An eventful few days

Some of the many images from the last couple of days in Lake Tekapo and the mountains. The view from our campsite and from Mount John, Mount Cook from the helicopter and the snow landing and some of us pretending to be characters from Lord of the Rings! Such an exciting time - we'll be boring you with lots more when we get home if you don't see us coming first!

Helicopters and Lord of the Rings

Another early start as we were booked on a helicopter trip to view Mount Cook and the glaciers at close range so we were up and tanks emptied in plenty of time. The shower block had motion sensored lights, which are fine with other people around but with just me in the shower I had to manage in the dark for much of it! Unfortunately the wind was too strong for us to take the full trip over onto the Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers. This was disappointing, as it was our only chance to see the west coast, which would have been too ambitious by road with the van. However, it was a tremendous trip. We sat up front with the pilot as he cruised up Lake Putaki towards Mount Cook and the high mountains, still snow capped, even at the end of summer. We saw the Tasman Glacier with the glacial lake full of icebergs which had been dislodged by the earthquake and the Murchison glacier before landing on the ice at 7500 feet for a stunning view, a freezing wind and a photo opportunity. Once again the Wild Kiwi fleecies came into their own. We then had a bird’s eye view of the rare mountain goats, clinging to the rocky outcrops before heading back down the valley to the landing pad, which was right next to the salmon farm, so we bought some sashimi to have for dinner.
We then drove through the high country to Twizel, a town built to house the workers building the hydro electric plant which produces 30% of the South Island’s electricity through a series of lakes and canals running through the mountains. The town was due to be demolished when the work was finished but people liked living there so much they petitioned the government to let it stay!
We booked ourselves onto a Lord of the Rings tour, a bit nerdy but great fun. A guy took us out to the Pelennor Fields where they filmed the crucial battle in Return of the King between the Rohan and Mordor armies. The scenery was just amazing and he was full of great stories about the extras acting the part of Orcs (including the mud tent) and the riders who came from all over NZ and slept with their horses for 30 days whilst filming. He also showed us clips from the film to help to bring it to life and drove the 4WD along the plain to give us a feel for being part of the charging army! At the end we played along and dressed up as Demon Kings and Orcs, waving swords around and wearing rubber masks to enter into the spirit of the thing. Since seeing the country in LOTR was what most made me keen to visit NZ it seemed an appropriate thing to do and was great fun.

Mount John and Lake Tekapo

From Oamuru we drove up into the big mountains and to a site which wins every prize going for beautiful views at Lake Tekapo. It is not really possible to describe just how lovely this area is, an impossibly blue lake (due to the glacial deposits in the water reflecting the sky), ringed by mountains with an every changing show of light and shadow, even on a cloudy day. We parked the van on a bluff above the shore and could have just sat there and looked at the water for the next two days. The air was crystal clear and I have never seen so many stars. The University of Canterbury has an observatory up there and you can see why. One of our first tasks was to go out and buy some large warm, NZ fleecies, as nothing we’d brought was quite up to the coolness of the mountain air. After a fantastic Japanese meal (they farm salmon just up the road which makes for very fresh sushi and sashimi), watching the sun set over the lake, we had an early night in order to make a quick getaway for our hike.
We couldn’t really camp at the bottom of a mountain called Mount John and not walk up it could we? We set off along the lake side on the most beautiful sunny morning watching the light changing on the mountains opposite, then circled round into the high country, with snow capped mountains on the horizon and the most amazing views. The pull up to the summit was better for having gone the long way round but it was still pretty steep at times but the view was more than worth it. The observatory is on the top of Mount John which means there is a road up and a cafe on the top. Whilst it’s really nice to get a great coffee and to feel smug because we climbed rather than coming in a car, it’s also a bit annoying to have to share the view! However, I did laugh as we had several conversations with both English and Kiwi couples about the various routes up, the view and the steepness of the climb and it was quite clear that, in our new ‘Wild Kiwi’ fleecies, staying in a camper van, everyone saw us as intrepid outdoor types who send their lives tramping and camping – if they only new what city softies we really are! We came down the shorter, steep way and headed straight to the hot springs and spa where we’d booked a couples retreat for the afternoon. After several hours of massage, facial, sauna and bathing in the hot spring water pools our legs were fully recovered and we were able to make the 20 minute walk into town for supper without any problem. It was a fabulous day in the most gorgeous countryside.

Penguins coming home

From Ashburton we headed to Oamuru, further South, by way of a delicious lunch at Firestone Kitchen, courtesy of another Lonely Planet recommendation. We’d come especially to watch the penguins so at 6.45pm we donned the warmest clothing we had (not warm enough) and boarded Denis’s bus. He took us on a tour of the old town, which with many limestone Edwardian buildings was pretty impressive and then across to the hide above the beach where the Yellow Eyed Penguins come ashore at night. These are very rare and there aren’t many of them, though from the distance on the cliff top I couldn’t tell if they what colour they were anyway, even with the loan of a kindly English chap’s binoculars. We did see the chicks in their nest on the cliff, where they were waiting for mum or dad to come home with their supper. The chicks were lovely, all fluffy white feathers and big eyes, nearly as big as the adults. After a lot of waiting we saw about 3 heading in, falling over in the waves on the beach, just like I would and waddling slowly up the beach ready to climb up to the waiting chicks. The English chap and his wife had been in central Christchurch when the earthquake struck but luckily they were in the park so they waited there whilst the after shocks died down before heading back to find their car not realising till afterwards quite how bad it had been.
We then moved round the corner to watch the blue penguins coming home for the night – they come in a bit later, which is very considerate of them and allows you to see both kinds! However the blue penguins, who are not endangered and live in Oamuru in much greater numbers (up to 3000 in the height of the breeding season), have been slightly more commercially exploited though in a very sensitive way. They have had a nesting area created for them in an old quarry and a fenced off grandstand has been built where we all sat quietly, no cameras allowed, to watch them coming in. They come ashore in groups, known as ‘rafts’ and then make their way up the slope, across the gravel and into the nesting area where they stand around in groups chatting to each other before retiring. They also spend a long time on the way in wandering around aimlessly or standing looking as if they’ve forgotten what they’re doing or where they’re going, which at ten o’clock at night in the freezing cold did make me want to rush over and tell them to hurry up! 2 chaps on the bus overheard:
Man 1: Don’t you think they’re more intelligent than some birds, what with all that mating for life and making special nests?
Man 2: I don’t know, I thought they looked pretty stupid – all that standing around not looking like they knew what they were doing!
Anyway they were very sweet and it was good to see them so close up though I was very glad to get back to the van where we capitulated and put the heater on for a bit!

Pictures of Kaikoura

Some of the lovely scenery and wildlife in Kaikoura as well as the famous Cloudy Bay winery and a man who looks like he was born to drive a camper van!

Swimming with dolphins

Today we went on a Dolphin Encounter experience which will go down as a defining moment to be remembered for the rest of my life. We had to get up pretty early in order to walk down into town but it was well worth the effort. I was on a wait list to actually swim but I was fortunate in that there was a place when we arrived so I joined the group being issued with attractive wet suits, hoods, fins, masks and snorkels. We both attended the briefing to be reminded that these were wild dolphins so there was no guarantee as to how they would behave or if they’d be interested in swimming with us and then it was onto the bus for the short drive to South Bay and onto the boat. It was a grey day with quite a swell but we enjoyed the half hour boat ride along the coast and out to sea, watching huge albatross skimming the waves.
Then it was time to get into the water once the dolphins had been sighted. I have to admit I was pretty nervous and the shock of being in the cold ocean, amongst the waves and getting used to the mask and snorkel were all a bit scary. However, I soon got used to it, encouraged by the lovely guides and started to swim around singing through my snorkel. Apparently singing attracts the dolphins, who are very inquisitive and keen to check you out. Paddling around, face down in the ocean singing away is certainly a surreal experience but it worked. Soon I was surrounded by dolphins, swimming around me, circling me and peering into my mask, it was just amazing. John was on the boat with the camera, enjoying the actions of the dolphins and no doubt laughing at a bunch of people in wet suits singing away! We did 3 swims on the trip, sitting on the back of the boat as it motored off to find another group and with each swim I gained confidence and stopped noticing the coldness of the water.
After stripping off the wet suit and struggling to get dry and dressed as the boat tipped about (in the end I gave up on modesty and just got my clothes on!) it was time to join John for a photo and viewing session. By this time we were surrounded by hundreds of dusky dolphins, the species native to Kaikoura and apparently well known for their acrobatics. They swam along in front of the boat and performed huge series of leaps and somersaults – what a sight, though almost impossible to photograph. The swell was proving a bit much for many passengers so we started to head back. Luckily for us John and I were completely impervious so we sat up top with one of the guides and the skipper as we made our way back to port. The guide told me that they also go out in winter when the sea is only 7 degrees rather than the barmy 17 it was today!
We had visions of the dolphins actually organising their own trips to view these strange creatures in rubber suits who make this weird singing noise when they get in the water – always coming at the same time every day and in the same numbers (they only allow 16 people in the water at a time in order not to disturb the dolphins too much).
It was a truly wonderful experience and I feel so privileged to have met these creatures up close and personal in their own territory thanks to Dolphin Encounters.

Kaikoura - mountains and ocean

We took a quick detour on our trip south to view Cloudy Bay vineyard and the lovely Marlborough wine region, which is very reminiscent of Napa Valley. It was too early for wine drinking so we headed off in glorious sunshine, down the coast to Kaikoura, which has to be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. On a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific, with huge mountain ranges framing the small bays, another impossibly lovely view meets you at every turn. Before we’d even reached the village we saw seals playing in the sea and took a short walk up a stream to a waterfall, where the seal pups play in the winter. The day was sunny and clear so we decided to go immediately for a whale watching flight.
Wings over Whales flies tiny, 8 seater planes out over the ocean in order to spot the sperm whales who make the deep trenches off the coast here their home. At 15 they head down to Kaikoura where the feeding is good and spend 15 bachelor years, hanging out with their mates before reaching 30 and swimming back to the seas around Tonga to mate! We were lucky enough to see about 5 or 6 on the 30 minute flight, getting a great view of these huge creatures as the plane circled and dropped to about 500 feet above the ocean. We saw two swimming along together and two more dive, whilst the others were just chilling out on the surface. The pilot had to be a great multi tasker; spotting the whales, pointing them out to us and avoiding another aeroplane and a helicopter, amazing but I guess he does it several times a day! In the evening we took a 5 km walk from the camp site, along the sea front to The Pier restaurant for a splendid seafood supper and drank a glass of Marlborough sparkling as the sun set on the mountains and the sea crashed below us.
As forecast, the next day was grey with patchy rain so we set off to take the peninsula walk. Quite a long one, even for us, which took about 5 hours with lots of climbing up and down cliff paths. The scenery was stunning though and the route took in the seal colony, so we got a real close up view of the seals resting on the rocks around the headland. They look for all the world like men who’ve had a jolly good Sunday lunch and are having their postprandial nap on the couch! As we arrived back into town it started to rain and we heard the terrible news about the earthquake so we headed back to the sanctuary of our van and watched the scenes unfolding on the local news. We cooked our own supper indoors to avoid the weather but since we’d messed up on the water emptying so the sink wouldn’t drain I still got pretty damp heading to the kitchen to do the washing up – the joys of camping!
On the third day we did the dolphin watching tour which I’ve written about separately. The exertions of the hiking and then spending 3 hours balancing on a rocking boat flared up an old rugby injury of John’s so we had a quiet afternoon sheltering from the rain in the van. Since Kaikoura actually means ‘Eat Lobster’ in Maori and lobster is one of John’s favourites, we couldn’t really leave town without trying out the local provenance, we headed to Sonic where John enjoyed his crayfish supper and I had some fabulous NZ mussels.
Next day the sun came out again and we could see the mountains. The sea was sparkling as we headed on down the coast and through the mountains to the coastal plain. We had been planning to stop in Christchurch but instead we headed round the outskirts of town and booked into a small park in Ashburton, about 60 miles south. Rather ordinary compared with the wonders of Kaikoura but a convenient stopover. The park is full of refugees from the devastated city with queues for the laundry and the showers as there is no running water or mains drainage in Christchurch at present. At the supermarket there was no bread, milk or bottled water so I hope people are coping alright. Petrol is running low so we queued to fill up the tank this afternoon at about the last place in town with any left. It’ll see us on a lot of the trip though not all the way to Queenstown but then these are minor concerns compared with what the Cantabrians have to deal with. Hopefully they will get all the help they need.

Earthquake in Christchurch

Fortunately for us our enchantment with Kaikoura meant we extended our stay here and escaped the terrible earthquake in Christchurch which was to have been our next stop. Our hearts go out to everyone involved. We were out hiking and didn't feel anything though we're less than 100 miles up the road. When we'd finished our hike and walked back into the village everyone was clustered round the TV's in the bars as it had happened just a couple of hours before. We have been watching the terrible scenes unfold on the local news as we replan our trip in order to avoid the area.

Mordor to Cook Straight

Views from the ferry (also pictured), Mount Doom, the silica falls and Wellington.

Mordor to Wellington

We set off along the sparking shores of Lake Taupo for the Tongariro National Park - well I wasn’t paying too much attention to the amazing scenery as I was concentrating on steering the van along the winder road on the lake’s edge and avoiding a large cycle race into the mountains. We headed to the national park village where we didn’t think we were quite up to the 8 hour alpine crossing over the volcanoes and took a shorter ‘tramp’ instead. A lovely hike through woodland and mountain paths with great views of Ruapehu, the highest volcano, though the top was covered in cloud all day. It ended at some silica terrace falls which were lovely. John took over the driving for the rest of the volcanic ‘loop’ which was spectacular and I was able to enjoy the views of the volcanoes which star as ‘Mordor’ in Lord of the Rings and Ngauruhoe which is Mount Doom. Looking at them from the East side they certainly looked menacing, even though they’re not spitting fire at present.
Before we set off the next morning we had to empty the ‘waste’ in the dump station for the first time which was a challenge. The chemical loo we managed fine but it took us a while to locate the grey water outlet but John did find it in the end without having to resort to putting the DVD on and looking like total numpties, sitting in the van at the dump station watching a DVD!
We headed through the most spectacular mountain scenery to Napier on the Pacific coast. Destroyed by an earthquake in the early 30’s, they rebuilt the town at the height of Art Deco mania and most of the buildings are still in great condition. They were also just starting an art deco weekend so the town was full of beautiful 1930’s cars, including a red Packard Super 8, and people dressed in the appropriate costume. We felt decidedly underdressed but had a good walk round before heading to Havelock North and our lovely rural camp site, with great views of the hills and a heated pool. We took a taxi to Craggy Range winery where we ate a fine dinner of local fish and drank some of their vintage Chardonnay.
The next day we shared the long drive to Wellington where we’d booked a motor home park (well more of a car park with loos and showers) right on the quay, so as to be handy for the ferry the next morning. We had a walk round this lovely city and went up to the Botanic Gardens in the cable car to admire the view of the harbour and the houses hanging onto the steep slopes. The Queen Elizabeth was in town on her maiden world cruise so it was amazing to see this huge ship towering over the quayside.
Sunday morning, bright and early, we were on the quayside ourselves, waiting for the Interislander ferry to take us across the Cook Straight to the South Island. It was a beautiful morning and the 3 hour crossing lived up to its claim to be one of the finest ferry rides in the world. We watched dolphins playing around our ferry and jumping out of the water in front of another boat coming the other way as if they were showing they were faster which was magical. John got the van on board with no trouble though he did come quite close to the roof of the reception building at our next campsite in Blenheim, much to the owner’s consternation! Our first pit stop on the south island is just beautiful, sloping grass down to an incredibly clear river and views of the mountains which surround the Marlborough vineyards.

Pictures of NZ

Rotorua and the thermal highway and Huka Falls - so much to see in just a couple of days.

King of the road

We arrived in New Zealand, a whole 23 hours after we left Tahiti, even though it was only a 6 hour flight, so Saturday became Sunday (imagine losing a Saturday night of all things!) and we passed the test despite having been in South America and carrying animal products (shell necklaces). Auckland was lovely and we visited the harbour and the sky tower before heading back to the airport with some trepidation to pick up our camper van.
It’s been many years since I had any experience of camping and neither of us could really be described as intrepid outdoor types so I was certainly nervous about the whole experience and whether it would really work for us. We listened very carefully to the tutorial on toilet emptying, gas bottles and water heating and I watched the informative DVD through twice. So far so good. The van is palatial, beyond anyone’s wildest dreams of camping – we have an onboard toilet and shower (though I’ve been using camp site facilities to minimise on emptying!), cooker, microwave, fridge, DVD player (which picks up TV channels in some places) and when plugged into the campsite, fully functioning plugs so hair dryers and GHDs work perfectly. We had to book a 4 berth as the 2 berths were sold out so we have an upstairs bed as well as the sitting and dining area which turns into another bed. The awning pulls out to create more dry space and a drying line so you really couldn’t ask for more.
As for driving the thing, well it isn’t a BMW cabriolet and trundles along at 50 miles an hour, like giant snails we have our whole house on our backs and if you pull out you have to remember that you have over 21 feet of vehicle behind you! However, you don’t have to pack and unpack everything each time you move off – just make sure that you’ve got things well tied down! It’s great fun though we have to alter our plans a bit as you can’t get as far in a day as you can in the BMW.
So what about New Zealand – early days yet and we’re still in the relative urbanity and low lands of the North Island but it’s so beautiful and reminiscent at times of Devon, Yorkshire and Scotland and the people are just so friendly. We headed for Rotorua at first and spent two nights in the Top Ten camp site which is just a 15 minute walk from town. John guided us on the Lonely Planet walk which took in the croquet lawns, a lake full of birds, a Maori village and the famous hot springs. Bizarre, to be walking around a park which is very similar to Solihull and then suddenly finding a series of steaming hot pools, bubbling mud, sulphurous steam and volcanic movement. We ate a valentine’s dinner outside on ‘Eat Streat’ and I realised I’d never had a valentine’s meal outside, under a clear sky with a bad singer entertaining the diners, it was magical. The next evening it poured with rain and I felt so sorry for the tent dwellers and wondered if I shouldn’t invite them in to share our spare bed – but John said that the rain is part of their fun, one young couple even had a tent attached to the back of their car.
After Rotorua we’ve headed for Taupo and had a great day visiting the wonders on the ‘Thermal Highway’. We loved ‘Orakei Korako’, a beautiful thermal area where you drive 16km along a winding country road (not easy in a 21 ft camper) to the hidden valley and then take a boat across the lake. Here you walk for a few km around silica terraces, watching the pools bubble and steam and viewing the sacred Maori cave with its vibrant green pool. We were really lucky and a new geyser suddenly appeared in the middle of one terrace, firing boiling water into the air for several minutes before stopping again. After that we trundled on to Huka Falls and watched the river hurling itself through a rocky passageway which was very impressive.
Then we arrived at Taupo and a lovely campsite with thermal baths attached. We spent the late afternoon wallowing in the warm thermal water before cooking our own dinner for the first time – John barbecued steak and chicken and we sat outside with salad and a fine NZ Syrah enjoying the view over the lake. All mod cons here – I managed two lots of washing at the on site laundry and we have wifi in the van! This is definitely camping for softies (I may not have mentioned we also have a heater if we need it!)

Pictures of paradise islands

Apologies for bombarding you with so many pictures but it is breathtakingly beautiful round here. Firstly the view from our villa in Bora Bora then two views from the hotel room and reception in Tahiti. John looking great in a plastic rain poncho - yes it rained quite a lot! A view of the pool and the mountain across the lagoon on Bora Bora. Jenny swimming under the villa and the glass topped coffee table. One of the guns left behind by the GI's. Enjoying the signature 'Bubbles' cocktail in the hotel bar on Bora Bora.

Tahiti and French Polynesia

Apologies for this post being out of sync but I wanted to write about Bora Bora whilst sitting admiring the lagoon – I’m still admiring it now but it has rained like mad all day, worthy of Manchester though several degrees warmer. It was raining so hard that even the black egret which guards the small island off the beach decided to take the day off. We spent the day in attractive plastic bag ponchos kindly provided by the hotel, not glamorous but very efficient, though John managed to wear his as if it was university regalia and still looked distinguished! Now it has stopped and the green water is calm again under a soft grey sky. Today John took me back to the Pearl Farm we visited on the Jeep tour and we chose two Tahitian pearls (black for the man and silver for the woman) on a white gold pendant as an early valentine and anniversary present – so lovely. We had a fun and bumpy ride back on the shuttle boat across a rain lashed and wind swept lagoon.
We flew across the Pacific to Tahiti via Easter Island where we broke the 12 hour flight for a couple of hours in a very windy airport garden. They’d kindly placed one of the famous statues in the airport to provide for photo ops. LAN Chile was a comfortable airline with good films, once we’d persuaded them they were running a flight to Tahiti. Airlines will insist on pretending it’s night time, even on a daytime flight, by closing all the blinds and handing out blankets. As we were gaining 7 hours and were due to arrive at bedtime in Tahiti, which would be morning in Santiago, I was trying hard not to sleep much so that I could readjust the body clock. We did manage it though and were lucky enough to get upgraded to a lagoon view room so we woke in the morning to a beautiful view of the lagoon and the mountains of Moorea rising out of the sea. The Tahiti Intercontinental was lovely and it was fun to be in a little bit of France after trying to make ourselves understood in Spanish. We took a walk into the nearby town to get some money from a cash point in Carrefours and had a chat with some French ladies about the difficulties of yet another currency (French Caribbean Francs). Tahiti is really funny as the streets looked like somewhere in France but just the other side of the trees is the amazing blue lagoon and the Pacific. We spent the rest of the day lounging in the infinity pool and admiring the fish and the turtles in their lagoonarium before a delicious dinner over the water. They had a washing machine and dryer for guests which was very civilised and which I put to good use!
The next morning we took the smaller plane to Bora Bora, admiring the islands from the air and were met at the tiny airport by a band, flower garlands and a boat to take us to the hotel. I realised I had managed to catch a streaming cold along the way and that it wasn’t an allergy to all the Monoi flowers strewn around the room and our necks so snuffled my way through our first few days. Watching Tahitian TV is fascinating, the presenters all seem to be enormous ladies, dressed in brightly coloured floral outfits with huge flower wreaths round their heads – can’t see it catching on at the BBC!

Another day in paradise

Bora Bora is most definitely the island paradise of dreams and the front page of travel brochures. The scenery is stunning – you could sit and look at it for hours with the turquoise of the sea in the lagoon and the deeper blue of the ocean beyond the reef. We are in probably the best spot on the island, just across the lagoon from the mountain on a ‘motu’ or long island which forms part of the barrier reef around the whole island. Our villa, at the extreme edge of the walkways that connect the overwater bungalows, has an uninterrupted view of the lagoon and is designed to provide this view from the deck, the bed and even the bath. Fortunately the only passing traffic is the occasional canoe. We can swim in the lagoon direct from the villa via a small pontoon and the coffee table is hollow so you can admire the water below.
The hotel is beautiful, The Intercontinental Thalasso Spa, with gracious areas in palm covered halls, a lovely pool and lots of walkways through gardens and by the lagoon. Walking through you can also admire the ocean crashing at the back door, on the other side of the thin island. There are some great fish, including a group of rays who come to be fed every day at 2pm and you can stand in the water feeling their huge, soft fins flapping around you.
It is very expensive though, even the little coffee packs for the nespresso machine come at an extra charge and when our adapter finally gave up the ghost we had to buy a new one rather than be leant one. Absolutely everything has to be shipped in from Tahiti, or even further afield so I guess they have to limit consumption. Strangely enough the very decent French wine is no more expensive than it would be in France so, since breakfast and dinner are included, eating, drinking and swimming, which are our favourite activities are not proving too expensive! We met some jovial Americans on the boat from the airport who were laden down with aperitif type drinks in their duty free bags. Henry and Alberta had been before and wisely come prepared, the mini bar drinks are extortionate so, if you want to enjoy a pre dinner drink on your deck, which is quite the loveliest place to have one, you really need to have brought your own! Fortunately the view is so lovely you don’t really need a gin and tonic to enjoy it!
There is a huge spa, covering acres of impressive treatment rooms with prices to match, so we’ve passed on its delights for the simpler pleasures of sitting on our deck or by the pool and wandering along the shore of the ocean or the lagoon. The food is really good (well we are in a part of France after all!) and the tuna and Mahi Mahi are especially delicious. Probably due to the huge numbers of Japanese guests and relative proximity the sushi and sashimi are also lovely. A couple of nights they put on a show of Polynesian dancing and singing during dinner. We both agree that we prefer tango but it’s good fun watching the young men and women from the island shaking themselves around in beautiful costumes and embarrassing being led onto the floor for a turn!
We took a Jeep tour of the main island which was bone shakingly fun, being driven up tracks with a party of very polite Japanese tourists. Ironic to visit, with them, the large guns left behind by the American GI’s to fend off the Japanese in the South Pacific – though they were never fired in anger. We saw lots of beautiful vistas as well as the strategic defence points. We also watched a husband and wife team hand painting pareos and visited the oyster farm where the famous Tahitian black pearls are grown – it takes one oyster over 3 years to ‘grow’ a pearl. Our guide Etienne, told us that every year visitor numbers are dropping and it is a struggle now to manage the economy on an island where everything has to be shipped in which makes it an expensive destination, especially without direct flights from anywhere but Tahiti and the other islands. Children have to go to Tahiti for high school and there is no hospital. Two of the older luxury hotels are now disused and unlikely to be repaired anytime soon. It’s such a beautiful place but not without its 21st century challenges. We have found it a perfect relaxation stop after the hectic tour of South America and a spot of luxury before the camper van tour of New Zealand and I could sit and look at the view forever.

Pictures of Santiago

The lovely Aubrey hotel and its pool, an oasis of calm. The parliament building in Santiago. Pictures of us on the San Cristobel and San Lucia hills in the city and the ancient tram system.

Ocean and mountains in pictures

Some pictures of our trips into Chile. A typical Valaparaiso street, the waves of the Pacific crashing on the beach at Vina del Mar, John with our lovely Chilean guide and Jenny with a llama (not so lovely). John enjoying a Chilean wine tasting at 10.30am! The Andes mountains close to Santiago and the best picture of a Condor I could manage.