Just over a year ago I was travelling through Portugal and Spain with Canadian smilewright Ella Munro, everyone’s favourite multi-lingual Winnipeger. Good times and a new friend, plus highlight after highlight as we wandered Iberia.
Now – one year later – Ella is coming to Aotearoa.
As you can imagine, I have talked up this fine country of ours, but sadly I won’t be there to help make it live up to the hype. So I’m calling on you, ye readers – those of you who are familiar with New Zealand, at least – what would you recommend to a traveller spending December in the land of the long white cloud?
Anything that jazzes you. Hidden corners that won’t be found in a Lonely Planet, as well as obvious places that just should not be missed! (She should have access to a car at some point, so out of the way is fine.)
Share your favourite places. Even better if you say why they are special, like Karen does in the September 19 entry here.
Go on, click ‘Comments’ and write. Make me a happy morgue.
14 thoughts on “I need your help.”
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The first place I’m gonna recommend is Eva Dixons Place in Wellington, best cafe in the whole whole world. (Unless it’s changed since I left?)
And Bulls. Everyone should visit Bulls. Or… not.
Question: if the Milford Track is unavailable, what bush experiences are the best of the rest?
I’d recommend the raft at Days Bay on a hot still summer evening (I know those are rare in Wellington, that’s what makes it special)as the sun is setting. If you can’t make the raft the beach is just as good, ideally with fish and chips or ice cream, and good people around you.
The Ataturk/Gallipoli memorial above Tarakena Bay on Wellington’s South coast. Great view and a thought provoking message about sacrifice, duty and reconciliation.
The Desert Road on a clear moonlit night. Pull over, get out, spend some time watching the mountains.
Castlepoint. Where the cliffs, lagoon, and really big waves are. Heed the warning notices to stay off the reef.
The wreck of the ‘Hyderabad’, Waitarere beach.
Moeraki Beach where the spherical boulders are.
Wanaka region, for scenery that is pretty and intimidating at the same time.
The Putangirua Pinnacles rock formations in south Wairarapa. Should have been a LOTR location.
Uncle Chang’s chinese restaurant on Courtney Place.
The Embassy and the Paramount. Because they’re the Embassy and the Paramount.
Evidently I have too much free time at work today……
As far as tramping in the bush goes I reckon the Heaphy track is a good plan.. each day the kind of scenery changes. I remember one particularly magic bit where after a steep climb through (and out of) the bush we slowly came back down to a field of giant squirrels. Alright, maybe it was more like a grove of little trees no more than about 1.5m, covered with moss and shrouded in mist. So if she’s interested in magic pixie forests maybe that’s a good starting point. 🙂
I’d second Wanaka as well.
If she can walk the Tongariro saddle on a clear day that’s really spectacular as well. Little volcanic lakes, great views for ever. I have this vague memory that’s one of those ones you do with a guide? Maybe not.
I really enjoyed sitting out at Chocolate Fish cafe in Scorching Bay for lunch when I was just back in Welli.
Ooh, one more for bush experiences (and for things to do up north).
Lake Waikaremoana is really nice for that lush, verdant thang.
There is one fairly solid climb involved, which you can tackle either on your first day or last depending which way you want to go round the lake. Amanda and I opted for the first and I reckon that was a good way to go so long as you know from the start that it’s only going to be like that on the first day. From the top of that climb you can look out across the whole lake and it’s all rather choice. 🙂
Sandboarding down the big sand dune into Hokianga Harbour.
And while you’re in Opononi, don’t forget to go marvel at the tastelessness of calling the Fish and Chip shop ‘Opo takeaways’
If she happens to be in Wellington on Saturday December 20, there is a fantastic gig at Happy (cnr Vivian and Tory St’s), featuring Imon Starr, Cortina, Idle Faction, Tree Ninja Kollektiv, SstimulusS and The Elusive Ones, lots of bubblewrap and lotsa lights. All for only $7. She would be a fool to miss it, if she was in town.
Two places occur to me, one is Stewart Island, I went there for the first time this year. It sort of counts as a bush experience as well, there is a weeks tramp through the interior, for the hardy. Beautiful place, lots to see and do, and it is an exciting trip to get there. Yay for Foveaux Strait Ferries and coffee at one of New Zealand’s southernmost coffee shops.
Another option, is in front of the Oriental Parade boat sheds on a Wellington summer’s afternoon. One of best places to consider ‘what it all means’ and also the most refreshing place in the city.
Gush, gush ;-).
Andrew
Me, I have to recommend going over to Cape Palliser, beyond the Manawatu, going several miles past the end of the rode behind the lighthouse to see where Peter Jackson got his images of the Misty Mountains from Isengard.
I was over there many years ago, with the family, and I said then it looked like the Misty Mountains, as long as you ignored the close proximity of the sea, and then we got the Two Towers, and Jackson’s scouts must either channeled me, or gone there too.
Hell, get the map that shows all the locations in LoTR, most of them are great places to go, though some are very inaccessible.
Any empty beach on the West Coast of the South Island, especailly on a cloudy windswept day.
The Remarkables. They are actualy remarkable!
The waterfall that appears in Jurrassic Park.
Kapiti Island. Go see and hear what New Zealand bush _used_ to look and sound like before the coming of the cats and the rats. Needs arrangment with DoC, but well worth it.
Eat some crayfish bought on the side of the road south of Kaikoura.
Deep bush in the rain.
Can’t remember the name of the place (if it even has one), but there’s this amazing little secluded spot about halfway between Taupo and Rotorua. Down a turn off to your right (heading north after a petrol station/pub combo) down a gravel road. Carry on until you see a quasi-car parking-like spot and stop there. Go for a meander through the bush (handy path provided) and there are a fantastic couple of hot pools – one enough for 3/4, the other for a whole lot more. Great on an Autumn evening. Even better: you get cellphone coverage, so you can gloat to everyone!
My first response would be Milford Sounds, amazing place. I have tramped the Lake Waikaremoana track and that was pretty good as well (went the other way and did the hill on the last day, packs were lighter then). 🙂
Can also recommend Taupo, plenty of things to do for free. The Routeburn down south. And some lazy days checking the vineyards around Marlborough or exploring Nelson (caves, tramping, swimming, etc.)
bushwise, if she don’t wanna leave Wellington city, there’s the Green Belt walkways – the programme walks being the Northern, Southern, Eastern, City-to-Sea, and Skyline. WCC Infocentre place should have a few freebie maps around. These only take a coupla hours. Skyline’s probably the best for tourists coz of the view: you hop from Kaukau to the Crow’s Nest and maybe to Johnson’s Hill, but I’m not sure coz I went off another way. I can’t recall the name but there’s the area between the wind turbine and Red Rocks (inc. Hawkins Hill – the Easter Egg radar station). The bit between the turbine and the radar is tar-sealed though, so it’s not exactly bush. There’s also wee pockets such as the Otari bush reserve and (even smaller) the Karori Bird Sanctuary. Anyway, these are all reachable by Stagecoach bus, or at least reachable enough.
What’s wrong with Bulls? Bulls is near Ohakea. Ohakea has planes. Which are cool. I have run into at least one gaggle of tourists there. They were Dutch. Any implication of this fact is left to the reader.
Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame.
**2**