Great Walks in New Zealand

This year Freya is doing her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award so our trip to New Zealand will be good training for her as we plan to include some tramping. During our 2004 visit she was four years old and the boots she wore then look tiny compared to her current walking boots. I found them recently in our loft and was amazed – you could hold them in the palm of your hand. Strangely enough, the sizes of the two pairs of boots are the same, size 8!

When I dreamed about returning to New Zealand I always expected we would do a complete walking track but this is looking unlikely due to time constraints. Most of them are take 4 – 5 days to complete. Usually in one direction although the Kepler Track is circular. It is, however, a challenging walk climbing to 1,400m (4,600 ft) at its highest point, Luxmore Saddle. I noticed on the Department of Conservation website that there are four shorter walks you can do from designated points such as car parks, so that might be an option.

Last time we were in New Zealand we managed to do about half of the Abel Tasman Track, the whole of the Caples Track and half a day on the Routeburn Track.

If you are interested in doing any tramping on the Great Walks, in most cases you have to book huts and campsites in advance during the peak season from 24th October 2017 to 30th April 2018. And they are surprisingly expensive. I was shocked to find that the DOC charge about NZ$34 per person over 18 per night and can reach prices of NZ$65!. Campsites appear to be not much cheaper at NZ$17 to 20. We certainly wouldn’t want to take a load of camping gear with us when we also intend to hire a motorhome. The other choice you have on the Abel Tasman Track is to take a water taxi to one of the beaches and walk back, having to ensure that you can gauge how far you can walk. Also, f we were to walk any of this track and had a motorhome on hire there would be the additional cost of leaving it on a holiday park for safety, if we wanted to stay overnight on your walk. What a logistical nightmare.

Lord of the Rings Premiere Day Revisited

I woke up this morning and realized that it was on this day in 2003 that the world premiere for the Return of the King took place in Wellington, New Zealand. It was a bright, sunny day like it is today here in England, but a lot warmer.

The streets were packed with more than 100,00 people, and the atmosphere was charged with excitement. A motorcade of classic cars carried the filmmakers and actors down to Courtney Place where a quarter of a mile of red carpet led to the Embassy Theatre where the film premiere would be shown. Fans who had come from all over the globe to show how much they loved what had been created. 

The day shone out brilliantly for everyone, including the stars, as something to remember for the rest of their lives.

Plans

My daughter, Freya, had her fourth birthday in New Zealand. She can't remember it, like much of the journey we took her on. It has been my dream to take her back and show her some of the places we visited. Until now, this has not been possible. But at last we are planning a trip for next year. Unlike the last one which was impulsive and life-changing, this will be considered, planned and a lot calmer. BUT, I have a secret, which I cannot reveal yet but am bursting to tell, as it's my natural instinct to talk/write about what is happening to me. Watch this space.

We only have about three weeks this time, instead of five months. What a challenge to me, as the itinerary planner. Not just to try to organize the route to re-visit places we loved and want to show Freya, but to include others parts of our favourite country on the other side of the world. And a bigger challenge will be for me to CUT OUT areas I want to see. I like to cram things in, something Freya dislikes. I'm a 'Let's go there, let's do that' sort of person. Some of our recent holidays in Europe have been madcap, with a lot of driving. My daughter likes a calmer holiday, a chance to unwind and take everything in. It is going to take some skill to give the impression of a leisurely pace while effortlessly covering large distances. 

Fourteen years is a long time and a lot could have changed. It is tempting to go back to a much-loved holiday destination and when you get there,  a part of you always niggles with the the disappointment that it is 'not the same'. Of course it won't be but the problem is if it has not changed for the better. Talking to people who visited New Zealand in the 1980s, we found out that they could happily cycle through central Auckland, not something I would have wanted to do in 2003, much less today. Personally, I am not looking forward to landscapes being more urbanized, more tourist attractions being added.

I also have mixed feelings about some of the gravel roads since being sealed. Yes, it's great to get there faster, less damage to your vehicle, to be able to use rental cars and motorhomes (I'm not sure if most of them now allow use on unsealed roads) but what if you have gone to New Zealand to get in touch with the wilderness? And you don't necessarily want to go off tramping to do that. If the journey is a little difficult it gives you a sense of adventure. 

I found this website useful for information on driving in New Zealand:  

https://www.apexrentals.co.nz