Wandering

Have spent a few weekends recently cruising round the countryside in our new 4x4 so thought I'd post some piccies.

Went down the Whanganui River Rd - an alternative route from Wanganui to Raetihi that runs along the Whanganui river, accessed off SH4 north of Upokongaro. The road is about 80km long and quite windy. Despite various online comments, it is not sealed the whole way (hence why we went down it!) - the road is gravel from Jerusalem. Lots of stops of interest along the way.

We had the cute situation of making it about 60km down the road to encounter a slip that was falling as we rounded the bend...and completely blocked it! Ah well, such is the nature of 4WDing along stretches of road after a lot of rain. To be honest, the road was covered in rocks that had slipped off courtesy of the rain as well. We were forced to turn around and retrace our steps!

No photos either - for those that don't know it well, the Whanganui River at its best is a moderate sized ribbon of brown sludge. Add steady rain and it becomes a slow-moving, wide, deep, torrent of sludge complete with trees (and possibly turds) bobbing towards the sea. Not the best for photos!

Also made our way down SH43, nicely known as the "Forgotten World Highway" in Taranaki. This 150km road runs from Stratford (just out of New Plymouth) through to Taumarunui. This road is relatively remote although frankly not too challenging - mostly sealed although some gravel. No petrol so fill up beforehand! There are a number of good saddles with great views across the rugged Taranaki countryside. The route is well-marked with stopping points that detail the history of how the road was clawed together during colonial times. Highlights include the well-known local pub stop (the Whangamomona Hotel) - AKA the Republic of Whangamomona - and the Moki Tunnel.

The road is a little tedious for the last 40km before you hit Taumarunui - a good source of caffeine is recommended :)

Starting from Stratford

Enjoy being on top of the world :)

The Moki Tunnel

Also made our way up Tukino, the private skifield on the eastern side of Ruapehu. A nice 4WD access road with beautiful views :)

Found the world's tackiest street sign on the Kimbolton Rd, a pleasant drive that diverts from SH1 in the Rangitikei region from Ohingatai to Cheltenham:

Then toddled up Mt Ruapehu in the driving snow to walk around barefoot - awesome :)

Sigh, back to the grim grind of home once again.

The Rose

The crappiest little capital in the world

Lonely Planet recently scored an epic fail - claiming that Wellington is the world's coolest capital city.

Are they on crack?

We have, as many know, missed out on the marvel that people feel of living in or visiting Wellington. Still, we were willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt by having a "townie" mini-break. So last weekend we booked a night in the Intercontinental and dinner and tickets to a movie the following day.

Saturday dawned. Check-in was 3pm so we made our way leisurely into town for about 1.30pm to do some shopping. Typical Wellington weather - grey, cold, windy and miserable. We went to Cuba Mall for a wander. The shops looked like they had been designed to suit hung-over op-shoppers. The place reeked of cigarettes. Lambton Quay was tolerable although half the shops were shut.

Coffee seemed the order of the day so we strolled down Courtenay Place. At 2.30pm, many shops still had vomit from the night before plastered down the doors, spilling on to the street. Charming.

The place felt grimy. You didn't want to touch anything due to the risk of contracting multi-organ failure.

How about the waterfront? Cold, grey and empty. The cafes that were supposedly open for dinner were shutting due to a lack of interest at 3.30pm although the tired "market" selling covert weed limped on.

Maybe a drink? The bars were empty at 5pm and lifeless. No one knew how to mix a mojito - it's not that hard people.

What about a drink after dinner? Town was empty apart from a drunken gaggle from a hen's party. There were three pubs that had people in them - all closed for private functions.

The hotel was, sadly, the highlight with a competent barman and chef for brekkie.

Wellington. The slogan should be "2/3 as good as everywhere else".
Or how about - "Absolutely positively hepatitis".

The Rose

The joy of cooking

For some reason, the cooking bug has bitten me recently on the behind.

We're working on tasty and low-fat...although the compromise is tasty and more gym time!

Two weekends back we pigged out on a home-made lemon meringue pie - the Dragon's favourite. I meant to save some for my dad...

Last weekend I made some delicious chicken filo pies. I have to confess to minimal filo experimentation until recently however it is now officially my favourite pastry. I cooked up onion, mushroom, shredded chicken, creamy tomato, chilli and some herbs...let it cool...then individual filo pies with a sprinkling of sesame with sweet chilli sauce on the side. Mmmmm...

Today I made Italian Drip Beef inspired from thepioneerwoman.com. I used beef stock, fire-roasted capsicums and mixed herbs. Delicious. And lots left over for lunch and beef filo pies!

Dessert tonight was orange loaf, inspired from this recipe. I made it as a loaf and drizzled the glaze over the tin so it soaked in the top and bottom. At the Dragon's request, we had slices with custard. He has a strong view that 1) all savoury food is better with bacon and 2) all sweet food is better with custard. Mmmmmmmmm...and leftovers to freeze (see? Look at the responsibility here!)

I am now plotting risotto, chicken parmigiana and tiramasu. I love being inspired by a good website!

The Rose

Baring Head

Went for a walk around Baring Head today. The route was apparently opened to the public in February 2011.

Nice views across the water towards Wellington and Kaikoura. The circuit takes about 2 hours at a moderate pace. Bit of a hike up the grass to see the WWII bunkers however worth it for the view. Although the route was reasonable easy to traverse, the grass would be really slippery after rain and there were patches of loose scree where hiking boots were definitely an advantage!

I'd recommend walking the circuit from right to left - walking around the coast to the Baring Head light house, the trig site and bunkers then across the grass to the car park.

It was disappointing to see that for a route only open for 3 months, most of the route markers had succumbed to either vandalism or itchy cows. I'd recommend printing out the map to help with the navigation.

Lots of nice spots for a picnic if you can keep out of the wind :)

Turikirae Head

Baring Head Lighthouse

NZ's version of "ruins" - on the way to the Trig Point. Maybe even 50 years old!

Looking towards Wellington

The Rose

There and Back Again

Another lovely trip to Sydney...initially for work then some play. We managed to indulge in just enough wine and touristy-ness to make it a welcome break from work.

Made it to Taronga Zoo which was a good effort, regardless of the philosophical discussions that can occur about zoos.

Sleeping 23 hours a day - could be worse...

This emu works for MI6

Popped out to Manly for the evening and had a spectacular steak at The Manly Grill (tee hee hee). Definitely an area that we'd like to live in - 30 minutes by ferry from downtown Sydney (Circular Quay) or 16km by road (I imagine the time varies!).

We risked the tourist trap and took a trip out to the Blue Mountains run by APT Tours. It was really well organised with a good tour operator. Stopped at the village of Leura, which was quite Arrowtown-esque where we managed to find our favourite type of souvenirs - wine from Leura Cellars. Bless the allowance.

Had a great time at Scenic World - an old mining area in the mountains that has been opened up with the use of a railway and gondolas to see the sights. Didn't like how the rainforest below had become super-accessible with paths made from boardwalks. That's not a hike through the bush! Still, a pleasant stroll.

Katoomba

Three Sisters Rocks

Katoomba Falls from the Skyway

Looking down - vertigo!

The Scenic Railway - pacing up a 52 degree slope

Toddled round to Featherdale Wildlife Park which we would have been unlikely to go to otherwise due to the "too twee" issue however we really enjoyed ourselves. Took the ferry back down the Parramatta River.

We generally spent quite a lot of time wandering around in the beautiful sunshine, checking out shops and getting around the city including North Sydney and Bondi. As always, the food in Sydney was excellent. Baia in Darling Harbour was excellent as was L'Incontro in North Sydney and Pancakes on the Rocks - try the crepes :)

The best tip for getting round is to buy the Sydney week-long train pass and use the trains like taxis. Covers all the ferries as well so you can go all over the city.

Downsides? Duty free really isn't what it used to be, even the perfume, the stupid Air NZ safety video and coming home to freezing cold, no sunshine and rain. Sigh. Time to plan the next trip!

The Rose

Philosophy of the Onion

Why is it that, despite best efforts, I always end up with half an onion in the fridge? EVERY TIME! I have even tried to buy smaller onions...with no success. What does it mean??

I'm slightly concerned that the half-onions are galvanising the mushrooms and mung beans to mount a vegetable revolution in the fridge against the bacon...

Maybe wine will cure this worry?

The Rose

Holiday...it would be so nice

Finally took a couple of days out from work for a welcome long weekend escape.

Lake Taupo
Camped overnight in Great Lake Holiday Park which was a pleasant experience. Dinner at The Bay Bar & Brasserie was excellent.

As always, I'd recommend the Sugar Plum Cafe on SH1 - stopped here many times over the years for the excellent food and coffee.

Set off the next day to see the carvings at Mine Bay, Lake Taupo. Beautifully carved by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in the 1970's, they are only accessible by boat...a trip for the kayaks then! 11km from Acacia Bay South.

Kayaking out was like paddling through silk with beautiful clear water and great views of the lake bottom. Enjoyed a snack on a private beach before heading back. The way back was a shocker! 1 - 1.5m broadside swells courtesy off a suddenly easterly that whipped out. Near...death...experience. With tired arms.













Whakapapa
Went down to camp in Whakapapa Holiday Park for two days of outdoorsy fun. The campground was nicely set up although geared towards campervans rather than tents. The Discovery Lodge looks nice too.

We did a number of the short walks around Whakapapa - The Ridge Track (30mins), the Taranaki Falls track (2 hours), the Silica Rapids loop (2 1/2 hrs) and the Tawhai Track (20 minutes).

The Ridge Track
Lovely views of the mountains and the Chateau








Taranaki Falls Track (7km loop)
A very pleasant walk through tussock and forest to the waterfall - the water must be falling from 30metres.

Wairere Stream












Taranaki Falls






Silica Rapids Track (7km loop)
This was the real surprise - multi-coloured rocks secondary to mineral deposits that are more typically seen in Rotorua.

Waikare Stream


Silica Rapids












Tawhai Falls




We're hoping to do the Tama Lakes and Tongariro Alpine Crossing at some stage.

And FFS, how long does it take to upload to Blogger?

The Rose