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12-13 Feb 2009 – LHR to AKL via SNG

Twenty four hours spent in transit is rarely worth retelling, but in this case some novelty is offered by our first experience on board the new super jumbo A380 operated by our chosen carrier Singapore Airlines on the first leg of our journey. Hugely improved comfort and entertainment are offered even to the mere mortals who can only afford economy seats. Screens are much bigger, power sockets are available to all and you can even play movies off your iPod through the said display unit. Nice.

We arrived in Auckland around midnight on the thirteenth. Sleep much required.

14-15 Feb 2009 – Auckland

We began our visit in something of a strange manner by attending a distinctly English event, namely the Top Gear Live Show which was taking place throughout the weekend headlined by two of its usual three front men, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond who were accompanied by New Zealand race driver Greg Murphy in the absence of the floppy haired James May. Taking place in front of over 3000 people at Auckland ’s prime exhibition centre the ASB Showgrounds we were treated to the usual good humour with an added Kiwi twist and the full gamut of Top Gear fun. There was a Cool Wall, The Stig, car soccer (as NZers know it) and four Frenchman hooning around a spherical cage on motorcycles among other things. The rest of our day was spent seeing Baha’i friends and eating Burgers, what better way to spend Valentines?

On Sunday we met up with some friends and took in the sights at Piha beach and on Mt. Eden before taking the lift up to the café in Auckland ’s famous sky tower where we tentatively walked over the glass tiled sections of floor looking perilously down on the distant ground below.

16 Feb 2009 – The journey to Rotarua

After much debate on what route to take and thus what sites we could fit in along the way we eventually settled on taking an indirect path via a small town called Otorahanga and the renowned Waitomo caves. At the former we visited a bird sanctuary where we were able to see the native Kiwi bird after which New Zealand nationals and the fruit once better known as the Chinese gooseberry are nicknamed. At the latter, we first absorbed the extraordinary Aranui cave replete with stalactites and stalagmites so remarkable that they were formed over millions of years. Sadly, much damage was caused to many of these natural formations by the early visitors who broke them off to take as souvenirs not knowing the unimaginable age of the mineral life they were destroying. In the cave’s cathedral (highest point from floor to ceiling) we were treated to a song in Maori by our sweetly voiced young female guide. From the artificially lit caverns of Aranui we made our way to the star speckled Waitomo. We were led through the darkness by torchlight so as not to disturb Waitomo’s minute inhabitants, the prolific glowworms that live fixedly upon the cave ceiling. It was as though we’d entered some kind of paradoxical universe where day turned to night and although we were sheltered from the elements we could still see the galaxies above us. But fantastical metaphor aside, be warned, don’t get too near the brightest bioluminescent as apparently that means they’re the hungriest.

17 Feb 2009 – Rotorua

On our first morning in NZ’s smelly city we started with a gondola (cable car) ride up Mount Ngongotaha , the site of Rotorua’s well known luge ride. Despite the presence of traditional ski chair lifts, there was no snow or slalom course in site, instead several concrete tracks cut through the mountainside at varying degrees of incline and windy-ness. After munching on a delicious brunch of French toast, bacon and grilled banana it was time to feel the speed. M took in the view on the mountain walk while I got my adrenalin fix, hurtling down said tracks in a go-kart with only my own fear and some modest barriers to stop me from careering off.

From the Skyline Skyrides we headed for Paradise Valley Springs Wildlife Park, for which we had a free voucher. It was an unexpected treat. It wasn’t, like many New Zealand attractions, milking the “native” selling point, but rather played home to all manner of creatures mostly comprised of those common to New Zealand subsequent to European introduction, including alpacas, great ugly pigs called kune kunes (pronounced kooni koonies for the amusement of our Persian readers) and other such things. The highlight however was the lion enclosure where a feeding took place each day at 2:30pm. While we are not necessarily advocates of captive wildlife, these big cats were evidently well looked after as the photos will show. They were large, loud and anything but tame, which made it all the more impressive.

A packed day ended with a Maori village tour. On our Waka (traditionally a canoe, but our tour bus in this case) the impending “experience” was explained, a rangatira (chief) was appointed from among us, various other Maori terminology was taught and we arrived to the marae as a tribe, subject to challenge before entry. Welcome rituals complete and peace offerings accepted we made our way through the contrived arrangement of huts and their occupants who were engaged in various traditional craft or duties. Weapons were keenly demonstrated by young tattooed actors before a show of hakas and poi dancing. With the main protagonists, the musket-wielding chief of another tribe and the prophesised young warrior of Tamaki village joining forces the story is concluded with a traditional hangi (food cooked in an earth oven) and a fond farewell. The whole thing is rather theatrical for anyone that has visited an actual marae, but for the less informed tourist it is probably as good a way of getting a taste for the culture as any and the hangi (including steamed pudding also cooked in the earth oven) was excellent.

18 Feb 2009 – The journey to National Park

On Wednesday we continued our gradual journey south stopping just south of Rotorua at Waiotapu Thermal Reserve, where we watched a geyser erupt and walked among mud pools and bubbling reservoirs of striking colour where various chemical deposits had settled. And with that, we decided to take our leave of Rotorua and its pungent aromas to head for the more nasal friendly Lake Taupo . We spent the afternoon of a beautiful blue-skied day on the beach of this huge freshwater lagoon feasting on our first meal of Fush and Chups and proper NZ dairy ice cream, namely hokey pokey and orange choc chip flavours. Mmmmmmmmmmm good. After a fleeting visit to the onrushing Huka falls and a round of mini golf, we had dinner by the lakeside as the sunset turned the clouds pink, much to the shepherds delight.

Thus ends Week 1, check back again soon for Week 2 and more photos!