Janice and Iain's New Zealand Trip 2011

After very heavy rain during the night (I could not sleep and was concerned that our hire car would have floated away during the night)!! In the morning we woke up to brilliant sunshine and I was relieved to see that the car was still in the parking place we had left it).

Rarotonga is the largest of the 15 islands which make up the Cook Islands. The population of Rarotonga is around 9,000.

The island is one of the most beautiful in the South Pacific making it popular with around 90,000 visitors each year. The volcanic peaks and white sandy beaches with overhanging palm trees, inside a Coral reef make Rarotonga a paradise island.

We went to the local Punanganui market – it is the place to be for locals and tourists in Raratonga on a Saturday morning.

There are food stalls with all kinds of fish, fruit, veg, crafts etc.

There was also music, dancing and a man removing the husk of a coconut with his teeth!!

There was a great happy atmosphere.

We then visited the local Museum where we saw a small collection of South Pacific and Cook Islands artifacts. The display of items from different periods of time reflects the historical background and the art forms present in the ancient times.

After some more sightseeing including visiting the Maire Nui Botanical Gardens and Cafe (where they use veg and fruit they produce) we went back to our Hotel to do some packing as we were leaving at midnight.

We are both sad that our amazing trip has come to an end but looking forward to getting home to see family and friends and Arnie.

A few of us from the hotel went out for a meal tonight before getting transport to the Airport. When we arrived there was a huge queue for check in and security. Everybody got searched and although luggage was X-rayed all our hand luggage was searched. I was sure that we would be delayed for hours but amazingly we were only 30 minutes late in leaving.

Our flight to Los Angeles took 8 ½ hours and we managed to get some sleep in between a lovely meal at breakfast. Not sure what time of night or day we were eating and sleeping. Not sure how our “body clocks will cope”.

Although our luggage was due to go straight through to Edinburgh we were told that we would need to collect our luggage at Los Angeles. On the plane we were informed that we would not need to collect our luggage but to be on the safe side we thought we would check – sure enough our two cases were on the carousel. We then had to check in again and go through security etc.

After a stopover of four hours we were on our way again. The plane was a Boeing 747 and we were fortunate to get seats near the back with two seats with slightly more leg room. Although the flight was a bit bumpy at times we managed to doze off and on. We only had a short time in Heathrow before getting our flight to Edinburgh. This time we did not need to collect our luggage until we got to Edinburgh. (I was not convinced that we would see our cases again but they were there when we arrived in Edinburgh).

We were met by Christopher on a sunny afternoon and when we got home we got a great welcome from Arnie. He is looking well and goes for a check up to Glasgow on Thursday.

By the time we got home Iain was exhausted and went straight to bed and slept for a few hours. I stayed up but by 10pm I could not keep my eyes open and went to bed and slept well and woke up feeling refreshed this morning.

We have just had a lazy day and trying to adjust to being back home – I have had a look at our blog this afternoon and can hardly believe that we have been to all these places. We have so many wonderful memories and experiences to treasure for years to come.

Once we have been home a few days we will both be writing about our special experiences and favourite things over the past few weeks.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers during our trip.

Hi all – it is good to be back online again. After spending the night in the car and 12 hours at the airport we were relieved when it was announced that two NZ Air Force Planes would be flying to Auckland that evening and we could leave. The Red Cross were trying to get as many people away from the Airport as possible as there had been a number of aftershocks during the day and evening.

We talked to a lot of people at the airport – some who had survived the earthquake and only had the clothes they were wearing as everything else was in their Hotel rooms and they were not able to get back to their hotels. People were stunned, upset, relieved etc and emotions were high.

We took a bus to the RAF base and our luggage was checked in and we had forms to complete to ensure that the authorities were aware of tourists who had left the country. It has been a difficult task for the authorities in Christchurch to find out tourists who are missing.

At 12 midnight we took off in a Hercules – an experience that I don’t think we will ever have again. The flight took two hours and it wasn’t very comfortable but we were all relieved to get away from Christchurch safely.

Our travel agent had arranged for us to have a room in one of the Airport Motels for the day so that we could get a sleep, shower, food etc. After a rest we were ready for our next part of our adventure – our flight to Raratonga. We arrived here at 12.45am (a day earlier than when we left NZ – all very confusing for our body clocks). We received a lovely welcome at the Airport and were all given fresh flower garlands.

The next morning (Thursday) we woke up to brilliant sunshine and a wonderful view from our room – the beach and blue seas.

It was a very emotional day for us both – we were relieved to be safe but could not forget what had happened since Tuesday.

We decided to explore the island and got the bus – there is a clockwise bus and an anti-clockwise bus and I don’t think anybody could get lost here.

Before we could hire a car Iain had to apply for a Cook Islands Driving Licence at the Police Station. He had to join a queue and pay $20 to get one which lasts for a year!! The car has air conditioning and it has been great and we have explored the island and visited places that we would not have been able to do by bus.

On the plane from Auckland I was sitting beside a Pastor at one of the Churches on the Island (there are a huge number of churches here). He and his wife also have a café near the airport so we went there for lunch and they gave us information of what things we could do on our short visit here.

They recommended an evening at Te Vara Nui Village – for a unique cultural experience.

We were picked up at our hotel in the transport you can see on the photo.

It was a great evening and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting some of the locals and learning about their culture.

There is a fixed stage in the lake and the dancers perform vibrant, dazzling shows complete with fire dancing over the lake and waterfall, dancers moving on floating stages.

According to the brochure – “the sheer rhythmic energy backed by pulsating drums is a cultural act like no other in the country” – it was a wonderful evening with an excellent buffet dinner.

Yet another wonderful day with lots of memories.

And to finish the evening off we met the Lady owner and had our photo taken with her!

Hi this is just another quick update for you all.

Presently we are in the departure lounge at Auckland International Airport waiting for our flight to Raratonga on the Cook Islands.

We had an interesting day at Christchurch airport. After spending the night in the car we went to the airport to be told our flight had been cancelled. Janice eventually got the Air New Zealand help desk and was offered a flight at 8am this morning, which we accepted knowing we would have to spend the night in the airport.

There were continuing aftershocks and a few quite strong ones and a big one early evening. About 8pm last night we were offered a Red Cross flight to Auckland flown by the NZ military. The authorities were trying to move as many people out of the airport as possible. Going on the basis that there might have been more large aftershocks and the possibility that the airport might have to shut again, we took the offer.

The flight took off at midnight to the military airbase at Auckland. It was our first flight in a Hercules! It was interesting and exciting and another twist to our Aventure! The flight took just under two hours and while noisy - we had to wear ear plugs - it was fine. It wasn't as comfortable as the 777 we came out on but it did the job. We were all seated in lines sideways through the aircraft and the seating was suspended canvas. It was fine for two hours but I wouldn't want to do long haul in one. We arrived about 2am and then bussed to the International airport We were treated well and greeted by a lovely scots lady who had moved to NZ 5 years ago. Needless to say we had a good blether with her.

On our arrival we decided to check in for our flight later and had some lovely and sympathetic Air New Zealand staff. Once that was complete we phoned the hotel, our travel agent had booked for us, to see if we could get in early - after an extra 40 dollars for early checkin we got the shuttle to our hotel. After checkin we had a light breakfast and got to bed around 7am and slept sound till about 2pm.

We feel so much better having had food, a sleep and a shower. Our flight boards in about 30 mins. So I will have to finish now. We met so many lovely people at the airport and very helpful staff and Red Cross volunteers that the experience was a lovely one. Janice and I saw the pictures of the city and the devastation on a young man's computer last night and live on the TV this morning and we are so sad for the people of Christchurch - many who have lost loved ones and everything they own. Our hearts go out to them. We are also sad that the beautiful city that we enjoyed so much has been damaged so badly.

Thanks again for all the texts calls and e-mails - Jan and I greatly appreciated your concern, support and prayers.

Love to you all

Iain and Janice

HI all

A quick update. Jan and I are fine but tired after spending the night in the car. We drove through arthurs pass to Christchurch last night but there was nowhere to stay and nothing open. Our flight to Auckland was cancelled so we will get one at 8am tomorrow and one at 7pm to Rarotonga arriving at midnight. We will have a room at Auckland so we can catch up on some sleep as we will have to sleep in the airport Hilton tonight :-)

Thanks for all the emails an text and calls we really appreciate your love and concern.

I will update as and when we can.

Iain and Janice xx

After a good sleep we woke up to a very cloudy, misty day and were not sure what our plans for the day were.

After breakfast we decided to go to Fox Glacier (yes they do sell Fox’s Glacier mints that they have imported from UK).

We were not sure how near the glacier we would get so we followed the signs to the “lookout” and got a really good view when the mist cleared a bit.

We then decided that we would try to get as near to the glacier as possible.

On our way we took a photo of a pool of water (a funny thing to take a photo of but the colours in the water were lovely), the massive cliff face and the huge ice rocks.

There was an information board with “rules to be obeyed” ie good footwear, warm clothing, keep to the track etc.

With my track record of falling we thought we should read these instructions and obey them. It was amazing walking there and seeing the beauty of God’s work.

By the time we reached the glacier it was raining so we did not stay long – long enough to take a photo of me to prove that we were there!!

We went through a “petrified forest” to get to Gillespie Beach – Iain was in his element driving on “one track” roads.

The beach was nothing like the beaches we are used to but lots of driftwood – Iain is always looking for quirky things to photograph!

We then wanted to go to Lake Matheson to see the reflective views of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman but by then the rain was really heavy and it was very misty so we decided not to do the hours walk. We were disappointed but bought some postcards of the view instead (not quite the same).

Tomorrow we head for Greymouth and drop off the rental car and go on the Tranz Alpine Train to Christchurch where we get picked up and taken back to the lovely accommodation at Camelot Lodge. We then get picked up at 4am to go to the Airport to fly to Auckland and then on to the Cook Islands to “chill out”.

We are both sorry to be leaving NZ as we have had a wonderful time here. It has been great to do this journey with you all and thanks for your support and prayers throughout our journey.

We are not sure if we will be able to get “on line” when we are in Rarotonga but we will do our best.