TALES FROM THE TOP

The final stop on this whirlwind tour of small town New Zealand was the Maori enclave of Rotorua.

Here you get totally immersed in Maori culture, from sacred wood carving, weaving, extracting fiber from plants to learning about the edible plants and herbs in the town’s lush bush.

And this must also be the only town where locals perform the hongi to people they meet.

I dropped by a Maori village in the evening to partake in the Te Puai night cultural extravaganza and traditional hangi dinner.

And guess who was chosen tribal chief?

That’s also where I learn the traditional Maori Haka but I think I failed to intimidate anyone

We retreated to a very remote hunting lodge in the evening.

Treetops is inconveniently nestled among the Rotorua bush, but the drive up was well worth it.

The lodge was as luxurious as any 5 star accommodation in any city. Except this one is self sustaining, everything consumed here is grown in the farm or picked from the bush.

The lodge’s chef took me for a bush walk to pick herbs for dinner, and again I joined him in the kitchen to prepare our dinner.

But I couldn’t wait to retreat to our lodge at the end of the night, just because the rainy weather was perfect to light a fire and keep warm indoors.

Of course I had to take pictures of the stylish and thoughtful rooms too, apart from the usual toiletries found in many hotels, Treetops stocks its guestrooms with sunscreen, lip balm, eye cream and a bedside “sleep sniff” to help put guests to sleep.

It was truly very difficult to wake up the next morning for an early flight out of Rotorua to catch our Singapore flight from Auckland.

Who would have thought traveling through small towns in New Zealand would bring me face to face with a woman I grew up seeing on Philippine TV.

She calls herself the “Crazy American” and she operates a vacation house so ostentatious you might think you just walked into a Hollywood movie set circa 1940’s.

Karen used to live in Manila when her then husband was a diplomat. She did a tv ad for a popular milk brand back in the early 80’s and I can still recall it all. What a small world indeed.

She hosted an evening soiree at her home where me and my entourage stayed for the night, in glamorously extravagant bedrooms with names like Zsa Zsa, Marilyn, Isabelle and Esmeralda.

The highlight of the night was learning how to cook, with New Zealand’s Chef of the Year 2007.

The stay at Park Hill Estates showed me how it would be to live the glamorous Hollywood life of yesteryears.

The town of Napier is also well known for it’s Art Deco architecture. So the next day we hopped into a vintage 1930’s car for a drive by through the town’s busy streets and boulevards to have a glimpse of its well preserved art deco buildings.

It is probably the only town on earth where people not just drive their vintage cars but also dress-up in costumes of the era.

The other day we drove through the artists’ town of Nelson, along the coast.

Charming town with its fair share of shopping venues and chic boutiques downtown.

But what we went for was the artists and the studios that dot every corner of the town.

Being in Nelson gave me the chance to blow some glass and make something out of all that shattered left-over. But I must admit, I only did the easy part and the expert in the studio did the rest of it.

I also met a famous artist Ana Leary who just so happened to be putting on an exhibit of her work right by the beach. Imagine that — an art installation curving along side the coastline at low tide.

I also met the guys who crafted the Lord of the Rings ring.

They say you see a lot more stars up in the heavens when you look up to New Zealand’s night sky.

And that’s exactly where I am now, under a canopy of hundreds, perhaps thousands of stars.

My day started with an early morning Aqua taxi ride to the Abel Tasman National Park, the starting point of my day in the wilderness.

I am not a big fan of the wild, or of nature, but when I get to do it around a beach – I’m all for it.

I met my kayaking guide at the station and we both set out to hunt for seals. It was a two hour journey through the calm waters of the Tasman Sea to Tonga Island where seals usually sun themselves in a cold spring morning like today. But since we got there at the wrong time, there were only a handful of seals swimming about.

We paddled back to shore for a picnic lunch and then it was off to what is to be a highlight of this wilderness adventure I allowed myself to be part of.

The Awaroa Lodge at Abel Tasman National park. It is only accessible by boat or kayaks making the journey something really unforgettable. My arms were just in pain by the time I got to shore.

The lodge is more modern and chic than what I had expected. My room was a split level unit with the bedroom on the upper level and the living area and bathroom on the lower. The balcony faces the wilderness that is Abel Tasman National Park.

The Awaroa Londge is self sustaining and very environmentally friendly, so much so that I got lost just listening to it’s development director spell out the effort the company puts in to make sure Awaroa Lodge is number one not just in meeting it’s customer’s needs but also of the environment around it. In fact there are reminders everywhere to conserve water and energy because the supply is limited.

There are no TVs in the room and the best internet connection I can get is intermittent. Forget about your mobile phone, there is zero reception up here.

In a way the lodge really forces its guests to re-connect with nature…with nothing else to watch in the room, I found myself staring at the skies trying to count the stars and see if they match the number of sheep I counted on my way to the lodge.

There will be plenty of firsts for me in this trip. I accepted the assignment because I know I wouldn’t be doing some of the things we’ll be doing if it wasn’t for this project.

I accepted because I’ve never been to the southern hemisphere before.

I accepted because I love discovering new places. And I had a feeling it will be a fantastic road trip.

Day two began with a 2 hour drive to Kaikura, the coastal town along the west coast of New Zealand.

This maybe a small town of no more than 4 thousand people but there is plenty of activities to keep me busy.

This is where I got my first taste of cow dung all over me after a 2 hour All Terrain Vehicle tour of a real-live working animal farm.

We drove the quad bikes up and down the hilly terrain up to the coast and back. Along the way, close encounters with cows, sheeps and seals.

At the end of it all, i was covered in dust and dried up dung.

More firsts on m second day in Kaikoura. I hopped abaord my first helicopter ride for an eagle eye’s view of the mighty sperm whales that feed in this part of the pacific. The helicopter ride was thrilling enough with the blistering winds bumping us all over the place. But the bumpy ride to the middle of the bay was well worth it when the mighty sperm whale surfaced for a breath of fresh air. That moment was just priceless.

I also had the chance to meet the native Maori people to talk about their unique culture. Lesson number one, the Hongi. Which is a traditional greeting of pressing your noses together. It symbolises the exchange of breath.

And there was crayfish everywhere…as one would expect. The town of KaiKoura literally means “A Meal of Crayfish” in the Maori language.

What happens when you un-pluck a city boy and ship him over to experience country living in New Zealand?

Well, that’s what I am about to find out in the next 10 days.

Not so long ago, Channel News Asia shipped me to Chirstchurch for a self-drive adventure that will take me through the heart and soul of New Zealand and it’s Maori people.

It was easy on paper, all I had to do is follow instructions and a map and make my way to a dozen or so small towns and check out charming accommodations and attractions for visitors.

First stop is Hanmer Springs. A 90 minute drive from Christchurch International Airport.

So I grabbed my pre-arrange SUV, drove to the nearby grocery store and stocked up for the drive ahead.

The road was fabulously scenic, rolling hills, farmland, cows and a whole lot of sheep. A hint of things to come for the next few days down here.

Soon as I reached Hanmer Springs, I checked in at the bed and breakfast booked for me.

I was given a charming suite with everything anyone will need for a one night stay.

Soon after dropping of my travel gear, I made a beeline to the town’s main attraction. The thermal pools.

The brochure says travel weary visitors will find the mineral rich pools relaxing and rejuvinating.

I thought, what a perfect way to get my body aches repaired. A great way to ease jetlag.

The inn keeper served a wonderful three course breakfast. Breakfast is the pride of the inn and I was encouraged the night before to order what I want so everything will be ready when I get up.

I drove off after breakfast for Kaikoura 2 hours away…

And the adventure continues…