Let’s Go To New Zealand

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Let’s Go To New Zealand
Terry Odell

First, a huge thanks to Kathleen Donnelly and James L’Etoile for filling in during my absence. Loved your posts.

I was going to jump back with a writing-related post, but let’s be honest. We get those all the time here at TKZ, but how many firsthand posts about a 3 week trip to New Zealand are in the archives?

(Also being honest – I haven’t gotten back to the wip. I printed out the first 25 chapter, which is as much as I’d written before I left, and read them on the rare occasions we had free time, and did my markups. They’re still in the envelope I packed them in.) Another “almost writing” thing? I actually remembered to keep a journal this time, although I have no intention of writing a book based on this trip. And, another moment of honesty—most of my notes were ‘travelogue’ and not the sorts of things I’d use in a novel if I’d planned to write one. Not to mention my longhand has degenerated to the point of bordering on unreadable.

So – New Zealand was a definite bucket list trip. The only improvement would have been to have Scotty beam me to Auckland and then back at the end of the trip. More details here and here.

map of New Zealand with a tour route markedWe covered almost the entire country, as you can see by the map. The tour lasted 18 days. We also arrived a couple of days prior to our tour to allow for potential delays and to get over jet lag. (There’s a 19 hour plus a day time difference between Auckland and Colorado on the way out. We get that day back on the return trip.)

For me, I’d say one of the things I’d want to remember wasn’t so much the experiences, amazing as they were, as it was the education. It was heartening to go to a museum and see group after group of schoolkids with their interest and enthusiasm about the exhibits, all of which were extremely well done. They’re the future.

We were on an organized tour, and didn’t spend a lot of time at any destination, but we covered a lot of destinations. Not just end-of-the-day, here’s your hotel, but numerous stops along the way. Sometimes just for photos—and the scenery was stunning—and sometimes for tours.

Want to follow along? I’ll give you a minute to grab a map or its digital equivalent.

We started in Auckland, but set out for Paihia and the Bay of Islands the next morning. En route, we stopped at Glow Worm Caves and the Waitangi Treaty House where we had our first introduction to the Maori culture and history. (Not my favorite subject in school, and definitely never had classes that touched on the Maori).

Maori Treaty House

Learning about the Maori culture and seeing the efforts being made to keep it alive—and/or recover it—was another positive. Because—going back to something I learned in my college anthropology class—when two cultures collide, the one with the higher technology will overtake the other. Guess who lost out when the white man showed up? That’s pretty much a universal truth.

The Bay of Islands would be a must-see place in the North Island, especially if you can cruise through the “Hole in the Rock”, which we did. We also spent a little time at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island, and some time exploring the town of Russell. (You finding all these locations? How’s your Maori?)
(Clicking should enlarge images.)

We had a fun ride on the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, run by volunteers in period dress, and offering a light tea service. From there, by coach to Rotorua with a stop at the Hamilton Gardens.

Rotorua is another “must” stop, although a bit odiferous from all the sulfur. We walked through a redwood forest, stopped at the Blue and Green Lakes (although the lighting wasn’t conducive to the markedly different colors between the two.

The Te Puia center was a “don’t miss.” A kiwi breeding center, geysers, bubbling mud, a fantastic buffet dinner and Maori entertainment. All well done, but the bottom line is this is a school where they’re trying to keep the Maori arts alive. Students are vetted, and they take very few each year.

The next day was spent in travel. We took the Northern Explorer train from Hamilton to Wellington, which was our southernmost stop in the North Island. There are a lot of sheep and cows in New Zealand. And green. Everything is so green. Ferns everywhere, many the size of trees.

For our final day on the North Island, we took a gondola that rose a whopping 120 meters. (For someone who lives at 9100 feet, this was barely a hill), but at the top, we enjoyed a view of Wellington and roamed the Wellington Botanic Gardens, followed later that day with a guided tour of the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. Another educational and interesting experience, with more exhibits focusing on the historic culture and how it can coexist with the current day. Artists created their “updated” version of a meeting house.

That’s it for the North Island. If there’s interest, I can report on our South Island adventures another time.

Okay, a little about writing so I don’t feel too guilty. Although I’m not planning a novel set in New Zealand, the people on the tour provided lots of character fodder for other books. The woman whose cackle would put Phyllis Diller’s to shame. Her husband called her his locator beacon. Or the woman who kept “losing” her husband. “Has anyone seen Tim? Where are you, Timbo?”

Then there was the woman who was severely visually impaired, yet who, with the help of her husband—and everyone else in the group—did and saw everything. I felt it was inappropriate to ask what her specific conditions were—she had other physical issues, but she took pictures with her phone, and said she enjoyed the views, and she talked about many other trips she and her husband had taken.

Or the Brit who refused to try anything new when it came to food, and subsisted on potatoes and “puddings” for much of the trip. The man who was first off the bus, roamed the farthest to take pictures (with his phone), and the last back on. The elderly couple who wore matching clothes and held hands as they walked. Or the one who seemed to wear one of the same two shirts every day, but when I brought it up—obliquely—she said she had four of them.

The floor is yours. Comments? Questions? Personal adventures?

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?

Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands.
Available for preorder now.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

28 thoughts on “Let’s Go To New Zealand”

  1. Foreign travel is great fun, especially if one takes the time to talk to the natives and learn about their history and culture. My wife and I were in Switzerland last month, enjoying the beautiful Alpine scenery in the middle of the country and the Mediterranean-like climate of Ticino canton in the south, on the Italian border. The Swiss rail system is truly remarkable. Check out my wife’s travel agency blog for more: https://travelleadersyournextjourney.blogspot.com/2024/03/

    • And the Swiss make good chocolate, too! Another reason to add it to my “places to go” list. Thanks for sharing, and for the link, too.

  2. What a wonderful travelogue and stunning photos, Terry. I don’t expect to ever visit NZ so thanks for this opportunity to tag along.

    No need to feel guilty for not writing–you’re doing research!

  3. Sounds like a fun trip. We visited New Zealand in 1986. Spent a week on each island touring on our own. Everyone was so nice, and I felt like I had stepped back in time. And yes, we saw a lot of sheep.

    • It was a fun trip. Something new, different, and beautiful at every stop. Even bathroom breaks where they had talking toilets.

  4. Romance writer Rosalind James used to post on Kboards about her 6 months/year in New Zealand, where she set many of her books. I think she began as you have, a single visit, journaling, falling in love with the place and the people, then a call to return and write from there as well as from her California home.
    Who knows? Your journaling may not stop there. Although it might not look so now, you could have started a new chapter in your writing life.
    Enjoy your stay and make memories.

    • Thanks, Dan. Right now, I’m working on a book set against my Danube River cruise last December. To do a NZ story justice, I’d have to spend a lot more time, and stay in one area a lot longer than this whirlwind “cover the country” tour.

  5. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. You make me want to visit NZ. And since a writer never wastes anything, some of the passengers will probably show up in a book.

    • Love sharing my getaways, Pat. And two of the passengers already have cameo spots in the current wip.

  6. Thanks for sharing the story of your adventure, Terry. Very interesting. And, as always, wonderful pictures.

    I look forward to reading some of those “interesting” characters in your future books. Those observations remind me that I should try to recall some of the more interesting people I met, years ago, when I traveled. A good place to dig for new characters.

    Thanks!

    • Thanks, Steve, and even though you meet characters on a tour to X, you can use them in a book set in Y. It’s about the people. Sometimes it’s as basic as digging for names–something I always struggle with.

  7. My imported bride is from Rotorua and we are preparing to move there on my retirement in a few years. Folks are pretty warm and laid back.

    • Rotorua was a wonderful place, sulfur and all. Enjoy your move and retirement.

  8. Wow, would love to go there. It’s on my list. Thanks for the pix. Only thing I can add is don’t feel guilty about not working on WIP on vaca. Sometimes, you gotta just go with it and recharge the batteries.

    • Thanks for absolving me of any guilt, Kris. You’ll love the trip. I can set you up with a great travel agent when you’re ready.

  9. What a fun post, Terry. Thanks for the trip to New Zealand! Gorgeous photos. Spot any orcas there? With such a robust shark community, it’s only a matter of time before they arrive. Curious if it happened yet.

    • Thanks, Sue. I’m still working on my photos. I have hundreds more to go through.
      Marine mammal sightings were the only things missing on this trip. Once due to weather, and the other time due to “they must be something else.” Still a great trip.

    • Hi Sue and Terry from Wellington NZ
      First, I’m glad you had a great time in NZ Terry. Your pictures are stunning. The South Island is majestic and often feels empty – because most of the population lives in Christchurch.
      The train travel is in the top 10 train trips in the world. (If you’ve seen Lord of the Rings you’ve seen a lot of NZ. There was a reason he included the people of NZ in the credits… You can’t go far without meeting someone who worked on those and the Hobbit movies.

      Sue – we have Orca regularly visiting in the Wellington harbour. As yet we haven’t seen any of the publicised attacks on Sharks by Orca yet. It could be that our Orca haven’t heard the news from the Northern Hemisphere Orca yet… or they are too laid back hunting the seals.

      • Maureen – thanks so much for the wonderful “insider” information.
        As for your Hobbit/LOTR comment. Kind of like when we were in Croatia, and everyone had been involved in Game of Thrones. Or around Belfast – even my daughter was an extra!

  10. Thanks for taking us with you on your trip to NZ, Terry. The pics are gorgeous, a reminder of this magnificent planet.

    I also loved your description of the school kids. Those are the things that captivate me when we travel.

    Welcome home!

    • Thanks, Kay. Settling back to the “routine” but not there yet.
      Yes, the schoolkids allowed to explore and learn without enthusiasm dampers gives us hope for the future. Or at least the future of New Zealand. No comments about our local school system.

    • We saved up and paid megabucks to fly in first class with flatbed seats. My back can’t handle flights over more than three hours in normal seats. Well worth it.

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