The adventures of rooibaard and sexy legs: New Zealand, Wellington and South Island

So here we are, in New Zealand. 27 long hours of travelling from Lethbridge to Calgary to Vancouver to Auckland and then finally to Wellington. At the time of writing this blog we are sitting on the interislander, our lift back from the South to the North Island. We have had a couple of fantastic days but more of that in a minute.

I think for the moment we'll start in the beginning and in this case that'd be about a year and a half ago. At the time Adele and I were unemployed, studying for the Canadian exams and preparing for our trip to Canada. We'd been working and had some good financial reserves but travelling to a foreign country is really expensive and as such we were counting our pennies and watching our beans. At round about the same time the initial lottery for New Zealand rugby tickets was underway and I thought that might be fun and put in a request for 4 group packages for the Springboks.

Skip forward a bit (I can't remember the timeline exactly) and Adele and I are lying in bed (I think that by this stage we've written and passed our Canadian exam, have been holidaying and visiting with friends in SA and our beans and pennies are at critical levels) when I receive an e-mail saying that our ticket request has gone through and my credit card has been debited. Ooopsss! A surprised and less than elated Adele was soon to learn that we would be going to the rugby world cup 2011.

So here we are. Four of the Derman clan in New Zealand with a somewhat more enthusiastic Adele.

The travel is always a big part of any holiday and we had a good, albeit long trip to get here. It's somewhat bizarre that we left on Friday and arrived here on Sunday. (On the way back we leave on Saturday and get back at almost the same time as we leave – it's bloody time travel). Adele managed to notch up 3 movies on the flight. I managed to notch up 2 and read a book – awesome!

Not much more to say about the flight other than the New Zealanders are friendly (on the plane already) and the plane is the most cramped that I have ever been on and had to seriously resist the urge to run manically into business class and claim a little more leg room (I eyed the face paint Adele had brought for the game and my cutlery but a deep seeded fear of being cavity searched again kept me honest).

We arrived in Wellington at about 8 am to a very warm and happy reunion with my parents. It's been about 11 months since we left for Canada and it was really good to be together again (Neal and Mary are not with us this time and we miss them deeply but planning a fantastic holiday for them in Canada this December and can't wait!!). I think that without skype we'd have really, really struggled in Canada.

Wellington was a bit grey and rainy but we had a great time walking around the pier, getting our tickets and getting familier with our Campervan.

Our campervan is awesome. It's a six sleeper which is fully kitted with toilet and kitchen. I think that any smaller and it's be a bit tight. It's already a bit of a squeeze but we've managed well so far – jy moenie poop nie ne – and have fallen into a good routine.

We have only one rule regarding the campervan – let's just say that our toilet is more third nipple than functional.

Wellington harbor

The same night we had our first rugby match. SA vs Wales. By this stage Adele and I have about 3 hours sleep in about 48 hours and it was decidedly colder in Wellington than in Canada. It was also raining and we were excited but a little apprehensive about sitting in the cold and rain for 2 hours. At this stage I was also a bit sick. So a weird combination of sick, tired, wet and cold but still incredibly excited and happy to be here (Hope that makes sense). (I've gotten much better but have infected everyone else).

We arrived at the stadium and found that we were happily under cover so sat dry and snug while waiting for the game.

I'm sure that most of you guys watched the game. Was very tight and not our best performance to date but a win is a win in the world cup and we'll take it. Was a quite an exciting nail-biter. The highlight of the game for me will always be the 3 people that I sat with: Adele spent most of the time shaking her head and vloeking the bad performance. My Dad had his binoculars out and spent most of the time getting worked up and vloeking the ref and the players and calling the South African team a bunch of geriatrics who need to be pushed into an old age house. My mom kept on saying, “this is pathetic” and then laughing almost manically.

It was highly entertaining.

Wales vs Sa September 11 2011

From Wellington we caught the Ferry to the South Island. The Ferry ride is an awesome 3 hours. To start and end you pass through green hills, little islands and peninsulas on either side. Most of the people on the ferry are South African although there is a splatter of other rugby tourists and Kiwi's. Everyone is in really good spirits and it's great to meet other travelers. The great thing about coming on a “rugby tour” is that you instantly have something in common with that guy. The New Zealanders are also very proud of their small country and eager to help and chat.

More than one conversation started with, “ you guys almost received carrots last night” or “Wales should have beat you, you know?!”.

So the Ferry was a ton of fun (Although on the return it is lurching from side to side and Adele is looking greener and greener). We docked at Picton and departed for our South Island part of the trip. We had not booked anything and decided to wing it. Because we only had a short time we decided not to venture too far South. We had initially thought to go to Christchurch to have a look and support their economy but decided it was a bit far and my Dad was not willing to sleep there. I feel really sorry for them and hope to come back sometime and have a visit. We would also like to visit Dunedin and Queenstown, and I would LOVE to snowboard here so I guess we'll have to come back sometime.

Ferry between South and North

The South Island is spectacular. We drove from Picton passed Blenheim and stopped at Kaikoura for the night. The road was a windy coastal road for most of the way and the coastal views were breathtaking around every corner.

The vegetation is very dense and reminds me a bit of the Natal South Coast. The sea is blue and clear and in very close proximity to mountains, often still covered in snow. It truly is stunning and you can imagine why it was chosen to be the backdrop for the LOR movies.

We had a few good pit stops to look at seals, birds and the views.

Kaikoura is the crayfish capital of the South Island and we decided to stop about 23 km from our overnight stop to enjoy Sebastio and his family. We stopped at a place called Nims Bin. Nims Bin is a trailer located on a particularly pretty piece of seaside realty. They specialize in Crayfish – hot or cold, white bate and mussels. It was spectacular. We sat on the side of the road and enjoyed some New Zealand white wine and some fresh, perfectly cooked crayfish. Yum yum! Very idealic and picture perfect.

Crayfish in an idyllic setting

Kaikoura in Mauri means: Kai = food and koura = crayfish. It used to be a whaling station at one stage and then a fishing village. At one stage, apparently, it was considered to be a dirty, crayfish town and not too popular. Now it is a bustling tourist site with whale watching trips, dolphin encounters, all sorts of water activities and seafood restaurants.

We enjoyed a +- 2 - 3 hour walk around the peninsula and along the beach. It was green and lush – reminded me a little of Scotland. Again cannot tell you how beautiful it is here.

That night we braaied some steak and went to bed happy and full. Was a great first day on the South Island.

Kaikoura

The next day we left Kaikoura and decided to head for Hanmer hot springs. A fellow Campervaner had recommended it and we decided it was worth a look. It was a cold, grey, rainy day and we reckoned that some hot water sounded good as gold.

Spent most of the morning driving and enjoying the scenery as we wound our way into the mountains.

Hanmer itself is a small but quant town. The Campervan park is spotless and very well run (but all of them have been so far).

We spent the rest of the day soaking in the hot water that varies in temperature between 35 and 41 degrees celsius. Very relaxing and enjoyable with snow capped mountain views in the background. There were all sorts with us in the springs and lots of conversations about rugby and the different teams. One particularly charming toothless lady starting having a conversation with Dad about how maybe the water jets would knock some fat off her and how her friends wanted her to lose weight but she is happy with who she is. Have you seen Richard Derman speechless? He opened his mouth to answer her but couldn't find anything to say so shut it again. She then started to ask were she could find a pub in town but not a larny pub, rather a rough, gritty pub. I'm not sure what else she said, I'd started floating off in another direction at this point.

That night we found a warm fire and had a great meal, as well as sampling some of the local beers.

Another great day in New Zealand.

Hanmer

So from Hanmer Springs we decided to push and travel up to the Abel Tasman national Park. Abel Tasman was the first European to discover New Zealand. He thought it was part of Argentina and named it - Statenland. Later it was named New Zealand after Zeeland in Abel Tasmans native Holland. The story goes that when he arrived the Mauri came down to the beach and in their canoes to find out, friend or enemy. The Dutch mistakenly blew their horn which was seen as a challenge and in doing so mistakenly replied with the equivalent of, “hello good native people. We are here to eat your children and make concubines of your wives.” Needless to say the Mauri killed four of Tasmans men and he set sail never to return to New Zealand.

I digress a bit but read an interesting quote by captain Cook who had ten of his men killed and cooked by Mauris during his travels but still had a respect/liking for the islanders. He said, “Notwithstanding they are cannibals, they are naturally of a good disposition”.

Anyhow it had been pretty cold in the mountains and had snowed the night before. As such there was snow on the trees and side of the road as we wound our way through the mountains. This was my first day driving and was pretty hairy driving of some wet and icy roads. The vegetation here is completely different to Canada. Some of the bush is more familiar to South Africa and it was strange to see lush forest covered in a thick blanket of snow.

It was gorgeous though. The road really was a bit hairy and there were no opportunities to stop for photos but it was one of the highlights of the trip for me so far as we went round hair pin bends to more and more spectacular views of forrest, mountain and snow.

At one stage the stow began to melt and clumps of snow constantly rained down in front of us, There were often green mossy banks on one or either side, shadowed by tall snowy trees forming a canopy above us as white clumps gently rained down and sun broke through the trees. It was magical!

We stopped a few times on our trip North and met more and more friendly and helpful South Islanders.

Eventually we arrived in Kaiteriteri. It's early season for them and they are not expecting that much world cup related business so it was wonderfully quiet. The campervan park we stayed at was literally across the street from the beach and we had gorgeous views from the windows of our van.

Kaiteriteri is a popular holiday spot for wealthy New Zealanders. While it has the campervan park the majority of houses are modern and large, and mostly empty at this time of year. As such all the stores closed at 4h30 pm and we had the beaches mostly to ourselves.

The beaches here are a rich golden color and incredibly beautiful. We went for another long walk along the beach and cliffs and through the town. There were a few friendly locals around but it was mostly quite and idyllic and perfect. Had a great time just relaxing in Kaiteriteri.

There was no TV in Kaiteriteri but one of the bars in Rewaka had cottoned onto the fact that they could get some extra world cup traffic and ferried us and another group of South Africans the 8 km to their bar for supper.

Had a great time watching the Scotland, Georgia game, sampling some more beer and chatting to some of the locals. Some of them were rough but good humored and again, very proud and eager to share their information as well as to find out about South Africa.

Kaikoura

Kaiteriteri

Abel Tasman national park

There is a +- 50 km coastal track through the Abel Tasman national park. It's very popular especially in summer and you can hike it over 3 days. Another option is to catch a boat from Kaiteriteri which drops you off and you do bits of it and then catch the boat back. The water is clear, clear, clear and another great way to do it would be to sea kayak. If given a chance I would love to come back and do this in the warmer months.

We opted to drive to Marahau and walked the track for about an hour and a half at which stage we turned around and walked back. Lots of birds and lots of water and great scenery.

At the start of the path there is an adventure travel centre that has a wonderful hippy garden with all sorts of carvings.

My favorite is below.

This carving depicts Ranginui and Papatuanuku. The Mauri creation story is that at first there was the void, and then Ranginui and Papatuanuku (sky father and earth mother) embracing each other with their children between them. They loved each other but their children were stiffled and could not see in the darkness. Eventually their children managed to push them apart and became gods of the land and sky. Sky father and sky mother still mourn their separation and he cries rain from the clouds and she cries streams and rivers into existance.

Sky father and earth mother

From Marahau we travelled through Motueka and Richmond and past Nelson to Havelock. A South African we had met (who happens to know friends of ours in South Africa – small world) recommended a place called the Muscle Pot. Havelock is famous for it's green shelled mussels and this sounded too good to pass over.

It was getting a bit late for lunch at this stage and we arrived to see a nice big closed sign on the door. We were all hungry and Dad shot me a, “ Ryan, I'll kill you” because I'd said earlier that it'd still be open.

Just as I was about to make a dash for Mexico the door swung open and the owner said we could come in if we liked and have some lunch.

Now if you've ever been invited into a closed restaurant you'll know that the host/restaurant doesn't need to do much after that to make you happy. They've already won a little just by letting you in. That being said though we proceeded to have one of the best meals of my life. We had steamed and battered and marinated and mussels in garlic and mussels in thai green curry. It was unbelievably awesome and we sent on it's way with really delicious wine from the area. The hostess was very friendly and shared a few jokes, as well as needed advise on the wineries in the area.

Was a great day!

From there we went wine tasting at Nautilus in the Marlbourgh area (The famous South Island wine area which churns out delicious sauvignon blancs. Really have enjoyed their white wines. They only have about 1 percent of the world market).

Nom nom nom

Muscle Pot

Eating mussels seems to bring out the best in the Dermans. Below is a picture of Neal when we were in Paternoster with some serious food envy looking at Mary's mussels. This picture still makes me wet myself with laughter.

The next 2 pictures are of my Mom thoroughly enjoying the green mussels on this trip. :)

So we spent the night in Blenheim, had the breakfast of champions this morning (wine) – stopped at another wine farm (Whither hills) and made up way back to Picton to catch the Ferry.

Got to the Ferry a bit early so walked around pleasant Picton and enjoyed some good coffee.

And that is pretty much that.

We are in Wellington for 2 nights again. Rugby tomorrow night and hopefully some more great adventures.

Nautilus wine farm

Have a few more things to put in before I sign out.

The first is that the driving has been a lot of fun. My Dad has been doing most of the driving which has been a bit hairy at times. As I said above the roads have been narrow and very windy. In some parts there have been cliff side drop offs and it's been great for a bit of adrenalin. My Dad seems to like to up the ante a bit and will periodically sneeze closing his eyes for a harrowing few seconds. Another thing he'll do is point out a bird and wobble into the oncoming lane – lots of fun :)

Yesterday was particularly entertaining as he asked for an apple to eat as we were driving down 1 particularly perilous mountain road. I imagined him eating, sneezing and bird watching and driving and forbade him from eating the apple much to his chagrin. Happily we stopped and had lunch at the restaurant above so all was forgiven.

Also wanted to say YAY Canada! Congrats on beating Tonga!!!!

So that is pretty much New Zealand to date.

Loving being here with the folks. Wish Neal and Mary were here. As well as Ma en Pa en Shani.

Let us know how you're doing. If you watch the next game I'll be that naked guy on the field.
Please see the rest of our photos at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150366883515867.404797.532515866

Much Love

Ryan, Adele, Rich and Deb

As a footnote.

The time between the last blog and this blog have been spent going to the Calgary Zoo, hiking in Waterton national Park, having a doggy date with Kumeo, braaing, visiting the South african store in Calgary, roofing a house, waking up early for the opening rugby game and just having a ton of fun. What a wonderful life! What a wonderful world!