Thursday, December 17, 2009

the Beach & a Luau

December 6

Dad had talked about the Sunday church service on the beach so we thought we’d have a look.  First a long walk along the beach to get there.  There was lots of activity for 9:30 on a Sunday morning.

The church service had hula dancers, a very talented singer, a couple of speakers and sunbathers on the beach.

In the evening we went to Germaine’s  Luau about 45 minutes out of Waikiki – or “about 15 Hawaiian minutes” as the guide on the bus said.  Lots of good entertainment and good food.  We sat with a couple from Sydney so we also had lots of good conversation. 

And another wonderful Hawaiian sunset.

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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Honolulu

December 5 (again!)

We left Auckland on the 5th and arrived in Hawaii on the 4th – about a 9 hour flight.   It was Air New Zealand – very comfortable and they looked after us well.  Gerry liked it as it was a daylight flight, good weather and not too cloudy so at times he could see the ocean.  Didn’t arrive in Honolulu till about 9 p.m. and caught a shuttle to our hotel.  About an 1 1/2 hours later, we were the last people dropped off.

Spent Saturday walking around Waikiki just looking.  (A Starbucks on almost every corner.)  Rode on a free ‘shopping trolley’ that took us about 4 miles out of Waikiki to a touristy store.  We took it to  just see the area, but managed to find a few things that we ‘needed’ in the shop. 

Did a little grocery shopping as our hotel room has kitchen facilities but our first supper had to be at Tony Romas – not sure if it was the same one the Smiths’ & the Hawkins’ frequented in the 70’s, but it could have been and we were definitely thinking about them.  Then we wandered back towards the beach as there was a Hula Show scheduled.  By this time – 6 p.m. – it was starting to get dark so you can see some of the Christmas lights in the photos.

Saw one of those spectacular sunsets that Mom always talked about – had to walk along the beach of course!  The hula dancers and band were very entertaining and after dancing to Hawaiian music they ended the show with Christmas music.

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Leaving New Zealand

December 4 & 5

After a few last looks at Akaroa,

it was back to Christchurch.  Stopped in Cathedral Square – my first pictures hadn’t turned out that great so I got a couple more of inside the Cathedral.  This time the Christmas tree was decorated but there was no one playing the organ.

The trolley was decorated too and a grandpa was trying to explain things to his grandson and then trying (unsuccessfully) to get him to smile for a picture.  There was a band playing jazzy music in the square and they sounded a LOT better than they looked!

Our plane didn’t leave till 7:30 so we toured some more around Christchurch. Went out to the pier at Brighton where there was a fellow doing some sand art that you could really only see when on the pier.

It was very windy & cold and the water must have been really cold but there were some kite surfers out there and a few fisherman on the pier.

As we left we saw some really interesting sculptures just along the side of the road in the grass you’d have to walk through to get to the beach.  One was even a work in progress.  Turned out the art studio was across the street.

Then off to the airport car rental return and overnight in Auckland.

In the morning after standing in a queue for about 90 minutes just to check in and then in security for an hour, we finally headed off into the wild blue yonder.  (This is one airport you don’t arrive at an hour before your flight!)  Last views of the coffee selection I was quite getting used to, of Auckland, of an island (perhaps Tonga)  and of a wonderful sunset along the way…

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Thursday, December 3, 2009

Akaroa

December 3

We are just an hour away from Christchurch at a little village that was first settled by French emigrants.  Another twisty, turny road up & over and down & around a mountain or two.  (And we have o go back the same way!) 

We explored on our own this time.  Good thing it is a sleepy little town.

Then we settled in for a quiet evening first relaxing on the deck of our motel room – listening to the bubbling stream just outside the door. 

We are re-packing suitcases as it is time to fly out from Christchurch tomorrow to Auckland.   Then from Auckland to Hawaii on the 5th.

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Oamaru

December 2

That 200 km trip took all afternoon.  We stopped at several points of interest along the way.  One was the Moeraki Boulders.

We also stopped for lunch at Moeraki.  The only reason I opened the door was because the parking lot was full and the advert had said that '”bookings were essential”.

Once inside I knew all was well.  Stained glass windows, wonderful stained glass & metal artwork over the bar and a very fishy menu!  When the specials were being explained to us the hostess paused to run out to the fish shack to see if the fishermen had brought in anything different that would then be available for the menu!! Gerry had bread and dips – I had a seafood chowder that was almost too seafoody for me!!!

We checked in to a wonderful little motel – about 12 units – that was more like a B&B.  The rooms were shown to us so we could choose which we would like, there were fresh flowers on the table, a jug of water chilling in the fridge and muffins were delivered so we could have our ‘afternoon tea’.  (Stay at the Ambassador Motor Inn next time you are in Oamaru!) 

We then booked a bus tour that took us around town (complete with commentary about the historic precinct),

a view from the lookout,

then to the yellow-eyed penguin viewing area – we were quite a distance away from the sea but the penguins climb high up the banks and we were lucky enough to see several very close up (as well as a seal on the sandy beach),

and finally to the blue penguin reserve.  Here we sat & watched the penguins come in from the sea and travel up to their nesting places.  No photos were allowed here but we saw over 100 penguins come in.  They expected at least 150 (they actually counted 183) to arrive during the evening – they come to land at dusk – after spending the day out fishing.  (It is prime breeding time so they come back to land to feed the chicks.)

We went back the next day to take a few photos of the area where the penguins came up out of the sea, the little houses they were heading to and where we had been sitting to watch.

Then it was back on the road again.

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Dunedin

December 1 & 2

While Gerry was golfing in Invercargill (on the 1st) I was checking out an actual rubber stamp store!  A very important thing to do!!  Also did some internet stuff at one of my favorite places.

 09-12-01 Invercargill 004 09-12-01 Invercargill 008

If you ever get to Invercargill make sure and stay at the Surrey Court motel.  Neat and clean, friendly people and the bed was soooooo comfortable!!

Then it was time to start heading back north.  We made it as far as Dunedin, only about 200 kms but we got a late start.  We could have been travelling in the foothills of southern Alberta except for the wrong animals in the fields – sheep!

There is another Cadbury plant in Dunedin so guess where we went!  It was all set up with a Christmas display – a mountain of gold-wrapped mini bars.  This time we toured the actual factory and had to follow their safety rules re proper dress.  It was very interesting but unfortunately we couldn’t take our cameras with us.  Saw  a chocolate waterfall that was 2 floors high and dropped a ton of chocolate in about 1 minute.  We did get a photo with our favourite ‘chocolate lady’ and one with a 1919 milk truck and a 1930 delivery truck.

Then we needed to see the “World’s Steepest Street” and of course drive up, turn the wrong corner and have to back up blindly into possible traffic (absolutely no room to turn around) in order to go back down.  Needless to say I was ‘thrilled’.

A photo or two of the historic Dunedin railway station made with Oamaru rock – it’s apparently the second most photographed site in Australasia, second to the Sydney Opera House.

Then all the way down the highway to Oamaru – another trip of about 200 kms.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

One for the Guys (Doug, Rick, Fran) and Golfers

December 1

World’s Fastest Indian AND A Couple of Golf Courses

On our trip back from Milford Sound, we watched a movie starring Anthony Hopkins about a Kiwi from Invercargill – Burt Munro.  He had modified a 1922 Indian Scout motorcycle and after setting records in NZ for a number of years, he travelled to the Bonnieville Salt Flats in Utah in 1962 to attempt a world record.  He unofficially ran 201 mph.

While in Invercargill we found the original bike on display in a hardware store owned by Burt’s friend.  Burt had sold it to him so that the bike would be sure to stay in south New Zealand.

The store actually held a museum of old bikes and equipment.

For the movie they built 3 copies of the bike.  We stumbled onto one displayed in the hallway of a retail mall.  (The malls run inside between the downtown streets.)

Gerry golfed two courses in the south of the South Island.  Jack’s Point is just outside Queenstown.  It’s a new resort course & Gerry says “It’s the best course I’ve golfed in Australia or New Zealand”.  It’s right on Lake Wakatipu – the same lake that Queenstown sits on.  He was the 5th golfer out, passed the foursome in front & did the round playing two balls.

The other course was in Invercargill and is the most southerly 18-hole course in New Zealand.  This time he had to start on number 10 as it was ladies league day and he had to keep in front of the ‘girls’!

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