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Napier and Hawke’s Bay is definitely a place to add to your visit list if you are in New Zealand. It is Easter weekend and the kiwis make it a 4 day holiday. Most stores are closed Friday and Monday. Luckily tourist oriented stores and restaurants are open. On holidays many establishments will add a 15% surcharge to their bills because their employees have to work on a holiday. They feel people should be compensated extra when having to work on a holiday.

We had stopped at a local grocery store last night to buy some breakfast items, figuring we would eat in our “bach” (kiwi term for cottage) then go exploring. We did head out for coffee after breakfast and found a fabulous little cafe hidden in the old fishing port area of Napier, called ”Ahuriri”, now a bustling area of shops, bars and restaurants. Even though I already had breakfast, when ordering coffee I saw they had freshly made hot cross buns which I really like. One called out to me and I had my second breakfast of the morning while enjoying our coffees!

We had wanted to go see the gannet colony that seasonally nests in the area called Cape Kidnappers but we learned that the only way to see them is to hike 5 miles alongside the beach or take a tour via tractor, but it can only be done a low tide. Well, the older folks in our group voted for the tractor but we learned that the tour was sold out for the entire weekend. We were put on a waiting list but never got a call. Maybe next time.

Instead we drove to a marvelous lookout called “Te Mata Peak”. Again Scott and Jess wanted to walk up to the viewpoint but the elders in the car convinced them it was much nicer to drive up as far as we could before climbing the last few feet. It is an absolutely stunning location-360 degree views of green rolling hills, studded with groves of trees and biking/hiking trails. It reminded me of the area near Napa Valley as you cross the mountain range.

After numerous pictures it was time for some wine tasting and lunch. Well, it so happens this is all in the area of the Hawke’s Bay Winery country, a miniature version of Napa Valley. We wandered back to Elephant Hill Winery where we stopped last night (but could not taste wine as we were there after 5 PM). We quickly learned that because it was Good Friday the wine tasting room was closed.

Scott had received some recommendations from people who worked with him of other places to visit and we soon found ourselves sitting outside under a huge grape arbor at the Black Barn Vineyards. Again the wine tasting room was closed but the bistro was open for lunch. Because we had dinner reservations in Napier we did not want to overdo lunch so we created a charcuterie of bread, cheese, olives, and a couple of small salads, accompanied by their local wine. Our server was a young lady from France (we ran into a lot of young foreigners who are working in New Zealand for the summer) with a lovely accent and it all made for a magical luncheon.

On the way to the bach we stopped at a special weekend festival called the “Extravaganza Fair” that was advertised in the local press, hoping to find music, artisans and food. It turned out to be a roving caravan of  young, modern day gypsy hippies who travel from town to town in their home-built “motor” homes entertaining and selling homemade products and services. It was a hoot!  There was a fortune teller, a kissing booth (empty when we were there), blacksmith making and selling utensils, henna and face painting, a musician playing guitar, cotton candy and other food. Their “homes” were creative and often hilarious adaptations of a motor home. We spent about 20 minutes walking around and the ladies had cotton candy (because the sign said it had only two teaspoons of sugar in it) before we moved on. Fact check: All of us questioned the 2 teaspoons of sugar claim so I researched it. Turns out a typical cotton candy serving has 30 grams of sugar, which is 9 grams less than a can of Coke! Calorie content is 115 calories.  Who knew? So you can enjoy that cotton candy the next time you see it.

Back to our bach for a quick nap and then onward to a rousing game of miniature golf located in the park right across the street from our restaurant before our dinner “booking” at a local popular seafood restaurant. Seafood here is fresh, fresh, fresh, as you would expect.

By the way some kiwi terms we learned while here are:   Crosswalks are zebras, a car trunk is a boot, a cooler is a chilly bin, saying hi is kia ora, a popsicle is an ice block, a stroller is a pram, ketchup is tomato sauce, a cookie is a biscuit and a piece of candy is a lolly.

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Our ride to the airport was scheduled for 12:20 PM so we decided to head into town and take the 50 minute tram ride (with narration) through the city center. For the heck of it I called up my Uber app and surprisingly they are active here in New Zealand (later learned that Lyft is not here).  

The Christchurch tram is a classic; the trolley cars date back to the early 1900s. It is run on rails by a driver dressed in period costume and a conductor who controls the ticket collection. Both gentlemen offered informative narratives of what we were seeing as we negotiated the downtown area. We learned we were riding in the Centennial tram, the tram that has hosted dignitaries like Queen Elizabeth. We felt like royalty!

We were shocked at how much devastation was caused by the 6.3 earthquake that stuck the city on February 22, 2011. It was actually one of the aftershock earthquakes that followed the 7.1 earthquake that hit the area in September, 2010, which  surprisingly did much less damage than the 2011 earthquake. 185 people lost their lives and thousands were injured. We were told there has been over 19,000 earthquakes in the area since that time; they average several a day, most of which are not felt by anyone. New Zealand is on the same fault line as the west coast of the USA, something we did not need to hear.

The whole downtown area has had to be rebuilt. Supposedly 2,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed; there are 400 yet to even be addressed. The downtown area was inaccessible for two years.  A lot of progress has been made but much remains to be done. Several different people said it might take another 7-10 years to finish the rebuilding of Christchurch.

The most iconic news we all heard at the time of the quake was that the main cathedral built in 1864 was heavily damaged. It still stands but remains untouched.  There are ongoing discussions about whether it should be repaired or simply torn down. A temporary church was built nearby, called the cardboard cathedral, as it is made of steel and cardboard with a life expectancy of 30-50 years. We walked over to see it. Nearby is a emotional memorial. There are 185 white chairs sitting on a simple plot of green grass, representing those who died.  What makes it especially poignant is that there are many different types of chairs, including several baby chairs.

We returned to the hotel via taxi as it began to rain. Interesting data point- the taxi fare was twice what we had paid for the Uber. Our flight to Napier on the east coast of the north island was about 1.5 hours. Scott and Jessica had arrived from Auckland before us and were waiting for us. Scott had arranged to rent an Airbnb home in town across the street from a lovely beach. The sun was shining and all was good.

We headed out for a late afternoon drive to the famous Hawke’s Bay area wineries where we sat under the shade of an umbrella, overlooking the vineyards (where grapes had already been picked, as it is autumn here), and enjoyed some local wines. The area is noted for Pinot Noir, although they grow many grape varieties and offer a full range of wines. Rose wines are very popular here.  We went back to the waterfront in Napier and found that unless you had a “booking” at the more popular restaurants you were out of luck for the evening. We made a booking for the next night and settle for some good old fashioned Mexican food at a local eatery for this evening.

Our collective discovery of the Napier area with its Art Deco theme begins tomorrow.

 

The gods of nature had their fun yesterday, pouring rain on us the entire day, often with winds and torrential downpours. It continued into the night so we could not even stop to see the pancake rocks near the hotel.

This morning we awoke to sun and blue skies so we retraced our steps to the rock and blowhole area. It is truly unique, limestone rock with a softer material between layers which has eroded over the eons, leaving a structure of stacked rocks that resemble a stack of pancakes. Sea erosion has also created sea stacks offshore. The tide was not high enough this morning to create any action in the blowhole area, but the seas remaining from the storm did create some interesting booming waves crashing against the rocks. This location is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Although it is still the summer tourist season the traffic on the roads has been surprisingly light. All the roads are only two lanes and virtually all the bridges over the rivers are one lane bridges; vehicles simply take turns crossing over. Drivers are also very good about pulling over into “slow vehicle bays” to allow cars to pass. These are needed because I saw very few straight highway sections where one can safely pass. The roadways seem to be made of nothing more than a series of curves! As a result travel is slow and you cannot maintain normal highway speeds.

As we head eastward from Greymouth toward Arthur’s Pass (and Christchurch) we passed through some lovely pastureland occupied by herds of cows. There seems to be very few sheep in this area of the island.

Arthur’s Pass is only 920 meters high but with a 16% grade coming up one side! The surrounding hills are tree covered and we could see higher peaks in the distance, although none of them exceeds more than 1500-1700 meters.

Once you enter the valley on the east side of Arthur’s Pass the climate and vegetation changes dramatically. It is drier here, there are fewer trees and there is much more brown rather than green. By about 2:30 PM we were down on the flatlands driving due East to Christchurch. There are more sheep, irrigated fields, cars and straight highways. We are almost back to civilization.

Suddenly traffic became heavier and housing projects loomed ahead. We are in Christchurch, the scene of a devastating earthquake in 2011. We reached our hotel right at the predicted 4PM arrival time. People said their goodbyes and retired to their rooms to prepare for their onward journeys. We chose to have a quick dinner at the hotel.  We will have some time in the morning to explore a bit before heading to the airport.

By the way I neglected to highlight a sighting we had while leaving the Cardrona Hotel back on March 24.  About a mile from the hotel is a monument that only the kiwis would create. A bit of background to set the stage. There are many locations around the world that have created “locks of loves” sites where lovers have put a lock on a bridge or fence as a commitment to their love. Well, here in New Zealand someone decided that a more appropriate display would be a “bra fence”. Yes, I said bra.  Sure enough we passed a long fence decorated with all colors and sizes of bras. None of the ladies on our bus volunteered to add to the collection so we continued on our way. I did manage to grab a quick photo as we passed by to prove its existence!

Kiwis have names for the weather of the day. A soft day is one that is cloudy but not rainy. A misty day is one when it is drizzling. Today it is simply a wet day! It was raining again this morning as we left the hotel at 8:30, heading further north along the coast. The rain squalls come and go; it is not a constant rain. “M” said autumn weather can be variable here. Normally it is dry but sometimes it is wet as we are currently experiencing. This autumn has been overly wet. It looks as if we came the wrong year. The scenery is pastoral – small farms, an occasional tiny community (old logging towns), lots of streams and rivers (big rivers, little rivers, clear rivers, glacial rivers), all with mist shrouded mountains in the distance. We are driving more inland now, with no views of the ocean which is about 12 miles to our right.

They could easily call this region “Fernland” as there are green ferns growing everywhere you look. I recognize some but there were dozens of varieties I have never seen before. They are quite lovely, as the locals would say.

We stopped at the town of Hokitika for 1.5 hours to sightsee, shop and find a bit of lunch. The town is home to many artisans and there are many shops featuring their varied works.  We found some intriguing trivets made of flat stones found on the beaches in town. Yvonne also found a warm knit hat made of merino wool and possum fur. Most of the garments made here are a combination of possum and merino wool for both softness and warmth. I asked if they raise possum for their fur. The clerk said “heavens no, the possum are pests in the wild and we kill as many as we can“!

Since we had a large breakfast most couples skipped lunch and we found an old-fashioned bakery that reminded us of our youth and everyone had hot tea and a sweet snack.

The rains continued, sometimes accompanied with an (uncommon) blustery wind, which provided horizontal rain for a time.  The air temperature is the warmest we have experienced in quite a few days. We arrived at our destination for the night, the ocean front Punakaiki Resort near the famous Punakaiki rocks and blowholes. Because it is still raining hard we skipped the blowholes and rock formations and came directly to the hotel. We will hopefully have better weather in the morning and then hike the area.

The location of the hotel is right on the ocean. Our room looks out at the surf which is about 300 feet away. The sounds of the water will be a soothing background noise tonight.

Tomorrow is our last day with the tour so we are having a group farewell dinner here at the resort. In the morning we will sightsee our way to Christchurch where we will spend the night. Everyone goes their own way Thursday morning. We will fly on to Napier on the North Island and meet Scott & Jessica who are joining us for a few days. Our grandson Isaiah is busy working so we will join him back in Auckland on Easter Sunday.

We are in the small town of Franz Josef and today would be the day we explore the glaciers in the area. However, we awoke to clouds, more clouds and off and on rain. “M” told us our scheduled glacier helicopter flight, which most of us had signed up for, might not happen. We would have to wait to see if this extremely variable weather might clear up in time.

The morning activity was to go to the nearby, very small, ocean side village of Okarito for a boat ride/nature hike to see the bird life on the very large lagoon that exists there. We bundled up, rode in the rain, which stopped, then started again as we arrived in the “village”. Some 30 people live here full-time.  The rest of the small homes (called a bach in NZ) are summer homes for people to come and enjoy life on an ocean coastline. It reminded me of a very small version of some of the small towns we have on the Pacific Ocean coast. Life there is pretty simple. Most people are involved with tourism in one way or another. Our local guide was Paula who is originally from Winnipeg. She lives here with her significant other 8 months a year running bird watching tours, then goes to British Columbia during the Canadian summer hosting bike tours. They follow summer wherever it happens to be.

Yvonne and I chose not to go on the open boat looking for birds as it was still drizzling. Instead Paula gave us a tour of the local “town” and showed us the devastation made by the rare cyclone that hit the area on February 1. We all reconvened in a local home for tea and “biscuits” before returning to the hotel.

About half of our group had signed up for an afternoon helicopter ride BUT the weather was very “iffy” at the glacier area. After lunch we walked to the helicopter office and indeed learned that all flights had been cancelled for the day. I am pleased that they are wise enough not to push the envelope just to gain more income.

As an alternative “M” took those interested on a short hike near the glacier to a couple of viewpoints. About half of us decided to go. The rain had stopped and the clouds retreated enough for us to actually see the glacier.  There were a series of photos on display that showed how much the glacier has retreated in the last 100 years. A few more decades and you will not be able to see it from this viewpoint.

The second viewpoint was a reflecting pond called “Pete’s Pool” after the boy who originally found it. The reflection of the mountain range was there but you could hardly see the tip of the glacier anymore. It will soon disappear from the reflecting pond.

The visit to Franz Josef was over. Many of our fellow travelers were disappointed that it was not more accessible or viewable. We were not that disappointed as we have seen and experienced glaciers before.

Tommorrow we head further up the coast to see the famous pancake rock formations.

We are now heading out to the coastline of the Tasman Sea, which borders the west side of the South Island, with our ultimate destination being the location of the New Zealand glaciers. Franz Josef is our destination for the next two nights.

As we left Wanaka we had fairly sunny skies but the weather quickly deteriorated by mid morning and we spent the rest of the day dodging intermittent rain showers.

We stopped at a nearby sister lake to Lake Wanaka – Lake Hawea for a picture stop.  There are a lot of lakes with crystal clear, drinkable waters in this area of the country.

As we got closer to the coast I noted that the environment was changing. The trees are bigger and denser, the plants are thicker and everything is green, green, green.

Mid-morning we made a “cultural” stop to experience a New Zealand treasured delicacy- whitebait.  What is it you ask?  They are very tiny (2 inch) minnows that are prized by the locals. The closest I can relate is our smelt, but those are much larger than whitebait. The season for whitebait is short and they are netted at the mouth of rivers when they spawn from the ocean. How are they eaten?  They are simply mixed (whole) with an egg (acts as a binder), fried as a patty on the griddle and served on a warm buttered piece of bread. Restaurants serve them as an appetizer. We stopped at a shack on the beach where the owner explained how they are caught and cooked. Almost everyone in the group had one as a mid-morning snack. There was one Englishman who could not accept the fact that there were still eyes in the fish. Yvonne and I had tried whitebait the last time we visited New Zealand so we knew what to expect. Whitebait is tasty!

When we reached the seashore at Ship Creek we took a short walk in the nearby Kahikatea swamp forest which meanders through the local rain forest. We got to see what 250 inches of rain does to the local environment. I was shocked to hear that amount as it is 40 percent more than we get on our nearby Olympic Peninsula. I always thought we held the record rainfall.  Maybe we do for the USA. The rain forest we walked through was lovely and I saw many types of moss, ferns and lichens that were new to me. I was fascinated to see a very small blue toadstool standing alone amongst some green moss.

At the same location was access to the ocean beach and we wandered it for a bit, looking for dolphins (one was sighted) but we were hoping to find the prized “greenstone”; (New Zealand jade) that is highly prized by the locals and made into jewelry. It is revered by the Maori, the indigenous natives of New Zealand. It is commonly found on the beaches and people come to hunt for it. We found some “greenish” looking stones but were told they were not greenstone. Disappointed, we moved on, continuing our journey north.

We made another stop at Lake Matheson where the reflection of the mountains and glaciers can be seen on the still waters of the lake. That is true IF it were not raining and the clouds were not hiding the glaciers. Some of us walked to the viewpoint anyway and did see a sign showing what we should have seen on a clear day.  Maybe next time!

We arrived in the very small village of Franz Josef, one of the two notable glaciers in the area. The other is called Fox glacier. Needless to say neither one was in view when we reached the area.

We had been warned that our lodging would be an old-fashioned motel with bad internet service. It was old, but clean. The beds were comfortable and the water hot. And, yes, the internet service was terrible, but we are out in the middle of nowhere.  As in several of our hotels the beds had electric mattress pads for cold nights.

It did quit raining towards evening and we were able to wander a few blocks into town to one of the few restaurants there. What has been amazing is we did not expect good food in touristy locations like Franz Josef, but our experience has been just the opposite. We have had very good meals wherever we went.

Tomorrow we will explore the area and hopefully go on our planned helicopter ride, which includes a landing on the glacier. The weather will dictate whether we go. Time will tell.

If you recall we were all disappointed when we could not fly back from Milford Sound because of weather two days ago. “M”, our tour guide said she would see if we might be able to get a plane ride this morning before we left for Wanaka, if the weather allowed it.  Well, the weather was superb this morning and we agreed to leave the hotel 1/2 hour earlier so we could squeeze in that airplane ride. We drove to the Queenstown Airport to a private operator and proceeded to be divided into two groups, briefed on the flight plans and loaded onto two Cessana Caravan planes for a one hour flight out to and back from Milford Sound. The OMG moment was that the skies were almost perfectly clear and there was plenty of new fallen snow on the mountains, promising us a spectacular ride.

Our group was too large for one plane so that is why we had to use two, but that meant there was plenty of extra room and everyone had a window seat for maximum viewing opportunities. Our plane was even piloted by a young lady.

The flight was simply stunning, probably the best scenic mountain flight I have been on. We flew about 5,000 feet (high enough to clear any peaks in the area) at a speed of about 150 mph. The airplane windows were big and the views were even bigger! High mountain peaks dusted with the year’s first snowfall, deep green valleys with rivers running through them, even a high mountain lake and waterfalls. Milford Sound seemed more spectacular from the air. We spent 30 minutes flying out to the sound and then returning to the airport. Pictures cannot do justice to what we experienced. If you are ever in the area and the skies are clear, I urge you to spend some of the kids inheritance and take this trip! You will not be sorry.

 

Back in the bus we headed to our next stop, Wanaka, which many people think is even nicer than Queenstown. We first stopped for about 45 minutes in the old gold mining town of Arrowtown, located only 21 km from Queenstown. It was a booming town in the 1860s because of gold; today it is a quaint little town of shops, art galleries, restaurants and memories from the gold mining days.

We also stopped at the Cardrona Hotel for coffee, beer or wine before lunch. This hotel dates back to the 1860’s gold rush and is still used as a hotel (abeit modernized), restaurant and bar.

Wanaka is a small town located on the south shores of Lake Wanaka (4th largest lake in NZ) and is also considered a resort town like Queenstown, but it does not have the hustle and bustle that Queenstown has. It is popular for both summer and winter sports enthusiasts. It is the site for the famous Wanaka warbirds air show which attracts thousands each year in late March.

The homes in Wanaka are quite modern (and expensive) as this area is being discovered and earning a reputation for being an ideal place to live. Many second homes are here and retirees are also moving here because of its amenities..

Besides spending the night in Wanaka we were invited to have a late luncheon with a local family in their home. We have often done these “Be My Guest” lunches or dinners with other tour groups and have eaten in homes in Argentina, Egypt, Croatia, Botswana and Russia. It is an opportunity to meet locals, see how they live, and eat some local home cooking.

It turned out that this visit was quite unique in that it was at a magnificent waterfront home of a retired physician and his wife. They obviously enjoy entertaining and are willing to open their home to absolute strangers several times a year. We drank wine on the lawn overlooking the lake in bright sunlight, then adjourned to a lovely buffet luncheon in the two dining rooms the home has. Phillip hosted one of the tables and his delightful wife (“Tommie”) hosted ours. It was an absolutely lovely afternoon.

Our hotel for the night was a resort on the shore of Lake Wanaka, a lovely setting. I managed to finish yesterday’s blog entry while watching the sun set over the lake. We have been warned that we are headed into an area of the country where the internet is either quite poor or even non-existent, so future entries may be delayed even further.

 

We awaken today to brilliant blue skies, fresh snow on the mountains surrounding the city….and 37 degrees!  No matter, we brought our  “puffies”.  The hotel breakfast buffet lacks so we enjoyed another walk into town to visit our newly discovered breakfast cafe, Vudu, to try other tempting dishes they offer, like the New Zealand favorite: avacado smash toast. Their version has goat cheese, tomato, micro greens and avacado on thick multigrain toast.

Then it was off to ride the Skyline Gondola to the top of the nearby mountain to see the spectacular scenery of the area and to take the luge ride offered there. We could not have asked for a more fabulous morning. I think the gods were making up for the rainy weather we had yesterday.  We were there when the gondola opened at 10 AM.  Although there was a significant line when we arrived it moved quickly and we were topside in fairly short order. There was a bit of urgency as we needed to be back by 11:30 to board the 1912 coal fired steamship that transports riders on Lake Wakatipu. More on that later.

We were some of the first people to arrive at the luge ride and after some quick instructions were barreling (well, maybe it would be more accurate to say we were slowly winding) our way down the track, maneuvering hair pin curves (well, maybe they were more sloping) to reach the bottom of the ride. It was a lot of fun and had we more time would have done it again.

We took time to marvel at the surrounding scenery and take panoramic pictures before returning by gondola to the city center. The scenery certainly rivals what we have seen in Switzerland.

Today was listed as a free day on our tour and we had signed up to take the historic boat ride to the Walter Peak High Country Farm for a BBQ luncheon and demonstration of sheep shearing and how highly trained dogs are used to herd and control sheep.

The boat is the TSS Earnslaw which is the oldest (built in 1912) working coal fired steamship operating in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally is was used to service the remote sheep stations in the area but once roads were built it became one of the major tourist venues on the lake. The trip to the Walter Peak High Country Farm took about 45 minutes with commentary from the captain about the area along the way. Once at the farm we were escorted to a covered area where one of the local “farm hands” explained how sheep were sheared and gave us a demonstration.  The 6 month old lamb was not too happy about losing her fluffy coat of wool.  We learned that the current farm covers 65,000 (yes, thousand) acres with 25,000 sheep, of which 20,000 were merino sheep because of the quality of their wool.  When wool prices are down the other sheep are sold as meat.

The other demonstration was how the sheep herder used two different (each has unique skills) breeds of highly trained dogs to fetch, control and corral herds of sheep. It was fascinating to watch.

I am not terribly excited about large group BBQ buffets as the food usually is average, at best. This BBQ was an exception. We sat with two other couples who had also chosen this excursion and we all agreed this was one of the best BBQ buffets any of us had experienced. Beside top notch salads and vegetables (including really sweet corn on the cob) there was barbecued chicken, beef, pork, lamb, sausage and even sweetbreads. All were superb. Even the desserts were top notch.

The setting of the farm on the shores of the lake is stunning, made more so by the extensive flower gardens that surround the home and buildings. There were rose bushes that had to be decades old (by the look of their shank) and had the wonderful scent of roses of long ago, not like the hybridized specimens you see now. There were dahlias everywhere and flowers I do not know the names of. It was a lovely pastoral scene.

On the return cruise home a pianist conducted a sing-a-long with folk songs from China, Germany, Australia, England and America.  It was enjoyable to hear the mixture of many nationalities singing together.  Of course, Yvonne cried at the beautiful music and hoped this would bring world peace.

We returned to downtown Queenstown late in the afternoon and retreated to our hotel room as we had walked 11,578 steps today.

As I said earlier, it was a phenomenal day and we are hopeful tomorrow will be the same as our tour group will be leaving Queenstown and heading to our next stop, Wanaka.

We briefly met our tour group (12 plus us) and our lady tour guide/driver (call me “M” she says) at our 6 AM breakfast. The rest of the people had started last week with a tour of the North Island, so we were the only new additions to the group.  One of the couples we met happened to be named Bishop(from South Carolina) and the husband has been to 190 countries! That sort of makes my achievement not that impressive.  No, I am not changing my goal. I will simply accept new countries and add them to my list if/when they come.

We promptly boarded our 20 passenger bus at 6:30 AM for the day’s excursion- a trip to the world famous Milford Sound where we will be taking a boat ride in the largest fjord in New Zealand. It was a planned 6 hour bus ride there and we were scheduled to fly back to Queenstown after the boat ride to avoid another long drive back.  We left in the dark and most people napped until daylight allowed us to see the surrounding vistas. We saw many fields of grazing sheep, red stag deer (which are grown for food) and beef cattle. The area we passed through was lush and green with some good sized mountains looming beyond the fields. Some of the higher peaks had their first dusting of snow for the year, left by yesterday’s rain.

During our nearly 6 hour drive we stopped several times for “comfort” breaks and a bakery to buy luncheon sandwiches as there would be no food available on the boat. We also stopped for several photo ops and a short 20 minute walk at the “Chasm”,  a canyon carved by running water leaving interesting rock formations in the resultant canyon. The trip also included driving through a one-way (traffic alternates) 1 km tunnel at the top of a mountain pass.

We arrived at the boat launch area around 12:15. The weather was quite cool but luckily we wore our heavier coats and took gloves as we expected the boat ride to be on the chilly side. We were booked on one of the smaller (50-75? passenger) boats to cruise in Milford Sound. There was ample room both inside and outside for viewing and picture taking. The skipper did a nice job telling us what we were seeing as we spent an hour working our way out to where the fjord meets the ocean. We learned that this is one of the rainiest areas in all of New Zealand, receiving an average of 252 inches a year and that up to a three foot layer of fresh water lies on top of the salt water in Milford Sound.

At the mouth of the fjord we turned around for our one hour return to the marina. Of particular interest to most people on board were all the waterfalls we passed along the way. Because of the recent rains there were many new waterfalls which only appear after such rains, disappearing shortly after the rains finish. It made for delightful viewing. We also saw some young seals who live in the fjord and a school of dolphins.

Everyone raves about Milford Sound. Personally I was a bit disappointed as I expected it to be bigger and bolder, similar to Norway, but I am sure I am in the minority with this impression. For people who have not experienced a fjord it is indeed spectacular.

Our group was scheduled to be flown back to Queenstown in small planes from an airport near the sound but we sadly learned that weather conditions prevented the planes coming from Queenstown As we headed back to the pass it began snowing and accumulating on the ground. Our driver/guide said that sometimes the road gets shut down when weather conditions get bad, but we made it up and over, only to find ourselves back in sunny weather and warmer temperatures!  I had heard locals say you can experience all four seasons in one day in New Zealand. I now believe it. Today we have seen at least three of the four seasons since we left Queenstown this morning.

Now we had to drive all the way back to Queenstown.  It was a four hour trip resulting in a 10 hour day in a bus. Making the best of it we watched the passing scenery, slept and talked as we drove back to the hotel.  There was no stopping for food since our driver had to finish her allotted driving time ASAP or risk big fines. All the senior citizens pulled out those protein bars stashed in our fanny packs.  The driver passed back hard candy and we survived!

It turned out to be a very long day but we did experience more of the beauty this part of the country. Hopefully tomorrow will bring us better weather.

We have had phenomenal weather on our recent trips. Today, our luck changed as it is scheulded to rain most of the day and we figured we would be spending the day lounging in our hotel room reading. Surprisingly when we woke up there was no rain, and even a glimmer of blue sky so off we walked back into town for breakfast and doing more outdoor activities if the rain held off. Remember that restaurant with the huge lines I mentioned yesterday- Fergburger?  We decided to wander by to see if they made a breakfast sandwich. Sure enough, they offer one called “Morning Glory” and, yes, there was a line waiting to order when we arrived at 8AM. The place seems to be a local institution and always attracts a crowd. Rather than ordering two breakfast sandwiches I decided to order one of their hamburgers for a taste comparison. Besides, I felt it was good protein to start the day.   They also own a bakery and coffee shop next door and I went there for our Americano coffee and happened to notice they also sold Boston creme filled donuts. Well, you can guess what happened next, but I did only buy one for us to share after our breakfast sandwiches. Needless to say, everything was outstanding.

The skies still did not show any signs of rain so we ventured over to the waterfront to take a jet boat ride on the local rivers. This boat ride was more “gentile” than the “ultimate adrenaline rush” option offered deep in the narrow canyons of the nearby rivers. After yesterday I figured we need to show a bit of caution when choosing activities. As it turned out we still got the thrill of doing multiple 360 degree turns and traveling over 50 mph up fairly narrow rivers. The one hour ride presented enough of an adrenaline rush for the two of us.

The clouds got thicker as we returned and rain started to fall. I had hoped to take the gondola to the top of the nearby mountain and ride the luge offered there, but that will have to wait for another day.  We ventured home to read and decided to use the washer and dryer in our suite.  Nothing like starting fresh for our tour tomorrow.

The rain continued all afternoon but we bravely walked back to town to a recommended seafood restaurant on the waterfront called ”Finz” where we dined on some great NZ white wine and fish. We happened to walk past the big ice cream parlor on the way to the cab stand and finished the evening with some very good locally made ice cream.

Our trip to Milford Sound leaves at 6:30 AM so it will be an “early to bed, early to rise” evening for us. Hopefully the weather will clear before then, although the locals say Milford Sound is especially beautiful when it rains because of all the waterfalls that pop up. I will let you know tomorrow.