If Bendigo was the perfect start to our trip - being away, but still with family - then New Zealand was the perfect first country to visit, as it has so many things in common with Australia, not least the power sockets.
Having arrived in Queenstown and had a great couple of weeks driving through the gorgeous landscapes of the south island, it was time to cross over to Wellington and then head north to take in the awesome sights around Taupo and the awesome smells of Rotorua (not!). Then, after a quick stop off in Hobbiton, it was onto Hamilton and then Auckland, where we could finally hand the hire car back and go pedestrian.
Day 17 Sunday, 24th March - Ferry from Picton to Wellington (Accommodation #10)
It was a very easy and comfortable journey from Blenheim to Wellington. We got up, packed our bags and drove the short distance to the port of Picton. We hadn't driven onto a big ferry like this for a long time (Corinth, Greece, 2000 was the last time I think) and it was all very smooth and easy.
Once aboard, we locked the car and went up four or five flights of stairs to the comfortable and varied passenger area. Leb found us a place near the front of the ship so we could nip out on deck to take in the stunning views as we sailed through an archipelago of islands and then north to Wellington.
 |
| Car Bay |
 |
| Passing a south-bound ferry |
The sailing was about four hours but once we'd docked in Wellington it was just 15 minutes to the central hotel. It was a bit of a squeeze getting the car parked, but once that was done and we unpacked our bag we were off to explore Wellington as much as time would allow.
The girl on reception was very helpful and gave us some good recommendations which we followed pretty closely. There was a street festival going on (cubadupa) as we arrived and so that was the first stop. We sampled some delicious Asian street food and soaked up the fun atmosphere.
Then, it was time to visit the Te Papa Tongerewa, the museum of New Zealand.
 |
| It was shocking to see the English version of the agreement with the Maoris still defaced. And this is New Zealand, remember, where the colonials at least tried talked to the indigenous folk. Australia, clearly, has a long way to go in this regard. |
 |
| Even the view from the top of the museum was stunning |
After that, we walked along the waterfront heading for the funicular to take us up to the botanical gardens.
 |
| Nice to see some support for Ukraine in Wellington |
Next was the funicular to the botanical park.
The funicular was fun...
As we didn't have much time, this was perfect - pretty much completely downhill. Next point of interest was the so-called "beehive" parliament building of New Zealand. Funny to think of Jacinda Ardern being in power here during the COVID epidemic. Seems so long ago already.
My desire to visit the oldest pub in Wellington was curtailed as it was a little out the way, so I settled for "one of the oldest" instead - The Bank. Very nice.
We did go to one other old pub that had been taken over by a Vietnamese company but then it was back to the hotel for a good sleep.
 |
| Beautiful Ferry Crossing from the South Island to the North |
Day 18 Monday, 25th March - Wellington to Taupo (Accommodation #11)
Next morning, having squeezed out of our tight parking bay without a scratch I couldn't resist a quick stop at the impressive looking Sky Stadium, home of Wellington Phoenix.
 |
| One afternoon strolling around Wellington |
First stop was a cute little town called Foxton where we stopped for delicious Dutch-style pancakes. The town has an unmissable windmill so clearly it has a connection with the Netherlands.
On the way to Taupo we made a slight detour and went through the Tongariro National Parks with its otherworldly volcanic landscapes and beautiful flowing streams and waterfalls.
 |
| First sight of Lake Taupo |
 |
| On the bank of Lake Taupo |
Taupo is quite a buzzing little tourist spot in its own right and we were very pleased with our motel with its swimming pool and close proximity to the town center.
Having unpacked we walked along the lake shore to Jimmy Coops brewery for a paddle of their beers and a very nice burger.
 |
| Wellington to Taupo via Tongariro Park |
Day 19 Tuesday, 26th March - A Day in Volcanic Land (Rotorua) (Accommodation #12)
In the morning we had a little time to actually explore our pretty roomy accommodation we'd booked ourselves into. I walked over a nearby field to get some brekkie from a grocery store and then there was just time for a quick swim before checking out.
Heading towards Rotorua, at one point around noon we took a wrong turn and ended up driving through some pretty narrow, hilly, windy lanes. Still it was beautiful and nice to smell the fresh country air whilst we could, and whilst listening to Elton John.
Rotorua stinks. Literally, not metaphorically. It's actually an awesome place to visit, but you're never far away from the nauseous stench of hydrogen sulphide.
As we approached, we stopped at a couple of places, where for a few dollars you could get even closer to the love bubbles of gas emanating from the bowels of the earth but we settled for a very impressive mud pool instead.
 |
| "Did a Giant just fart, or what?" |
Despite, or probably because of, the close proximity to volcanic activity, there is a lot of beautiful countryside around Rotorua.
We finally arrived in the town to find our next room for the night. The hotel was actually very nice, despite the overwhelming stench that you really just couldn't escape from.
 |
| Jet Park. Nice Hotel with wafts of H2S never far away. |
Having settled in, we went off for a walk around town to explore.
 |
| Not the sort of signs you want to see in your town center |
As we headed north, the lake got prettier as the stink reduced.
 |
| Just a few hundred meters away - natural beauty and no stench |
At last (for me at least), it was time for a couple of beers. The first pub was a modern one on the main drag. Quite nice but expensive.
 |
| A rare pint of 2.5% ABV Pale Ale - More Please |
Then, we walked a few hundred metres further to the Pig & Whistle, apparently the oldest pub in town, a converted police station.
 |
| The Oldest Pub in Rotorua |
To save a few bob we decided to end the day with a kebab rather than maccers.
 |
| Winding our way to Rotorua |
Day 20 Wednesday, 27th March - Hobbiton & Hamilton (Accommodation #13)
Next morning, I was not feeling too good. I felt a bit nauseous and put it down to the volcanic atmosphere. Then we set off again to Hobbiton and our appointment at 10 am.
A recurring theme of this holiday for me, selfishly, is that I seem to be denied each and every opportunity to watch any football. Ukraine were playing Iceland, Wales were up against Poland and Georgia were tied with Greece for the last three places at the Euros in the summer, I was hoping to watch Ukraine and/or Wales at least, but it wasn't to be.
Never mind. We arrived in Hobbiton in good time and had chance for a nice cp of hot chocolate before our bus took us to the site.
Very cute it is too,
After 45 minutes or so, at around 11:15 am, I started to feel a bit weird. Faint and desperate for a pee. I made my excuses to Leb and headed back to the entrance where I remembered there was a toilet. I scampered back as quick as I could but... senile incontinence seem to be the order of the day and, to put it frankly, I pissed my pants.
I sat on the loo as long as I could to empty my bladder, all the time thinking I should get back to Leb and our group, but I still felt dizzy and really just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. Back at the entrance another group had arrived and I told their guide I wasn't feeling well and I'd left our group.
She said she'd ask the bus driver if he could take me back to the main site and so that's what happened. I got back to the car park where a cow seemed to be standing on our car. I did one more wee through the fence next to the car and then got in, and put the seat back and went to sleep,
Leb must have woke me up an hour later. I feel bad I missed out on the best part of the hobbiton tour but I really wasn't feeling very well at this point.
Leb had a wonderful time, meanwhile...
Meanwhile, back at the car...
Once we got to our hotel in Hamilton, Leb (always the medical professional) insisted I went to the doctors, so I Googled the nearest clinic with a GP and scampered through the rain to Victoria Clinic a couple of blocks away.
I have to say, the staff there were great. The receptionist dealt with me very quickly and soon the triage guy had me slotted in with a great doctor who was very thorough and assessed all my symptoms. She got senior help to confirm her diagnosis and soon I was having a big IV dose of antibiotics and a prescription to pick up a couple of boxes more from the phamacy next door.
I felt better straight away, and Leb and I did have a bit of a night out before I went back to the clinic first thing the next morning for a second big IV dose.
 |
| Zonked Out |
The reminder I had here is that you really do take good health for granted and only appreciate it when you have a fever and need antibiotics to put you straight.
Anyway, hopefully on the mend, we set off for the last leg of our Kiwi adventure - to drop the car off in Auckland.
 |
| Rotorua to Hamilton via Hobbiton |
Day 21 Thursday, 28th March - Car Drop off in Auckland (Accommodation #14)
Leb had called the car hire company to ask if we could drop it off in their city office rather than the airport, which we'd originally planned. This was a great call as the city office was central and the airport one miles away.
I was impressed that we'd clocked almost 3,000 km when we handed it back and relieved that the staff there found no scratches or anything untoward.
So we set off as pedestrians in Auckland looking for our hotel... the Ramada. Not soon enough, it occurred to us that maybe we were going in the wrong direction. Damn, Apparently there is more than one Ramada in Auckland and I'd chosen the wrong one in Google.
After a frustrating walk through some nice park land we had a sit down to have a rest and then we opted to get an Uber and get settled in.
Then we went off exploring the city, including some places I'd visited when I was there at an ASHB (Australasian Society for Human Biology) conference in 2003.
 |
| Last leg of a 2,700 km drive |
 |
| Walk around after dropping the car off |
Day 22 Friday, 29th March - Pedestrians in Auckland
The next morning I did feel better and so with some relief we set out to walk down o the waterfront. Unfortunately it rained pretty badly putting a dampener on the morning. Still, we can't complain this was only the second day out of 18 we'd had bad weather.
 |
| The street I stayed on back in 2003 |
The weather brightened up as we headed to the art museum, and a few dumplings before hand.
 |
| Wonderful detail here from Breugel (I think) |
 |
| Fernand Leger (Les pistons, 1918) |
 |
| Henri Matisse (Espagnole 1927) |
 |
| Salvador Dali (Instrument masochiste 1929) |
 |
| Pablo Picasso (Femme a la resile 1938) |
 |
| Pablo Picasso (Mere aux enfants a l'orange) |
 |
| Henri Matisse (Les quatre rosaces aux motifs bleus) |
 |
| Peter Mondrian Composition with Black, Red, Grey, Yellow and Blue |
 |
| I love the detail of this painting by Henri Fantin-Latour |
 |
| Andre Derain (Paysage a l'Estaque, 1906) |
 |
| Albert Dubois-Pillet (Paysage a l'Ecluse, 1886-87) |
 |
| Claude Monet (Le pont japonais, 1883) |
 |
| Paul Cezanne (La route, 1875-76) |
 |
| The good old Civic Center |
My appetite was returning but because this was "good" Friday, where the Christians in power dictate that the rest of us shouldn't have fun, we had to resort to Denny's. I had a beef lasagne which hit the spot.
 |
| A purely pedestrian day in Auckland |
Day 23 Saturday, 30th March - Compulsory Sky Tower, then to the airport
So, our time in New Zealand was closing and so we had just a morning to do a couple of things before heading to the airport and the next leg of our adventure.
Of course, #1 on any tourist's agenda when coming to Auckland has to be the Sky Tower...
But first, Leb found a hotel round the corner that did a very good breakfast deal with a kind of German theme to it. Very nice too.
Then, we were off.... and up. After quite a long queue we finally were propelled to the lower platform which gives absolutely amazing views.
 |
| Walking on the thick glass at the Sky Tower always gives me the wobbles |
 |
| PT worker Eric told me we could have caught a bus directly from the Sky Tower to the airport. |
Eventually, we were there, checked in and waiting by the gate.
México, allá vamos!!!
 |
| Wandering around the Sky Tower before leaving |
New Zealand Financial Summary
We spent eighteen days in New Zealand in total. The expensive breakdown was accommodation ($2,900 in total), general expenses (about $2,000), the flight ($1,457.86) and the car hire ($1,350). I think we covered almost 7,300 km and I happy that I drove every bit of it. Leb really deserved the most stress free holiday possible.
The accommodation averaged about $135 per day with Mi-Pad in Queenstown being the most expensive and the Ramada Suites in Auckland being the cheapest.
New Zealand Mood Analysis.
It felt great to start the tour around the world properly and we had some absolutely fantastic days, full of great activities all day long. Thursday, 14th March was clearly the best of a fantastic set. The mood score that day was a whopping 34-0. It was the first full day in Queenstown and included the chairlift ride to the top of a mountain, the dry luge on the way down, the hike up Queenstown Hill and so much more.
The "bad moods" were rare, although I did have three on our arrival in Invercargill. The weather was so cold and wet, I was really miffed at the lack of hospitality shown to us in a pup in the town center and, of course, Forest getting pipped at Luton was a bit depressing too.
Getting ill in Rotorua was a real downer for a couple of days, but overall it was just fantastic. An average score of 12-3 - 0.6 would be hard to beat.
New Zealand Alcohol Analysis
What about boozing? Well I had calmed down from Victoria even before my illness put me onto an antibiotic period of abstinences. The wine tour provided an easy excuse for a big session on Saturday, 23rd March, but that was the only actual skinful. I had eight days of zero alcohol in full and the overall average was 38g/day.
Burp!
