Turnbull Family Pacific Tour 2015

On our last days in Rotorua we did a couple of fun and touristy activities. First we took the gondola up the hill for a great view of the lake and surrounding area. But the best part for the kids and us was the ride down on the luge. These were go-carts we steered and rode down cement tracks to the bottom through forests. Lots of twists and turns, not unlike driving through New Zealand's South Island. The kids loved it and were able to take a couple more rides down while Catheleen and I enjoyed the view and weather from a café at the top. The next day we stopped at another hill for zorbing, a ridiculous sport where you climb into a large inflatable ball and then roll down a hill. Both John and Elizabeth went for the wet ride, where they sloshed around in their ball like clothes in a washing machine. They weren't hurt by the ride itself, but they may have busted a gut from all the laughing and screaming on the way down the zig-zag course, all captured on a Go-Pro for our viewing...

On Tuesday we drove north west to Rotorua , and along the way we stopped at the Hobbiton Movie Set , where parts of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were filmed. When the director Peter Jackson was planning film locations in New Zealand, he did an aerial surveillance of this area and found this bucolic sheep and cattle farm, with its green rolling hills, including a critical pond and large tree. After a couple of years of construction, the area was transformed with dozens of hobbit holes and a tavern over a stone bridge. The site was rebuilt in 2009 for The Hobbit movies, and later turned into a permanent exhibit and tourist attraction. We really enjoyed our tour on one fine sunny day, and we took a lot of pictures in front of all the hobbit holes. Some of the hobbit holes were smaller than others, which helped during filming to create the illusion that some of the characters were tall or short. The place was really well maintained. They must have an army of gardeners, wi...

While visiting Wellington we stayed at a hobby farm, or what they call a "lifestyle block". The kids enjoyed playing with the owners' kids, a boy named Dominique who was a year older than John, and a girl named Celina who was a year younger than Elizabeth. It was great to see them play with soccer balls and skateboards, and interact with the neighbour's dog and cat. Dominique had just purchased a dirt bike, and showed off for us by riding it over the nearby hills and across the stream. They had all the usual animals like chickens and sheep, along with an unusual collection of donkeys, and were just in the process of purchasing a pony for Celina, which was to arrive on the day of our departure. While the kids were all playing together, Catheleen and I chatted with the owners, Roland and Angie. We stayed two nights and both nights we stayed up to tell stories and share some food and drink. Angie is originally from Switzerland, and it was interesting to hear her tales of...

Last Thursday we had an early morning drive to catch the ferry from Picton on the south island to Wellington on the north island. The two hour ferry ride was very scenic as we passed by many coves on our way through the sound to the open ocean and across Cook Strait. The cruise through the sound with its tree-covered shores reminded me of the British Columbia ferry that rides past Salt Spring Island and other islands on the way from Vancouver to Victoria, Vancouver Island. The ferry itself was a miniature version of its B.C. cousin, except the Picton ferry included a semi-trailer filled with cattle, not something found often on B.C. ferries as I recall. I must admit the cattle were a little smelly when the wind was blowing the wrong way. It was a beautiful cool sunny day, and as the ferry made its way into Wellington harbour, we had a good view of New Zealand's capital. There was a cruise ship in port, and the ship dominated this compact city of 400,000 (including suburbs), with ...

I have to admit we haven't done too much since we arrived in Nelson New Zealand, on the northern end of the south island. We're staying in a really nice place on top of a ridge with a great view of the ocean. I find when we are at a particularly nice place, I feel like staying close to home base and just relaxing. So without many recent activities to describe, here's a list of random things I've learned about New Zealand since we arrived on the South Island. 1. What a beautiful place. Everywhere you go the views and vistas are amazing. 2. Driving on the left is tricky. I keep walking to the car to get into the driver's seat on the wrong side, and I still think the turn signal should be where the windshield wiper controls are. Then there are the ever present round-abouts - ugh. I attempted parallel parking once with some success, but I kept shoulder checking over the rght shoulder. It's confusing. 3. There really are more sheep than people here. Something like...

We stayed for two nights on the west coast near the town of Franz Josef . It rained much of the time. Not surprising since the westerly winds off the Tasman sea dump eight meters of rain a year onto this part of the world. No one in this country seems to own a dryer by the way. Of all places, this rainy location could use some dryers. I don't think there are too many "good days for the drying" here, as some Irish travellers we met in Vietnam would say. Instead Kiwis for the most part seem to hang their clothes to dry on the line. We learned this time and again when we only found a washer at our accommodation. Maybe it seems strange to say, but I can't say I have hung many clothes on a line before our trip to New Zealand. It's not rocket science, but I learned on windy days that everything needs a peg or two to stay above the dirt below. A unique custom we've noticed in New Zealand lately is people walking around barefoot. We've only seen it a few times si...

We've seen a few movies in New Zealand, and while we enjoyed them, what was more interesting was the movie theatres themselves. Unlike Canada they all seem to be independently owned and operated, and they are each quite different. In Te Anau, we didn't realise that we should have booked our seats days in advance. No matter, we still managed to get almost the last seats. We ordered popcorn for the kids, which were provided in white ceramic bowls, and waited in the adjacent Black Dog Bar while others ordered glasses of wine or beer for the show. Once inside the theatre, we placed our bowls and drinks on little tables between the seats and enjoyed the first half of The Martian. Next came the required intermission to get another drink. Others preferred a slice of cheesecake. The last theatre we visited was the Paradiso in Wanaka. This place was less upscale but no less unique. The theatre was filled mostly with sofas, along with a few regular theatre style chairs and one '50...