Postcards from New Zealand
And if the vacation is to a spectacular place like New Zealand, blessed as it is with amazing scenery of virtually every type, from sandy ocean shores and vast inland lakes to volcanoes and glacier-clad alps — as well as a variety of eye-catching international stamps — well, all the better.
I spent three glorious weeks in the land of the Kiwis, escaping Utah's persistent winter for a gentle summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
At first I was on my own, driving a rental car ... on the left side of the road instead of the right, and with the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle. (And in an economy vehicle with, to my surprise, a left-hand stick shift — something to remember the next time you or I reserve a car in a country that favors the "wrong" side of the road.) I adapted quickly, though, and had a wonderful off-the-cuff solo road trip from the top to the bottom of New Zealand's North Island.
In Wellington, the nation's capital, I joined my brother Phil and sister-in-law Reesa, who have been there for almost a year and a half, for another great road trip, with occasional boat excursions, including inter-island ferry crossings of Cook Strait. Following an excellent plan and route they had devised, we made a sweeping counterclockwise loop around the less-populated South Island before returning to the North Island for more sight-seeing together and a return to Auckland, the country's biggest city, and my (reluctant) return flight home.
And, OK, I'll admit it: Although some friends consider me a bit off my rocker, I actually duplicate the handwritten cards I send to others, on second copies of the postcards, as part of the record of my travels. And I often buy a third copy so that, in a scrapbook, I can show the front and the missive side on the same page.
Yes, it's a little extreme. But it works. How else could I share excerpts like these:
Dear Elaine + family,
You know, I couldn't find a postcard anywhere yesterday (let alone Whangarei's alleged post office), but I discovered them left and right today, in Paihia and Russell on the Bay of Islands. I've done well, driven hundreds of miles, er, kilometers, and on the bay today saw — dolphins!
Mangonui, N.Z.
Dear Dawna (Hi, John!),
The chief thought I've had regarding you the first two days in the north of New Zealand's North Island is this: You'd love it. It's California and Oregon with a twist. Sea coast, marvelous harbors, rolling hills, pastoral settings (sheep, and cows, and horses) — the animals have contoured the hillsides in their treks and grazing) — even fruit orchards and avocado farms....
Dargaville, N.Z. (journal card)
A long day, but beautiful, for iffy clouds only offered rare sprinkles. "This is not the way it usually is," a woman in a neighboring car said on the Kohukohu ferry to Rawene. Off by 8, I made Cape Reinga (the North Island's tip) in the a.m. — before the rush of cars and tour-guide vans arrived....
Hamilton, N.Z.
Dear Dawna,
New Zealand has a rough equivalent to California's mighty redwoods — with an equally plundered past ... the kauri tree. I caught a glimpse of this ancient fella yesterday (a tree called Tane Mahuta, "Lord of the Forest"), late in the afternoon.... I went to the Kauri Museum this morning in Matakohe and came away very impressed ... the area's people have created a fascinating tribute to a tree and the industry and communities that grew up around the kauri. Wonderful displays and zillions of photographs, old and more recent. It was like walking through a book!
Wellington to Nelson (journal card)
Yes, that does sound like a rather Napoleonic-era reference. Now with Phil & Reesa, we headed for the port of Wellington on New Zealand's North Island, rolled aboard the ferry Kaitaki about 8 a.m. and had a smooth, blue-sky journey across Cook Strait, up Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton on the South Island.... Our remaining daylight goal was to "tramp" a portion of the Abel Tasman "Track" from Marahau in Abel Tasman National Park. (He is believed to have been the first European — a Dutchman — to see "Aotearoa," (the Maori) Land of the Long White Cloud, in 1642.)
Franz Josef, South Island, N.Z.
Dear Twila,
As usual, I've been finding a few lighthouses to visit (though NOT those pictured ... so far).... Today's closest encounter was a white-concrete light at calm Cape Foulweather, on the west coast of the South Island.... We're seeing amazing sights and chatting a lot!
Franz Josef, N.Z.
Dear Elaine, Bud + Jennifer,
It's early morning and we three — Phil, Reesa and I — are just starting to rev up on a cool, mostly cloudy day at the base of New Zealand's Southern Alps, the spine of the South Island. I don't think I'm going to get a photo anything like the one on this card! (Lake Matheson, reflecting Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.) ... So I have Mt. Cook and pastureland, with cows!
Te Anau, N.Z.
Bob + Shelley,
Believe it or not, I took a ride on a gondola to the top of, get this, Bob's Peak today to get a view very like this one ... of Queenstown. Queenstown is in the far south/middle of New Zealand's South Island, and is one of the adventure capitals of the world.
Te Anau, N.Z.
Chris + Joyce —
I've been wandering with Phil & Reesa along the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, lined with eye-popping beaches, rain forests, a gorge dripping with waterfalls, huge alpine mountains and glacial-era lakes in incredible shades of blue, and what do I find? A pioneer-era gold-mining town that's a LOT like Park City. That's Arrowtown for you.
Your friend and would-be Charles Kuralt, Ray B.
Te Anau to Milford Sound and back (journal card)
From our three-night home base at Lake Te Anau (which one handbook says is a shortened "Te Ana-au," for "Caves of the Rushing Waters," rediscovered nearby), Phil, Reesa and I ventured over the stunning Milford Sound Highway to ... well, Milford Sound for a MUCH anticipated small-ship journey from the village of that name through the fjord (the northernmost of 14 on the South Island's west coast), even venturing briefly into the Tasman Sea. It was well worth it. The drive — through grasslands and forests rimmed by serrated peaks and the remnants of the glaciers that sliced through these mountains. Then the Mitre Peak II (for the famed pinnacle on the sound) took us to see waterfalls, seals, extremely steep-sided mountains, and more glaciers....
Royal Albatross Colony, Dunedin, N.Z.
Dear Twila,
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for interesting birds — and boy, I've seen them the past few days. Among my favorites: a big black-winged gull (at Lake Te Anau); black swans (at Lake Waihola and then Otago Harbour); royal albatross gliding on a stiff wind at Tairoa Heads ...; and finally a tour this evening of a yellow-eyed penguin sanctuary — parents and (big) chicks. A great place.
Dunedin, N.Z.
Hi, LaFay,
from the other side of the world!
I'm in Dunedin — and it feels like I'm in Great Britain again! They say it's the "most Scottish city outside of Scotland," and the name is apparently Edinburgh's original monicker. Today I head ... to Christchurch, which they say is "the most English city outside of England." I sense a theme here....
Christchurch, N.Z.
Dear Angela (Hi, Chris!) —
Today on a long beach I came across great piles of KELP (which Angela hates) — rubbery pods that popped if you stepped on them; long strips that looked like something off a conveyor belt; big, wide, wet things that looked like pieces of automobile tyres (that's how they spell "tires" here) — just gobs and gobs of the stuff pushed up onto the shore by the relentless waves. Funny thing: All that kelp reminded me of YOU!
With love, really, Uncle Ray
Picton, N.Z.
Dear Jennifer,
When I headed to New Zealand, I really wasn't thinking about penguins, but I have been up close and looked into the eyes of several — though I haven't run into the goofy zoo escapees from "Madagascar," the musically inclined stars of "Happy Feet" or the dudes from "Surf's Up." No, I've seen (and of course photographed) yellow-eyed penguins (including chicks) and the littlest of all, blue penguins. You would have loved them!
Love — Uncle Ray
Picton to Wellington/Porirua
(journal card)
"I'm tired — but I didn't drive much today," Phil said just before 10 p.m. We'd overnighted in Picton, then headed for the ferry dock at 9 a.m. for a 9:50 departure (to re-cross Cook Strait). And we were put on the low deck 2 for railcars! But we found a nice perch with table and chairs on the 4th level of the Aratere, and I was able to check out the gray skies and gray seas on both sides and the back (overlooking some uncomfortable-looking crated sheep). Why, we wondered, do they need to move sheep from South Island to North Island in the sheep-filled nation?
Rotorua, N.Z.
Dear Dawna —
I know I have remarked several times that bits and places of New Zealand remind me of the American West ... but this time it's literally a fact. Phil, Reesa and I arrived in Rotorua, a venerable lakeside (volcanic) spa town and strolled through an extensive California redwood forest, with big fat trees a century old that love the conditions in New Zealand. It reminded me of past walks (Muir Woods!) with you and on my own. They ARE majestic trees.
Rotorua, N.Z. (journal card)
... Phil took a dip in our motel's spa before bed, and said "I smell good!" But Reesa and I replied: "How can you tell in Rotorua?" The sulfuric odor is strong as I write!
Rotorua to Tairua, Coromandel
Peninsula (journal card)
The day started rainy, so it was appropriate that we began with an indoor activity — watching "Mike" at Rotorua's Agrodome introduce 19 varieties of sheep (brown Merinos to horned Dorsets), raised variously for their wool, meat — or milk (!?), and put them and a cow through their paces with dogs. He even sheared a very compliant sheep. Our route took us north to Hahei and up and down on a hike to beautiful Cathedral Cove, with its seaside arch, at low tide.
Tairua, Coromandel Peninsula
(To Joyce + Chris)
"Wheel" mates,
This day is about done for — the sun is setting over the receding Coromandel Hills on the North Island, as viewed from our nice accommodations on Tairua Bay. I'm in the twilight of my holiday, too — one more looonng day: I'll get back to SLC technically on the same day I left New Zealand ... only about four hours earlier than when my Qantas jet takes off. But no worries! I plan to be ready for Africa. I expect, as they would say it here, yet another "beast treep ehvah!"
Cheers! Your friend and temporary Kiwi, Ray
E-mail: rayb@desnews.com
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