Month: February 2022

The rain continued to pour down, as the intrepid travellers crossed Cook Strait, and one night in Wellington. A stay at the Bolton Hotel, an independent hotel in the city, with spacious rooms and a nice restaurant.

The next morning, a drive over the Remutaka Hills, and on to Masterton, in the Wairarapa. The weather is terrible, with the North Island being hit by the end of a tropical cyclone. The Pharts are heading home soon, but Masterton provides an opportunity to catch up with Blair’s Uncle Rick and Aunty Marion. Also cousins Wendy and Brandon. The latter has a pet cockatoo, Billy, who takes a shine to Sue.

Accommodation in Masterton is the iconic Copthorne Solway Park. Convenient and comfortable, it has ”The Grill” restaurant, a decent option in town.

We had hoped to play the Masterton Golf Club, at Lansdowne, but sadly the poor weather was against us.

The Pharts hit the road again, destination Chateau Tongariro at Whakapapa Village. On the way, we called in to Pukaha Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre. Located between Masterton and Ekatahuna, it is worth a visit to see Kiwi, Kea, Kaka and others.

We arrive at the Chateau mid afternoon, to perfect weather. We decide on a brisk walk to Taranaki Falls, a circuit walk of about ninety minutes.

So, the final night of trip, and dinner is in the Ruapehu Room at the Chateau. The place is very busy. Turns out many people have taken advantage of a ”Grabeone” special! Dishes on the menu are expensive, and unfortunately the food and service fail to deliver. However the room and ambience are great, so the Old Pharts head back to Hamilton, well satisfied with their tour.

The arrival in Mapua coincided with the arrival of rain. Warm and humid, the rain looks to be with us for the duration of our stay.

Always great to catch up with friends Cameron and Maria, who live in Tasman Village. The Mapua, Tasman and Moutere area is renowned for its arts, crafts and wine. There are also vast areas of hop plantings. It’s always interesting to visit the many galleries both in this area, and Nelson.

With the weather forecast unfavourable, we decided to drive over to Nelson and check out the art galleries. The Suter Gallery is excellent, with the bonus of a very nice cafe. No purchases were made, but the Pharts enjoyed their day of culture.

St Arnaud is a small alpine village in the Tasman district, and situated at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti. Our accommodation is at the Alpine Lodge, which has an in house restaurant. This proves handy as there are very few other dining options!

The area has an abundance of mountain biking and walking trails, so we decided to do the Mt Robert circuit. This involves driving to a car parking area, walking up the Pinchgut Track to the top, then down Paddy’s Track. A round trip of around four hours. The walk up is long and steep, through bush and open country. The views make it worth it. At the top we are at 1400 metres.

A most rewarding walk. We made it a little harder for ourselves than needed, by taking a wrong turning. The Lakeside walk was pleasant, but meant a long uphill walk on the road, to get back to our car.

After two very comfortable nights at Alpine Lodge, it was time for the Pharts to move on. Destination .. Mapua (near Motueka). On the way, a stop at the 9 hole Golden Downs golf course. Its claim to fame is the longest hole in NZ, at 659 metres! A nice course, which we had to ourselves.

The itinerary for the Old Pharts on tour was head up the West Coast. An overnight stay in Hokitika, then on to Westport for three nights. However, torrential rain and an awful forecast, forced a change in plans. The decision was made to head up the East Coast to Christchurch, then on to Blenheim. The weather in both of these places wasn’t great, but the correct decision was made.

Highlights in Christchurch were C1 Espresso cafe, Ballantynes, Francesca’s Italian restaurant and Waitikiri golf course.

Highlights in Blenheim were Chateau Marlborough Hotel and Quenches restaurant, Wither Hills restaurant, Herb and Olive cafe, the movie ”Belfast”, and the Marlborough Golf Club at Fairhall.

After the rigours of the Milford Track, the Travellers had three days at Millbrook Resort to look forward to. An old pharmacy student friend of Blair’s, Ken Millar and his wife Emily have a house at Millbrook. Games of golf at ”The Hills”, ”Millbrook Coronet” and dinner at the Kobe Restaurant will be shared activities.

The next day, golf with Ken and Emily was again scheduled. The course this time was to be the Millbrook ”Coronet” course. Unfortunately the weather deteriorated, with overnight rain and showers during the round. The Old Pharts however completed their round, and loved the course.

Dinner that evening was at Kobe restaurant, at the Resort. Fantastic Japanese food, and highly recommended.

We loved our stay at Millbrook, and a big thanks to Ken and Emily for their hospitality and generousity.