November 26 & 29
Fields and fields of them. We saw them through the mountain passes that we travelled on our way to Queenstown and also on our way to Milford Sound. They were alongside the road, in the river beds and just at the tree lines. Could see them really well from high up on the bus, but the photos were blurry. I did get some close ups of some of the amazing colors.
November 28
After tea we went for a ‘Million Dollar Cruise’ on Lake Wakatipu. The million dollars refers to the prices of the homes along the lake front!
There were some willow islands – started growing after one of the original settlers placed posts in the shallow areas to help him navigate through the water – a ‘sail’er, fishergirl, brave swimmers (core water temp is 11),
hang gliders, a paraglider, the vintage coal-burning steamship – the TSS Earnslaw and lots of beautiful scenery.
We were even able to see our hotel from the water. When we finally headed home it was time to relax on the courtyard roof to watch the sun go down – it was a beautiful sunset.
November 28
We had fun exploring. Notice how confident I look!
But it got better as we toured around the harbour.
We were in time for the Saturday market along the waterfront – very artsy and complete with entertainment.
But the really fun market was the one at the Anglican church – they hold it every Saturday. You can find new, used, baking, fresh flowers, a raffle – then sit for tea (inside or out) while enjoying the entertainment.
November 27
It didn’t take us long to get from Lake Wanaka to Queenstown. No more lakes to stop at. However we did stop at Arrowtown – an early gold-mining settlement. Lots of old buildings…
A stone building and terrace…
I even found a place to work…
and Heather, we found lots of places for you to work! Here’s one…
November 26
The mountain ranges were AWESOME!! Photos don’t do them justice as they ranged from left to right as far as you could see. All about the same height, snow covered and looking as if they were in a straight line.
Then we turned a corner and there was a beautiful turquoise lake – Lake Tekapo.
Then another corner and another beautiful turquoise lake – Lake Pukaki. This time we stopped for lunch!
And when we came across the next beautiful lake – Lake Wanaka – we stayed the night.
November 25
Another day, another train! This one went over the river, through the woods, into the mountains and to the sea! From Christchurch on the Pacific to Greymouth on the Tasman Sea and back in one day.
It was beautiful when we left Christchurch but cloudy and rainy by the time we got to Greymouth so not as scenic as our other trips. Had a little excitement coming home as the train stopped in the middle (this was just after they talked about the noxious fumes) of a 7km tunnel while the “driver” fixed the second engine so we could make it up the incline!
November 24
We spent the day touring the Cathedral inside and out while listening to an organ concert. (Actually there were 2 organists who played while we were there.)
Gerry even climbed up the very narrow, very steep staircase into the bell tower. He had quite the view of the city, of Cathedral Square and even of a chess game in progress.
Christchurch has electric trams that travel in a circle route through the downtown area. There is commentary by the drivers about the area and some of the historic buildings. One of the drivers elaborated a little with his commentary. For instance, he described a sushi restaurant that had a rotating sushi bar as being designed by Weight Watchers. He said, “by the time you’ve made your choice it’s moved out of reach thus keeping your calories down”! Then he showed us the store where “shoes go when they die”. (It was a shoe repair store where they also dyed shoes!)
We hopped on & off several times to see the old stone buildings of the Arts Centre (which used to be part of Christ College) & the Botanic Gardens (with a beautiful fountain)
(in one of the Arts buildings they had a mini museum set up of Rutherford’s Den – he won the Nobel prize for his work on splitting the atom.)
Also of the punting on the Avon & a little grocery shop right out of the 20s (still doing a thriving business),
the town crier and a street that had been designed as a mirror image (both sides were exactly the same) in a Spanish style. The tiles on the buildings were imported from Majorca.
While I was doing a little shopping and reading about atom-splitting, Gerry took a tour on his own. He not only gained some knowledge but probably a little weight too as he got to do some taste testing.
We dined out in an Irish pub close to our hotel that had a cute little sign out front.
November 23
First the ferry from North Island to South. The crossing was uneventful (guess sometimes it can be rough) and took about 3 hours.
Then the train from Picton to Christchurch. It was very scenic with the Pacific Ocean, mountains, tunnels, some surfers, dolphins and lots of seals sunning themselves on the rocks.
Gerry enjoyed taking photos from the open-air observation car.
November 22
And the Harbourside Market
– Wellington's oldest outdoor Sunday food market. It was much smaller than the ones in Sydney and Hobart, but lots of fresh fruit, veggies, meat, olives, baking and buskers…
The Museum was remarkable. There were lots of interactive areas for kids (and a few adults!!) It covered a lot of ground and wasn’t just fossils and relics. The center area was open up to the 6th floor which was good as a lot of the displays were a couple of floors tall.
It even extended outside to include plants & rocks
There were short movies, an earthquake simulator, a 3-D presentation and there was no admission charge. (There really should have been!) Outside Gerry found the earthquake precautions for the building
A quick stop for a late lunch and people watching
– the walk along the waterfront and the harbour itself are well used. (I missed getting a picture of the skateboarders.)
Then more walking and back to pack up for the Interislander ferry tomorrow.
November 21
We have found that a bus tour is really the best way to see the highlights of the city and get some info (historical & trivia). It was a rainy day so a perfect one to be inside & just hop on and off to take a few pictures.
We started with the Parliament buildings and some churches (including Wellington Cathedral)…
Stopped at a beautiful rose garden that also included a Peace Garden with a Peace Flame – remembering Hiroshima.
The air smelled wonderful!
Then we stopped at a cable car and cable car museum. (Since Welly is built on lots of hills there are numerous private cable cars here – even one for an arthritic dog.) We were able to ride from the top to the bottom where the bus picked us up. Gerry was so intrigued he went back after the tour to ride it up & down again.
Toured along the coast where we saw signs to ‘Drive Careful – Penguin Crossing’, but couldn’t come back for a look as when they do cross it is at dusk. Then up a mountain (big hill!) with no view due to the cloudy rainy weather
Gerry found a new ride to try out. (He met the age requirements on this one!)
And I managed to find my favorite place – actually 2 of them.
After the tour the sun came out (off & on) and we walked around in the CBD (Central Business District) and found a few other things happening. The big (very upscale – with a doorman!) department store, Kirkcaldie & Stains, was unveiling the Christmas window displays so there were lots of parents & kids around. Santa arrived on a Harley – we missed seeing him, but did hear it.
Found a very busy playground down by the harbour. Gerry really wanted to try out the slide…
but didn’t!
The area around the Town Hall had some really interesting art work that was part of a pedestrian overpass.
There were outdoor escalators, elevators in some buildings that went between streets due to the steepness and lots of other outdoor artwork – including on some buildings.
We did a lot of walking!
