Queenstown to Franz Joseph Glacier

February 8, 2009—We stayed at Coronet Peak Hotel in Queenstown, which is actually 7 kilometers up the road to a ski area. As we approached the hotel, we had to drive over a one-lane bridge and saw quite a few emergency vehicles with men looking over the bridge. Below us is where the Shotover Jet boat takes you through the Shotover Canyons doing 360-degree turns along the way. We were sure that someone had been injured on a ride; however, we found out the next day that a tourist has pulled over near the bridge to watch one of the boats and had not set the parking brake. Yup, you guessed it. The car rolled off the cliff and into the river below, but luckily no one was in the car at the time.

The next morning we were off for Haast after a quick stop at the bakery for some goodies and coffee, which is called a “long black” here. The drive was along the Kawarau River, and when we reached the historic 1880 Kawarau Bridge, we noticed a sign for bungy jumping so we stopped. This was the world’s first commercial bungy jumping site in 1988, and you can leap 43 meters with the river below you for just $160 NZ. The Kawarau Bungy Centre has a dome theatre, bungy museum, café, and bar. We walked out to the observation platform and watched a young woman “take the plunge.” She was soon followed by a 12-year-old boy. It was great fun to watch.

A few miles up the road we stopped at a cheese factory, where I bought some sweet tamarind chutney, and a few miles after that we stopped at a fruit stand where we bought some wonderful cherries.

We stopped for lunch at a roadside table and were trying to make sandwiches on the table when a swarm of sand flies appeared. These are nasty little things that seem to numb your skin before they bite you (actually, I think they chew on you). The bites itch like mosquito bites but will settle down after a day or two, and then the itching flares up again. We became much better about wearing bug spray after our first encounter. When we left the area, we watched a young couple set up their tent for the night—boy was I glad that we were staying in a motel.

We continued our drive, which took us past Lake Hawea and then Lake Wanaka. These two lakes are very close to each other. We were now moving into a more mountainous area so the foliage became denser, and we began to see some small waterfalls. We stopped at the “Gates of Haast” to take a few pictures before driving over the one-lane bridge, and then we stopped at Fantail Falls for a nice photo op. We arrived at Haast and checked into the Heritage Park Motel.

The next day was glacier excursions. The road to Fox Glacier was along the ocean, and we stopped at Knight’s Point where we were able to see much of the coast. A few miles down the road we came to a detour because a large rock slide had closed the old road. The boulders were so large that they just built a new road around them. At Bruce Bay we stopped to enjoy the beach with the crashing surf, and as we drove away, we noticed a long row of cairns that people had built beside the road using rocks from the beach.

Fox Glacier was the first one on the drive, and we decided to drive up the Glacier View Road in order to see the glacier, but we missed the actual lookout and ended up walking quite a distance down to the river that comes from the glacier. Here we walked over a long swing bridge to the other side. At one point there were about 12 people on the bridge, and it was bouncing up and down and was a bit unnerving. We were then on the Glacier Access Road, so Steve decided that he would walk back to get the car and then return to pick us up. We drove up and parked ad then walked a short distance toward the glacier where we stopped to take some pictures. The glacier was beautiful with small waterfalls coming down the mountain sides, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We drove into Fox Glacier (a town of 258 people) and ate lunch at the Cook and Saddle Café and then drove the 25 kilometers to Franz Joseph.

The town of Franz Joseph has a population of 321 and is another quaint place. We stayed at the Glacier Gateway Motel that had a view of the glacier (hence the name); unfortunately, most of the mountain was covered by clouds. After we unpacked, we drove up the road to the Franz Joseph Glacier and stopped on the road to take some pictures. It was a short walk from the parking to a viewing area of the glacier. I heard an American speaking so I asked where he was from, and he said Colorado. This, of course, began a wonderful conversation about New Mexico and Colorado with Dave and Ann Johnson, and we have since been in contact by email.

We continued on our walk toward the glacier, making it about half way. On our return, we saw several large groups with guides that would be going onto the glacier. We returned to town to buy groceries and then returned to the motel to relax for the day. In the afternoon the clouds cleared from the glacier, so we took off in the car to try to get better pictures, which we did. The next morning when we left for Greymouth, it was again clear so we took a few additional shots hoping that we would get good photos to show the spectacular beauty of this area. Unfortunately, our little digital just doesn't do this justice.

To Milford Sound

February 4, 2009—We left Dunedin early in the morning of the 23rd because we had a long drive ahead of us. We had to decide if we should take the Southern Scenic Route or cut across the southern part of the island, so we took the advice of the guide books and followed the Scenic Route.

We stopped about an hour out of Dunedin for some breakfast, and when they brought us our “hot breakfast,” we could not believe how large the portion was—a large amount of whipped scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, a brat, and toast. We didn’t come close to finishing it all.

We continued around Catlins Coast, the southeast corner of the island. We then went through Invercargill on the south end and stopped at Gem Beach where we went out and spent over an hour picking up rocks of all types and colors. We really had a great time and ended up with about 8 pounds of rocks from this beach.

We arrived in Te Anau late in the afternoon and went to check into our motel what we had reserved earlier. Unfortunately, it was not the same as presented on the Internet, so we canceled and found a lovely room at the Lakefront Lodge that even included a spa bath. Steve enjoyed that after a very long day of driving. Te Anau is a lovely resort community situated on a rather large lake, and we loved being there. We only wish that we had been able to spend more time there.

We left fairly early on January 24 for the drive up to Milford Sound, and this drive turned out to be everything that we had expected. The drive was through lush, green forest, and the mountains were shrouded in clouds early in the day. All along the way there were small springs running down the mountainsides that fed into large and beautiful rivers. Steve was drooling over the possibility of trout in these rivers. The drive was up steep mountainous roads, through a tunnel, and then down steep roads on the other side. The Homer Tunnel is three quarters of a mile long. It requires that your headlights are turned on, and a red or green signal light at each end indicates when you are allowed to proceed through the tunnel.

We arrived at the docks for Milford Sound and checked in for our tour on a smaller boat that we had chosen because we felt that it would be more personal. Our boat “Friendship” pulled in to the dock around 10:15, and we all boarded in just a few minutes. The weather began to clear just in time for our trip, and the scenery was just spectacular.

We began our clockwise travel around the sound, enjoying views of waterfalls—one of which we pulled right up under—and seals sunbathing on the rocks, while the captain gave us excellent information about the Sound and its history. This area is geologically active, has experienced several large earthquakes in recent years, and is expected to suffer a very large earthquake in the near future.

At the mouth of the Sound we had to wait for the right time to make our turn because the waves from the ocean would be on our beam. The captain accomplished this with no problem at all, and we continued on the opposite side of the sound. This side had even more spectacular waterfalls, and again, the captain pulled right up under one of the large falls. At this time, the captain drew our attention to a large pod of Dusky Dolphins. We were able to get fairly close to them, and while I was video taping them, one dolphin jumped and spun in the air. They were fantastic to watch, and we found out later that it is rare for them to let the boat get so close.

On our travels we have met some of the nicest people just by offering to take their pictures. Someone is always out of the photo, so when we see a couple or family taking pictures, we offer to take it for them and this always leads us into a great conversations. On this trip we met a very nice couple from South Africa and enjoyed getting to know them.

We left to make the drive back to Te Anau and then up to Queenstown. Not far down the road we passed a car on the other side of the road that had pulled over because it was overheating. A woman and her two kids were in the car so we stopped to help them. It turned out that the brakes had overheated so Steve told her to let them cool off before she continued to the Sound where she was meeting some people who could check them out for her.

We had a beautiful drive back since the clouds had pretty much disappeared, and we stopped along the river to take pictures of it and one of the many falls flowing into it. We also stopped at Mirror Lakes. The picture below at the right shows how reflective the water was--look closely

Just before we got back to Te Anau, a truck came around a corner signaling us to slow down, so we did. When we rounded the corner, a whole herd of sheep came running at our car; however, they did go around the car without doing any damage. It was an “up close and personal experience.”

We reached Te Anau and then headed inland and north to Queenstown, where we would spend the night. We made this part of the drive in about 3 hours and drove through rolling hills filled

with more cattle and sheep—wow!!!

In the next few days I plan to post the last leg of our travels, which will be the west coast of the South Island then back to Whangarei.

South Island--East Coast

January 27, 2009—On January 19 our Bluebridge Ferry pulled into Picton at 11:18 a.m. We made a quick stop for gas and then drove south to Blenheim. The main business in this area is wineries, and the vineyards go on for miles. Makana Confectioners is also located here, and it was all that we could do to get past its shop with its wonderful Toffee, Chocolate, and Macadamia Nut bars—they are to die for. Brie and Tim introduced us them when we were in Kerikeri, and we loved them just a little too much. We succeeded in getting through town without stopping and continued south down the eastern coast.

The mountains were rocky and barren with minimal foliage; however, about half way to Christchurch the highway began to run along the coast. This gave us the prettiest scenery on this portion of the drive. At one point we pulled off the road to check out the beach. Steve walked out onto a large group of rocks while Zelda walked on the beach. She was walking along looking at the ground when suddenly she was just a few feet away from a seal that was sunning itself on a large rock. She jumped back a bit, but the seal did not seem too upset about being disturbed, and I was even able to get quite close to get a picture.

We continued driving along the coast going through towns such as Kaikoura, Cheviot, and Kaiapoi. These communities are summer resort areas, and they were all packed with people on holiday. We arrived at Christchurch around 4 o’clock and found Mount Pleasant Homestay where we met the host Jan Nielson and received a very warm welcome. Her home is located on the hill overlooking the bay, and we had wonderful accommodations—two rooms with separate baths and a family room with a kitchenette. Jan shared with us a wealth of information about the area and also served us wonderful breakfasts of fresh fruit, yogurt, croissants, cereal, juice, and coffee. Her loving dog Molly put the finishing touches on a perfect stay.

We cleaned up and went to dinner at the Thirsty Mariners Pub where we all enjoyed Butter Chicken Curry, which was delicious. On Tuesday we decided to take a drive up into the mountains to Arthur’s Pass, and this trip took us by miles of farmland and fields filled with sheep and then up into higher mountains. There was an area of large limestone boulders that covered one hill, so we stopped and took a walk to get a closer look and take some pictures. It was quite interesting.

We stopped at a campground for lunch and then continued on our way. The road became steeper as we began to climb higher. We were now driving beside the Waimakiriri River, which has a very wide riverbed. It appeared that during the spring runoff, the river could become quite large. It wasn’t long before we reached Arthur’s Pass where we stopped to take a picture of the sign to show that we made it. A family named Arthur pulled along side us and got out of their car to take a picture, so Steve offered to take their picture with the sign. We realized only later that we got a picture of the sign but no pictures of us with it. Oh well.

We returned in the afternoon and decided to go to downtown Christchurch. Christchurch Cathedral, consecrated in 1881, is a spectacular church that is open to the public. It has an impressive rose window, wooden-ribbed ceiling, and tile work emblazoned with the distinctive Fylfot Cross. We also rode the cable car tram for a tour of downtown where we went by the former Canterbury College that is now the Arts Centre. This was the filming location for Harry Potter’s school in the movie. Dinner that evening was at the Speight’s Brewery where Zelda and I enjoyed chicken Caesar salads, and Steve had monk fish over risotto.









The next day we were off to the east to see Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula. The beautiful drive down the spine of the peninsula was the highlight of the day. The road was steep, narrow, and winding for miles with no, at least none that we can remember, guard rails along the way.

In 1838 whaling captain Jean Langlois purchased the Banks Peninsula from local Maoris and then returned to France to form a trading company. With the government of France backing him, 63 settlers headed for the peninsula in 1840. However, only days before they arrived, panicked British officials sent their own warship to raise the flag at Akaroa, claiming British sovereignty. Had the French arrived two years earlier, the South Island may well have become a French colony.

We made a stop at the Barrys Bay Cheese Factory and purchased some delicious cumin Gouda and some Masdam, which tastes very much like Swiss cheese. When we arrived, it was lunch time, so we enjoyed lunch at a small café located on Akaroa Harbor and then did a little shopping in the local gift shops along the waterfront. The French influence was evident in the street names and much of the architecture, and it was a lovely and quaint little town.

On the morning of the 22nd, we said goodbye to Jan and Molly and left Christchurch headed south on Highway 1. Most of this trip was driving more inland through farmland. Sheep are everywhere here with cattle coming in a close second.

We arrived in Dunedin around 3 o’clock and checked into the Aberdeen Motel. After getting things put away, we decided that we would go tour Larnach Castle. This castle was built by William Larnach beginning in 1871, and it was finished three years later. The castle was bought in 1967, and a large restoration project began. The views from the top of the castle were breathtaking, but I imagine that they were even better in the 1870s before the large city and commercial properties along the shore were there. The thing that amazed me was that, while the castle looked large from the outside, the rooms inside were quite small. The furniture (beds, chairs, etc.) was all quite small as well. Unfortunately, the story is a sad one as his first two of three wives died, and he eventually committed suicide in 1898.

After the castle tour we were hungry so we decided to go downtown to get some dinner and stopped at the Reef Restaurant. Zelda and I split a delicious flounder meal while Steve enjoyed their seafood chowder. While we were walking back to the car, we passed a lovely old church and took some pictures. That then led us to the First Church of Otago—a stunning old church built in 1848. From there we went to the Railway Station, designed in Flemmish Renaissance style and built between 1873 and 1906. The building is listed as one of the top 200 places in the world to see, and we absolutely loved it. We really enjoyed the atmosphere in Dunedin and wished that we had more time here but tomorrow it is off to Te Anau.

Traveling South

January 24, 2009--On January 17 we began our trip down to the South Island. Our first day took us along the east coast just south of Whangarei and then past Auckland. The landscape was similar to what we had seen up north. About an hour out of Auckland the traffic began to get heavier and slower, so we were more than happy when we got through this big city.

We continued on down Highway 1 to Rotorua, and we pushed hard to arrive by three in the afternoon. We checked into our room at the Ventura Motel and relaxed for awhile. We then went to have dinner at the Pig & Whistle Pub just a few streets away where we had excellent meals of Thai Beef salad and fish and chips. Steve, of course, enjoyed a Speight’s Old Dark, which he said was excellent. Rotorua is known for its volcanic mud baths, which means that the town smells like sulfur and right at the outskirts of town you can see steaming geothermal vents.

The next morning about 30 minutes south of Rotorua, we stopped at Waimangu Volcanic Valley where we took a two-hour walk down and around a steaming lake, sulfur terraces, rare geothermal plants, and a bubbling “Inferno Crater.” Unfortunately, it was lightly raining the whole time, but we still enjoyed the tour very much. We continued south through Taupo, a lovely resort community, where there is a beautiful lake. After that, we drove past Tonariro National Park, which contains three large mountains that were, unfortunately, shrouded in clouds when we drove by.

We arrived in Wellington—the capital of New Zealand—and stayed in a hotel in the downtown area. We had reservations for the ferry across to the South Island early the next morning, so it was a very convenient location. Our room was on the ninth floor of the hotel, and we were amazed by how hard the wind was blowing--it was rattling the windows! The next morning the paper reported that the winds had been gale force (60 knots) and Cook Strait had been pretty rough.

The ferry trip across Cook Strait takes about three hours. We checked in at 7 a.m., and while we waited, we decided to run across the street to the Railway Station to grab a quick cup of coffee. Boy what a treat that was--the station was a wonderful building both inside and out. We returned and the staff was ready to load the cars so we pulled in and left the car for the comfort of the ship. We located the cafe and enjoyed a nice breakfast. We then went out on deck in order to enjoy the beautiful scenery of both the south end of the North Island and the north end of the South Island. Luckily, the weather had calmed down, and we had a smooth crossing with partly cloudy skies and light winds.

Tour of the North Island

January 19, 2009—We arrived back in Whangarei on January 7 and took a day to catch up on our sleep after a 12-hour return flight. Steve’s mom Zelda returned with us to spend a month in New Zealand, and our daughter Brie and her husband Tim arrived on January 8 after spending some time in Sydney, Australia, and Blenheim on the South Island.

After a relaxing for a day in Whangarei, eating lunch at Whangarei Falls, taking a short hike, and doing some touring around town, we headed north to Kerikeri on January 10. We drove along the coast enjoying the beautiful scenery and stopped for lunch in Pahia, which is a summer resort community.

When we arrived in Kerikeri, we checked in at our motel where we had a lovely cottage set in sub-tropical gardens. We then left to visit a chocolate factory (wonderful!) and enjoy a shop displaying wooden objects made of beautiful Kauri wood. The next day we shopped at the local growers’ market, toured the Stone Store that was built in the 1830’s and is the oldest stone building in New Zealand, and as we left Kerikeri, we stopped at Rainbow Falls for a picnic lunch.

We continued up the coast to Kaitaia where we went on a tour of the North Cape the next day. Our guide Selwyn was very entertaining and informative and gave us a full history of the area. The drive up the peninsula was very beautiful, and when we arrived at Cape Reinga, we all made the long walk down to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is still in use, and directly below it is where the waters of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet. Still visible on the very tip of Cape Reinga is the 800-year-old pohutukawa tree whose roots hide the entrance to the mythical Maori Underworld. This is the point where the Maori believe the spirits of the dead depart the earth.

After we left the Cape, we went to the Te Paki sand dunes where people could slide down the dunes using a sled, and then the bus then took us out on 90-mile Beach. We drove for quite awhile on the beach and stopped at one point to dig up some tuituis or clams. Steve, of course, came back with a bag full of them. When we returned to our motel room, we immediately steamed the clams and ate them—they were delicious!

On Tuesday, January 13, we left Kaitaia and drove down the northwestern side of the island. The scenery continued to be beautiful with green, rolling hills. We had to cross the Waihou River by ferry, and then we continued on and arrived in Omapere in the early afternoon. We stayed at the Harborside Bed and Breakfast, which was located on beautiful Hokianga Bay and the views were spectacular. Joy and Garth made us feel right at home.

On Wednesday we returned to Whangarei, stopping along the way to see the Tane Mahuta or “Giant Kauri” in the Kaury Forest on the way. The tree was approximately 150 feet tall, and it was amazing. We arrived back in Whangarei just in time to take Brie and Tim to do some shopping.

Thursday morning we enjoyed breakfast, and afterward Steve, Tim, and Brie took off for a hike up to Whangarei Falls. Zelda and I met them around one o’clock for some lunch, and then we (except for Zelda) used a rope swing to swing out over the water and go for a swim in the upper pond. We then walked down to the pool at the bottom of the falls and swam (in very cold water) in that pool. Steve, Tim, and Brie even swam under the waterfall.

The next day was a relaxing one that included a great lunch at the Thai restaurant in town. We took Brie and Tim to the airport around 5 o’clock and said our goodbyes. It was great fun to have them visit, and we thoroughly enjoyed having them spend time with us.

Next we are off to the South Island, but I will leave that for the next blog.

Keeping Busy in Whangarei

December 5, 2008—In three days we will be heading back to the states for the holidays so I wanted to post one more blog before we leave.

On November 28 we went on a river walk with sv Morning Light and sv Charisma. We drove about half way up to Whangarei Falls, dropped off one car, continued up to the Falls, and parked our car. The walk started at the falls and continued along the Whangarei River. The vegetation was lush and green, and because it was in the shade, it was a nice, cool, and relaxing walk. The walk also took us by kauri trees, which were harvested heavily in the old days to make furniture, bowls, cups, etc. The trees are large and very tall, and the bark has a mottled look.

We took one of the side trails that led up a hill and looked down onto another waterfall. Some young men had been repelling down a cable just before we got there. That must have been a thrill.

We spent about three hours completing the walk. When we got back to Chris and Jamie’s car, they drove us back up to our car. On the drive back to the boat, we were forced to stop for some ice cream. Believe it or not, it is the first ice cream we have had here in Whangarei. Steve and I are both a bit disappointed in the ice cream thtat is available here. We have yet to find really good ice cream, and the selection is very limited. There is no Baskin Robbins here.

Our newly galvanized chains and anchor came back on Monday. You can see from the picture how lovely the chain looks now, as does the freshly painted anchor locker. The work continues on the chain plates. A young man named Lance is doing a fine job for us. The other projects are all moving along well, and I think the boat will look very nice when we are all finished.

On December 3 we drove up to Tutukaka to join Rikki and Bruce Going at their home for another Thanksgiving dinner. Their boat name is sv Seagoing, and we met them in Vava’u, Tonga, this year. Rikki lived in New Mexico for 20 years, so we shared that bond, and, not surprisingly, she loves Hatch green chili. Scarlett O’Hara, Bold Spirit, and Qué Barbara were also there. I made creamed corn with oysters and an apple pie. We also took a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine. There was a huge amount of food, and we, of course, ate too much.

After the meal we took a walk down to the Tutukaka Marina. The bay is lovely, and we hope to stop here on our way back up the coast in April or May. After our walk we enjoyed dessert, and then it was time for us to drive back to Whangarei. It was a lovely day, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We are working hard to finish some of our small projects and get packed for the trip. We went to a second-hand store to pick up a large suitcase ($7 NZ or $4 US--what a steal!) so that we could get all our souvenirs back to the states and return to New Zealand with our boat parts. I just love hauling boat parts half way around the world!