home. This was especially important when we learned there was no taxi service in town.

The first two tastings were uneventful. The standard of the region seemed to be $5 each to taste. Their sauv blancs, what New Zealand is most famous for, were well-balanced with a frutier finish than found elesewhere that we'd tasted. It was the third vineyard that really did things right. They boasted a lovely cafe overlooking their vines with a build-your-own flight of five half glasses. We skipped their tasting and did this instead, enjoying a leisurely lunch while (you guessed it!), Baby slept dutifully in her stroller. What an angel!

Our last stop at the Martinborough Vineyeard was impressive for two reasons: one, they offered nine different varietals to taste including an incredibly buttery chardonnay, the smoothest $75 pinot noir, and a late harvest riesling that could rival ours at home. Secondly, the sommelier - do we say sommeliere? - was cheerful, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. She giggled her way through our tasting while giving us great information about Wairarapa region.

We headed home to enjoy a bbq'ed lamb dinner that could rival any top chef in the area and a sunset that provided the perfect finish to our stay.

  

NZ/Aus Day 10: We're on a Boat!

Just before the meltdown...

We were up before the sun on Day 10 to get all packed up for our travel day ahead. By 9 am we were aboard the Interislander ferry and on our way to the North Island. We snagged seats on the sundeck and watched the views unfold as we exited Marlborough Sound.

Baby's was unimpressed at first. She took one look at the water and cried then proceeded to pull her blanket up over her head and ignore the situation. She ended up sleeping peacefully in her stroller for about an hour before she needed to be fed. We took advantage of the ship's nursing room before we hit open water and the waves picked up. Craig held down the ship, as it were, in regards to wildlife watching and appreciating the gorgeous scenery. It wasn't until Erin and Baby emerged from the cabin that an announcement shared that whales had been spotted in front of the boat. We joined the crowd to look but no one on deck seemed to see them. Erin did spot a group of dolphins feeding off the port side but they weren't close enough for a good look or picture.

When we entered the calmer waters around Wellington, more dolphins joined along side our boat, this time jumping out of the water and giving us a bit more of a show. We joined the queue to get ashore and were soon on our way to Martinborough.

The drive turned out to be more scenic than we expected, twisting and turning its way over a mountain pass. The hills were lush with wild forests, a welcome change from the monoculture tree farms we'd been seeing on the South. Another improvement was the road itself, this one wider, paved, and with frequent turnouts for slower moving vehicles. The hillside was so steep that if you looked back, the road was quickly enveloped and swallowed by trees, seeming like it was never there at all. Once we reached the valley floor, pastures and vineyards stretched out in front of us and we soon found our destination: a quaint French farmhouse overlooking a winery. Perfection! It was just the place to relax and serve as a launching point for the next day's adventures.

You really can have it all! 

NZ/Aus Day 9: Vin'ding Our Way Around the Region

Determined to make things easier for our second day in Picton, we set off on a driving tour of the area hoping for more outstanding views. We wound our way up and down the hillsides but unfortunately it was mostly the trees on the side of the road that were in sight. With little trouble we found our way to the bay Craig had marked as our turn around point. We settled out on a quiet dock to snack and relax in the sun.

Since the views were less scenic than hoped, we changed our plans and decided to cut back via the vineyard road instead. But first a quick stop at a noted viewpoint. This "walk" promised panoramic views of the sound with just 10 minutes of walking. You'd think we would have learned from the day before...nope! On we went wearing only flip flops, up a steep path with knarled roots and what would be slippery muddy patches if it had been raining. The view from the top, though lovely, did not seem much better from what we had seen at the pull-out down below. At least we got our exercise for the day!

We continued on and after a few failed attempts of finding a winery to taste at (we think we just drove into the industrial area of their vineyard instead...whoops!), we discovered the perfect spot: Wairu Valley Winery. They had a lovely sitting area out back with views of their grapes and the mountains in behind. Baby happily lazed on a picnic bench while we enjoyed a glass and an appy then headed home for the night.