Ways2Travel: A KIWI ODYSSEY

Rrealised that stunning natural vistas and the thrill of adventure are as intrinsic to the charm of New Zealand as its friendly people, cosmopolitan cities and unique Maori culture

GOING halfway across the world for a holiday is not everyone's idea of fun, given the nightmare of air travel, jet lag and more. But when the almost-magical vales and hills of New Zealand beckon, nothing seems too much to overcome in order to get there. So, all aglow with eager anticipation, I set off for my odyssey....
    Auckland, the city of sails was our first stop. We reached by late afternoon and headed for the clean, neat, functional environs of Aspen House to dump our bags. Then it was off to Queen Street — the bustling central shopping district in Auckland. The first thing that struck me there — given the geographical location of the country — was the number of Asian faces on the street. The shops in Auckland are literally run by Chinese and Indians!
    Overall, the city had an extremely cosmopolitan feel to it. We walked by the Sky Tower — at 328 m, the tallest man-made structure in NZ —to the waterfront. The sunset this far south of the equator was fantastic and we watched the sky turn fiery red and yellow. A simple but delicious dinner out in the open followed, in the pleasant company of a lovely sea breeze. Finally jet-lag set in, so we walked back to our hotel and called it a day. An early start the next day saw us catch the efficient Magic Bus to Mt Eden to see volcanic craters and great vistas. The whole city rolled out like a lush green carpet below our feet. One of the craters, strangely enough, had a "Will you marry me?" carved out at the centre. A rather unique proposal in a country not known for grafitti in the wrong place...
    Next stop was in the valley of the stars, quite literally — in the depths of the Waitomo caves, known for their beautiful glow-worms. While the unique limestone formations left me marveling at Nature's artistic licence, I was saddened at the thought that the sparkly creatures have a rather tragic end — the adults don't have mouths to feed themselves. Still, this sinkhole wonderworld (a speciality of this tiny country) is unforgettable.
    After a quick lunch at a place which also had what our driver called the "American Embassy" —McDonald's — we were dropped off at the Youth Hostel in Roturua. The place vibrated with the easy laughter of young backpackers. They were an interesting phenomenon that we found everywhere we went in NZ- it seems this place is a heaven of sorts for youngsters who want a taste of adventure before settling into a routine job with no time to stand and stare... or dare.
    Evening found us at Mitai — a traditional Maori concert and a hangi dinner. A fascinating cultural performance with insights into the whole gamut of tribal life — warfare, pagan gods, indigenous music, along with a perfect rendition of the infamous Haka dance! The food was cooked beneath the ground in a 'hangi' which is sort of like a tandoor and the traditional way Maoris cook. The whole meal made me think of our Indian handi feasts. On the flip side, one of our backpacker friends likened the whole experience to a tourist theme park!
    After a satisfying self-made breakfast (at a very well-equipped YHA kitchen), we set off on Magic Bus again the next day. We stopped at Wai-o-tapu, land of geysers and hot springs, to be greeted by hissing, steaming mud-pools inviting us with all the treacherous shades of the rainbow. Champagne pools named aptly after the rose-pinkish colour of the water, to sulky sulphorous green coves to inscrutibly inky blue pools, they had distinct personalities. There were even cute oyster pools, rather like dimples, named after their pearly white waters. At this point I caved in and bought multiple thermal mud-packs for the extended family — Multani mitti from New Zealand!
    Right before Lake Taupo, we halted at Rocks n' Ropes- where Barun had his first taste of adrenaline. With his heart in his mouth, he went for the swing – a sort of semi-bungy wherein a person arcs across like a huge pendulum — while I happily video-recorded it for posterity. I think NZ coaxed out our best and bravest side !
    We had a dekko of the mighty Huka Falls, NZ's most visited natural attraction, and then proceeded to lunch and a lovely stroll by a lake which is slightly bigger then Singapore! We were captivated by the easy-going but stunning scenery and unbelievably blue waters at Lake Taupo, which is where the Waikato river drains into via the Huka Falls.
    The packed day ended back in Rotorua, where we washed away the aches in the natural thermal pools at Polynesian Spa. Soaking in the steaming hot, mineral-spring waters, we stared at the starry skies and sighed in sweet satisfaction! But there was not that much time to snooze as early morning found us on a flight to the adrenalin-capital of the world- Queenstown! WONDER LAND!
NESTLED snugly around Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is a treat for the eyes. Postcard-perfect scenery was stuck over every nook and corner of the city. Appropriately enough, therefore, Aurum Hotel and Suites, where we stayed had big, airy rooms and beautiful views. Also, as a peaceful prelude to our adventure rush, we began with a long, lazy brunch.
    But an hour of intensive jet-boating on the Kawaru River followed — what a great way to get some thrills and yet check out the beautiful scenery in and around Queenstown! Later, shivering and wet from the sprays of cold water from the infamous 180^ospins in the boat, we sat and sipped sinful hot chocolate in a charming café which had free wi-fi.
    Next on the agenda was a steep ride on the sky gondola. The views from the deck once we were on top, however, was absolutely worth every last penny of the ticket. But what brought more bang for the buck was the luge ride. It's like an open sledge in which we slid down, with the wind whistling in our ears and spectacular scenery all around. It was an incredibly enjoyable and addictive experience. Once is never enough, I assure you!
    All the shopping places close really early almost everywhere in NZ but restaurants and souvenir shops are often open till late. We couldn't help being surprised by the wide choice in cuisines, everywhere in NZ,though I must point out the ubiquitous presence of a kind of sumptuous sweet potato called kumhara which we found everywhere! Dinner that night was a tasty middle-eastern platter beforewe opted for an early night.
    The weather turned a little chilly the next day but that couldn't drag down our spirits for the farm stay at Chartlea Park - a sheep, cattle, deer and Boer goat farm run by Ken and Trish. It was very different from any typical Indian farm experience, mainly because it was spread over 550 acres! Second, it was amazing to see how much technology now pervades a farm that dates back to 1896.... Ken was running a sophisticated computer program to determine how many lambs to have on his farm at any point of time, depending on their weight and the amount of grass in the pastures!
    After a hearty lunch of bread and soup, we went for a tour of the farm. It was the first time I saw sheep dogs in action — and boy did they remind me of my ex-boss! I also understood for the first time the meaning of the phrase "flock together like sheep": the woolly creatures all ran together, and were very tame, shy and extremely cute! I fed some of the deer and marveled at how the couple managed such a huge farm on their own, without any hired labour. Dinner was a massive spread with fresh veggies, quiche and home baked muffins. Trish, in fact, reminded me of my mother — like a desi mom she insisted on double and triple helpings of everything! I guess mothers are the same the world over!
    Their daughter Jenna, we learnt, was an accomplished markswoman, having represented NZ proudly in many shooting tournaments. The day was wrapped up by watching the highlights of the India-NZ match. That's how we found out that Trish was as passionate about cricket as about the food she cooked! The farm was a lovely sojourn indeed, apart from the time I was locked in to the wash-room for 30 minutes as I couldn't figure out how to open it!
    A day to remember for the "vacant and pensive days on the couch" was the drive to Milford Sound , which is as beautiful as the place itself. It left me quite speechless. Words are simply inadequate to describe the scenery; I felt dwarfed by the magnificent cliffs, the serene blue waters and the thundering, foaming waterfalls. We even saw some lazy seals basking in the golden sunshine, a rare treat in itself as it rains there two out of every three days! After a light lunch on the boat, we spent most of the cruise on the upper-deck, spell bound by nature's treasures. We chatted with an interesting, young Irishman who'd lost his job and was taking the break to travel around the world. Talk about the credit crunch having some fringe benefits! Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to head back to Queenstown. The drive back was a tiring 4 hours but a happy one, nonetheless!
    OUR next stop was the glaciers of Franz Josef and Fox in Westland National Park on South Island and the drive there took us past fantastic views of the Tasman Sea. In fact, fantastic views seem pretty normal all over NZ! As the miles went by, we watched the sun play on the snow-capped peaks of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman. Fox Glacier, where we stayed, is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world and ends among lush rain-forests, barely 300 m from the sea. We stayed at the romantically named Misty Peaks, a lovely cottage surrounded by vines and creepers and our hosts David and Lea were extremely warm, friendly and helpful.
    We began with a hike around Lake Matheson, and spent the whole afternoon intrigued by the shadowy reflections on the clear water. It was quite narcissistic as the water was so mirror-like that I kept taking photographs of our reflection, and the beautiful scenery too, of course! The rest of the evening was spent in splendid company as a couple recounted stories of how they backpacked through Iran and Afghanistan in the days of the Shah.
    Fortified by an early but wholesome breakfast, we started off on our half-day glacier walk the next morning. It was an incredible experience. The glacier rose like a beautiful but icy-cold temptress, ever-changing with new crevices and faces. Our guide was a young and dashing lad —a former rock-climbing instructor — and with his help we managed the 800 steps to reach the river of ice.
    Once again we were lucky to have a clear, sunny day and we were surrounded by infinite, white splendour. The glacier had a Jekyll and Hyde kind of a personality...There were areas of soft ice and breaks and we had to be careful around them but they were demarcated clearly by ropes and chains. The tons of ice certainly bought out the Alice in me and I felt I had slipped down the tunnel to reach a wonderland!
    This was followed by the highlight of the whole trip: the sky dive. We deliberately chose Fox Glacier for our sky-dive because of the beautiful views we would get of the sea, mountains and glaciers. In spite of all the planning, I found my throat drying up as we went through the initial training with my Brazilian instructor CJ, and by the time the plane took off I was literally praying .
    The stunning views from above did little to calm me and it was only after we actually jumped that I found myself enjoying the free-fall so much, I just couldn't be scared anymore. It was an amazing adrenalin rush and I literally felt my body was like a knife- cutting through the clean crisp air — we were falling at more then 200 km/hr! After the parachute opened, I turned around and saw Barun fly like a bird and felt a small leap in my heart. NZ, much like life, tends to throw in some challenges on the way and the reward if you take them up is always, unlike life, heart-achingly beautiful and exciting.
    With the realisation that our vacation was coming to an end, we took the Tranz-Alpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch. We sat back quietly and were charmed with the views, as usual. The fourhour trip was filled with alternating scenes of lushgreen rainforests, gorges, river-valleys and farmlands. The whole atmosphere was suffused with joie de vivre and romance, certainly two honeymooning couples seated around us added to the fervor!
    We reached Christchurch by late afternoon and spent a charming evening in the garden-city. The city certainly deserved the name- it was filled with pretty flowers of all hues and colours everywhere and the Botanical Gardens were a treat for the eye. What struck us the most was unlike most modern cities, Christchurch had a very relaxed and laidback feel. There were no hordes of people walking impatiently across subways, for example.
    By this time we were craving for Indian food, so we had a huge Indian meal at Saffron — their Gujarati thali, which was authentic and delicious. What a perfect way to wrap up our perfect NZ odyssey!