New Zealand and Australia 2012

I rarely use this blog but thought I would do so to record a few impressions of our 2012 trip to New Zealand and Australia on what has already proved to be our most memorable trip yet! 

We left Heathrow on Wednesday 28 November, a day late due to the earlier cancellation of our China Southern flight to Auckland.  We did not expect to enjoy the 6 hour stopover in Baijun, but were met at Immigration and taken to a VIP lounge - with one other passenger from our flight.  We had a splendid buffet, wounderful armchairs, all we could eat or drink including wine and beers, internet, showers etc.  To this day we have no idea why we were singled out for VIP treatment!

Abigail, Inky and Deborah at the Pony Club a few days before the tornado struck

We were met in Auckland by my daughter Louise at about 6pm on Friday 30th November.  The weather was cool and overcast - a bit like a normal English summer day!  We spent the weekend relaxing, planning our trip to Wellington and visiting my granddaughters Abigail and Frances pony club where they kept their ponies Inky and Rosie.  On Monday 3 December we travelled into Auckland to start our train journey to Wellington - 12 hours on the Northern Express - a revamped scenic railway journey that replaced the Overlander.  We arrived early and were allocated seats 1A and 1B in coach A.  It might be 12 hours but there is something to see every bit of the journey and it was an effort to stay awake and not miss anything!  Deborah decided that a half hour nap before we left the slightly less interesting Auckland suburbs might be a good idea. 

The view of the National Park volcanoes from the Overlander

The weather brightened long before we reached the magnificant views of the volcanoes Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu in the National Park, all still snow covered at the peaks. Tongariro erupted in August spewing ash more than four miles high and is still active but showed no signs of activity when we saw it.  Tongariro was thought long dormant but Ruapehu has been very active in recent times (http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/historic-volcanic-activity/6) resulting in Frances's previous teacher losing a leg in one eruption.  But all was now quiet.

Soon after leaving the national park our engine came to a halt.  The train manager explained the engine had failed.  But no problem - a goods train was behind us and we would snaffle its engine.  The locomotive was duly unshackled in a rail loop, fastened to ours and within an hour we were on our way again.  Soon we were able to witness the fantastic Raurimu Spiral, a railway spiral starting with a horseshoe curve and climbing 139 metres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raurimu_Spiral).  Needless to say we arrived an hour late in Wellington but no problem - time was not an issue and it was a wonderful journey well worth the $398 (4 times as much as the flights back!) for the two of us.

Wellington was windy and wet.  We had planned to visit the War Memorial from which there was a daily peal of bells at 1pm.  On the way there we were caught in absolutely torrential rain that just dropped from the skies.  On Thursday, the day we were due to return home, we heard there had been a tornado in Auckland killing 3 people and making 250 homeless.  Then we heard it had hit West Auckland, broadly the area where Louise and family lived in Whenuapai. On closer reading we realised it was actually Hobsonville, the village next to Whenuapai (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8047445/Auckland-tornado-Neighbourhood-torn-apart).  We were later to discover it was actually Whenuapai as well.  Louise's home was missed but it tore through Abigail and Frances''s pony club where we had been a few days earlier, flattening it,  A couple of huge two ton water tanks had been flung into the paddocks from at least 500 metres away.  Two horses died.  Inky and Rosie seemed OK but were skittish for days.  The paddocks were strewn with wreckage and Inky and Rosie were found temprary grazing elsewehere.  The immediate effect for us was that our flight was cancelled and we had to spend an extra night in Wellington.  We arrived early at the airport and managed to get the last room at the nearby hotel.  We arrived back in Auckland on the first flight back the next day. 

Aftermath of the tornado - two of these 2 ton water tanks were flung into the paddocks from at least 500m away

The devastated pony club after the tornado - Abigail and Frances survey the damage

On Sunday 9th December the girls were competing in a 'show hunter' event at Coatesville.  By then the weather had significantly improved and it was a sunny warm day with a light breeze.  Abigail was the first to register and was given No 1.  Frances was No 2.  In the first event Abigain was first and received her red ribbon.  Frances received a blue ribbon for second place.  Then in the very next event Frances won the red ribbon and Abigail the blue.

Abigail and Inky with their ribbons - one 1st place, two second, a third and a fourth

Frances after winning her event at the Coatsvill 'Show Hunter' event

The effects of the sun were greater than we realised and both of were burnt.

It was soon time to start the journey to Australia to visit Deborah's daughter Hannah, husband Chris and Deborah's two grandchildren Oscar (2) and Oakley (7).  Deborah's other daughter Gemma was also in the area.  Deborah thought the entire family would be there to greet us and maybe a brass band on the tarmac.  We stopped for breakfast in Auckland next to Flight Centre.  We thought we ought to correct Deborah's name spelt Slater instead of Slator - their mistake but we had to pay $50 to change it....  In the event the service desk at the airport did it in seconds and it did not cost us anything.  Another  slight drama at the airport where the automatic book in showed we had seperate seats!  Eventually we managed to change them and had two seats together one of which (mine - Deborah had the one nearer the window) had no seat in front of it so plenty of room.  But no meal on the 7 hour flight - apparently our tickets were "seat and bag only".

A long queue at immigration in Perth.  Eventually we cleared, collected cases and went to face the family onslaught.  Nobody there!  Chris arrived with Gemma about 25 minutes later and then Hannah arrived with the boys.  We then heard that the delays were due to an accident in which Chris's boss was seriously injured and another truck driver killed.  About the time that Chris and Gemma left to collect us Chris's boss Vince  left the farm they both worked at in a truck.  Another truck ran into the back pushing Vince into a tree.  The first truck carrying fertiliser exploded killing the driver.  Vince was trapped and eventually airlifted to hospital in Perth http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regional/southwest/a/-/news/15613253/one-man-dead-in-fiery-crash/ 


The weather was overcast but comfortable.  We eventually arrived at Hannah and Chris's home in the bushland between Lake Preson and the beach at Myalup.  Hiigh in the wooded hills it resembled a tree house.  By now there was heavy rain and soon we were treated to the most remarkable tropical electrical storm with sheets of horizontal lighnting that lit up the whole sky.  It lasted well into the next day.  We were beginning to think we were being followed by extreme and bizarre weather!  We often saw kangaroos in the bush around Hannah's home and on the way back one day were treated to a boxing match between 2 of them.  We had a full week with trips to Fremantle, Mandurah, Colly, Wellington Dam, Bunbury and Bissleton.  In Mandurah we found a wonderful restaurant that was offering a Monday night special all you can eat curry for $16!  I was out-voted.  On the way back from Mandurah we noticed in the direction of Pinjarra (smaller than Whittlesey) a glow in the sky like the light from a city but it was nowhere near Perth and there is no where else in Western Australia even a quarter the size of Peterborough.  As we got nearer we could see massive flames and realised it was a bushfire (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/15678110/alcoa-mine-on-bushfire-alert-near-pinjarra/ ).

We were treated by Hannah to a day out on a wine tasting and bush tucker trip around Margaret Valley.  The bush tucker included crocodile and kangaroo (very tasty) but we both drew the line at the wichety grub!

My own Australian expedition came all too soon to an end on Wednesday 19th December.  I was due to fly back to New Zealand to spend Christmas with my family but Deborah was staying to spend Christmas with hers - not ideal but the best compromise to suit everyone.  Again we left for the airport in good time.  Just as well, as the dramas that had followed us from the outset continued when I was told I could not board the plan without my ticket back from NZ to UK!  Eventually Mark found, scanned and emailed the ticket to Air New Zealand and I made the flight with 5 minutes to spare.  At the departure gate I met again the lady I had spent several hours with sorting out the ticket.  She greeted me warmly and said to the lady next to her "we have history - long story", to a few odd looks from other passengers!  I had no time to stock up for the 7 hour "seat and bag" no meal journey but we had hardly been in the air when the steward said "beef or chicken?".  He did not give me a 'I only have seat and bag' option - it was just "beef or chicken?" I did as I was told and answered 'beef' and my meal duly appeared.  Perhaps a small gesture from the check in lady!  My daughter Louise was there to meet me at Auckland Airport (at 0530 in the morning) and Phase 3 of my adventure was about to begin.

Meanwhile, on Christmas Eve Hannah wrote off her car.  Fortunately she was not hurt and was on her own.  The road from Myalup to Harvey has several cow crossing points but on this occasion a cow wondered into the road as Hannah was blinded by the sun.  Then on Boxing Day Chris's truck blew up and caught fire - again no one hurt.  Our eventful times were not ended yet!

Just before Christmas my daughter announced we were to go trekking at Tasman Rides.  I wondered at the wisdom of this - at my age the ground feels very hard even when it is hit from a position with feet firmly on the ground but after debate amongst my grandchildren as to what Quest may or may not do with me we came to the consensus that we might be suited.  And we were.  For the first time I found that the horse would do as it was told. was not inclined to chase anyone and it proved to be the most enjoyable of thye three treks I have done (I have only ever ridden a horse in New Zealand!).