Roaming Robertsons

Leaving Dunedin, our target for the day was Oamaru where we planned to see Little Blue Penguins come ashore that evening.  We decided to hug the coast as far as possible as we went North. First stop was Warrington (not a bit like its English counterpart) where we went past the surf life saving club hut down to the beach.  The notice boards told us how to behave if we encountered any seals. Alas, it didn’t appear to be seal season. Ate lunch and proceeded North, crossing and re-crossing the railway track as we did so.

We stopped at a lookout which gave us a good view up the coast towards Oamaru (see featured image).

On the way North we wanted to see the boulders at Moeraki. Before we got there we passed Shag Point which had a seal colony.  We turned off the main road and made our way down there.  On arrival in the car park we were met by a very alert red-billed gull.  A short walk down to the rocks and we saw a number of fur seals

As we drove back along the track to the main road we saw an old Standard Vanguard estate parked by a house with foliage growing up round it.  A photo opportunity not to be missed.

On up the road to Moeraki.  We went down onto the beach.  The guide says that the Moeraki Boulders are best viewed at low water.  It couldn’t have been lower but somehow a blue sky, a bit of sunshine and a few splashy waves would have improved things.

When we arrived at Oamaru we checked into our motel and went down into the town to investigate viewing the Little Blue Penguins. No problem, plenty of seats in the regular viewing area.  Come back in time for 8.15.  Wrap up well and recommend taking a seat as high up as possible.

So back to the motel, early supper in the attached restaurant and back to the penguin colony to follow instructions.  We ended up sitting next to a retired dentist from Watford and his wife and had a good chat with them.

Unfortunately no cameras were allowed so no photos. But we sat and waited, entertained by the antics of a fur seal which swam offshore and then paraded up and down the beach.

At last we saw our first raft of penguins.  They charged ashore through the small surf and then waddled and hopped quite slowly up the beach and over the rocks.  Once at the top most made their way through the two channels through a barrier fence, intended to make them pass close to the premium seats, on their way to their burrows.  They then congregated underneath the walkway, apparently to have a bit of a chat about the day’s fishing, before making for home. We saw some waiting, and even going back down the beach, apparently for their mates.

By the time the show was over we had counted more than 80 penguins. The official total was about 77.  Perhaps we had been too eager.  Although the management of the colony is somewhat artificial, the returning of the Penguins to exactly the same beach after hunting perhaps 50km out to sea is entirely natural and a great thing to witness.

Friends have said that Dunedin was a bit of a waste of time for them.  I have to admit that it has not been the most exciting place we have visited in New Zealand but for us it has been worthwhile.

Our main reason for coming to the city was to try to get help in finding out something about the people in a photograph, handed down through my paternal grandparents, taken in the last part of the 19th Century. We knew that NZ genealogists were available in the Dunedin library on Friday and Sunday afternoons and had timed our visit accordingly.

So we had a morning to fill and thought that the Taieri Gorge return rail journey would be a good use of the time if we could get seats at the last minute. Trains leave at 0930 so we turned up well in advance, about 0830, and were able to buy what were said to be the last two tickets.  There was then time for a bit of a walk around the station and its surroundings before we boarded.

When we boarded we were in a comparatively modern carriage.  Even so, it had plenty of old fashioned character.

It also had no viewing platform so there was a small viewing car just forward of it. Nothing like the size of the dedicated cars in the TranzAlpine. On the outward journey I tried to use this but it was very crowded.  On the way back I went to one of the older carriages which had an open section at either end. More successful.

The rail track follows the course of the Taieri River up onto the plain near Pukerangi.  On its way it passes over the Wingatui Viaduct, one of the longest wrought iron structures in the Southern Hemisphere.

At Hindon we waited until an earlier train, laid on for the passengers in a cruise liner which had berthed at Dunedin, passed on its return journey.  Both there and at Pukerangi locals had set up stalls to sell art and produce.

Our train should have been back in Dunedin by 1.30 but, due to the wait for the cruise ship train, it was nearer 2.30 when we arrived at the platform.  We made our way to the library where both a librarian and the genealogist were able to help us in our quest.  A thoroughly worthwhile day.

The following morning we had decided to visit the Otago Settlers Museum which is near the station. We arrived bright and early at 9.00 to find that it opens at 10.00.  So we went for a wander round the craft market which was being set up in the Octagon in the city centre, had a cup of coffee and looked at some of the great old architecture before the museum opened.

The museum was really interesting and we could have stayed much longer but we had to move on. But before going North we wanted to see Larnach Castle, the only castle in New Zealand. So we drove out along the peninsula, past familiar places such as Portobello. Unfortunately Larnach has no reciprocal arrangements with the NT.  Entry is $NZ30 per person to the house and gardens and $NZ15 to the garden only.  We opted for the garden!

Finally, we had to see Baldwin Street which is claimed to be the steepest residential street in the World.  It looks a pretty good angle, although we didn’t have time to climb it.

Queenstown is the “buzziest” place we have visited in New Zealand so far.  It is a resort town, possibly one of the capitals of extreme sports, and filled with people of all nationalities bent on enjoying themselves.  We joined in on our second visit, without resorting too much to the extreme.

We stayed again in the Best Western Cranberry, a short distance out along Gorge Road. Less than 5 minutes walk from the town centre.  Conveniently, they had a baggage room and had kept those belongings we did not need on the Milford Track (i.e. most of them).

Having said that we avoided extreme sports, our first event the next day was a jet-boat ride on Shotover Canyon.  We were early at the Station Building check in so our ride was advanced by 15 minutes.  When we got to the beach area we were issued with long waterproof overcoats and life jackets and invited to dump anything we didn’t want in the secure locker stowage.  We then went down and boarded the boat where we were briefed.  In essence this was “hang on tight”.

Once underway, the driver performed a couple of pirouettes for the camera before taking us haring down river, through shallows (the boat draws about 4 inches on the plane) and missing rocks by inches.  Every so often he put the boat into a 360 turn.  All very exhilarating until you remember that your safety is in the hands of a NZ water-borne petrol-head (the boat apparently used 40l of fuel every half hour!) Still, we enjoyed it.

Once we were off the boat we went to collect our belongings from the locker.  It was empty!  The staff had emptied it to allow newcomers to store things.  Gives secure a new meaning.  We also bought the pictures.  Only place we have done this so far. Cameras not allowed onboard and it would be difficult to capture these shots yourself.

After the coach trip back we made our way to the car rental, picked up our hire car (no upgrade this time) and dropped it back at the motel. We then walked to the cable car which takes people (and their bikes if they want) to the top of Bob’s Peak which overlooks the town. At the top we had a nice light lunch of Greek salad before going out to the viewing platform for a really good view of Queenstown.

We then had fun walking round watching people throw themselves down the mountain.  There were three methods:

Mountain bike.  We went to the start of the trail and listened to the bikers discussing previous injuries, a broken leg here, a damaged shoulder there. Not sure if there were any casualties.

The luge. These are dry slope sledges which run down a track at the top of the mountain. You take the luge up on a short chair lift section then down you go. There didn’t seem to be any age restrictions although we saw a girl of about 5 unable to understand how to control her sled and then carried down by her father.

Paragliding.  Another opportunity for New Zealanders to chuck themselves off mountains.  Tandem flights were offered and a surprising number of people seemed ready to take up the offer. In truth, I was quite tempted.

We had decided that in the afternoon we would take a cruise on the lake on TSS Earnslaw (TSS = Twin Screw Ship) so after we got back from the Peak (By gondola. Nothing scary.) we set off to buy tickets.  We resisted the dinner cruises or the cream tea excursions to Walter’s Peak farm and settled for simple return tickets.  There was a bit of time to kill and so we had a bit of a wander around the area by the jetty.

Eventually Earnslaw hove into view, smoke pouring from her funnel as she slowed down (she is the last coal fired ship in the Southern Hemisphere). Once her speed was steady the smoke came under control and had ceased by the time she approached the jetty.

Once the ship was alongside all the incoming passengers disembarked and we all boarded amidships.  Cargo was handled forward.  The ship was pretty full.

We cruised out and back to Walter’s Peak farm jetty where passengers were changed and supplies for the farm restaurant disembarked.

Earnslaw is a fascinating example of old technology working.  She is driven by two  triple-expansion engines powered by two locomotive boilers. Unlike in most such vessels, visitors are allowed into the engine room.  It was surprisingly quiet, nothing like the noise you had in the machinery spaces of steam propelled warships.  Of course, the equipment was much less powerful and sophisticated.

The whole ship was redolent of times past.

After disembarking back in Queenstown we walked back to the apartment and a quiet supper.

The final part of our time with Ultimate Hikes on the Milford Track was a boat trip

on Milford Sound followed by transport back to Queenstown.  When we got up there was another great view out of the window down the Sound. A cruise ship had come in for a passenger transfer and was lying off the harbour with an accompanying rainbow.

Having followed our usual routine of preparing sandwiches for lunch and having breakfast we handed back to the guides the back packs which we had borrowed from Ultimate Hikes.  All our belongings were then in the two large plastic inner sacks with which we had been provided.

At about 8.30 we set off to walk down to the dock for the boat which was to take us on the Sound which we boarded at 9.15 for a 9.30 departure.  We were shepherded by Andrew, one of the guides, while the other three prepared paperwork, loaded the coach and generally did whatever was necessary to ensure the operation ran smoothly for us.  They really did well for us, not only guiding and interpreting on the route but acting as front of house staff in the hostels.  Not particularly well payed, they do the job because they love the life outdoors. They were great.

A number of boats left the dock in fairly quick succession. We all went out towards the Tasman Sea for about 45 minutes then turned for home. The commentary by the skipper was pretty much inaudible to those of us who were on the upper deck but the boat company we were with had provided leaflets which gave a some useful info on what we were seeing. The day was overcast with a bit of a breeze and the boat was moving fast for most of the time so we were well wrapped up in fleece and waterproof jackets.

After we had turned for home the skipper took the boat close to a large rock on which were basking a number of New Zealand fur seals. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any of the dolphins which often come into the Sound.

What was not lacking, of course, was scenery.  The glaciers which cut the fiord did a magnificent job and peaks, rock formations and waterfalls abound.

The final adventure on the voyage was when we approached the Stirling Falls at the edge of the Sound.  The boat went in and stopped with its bows almost under the waterfall. The speed of the dropping water created a strong down draft which helped to blast the spray onboard.  Quite an eerie experience.

Disembarking from the boat those of us opting for road travel rejoined the coach and set off down State Highway 94 towards Te Anau.  On the way we went through the Homer Tunnel, the struggle to build this is described in the leaflet.  Even today, it is a single track tunnel and vehicles have to wait while others come the other way. There is an electronic count-down system which tells drivers how long they will have to wait until the tunnel is clear. The half dozen or so who had decided to return by helicopter left us at that point to wait and see whether the flight would be possible given the weather conditions.

At Te Anau Downs the coach stopped briefly to drop off Isaac who was to be one of the guides for another hiking group on the Milford Track, starting that day.  Looking at the weather forecast we thought that they would probably have a damper walk than ours.

We stopped at Te Anau to eat lunch and to drop off two couples who had booked to walk the Routeburn Track immediately after the Milford.  Brave souls.

Back at Queenstown we disembarked from the bus and said our farewells.  A great experience and great people. Very well worth it.