Western Springs...New Zealand

A while ago I came across an article about twin cities, which made me wonder - is there another town called Western Springs? (I realize twin cities are different from duplicate cities, but it got me thinking about it.) It turns out that there is, and it's on the other side of the world, 8330 miles away - give or take.

I looked it up on Wikipedia and discovered they had a stadium (which hosts rugby matches and car races), the Auckland Zoo, a large park with a small lake fed by the springs, which used to also supply Auckland with water. It sounded interesting, so in the name of Tour Development (I am a tour operator), I set out for Auckland in November 2023, at the beginning of their spring. The trip would be short and focused. I had ten days to see everything I wanted on my two-week itinerary.

The day after arriving, my travel companion and I (a friend from college who lives in Melbourne) began with a trip to an island 40 minutes from Auckland called Waiheke. It mainly produces wine and art, and a lot of Aucklanders have second homes there. Kind of like New Buffalo except with palm trees and wine and the South Pacific Ocean.

From there, we went to Rotorua. The flight took us over geothermal pools, puffing out smoke and sulfur. Upon arrival we made our way to a unique spa designed, owned and run by a Maori tribe. We did the restorative journey experience, and it definitely was. I drifted off to sleep on a ledge of a warm pool overlooking a lake and emerged with skin 15 years younger and softer than an hour before.

The following day (this was a sprint as I mentioned), we flew to the capital of South Island's wine region, Blenheim. Situated in Marlborough, Blenheim was the perfect gateway. The region has over 68,000 acres under production and makes over 80% of New Zealand's wine. The landscape is stunning, and drinking Savignon Blanc in Marlborough was a great experience.

An overnight in Blenheim, and we were back on the road, driving south along the Pacific coast, with stops along the way. Our ultimate destination was Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula about an hour from Christchurch. The city which has been through a lot. In 2011 it was almost completely destroyed by a nearby 6.2 earthquake and had to be rebuilt. It's now shiny and new now, and it was a community project - complete with surveys for residents and long planning sessions.

Next stop was Akaroa. Getting there was like driving through the Garden of Eden and arriving in Paradise. The town's origins are French and Portuguese, but it became the home to a significant event in Maori-Anglo history which still reverberates today.

A Maori tribe from the North Island launched a raid on the Maori tribe in Akaroa (family dispute), facilitated by an English captain who delivered them to Akaroa in his ship - in exchange for hemp rope. A survivor of the raid (there were very few) made it to Australia where he related the events to the governor. His story was in turn reported it back to England. Envoys were sent from England back to Akaroa, which resulted ultimately in seeing off the French and the settling of New Zealand by the English. (That's a very condensed version of the story.)

From Akaroa we drove across the island (with one overnight to stargaze on Mount Cook and admire the Southern Cross. Mt Cook is in a dark sky reserve and looking at the southern sky and seeing the Southern Cross was very special. The Southern Cross was proof that we were on the other side of the world. It was also a link to early explorers who navigated by this constellation.

The next day, we came down from the mountains and arrived in Queenstown, gateway to the famous Milford Sound, which we did not do on this trip. I flew back up to Auckland and made one final stop: Western Springs. My Uber driver from Fiji and very patient as I wandered around the park taking pictures and reading the signs.

The main attraction is the park where the springs that supplied Auckland with water still are. Their springs are actually underground rivers that "run through ancient valleys created by the erruptions and lava flows of the surrounding volcanic field." The underground caverns are also where the Maori chief Ruarangi and his people hid when they were at war with another tribe. His people escaped, but Chief Ruarangi did not unfortunately. The Western Springs supplied the city's water until 1910. The 64-acre park is now a sanctuary for native wildlife. You can find the full story here. (All of this made me realize I don't know much about the geology and history of our own springs. I need to make a trip to the tower museum...)

My time was up, and I needed to head back to the airport. Sahim, my Uber driver made a detour on the way there to a strawberry farm that had just opened for the season. The opening of the farm is his signal that summer is beginning. It was packed with people - apparently a trip there for fresh strawberry ice cream is an annual ritual for many. They didn't take credit cards so HE bought me an ice cream (like none other) and a box of strawberries for the plane. The kindness of strangers...

The flight was great, but I'm one of those people who loves flying. Before I knew it, I was back in the land of the North Star, spring was gone and winter was coming. I have been excited about a group tour there ever since.

At last, that tour is happening this November. It's a long way to travel, but it may be one of the most memorable journeys of your life. There will be 12 travelers and six spaces remain. Come join me and discover this magnificent country, taking in the sights and sounds and flavors as we go.