Across the Ditch we Go - Part B

We arrived in Te Anau for a couple of nights and as expected the weather deteriorated somewhat. But it certainly didn't affect the magnificent scenery on the way there.

We had seen Milford Sound from a cruise ship on several occasions. Each time the weather was superb, and each time our onboard narrator told us how lucky we were. Now we understood why. From Te Anau we drove 75km towards Milford Sound and stopped at the starting point of the Milford Track. We couldn't take a photo as the weather was so bad, so it's just as well we'd seen it all before.

The following day we left for Queenstown, a very picturesque drive, and arrived around lunchtime. We stayed in a lovely B&B up on the hill overlooking both the town and the third largest lake in New Zealand, Lake Wakatipu.

That afternoon we wandered down into Queenstown and familiarised ourselves with what is a very bustling town with significant traffic problems. Fortunately, we could walk from the B&B - although it was quite the hike back up!

From the breakfast room at our B&B

We had a wonderful dinner at the original Queenstown Irish Pub Pog Mahone's. We looked up the name of the pub, thinking it might be that of a famous Irishman... however, Pog Mahone actually means 'Kiss My A..'!

Inside Pog Mahone's

Our very steep hike back from town!

On our first full day we drove to Arrowtown, just 20 minutes away. It was established in 1862 at the height of the Otago gold rush and grew quickly as pioneers constructed cottages, shops and hotels, etc., some sixty of which still stand today. We wandered down Buckingham Street, the main thoroughfare, called into the odd shop here and there, and had coffee.

We then walked along the Arrow River, where people still pan for gold, to the historic Chinese Settlement. Many of the workers came from the Australian goldfields, bringing their expertise with them, and the conditions were as one would expect. Originally there were market gardens, stores and some twenty cottages spread along the riverbank, but now only a few remain, giving us a good idea of what life was like back then.

Typical cottage

Ah Lum's Store

A visit to Queenstown is not complete without a cruise on Wakatipu Lake courtesy of the TSS Earnslaw, a vintage steamship (1912) that is the only coal fired steamship in the southern hemisphere. The weather was spectacular, as were the views.

On our last day in Queenstown we travelled back in time in the 'Time Tripper', a virtual reality piloted time machine that took us as far back as 90 million years ago, and then brought us back to the present through several time frames, including 65 million years ago and the extinction of the dinosaurs. Fascinating ride! The 'ride' is beneath the lake and is surrounded by glass, so we were also able to see the local ducks and long finned eels feeding.

On our way out of Queenstown we stopped for supplies and I went into a local convenience. This was the hand dryer, and a lot of hot air...

Then it was on to Franz Josef Glacier for a couple of nights. We followed the coast for some time and saw more amazing scenery, arriving mid-afternoon in the village. 

Coffee along the way - note the saying above Jim's head!

Rain was forecast for the following day, so we immediately drove out to the glacier and did the 30-minute return walk from the carpark. There are some 2,900 glaciers across New Zealand, but Franz Josef and Fox are the only two accessible by foot without having to Heli-hike, alpine hike or dive.

In the early 20th Century, the glacier ever so slowly poured down the ridge and filled the valley; now it has retreated to the point that 3,000 metres away at the viewing platform, we could barely see it at the top. Worse still, cloud had descended and obscured our view. At least we saw something. Had we waited until the following day we would have seen nothing at all.

We did, however, see some rather wonderful creeks and waterfalls.

The next morning we drove to the Fox Glacier in the hopes of seeing it before the rain really took hold. It was overcast and drizzly, but when we arrived at the viewing point we discovered the carpark was closed, so that was that (probably because heavy rain was due). We did drive out to Gillespie's Beach, 22kms from the small village. The beach was covered with pebbles of all sizes and when wet they were some of the most beautiful we have seen.

In the afternoon we visited the wonderful West Coast Wildlife Centre a few minutes' walk from our motel. There we saw two of NZ's rarest Kiwis, the Rowi, as well as the very ancient Tuatara. There was also a very interesting exhibition on glaciation, and various films on wildlife.

One problem with travelling in September is that we miss the NRL finals series. Penny had sat up until all hours on Friday night listening to a semi-final between her Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters - on the radio. On Saturday night we had a lovely dinner at a restaurant and bar called Monsoon (very fitting given the weather) and luckily, their TV screens showed the other semi-final between the NZ Warriors and the Newcastle Knights - which we watched with two other Australian families.

We left Franz Josef the next morning and headed north to Greymouth where we had a lovely lunch at the Speights Ale House, which we visited seven years ago - still great food and atmosphere. The sky was very overcast but we hadn't had much rain to that point.

We had been taking turns driving and Penny decided she would continue for perhaps another half an hour before Jim took over. Well, as we began our drive to Arthur's Pass, an illuminated sign alerted us to flooding in that area. The rain gradually increased, and parts of the road were indeed under water, not very deep, but enough to require us to slow down considerably so we could actually see where we were going especially when passing other vehicles. The waterfalls and the rapids were spectacular, all the way along, and as we neared Arthur's Pass it started to sleet and then hail. And, of course, we hadn't been able to change drivers as it was simply too wet to get out of the car! Fascinating drive.

The last time we did this trip we drove over the impressive Aqueduct Bridge and stopped at the lookout on the other side. The scenery was spectacular, and we were greeted at the lookout by a gorgeous Kea (alpine parrot). This time we drove over the bridge before we even realised it and passed the lookout with regret. And, of course, there was no opportunity for photos anywhere...

The Aqueduct Bridge (photo courtesy of the Internet)

Our accommodation for the night was the delightful Bealey Hotel,10kms east of the tiny Arthur's Pass township. The hotel was first opened in 1865 when patrons travelled for 36 hours from Christchurch to the west coast by horse-drawn coach. The hotel is also famous because in 1993 the proprietor reported sighting a moa, which had been believed to be extinct since 1550. Sounds a bit like Tassie Tiger sightings...

Our modern room offered fabulous views of the snow-capped mountains and the flooding plains, and we relaxed in the afternoon to the sounds of gale-force winds. We did have a lovely meal in the hotel's Crafty Moa Restaurant and Bar.

Then it was back to Christchurch for one last night before flying home. As it was Jim's turn to drive of course the weather was magnificent - sunshine and blue skies all the way... and even a rainbow.

Our mascot kiwis Kai and Koura

That last night we had dinner at the casino and since we had NZ$10 left, Penny put it into a poker machine - and won $63!!

It's been a wonderful holiday on the South Island - full of adventure, fabulous food and wine, and magnificent scenery.

 

Across the Ditch we Go - Part A

We're not cruising this time, we're driving, and the South Island of New Zealand is our destination.

After flying, very smoothly, from Coolangatta to Auckland and then Auckland to Christchurch, we finally picked up our hire car. We arrived at the hotel around 9.30pm to check in for three nights and as we had previously organised a late check-in, we rang the bell. After much discussion we were advised we didn’t have a reservation.

As you can imagine, we were a tad perplexed. However, upon checking the last email communication from the hotel we discovered we were actually booked in for 2024, not 2023. A great start to our holiday! Fortunately, the hotel had a room, but just for one night. So, we dragged our bags out of the car and after settling into our room booked accommodation for the next two nights, cancelled our 2024 booking and checked every other booking we had made – all of which were, thankfully for this year. Very odd.

Christchurch has certainly gone ahead since our last visit seven years ago. The following day, after checking out and checking into our new accommodation (where we previously stayed in 2017) we walked into the city and were delighted to discover an entire strip of wonderful restaurants and cafes, right on the river, as well as the Riverside Market, a large and modern food hall. 

We then called into the Canterbury Museum, which is in smaller, temporary premises whilst renovations are made to its existing heritage building. As chance would have it, a special exhibition on the Six Extinctions was currently running.

That night we chose to eat at an Irish pub, the Little Fiddler where the food and wine were great!

Thursday was a special day – Jim’s birthday! In the morning we visited the International Antarctic Centre where we spent a few hours learning about the research work being accomplished in the Antarctic. Among the attractions was a 4D film where we not only saw and heard, in 3D, the journey to the Antarctic, but were jolted about in our seats and felt the wind and rain on our faces, as our ship surged across ice floes.  Amazing.

We were just in time to see the daily penguin feeding (real penguins) and we watched, through glass, as other intrepid visitors suited up and stood inside a room where the temperature was -8°C. But as the wind picked up the chill factor dropped to -45°C. Thankfully they all survived…

 

From there we drove to the Orana Wildlife Park, the only free-range zoo in New Zealand. It took us nearly two hours to walk around the entire park and we were delighted to see giraffe, rhinoceros, lions, cheetahs, various primates including a gorilla, ostriches, and a range of African antelopes. We also saw wallabies, emus and Tasmanian Devils which are thankfully free of the tumour disease.

 

That night we celebrated Jim’s birthday at a restaurant called Original Sin. Catchy name. We enjoyed superb food and wine in a warm and inviting setting, whilst we listened to Sinatra, Bennett, Buble and Pavarotti. What more could we have asked?

 

We left Christchurch behind and headed north, along the scenic coast. First stop was the No. 8 Café at Cheviot for coffee, then onwards to Kaikoura. On our last visit there, the town was recovering from a major earthquake and the rail line and tunnels were practically demolished. This time the town, which is right on the coastline and is famous for dolphins and albatross, was well and truly back to normal. The day was a magnificent 17°C with sunshine, against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. We lunched there and then drove up to the lookout before again heading north.

 

We arrived in Blenheim late afternoon and checked into our hotel, then dined in-house. The following morning we walked through this quaint town and then left for Nelson, some 120 kms away. The scenery at every turn is stunning but many of the roads reminded us of that stretch between Queenstown and Strahan...

Nelson is a lovely town and is much bigger than we had anticipated. Our hotel was right in the CBD and very handy to everything. On our walk through town we discovered the charming Eclectic Antiques store, two floors jam packed with antiques and collectables.

That night we dined at Lombardi's Italian Restaurant following a glass of fine NZ pinot gris at the Urban bar. There seemed to be two festivals in full swing, one just behind our hotel with music, dancing and a Ferris wheel, and the other across the road with food stalls and a Spanish band. Nelson is obviously alive and kicking, for all ages.

The next morning we walked through the Monty Market, a second-hand market in a square close to our hotel, then drove to the small but beautiful Miyazu Japanese Garden, followed by the equally beautiful Queen's Gardens which also houses the Huangshi Chinese Garden; Huangshi and Miyazu and are both sister cities of Nelson.

Part of a old rail line managed by the Nelson Railway Society.

On our way north we passed the 'middle of New Zealand', the spot considered to be the centre of the country, and also the ground upon which the very first New Zealand rugby game was played. We drove towards the vineyards and wineries of Marlborough and called into the Gravity Winery, where the operating system uses gravity to move wine through various phases of production. We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the terrace in the sun, with yet more of the South Island's beautiful pinot gris.

The next morning we had a delicious breakfast at the quirky Lambretta's Cafe and left the Marlborough region behind as we headed south.

Following a night at Amberley, not far from Christchurch, we continued our drive south to Oamaru. It is known for its Victorian streetscapes (similar to Oatlands' Georgian style) which we wandered down before discovering the Grainstore Gallery; a miniature Reliquaire on steroids!

We stayed in a very old and grand hotel called the Brydone, dating back to the late 1800s. Fortunately the bathrooms had been renovated... and so had the tiny lift!

We also spent time at the very quirky Steampunk HQ. Steampunk, for those who don't know, is a sub-genre of science fiction inspired by 19th Century steam-powered machinery. And for those of you who remember the 'mirror room' at the old Reliquaire, this has one very similar.

This handy invention is Dr Gatling's Lunar Dismembulator Cannon

The mirror room with hundreds of light dangling from the ceiling

In this rocket, Penny charged up a bomb and sent it hurtling into space...

From Oamaru we headed further south towards Dunedin, stopping in at the Moeraki Boulders, unusually large and mysterious spherical boulders lying along a stretch of beach. Scientists believe them to be calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. Moeraki also has a village and we drove to the top of the lookout for the most amazing views.

Having been to Dunedin several times before, our purpose this trip was to visit the Royal Albatross Centre, which is the only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross in the world. And we were not disappointed. Dunedin has always been one of Penny's favourite places in New Zealand and driving out on the Otago Peninsula is the main reason why - the scenery was simply stunning. And it was certainly aided by the most glorious day!

Gorse seems to be a popular choice here on the South Island - we saw it everywhere!

When we finally reached the centre, we walked to the edge of the cliff and enjoyed spectacular views up and down the coastline and were lucky enough to watch a seal swim past below.

We then wandered up to the centre building for our tour which included a film about the albatross followed by an uphill climb to the top of the peninsula for our viewing of albatross chicks. Fortunately for is, an adult male albatross also flew in on the breeze (an albatross's wings can span from 2.5m to 3.5m in length) and then proceeded to feed his daughter. We know this because the rangers keep a very close eye on the birds which are tagged as chicks.

We also know that the parents (who mate for life) breed every two years, in Dunedin, and constantly fly around the surrounding areas foraging for food for their chicks. Once the chicks are old enough to look after themselves the parents fly nearly 10,000kms to Chile for a year off, before the next breeding cycle begins again in Dunedin.

Also nesting in the area are the endangered Red Bill Gulls and two varieties of cormorants.

Dad arriving

Dad feeding daughter

Now it's off to the west coast for more adventures - and probably a decline in the weather, but then that's what it's all about here on the South Island.