Songdoc’s New Zealand Trip Report: w/ Emphasis on Northland & Abel Tasman

May 7 – June 1, ‘09

Don’t faint. I was actually able to use AA Frequent flyer miles for most of this trip. But … it meant lots of changing planes—for a grand total of thirty hours from Nashville to Wellington. But the good news is that the Qantas flight from L.A. to Auckland was half empty and I was able to stretch out across three seats and sleep for nine hours. (Ambien is my friend zzzzz.)

We spent three-and-a-half weeks working throughout NZ. I’ll skip most of the details about our time in the big cities because that was mostly work related. Instead, I’ll just hit on the highlights. Bear in mind that this was our second trip to NZ and we’re lucky enough to be returning each year – so we felt no need to cram in a lot of different places and rush around to try and see everything. And ... FYI, all prices mentioned are in NZ dollars.

Because of our work schedule we started and ended in Wellington. For our first Wellington stop we stayed at the Centr@l Stratford Apt. Hotel (156 Willis). Nothing special, but quite satisfactory, well located, and a terrific value at $149/night for a one-bedroom apt including brkfst in their restaurant for one.

We enjoyed wandering Cuba Street’s funky shops, cafes, and restaurants, and watching the street entertainers; also enjoyed walking along the waterfront, admiring the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The Te Papa museum had a special exhibition of Impressionists that was wonderful. But the big surprise came when I had to drive out to Lower Hutt and Porirua for work. We stopped for a sandwich and coffee and walked along the very pretty (Paramatta) Inlet. When we’d finished working it was a short drive to the coast and I’d had no idea that there was such a beautiful coastline so close to the city. We had a perfect, sunny afternoon strolling on the beach at the Kapiti Coast.

On our return trip to Wellington, it lived up to its windy reputation and threw in a little freezing rain and hail, as well. Brrr…. This time our apartment hotel, The Southern Cross, was chosen because of its proximity to the university where I’d be teaching. It was satisfactory and a good choice for the budget traveler—but not as nice as the Centr@l Stratford. The tiny studio apartment was $115/nt, booked through wotif.com.

Our next work commitment was in Havelock North—in the Hawkes Bay area. We decided to drive from Wellington. The beginning of the trip took us through twisting mountain roads with OMG sheer drop offs. The views were beautiful—but the driving was a wee bit tense—and dark clouds were rolling in. Luckily, it didn’t start pouring until we were through the worst of the roads. We passed lots of lovely farmland nestled in gently rolling hills dotted with sheep. The long, five-hour drive—much of it in the rain--reminded us of Ireland.

Havelock North was a surprise: quite an affluent community with lots of upscale shopping and expensive restaurants clearly catering to those who visit the area to enjoy the wineries and the gourmet offerings. Our accommodations were at the Village Motel. It was a fine, basic motel – but with an in-room Jacuzzi that was wonderful after the long drive. Breakfast was served in the room. There were countless restaurants and a market within walking distance at the mall across the street.

When we were through working we took the short scenic drive to Te Mata. This was an unexpected highlight of the trip. “WOW,” hardly begins to describe the views. Unfortunately, “WOW” also describes the wind at the top of the mountain. It was so intense it was hard to keep the camera still—and that limited our hiking. But the walk that we did was absolutely spectacular and I gave my camera quite a workout.

I was a bit unclear about how one visited Cape Kidnappers. Turns out that it’s a very long drive right on the beach and it can only be done during low tides. Instead, we went as far as we could, to Clifton, where we enjoyed a very nice walk along the beach with views of the Cape in the distance. I’d have liked to see the art deco buildings before we flew out of Napier, but there was no time before we had to get to work in Auckland.

Our apartment hotel in Auckland was the Chifley Suites—a great location—where we were upgraded to a fantastic suite with harbour views from the 22nd floor. We could hardly believe this cost only $117/night. Auckland was all about work, but we did manage to enjoy a stroll on Queens Street, along the waterfront, and through Albert Park.

When we were through working in Auckland a business associate (who’s become a dear friend) organized a holiday for us to Northland. We stayed in Warkworth at her friend’s “bach” (pronounced “batch”) which is “Kiwi” for “holiday beach house.” The views were stunning and we enjoyed long walks on the beach, and lots of photo ops at nearby Tawharanui Marine Park. The little town was quaint and had some nice cafes and restaurants, as well as some very pretty views by the river. We did a quick work stop in Whangarei (pronounced “Fang-uh-RAY”) where we stopped for lunch, shopping, and a tour of the wonderful Clapham Clock museum.

As we continued north, the views just kept getting better and better.

I couldn’t imagine why our friend insisted we stop in Kawakawa to see some toilets. But the Hundertwasser toilets were indeed quite a sight! The toilets and building that encloses them are modern art-- sort of like a Miro painting come to life. Leaving the toilets, our GPS got a bit confused and insisted that we turn where there were no roads. We made a “wrong” turn that turned into one of the highlights of the trip. As we were trying to get back on course we passed a sign for Kawiti Glow-Worm Caves. I’d been disappointed that I couldn’t fit the Waitomo Caves into this itinerary—so I made a spur of the moment decision and pulled in. Even if there had been no caves, the views of the cliffs en route to the toilets was spectacular—and well worth the turn off. We began joking that we were on the “toilet tour.” The cave tour was terrific and the glow worms far exceeded expectations. It was like gazing at the night sky dotted with thousands of stars—fascinating and beautiful. But some of the best views came as we walked … towards the toilets!

Lunch at Morris & James in Matakana was especially memorable with a magical setting, pottery gallery, and very good food.

We continued on to Russell where we spent the night at the Hananui Lodge. We had a nice 1-bedroom apartment with a fold-out couch in the living room for $160 for the three of us. Lunch was sandwiches at Hansens Café - $43.50 for three; and dinner was delicious Thai - $110 for three. (But careful of the soup. We were told it was “mild,” but it tasted hot as a blow torch.)

From the hotel the views of the water were lovely and we enjoyed having our coffee on a bench overlooking the harbour. (Being a weekday and during the off-season we hadn’t made any reservations for this part of the trip.) We toured the little bullet-riddled Christ Church (1886) where a famous uprising had taken place, then continued on to the lookout for absolutely beautiful views before continuing on to Paihia, via the ferry.

After a long walk on the beach we stopped for lunch and ate outside, overlooking that beautiful harbour. The setting was so pretty we didn’t want to leave, but the goal was to stop at Hokianga; continue on to visit an ancient tree in the Kauri forest; and return to Warkworth before nightfall. You know what they say about the best laid plans …

The sun was setting by the time we reached Hokianga. The sea was rough and made for some stunning, moody views across to the sand dunes—and some great photos. But it was dark long before we reached the forest and we had hours of driving on narrow, winding roads ahead of us. We should have stayed the night in Hokianga or Paihia—but we didn’t realize how long and arduous a drive awaited us.

Northland was beautiful. The scenery’s not as dramatic as Queenstown (that we LOVED during the previous year’s trip) but very pretty and I’m glad we saw it. My only complaint is that it required so much driving—and I’m not a big fan of long road trips.

Next stop: Christchurch. I found an hour to enjoy the Botanic Gardens; other than that it was work, work, work. We stayed at the beautiful Grand Chancellor hotel close to Cathedral Square. Everything about this hotel was terrific—including the breakfast included in our rate of $160/night. Our favorite place to eat in Christchurch is the Oxford on Avon Carvery. Most patrons are older, or families, and we enjoyed chatting with the locals. The roasts (lamb, beef, pork, chicken …) were delicious and included lots of vegetables. The prices were reasonable and it felt like a quintessential, authentic NZ dining experience. We also love the enormous kebabs and Greek salads at Dimitri’s Souvlaki near Cathedral Square.

Flying out of Christchurch when we went through security we realized that they didn’t ask for any ID. When they asked the older gentleman in front of us if he had any flammable or sharp objects, he took a large, multi-blade pocket knife from his vest and said, “Please don’t take my pocket knife.” The guard replied, “No worries.” I was speechless and had no doubt that I was no longer in the U.S. of A.!

I’d been very confused about the logistics for Abel Tasman—our next stop—for five wonderful days with no work. We flew into Nelson, rented a car, and drove to Marahau. At the suggestion of the rental car agent we stopped for lunch at the Smokehouse in Mapua. As we approached, it looked like the restaurant would be nothing special, but upon entering the outdoor, covered patio we were greeted by the most stunning views across the water. It looked like we’d stepped into a painting. We started with a wonderful appetizer of olives, feta cheese, and bread. It’s a good thing that we enjoyed the view so much because it took almost an hour (after we ordered) for our sandwiches to arrive. The food was delicious—but we were eager to get on to our destination. Lunch for two was $61 with coffee—but no desserts. A bit pricey, but well worth it for the view.

The sun was sinking as we entered Marahau and we stopped at a beach for a walk. The clouds literally glowed pink. I’d never seen anything quite like it and it was incredibly beautiful. The Ocean View Chalets had been recommended on this forum and all I can say to those who suggested it is, “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!” As advised, we requested a chalet with an unobstructed view and that view practically took our breath away. It’s a basic cabin—not a five star hotel, but in a natural setting like that, I much prefer that to a fancy hotel.

We didn’t understand that one cannot drive into Abel Tasman National Park—the way one might drive through to explore Yosemite or other National Parks in the U.S. The options are to see it from the water by taking a scenic tour (via water taxi); kayaking; or by hiking. We chose options 1 & 3, walking several hours each day, marveling at the incredible vistas.

The water taxis take you to specified drop off points within the park and can pick you up at the same point, or you can hike 3 - 4 hours to the next pick-up point. Being the off season the water taxi service was limited. One day we took a 3-hour scenic tour on the water taxi ($65 NZ per person) and it was nothing short of spectacular. We went in and out of numerous coves and at one point got out of the boat to explore extraordinarily beautiful caves and rock formations. We saw lots of seals, cormorants, and other water birds along the way. Highly recommended!!!

FYI, there were no restaurants open in Marahau because of it being the off season. The closest town was Motueka and it had lots of shops and restaurants—but was a twenty minute drive—part of it on narrow, twisting mountain roads. We stocked up at a market and ate most of our meals on the deck of the cabin, hardly believing our views. Those pink clouds returned with each sunrise and sunset and we never wanted to leave this little glimpse of heaven. But we dragged ourselves away one afternoon to explore the surrounding area.

We especially enjoyed Hawkes Lookout. Continuing on we saw at sign for a café and followed it to Ngarua Caves. The walk from the parking area was beautiful and got even better when we arrived at the café. This has to be one of the most beautiful spots where I’ll ever sip a coffee. We skipped the cave but enjoyed walking in the area.

Next we headed to “Harwood’s Hole”—which could have aptly been named “Songdoc’s Mistake.” It was a very long, treacherous drive on unpaved mountain roads that seemed to go on forever. When we finally reached the end of the road it was much later than we anticipated and it seemed to be getting dark as we hiked toward the cavern. The trail (if you could call it that) was poorly marked and required hiking over boulders and climbing slippery slopes. We turned back after about 20 minutes.

Abel Tasman is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen lots of pretty places) and the views from the Ocean View Chalet made it pure magic. The crisp, cool sunny days didn’t hurt, either! But bear in mind that unless you hike or kayak, there won’t be any activities. A huge added bonus was that the stars were mind boggling. It looked as if the Milky Way had been painted across the sky—and I could view thousands of stars. At night I’d bundle up with my hat, scarf, and gloves, lie out on a bench, and stare up at the stars in utter awe.

After a return engagement in Wellington we bid NZ a fond farewell and left for Australia (a separate report). We’re in love with NZ and Abel Tasman, the area around Rotorua (visited last year), and Queenstown are probably our favorite spots.

Here’s a link to the photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=nv6hdy2.369g4aty&x=0&y=7l1y26&localeid=en_US
It was a truly wonderful trip and I’m looking forward to returning next year. Thanks to all on this forum who answered my questions. I hope this will help some others in your planning.