New Zealand (South/North Island) - Week of December 8, 2024
Wonderful to have you back for this week! Welcome to Week 6 - the last few days on the South Island along with the transition to flying to Auckland to start the North Island touring.
The week started in Kiakoura on the South Island's east coast and wrapped up in One Tree Point on the North Island's east coast to meet up with Elizabeth and Barrie Campbell, my friends from Weymouth, England. I met the Campbells when I was living/working in Barbados. They were walking by where my friend Sam and I were sitting on the beach watching the sun set. I offered them a drink of rum and so sparked a new friendship. We've stayed in touch ever since. I had the blessing of attending their engagement party in Weymouth in August last year and their wedding this past August. And here we are meeting in New Zealand once again. My continuing gratitude to the universe for the blessings I enjoy.
The weather continues to be sunny and warm! The temperature is averaging in the mid 20's C - mid 70's F. Summer is now here. The weather on the North Island, on average, is warmer than the South Island. Learning that a hot day on the North Island would be 30 C (86F) - so life should continue to be very comfortable until I leave for Perth (Australia's west coast) on January 27, 2025.
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| Merry Christmas I found this orphaned decoration on the roadside in Picton. |
Travel Maps
Tracking this past week's travel: South Island/North Island Travel - As of December 14, 2024. I've now created two separate maps (links below) to capture the remaining South Island travel plus adding the start of my North Island travels.
Travel Administration
I've invested in a Garmin Inreach Messenger, a satellite connected messenger technology, which has SOS capabilities should I find myself in a situation where I need emergency assistance. I'm feeling far less invincible as I get older.
Kiakoura to Christchurch - South Island
Monday morning I left Kiakoura for the two hour drive to Christchurch, my last South Island destination. I'm now coming full circle on my South Island traveling. I'll spend my last three nights on the Island in Christchurch.
Woodend
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| Please meet Lillian |
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| The VERY BEST Raspberry Real Fruit Ice Cream |
Christchurch
I had a limited itinerary planned for my three night stay. An important objective was taking the time while I was in Christchurch to meet up with the people who were kind enough to contribute to their recommendations to my journey! What an incredible blessing I was given to offer my personal thanks!
First order of business was meeting with Kelly Nie, the Harcourts realtor I met at The Apron Cafe on my first day in Christchurch. I wanted to thank Kelly for her suggestions to visit the town of Oamaru (SteamPunk and Victorian Precinct) as well as the stop at Moeraki for fish and chips at the Fishwife. We met at The Apron Cafe so I also had a chance to reconnect with Shelley, the cafe owner, since we were meeting in her cafe. Unfortunately Tracy Reid, who I had met at the Auckland and Christchurch airports, was unavailable to get together during my time in Christchurch. She was busy taking her mum to Lake Tekapo to see the lupins in bloom.
I also took time to revisit the dentist office (Lumino) where I had met Hayley and Nessa to thank them in person for their recommendation to stop in Woodend for pie at the Wooden Bakery and ice cream at Veges Direct. The office is brief walk from the cafe. I had a great convo with Hayley as Nessa was unavailable.
The last order of business was returning my rental car on Wednesday morning. The few scratches the car has sustained over the 34 days were accounted for as normal wear and tear. I received a one day refund given I returned the car one day earlier than contracted for plus the $1,000 hold on my credit card was released (whew!). Back to using the Christchurch Transit system once again. BTW - each ride is $2 if you have a transit card. The maximum you pay for riding the bus in a single day is $4, after hitting the cap all future rides are free.
The Christchurch stay was mainly downtime the most welcome weather - sunshine (~28C/82F daily). I walked to the Botanical Gardens on Tuesday and Wednesday to enjoy its beauty and eat my lunch in a quiet shady location. I also spent considerable time engaged in one of my favorite activities - people watching.
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| Punting on a beautiful afternoon |
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| Having lunch surrounded by beauty and solitude - in the middle of a busy city |
I went to a cinema close to my hotel to see Memoir of a Snail. Have a look at the reviews and trailer to decide if this is a movie for you. I'm still mulling it over. There was an interesting twist in the storyline near the movie's end that made my eyes leak a little. The cinema had 25 seats with all the modern cinema technology. What made the venue, Alice Cinema & Film Specialists, truly unique is the following line of business they have: On the rental side, we’re proud to offer new unlimited DVD monthly subscriptions, free DVD home delivery, with a local customer support team. They had a lot of DVDs in the store!
An interesting personal twist during this week was that I started considering the possibility of extending my stay in New Zealand. The option I started to explore was trying to find a way to get a work visa. If I found an accredited employer willing to make me a job offer I could apply for a work visa. After some initial energy and enthusiasm about going in this direction, I've now have had sober second thoughts. My main issue is that getting a 'regular' job will likely mean working M-F which only leaves the weekend to enjoy New Zealand. Somewhat suboptimal solution. All of this activity has led me back to my long standing need of finding a source of revenue that aligns with the lifestyle flexibility I'm looking for. I'm more sure than ever that the universe is presenting the answer, I'm somehow overlooking the opportunities that are being presented to me. BTW - I did find at least three different jobs related to change management that I have the qualifications and/ore experience for. So, there is work. My easy option if I want to spend more time in NZ is to leave, apply for a new visitor visa and return for another three months!
Christchurch to Auckland
Happy to report that all things related to my flight to Auckland were uneventful - other than the three hour flight delay. My JetStar check-in was anti-climatic. I was expecting a long line-up, similar to what I experienced in Auckland and careful scrutiny of my suitcase/backpack's weight. As it turned out, I was the only person in line and the check-in person seemed disinterested in my luggage. After careful engineering on my part to ensure my luggage and backpack were within JetStar's weight restrictions. I continue to count my blessings!
Coincidentally, I met a couple from Perth while waiting for my departure. Timely intersection given my next destination, after New Zealand, is Perth. Interesting convo that reaffirmed my travel plans, however somewhat light on new travel ideas while in Australia.
I kept to myself during the hour long flight which was fortuitous. There was a slight delay in bringing our plane to the terminal in Auckland which triggered the guy sitting in my row to start dropping f-bombs about the airline. Ah, the moments best forgotten.
Unsure if you remember, like I do, the Columbia jacket I lost when I first landed in Auckland on November 1? I made one last attempt to see if Air New Zealand might have the jacket in their lost and found. Was an attempt in vain - other than meeting Charles, the Air New Zealand employee, who was empathetic and very thorough. The silver lining in this episode is the 20 minutes of exercise I got in walking, with my 20kg suitcase in tow, from the Domestic Terminal to the International Terminal where the lost and found is located.
I hopped on the Auckland Transit (bus and train combo) to make my way to the SNAP car rental location just outside the downtown area. Met Nish, the SNAP employee, who was super efficient. He shared he grew up in Colombo, Sri Lanka after learning I had traveled to Sri Lanka last year. It's been eight years since he's been back; he's been unable to get away from his cleaning business in order to make the trip back.
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| My new best friend for the next 35 days! |
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| Not quite faster than a speeding bullet! |
I'm in a much smaller vehicle now so I'm anticipating spending far less money on petrol and a little easier to park.
I got a refresher on large city traffic (ugh!) as I tried to exit Auckland in bumper to bumper traffic for about 30 minutes before finding open roads. Safely arrived in One Tree Point on Thursday evening about two hours after leaving the car rental location.
Auckland to One Tree Point - North Island
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| How One Tree Point welcomed me on my first day |
With my Ruakaka Country Bake quiche in hand, I was off to the Beach to have breakfast and be one with the surf. While at the beach I met four women who were setting off on their morning beach walk - Janett, Lola, Joy and Diedra. I asked them for accommodation recommendations in the area. Turns out that Janet was a travel agent so she had a few ideas on accommodation plus multiple recommendations on my future travels. The shared lunch invitation was sparked by Diedra who was the co-pastor (with her husband Clint) of the Encounter Church. My Sunday lunch plans were now set.
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| Ruakaka Beach - as far as the eye can see |
My next stop was ordering my flat white coffee at The Bach Cafe. I almost immediately met Patrick, a cafe regular, who introduced himself after I ordered my coffee. Patrick, I learned as part of how he introduced himself, was 69% Irish and 31% Scottish. Interesting genealogy, plus interesting way to introduce oneself. I certainly met the Irish side of him. Patrick introduced me to Grant, the cafe owner along with the other employees including Tina. He also knew Helen. Everyone knows everybody in this small village.
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| The Bach Cafe - exterior |
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| The Back Cafe - Interior |
Friday afternoon was rendezvous time with Elizabeth and Barrie Campbell, my Weymouth England friends who were staying in the area. The happy couple had plans with a friend who lived in the area. Always great to be with friends while you are traveling. There is a comfort with the familiarity. I find it's a chance to be more relaxed - like letting your guard down. I joined them at their AirBnb location about 5 minutes from my motel. We made plans for Saturday including visiting the beach as well as I wanted to introduce them to my new favorite cafe.
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| Introducing Barrie Is that carpet on the garage floor? |
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| Watching the parade |
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| Hello Santa! Yes, I've been very good this year! |
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| One more Corvette |
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| For those Corvette enthusiasts |
After enjoying the parade, we were off to the beach. The Campbells are now familiar with the Bach Cafe and we enjoyed a long walk on the beach. Next stop was lunch at the Waipu Cove Cafe about 20 minutes south. I think I'm going to have my share of fish and chips by the time I leave NZ on January 27!
Our final stop before dinner at the Campbells was back in One Tree Point to walk along the cliffs overlooking the bay. Elizabeth had discovered a walking path that followed the cliff in front of houses abutting the cliffs. The walk was public land that ran alongside the seaside property the locals owned so it felt like you were walking through their yards. It also seemed by the limited signs the locals were trying to minimize the foot traffic on the path.
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| Unmarked path to seaside walk |
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| The path entrance is to the right, just off this road leading to the sea. Great job in keeping this path from getting public attention. |
I should mention the Campbells are using electric bikes to travel around the area and, for longer distances, are finding local buses to get them where they need to go. I suspect they will have their challenges as public transportation outside the major centres is limited.
Elizabeth and Barrie graciously invited me to their place for snacks to wrap up the day as well as wrap up another week of adventure for me! Beautiful way to end the week.
This Week's Barista Artistry
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