Aotearoa, Dunedin, Taieri, Travel

Taieri’s Patchwork Quilt Of Green

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Taieri patchwork quilt of green.  – Buy 

We’d been following the Taieri River, which really is a remarkable waterway. It starts from seemingly nowhere in the Lammerlaw Range and flows north, then east, then south-east on its 288 kilometre journey to the sea. It passes through at least six towns, two gorges, it links with two lakes, the fish are plentiful, there are some lovely picnic spots along its banks and it is part of the fabric of the farming community. 
After we passed over the towns of Outram, Allanton and Momona we flew over Henley before turning, and beginning to retrace our steps. It was then that I realised that there’s just nothing like the patchwork quilt of green that stretches out over the Taieri plains.

Aotearoa, Dunedin, Ōtepoti, Travel

Dunedin Cityscape (ii)

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Dunedin Cityscape (ii) – Buy 

While walking the city in search of interesting vantage points, I found my way into a car parking building. The good thing about parking buildings is that they usually have roof access, and roofs are a wonderful position to photograph from. I’d photograph from my roofs if I could, however annoyingly we have trespassing laws in New Zealand, which means that you either need to find a different view, or take a photo worth the $1,000 fine/three months in prison.

Aotearoa, Dunedin, Ōtepoti, Travel

Dunedin Cityscape (i)

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Dunedin Cityscape – Buy 

When I started, I planned to stroll through the city and see what I could find. There’s something very delightful about wandering with no set purpose. In the end, I ended up completing a large 5 kilometer loop of the city. I walked up hills, sheltered from rain, found vantage points of the city that I’d forgotten about, and eventually found my car where I had left it. Which is always a bonus.  

Aotearoa, Dunedin, Ōtepoti, Travel

Sunlight In The Exchange

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Sunlight In The Exchange – Buy 

Having parked not more than a minute or two’s walk from the square, I enjoyed the stroll along the street, watching sunlight find its way into the shadowy corners in between buildings. It seemed busier than usual for this early time of day. A motley mix of people hurried their way into the various buildings that surrounded the square, clearly there were more pressing matters to attend to than watching sunlight reflect off windows.

Aotearoa, Nugget Point, The Catlins, Travel

The Nuggets

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The Nuggets – Buy 

When Alan Martin lost his job in 1989 due to technological advancement, he had the honor of being one of the last Lighthouse Keepers employed in the country. So, after the Nugget Point lighthouse became automated in 1989, and Mr Martin was no longer needed, it brought to an end the tradition of lighthouse keeping at ‘The Nuggets.’ A tradition that dated back 119 years to 1870             

Aotearoa, Travel, Wellington

The Peace of Matiu/Somes Island

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Wellington from Matiu/Somes Island – Buy 

My time on Matiu/Somes Island was completely majestic. I wander along tracks and paths surrounded by bushes. Past decommissioned army barracks and other disused buildings that had been constructed on the island over the years. I walked through a bush filled with bird life and took in the sweeping views of Wellington Harbour and the city around me. It was on my return to the ferry that it occurred to me what makes Matiu/Somes Island so peaceful. Firstly, there’s no litter or rubbish bins. Secondly there’s no powerlines or graffiti and thirdly, a lack of human noise. For two hours I was free of all human sounds that now backdrop our lives. Of course, it couldn’t last and when the sight and sound of the ferry came chugging around the far point of Island, I found my ticket and boarded the ferry for Day’s Bay and in search of lunch. 

Aotearoa, Travel, Wellington

Sméagol or Gollum From Weta

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Sméagol or Gollum– Buy

My last stop for the day was a tour of Weta Workshops that is based in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. One of the beautiful aspects of visiting Weta is that it embraces everything that is good and wholesome about the New Zealand No 8 wire mentality. No large gates, high walls, or imposing fences. On the corner of Camperdown and Weka Street, in a simple building that looks much like a state house, I found the home of the world famous digital effects company. For the rest of the afternoon I found myself lost in the amazing world of special effects and film making. Sometime later, having been taken back to my childhood with ‘The Thunderbirds’, I wondered if my wife would be as keen as I was to watch Lord of The Rings. I pondered this thought as I headed for a bar on Courtney Place.

Aotearoa, Cook Strait, Travel

The Cook Strait Ferry

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The Cook Strait Ferry – Buy 

Standing in the wind on the Cook Strait ferry, I was reminded of recently reading that in 1962, the rail service in New Zealand changed greatly. Until that year, rail in the North and South Islands weren’t connected. So, when the roll-on-roll-off ferry the GMV Aramoana set sail on 11 August 1962, the Cook Strait Inter-Island Rail and Road Service was born.

Aotearoa, Arrowtown, Tobins Track, Travel

Tobins Track In Arrowtown

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View from Tobins Track – Buy 

I had been in Arrowtown for a total of 15 minutes before our hosts had announced they were walking up Tobins Track. Not sure what exactly Tobins Track was, I was told it would take about 30 minutes of steady walking up a hill to a lookout that gave views looking out over the entire Wakatipu Basin. As the sun was due to set within the next hour or so, I decided, ‘well, why not!’

Aotearoa, Dunedin, Ōtepoti, Travel

Long Grass On The Otago Peninsula

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Long grass on the Otago Peninsula – Buy 

Having been walking for some time, I reached a point where the track split in two. The first path looked to be a gentle stroll along a well worn track that led off through a field before looping back to the carpark. The second path, which wasn’t really a path at all,  headed up the hill through long grass and ended at a stone wall that sat cresting the hill. Curious to see the stone wall and the view from the top of the hill, I pushed off through the long grass. 

Aotearoa, Travel, Whanganui

Whanganui

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Victoria Avenue In Whanganui – Buy 

I was in Whanganui and feeling a little glum! It could have been something to do with the heavy rain that had been falling all day, or maybe the extremely average hotel that I had checked into, or it could have been the fact that I was in Whanganui. I was trying my best to keep an open mind, however I was quickly losing the battle. 

The previous evening in Wellington, I knew I would be needing a place to stay the following night, so while enjoying a beer at a local pub I had scrolled through the various options that the internet suggested. After narrowing down my limited options, I made my selection and proceeded to book for one night. Upon booking, I noticed that for an extra $10 I could book a room with a balcony view. Well, why not, I thought, imagining myself relaxing in the late afternoon sun, enjoying the fresh evening air and watching all the exciting things happening in the world below. Instead, upon arrival in my room, I found I had a view of a brick wall across from a rough car park that looked suspiciously like an empty lot that had simply been taken over! I took a moment to examine my room. I deduced that the $10 might have been better spent on maybe putting the mirror up, replacing the ‘things to do in Whanganui 2016/2017’ catalogue, vacuuming the room, replacing the blu tack on the emergency exit signs or replacing one of three light bulbs that were missing – not out, but actually missing! So while I decided whether I wanted the TV, Fridge or Kettle plugged into the wall plug, I played hide and seek with the TV remote control. A game I lost! 

Following this I stopped in at the bar which looked like it was about to close and found out that the chef had just finished for the evening. After all, it was 6pm! So, I headed out into the rain to see what Whanganui had to offer.

Central Otago, Cromwell, Travel

Cromwell Lavender

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Lavender In Cromwell – Buy 

The day had turned into another Central Otago scorcha with the day still calm and clear while the temperature gauge climbed above the 30 degree mark for the third day in a row. I had left the township of Tekapo, passed through places called Twizel, Omarama and the Lindis Pass before arriving in the lovely town of Cromwell.

Dunedin, Dunedin, Ōtepoti, Travel

St Kilda Beach Sunset

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St Kilda Beach Sunset – Buy 

The day had been all together pleasant and I was finishing it with a walk along the beach. Having parked my car outside a collection of restaurants and bars on the St Clair Esplanade, I had set off along the beach. Now having reached its terminus, I enjoyed the sunset before starting the walk back. A distance of around 3.5 kilometers in the fading light.

Aotearoa, Dunedin, Travel

Titeremoana

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Pudding Island/Titeremoana – Buy 

After I got home, I conducted a little research. I had driven past the tiny Island hundreds of times, yet not once given it a second thought. So, I decided to change all that. With the aid of my computer and the trusty search engine called Google, it took me all of 30 seconds to discover the tiny island is called Pudding Island or Titeremoana. I also discovered that back around 1900 it was a popular place for day picnics. Until, some careless visitors started a fire which destroyed much of the vegetation. In response, the government protected the island under the Scenery Preservation Act and replanted over a 1000 plants. Which is what gives us the wonderful little island we have today.

Aotearoa, Palmerston North, Travel

The Square In Palmerston North

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Palmerston North, The Square – Buy 

I found my way to Palmerston North. My initial plan had been to head to Taranaki and New Plymouth however, cyclone warnings had popped up all over the North Island, meaning a change in direction was required. So, I ended up in Palmerston North. 

I drove south on Highway 54 through Fielding, arrived in Palmerston North, checked into a hotel, and went for a walk. Having spent half an hour discovering a Plaza, I ended up strolling around the town square before asking myself, now what? Earlier, while calling into a cafe for lunch, I had read that Palmerston North had a bustling town centre just waiting to be explored. Now, a few hours late, so far I had discovered that the town centre certainly wasn’t bustling and I wasn’t sure what was left to be explored.

Burkes Pass, Tekapo, Travel

Burkes Pass

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Burkes Pass – Buy 

I was heading for Lake Pukaki, a large alpine lake on the northern edge of the MacKenzie Basin near the township of Tekapo. On the way, I passed through Burkes Pass, named after Dublin University graduate Michael John Burke who drove a team of bullocks through the passageway which leads up into the Mackenzie Country in 1855.

Alexandra, Butchers Dam, Central Otago, Travel

Butchers Dam

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Butchers Dam – Buy 

It was while admiring the lovely sights of Butcher’s Dam that I decided it’s a shame it’s there at all. I’m not opposed to the dam, and the area is very nice. Not only is there a dam and lake to enjoy, but it also contains a historic hut, a multitude of tracks to walk and even a conservation area above it at a place called Flat Top Hill. 

However, before the dam was built between 1935 and 1937 during the great depression, the area was filled with all sorts of buildings and structures from the gold mining years of the 1860’s. Once gold was discovered there in 1862, miners from everywhere flocked to the area and a town quickly sprung up. The town included a Hotel, a store, butchers shop and market gardens that were owned by Chinese prospectors. 

As I walked along the dam I imagined how wonderful it would be to see the remains of the historic town that would have stretched through the valley and what a shame it is that those remains are lost forever. Still, the lake is very nice! 

Cardrona, Travel, Wanaka

The Cardrona Hotel

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The Cardrona Hotel – Buy 

Leaving Queenstown I headed up the Crown Range, intending to pass through the Cardrona Valley, eventually aiming to end up in Wanaka. Having passed over the Crown Range, I drove along the Cardrona Valley Road, following the river before coming to the iconic Cardrona Hotel. Not being able to resist photographing the legendary Inn, I pulled into the carpark opposite the hotel, only to discover that a large group of cyclists had gathered directly in front of the building. 

The average age of the group must have been in the mid 70’s, and clearly this outing was serious business. They were doing all manner of stretching exercises that were intermixed with lots of pointing and nodding of heads. At one point they all gathered around a bike and looked fascinatingly at the back wheel. Clearly they had just discovered it was round!

They were also heavily dressed in lycra, which was not something the rest of the world wanted to see.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to lycra, it’s just that it shouldn’t be worn in public by certain members of the human race, and this group were most definitely not the right type of people. 

All of this fussing over bikes and lycra went on for a good deal of time before the peloton eventually moved off in the direction of the Crown Range Summit and I was left to photograph the old hotel in peace and quiet.