GYPSY GIGOLO JOURNAL #51

Faithful readers, here's a treat!!
I managed to persuade two of my illustrious adventuring partners to join me in an exploration of the far reaches of the North Island.


'Captain' Ian Steven and Rowan 'Stanley' Forbes joined myself, 'Livingstone', on an exceptionally challenging expedition funded by a Lotteries Commission grant for Geriatric Gaiety.
The local paparazzi ambushed us and took the above shot immediately after our final planning conference in Auckland.

Heading out of sight of the white man and away from civilisation we came upon a wonderful kauri museum in Matakohe.This magnificent kauri meeting table, weighing more than a tonne, used to grace the boardroom of Dominion Breweries.

Talking of things kauri, they don't get much bigger than the 2000-year-old 'Tane Mahuta' in the Waipoua Forest.

Any adventure on the Aupouri Peninsula takes travellers past the northern-most tavern in the land.

Here the lads stopped for vital refreshment.

It was a great surprise to find a set of white man's arrows inside the tavern instead of taiaha.

So we availed ourselves of them over a coldie, or three, and declared The Captain the sharpest shooter at 301.

Tracking in the Far North in the middle of winter is fraught with all sorts of weather-related dangers.

We were lucky to make it to Te Rerenga o Nga Wairua (Cape Reinga) in fine conditions.

A short side trip to the Parengarenga Harbour rewarded us with a view of the world's purest silica sands at Paua.

The intrepid adventurers stopped for sustenance of fish and chips at Mangonui.

Kemp House was on our itinerary, just to check everything was in order.

More great food, this time in Russell, with a piping hot seafood chowder served in a cob loaf at the renown Duke of Marlborough.

Relaxation was mandatory each evening in the Bus With No Name after a sapping day's exploration.

A special site revisited, previously discovered by Stanley & Livingstone, was the Whangarei Falls.

'Stanley' insists on travelling in the style of his nineteenth century namesake and brings to each expedition a full-sized sea-going cabin trunk and personal bedding.

A great deal of hilarity, and a hearty thankyou to all you Lotto ticket purchasers.

Good luck to all your families.

GYPSY GIGOLO JOURNAL #46

Hello, once again, loyal reader. This journal is sub-titled "I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT". Upon completing another trip in the South Island, it occurred to me that I must have circumnavigated the country by road and seen a few 'lights' on my journeys. I started four years ago at the northern-most point - Cape Reinga. Completed in 1941, the lighthouse at Cape Reinga was the last watched lighthouse to be built in New Zealand. The first lighthouse to see the sun each day is the East Cape lighthouse. Dan and I got up early one spring morning to be the first people in the world to welcome that day. The Castlepoint lighthouse on the Wairarapa coast was built in 1913 and was the last cast iron tower to be shipped from England. Standing on the southern tip of the North Island, Cape Palliser often bears the brunt of the Cook Strait gales. 258 wooden steps climb almost vertically up the 78 metre cliff. Cape Egmont lighthouse was erected in 1881. The cast iron tower was moved from its original site on Mana Island, north of Wellington. Mount Egmont (Mt Taranaki to pussies) is in the background. Moving now to the South Island, one of the most interesting lights is at French Pass. This narrow and treacherous channel of water between D'Urville Island and the north end of the mainland is marked with two lights. The very narrow channel, only 100 metres wide, being navigated by the fishing boat has the beacon light on its port (left) side and the tower light on land. The original lighthouse at Cape Campbell was a wooden tower which didn't stand up too well to the harsh local conditions. The wooden building was replaced by this cast iron tower in 1905. This is the most handsome structure in the country, the light at Katiki Point, Moeraki. The wooden tower had to be strengthened to stand up to the ferocious storms, hence the proud supporting legs. Marking the entrance to Otago Harbour, is the Taiaroa Head lighthouse. Access to the stone tower light is prohibited as it is located in the midst of the Royal Albatross sanctuary. Further south down the coast in The Catlins is Nugget Point. The spectacular track to the lighthouse scares the bejesus out of me. Near the bottom of the South Island in the Foveaux Strait, this lighthouse at Waipapa Point warns of the dangerous Waipapa Reef - the scene of NZ's worst shipwreck. 131 lives were lost in 1881 when the SS Tararua ran aground. Around the corner and up a bit is this little gem at Hokitika. The light was decommissioned in 1924 when shipping in to Hokitika ceased. Wesport's light at Cape Foulwind is another tower to be rebuilt. The grand old original rimu structure, built in 1876, succumbed to rot. This ugly concrete tower was built fifty years later. Our story ends, appropriately, at Farewell Spit. This is yet another tower that had to be rebuilt after the original wooden lighthouse rotted. The lighthouse can only be accessed through organised tours along the 30 kilometre sand spit. Well punters, I hope you enjoyed that little excursion around both islands of the country. Time now to consider the onset of winter and more time in the Far North. Thank you for watching. Good luck to all your families.

GYPSY GIGOLO JOURNAL #45

Here we go again with another exciting journal update.
After coming inland from the West Coast I stumbled upon a tractor rally at Tapanui in West Otago.
Virtually all of the 300+ machines were in running order and came from all parts of the south island, plus a few visitors from the north.


Southerners have a distinct accent with their rolled "r"s.
Their spelling, however, is a little suspect when it comes to getting their minds and tongues around 'exhibitors'!


This 1924 oldtime tractor runs on wood which heats up water in the boiler.


Stationary engines of all sizes were on display.
This one was cleverly hooked up to a water pump which ran the shower.


The inventiveness of locals extended to motorising a picnic table - it can do 65kph!

This obligatory shot for the album was to confirm the Bus With No Name and I made it to Bluff.

One of the lesser-known tourist highlights in The Catlins is Niagara Falls.

These were named by a surveyor with an obvious sense of humour.

A Catlins' attraction with a higher profile, so to speak, is Nugget Point lighthouse.

I tried to negotiate this walkway to the lighthouse 3 years ago and was defeated by my fear of heights. This time I beat my acrophobia.

The sign I'm pointing to says "Warning. Beware of Cliffs". There is absolutely nothing dangerous about the cliffs - it's the bloody rocks at the bottom that do the damage to your vital organs when you smash into them!

The rather large rocks in the sea off the point are thought to look like nuggets of gold - hence the name Nugget Point.

This photo was taken on a very clear day.

Mount Cook is 65 kilometres away in the centre background.

The bus and I are at the southern shore of Lake Pukaki which is shrouded by particularly low cloud.

A great spot for a view is from the Mount John observatory near Lake Tekapo.

The night sky is crystal clear here and the star-show is a stunning spectacle.

Time to introduce a little bit of an evangelical flavour.

This is the Church Of The Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo.

This religious bent had me stopping at St David's Church in Cave.

This handsome stone (no nails) structure is a tribute to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country.

I couldn't control myself from having a bit of a rant from the pulpit!

Here is my piece de resistance!!!

On my 7th visit to the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki I finally got this 'ace' shot of Putai blowhole at full blast.

Check out the videos I took and posted on YouTube:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSSiDyR3SY8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jrWOVpPaAI

Conditions were perfect and it seemed like half the ocean squeezed through the gap, shot like a geyser through the air, and then drained away.

The temperature is dropping and the leaves on the trees are changing colour.

I'll be crossing back into the north island in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for watching.

Good luck to your families.

GYPSY GIGOLO JOURNAL #44

Hello once again loyal followers.
This edition acknowledges the start of another adventure in the scenic wonderland that is the south island.
First stop after disembarking the ferry at Picton was Whatamango Bay in Queen Charlotte Sound.


The mussels in the bay were easy pickings and made up the principal ingredient of mussel fritters in beer batter - expertly cooked to perfection!!


About 30kms south of Blenheim, on the coast next to the Lake Grassmere salt works, is Marfells Beach.
A pleasant walk around the coast brings you to Cape Campbell and the lighthouse.


Regular campers at Marfells bring all their toys for harvesting the sea.
I was lucky enough to be given a crayfish by guys who head around the coast on quad bikes at low tide and set their pots each day.


Across the island via Lewis Pass and a visit to the old coal mining ghost-town of Denniston.
Rail wagons full of coal were sent down a 45 degree incline to the valley below - plenty of accidents and more than a few deaths!


The Buller River escapes to the sea at Westport and this camping spot is at the river mouth.

No trip to the west coast should ever be undertaken without a stop to view the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.

The famous Putai blowhole spews seawater high into the air when conditions are right.
This was my 6th visit to the rocks, and the first opportunity to capture the blowhole working.

Lots of history associated with gold mining and plenty of tunnels and workings to explore on the coast.

Lake Ianthe is about 35kms south of Hokitika.

So much rain falls on the west coast that sometimes lakes get a little over-full.

The Harihari Coastal Walk proved to be a bit more of a challenge than I had anticipated.

The swollen Poerua River made a determined effort to sweep me away.

My trusty tokotoko stick came to the rescue and saved me from a dunking, and possibly a drowning!

Lake Matheson was formed many moons ago by the receding Fox Glacier.

In the right conditions it provides a great reflection of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.

I felt the Christchurch earthquake in Franz Josef when it struck on 22nd February.

A visit up to the glacier is compulsory.

The terminal ice face is just beside my left shoulder in this shot.

Time now to start the drift south and east.

Thanks for watching.

Good luck to all your families.