Hello blog followers, We have at last found wifi access in Te Anau. I will enter last weeks posts to bring you all up to date (almost)
The drive on Weds takes us through beautiful rolling hill country and then to the sea. We stop at boulder beach near Moreaki. This is a tourist mecca with visitors running around on the beach taking pictures of ancient round boulders. We are no different, and join the shutter happy crowd. These rocks are about 6-7 feet in circumference and have interesting markings. Some are fractured like geodes. They remind us of the rocks at Bowling Ball Beach, only larger. The day is quite cold and breezy with Antarctic winds from the south. We drive a bit further south to Shag Point which is a bird and penguin viewing area. The weather gets foul with hard rain and we move on after seeing some large birds in the distance. The countryside in the Otago on the road to Dunedin is open, rolling pasture under dramatic skies. Trees are planted around farmland to form windbreaks. Sheep are everywhere. We enter Dunedin, the second largest city on the south island with a population of around 125,000 people and 1,000,000 sheep. This is a university town with nearly 20% of the population being students. Like Christchurch, there are many grand churches and a majestic cathedral. The gothic architectural style of many older buildings has a Scottish influence.
Our Holiday home is about four blocks up a hill from city center. Villa Rosa is an older home which by the appearance of slightly slanted floors and sagging doorways to be sliding slowly down the hill. The rooms are cozy and well furnished. Dianne is thrilled to find a large claw foot bathtub. We are puzzled to learn the home has no phone, particularly since our instruction sheet includes a phone number for the house and information on making calls. Oh well.
We go to a tourism center and Colleen is able to make reservations for penguin and royal albatross tours on Friday, and we spend the next few hours walking the city, taking in the sights, and taking more pictures. Dianne discovers a fused glass art exhibit. Ed, Phil and Colleen visit the Dunedin train station which is famous for it’s overdone gingerbread architecture. Before heading back to the house, we do a bit of food shopping for the evening meal. We have found food prices to be a little higher in New Zealand for many things, but with good values on produce, dairy, eggs and bread. Most items are double the USA price in NZ dollars, but with the favorable exchange rate (one US dollar exchanges for almost two NZ dollars) we come out OK. Gas is about $1.90 NZ/ liter, equivalent to $3-3.50 US/gallon. A cup of coffee costs about $4 and so on. We have gotten very good value on our accommodations however, thanks in large measure to Colleen’s research and early booking.
Tomorrow (Thursday), Ed and Colleen plan to explore the wild Otago peninsula, and do some hiking. Phil and Dianne will be less ambitious planning to do some shopping in the city in search of warm cloths for further ventures to the south and west.
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Four Friends New Zealand Itinerary
March 5: Leave home in the late afternoon.
March 6: Don’t want to talk about it.
March 7: We arrive in Auckland where we have a 6 hour layover, hopefully enough time to take a taxi into town, look around a bit and maybe have dinner. Then we fly on to Christchurch, pick up our rental car and Ed, our designated driver after way too many hours of travel, will try to keep in mind which side of the road to use while driving us to our first night’s accommodation.
March 8: We wake up in our townhouse in downtown Christchurch. We will be within walking distance of Cathedral Square, Botanic Gardens, the Avon River, many art galleries and cultural attractions. We’ll take a walking tour of the city.
March 9 & 10: On to Oamaru, where we will stay for two nights in a backpacker overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Oamaru attractions include a Victorian downtown area built in the late 1800’s of locally quarried limestone, museums and galleries, a historic theatre production and Yellow Eyed and Blue Penguin colonies.
March 11, 12 & 13: Drive along the coast to Dunedin, with a stop at the Moeraki Boulders. We will be staying three nights in a Victorian Villa within walking distance of the historic Scottish influenced downtown area with many gardens, museums, galleries and historic buildings. During our time here we will also explore the Otago Peninsula with Blue and Yellow Eyed Penguins, a Royal Albatross Colony and Lanach Castle and gardens.
March 14: Drive along the wild Catlins Coast with many opportunities for short walks and wildlife viewing. We will spend the night in Invercargill.
March 15 & 16: We leave our rental car behind and fly to Stewart Island for two nights in New Zealand’s southernmost town, Oban. Here we will stay in a holiday home with ocean view, explore the Ulva Island bird sanctuary on a morning tour, then return after dark for a kiwi spotting tour. Other possibilities include hiking and kayaking, or maybe by now we’ll be in need of some time sitting and gazing out over the ocean from our cozy living room.
March 17: Fly back to Invercargill and reclaim our car for the drive to Te Anau, where we’ll spend one night in a motel unit with a view of the lake. In the afternoon, we’ll head across Lake Te Anau on a catamaran for a tour of the glowworm caves.
March 18: We’re up early for the drive to Milford Sound in Fiordlands National Park. We’ll pass breathtaking scenery with many opportunities for short walks and picture taking. We spend the night in Milford, in two riverside chalets. And though we'll be far away from our youngest offspring, today we'll be wishing Stefan our love on his 19th Birthday.
March 19: Up early again for a cruise of Milford Sound where we’ll see steep mountains rising directly up out of the sea, stunning waterfalls that crash down into serene waters and wildlife such as dolphins, seals and penguins in their natural environment. After our morning cruise, we’ll drive back to Te Anau for another night in our motel accommodation. We will call Stefan today to wish him a happy birthday because today in New Zealand is yesterday in California. Happy Birthday Stefan!
March 20 & 21: Drive to Wanaka, a town at the feet of the Southern Alps on the shores of Lake Wanaka and gateway to Mt. Aspiring National Park. We’ll spend two nights here in a holiday home with a mountain view.
March 22 & 23: One of our longest drives, about 4½ hours, and one of the most beautiful, through Haast pass in the Southern Alps to the West Coast. We will be staying two nights in the quiet town of Okarito, population 30-ish (34-ish while we are there.) Within a half hour drive are the more touristy towns of Franz and Fox at the bases of Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers in Westlands National Park. Closer to our accommodation is Okarito Lagoon, home to a great variety of native birds with bird watching and kayaking possibilities.
March 24 & 25: Drive up the West Coast to Punakaki where we will stay in two hand built cabins nestled in the rain forest. We’ll be within an easy walk through rain forest to the beach. A short drive away are Pancake Rocks, kayaking on the Pororari River and many beach and forest walks.
March 26, 27 & 28: Drive on up the West Coast, then inland through the beautiful Bueller River Gorge to Motueka. We spend three nights here, in a two bedroom cottage ten minutes from Golden Bay, Kaiteriteri Beach and Abel Tasman National Park and less than an hour drive from the town of Nelson where art and wine tasting opportunities abound. This area has the most sun and mildest weather on the South Island. Possible activities include hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, boat trips, relaxing on the beach and a day trip to Nelson to explore galleries featuring local artists and taste local wines.
March 29 & 30: Drive to Picton where we catch a water taxi for two nights in a lodge along the Queen Charlotte Track. We will hike a bit of the track, kayak in the bay, lounge in the many hammocks among the ferns overlooking the water and stroll through the sculpture gardens on the grounds. In the evening we will take a short walk to the glowworm dell and perhaps soak in the hot tub.
March 31 & April 1: Drive to Kaikoura where we will spend two nights in a holiday home with an ocean view and pool table in the basement. We will go on a whale watching cruise in Kaikoura, with other possibilities including day walks and fur seal, sea bird and dolphin viewing by kayak.
April 2: On to Hamner Springs for an extended soak in rock pools of natural hot spring waters. We spend one night in a two bedroom townhouse here with balconies overlooking rolling hills.
April 3, 4 & 5: Back to Christchurch for our last three nights in a cottage near city center. We will continue our exploration of Christchurch, attend a Maori cultural performance, and take a drive to the town of Akaroa to celebrate Dianne's Birthday by swimming with dolphins.
April 6: Ed and Colleen head home. Phil and Dianne make a stop in Fiji where their adventure will continue for a few more days.
March 6: Don’t want to talk about it.
March 7: We arrive in Auckland where we have a 6 hour layover, hopefully enough time to take a taxi into town, look around a bit and maybe have dinner. Then we fly on to Christchurch, pick up our rental car and Ed, our designated driver after way too many hours of travel, will try to keep in mind which side of the road to use while driving us to our first night’s accommodation.
March 8: We wake up in our townhouse in downtown Christchurch. We will be within walking distance of Cathedral Square, Botanic Gardens, the Avon River, many art galleries and cultural attractions. We’ll take a walking tour of the city.
March 9 & 10: On to Oamaru, where we will stay for two nights in a backpacker overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Oamaru attractions include a Victorian downtown area built in the late 1800’s of locally quarried limestone, museums and galleries, a historic theatre production and Yellow Eyed and Blue Penguin colonies.
March 11, 12 & 13: Drive along the coast to Dunedin, with a stop at the Moeraki Boulders. We will be staying three nights in a Victorian Villa within walking distance of the historic Scottish influenced downtown area with many gardens, museums, galleries and historic buildings. During our time here we will also explore the Otago Peninsula with Blue and Yellow Eyed Penguins, a Royal Albatross Colony and Lanach Castle and gardens.
March 14: Drive along the wild Catlins Coast with many opportunities for short walks and wildlife viewing. We will spend the night in Invercargill.
March 15 & 16: We leave our rental car behind and fly to Stewart Island for two nights in New Zealand’s southernmost town, Oban. Here we will stay in a holiday home with ocean view, explore the Ulva Island bird sanctuary on a morning tour, then return after dark for a kiwi spotting tour. Other possibilities include hiking and kayaking, or maybe by now we’ll be in need of some time sitting and gazing out over the ocean from our cozy living room.
March 17: Fly back to Invercargill and reclaim our car for the drive to Te Anau, where we’ll spend one night in a motel unit with a view of the lake. In the afternoon, we’ll head across Lake Te Anau on a catamaran for a tour of the glowworm caves.
March 18: We’re up early for the drive to Milford Sound in Fiordlands National Park. We’ll pass breathtaking scenery with many opportunities for short walks and picture taking. We spend the night in Milford, in two riverside chalets. And though we'll be far away from our youngest offspring, today we'll be wishing Stefan our love on his 19th Birthday.
March 19: Up early again for a cruise of Milford Sound where we’ll see steep mountains rising directly up out of the sea, stunning waterfalls that crash down into serene waters and wildlife such as dolphins, seals and penguins in their natural environment. After our morning cruise, we’ll drive back to Te Anau for another night in our motel accommodation. We will call Stefan today to wish him a happy birthday because today in New Zealand is yesterday in California. Happy Birthday Stefan!
March 20 & 21: Drive to Wanaka, a town at the feet of the Southern Alps on the shores of Lake Wanaka and gateway to Mt. Aspiring National Park. We’ll spend two nights here in a holiday home with a mountain view.
March 22 & 23: One of our longest drives, about 4½ hours, and one of the most beautiful, through Haast pass in the Southern Alps to the West Coast. We will be staying two nights in the quiet town of Okarito, population 30-ish (34-ish while we are there.) Within a half hour drive are the more touristy towns of Franz and Fox at the bases of Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers in Westlands National Park. Closer to our accommodation is Okarito Lagoon, home to a great variety of native birds with bird watching and kayaking possibilities.
March 24 & 25: Drive up the West Coast to Punakaki where we will stay in two hand built cabins nestled in the rain forest. We’ll be within an easy walk through rain forest to the beach. A short drive away are Pancake Rocks, kayaking on the Pororari River and many beach and forest walks.
March 26, 27 & 28: Drive on up the West Coast, then inland through the beautiful Bueller River Gorge to Motueka. We spend three nights here, in a two bedroom cottage ten minutes from Golden Bay, Kaiteriteri Beach and Abel Tasman National Park and less than an hour drive from the town of Nelson where art and wine tasting opportunities abound. This area has the most sun and mildest weather on the South Island. Possible activities include hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, boat trips, relaxing on the beach and a day trip to Nelson to explore galleries featuring local artists and taste local wines.
March 29 & 30: Drive to Picton where we catch a water taxi for two nights in a lodge along the Queen Charlotte Track. We will hike a bit of the track, kayak in the bay, lounge in the many hammocks among the ferns overlooking the water and stroll through the sculpture gardens on the grounds. In the evening we will take a short walk to the glowworm dell and perhaps soak in the hot tub.
March 31 & April 1: Drive to Kaikoura where we will spend two nights in a holiday home with an ocean view and pool table in the basement. We will go on a whale watching cruise in Kaikoura, with other possibilities including day walks and fur seal, sea bird and dolphin viewing by kayak.
April 2: On to Hamner Springs for an extended soak in rock pools of natural hot spring waters. We spend one night in a two bedroom townhouse here with balconies overlooking rolling hills.
April 3, 4 & 5: Back to Christchurch for our last three nights in a cottage near city center. We will continue our exploration of Christchurch, attend a Maori cultural performance, and take a drive to the town of Akaroa to celebrate Dianne's Birthday by swimming with dolphins.
April 6: Ed and Colleen head home. Phil and Dianne make a stop in Fiji where their adventure will continue for a few more days.
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