Bonnie Visit, Part 1 - Touring
Bonnie visit, part 1 : 23 July to 26 July
A spectacular week - Bonnie was in New Zealand, we got to see a lot of the country, and each other! Nonstop goings on, I'll split it into 2 posts : touring the country, and hanging in Wellington. Pics now up!
Flew myself Wellington to Auckland on Friday night. Got a great last-minute deal at City Life , ($350 suite for $130), then went to the airport at 5 AM Saturday ($25 cab ride better than $60 the night before). Waited by the gate til 6ish, then - Bonnie! Glorious reunion. Picked up the car, drove into town, hanging at the room for a bit. Went to Vulcan Street for breakfast, walked around Queen Street to the wharf, showing Bonnie around some of the NZ shops and pop culture. Went around town - Auckland Museum, Ponsonby neighborhood, Sky Tower (too expensive). Decided to hit a pub to show Bonnie the Rugby game. (odd scene - hardly anyone out on the streets in Auckland), went back to the hotel after a few drinks and a burrito.
Sunday - Left early, (stopped for non-McD's coffee), drove S to Waitomo Glowworm Caves (about 4 hours through the complications of Hamilton) Bonnie got to drive! cave walking tour, bout an hour there, then drove back N up thru Hamilton, E over to Rotorua (4 hours). Passed through Timaru with its corrugated steel artwork. Got into Rotorua, afternoon, drove past freaky steam columns all around town and got hit with that sulfur smell. Checked into YHA KiwiPaka , then had time to drive around town (Rotovegas!) and see bubbling hot springs & clouded-over lake in the park. Saw the historic Blue Baths and Polynesian Spa in the Government gardens (reminded Bonnie of a very colonial estate, like that plantation scene in updated Apocalypse Now), and Maori wharenui/Protestant church. Evening was Maori village . Good experience - not cheezy, but culturally relevant, and tasty hangi! Back to the room 11-ish.
Monday - Decided to go to Polynesian Spa in the morning. We were worried it would be expensive and touristy, but it ended up being one of the most enjoyable and biggest values of any place we found. Lush hot pools, overlooking Lake Rotorua. Bizzarre views, seeing steam and bubbling mud all over, very primeival. Rest of day was travel - flew Rotorua to Christchurch ('ChCh') to Hokitika (that's the sickest plane trip I've ever had), picked up car, tension-filled drive 4 hours to Franz Joseph village (tinier than I thought, just one stretch of a handful of shops and restaurants, and a slew of tours and equip rental). Nice pizza & beer at Blue Ice lounge.
Tuesday - More rain. Checked in @ 8am for 1/2-day glacier tour. Just 5 folks on the tour + guide (I was the only dude). Miserable wet & cold tramp across the valley, up a loose-rock mountainside. Resting at the top, our guide Beth checked in on the radio - walk across the ice was no go, path was too slick and rock-strewn. She had to explain this to the 2 Chinese guests for about 10 minutes, while the rest of us waited, then we walked back down the hillside, went over to the base of the ice, then walked back through the valley. Truthfully, I was so glad the hike was cut short - took about 4 hours, and since we got 80% of our money back, was worth it. Then back to the YHA for a hot shower and clean clothes (totally needed to survive the rest of the day). Big drive along west coast, and through the Alps to ChCh, I was in a rush - wanted to get to town as soon as possible cos we'd only be there one night. (Bonnie drove a lot, kept my driving through slick roads in check). Then rolled into town about 6ish. Lots o' burbs before city centre, but we drove around looking for a place to stay, finally settled down and chose Stonehenge near Cathedral Square. Then walked around town - clean, quiet, pleasant - passed on DuxDeLuxe (across the street from where I stayed last time in ChCh), but ate at Viaduct (I had Monteith's Wild Food Challenge - alligator), stopped at the pub where I spent Halloween in 2002, then back to room. The next day was an early morning flight to Wellington, so that starts another entry!
For those in San Fran - don't miss the Toi Maori art & culture show at Yerba Buena Gardens this weekend!
A spectacular week - Bonnie was in New Zealand, we got to see a lot of the country, and each other! Nonstop goings on, I'll split it into 2 posts : touring the country, and hanging in Wellington. Pics now up!
Flew myself Wellington to Auckland on Friday night. Got a great last-minute deal at City Life , ($350 suite for $130), then went to the airport at 5 AM Saturday ($25 cab ride better than $60 the night before). Waited by the gate til 6ish, then - Bonnie! Glorious reunion. Picked up the car, drove into town, hanging at the room for a bit. Went to Vulcan Street for breakfast, walked around Queen Street to the wharf, showing Bonnie around some of the NZ shops and pop culture. Went around town - Auckland Museum, Ponsonby neighborhood, Sky Tower (too expensive). Decided to hit a pub to show Bonnie the Rugby game. (odd scene - hardly anyone out on the streets in Auckland), went back to the hotel after a few drinks and a burrito.
Sunday - Left early, (stopped for non-McD's coffee), drove S to Waitomo Glowworm Caves (about 4 hours through the complications of Hamilton) Bonnie got to drive! cave walking tour, bout an hour there, then drove back N up thru Hamilton, E over to Rotorua (4 hours). Passed through Timaru with its corrugated steel artwork. Got into Rotorua, afternoon, drove past freaky steam columns all around town and got hit with that sulfur smell. Checked into YHA KiwiPaka , then had time to drive around town (Rotovegas!) and see bubbling hot springs & clouded-over lake in the park. Saw the historic Blue Baths and Polynesian Spa in the Government gardens (reminded Bonnie of a very colonial estate, like that plantation scene in updated Apocalypse Now), and Maori wharenui/Protestant church. Evening was Maori village . Good experience - not cheezy, but culturally relevant, and tasty hangi! Back to the room 11-ish.
Monday - Decided to go to Polynesian Spa in the morning. We were worried it would be expensive and touristy, but it ended up being one of the most enjoyable and biggest values of any place we found. Lush hot pools, overlooking Lake Rotorua. Bizzarre views, seeing steam and bubbling mud all over, very primeival. Rest of day was travel - flew Rotorua to Christchurch ('ChCh') to Hokitika (that's the sickest plane trip I've ever had), picked up car, tension-filled drive 4 hours to Franz Joseph village (tinier than I thought, just one stretch of a handful of shops and restaurants, and a slew of tours and equip rental). Nice pizza & beer at Blue Ice lounge.
Tuesday - More rain. Checked in @ 8am for 1/2-day glacier tour. Just 5 folks on the tour + guide (I was the only dude). Miserable wet & cold tramp across the valley, up a loose-rock mountainside. Resting at the top, our guide Beth checked in on the radio - walk across the ice was no go, path was too slick and rock-strewn. She had to explain this to the 2 Chinese guests for about 10 minutes, while the rest of us waited, then we walked back down the hillside, went over to the base of the ice, then walked back through the valley. Truthfully, I was so glad the hike was cut short - took about 4 hours, and since we got 80% of our money back, was worth it. Then back to the YHA for a hot shower and clean clothes (totally needed to survive the rest of the day). Big drive along west coast, and through the Alps to ChCh, I was in a rush - wanted to get to town as soon as possible cos we'd only be there one night. (Bonnie drove a lot, kept my driving through slick roads in check). Then rolled into town about 6ish. Lots o' burbs before city centre, but we drove around looking for a place to stay, finally settled down and chose Stonehenge near Cathedral Square. Then walked around town - clean, quiet, pleasant - passed on DuxDeLuxe (across the street from where I stayed last time in ChCh), but ate at Viaduct (I had Monteith's Wild Food Challenge - alligator), stopped at the pub where I spent Halloween in 2002, then back to room. The next day was an early morning flight to Wellington, so that starts another entry!
For those in San Fran - don't miss the Toi Maori art & culture show at Yerba Buena Gardens this weekend!
posted by pegasusgiraffe at 7:44 AM
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