More Fun Outings: Hanmer Springs and an Afternoon Hike

 

We enjoyed a couple of more outings recently. We love being here on Conway Flat, relaxing, reading, cooking, getting in our workout, doing various chores, etc. And we go days without leaving or seeing anyone, except for the cattle and sheep. So, when we do get out, we like the change of scenery. Of course, the scenery in New Zealand is amazing everywhere you go.

We went up to Hanmer Springs to experience the hot pools and spa on a one-night getaway. Historically, Hanmer Springs was known to the Maori, although they did not settle there. In the 1850s, European settlers “discovered” the thermal pools, and eventually the government built a sanatorium, where people could come and “take the waters” for their healing properties. The pools are owned and operated by the community now and include 22 pools to explore, with a a few water slides thrown in. We love a good soak and the big water slides were a kick!

We hiked up the iconic Conical Hill, which provided terrific views of the area.

We also did the Forest Amble Sculpture Walk, which is a flat easy walk filled with entertaining carvings. We were lucky with the weather during our visit.

We’re considering going back to Hanmer Springs at some point during our remaining stay on Conway Flat.

Another day we headed up the local “mountain” with Bruce and Heather MacFarlane to walk down the coastal side. Bruce drove us up the trail he carved with a bulldozer some 30+ years ago, this time in a vintage flat-bed truck, as opposed to the 4-wheel track vehicle I road on last time. The views at the top are spectacular. As you can see, Bee joined us, and she likes the view too.

We hiked down with Heather and Bee, learning about the various trees and native flora. Heather and Bruce have operated Kaikoura Coast Track with the Handysides for 30 years, bringing walkers to the area to enjoy Conway Flat’s beauty. They have been great neighbors to have during our stay.

More adventures to come,

Shana & Jeff

Other outings and back to Marlbourough

Because we are staying so far from civilization, even going out for a meal is a process. The closest town is 30 minutes away, while the closest with a significant number of restaurants is 45 minutes away. So, we have to plan, but we have managed to eat some very good meals (other than the ones we cook ourselves) since we arrived.

First, we did a lunch at Black Estate Winery in the Waipara region, whose restaurant was recently named one of the best in New Zealand. The four-course meal including wine pairings was excellent, and the view of the vines was fantastic despite the rain we had that day.

The following week, we drove up to Kaikoura, a town we visited on our first visit to New Zealand, and had dinner at a nice restaurant called Zephyr that we really liked on our first visit. Of course, given that Kaikoura is the nearest town of any significant size, we combined our dinner with errands: a trip to the dump (there is no home pickup of trash or recycling on Conway Flat) and grocery shopping. We also took some time to walk out and see the seals that populate the rocks of the Kaikoura penninsula.

Our next outing was a return to the Marlbourough wine region, which is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Conway Flat. Our loyal readers may recall we previously visited Marlbourough and did a bike tour around the area that included a number of wine tastings. This time, we drove, which allowed us to try some wineries that are a little further out. 

Our first stop was Clos Henri, which is owned by a French family named Bourgeoisie (seriously) that makes wine in the Sancerre region of France. The family came to the Marlborough region because the primary grapes here, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, are the same as there. The tasting room at Clos Henri is in an old chapel. It was adorable.

Once inside, the room looks like a tasting room, not a chapel, but I found it amusing that where the altar would have been, there is now a display of wine. The tasting of both French and local wines was fantastic and, of course, we had to bring some back with us.

Next, we did a tasting at Cloudy Bay, which had a beautiful location, but we were not impressed with the wine.

That evening, we stayed at a lovely B&B, and had a fantastic dinner at a local Brazilian restaurant, owned by a Branzilian immigrant and his Kiwi wife. The food was great, and Saulo was a fantastic host who kept giving us different wines to taste (who were we to say no?).

The next morning we returned to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Museum. The first time we were there, we visited the WWI part of the museum, which was so great that we wanted to visit the WWII section. Although smaller than the WWI section, it was equally well done, presenting a combination of the history of the air war with a special focus on the involvement of Kiwi pilots, along with specific restored planes.

After the museum, and before heading home, we had lunch at Wither Hills winery along with their wine tasting, which we also enjoyed very much (and bought more wine).

Of course, on our way home we stopped at the supermarket in Kaikoura because we won't be near another market for almost a week. Shopping lists are very important here!

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana
 

The A&P

Being out in farm country, it did not surprise us to see signs for the Amberley A&P (Agriculture and Pastoral) show. Amberley is a small town (population around 2,000) about an hour-and-fifteen minutes south of where we are staying. (Apparently many towns have an A&P show at varying times during the year.) We decided to go, understanding that it is something like a U.S. county fair (with less fried stuff), since we don't have that many entertainment opportunities way out where we are.

The A&P turned out to be about what we expected. There were rides for the kids, food trucks and lots of animals. We were impressed by the booths selling various handmade products as we bought some spices, soap and fudge, and Shana bought a hat, which she is wearing in this picture with the adorable Bee (really this is just an excuse to re-include the picture of her from the last post).

The various animal events ranged from a sheep-shearing demostration using traditional shears, to a petting zoo with cute baby animals, to horse-jumping competitions.

There was also a wood-chopping competition, which is something we are familiar with as it is a Basque sport, and a dog-handling demonstration by kids that was adorable (both the dogs and the kids).

Finally, there was a great deal of Scottish culture at the A&P, as a large part of the population of this part of New Zealand traces its roots to Scotland. So, we had kids (both boys and girls) doing Highland dancing in traditional costumes, along with a group in kilts playing bagpipes.

The A&P was a worthwhile outing, especially since it was a beautiful sunny day. But after a few hours we had had our fill of the festivities and we headed to do our errands (when you are as far from civilization as we are, you have to grocery shop whenever you are "in town"), and then returned back to our slice of paradise.

More to come soon.

Jeff and Shana

Life in NZ

So, where are we in NZ and what is it exactly that we are doing here? We are staying in a place called Conway Flat, which is about 2 hours north of Christchurch and about 45 minutes south of Kaikoura, on the east coast of the South Island. The closest town is Cheviot, which is about 30 minutes away. This visit is a combination of relaxation, exploring more of the South Island, and taking care of Jeff and Stuart's property. While their property is not a farm, the rest of the area is filled with farms raising sheep and cattle. 

As you can see, the views of the mountains and the sea are both spectacular. We spend a lot of time just admiring how beautiful it is here. And, as it is spring, we have a lot of lambs and calves, with their mothers, as neighbors.

The main chores we have are maintaing the pool, mowing the lawns (the property is huge despite the fact that most of their 12 acres are leased to local farmers as pasture land), and maintaining the garden. The first thing we learned about this process is that when you go outside, it is best to wear gum boots rather than your own shoes.

Very stylish, right? 

Taking care of the pool is quite easy. While the garden is a total crapshoot -- we have a lot of lettuce and chard to eat now, but we will see if any of the lettuces that we planted grow. Unfortunately, the many fruit trees in the orchard will not be ready for harvest until after we leave, but we are enjoying some frozen fruit from last year's huge crop. Fingers crossed we'll enjoy strawberries soon. As for the lawn, there is a riding mower, which I have become fairly proficient at using.

 

We have also met some of our human neighbors (none of whom are very close), and a few of them run a track for walkers (a very big  thing in New Zealand). They invited one of us to see part of the track and help them maintain it. Shana took them up on the offer and rode up the nearby mountain in an open four-wheel vehicle (there was only room for one of us). Although the day was hard work, she got to hang out with Bee, who is an adorable and extremely friendly dog.

But Bee, sheep and cattle are not the only nearby animals. There are dolphins (which we have not seen yet) and seals in the sea by our place. One afternoon we went out for a walk and saw this one sleeping on the beach just a few hundred feet from our house.

At first we were concerned that it was a dead seal, but Shana made a bit of noise and it lazily turned its head toward us a bit so we could confirm it was alive and get this shot.

We have been here for about four weeks now, and while we have worked hard, it hasn't been all chores. But, more about what else we have done so far in the next post.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff annd Shana

Back in New Zealand So Soon?

When we were here in New Zealand last December, we didn’t think we’d get this far from home again within a year. Afterall, it’s a long journey from San Sebastian (or anywhere else for that matter) to what we affectionately call the end of the earth.

We had very few plans when we got home in March – find a new place, get back to a routine, plan a trip or two within Europe. We did those things quickly and enjoyed being in a groove. Yet, here we are on another extended trip.

During our last visit, we met a wonderful couple. We hit it off with Stuart and Jeff as we tasted wines together at Greystone Wines on a beautiful sunny day. Some might call our meeting kismet. We have a lot in common: wine, a love of travel, two Jeffs, among other things. We formed a bond, joked about being willing to take care of their house, enjoyed their NZ tips, and stayed in touch after we continued exploring. For a moment we even considered extending our long trip to housesit for them, but that didn’t pan out. So, we finished the Big Trip as planned.

Then, shortly after our return, they suggested a house swap, and we didn’t hesitate. It took a bit to work out all the details, but we eventually did so.

Getting here was not easy, as we tried to make the trip as tolerable as possible on our bodies and minds. The journey started on October 11, when we took our local train to the French border, took the train to Paris, and then took the metro and RER train to the airport, where we stayed at a hotel. Next, we took an overnight flight to Seoul, where we spent 8 hours in the transit hotel getting some sleep and a shower. Then, we took another overnight flight to Brisbane, where we spent most of the day at a hotel getting some sleep and a shower. Finally, we flew to Christchurch arriving at 1 am on October 15, where we took a cab to a hotel. Stuart and Jeff picked us up around 11 am, and after a few errands we headed to see their place.

And here we are, already more than 3 weeks into our stay. Our plan is to spend 10 weeks here, then we’ll head to Tasmania for a 3-week road trip around the island, then to Malaysia for 3 weeks, and finally, we’ll stop on the west coast of the US to visit family and friends.

Meanwhile, after hosting us at their home for a few days and showing us the ropes – more on that in the next post – we dropped Stuart and Jeff at the airport so that they could start their journey to San Sebastian, via Los Angeles and London.

They are now ensconced in our apartment enjoying everything our beloved city has to offer, while we enjoy the tranquility here.

Be back soon,

Shana & Jeff