Rekha's Musings

I am thinking I am the chosen one – I have holidays and I have holidays! With hubby, it’s always been 5 star, with my sons, it’s 7 star and when I go on my own, well, the stars are shining in the sky!! Newer skies, new climes not visited before!
This time the target- Australia & NZ; two countries placed on the very edge of the earth; with a unique geography and an incredible history! Enough to arouse our wanderlust all over again.
The three founding members of the team (Wad, Medha and yours truly) were joined by two second timers (Ashok and Reema) and two new comers, Ravi and Pooja; the only couple on the tour.
Six months of meticulous planning, hours of research on the net, a bit of help from friends and compelling advice from Heidi our guide, did the trick for a memorable and glitch-free trip.

New Zealand or Aotearoa - Land of the Long white cloud (Maori).
God made the earth, then he wanted to make something beautiful! He pulled up the two tiny islands he had earlier submerged under the sea and gave it his all! What we got is New Zealand – 100% Pure - every inch a stunning spectacle – rolling hills, jagged peaks, verdant valleys, pristine lakes, winding rivers, active volcanoes , rain forests and palm fringed beaches along an all-engulfing seashore!
Top it up with a climate to match- abundant rain and ample sun to keep the vibrancy and you have nothing short of paradise.
The youngest country blessed to receive the first rays of the sun! Balanced on two tectonic plates, (the Australian and Pacific plates) ensures it is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanoes.
The history of New Zealand dates back 700 years when it was discovered by Kupe a Polynesian explorer. The Polynesian settlers were brave, aggressive warriors and developed a distinct “Maori” culture.
They managed to defeat Abel Tasman, the first European (Dutch) explorer to land in the South island 1642. He named the islands Nova Zeelandia.
A hundred years later in 1769-70 James Cook won over the Maoris with gifts, promises and some guile; in lieu of which the Englishmen usurped their lands and developed their own settlements. Cook anglicized the name to New Zealand.
With white population growing, lawlessness grew and the British crown under Queen Victoria decided to bring NZ into the Empire. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed with around 500 Māori chiefs. The Maoris gave up their lands in return for law and order and equal rights– on paper. In actuality most Māori tribes were cheated and became disgruntled and impoverished.
The treaty was again reopened in 1890 and a more just version put in place. From the 1950s Māori began moving to the cities and a plan for their integration into the mainstream was initiated by the NZ Govt. In 1907 NZ changed from a ‘Colony’ to Statehood. However The “Queen” remains the titular head.
Today, NZ has combined small rural town friendliness with excellent service-fine restaurants, varied shopping and wide range of accommodation making it an outstanding tourist destination.
Nature and outdoor activities; extreme sports are its USP; not museums and art galleries like Europe. Aptly, every tourist is covered under an Insurance scheme the moment he sets foot in the country!
Its people too, as a race are as kindly as their country. Low key, well bred, well mannered, soft spoken; so unlike their Aussie brethren!
NZ has a number of Youth hostels like YHA, Base, Backpackers in every small town! An attractive option for budget/group travellers like us; they offer Real Value for Money. Add to it a friendly, informal ambience, clean, spacious guest kitchens, lounges where you meet like-minded travellers of all ages from students to pensioners from all over the globe!
Excellent opportunity to make friends, exchange emails and invites, especially from the fairer sex. Right Wad? I know Wad has collected quite a few! Chitra, are you reading?
Youngsters out to explore remote regions & cultures; some have saved enough from their first jobs; some work along the way; some enroll for NGO work in the poorest of countries like Ethiopia!
With a Map,Travellers Guide and a Translator in hand, these youngsters travel for months, even years, alone or with boy/girl friends. Cute to watch boys tossing up a salad or pasta or just buttering their toast; doing the dishes, neatly putting them away before walking out with their backpacks!

SOUTH ISLAND
CHRISTCHURCH(CC)
NZ is made up of two islands-North island and South island. We landed in CC in the South. CC- the city of gardens. Unfortunately, reeling from the effects of a massive quake, the beautiful city was closed to tourists. So after a few winks at the Jail House Youth Hostel (Yes, it’s a jail converted into a hostel; speaks volumes for the country; jails elsewhere are overflowing!) we boarded the world famous Trans-Alpine Scenic Train from CC on the east coast to Greymouth on the West coast.
The first section of its journey, the train passes thru 750,000 hectares of fertile farmlands. Lush green fields of turnips and cattle feed. The train then winds its way thru massive bridges, spectacular gorges and river valleys before negotiating the country’s greatest mountain range, the Southern Alps.
Starting at Arthur’s Pass, the highest railway station in the Southern Alps, we maneuver thru the Otira tunnel into a dark descent to the lush west coast. While most railway tunnels are level, the 8.5 Km long Otira tunnel has a gradient of 1:33 ie a rise in height of 1 meter for every run of 33 meters. Work started in 1908 from both ends and it was 10 years before the workers from both ends met. To their great credit and skill, they were only 1” out as far as level and less than 1” out on alignment!
We then descend thru lush beech forests to the Tasman sea and the sleepy town of Greymouth.

HOKITIKA
Greig, the Magic Bus driver cum guide cum entertainer took over at Greymouth. We drove South to Hokitika, a town famous for its Greenstone or Jade. Another rare gem unique to this region is Ruby Rock. Real ruby and sapphire crystals in an emerald green mother rock. Rarer than diamond.
Gold was also discovered in the 1860s which brought many Europeans here. At boom time Hokitika had a population of 25000 and over 100 pubs. Today’s population 3000. In fact we passed thru many towns whose population today is less than even 5000 people; some have 1200 people, some 200! Unimaginable!
Gold had no use for the Maoris but jade was used for making tools, weapons and adornments. Lovely jewelry was displayed in the shop windows. How could we resist?
FRANZ JOSEF & FOX GLACIER
Further South is Westland National Park with numerous lakes, dense forests, some of the highest peaks of the Southern Alps. Mt Cook-a NZ icon, is the highest peak at 3764 m.
40% of the area of the Alps is covered in glacial ice. There are more than 140 glaciers, but only two, Fox and Franz Josef flow down to the lower reaches of the mountains into the rainforests.
(A glacier is a large body of ice. It forms in regions where the snowfall exceeds the amount of melting snow. Over centuries the snow compacts and turns to ice. 99% of glacial ice is contained in the polar regions. Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on earth-my research!)
I was keen to go glacier hiking but a twisted ankle came in the way!

LAKE MATHESON
Our next stop. Also known as the Mirror Lake; it reflects the gorgeous views of the Southern Alps. There were lovely scenic trails along the lake and we decided to take a walk and Pooja made sure we never forget the walk!
Midway she decided she was fed up with us(?) and decided to follow another tour group. When we returned to the bus, no Pooja! Ravi panicked as she had all the cash! We went for her in all possible directions – minutes ticked by 20, 25. 30 ...... Greig was getting restless, fortunately the other passengers were patient. Finally an athletic Australian, Robert, decided to sprint all the way back to the lake. Sure enough he found her walking back- she regretted her decision and decided to return.
That was the worst nightmare we could have had on the trip! Oh, there were some more in store, but we shall come to that later!
We then drove via the Haast Paas, skirting two huge lakes - Hawea and Wanaka,and arrived at Kawarau Bridge. Built 42 m above the Kawarau river, it is the world’s first commercial bungy site. One of our brave friends on the bus-Gustav was taking the plunge; and we were all excited! An amazing sport born here and made popular round the globe by A J Hackett.

QUEENSTOWN
We head into Queenstown, Adventure capital of NZ. This is one place where you can throw yourself off things, out of things, over things and down things!
Extreme sports like Bungy jumping, sky diving, heli hiking, jet boating, rafting, canyon swinging, horse trekking and not so taxing like trekking, kayaking, zorbing, hot air ballooning, parasailing, snorkeling, swimming......are all there for a price!
The YHA surprised us by upgrading us to an Apartment! A lovely 2-bed place with huge drawing-dining and kitchen for the women! The 3 men got their usual 4 bed- dorm!

MILFORD SOUND
Known as The Eighth Wonder of the World, a day trip from Queenstown took us to Milford Sound in the Fiordland National Park which is made up of 1.2 million hectares (1 hectare = 10000 sq. meters) of glacial lakes, valleys and magnificent fiords.
On the way we learnt that Milford is actually not a Sound, it is a Fiord! Fiords are created by glacial action while Sounds are drowned river valleys-my research! To us they both looked as spectacular! Reminded us of our amazing trip to the Fjords of Norway three years ago!
The M V Sinbad, took us deep into the open sea. The mountains rising dramatically on either side showering amazing waterfalls with arcs of rainbow dancing on the surface of the water!

DUNEDIN
Dunedin is called the Edinburg of the South because of its Victorian culture and architecture of which the Dunedin Rly Station is an excellent example. Founded by migrants from Scotland, its name Dunedin is the old Gaelic word for Edinburg. It is home to the University of Otago bursting with more than 25000 students.
Walking around the “Octagon”, as the City Center is shaped and called, our eyes fell on ‘Bombay House’. It was tea time and (imaginary) aromas of samosas and wadas wafted before us. We entered, placed our orders and waited expectantly; but what appeared was a Kiwi-ised version. The tea was authentic masala chai! Thank God!
So much for some Indian fare! While on the subject I must tell you, our diet on the tour was more or less fixed; morning tea (3 cups) was a must, breakfast/brunch comprised assorted sandwiches and coffee-the white flat or the long black (Kiwi codes for coffee); late noon snack was muffins and hot chocolate. Ginger biscuits and bagful of pears and apples were fillers in between!
Dinner had to be our staple – rice! Cooked in-house - our favorite pilaf with heaps of veggies, blobs of butter and whatever spices we could lay our hands on. Accompanied with a pail of yoghurt and chips; a pot of hot soup spiked with garam masala and breads of various grains made for a sumptuous meal at the end of the day!
Cooking was team effort; I appointed myself The Chef while ‘the couple’ were the expert choppers. Medha was Asst. chef and ‘I-can’t-even-make-tea’-Rema became Soup expert at tour-end!
Wad can now wash a plate and bowl! Chitra will thank us! Ashok pitched into whatever role was required of him.
Our stock of smuggled foods - methi-parathas, MTR sabjis and snacks exhausted pretty quickly. We had managed to smuggle in a lot of food; despite warnings; as both countries are very strict in this regard. I guess, Luck favors the brave!
Forgot to mention the glass of wine before dinner! Wad ensured there was a new flavor every evening! Even Medha gave up cribbing; she could not stop us so she decided to join us!
Dunedin also boasts of the steepest street in the world; Baldwin Street, with an average slope of 1:5 that is, for every 5 meters travelled horizontally, the elevation rises by 1 meter. Its maximum gradient is 1:2.86 (19° or 35%). So next morning saw all of us test our stamina; no probs!

DUNEDIN to LAKE TEKAPO.
En route we stopped at Moeraki to marvel at hundreds of huge, round boulders strewn along the beach like giant turtle eggs. These rocks are said to have formed 65 million years ago by a layering process similar to that which forms pearls in oysters- my research!
We also raided a Framers’ Market which showcased a variety of home grown organic fruits, veggies along with homemade breads, cheeses, chocolates. Displaying logos like “From farm gate to dinner plate”. We picked up loads of pears, apples and cherries; not to forget huge cones piled with scoop on scoop of icecream with imaginative names like Hokey pokey.

AORAKI, MT. COOK
We drove thru Mt. Cook National Park, home to NZ’s highest mountains and largest glaciers. Glaciers cover 40% of the park’s area. But the views of the great peaks eluded us as they were covered in mist.
Mt. Cook, aka Aoraki (Maori name meaning Cloud Piercer) at 3754m, is NZ’s highest mountain and Sir Edmund Hillary is NZ’s tallest Mountaineer!. He trained in these mountains before he climbed Mt. Everest (along with Norgay Tenzing) in 1953; the first person to scale the peak.
Early evening we reached Lake Tekapo, a gorgeous destination. The YHA is located right on the shores of the lake. The views were fantastic. Spent the evening strolling along the lake shore along with flocks of geese.

KAIKOURA
Our next destination was Kaikoura, a town where the mountain meets the sea. The market had kiosks selling Crayfish dinners (Kaikoura translates to Meal of crayfish) but we were not enterprising enough! Whale watching is a popular activity here. If you go into the deep you can spot giant sperm whales that grow upto 20 m in length and 50 tons in weight.
We were happy watching the fur seals lying around the rocks and sands. Blobs of blubber, they look pretty ugly and uninspiring on land. (Medha even refused to look in their direction!). But in the water, they are something else-graceful and agile swimmers. The babies especially are real cute; playful and acrobatic!

INTERISLANDER
Today we cross the Cook Strait from the South to the North Island in the “Interislander “, a lovely luxury vessel! The 3- hour cruise was smooth though it can often be rough and stormy because of the strong winds and gales that pass thru the strait. The boat had comfortable lounges, restaurants and decks to take in the scenery or just relax. Even movie theatres!

NORTH ISLAND
North island is where the treaty of Waitingi was signed in 1840. Cape Reinga is the northern most tip of the nation where the Pacific ocean and Tasman sea collide and merge.
The tiny town of Kawakawa is famed for its designer public loos. Its curved shapes and bright colored tiles are classic; designed by Hundertwasser-an Austrian born architect and ecologist who lived here - without electricity!
BTW, the Magic Bus are very thoughtful when it comes to tourists needs! Every two hours there are “bathroom stops” and these are free! And “food stops” too. So we were never pressured! Unlike in Scandinavia where each visit to the loo costed nothing less than 2 kroner!
NZ being an island country, remained isolated; with its very unique flora and fauna. Even to this day, there is not a single snake in this entire country. Years ago NZ was bird country. There were no mammals here. The birds had no fear of predators and forgot how to fly. There are many species of non-flying birds found here.
The British, however, were hunters and were disappointed that there were plentiful forests but no game. They imported pigs, deer, hare and many more species of mammals. These animals, soon multiplied beyond all counts and the abundant forests were being eaten away very quickly! Even today there are 80 million possums and they eat away 7 million tons of vegetation every year. (In neighboring Australia the same Possums are on the endangered list! Greig joked that they should be sending some over!)
The government had to step in to stop this threat to the environment and many measures to cull these animals were put in place. From dropping poisoned carrots from a plane to hiring hunters to kill them! Very controversial!
Then was born one of NZ’s major businesses-export of meats! Sheep and Cattle farming, dairy farming was developed. There are single holdings of farms as large as 300 acres with 3500 head of cattle. Watching the sheep grazing away in the ample, lush farms made Rema exclaim “I’d love to be born a sheep in NZ in my next janam”! “Well, Rema,” you must be told-“once you reach your optimum weight in 6 months you will find yourself at the abattoir”!
Another major industry is export of timber. NZ soil is young, volcanic, fertile and loose; easy for plants to take root and grow. Every 30 years Pine is harvested for export and an equal number replanted. If not, the land is converted to farmland.
Its top money spinner of course is Tourism and the effort and organization that they have put into it is remarkable. Extreme care has gone into protecting and developing their natural habitats. Their native forests are ever green and do not shed leaves during winter; so trees were imported from Europe to give tourists the blazing reds and golden browns of the fall!
Its people have acted wisely too; growth has been in harmony with the natural resources, limiting industrialisation.
No huge expressways, but roads are excellent. Driving etiquette is amazing. The word “Overtaking” does not exist. You can “Pass” a vehicle only after it stops or slows down and gives you the go-ahead! And they drive on the right side too!
This is what I saw one day. There were two pilot cars escorting an extra-wide truck loaded with cargo, to warn the motorists! In all our 15 days we saw only 2 police cars drive by in silence (as opposed to one blaring past every few minutes in US)!

WELLINGTON
Officially the coolest Capital city in the world; due to the high winds blowing across the Cook strait! As we disembarked from the Interislander, we were greeted by towering, green hills with attractive houses perched on the slopes.
Just 2 Km in diameter, Wellington is truly a walking city! But it was rainy and we had tons of baggage, so we hired a maxicab. On the way we stopped to admire the Beehive-shaped Parliament House. It was late so we couldn’t go inside nor could we see much of the city. Although it is said Wellington has more cafes, restaurants and bars per capita than NY- my research!

TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK
Our bus then took us thru the only official desert The Rangipo desert which has been immortalised by the shooting of The Lord of the Rings. Its barren landscapes as also the stunning views of the Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu peaks make for a never-miss photo op. Just as Greig was narrating stories of how The Desert Road can get inaccessible in inclement weather, the clouds descended on us, huge drops were unleashed from the sky! The temperature dropped to sub-zero and we got a mix of rain, snow and sleet coming at us.
“Enjoy the NZ Summer” announced Greig as he stopped to give us a Photo-op! (April is still officially Summer!) Also an opportunity for the men to pose with their Dutch girl friends, Rochella and Monique.

TAUPO REGION
Lake taupo is the largest fresh water lake in NZ. Bigger than Singapore, it was created by a huge volcanic eruption. The most recent eruption was in 180 AD and was so mighty the sky turned red in Rome and China.
We walked down to the Huka (foam in Maori) falls, throwing over 2 lac litres of water every second! The waters of the Waikato river crash down 11 meters into the Huka falls. A footbridge right on top of the falls gets you close enough to get the spray in your face. Though not as huge as the Iceland waterfall!
Waikato is the longest river in NZ (425 Km) and 8 dams have been built on this river. 80% of NZ’s electricity comes from hydro-electric sources, 10% from geo-thermal and 10% from wind.
A walk around The Craters of the Moon, a geo thermal park spewing hot sulphur fumes, boiling mud pools surrounded by black rock. Just like the moon! Here we were met by a white woman who instantly greeted us with a namaste. I replied with Kia Ora which is the Maori greeting. “Oh” she said, I don’t speak that language!” crinkling up her pretty nose! Shocking, shows the divide that still exists between the Maoris and the whites after all these years!

ROTORUA
Known as Whakarewarewa in Maori lingo, Rotorua too is famous for its thermal spas, and geysers; not unlike the geysirs of iceland. These act like a safety valve that reduces the threats to NZ from harsh geological activity-to some extent.
Many Maori communities live here. We spent an evening at Te Puia – a park which gives tourists the experience of Maori life, their haka(performance)and hangi(meal).

WAITOMO CAVES
A day trip to the Waitomo Caves was worth our while. The caves are an ancient (30 million years) web of limestone caves decorated with stalactite an
d stalagmite formations. That’s not all. The ceiling is studded with thousands of lights from native NZ glow worms.
My ever-suspicious mates were sure these were no worms, but tiny bulbs lit up to fool the tourist! They mistook the ‘glow worm’ for the ‘fire flies’ that are found back home. Fire flies glow on and off, but glow worms shed a steady light; my research! So my friends, please note, nobody was fooling you! They are two different creatures.

AUCKLAND
Known as the city of sails because of its beautiful harbors, Auckland is one of the few cities that have two harbors; one on its Pacific Coast and one on the Tasman coast. Of the country’s 4.5 million population, 1.3 million (30%) lives here. The harbor views are breathtaking from the top of the Auckland Tower.
We were invited by Wad’s nephew-had a sumptuous pav-bhaji & biryani dinner.
Our last day in NZ! We had wonderful weather thru out and were thoroughly bowled over by this charming country and its people!
Next morning we reached the airport for our flight to Sydney. And we were in for a rude shock, our second mishap of the trip! It seems Ashok’s passport had got a bit soiled in the damp NZ weather and the top page had opened out. The immigration authorities refused to let him thru.
We were in a bind, no amount of pleading, explaining helped. So the poor guy had to go back while we left for Sydney. Fortunately Wad’s nephew Prasanna put him up as the embassy was closed for Easter. Getting the passport repaired was a minute’s job but it took a week of Ashok’s holiday. That was sad but we were glad he rejoined us in Cairns.
Then there were smaller casualties like suitcases, backpacks, shoes that decided to give way one after the other. But we had our man for all seasons! He played Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor all rolled in one! Sewing Wad’s backpack, sticking Rema’s cracked suitcase, repairing Pooja’s shoes, Ravi took care of every casualty! Of course he was a great help thru the trip, except when he tried to play “God”! Then he had to be given a telling and who better than big sis to do the honors?
Onwards to Australia!