Friday 28th

At last we are home after the 13 hour flight from Singapore. We landed at 5:25 am, 30 mins ahead of schedule. It was the first time we'd been on an Airbus A380 and we couldn't believe the size of it.  525 passengers seems an awful lot of people to get off the ground. It was certainly quieter than the Boeing  and we were very happy upstairs. So far we both feel OK but I'm sure the jet lag will kick in soon enough. It seems incredible that we managed to fit 28 hours of activity into 15 and a half hours!!!!!! We set off at 1:30 pm from Auckland, flew 10 hours to Singapore, sat around for 5 hours, flew another 13 hours to Heathrow and managed to land at 5:25 am. 

So that's it we're all holidayed out for the time being. There are numerous piles of washing on the kitchen floor, the first load is now in the tumbler and the second load of washing is in. 

Until our next adventure it's goodbye from me and goodbye from him. 

Thursday 27th - still

Even though we left Auckland at 13:30 we have landed in Singapore at 19:45 after a 10 hour flight. We have kept ahead of night falling and so have managed to stay awake, just. Hopefully the 5 hour wait here won't be too bad. At least we have wifi and occupied ourselves for a short while in the Butterfly Garden where they have 47 species of butterfly. Unfortunately most are sleeping now but there were some who wanted to show off so we weren't too disappointed. 

On the flight I watched two films, 12 Years a Slave followed by Last Vegas. both films were excellent and last Vegas was very funny and made up for the harrowing story of Solomon North. It really is hard to believe that the US treated human beings in that way until so very recently. 

Whilst watching the films we ate! First we were served lunch, which was something like Kung po chicken, but I've already forgotten. 

and then we were served dinner, which was braised fish in black bean sauce

Both meals were quite acceptable and inbetween having them we were offered snacks, fruit, sandwiches, nuts, chocolate, biscuits, muesli bars. How much do they think we can eat?

I've no doubt we've got more to look forward to as soon as we get on the next flight and then it'll be breakfast and we'll be home. The plan now is to stay awake for the five hours we are here so that hopefully when we board our flight we can go straight to sleep. By the time we board our bodies will still be in New Zealand and will believe that it is 4:30 am  I know I'm fighting sleep now but an hour has already past and if I go walkabout I can't fall asleep can I!

Himself did on the flight what he does best and that was to catch up on some reading. He found an interesting piece in the Sunday Times which gives great hope for Ducky One and Duckly Two finding a mate. The article was about containers being washed off ships in rough weather. 

So we're half way home and only 12 hours to go.  

Night night all x

Thursday 27th

Well that's it, all good things have to come to an end and the great New Zealand Adventure has ended. We are checked in and ready to go and now comes the worst part, sitting on the plane for 24 hours. 

Here's himself as relaxed as usual. Give him a newspaper and he's happy. 

Speak to you all soon. Love you all, Sue, mum, nanna x x x

Wednesday 26th

After our epic Tongariro Crossing we headed off to Raglan. We took the drive slowly and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful countryside and arrived mid afternoon at Alan's, thanks to our sat nav! Where would we be without. Alan had warned us about his steep drive, so we were prepared and John took a run at it and managed to turn into the garage without scraping the bottom of the car. 

The view from Alan's lounge. 

It was lovely to see both Alan and Wendy again after so many years and we were soon busy chatting. Much to my surprise, or not really as Gwen had warned me :-), Alan is an excellent cook, so whilst we chatted he busied himself and produced a couple of magnificent leeks out of the garden. He then proceeded to cook the most delicious meal of chicken meatballs with leeks and peas. Scrummy. I photographed his recipe so at least I can attempt the same at home. 

Soon it was bedtime and like at Gwen's we slept as if we were at home. Must be something about being in a home rather than a hotel. 

Early this morning I text both Claire and Tim to phone mum to make sure she was ready with her ipad. This time things went without a hitch and there she was. She had a wonderful chat with both Alan and Wendy.

I wished I'd remembered to take a screenshot of the conversation between mum and Gwen but I'm not always on the ball!!!! It still fascinates me that we can chat online with mum (no wires, as Jackie would say). 

After our FaceTime we went out for a good walk. The bay is huge and when Alan said it was time to turn around and head back, I decided to set my phone app and recorded 2.79 km back to our starting point with an uphill climb of 240 ft. 

We were surprised to see lots of very young children on the beach and Wendy explained that this was the local school doing swimming lessons. Imagine learning to swim like this. A whole group of children aged maybe 5 to 7 suddenly running into the sea. You wouldn't have got me in!

Before heading back we had soup and a sandwich and then made our way back to Alan's. We hadn't been back long when Wendy made some tea and Alan declared it was cake time. He had made the most scrummy carrot cake ever, complete with a cream cheese topping. Is there no end to this man's talents?

All too soon it was time to say another emotional goodbye. Where have the last 40 years gone?

We had a good journey to Auckland, checked into our airport motel and had the most friendly, helpful, receptionist ever. She suggested a local Indian restaurant for a meal and also recommended a local shop for breakfast purchases. As our room is well equipped we opted to buy a jar of jam and a loaf of bread for toast to go with the fruit we bought a few days ago. 

Our last meal, the most delicious chicken korma and lamb rogan josh. 

We also decided to drop off our hire car rather than to leave it at the motel, just in case it was 'damaged' after we'd gone home. The company, Go Rentals, were very efficient at checking it back in and then drove us back to our motel. All part of the service. The motel receptionist had also said that if they didn't bring us back, to phone her and she'd send somebody to get us. How helpful is that? We have found nothing but kindness in our five week stay and have so many wonderful happy memories of a fantastic holiday. 

Now the packing needs to be done, not looking forward to the 24 hours flying :-(

Tuesday 25th

Happy birthday Ann. Lovely to share with you the cake Georgia made across 13000 miles, even if it was a poor connection x x x

Tuesday 25th

We've woken up bright and perky this morning which is surprising after yesterday's walk. We expected to be a bit stiff and creaky but we are both fine, at least getting to the kitchen to make a cuppa was ok. We were told yesterday that we had had the best weather all summer for the walk and would you believe that today we have cloud and the wind is gusting! It's obviously true that the sun shines on the righteous. 

Last night we had a lovely dinner of fillet steak with a Scottish couple who also did the walk yesterday. At the end of the dinner we were given our t-shirts and certificates.  Lorraine the owner apologised to the Scottish couple when she didn't give them a t-shirt, explaining that they hadn't booked the package. They also didn't get the half hour hot tub which we appreciated to loosen the muscles. They had just turned up, booked a room, tagged on the transport to the start and from the end of the walk and then asked for dinner. They probably paid more than we did and I think Lorraine the owner probably worked this out and gave them one. 

So here we are, we have no plans for today other than to slowly make our way to Raglan and catch up with Alan and Wendy, which we are looking forward to. We can't believe that our adventure is almost over and that the cold, wet UK is beckoning.  Still we've got two more days to enjoy and we will. 

Monday 24th

The day of the Tongariro Crossing dawned after a restless night. The owner of the Adventure Lodge, where we are staying, had outlined the difficulties of the walk and I was very apprehensive about the steep downhill on nothing more than ash. The technique is to dig your heels in and allow yourself to slide. This was a pretty good technique but I did end up on my back twice, which resulted in nothing more than squashed bananas.

Anyway, after a very cold night we awoke to blue sky and sunshine but at 6:45 when we went for breakfast it was frosty. Hang on, I thought this was summer!!!

After a hearty breakfast had been consumed we were given our packed lunch. I took one look and thought I could never eat so much and more to the point I had to carry it. 

2 hours in a banana and a chewy bar were eaten and then a while later the sandwich and squashed banana. The apple was eaten in the bus and the rest is for another day. 1.5 litres of water did get drunk though and as soon as we got back we downed a beer each. Thank you Gwen for insisting John take the beer :-)

The walk itself was far easier than we had anticipated and around every corner there was another spectacular view. 

Mount Ngauruhoe

Red crater

Emerald Lakes

Blue Lake, where we ate lunch

The view looking back as we approached Blue Lake

Traffic light to warn of danger

The reason the traffic lights are there. 15 months ago Mt Maari erupted without warning. We were told that as long as the smoke was white we were safe but that if it changed colour to evacuate asap. 

The path winding it's way down 

The stats from my phone

The elevation

After our return we had a quick beer and then soaked in the hot tub for half an hour. Right now we are looking forward to fillet steak for our tea. The choice was chicken or fillet steak so no contest really. 

And here we are post meal with a selfie of us in our matching t-shirts. 

Sunday 23rd

Today we said goodbye to Rotorua once again and headed to Tongariro National Park. Before doing so we had a lovely breakfast at the B & B. We were very comfortable there and it was so much better than being in a hotel.  Instead of a room we had the use of the whole of the ground floor, including the kitchen. After breakfast we headed off to the Redwoods Forest where 170 species of trees from all over the world were planted in 1899. The intention was to see which ones could be grown successfully as timber trees and the radiata pine won but the redwoods thrived and so formed the heart of the forest. 

Cross section of a redwood which is 96 years old

Still a lot of growing to do

After a lovely walk we set off for Tongariro and stopped at Lake Taupo to eat our picnic. This was the view over the lake. 

We arrived at our lodge after a lovely drive and were informed that unless things change the walk would be going ahead, hurray. Just need  to wait until 7pm to get the final timings as it's totally dependent on weather. The walk today was cancelled because conditions at the top were expected to be very poor so we feel very lucky that at the moment conditions are favourable. 

Our walk takes us up at the left hand base of the big one, over the top and down at the far left hand end. 

Had our briefing and it's a goer for tomorrow. Lorraine, the owner of the Lodge, reckons it'll be busy because the weather has been bad for the last few days and all those who have been holed up will be coming out of the woodwork. We have an early start, so what's new, up at 6am, breakfast at 6:45 and on the bus to the start of the trail at 7:30, start trail at 7:50. The transport back is at 3:30 and 5:30, so fingers crossed we can do the walk in 7 and a half hours and be back here in the hot tub at 4pm :-) We're told it's going to be cold because there is a southerly wind blowing. Now back home a southerly wind means warm air currents but down here it means the wind is coming from Antarctica and believe me it felt it when we went out to get food. During the day we had watched the temperature fall from 22c in Rotorua to 11c here in Tongariro. Before we went for food we put the radiators on so at least it's nice and cosy now in our lodge. 

Saturday 22nd continued

After a wash and brush up we went into Rotorua, where there was a concert going on which was pretty lively. There were young people everywhere and more police than we've seen the whole time we've been here. 

 

Dinner tonight was Thai and very scrummy it was too. I think we deserved it after our long walk, but we didn't have a pud. 

Himself looking happy

Now we are sat in the B & B enjoying a glass of wine. Cheers

Saturday 22nd

This holiday just keeps getting better. After a wonderful time with Gwen and Ron, we had a thoroughly enjoyable 13km walk to Hot Water Beach on Lake Tarawera. The info reckoned 6 hours to walk so we allowed that plus an hour to have lunch and soak in the water. We managed the walk in 4 hours with 80% humidity and intermittent drizzle to keep us cool. As we arrived we had a really heavy shower but miraculously the skies then cleared and we've had sunshine. The walk was tough going in places but, as they say, there's no gain without pain!

The beach is a good size but you have to be careful with your feet as the sand is very hot in places. We ate lunch and changed into our swimming togs and couldn't believe how warm the water was when we walked in. We soaked in various areas but you need to be on the move because hot spots suddenly appear and you burn! Even sitting in the water can result in a burned bum. 

Here are the stats:

The best bit about using the iPhone to record our movements shows that we have burned 935 calories. That would be normal walking but when you look at the elevation profile below I reckon it has to be much more. At least that's what I'm telling myself and then I can have a pud tonight. 

First glimpse of the beach

Me wallowing!

Imagine this in Windermere!

Over the last 15 mins there has been a great deal of activity in the stream to our left, which is 100 degrees C. The guys caught 3 enormous trout in the lake this morning and they have gutted them and wrapped them in foil and placed them in pits they've dug in the stream. They reckon they'll be having a fish supper at 7pm. I said I wished we didn't have the water taxi booked for 4:30 as a fish supper would be very appealing. 

Pit 1

Pit 2

And now it's the end of a perfect day and our taxi awaits. 

I think today we have talked to just about everybody on the beach and a short while ago a lady kindly came along the beach to tell us our taxi was almost here. At least it gave us time to get dressed. A lot of people have been very interested in us walking here and have been asking about the trail. As the trail was only opened in December there's not a lot of info online. I've given away my maps and leaflets and also been able to give an accurate walk time. 

Friday 21st

What a wonderful day it's been. Words can't really describe how lovely it has been spending time with Gwen and Ron. 

We woke up very leisurely and sat out in the garden enjoying a morning cuppa when I hit on the idea of face timing mum.  A quick check on find my friends showed  Lisa at home so a quick message was sent to get her to phone nan to be ready with her ipad at 9pm. Just to make sure, I also messaged Tim. At 9 o'clock we pressed all the right buttons and hey presto, there was mum beaming from ear to ear. There was a little bit of bother at the beginning to unmute mum's ipad but soon we were up and running with Gwen and mum reminiscing.  Gwen reminded mum of the time her and Alan stayed with her and dad in the prefab and dad had varnished the bathroom floor after everybody had gone to bed. What he hadn't banked on was Alan and Gwen going to the loo in the middle of the night and sticking to the floor. He wasn't best pleased and a bit of shouting was done!!!  All too soon we said an emotional goodbye to mum and had breakfast. By this time it was 10:45!!! The morning half gone and breakfast still to be eaten. I was really upset when I realised I hadn't taken a screen shot of mum and Gwen chatting. How stupid could I be.  

Eventually Ron drove us to Mt Maunganui and whilst Gwen and him had a wander, John and I hiked to the top, 761 ft. It was very hot and hard work, but we stopped and chatted to people on the way and caught our breath. 

The start of the walk

Made it to the top

View from the top

Beacon at the top which commemorates a beacon being lit in 1919 to commemorate the end of WW1

All too soon we had to make our way down and we met Gwen and Ron at the Hot Pools. And would you believe we'd taken our swimming costumes with us. The pools are unusual in that they are salt water. We had a lovely time soaking (and talking), the 'boys' ended up in one pool and the ladies in another. I couldn't have thought of a better way to while away our time. 

As you can see from the temperatures below, the pools really are hot. It was a relief to go into the 'active' pool to cool down after a session in the passive pool. Eventually the 'boys' ended up back in the passive pool sat under the big umbrella having a chin wag. 

Two old codgers sitting chewing the cud after a long hot soak. 

This is what the Lonely Planet says:

'If you've worked up a sweat walking up and down Mt Maunganui, take a long relaxing soak at these hotwater pools at the foot of the hill', and that's just what we did. 

Of course after a long soak we felt the need for something and it just so happens that there is a nice ice cream shop opposite the pools. We couldn't walk past could we, and so we each had a scrummy, drippy, sticky, ice cream. Mmmmmm. No photo because it really was very very hot today and the ice cream was melting.

After a cup of tea and a ginormous slice of apple cake with apple and cinnamon ice cream, it was time to pack the car and head off to our B & B in Rotorua.  We really didn't want to leave and wished we could have stayed longer. We had an emotional farewell and we are now in our B & B. 

Our hosts have gone out for the evening and we are the only guests so we are feeling very at home. We decided not to go out for food tonight and stopped at the supermarket in Rotorua and picked up some bread, cheese and tomatoes and that's us sorted. I was shown where everything was in the kitchen and Paul, our host, showed John the beer fridge!!!!! We have in fact had a cup of tea :-)

Thursday 20th

Today we said farewell to our fellow travellers and set off on our own adventures. 

Group photo courtesy of Janette who sadly was the other side of the camera. 

First stop was the car rental place to collect the car. We were soon loaded up and on our way having programmed the sat nav for Taurunga. It couldn't have been an easier journey driving to Taurunga but we were glad of the sat nav to navigate the final 10 minutes to Gwen's. It was lovely seeing Gwen and Ron again after too many years, but time didn't matter and the years faded away. We talked and talked and then set off to visit Kim and her lovely family. 

Gwen, Ron and Kim

Andy, Ron, Kim,Toby, Gwen and Amy. Unfortunately Jemima was working. 

Mmmmmmm, pudding. Lots of crunchy bits for Georgia!

We sat and talked and talked and talked and had a lovely evening and went to bed far too late. 

Night. Night.