New Zealand~South Island~October, 2012
Fri., Oct 26, 2012
Fly Brisbane to Christchurch; dep 8:45 am, arr 3:15 pm; pu car; Orari B&B--Directly across Montreal Street from the Christchurch Art Gallery and right in the heart of the cultural precinct, Orari gets top marks for perfect positioning. It’s a fabulous, big old house built in 1893 and its splendid timbers have been beautifully restored. Rooms are clean-cut, and comfortable. Big, stylish living rooms and a yummy breakfast add to its charms. We didn’t realize the extent of the damage from the earthquake, nor how close to home such destruction would come in the next few weeks. More than 900 central city buildings have already been demolished within the still-cordoned-off commercial zone, and at least another 500 are yet to come down. Walked around a bit and had dinner at the Paddington Pub. The cars here mimic the Australian ones in terms of variety of never-seen-in-nature colors.
Sat., Oct 27
Christchurch is the South Island's largest city, yet much of it has the feel of a small town. Went to a farmer’s market and bought some supplies. Took a bus tour of the “Red Center” to view the destruction. Went through the Canterbury Museum, a window into the wonders of New Zealand which, for over 130 years, has been operating and collecting treasures from moas to Antarctic penguins and bizarre artifacts. Walked through Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded more than 140 years ago, with many special areas to explore. Work began on the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in July 1863, when an English oak tree was planted to commemorate the marriage of Queen Victoria's eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Over the years, natural wetlands and sand dunes have been transformed into an elegantly cultivated 30 hectare park with more than ten sub-gardens, which are mostly contained within a loop of the Avon River. We explored the Restart central city shopping mall, which opened in September 2011 in 25 brightly painted shipping containers.
Sun., Oct 28 Christchurch to Twizel—4.25 hours 374 km
One of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever taken. Gorgeous snow-covered mountains and rushing turquoise streams.Christchurch to Geraldine 95 minutes (SH 72, inland, scenic route)Leave New Zealand’s ‘Garden City’ and travel south through the patchwork quilt of the Canterbury Plains. There are appealing plains, sky-touching mountains, beautiful coastlines and historic buildings. Geraldine through Lindis Pass in the Southern Alps to Fairlie is 40 minutes. The pretty farming town of Fairlie, known as the “Gateway to the Mackenzie,” has rolling pastures and walkways set among native and exotic woodlands. Just west of here, Burkes Pass takes you from woodland into the high altitude, tussock-covered expanses that characterise the region. The Mackenzie Country is named after Jock Mackenzie, the legendary Scottish sheep rustler who once roamed the hills.
Fairlie to Lake Tekapo 35 minutes
The long, narrow expanse of Lake Tekapo anchors the area. Its extraordinary milky-turquoise color comes from rock flour, rock ground to glacial action and held in a soupy suspension. This is the country’s highest large lake in a rich golden landscape bordered by brightly coloured lupins. Once back on the road, on the east side of the lake, we stopped at the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd. The simple stone structure doesn’t need stained glass; the view through the window is the lake’s brilliant blue. A nearby memorial commemorates the sheepdogs of the area.
Lake Tekapo to Twizel 50 minutes Aspen Court Motel
Stopped in at info to book a tour (@$20) of the kaki/black stilt viewing hide in Twizel, but it was closed. A sign gave directions to a motel where we booked a tour for that afternoon. The kaki is an endangered wading bird, so the tour is an overview of the bird and an opportunity to see the work that the Department of Conservation is doing for bird protection. After an introduction, we were brought into a secure area where we were able to see a couple of injured birds up close. Watched a video presentation and explanations from the volunteer, then we were brought into an area where we could see a number aviaries in the distance (with binoculars provided) to see the bird.
Mon., Oct 29 Twizel to Wanaka (1 hour 45 min)
A wonderful, glorious day, in spite of underlying worry about reports of Hurrican Sandy, which are to hit LBI tonight. We loved every moment of this road trip as we headed south and watched the scenery change dramatically from colourful roadside wildflowers to smooth tussock-covered saddle of the Lindis Pass – scenery as perfect as a landscape painting. It was truly beautiful. The gorgeous holiday destination of Wanaka is an inspiring place or a “lifestyle reserve” as the locals call it. Bought some wool for future projects. Travelled beside both Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea. Here the lakeside cliffs are not wooded but rock and scrub brush. The main street looks out onto a park and beach where visitors sun and swim.
Wanaka to Queenstown 1 hour
Followed the mighty Clutha – the South Island’s longest river – out of Lake Wanaka. Stopped for lunch at Florence’s—very good lamb risotto. The Crown Range road twists through hill country farmlands into alpine tussock when we reached the summit of New Zealand’s highest highway at 1121 metres. Stopped at the lookout for our first views of the Wakatipu basin--it is truly breathtaking. On our way down several lookouts offered panoramic views with Queenstown in the distance. Followed the Cardrona Valley Rd towards the Crown Range saddle with the Cardrona Hotel & Pub on the roadside, one of New Zealand’s oldest hotels. Through Arrowtown, the way to Queenstown via the Crown Ridge Road. This route is an adventure in itself with many switchbacks as we descended into the Queenstown area. Walked around Queenstown, a beautiful toruist town. Bought a jade pendant and earrings at Vaca and had dinner overlooking the harbor. Found out our cruise tomorrow leaves at noon, so we will try and be out by 8:30.Got email from Beach Haven with an update on Hurricane Sandy. The Boulevard is already flooded. Should be a long-lasting storm.
Tue., Oct 30 Head out of Queenstown to Doubtful Sound (2 hrs, 10 min)
Stopped at hotel in Te Anua to leave suitcases while the drama of the Central Otago landscape unfolded around us. We enjoyed another lovely drive as we followed Lake Wakatipu for quite a distance down Route 6 alongside the Remarkables mountain range and skifields. Located on the southeastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, the range lived up to its name by rising nearly vertically to create an impressive backdrop for the lake. There was little vegetation as the mountains dropped into the lake waters. The range was clearly visible from Queenstown and we had seen it from our apartment. The mountains were allegedly named The Remarkables because they are one of only two mountain ranges in the world which run directly north to south. An alternate explanation for the name was that early Queenstown settlers, upon seeing the mountain range during sunset one evening, named them the Remarkables to describe the beautiful sight. Drove to Manapouri and found the pier for Real Journeys. The overnight cruise parking was above the pier.
Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise
We checked in and settled down to wait for the 12:00 pm one hour boat trip across Lake Manapouri to West Arm. After the boat ride across the lake, we got on a bus for a 45 minute drive over Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove where we boarded The Fiordland Navigator for our overnight cruise. Doubtful Sound is a massive wilderness area of rugged peaks, rainforest and twisting, hidden inlets - all deep in the heart of Fiordland National Park. Known for its pristine beauty and wildlife, Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the 14 fiords in Fiordland National Park and is three times longer and 10 times larger than Milford Sound. It is home to bottlenose dolphins and fur seals - both of which we saw. We also caught a glimpse of the rare Fiordland Crested Penguin. In Maori legend, this colossal fiord was created by the godly figure Tu Te Raki Whanoa. Four young sea gods assisted him by carving the fiord’s long, sheltered arms. Today, Doubtful Sound remains an unspoilt wilderness of many moods; one minute clear blue and sun-drenched, the next mysterious and mist-cloaked. We all gathered in the dining room for instructions, room keys and warm muffins. Our room had a double, a private bathroom and a window facing the outside deck. We settled in and then went downstairs and out on deck as we cruised into the fiord towards the Tasman Sea. The wind kicked up in the open sea and the front deck was sprayed with water. We then turned back into the Sound in search for a quiet place for kayaking and boating. Then the kayaks and tenders were launched. Our fellow passengers boarded about 10 kayaks and we chose to ride in a small boat around this area of the Sound in search of wildlife. At 4:30 pm soup and bread were served in the dining room.. Dinner at 7:30 pm was a nice buffet. After dinner one of the staff narrated a slide show. Then we all went outside to view the southern sky.
Wed., Oct 31
We were up by 6:30 am for a plentiful buffet breakfast. We cruised into a small arm of the Sound called Hall Arm. Everyone was asked to go on deck, even the staff, the engine was turned off and we experienced exquisite silence. The sun was rising over the top of the rock walls and in the silence you could hear waterfalls that you could not see. There was a good bit of rain and soon some beautiful rainbows. Doubtful Sound is the second largest sound, three times longer than Milford Sound. There were many temporary waterfalls and evidence of tree avalanches on the rock walls. The walls can reach higher than three Empire State Buildings, but due to the dwarfing effect, it is hard to gauge the height as you stand on the boat deck. Captain Cook first sighted the Sound in 1770, but was "doubtful" the right winds would guarantee safe exit from the sound. Therefore, he did not explore deeper into the sound but Spaniards later entered Doubtful Sound in the early 1800s followed by the British. We returned to Deep Cove, boarded busses to travel back over Wilmot Pass to Lake Manapouri where we took the return ride across the lake. At West Arm on Lake Manapouri there is a huge underground power station; it is New Zealand's largest hydroelectric power station and was built almost entirely underground. It services an aluminum smelter near Bluff and provides 14% of the electrical power for the entire country. Helen & Dave Gould gouldhome@bigpond.com
Wed. afternoon Travel to Te Anau (20 min)
We continued on to Te Anau and The Croft B&B with views of Lake Te Anau and the Fiordland Mountains beyond. FREE WIFI. We stayed in the green cottage with a view over the garden and farm to the lake and mountains. The friendly owner provided a generous continental breakfast each morning while we got many sad updates on Hurricane Sandy. Decided to tour the Glowworm Caves this afternoon instead of tomorrow and are glad we did. Neither of us had ever even heard of “glowworms”. Began with a scenic cruise across Lake Te Anu to the western shore. At the entry to the caves at Cavern House, we viewed the informative displays and learn about this geological wonder before joining our guide underground. This underground world is astonishingly beautiful. By geological standards the caves are very young (12,000 years) and are still being carved out by the force of the river that flows through them. The result is a twisting network of limestone passages filled with sculpted rock, whirlpools and a roaring underground waterfall. Deep inside the caves, beyond the roar of the water, we were taken by small boat into a silent hidden grotto inhabited by thousands of glowworms, unique to New Zealand. In the subterranean darkness, they produce a glittering display that is nothing short of extraordinary. The New Zealand glowworm is a fly belonging to the gnat family. The larvae, pupae, and adults of both sexes are all luminous. In the larval stage the light attracts prey in the form of other organisms, while in the pupal and adult stages the light attracts the opposite sex. The larva prepares a nest in the form of a tunnel of mucous and silk, and suspends from this an array of fishing lines composed of the same materials. Prey is snared in the long sticky fishing lines. The larva hauls up the fishing line on which the prey is entangled and consumes the trapped insect. Up to 70 lines are let down by one larva and, depending on the size of the larva, the lines vary in length from under 1 cm to 50 cm. Each fishing line consists of a long thread of silk which bears at regular intervals a series of mucous droplets giving the appearance of a string of beads.Dinner at Redcliff, a nice pub where Jerry had a great rabbit dish, wild hare with parmesan encrusted mushroom and truffle risotto w spinach and beets.
Thu., Nov 1 Te Ananu to Milford Sound
The grand views start well before you arrive at Milford Sound, as this is one of the most scenic roads you could hope for. After veering north from Te Anau through the undulating farmland that sits atop the lateral moraine of the glacier that gouged out Lake Te Anau, the road enters a patch of mountain beech forest and heads towards the entrance of Fiordland NP and the Eglinton Valley. Really wonderful road in spite of the pouring rain. It only made the million waterfalls bigger. We didn’t do any of the walks, but we did stop and admire views. There’s a walk at Mirror Lakes, but you need clear weather to enjoy the lakes. At the 77 km mark is the area now referred to as O Tapara, but known more commonly as Cascade Creek. O Tapapa is the original name of nearby Lake Gunn (largest of the Eglinton Valley lakes) and refers to a Ngai Tahu ancestor, Tapara; the lake was a stopover for parties heading to Anita Bay in search of greenstone. The vegetation alters significantly as you approach the Divide, which is the lowest east-west pass in the Southern Alps. The size of the bush is reduced and ribbonwood and fuchsia are prominent. From the Divide, the road falls into the beech forest of the Hollyford Valley, where there’s a side road leading to the start of the Hollyford Track which we did after the main route to the Sound, enjpying a picnic in the rain. The road to Milford, meanwhile, continues up to the east portal of the very scary Homer Tunnel, 101 km from Te Anau and is preceded by a spectacular, high-walled, ice-carved amphitheatre. The tunnel is named after Harry Homer, who discovered the Homer Saddle in 1889. Work on the tunnel didn’t begin until 1935, providing work for the otherwise unemployed during the Depression, and wasn’t finished until 1953. Rough-hewn, the tunnel has a steep east-to-west gradient but emerges after 1207 m into the spectacular Cleddau Canyon on its Milford side. The Cleddau River plunges through eroded boulders in a narrow chasm, the 22 m deep Upper Fall. About 16 m lower it cascades under a natural rock bridge to another waterfall. Views of Mt Tutoko (2746 m), Fiordland’s highest peak, are glimpsed above the beech forest just before you arrive in Milford. The rain actually turned a scenic ride into a spectacular ride as the waterfalls increased in intensity along the road and created what we came to learn were hundreds of temporary waterfalls everywhere we looked. Yesterday the mountains rising from the lakes edges were all brown. Today, all of the rock faces leading to the lakes edges were covered with trees from the waters edge to the top of the hills. On the way back, we were transfixed by a thundering waterfall right next to the road at a small one lane bridge. This was Falls Creek flowing into the Hollyford River. It was awesomely loud as the tremendous volume of water cascaded down the river bed. Actually, we stopped at several pullouts and could view many waterfalls from the car. It continued to rain and fortunately we made it back to Te Anau during the daylight. We decided to eat Italian and chose La Toscana—mediocre but reasonable. This area has one of the heaviest annual rainfalls in the world but we found that the rain enhanced our experiences on the road to Milford Sound.
Fri., Nov 2 Travel to Bluff via Tutapere, Riverton & Invercargill
We stopped at the Wildlife Center in the morning. Not much to see except the very rare Takahe bird within a fenced area and also some Crested Grebes in the lake. Then we headed south along routes 95 and 99 which are designated scenic routes. We stopped at the Clifden Suspension Bridge (spanning 366 feet) which was an engineering marvel when it was completed in 1899. We passed through miles of sheep farms and stopped briefly in Riverton. Riverton is a small town (population 1,850) that was one of New Zealand's first European settlements. We stopped at the estuary in town then on to Invercargill and Bluff.
KIWA COTTAGE was a comfortable, warm, affordable place to stay in Bluff, “ Home of the World Famous (out-of-season) Bluff Oyster, only 2 minutes walk from the ferry terminal and the “not much else” that makes up Bluff. Full cooking facilities / dishwasher; the Wood burner was very welcom as it was quite cold and blustery; Television / DVD / Stereo; Washing machine / Clothes drier. The Maori carvings on KIWA COTTAGE depict many local Maori Legends including the Legend of Te Ara O Kewa/Foveaux Strait & the haunting legend of Nga Roimata - creator of the Bluff Oyster. The old boat in the front yard is “Oliveâ”; she was built in 1920 and was taken to Stewart Island as a fishing and passenger vessel.
Bluff is located at the bottom of the South Island, New Zealand, in the province of Southland and is the 'Gateway to Stewart Island'. State highway 1 starts at Bluff's Stirling Point, an attraction in itself. Stirling Point is to New Zealand what Landsend is to Great Britain. Bluff is unique in the fact that it is the oldest European settled town in New Zealand, added to that it has had a very colourful past, some of which can be found here and at the local Maritime Museum. Nothing was open except the library/post office/general store, so we checked the news. Sounds bad. Saw varigated oystercatchers.We drove back to Invercargill, an apparently soulless city for a good dinner at the Emberz at Ascot. Jerry finally had blue cod and declared it delicious. I had rack of lamb. Pouring rain.
Sat., Nov 3 Travel to Stewart Island
After breakfast we caught the 9:30 am ferry to Stewart Island. The ride was about an hour. A guide related information about the history of the area and noted points of interest and birds along the way. The ferry landed at Oban, the tiny village on Stewart Island. The roads were quite steep, but we decided to take a walk up the hill to the right and visit a small art gallery where we paid Ulva’s daughter for the afternoon walk. We had lunch at the hotel, finally gettin NZ crayfish, comparable to our lobsters. Delicious.Then we walked down the steep road to the water taxi pier to meet Ulva (yes, she was named after Ulva Island). During the course of the day Ulva told us she was born and raised on Stewart Island, one of ten children. She moved to the mainland so she and her siblings could go to the public high school, but she essentially spent her entire life on Stewart Island. She is the only one of her siblings to still live there and she has become a naturalist and advocate for the protection of the wildlife on Stewart and Ulva Islands. We were grateful to be just the two of us. She met us at the Golden Bay wharf where we boarded a small water taxi and motored to Ulva Island. The sun was shining and it was a perfect day for a walk. The first thing Ulva did when we disembarked from the water taxi was to use her walking stick to scrape away leaves in a 12 inch circle, tap her stick, and lo and behold, a New Zealand robin hopped into the space not more that two feet from us. We were amazed!! We spent the next several hours walking around the island while Ulva pointed out the various wildlife and trees and gave us the history of the area and the history of the efforts to preserve the wildlife. Ulva Island is a predator-free island. New Zealand has created several such sanctuary islands. They relocate endangered species to these islands in an effort to rejuvenate their population. We saw many varieties of birds and a the sea lion lolling on the. It was a wonderful experience and Ulva's easy going manner and great store of knowledge was limitless. We returned from Ulva Island and walked back to the main town area to wait for the return ferry to Bluff on which we were the only passengers, with three crew. We were the only patrons of the only restaurant open in Bluff on this Saturday night, but had a good dinner and to bed.
Sun, Nov 4 Travel to Dunedin (3 hours 30 min)
After breakfast in our room, we headed south to intersect with the Southern Scenic Route along the coast. Our first stop was Curio Bay where we saw the ancient fossilized forest on the beach below the viewing platform. It was cold and windy so we did not linger. Our next stop was at Purakanui Falls, a lovely three tiered waterfall with a 20 minute return walk through the rainforest, sometimes said to be one of the most photographed waterfalls in the world, although I’m not sure why. Once again the falls were enhanced by the previous day's rainfall. We took pictures of several large tree ferns here. Lunch was at the Blue Cod Blues lunch truck which was out of electricity so we could only have deep fried things, but the cod and cips were very good. Into Duneden, a nice city with hills like San Francisco. The Brothers Boutique Hotel is a former home for Catholic brothers from the cathedral across the street. Walked intotown and had a delicious dinner (rabbit, salad and duck soup) at Two Chefs.
Mon., Nov 5 Elm Wildlife Tour on the Otago Peninsula
Took a drive in the rain around the Peninsula then bought some sandwiches to take on our wildlife tour. We had wanted to book a private tour with Elm Wildlife back in January but were told this was not possible, but that there would be no more than eight (!!!) on the tour. When the bus picked us up imagine our dismay when there were already ten people and we eventually stopped to pick up six more, making 18—pick up, drop off, wait (25 minutes for one couple who had booked a boat ride, 15 more for 4 people who just booked for the penguin half—wish we had). We were very disappointed with the first half of the day. No photos of birds, except what could be taken through the window of a moving bus. Eventually we began the ascent to Taiaroa Head, the world's only mainland breeding colony of the Royal Albatross. It was closed so we couldn’t even learn anything about the birds. We were then escorted up a steep concrete path stand around and hope to see something. We did see several and I got some good photos, but we weren’t told anything about the birds. Following the albatross center lack-of-experience, we drove up higher on the peninsula, through rock strewn sheep pastures, and at times we seemed to be headed perilously close to a precipice falling into the ocean. We arrived at the first stop, walked down some very steep paths where we were rewarded with wonderful views of Yellow-eyed penguins, Hooker’s Sea Lions including some young males play fighting, and fur seals. Along the path back up to the bus we peered into a nest of two Little Blue Penguins, the smallest of all penguins. We climbed up to another viewing hut where we could still view the beach. We watched the adult Yellow-Eyed penguins, which are the rarest of all penguins, emerge from the ocean and walk slowly up the hill, sharing the hilly field with grazing sheep. What a sight it was to see penguins amongst the sheep! We returned to the bus and re-traced our route over the sheep fields, down the peninsula roads, through the flat wetlands. We arrived back at the hotel about 8:30 pm. If asked for our recommendations, we would say, “Insist on a private tour, or just do the second half, which was well worth it.” It really wasn’t accurate to call the first half anything but a “drive around the peninsula.”
Tuesday, Nov 6 return car; fly to Auckland via Air New Zealand; dep 9:45 am, arr 11:30 am; city tour if possible
It turned out not to be possible as United had screwed up my tickets. They had Jerry all correct from Auckland to SFO, but not me. It took hours to get it straightened out and it was too late to do anything. We had a good pasta meal at the airport, where we commandeered some comfortable seats and a table to wait for our long flight home. Fly to EWR on Continental NZ8; dep 8:15 pm. Arr SFO 11:15 am; CO1479 dep 1:00 pm, arr 9:17 pm
Herb was waiting and took us to the rest stop below LBI on the Parkway, where Paige met us as our home is uninhabitable. Got to her place around 2:30 am—our home for the forseeable future.
Gail South