CARTER OBSERVATORY, Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is home to the Carter Observatory.   Established in 1941 with funds left by Charles Rooking Carter, the observatory makes a great place to spend a day.

To reach the observatory, ride a red Wellington Cable Car to the top of the hill overlooking the harbor.  A short walk along paths through the Botanic Gardens leads to the main building.   The gardens are 26 hectares of all types of plants and are only 0.6 miles from downtown Wellington. That is 0.6 miles UP hill, so that cable car ride is a good idea.  With an emphasis on public education, the Carter Observatory has the 360-degrees panoramic Pelorus Trust Planetarium - a state-of-the-art full-dome digital theatre.  The program is about one-hour long.  Virtual space journeys take visitors on an imaginary voyage while interactive displays explain the Maori legends concerning the stars.  Refurbished in 2010, the Carter Observatory is now a world-class visitors attraction.

The Carter Observatory is open every day except Christmas.  Enjoy a morning walking through the Botanical Gardens then spend the afternoon in the observatory when the crowds are smaller.

Submitted by: Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer and Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer of "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors."  web page: www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com

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ZEALANDIA, Wellington, New Zealand

Zealandia in Wellington, New Zealand, is the world’s first urban fenced sanctuary.   Their plan is certainly  ambitious – to restore 225 hectares of forest as closely as possible to its pre-human state.  To do this they have built a 8.6 kilometers long,  2.2 meters high fence to keep out predators such as cats, weasels, ferrets, and dogs.  Started in 1995, this is a 500-year vision. In 2010, Zealandia was listed in the Top 75 Green Attractions in the World by the Guardian, U.K.  It draws more than 90,000 visitors a year

My husband Richard and I are here to spend a day as volunteers.  Zealandia has 450 volunteers, but gladly welcomes anyone who wants to spend a day in this fascinating and beautiful valley.   The place is chattering with bird calls.  That is because Zealandia is made up mainly of birds.  Before the Maori  People and European settlers arrived in New Zealand the only mammal was a tiny bat.  The only predators were airborne like the giant eagle. 

We are assigned to a lovely volunteer named Faye who handed us binoculars and off we marched to check the nest box of a HiHi bird.   The sanctuary has 20 pairs of this endangered bird.  It is about the size of a sparrow with a black head and a distinctive upright tail.  Faye told us that the HiHis were the only birds that mated face to face and they were very promiscuous.  They usually lay three to five eggs and each egg can have a different father.  Hmmmmmmm.

I am quite enjoying this volunteering business.  We’re walking along a paved path with a gradual incline and Faye is pointing out all sorts of interesting things.  We spot a Takahe, a large bird with a red beak, black head and greenish feathers that has left wet tracks along the pavement.   I stare at a tuatara, a miniature dinosaur-looking creature that is called a living fossil.    Suddenly, Faye veers off the trail and it is through the brush, uphill on a steep and slippery climb.

After about five minutes of steady climbing, we spot a nest box and Faye warns us to be quiet. We watch the small hole in the lower right corner of the box and in about 10 minutes, Mama HiHi sticks her head out , takes a quick look, then darts off to find something to eat for the little ones.  We note the time in the journal, then quickly go to the box, lift the lid and gaze at three silvery colored chicks who are loudly calling for food.

We hurry back to our watching perch.  We don’t want to scare the mother.  While we are noting in the journal that the chicks are fine and healthy, Mama HiHi comes back and we make another time notation in the book.  The HiHi nests are checked often in case a mother abandons a nest and the chicks have to be rescued.  Our HiHi family seems just fine.  No sign of the Papa, though.  He’s supposed to help feed the three chicks, but he’s probably off philandering.  

A lovely day spent in a lovely spot. 

Submitted by: Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer and Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer for "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors." web page: www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com  

Takahey adn Kaka at Zealandia, Wellington, New Zealand

                                            Takahe at Zealandia

                                                Kaka at Zealandia

Mt. Difficulty wine resturant, Central Valley, South Island, New Zealand

Central Valley, wine tasting country.  Mt Difficulty was our stopping off place for lunch and wine tasting.  The food was delicious, in this very small resturant.  The view was breathtaking as you can see by this image.  But the wine......now that was exceptional. The Central Valley of the South Island is experimenting with grapes, soil and sunshine for there new line of wines.

SHOTOVER CANYON JET BOAT RIDE, QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND

It was spring in the South Island of New Zealand, but an unusually late winter storm was sending snowflakes swirling around me as I tentatively stepped into the gently rocking Shotover Jet Boat operation’s “Big Red” jet boat. The wind was blowing straight off Antarctica, but I was bundled in many layers, mittens, and hats plus the tour operators had given me a waterproof coat that resembled a black duster worn by Old West gunfighters and all was topped with a red life-jacket. When I plopped down in the seat and grabbed hold of the hand rail I was pleasantly surprised. The seats and the hand rails were heated! I snuggled in and waited for the others to load.

This jetboat operation runs through Shotover Canyon near Queenstown, New Zealand, the site of many of the scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies. Gray walls form the narrow gorge cut by the glacier-fed Shotover River. Jetboating was started in New Zealand along with bungy jumping and other such sane activities. These boats don’t have a propeller so they can operate in the shallow New Zealand waters and are able to do their signature 360-degree turns.

The driver gives us safety instructions – basically hold on type and keep your arms inside –and I personally add prayer. He starts the boat and I’m slammed back in my seat. We streak under an arched bridge, go sideways around a river bend and head straight to the gorge’s rock walls. At the last moment, our driver jerks the wheel and we miss the wall, careen around a boulder plopped in the middle of the river. I don’t know whether to scream or pray.

We shoot out of the narrow canyon, the river widens and I start breathing again. Just as my adrenaline rush is starting to recede, the driver lifts his arm in the air and twirls his finger and yanks the boat into a 360-degree spin splashing walls of water around the boat. We do corkscrew spins, sideways slides and more 360-degreers before turn around and heading back into the gorge.
Those canyon walls are just as scary the second time through. I oscillate between hyper-ventilating and not breathing then with a spectacular slide, the driver stops the boat gently against the dock. Shotover Jet bills itself as the World’s Most Exciting Jet Boat Ride. I think they’re right. That has got to be the wildest boat ride I’ve ever had.

Submitted by Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer and Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer of "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors." web page: www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com  

Ziplines in Queenstown, New Zealand

If you want to get your heart beating and the adrenaline flowing, buckle into a 5-point body harness, hook on to a steel cable, walk down some stairs, step into nothing, and fly along the lines of Ziptrek Ecotours in Queenstown, New Zealand. Oh My Gosh. What a thrill! When I managed to catch my breath and open my eyes, the view was incredible. I could see Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu below me in a postcard-perfect view.

In the United States, we call these contraptions Ziplines, but in New Zealand they are often known as “flying foxes.” A person riding a zipline is a zipper. Whatever the name, the adventure is the same. I rode a gondola (price for gondola ride extra) to the top of Gondola Hill and walked over to Ziptrek’s office. After donning the harness, my guide hooked me on to the steel cable. They are very safety conscious and I never felt in danger. From a platform high in a tree, I walk down about six steps, took a deep breath, then stepped off to zipling away.

Ziptrek Ecotoursg brags that it has the steepest tree to tree flying fox in the world. Zipping along between 30-40 mph, I went from one tree platform to another, making my way down the hill. I was worried about slamming into the next tree, but they have a stopping device on the cable that brings you slowly into the next platform. It’s exhilarating. I’m not the bravest person in the world, but I was not afraid. Well, let me amend that statement. While I did manage to step off the stairs backwards with my arms extended, I couldn’t drum up the courage to hang upside down like some of the braver riders were doing.

Closed toe shoes are required and I found out why. There is one downhill hike portion on a rough trail. It had been sleeting and raining and the trail was slick. I just had tennis shoes on and this hike was a lot more difficult for me that dangling in the air. So, go prepared for the weather and wear good solid shoes. Ziptrek Ecotours operates everyday of the year, come rain, shine, snow or wind.

If you want to enjoy adventure in New Zealand, this is a must. Reservations are essential. Check out Ziprek Ecotours at www.ziptrek.com/queenstown.

Welcome to New Zealand

I know it has been almost three weeks since either Bernadette or I have posted on this blog, but that doesn't mean we've been sitting in front of the fire knitting. We've been to New Zealand. What a fabulous country. The Kiwis are a friendly bunch and we were met everywhere with "Kia ora." This means welcome and we were well and truly welcomed to New Zealand.

New Zealand was the last large landmass to be settled by humans. Before the Maori people arrived about 1000 years ago, the only mammal in New Zealand was a tiny bat. Abel Tasman. a Ditch explorer, spotted the island in 1642, but it was another 120 years before Lt. James Cook of the British Royal Navy re-discovered the two large islands that are now home to 4.3 million people.

New Zealand holds magnificent mountains, geothermal pools, geysers, active volcanoes, beautiful streams and scenery that is green beyond belief. Those crazy Kiwis are the movers and shakers of the adventure travel world.

We'll be posting blogs telling you the spectacular things we saw and the crazy things we did.

Submitted by Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer and Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer for "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors."  web page: www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com