Deserted Wellington
Our long afternoon hike in Zelandia was just what we needed after our daughter and her partner's departure into the Covid abyss earlier that day.
The fresh air, physical exercise, sunshine, wildlife, glorious birdsong and almost complete isolation took our minds off our present predicament, for a few hours at least.
When we did eventually leave what felt like the safety of that extraordinary sanctuary, we returned to our car, found our map and planned the route for our new destination.
Since leaving the UK in late December, we had considered each phase of our travels as an exciting new adventure but the very nature of an adventure is unpredictability.
In normal circumstances a certain amount of unpredictability, can contribute to feelings of anticipation and excitement
But on this occasion that same unpredictability led us to feeling anxious, worried and concerned.
Would we be safe? Would we be able to continue keeping our distance from others? Would we have access to TVs so we could watch latest news reports on the continued spread of the virus? Would we have decent Wifi so we could check emails and see if we had heard back from our travel insurance providers?
None of these things had mattered that much before but they had suddenly become our main priorities now.
Rather than arrive at our new destination so early that we would then need to find somewhere to go and buy food in an unfamiliar location, we thought we would have something to eat in Wellington before setting off.
We drove to Panhead but it looked closed which was very strange indeed at that time of the evening, the Welsh Pub nearby also looked closed so we wondered at that point if we should pop into New World next door and pick up some food to eat at home when we got there later but as we didn't know what 'home' would be like that evening, we thought we would try Backbenchers.
Fortunately Backbenchers was both open and not at all crowded so we selected a table in a corner at the back and ordered soft drinks and a sharing platter of appetisers.
We spent a very pleasant hour at Backbenchers then decided to have one final walk around that section of the town centre before setting off.
It was at that point that we noticed how empty the streets were.
Walking through those deserted areas of town made us reflect on our time in Zelandia earlier that day and we wondered whether it was more deserted than it should have been for the time of year.
Considering it is the only urban eco-sanctuary in New Zealand, we had expected to encounter more people than were actually there.
Then to find both Panhead and the Welsh Pub closed must have been more than a coincidence.
Even Backbenchers was virtually empty and just about to close and the streets in that area of town were completely deserted.
Although we didn't have a TV in Wellington, we saw online that the NZ Government had addressed the Nation the night before and had spoken to people about the transmission dangers of Covid-19 and what people needed to do in order to keep infection rates low.
Social distancing had been mentioned and people were urged to stay 2 metres away from others where possible and if they had colds, coughs or any other transmissible viruses, they should stay home or wear face coverings that covered the nose and the mouth.
None of this was law at that point yet, it was just advisory.
But we did wonder whether this extra isolation incluing pub closures and deserted streets was Wellington's reaction to what had been 'advised' the previous evening?
If so then we were very impressed at the immediacy of New Zealand's response to the Covid situation.
Not only by government officials but also by businesses and individuals.
Apart from a pigeon and a Mollymawk albatross, those streets near the government buildings were totally isolated.
We were extremely impressed and we also felt safer for it.
At this rate our 'isolation tourism' plan would work very well.
At least for as long as we remained in New Zealand.
Backbenchers Pub - almost completely empty
The empty streets of Wellington on 5 March 2020
Isolated albatross and pigeon in Wellington on 5 March 2020
Mollymawk albatross in deserted Wellington in March 2020
Wellington Railway Station
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_railway_station
On what turned out to be our very first 'social distance' walk, we found ourselves outside Wellington Railway Station.
Just like the station in Dunedin, this is a very grand and beautiful structure.
New Zealand does do stations very well indeed.
"The main entrance is on the south side via a colonnade of extraordinary eight 13-metre high Doric columns opening into a large booking hall decorated with delicately mottled dados extending to a high vaulted ceiling".
"In the past the glazed-roof concourse contained waiting rooms, toilets, a large dining room, a barber shop, book and fruit stalls and a first aid room".
"There was a nursery on the top floor to allow parents to leave their children while they shopped or waited for their train".
"When completed in 1937 the station was New Zealand’s largest building, with a combined floor area of two hectares".
"It was designed to accommodate the 675 staff of the Railways Department head office and the Wellington district office, which until then had been accommodated in 11 leased buildings throughout the city".
"The platforms, designed to accommodate up to 12 carriages, are made of concrete covered with a sealed surface under verandahs held up by railway irons".
"Platform 9 was designed to be a roadway without rails for the terminus for certain services provided by New Zealand Railways Road Services".
"A park was created in the forecourt with lawns and paths of paving stones with brick edging arranged in a herringbone pattern"
"In 1982, the New Zealand Railways Corporation replaced the Railways Department".
Just as in the UK, "the application of a more commercial attitude to the running of large organizations, resulted in a large reduction in staff employed at the Wellington railway station".
"Due to the reduction of railway staff numbers in the 1980s, large parts of the building became underutilised".
"In 1988, the Railways-run bookstall and cafeteria were closed and subsequently the barber's shop and men's toilets were converted into 'Trax Bar and Cafe', while the women's waiting rooms were converted into toilet blocks".
"The original dining hall and kitchen were converted to office space".
"At around that time platforms 2 to 7 were shortened at the concourse end to provide increased space for waiting passengers".
"Large concrete planter boxes were installed at the end of the tracks to assist in stopping runaway trains"
"Between August 2003 and October 2008, the building was refurbished at a cost of NZ$ 14.6 million to house part of Victoria University in the West wing and Toll NZ (now KiwiRail) in the East wing".
"This work included a seismic upgrade, restoration and refurbishment, and installing three new lifts and dedicated access in the south-west corner to the university wing from the concourse".
"On 4 December 2006, the New World Railway Metro supermarket opened on the ground floor".
"In 2010, the former social hall was converted into 660 square metres of boutique office space".
"The station was registered on 25 September 1986 as a Category I Historic Place"
"In the office entrance to the station, a roll of honour lists 450 members of the New Zealand Railways Department who lost their lives in World War I"
"As many as 5,000 of the department's permanent staff, out of workforce of 14,000, enlisted during the war, and many casual workers also served".
"The roll was unveiled by Prime Minister William Massey in the Railways Department's head office in Featherston St on 30 April 1922."
Filming Location
"Wellington railway station featured prominently in the 1981 film Goodbye Pork Pie, in which the protagonists drive a Mini through the station concourse in order to escape pursuing police officers".
"The station was also used in a 2009 TV advert in the UK for train ticketing company The Trainline, where a large flock of sheep use the facilities".
"In May 2014, the station foyer was used by celebrity chef Nigella Lawson to film a commercial for Whittaker's a well known chocolate manufacturing firm" which has now become one of my favourite chocolate brands anywhere.
This is certainly one of the grandest stations I had seen in a long time, though I couldn't help but think that if it was so very vast and regal looking in March 2020, it must have been totally magnificent in its heyday.
The application of a more commercial attitude to the running of everything in our economically motivated world, does make me nostalgic occasionally for the opulence and sheer delight of buildings such as these when less commercial attitudes motivated development projects and the world was not so driven by money and profit as it is today.
Entrance to Wellington Railway Station
The glorious frontage at Wellington Railway Station
Inside Wellington Railway Station
Beautiful arch at Wellington Railway Station
Old St Paul's
https://www.heritage.org.nz/places/places-to-visit/wellington-region/old-st-pauls
A short walk from the station is Old St Paul's Cathedral.
Unfortunately we could not see inside this beautiful cathedral as it was being refurbished for the entire time that we were in Wellington.
I remember my friend from many years ago who moved from London to Nelson in the 1980s, writing to me about a wedding she had been invited to at beautiful Old St Paul's in Wellington.
"One of New Zealand’s greatest heritage sites, Old St Paul’s was built by the Anglican Church between 1865 and 1866 on what was originally the site of Pipitea Pā, a Māori settlement on Wellington’s waterfront".
"Constructed from fine native timbers, the church is a handsome sight from the outside". We can certainly vouch for that.
Although we didn't go inside, I read on its website that "it is simply breathtaking".
"Soaring arches lend the appearance of an upturned galleon, a shapely form enhanced by transepts and other additions which were seamlessly incorporated as the congregation grew".
"Spectacular lighting gives the interior a rosy glow, enriching the appearance of brass fittings, stained glass windows and exquisitely embroidered furnishings".
"It is a glorious riot of colour and light, with splendid acoustics a memorable accompaniment".
"As well as being one of the best examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the world, the former cathedral is a repository of many interesting stories, including that of its own survival".
"Having served the Anglican community up to the 1960s, it was threatened with demolition after the new St Paul’s was built one block away".
"Saved, restored and reopened to the public, today Old St Paul’s stands not only as a place of spiritual significance and a venue for special events (including weddings and concerts) but also as a reminder of one of New Zealand's great heritage battles".
"Visitors are welcome to admire the building on their own (with brochures available in French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese) or to book an introductory talk about the building with one of our visitor hosts".
Of course none of this was available to us during its refurbishment period sadly.
"An interactive exhibition helps visitors delve deeper into the building’s finer details".
Old St Paul's is a short walk from Wellington's Parliament Buildings and the National Library gallery
"It is also within easy walking distance of the Lambton Quay shopping district and the capital’s fantastic waterfront".
"It is also close to Katherine Mansfield House and Garden, a fascinating, colonial heritage site with links to the literary world".
Old St Paul’s - in scaffolding
Beautiful Old St Paul’s Wellington
TE WHAREKARAKIANUI O PAORA TAPU KI TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA
WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL OF ST PAUL
https://www.wellingtoncathedral.org.nz/our-history
According to what is published on the website, "the first St Paul’s Church in Thorndon had been built from wood and established by the early settlers at the back of Parliament, behind which the Beehive now stands".
"A second timber-built St Paul’s (now affectionately known as Old St Paul’s) replaced the earlier church".
"However this second church was only ever seen as a pro-Cathedral – namely, a beautiful building that would serve until a Cathedral proper could be built".
"Beautiful though Old St Paul’s is, and extended as it was to cope with a growing population, the Wellington Diocese continued to look to the completion of a full, working Cathedral".
"Consecrated in 1866, Old St Paul’s would, however, house the Bishop’s chair for 98 years".
"During this time several steps were taken to try to ensure Wellington would have an Anglican Cathedral to match the city’s status".
"In 1895 a trust was formed and land purchased in Taranaki Street, to the south of the city centre".
"In 1907 it was decided that this site was no longer suitable and plans were made to build a Cathedral adjacent to Government House, close the Basin Reserve sports ground, which today is the site of St Mark’s Church".
"After World War One, enthusiasm for the building of a Cathedral waned as hard economic times and a major depression battered the New Zealand economy".
"Plans were revived in 1937 when it was decided to make the Cathedral a project for the national centennial of 1940".
"World War II intervened but in an act of faith in 1943, with the country still at war, the first piece of land was acquired at yet another site, this time adjacent to Parliament, in Molesworth Street, where the present Cathedral now stands".
"The site for the Cathedral cost the Church 136,354 pounds".
"However, in the delay created by World War II, the cost of building the Cathedral had risen steeply".
"The sum of 250,000 pounds, which had been raised to build the Cathedral before the war, would now only build about half of it".
"As well as the site, the architectural design had also changed"
"The Cathedral, as originally planned had taken its inspiration from the great medieval Cathedrals of Europe, only built in ferro concrete instead of stone".
"The Napier earthquake in 1931 suggested the wisdom of another change of plans and material".
"The present Cathedral of St Paul was designed on less ornate lines and built of the stronger reinforced concrete".
"Cecil Wood, appointed by the Wellington Diocese as the architect of the new Cathedral in 1938, designed the building".
"Though he died in 1947, and never lived to see the Cathedral so much as begun, the building today is still very much as he envisaged it".
"In the pre-war years, Cecil Wood had travelled and worked overseas and his design for the Wellington Cathedral was influenced by what he saw and the buildings he studied".
"These included Stockholm Town Hall, the Art Deco architecture of Southern California, and the neo-Byzantine-style of Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral, London. Designed by John Francis Bentley and built in 1895-1910, its large plain unadorned surfaces, great piers and semi-circular arches of the nave find echoes in the design of the Wellington Cathedral".
"For the Cathedral planners the wheel would turn full circle when some 60 years later New Zealand architect Miles Warren was asked to oversee the final completion stage of the Cathedral".
"As a 16-year-old he had worked as an articled pupil draughtsman for Cecil Wood".
"Though the Cathedral was constructed in three separate stages, and various other designs to complete the Cathedral were at different times suggested, this building, with only some modifications, has remained faithful to Wood’s original design".
"The Foundation stone was laid by a young Queen Elizabeth II on 13th January 1954 on her first visit to New Zealand and blessed by Archbishop Owen".
"Construction began the following year and on 10th May 1964, the doors of Old St Paul’s were formally closed".
I could see a vague resemblance between Westminster Catholic Cathedral in London and New St Paul's, but there is no doubt that Wellington's new Cathedral was built more for practical purposes than for aesthetic design.
I suppose in a country under imminent threat of earthquake danger, keeping people safe has to be its main priority at all times
New St Paul’s Wellington
Very moving notice on the window of New St Paul’s Cathedral
Rather more ornate Westminster Cathedral London which is said to have influenced the design of the new Anglican Cathedral of Wellington (photo courtesy of https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/180073685083676732/)
National Library of New Zealand
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_New_Zealand
Within view of both New and Old St Paul's is The National Library of New Zealand (Māori: Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa)
"This is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations"
"Under the 2003 National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act, the library is expected to be: "collecting, preserving, and protecting documents, particularly those relating to New Zealand, and making them accessible for all the people of New Zealand, in a manner consistent with their status as documentary heritage and taonga; and "supplementing and furthering the work of other libraries in New Zealand; and "working collaboratively with other institutions having similar purposes, including those forming part of the international library community."
This is a striking modern building which we would have loved to explore further.
"The National Library's collections are stored in the main building in Wellington and several other cities in New Zealand".
"The library has three main groups: the General Collections, the Schools Collection, and the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library".
"Access to many collections is provided through digital products and online resources".
"The General Collections focus on supporting the information needs of New Zealanders through services to individuals, schools and researchers, with notable collections such as the Dorothy Neal White Collection".
"The Schools Collection contains books and other material to support teaching and learning in New Zealand schools".
The National Library hosts many events and exhibitions and invites guest speakers to give talks and lectures on a variety of different topics.
Wellington’s National Library (photo courtesy of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_New_Zealand#/media/File:Wellington_National_Library_01.jpg)
Document room at Wellington’s National Library (photo courtesy of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_New_Zealand#/media/File:Wellington_National_Library_01.jpg)
Reading Room at Wellington’s National Library (photo courtesy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_New_Zealand#/media/File:Wellington_National_Library_01.jpg)
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
Our short farewell stroll through Wellington ended up lasting a good few hours.
We were amazed at how empty the streets were and how easy it was to walk through those beautiful, historical areas of the city and run into no one at all.
One of our greatest fears when social distancing was first mentioned, was how we would manage it all whilst travelling; check-in times at our various Airbnb and Booking.com accommodation units that week ranged between 2:00 and 5:00 pm so staying at 'home' for extended periods would not be an option.
This experience encouraged us.
If New Zealand's Capital city was this deserted after just one government alert on social distancing in built up areas, then we could rest assured that the more rural areas we would be visiting would be equally deserted.
How we would deal with our time in Auckland remained to be seen.
For as long as it was legally permitted, we fully intended to continue seeing as much of that beautiful country as we could providing we could keep a safe distance from others; we would avoid crowded supermarkets, bars and restaurants (unless we could sit outside), but we would continue with our drives and our walks.
There was not much else we could do during the day anyway without access to WiFi and the use of my computer.
We were booked on a flight back to Sydney on 10 March, which we had decided we would need to take if we could as our changed flights to the UK were still leaving from Sydney.
We would, however, need to book another flight from Singapore to Hanoi as Malaysia's borders were already closed but we thought we had better wait until closer the time before booking anything at all.
Everything depended on Australian and New Zealand borders remaining open of course.
If they closed (which we thought they might any day at that point) then we would have no choice but to book a long-stay rental in New Zealand until they re-opened again in the future (we didn't know then that those borders would still be closed now almost one year later).
At that point it was still all speculation; we had emailed our travel insurance providers to ask for their advice and we had sent messages to Air Vietnam asking whether we would still be able to fly back with them to London from Hanoi on 24 March, we now just had to wait until they replied.
The time to leave Wellington was finally upon us.
We were deeply saddened by that departure.
Wellington had felt like home over the course of that past week.
We had lived there as Wellingtonians with our daughter and future son-in-law working at Bats Theatre and us helping out where we could.
Leaving Wellington was not just about leaving a city that we had grown to love.
There was certainly an element of that, but it was also that we were leaving behind the safer more carefree elements of our three month voyage.
We were now fully aware of the risks of Coronavirus and how travelling at that time was certainly not ideal.
Our Travels with Covid had begun and we realised that flexibility on our part, having plans B, C, D and Z to fall back on, made no difference at all to whether we would stay safe or not.
It was all in the lap of the Gods and all we could do was hope that it ended well for us.
Farewell Beautiful Wellington
Wellington - we now smile because we were there
Paraparaumu
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraparaumu
Our home that evening would be in the town of Paraparaumu which lies on the Kapiti Coast, 55 kilometres (34 mi) north of Wellington so it took us just over an hour to get there from where we had parked our car in the Pipitea area of Wellington.
State Highway 1 was still busy with commuter traffic at that time.
"Like other towns in the area, Paraparaumu has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Beach, which lies directly opposite Kapiti Island".
"The two towns form part of the Kapiti Coastal District".
"Together with the nearby towns of Raumati Beach and Raumati South they are among the fastest-growing urban areas in New Zealand, and are major dormitory towns with workers commuting to the cities that make up the Wellington urban area".
It was commuter traffic from these dormitory towns that shared that highway with us that evening.
But the drive was beautiful in spite of the traffic.
The highway hugged the coastline for most of our journey and the evening light over the water was glorious.
We arrived at our new accommodation at around 9:30 pm.
We had an entire, ultra-clean one bedroom bungalow just to ourselves which was amazing considering this was only £40 a night for both of us.
The landlady lived next door in a slightly larger bungalow.
She explained that she used the bungalow we were staying in as a massage, healing and life-coaching space as well as an Airbnb rental so she left us lots of information on all the treatments available should we wish to try any of them whilst there.
We were pleased to find an excellent bottle of The Ned in the fridge, which just happened to be one of our favourite New Zealand wines.
We had actually contacted Marisco Wines, the producers of the Ned in the hope of being able to do a tour of their vineyard but discovered sadly that Marisco did not offer wine tours or tastings at any of their wineries.
It had been a long day and we had managed to pack a lot into it so we enjoyed a refreshing glass of the Ned and decided to go to bed.
Just at that moment we received a WhatsApp call from our daughter.
They were in excellent spirits; they had had two good flights from Wellington to Melbourne and Melbourne to Adelaide then an easy taxi journey to Glenelg where they received a very warm welcome from our friends whose spare room they would be staying in for the next two weeks while they worked at the Adelaide Fringe.
They had been reassured by our friends that at that time Adelaide was Covid free so at that point at least they would be safe.
We took comfort in that and in the fact that they would be living with a research scientist and a specialist nurse for the near future so all was good..
We knew at that point that we would finally have a very good night's sleep.
Beautiful coastal drive in the changing evening light
Changing colours in the Southern Hemisphere sky
A comforting sight to come ‘home’ to
Friday 6 March 2020
Paraparaumu to Te Horo
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Horo
We slept extremely well that night and for the first time in over a week we were not woken up at the crack of dawn by Kaka parrots and Tui birds.
We were glad for the sleep but there was a part of me that did miss that noisy yet wonderful rainforest dawn chorus.
Check out was at 10:00 am so we had a couple of hours to have breakfast and check emails.
Surprinsingly we had not received responses from our travel insurance or Vietnam Air but EasyJet confirmed that our flights from London to Rome in April were now cancelled so we would be able to claim a refund or change our booking to a later date.
I opted for a refund as at that point we weren't even sure when we would even make it back to London.
As we had a TV in that bungalow, we managed to catch the morning news before setting off.
There were now six confirmed cases of Covid in Wellington all linked to those original four.
We also heard of eight New Zealanders who had been cruise passengers in February from San Francisco to Mexico and back and were thought to have been in contact with one or more confirmed cases of COVID-19.
All eight had already returned to New Zealand and were living in different areas of the country.
One was a woman in her 70s who had been in hospital for respiratory problems and was considered a probable Covid case.
Footage from key workers in northern Italy was also shown; they were warning people to stay at home and keep their distance from others as much as possible.
Schools and universities there had been closed until the end of March and sporting events were taking place behind closed doors.
We heard that the New Zealand border could be closed as early as the following week.
It was felt that border closure was the country's best protection against the spread of this dreadful virus which was certainly correct but where there left us at the time was worrying.
We looked into bringing forward our flight to Australia or just booking another but unsurprisingly, all flights to Australia from New Zealand leaving before 10 March were now fully booked.
We left our accommodation just after 10:00 am.
Our kind landlady came to say goodbye and delivered a large bag of fruit to us as a parting gift.
We were extremely grateful for that and we enjoyed it during our travels over the course of the next few days.
Our final destination that day would be Turangi which was approximately 270 km from Paraparaumu but we had the entire day to get there so we decided that a few stops in remote, scenic locations would be good.
Our first stop was in Te Horo.
I read later that "Te Horo and Te Horo Beach are two localities on the Kapiti Coast of North Island".
"Te Horo Beach is the larger of the two settlements and, as its name implies, is located on the Tasman Sea coast".
"Te Horo is located to the east, a short distance inland".
I read all this online as we did not actually drive to either of the Te Horo towns at all.
We parked in a pretty countryside area in the locality of Te Horo and went for a lovely socially distant walk.
It was a good and very safe start to our North Island Road trip
Beautiful countryside walk in the outskirts of Te Horo
Beautiful Te Horo countryside
Te Horo to Levin
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levin,_New_Zealand
Our walk in the Te Horo countywide was so lovely that we decided to extend it and reduce the number of stops we would have later.
The weather was glorious, the countryside was beautiful and we were the only people walking in that area at that time.
After our walk we thought it would be a good idea to stop for coffee somewhere where we could also refuel the car and maybe pick up some food for later.
Just a short drive from where we had been walking we arrived in a small, rural town called Levin.
"Levin (Māori: Taitoko) is the largest town and seat of the Horowhenua District, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of North Island".
"It is located east of Lake Horowhenua, around 95 km north of Wellington and 50 km southwest of Palmerston North".
It was a pretty little town and we were keen to get to know it better so we refuelled the car then went for a little walk around to find somewhere we could do a little food shopping and maybe have a coffee.
We managed to walk to the station area which was pretty isolated apart from a young woman selling drinks and snacks from a little coffee van nearby.
She was just about to close shop for the day it seemed so we managed to order two coffees just in time.
It was perfect for us as there was a picnic table nearby where we could sit in glorious isolation for as long as we wanted.
She had the radio on while I was ordering and was listening to a disturbing news report from Auckland where a group of young men attacked two Chinese students as retaliation against COVID-19.
The young woman was visibly upset by this report as was I.
We couldn't understand the senselessness of such dreadful, gratuitous violence against innocent young students living so far away from home.
How could any of this possibly be the fault of two 19 years olds studying computer science at the university of Auckland?
We were pleased to hear that the guilty parties had been apprehended and would be taken to task but we couldn't help but feel sad for the two Chinese youngsters who had been subjected to such an awful attack at that dreadful time in our collective world history.
We told her that we would be in Auckland in a few days time; she told us to take care as she had heard of several confirmed cases there.
We assured her that we had heard those same reports ourselves so we fully intended to keep our distance from others as much as we could during our two days in Auckland.
We returned to our car shortly after finishing our coffees and eating some of our fruit and at that point we set course for Turangi.
Unusual and distinctive clock tower in Levin
Accommodation Cancellation
Not long after leaving Levin, I received a call from the Booking.com offices in Auckland informing us that our accommodation in Turangi for later that day had just been cancelled by the landlords for 'personal reasons'.
We had booked a studio via booking.com that evening rather than Airbnb and they are usually pretty reliable so we were extremely surprised to receive that call especially at such short notice.
The woman we spoke to could not have been more apologetic.
She assured us that they would find us accommodation of a similar standard even if it cost slightly more.
We, of course, would not be charged any extra at all.
A few minutes later I was sent several options to choose from via email, though none of them looked as appealing as the attractive studio which we had booked before, but as we had no other choice so late in the proceedings, we selected one and hoped for the best.
I did also check the Airbnb site but there was very little available in that area at a price we were willing to pay.
The one silver lining of this last minute change is that I was able to select the most isolated of the three options we were offered.
The one bedroom studio flats at the Tongariro Junction Motel were in an more remote location outside the town centre rather than in the heart of Turangi as our original booking was.
My phone signal was pretty erratic throughout that entire journey, which was often the case in remote areas of New Zealand, so it took quite a long time to sort this all out with Julie from Booking.com.
I ended up having to call her back several times before our booking was finalised and as we received no written confirmation at all as she promised we would, we did wonder at one point whether it would have been booked at all.
With that sorted as much as it could be at that point, I was able to enjoy the beautiful North Island journey still ahead of us.
This really was a very remote area of New Zealand and I expect not just because of Covid.
On that final stretch of highway to Turangi we encountered no other vehicles at all anywhere; it really was quite extraordinary.
In that respect, self-isolation is a lot easier in New Zealand than it is anywhere in the UK or I expect anywhere else in the world.
There is nowhere in Britain where you can drive for hours and hours and run into no one at all.
New Zealand really was the perfect country to weather the Covid storm in, should the situation deteriorate further.
We really did need to think very carefully about what we did next
Gloriously remote North Island drive
Hours and hours of driving where we met no one at all
Beautiful sky and glorious scenery on our drive to Turangi from Levin
Tongariro Junction Motel
We arrived at the Tongariro Junction motel at around 5:00 pm after a very relaxed, leisurely drive.
As expected it was in a pleasant country location in the outskirts of Turangi and it was on a large, semi rural plot.
This was clearly a holiday area where New Zealanders came to enjoy fishing, watersports and hiking so in high season these two room studios or residences as they are known in Europe, would have been very well used.
When we were there in early March, however, we appeared to be the only guests there, with the exception maybe of one other couple in a chalet four doors from ours, though we think they were leaving just as we were arriving as we didn't see their car again after that.
Our chalet had two rooms with a double bed in one and a single in the other with a decent en-suite shower room
The room with the single bed also had a table, chairs and a fully fitted kitchen unit with cooker, fridge and washing machine.
It actually had everything you could need for a home from home holiday rental; certainly far more than we had in Wadestown and it could have been lovely.
But the downside and this was a big downside, it was shabby, tired and even a little fragrant.
The kitchen appliances were greasy to touch and everything smelt of fried onion.
The bathroom smelt of stagnant water though it appeared clean.
We went through everything with anti-bac and bleach and let lots of fresh air in but I don't think that made that much difference to the fragrance.
It was certainly not as bad as the Bondi flat or even the Ascot one in Perth as there were no cockroaches and it looked clean, it was just in desperate need of a face-lift for want of a better expression.
Clean accommodation is the single most important thing when you're travelling especially during a pandemic.
I appreciate that much more now than I did in the past.
I suppose the up side to that is that we wouldn't be spending much time there especially as neither the TV nor the WiFi was working so I couldn't do any work online (which from 5 March was now required), we couldn't check emails and we couldn't watch news updates.
Not ideal at the start of a world pandemic
Considering the full price of this was almost twice what we had paid the previous evening in our super clean bungalow, we were not impressed.
Luckily for us a substantial chunk of that bill was covered by Booking.com but regardless of who paid it, it was overpriced for what they provided.
Definitely does not get our vote.
Give this one the body swerve if you can
Turangi and the Tongariro National Park
https://nzpocketguide.com/10-turangi-must-dos/
Fortunately for us, although our motel was a little rougher than we had grown accustomed to since our arrival in New Zealand, its location could not be faulted.
"Turangi is located on the southern edge of the great Lake Taupo, smack bang in the middle of Taupo and the Tongariro National Park".
This was the perfect location for social distance tourism.
So many beautiful, isolated walking trails everywhere.
Had we been in the area longer we would have definitely considered hiking the Tonagariro crossing.
This is known as New Zealand’s most popular day hike.
"19km through dramatic volcanic landscapes complete with steaming vents, volcanic cones, red craters and emerald-coloured lakes".
We seriously considered it for the following day but we would have had to join a guided tour which included a longish coach drive to the starting point and we certainly did not want to join any tours at that point.
What we thought we would do the following day, however, was walk around Lake Rotopounamu.
This was described as a "walk in the magnificent forest of Lake Rotopounamu to the sounds of birds and the views of its crater lake"; it sounded a little like our wonderful walk in Zelandia, we could do it on our own and it wouldn't take the entire day so it could be perfect for us.
"Rotopounamu means “Lake Greenstone” in Maori due to the beautiful green hues of the water".
"The 2-hour loop walk around the lake trails through forest to three beaches alongside the lake".
This was only 7 miles from Turangi and sounded pretty isolated so we decided that we would definitely do that the following morning prior to setting off for Rotarua.
One of the reasons we originally booked to stay in this area on our North Island tour, was to go to Ka Mate Haka and see the Haka as performed by the All Blacks before all their Rugby matches at home and abroad.
The Haka is a ceremonial dance or challenge in Māori culture.
As described by Wikipedia, "It is performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment"
"The famous Haka was created just a stone’s throw away from Turangi! Opotaka, a historical Maori pa site (fortified village) where you can learn about the history of the Haka, see the remains of the Maori settlement, and enjoy amazing views of Mt Tongariro across Lake Rotoaira.
We decided against that, however, as it may have been difficult to keep our distance from others at the Maori pa site.
In New Zealand, it is said that "Turangi is the “Trout Fishing Capital of the World” and for good reason!"
"The Tongariro River is a world-class fishing river where the population of rainbow trout leave the waters of Lake Taupo every year to spawn in".
Unlike our parents, we are not fishing enthusiasts but we certainly intended to try the local trout for dinner that evening if we could.
As it was already early evening we went for a brief walk around the motel to admire several birds that were feeding on the sunburnt lawns there.
They turned out to be Masked Lapwings.
We couldn't believe how close we were able to get to them.
Such pretty birds with large yellow wattles across the foreheads and hanging over their bills.
The birdlife in New Zealand is still extraordinary even though over 50 species of birds have been wiped out since the arrival of man on those islands.
I can totally understand why they are investing so much in preserving those that are there now.
To find out more about New Zealand's birds and all their Bird Conservation projects, go to: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/collections/birdsocw/conservation
Wonderful Lake Taupo in the Tongariro National Park
Lake Taupo
Our Tongariro Junction Motel chalet with two Masked Lapwings in the foreground
Masked Lapwing outside our motel chalet room
Masked Lapwing as seen outside out Motel room in Tongariro Junction that afternoon (photo courtesy of: https://ebird.org/species/maslap1)
Photo courtesy of: https://ebird.org/species/maslap1 Striking Masked Lapwing as seen in Tongariro Junction in March 2020
Tokaanu Bay
https://www.lovetaupo.com/en/discover/our-towns-and-villages/lakeside-settlements/tokaanu/
Having admired the Lapwings and other birds at Tongariro Junction, we decided to see if we could spot any other interesting birds at Tokaanu Bay.
"At the southernmost tip of Lake Taupo, Tokaanu is known as a birdspotters paradise set on a stream near the river estuary where the Tongariro River meets Lake Taupo".
We thought it would be the perfect place for an early evening walk just before the local birds roosted for the night.
It took about 10 minutes to get there by car from where we were staying and I had read that "it had the same close access to Tongariro National Park, but in a slightly quieter and more isolated lakeside setting".
It was clearly perfect for us at that time.
Once there we found that "the historic Tokaanu Wharf reaches out into the lake and is a particularly picturesque spot to admire the black swans and the many interesting birds that fly over or land nearby.
Apparently "the natural thermal springs and mud pools have been used for centuries by Maori for therapeutic bathing, cooking and bleaching harakeke (flax) for weaving".
Had we not been avoiding crowded areas I would have loved to have explored the Tokaanu Hot Thermal Pools complex.
The Tokaanu Thermal Walk, also sounded interesting; this is a "20-minute woodland walk past natural hot pools in sinter basins and spluttering mud pools".
The nearby "Steaming Cliffs of Hipaua would have also been worth a visit with their chimneys of steam floating from the bush-clad hillsides, as New Zealand’s native kahu (harrier hawks) cruise the warm currents in the air".
But on that balmy summer's evening we were happy to enjoy an isolated, waterside walk in Tokaanu Bay, watch the sunset over the lake and enjoy the wildlife.
Lakeland House Restaurant
We hadn't intended to eat out that evening.
Our plan was to return to the Tongariro Junction area, find a supermarket and pick up some local fish which we would cook in our newly cleaned kitchen.
But as we were coming to the end of our evening walk on the beach in Tokaanu Bay, right on the lake's edge at the southern end, we stumbled upon a few tables with white parasols.
We initially thought they belonged to a beachside café but on closer examination we could see that they were part of a hotel and restaurant complex.
We looked inside and a large family group was just leaving so as the restaurant was virtually empty at that point we assumed it was about to close but when the charming young server noticed us she came outside and asked if we would like a table.
The fish menu she handed us was extremely tempting so we asked if we could sit outside and order a small sharing platter, she said we could if we wanted to but it would soon be quite cold out there so she advised us to sit at a window table indoors.
By then the restaurant was virtually completely empty apart from another couple at the opposite end of the room to ours.
Our server was totally delightful.
She was as cautious as we were with social distancing and she explained that following recent news reports, they were seating different family groups in separate areas of the restaurant.
She asked us about our travels, where we were from, where we would be going next and even recommended what we should see and do in Rotarua the following afternoon.
At one point she even taught us local pronunciations: Taupo, for example, is pronounced toe paw, not the literal manner in which we were pronouncing it up to that point.
When she asked us what we wanted to eat, we told her that we didn't need a full meal though we would love to sample some of the local fish but as there was so much to choose from, we couldn't decide which to select.
She told us that she would speak to the chef and he would prepare something extra special for us.
She returned about 20 minutes later with what looked like a bouillabaisse, New Zealand style.
It included green lipped mussels, scallops, prawns, sea urchin, squid even trout from lake Taupo.
It was extraordinarily exquisite.
Without doubt the best meal we ate during our entire time in the Southern Hemisphere.
The fish was ultra fresh and the fusion of flavours in the sauce it was served in worked beautifully.
We think of it now as one of our fondest memories of our entire trip.
There we were in an empty restaurant looking out onto an isolated New Zealand beach eating what must have been the freshest fish either of us had ever tasted.
An unforgettable moment and a memory to be cherished forever.
Wonderful walk on Tokaanu Bay
Beautiful Tokaanu Bay
Tokaanu Bay in the early evening light
Black swans on Lake Taupo, Tokaanu Bay
Black swans on Lake Taupo as seen on our Tokaanu Bay walk
Beautiful view from our window seats at the restaurant
Tokaanu Bay window view
One of the best fish meals we had ever eaten
Saturday 7 March 2020
Tauranga Taupo
After our excellent meal at Lakeland House the previous evening, we returned home to our Tongariro Junction accommodation to discover that we had no power.
It appeared that there was a power cut.
There was no one at all to contact at that late hour so we just had to put up with it.
The power came back on about an hour later, by which time we had already gone to bed.
We couldn't help but wonder what a disaster it would have been had we attempted to cook a meal in that kitchen as originally planned.
Fortunately for us, we stumbled on that wonderful restaurant and had one of our best meals ever; it could have so easily been a very different sort of evening.
We were not sorry to say goodbye to the Tongariro Junction motel.
Our plan that morning was to have coffee somewhere then to set off for our walk around Lake Rotopounamu.
However, when we left the motel grounds we discovered that many local roads had been sealed off.
Roads to the main Highways were open but all local roads were not.
As chance would have it, we had selected the same weekend as the Ironman Triathlon Competition to visit the Lake Taupo area of North Island.
All cars had to followed 'diverted traffic' signs to go anywhere in that area that day.
We didn't know the area well enough to look for alternative routes to Lake Rotopounamu, so we decided to keep driving until we found somewhere interesting to stop where we could admire the scenery and go for a walk.
As soon as we arrived in the Tauranga Taupo area we both decided that this would be an excellent place to stop.
"Tauranga Taupo is a very scenic, semi-rural area located at the mouth of Tauranga Taupo River, on the southern shores of Lake Taupo".
"The area includes three contiguous Maori settlements: Oruatua, Te Rangiita or Rangiita, and Waitetoko or Waitetoko Beach".
"These settlements are located west to east on State Highway 1."
"The local Waitetoko Marae is a meeting place for the local Ngāti Tūwharetoa hapū of Ngāti Te Rangiita".
"It includes Te Kapua Whakapipi meeting house and a cemetery within its grounds".
"Definitely an area worth exploring further"
Tauranga Taupo View from just off state Highway 1
Beautiful Lake Taupo
Overcast but pretty view of lake at Tauranga Taupo
Waitetoko Marae
Waitetoko Marae - Te Kapua Whakapipi meeting house
Maori cemetery at Waitetoko Marae