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Akky at Fox Glacier
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The NZ flight we missed
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Milford Sound
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Otiago Peninsula
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The Campbells and Henry
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Preparing for the Maori feast
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Aerial view of lake
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Auckland from the air
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Auckland's North Shore
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Richard Neave & Sue Campbell
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Steaming Geisers, Rotorua
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Sue Campbell
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The photos were taken by Alistair
Campbell and Akky Mansikka.
It was more than a three
hour Air New Zealand flight from Sydney, Australia over the Tasman Sea
to Christchurch, New Zealand, two years late for the 99s International
Convention which was held in 2005. My husband Henry and I would be
staying with 99 Pat Campbell and her husband Alistair. The sky had been
clear over the 1500 miles across the ocean but now a cloud bank appeared
as we approached the coast of New Zealand. Snow capped mountains peeked
through the cloud layer as we started to descend. The cloud bank thinned
out as we started our approach into Christchurch on the east coast of
New Zealand. Visible through the gaps were the snow capped mountains
which flattened out into the Canterbury plains. The interesting feature
on the plains visible from the air were the large hedges surrounding the
green fields referred to as paddocks.
Pat and Alistair met us at
the arrivals and proceeded to show us some of the more interesting
sights around Christchurch… the large caves on the beach at Redcliffs
and Sumner, the hairpin drive to the port of Lyttelton inside a volcanic
crater, then through a tunnel back to the village of Lincoln on the
outskirts of Christchurch where they lived. Through the rural flat
countryside, the hedges that we saw from the air turned out to be neatly
trimmed 40 feet tall barriers. What a job it must be to trim them!
Pat and Alistair were
university professors and a wealth of knowledge. Their home, a
registered museum, was a feast for the eyes. We spent a morning with Pam
Collings at the Canterbury Aero Club across the runway from the main
terminal of the Christchurch airport. We watched large jets taking off
and landing in the rain through the large floor to ceiling windows of
the club. A Hercules was parked in front of a hangar that said United
States Antarctic Program, ready for its trip south. With low ceilings
and rain, we did some hanger flying with interesting people and their
ventures. Then Pam took us to downtown Christchurch to the original
buildings of the University of Canterbury where Ernest Rutherford worked
on the newly discovered wireless waves - later at Cambridge in England
and in Montreal, he discovered the structure of the atom. The nearby
gardens with their tulips, daffodils, azaleas and magnolias were
blooming. This was October, Spring in New Zealand. We stopped by the
hotel where the 99s convention had been held and had drinks. From the
glass elevator, a panoramic view of downtown Christchurch was visible
through the rain. Dinner that night was with a group of 99s, Pat and
Alistair, Pam Collings, Helen Collie (Section Chair) and Yvonne Loader
at the Cabbage Tree Restaurant.
The next morning, the Tranz
Alpine Express train took my husband Henry and me across the spectacular
Southern Alps to the west coast of New Zealand. By bus we traveled
south, with the ocean on one side of the road and mountains on the
other, to Frans Josef glacier which almost reached the highway, and on
to Fox Glacier where we stopped for the night. We hiked to the glacier
and later had a most spectacular helicopter ride through the canyon and
over the tongue of the glacier to the mountain tops. I did not know that
helicopters could do steep turns…a real canyon turn at that! At night we
saw the glow worms sparkling like stars along the dark forest trails.
From there we went by bus on
to Queenstown the adventure capitol of New Zealand. Here you can bungee
jump, hang glide, or go by jet boat up narrow river canyons. Henry and I
did some quieter things like shopping, eating and some hiking in the
mountains. I think Pat Campbell has tried it all, even put an army tank
through its various maneuvers. On the last day there, I though I might
try the hang gliding but ran out of time. Now that would have been real
flying! From there we went on to Milford Sound and then across the
Island to Dunedin to see the sea lions, yellow eyed penguins and
albatrosses. At Mount Cook, also known as Aoraki, the weather was
unsuitable for the flight in a ski plane to the glaciers tops, so we
opted for a leisurely lunch at a hotel, the Hermitage, with its large
windows overlooking the tallest mountain; and then back over the
Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. The flight from Christchurch to
Auckland on the northern end of the North Island was mostly over a cloud
cover.
Richard Neave, the husband
of 99 Sue Campbell, met us at arrivals in Auckland. The Auckland
International Airport had an interesting display about Jean Batten who
had flown her aircraft from England to New Zealand in 1936, the first
person to do so. She set distance and speed records and was awarded New
Zealand’s highest aviation awards, the first woman to do so. Her tiny
plane was also on display there. Richard and Sue own a Mooney that
Richard rebuilt from a salvaged aircraft from Australia. This is the
third Mooney Richard has rebuilt - he is known in New Zealand as Mr.
Mooney. They have flown the 1500 miles across the Tasman Sea several
times in their Mooney. They took Henry and me on a flight from their
"home away from home" hangar at their aero club on the outskirts north
east of Auckland, over the downtown harbour, north along the volcanic
cone of Rangitoto Island and Waiheke Island which we later visited by
ferry.
About 90 kms south to the
town of Rotorua situated in a geothermal area, we met 99 Ena Monk. She
showed us the sights of the area… the Agrodome where we saw many
different breeds of sheep, sheep shearing and dogs working with the
sheep; Te Apia, the Maori Cultural Centre; the geothermal pools and
geyser, the museum and baths. After soaking in our hotel’s hot mineral
baths which tapped directly into the underground thermals, we went to a
traditional Maori feast a “Hangi” with Maori entertainment. We left
Rotorua with its sulphur smells and steaming hot pools for Auckland and
our 13 hour flight home. Because of crossing the International Date Line
we would arrive in North America at the same time we left New Zealand -
now that is flying!
