Tulips Trams and Tunnels

We arrived at the final destination of our NZ tour, Christchurch, on Friday. We started Saturday with a walking tour of the Garden City, and then it was a tourist tram trip around the city centre followed by visits to the Art Gallery and the Museum. Our two evenings have been spent at a wine bar with live music (very enjoyable).

Today we spent the morning at the Antarctic Centre where we experienced a blizzard and went for a ride in Hagglunder and saw some more penguins. This afternoon we went for a drive to get our last dose on NZ scenery. It was then a short walk that included a tunnel that was built during WW2 to service gun emplacements.

Tomorrow it’s back over the ditch to the West Island (this is what the Kiwi’s call Australia)

Architecture Boulders and Birds

Our journey today commenced in Dunedin where we drove the world’s steepest street. Then it was on to the town of Ranfurly which is renowned for its Art Deco architecture. Unlike Napier which had to rebuild after an earthquake, a series of suspicious fires was the genesis of Ranfurly architectural renaissance. The hillsides on the way were covered with a fresh smattering of snow and we experienced a few spots while we were on our walking tour of Ranfurly (It was 1 degree c this morning).

It was then back to nature studies to inspect the Moeraki Boulders on the beach at Kaihinaki before travelling on to Oamaru where we are staying tonight. We visited one of the penguin colonies here before walking the streets to inspect the architecture of the prosperous colonial era when Oamaru was the centre of a gold mining and agricultural district. (If you look very closely at the beach photo you may see a yellow eyed penguin)

The locals were out boating today.

Scales, Feathers and Fur

On Monday we rolled in to Invercargill the home of the fastest Indian, Burt Munro, who was featured at the local museum along with the lizard like reptiles the tatauro that are bred there. These creatures survive from dinosaur times and one of the breeding males was claimed to have been born in the late 19th century. Located alongside the museum were impressive gardens that we strolled for a couple of hours. They included an aviary with some of NZ’s and exotic parrots.

It was more nature on Tuesday with a trip across to Stewart Island, a trip around the bay in a semi-submersible boat and then a guided walk on a nearby island to explore some of NZ’s unique bird and plant life. We saw a Weka in the wild.

Our nature studies continued today with scenic drive through the Catlins region and on to Dunedin. Along with the shags on the rocks we saw yellow eyed penguins, NZ fur seal, paradise ducks, oyster catchers, blue winged albatross, puketo et al.

We also saw some locals out camping.

Steam Ships to Jet Boats

Yes, it’s getting tough on this holiday. Another day another lake each with a local claim: the longest, the deepest, the most beautiful. Each day another means of water transport a vintage steam ship in Queenstown, a motor vessel to cruise the fiords of Milford Sound and today a Jet Boat down the river at Te Anau to Lake Manapouri.













And the weather, sunshine and tee shirts on our way from Queenstown to Te Anau on Friday followed yesterday by rain starting with a light drizzle that developed into a teaming storm on our trip to Milford Sound. There was so much rain that waterfalls emerged everywhere and we could hardly see the snow-capped mountains. It was touch and go whether the Milford Sound cruise would proceed. It did and by the time we reached the Tasman Sea it was sunshine again. And the scenery at Milford Sound was so bad we only took 168 photos.

















After the Jet Boat ride today there was nothing to do, so Adrian bought a fishing license. It took longer to buy the licence than to catch a fish. On his second cast he landed a tiddler (a 54cm rainbow trout). And then we had to eat the bloody thing. Not sure whether we can put up with this much longer.

Riders in the Sky – Helicopters to Gondolas

Tuesday was an action packed day with a helicopter fight and glacier landing on Franz Josef followed by trip over to nearby Fox Glacier for a walk around Matheson Lake and then it was over to the beach at Okarito for night walk in search of Kiwi in the wild. It took 4 and half hours with renowned guide Kiwi Ian but the search for the elusive kiwi was eventually successful. We started with a 40 minute walk deep into kiwi country and eventually sighted the kiwi within 40 metres of the carpark.


From Franz Joseph we travelled down the coastline and then up through the Wanaka Lake district and on to Queenstown. We have been having a lazy day today in Queenstown wandering the streets and park, going for a gondola ride and drinking hot chocolate by the foreshore. We are booked on a lake cruise for this evening.

White Tips Green Lips and Freezing Fingertips

So far the South Island has been full of contrasts. Arriving Saturday we saw the white tips of mountain ranges as we made the ferry crossing to Picton. The ferry was quite impressive with 10 decks including the sun or should we say the wind deck. There were 2 cinemas, a food court, coffee lounge and of course a bar. Joy made friends with some strange creatures in the bar.

From Picton we travelled through the Marlborough wine region and on to Nelson a seaside town on the North Coast. On our way to the supermarket we came across a couple of shivering locals wet to the knees who offered us a bag of green lipped mussels in exchange for a couple of dollars (so they could buy something to warm themselves up with). It seemed a fair trade and we had green lipped mussels with our Marlborough Sound wine for dinner. (Not as good as Moullons from Belgium but a good feed.)

Sunday we travelled on to Franz Josef where we will be for the next 2 nights. The scenery was quite bizarre, on our right waves crashing into the shoreline and on our left it was the snow caps of the Southern Alps. The road kill was also changed. Joy is sure she saw a dead hedgehog (Joy claims it had spikes but a truck blew it over and all Adrian saw was blood and guts).

Today’s weather forecast was morning Northerly winds and rain followed by afternoon showers and Southerlies. We went up to the glacier this morning and for a pleasant walk in the rain. We couldn’t get too close to the glacier as apparently it is not safe. Tomorrow we have booked on a helicopter with a glacier landing.

Walking Wellington

Well, well, well we arrived in Wellington on Wednesday (oops it was Thursday). Would’ve put on our wellies (if we had them) but did go for a walk. Went wandering Wellington trying to find somewhere to eat and stumbled on a crowd gathered down a dark alley. On inspection we found a cable car that we rode to the top and dined at the Skyline which overlooks the city (great views). Joy chose best having New Zealand seafood hotpot and Adrian ended up with slithers of raw Venison. Joy’s prawns (farmed from an inland lake) were the size of Morton Bay Bugs. We thought we ordered Sauvignon Blanc but we ended up with a nice red (these foreigners can’t understand Arstralian). This is quite amazing really because every second Kiwi seems to have a rellie in “Oz”.

Windy Wellington was how an article in a travel magazine described the NZ capital. Tonight we experienced walking on a 45 degree angle. Today we had an interesting day of exploration. We started with Te Papa the National Museum and whilst viewing the earthquake exhibit, the alarms came on and an announcement sounded “please make your way to the nearest exit”. The fire engines came to a blaring stop outside the building and we decided it was a nice time for a walk along the esplanade. When we returned the museum was still standing, it seems it was a false alarm, so we continued our tour of an excellent museum.

Later we walked the streets again and found our way to the Beehive (the executive wing on the NZ parliament). We made it just in time for the last tour of the current sitting of the house. (NZ is about to have an election). Tomorrow we catch the Interislander Ferry to the South Island.

On like Flynn

On like Flynn. Yes I do mean ON like Flynn. Yesterday we sailed on a yacht once owned by Errol Flynn across Lake Taupo. Of course when Errol owned it the yacht was in California not NZ and certainly not the largest lake in Australasia. It was a pleasant voyage across part of the Lake to see some Maori rock sculptures.

After the cruise we visited the Huka Falls and the Craters of the Moon (another geothermal area).

Today, it was on to Napier on the east coast, a town that was devastated by earthquake in 1931. The town was rebuilt in the modern architectural style of the times, Art Deco. We did a walking tour with a guide from Napier’s Art Deco Trust and can now pick a sunburst from a Ziggurat. Tomorrow we are off to Wellington for our last 2 days on the North Island.

Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao

From glow worms to geysers, that was our day yesterday, toped off with a cultural experience and hangi banquet. We started the day at Waitoma Caves with a guided tour of a cave which concluded with a boat trip through a starlight like cavern with glow worms providing the lighting. Our guide was the great-granddaughter of a Maori chief who was the first to lead tourists through the caves in the 1880’s. We then travelled on to Rotorua where we had our first experience of geothermal activity. We also learned a new Maori word Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao meaning “the gathering place of the war parties of Wahiao”.

This morning I woke with one of those ‘where am I’ experiences but then I breathed in the sulphur fumes and my memory was restored. Then we went to hell. Hell’s Gate that is, another geothermal site. And then it was on to inspect Te Wairoa a village that was buried by a volcanic eruption in the 1890’s and has been uncovered by archaeological digs from the 1930s to the 1980s. The guide told us there are over 1000 earthquakes in NZ each year (fortunately most are not felt). We arrived in Taupo this afternoon.