3RD STAGE- NEW ZEALAND

2 weeks in Melbourne, Australia

On route to NZ we had a 2 week stopover in Melbourne to visit Rogers 2 daughters, Hannah and Debbie. Wed not seen them for 18 months, so were looking forward to 14 days of family bonding. After a flight via Hong Kong of 23 hrs, we found ourselves giggling and swopping stories in their flat in St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, overlooking Melbourne bay. Whilst they kept busy working and studying, we cooked, ran errands and did some DIY. In return, they vacated their beds for us- sleeping instead on the lounge floor with the cats- lent us video and library tickets, bicycles, and at weekends took us away in a hire car. Even though winter was fast fading and the air  still chilly,  we found kangaroos, had koalas living in the trees above our tent, spotted whales, found penguins on rocks just off St Kildas shore (not many people know they are there), and fed possums in the park opposite their flat with apples. The trees were full of brightly coloured parrots, parakeets, cockatiels and lorakeets.  Still giggling we camped out in the bush with minimal preparation- like no water, no lights and no firewood-thank goodness for the ozzie way of generosity- fellow campers were more than happy to help us out.

The city itself is a great place- modern, clean, cosmopolitan and has an extensive tho very efficient public transport system. We had a fondness for the trams in particular, with  cycle paths coming a close second. Their network of cycle  routes let us meander safely and speedily in and out of Melbourne. During our stay, the city celebrated Melbourne day-170 yrs since it became established- and many tourist sights were free. We toured a full size replica of the Enterprize, which landed all those years ago with the first immigrants, and had a birds eye view of the area from 300 metres up in Melbournes tallest building. This is also the home of Australian rules football ( a wild mix of rugby football and basketball) and on our last day ,co-incidentally fathers day, we were treated to an AFL match. Quite fun and physically demanding of the athletes, it was a lengthy 2 hr match, different too- was something not to miss.

Sadly, yet excitingly, it was time to move on. Yet more grueling goodbyes------- (why do we keep doing this)

2weeks settling into Auckland

Auckland was only a 3 hrs flight away, with a further 2 hrs to add on with the time difference. We landed into a spotless small friendly airport on 4^th September, promptly greeted with free cups of best quality ground coffee which we drank whilst our walking boots were taken off our feet to be washed. (NZ is paranoid about introducing disease into their country, especially as wed come from oz). Kia-ora is maori for welcome- it was certainly that. Right outside the airport was a shuttle bus that took us straight to our city centre backpackers hostel that we had pre booked on the internet. Only a year old, it was small, clean, cheap and cheerful. Our single room on the 6^th floor had a shower, loo, heater ( a rarity in NZ), fridge and kettle. Wireless and broadband internet facilities were in the basement with a communal lounge, huge kitchen and washing/ drying machines. Our fellow residents hailed from Europe, middle east, oz and other pacific countries with varying ages from youngsters to---- er, well, us! A great introduction to backpacking and budget traveling.

To orientate ourselves we spent the first week walking or experimenting with public transport- no signs of traffic jams here. Rog marveled at the diagonal crossings that pedestrians are allowed to make at busy intersections. All traffic has to come to a stop for these. The city centre itself is quite small but the suburbs sprawl out in all directions over bridges to penisulars and islands. There is literally water everywhere, - Auckland  wrapping itself around beaches, estuarys and bays yet spreads out entirely from the west coast to the east. There are many orientals here, with fierce competition in the food market. Consequently it was cheaper to eat Chinese food at less than 3 quid each, than to cook for ourselves. Turkish, vegetarian and fish and Chinese fish and chips are all similarly priced, which encouraged me to remain lazy about catering. Our hostel was central for many things, but a real find was the town hall. We went to 2 classical concerts there; the first was a free organ recital, the 2^nd a brass band version of the last night of the proms. For a 8 pound ticket we had 2^nd row seats, were given hats to wear, whizzers to blow and streamers to throw. All great fun and patriotic ( we sang both the English and New Zealand national anthems), I had no idea of the depth and versatility of brass bands. What an eye opener.

Alas, we had to remind ourselves of our idea to work out way around this country. With some effort I made contact with the nursing agency to get work organized. Vicky, their receptionist went over board in genuine friendship and got us organized with decent websites, phone cards and loads more. I managed 3 shifts that 2^nd week- 2 in a 600 bedded hospital and I in a elderly care hospital. Bearing in mind Id not worked in the hospital setting for 26 yrs, things didnt go too badly. The cosmopolitan side of NZ spilt into medicine too- on my first shift there was me, a staff nurse from Nepal, a maori health care support worker, a Chinese student nurse, a NZ european staff nurse, and a black south African agency nurse! There is certainly a lot to learn in this country on the other side of the world.

Finishing shifts at 11.15pm after public transport has closed down, we decided to speed up our search for a mobile home. Hiring a cheap car was our next step,and that helped us find (after looking at many others) a ford econovan. 11 yrs old, she is well equipped with fridge, spare battery charged by a roof top solar panel, sink, microwave, radio, hot water after the engine has been running, a double gas ring with grill, 2 deck chairs, double bed, wardrobe and other cupboards. Seems a real find at 2800 pounds- we have called her no worries- a kiwi slang term that we like.

Only 2 weeks have  passed, pleasingly we feel quite at home in our hostel and with Auckland itself, so time to head off and see a bit of the country. Pre-booking my shifts with the agency for a 3 day weekend, that gives us 3 days to try no worries (NW) out. Its a real bonus to be able to pick and choose when I want to work, so we will take advantage of it where possible.

Monday September 18^th

After a slow start (calling into nursing agency, filling up the gas bottle, petrol and water tanks, buying food in supermarket) we set off for 3 days in the Waitakere Regional park- only an hour or so from Auckland. Set in more than 16000 hectares of rain forest and wild coastline, it seemed as good a place as any to give NW a trial run. This area was where the movie The Piano was filmed, looking in reality just as desolate and wind swept. No signals for phone, radio let alone the telly that wed just bought second hand for under 12 pounds, and very few supermarkets . And it was cold too-wrapped in fleeces and wet weather wind jackets we braved the elements walking down the extinct volcanoes to the black sandy beaches below. New Zealanders dont trek or ramblethey TRAMP; so thats what we did. There are footpaths everwhere, the forested hills are criss crossed by them. Even the trampers personal needs are catered for-several long drop toilets, but unlike Africa they are deluxe- stainless steel pans, toilet seats, toilet paper, either water or hand disinfectant and doors that close! However it was NW that came up trumps, proving really cosy, compact and warm. Cooking in the tiny gulley helped raise the temperature heaps, the evenings spent reading and listening to music.  And as for the scalding water the engine produces.! Only prob tho was running out of water- we ended up refilling our tanks at an unmanned fire station!  Each night we managed to find a quiet place to sneak NW into whilst we reminisced over similarities to our trek from Africa. A  beach carpark, a forest carpark and beside a dam wall, and at no time were we  asked  to move on. We expect that to change once the summer arrives and with it a multitude of campervans on the road. Our fuel consumption worked out at 6km to the litre in town and 7.7km on long runsso at 50p litre, touring shouldnt cost and arm and a leg. (Diesel is only 38p litre, but theres a heavy tax added on which sends the price up). Not only did this trip give us a chance to familiarize ourselves with NW, but we were also able to start identifying NZ wildlife. There are less varieties of birds here than in Oz, so we hope to master the lot whilst here, (especially the elusive Kiwi); we know there are no snakes here at all, but are told that there is a lethal spider. Also, possums (of which there are apparently millions) are considered pests and are regularly poisoned to prevent them destroying new trees.

 Reluctantly it was time to return to Auckland as I had a study morning organized by the agency, followed by 3 shifts of 2.30-11pm over the weekend. Not only is the pay better thenbut I also get to spend most of the day with rog. Wed prebooked back into our hostel, so we could  clean up, catch up on emailing and Rog was able to iron out a few probs with NW. He also bought some rubber thongs--- but dont worry folks- thongs are the NZ word for flip flops!!!

All in all a great week.

Monday 25^th September

What a glorious week- cool cloudy weather gave way to blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in 70s during the day. It seemed wed really got it together by choosing the coromandel peninsular to spend the next few days. Only 2 1/2 hrs east of Auckland, we expected to see spectacular coastlines, beautiful coves and beaches. No disappointment there, in fact we got a great bonus by finding that the centre of the peninsula was filled with rugged volcanic hills cloaked in native rain forest, sort of tumbling steeply down to the sea. Many times we were reminded of the recent trip to Scotland. Even clashing with the start of a 2 week school holiday, there was very little traffic, (a great relief whenever I drove NW!!)  Warmer weather made the vegetation seem greener, bought the spring flowers into blossom, and increased the exotic smells in the forests. Most shrubs we could identify from either the UK or South Africa, but the tree ferns surpassed themselves in height. A tree new to us but endemic to here, was the Kauri. They are huge, growing over 1000 yrs to 50m high and 10m in girth. Sadly most of the large mature trees were logged out and only newly planted ones can be spotted. Driving and tramping (get the lingo) we saw free range turkeys, piglets, calves, lambs and penguins, whilst the cleaner farmers grew grapes for its famous, tho expensive wines. Even the sea was well farmed with evidence of mussel and oyster beds.  (Afirst for us both, we purchased and cooked scallops too).

Most roads were in excellent states yet true to form we were able to find  graveled roads and single lane bridgeso the memories! That of course could get us into trouble- it was easy to forget we werent in Zebedee, had only 1 gearbox and a much lower chassis! Still, up we winded and twisted our way (albeit slowly) to climb 2000 across the centre mountain range (what a view of oceans and islands on both sides of the peninsular). NW behaved beautifully, we just had to stop every now and again to pick up kitchen stuff from doors that had been shaken open.  Whilst the west coast was all black volcanic rock and sand attractive in its own right- the east coast had the wow factor. White soft sandy beaches and limestone cliffs that have been shaped with erosion over the years, leaving rock formations amidst shallow turquoise waters. Catherdral cave was the best example, being a popular place to snorkel when the sea warms up. Even so , we saw a stingray basking in the shallows- the handful of people on the beach seemed to give it a lot of respect following the recent tragedy of Steve Irwin. Captain Cook landed in this area in 1769, so we visited the bay named after him. At another beach, well prepared and armed with garden spade, we were able to dig out hot fresh water from the sea edge at low tide. With only the whiff of sulphur, the water in patches was absolutely scalding and great to regenerate skin.

 Then it was back to Auckland for work over the weekend. Our hostel welcomed us with the extravagances of showers, washing machines and the internet. Several faces were the same, it seems some folks remain here for a year or more. Work went slightly better- 2 shifts on the maternity unit and 1 in a/e- lets hope they repeat it. On Sunday we moved into a house on the north shore- 15mins drive from both the city and the hospital. Wendy, its owner was taking a holiday in the states and wanted to sublet. 2 bedroomed, light and sunny with a north facing wooden deck, it comes complete with fluffy friendly cat called sweep and will be our home for the next month.

Week beginng Monday 2^nd October

Seeing that we have a home to stay in, we gave NW a week off (except using her to chauffeur us around locally). Instead we settled ourselves into domestic bliss on the north shore of Auckland by trying out its amenities and of course, I worked for a few days at the hospital-  that I will describe politely as being therapeutic! Of course we needed to go back into the city several times, this we did either by NW (parking on the docks miles away to avoid steep car park charges) or by bus. Wed joined the citys massive library, where we are allowed to take out up to 23 books each + dvds. They also have a huge newspaper and journal section, with a café and internet facilities-the sort of place you can get lost in easily for a whole day. Such excellent service- within 2 days I was able to order and receive 2 biographies that Id had my eye on for ages in the UK. Rog meanwhile concentrated on alternative power sources-in particular wind and solar. A study day on new dressings held by the nursing agency and a reputable drug company bought us in another day, but was well worth it. One evening we found the local cinema- very old fashioned and cosy, showing movies for more conservative people, but just right for us.

Most of the week the weather was stormy, rainy, windy and cool. Enough even to wash some cliff top gardens down into the sea (and very nearly the houses with it). So it was an excuse to watch telly- ooooooo surround sound too- and make use of an oven at last, -a huge roast lamb, yummy it was too. It was also a chance to sit back and decide how to spend our year here. The favourite is to buy a dump of a house and do it up. That way we could live in it and not have rent to pay out for, and of course rog could use his talents to make us a few bucks as well. But its not that easy-house prices have soared recently, and as for where to buy--- what a minefield. Plenty of thinking time though.

On my day off the weather cleared, so we took a ferry to a volcanic island, just offshore. Rangitoto was lifted out of the sea only 600yrs ago, propelled by a large earthquake. Foliage is growing on it now, but the tracks are mostly made of lava rocks, and quite hard on the feet. Despite this, we managed to walk about 12kms-up to the summit for amazing views and around part of the coastline. The last few kms was a bit hectic- we had to rush or scramble back to catch the last ferry of the day----to find that it had broken down and we had to wait til another was dispatched. Shipwrecked for a couple of hours!

This week ended with rog helping the boys next door to extend their deck, whilst using  their tools to change NW disc pads. (our tools are still on the high seas somewhere).

Monday 9^th October-28^th

These 3 weeks we only left the comfort of our rented home for 2 trips- firstly to the western shores again( slightly further up north), to observe a gannet colony at close range. These birds were quite amazing in that they were able to fly into, hover and land on nests whilst horrendous icy gales blew us heavy weights over! Despite the solitude of this wild lonely peninsular with its macadamia farms and  herds of deer and alpaca that are reared here, the winds off the pacific made us head across country to the warmer, gentler eastern side once again. In only a few hours, crossing some lovely countryside, we were walking around regional parks, climbing into rock pools, descending cliffs by rope, exploring caves and sleeping on deserted beaches. Such a different environment, yet only 2 hours drive away. Here herons, shelduck and kingfishers watched us set off into the mudflats with our spade to dig out shellfish. Alas they had the last laugh- we couldnt find even 1. Meanwhile, the radio kept us in contact with the weather elsewhere- horrific gales and snow!!

On our second trip we explored the area to the south west of Auckland. Again tranquil shores, only here they are flat and sandy, famous for waders at migration time. As well as seeing an abundance of birdlife, we slept on the sea shore listening to the lap of water at high tide right under our tyres. Yup, that wasnt a mistakevery accurate, but fortunately not serious.

The rest of this 3 weeks period we remained at wendys house. I worked for a few days each week, rog helped the neighbours build a deck and replace their patio doors, and we socialized a bit more. Dinner with the neighbours, afternoon tea with Dylon, the son of South African friend of Rogers who was visiting family for a few days and dinner each week with Joan- a friend of us both from South Broom. She has kept closely in touch by email for the past year, so was lovely to meet her with her two daughters who live on Aucklands north shore.

Our main reason for staying in the area though, was to seriously hunt for a house to buy. There are hundreds on the market, with a fast turnover and with the security of a Scottish type sale. You offer a price, sign up and the building could be yours within 2 weeks. Anything goes here- including lifting your home up on stilts, cutting off drainage and water, then getting a huge truck to drive it away to another plot. Some large ones have to be sawn into 2 or 4 apparently. Mmmm, maybe not for us! And then there is the rubbish- once a year the council collect everyones non household type chuck outs. For a week, householders leave tellys, settees, beds etc on the streets. They look such a mess- but in the right area, you could make a bomb by sifting through the stuff and taking it away for your own use or resale. We watched people (all in dark glasses!) lift the treasure into cars and even vans. We were so tempted ourselves, but alas had nowhere to put it all.  We could have fitted out a whole house Im sure. Eventually, after much deliberation we found ourselves at an auction, bidding for a property that we agreed had most potential at the right price. Sadly after a stressful morning, the bids exceeded the amount wed firmly agreed would be our top figure, so we were back to square 1. Despondant, we had to rethink our idea- realistically we couldnt afford what we wanted in this area. Should we go further afield, should we head off for a few weeks and give it all a rest?? Watch this space------

MONDAY 30^th October

Stop press- we bought a little cottage- see inset. How fast was that then? UK really needs to sort out its house buying system thenit took us 6  hrs. What a cutie- moving in date 16^th December. Now we can plan great things, like converting garage to 3^rd bedroom, en suite bathroom etc.

Tuesday 31^st oct- Friday 10^th nov

We set off with 10 days in which to do what the kiwis do best- enjoying the outdoor life. We drove through kiwi growing country, heavily forested areas (the Karangahake gorge) on route to Tauranga and the bay of plenty where captain Cooke first landed on kiwi soil, instantly upsetting the Maoris. We then followed the coast down to Whakatane , watching the locals harvest paua ( a shellfish like abalone, only found in NZ waters), and onto Ghisbourne where a fine chardonnay is produced , Whairoa, and into the heart of maori country at Lake Waikaremoana where cows and horses graze the roadsides, unattended and untethered. Heading back northwards in a circular route we headed for Rotarua, one of the worlds most concentrated and accessible geothermal areas, ( where steam and sulphur oozes out of the ground giving an eerie effect) before arriving back in Auckland to collect post, clean up and catch up on emails.

These 10 days were a delight, each day bringing more and more surprises. Our evenings we spent in NW, hiding away next to naturally hot springs, mudpools that serenaded us all night with their glooping, on beaches, in car parks, in forests, alongside lagoons and lakes, and our favourite from Africa- the gravel pit! Each day we tramped for a couple of hours, along lake shores, across rickety wooden bridges, through forests, up mountains and volcanoes, through streams, tunnels and open cast gold mines. NZ has no snakes or other nasty predators- just a rarely found poisonous spider, mossies, and sand flies that bite and cause us to itch for days and days. We swam in thermal pools (reeking of sulphur!) , ate freshly picked strawberries, bought fresh landed sole, salmon and mussels. We saw penguins, wild goats a variety of bird species new to us, watched trout swimming in emerald waters, saw kiwi fruit growing in their vines. We even went caving on our hands and knees in deep dark caverns alone and using headlamps (thankyou chris).

At heights of over 2000 we had views of the oceans, crystal blue and emerald green lakes, island galore- including white island, an active volcanoe that steamed 49kms off shore.

The first 7 days we were fortunate to hit what turned out to be the hottest and sunniest part of the country, before succumbing to wet cold windy days at the end of out trip. We heard later that Aucklands high tower had to be evacuated and that ice bergs had been spotted off NZ shores! However we sought refuge in Rotarua museum, an absolutely splendid place, informative and great fun---and cheap!

These road systems were great- mostly tarmaced, but quite a few in maori country were graveled albeit recently graded ( we got stuck at a landslide which was quickly cleared with heavy machinery). Very little traffic---and as for peoplewhere are the 4 million inhabitants of NZ?

Too much to remember and to describe, but 2 deserve more detail; One walk in the forests surrounding Lake Waikearemoana, we tramped up 1000 to another lake and hired a rowing boat.  Rowing around deserted islands, we came across a jetty. Landing, we climbed up yet more height to find a little paradise- a tiny glass like lake; a lake on an island on a lake on an island. Get it? Later,giggling like a pair of kids, we paddled around in circles getting nowhere---until a storm blew up, sending us scuttling back across the lake to shore and safety. All in all we must have rowed 5kms and walked at least 6km. The second adventure was to Waiotapu, in Rotarua, where iridescent pools, glooping mud, steam vents, hissing water,  soil and stone rainbow coloured with natural minerals, a geyser soaring metres into the air, made this for me-the 8^th wonder of the world. (despite the strong smell of sulphur oozing out of every pore).

Friday 10th to Sunday 26^th November

2 weeks and 3 weekends,- those at either end spent house sitting, back in the mews where wed spent the month of October. Tina (2 doors along) went away the first weekend, then next door neighbours budgie and matt, the 2^nd. So nice to have creature comforts again (remember our nomadic existence). They are such a lovely bunch of people letting us have the run of their homes when they were away- we even have our own house keys so we can shower whenever! What gems. Rog was able to do a bit of DIY for them, which made me feel better anyway.

Our entertainment at these times was doing garage sales and second hand shops. Our future home will be empty, and even though we dont intend to keep it for long, we need some furniture. With very few pennies, we managed to equip ourselves with the basics- we could even be spotted in the dark, removing stuff off skips and from the side of the road where folks had put out their unwanted wares for council collection. Quite a laugh- and took us back to our penniless youth. Our seller Barbara, has also taken pity on us, not only letting us put this trash in her garage, but also giving us some of her surplus stuff. All we need now is a bed.

Once my nursing work at weekends was over, we set off on our travels once again- each week for a few days. Both times we went off to the North East coastline- first to goat island marine reserve and surrounding areas, the 2^nd time just further north to whangerai and beyond. As always, the coastline was stunning, each bend in the road affording quite different views- some bays were flat, others hilly, some with fine white sand and turquoise waters, others black volcanic rock and sand with wild gulleys. We agreed that there is an advantage to being restricted to 3/4 days traveling at a time as there is too much beauty to take in. You need a breather back in the city- time to reflect.

Sights- well weve seen several large stingray basking in shallow coastal waters, beautiful large blue maomao and even snapper swimming in rockpools; weve dug shellfish out of sandy estuaries, cooked and eaten them within minutes,; watched paragliders twisting and leaping out of shallow waters; slipped and slithered down into caves to look at literally thousands of glowworms light up the pitch darkness; toured an oil refinery plant; watched carpenters hew ancient kauri trees into clocks; stroked a maimed kiwi in a bird refuge; finally rog christened himself in the pacific( a teeth chattering 16 degrees!!!)

The spring weather is being a little more settled (if thats possible in Auckland that has 3 seasons in the same day)- warmer,  though still windy, but with the rain showery rather than deluges. Of course when the sun comes out its scorching!! Our nights were spent on deserted beaches, lying in bed listening to the gentle lap of the sea, then in the morning watching it roll gently over sand and rocks.