Thursday 19^th March – Auckland.

We arrived in Auckland and headed for the shore as soon as we were cleared by Customs. Ian had managed to talk to Diane on the phone and they had arrived too - and were sitting on Queen’s wharf looking at the Queen Victoria which was docked there and also watching The QM2 dock. Fortunately our ship’s shuttle would be dropping off passengers at Queen’s wharf - so we quickly packed a bag and got on the shuttle.

When we got off the bus – there they were! They were booked into the Copthorne Hotel, on the waterfront, for the night so we decided it was time for a quick beer (or four) and a catch-up. We went to a nice bar on the waterfront right next to where the World Cup cricket was being shown on a giant screen (no further mention of cricket will be made!) Following this we went to a restaurant on Prince’s wharf and had a nice meal with New Zealand wine…

Eventually, we all staggered back to our various abodes and agreed to meet up at 7-30am in the morning to begin our 36 hour road trip!

 

Friday 20^th March 2015 – Day exploring New Zealand with Stuart & Diane.

We met outside their hotel at just after 7-30am and set off through the city and out on State Highway 1 heading towards Hamilton (not the one where Nesta was born or indeed the one where the QM2 is registered either). We were soon out in the country and stopped at a town called Ngaruawahia for a very nice coffee in what is a mainly Maori township...

We bypassed Hamilton and came off the main highway at Te Kuiti. Little did we know that the small roads we were now travelling on would shortly seem like motorways!

We stopped at a little town called Piopio for brunch. Ian had a toasted sandwich but Nesta went native and tried the toasted breakfast bagel with bacon, egg and avocado. (Nicer than it sounds!)

We had gone five miles down the road when Diane realised she had left her bag (with money, cards passport etc.) back at the café but fortunately when we returned, someone had handed it in untouched… Phew!

Sheep farming is on the decline in New Zealand (Stuart & Diane only have about 8000 now!) but dairy farming is increasing together with logging. Stuart knows this area very well and kept us informed of its history as well as telling us who lived in practically every homestead we passed! He managed to make it very interesting, with personal anecdotes such as “this is the railway crossing where my Dad was hit by a train” and “this is the corner where I ran into my Mum” and most bizarrely “This is the home we used to live in, but after the fire we moved the building from where it was, down the valley - to where it is now, so that we could rent it out to a couple who work for us”!

After the settlement of Aria, the tarmac ran out and we were on “metal” roads which is what they call gravel or unmade up roads. Our first stop out in the wilderness was at the house Stuart grew up in. They now rent it to Billy the Goat… (Yes, his first name is Billy and he raises hundreds of goats). His son lives there too and he has about 300 beehives producing Manuka honey – which is now increasingly exported to Japan and Europe.

Billy suggested we might like to go up on the “terrace” for a good view of his goats. Stuart & Diane haven’t been up there for a couple of years – so off we went. This is where the gravel ran out! We were completely off road, driving over bridges that Stuart had put in and up through a natural forest where there wasn’t even a track. Eventually we got to a flat field (the terrace) where there were fantastic views of not only the goats but also the countryside, all of which was owned by Stuart & Diane!

Thirty years ago, Stuart’s father – Ian – had planted 200 trees on top of a ridge near an old coal mine. Stuart explained about the management of timber, including regular pruning so that the trunks grow straight, and told us that he was currently “taking these out” as now was a good time to sell them. They do not intend to replant trees here – Stuart wants to put in an airstrip… (Yes, honestly) Of course, we had to go up and see where all this was happening!

The dirt tracks up the side of a mountain were exciting enough but now we had to contend with giant logging trucks coming the other way! (Nesta had her eyes closed for most of the climb). When we got there it was amazing…Lots of photos taken!

Eventually it was time to negotiate our way back down the mountain and re-join a tarmac road and drive to their home. We arrived about 4-30pm in lovely sunshine, so it was cold beers all round. As Martin and Polly will know, their home is lovely. The silence in their garden was only broken by crickets, sheep and the occasional vehicle on the road below.

The respite was only brief however as off we went into Ohura to have a pint and meet up with some locals in their Cosmopolitan Club. Ohura used to have a bank, shops and garages but seems to be dying now. Indeed when Nesta was outside having a cigarette with the locals all their talk was of the decline of farming, the increase in paperwork and the lack of interest from their Government… made her feel at home!

The locals were very friendly – Ian actually had a couple of games of pool against them, but found that New Zealand rules differ greatly from UK rules (ok – so he lost!)

Finally it was time for home and a meal of barbecued home grown steak, home grown salad and home grown jacket potatoes and three bottles of Australian Merlot (Stuart & Diane don’t make their own wine!). The world was most definitely put to rights and we finally called it a night at about 1am.

Tomorrow we return to Auckland but by a different route!