Day 14 - Tuesday
As Hellene had to work all day, Lottie and I had made plans to visit Te Pui in Rotorua. Trying to get my tongue around the place names was proving to be a daily challenge and Rotorua was particularly tricky. Hellie does a lot of work with Maori families, so she is pretty hot on getting the pronunciation right - Rotorua, requires some rolling of the r’s, which I have never mastered, but she demonstrated a lot of patience as she repeated it for me - over and over. (I still can’t say it right.)
Te Pui, offers an introduction to Maori history and culture but is also home to geysers, bubbling mud, and hot springs. Our tour wasn’t booked until later in the day, so we decided to visit Orakei Korako - another geo thermal park, on the way.
Both Hellie and Jeremy had warned us that the weather forecast wasn’t great and that both of these attractions were outside, but with limited days in the area, we decided to go anyway. After all, our experience so far had taught us that the NZ weather changes every few minutes, so even if it did rain a bit, we would still have some times when we could dry off. By the end of this day, we had learned, never, ever, make assumptions about the New Zealand weather!
It was raining a bit when we left and it rained constantly during our short drive to Orakei Korako. Once parked, we made a dash for the cafe, (by now it was chucking it down) where we bought our tickets, some coffees and yummy cakes.
We sat by the window, looking out at the driving rain and watching the little boat take the handful of people, daft enough to visit on a day like this, across the lake to the thermal park.
We kept looking up at the thick Black clouds, trying to find a patch of Blue Sky or even some White fluffy clouds. But no; the New Zealand weather - having chucked earthquakes, tsunamis and gale force winds at most of the country, had now decided it was time for some torrential rain (and flooding, as we later found out).
We strung out our coffee drinking/cake eating for as long as humanly possible and the lovely little boatman kept looking at us expectantly, every time he arrived back from ferrying people to and from the park.
Eventually, we could put it off no longer and decided we had to just go for it.
We were both wearing rain jackets - with hoods, so “how bad could it be” we asked ourselves. Just to be on the safe side, I asked whether they had any of those hideous long plastic ponchos for sale. The girl smiled at us and brightly informed us that they did have them (good, good, good) but unfortunately they had just sold the last one.
I made a lame joke about British people being used to this sort of weather and not letting the rain stop us doing things. She didn’t laugh (and after an hour out in the rain - neither did we)
So we headed outside to the little boat and got soaked just walking the few meters down to the dock.
I’m sure the short little journey across the lake would have been beautiful if the menacing Black clouds hadn’t been obscuring everything, but being the only ones travelling across, we had a nice little chat with Mr Boatman instead.
We mentioned we were due to go down to the South Island. He did a sharp intake of breath, shook his head and said “Don’t know how that’s going to work out!”
On that happy note, we arrived.
It was beautiful but very hard to describe. The rocks are an array of different colours, steam rises from everywhere, mud pools bubble and geysers apparently shoot out of the ground - although on this day, they had clearly decided to go on strike. (Probably didn’t feel they would look their best with all the rain).
It’s very hilly so there was a lot of stairs to walk up and down and about half way round we stopped at a lovely lookout point that had a little shelter - the only one in the park. My rain jacket had been doing a sterling job of keeping my top half dry, but unfortunately the rain had run down, straight onto my jeans. They were soaking back and front and my feet were sopping wet as well.
Lottie’s jacket (one I lent her), however, should be reported to the trade description people. It might have been ok in the odd light shower, but was completely useless in this persistent downpour. The rain had got through the rain jacket, her own leather jacket and her jumper to the teeshirt she was wearing. Her jeans were only sopping wet at the front, presumably from walking up all the stairs.
Now some people, being that wet and cold would be grumpy, miserable and have a sense of humour by pass. Not us - we’re stoic Brits and decided to brighten up our day by recording some videos that will probably be only mildly amusing to everyone else, but we found them hysterical.
Lottie became “Charlotte Attenborough” and doing a remarkably good vocal impression, proceeded to describe the various landmarks.
If there had been anyone else there, they would probably have wondered what on earth we were doing, to generate such hysterical laughter, but we pretty much had the place to ourselves, so we just got sillier and sillier.
The whole area was very atmospheric and we felt like we were in a scene from Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit - or indeed any film where the main characters are sopping wet the whole way through.
The boat was waiting for us at the little dock and the boatman looked quite pleased to see us. It can’t be good for business if they lose random tourists in the park and we had taken quite a bit longer to go round than normal (our movie making needed the appropriate amount of care and attention to get the clips just right).
Back on the other side, we felt we deserved another coffee, but as we sat in that lovely little cafe there was more steam coming off us, than our drinks.
Back at the car, Bertha now took on yet another new role. Clothes airer! Jackets were hung over the backs of seats, jumpers, socks and trainers laid out across the back.
We put the heater on full blast to try to dry ourselves out, but all that did was mist up all the windows, so we then had to keep switching the heater between the screen, our feet and our bodies.
Our tour at Te Pui was booked for 4.30 and according to iphone maps we were going to arrive at about 3.00, so we took a nice leisurely drive (still with the heater on full) and decided to see if we could get in early anyway.
When we arrived there were police cars and motorcycles everywhere. There also seemed to be an awful lot of people milling about outside, so we spent a few moments wondering if some kind of bomb scare or terrorist attack was underway and if that proved to be the case, whether we should head back to the warmth, comfort, dryness and safety of Hellie & Jeremy’s house.
As it turned out - the king or prime minister or president of Hungary and his wife were visiting and apparently they needed a whole police force and the public kept at least 100 meters away from their royal/presidential/prime ministerial personages, to guarantee their safety.
Hmmm - best use of the police’s time? I don’t think so!!
Anyway, once we had battled our way through all the bemused crowds and convinced the nice policeman that we bore no ill will towards the “whatever he was” of Hungary (despite finding it almost impossible to park because of all the bloody police) we presented ourselves at the ticket office.
In true British fashion, we apologised profusely for arriving an hour and a half too early for our tour and of course, the nice, warm, friendly, helpful lady said it wasn’t a problem and gave us tickets to get inside anyway. After taking one hard look at us (we were still looking like drowned rats with the attractive addition of steam rising from our clothes and hair) and at the weather, she then pointed out on a little map, all the attractions that had a roof. These included the Kiwi house, the Maori carving and weaving school, the gift shop and the cafe.
Even though Lottie was pretty sure that the first 2 on the list would be included in our official tour, we called into the Kiwi House on our way to the cafe and to the Maori carving/weaving school on our way to the gift shop.
Despite the Kiwi being the national bird of New Zealand, tourists very rarely ever get to seen one because they are nocturnal and very shy and tourists tend to make a lot of noise and wave torches around.
So we were quite excited to get the opportunity to see one, except that the Kiwi house is pitch Black and it takes ages for your eyes to adjust. We waited patiently until we could start to make out the foliage and rocks in the enclosure, staying completely silent as the notice at the entrance suggests. Just at the moment when we stood a reasonable chance of spotting this elusive little bird, a bunch of Japanese tourists came crashing in, shouting loudly enough to send every Kiwi within a 50 mile radius running for the hills.
We left and headed for the cafe.
After a much needed coffee (as you may have gathered by now - the coffee here is delicious) we went to the gift shop by way of the Maori craft school.
The young guys carving were rather gorgeous, so it was quite tempting to hover and stare, but as we had no clue about the intricacies of what they were doing, we decided to wait until our official tour and made our way to the rather spectacular gift shop.
By now, we had realised, there are certain items that appear in virtually every gift shop across New Zealand, however each new shop seems to offer a unique opportunity to purchase something you never realised you really really needed until that precise moment.
So far I had not managed to get in and out of one, without buying something and my now half empty suitcase was not working in my favour.
At 4.30 we met our delightful guide. She was Maori and told us wonderful stories, explained everything in great detail and at the end thanked us for visiting. She explained that all the money raised from ticket sales went towards maintaining the craft school and gave young Maoris the opportunity to learn traditional crafts that they could pass along to the next generation. I really really hoped that was true, and from what we had learned about the country so far - there was no reason to be cynical.
The only thing that wasn’t great was the weather. Lottie and I had managed to dry out a bit having spent quite a while undercover in the cafe and gift shop, but this tour involved a lot of walking outside and as you’ve probably guessed it was pouring down. So we got soaked all over again.
As compensation, the geysers here, were not on strike and put on a spectacular display for us accompanied by the mud pools who gave us some pretty amazing bubbles. At 6.30 we met another guide who took us to see our dinner being cooked in an underground earth oven called a Hangi.
We then went to the Wharenui (the meeting house) for a display of Maori songs, dances and rituals.
Unfortunately, the first part involved a traditional greeting outside and at that moment, someone, somewhere, clearly decided we weren’t quite wet enough and it started to really bucket down.
Once inside, we all took our seats (everyone was steaming now) to watch an amazing display. There was some audience participation - some girls (including Lottie) were pulled up on stage to learn a dance with poi (little fluffy balls on string that you twirl) and some guys were invited up to learn the Haka. It was fascinating to watch because the level of embarrassment and enthusiasm varied dramatically amongst the participants( especially the men). Some guys gave it all they had, others looked like they just wanted to curl up and die. Lottie did the Brits proud - she twirled her poi beautifully, didn’t mess up the steps and only hit herself on the head once. The video will make it on to you tube eventually.
After the performance we had dinner and there was plenty of choice, catering for all tastes. On our table were 2 German girls, a Malasian couple, a Portuguese couple, 2 Australian guys and a lone American. A mixed bunch, but nearly everyone had been headed for the South Island and all were in the process of revising their plans.
After dinner we wished everyone well on their travels and went back to Taupo.
The first thing we did back at the house was get all our wet clothes off and hang them up to dry out, we then had a chat with everyone about our day. I happened to mention that I had called our Hotel and tour guide in Wellington that morning, to check everything was ok for our visit in 3 days time and had been assured that everything was fine. Hellie & Jeremy looked at each other - then at us and said “You haven’t heard about the floods then?”
Apparently the torrential rain had caused flooding just outside Wellington and many of the roads in and out were closed.
“I’ll sort it all out tomorrow”, I said.
Day 15 - Wednesday
Today was the day Lottie was booked in to do her “Extreme Swing”, so I said I would come to watch and then spend the afternoon making some decisions about the rest of our trip.
To be honest, I really wasn’t keen on watching my daughter plummet goodness knows how many meters down into a valley attached to a bit of rope, but apparently I needed to hold her phone so it could be broadcast live on Facebook.
Keeping in touch with everyone, bearing in mind the time difference, has been a bit of a challenge, but as her time slot was 10.30am, it was entirely possible that friends and family in the UK and in Spain would be able to tune in (even though the football was on - apparently)
Lottie has always been quite brave - tackling ridiculously scary rollercoasters from the moment she was tall enough, but this was a whole new ball game. She seemed calm enough, unlike me who was a nervous wreck.
Both Hellie and Jeremy had the day off and little Jamie wasn’t at Kindy (Kindergarten) that day either, so we all headed over to the site.
Lottie filled in a couple of forms, accepted the terms & conditions (basically - if our rope snaps and you die, it’s not our fault), got weighed and then when we mentioned she was going to wear the Go Pro - got weighed again with it in situ.
Meanwhile, she had already set up her phone to record live and I was fussing around, trying to find the best vantage point to record from, while chain smoking and trying not to panic.
I was assured the best place to film was about 150 meters away down a little path, but as I headed off in that direction, it became apparent that the wifi wasn’t going to work that far away, so I came back to where the action was about to happen. The friendly helpful guy who was strapping my daughter into her harness suggested I stand on the bridge immediately above her.
I wanted to yell at him “Forget about me - just concentrate on doing your job properly and MAKE SURE SHE IS SAFE”, but I decided antagonising him wasn’t a particularly good plan either.
My next dilemma was how to film her, from that angle, without dropping her phone into the valley and take some video with my camera at the same time. I had a little practice - nope - it was never going to work - far too risky. Hellie came to the rescue and offered to record it on my camera, leaving me with both hands free to clutch the phone.
By now, people were logging on to the live feed and I felt compelled to give Lottie a running commentary of who was watching. Unfortunately, people started typing questions and for the life of me, I couldn’t think of any way I could reply as it would mean taking one hand off the precious phone to type a response. The fact that I could just answer their questions by speaking - never occurred to me - I put it down to my state of shock and panic!
All strapped in, they swung her out sideways, and apparently the guy tried really hard to convince her to let go of the rope she was clutching and let the harness support her. He said she would enjoy it more - she wasn’t convinced.
They left her dangling there for a few seconds, suggested she turn around and give me and the facebook live feed a little wave and then released her. If you missed the live feed, we will post an edited compilation of the 3 videos - mine, theirs and the Go Pro on her chest - at a later date
Afterwards she said it was amazing and would love to do it again, but I’m not sure my nerves would have coped.
Hellie was still desperate for Lottie to do the bungee, but 1) they didn’t have any more slots available that day and 2) Lottie felt she’d had enough adrenaline for one day.
The best reaction to the event was from little Jamie, who got quite anxious as Lottie plummeted down and announced that he would go and save her.
After all that excitement, I needed a coffee and something calming, so Hellie suggested we go to Lava Glass. Here they make the most beautiful glass objects, which they sell (oh no) and you can watch them blowing and firing the glass in their workshop. They also have a lovely cafe and an amazing sculpture garden - a perfect setting to calm down.
We started with the cafe - 2 chai lattes and a normal one, then went into the workshop where we watched with fascination as the guy crafted the most stunning perfume bottle.
We then went into the sculpture garden (just as the sun came out) which was breathtaking and then finally had a look around the shop. The price tags were eye watering, but each piece was unique and the extremely, helpful friendly assistant was clearly trained to spot a potential customer. Now I thought I would be able to get in and out of there without being tempted, with the simple fact that I live in Spain and there was no way I would be able to get such a fragile (and costly) glass object home.
But this lady was good. In fact she was such an excellent saleswoman, I very very very nearly bought a gorgeous bowl for an outrageous amount of money.
“It will cost far less to send it than you think”, she said.
“Only about $20”.
“We package things really well - in fact you could jump on the box and the glass would be perfectly safe”.
“Look how it catches the light”, she said, moving it to a spot just by the window and then to another table with a spot light shining down on it.
“I love these colours - don’t you?”
“I think the one you’ve picked out is my favourite”
“Well if you didn’t want to spend quite that much we have a slightly smaller one - here look”.
I was really really tempted and I’m not sure, even now, how I managed to escape without buying it, because it was truly stunning. But in the end, I told her quite honestly, that I would think about it and if I still felt the same way about it, once I was away from the beautiful showroom, I would return.
Fortunately for my bank balance, common sense prevailed and in the cold light of day, away from all the loveliness, I realised that there were many other things I would rather spend my money on.
It was gorgeous though!!!
After lunch Hellie and Lottie wanted to go to some different hot pools for a bit of a soak and some relaxation, but I needed to sort out the rest of our trip.
Given that I had nearly every single detail of our 4 week holiday worked out and booked months ago, I was finding it hard to relax, knowing that the second 2 weeks needed a major overhaul.
So I stayed at the house, opened my mac and got to work.
Our 2 days in Wellington now looked ok - The hotel had been declared safe, our Lord of the Rings tour was going ahead and the floods had subsided, so the roads were open again.
I had heard from the ferry company to say the sailing between the Islands had been moved to an earlier time so that was fine.
The key problem was our first stop on the South Island. We were due to stay 2 nights in Kaikoura (famous for it’s whale watching tours), but the town was still completely cut off and tourists were being brought out by boat or helicopter. State Highway 1 - the main route down the East coast was completely closed either side of Kaikoura and the reports were now saying it was unlikely to open for, at best - months, at worst - never.
With all this in mind we were going to have to find an alternative for at least 2 nights. The problem is there are an awful lot of mountains on the South island and very few roads. The roads that do exist are very very very bendy, so getting from A to B can can take an extremely long time.
Our second stop (also for 2 nights) was supposed to be in Dunedin right down near the bottom of the East Coast. It was going to be a 6 hour drive to get there from Kaikoura (one of our longest) but we felt the area was worth it and it got us closer to the remaining locations on our trip.
However with SH1 and Kaikoura out of the picture, getting down to Dunedin just wasn’t possible with the time we had available unless we wanted to spend all day, every day in the car and were happy to be driving along roads that had suffered landslips during the quake.
Neither of those things appealed to us so I called our lovely accommodation and the tour we had planned, in Dunedin to cancel.
I wasn’t expecting a refund from either of them as they were unaffected by the quake and we just happened to be at the wrong end of the country, but they both gave me one anyway and thanked me for letting them know so quickly.
I now had 4 nights to get us down to the point where we could pick up our original itinerary and after a quick internet search, found a post on the trip advisor forum that gave me the perfect suggestion. He recommended 4 places to stay, (2 of which I’d never heard of) all with points of interest and with the exception of one - off the beaten track.
Using my 2 favourite websites ( Trip Advisor and booking.com) I had a couple of accommodation options lined up for each location relatively quickly, so by the time Hellie and Lottie returned from their hot springs spa, we were able to have a quick look at the options and get things booked.
Hellie cast her expert eye over the new plan and declared it a winner, especially as it included Hokitika which she said is supposed to be lovely.
So that was that - 3 hours to do what had taken me literally months before!!!!!