The Bay of Islands is in New Zealand’s sub-tropical far north. This is the view there from the front porch of the luxurious Kimberley Lodge that overlooks the town of  Russell.    Photo by Gene Korte

New Zealand, a green and lush neighbor to the southeast of Australia in the Pacific Ocean, is long and narrow like California, though it’s divided into two main islands and is overall smaller than the Golden State. To illustrate, at least in part, why New Zealand with its moderate climate and thousands of miles of uncrowded coastline attracts so many visitors and wannabe immigrants, its population is 2 million versus California’s 35 million.

We  traveled from the top of the North Island in the Bay of Islands, near where the British and the native Maori signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 down to Queenstown in the South Island. We visited four distinctive areas of the country in eight days. We flew over New Zealand’s interior on our way down south, sometimes crisscrossing from east to west and back again. We saw miles and miles of empty coastline and vast verdant forests with the wispy clouds that looked like the Middle-earth in the “Lord of the Rings” movies. And that’s one of the reasons we came to New Zealand — to see this new South Pacific Hollywood.

MOVIE-MAKING KIWI STYLE

While “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is perhaps the best known of the recent movies made in New Zealand, recent additions are Tom Cruise’s “The Last Samurai” and “Whale Rider,” both filmed on the North Island and released in 2003.

Greeted in New Plymouth in the Taranaki region by a traditional Maori welcome, Cruise is a big hero here. He and his movie crew who did the filming in early 2003 brought in millions of dollars to the area and were good neighbors as well.

New Zealand was chosen as the site for the story that takes place in Japan in the 1870s, because Mount Taranaki looks like Japan’s Mount Fuji, the weather is pleasant, and it’s not crowded. Many Kiwis, as the New Zealanders call themselves, benefited from the Hollywood influx — homeowners who rented their houses to crew members, the car dealer who leased 262 Toyota RAV4s for the crew and hotels that were totally booked for months. The extra business even trickled down to Frances Rogers in nearby Waitara who raises dozens of varieties of peppers from the cool to the very hot. She said she provided a number of boxes of peppers for the movie crew.

We were in New Plymouth toward the end of the filming, while some sets were still intact. By cutting through someone’s yard (the person we were with said it was okay) and standing on the railroad tracks, we could see the Japanese village by the harbor. And in a valley outside of town, we viewed another Japanese village that was covered in “snow” on a warm early fall day. In addition to closeness to mountains, this area is on the coast and attracts surfers as well.

RIDING IN XENA’S CHARIOT AND TOURING THE `LORD OF THE RINGS’ FILM SITES IN QUEENSTOWN

Even before the number of movies increased, two long-running American TV programs — “Xena, Warrior Princess” and “Hercules” — were filmed on Bethell’s Beach near Auckland. Now you can go there and perhaps ride in a horse-drawn chariot with Xena’s stunt double. As the number of movies increase, so does the tourist interest. Ian Brodie’s “The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook” is New Zealand’s fastest-selling book. With the guidebook in hand, visitors can explore the locations by car, jetboat, kayak, four-wheel drive, helicopter and on foot.

Queenstown in the South Island is the adventure capital of New Zealand. The first commercial bungee jump was here. We suspect locals climb the Remarkables — the local mountain range most often seen in the “Lord of the Rings” movies –for lunch. And people pay good money to skim over shallow creeks with only inches to spare at 50 miles per hour in a 12-passenger boat powered by a 350 Chevy V-8 engine. We did that. It’s called jetboating, the kind of boat ride where you hang on to your hat and clutch the heated bar with your other hand. Our ride on the Dart River took us into regions near the filming of “Amon Hen.” For those of you who have seen the movies, that’s where Merry and Pippin were captured by the Orcs near the end of the first movie, “The Fellowship of the Ring.” On a Nomad Safaris trip, we went through Arrowtown, near Queenstown, to see yet another scene from this movie. Our driver put the Land Rover into low and drove us well into the creek-like Arrow River to the spot where, according to Brodie, “The Nazgul charged as Arwen ferried Frodo across the river on Asfaloth, her Elven steed.” Looking at both scenes takes a little imagination, as special effects makes movie scenes much grander than the real thing.

NEW ZEALAND’S LUXURIOUS LODGES

High-end boutique resorts are called lodges in New Zealand. Our travels took us to four of them in addition to Auckland’s Hilton Hotel, which is shaped like a ship, on Prince’s Wharf. The surroundings, service and dining at all of these great lodges was superb, and they each offered a variety of wines predominantly from New Zealand. The capacity for each lodge is about 10 guests, and every location was a stunning one-of-a-kind place.

The Boatshed is a lodge on Waiheke Island that overlooks the bay, a weekend-in-the-country ferry ride away from Auckland. Among its suites is the out-of-the-way Lighthouse, a favorite with honeymooners. Waiheke Island is home to a number of vineyards including Stonyridge, whose LaRose Cabernet is the most expensive wine in New Zealand.

The Bay of Islands is in New Zealand’s sub-tropical far north and home to a lodge with history and another that’s reached only by ferry. The Orongo Bay Homestead on 17 acres is the home of the first U.S. consulate in New Zealand and dates back to the 1860s. Fully restored with period furniture, it’s the only certified organic lodge in New Zealand. The nearby luxurious Kimberly Lodge overlooks the town of Russell with astounding views of the Bay of Islands. Chef Virginia Holloway offers a popular cooking class that takes guests out of the kitchen to the seashore to gather mussels from the rocks, for starters.

Outside of Queenstown is a lodge called Punatapu or Sacred Waters, as it’s known in Maori. The most unusual feature of any lodge that we saw is Punutapu’s Artist in Residence program. The well-known Kiwi artist John Bevan Ford is there currently. The artist lives in a house up the hill from the lodge quarters and invites guests to his sunny studio where he demonstrates and discusses how he does his work. He also joins in at some of the meals in the lodge and adds an interesting perspective for travelers lucky enough to stay there.

INCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE

GETTING THERE

Air New Zealand, Web page: http://www.airnewzealand.com, or (800) 369-6867. Rated among the world’s finest international airlines by travel magazine readers, ANZ offers more direct flights to the South Pacific than any other carrier, including 17 non-stop flights a week from Los Angeles to Auckland. ANZ’s South Pacific Airpass, when combined with an international ticket, allows two to 10 stopovers to destinations in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Samoa and Tonga.

Special to The Denver Post  http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_0002569878

© 2005-2014  Diana and Gene Korte

Aitutaki locals, some say the best dancers in this part of the world, perform in Rarotonga.         Photo by Gene Korte

This Polynesian paradise of more than a dozen islands was settled about 1,500 years ago, according to local oral history. In pre-missionary days, like most of their
neighbors in this part of the world, the islanders practiced cannibalism. Today most of the inhabitants are practicing Methodists.

The British Captain Cook, the namesake for the Cooks, traveled in the South Pacific several times in the 18th century, though he didn’t see as much of this island group as the mutineers on the Bounty did. Their last stop before taking off for Pitcairn Island was in the Cooks.

Aitutaki (pronounced eye-too-tock-ee), one of the main islands, is an atoll surrounded by a 27-mile, movie quality turquoise lagoon. While there, we attended the annual dance contest held at Prince Edward Hall. It was a family affair with what seemed like most of the population crowded in for an exciting night of pounding drums and shouted encouragement from the audience for the young dancers on stage. Each contestant had to perform certain prescribed movements, much like the exacting steps in an ice-skating competition.

Cook Islanders, Aitutakians in particular, usually win South Pacific dance contests. We can guess why. In the same way that families in alpine areas around the world produce fine skiers, these islanders teach their children from toddlers on up how to dance. They move their bodies with skill and speed, isolating and wiggling this group of muscles and then that group, in amazing ways.

While watching dancers at the Rarotongan Beach Resort one night, a man sitting at the next table turned to his wife and asked, ‘‘Is that possible? Can the human body do that?’’ In this part of the world, indeed, it can.

…

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© 2011  Diana and Gene Korte

For more information, go to http://www.cookislands.travel/USA.

Glamis Castle, one of the stops for The Royal Scotsman, has more than 300 rooms. One of its most famous residents was Queen Mum,  the current Queen Elizabeth’s mother.  She grew up here the ninth of ten children. Her pink-walled sitting room is on the castle tour.     Photo by Gene Korte

Our four-day journey on this 36-passenger, maroon-and-gold liveried train across the Scottish Highlands began with a traipse to the tracks led by a kilted bagpiper at Waverly Station in Edinburgh while we passengers came along behind him.

Glamis Castle, a stop on this rail journey arranged by Abercrombie & Kent (www.abercrombiekent.com), has more than 300 rooms with knights’ armor in some of the hallways and numerous giant portraits of the previous 17 Earls of Strathmore gracing many of the walls.

Today Glamis is perhaps best known for its connection to the recent movie, “The King’s Speech.” King George VI of Britain, the film’s main character, was married to the current Queen Elizabeth’s mother, Queen Mum. Glamis was her family home. She grew up here the ninth of ten children, and her sunny sitting room is on the castle tour.

Earthquakes, a tsunami and radiation leaks in northern Japan in March, 2011 kept many travelers away. But since then, Tokyo and Fukuoka, a city in the south of Japan, for example, have appeared on top destination lists.

The “floating” red torii is an entry gate to the Itsukushima-jinja Shrine on Miyajima Island that dates back to the 6th century.                                  Photo by Gene Korte

In many parts of the world, travelers are warned to beware of thieves, muggers, even terrorists, but not in Japan. This country is a traveler’s safe haven.  And Japan is home to a polite people. Taxi drivers wear white gloves and drive clean cabs. Ticket takers bow as you walk through the train station to board immaculate trains. And though subway stations are crowded, no one bumps into you as you make your way to your platform.

Restaurants show you the food on their menus in a front window display, so you don’t  have to speak Japanese to eat well. You just point to what you want. And, as many a traveler appreciates, you can drink the tap water and not get sick as can happen in some other parts of Asia.

Can you expect the Japanese to speak English? After many trips to Japan, we find that more and more people in the tourist industries of hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops speak English.  And many students study English, so they can be helpful when you’re looking for directions.  The biggest advantage for travelers here is that the Japanese want to help you.

Here’s our top 10 list of favorite things to see, do and eat here in alphabetical order.  For more information about Japan, go to http://www.japantravelinfo.com.

FOOD ON A STICK, BENTO AND SWEET BEAN DESSERTS

Sure you can find Western-style food here, even burgers at the Golden Arches, but why not eat like the locals do? Beyond noodle stands and sushi parlors, there’s food on a stick. Americans have caramel apples and corndogs, but the Japanese have creamy, buttery-tasting potatoes on a stick. In Fukuoka, a southern city, we enjoyed gravy-dipped and breaded octopus on a stick. Honestly, it tasted like chicken.

Green tea is Japan’s national drink and available everywhere, hot or cold. A bento, or lunch box, is available in train stations and department stores and features local foods. Commonly that’s sea vegetables, small pieces of fish and rice. Every bento has the food separated into its own compartment and is eaten with chopsticks. Rice, of course, is the ultimate comfort food here. Among its many manifestations, there’s breakfast rice porridge, and in the city of Shimabara,
they have rice balls that taste like marshmallows.

Seaweed can be pickled, found in soups and stews, a table condiment, or wrapped around
sushi. More on sushi later. Fish in one form or another is often eaten three times a day. And for that last course, how about a manjyu or sweet bean dessert? It’s made from mashed sweet beans and covered with a layer of rice flour.

HIMEJI CASTLE

This is one of Japan’s grandest castles. Originally built in 1333, it was remodeled for the last time 400 years ago. Called the White Heron,  some say this soaring castle resembles a bird taking flight. Lines of visitors form every day. Intimidating in appearance with its five tiers and mammoth size, it’s a World Heritage site that surprisingly has never been damaged by war. This authentic site has appeared in numerous movies, including  “The Last Samurai.”

HIROSHIMA

A visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and its surrounding park coincided with
the last day of a weeklong Japanese holiday, Golden Week. Complete with a Children’s Day Parade and practicing bands nearby, there were thousands of school kids all around this area. All of the vitality and good will in the park was a contrast to the somber message of the museum, which has collected and displayed photos and belongings left by atomic bomb victims after the world’s
first atomic bomb was detonated on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying Hiroshima (http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/index_e2.html).

KAITEN SUSHI

This is sushi served in restaurants where the plates of this bite-sized item come around on table-high conveyor belts. Considered fast food in Japan, kaiten sushi can be found in many parts of the country in a variety of price ranges. Here’s how it works. When you’re seated at the table and it’s time to get another piece, just reach over and lift a plate from the miniature “train” passing by. Chopsticks and the necessary condiments — pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi — will be at the table. The dinner tab is determined by the color and size of the plates stacked up on your table at the end of the meal.

KAMIKAZE MUSEUM

Like many other countries that have buried their war dead, Japan has museums to tell their battle stories. The Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots in Chiran is located across the bay from Kagoshima, one of Japan’s southernmost cities. It is dedicated to the memory of those who died in kamikaze missions during the waning days of World War II. The museum is wallpapered with 1,036 photos of these young men.

MIYAJIMA ISLAND

This island in Hiroshima Bay has one of the most photographed landmarks in Japan — the “floating” red torii. It is an entry gate to the Itsukushima-jinja Shrine that dates back to the 6th century. The island is home to tame deer that wander about looking for handouts, as well as gardens, shrines, temples and a five-story pagoda.

NAGASAKI

Glover House sits on a commanding hillside, a steep walk up from Nagasaki harbor. Named for tea merchant Thomas Glover, the stately mansion is Japan’s oldest western-style structure and was the legendary setting for the Puccini opera “Madame Butterfly.” The walk up to Glover Garden is probably always jammed with people, many stopping in the numerous shops along the way. Nagasaki was Japan’s principle connection with the West dating back to the 1500s, but today,
ironically, it’s known more for the atomic bombing in World War II than for the rest of its long and colorful history.

SHINKANSEN

Travel on the elegant bullet train, or shinkansen, is probably worth the trip to Japan. Onboard you can enjoy your bento that you bought in the train station. Or you can order food during the trip, as the scenery whizzes by. Very polite servers regularly walk through the cars taking orders. The punctual rail network in Japan is extensive. The Japan Rail Pass, the most economical way to travel by train, cannot be purchased in Japan. It must be bought in the traveler’s home country before departure (http://www.japanrailpass.net). However, point-to-point Japan Rail tickets can be purchased at local train stations.

SUMO TOURNAMENTS

Sumo wrestling at a glance just might look like a bunch of really big guys pushing each other around,  but fans find it an exciting ritualized Japanese martial art with roots that go back 1,500 years.  In perhaps a tie with baseball as the national sport in Japan, sumo matches tend to be sold out with most every fan having their favorites to cheer on. Major sumo tournaments are
held several times a year in different cities. We went to our first sumo match  in Fukuoko, the biggest city in Japan’s south island of Kyushu. During that tournament week, TV channels ran hours of coverage, and cab drivers were listening to the sumo play-by-play on the radio.  Check with the Japanese Tourism Guide for information about tickets, http://www.japantravelinfo.com.

THE TEA CEREMONY

The Sankeien Gardens in Yokohama’s Yamashita Park is home to a simple but elegant Japanese tea ceremony. It dates back five centuries or so, and every step in this traditional ceremony is symbolic. Each movement of the kimono-clad server was deliberate and full of grace. Cha-no-yu, the Japanese tea ceremony, is a reminder of an older, gentler era. But it still has a place in modern Japan, especially for its many visitors.

http://www.ihavenet.com/vacation-travel/Japan-Japanese-Appeal-Safe-Scenic-And-Sociable-DK.html

Distributed by Tribune Media Services, INC. for World’s Fare Syndicate

© 2011-2013           Diana and Gene Korte

Tags: Asia, islands, Japan

For many years the gleaming carriages of the Orient-Express train, the Eastern & Oriental, have taken travelers in grand style from Singapore to Bangkok.       Photo by Gene Korte.

Many regard riding the rails on fabled trains as one of the world’s great travel experiences. They hark back to a golden age when every moment of a journey was to be savored and enjoyed. They’re located on most continents and offer a level of service, posh surroundings and all-inclusive fine dining that you will not find on any commercial airline flight today, never mind on a road trip where you have to do all the driving. And in this economy there are bargains to be had when booking passage on luxury trains that include reduced prices, extended stays and additional stops.

Among these one-of-a-kind trains are those operated by Orient-Express. Some of their collection includes the Hiram Bingham in South America that travels from Cusco to Machu Picchu in Peru, the Venice Simplon Orient-Express in Europe and the Eastern & Oriental Express in Southeast Asia. They all offer exclusive china and crystal, white linen and handsome rail cars. And as you gaze out the window, each train creates the magic of a bygone day, http://www.orient-express.com.

To continue reading this article, go to http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2009-04-07/sf-jewish-journal/0904060054_1_machu-picchu-hiram-bingham-trains

For more information about train travel in general, visit The Society of International Railway Travelers, http://www.irtsociety.com.