New Zealand - South Island

Thursday 10th & Friday 11th November - Kaiteriteri National Park

Up early at the crack of dawn, we caught the first ferry out of Wellington through the Cook Straight
to the South Island. The crossing wasn't too bad at all and it turned out to be a lovely afternoon. The scenery here is notably different and we both thought it looks beautiful like Canada. Lots of vineyards and also what we think may have been hops growing. We arrived quite late in the day at Kaiteriteri but we still managed to get out for a walk along the beach and also around the estuary.

Friday the weather was looking like rain in the afternoon, so in the morning we headed out for a
walk along the coastal path that took us to 'Stephens Bay'. This was a pleasant walk which we combined with the estuary walk and up to a look out over the bay and then loop back to the site. Which was just as well, as it started to rain. In the evening, drinks and a BBQ, thankfully, we have a sheltered area where we can all meet, eat, drink and catch up on what we've all be doing during the day.

Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th Novemberr - Blenheim

We had a bit of a trek back to where we virtually got off the ferry but it was a nice scenic drive, although part of it was different! So when we got here to Blenheim, we had a lazy afternoon. We then later went to the pub across the road, mixed with the locals and watched the Ladies World Cup Rugby final. What a game!

Sunday, we had tour of a number of Vineyards. There are more than 150 vineyards here in the Marlborough region, 27 of them opening their doors for wine tasting. We sampled 5 of them:

                    

Above, St. Clair.  Left, Steve & Steve enjoying a sample of Sauvignon Blanc.

Forester, Framingham, Hunters, St. Clair and Rock Ferry. They were all very good, and we sampled at least 4 wines at all of them. Yep, that's a lot of wine sampling, especially since we started at 10.00. We mainly sampled, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay and a couple of places threw in a sparkling wine too. To be honest, it all got a bit much, but we all enjoyed it. We did stop at the St. Clairs for some lunch, which was lovely and much appreciated by that time.  Then, after all this wine tasting, we went to a chocolate outlet, where they make all their own chocolate on site. What a busy day. We are all now exhausted. But a very good day                                                          

Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th November - Kaikoura

We travelled along the coastal road which was very pleasant. Once we got to Kaikoura, we 
walked into the town to get a feel for the place and decide what we want to do whilst here. We stopped for some lunch and then booked the Seal Kayak tour for the morning. We then had a look at some of the restaurants as we wanted to take the opportunity of having a good fish meal whilst here. After this, we headed back to camp where we had a bbq with Mike & Debs who are next to us and then we joinned Christine & Gordon, with Mike & Debs and Clive & Sue for a game of Mexican Trains. And guess who won, yours truely, hurrah ☺

So we did the 9.30 seal tour in the kayaks. These were really good as you pedal rather than paddle. You on use tthe paddle when you want to go backwards. The sea was calm thankfully and there wasn't too much breeze, but enough to keep us from frazzling in the sun. 

We saw a number of seals, either basking in the sun on the rocks or cooling down in the water. We even came across 3 seal pups. 

The tour lasted 3 hours, so we were back for lunch. After this we went for a stroll to find a restaurant that had been recommended to us for dinner. Managed to book a table and the best thing is, they will drop us off back at the site. Sooo looking forward to some good seafood.

Wednesday 16th November - Hanmer Springs

We had a lovely drive here. We cut across country up and down hills and through valleys. Really very enjoyable. Once we got to Hanmer Springs, we took a stroll into town and then out the other side to do Conical Hill. This was a steep upward walk to the top, but gave lovely views around. The walk was through a pine forest and was therefore relatively cool. After this, we stopped off in the town, which is rather a quaint, small town and had a meat and cheese pie, that we were recommended to try. It was delicious. 

After this, we headed in search of the Hot Water
Springs spa. The pools were established back in the 1830's and have since grown, with their thermal properties rich in minerals, they are soothing to relax in and get rid of those aches and pains. They have slides as well and they are scarey, I screamed all the way down, one is like a plug whole and both time we did it, we ended up going down the plug hole backwards. The other slide, was really scarey but they were such fun. Really enjoyed Hanmer Springs.

Thursday 17th November - Greymouth

Another lovely drive, which took us along The Lewis Pass, where we stopped off at St, James'
walk. This was a short 20 minute walk but the full length of the path can take 4-5 days. It was peaceful here with a small tarn. Good to stretch our legs before carrying on to Greymouth. However, we did stop enroute at Reefton for some lunch and a walk around the town. A town that feels like you are in the Wild West of America. Quite interesting place to walk around. After this we then continued to Greymouth. 

The Hotel in Reefton.

Late afternoon, we headed into Greymouth for a tour of the Monteith's Brewing Company. Established in the 1800's when there was much gold and coal mining here, so lots of money to be spent and a lot of it on alcohol. Times changed with the decline in the goldfields, but the brewery, although going through a number of changes, merges and rebranding, have returned to their original name and the original family of beers.

Friday 18th November - Franz Josef

A nice journey down along the coast, stopping off on the way at a lake, where we enjoyed the 
warm weather and just the peace and quiet. We then continued to Franz Josef, where we were hoping to walk up to the glacier. However, due to the rain and of course Covid, the path hadn't been maintained and therefore we were only able to go a short distance and look at it from afar. Most disappointing. We are hoping to do a walk tomorrow that will take us a lot closer than today. The alternative is a helicopter ride up to the glacier, but I'm not too sure/keen on that idea. In the evening, we all went out for dinner which was very nice.

Saturday 19th November Franz Josef                              Rain, rain and more rain. Yep, it rained all day and all helicopter flights were cancelled and basically we were not able to do anything at all. It did eventually stop early evening, so we went out for a stroll, just to get some fresh air. There was a nice woodland walk just opposite the site, which was rather pleasant.

Sunday 20th November -Wanaka

We had a lovely journey to Wanaka, stopping off at a couple of places which made it a very enjoyable. Our first stop was Thunder Creek falls, which was rather impressive. In fact there are three sets of falls along the Haas Pass. We then headed for The Blue Pools, this was a 30 minute walk to the pools, which were the most amazing turquoise blue and so clear, the photo's do not do it justice. The water was freezing but people were still in the water. Crazy! We then continued our journey following Lake Wanaka and then Lake Hawea. These lakes were beautiful and the drive was stunning.

We eventually arrived at Wanaka which is situated at the bottom of Lake Wanaka. This place is famous for the tree in the lake.   We took a stroll in to Wanaka, which is a lovely resort, with the lake as the main feature, but surrounded by mountains too. We took the path around the lake and headed for the harbour and then strolled back via the town, which was buzzing with bars and restaurants.   Late in the afternoon, we all met up for drinks and a BBQ. A most enjoyable day and evening.

Monday 21st November - Arrowtown

What a journey. It seems that all the drives we've done have been beautiful. This was only a short journey, but we had to stop quite a few times on our way to just enjoy the scenery. We travelled along the Cardrona pass, which was stunning. The blossom on some of the tree was two tone and just forget about padlocks on bridges, Bras were the focus on one fence. Yes seriously bras.

 

We also stopped off at the famous bridge where they do bungee jumping. Seriously it is quite 
scary to watch. We both had no intention of doing this.  We then headed off to Cromwell, which is a an old mining town which has some old buildings dating back to that time. Unfortunately there wasn't really much to see, which was a little disappointing. However, the drive was nice and a great watefall to look at. We then travelled on to Arrowtown, where we were staying and this place didn't disappoint.

Arrowtown is a former gold mining town and the original buildings that line the main street, make it a very quaint old place.  We took a stroll into the town to have a look around and find out a bit about the history. We then walked back along the river to our site.

Tuesday 22nd November - Queenstown

We took the bus into Queestown, Adventure Sports capital of New Zealand. Sadlly, it was a rather dull and wet day, so we took in the underwater observatory, which was quite good fun watching the eels, trout, salmon and ducks, diving for food. This is just under the pier and the fish and ducks are not in tanks or anything, just there really for the food. It was quite amusing to watch. After this we had lunch and took a stroll around the gardens. We then boarded the TSS Earnslaw for a cruise on Wakatipu lake. A 1912 steam boat, with an open engine room where you could look in from above and even enter it to watch the engine working and watch the stokers shovelling coal. The interior was classic highly polished wood, with a Pianist. Steve was like a little boy, totally fascinated by the engine and it's workings. The cruise was pretty good too. Most enjoyable.

Wednesday 23rd November - Te Anua

We arrived here after quite an uneventful journey and went straight into town. Te Anua town sits on the lake Te Anua and is a small resort and is the gateway to Fiordland. We are based here for a couple of days. However, the weather isn't looking too good at the moment. We got caught in rain coming back from the town and got utterly soaked. They say that it is best to do Milford Sound in the rain as the waterfalls, some temporary because of the rain, are numerous and spectacular. I can't quite get excited about doing the sound in rain, but hey, we'll see.

Thursday 24th November - Milford Sound

Rain has been forecasted for the whole day, however, we left Te Anua by coach in relatively dry weather, albeit a little grey. The journey to Milford Sound was great, we stopped off at Mirror lakes, which give great reflections of the mountains on bright sunny days. A little disappointing today but still we got some reflections to give us an idea of what we could expect. We stopped a couple of times on our way at various view points, stunning views of mountains, rivers and the local wildlife. 

We then headed on to Milford Sound for our cruise. The rain was keeping away and as we boarded the boat, the sun came out. Couldn't believe it. We had the best of it really, as all the rain we had yesterday had created loads of waterfalls and it was a clear day to see everything. We saw seals, waterfalls and got close to The Tasman Sea, that was quite rough and we could feel the swell from it. We then turned around and headed back along the other side of the Fiord. As we were heading back, the weather was closing in behind us. We were so lucky.

                                                            

Friday 25th November - Te Anua

We caught the ferry today from the town which took us across Lake Te Anua and dropped us off at the beach on the other side where we picked up a walking trail to take us back to town. It was a 7 mile walk through mostly wooded area but always with the lake at our side. It was a very pleasant and easy walk, although we didn't rush it and just took our time. Most enjoyable.                            

Saturday 26th November - Dunedin

A rather uneventful journey up to Dunedin. A city on the coast, founded by Scottish settlers. It was
cold, with the odd drizzle here and there. However, we went out with Mike & Deb to the peninsula to see Albertros and hopefully catch a glimpse of the Blue Penguins. We saw the Albertros, huge birds, dwarfing the seagulls. It was a nice journey along the peninsula and on our return we stopped for a beer or two! However, Gill and Roger stayed for the Blue Penguin tour which started at 9pm, so I am able to give you a clip of these creatures, who spend the day out at sea fishing, and this is them returning to their nests at dusk. 

Sunday 27th November - Dunedin

We decided to walk to the city centre as it was quite a sunny day and we were able to walk along the harbour. We first of all went and visited the railway station, which has got to be one of the most beautiful stations in the world. Very elegant and ornate. After this, we headed towards the Octagon which is a busy central green space with bars and restaurants surrounding it. We then went to St. Paul's Cathedral which gives quite a nice view out over the city. We then had a look at the old train that was part of the Settlers museum. 

After this we had lunch in the restaurant situated

in the station. Again, beautiful and ornate as it's 

part of the station building. After a lovely lunch, 

we strolled back to camp. Quite an enjoyable day.

I feel like Casey Jones in this picture ☺

Monday 28th November - Mount Cook

Today, has got to be the best day of the holiday. 

We were heading to Mount Cook and deviated from the main road and took the coastal road for a while which was pretty stunning. We then stopped off up the coast a bit at a place where the beach was full of boulders. Great big large boulders on the beach, actually nothing that spectacular, but still pretty good fun. After this we continued on to Mount Cook. All I can say is Wow, wow and wow. It was just beautiful. The vista was stunning. Blue skies, mountains capped with snow and the most bluest of blues glacial lakes. We stopped off at a view point to take in the scene. The photo's do not do it justice. Once we arrived at site, we all met up for a beer and BBQ. All eager for our walk in the morning along the Hooker valley.

Tuesday 29th November - Hooker Valley, Mount Cook

Sadly whilst the weather was good where we were,

20k's down the road, the cloud and rain were trapped within the mountain range and we were not able to do the walk. The rain was heavy and we would have been drenched within the first few minutes of the walk. However, two couples from our group did do it but were very wet and cold when they got back. We opted to go back to site and walk down to the lake whilst it was still dry. In fact the weather just got better as the day went on and we ended up, yet again, getting together after our walk for drinks!

Wednesday 30th November - Mount Cook to Christchurch

 

Steve and I got up early this morning and went to Hooker Valley again, just to see if we could do the walk before leaving for Christchurch. Sadly when we got to the valley, it was yet again raining. So we left and headed on to Christchurch. Today, is Gordon's birthday, so once we got to Christchurch, we all met at 5pm for drinks to celebrate his birthday. I tell you, it's been non stop celebrations. I think we've had 4 birthdays and one wedding anniversary.

Thursday 1st December - Christchurch

We took the bus into the city centre this morning. It's not a high rise city, quite low level and of course there is still quite a bit of working being done after the earthquake back in 2012. However, we had a good stroll around the area, finding the Botanical gardens, which were really good. We spent quite a bit of time there, looking around the two rose gardens and inside a couple of the conservatories. We stopped for some lunch, tapas as one of the restaurants on site. After this, we followed a walk around the city taking us to the various hot spots, which was interesting.

This area was built in the 1930's and designed to give a Spanish feel to the area. It was certainly a very lively and buzzing place. After this, we continued with our walk, stopping off at the food market for an early dinner, as we have more or less run out of food in the van. Haha, we had Paella. Clearly our trip to Spain in the back of our minds. In the evening we all got together to finish off all the scraps of food and drink we had. A very good day and evening,

Friday 2nd December - Christchurch

After dropping the vans off at the rental company, we were taken to our hotel. We met up for pre-dinner drinks and then boarded the Tram for our sight seeing dinner. This was a great way to enjoy Christchurch and was quite good fun as we travelled past people out for a Friday night drink, we raised our glasses to them and they back to us. Food was excellent too. It was a great way to end our trip. Tomorrow we are all going our separate ways. Home for us.So memories for me: wild lillies and lupins at the side of the road. The brightest of Gorse bushes. Waterfalls and the bluest lakes ever, with mountains, snow capped, reflected in them. But mostly, the people. So friendly, they greet you in the street, offer help if you stop with a map. A most enjoyable time and of course, of me personally, catching up with my friend Kim in Australia on our way out here.