Day Fifty Eight

For the next few days, we’re going to be touring Aotearoa-New Zealand, Land of the Long White Cloud - said to be the name given by the Maori explorers who saw the clouds resting above the country and knew they’d found a new home.

Maori waka

Let’s start at the southernmost tip of this very beautiful country at a place with many names:  Te Punga o te Waka, (The anchor stone of the canoe); Te Punga o Te Waka a Maui (The anchor stone of Maui’s canoe); Rakiura (Glowing Skies) or in English, Stewart Island, named after William W. Stewart, first officer of the Pegasus which, in 1809, sailed into the harbour port which now bears its name.

It is hilly (Mt. Anglem rises 3,220 feet) and well forested;  a safe haven for many flightless birds, including the penguin, for the island has few introduced predators.

Oban is the home for most of the 400+ inhabitants, connected to the mainland by a ferry which takes people to Bluff.  

Tourism and fishing are the islands main economies and I can personally vouch for the fact that it produces the best scallops in the world.

Te Punga o Te Waka a Maui, comes from the legend of Maui the demi-god who stood in his canoe (the South Island) and pulled up an enormous fish (the North Island) anchored firmly by the trusty triangular island which often sees the Aurora Australis, Southern Lights -  Rakiura, glowing skies.

Aurora Australis

One night, a strange thing happened to me. 
I was deeply asleep (in Auckland, 1, 264 km north of Rakiura) and woken by I-know-not-what, impelled to stand on my bed to look out of a tiny window high up in the wall.  

Something I’d never done, not even to clean it!

The sky was glowing a dull red and dancing across the horizon.

I woke my sons and pulling coats over our nightclothes we drove quickly to a nearby hill with a view over the city. 

There we watched a spectacular sight as the sky leaped and darted. 
The Aurora is rarely seen as far north as Auckland and it seemed this was the first showing in 40 years.  Whatever it was that woke me, I'm deeply grateful.

Landing in Bluff, famous for its Oyster Festival (and much more) it’s 30 km drive to Invercargill (or Waihopai in Maori) the country’s most southerly city. 

Come here to see the  architecture, enjoy the laid-back, low-stress atmosphere and the magnificent Queens Park.

Eighty hectares of beautifully kept lawns and flower beds, playgrounds and wildlife habitats.

Queens Park

 And if you have a passion for classic vehicles, this is the place to be.

Have you seen the movie, The World’s Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins as the enterprising and indomitable Burt Munro?  (Invercargill resident) 
Then you’ll know this New Zealander set a land speed record in 1967 on his Indian Scout Motorbike.

Burt's Bike

Burt Munro

He also inspired a love of vintage vehicles which can now be seen in the museum at New Zealand’s “Classic Motoring Capital”

A little further up the coast (208 km) is Dunedin (the Gaelic form of Edinburg) home of Otago University, the Botanical gardens and a coastline which hides in its bosom, many little inlets and bay communities.

Dunedin Railway Station

Many thousands of Scots came here during the 1800’s, hoping to make their fortunes as they landed at Port Chalmers.

 I came to the city in 1973 and found it a lovely place to live and work.  
I missed the Gold  Rush of 1861 but wasn’t too bothered about getting rich, unlike the thieves who broke into The Customs House at Port Chalmers on 31^st May 1855. 

Port Chalmers

They stole a strongbox containing £1,400.  These not-so-quick-witted larrikins  hurled it against rocks, then tried a crowbar in attempts to open it but to no avail. The police found it dumped, intact, in the harbour.  

                                                            I love it when a plan comes together.

Queenstown

Across to the west is Queenstown, which, when I first knew it, was a charming Alpine town with a strict building code to protect its character.

It had a steady turnover of skiers, climbers and tourists who came for the spectacular scenery. 

The Remarkables living up to their name

Alas, big money soon came bullying its way in, got all the rules changed and built charmless monstrosities of hotels and casinos. 

It’s now no longer charming but a place where few but the very rich can afford to stay.  

What they couldn’t spoil is the scenic splendour of The Remarkables, which rise above the town in breath taking beauty over Lake Wakatipu.   

 Aoraki - Cloud Piercer, or Mt Cook

The whole of the West Coast of the South Island is extremely beautiful, with glaciers, Mt Aoraki (Mt. Cook) and delightful little townships, a world away from the avariciousness which has spoiled Queenstown. 

Not everyone agrees with me on this of course, some people love the modern buzz and bright lights and constantly ringing tills and gambling machines.

Lake Matheson

On the West Coast we'll also find Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers.

Fox Glacier is easily accessed and is a major tourist attraction with over 1,000 people per day visiting. You can even be airlifted by plane to the top.

Make your way across Arthur's Pass, via the Alpine Highway, often called The Most Beautiful Road in the World.

By road or rail, you'll eventually get to Christchurch on the east coast.

Book into an hotel and we'll start our journey up country from there, tomorrow.

Tranz-Alpine Train