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The
Land of the Long White
Cloud
This
is the first part in a series on our extensive visit to New Zealand some
time ago.
New
Zealand, one of the most isolated countries in the world is also one of the
great tourist destinations of the world. Within its small compass it has an
amazing range of scenery, a complete portfolio of every sport that you can
think of, some sophisticated cities, superb skiing and surfing and some
excellent wines.
Many
potential visitors keep getting it wrong and therefore, for the record, New
Zealand is in the southwest Pacific and has two large islands (North Island
and the South Island), plus one smaller island, and numerous much smaller
islands. It is sometimes thought that New Zealand is an island just offshore
of Australia. It is not. New Zealand is the same distance from Australia as
London is from Moscow. And New Zealand is as close to the equator as Buenos
Aires in South America.
New
Zealand is a long narrow country, oriented very roughly north to south and
with mountain ranges running for most of its length. It is a bit bigger than
Great Britain, slightly smaller than Italy and the same size as Colorado. It
contains, in its relatively small compass, as complete a range of scenic
delights as you will find anywhere in the world.
North Island
The
distance between the very north of the North Island and the southern tip
of the South Island is 1 600 km. Within this range there is a tremendous
geographical and geological variety. In the subtropical North there are
areas of thermal activity that create bubbling pools and mist-enshrouded
forests and lakes. The North Island’s main mountains are all dormant
volcanoes: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro in the centre, and Taranaki to
the west.
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Harbour
Bridge with Auckland in the background
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We
entered New Zealand through Auckland.
It is modern, cosmopolitan, moves at a city beat and is utterly obsessed
with sailing. At the weekend it is a nautical traffic jam. This is a city
of great restaurants, great parks, a swinging night life - and it is
within easy driving distance of much of the North Island.
There
are suburbs of Auckland which have distinct and very charming
characteristics. Devonport
is across the bridge in North Auckland and has a magic charm of its
own. It is easy to explore as a gentle walk, and there are restaurants
galore, all of which seem to have a wonderful view of the city of
Auckland.
There
is nothing more pleasant than driving out to Henderson or nearby Kumeu and
visiting a vineyard and perhaps eating in a restaurant on the wine farm.
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New
Zealand is not only careful of its national natural heritage on land, but
it has the same attitude to the sea around its coastline. A drive north of
Auckland will bring you to Russell and Cape Reinga, better known as Northland.
If
you travel the Ninety
Mile Beach
to Cape Reinga, you will ride on the beach either going or coming back,
depending on the state of the tide. It is one of the great journeys: the
never-ending beach runs ahead and the sea pounds in towards you while on
the other side is a desert of sand dunes.
Russell,
in the Bay of the Islands, is a short car-ferry ride from Paihia, and is
one of the most interesting and elegant towns in the country. It is
difficult to believe that Russell was once called the hell-hole of the
Pacific, and it was where the swearing sailors and whalers came ashore to
get very drunk. Today it is a favourite weekend breakaway destination for
many Aucklanders.
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Only
90 minutes’ drive from Auckland lies the Coromandel
Peninsula.
In a sense it is a relief valve for Auckland, for it is clean, green
and undeveloped. It is also a haven for people who live by art and
craft.
The
interior of the peninsula consists of a ridge crisscrossed with roads,
some of them unpaved. The peninsula has no major town. Its centres are
Thames, Coromandel and Whitianga, but these are small towns - little
more than villages - which cater for the surrounding area rather than
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Coromandel
is near enough to Auckland to make it a day’s drive, although it
deserves much more. This must rank as one of the great driving experiences
of New Zealand and reason enough in its own right for a visit to the
Coromandel Peninsula.
The
city of
Rotorua
is the main centre for tourism to experience the culture and influences of
the Maori-people. Rotorua itself is a smallish town. The triangle formed by
Rotorua, Whakatane and Tauranga encloses one of the world’s most active
areas of geo thermal activity, as well as large tracts of forest, including
the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park and the largest tree plantation in the world
at the Kaingaroa Forest. If that were not enough, the nearby Bay of Plenty
coast has an amazing range of beaches, and dolphins that will come and swim
with you.
The
key to the city’s attraction is that it is set on a volcanic plateau right
in the heart of the North Island’s thermal belt. The result is that around
Rotorua there are extraordinary geysers
and hot springs, boiling and bubbling pools, and general thermal activity.
One
of the great delights of a visit to Rotorua is a cruise
on the lake. Hundreds of the famous black swans escort you on your
sundowner cruise.
The
area known as Waitomo (south of Hamilton and west of Rotorua) consists of a 45
km network of underground limestone caves and grottoes linked to the Waitomo
River.
Apart
from touring the Glowworm and Aranui caves, famous for their glowworm
grottoes and fantastic limestone formations, you can enjoy a range of
cave-based adventure activities, including abseiling into a limestone shaft
and cave system, and black-water rafting, an adventure sport unique to New
Zealand.
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A
walk through the three levels of the cave - the Banquet Chamber, Pipe
Organ and Cathedral - is capped by a tranquil boat ride through the
magical Glowworm Grotto.
Mount
Taranaki (Egmont) is one of the most beautiful
mountains in the world. Certainly it is the most perfectly formed
mountain in New Zealand.
South
of Rotorua lies the Haku Falls and Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. It was
created by volcanic activity but the lake is now fed by a series of rivers,
of which the largest is the Tongariro.
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Amazing
fishing is still available, either on the lake itself or in the many small
streams that run into the lake. Anglers require a Taupo trout fishing
licence, purchased for a day, week, month or season.
Trout
hatcheries are found throughout New Zealand because, while many of the lakes
and rivers have plenty of food, many lack adequate spawning grounds.
At
the southern end of Lake Taupo lies the magnificent Tongariro National Park. Three active volcanic mountains form its
nucleus: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro.
The
park, which is surrounded by access roads, serves as a winter playground for
skiers and snowboarders and a year-round wilderness walking, tramping and
mountain climbing area. The park was the first in the world to achieve
UNESCO World Heritage status for both its natural and cultural value.
Hawkes
Bay is one of the most attractive regions on
the North Island and is greatly appreciated by wine lovers and lovers of art
deco architecture. The twin cities of Hastings and Napier
were flattened by a massive earthquake in 1931, but were rebuilt in a better
and more elegant style. During rebuilding, an earthquake-proof building code
was enforced and architects adopted the then fashionable Art Deco style.
Today, the city’s Art Deco buildings, with their pastel colours, bold
lines and elaborate motifs, are internationally renowned.
There
are many vineyards within easy reach of Hastings and Napier, mainly dotted
around the southern end of the Ngaruroro river valley.
The
success of the region’s wine is not only evident in its international
awards, but in one of New Zealand’s most important wine events, the annual
Harvest Hawke’s Bay, celebrated during the first weekend of February.
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Early
morning balloon flights are an unforgettable experience. One meets just
outside Hastings and after assisting with the balloon’s inflation, you can
enjoy an hour of tranquility over the winelands of this region. A picnic and
capping with a certificate round off a memory to take home.
A
5 hour afternoon train journey between Hastings and Wellington takes you
passed sheep country of the southern region of the North Island.
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Wellington
is the capital of New Zealand and the country’s second-largest urban area.
Harbour-fringed Wellington, situated at the bottom of the North Island, is
the area’s main city, and the centre of government, business and the
performing arts.
The
area between Lambton Harbour and Clyde Quay Wharf on Wellington’s
harbourfront stands entirely on reclaimed land. It covers a site once
central to Wellington’s waterfront industry, and can be covered on foot
within an hour.
With
exhibition space equivalent to three football fields, the Museum of New
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (“Our Place”) is one of the largest national
museums in the world. Committed to telling the stories of all cultures in
New Zealand, home to the national Art Collection, and with ample gallery
space for touring exhibitions, the museum opened on its waterfront site in
1998.
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