NEW ZEALAND (Travel)
We have covered a fair bit of NZ from Stewart Island to the Bay of Islands, mostly by car.
Two very enjoyable scenic train trips were the Tranz Alpine (Christchurch - Greymouth) and the Tranz Coastal (Christchurch - Picton) and we did travel by train between Wellington and Auckland on two or three ocassions quite few years ago.
On the coastal trip we linked up with the Ferry across Cook Strait and spent a few days in Wellington. Queenstown is a place I never get tired of visiting, even if it is just for a view of the Remarkables.
In January of 2021, we drove from Christchurch to Auckland and return. This trip had been considered 5-6 years ago and now was the opportunity. I am not going to describe all the wondeful scenery we enjoyed. I would be writing for hours.
Suffice to say that it was more beautiful than I expected.
We drove to Picton and across on the Interislander to Wellington where we stayed for two nights. The next leg took us to Waipukerau for the night.
On to Gisborne via Wairoa where we stopped for some lunch. I wanted to see the railway station but it is not there any more. A great uncle died while sitting at the station waiting for the train. He was heading to Invercargill to visit his mum. It was a pretty windy drive to Wairoa but things did settle.
We ended up at Lottins Point Motel, you can look at a map to find its location. Obviously along the way we enjoyed lots of scenery and of course took time out to walk around some places. Tolaga Bay was of interest because I had heard the name many years ago. The view from the motel was great and at one point we sighted an orca whale not too far off shore.
The drive from Gisborne was quite long with the various stops, but the views were well worth it. Lorraine loves the colour of the sea and the country side is great.
We were going to visit the lighthouse on East Cape, a 22 km journey on a very rough road. After 10kms we turned around.
From there it was on to Opotiki for the night. My late sister and her husband had lived there for a short time and we caught up with friends from Dunedin days. On to Athenree, up the back of Waihi Beach, for a couple of nights to stay with friends. Then to Whitianga on the Coromandel for a couple of nights. 15 years ago I had heard of the Driving Creek Road Train and Pottery and was the real reason we came here. There was a lot more to see than I thought. My recomendation is get there sometime in your life.
So from Napier north to Tauranga, which we had been once before from Auckland, was all new to us. If you are prone to car sickness, which we are not, the winding and narrow roads require vigilance. It was all very worth while.
From the Coromandel it was on to Auckland for a few days and back home, with stops in Taupo and Wellington. Over the 13 days, we travelled just over 4,000 kms.
Select the logo to visit Queenstown Tourism
