The next big step on my trip was the flight from Sydney to Wellington. Thanks to the vagaries of the time zones that effectively took most of the day. On arriving in Wellington (spectacular airport on a narrow neck of land between the sea and the bay that Wellington is on) I caught a bus into Wellington central, and then a train to Palmerston North, where I was met by my cousins Lorna and Kevin, who live just North of Palmerston North in a lovely little village, Ashhurst. My aunt (Lorna's mother) also lives in Ashhurst and joined us for supper that night.
On Wednesday (7 June) I went into Palmerston North with my Aunt, and spent some time exploring and getting some essentials sorted. The NZ towns typically all have a very good visitors' information centres (referred to as an i-SITE), and I was able to pick up some maps and brochures. I also sorted out a cell phone, and explored the central square, and shopping precinct. My Aunt and I had lunch at the Victoria Esplanade and explored the beautiful gardens there, before taking the scenic route back to Ashhurst via Massey University and back roads. When Kevin got back from work we went up into the ridge of hills that overlooks Ashhurst to visit the prominent wind-farm. That was rather breezy and chilly but with amazing views from the top of the ridge.
On the Thursday, I did some online planning for trips to Rotorua and Auckland, and also walked to the Ashhurst Domain (a lovely natural park area), taking advantage of the walk to do some geocaching at the local church in Ashhurst.
On Friday, I went into Palmerston North with my Aunt again, visiting the local museum and art gallery. I also found another geocache, and did some shopping (including some cold meds, as I was feeling a little sniffly).
On the Saturday I went for a bike ride from Palmerston North to Feilding (no, that's not misspelled!) with Lorna and her regular cycling buddy Sarah. When we got home Kevin had heated up the Jacuzzi/spa, which was a very civilised way to get over a nice ride! After that Lorna and I wandered down to the local market. In the evening, I went into Palmerston North and had dinner with Mark and Barbara Rainier (ex-Grahamstown and Rhodes connections).
On the Sunday morning, we went to church in Palmerston North, which was followed by a lovely walk in the Manawatu gorge, near Ashhurst. On the walk I discovered that sliver ferns are a real thing! One of the indigenous tree ferns has leaves with a very distinctive silver/grey underside. As a perfect end to a good hike, it was followed by another spa session! In the evening we had dinner with my aunt.
The next couple of days were rather wiped out by the flu unfortunately.
On the Wednesday I was able to meet up with Jared and Jessica Hobson (young friends from the USA), and Jessica's brother Shane for coffee and lunch in Palmerston North. They were at the end of a year living in NZ and were making their way up to Auckland from where they would fly out, visiting various friends and old haunts (Jared had previously spent a semester at Massey University in Palmerston North as a student).
Thursday was spent catching up with laundry, and doing some more planning for the Auckland and South Island trips. I also cooked dinner for us.
The weekend was a real treat, as Lorna and Kevin had taken some time off work and booked a trip to Rotorua. We left around midday, and enjoyed a beautiful drive up to Rotorua, past rushing rivers, green hills, and snow-covered volcanic mountains. The atmosphere in Rotorua is a little sulphurous due to all the geological activity in the area, but it is beautiful. We were staying in a lovely AirBnB on the edge of the lake.
On the Saturday, we headed into the Whakarewarewa Maori village, which was fascinating in terms of the Maori history and culture. The village is also built on geothermal pools, with communal, natural bath houses and cooking facilities. We had a hangi lunch at the village - food steamed in one of the natural steam vents. In the afternoon we went for a swim in a hot-water river (a little more rustic than Lorna and Kevin's spa!).
On the Sunday we to visit the Hobbiton movie set, which is fairly close to Rotorua (and where I bumped into Shane, Jessica's brother, by complete coincidence!). That was fascinating, and included a a stop at the Green Dragon Inn after the tour through the village. In the afternoon we relaxed in the spa at resort, before heading into Rotorua for an excellent dinner in Eat Streat, a covered area of restaurants and street cafes (it describes itself as an "all-weather al fresco dining area").
No comments:
Post a Comment