We have covered a lot of ground since our last blog, which is why we haven’t had a chance to post a new one in several days. I will try to give a brief rundown of our activities.

Before leaving Tauranga, we moved the boat to the slipway without any trouble. After seeing a couple of boats smack pilings on their way in and out of their berths as a result of intense tidal current, Dallas suggested that we move at slack tide, which seemed to have made a world of difference. We easily motored out and across the harbor where we were met by Hutchison (the boat-builder) and the riggers, who assisted Dallas in taking down the forestay. It will be so nice to have a couple of major repairs completed upon our return.

boat in slipway Tied up to a tree in the slipway

We left the boatyard at 2:00 p.m. and drove for four hours (plus a quick stop for an oil change) along the “Thermal Explorer Highway” to Napier. Along the way, we saw what looked like a nuclear stack, but it was a large geothermal power plant where the heat from seismic activity is being converted to usable energy. Napier is a colonial city on the east coast that was nearly destroyed in an earthquake in the 1930’s. It was rebuilt in the “art deco” style and is now known for this as well as its vineyards. We went out for yummy Thai food and returned to the colonial-style B&B where we were staying for a glass of locally-produced Sauvignon Blanc on the veranda before calling it a day. The next morning, our hosts fixed us a traditional English breakfast (muesli, thick sausages, baked tomato, eggs), and we were on our way. We decided it was a bit too early to be tasting wine, so we bypassed the wineries and headed on to Wellington at the southern tip of the North Island.

napier The “Art Deco” style of Napier

We arrived in the capital city in late afternoon and headed straight for the cable car ride. This was my suggestion, as we only had one night to spend there and wanted to get a feel for the city. As it turned out, the entire ride lasted maybe 5 minutes, so that was comical. Fortunately the last stop offered a nice view of the city, and the scenic walk back through the botanical gardens was lovely despite the chill from the winds coming down off the mountains. We had another bit of good fortune in that Te Papa, the national museum of NZ, was open late (only on Thursdays!), so we had a chance to see impressive exhibits such as the colossal squid that was accidentally caught on a hook by a fishing boat in the Southern Ocean. We also read the somewhat discrepant English and Maori versions of the Treaty of Waitangi in which the Maori chiefs granted the English the authority to rule NZ in exchange for land rights. The video demonstrations of the rituals of carving pounamu (jade) and making tapa cloth out of mulberry bark also were fascinating. It was an awesome museum and capped off another full day!

succulents The “succulents” at the Wellington Botanic Garden

beehive The “Beehive”, home of the NZ Parliament

Our Wellington accommodations left some things to be desired (soap, for example!), but we weren’t there long, as we had to get on the ferry by 7:30 a.m. The inter-island ferry boat was massive and replete with recliners (we found these right away), two movie theaters, and a magic show for the kids (and me). The Cook Strait was about as calm as it could be, especially considering the gale warning that had been in place just 12 hours prior. My mom is very sensitive to motion but had no problems, and we all enjoyed the views from the bow as we approached Marlborough Sounds.

sound Entering Marlborough Sounds

Once on the South Island, we drove south for 4.5 hours to Christchurch. The Marlborough region is regarded as the best in NZ in terms of its wines, so after lunch we stopped off at the Montana Winery—their wine is sold in the U.S. by a different name since the state name was expected to be a turn off to the American consumer. The four of us agreed that their whites were better than their reds. Anyway, we arrived in Christchurch, the largest city in the South, in early evening and dined at a Mexican restaurant (a Richerson favorite). The restaurant and the city center in general were quite hip, seeming to cater to the University of Canterbury crowd. The next morning we went back to the city center to check out the local markets and the local museum. Though the architecture and style of the area are clearly colonial, the local artisans seemed to peddle Maori designs such as pounamu jewelry and carved wooden masks. While walking to the museum, we heard music coming from the Arts Center and popped in to discover a group of local Maoris dressed in native garb and performing traditional songs. Dallas and I had seen a very similar performance while in the Cook Islands but were really pleased that my parents were able to see it for themselves. And we were really impressed by yet another museum. The highlight for me was the excellent photography exhibit, while Dallas was naturally drawn to the stories of the original Antarctic explorers (e.g., Shackleton).

vineyard The orchards of Montana Vineyard

haka Performing the traditional “Haka” (warrior chant)

From Christchurch, it was back on the road for a 7-hour drive to Queenstown where we did in fact get a bit of rest…not too much, though! Stay tuned for more on our whirlwind tour of the South Island.