Our “big trip” got off to an inauspicious start. The flight from Nelson to Wellington was cancelled. Air New Zealand apologised and re-booked us via Christchurch, so what should have been a 35 minute hop across Cook Strait took the whole afternoon. And our lunch + afternoon catch-up with Don and Heather Woollen had to be abandoned. The coffee and sandwich that Air NZ's vouchers bought us was poor compensation.
The diversion had other drawbacks. NSN to WLG is a 'regional' sector and does not involve emptying ones pockets so that security can count your change and x-ray your electronic gadgets. Our luggage was very close to the maximum weight, and I confess that my cabin bag was a trifle over what is allowed. In Nelson they are not too suspicious and we were cleared to fly to Christchurch without trouble. But CHC to WLG is a primary domestic route and before we could board the second flight we had to submit to scanning.
The reason my cabin bag was over the limit was a gift to Elizabeth (Bill's daughter) and Tim in Wellington – a frozen goose. We expected some comment, or at least a grin, from the operator of the x-ray machine but there was no outward reaction. Maybe oven-ready poultry is a common element of New Zealanders' travel necessaries.
The other consequence of the re-routing was not so amusing. Bill had jammed a sleeping bag under a network of stretchy bungy cords on the outside of his suitcase. It seemed a very secure attachment, but the sleeping bag was missing when we retrieved the case from the carousel in Wellington. Luckily it was quickly located, still in Christchurch Airport. Arrangements were made to pick it up again before our next flight, 3 days later, and we were advised not to check in bags with outside attachments again!
The main objective of going to Wellington was to spend time with Elizabeth and Tim, and this was achieved. We all went to Zealandia, a sanctuary where native birds and reptiles flourish behind a pest-proof fence. We had a delightful walk and saw many Saddlebacks and Whiteheads, rare on the mainland, foraging in the undergrowth. We were lucky to meet a couple of the even rarer Stitchbirds. Of the commoner birds, Tui and Kaka were predominant in the bush and pied shags were numerous around the lake.
A North Is. Robin
And another.
A Tui about to raid nectar put out for the Kaka
A Kaka at a feeder
Zealandia also has a population of tuatara
The Takahe, Zealandia's rarest inhabitants, were not at their usual post near the lake and we thought we had missed them. But just before we had to leave one of them turned up and posed for a photo.
A Paradise Shelduck
On the Sunday we went to the National Museum, Te Papa, which had a special exhibition, The Scale of our War, about NZ's involvement in the Gallipoli campaign of WW1. It was extremely well done and very sobering.
The goose, alas, was a bit of a disappointment. We didn't know the age of the bird we had culled from our little flock and it turned out to be an old, tough one. Tim cooked it on the barbecue. It was certainly flavoursome, but required lots of chewing.
From Wellington we flew to Auckland. For the next 2 weeks we had a very sociable time, catching up with friends, and even doing a little work. Bill is not completely retired. It was while Bill was in a business meeting that Eve had her handbag stolen. She was sitting outside a cafe in the Queens Arcade when the bag was snitched from the ground beside her. Luckily it had nothing really vital, like a passport, in it, and her 'phone and tablet were safe on the table. But it did mean that we had to spend the rest of the day advising banks to cancel cards, reporting the theft to the police and ascertaining the procedure for obtaining a replacement drivers license.
It would be tedious for all but those involved to recount all we did in that fortnight, and name all those whose company we enjoyed, but special thanks for their hospitality are due to Sungesh & Devyani Singh in Auckland, Martin Little in Whitianga, Jill & John Greenfield in Papamoa Beach (Tauranga) and Steve & Lis Franklin in Hamilton.
Sungesh's mother, Eve, Devyani and Sungesh
Our touring was done in a tiny Mazda rented from Hitch Rentals. We located them courtesy of Mr Google and are happy to recommend them. Friendly no-fuss service, a reliable car and very modest charges.
Bill trying Martin's microlight for size. No, he didn't attempt to fly it.
Martin and Eve negotiating a rocky outcrop at Opito Bay
We guided ourselves around strange streets with a new Tomtom GPS. This was purchased with the trip to N America in mind and it performed pretty well. What it didn't know was that the Waikato Expressway has a speed limit of 110kph and Malcom-Edgar (as we have christened the machine) made loud, disapproving noises when he calculated that we had exceeded his programmed speed limit of 100kph. Fortunately, these audible warnings can be turned off.
On Sunday, 13 May we returned the tiny Mazda, were efficiently shuttled to the International Terminal and checked in for our flight to Vancouver.
