Coffee on Kilimanjaro

Our guide Estomih told us that today was going to be a long day. Quite how long, nobody expected. We set off along the main road leading east from Arusha towards Mount Kilimanjaro, our intended destination being a small village of the Chagga tribe, who live in the foothills of the famous mountain. At first, things went well and we even glimpsed a view of the famously shy Kilimanjaro, which is usually covered in cloud from mid-morning to late afternoon.

Suddenly our plan started to unravel, as we hit a long line of lorries stuck in a traffic jam. We were able to pass them, but only as far as police roadblock, where we told that the main road had been closed following a collision between two large trucks on a bridge. Since this was the main route linking Tanzania’s third biggest city (Arusha) with the capital Dar Es Salam, this was obviously a huge problem. We were directed onto a side road and told we could make a big detour around the blocked area; Estomih estimated that this would add about an hour to our trip. Initially we were not too bothered by this, since the scenery was much prettier than the main road – lush vegetation, small villages and ocassional glimpses of Kilimanjaro in the distance. But then we hit another line of stationary vehicles. We heard that this road had also been blocked when a diverted bus had hit a narrow bridge.

After twenty minutes of waiting around, with no sign of progress, I got up to stretch my legs. After another ten minutes Estomih finally found a policeman, who advised us that the chances of progress in the next couple of hours was very low, so we decided to rearrange our day and do the afternoon’s planned activity first. We left the long queue, turned around and headed to what our programme described as “hot springs”, which were found on a bumpy, dusty track just off the main road back to Arusha. They turned out to actually be refreshingly cool rather than hot, with crystal clear water forming two large pools surrounded by trees.

It was an idyllic scene. We quickly pulled on our bathing gear and stepped into the water – to find our legs and paws surrounded by small black catfish that pecked at our fur. Back in London they offer this type of foot massage in trendy beauty clinics, but I had never tried it before. I quite enjoyed the slightly tickly sensation, but Snoopy found it unpleasant and hurried off to swim, shaking off the pursuing fish. We spent a very pleasant hour at the springs, before Estomih announced that he had found a back way to the Chagga village. This route passed along dusty, bumpy tracks through fields – we crossed a few other vehicles who were also trying to avoid the blocked road, but otherwise it was very quiet.

We finally got onto a main road near the small town of Moshi, and then headed north towards Kilimanjaro, which was now covered with its usual cloud. The road went steeply uphill, and the dull, dusty landscape of the plain was replaced by lush green vegetation. Our destination was a Chagga village literally at the end of the road, and we were met by our local guide who took us to a small restaurant, where we were served a meal based on one of the local specialities – bananas. The Chagga know over twenty different species, some of which are sweet and are eaten as fruit, and some of which are savoury and used in cooking. They also offered us an alcoholic drink made from fermented bananas, but since it had a 10% alcohol content, we kept our bottle for later. The Chagga people also grow coffee, and after lunch they showed us the different steps in making the drink, starting with the beans from the plant, then removing three layers of shell, and finally grinding and brewing the coffee. Our tourist group was invited to help with each of these steps, which were accompanied by singing and dancing – the Chagga people seemed to be permanently happy, as had almost every other Tanzanian that we had met on our travels.

Coffee beans after we had removed the shells

We sampled a cup of coffee made by our own efforts, which was really good…….

……before heading out on a short hike to a nearby waterfall, through lush green forest.

Lush vegetation in the Kilimanjaro foothills

On the way we found one of the most interesting animals to inhabit the rainforests of Tanzania – the chameleon.

We reached the waterfall after about forty minutes. Some tourists went swimming, but we didn’t want to get our fur wet and stayed on the shore, admiring the view. Soon it was time to go. Back at the Chagga village we found Estomih, who had found out by radio from other guides that the main road was now partially reopened. He estimated we would need about three hours to get back to our hotel, and it was now a quarter to five.

The beginning of our journey back started well. One of the two lanes of the main road was still blocked, so the police had set up a system of alternating traffic. Although slow, this seemed to work, and we sat in a long queue of jeeps and trucks, occasionally advancing a few hundred metres when it was our turn to move. It was already night, there was nothing to see, and my phone could not get the internet, so it was very boring. To pass the time I drank the bottle of banana wine the Chagga people had given us, and was so desperate for a distraction that I actually finished it – it is not something we will be taking back in our duty free.

Then something seemed to go wrong up ahead. We sat for a long time without moving, and saw no traffic coming the other way. After a while people began to get frustrated, and pulled into the other lane to advance; finally Estomih did the same. We arrived at a huge jam, with three lanes of vehicles on what was supposed to be a one lane road.

Luckily we were in a jeep, so Estomih left the highway, drove over some rough ground, and found the end of the side road that we had been supposed to take as a diversion in the morning in the opposite direction. We finally got back to our hotel at ten. Dinner usually finished at nine, but the kitchen staff stayed around to offer us the full range of food normally available, serving us with their usual happy smiles as if nothing had happened.

Over dinner we recovered our good spirits. It had been a difficult day, but it got us thinking – so far in Tanzania everything had worked like clockwork, in contrast to the frequent transport issues we experience in Europe. And unlike people back home, who would get very annoyed by the type of problem we had just faced, the Tanzanians simply smile. It’s a lesson for us to take home.

Previous Post: Hunting with the Hadzabe

Next Post: Arusha National Park

1st February 2026 6

St. Petersburg – off the beaten track

My previous post was about the classical sights of St Petersburg – this one will cover the sides of the city that a typical tourist never sees and some of the wild adventures that always seemed to happen to me or my team when I visited. My second trip to St Petersburg was during the Russian New Year holidays in January, in the middle of the Russian winter. Not surprisingly, it was very different to my visit during the summer. On a sunny day, the city would look beautiful under a light coating of snow….

St Petersburg on a sunny winter’s day – magical

The view from the tower of Smolny Cathedral

But on an overcast day, it would look like this – very damp and dark.

Although the temperature was slightly higher than in Moscow where I was living, it felt a lot colder, due to the high levels of dampness – it was a cold that rapidly reached your bones and made you shiver, even with warm clothes on. The days were even shorter than in Moscow’s winter, with sunrise at 10am and sunset at 4pm. The foreign tourist crowds were gone…….to be replaced by crowds of locals all trying to visit the same famous attractions like the Hermitage or (below) the Kunstkamer (a collection of biological freaks assembled by Peter the Great) at the same time with their children.

Queuing to enter the Kunstkamer on a winter’s day

Fortunately, less well-known museums like the excellent Russian Museum were still almost empty.

One of the many excellent paintings in the Russian Museum, St Petersburg

After my winter visit, I started going to St Petersburg on business at least once a month and visited the districts outside of the impressive centre. In these less touristy parts of the city, many of the buildings might once have been beautiful but were now old and crumbling. St Petersburg suffered terribly during WWII, when the siege of Leningrad by Finnish and German forces caused the death by starvation of around a fifth of its population and resulted in the destruction of many of its buildings. A huge restoration effort has gone into the most famous areas of the city, but much of the rest looks rather neglected.

Off the beaten track – typical St Petersburg suburb

Not all of St Petersburg’s suburbs are run-down though. The islands to the north east of the historic centre used to be undeveloped land, but have now received massive new investments and are home to a brand new football stadium, expensive homes, trendy restaurants and flashy new office buildings – like Gazprom’s 87-story skyscraper at the Lakhta Centre.

My many visits to St Petersburg allowed me to absorb and enjoy the city’s unique atmosphere – more laid back and arty than Moscow, occasionally slightly seedy, but usually lots of fun. As a result of befriending local residents, I had many adventures. On one occasion my chief editor was forced to ride a horse around St Isaac’s cathedral at 2am, after a drunken evening with the Russian publishing company we had just agreed a deal with.

Riding a horse around St Isaac’s Cathedral at 2am

On another, I was invited to a rather hazardous excursion across the rooftops of the city. This is a popular, semi-official, activity for Russian tourists, but I found it pretty scary…….

In any case the view is not as good as the one you get from the more traditional tourist attraction, the towers of St Isaac’s Cathedral….

On another occasion my chief editor again got into trouble, at a trendy restaurant on one of the city’s many islands during the St Petersburg Economic Forum……

What an evening that was! The Forum takes place in June, and just as days are very short and dark in winter, in June they are long and light – although the sun sets at 10.30pm, it never seems to get completely dark before it rises again at 03.30. On this particular evening the setting sun was reflected in the many windows of the Winter Palace, making it look like the Neva River was on fire. This “White Nights” version of St Petersburg is the one I will remember forever. Some of my adventures in the city are described in my book, for more details click here.

Previous Post: Classical St Petersburg

Next Post: Moscow 2008-2009

31st July 2025 4

Driving in the Foothills of the Pyrenees – Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges

The Bear is Back! After my last trip to far away New Zealand, this one is much closer to home – the Pyrenees. I flew from London to Toulouse in just under 2 hours (compared to 25h for my return from Auckland), picked up a hire car and was soon in my hotel in Tarbes, my base for the first few days (more about Tarbes in a future post).

The next day I set off in the direction of the high Pyrenees, ready to tackle the demanding hike to the Breche de Roland, a gap in the mountain range which by legend was formed when the hero Roland, mortally wounded at Roncesvalles, through away his sword. It landed 200km away and cut a cleft in the mountains. However, just after leaving Tarbes I noticed that the high mountains were covered with thick cloud, and I was unlikely to see anything on my walk. So, I changed plans and went for a driving tour of the Pyrenees foothills.

My first stop was the spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre. I refreshed myself with a coffee before exploring the many interesting buildings in the town, including a museum built by a rich resident…

…the main thermal complex…..

…quaint old houses…

….and an ancient tower, all that is now left of a former church.

From Bagnères-de-Bigorre my trip took me deep into the countryside to the former Cistercian abbey of Escaldieu. The abbey and its grounds were the setting for a rather good contemporary art exhibition. The outdoor exhibits were particularly imaginative….

Escaldieu Abbey and some impressive modern art

After the abbey, I passed the impressive castle of Mauvezin…

….before driving east through pretty countryside to Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges. This small town started as a Roman settlement, which eventually became an important centre of the Christian faith. It fell into decline after the fall of the Roman empire but remained a bishopric and came back into prominence when Bertrand of Comminges, a French knight, was nominated as its bishop in 1083. He organised construction of the cathedral that stands to this day, was later canonised, and gave his name to the town that he had put back on the map.

Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges’ cathedral seen from below

Today, Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges is a wonderfully preserved and peaceful medieval French town.

Street scene, Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges

Aside from the tomb of St Bertrand himself, its cathedral has cloisters with a great view of the surrounding countryside…

…. some beautifully carved wooden stalls….

The stalls in the cathedral, Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges

….and a huge organ, supported by wooden beams and hanging in mid-air.

The magnificent organ, Saint-Betrand-de-Comminges Cathedral

I spent a pleasant hour soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying a cold drink before heading back to Tarbes, over mountain roads that hinted at the grandeur of the high Pyrenees that I would see over the next few days.

It had been a great day – pretty French towns, some modern art, a medieval castle, and an ancient cathedral – all against the backdrop of the beautiful green countryside of the low Pyrenees.

Next Post: Tarbes and Pau

19th June 2025 2

Farewell to New Zealand – Wai-o-Tapu and Te Puia

Today was my last day in New Zealand. I have been here nearly four weeks, and the time has flown past. I visited one last geothermal park outside of Rotorua called Wai-O-Tapu. My visit started at Lady Knox Geyser, which erupts at 10.15 every day. I was a little puzzled by the precision of this event – surely a natural phenomenon like a geyser should be at least a bit variable, and what happens when New Zealand goes from summertime to wintertime (as it just had)? All was revealed when I joined a large group of tourists sitting in an amphitheatre around the geyser. One of the park employees explained that the geyser had been discovered when a group of workers had been washing their clothes in the nearby hot springs. They introduced some detergent into the water, which triggered a spectacular eruption (and panic amongst the surprised workers, who ran around naked to escape). In modern times, at 10.15 every day, a park employee puts some detergent down the hole of the geyser to trigger an impressive, if partially artificial, spectacle.

With the geyser show over, the crowd headed to the park’s main entrance to start out on a path through a prehistoric landscape of bubbling mud pools, smoking hot springs and tranquil lakes. Wai-O-Tapu park is particularly known its brightly coloured rock formations, including the famous Champagne Pool.

After a couple of hours exploring Wai-O-Tapu, it was time for a complete change – a tour of the Maori cultural centre Te Puia. After the slightly sad experience of visiting the neighbouring village of Whakarewarewa, my expectations were not so high, but I was pleasantly surprised. The visit started with a visit to a training centre where students learn Maori crafts like sculpture (a male activity) or weaving (a female one), where we got to see some wonderful pieces of art.

Next, there was a rapid visit to a kiwi conservation centre where I got a glimpse of their recently born, but still very large, kiwi chick. The birds are nocturnal, so during tour hours their enclosures are kept in near darkness, and no photos were allowed. After that was a visit to the Pohutu geyser area, for yet another look at Rotorua’s geothermal area. The viewing area at Te Puia was much closer than at Whakarewarewa, so I could get a really good look, but sadly Pohutu was not very active.

After a buffet dinner our group was treated to a performance of Maori songs and dances in the marae, the large meeting house found in all Maori settlements. Before we could enter, there was an elaborate ritual in which a succession of warriors came to challenge and intimidate the leader of our group, swirling their weapons through the air, sticking out their tongues and making their eyes bulge.

Warriors line up to challenge visitors at Te Puia marae

When that didn’t work the final warrior put down a leaf on the floor in front of our leader, a peace offering showing that we were welcome to visit them. Once everyone was inside and seated, there was another Maori tradition, the powhiri, or speech of welcome – spoken only in Maori. With the lengthy formalities over, our hosts switched to English to welcome us and explain the series of Maori songs and dances they presented, including the famous haka war dance.

This all probably sounds very touristy, and of course, it was. However, the show was presented with such enthusiasm that I soon found myself thoroughly enjoying the occasion and clapping wildly at the end. The evening still had not quite finished though, and we were invited for one last look at Pohotu – this time at night, with the geyser lit up by floodlights. Around the observation area there were stone terraces heated geothermally, and I sat on one to watch as the staff distributed hot chocolate. I stayed nearly an hour, as our Maori hosts passed among the crowds chatting to people, and was finally rewarded by a small eruption of Pohotu.

It had been a great day and a good way to end my trip to New Zealand and Australia. Tomorrow I will make the 2-3 hour drive up to Auckland airport, and then the even longer twenty-nine-hour flight back home to London via Doha. New Zealand has been a special place with many amazing things to see, but it is a looooong way from anywhere. Memories that will stay with me forever include flying around Mount Cook, seeing blue whales in Kaikoura, the geothermal areas around Rotorua, hiking to Mount Aspiring’s glacier and sailing Milford Sound. Had the weather been kinder to me, maybe the Marlborough Sounds, Abel Tasman Park and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing would also have made my list of highlights. I think I will be back one day to give them another look, and to visit some of the areas I missed this time – like the country’s sub-tropical far north. But with the huge distance, I suspect it will be part of a round-the-world tour rather than a dedicated trip.

Previous Post: Rotorua – Kaituna Falls and Waimangu

17th April 2025 3

Rotorua Day 2 – Hiking Waimangu and rafting the Kaituna River

Today I visited a different geothermal park – the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, an area formed when Mount Tarawera erupted in 1886. The eruption levelled several Maori villages, killing many people, and destroyed the Pink and White Terraces which had been a major tourist attraction and were claimed to be the “8th wonder of the world”. It left a caldera, which over the years filled with water to become a much-expanded Lake Rotomahana (a smaller lake of that name had existed earlier).
Today, the Waimangu valley is the world’s youngest geothermal ecosystem, and the only one created as a direct result of a volcanic eruption. It is also once again a tourist attraction, although a less popular one than others in the Rotorua area and I was pleasantly surprised that I often had the place to myself.
The park is visited by walking an 8km path downhill, starting at a huge pool of boiling water (Frying Pan Lake, one of the world’s biggest hot springs)………

…. and following a boiling stream of water that runs through a pleasant valley, past lots of smaller springs…..

The path at Waimungu follows this boiling stream

…. and a boiling caldron of water called Inferno Crater.

Inferno Crater at Waimungu Volcanic Valley

The stream eventually arrives at peaceful Lake Rotomahana, home to much birdlife, including black swans, from where most people use the park’s shuttle bus to return to its entrance.

Lake Rotomahana at the end of the Waimungu Volcanic Valley

From Waimungu I went to visit something completely different – the waterfalls on the Kaituna River. These are found in a scenic valley, to the northeast of Rotorua.

The area is beautiful, but the real attraction here is the possibility to go white water rafting, a trip that includes descending a 7-metre waterfall (the highest in the world that is open to commercial rafting operators). Unfortunately, the rafting company had a minimum height requirement for passengers, so teddy bears are unable to participate, but I did let my human assistant editor have a go. I watched as his raft approached the famous waterfall….

and then plunged down….

….completely disappearing under the water.

I briefly wondered if I should start advertising for a new assistant, but then the raft reappeared from under the foam with all its crew members still on board.

The raft reemerges from the water on the Kaituna River

It was now late afternoon, and I headed back home. After a difficult introduction I was beginning to like Rotorua. The geothermal sites are really exceptional, and it was nice to let my assistant have some fun with the rafting, even if it would have been even better to try this for myself. It is a demanding job working for Trouspinet and my subordinates need to let their hair down occasionally…….

Letting my assistant have some fun for a change (he is in the front)

Previous Post: Rotorua Day 1

Next Post: Rotorua -Wai-o-tapu and Te Puia

16th April 2025 3

From Picton to Wellington

This morning I had to get up unreasonably early to check in for my ferry across the Cook Strait from Picton on the South Island to Wellington on the North Island. I had booked a crossing at 09.30 but the ferry company brought this forward to 07.30 and also required that I turn up at least sixty minutes before to check in, so I had to sit for an hour in the dark in a queue of cars waiting to board. The ferry was not full and after boarding I had lots of space to sit and relax in front of a large (and – shame on Interislander Ferries – also dirty) viewing window in the passenger lounge. We set sail just as the sun began to rise and I went out on deck to get some last views of Queen Charlotte Sound.

Just before sunrise in the Marlborough Sounds….

…and a lighthouse on the North Island near Wellington

After three and half hours of sailing we arrived in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand and its third biggest city – albeit with a population of only 212,000 people. My accommodation was in a pretty villa in the scenic and historic Thorndon area of the city.

Right next to my accommodation was a similar house, which hosted a museum devoted to New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield.

In the Katherine Mansfield Museum, Wellington

I made a brief visit before strolling into the city centre. My walk took me past the “Beehive” – part of a complex of government buildings which houses the offices of the prime minister and cabinet ministers….

…..and then further on to Wellington’s pleasant waterfront.

Wellington’s waterfront taken from Te Papa Tongarewa

There I checked out the Museum of New Zealand or Te Papa Tongarewa, dedicated to the history, wildlife and geology of the country. Amongst many other things, I was surprised to learn that the Maori only discovered New Zealand about 800 years ago, probably on boats from the South Cook Islands further north – and that it was the very last large land mass to be settled by humans. The museum had a large exhibit about a very special part of the country’s history – the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British government and 500 Maori chiefs. It gave the British sovereignty over the islands in return for protection of the rights of the Maori. However the treaty was, perhaps deliberately, poorly translated with big differences between the English and Maori versions, leading to confusion and conflict.

From the museum I followed a traditional tourist route, taking a cable car up to the steep hill dominating the city. The café on top offered an excellent view of Wellington.

…and the view over Wellington from the cable car station

From the top of the hill, I strolled down through the city’s pretty botanical gardens and then through the suburb of Thorndon back to my house. Despite the very early start it had been a good day – and after two days of rain it was a pleasure to see the sun again. Wellington had been an interesting stop – one of the smallest capital cities in the world, with a wonderful setting, a world class museum and the laid-back vibe typical of a minor provincial town in most other countries. Plus I had finally taken some good pictures of the Marlborough Sounds!

Next Post: Taupo

Previous Post: The Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park

6th April 2025 5

The Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park

So far, most of my posts have covered one day of travelling. This post will cover four days visiting two of New Zealand’s highlights – the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park. There is a simple reason why two such memorable places get so little text – the weather was awful, and two of these days were almost completely washed out. After my whale-watching flight in Kakoura, I headed north to the tip of the North Island. State Highway One was scenic, with nice sea and mountain views, but slow going, with more than its usual share of roadworks. I reached Blenheim, the capital of Marlborough’s wine country, in the early afternoon. I thought about visiting the city for a coffee break, or even the famous nearby Cloudy Bay winery for a tasting, but Blenheim’s outskirts were so ugly that I hurried on to Picton on the north coast, the entrance point to the Marlborough Sounds.

The Queen Charlotte Sound near Picton on a cloudy day

The view of Pelorus Sound from Cullen Point

The Marlborough Sounds are the estuaries of a series of rivers emptying into the Cook Strait between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, which form a jagged coast with countless islands and peninsulas. Indeed, this relatively small area contains around a quarter of the total length New Zealand’s coastline. The Sounds are very thinly populated, with a few fishing towns, holiday homes, campsites and resorts. Much of the area – and many of the resorts – is only accessible by boat, but a few narrow, winding roads also lead into the region. I had booked a resort on one of side roads leading off from the popular Queen Charlotte’s Drive scenic route which links Picton and the small port of Havelock. The route would have been beautiful….had the sun made an appearance to bring out the colours of the water and vegetation. But instead the weather was stubbornly overcast, and the sea remained a dull grey colour. After an hour of scenic but slow driving I arrived at my resort.

It was a beautiful, utterly remote and so laid-back that the hotel did not give guests room keys – this part of rural New Zealand has so little crime that people do not bother to lock their doors. It was just a shame that the sky remained overcast, and the sea water which was bright blue in my guide book remained a dull grey. It was possible to go hiking or to hire kayaks or paddleboards to explore the Sounds, but the weather did not inspire me to try any physical activities and instead I explored the beach a bit, where I found some wild oysters……

…..and then sat reading, admiring the view from my room as the sun set.

The view of the Mahua Sound from my room

The next day I had originally planned to explore the Sounds some more and then devote the whole of the day after to visiting another of New Zealand’s highlights, the Abel Tasman Park. However, seeing a forecast of very bad weather coming, I drove west straight to the park. It has a spectacular 60km coastal track, which takes 3 to 5 days, and the best way to experience the area is either to walk the whole path, or take a water taxi into the heart of the park, walk a section, and come back on a return boat trip. But I arrived too late to take an outward boat and had to content myself with a short walk from the park entrance to Apple Tree Bay, about 5km in.

Despite my limited programme, I was immediately enchanted by my walk. The path led from the park entrance gates, across the a river estuary…..

River Estuary at the start of Abel Tasman Park

…and then along the coast, past many bays with sandy beaches.

Typical view from the coastal path at Abel Tasman Park

The sides of the path were lined with lush vegetation, including many giant ferns. Not only were the views impressive but the hike was also a treat for other senses; I was accompanied by unusual and beautiful birdsong, quite unlike what I hear back home, and in many places the path had a strong, sweet smell of honey. To this day I still don’t know which plants make this scent, which I smelt often in New Zealand.

Luxuriant vegetation and giant ferns at Abel Tasman Park

I spent a pleasant half an hour on the beach at Apple Tree Bay……..

…and met a new friend, a weka, one of New Zealand’s many flightless bird species.

On my way back from Apple Tree Bay it started raining. I got back to my car without getting too wet, but then the skies opened and it rained hard all evening and all of the next day. Fortunately, my accommodation was probably the best value placed I have ever stayed in – a large and beautifully furnished apartment looking out over the bay of the city of Nelson. It was the perfect place to sit out some impossibly bad weather. My only activity for the next day was visiting a local winery for a tasting and a light lunch……

Neudorf winery in the rain, near Nelson, New Zealand

…..after which it was all to easy to sit back and admire the view from my flat. I ventured out once to buy some excellent turbot for dinner from a nearby shop on the seafront. Somehow, when the weather outside is this bad, staying in a nice place with a good view gives you a really cosy feeling.

On day two of the storm, I had to check out and made the short drive east back to Picton in heavy rain. I stopped for lunch on the way in the town of Havelock, which is known for its greenshell mussels – which are enormous and very tasty.

I reached Picton in the late afternoon and the sun finally put in an appearance. I used the remaining two hours of daylight driving around the area, seeing what the past two days could have been like if the weather had been kinder.

Picton – Queen Charlotte Sound in the sun this time

The bright blues seas of the Marlborough Sounds finally appear!

Still, I cannot complain – so far I have been fairly lucky overall with the weather, and even under clouds, the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman Park were pretty. At least I have an excuse to come back and visit the area again, hopefully when the sun is out.

Next Post: From Picton to Wellington

Previous Post: Kaikoura – lobster and blue whales

5th April 2025 3

Kaikoura, lobster and my first blue whales

Today I drove up the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island from Christchurch to Kaikoura, a destination famous for its marine life. Around half way along the road, a sign offered a scenic drive around Gore Bay. It wasn’t in either of my guide books but I decided to give it a try, and was rewarded with one of those “off the beaten track” discoveries that makes travelling fun. After a bit of driving past some interestingly-shaped cliffs (the Cathedral Gully), a little path planted with sub-tropical flowers led from the road to the beach. I was almost the only one there, and took time to savour a moment of solitude.

Refreshed, I completed the rest of the day’s driving, checked into my hotel and spent the late afternoon wandering around Kaikoura’s wild peninsula, which was raised nearly two metres from the sea during a recent earthquake. There were views over the bay to far-off mountains……..

……lots of fur seals……

Lazy fur seals on the Kaikoura Peninsula

…and birds……

Kaikoura Peninsula – a black and white shag

….and wild scenery and cliffs.

My hike was probably only about 10km but walking on the pebbly shore and then up and down steep slopes was quite tiring. It was getting dark and cold when I reached my car, with evening approaching. I needed a good dinner to warm me up…….and found one on my way back home at “Cod and Crayfish”, a fish and chip shop on the main road going through the city. What New Zealander’s call a crayfish – in Maori, Koura – would be more often called a rock lobster in other parts of the world. Kaikoura (meaning “eat lobster” in Maori) is supposed to be the best place in New Zealand to taste some, so I enjoyed a feast of lobster and blue cod with chips for my dinner.

Although the walk around Kaikoura’s peninsula was nice, most people come here to venture onto the sea in search of whales and dolphins. I was no exception, and next morning I checked in for a whale-watching flight with Air Kaikoura. It is also possible to look for whales by boat, but I remembered my unsuccessful excursion in Iceland when I spent four hours on the sea only to see one small minka whale, so I opted for a shorter and (surprisingly) cheaper option. I set off from Akaroa airfield with a group of six other tourists plus the pilot in a small Cessna plane for a forty-minute flight.

Setting off to look for whales with Air Kaikoura

We all scanned the sea intently, faces pressed to the plane’s windows and cameras in hands or paws, but saw nothing. The pilot’s initially enthusiastic commentary and explanation about the lives of whales trailed off, and slowly people began to drop their arms and sit back in their seats. I looked at my watch – our forty minutes was up. I had resigned myself to yet another unsuccessful whale hunt, when suddenly…..

…..a blue whale appeared. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to inhabit the earth, and a truly amazing sight. Soon, two more blue whales appeared out of nowhere.

The pilot swooped down, circling so that each side of the plane could get a close look. He was visibly excited, and said that even he only saw blue whales once ever two or three weeks or so, and hardly ever three at once.

It was a wonderful experience watching these majestic animals making their way through the ocean, and ticked off one of my bucket-list items, that I thought I might never achieve. I don’t normally mention commercial enterprises in my blog, but I really have to say thanks here to Air Kaikoura for extending our flight by nearly half so that we could observe the whales properly. It was a fitting end to my stay in Kaikoura, and I set off on the long coastal road up to far north of the North Island in good spirits.

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Previous Post: The Banks Peninsula, Akaroa and Dolphins

4th April 2025 2

Christchurch (the one in New Zealand)

Today I said goodbye to Lake Tekapo. Before hitting the road to Christchurch, I headed up to the Astro Café at Mt John’s Observatory, situated on top of a steep hill just outside of town. The coffee was good and the views amazing, offering me one last look at Mount Cook.

From there I made the pleasant drive and uneventful drive to Christchurch, the biggest city on New Zealand’s South Island – albeit with only 400,000 inhabitants. I started by exploring the small but richly stocked botanical gardens.

Next, I headed into the city centre. Christchurch was devastated by a severe earthquake in 2011, which killed around 170 people and left extensive damage. It caused two major buildings to collapse and left many others badly damaged – around 1/3 of the city centre’s constructions had to be demolished and rebuilt as a result. On my visit, these efforts seemed to be nearing completion and had left an interesting mix of old and new architecture.

Cantebury University’s old buildings (1917) survived the earthquake

Work was still ongoing to repair the cathedral, whose spire collapsed in the earthquake. A temporary replacement had been built a short distance away and is nicknamed the “cardboard cathedral”.

The sides of the newer buildings often had impressive street art, like the huge mural at the top of the page and lots of other examples throughout the city.

Christchurch seemed to have a very young population…….and a lot of bars and restaurants to keep them amused. I stopped to have a drink in one of them before heading back to my motel to cook dinner.

New Regent Street in Christchurch is lined with bars

Whilst Christchurch is not a place you would travel across the world to see, in the context of my New Zealand trip it came as a pleasant break from the succession of natural wonders I had seen so far, and I liked it a lot. It had a dynamic, young and above all resilient vibe to it – an impressive outcome after the destruction of the 2011 earthquake. My brief visit left me refreshed for more adventures in New Zealand…..

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1st April 2025 4

Mount Aspiring and Wanaka

Today was a very full day, since I had to get from Te Anau in the south to Wanaka, in the middle of New Zealand’s South Island. On the way there was the usual pleasant New Zealand scenery, especially near Lake Wakitipu on the approach to Queenstown.

I made a brief stop for a morning coffee at Arrowtown, a small gold rush town that time forgot. It has one main street with traditional old houses……..and lots of tourists.

From Arrowtown, I continued my route north over the scenic Crown Range of mountains.

In the early afternoon I arrived at Wanaka, a popular tourist destination located on a lake. It seemed to be similar to Queenstown but on a smaller scale and more laid back. I found my B+B, quickly dropped my stuff and immediately set off again for the day’s main activity – a hike up to Mount Aspiring’s glacier. The road to get there was worth the trip in itself, and went through some beautiful countryside, with my destination often visible at the end of a long valley.

On the way there were some road hazards typical of New Zealand….

Just before the starting place for the hike I made a short stop at the incredibly scenic Wishbone Falls, where water tumbled down from cliffs into a lush valley with rich vegetation.

A few minutes’ drive further on from the waterfall was the end of the road and the car park for hikers walking to Mount Aspiring. The path was quite easy and went through even more beautiful countryside…

Mount Aspiring’s glacier beckons in the distance

….and then rose more steeply through a forest.

Ahead, the Mount Aspiring’s glacier played peek-a-boo with me as it ducked in and out of sight.

A final steep climb brought me to the upper viewing station, which gave an uninterrupted view of glacier in all its glory and about a dozen waterfalls falling from it. Unfortunately, since I had set off late, the glacier itself was in shade so my photos were a bit disappointing, but it was still an amazing sight.

The return trip brought out the positive side of my late start – the evening sun brought out wonderful colours in the mountains ahead of me. Sometimes I thought I was looking at a huge canvas of abstract modern art, painted with bold, broad brushstrokes on the cliffs.

The drive home was just as beautiful as the outward trip, but looked quite different in the fading light. It had been a very good day and one of the best hikes I had ever done – alpine pastures, mountain streams, forests, waterfalls and a glacier all in the space of a fairly undemanding 11km walk. As a reward I treated myself to a very good dinner in one of the few restaurants still open in Wanaka by the time I got back, and contemplated the wonders of nature over monkfish and some excellent New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

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27th March 2025 5