New Zealand Holiday - Week 4 - Paraparaumu, Wellington, Blenheim and Motueka - 17th February to 24th February
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Heading for Wellington and the South Island.
Seatoun Coastal Tour
Highway One took us Southward from Wanganui. The morning's highlight was a coffee break in the lively town of Foxton at the delightful Robert Harris Cafe The young lady who took our order, seemingly around ten years old, was remarkably efficient. The patrons were all locals with many wearing sporting gear, giving us the impression that Foxton is a town enthusiastic about sports?
Kapiti Coast
Next stop, the challenging-to-pronounce Paraparaumu. It was our first time using Airbnb, and our initial experience in Raumati South was extremely positive, thanks to Ngahuia. Our very comfortable property was in the front garden of a house in a quiet residential road. We even extended our stay as it was so nice. We had planned to take a boat to Kapiti Island, but the forecast of rain and gales made us reconsider. This was the first bout of bad weather on our trip. With Wellington just a short drive away, we decided to pay a visit to the NZ Capital. We had attempted to travel there by train but it was out of service on the day for line maintenance. The city's hustle and bustle was a stark contrast to the tranquil towns we'd visited up north. We struggled terribly to pay for our Car Park. Too complicated for us but eventually the machine gave up arguing and was happy with our $40. We had not done any preparation so we just wandered around for a while. When in doubt though, it's always wise to head upwards, at the least the view will be good. So we took the Cable Car from Lambton Quay to Kelburn, enjoyed another leisurely stroll through the Botanic Gardens, had lunch at the top of the Cable Car, and then walked back down. We continued to explore the city, which was enjoyable, though quite exhausting. Overall, it was a fascinating excursion, but we found ourselves favoring the quiet towns and countryside over the bustling city with its parking and traffic issues.
Paraparaumu - view to Kapiti Island
Baah Humbug
Wellington - a mix of old and new
TW at the top of the Cable Car
A weary traveller
Cable Car this way
The Beehive - Government Building
The Ngā Manu Bird Sanctuary at Waikanae offered an interesting outing from Raumati South. We chose the guided tour and we were taken by our knowledgeable guide into the cages. TW had a Kaka perch on her head, an unwelcome event from her perspective. Feeding the Mallards turned out to be a riskier endeavour, more fitting for Queenstown the adventure capital of the world. Oh, and we saw a Kiwi! There's a red light area in the Sanctuary where a little Kiwi lives. It's red because Kiwi's are nocturnal. Our sighting was of its rear end as it hid up what looked like a drain pipe!
We discovered a charming pub by the coast in Paraparaumu, named the Waterfront. Cloudy IPA is the local favorite, and I've acquired a liking for it.
Paraparaumu is a thriving area, presumably with many people commuting into Wellington?
Nice road from Paraparaumu to Wellington
Naga Manu - the Birdman feeds the Mallards
Kereru - NZ Pigeon
Kaka
On your head be it!
Kea
Kapiti Island
Seatoun
Our original intention was to fly from Wellington to Nelson but Car Hire in the South was mega expensive so we hatched a cunning plan wherby we would keep our North Island Car and take it on the Ferry to Picton. TW would still fly from Wellington to Blenheim and I would join her there. We looked for somewhere to stay near the Airport and luckily hit upon the beautiful suburb of Seatoun. It was only a short drive through the tunnel from Wellington but it was a whole world away. It really was a beautiful area. We walked into town and had a decent meal in the evening at Little Sprig. Have to say the Wellington area was the biggest surprise of the trip. Much nicer than we had expected although we did get decent weather which always helps.
Sleepy Seatoun
Scorch O Rama Coffee Stop on our walk along the Coast near Scorching Bay
Seatoun wandering - Scorching Bay
Walking on Water in Wellington
I think this means wear a DJ after dark?
TW on the Coast near Wellington
Surf Beach near Wellington
Wellington to Picton
Ferry to the Mainland
A fellow passenger
Loaded up
Crossing Cook Strait
In the Sound
Picton Arrival
I dropped TW off at Wellington Airport early in the morning. She had a good flight over to Blenheim on Air New Zealand.
The voyage over on the boat was also happily uneventful. Lots to see on the way as we exited Wellington. I talked to a friendly HR Lady. Her job is to sail on the Ferry Boats to check that the crew are happy. We saw a seal in the water. She recommended we go to Salisbury Falls when we were in Collingwood.
The Cook Strait was very calm and the Sounds are beautiful. It's only a short drive from Picton to Blenheim, about 30 mins and there I met up at The Nest our new Airbnb just outside the town. It had a lovely rural setting with sheep grazing in front and vines to the side. The owners dog made regular visits to our nice shed to check we were OK. We were supplied with treats to give the dog, that could be why its friendly maybe?
Marlborough is a big wine growing area and vines are growing everywhere. Many vineyards operate wine tours and we stopped at Villa Maria, a popular name in UK. We had opted for a bike ride along the river and through the vines on rented bikes from Blenheim. We had a great day but it was mighty hot. They had a severe drought and the ground was absolutely parched. We hoped they would get rain soon but ideally after our visit. Blenheim is a busy town, lots of shops and a good base for visiting the area.
The Nest - Our home near Blenheim
Our peaceful Paddock
TW takes to the cycle path
A taste of Austria near Blenheim
One of each please
Out in the vines
Biking is best
Many of the Vineyards have quite posh Restaurants with meals to accompany their wine tasting . We stopped at the rather smart Wither Hills Winery. We considered having lunch but it looked far too formal and smart for us. We had earlier been recommended to go to a local Pie Shop so we pressed on and found it just up the road. Burleigh Pies claim to be world famous in Blenheim whatever that means. Yummy pies though. We made the right choice.
Just love a nice Pie
Motueka
Walking in Motueka
We had accommodation booked in Motueka so we had to tear ourselves away from Blenheim and head West towards Nelson. On the way we stopped at Havelock, a small roadside town but also the base for mussel farming and cruising on the Pelorus Sound. We had no time on the day but we were convinced by Pelorus Cruises that we needed to return to take a trip on their mail boat. We did have time for a relaxing coffee on the Quay at the Slip Inn before heading over the hill to Nelson and a cuppa with some friends from Home. They had rented a lovely house by the river in the centre of Nelson. We were very envious. They gave us some useful info on the area before we headed off to our Motel in Motueka. We visited Motueka last time we were here and it had not changed too much. We enjoyed a very pleasant walk by the coast. We also visited Mapua Wharf and had coffee and cake at the Jelly Fish. Oh, and, as recommended, we also had Ice Cream at Hamish Ice Cream, it would have been rude not to. TW had Boysenberry!
Motueka appeared to be bustling and thriving. The town had a somewhat hippie vibe, with many Islander fruit pickers frequenting the supermarket. It's a significant fruit-growing region. New World Supermarkets have now won me over, and I've even got a discount card now!
An afternoon ride across Dorset 70km Dorchester to Beer I passed this way a year ago and really enjoyed the Dorset countryside on NCN 2. It’s a nice quiet route albeit with a few hills particularly on the approach to Devon. Hardy Monument Typical Dorset Countryside Set off down the Weymouth Road in Dorchester for a short distance and then took a right turn to join NCN 2. The City and the traffic were soon left behind and I was into open country. Headwind today! A bit bumpy across a farm track before getting back on the road through Martinstown and heading up the big hill towards the Hardy Monument. Need to be hardy to get up there! This is not a memorial to Thomas Hardy, the local author, but to Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (kiss me Hardy) a distant relation who captained HMS Victory at Trafalgar. It’s closed at the moment but, when open, it provides great views from its chimney top towards Portland. For every uphill there is fortunately a downhill and I cruised down an
A seat with the choir - 26th October 2013 In the cheap seats again Royal Albert Hall in October TW likes to make sure we have the occasional dose of Culture, bit like the winter flu jab. Where better to go than the iconic Royal Albert Hall. It is only an hour in the car, parking is easy and it is a keenly priced £18 for a comfy seat. Very reasonable when you have a top Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic, and 500 singers to entertain you for the evening. I felt a bit under-dressed when we arrived as the seats next to us were occupied by elegant Ladies in posh frocks. When TW pointed out they were the choir and were the hired help for the evening I felt a lot more comfortable. Sitting alongside the choir is actually not too bad, have just to remember not to stand up when they do. Hearing them sing is also not a problem. Take your seats The programme contained familiar tunes. The warm up was the William Tell Overture. He was a Swiss chap he used to sit an Apple on his son'
An Italian Escape With Covid in abeyance and another health issue resolved it was time to head South for a week in Italy. Bologna 17th May 2022 We chose the noble City of Bologna as our starting point and BA from LHR our carrier of choice. We had a shedload of BA credits from all our cancelled flights over the Winter so we even took checked luggage! Really great to be landing in Italy and even better that they did not make us line-up in the 'Other Passport' queue, we were straight through the e-gates onto the Marconi shuttle into the City. Bologna Station is a bit of a maze and we struggled to find our way out. Eventually we found a long overpass that took us to the front of the building and a Taxi to our digs for the first two nights. Coincidentally this was in Via Marconi. I thought the comms pioneer was an adopted Englishman but clearly he is very well remembered over here. Our La Dolla Apartment was really nice and modern, a bit of a contrast to the lobby and stairs but th
The Sound of Raindrops on Roses Salzburg still looks pretty good in bad weather and a few raindrops on the roses didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for a wander around the narrow streets and gardens of the old town. The streets were empty as the tourists were forced inside. We joined them eventually and had a nice delayed birthday meal at St Peters Stiftskeller. This claims to be the oldest restaurant in Central Europe, it’s been serving since 803 AD. The toilets are much more recent. The cheap end of the menu is pretty reasonable. That’s one of many good things about Austrian restaurants. The first glance at the menu might cause a sharp intake of breath but they normally have a few simple, standard, dishes that locals can afford.
A long-standing commitment meant a Saturday night visit to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. The show was about a novice nun who goes to work in the house of a retired Navy man with seven kids. You can guess what happens next, the kids are jumping in and out of bed with her, they do things with goats, the father goes off and the children go wild and are dressed up in curtain material. Should have been in the News of the World, or a case for Social Services, but you guessed it, the Sound of Music on stage! It was quite good actually, should have been Connie Fisher in the Maria role. She won the TV programme to find a Maria for the West End show. At the interval Jacqui asked the lady next to me ‘who is playing Maria’ as it obviously was a stand-in? (we were too tight to buy a programme). “It’s not Connie and I’m cross, in fact I’m very cross, I’m going to tell them I’m cross. I only came to see Connie!” - whoops. I thought it was hilarious, if it was White Hart Lane and Harry making
Bad Hofgastein to Flachau - March 2010 Heading for home - above Alpendorf - downhill to the bus stop The Ski Amade lift pass that we buy for the Gastein Valley also covers a large slice of this region of Austria. Today’s tour took us over to Flachau, home village of the Herminator, Hermann Maier. Leaving the Gastein Valley at Dorfgastein we took the lift and skied down to Grossarl. From there the local bus took us on a 15 minute trip down the Grossarl valley to Alpendorf, an alpine village above St. Johann in Pongau. A succession of lifts and ski runs took us over the Gernkogel, Sonntagskogel and Grafenberg summits and down into Wagrain. At Wagrain it was a short shuttle bus ride, soon to be a lift, across town to the Flying Mozart lift and onwards up to the Griessenkareck summit above Flachau. Time out for lunch in the Waldgasthof then down the Hermann Maier World Cup run to Flachau valley station. Have to say I liked the look of Flachau. From what I saw it has wide open sl
The Sounds and Otago This might just be the Mirror Lake! After spending a week in Queenstown, we bid farewell to our apartment in Remarkables Park and embarked on our journey to Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. The route was quite straightforward. Along the way, we stopped at Bracken Hall in Mossburn, an old-fashioned shop that seemed to sell everything. After purchasing a plush Kiwi, we continued to Te Anau. We had pre-booked at Parklands Motel, where we checked in early before going out for lunch. The owner was incredibly helpful, offering valuable advice for our excursion the following morning, including parking tips at Milford Sound. She also recommended a great spot for lunch, the Sandfly , located in the town center. It was a bustling Kiwi cafe, and although busy, we were content to wait for our vegetarian breakfasts. Following lunch, we made our way to Lake Manapouri, which is roughly a 20-minute journey. This lake serves as the departure point for the Doubtful Sound Tour.
Valetta on a Monday Day One - Getting there and getting settled How do you make a Maltese Cross? Well, a sure-fire way is to bang on the front of a bus with a rolled umbrella as it drives away from the Bus Stop. The Driver, probably thinking he has hit something or somebody, will fly into a rage. TW discovered this technique as we attempted to leave Rabat for Valetta. Mind you, Maltese Bus Drivers are far from placid individuals. Their careers involve negotiating narrow streets with parked cars and also contending with some very crazy drivers. They are sometimes looking for a ruck though. We saw one bus driver in Sliema who was irate because a Mini was parked badly. He stopped behind it and repeatedly tooted his horn whilst holding up a whole load of traffic. This was a bit odd because there was plenty of room for him to drive past. We considered going up to him and telling him ‘you could drive a bus through there mate’ but thought better of it. Our first journey in Malt
Comments
Post a Comment