Bay of Islands

Over the last few days we have explored the area north of Auckland. We spent one day at Goat Island marine Reserve snorkeling but the water was too churned up after the big storm and we did not see very much. We will probably go back and try it one more time. We then took an over night trip north to the Bay of Island area. There we explored some water falls, took a ferry to Russell on the other side of the Bay. Russell is a very nice tourist town and well worth the visit. I have made contact with a real estate agent there and have secured a number of private homes for next February and March. There are 4 golf courses in the city and another 12 with in an hour drive. The rates run $30 to $5 for nine holes with sheep on the course. It may not be worth your while to take unlimited as you could play these courses for not much money using our discount book. This would be true if you were doing 2 weeks at Taupo and 2 weeks in the north. Today we have clear sky's and temps around 25 or so. The weather has been ok but not enough hot weather to spend time on the beach as it has been mainly cloudy and a few days of rain and wind. The prices seem high here but if you do the calculations and convert to Canadian it is reasonable. For example we had a very good snapper dinner on the dock over looking Bay of Islands. We paid $31 NZ for it. This is equal to a dinner in Edmonton for $20 + 5% GST, +15% tip. When we then convert to Canadian we get $30. I would not mind paying $20 in Edmonton for this meal and the view. We have tried a lot of different wines and have some to be outstanding, some to be poor and most to be average. Of course we are only spending in the range of $15 to $20 NZ .

Cyclone off Shore

We have been north of Auckland since last Friday and not had a computer for the last few days. We are staying in a bach, kiki for cottage. It is a block from the beach on a very pretty bay with about 2 miles of white sand and clean blue waters.

This is area is very green with lots of rolling hills, vineyards, and pretty, small, attractive towns. There has been a cyclone of the north east coast about 600 km that has caused a lot of wind and rain. We had very strong winds yesterday with heavy rain falls. With the wind we have not spent much time on the beach other then going for long walks. Saturday we spent the day going to two markets and  an art show. It has been enjoyable exploring the back roads and checking out the various pubs, restaurants and shops. The coastline is interesting as each beach is in it's own bay. Some of the bays have a number of islands making them very attractive. If you get a chance make sure you spend sometime exploring the east coast north of Auckland. Thursday we are heading to the Bay of Islands for a couple of days. Tomorrow weather permitting we will play our first round of golf here at Omaha. The rates are $35 for affiliates and $45 for non affiliates. They indicated they would accept our Canadian card as an affiliate.

Moving Day

Today we are moving north about 1.5 hrs to Omaha beach. It is supposed to be very nice. However in the paper the last week we have read that they have closed the beach twice because of sharks. One attacked a Zodiac boat, bit the boat and the boat sunk. Let's hope we do not see any, as we are there for 2 weeks. At least Ray and Beth will not have to worry. We are going to spend time searching for a decent golf location with reasonable accommodations. There may not be many, if any. We would like to offer two places on the north island so you have a choice or even organize it so you could stay two weeks in both places instead of 4 weeks at one location. It might cost a fair bit more to do the 2 and 2 but we can offer it anyway.

Just another note on Auckland bus service. They also have a group ticket for 4 or more. This gives unlimited rides and only costs $22 for the group, so if there were 4 of you then it would be only $5.50 each. The driver told me it covers the ferries as well. Make sure you ask, because when I read it on the net I did not get the impression that it covered the ferries. We also used our Auckland pass on the Green Bus.

Yesterday it was cloudy and a little cool around 24 with a breeze. Today it is supposed to go to 25 and then cool off with some rain over the next week.

We have enjoyed our time in Auckland and would return. For people coming over for a visit I would recommend maybe 3 nights and two days. It is a very pretty city with lots of hills, trees and harbours. The city goes back to around 1840 and they have preserved many of their old homes and buildings. It gives the city an appearance of being old which I found gave Auckland a very nice charm.

Canadians arrive

Will our season has started. We have two people in Australia and counting us, 6 in NZ. We went to the airport yesterday to welcome the two couples that arrived via Air NZ from Vancouver. Everyone reported a good flight and seemed happy to be in a tropical country. Ray and Jackie are staying with us. We spent the day showing them the city center and the beaches and of course we had to stop every now and then for some beverages.

Wine

Two days ago we started off for some shopping, oh boy. We ended up at the factory outlet mall. Forget it, it is not worth the effort as prices are too high. Part of the problem is that NZ has 12.5% GST and it is built into the price. Australia has 10%. After doing the mall we headed to an ancient Maori settlement sight. The area goes back 800 years and it is called Stone Field. However on the way there I noticed a sign for Villa Maria Winery. Since this is one of the wines we drink back in Canada I made a detour. It has attractive grounds and a nice but small restaurant. I asked about wine tasting and they told us we had to buy it by the glass. This ticked me off right away but I decided stay. It was our lucky day. They have tasting where they pour 3 white and 3 reds. You order from the menu as to the quality of wine you wish to try. The ordinary was $10 and the reserve was $15. We ordered one of the $15 tastings. Andrew, one of the staff, brought out 3 whites and three glasses. Beth said it was not worth it for her. Andrew then proceeded to give us a history lesson on NZ wine and Villa Maria. He also talked about the wine and the region where they were produced. After three very good whites he brought out 3 bottles of red. A Pinot, Shiraz, and a blend of Cab and Merlot. The reds retailed at $50 or so. They were excellent. My brother in law would say that the pinot was not pinot but it was a new world product and more to my liking then the old world. Anyway we had a very pleasant time with Andrew and an hour and a half passed quickly. Andrew indicated that we were lucky as there were only two other people there. He said that he did not normally spend this amount of time with the clients as it was not worth his while as they usually only spend $6 on a glass of the lowest priced wine. After we had finished he brought out two glass, with a good pour, for both of us of their premium dessert wine. he indicated that it was good to have people who were interested, asked tough questions and knew wine so he was pleased to treat us. We finished up and purchase 4 bottles of wine for home. I recommend this for anyone that has a few hours to spare while they wait for their plane as the airport is only 10 minutes away.

We headed off to Stone Field and found it 10 minutes down the track. It is located in a very lovely area. There are all kinds of stone fences made from lava rocks from past volcanoes. We had a quick walk around and then went into the avocados orchard where you are permitted to pick 5 Avos each. However this was not the season as they were still small and very green.

Another Great Day in the Land Down Uner

Our day started with an inspection of the last remaining hotel that we use in Auckland. The Quadrant is a new hotel with modern features and the one bedrooms run about $140 a night. The studio in my mind is all you need if you are only spending one or two nights in Auckland. Each unit has a full kitchen. The Crescent portion has one bedrooms that are slightly larger then the others but there are no elevators in that wing. The most you will have to do is climb 3 flights of stairs. They have porters for your bags. The hotel is across from a nice park, next to the Hyatt and just up the street from the High Court of NZ, a very nice area. Queen street is about 3 blocks and the harbour is maybe 4 blocks away. Most of the rooms have some view of the harbour. If you are taking the airport bus you will be let off about 1.5 blocks a way and you will have to walk up the street to the hotel. The hotel has underground parking which is nice to have in the city. It does cost $25 a day but this saves you from having to get up early and move you car if you parked on the street. It also means you could leave you clubs in the car or van and not haul them up to your room.


After leaving the hotel we took a short drive to Parnell street. This street is one you will want to visit so you can check out the various shops and the restaurants. I recommend this area for lunch or dinner.


After exploring the street, back allies and stopping for a latte and capacino we hopped on the Green Bus for Victoria Market. The Green Bus is much like the Red Bus I mentioned the other day. The Green Bus does cost you $1.60 a ride but it makes a larger circle of downtown which takes about an hour. We got off at Victoria Market and checked it out. Forget it, it is not worth the time. We got back on the Green Bus and completed the circle and got an interesting view of the city. Make sure you sit close to the computer screens as it has a map of where you are and it gives some information on the districts and sights.

When we got back to the car we decided to go to Mission Beach and have a very late lunch. In fact it ended up being our dinner as well. The beach was packed since it was a hot 25 degrees. We spent some time watching the coming and goings of both the boats and the people. Then we headed over to the restaurant for our meal. Beth had a hot vegetable salad that she reported was excellent and filling. I had the meat loaf witch was OK. The total bill for this plus a beer and ice tea was $44. Be careful what beer you order as mine cost $11.

Harour cruise

Today we decided to use the local bus and ferry system as it would save us some money. We purchased an Auckland Pass for $11 each. This gave us unlimited use of the buses and inner city ferries. We caught the bus for the harbour, did some shopping and boarded the ferry for the very pleasant village of Devonport. The ferry ride is just 15 minutes to the other side of the harbour. Once there we took the 1 hr self guided walking tour, had lunch and poked our heads into a few stores. We then headed back to the main terminal and caught another ferry that took us under the Harbour Bridge, this took about 1 hr for the round trip. We then caught the bus home. All this for only $11. The ferry to Devonport is $9 by itself. If you have a day or two in Auckland then I recommend a ferry trip to Devonport.

Auckland is composed of a number of inactive volcanoes. I was once told that there are two kind of volcanoes, active and inactive. From Mt Eden you can get a great view of Auckland and the surrounding areas. This is worth the drive up the mountain to see the view.

There is one driving tip that I neglected to put into the tip booklet for NZ. It is a little peculiar so please note this if you plan on driving in this country.

"When turning left, give way to traffic travelling straight through, and to traffic turning right into the road you wish to take." Kiwis treat the fellow turning right the same as someone coming straight through. This rule takes a little getting use to so be on the look out for the other fellow.

In pubs, beer is served in pints and half pints. The pints start at $5 for local beer and go up from there to about $7 or $8 for imported beer. A half pint is half the price of a pint.

Today we had clear skies and a high of 25.

Day 2

Yesterday we drove into town, not too far and not much traffic. We parked on the water front for $6 for 3 hours. That gave us enough time to do the water front and a good part of Queen Street, the shopping street. We then took a nice drive along the water with excellent views of the harbour and the city. Stopped for lunch on the water and had a beer, ice tea, and shared a plate of nachos. Total bill $23.

There is a free bus that you can take around the city. You can get on and off as you want. It takes about 30 minutes to do the circle.

For those of you that do not have cars the following info is how you can get to the hotel or downtown from the airport.

' The airport lies about 20kms sw of Auckland. Travel options to and from the airport include taxi, shuttle bus and airbus. Taxis take about 30 minutes and cost from $40 to $50. Not too bad if 4 are sharing. Shuttle buses cost $20 to $26 per person but take a bit longer, as they pick up and drop off en route. The Airbus pick up and drops off at a wide range of hotels every 20 minutes from 5am to 10 pm. It costs $15 one way and $22 return.

A few people have asked about cell phones for NZ. The best way is to purchase one here. The lowest price I have found is $75. Then you have to purchase a SIM card for $35. This includes $5 worth of calling time. If you log on to register you will get another $10 of calling time. It will cost $.89 a minutes anywhere in NZ and home to Canada. If you text you can do that for $.20 or $.30 back to Canada. Text message is a good way to communicate shot messages. Another option is to bring a world phone from home. Have it unlocked here for $50 and then purchase the SIM card. Once your phone is unlocked you can use it almost anywhere in the world plus you have a better phone. My Blackberry costs me $.99 cents to call and receive in NZ and $2 a minute to call NA or receive a call from NA. It cost me about $.05 to receive email.

Email in downtown Auckland was $3 an hour.

Today's trip took us south a bit through a national park with all kinds of green and lush vegetation. We ended up at Piha a surfing beach on the west side of the island with some good waves pounding in on the rocks and the beach.

We use three hotels in Auckland, the Formula 1, the Mercur Windsor and the Quadrant. I visited the first two yesterday to see if they were still of the same standard. The Formula is a budget hotel, good location, small room, with fridge, stove and microwave and small balcony. The rate can be as low as $69. A clean place for those that want a budget property and room for a night or two. Not much room to turn around. The Mercure is an older hotel and very close to the harbour. It also has small rooms. This hotel is about $140 a night. I will check in at the Quadrant later in the week.

Remember hotel rooms in Australia and NZ are like those in Europe, very small. Do not come thinking you will get a NA hotel room like the Westin.

Down Under 2008

Welcome back to our blog. This year we will continue from where I left off last spring. We had a number of requests to continue the practice we started a few years ago. I will try to add to the blog every few days. The entries will include tourist items, such as places to visit, local customs, prices, weather, golf courses and maybe a few rants about things that seem wrong or difficult to understand.

I am writing this from Auckland this morning. We left Edmonton on January 3rd and spend 3 nights in Langley British Columbia. If you ever need to stay in Langley then I recommend the Coast Terrace Inn an Casino. Rooms are very nice and the casino is a decent size. The only fault I could find with the hotel was the quality of the food in the restaurant.

Vancouver was 7 degrees with clouds and rain. To me it is colder then Edmonton at -7. I once thought I would retire in BC and golf year round. It is not worth it. Who wants to play with rubber boots and get wet and dirty each time you hit your ball. No thanks you can have it.

Our fight this year took us to San Francisco with AC and then on to Auckland with Air NZ. The flight with AC was good to San Fran and their were no line ups or problems with customs and security.

This is our 8th trip down under and we have flown with a number of different airlines. We have used AC , Malaysia, JAL, Cathey Pacific, Singapore 3 times and now Air NZ. With out a doubt the Asian carriers are the best. Singapore is in a class by itself, then Malaysia with JAL and Cathey Pacific close together and then Air NZ with AC bring up the rear.

Air NZ had a new plane with a great entertainment system. The sound was good and the personal DVD player had a larger screen and lots of movies.

The food was ok, but they ran out of the dish I wanted so had to take what they gave me. The wine was excellent with at least 3 whites and 3 reds.

It took 12.5 hrs and went not too badly. Seats are too close together for my liking. The total time from Vancouver was 17.5 hrs. This is about the same as going form Vancouver to Singapore.

A few people thought about taking the Premium Economy but from what I saw it was not worth the extra $1900 per person. Leg room was better but that was about all I could see. Save the $1900 and use it for tours, and entertainment.

Arrival was a little different. They had sirens going off and they evacuated us to the runway from the customs hall. When it was safe we had to go back in and line up again to clear customs. They are just as strict as the Aussies regarding food and sporting goods. So make sure you do not bring any food into the country and make sure you clean your golf clubs, shoes and golf balls before leaving home.

You can check bags at the airport for $7 a day per bag.

We phoned Warren our car rental fellow and he picked us up at gate 6 after about 15 minutes. While waiting for Warren I used an ATM at door 8 to get some NZ dollars. It was a short ride to his place and then we were on our way.

I noticed a number of Airport bus going and coming. They claim to get you downtown in 20 minutes. Check it out before taking a cab. Warren did mention that cabs were very in expensive.

We are living only about 15 minutes from the airport in a very nice district with lots of shops and restaurants. It's very close to downtown.

Checked out a few prices for those that are stopping in NZ this year. Petrol is $1.76 cents a litre. Beer is about the same price as home and a decent wine can be found for 10 to 15 dollars. Thai restaurants run $10 a dish in normal diner and $22 at a more up scale place. Fish and Chips for Snapper is about $8, and good restaurant has mains from $22 to $33. GST and tips are built in. We had a breakfast, good quality for $12 this morning.

Today at lunch the temperature was 24 and overcast. It is very pleasant and a real treat after the snow and cold in Canada.

Will go to the grocery store later today so I will have a few more prices for you. Remember their dollar is worth about 76 cents and everything is metric. When purchasing fruit and veggies the price will look very high because you are getting a price for 2.2 pounds not one pound like in Canada.

Driving on the left came back to me right away and I did not turn on my window wipers by mistake yet.

Remember to look to the right when crossing the street and automobiles have the right away unless the cross walk is posted.

I will not have a computer for all my stay this year and that may limit the number of times I can get new material posted to the blog.