Part 2 of the crazy jam packed fun trip

After our slow drive through town and brief stop to admire the lake, albeit in stormy weather, we headed off to the first appointment of the trip. The meeting was at an accommodation place that was perfect and just what I was looking for. Even better, the manager was lovely and also very helpful.

I noticed during our meeting that the kitchen was large and well set out, with 4 separate work spaces and ovens.  I asked about the possibility of having a cooking class that could become dinner one night and whether there was anyone in town who ran classes. 

The manager thought for a moment and then said, Bruno!  I'm sure Bruno's wife would do that, before calling and confirming that yes indeed, Bruno's wife would be delighted to do a class and we should definitely go up and meet with them.

By this time I was thinking, great! An Italian cooking class, that should be fun. We were told the place was easy to find, just up on the main street on the left as you're heading out of town and it's called Sasanoki's.  

Well that didn't sound very Italian like, however, off we went to Sasanoki's and of course, there was nothing Italian about a Japanese restaurant! Needless to say, Bruno wasn't Italian either. However, Bruno is a great chef and the food is absolutely delicious. If you're ever in Wanaka, I recommend paying them a visit.

The Wanaka Agricultural and Pastoral Show was also on that weekend and is apparently a big draw card for the region running over the Friday/Saturday. Our line of thinking was to check out the show on Saturday evening, see some of the horse events and enjoy a wander. I had another couple of meetings in the morning and we wanted to do a little sightseeing so it made sense to do the A & P Show in the evening. You know, cram as much in as possible!

I realised that first night in Wanaka that the diary I'd offloaded at the airport had all the contact details for these next meetings.  Names, phone numbers, you name it... all in the diary in the boot of my car at Gold Coast Airport!  Right next to the little notepad thingy, so we were completely technology free.  I sincerely hoped no one had tried contacting me to change anything!

Our next meeting was over breakfast at a place called the Urban Grind. Thankfully the person I was meeting with turned up and again was lovely and ever so helpful.  Breakfast at the Urban Grind is great and their hot chocolate comes with a stick of Whitman's chocolate. Perfect for the chocoholic!  

By late morning, we had both scheduled meetings done and dusted so the time was ours for exploring. We decided to head towards Queenstown via Cromwell and return via the Crown Range and Cardrona.

There always seems to be wildflowers growing along the Cromwell road in places, particularly the beautiful Californian Poppies. We stopped to have a look at Lake Dunstan and of course, pick a couple of wildflowers. I had the grand idea of pressing a couple in my diary.

A little further along and we came to the Roaring Meg, the turbulent stream that drives the hydro electric power station and merges with the Kawarua River. 

We did bit of a drive through in Queenstown, however, Queenstown always seems to be busy and it can be difficult to find parking.  So we basically used it as the loop to head back onto the Crown range road, with a stop in a little place called Arrowtown.

Arrowtown is like taking a step back in time. It's a very touristy little town, however, it's quaint with it's older buildings. It was a gold mining area, so there are a few shops that sell gold in the main street and there's also an old fashioned sweet shop that sells locally made fudge.  

Arrowtown has the backdrop of the mountains and tree lined streets, so is quite picturesque. We stopped at a little pub in the main street for lunch and it was no hardship to enjoy the scenery while we relaxed.

With a spot of shopping and lunch done, we were back on our way. One of my favourite parts of the Crown Range drive is the hairpin bends located at the Arrowtown end of the range. They're like a zigzag with their tight bends and are impressive to look back on from the viewing point.  

It's quite a mountainous area and for me, was a little disconcerting to see a plane flying between the mountains towards Queenstown. You can just make out the plane in the centre of the second pic below.

If you look closely in this next photo, you can see the Queenstown airport runway in about the centre of the pic, just in front of the lake! This pic was taken from a lookout at the top of the Crown Range, where the views are incredible.

The Crown Range road is the highest road in NZ and it reaches an altitude of 1121 metres. During winter time it's often covered in snow and ice, so can be quite a treacherous drive. While the distance is shorter than going via Cromwell, the driving time is a little longer due to the range and it takes a little over an hour in good driving conditions.

We were probably three quarters of the way back to Wanaka when the fuel light came on in the car. I suddenly realised that we'd driven from Christchurch to Wanaka, checked out Wanaka, then driven to Queenstown and almost back again on one tank of fuel!! 

I knew the township of Cardrona was coming up, but couldn't recall whether there was a fuel station. My gut feeling was there wasn't but one can live in hope. We stopped and I went into the local pub (it was about the only thing open) to check on the fuel station status and as thought, there was none. 

The guy was somewhat amused and reassured me we were only about 20 kms out of Wanaka and it was a downhill drive most of the way. We managed to get back and I'm sure the car sniffed it's way into the first fuel station we saw.

That done, we decided to take a look at the Clutha River which you cross as you come into town. Again, the scenery is lovely and the river is fast flowing.

By this time it was getting late in the day, so we figured it was high time we went and checked out the show. I thought there was also a rodeo on at nearby Lake Hawea, however, this is where is pays to read all the info about events. We discovered the show ran from 8am - 5pm both days! So we turned up in time to see it closing. Talk about disappointment.

It was just on sunset when we were in Lake Hawea and I have to say that mother nature turned it on for us.  The sunset colours were stunning! My trusty little camera did not do justice to the sunset at all, however, you do get bit of an idea.

Our change of plans gave us the opportunity to sample more of the fine cuisine Wanaka has to offer. This time we tried the Spice Room. The place was packed, always a good sign and once again, the food was fantastic. 

We rounded off our evening with dessert and a drink at one of the local places overlooking the lake. There are a few restaurants and pubs opposite the lake front and the atmosphere is always great.  

We had a rather early start the next morning as our flight left mid-afternoon, meaning we had to check in by early afternoon. We left when it wasn't quite light and somehow, I managed to miss the turn off. I'm still not quite sure how I managed that, but I did and we had gone about half an hour out of our way before I realised that something wasn't right. So of course we had to back track and start over basically. 

Our trip back was fairly straight forward with only a couple of quick stops for photo's. I can't help myself! I have to soak up every moment of this beautiful country. Both these next pics were taken at Lake Pukaki, just before Tekapo.

Despite almost running out of fuel again, (something I never do yet did twice in one trip!) we made it to Christchurch just on time. We'd certainly made the most of our 63 hours in NZ, 36 of which were in Wanaka. Business, pleasure and sightseeing all rolled into one.

A crazy jam packed short but ever so much fun road trip

Hello dear reader! I was going to continue with the my adventures in the North Island, however, I've decided to share about a whirlwind trip I had with a dear friend of mine as bit of a 'pick me up'.

There have been some life challenges for me recently and I'm experiencing a deep sadness. As a result, I'm finding myself with an intense longing to run away to Wanaka.  Alas, I'm unable to go there at the moment, so instead I will share about this crazy funny trip I had with my friend.

A few years ago, I starting running women's retreats and I dearly wanted to host one in Wanaka, my favourite place in the whole wide world. (I may or may not have already mentioned that in a previous post or two!)

Because I'd fallen in love with Wanaka and I could see it becoming my go to place for time out, I wanted to share this little piece of paradise where I found peace and replenishment for my soul.  

I wanted to share it with other women who were needing a window of opportunity to have a break from their day to day life and do some self care. 

Wanaka is a place where you can relax, enjoy and do as much or as little as you want and lends itself well to people needing some wind down time. 

So I started making enquiries and exploring the possibilities for the retreat. My plans were coming along well and I decided it would be of benefit to have a quick trip over to meet with some of the people I was making arrangements with around accommodation, food, activities etc.  

I mentioned to my friend that I was going to do a quick trip over and asked would she like to join me. She initially said no, but then a week before my trip, she changed her mind and decided to come along. 

Well needless to say that set the scene for seeing how much we could jam pack into one weekend! 

We flew out of the Gold Coast to Christchurch. After we managed to make it through check in and security that is! We were just travelling with carry on luggage and unfortunately, mine was slightly overweight so it was a quick trip back to the car to ditch the little tablet sized computer, my diary and my book. 

Back in, had my bag re-weighed and I was good to go. We got to security and my friend had packed a large bottle of shampoo, plus some type of vitamin powder in a larger sized tub - opened of course. After a few cheeky words to security about how dodgy she looked, she was allowed through sans the shampoo (they took pity on here with the vitamin supplement because it had only just been opened) and we were on our way.

Our flight left late afternoon and arrived after 11 pm in Christchurch. Given I rarely eat before I fly (long story but not a fan of flying), I was hungry by the time we arrived and was very grateful there was an airport cafe about to close that I was able to get a delicious little chicken and camembert quiche. My friend on the other hand, doesn't have the no food while flying policy, so wasn't hungry and was basically too tired to eat.

By the time we arrived at our motel, it was almost midnight and the quiche went down with a fair bit of over tired giggle and chatter. Both of us were dog tired, but ended up chatting for at least another hour before we finally settled. Like a pair of teenage girls who hadn't seen each other for 2 days, rather than the women slightly older than teenagers that we were who had just spent the last 8-10 hours in each other's company.

We had an early-ish start to pick up a hire car the next morning at 8 am and had a 5 hour drive ahead of us to Wanaka. There was a bit of mucking around at the car hire company because for the first time ever, I went with a mob I didn't know and I hadn't read their fine print.  Meaning, they weren't located at the airport and they had a larger than expected deposit charge which meant I was now travelling on a much smaller budget than anticipated for the weekend!

Eventually we were on the road and it wasn't too long before the worms were biting, so we found a little cafe in Ashburton to have breakfast. I can't recall the name of the place now, but they did a delicious breakfast and had some of the grandest toilets I've seen in a little cafe.

Back in the car and a bit further down the road we turned off to head west to Wanaka.  There's a quaint little place called Geraldine where there were some of the biggest pigs I'd ever seen in a paddock. Meanwhile, my travelling companion had drifted off to sleep! Can you believe that? Sheesh!  

Never mind though, I managed to wake her when we rounded a bend and saw snow on the mountains. I can't say it was a lot of snow and I certainly wasn't expecting to see any given it was March, however, snow is snow and I still find it exciting.  So of course, we had to stop, get out of the car and take pics.

Back in the car again and I can't recall whether I managed to keep her awake with chatter until we got to Lake Tekapo, however, it was a place we had to stop because the views are simply worth it.

We spent a good half hour or so exploring, having a look through the little Church of the Good Shepherd and walking down towards the water front, taking pics of everything. Well that would have been me because I always seem to have my camera in hand!

As mentioned in a previous post, the view from the window above the altar is spectacular and inside the church itself is only 11 pews. Very quaint and also very beautiful.

The waters of the lake are crystal clear and the pics here don't do justice to the colour of the water.

Back on the road again and it wasn't long before my friend was nodding off and I was wanting to stop and show her the next lake. She indulged me with a reminder that we had to stop stopping if I wanted to make Wanaka in time for my first 3.30 pm appointment. Ha! No worries, of course we'll get there in time I said.

A little further along and another quick stop (or was it a slow down? I think it was a stop) to look at the Clay Cliffs on the Omarama Lindis Pass. 

Another reminder ensued that I really must stop stopping! I could see time was moving along and indeed, my friend was right. We still had a little way to go so any further stops needed to be just a slow down rather than a stop, otherwise we would be late.

I believe there may have been one or two more slow downs before we finally made it into Wanaka on time and with 10 minutes to spare before my first appointment! Of course, with 10 minutes to spare we had time for a quick lake pic before our meet and greet. 

Although we had arrived in cloudy breezy weather, as we drove into Wanaka my friend said she could see what my attraction to this little place was and that it was just me all over.  Of course, that gave me a smile and shiney eyes for a brief moment.

Well it seems this tale needs to be told in two parts, otherwise this post will have chapters! 

Lake Taupo

The drive to Taupo became exciting when I caught my first glimpse of snow-capped mountains. That type of view never fails to get to me and put a silly smile on my face! Taupo is built around the lake and has a population of 32 907, much bigger than that of Wanaka with its 6471. Taupo is picturesque, very tourist-y, but still very nice.

After getting settled where I was staying the night, complete with a herbal tea and friendly chat with the receptionist, I went for a drive to Huka Falls. They are very impressive both in colour, size, the speed at which they flow and the sheer amount of water in them. Took lots of pics and even a few video clips!

The place I stayed had little individual spa type pools for each room that you fill with geo-thermal spring water. It comes out piping hot straight from the bore so you have to make sure you put cold water with it. It sure was nice to sit and relax in that for a little while! You can’t put any soapy stuff in there, just the water and I wasn’t sure how it would go when it was cool outside, but it was very nice and relaxing.  

I was grateful to get a better sleep that night. Perhaps the soak in the hot tub and the hot chocolate I had before bed helped! I was still wishing I’d done the Redwood Forest walk the afternoon before and it turned out to be the big regret of the trip. Ah well, I only had myself to blame for that one! 

I was feeling a little blah that morning so decided to treat myself to eggs bene for breakfast before going on a lake cruise to see the Maori carvings. I had enough time after breakfast before the lake cruise to go to the post office to post some cards home and to buy a new suitcase, similar size or slightly smaller than I have now. 

A heavy backpack and heavy suitcase while carrying a heavy jacket is a pain. I had an allowance with my flights for 2 suitcases, so figured I’d get something that would fit everything else in and then just check it all through.

The case was kinda cute and heavily discounted so I got lucky with that one. It also had a 10 year warranty, so is obviously (or is that hopefully?) a decent brand.  It proved to make things much easier for the remainder of this trip. 

I was thinking I’d packed too much, but I used pretty much everything I brought with me. This trip was in cooler weather to when I usually travel and I had to allow enough to get me by without being able to wash for 4-5 days at a time.

Anyways, back to the cruise. Lake Taupo is beautiful and the weather was gorgeous that particular morning, albeit a tad crisp out on the bow of the boat. Needless to say, I didn’t stay out there too long! I love being out on the water and normally I would be out there for most of the time, however, the wind and the weather was just a little too brisk even for me so I came back inside and had a cup of tea and bikkies instead. The hostie kept coming by to check on me and chat, I think she was concerned I was travelling alone and even asked was I ok at one stage.

We had the company of a few cheeky ducks for some of the cruise who like to join the boat for any bread that may be lurking on board. 

The Maori carvings can only be reached by boat or kayak and were completed in 1980 by 4 artists over a period of 4 years. They are spectacular pieces of artwork and each has it's own story and meaning.  Very interesting and being a beautiful clear day meant plenty of photo's were taken while enjoying the sights from different angles.

The lake itself was so clear it looked like you could see the bottom in places. The skipper asked whether anyone had gone on a cruise further north and gone through the hole in the rock. He said he couldn’t offer the same thing here, but there were two rocks close together (near the carvings) and he could go through the rocks, which was kind of similar and rather amusing. 

The cruise took two hours and covered just a tiny portion of the lake which is absolutely massive and is the largest in NZ. If you have the time and the opportunity, it makes for a nice morning out on the water.

Te Awamutu and a teeny tiny peek at Rotorua

Te Awamutu is about a half an hour drive from Waitomo and is a quiet picturesque little township.  I stayed on the outskirts of town at a place called the School House, which is set in a country area and the drive way is tree lined with beautiful gardens all around.  

It used to be the Mangapiko School from 1880 - 1939 until it was moved to its current site in 1976.  It's been beautifully refurbished and has some of the original school photo's and documents adorning the walls. The School House has been open for accommodation since Oct 2015 and makes a perfect quiet get away.

It had all those special little touches, fresh flowers on the table and in the bathroom, seriously delicious home-made afghan biscuits in a jar, a fresh loaf of bread and a litre of milk in the fridge, along with butter, jam, milo, tea, coffee etc.

The place is very roomy and is fully self-contained. I wished I’d booked 2 or 3 nights here at least.  This is one place I’ll definitely have to re-visit!

I’d wanted to see the Marakopa Falls after visiting Waitomo Caves the day before but clean forgot about them when I came out of the caves!  I was almost at Te Awamutu before I remembered and as it was getting towards late afternoon, I decided to leave it for the next day. 

The next morning, I set off to the i-Site to get some information on Marokopa Falls and realised it was going to be an hour's drive in the opposite direction to where I was heading that day, so the Marakopa Falls have also been added to the to do list for the next trip to the North Island. 

Instead, I headed off to Matamata with the intention of checking out the Hobbiton Movie Set. I arrived at the i-Site where you book tickets and catch the bus to the set and found there were a bunch of tourists with the same idea. I realised I wasn’t wanting to be around that many people, so changed my mind again and headed for Rotorua – a place I hadn’t planned to go at all!

I decided to visit the Buried Village located 15 minutes out of Rotorua City. Along the way, I stopped at the Blue and Green Lakes to take some pics. I couldn’t see a great deal of difference in the lakes from where I was looking, however, the different colours are due to the different minerals found there.

The Buried Village is an historical site of a volcanic eruption in 1886 where the Te Wairoa Village was buried in mud and approximately 153 lives were lost. There have been some archaeological digs at the site during the 1900’s and artifacts have been collected to go with the stories told at the time.

There is a tea room, a museum and a walk you can do at the site to learn more of the history. I was in the museum part of the village reading some of the stories when I realised I had tears were rolling down my face. I think reading the stories of different local people at the time while seeing some of the artifacts that included a baby's cot, clothing, shoes, household items and bottles from the local tavern at the time really brought home to me the scale of the disaster.  Many of the items still have some of the petrified mud on them.

I figured it was a good time to do the walk that takes you around the site. I was the only person there, so that worked well for me. The walk includes plaques with letters between an English woman, who had been living in the area with her husband at the time, and different members of her family. The walk winds it's way around the site and it's gardens, with the last part meandering alongside a trout stream. There is seating along the way and it's a beautiful spot to sit and reflect.

After leaving the Buried Village and heading back into Rotorua, I stopped at the Redwood Forest.  The forest is incredible and the trees are magnificent and so very beautiful. I went for a short walk and took some pics, however, the pics just don’t do it justice!

I was about to leave when I noticed there was an i-site so went in to have a look and get some more info. There is a tall trees walk you can do for $20 that takes about an hour. I was soooo tempted and not going has been one of my big regrets from this trip, however, it was already after 2.30pm, I was feeling really tired at the time and I had a little over an hour’s drive ahead of me to Taupo where I was booked to stay the night.

Once again, I did think about back-tracking the next day, but it was approx. an hour to go back, then almost 3 hours from Rotorua to Hastings and I decided I’d rather not have another long day driving given I’ve driven a lot the past few days and the day following was going to be a big one. 

So this beautiful Redwood Forest gives me another reason to return and yes, I definitely should have done the walk while I was there!

Auckland to Whitianga to Waitomo

After having a night on beautiful Waiheke Island, catching the ferry back to the mainland, then a shuttle bus back to the international airport departures and hoofing it up to arrivals, I was able to pick up the small 4WD vehicle I'd booked. They said they'd upgraded me free of charge and this vehicle had a GPS in it, for which I was eternally grateful only a short time later!

There was bit of a problem with my booking because I'd planned to take the vehicle on the Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton in the South Island. Despite me looking for information on this prior to booking, I couldn't find that info anywhere. I later realised it was in the fine print on my ferry booking rather than the hire car company.

They'd completely changed all the drop off/pick up dates of my booking which took some sorting out and negotiation, however, eventually I was able to set off to the car park to find this vehicle they'd upgraded me to. 

I wandered around until I found the car space, thought nope, that can't be right, walked a bit further and realised I needed to go back to where I was and what do you know, they've upgraded me to a flippin’ great big new-ish (10000 kms on the clock) Landcruiser Prado!! And it was one of those press button start jobs that you almost need a degree to drive.  

It took me an embarrassingly long while to figure out the GPS and even then I didn’t have it quite right as it stubbornly refused to talk to me and give me the directions I was seeking.

I figured I’d bravely set off anyway as the girl at the car hire agency had told me which highway I needed to be on. After a near miss and a couple of laps of the car park, I was on finally my way. I got down to the intersection and had a choice to make.  Fairly quickly too it seemed. Left or right. Shoot! Hmm I’ll choose left as I'm pretty sure I need to head north. 

Alas, it was the wrong direction! And it wasn’t until I got to another left or right type of intersection after some 15 minutes of driving, that I figured out the GPS while sitting at lights. A few turns and I realised I’d been going in the opposite direction to where I should have been going!

When I was about half way to Whitianga, I thought I should put in the full address and then discovered it didn’t recognise the road name so I figured it could be an interesting afternoon. I knew the place wasn’t quite in Whitianga and Hot Water Beach was part of the address (or something of the sort) but wasn’t sure if you turned off in that direction. I decided to keep going and would ask someone if I got completely lost. I figured if I got to Whitianga, someone would surely know.

Somewhere along the way, I noticed a look out type of place with some gorgeous coastal views. I pulled in and was at the back of the car getting my camera out when I heard a semi-trailer coming around the bend. It seemed to be slowing down a little, but I didn’t take too much notice until it sounded really close and I realised just as the horn went that it was pulling in next to me.  

The beeping of the horn just about made me jump out of my skin but I was more amused to see a young blonde girl at the wheel.  She looked about 25 if that and was driving a b-double! She had a great big grin on her face so was clearly also amused at the fact I'd jumped when she'd blown the horn.

Back on the road again, I’d passed the sign for Hot Water Beach and was just at the point where I was wondering if I should have turned off, when I came across the road I needed to turn into. Kapowai Road which also happens to be a dirt road. I found the place a little way along and it’s a gorgeous farm house type of stay with plenty of animals about to entertain you. 

I met Justin (his wife is Fiona and she was busy sorting kids out), he suggested I get supplies in Whitianga and also recommended a few places that might be good to eat.  Of course I had to take a few pics first before heading into Whitianga.  

While I was there I went and found the skipper of the Cathedral Cove Cruises, as I was hoping to do the condensed tour in the morning. It was one of the few things I really wanted to do on this trip. I got it all sorted and was going to be having another bright and early start the next day.

I found some fish and calamari as you do when you're by the seaside and had another early dinner down by the bay. I sat on the end of a seat that had a memorial plaque on it for a much loved local to eat my dinner and take a few pics before driving back to where I was staying. I was back in time for a wander and some communing with the animals. It was such a restful relaxing peaceful place.  And no phone (if you had one with you) or wifi access – yay! Such a bonus when it ensures you switch off.  

I woke the next morning to rain, so that didn’t look promising for the cruise I was hoping to go on.  Still, being optimistic I got up and organised early, in plenty of time to make the 20 minute drive to meet the boat. Of course, despite my optimism, the cruise was cancelled due to the weather conditions. Ah well, plan b!

Found a bakery and bought some wicked goodness for breakfast before getting on my way. I took a leisurely drive to Waitomo with a few stops along the way. The countryside is so lush and green, rolling green hills all around. I saw a few places along the way with woolly alpaca’s. They always look kinda cute.

I have to say I was very glad of the car’s navigational system. Without it, I’d have been lost on this trip. I must admit I did wonder where it was taking me when I went through Mystery Creek because it seemed a little off the beaten track, however, it was just bypassing the middle of Hamilton.

I probably spent 3-4 hours driving (more than the time it should have taken me to get here due to stops) and I decided to go to Waitomo Caves as the car hire company I was with had bit of a thing going with them. If you present your keyring then you get into the caves for free, saving the $49 entry fee. Sometimes it's the little things!

This was the 4^th time I’d seen Glow Worm Caves, the others have been at Mt Tamborine on the Gold Coast, Hastings Caves in Tasmania and the caves at Te Anau in the South Island of NZ. 

The particular cave I was in went 14 metres below the surface and as always, was beautiful inside. I have to say the glow worm grotto in this cave was incredible. So many glow worms! It looked a little like a very starry night sky. You could even see some of the lines they drop in an earlier part of the cave. 

The walk in and out of the Waitomo Cave isn’t as strenuous as some of the others I’ve been in, so that was a pleasant surprise. I think this cave would be my favourite of the glow worm caves I've visited. Next stop Te Awamutu!

Taking a peek in the North Island

I decided last year it was time to take a peek in the North Island, given I'd seen so much of the South Island.  I had a week in the North (before having a week in the South as well) and there are a few places I'd like to visit again. Needless to say, there was plenty I didn't see, so lots of reasons right there to go back again someday! 

You will notice this part of the blog is a bit chattier - it helps that I'd kept bit of a travel journal on this last trip which makes it so much easier when it comes to blogging material than relying on my foggy memory!!

I had a very bright and early start to the day, having to be at the airport by 4.30 am. The flight from Brisbane to Auckland was just 2 hours 20 minutes. I have to admit I enjoyed a moment of quiet amusement when the guy next to me asked for a chai latte as the air stewards came through the cabin with the tea/coffee cart. He obviously knows a good thing but I'm guessing he may not travel much.  

After you've disembarked, you come through the arrivals (I can’t recall if it was before or after customs) and there is a beautiful carved Maori welcoming archway as you go through the walkway. Such a lovely cultural greeting to walk through.

I'd decided to stay on Waiheke Island for my first night - one of my big mistakes was only booking one night! And the second mistake was not hiring a vehicle on the island. Going from Auckland airport to Waiheke Island by public transport is time consuming, but also a good way to make you consciously slow down.

I managed to find the sky bus from the airport to the city (no small feat for one who can be somewhat navigationally challenged at times!), then took the shuttle bus to as close to the ferry as it could go, followed by a 5 minute walk. All of that took about an hour or so, then I had a half hour wait for the ferry and a 35 minute ferry ride over to Waiheke Island. On arrival, I jumped on another island bus which then was a 10 minute ride to where I was staying.  

I think it was just over 3 hours from when I landed until I got to where I was staying for the night. I stayed at a little place called the Courtyard in Oneroa and found Jilly the owner to be absolutely lovely! She also had a beautiful scented garden with freesias and lavender in bloom which added to the charm of the place.

After I settled, I caught a cab up to the shops, then wandered about uphill and down dale (very hilly place) and had an early dinner at the Red Crab Thai as recommended by Jilly which was delicious! 

I went to catch a cab back and was joined by two young men who were married just 2 days before and were still celebrating. They were slightly drunk and ever so funny. They were cracking themselves up as well as me, and eventually the cabbie showed some amusement too. 

It was agreed to share the cab because my drop off was on the way to the next pub they were heading to (I think it may have been the long way round but anyway). They wouldn’t let me pay for my part of the fare, thanked me profusely for sharing my cab and said I was a very nice lady.  

After a good sleep and an early morning walk, I was wishing I’d booked more time on the island so it's definitely on the 'to do again list'! Alas, an extra night wasn't to be on this trip, instead I left where I was staying and lugged my bags up the hill to wait for the next bus. Talk about a mini work out! 

I managed to catch the right bus (always a bonus!) back to the ferry which was just arriving as we pulled in. It was a glorious morning to sit out on the deck and simply enjoy the water and the sunshine.  

There was another round of exercise when I got off the ferry as I was unable to find where the shuttle to the Sky Bus left from.  I was ‘helped’ by a homeless guy who said I was on the wrong side of the road for the airport and sent me to the stop across the road that I found out was no longer in use.  

I asked another bloke who talked a lot but essentially didn’t know where to go except a long way from here. I started walking back in the direction of the ferry and saw two other women on the other side of the road asking someone, so I went across and joined them. Together we walked another block and a half of the turn left part of the instructions, then left again and down to the end of that laneway, then cross the road to find I was almost back where I started (only half a block) and we'd finally found the stop. Yay! Who said exercise doesn't happen on holidays?

The bus driver was a Sikh gentleman and was absolutely hilarious as well as very helpful. He got off the bus and greeted each person individually, put their luggage in the racks, made a joke about the heavier suitcases and made sure everyone was settled on the bus before he took off. We’d been driving a little while and were at traffic lights when he noticed a guy on the other side of the road with luggage and called out the window, ‘can I help you mate?’ Not quite sure how we was going to do that though, but he gave him some directions and off we went again.

Just before we got to the Sky Bus terminal, the bus driver got on the microphone to explain we were almost at the terminal where we would get off his bus and onto the Sky Bus one. He wished us all a great day and thanked us for travelling with Sky Bus, before saying he would help us get our luggage off again. Meanwhile, he was cracking jokes again with half the passengers as they got off. He even got on the Sky Bus to help load our luggage on while the Sky Bus driver took the tickets. I think it was the most entertaining bus ride I've ever had!

I eventually got back to the international airport and of course was dropped off at the departure gate, so had to hoof it to the arrivals to pick up my hire car. The rest of that story next time! In the meantime, enjoy a couple of pics from Waiheke Island.

Wanaka! My favourite place...

I'd seen photo's of Wanaka before I ever visited and had a strong urge to go there for a couple of years before I eventually made that first trip. I had a feeling that this place would resonate with me like Tasmania does. 

I was wrong. While I love Tasmania for many reasons and believe I could easily live there should I ever choose to do so, there was something else altogether about Wanaka. It was like coming home. 

I fell deeply in love with this place the very first time I visited. I had almost a week there and was nowhere near ready to go home when the time came. I immediately started dreaming about my next trip.

The next trip was a very quick one about 18 months later and a friend came with me. I still remember what she said to me when we drove into Wanaka towards the lake. 'Oh M, this place is so you! I can see why you love it'.  

My love for Wanaka has grown deeper with each visit and I find it harder and harder to leave. My two youngest sons have visited in their travels of NZ and both have commented that they can see the appeal it has for me.

So what is it about Wanaka? The scenery is stunning. The lake set against the back drop of the mountains that are snow capped during the cooler months, the cherry blossoms and lupins growing wild around the lake in spring and the changing colour of the autumn leaves means there is always beauty to be found in the landscape. 

The town is not a big one, although it has many visitors who come to enjoy the lake in the summer and the skiing in the winter. There are plenty of excellent restaurants with different cuisines to choose from and I would think there is something to suit every taste.

The place just has a nice feel about it. The locals are friendly and are happy to engage you in conversation. There are plenty of things you can do and see without it costing you the earth, including some of the quirkier things like Cinema Paradiso which is an experience not to be missed, Puzzling World which will change the way you look at things and the Transport and Toy Museum which hosts one of the largest private collections in the world.

If you're into skiing, you have choices when it comes to snowfields.  In Wanaka, there is Treble Cone where you have the largest ski area in the South Island.  About 25 kms away you will find Cardrona and about an hour or so away, there is Coronet Peak which is closest to Queenstown and The Remarkables.

For those who don't ski but are keen to see the snow and the views, Treble Cone introduced a scenic chair lift ride in 2016 where for $20 NZ, you can go up on the chair lift to the outdoor cafe and have a hot chocolate while you soak up the views. For another $7, you can add a slice of pizza which is more like a quarter of a pizza than a slice. The views are spectacular and it's a fun thing to do.

Given I've had a few trips to Wanaka, I'll space my Wanaka posts out a little as there is way too much for one post and you may get sick of me rambling!  Here are a few pics to enjoy.