New Zealand

 

                                                KIA ORA

 

We left for New Zealand on Monday November 7, 2022. Sam drove us to the airport for our flight to LA. We boarded the Air New Zealand flight to Auckland and arrived at 6 am Wednesday Nov 9. After we cleared customs where we had to declare our hiking boots which were power washed by an agent, we looked for our driver who was holding a sign with our name on it. Our driver, Andy, drove us to our hotel near the wharf, The Park Hyatt. We had early check in so we rested for a while and then gave ourselves a walking tour around Auckland near the wharf. 

 

 

The next morning, we walked to the ferry terminal and boarded the ferry for Waiheke Island. We had booked a winery tour and found our guide and joined the other folks on the tour. We went to five different wineries and had lunch at the Stony ridge Vineyard. We also visited an olive oil processing plant. We took the ferry back to Auckland and Diane turned in for the night while I went out for the famous Fish and Chips. 

 

 

On Friday (at least we were told it was Friday), Andy met us at the hotel for our trip to The Huka Lodge located near Lake Taupo. On the way, we stopped at the Waitoma Caves which we explored with a guide to see the glowworms. We were in the Foot whistle Cave that got its name from a limestone feature that looks like a foot connected to a steam whistle. We left the cave and had lunch at a cute little café. We arrived at Huka Lodge and said goodbye to Andy and settled in for four nights at the lodge. 

 

 

On Saturday we were scheduled for a day of fly fishing. Because of all the rain, I tried to see if we could change it to Monday. No such luck. Diane decided not to go and my guide, Oliver, picked me up and we down to the Tangariro River. I fished to a nice run there but came up empty. We drove to another part of the river and hiked for about 30 minutes to get to another spot. My guide warned me that we were in between seasons. Too late for the rainbows, too early for the browns. He had me nymphing with weighted nymphs into fast runs of water. After many casts, I finally hooked up and brought in a 26-inch rainbow. I picked up another smaller rainbow and began fishing to a big brown trout that Ollie had spotted. I never could get him to take the fly even though it hit him in the nose several times. After a long day, we headed back to the lodge. I found Diane and told her about my day and then we went to the dining room for another five-course dinner.

 

 

On Sunday we passed on the original hike we had planned. It was a long, 12-mile trek with steep elevation gain and descent with a scree field where injuries frequently occur. Our hiking guide, Karen suggested some alternatives. We drove to a National Park and took a hike to Taranaki Falls, a beautiful, large waterfall. We hiked all the way to the falls in the rain before the rain let up. After that hike, we drove up to a ski resort and found a shelter that was open for people like us and had a delicious lunch. After lunch, we did a shorter hike to Silica Rapids. The water here comes up from superheated magma with silica and other chemicals dissolved in it. As it comes up, it cools, and the silica comes out of solution and coats the rocks leaving them white. We headed back to the lodge, cleaned up and went to dinner.

 

 

Monday, we were on our own, so we went into Taupo and did some shopping and sightseeing. We spent the day there and had lunch. The lodge sent a driver to pick us up. We had our last dinner there and got ready for the next part of our trip.

 

We left Huka Lodge Tuesday morning and went to the Rotorua Airport for our flight to Christchurch. Upon arrival, our driver found us and drove us to the George Hotel. We were close to the Botanical Gardens, so we walked over there and went through the Gardens. We realized we had skipped lunch, so we opted for an early dinner. We found a café and ordered burgers and fries. We got our gear ready for an early start the next day.

 

On Wednesday, we had an early breakfast before going to the railway station to meet our Backroads guides. At breakfast I saw a couple dressed in hiking boots and wondered if they could possibly be on the Backroads trip. When we got to the railway station, sure enough, the breakfast couple were there. They were Mitch and Dixie from Atlanta. There was only one other couple on the trip, Marc and Steph from D.C. We got acquainted with them and our guides, Claire and AJ. The plan that day was to take the train to Arthur’s Pass and meet up with the van and the trailer with the bikes. It turned out that the train did not run that day. No problem. We all got in the van with room to spare. This trip can accommodate up to 20 guests, but we only had 6. It would be like a private trip. We took off and at about the halfway point, we stopped at a café for lunch. We continued into the mountains and came to our first hike. It was a 3.5-mile hike to a waterfall called The Devil’s Punch Bowel. We came back down and headed across the highway to our next hike. It was back into the van for the short ride to The Wilderness Lodge at Arthur’s Pass. We settled into our rooms then ventured out with our guides to a sheep herding demonstration and a sheep shearing demo. We learned a lot about merino wool. That evening, we had a get acquainted reception (although we were already acquainted) and then dinner at the lodge.

 

This is Backroads Day 2. (BR 2). After breakfast, we shuttled to Kumara where we got on our ebikes for a 23-mile ride to Hokitika. We rode around a parking lot until we were comfortable with the ebike and the Wahoo navigation system. We really enjoyed the ebikes. You still peddle and you can peddle hard if you like, but you get an assist. The assist is great when you encounter a hill. We rode into town which sits on the Tasman Sea, named after Abel Tasman, a Dutchman who sailed the sea in 1642. The explorer James Cook came to this shore in 1770. It was on this ride that Mitch had a bike accident and hurt his shoulder. We had lunch in town at a restaurant overlooking the ocean and then walked around the town of Hokitika until it was time to shuttle to the town of Franz Josef and check in at the Te Waonui resort

 

BR 3. We had an early breakfast and shuttled to the starting point for the bike ride. The ride was to Okarito Beach. We walked on the beach looking for jade and found a few. We left for the Okarito Lookout hike that gave us a 360-degree view. We shuttled back to the resort and had pizza for lunch. We passed on a hike to the Tatare Tunnels and rested up. We had dinner in town at the Snakebite Restaurant and then met with Mike Mahoney who regaled us with the story of his 1977 Everest Expedition. It was an unbelievable and fascinating tale. After we took a short walk back to the resort, we went to bed. 

 

BR4: Today was the day for the helicopter ride over the Franz Josef Glacier. It is so called because it resembles the mutton chops of Franz Josef. The flight was delayed due to weather and then altered to a short 12-minute ride, down from 30 minutes. Diane and I opted to skip it. Later that morning we hike up the Franz Josef Valley. It was another rainy-day hike but beautiful none the less. After lunch we went to Lake Matheson where we did a hike around the lake and then got in the van for our shuttle to The Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge. 

 

BR5: After breakfast we took the Monro Beach walk then headed back for lunch. In the afternoon we went on a special hike with Gerry McSweeney to a secret part of the beach to see the Crested Fiordland Penguins. We took a 20-minute walk through a forested trail crossing a stream four times while wearing gumboots. The penguins are endangered, so we kept our distance. We spotted about 30 of them, the most Gerry had seen this year. Most were seen coming out of the surf and heading to the forest where their chicks were nesting. Gerry said that one day they will all leave and spend several months at sea. Before heading back Gerry walked the beach with us helping us find the green jade rocks called pounamu. 

 

BR6: We had breakfast and said goodbye to Lake Moeraki and shuttled to Haast where we leave for a 30-mile bike ride to Jackson Bay and the Cray Pot Restaurant. We left a little early to try and get the ride in before the forecasted heavy rain began. Some of the bikers were going slowly so I got in front and set a faster pace. After about 15 miles it started drizzling. It wasn’t bad but it was picking up. I decided to pedal hard in Turbo mode and try and beat the rain. With about 3 miles to go, it started raining hard. I made it to Jackson Bay and got under the pavilion where we were to meet. Just before I got there, I saw AJ in the van heading towards the other bikers. I guessed that he was going to get the others because of the rain. I waited and waited. It seemed that enough time had passed to gather everyone up and come back. Finally, he came back and said that Marc had an accident. No one really saw what happened, but Marc went into the ditch on the side of the road. When Diane got off her bike and got to him, he had a bloody face, nose, lips, chin and knee. He was dazed and did not know who the president was. Claire did not have cell service and had to ride ahead to where she had service and could call AJ who drove back to them. Marc’s head cleared and the bleeding was controlled with gauze, ice packs, and pressure. We went back to Haast where there was a medical clinic. The nurse looked at him and bandaged him and pronounced him fit to continue with precautions. We headed to Wanaka, our next stop. 

 

BR7: In Wanaka we stayed at the Edgewater Resort Hotel. This was the day we would have flown to Milford Sound with a cruise in the bay. The weather did not cooperate, and we did not get to do that. We took a morning bike ride past Glendhu Bay to the Treblecone ski area turn off. It was a 25 mile out and back route with great weather. In the afternoon we walked into the town of Wanaka and browsed the shops and sites of the town. Later that evening we all took a cab to town for dinner at the Bistro Gentil Restaurant.

BR8: After two nights at the Edgewater Hotel, we checked out and shuttled to Hawea for the start of our bike ride. We had a 22-mile ride and then shuttled to the Kinross Winery where we had lunch and had a wine demonstration. It was then on to Queenstown, New Zealand’s Adventure Capital. It is known for skiing, jet boating, river rafting, and bungy jumping: None of which we did. We had our farewell dinner at Jervois Steakhouse and spent the night at the Queenstown Sherwood.  

 

BR9: The last day. Mitch and Dixie said goodbye to us as they had an early flight to catch.  Due to time constraints of getting to the airport, the white-water rafting trip was off the table. That was all right with us as we heard from a friend who had been on the trip before us that both boats had flipped, and everyone ended up in the water. We opted for the four mile walk into town and a stroll through the botanical garden. We had lunch at the famous Fergburgers. A good burger with excellent fries. We dropped Marc and Steph off at the hotel and said goodbye to them and then AJ and Claire took us to the airport to begin our trip home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alps 2022

Alps 2022 On Wednesday, August 24, we left for our trip to the Alps. We took a taxi to the airport and went to the Delta Lounge. We were flying first class, so that was nice. We boarded our 9 hour flight to Paris and right away were served a delicious meal. The beds would go completely flat so we both took naps off and on. At the Paris airport we had a long walk to make our connection and had to be re-screened and go through customs. It all went well and we boarded the plane for Geneva. We arrived in Geneva and took a taxi to the Hotel President Wilson. Our room wasn’t ready so we had to hang out. After resting up for awhile, we headed out along Lake Geneva and ended up at the Cottage Café where we had tapas for dinner. We were back at the hotel by 9 pm. The next day we slept in until 8:30, then had some breakfast at the hotel and walked into town. We took a couple of bus tours around Geneva. We went to the shopping district and had a snack and coffee at the Sophie Café. Back at the hotel, I went for swim in the pool and Diane went back to town for some shopping where she found a piggy bank for Quinn. The next day, Saturday the 27th we had a driver pick us up at the hotel and take us on a tour along Lake Geneva. Our first stop was in Lausanne where we toured the Olympic Museum. After that we boarded a boat that would take us along the shore of the Lake. We left one boat and reboarded another that took us past Montreux to Castle Chillon. We toured this centuries old castle for about 2 hours and then stopped for lunch. We met back up with the driver for our trip back to the hotel. We had dinner out by the pool overlooking the lake and turned in early.

 The start of our Backroads adventure would begin at the bus station in Geneva. There we met our guides, Anna and Hollie and we introduced ourselves to a few of our fellow hikers. We boarded a bus and left Geneva for France. Our first stop was a ski resort outside Megeve. We hiked uphill to our lunch spot at a mountain refuge. After lunch we opted for the longer hike down. The route was very steep and we could feel our toes jamming the ends of our boots. We got to town and opted to hike to the hotel. We were pretty tired by the time we got there. That evening we had a welcome reception where we got to know our fellow hikers. It was followed by dinner and then to bed. We hiked about 8 miles this day!

                                                              

 On Day 2 we had a breakfast buffet and then hopped on a shuttle that took us to a cog train at St. Gervais les Bains. Our stop was in the Col de Voza area that gave us views of Mt. Blanc and a glacier. We had lunch outside at a mountain hut. The hike after lunch, up Mt. Lachat, was a long, steep climb that teased us with 3 false summits. Hollie had sold the hike as “not that strenuous” and we let her know that was not the case. A beer was in order for me after that hike and Anna sensed that and handed me one right away. We got in the shuttle for the ride to Chamonix where we checked in to the Mt. Blanc hotel. Dinner that night was outside at the hotel. It was a great meal and the night was cool and pleasant. We hiked about 7 miles this day. 

                                                                             

 On Day 3 we ascended by cable car to the Aiguille du Midi to 12, 777 feet. The middle needle is a lone needle of rock looming above ice fields and moraine-strewn crags. The cars ascend in two sections. The second section goes up 4500 feet with no pylons in between. After taking in the views, we took the car down to the mid point where we would begin our hike. Diane opted out of this one as her toes were jammed up. The hike took us to a viewpoint where we saw the Mer de Glace glacier. We had lunch on the mountain and then hiked down to the Montenvers railway for a trip into town. Tonight dinner was on our own and we found a charming little restaurant. Hiking distance was about 8 miles.

                                                       

 Day 4 had us leaving Chamonix and taking the Mt. Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur Italy. The tunnel is 7 miles long and was competed in 1965. Once through the tunnel we got on a new cable car that ascended to a glacier field. Outfitted with mountaineering boots, harness, and crampons, we roped up with our guides in teams of 6 or 7. We hiked up the glacier field to an elevation where we had great views of Mt. Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, and the so called Giant’s tooth spire. At the top of our ascent we had a celebratory toast of champagne and a high mountain lunch. We retraced our path back down the glacier encountering the same crevasses we saw coming up. No one fell in! We continued down and said goodbye(Ciao) to our French mountain guides and headed to Courmayeur’s Entreves village. We checked into the Auberge de la Maison, our lodging for the next two nights.

                                                                    

 On Day 5, we hiked up(steep) to the balcony trail that overlooked the valley below. Along the trail were many cows peacefully grazing. Diane was in front of me when we heard what sounded like a stampede. I looked up above us and two steers were fighting with their horns locked together. They were sliding down the hill right towards us. I yelled for Diane to run and we went forward and up just before the two animals crashed across the trail. That got the old heart pumping. We continued hiking up to the Refugio Bonatti, a mountain hut where we had hot soup and polenta with sausages or mushrooms. We continued the hike along the Val Ferret descending to the valley where a chalet awaited us with drinks and snacks. That night we had our farewell dinner at the hotel. Last Day, Day 6. 

                                                     

There was a hike offered that day but with the proviso that it would be a short but steep climb to a viewpoint for one last look at Mt Bianco(the Italian name). I was one of the 6 intrepid hikers(out of 19) who ventured out to hike. It was steep but the views were great and well worth the effort. We got packed up at the hotel and soon left back to Geneva. We said our goodbyes at the airport and took a taxi to our hotel. Diane was regretting not buying the cowbell she had seen before our trip so we set out on the city bus to try and get back to the shop where she first saw it. Fortunately, we found it and got the cowbell for Quinn. This time we opted to take a taxi. We ate dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. We woke up the next morning to get to the airport and start our uneventful journey home. A few of our fellow hikers are worth mentioning. We enjoyed Todd and Amy Rustad from Boise. Todd is an ENT surgeon who coincidently operated on my nephew, Gavin. We had a mutual friend in Mike Curtin who lives in Boise. Bea Miley was a fun and interesting lady. There was Jim and Wendy from Mill Valley, CA. There were several others but these named were the ones we had the most fun with. All in all, it was a pretty good group. Our guides, Anna Caldwell and Holly Howes were outstanding and made the trip even more fun.