Sunday Jan 31, 2010 – Te Anau

We awoke to beautiful blue skies. We reserved a helicopter flight for noon. The flight we choose was the Dusky & Doubtful Sound trip that last 1½ hours.

Word just cannot describe the grandeur and magnificence of what we saw. From stunning tree filled valleys to bare rocky mountain peaks; small lakes to snowy peaks. Much of it is untouched by humans. It is too rugged to climb and the forest is too dense. There were hanging valleys, hidden valleys and waterfalls. Although, not that many falls as they are in a 10 day drought. Just a spectacular flight.

Dusky Sound is the largest of the fiords. We landed on a shoulder of Mt Pender to view this spectacular sound. The helicopter was turned off so we could experience the beauty and solitude of the area. There are 365 islands in the sound, most of them at the mouth. We sipped a glass of wine and walked around the area. It was very rugged and boggy. We were visited by 4 Kea parrots. They came quite close to us. The pilot kept an eye on them as they can do great damage to the helicopter in a short time. After leaving we soared above the peaks to get bird's eye view of Fiordland National Park. Peak after peak for miles and miles in all directions. We overfly 3 more fiords before descending Crooked Arm into Doubtful Sound. While flying up this fiord a detour is made into a unique hanging valley know as Campbell's Kingdom. You fly through a narrow opening which was exciting. On the other side it opens up to a beautiful lake. Our second landing was at Mt. Kidd. A remote alpine location with a lake with ice still on its shores. The peak had snow on the ground as well. Coming back we had a grand view of Lake Te Anau and surrounding valley. We would do another flight in a heartbeat. What a glorious way to spend the last day of January.

Deer hunting is encouraged here. You can shot as many as you wish at anytime for free. This is the only way to keep the numbers down. Our pilot Rod said they catch live deer and sell them to the deer farmers for a price. They do this by flying around and having a person drop from the copter unto the back of the deer. They also go out hunting with smaller copters, one person will stand on the strut, hanging on with one hand and shooting the deer from the air. An interesting side line for the copter business. They also get paid for the dead deer. Nothing is wasted from the deer. The meat is shipped overseas and the hides are tanned.

Charles is off golfing after this glorious flight, while I write this all down and go through pictures.

Saturday Jan 30, 2010 – Off to Te Anau

Our wonderful week in Wanaka has come to an end. The weather all week had been superb. Jennifer and Charles really tanned up. I heard Jennifer leave with her bike at 6:30am. Charles and I leisurely got up, pack up and were ready to go by 9am. It had started to rain while Charles was packing the car.

We only got about 5 km down the road when we were stopped by a policeman who said the road was closed. There had been an accident on the hill coming out of Queenstown. We would have to take the long way.

"Was there a bicyclist involved?" we asked. "Why would you ask that sir?" answered the policeman.

We then explained about Jennifer riding a bike down to Queenstown. He then told us that bicycling would be allowed but she would not be allowed down the hill. We were not able to ask any more questions as he told us to move along. The accident happened at 6am. A tanker had run off the road. We did not know when the barricade went up so had no idea if Jennifer was stopped, or asked to turn around. We went back to Wanaka and at the info centre we asked about the police station. They called but found that no one was there. Back we went to the resort. They said they could call her cell if we liked. I had packed her number in my suitcase which is at the bottom of the pile. We tried to find it on g-mail but kept losing the free internet.

Back we go to the barricade again. We ask "Can we go along the road to see if we could find out daughter?"

The policeman said "It would be okay but we would not be able to go to the bottom of the hill."

Off we went. We figured it would take us ½ hour to get to the lookout. We could double back then and take the long way around to Queenstown if necessary. There was a sign in the middle of the road at Cordrona saying the road was closed. On we went. We thought that if Jen had been turned back we would have seen her by now. We kept going to the first lookout. We decided Jen must have made it through so we turned back. Suddenly, there were a number of cars coming down the road from Wanaka. We turned around to follow them. At the lookout we asked if they had come from Wanaka and was the road still closed. They had no idea what we were talking about. They had heard nothing about the accident and saw no policeman. We followed the vehicles down. Just above the last hairpin turn we were stopped. Still no sign of Jen. The people we had talked to at the lookout realised that we were right about the accident. We waited about 15 min before we were allowed through. No vehicles were allowed up the hill as of yet. However, we did see some bikers coming up.

We were so happy when we found Jennifer's hotel and found out she had registered. We were ecstatic that we didn't have to return to Wanaka and take the longer route to Queenstown

Jennifer's story went sort of like this. At the 20km mark she was ready to turn back. However she talked herself out of that. If she went forward the 20ks instead of back, she would only have 20ks more to do. With no idea of what lay ahead she pedaled on. There were no signs along the road about the accident. There had been a light drizzle along the way that was quite refreshing. She gave out a loud cheer when she reached the first lookout. It was downhill from there to the bottom. Rounding the corner to the right after the lookout, met with driving rain and winds. Jen said her speed dropped considerably. She was stopped for 45 min at the accident. A helicopter came in and took the tank part away. They also foamed the road while she was there. Too bad she did not have a camera. Other than getting very cold she was alright. They were pulling up the cab of the truck while we were there.

Everyone was so happy to meet again. Jen had time to get a nice warm shower before we arrived. Jen was so excited and proud that she had made it all the way. We were also very proud of her. She went 64km in 3 hours. We had all her other stuff so she had no dry cloths to change into. What a day so far and it wasn't even noon yet.

After dropping Jen downtown we left for Te Anau. We stopped at a beautiful picnic area just south of the Queenstown area. It over looked the lake. The sun was shining and very warm on the back. Queenstown could be seen in the distance. This was the only area to picnic for about 24km. By then it was very windy, overcast and cold.

The rest of the day went by without a hitch. We saw lots of green grassy area full of sheep. The road through most of the trip after the lake was quite straight. The car must have wondered what hit it. No hills! No twists and turns!! The weather got progressively nicer as we travelled. Off to watch the sun set with Charles.

Friday Jan 29, 2010, Wanaka

Today is our last day at the resort. The week with Jen has just flown by. We are a little sad to see it come to an end.

We did not have much planned for today. We decided to go play mini golf at Have a Shot. There were lots of thing to do there. Archery range, clay bird shooting range, 22 small bore rifle range, golf driving range, battle field, mini golf and cropool. Cropool is playing pool with croquet balls and mallets. The battlefield has nine guns mounted in their own fortresses that fire rubber tennis balls. Not sure what actually happens on the battle field but it sounded like fun if you had lots of people.

We decided to play mini gold and Charles wanted to try out the 22 small bore rifle range. The golf course was fun and a challenge for some. All the holes had local theme. Jennifer came to play. She did very well, 2 over par. Charles got a 77 and I got 80. There was one hole where there was a space between where you teed off from and the rest of the fairway. I hit the board at the end of the fairway twice before I finally got it onto the fairway. Charles game would have been much better if he could have putted into the hole on the first try. He had so many balls just rim the hole. Charles also had a ball end up in the water hazard as well. We had lots of fun and laughs.

Charles then tried the 22 small bore rifle range. He had 25 shots. The first target took 5 shots, second 10 and third 10. He only missed the bull's eye on one shot. One of the 10 shot targets had two close to the edge of the bull's eye, and the other 8 were together in the center. He was very pleased with his shooting.

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Wednesday Jan 27, 2010 – Wanaka

We are half way through our stay here. The time is flying by.

Wanaka, Cordrona and Queenstown are major ski areas. There are lots of hotels and resorts in the area. We decided to do a day trip to the Queenstown via the Cordrona pass, and then come back via the Cromwell route. Cordrona is a small place that relies on winter skiing. There are a couple of resorts there. It would be a nice quiet spot in the summer if you were into trekking.

We had made a reservation to jet boat with the Shotover Jet boat group for 10:30. Up early, make our lunches, and set off. It was a cool morning. The first stop was at a lookout over the valley and Queenstown. It was so cold and windy I wondered if I had dressed wrong for the day. Charles and Jen climbed the hill to get a better view. I huddled in the car. The next stop was another lookout just lower down. I did not get out, but Charles and Jen said it was much warmer and not so windy.

We found where the jet boats left from. We remembered stopping here before. It is quite a nice place to view the gorge from. We got into long black raincoats and life jackets. Ready for our ride. The boat was one passenger short of being full. At the last moment Charles was told he could not take the big camera with him. I wish they had told us that before so we could have gotten the little camera. The trip was very exciting. You go very close to cliff faces and over very shallow area. We got many 360° turns with lots of spray. Charles and Jen were sitting on the side of the boat that came closest to the cliffs. It gave one a weird feeling. We all had a great time. We bought the picture package and DVD. Once you buy the package you are allowed to down load the still pictures for free for up to 3 months after your trip. Another feature they have is called instant replay. You can ride again at ½ price if you book and pay immediately after your first trip. Your next trip does not have to occur immediately.

On our way to Cromwell we stopped off to watch the bungy jumping. The first person we watched went off backwards. She screamed the whole way down and got dunked in the water. The next 3 men we watched went off facing the front and not screaming. They were all with a bike tour. It was fun to watch but we all decided that is wasn't for us. Just outside on the top viewing platform, sausages were being cooked on a BBQ. It smelt so good and we had not had lunch yet. This was just cruel. We ended up having one each.

Lunch was along the road at an
i
site. There were some old historic buildings there. It was very windy again but it was warm. The wind also kept the bugs away from us. No blood scarifies today. This is wine country. There are so many vineyards and wineries. We stopped at The Waitiri Creek Winery. Charles and Jennifer did some wine tasting. It was $5 to taste 5 wines. In the end they got to taste 6.

We stopped at the Kawarau Gorge Mining Centre to show Jen where we jet boated the last time we were here. Charles and Jennifer went on the walking tour of the old Chinese mining settlement. It was very hot and no breeze. Part way through all Jen wanted was a drink of water. I had felt the same way when we were here before. I stayed at the centre and took some pictures of flowers. Thankfully we had not waited until here to have our lunch. It was so hot.

Just down the road we stopped at a fruit stand. It was the same as last time. We bought fruit and had ice cream. It was so good on a hot day. We walked through the English rose garden, that is there. It is so beautiful. Such an array of colours.

Cromwell is known for its fruit growing. The town has the Big Fruit –a peach, a pear, an apricot and an apple in a group at the entrance to town. From a distance they look like a wacky peacock. We walked around a small shopping area at the edge of town. We were all hot and tired so decided to head for home and the pool.

The trip home took us by more vineyards and Lake Dunstan. We were wishing we all had bathing suits so we could have taken a dip. It was a fast trip only taking ½ hour. Mileage wise this is a longer trip from Queenstown to Wanaka but much flatter and easier on the car. The Cordrona pass it much prettier though.

The pool was so nice when we got back.

Tuesday Jan 26, 2010 – Wanaka

Charles went off and played golf. There is a nine whole course just outside of town in a farmer's field. It is $15 for 18 holes. He had a good time. This time he remembered his hat and water.

Jennifer and I stayed at the resort. I did laundry. Jen and I figured out my camera. I had not been too pleased with the way some of the pictures had been turning out. After some test shots we found a better way to take the pictures. We will try it out tomorrow when we do another day trip

Monday Jan 25, 2010 – Wanaka.

The weather was very nice today. We decided to head for Mt. Aspiring National Park.

First stop was a lookout over Lake Wanaka. The lake is 30miles long and 1000ft. deep. The bottom of the lake is below sea level. Most of the lake is not inhabited. The mountains are steep on both sides. The road does not go all the way down the east side of the lake. It was so beautiful. It was nice to have the binoculars to use.

We drove all the way to Thunder Falls the furthest point on our journey. All of us had been to the falls before, however, they were just as majestic and awesome. Jen walked out into the river a ways on the rocks. She ended up wading back in the water. It was quite cold. Our next stop was at some rapids up the river. There were some huge boulders. We were able to make our way down close to the river edge. The roar of the water told us about its power.

Fantail Falls was our next stop. Jen had been there before but not us. It was a short walk. The falls were beautiful. Jen did not go in the river this time. There were lots of children playing the water though.

We stopped at Cameron Flats for lunch. We are not sure who ate more us or the sand flies. We did give blood sacrifices. We all had to apply bug spray which only helped a little. Jennifer found out that sand flies really did like her. This was also a campsite. The fees were $6 per adult, $3 per child. That's $18 for a family of 4 for open field camping. There were flush toilets but no showers.

Our last stop in the park was the blue pools. I was a little nervous as one has to cross a swing bridge. The bridge before was rickety. Much to my surprise there is a new swing bridge. It was much nicer to cross. I was only a little nervous. There is also another swing bridge over the pools. It is new. Jen went down to the river on the far side of the new bridge, clambered over the rocks looking for a good place to cross the stream to get back. She waded across in a shallow area. Again the river was very cold. On the trek in we saw lots of people coming out. Many of the children had been swimming. Jennifer wondered how they got in the water. Again we managed to get here at the right time. Many people had just left so that we had some quiet time to ourselves. We saw lots of dead trees with mushrooms growing out of them. It was so funny to see.

One last stop was at a lookout for Lake Hawea. This is a lake just beside Lake Wanaka. It seems to be a more popular lake to do things on. There were more boats of all types and more beaches being used by people. The road leaves Lake Wanaka about ½ way down and crosses over to continue down the west shore of Lake Hawea.

Sunday Jan 24, 2010 – Wanaka

Not much going on today. We headed down town to see what was going on. Jennifer got some new flip fops. We looked around a craft fair. Charles set up a tee time for 12:40. He is off playing golf. Jen and I are just chilled. Charles had forgotten his hat and water. His face was burnt.

Saturday Jan 23, 2010 Franz Josef to Wanaka

We left as early as possible again. The kitchen was not too active at 8:00 am.

Our first stop was Knights Point. There is a picnic table there now. It was very cloudy so there wasn't much to see. We wondered if the sand flies were better. No such luck. We used the facilities, and then left in a hurry. Charles was covered with sand flies. Things had not changed.

Ship Wreck Creek was out next stop. The sea was churning up the sand as the waves crashed on the shore. It is a very beautiful beach sandy beach with lots of driftwood debris on shore. It was so good to get out walking. The sand flies were around until we got to the beach then it was much better. The wind made the creek look like it was running up from the ocean. Charles tossed in a small piece of driftwood. It was slowly making its way down stream.

We ate lunch at the Haast Information Centre. It was very nice. They have water flowing over what looks like steps. There were beautiful pools as well. It would have been much nicer if the tour bus had been turned off. The diesel smell was not very nice. The bus did leave while we were eating. Two other tour buses pulled in but they were shot off which made it very nice. We then drove straight through to Wanaka.

After checking in we relaxed for a while. Off again, driving to Queenstown to pick Jen up at the airport. We went via Cordrona. Sadly all the bras that were on a fence along the way were gone. It was sort of sad not to see the bra fence. I am glad we got pictures the first time. I guess all things must come to and end.

We had supper at the Remarkables Park Shopping area. It was a very nice dinner as the menu offered lots of gluten free items, including pizza crust. During the evening I asked Jen if she knew how to access the blue markings on my keyboard. After many failed attempts, Jen googled it. What a riot!! It was hard finding anything out from HP. She found a woman who was having the same trouble who was asking for help. Some of the answers she got did not work. Her responses to the answers were quite funny. We understood her frustration. We laughed a lot. We did finally find out how to turn off and on this "é". This was a big help as I would turn it on accidentally then did not know how to turn it off. I would resort to exiting word then reopening the whole thing. I really wanted to be able to use the ¼, ½, ¾ blue marked key but have given up worrying about it.

Friday Jan 22, 2010 – From Westport to Franz Joseph

It is raining today.

Our first stop was at an old gold mine. The people that owned it set it up as a tourist site but we also think they are working it as well. With the price of gold now it is probable worth it. It was an honour system. There was a jug with a piece of metal on it. You just put your money in and walked around the site. The message said that someone would catch up to us. No one ever did. It was quite interesting. There was not very much info around to help us figure out what things were. It was not raining anymore here. We got wet none the less because of the water on the plants.

Off to the Punakaiki or Pancake Rocks. The waves were not high enough to make the blowhole work. We did see it last time so it was not a problem. The rocks are amazing even without the wave action. We did notice more erosion over the last time. It was a very nice walk around the area. Again it was not raining when we got there.

Next came Hokitika. I wanted to see the glass place again. Nothing they had this time caught my attention. More items were in our price range though. We walked around a little before leaving. Again no rain. It had been raining off and on the whole day so far. Charles said "It's misty, it's spitting, it's raining, it's spitting, it's raining, it's misty and so on". The windshield wipers were off, on pulse or full on. Round and round it went. It sure couldn't make up its mind.

We drove the rest of the way without stopping to get to Franz Josef. Well, we did stop for a bathroom break at Whataroa. Jennifer says that Wh is pronounced like F. The town name would be pronounced like Fataroa. There was a jade shop that said everything was carved by a local Maori carver. I just had to go in. I am not fond of jade . However I did find a pair of earrings I liked and bought a small turtle of Jennifer.

Franz Josef was bright, sunny and hot. This is our first time this trip at a hostel. It is quite different after staying in our own units. We had an ensuite so didn't have to use the communal bathrooms. We did however have to use the communal kitchen. They were giving part of the kitchen a good cleaning so it was closed. The other half had gas burners which were hard to get to work. Even if they worked they would not do anything but low. After we were able to cook our meal we let others take over the burners without turning them off.

We had dinner with an English couple and their 3 children. They had sold everything in England, quit their jobs and bought a farm in NZ near Nelson. They were very interesting to talk to. They said they only go over the Takaka Hill (aka THE HILL) once a year and only if they really need too! The man said there are 365 turns on that part of the road.

Thursday Jan 21, 2010 – Westport

We decided not to go anywhere today except for down town. We were tired of travelling. It turned out to be a day with rain showers followed sunny periods. I spent the day organizing pictures and writing in the journal. We also skyped Trevor. It is amazing how many ways you can contact someone today.

This evening was so nice we decided to take one last trip to the seal colony. We thought we could see a nice sunset. However 16km south west makes a big difference in the weather. Although it wasn't raining while we were there it was windy and cool. I am so glad I brought my coat. It was feeding time in the colony. Lots of nursing pups. The seals were not as active either. The waves were crashing against the rocks as the tide came in. It was sad to leave.

Wednesday Jan 20, 2010 – Trip North from Westport

We set of early so we could see some things before the rains came. It was calling for rain by noon. The trip north was a beautiful trip. Some time inland and some time by the ocean. We stopped at Ngakwau Beach to have a look around. The beach here was rocky. Unlike Carters Beach just south west of Westport, which is very sandy. Just north was another community called Hector. It was named for the man who discovered dolphins that also bear his name. These dolphins look like Orcas just smaller. There is a nice sculpture of the hector dolphins.

The Karamea Bluffs cause the road to head inland also the road gets twisty as we make our way up and over the bluffs. Just before going inland we stopped and did the Chasm Creek walkway. It was such a flat gentle walk. We figured out that it was an abandoned railway track. It was a beautiful serene walk through the bush. There was a tunnel and cut out areas to walk through. There was even a weeping wall. As we were the only people there it was very quiet. Still no rain.

At Karamea we stopped at the info centre. We found out about The Arches. They are marble formations that were left after the limestone around them was worn away. There are also limestone caves that are in a restricted are. You can see them with guided tours. Having not brought our lunch, we had to eat at a cafe. I ordered a hamburger. This was no ordinary burger. It was the size of a 6 inch pizza. Off we set for the arches. The only problem is getting to the area. It is 16km over a narrow gravel road. The road is rough with lots of washboard sections, big potholes and one car width sections. It was an adventure.

We set off to on the Moria Gate Arch track first. The walk was to take 20 minutes. We took a little longer. We came upon a Y in the road. One sign said continue on the Moria track, the other Moria Gate Arch entrance was another 10 min walk. We did not know that we had to enter a cave. It was very slippery and very uneven. I tried entering the cave but could not. Charles did get in and took some great pictures. Apparently, the cave was the bottom of the arch. After Charles came out and I finished offering my blood to feed the sand flies, we head further up the track to the lookout point. I was so glad to see the arch. I was so upset at the cave because I thought I had walked all this way and could not see the prize. There was a light misty rain on our way back up the track. It felt so good as we were very warm. Charles decide to go and see the Oparara Arch. It was a shorter walk but I just couldn't do it. I stayed behind and again did a blood offering to the sand flies. The Oparara Arch is the bigger of the two. Charles thought the Moria Arch was nicer. All in all a very nice time. I am so glad that I am able to do these walks. They are also getting easier. Still no rain of any amount.

Off back to Westport. We thought we would run into lots of rain on the way but it turned out that most of the rain was in the mountains. There was some rain. It turned out that Westport had not had any rain yet. It did finally rained in the evening.

Tuesday Jan. 19, 2010 - Westport

It is moving day again. The days sure fly by when you are having fun. The trip to Westport was not all that eventful. There were lots of green country sides, orange construction signs, and one lane bridges.

We did stop at Murchison to pick up some things. We went to the information centre to ask about jet boating. After we signed up and paid they informed us that we would have to cross a swing bridge to get to the boating. It turns out that The Buller Gorge Swingbridge is the longest swingbridge 110m in NZ and I had to cross it. So off we went. Thank goodness there wasn't anyone coming from the other side. Later we saw lots of people passing each other on the bridge. It was a trek to the jet boat wharf. The last little bit was hard for me to negotiate. Soon we were on the boat. Charles and I were in the back. We had never been there before so it was fun. You sure slide around on the spins. We went up and down through some small rapids which had us bouncing up and down. It was great. We saw where the earthquake of 1929 displaced the land. http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/kids/nzdisasters/EQMurchison1929.asp and there were some waterfalls. After the boating was finished we went back over the bridge. We had to wait a while for the bridge to clear. We did set out with one man on the bridge who we had to pass. Our boat captain went across before us and stopped people from coming across until we were on the other side. For this I was very thankful. We ate lunch here.

We are staying in a four bedroom holiday home in Westport. It is large and roomy.

The day ended on a very tranquil note as we went to see the seal colony. There were lots of young pups having a great time on the rocks. We got some great movies and pictures. Charles and I were the only people there for a long time. One larger seal was scratching its back on a rock. This went on for about 5 minutes. She was so funny to watch. It was so quiet here. You could hear the seals making noises. We spent about an hour there. It was just so much fun to watch the seals.

Monday Jan 18, 2010 –
Trip over Takaka Hill

We had planned to go back over THE HILL again. There were things we did not see in the Golden Bay area that we wanted.

Our first stop was Hawkes Lookout at the top of THE HILL. We were able to see down the valley to Motueka. While on the walk to the lookout we found out about all the rock formations that were all around us. We did not notice them the first time through as it was raining. The acidic water had made some fascinating rock sculptures out of the marble.

Next we stopped at the Caves Ngarua and lookout. There we could see all the way to Kaiteriteri Beach. Again it is so hard to capture the grandeur on the landscape. We went on the cave tour. It was different as it was a dry cave. No running water through it. There had been lots of bones found there from many different land birds and animals. They would fall down a sink hole to the dark caves and die there. Because the temperature is an even 11° C and away from the elements the bones were well preserved. Some of the bones have been taken out. Now however, what is in the cave stays in the cave. Whole skeletons of very large birds – Moa (which is extinct)- have been found. There were some stairs up and down, small spaces and beautiful views. In the Cathedral section a lady started to sing "How Great Thou Art" soon everyone joined in. She had such a good voice. It was great. What bothered me the most was getting out. There was a 20 step ladder that went up to the exit. I was able to do climb it. It is amazing what you can do if you have no other choice.

We left there and finished the trip down THE HILL. We drove straight to the Pupu Springs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Waikoropupu_Springs It is the largest spring system in NZ and among the largest 100 in the world. The water is crystal clear. People are not allowed to touch the water in any way so that the water stays clear of noxious weeds or pests. The springs put out 14000 litres/sec. That is 40 bathtubs full a sec. The water comes up from an underwater limestone river system. The system is quite large. If it gets too dry some of the springs will stop running. We had a very nice walk to the spring and back again through the woods. It was so quiet with running water sounds in the back ground. We could not get pictures that really showed the specialness of the springs.

Off again to the Abel Tasman National Park to see the Wainui Falls. At the beginning the sign said a 40 minute walk. Off we went. The start we followed a farm road then veered off to follow a path that meandered beside the river. Some of the paths were wide and even. However, as we began to climb the paths narrowed considerably and became cluttered with rock outcroppings and tree roots. I was finding it a hard climb and was getting over heated. I did soldier on. There was a part that was covered with boulders. We were almost through that part when my foot slipped. I am so glad I didn't sprain my ankle. We came across a swing bridge which I crossed. It was difficult for me as I don't like these kind of bridges. One good thing was only one person can cross at a time. On and on we went. Finally we go to the falls. I actually didn't see the falls as you had to climb out on boulders to see the falls. I was so tired I thought I might injure myself if I went out there. Charles went out and took pictures. I was worried about the return journey as there were some tricky narrow sections with steep drop offs and no guard rails. It went a lot better than I though. Soon, we were back at the car park and in the air-conditioned car. I was so proud of myself for making up to the falls and back down.

Sunday Jan 17, 2010 -
Motueka

We decided not to do too much today. We still went off to visit the Hӧglund Art Glass Gallery. The glass work was beautiful but very expensive. There was a large bowl that I liked but at 4,500 NZ dollars it stayed there.

On the way back I decided we could have taken another route but we had missed it. However on our map it showed a road going across to the other road. So we took it. Well it was a one lane gravel road. There was a gate along it with a sign talking about vandalism but nothing about it being a private road When, we got to the next gate we realized we could go no further. We are not sure if we could have taken another track along the way but it looked even less travelled than the one we were own. So we just headed back to the road we had been on and took that route home. I still wonder if the road would have gotten us to the other road.

We stopped at a mini golf course. It was out in the middle of an orchard. There was a driving range there in the past but the balls kept disappearing into the swamp. They put apple trees in instead and built the mini golf course. It was great fun. The first two holes were quite easy but we were just being lolled into a false sense of security. Two holes in particular where very hard. On the 9^th hole, I finally put my ball up on the hole level and finished off from there. We had a great time and lots of laughs. Charles got 4 hole-in-ones with 3 coming on the back nine.

Spent the rest of the day resting and working on the Journal and Pictures.

Saturday Jan 16, 2010 – Motueka

We woke up and it was over cast. It was raining by the time we got under way. It was not all that cold though which was nice. We decided to go all the way to Puponga about 100 km where there was a Visitor's Centre. We wanted to know how long it would take us so that when we reserved for a tour of the Farewell Spit we would know what time would be best.

Off we went in the rain. The road over Takaka Hill has very very bendy and twisty for 25 km. This was the slowest part of the trip. Once over the hill there is the nice Takaka River valley to follow. The further north and then west we got the nicer it got. The rain stopped and the sun came out.

Upon arriving at the info center around noon hour, we found out we could take the tour at 2 coming back by 6. We had lunch there while we waited. We walked up a hill where we could get at 360 view of the area. It was well worth the climb.

Farewell Spit is a Natural Reserve now and protected. It is 32km of sand. There are three big sand dunes called Barchan Dunes slowly making their way down the spit. We saw fossils and our guide told us how the spit was formed. There were more seals as well. Along our journey in a 4WD vehicle we saw lots of bird. The spit is a very important migratory spot for birds. There is one bird species that goes via Korea to Yukon Valley to breed, then flies 7 days straight back to NZ or Australia. There was a stranded whale as well. Our guide was surprised it had not been buried by the sand yet.

We stopped at the lighthouse for some refreshments. The light house was manned by 3 people in the past. Each person had their own cottage. Now each cottage is used by different conservation agencies. In the old generation room is now an exhibit of the birds and whale standings. The owner of the tour group, we were with, gave a talk about the migratory birds and the whales. We set off on our return journey. Stopped at one of the dunes to climb up and run down. The view from the top was great. Charles climbed the dune but I did not. He enjoyed the views from the top

We stopped in Collingwood for supper. Got home about 9:30. I was glad Charles was able to make the drive home while it was still light.

Friday - Jan 15, 2010 - Going to Motueka

We mainly drove north from Christchurch through the mountains until Kaikoura. There we again saw the Pacific Ocean. We stopped at Kaikoura for a bathroom break and to walk around. It was a quaint town. There was a lovely butcher shop where we bought sausages for supper. They were gluten free. Charles got venison ones and I got tomato basil.

At a picnic area north of Kaikoura we stopped for lunch. It was very windy and cold. It was not raining at least. We had to hold down our lunch fixings or lose them to the seagulls. Ever vigilant, these birds watch just in case we should turn our backs or drop something. I wanted to take pictures after we ate. It turned out to have great photo opts. There were lots of seals on the rocks. Some, where very close. I got some nice pictures of the seals. Once we saw a couple we realized just how many there were. Most of them were sleeping but one was active. One raised its head when some teens came close. We did not want to get too close.

After lunch we headed |North to Blenheim then west toward Nelson Most of the road to Nelson was quite flat and we could make time. However, we still had to cross the mountains. Slow down time with many switchbacks going up and down. It was also slow going through Nelson. The main road runs right along the waterfront. There was an accident as well. We again headed north to Motueka

The trip had many great sights. It is hard to capture the grandeur on the camera. It is also hard to find places to take pictures. At the top where you can see everything there is no place to stop. At the bottom there are place to stop but not the views.

It was bright, sunny, and hot when we arrived. I felt like Nanook from the south, with my long pants and fleece jacket. After unpacking Charles went for a dip in the pool. Charles BBQed the sausages to go with corn on the cob and zapped potatoes. We ate outside on the picnic table, as it was cooler. The sausages were delicious.

 

Thursday, Jan, 14

Today it was nice and sunny when we got up. The weather report was for rain later in the day so I encouraged Charles to go golfing while the weather was decent. I am sure glad I did has it has clouded over and is quite windy. I hope he is having a good time.

I am work on the trip journal, blog and pictures to picasa. We bought some time on wireless internet so am able to do the stuff from our computer. So much easier.

Will spend the rest of the day getting ready to move on tomorrow. We will be heading north.

Wednesday, Jan. 13

We planned a day trip for today. We decided to head toward Lyttelton. On the way we stopped at the gondola. We decided it was nice enough to go up. There was a haze over Christchurch. The view was still good though. The view of Lyttelton Bay was spectacular. We did a little walking on some of the paths. We also did a time tunnel that explained how the area was formed and inhabitted. it was quite the abridged version but nice info all the same.

After the gondola we went through a tunnel to Lyttelton. Not as long as the tunnels in Switzerland but an easy way to the coast. Lyttelton is the habour for Christchurch. It is the biggest harbour on the South Island. There was a cruise ship in today. Lyttelton is a quaint town built on the volcano hillsides. We had lunch there.

Off again to the Godley Head area. A lot of the land in this area is in a reserve. The road there was narrow and windy. You had to move as far as you can to the left to let other cars go by. Thank goodness there was not too much traffic. There were also sheep on the road to dodge. The drop offs beside the road are steep with no guard rails. It was a little scary for me when I was on the drop off side. We went for a walk in this area. We saw old building used during WWII to protect the harbour. The buildings were accessible with signs in them telling you what they were used for. As we had an engagement that evening we decided to head back to Christchurch.

This time we took the Summit Road. Again it was windy and twisty. However, it was wider, two lanes. There were many pictureque views. We made it back with a half hour to spare before going out.

We went to a wildlife preserve that has a Moire Ko Tane Show. It was a lovely evening. We met a lovely young women, Emma, from Aust. We invied her to sit with us for the supper. We have some picture on our picasa site of the last two days accivities.

Tuesday Jan 12

We spent the day touring around the centre of Christchuch. Something we did not do last time we were here.
We took in Punting on the Avon. It was a very nice quiet and gentle trip. The boats are very shallow and a punter pushes the boat along with a long pole. Going down river is quite easy come back up against the current is when the punter earns his money. We had heavy rains Monday night so the river was muddy and the current was fast.
The next thing we did was ride the Tram. It is an old fashion tram that runs in the centre of town. It was an easy way to get to places. You could get off and on where ever you wanted. The ticket is for 2 consecutive days. We took in the mesuem and botanical gardens. We were still feeling jet lagged so found our way back to our accomodations.
The weather was cloudy with sunny breaks. There was still a cool wind.

Hello from Christchurch

The flights here were uneventful. Just some trubulence every now and then to keep us on our toes.

After 13 long hours on the plane from Vancouver we decided to walk to the Domestic terminal at the Auckland Airport. It was about a 20 minute walk. It was well laid out so easy to follow. The fresh air was great. We had 3 hours between flights which was the right amount of time. I was so tired I slept for most of the flight to Christchurch.

It was windy and overcast when we arrived. After getting our car rental we went to tne campground where were are staying. Our unit wasn't ready so we went shopping. After returning ,we unpacked the car, and then collapesed and slept for a few hours. It was so nice to sleep laying down and not moving.

After a light supper, we toured the park. There was a light rain falling. We decided to take in the movie "Die Hard 4" that was showing at the park. This helped us stay up to 10pm making our time adjustment easier.

Today we spent shopping and relaxing. The weather is overcast with sunny periods. Not missing the cold and snow.