Archive for the 'West Coast' Category
Bush and Beach Wilderness Experience
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 9, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I was fortunate enough to take an excellent tour with Bush and Beach Wilderness Experience. It was surprising that we could be in downtown Auckland and within about 45 minutes be back to nature, exploring Auckland’s West Coast – with its rugged black sand beaches and lush rainforest.
The Bush and Beach Eco-tour took us to the beauty and tranquility of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. We went through two beautiful rainforests, stopped at the Arataki Visitor Centre, saw the beautiful black beach where The Piano was filmed and then hit another beautiful black sand beach.
For those who like nature, this is an incredible tour – and surprisingly close to the city centre. We went through several small towns including Piha, which is famous for the iconic vista over the beach and Lion Rock. The black iron sand at Piha and Karekare originated as dust from a volcano about 250 kms away. Our guide used a magnet and picked up a lot of sand from the beach. Being an eco-tour, he also put it back!
One of the photos shows a tree that was too ugly for early settlers to chop down (they chopped down many of the Kauri trees and now commercial logging of the tree is impossible). The Rata tree has a big area where you can walk through the tree. A local legend says that if a woman walks under it, it increases her odds of getting pregnant and if you walk through it counter clockwise, you will have twins. Every woman in our group heard that and took a big step BACK!! It was pretty funny.
We had afternoon tea out in the forest and had an excellent time getting back to nature. If you are interested in flora and fauna and the beach, this is a great tour.
The only good possum is a dead possum!
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 9, 2009 at 11:57 am
Editor’s note: That headline does not necessarily reflect my opinion or the opinion of anyone else associated with this blog. However, it appears to represent the thoughts of many New Zealanders, and they have solid reasons (I asked).
Apparently possums are quite a problem in New Zealand. They ravage the forests, which creates a problem with the eco-system, and it all becomes a huge challenge. On my drive from Franz Josef to catch a flight in Hokitika, I learned how one man is taking on the possum challenge. Pukekura, with a population of two, is a pretty interesting little place. About 50 km south of Hokitika on Highway 6 sits The Bushman’s Café & Bar, owned by Peter and Justine Salter. There’s two buildings here, café and right across the street sits the pub (named the Puke Pub). The café is open for breakfast and lunch and then closes, the other for dinner and drinks. It’s a little confusing at first, until you understand that these folks live life on their terms – and if they want two places, I say good for them!
The Bushman’s has possum pie. And possum hats…possum gloves…possum earrings…It reminded me a little of the shrimp scene in the movie Forest Gump (shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, pepper shrimp…).
Apparently, The Bushman is quite a character – as you can see from photo that warns about stealing from the shop (it’s an arm being chopped with an axe!).
They also have a sign that says something like “If you’re here in the morning – you can have breakfast, afternoon – you can have lunch, evening – you will be charged with break and enter.” AND…he takes the negative, critical emails he gets about his possum position, answers them, and puts them out for all to read. He’s pretty funny – if a little sarcastic and direct.
This place is way out in the middle of the West Coast of the South Island, and I was brought here by an incredibly knowledgeable and interesting guide that drove me from Franz Josef. (Her name has escaped my travel tired brain, so I apologize …and I do have her card somewhere in a huge pile of info that is scattered about my hotel room!)
So – back to The Bushman. He has his opinions, and isn’t shy about making them known. The signs all over the store showcase his approach to life. I think with the Bushman – you would always know where you stand.
I have to admit that I kind of regret not trying the possum pie. I did eat whitebait after all!! I have since learned, from my pal Sam at Tourism New Zealand, that The Bushman is doing his bit for the ecosystem. He’s trying to brand possum as the “chicken of the forest” and get people to start eating it, like we do chicken. Interesting concept, although I’m not sure it is going to sell!
If you are ever in the neighbourhood, this place is worth a stop! Check out the images and website, if you haven’t already (from link above).
The Bushman himself was in the café (I saw him walk by several times). I didn’t approach him or take a photo of him because—truth be told—I was a little chicken myself! I didn’t want him to turn his attention on me and maybe decide that the city girl didn’t belong there!
Next time I go, it’s possum pie and tea for me, plus putting on a brave face and having a little chat with The Bushman!
Sleeping in paradise
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 9, 2009 at 7:51 am
After saying good night to my glacier hiking companions, I headed to my hotel—and not just any hotel—the TeWaonui Forest Retreat. One of the most incredible hotels I have ever had the pleasure to stay in. Now, before you get all excited and try to call for a reservation, it’s not open yet. It is due to open in September or October 2009 and as soon as it does, I would suggest you make a reservation. There isn’t a website for it yet, although I did notice the team behind this exceptional hotel is here at TRENZ. I am going to check in with them to see when a website will launch.
I had the absolute honour of being one of the first guests to stay in this wonderful retreat – and I was in there all by myself. I have to admit, as I entered the hotel and realized I was all alone in the lush rainforest with an entire hotel to myself…I kind of had visions of The Shining (!!). My imagination quickly came back to the good side when I stepped into the lobby and took in the absolute beauty of this New Zealand forest hotel.
From both the outside and the inside, it feels like you are a part of the forest. The architecture of the building and the interior design are so spectacular that you don’t quite realize that you are at a hotel.
Imagine waking up to the melodic call of native birdsong and opening your eyes to majestic mountains rising out of the lush rainforest, all from the comfort of your luxuriously appointed room. TeWaonui Forest Retreat is a stunning, unique lodge-style hotel. The bed is one of the most comfortable that I have ever slept in and the rainforest gently lulls you to sleep. The room has a lovely balcony, the perfect spot to sit and have a morning tea or coffee (which I did!) and enjoy the sounds of the forest. The main areas of the hotel are beautifully designed and surrounded by walls made of glass. Wandering around, I found that doors seemed to magically open onto lovely, expansive decks that blended into the rainforest. I wanted to stay there forever.
Check out the photos; some are from the hotel management and some are mine. I can only hope that they show you how beautiful the TeWaonui Forest Retreat truly is. This is a special place and there aren’t many photos of this hotel out in the world right now. You might say we got a bit of a scoop here on the TRENZblog. Have a look and think about how amazing it would be to sleep here. Staying at this resort was one of the highlights of my trip and when it opens this fall, I would highly recommend it.
More on hot pools and pizza
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 7, 2009 at 11:40 pm
After our glacier hike, we headed to the Glacier Hot Pools to soothe our aching muscles. This is a relatively new attraction and it’s fantastic. The building has been designed to fit the landscape and it is very welcoming.
The first phase offers three invitingly main hot pools and three intimate private pools surrounded by native bush and fed with pure local glacier water. The three pools offer a range of warm water: 36 degrees, 38 degrees and 40 degrees Celsius. Nestled in a lush rainforest, it is a wonderful experience.
We arrived after dark – and unfortunately the pictures didn’t turn out as I had hoped. Be sure to check out the image gallery on the website. You have to see this to believe it. They have set up the hot pools so that you can go into the public pools—which would be great for families—or there are private hot pools for 2 – 4, with your own cabana.
I received an amazing massage here. After an active day on the glacier, the massage and hot pools were just what I needed. Spending an hour that evening under the stars, sheltered by nature’s leafy canopy at the Glacier Hot Pools, was a truly enchanting and rejuvenating experience.
Then we were off for pizza and beer at a local place called The Landing. Their pizza was great. We shared three pizzas: a veggie, a lamb, and a chicken and cranberry. It’s always interesting to me to see what toppings are put on pizza in other places. It was excellent!!
The ice hike!
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 6, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Upon arriving at Franz Josef, I started off my time here indoors at the Hukawai Glacier Centre. Here you can see a powerfully presented audio-visual display of the magnificent glacier region. It puts this part of the world in context, when you understand more about the flora, fauna, geology, glaciology, history and Maori mythology.
For those interested, there is also an ice-climbing station where you can try out your chops before heading up to the actual glacier.
We then went to Franz Josef Glacier for a half-day hike. I went with a group of women who are travel agents, the Hukawai marketing coordinator Katherine and our guide AJ. AJ was awesome. He is experienced, professional, safety conscious (a big deal when you realize you are climbing up one of the world’s biggest ice cubes!), full of information and hilarious. AJ helped to make this hike one of the best experience’s of my life. It was exceptional.
The magnificent Franz Josef Glacier is widely regarded as the gem of New Zealand’s West Coast glaciers. It was a little bit challenging—at times I felt like I was walking up stairs made of ice—but AJ kept us safe and entertained. All of a sudden, we were up high on the glacier, walking through ice caves and looking at views that were awe-inspiring. AJ explained that depending on the day, the way the glacier is behaving and the group – the guides can adjust the walk to make sure everyone enjoys it. I have to admit that my begging him to piggyback me didn’t work. So as much as the guides are incredibly helpful, they aren’t going to carry you off the glacier (no matter how much you whine).
By the end of the hike, I was looking forward to hitting the Glacier Hot Pools, having a massage and then meeting the girls for pizza and beer at The Landing. (Sorry, they don’t seem to have a website.) If you are in Franz Joseph, go here for casual, but excellent food. The pizza was awesome and the food I saw ordered by other diners looked amazing – great presentation and everyone seemed pretty happy with their choice!
Click here to see images.
