Koalas and kangaroos

What would Australia be without a kangaroo?

December 22nd - Three days ago we got up early and took a shuttle to the Auckland airport for our flight to Brisbane, Australia. Just before security, they weighed our carry-on luggage and we had over 10 lbs too much. After moving items between our backpacks & bag to one another and re-weighing a few times, the lady just gave up and said we could go on thru. Fortunately, this was our only problem and we had a great 3.5 hour flight (over 2,200 miles) into Brisbane. Brisbane is a large city in the state of Queensland on the eastern coast of Australia. Our first impression was the very HOT weather. At over 90F degrees it felt just like being in Houston in August with high humidity. Fortunately, our rental car has good air-conditioning – plus it is automatic which is a welcome change from our campervan in New Zealand.

Our plans here in Australia are to go down along the coast from north of Brisbane thru Sydney and see lighthouses along the way. So we headed north thru Brisbane about 100 kilometers (60 miles) to Mooloolaba. The coastal area north of Brisbane is called the’ Sunshine Coast’ and has beautiful beaches. Since it is summer here, school is out, and it is holiday time – all of the small cities along the coast are packed with people. And guess where the lighthouses are – of course along the coast. This made driving not as much fun as it could have been in the winter. We did manage to see all of the lighthouses we wanted to see and then headed into Brisbane.

With the help of our navigation system, we made into the very heart of the city to the Maritime Museum to see a lighthouse and a lightship. We drove by to see the parliament building but it was surrounded with scaffolding and so drove on. It was then out to the ‘Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary’ to see Australian wildlife and we were not disappointed. We saw kangaroos (which we petted), wombats, dingos, and of course koalas. We enjoyed the koala and birds of prey shows and the feeding of the lorikeets. The highlight was being able to hold and cuddle a koala and have our picture taken. Note: koalas are not bears but are marsupials (related to kangaroos).

After saying goodbye to the koalas, we headed out to the coast south of Brisbane. We were so happy just to be out of Brisbane – driving there was a challenge with streets that are winding, hilly, and with multiple lane markings that were confusing. After making what seemed like countless number of turns, we managed to exit the city. If the navigation system had not been programmed correctly, we might still be in the city going around in circles.

The coastal area south of Brisbane is called the ‘Gold Coast’ and here again the coastal towns are filled with people, but we managed to see all of the lighthouses that we wanted to so far. Hopefully, we get to drive some of those small country roads soon after we leave the resort areas. A good bit of Australia is in a drought and this area is no exception. The trees and plants are green, but there are signs everywhere telling us to save water

Cathy cuddling koala named Mark

Jan cuddling koala named Yabba

A beautiful lorikeet. One of the activities at the koala sanctuary was feeding the lorikeets. If was fascinating watching over a hundred of these birds flying around vying for the food.

A mother bird protecting her young. If you look closely, you can see the tails of her 2 young chicks under her front feathers.

Farewell to Aotearoa (New Zealand)

The Pohutukawa Tree. The tree bursts out in red blooms in December – so it is called the New Zealand Christmas Tree.

Three days ago we went into the caves at Waitomo to see the fascinating glowworms. In their larvae stage, the glowworms build a nest in the ceiling, generate multiple sticky silk-like lines that hang down, and emit a bluish light that attracts insects which get stuck on the sticky lines (and then eaten). During our tour, we rode in a boat on the river that flows thru the cave bringing insects into the cave. All the lights were out on our boat ride and the ceiling was covered with hundreds of glowworms making it look like the Milky Way in the night sky (except the stars here were blue) – what a great sight!

After the cave tour, we drove thru Auckland to Muriwai Beach to go wading in the Tasman Sea (one of our traditions is to wade in each major body of water that we visit). Then we went to the viewing area of one of the three Australasian Gannet colonies in New Zealand. What an amazing experience to be so close to these fabulous birds and to be able to watch them interact with each other. This colony has expanded so much that the birds come right up next to the viewing stands. What a treat for us to see them so close, since we had not able to see them at one of the colonies and only saw them in the very far distance at the other colony.

Two days ago, (on a very windy day), we rocked and rolled on a 15 minute ferry ride to the bird sanctuary on Tiritiri Matangi to see some rare birds and of course to see the lighthouse there. We got to see one of the less than 300 South Island Takahe birds in existence. One of these birds is very bold and we watched as he snatched a sandwich from someone in our group. After tramping on some of the trails, we rode back on the ferry – fortunately we were not affected by the ferry rides this time.

Yesterday, it was time to prepare to complete our great 7 week adventure here in New Zealand. After doing our biweekly laundry, cleaning up the campervan, and filling all tanks (including LPG), we drove to the campervan owner’s home to pack up our suitcases which we had stored there. Earlier in the day we had purchased an inexpensive suitcase In order to pack our souvenirs and quilt fabric. But guess what – we had so much stuff that we had to go back out and buy a 2nd large suitcase.

After finishing packing, the campervan owner invited us in for tea with his wife and to hear about our travels. It was really great to deal with such a great, friendly, and helpful small businessman . There were no unforeseen charges and we were even reimbursed for the items we had to buy to fix small problems. Throughout our journey, we sent him emails about our travels and he responded with very helpful travel tips of what to see and do. We can highly recommend ‘NewZealandFrontiers.com’ (one of the over 25 companies here that have campervans for hire (rent).

We had mixed emotions as we turned over the keys to the campervan – our home for 50 days. We could celebrate all of the great memories that we can take with us and give thanks that we did not have a major breakdown or accident driving 7,900 plus kilometers (over 4,900 miles) on the opposite side of the highways. I (Jan) was also very glad to ‘give up’ the manual transmission shifting (after shifting into wrong gears numerous times and stalling the engine a few times). When we had planned this trip earlier in the year, we came knowing that this would be our only trip here. But, after seeing this great place and meeting many great people, we would jump at an opportunity to return (however, next time we would like to come back in the wintertime to see the mountains covered in snow).

This morning we board a plane to Brisbane, Australia where we will travel around for 16 days in the 90F degree plus heat in a rental car (with automatic transmission & A/C) chasing down lighthouses, quilt shops, National Parks, birds, kangaroos, koalas, etc.

So, we say Kia Ora (farewell) to Aotearoa (the name that the indigenous Maori call New Zealand – which means ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’) – and say “G’Day mate” to Australia.

View of the coast of the Tasman Sea at Muriwai Beach. We went wading in the surf in sand that was really all black. The gannet colony was on the bluff in the distance.

Lighthouse on Tiritiri Matangi Island. When we were planning our trip we thought that we might see about 15 lighthouses, but we far exceeded this and this was our 34th one to photograph in New Zealand – bringing our overall total to 474.

One of the many nesting areas in the gannet colony.

One of a parents feeding their chick.

One of the gannets – it almost looks like he is smiling.

Jan taking pictures of gannets that flew very close – at times they flew only a metre (3 ft) away from us.

Kiwis

No New Zealand travelog would be complete without talking about the national symbol – the kiwi. This very unusual flightless bird is now endangered and is only found in New Zealand. They are very difficult to see since they sleep in burrows in the daytime and feed at night by rummaging in the ground with their long beaks. The picture taken here is of a model of a kiwi taken at a rehab place in Rotoura. Here are some of the things that make this bird so unique:
· Their nostrils are at the end of the beak (so that they can smell the bugs that they eat in the ground)
· No tail and no visible wings
· Very large and powerful legs to run fast and kick predators
· Cat-like whiskers
· Very poor vision, but excellent hearing
· Have marrow on their bones
· The huge egg is about 1/3 the weight of the female. She is exhausted after laying her egg and fortunately the male does the incubation for 80 days. The female then can lay a 2nd egg in a couple of weeks, depositing it next to the 1st, and then she takes a long break to regain strength.

New Zealanders also consider themselves quite independent and unique and with pride refer to themselves as ‘kiwis’.

The last couple of days we have been gradually moving towards Auckland. We drove thru the large volcanic thermal area around Taupo and Rotoura. This is where the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ begins. There were numerous areas to visit, and we picked out 2 of them (Wai-O-Tapu & Te Puia). After seeing what they have here, we now appreciate much more the wonderful treasure that Yellowstone National Park is. The geysers, terraces, and vents here were interesting, but were small in comparison and not nearly as colorful.

In our travels we passed Lake Taupo - the largest lake in New Zealand which covers 619 Sq. km (239 sq. miles). It was formed in ~186 AD in a huge eruption that ejected pumice 50 kilometers (30 miles) in the air and it is estimated that the volcanic debris would cover all of New Zealand over 13 ft.

Today, as we near the end of our journey, we thought that we would learn more about the first people in New Zealand – the Maori people that arrived in here around 1,000 AD. So, at Te Puia in Rotoura we watched a weaving demonstration (using flax), wood carvers at work, learned about some of the Maori customs, and were entertained with some of their songs and war dances.

Fragile looking Pied Stilt wading in a small stream in the ‘Frying Pan Flat’ – a rather bleak thermal runoff area.

Champagne Pool in Wai-O-Tapu

Beautiful light blue Huka Falls in Taupo.

Lady Knox geyser in Wai-O-Tapu – New Zealand’s answer to ‘Old Faithful’ – It goes off only at 10:15 daily when they trigger it by pouring soap down the vent to break the surface tension between the cold top water and hot water underneath

Mt. Egmont & Tongariro National Parks

Beautiful tree and fern lined road into the Egmont National Park Visitor Centre. There was a dramatic change when entering the park boundaries. Outside the land had been cleared for farming and at the park boundary we seemed to enter a whole new world.

The day after arriving back on the North Island, we continued on the Surf Highway around the west coast to see the Cape Egmont lighthouse and Mt. Egmont National Park. We easily found the lighthouse and even found another one that had been recently built by a boat club (although we don’t count this as a ‘true’ lighthouse). On the way we saw some more historic water towers and drove by the Elvis Presley museum in Hawera (but it was closed and we did not get to see the large collection of memorabilia in, of all places, here in New Zealand).

In Ingelwood we enjoyed seeing numerous toys in the Fun-Ho Toy Museum. This toy company made little metal toy cars, tractors, trains, etc. They were originally made with lead and later aluminum and hand painted. Evidently, they were quite popular herein New Zealand and the company at its prime employed 200 people. Now it is down to 1 person who still makes toys out of the original moulds for special orders. Another unusual stop was in Stratford to see Romero and Juliet perform in the glockenspiel in the clock tower (the only glockenspiel here in New Zealand).

After visiting 2 visitor centres in Egmont National Park, we drove on one of those less traveled roads (the Forgotten World Highway from Stratford to Taumaruni). It was wonderful to travel along with almost no traffic on the very winding and very hilly road with 4 saddles to cross. In addition, there were just a few little communities and there was no fuel for the entire way (153 kilometers (95 miles). We even passed thru the Republic of Whangamomona and got a passport at the small hotel so that we could ‘safely pass thru’ the area. Back in 1890’s, the government wanted to move the community on the map from 1 district to another. Since the local people felt attached to their district, they protested by declaring that they were an independent republic. Even though the ‘Republic’ never really formed, they still have fun each year and celebrate their ‘independence’ day.

Last night we camped in the Tongariro National Park and were lulled to sleep by the sound of a stream flowing by. It was cooler than most nights since the camp was over 1,100 meters (3,500 ft. high). The camp was close by the semi-active volcano Mt. Ruapehu (the tallest mountain on the North Island) and just before nightfall, the skies cleared a little and we were able to get a glimpse of the top.

Mt. Taranaki (Mt. Egmont) – a dormant volcano which last erupted in 1775. Sir Edmund Hillary (the 1st one to climb Mt. Everest) climbed this mountain many times in his younger days. We were lucky to see the top because it was hidden with clouds except for a few minutes during the 2 days that we were there.

Cape Egmont Lighthouse with the local bulls wondering what we saw so fascinating about a lighthouse.

The standard method to deliver mail in residential areas is by bicycle. This seems to be such a great way to be eco-friendly – uses less fuel, no parking problems, no traffic jams, etc.). It is also a great way to keep in shape, since many of the cities are quite hilly.

Back to the North Island

One of the beautiful serene coastline views along on a South Island highway

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After leaving Christchurch, we drove along the upper eastern coastline of the South Island to Picton (where the ferry terminal is). Part of the drive is called the 'lonely road' since it follows along a winding rocky coastline and there are no towns along the way. It may be a ‘lonely’ drive but we saw seals resting on rocks, surfers riding the waves, and lots of birdlife. In Kiakoura, we thought about going out on a boat trip to see the sperm whales, but the winds were up and the

trip would have been rough. So, we not only saved some money in not going, but also did not get seasick. Maybe we can see the whales some other time.

We had mixed feelings as we were preparing to leave the South Island with so many great memories of:
· Numerous birds (including the fascinating yellow eyed and blue penguins)
· Glaciers
· Beautiful green rainforests
· Great coastlines
· Stewart Island (off the southern coast of the South Island)
· The bustling city life in Dunedin and Christchurch
· The Trans Alpine train ride from Christchurch across the Southern Alps to Greymouth on the west coast and back, and
· Millions of sheep in their paddocks

Today we showed up at the ferry in the morning only to find out that our reservation was not in their system correctly and the ferry was full. Fortunately, we could get on the next sailing in 4 hours. This turned out to be a good thing since the drizzle and fog lifted in the afternoon and we were on the nicest boat in the ferry fleet. We were also able to see an additional lighthouse in the distance (which we surely would have missed on the morning crossing). After a relatively smooth journey we landed in Wellington in late afternoon and started the drive up the western coastline of the North Island on our way eventually ending up inAuckland.

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One of the many groups of bagpipers in their colorful tartans practicing for competiton in a Christchurch park.

<- Cattle Guard highway sign


Railroad Warning highway sign ->

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Rocky coastline along the ‘lonely road' between Kiakoura and Picton.

Sometimes the path to take a photo of a lighthouse requires a little work to get there. The directions to get to the Cape Campbell lighthouse said that it was a ‘short walk’ along the beach (if the tides were right). Well, I tried to go there at high tide and these are the rocks that I had to climb over to get there. Even after getting past these it was a long walk just to get a good view. Still couldn’t get all the way to the lighthouse, but did get a good photo.

Christchurch

Cathedral in Christchurch with the beautiful millennium sculpture named “Chalice”.

After driving out to Akaroa (a city out on the Banks Peninsula that was created by 2 volcanoes) and seeing the lighthouse there, we headed to Godley Head for another lighthouse. This was one of those ‘difficult’ ones to get to. After driving on a very narrow twisting and hilly road for about 5 miles, we came to a parking lot. Then, after a tramp down a steep hill, the lighthouse could be seen on a ledge in the side of a cliff. Couldn’t get all the way to it, but found a place to see it pretty well. After tramping back to the campervan, we managed to make it back on the narrow road and into Christchurch (the 2nd largest city in New Zealand with 350,000 people).

One of the main attractions in Christchurch is the International Antarctic Centre. This is the main departure point for Antarctic activities and the visitor centre is very educational with:
· A very cold room with snow and wind to simulate what it is like being there
· A great movie with scenes from the Antarctic
· A rehabilitation centre for blue penguins (this was the big crowd pleaser)
· Displays of equipment used and what it is like living in Antarctica

The next day was a beautiful day and we boarded the Tranz Alpine train for a trip thru the Canterbury plain, up and over Arthur’s Pass in the Southern Alps down to the west coast city of Greymouth. Because the tracks were being repaired, we rode on coaches (buses) from Arthur’s Pass down to Greymouth. It turned out that this was bonus, since we got to go up and over the beautiful pass instead of going thru a long tunnel on the train. After spending an hour in Greymouth, we boarded the coaches for the return trip to Arthur’s Pass and the train ride back to Christchurch. The scenery was great and the ride was smooth, but the day was long and tiring.

Today we took the city bus into the city centre of Christchurch and rode the downtown tram and walked to see the Cathedral, art museum, Canterbury Museum, Arts Centre, and a quilt shop. We were fortunate to be in the cathedral when different singing groups were singing Christmas songs a cappella. One of the groups was the silver medalist in the world barbershop quartet completion and they were outstanding. All of the songs sounded very familiar and it seemed a little out of place for them to be singing ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ when it is almost summer here. We also got to see Father Christmas (Santa Claus) riding into town in a horse-drawn carriage.

One of the gorges seen on the roundtrip Tranz Alpine train ride from Christchurch to Greymouth and back.

Pania, one of the rescued blue penguins [with a damaged beak] that we saw at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. We could take photos here (not like in our previous update).

The Akaroa lighthouse – in Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula southeast of Christchurch.

Australian Crested Grebes – It was fascinating to watch them do their mating dance with both birds bobbing & twisting their heads & the male fluffing his head feathers to impress his lady.

Albatross & Blue Penguins

The unusual Moeraki Boulders along the seashore. These round rocks are septarian concretions which have been exposed from mudstone enclosing them by erosion. Local Morai legend is that these are the remains of eel baskets washed ashore after a large canoe wreck.


We have been heading up the east coast of the South Island during the last 3 days and have almost reached Christchurch (the largest city on the South Island). The weather the first 2 days was probably the worst we have experienced so far – fog, drizzle, hail, and rain – but today was a beautiful day as the sun came out and brightened everything.

Two days ago we started out by visiting the Royal Albatross Centre at the end of Otago Peninsula. From an enclosed viewing area we were able to see 3 or 4 of these great birds sitting on nests and 2 more soaring thru the air. We then drove to Oamaru and at dusk we were mesmerized watching over 200 small rare blue penguins come ashore for the night. What a great sight to watch them make their way from shore to their nest and waiting mate with their 2 hungry chicks demanding to be fed (at times almost pushing over the adult with the food).

Today we traveled over the flattest place in New Zealand and then back into mountains before reaching Akaroa southeast of Christchurch. We continue to see what seem like millions of sheep. At one time there were over 70 million of them here, but there are fewer now since many farmers have switched to the more profitable dairy cows

Along the way we, or course, managed to stop at 2 quilt shops and see 3 lighthouses (one which required a kilometer hike along the coast to reach it), plus see the largest jersey (sweater) in the world.

One additional note: It is pleasant to be in smoke free holday/motor camps since it seems that people can go camping here without feeling it necessary to build a fire.

A royal albatross sitting on the nest. The albatross is a very large bird (about 10 ft. wingspan) and spend most of their time circumventing the southern seas coming on land only to breed and raise their young every 2 years. After leaving the nest they fly 5 or 6 years without ever landing on land and start breeding after about 8 years.

Blue penguins. These small penguins (only 10-12 inches high) leave their mate about 4:30 in the morning and swim out about 10-15 kilometers and fish all day. They then return when it is almost dark since they feel safer then). This is a photo of a picture since they did not permit any photography at the viewing site. Photo by Len Doel.

Blue Penguin Crossing sign – We had to watch as we drove away from the viewing site since some late arriving penguins crossed the road in front of us.

Royal Spoonbill. With their spoon-shaped bills food is located by touch, so they can feed at night. They move forward sweeping with their bills to trap small fish, insects, crustaceans etc.