NEW ZEALAND 17-20 fEB. 2010

New Zealand proved to be a truly beautiful country and despite the inclement weather we had experienced arriving on its shores and the preceeding rain overland our visits to the three cities of Auckland, Christchurch and Dunediin were blessed with sunshine. Warmest of all was Auckland, the largest city of NZ and our first port of call beckoned us with the wonderful skkyline of modern skyscrapers overlooked by the impressive Sky Tower the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere. This "city of sails" twice host of the Americas Cup welcomed us with a truly vibrant harbourside and waterfront. Then from the Cambridge feel of Christchurch with its punts on the River Avon which flowed through the oh so British parks and gardens and streets named after English cathedral cities, to the totally Scottish flavour of Dunedin where, as part of the festival month of february, we saw more men in kilts, sporrens and playing the bagpipes converging around the closed off streets surrounding the shopping area of the Octagon, than was ever witnessed in a Robbie Burns day in Edinburgh! One felt transported into another age as everywhere you felt more that here was a country the size of Britain with a total population of only 4 million and the inhabitants like it that way. They are so happy and proud of their islands and whilst wecoming us all to come and live here with them one felt that they nevertheless wanted to keep it just as it is. And who can blame them.
On a transalpine train to Arthur's Pass, the centrer of southern Island we saw glaciers, tumbling waterfalls, lichen covered rust-looking rocks and flaming red trees which were beginning to come into bloom. In the valleys you could see the coal trains which when moving looked like a scene from a David Lean movie. And then there were the stunning sea views. As we sailed away from Auckland an exhilerating sight of tens of sailing boats racing around the harbour, spinnackers flying in the wind. Equally memorable was the stunning coastline of endless rolling hills as we sailed away from the port of Lyttleton outside Chrischurch. And finally on the long stretches of beaches aligning the harbour area of Port Chalmers, Dunedin a handful of people who had the beach to themselves on this Saturday afternoon in summer waved enthusiastically. What idid they make of us I wondered as they watched the partygoers on the sun deck all wearing Union Jack hats and flying flags singing "Rule Britannia! as we sailed away. The highlignt of my last day in NZ was that I finally got to see an albatross who came to wave us off from the albatross sanctuary on the headland.