New Zealand - 2001

Originally written for the Tracks Ahead Website, Barb was able to accompany me for this trip.

New Zealand - every type of climate imaginable; volcanos, soaring mountains, deep fjords.  A beautiful place.

September 23

Here we are with our first day in New Zealand. Another early morning. And the racecar drivers had either been partying all night or were up before we were. An obnoxious lot. We got settled with the tour around 7 AM, and hopped on a bus for a brief tour of Auckland, which has a population of just over a million, or a quarter of the total population of the nation. In fact, roughly three-quarters of the population live on the North Island. The Geyserland Express was a two-car unit which resembled the RDC-2 cars. It had passenger space, as well as baggage. Auckland appeared to be a quaint place, and appeared to have some areas which would be worthy of exploration. It is a bit more of a hilly closed European town, as opposed to the Australian sprawl (which really wasn't very much). The Geyserland ran along through a lot of dairy farms, and truthfully, it looked a lot like western Wisconsin. Hilly and green, there were lots of dairy cattle, sheep, and elk. Eventually, we entered a volcanic plateau and more of a rain forest look, with fern trees, flowers, and steeper hills. We got to Rotorua about 12:20, grabbed a taxi, and had him take us back into the country to see the train go past as it returned to Auckland. From there it was off to the Maori Center which is where the major thermal pools are located. Some new pools cropped up last winter, in the middle of a park, which gives you an idea just how unstable this region happens to be. We were told that there is a two or three percent chance of major geological activity happening here within the next ten years. The pools are sulfurous, and around 95 degrees Celsius, which is just under boiling. They spray, and bubble and pop, and people come and take pictures of them. New Zealand is the largest producer of geothermal power as a result of this activity. I'm tired and am taking a nap. We have a Maori dinner and dance tonight. The tour group only has about three quarters of a busload, so it shouldn't be to bad as long as that continues.   

September 24

We spent most of the day today wandering around Rotorua. The rest of the tour headed out to a model farm and agricultural display. We didn't need it for the segment, and as I have spent too much time on the farm anyway, really didn't bother to go. So we had a relaxing morning and afternoon just wandering the town, which consisted of a lot of tourist shops and cafes. We sat around the lake, and in the hotel gardens, and generally relaxed until our home stay pickup around 3 PM. Now I have to tell you, that none of us were really looking forward to this gig. Another night in a comfortable hotel, or staying with strangers on a farm. Which was it to be? I had signed everyone up for it, so I took the most flak. The couple that picked up Jim and me, Judy and Norm Fleming, was delightful. They had a sheep ranch of 1,100 acres, and ran about 1,000 head of sheep and another 150 of beef cattle. They also had a smaller farm and home on 50 acres. They had run the larger portion for just under twenty years on lease from the Maori tribe, and were giving up the lease to semi-retire to their smaller property. They had been taking in strangers for stays for several years, doing about three or four per week. They had three children, the youngest of whom was away at school, and the other two living in Rotorua. And they had one granddaughter. Both were native New Zealanders, with ancestral connections to the Maori tribes. In fact, it is easier to trace Maori genealogy, than their European heritage. We started with a drive up through the paddocks (fields) to overlook the town, and sense the rural life, and then it was back their house to feed baby lambs, have a delicious dinner and conversation. This being spring, the lambs are pretty young, and are just hilarious to watch, as they bound around. Norm explained a bit about shearing, and raising them, and said that the next day, he and Judy were going to dock the lambs tails, which keeps them cleaner and less prone to some disease. New Zealand houses generally have no central heat, other than single (or series of) fireplaces and wood stoves. Norm and Judy did have electric mattress pads, which, as far as I am concerned, are one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. So the beds were toasty. The only problem is having to get out of them. Judy and Norm had guest books with names from literally all over the world. I was not able to add Milwaukee to their map, but Jim was able to add Boise. They are really nice people, and I'm very glad we did this country home stay.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who comes to Rotorua.

September 25

We bid an early goodbye to the Fleming's this morning and headed back to the bus. We drove to a small stop along the way to pick up the Overlander train, which was to take us to Tongariro. In the process, we left one volcanic plateau, and pretty much left the dairy areas (milk production is New Zealand's largest export) and headed into more volcanic valleys. Our first stop was Waitomo, where we visited the Glow Worm Grotto. This is an old tourist attraction, having been open since the late 1800's. In it, you will find limestone caves containing a worm, which is unique to the Austral-Asian regions. This thing is basically a maggot, which attaches itself to cave roofs. It has a life cycle of about eleven months (if I remember correctly) and dangles a long string into the air from the body. It then uses electroluminecense to attract mosquitoes, and other small flying insects. A single mosquito will supply the worm with enough food for four days. Once the worms hatch, they become a fly which has no mouth. The fly lays it's eggs and dies. But the roof of the caves looks like the Milky Way, only more compact. It is really pretty neat. I'd post a picture, but it wouldn't turn out. Or it would be so disgusting as to be unusable. The place had to be a gold mine, as they would run between one and two thousand tourists a day through the place. Once having seen the worms, we hopped back on the bus and picked up the Overlander, which was late by about forty minutes. We headed off to Tongariro, and in doing so, used the Raurimu Spiral to climb to the North Island volcanic plateau. The spiral consists of three horseshoe loops and two small tunnels, which allowed the railroad to drop the grade from four to two percent. Once we got up to the plateau, you could see the three mountains of Raupehu, Tongariro, and Ngauruhoe. The area is still fairly active, with the last eruptions occurring only five years ago. We drove up to the ski fields after getting off the train, so some of the tour group could see snow (hard to believe) and then headed down to the Grand Chateau, our hotel. It was originally built in the tradition of the old railroad hotels, and has served as a hotel, mental ward, and recovery hospital. It is once again a hotel, in the grand style.  . Later. Dinner was excellent. I also forgot to mention that we have seen a lot of Harrier Falcons. I'm tired, and going to bed. Tomorrow promises to be a long one.

September 26

The sky was clear and the air was crisp this morning. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as we departed the Grand Chateau, descended through alpine fields, with the mountains at our back, and got into Taupo, which is on the shores of the largest inland lake in the north island. The lake is the result of a huge volcanic eruption, estimated to have occurred around 187 AD. The lake is home to brown and rainbow trout, and is roughly 30x40 kilometers. Of note is the fact that the only way to get brown or rainbow is to catch them yourself. They are illegal to sell in shops or restaurants, as a way of keeping the breed pure and helping the tourist industry, which brings in several million dollars annually to the area (The restrictions apply throughout New Zealand). We wandered around town a bit, and then drove through rugged terrain on our way to Napier, a seaport on the east coast. Napier was flattened by an earthquake in 1931, and was rebuilt in the style of the time, which was Art Deco. As a result, there are a lot of examples of that art form. It is a charming seaside community, with citrus groves, and a definite vacation stop for New Zealanders. The weather, which was below freezing this morning, has moved into the 70s here on the coast. It can get up to the 90-100 degree range at the height of summer. We wandered the town a bit, and then boarded a packed Bay Express for our trip to Wellington. We left the Hawkes Valley wine producing area, and the fruit bowl of New Zealand, and headed through the rural heartland of the North Island. Then we drove through some fairly rugged terrain, and then up onto another volcanic plateau. The day wore on, and we finally descended through another gorge and down into Wellington. The tracks are pretty smooth, but some of the grades are steep and the turns are sharp. We arrived at Wellington just after 7:30 PM, headed for the hotel, dinner and bed.

September 27

Today dawned bright and sunny, although it was windy. We stopped in downtown Wellington to see some of the capitol buildings. The capitol of New Zealand used to be in Auckland, but when the timber ran out on the North Island, and gold started to make it's presence felt on the South Island, there was talk of the two islands separating into individual countries. So to maintain some cohesion, the capitol was moved to the southern end of the North Island, Wellington, where it remains today. To boarded the ferry Arahua, and crossed the Cook Strait landing in Picton around 12:30. From there it was just a short walk to the train station, and onto the TransCoastal Express. This train had an open car, and we made good use of it. Initially, we headed through some gorges and rural areas, and then headed for the eastern coast of the South Island. On one side was the blue Pacific, and on the other was the start of the snow-capped Southern Alps. The train roared along, past fur bearing seals, a penguin, and unspoiled beaches and coastal grasses. Because the island shelf falls off dramatically, there is a wave action generated that brings a great deal of plankton to the surface in the area. That makes it one of the prime whale watching areas in the world. Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales. So we had to make do with the spectacular scenery. Eventually we left the coast, and headed into Christchurch, arriving after dark. As the train pulled into town, it was rather neat to look into the lighted homes and capture little vignettes of life as the train pulled past. After arrival at the station it was off to the hotel, dinner and bed. A southern front is moving in. The wind is howling around the hotel windows, and it may blow up some weather for our trip across the mountains tomorrow. We shall see. It is, what it is.

September 28

We left Christchurch under somewhat cloudy skies, and boarded the TranzAlpine Express for the trip across the Southern Alps to Greymouth. The initial part of the trip saw mostly rural areas once again, but eventually we rose above the cloud cover into alpine meadows and craggy peaks. The ride was pretty spectacular up through Arthur's Pass, and then down to the west coast of New Zealand. Then it was back on the bus for the ride to the Franz Josef Glacier. I suppose that the glacier is impressive to some, but frankly it just looks like the end of my driveway in March. I had similar feelings about the first glaciers I saw in Alaska. I'm just not impressed. It is rather weird, though, because this side of New Zealand can get up to 300 inches of rain per year. So you have this glacier in the rain forest. Everyone is tired. We got to the hotel here in the national park, and a surprisingly good dinner.

September 29

Some of the tour group started the day by flying around the top of Mt. Cook, and landing on the Fox Glacier. The rest of us took a bus tour around the base and saw the same thing, but from ground level. Then it was off over the western coastal mountains, leaving the rainforest behind. Soon we were back into rural, flat farmland, although the mountains constantly overshadowed things. We passed a small airstrip at Wanako, which turned out to house a whole bunch of old war birds. It seems that a local man had rounded up a lot of old fighter planes, rebuilt them at this place, and did an air show every two years, called War Birds over Wanako. From there it was into Queenstown, a perfectly horrible dinner, and a stroll around town. People have told us that this was very much like a Swiss Village. Obviously, they had never been to Switzerland when they said it. It is touristy, and definitely a ski town. There are a lot of extreme sports, which started here, including bungee jumping, and the town caters to that crowd. After a few beers, in bars populated with people half our age, we went headed back to the hotel.

September 30

Where has the month of September gone? We awoke to rain, and then wandered downtown to pick up last minute souvenirs. I rented a car, and headed out to explore the Kingston Flyer, which is a little local steam railroad. After seeing it, I think that we could have done a whole segment on it. They had a Pacific class steamer, as well as an old Rogers Atlantic class loco. The coaches are nicely refurbished, and if we had more time, it would be nice to get some interviews and tour the shops. They have a turning wye at both ends, as well as an ancient hand powered turntable. The drive back along route 6 was gorgeous, with the late afternoon sun across a very large lake, the blue, blue sky, and the snow capped mountains. We are dining out tonight. Only four more days on the road before we fly home.

October 1

We were up and out early, about and hour and a half ahead of the bus. We trundled down to Kingston, and the polished Pacific Class loco, which is the Kingston Flyer. The coachers and locomotives are the original items, and are still owned by New Zealand's Trans Scenic rail passenger service. The coaches - first and second-class, a diner, and a combine - are in remarkable shape. They feature lots of polished brass fittings, tin roofs, gas lanterns, and plenty of fancy wood. The first class coach was rather neat, as there was an exposed exterior walkway, which opened onto the separate compartments. We did a short standup with the area manager, shot some detail, and then did a couple of run-bys. It was really windy, so the video may be great, but the audio is questionable. While yesterday was clear, it was still windy, and the contrast may have been too much for a black loco against a bright sky. Then it was into the car for the drive down to Te Anau, where we supposed to meet the bus. We missed the hotel, and because we arrived after the bus was supposed to depart, immediately headed out to Milford Sound. The drive was remote. It is 19 km to the sound, and I don't think we saw more than one car or house the entire way. What we did see, were towering walls of rock, magnificent waterfalls, seals, and lots of fog. The Homer Tunnel is at the end of the drive, and it just about wide enough for two cars. It is unlighted, foggy, and quite a surprise when you plunge into a dark hole in the side of a tremendous rock face. We did arrive at Milford Sound, about out of gas, and found that we were far ahead of our bus. It turned out that they really didn't leave the hotel until about ten minutes to one. We shot some material on the sound, had the camera die, and then headed back. We spent the evening working on the camera, but we think it is done. One more segment to go. We shall leave early and drive to Dunedin tomorrow to see if we can rent a camera of a different format. There are no HD cameras here in New Zealand.

October 2

We hopped in the car early this morning and drove over to Dunedin. It started as a bad morning. Breakfast was just OK, and I couldn't find any coffee enroute. We arrived in Dunedin about 11:15, and immediately went to the train station. It was originally built in 1906, and is a replica of the Edinburough station. It has lots of period stonework and stained glass, and is quite an attractive building. It houses - in addition to offices for New Zealand Tranz Scenic - the Taieri Gorge Railway offices. We made use of an office, called back to the States, and gave our HD Camera the last rites. We should have dumped it in Milford Sound yesterday. However, I was able to secure another 16x9 camera, a Panasonic DVC Pro 50, shooting in PAL format. The rental was OK, and before you knew it, we were off and running again. Conversion back in the US will be interesting, but it will be a good test to see if DVC Pro is a viable format. It certainly is less expensive. We did some station detail, a standup with the operations manager, and then headed out for the use of a high railer. I thought that the trip in the gorge was fabulous. The light was such that the yellow of the gorse really popped out, the trees were in bloom, the walls were steep and craggy, the river was deep, and there were lots of old viaducts and tunnels. The railroad was originally built to supply the gold region of Otago, and took about 30 years to build. The trestles are all original wrought iron, and there are sections that took three years alone to complete. I thought that it was great. We finally finished, and headed back to town. We did another safety standup with Josh Bayes, and then dinner and bed. Tomorrow is the last day of shooting.

October 3

John, Gail, and I hopped in the car, leaving Jim to sleep late. We needed the extra room for Grant, from Trans Scenic. It turned out that Jim could have come, as Grant gave us some maps and timetables and sent us on our way. We first headed south of Dunedin to Lake Wahalo, and ended up waiting for an hour in a sheep field for the train to come past. It was off the road, though, and the nature sounds were very nice. Once the train passed, we headed north to Warrington, and shot from another field, this time with the ocean in the background, and then caught the southbound train in yet another location. We then headed back to Dunedin to dump the camera, and hit the road toward Omaru. Once there, we headed inland to Twizel, our hotel for the night. The countryside has turned into dry mountain valley, with very little population. We passed several beautiful lakes, but there were no homes, and no boats. It was rather lovely. We made it into Twizel right behind the bus, headed for the bar and dinner, and then what may well be our last look at the Southern sky. The Southern Cross was visible, as was a full moon. Everything that we can shoot has been shot. With a broken camera, we are done. And truthfully, we have enough for the segments.

October 4

There really isn't much to report for today. The hotel in Twizel was lovely, and if there ever was a place to get away from everything, then this is it. You are on a plain, surrounded by mountains. The weather was lovely, the stars were clear; the air was clean and fresh. We traveled up to Mt. Cook, which was very clear. There was a cloud wall spilling over from the west coast, which was rather interesting. A rather chilling portion was a book, which listed short bios of all that had been lost mountain climbing in the area. There were a lot of "no trace was ever found" entries. The book started in 1907, and continued through the 13th of February of 2001. A lot of experienced, and inexperienced people have lost their lives in the Mt. Cook area. Then it was a look at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and then back into the car for a straight run into Christchurch. Tonight we will go out and celebrate. The tour was fun, and we met some great people. I have their email addresses, and will send them a photo. Like so many tours, it is the people who make it memorable. There were the couples from the UK, Australia, and the few Americans. It was a neat tour and all of us are sad to see it end. Plus we are sad to see the end of the travel for the Tracks Ahead series. But we have our memories. My memories of this trip are many. Among them, the various beers we tried. There were - as best we can remember - thirty three (not counting (darks, wheats, ales, etc.) in all. There were Little Creatures, Boddingtons, Morris, Monteith, MacNeills, Speights, Hog, Heineken (New Zealand brewed), Long John, Steinlager, Melbourne Bitter, VB (Victoria Bitter), Four X, DB Draught, MacGold/Red, Crown Lager, Swans, Hahn, Cascade, Canterbury, Lion Red, Toohey, and Tui, just to name a few. I will also remember chips vs. crisps, long blacks and flat whites, long drop toilets, double button flushes, hook turns, "no worries", "shouts", neat train signs, walking/driving on the left, looking right, and round-abouts. I'll remember that there are no pennies (a definite advantage), safety switches on all sockets, no central heat, and roof top water heaters.  And I will remember a warm and friendly people, who made our trip so memorable. I would return to both places. But they are so different. New Zealand is rather laid-back and a place where you can ignore the world, and get away from everything. Australia is raw, dynamic, powerful, and brash. The people in both places are outgoing and friendly. Both are lovely places. But they are so different from each other. I hope I can return here some day.  

October 5

Today was a double day.  If you remember, due to the International Date Line, we lost a day when we came over to the South Pacific.  Here is where we regain it.  We got to the airport in plenty of time to make our flight to Auckland.  From there it was a short wait to board the 747-400 that would take us back into Los Angeles.  So we all got a last look at the scenery of New Zealand, before we hopped on the plane, took off, and immediately set the time to 11 PM yesterday.  We had dinner, watched a couple of films, and slept for about six hours.  The dawn over the Pacific was very colorful, and we plopped down on The City of Angels right on schedule.  Our Midwest Express flight was also on time, so we actually made it into Milwaukee about fifteen minutes before our scheduled arrival.  We are all sad to see the trip end.  But we are also glad to be home in our own beds once again.  In the 35 days we were gone, we were in twenty-three different hotels.  It was no wonder we couldn't keep the hotel room numbers straight.  There is one more trip, to tape the Spencer Christian transitions, and then the shooting portion of the series, all 19 months of it, are complete.