Southern Tip of North Island

One of our last trips on the North Island included a visit with some folks from the US.  It is one of those small world stories - a  cousin of our son-in-law's sister-in-law (Maggie Warren who is originally from Jay's hometown of Tazewell, VA.)  The cousin, Marty, is also from Tazewell and while she is younger than Jay and he did not know her, their parents knew each other.  Her husband is a surgeon and was here on a locums just like Jay, except they were here 6 months.  We visited with them in the town of Masterton - a nice sized town - with a hospital, of course since he is a surgeon, and  tons more resources and things to do that the wee town of Dannevirke.

 Unfortunately, we only made contact with them a week before they were to leave to return to the states.  Too bad - she and I could have gotten into some mischief together!!  We spent two nights with them as we  toured the southern tip of the island.  I'm sad that we did not get their pictures.  Great folks and we had a great time with them.  Paua jewellery ( NZ spelling) factory/store put a large dent in our travel $$. Paua is an especially beautiful abalone, found in only a few areas in the world, and the shell is fashioned into all types of fashionable jewellery and accessories, we are bringing home a large quantity to prove how pretty it is.   Pearls are also cultured in the paua but the prices of them are much too expensive for us.

We visited the small town of Featherston just at the base of a large mountain. Jay was eager to go there to see the Fell Engine - a train that had cogs to climb over the very steep mountain. The winds had been so strong on the mountains that one train was blown off the tracks and part-way down the mountain in the past. They had erected a storm fence - wooden wall in the pass to subdue the winds and evidently that worked. The little museum was dear and very interesting. It was staffed by retired railroad workers and enthusiasts who were most eager to share information and stories, the youngest volunteer was probably ONLY 80. 

For those with an interest in train engines, the cab was fascinating as well - so says Jay!

After leaving Featherston, we traveled the southern coast heading to Cape Palliser - the southern most tip.  It was a beautiful drive along the water where Cook Straight and the Pacific Ocean join.  Cook Straight  separates the two islands.  There is a ferry that crosses the Straight.  Because it is quite narrow, the water can often be quite turbulant.  As we traveled, we saw lots of seals and sea lions.  It was a lovely day - sunny and warm - the seals were loving it - as were we!  

Ah, lazy day in the sun!!

Such a cutie!!

Cape Palliser has a light house - up high over the water.  In fact, 258 steps high!!  Of course, I was not going to come all this way and not climb to the top.   Jay stayed below to take pictures and protect his knees.  Like most lighthouses today, this one no longer has a lighthouse keeper - it is controlled by computer for miles away, in Wellington.  I got my aerobic exercise that day in climbing the steps and boy, did my thighs ever ache the next couple of days!!  It was worth it to be so high and take in the beautiful Ocean and landscape.

That's a long way up!!

You recognize the backside, of course!!  I'm motivated that someone made it up and is coming back down.

On the way back to Dannevirke, we stopped at the Tui Brewery - established in the late 1800s.  You my recall from an earlier blog the men's toilets being beer barrels?  This is the place.  They had some fun trinkets, not to mention pretty good beer!

"Sorry, Closed"  Yeah, right!!  We did  manage to get in for a taste!!

Before we leave the North Island, there is one place we forgot to include that is up in the Hawkes Bay area - that is where Napier is - the town destroyed by the 1931 earthquake, and where they have the Art Deco weekend we went to with all the cars and period dress.  There is a mountain - Te Mata - that offers a 360 degree view of Hawkes Bay, the Ocean, and surrounding mountains.  We drove to the top - the road was very narrow and winding - no side guards on the roads.  It was quite nerve racking, creeping along, hoping we would not encounter someone coming around the bend ahead.  When we arrived at the top, there was a tour bus!!  Glad we were not on that - nor that we encountered it on the way up.  Fortunately, they left before we did.  The view was magnificient!!  There were two para-sail gliders up above us that drifted around like birds, being carried by the breeze.  We had seen one of them at the base of the mountain - he was picked up at the base by an upstream of wind and carried up above the top of the mountain. 

Here it is as we approaced it.

Pretty spectacular, huh!  The Wright Brothers would be proud.

We spent our last night on the north island in a community called Upper Hutt, had made phone reservations to a B and B but got there to find only a middle-school girl on location.  She led us to the room, which turned out to be a three-bedroom house, we were the only people that night.  She asked us for cash, we said we needed a statement. There was a Mercedes, travel trailer, large motorboat, motorcycle, so evidence this gang was reasonably well-off.  We were settling in, when a man walked into the kitchen door,  un-announced,  said his name was Arthur and asked for cash payment.  He had on no nametag, we again asked for a statement, but he said he was dyslexic and couldn't do one. I also wanted to pay be bankcard since we had limited cash but he said he didn't know how to do the transaction and again told us he was dyslexic.

I went back to the office, the young girl was there and knew how to do the bankcard but was going to charge us for two nights instead of one.  Numbers were scribbled on a sheet of paper, and she said her mom was away for the weekend.  She was asian, Arthur was white so we didn't know what was going on. They gave us a scribbled receipt on the back of their business card, but I did get a bankcard printout in the correct amount.  Very interesting way to do business.  We were the only tenants on the property. 

There was a terrible storm that afternoon, winds on the coast were up to 100 mph, and in our area must have been nearly that much.  Power lnes down, scary so we weren't about to venture out for a meal, especially since it seemed not to be in a nice area.  I ended up going to Hell for pizza (Hell is a pizza chain in NZ, really good pizzas).  There was a Chinese take-out across from the motel, almost all of them have Fish and Chips on their marquee, but this one had a different sign: Chinese smorgasbord ! I didn't go there. Then we pushed on to Wellington the next day for our flight to the south island.  Storm had moved on and had a smooth flight to our next adventure, landed without further incident in Christchurch.

More adventures in store of us on the South Island!!