This past April my husband, Jim, and I enjoyed a week in New Zealand. We made no plans for accommodations beforehand, choosing instead to follow our noses as we toured the beautiful country where "The Lord of The Rings" was filmed. We started off our week with a one night’s stay at a ‘hotel’ in Rangiriri, south of Auckland on the North Island. We found the place after visiting with a farmer on the street in a tiny town called Tekawhata. Our lovely room was above a pub with a shared bathroom down the hall. We had a delicious supper of local fish (Gurdnet) and chips, then joined a few patrons in the pub for a drinks. I had several Dark & Stormys (ginger beer and rum) throughout the evening as we enjoyed a very animated political discussion with several gentlemen, one from Australia, one from England, one from Ireland and two from New Zealand. Great beginnings!

   In the morning we headed south and toured an historic garden, then stopped at a farm where we noticed Guernsey cows in the yard. The couple invited us in for a friendly visit and directed us to their nephew’s farm where we watched the milking of 380 cows in 1 hour on a 50-cow rotary milking platform. Farmers the world around speak the same language. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.

   Continuing south to Rotorua (a natural thermal area) we found all the Inns posted with "No Vacancy" signs as Easter weekend is a very busy season there. It was near dark when we discovered an out-of-the-way place to stay on the edge of town. Jim and I enjoyed a natural thermal bath in very hot water coming directly from the earth, smelling strongly of sulfur. The owner (Owen) of the place had quoted us an inflated price for our very nice room, given the season, but changed his mind in the morning as I arrived in his office to pay our bill. He gave us a $10 discount, and so I gave him a bar of my soap, before asking his advice about where to go for breakfast. Well, as we finished our meal, Owen’s wife came running to the cafe to find us. It seems Owen had already tried my soap, liked it and had cut it into four pieces, which he sold. He and his wife will be coming to the states in September and want to pick up a case of my soap to sell when they return to New Zealand!

   On the road again, traveling south, near Taupo we saw a thermal power station, where the natural VERY hot water from below the surface of the earth is being harnessed for energy. There were acres and acres of huge pipes and LOTS of steam arising from a stream that flowed through the site. There were fences all around the stream, warning of scalding water.

   On to Tokomaru, where there is a Steam Engine Museum that Jim wanted to see. We drove most of the day through mountains and desert area. Many road signs along the way admonished us not to get out of the car or walk anywhere off the road as it was a military practice site. Come dusk we found ourselves still several miles from Tokomaru in rural mountains. When we pulled off the road at a BP gas station in a tiny town to ask directions, the owner offered us his log cabin for the night, (just $60NZ) and directed us to a nearby pub for a meal. We met Lorena and Kerry Kilmister, a farm couple who joined us for supper. Jim and I shared stories of farming in the states. They told us about a record amount of rainfall (300 centimeters in one day!) the first week this past March. That explained the many huge landslides we observed while driving along in the mountains. Whole herds of cattle and flocks of sheep were lost as they grazed in the mountains. The livestock slid down into the rivers with the landslides (or slips, as the Kiwis call them. New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis) and were lost.

   The Kilmisters invited us to their home high in the mountains for breakfast the next morning (Easter Sunday!). Lorena and Kerry gave us a tour of their home and sheep farm. They demonstrated their nine sheep dogs’ skill at herding sheep in the mountains. I taught Lorena to spin wool using a pencil and an apple to fashion a primitive spindle. We exchanged email addresses and continue to keep in touch.

   Later in the day we left for Tokomaru, where the steam museum was open for Easter Sunday. After closing for the day, the owner treated Jim to a personal tour of his workshop and lots of rusty stuff in various stages of repair. My husband, who collects antique farm machinery, was entertained and amused by the elderly gentleman for several hours while they traded stories of restoration challenges.

   We arrived in Wellington well after dark. While searching for a place to stay, we discovered Burger Wisconsin (!) and shared a very large burger and fries for supper. The road signs all over New Zealand are a delight. Attached to the signposts everywhere are small signs directing one to B&Bs, campsites, toilets, and always pointing you in any direction to the next town. We found a nice motel near the ferry and bedded down for the night.

   The ferry ride to Picton on the South Island was a few hours long. It was a very big ferry! As we were getting off the ferry I watched a train drive out from under the deck, after lots of automobiles and even semi trucks and trailers disembarked first!

   We drove from Picton along the east coast through the only really rainy day we experienced the whole week. After a leisurely day of driving along the coast we found a B&B in Kaikoura and had a very nice meal (the most expensive for the week) in an Irish pub called Donegan’s down the road apiece.

   The next morning we didn’t get our breakfast, though, because the power was out. Heading inland through more mountains we stopped at a mountaintop lodge for breakfast. The owner graciously allowed me to use his laundry facilities for a mere $5. I played a leisurely game of scrabble with Jim while waiting for our laundry to be done (I won).

   On to Hanmer Springs, another touristy natural thermal area, where we stopped at shops and tasted rum/raisin ice cream. I bought possum/merino wool gloves, and possum fur slippers. In New Zealand possums are a nuisance much like deer are in Wisconsin. They are small animals that produce a lovely fur. The fur is combed or shorn from the animal and blended with wool from merino sheep to produce beautiful, soft, woolen garments. Shops all over the country sell these garments in an effort to control the overpopulation of the pesky animals.

   I asked a shopkeeper if she knew where I could get a fleece for spinning. She directed us to a house on a plateau in the mountains near there. We met Nan and Stuart Masters, 84 & 87 years old. They invited us in to tea (really tea, not dinner) and gave us a tour of their beautiful 1917 Arts & Crafts home. (Now I know where I want spend my golden years!) Nan is a spinner/weaver as I am. We found much in common with each other and whiled away the afternoon visiting, I with Nan and Jim with Stuart. Again, we exchanged addresses and will write letters to keep in touch.

   As we wound down our week, we headed to Christchurch. For the first time all week, we would stay in the same place two nights in a row. We found a simple motel room, not too pricey. We went shopping, walked about the town and had a minor panic when Jim attempted to turn the wrong way into a one-way street. No worries mate! Traffic stopped to allow the yank to get his bearings and continued only when we had cleared the intersection. We enjoyed more delicious local food, toured the square in the center of the city and finally returned to our room to pack in preparation for the flight home.

   I hope my running on didn’t bore you! We met so many warm people, and because we had no plans, we were able to take advantage of any opportunity that presented itself. I’d travel in an unplanned fashion again in a heartbeat!

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   It is mosquito season again for much of the country. To keep yourself safe from insect bites, use my Morning in the Woods soap OR Cerulean Pacific soap daily in the bath or shower. Just bathe and rinse as usual.

   For an insect repellant in the yard while you work or play, mix 2 parts vinegar, 1 part water, and 1 part vegetable oil. Add 3 cloves garlic, crushed. Put in spray bottle and spray bushes, flowers and lawn. This spray will repel flying insects and crawling insects. Try it!