Wed Took John to airport and also picked up his gas cylinder. Coffee at The Naked Bun in Mapua, then we left around 11:40 to coffee at Lydia's in Richmond before hitting Highway 6. stopped at Muchison for loo, then down through Buller Gorge to Westport. Tea and carrot cake at Town House Cafe. Side trip to Cape Foulwind to see view over Gibson Bay and lighthouse, then down coast, lovely desolate crashing waves on empty beaches with semi tropical vegetation. Windy road to Punakaiki Resort Eco Lodge. Beer and wine on balcony, quick shower, then it started to rain just before we walked down to restaurant. Nice meal.
Thu clear skies, woke to crashing surf and sun on beach. Drove up road short distance to walks to pancake rocks and blowholes, back to billet for coffee and muffin, then walk along beach picking up jaded looking Peebles before checkout. On road around 11. First stop Greymouth for cruise along main street and pick up petrol. Great views along coast of headlands and beaches. Lunch at Hokitika at cafe & cheese deli, not as inspiring as it seemed with slow service. Walked along beach looking at drift wood sculptures. Stopped by ghastly Bushmans Cafe at Pukepua, weren't tempted by possum pies. Tea stop at Whatarpua where with chatted with some cyclists on an assisted tours of the west coast. Into Glenfern Villas at 16:30, relaxed on terrace looking at view of snow at head of glacier (I think it's Mt Cook). Into Franz Josef for dinner at Landings, good dark Speights beer, large portions (I had mussels and steak then pavlova kiwi style), nice service from German girl. Quick wander round "town" i.e. 100m of main street. Back to billet for a final glass of wine.
Fri woke to high cloud with blue gaps, could see the top of glacier from window
Quick cup of tea and fruit then on the road as its a longer drive today to
Into Franz Josef glacier car park and walk up a sentinel Rock to see view of glacier snaking its way downhill. Then off to Fox Glacier where we took the side turning to Lake Matheson Cafe for lovely coffee and breakfast (pancakes and fruit for C and I). Didn't walk to the lake for the mirror view as a) there was no view of the high mountains due to cloud and b) we had done it 30 years before and have the picture to show. Great coastal scenery and completely empty green mountain ranges. Weather sunny! Stopped at Knights Point for view where Eve was stung by a wasp so I took over driving. Refuel at Haast Junction with takeout coffee, then along wide river and up over Haast Pass down to Lake Wanaka. Fantastic mountain views like Scotland only bigger. Tea and snack at Wanaka looking over waterfront. Bought grocernies in New World supermarket. Up and over quicker route to Queenstown via Cadmona, again a lovely windy road. Stopped at Arrowtown, most shops shut as it was 5pm, then into Queenstown to checkout where we would eat for dinner and book. Out to find our billet courtesy of Pim Allen, great views. I broke a bottle of wine unpacking but not too much damage done. Shower and relaxed looking at mountains, out to dinner at 8pm, hoping to find Internet in town.
Met John at Botswana Butchery on waterfront. Excellent meal and drinks, most expensive meal so far! Back to bed by 1130.
Sat. Oh dear. Change of plans as John has to go back to Dunedin so we are hiring a car and doing our own thing for the rest of the week. Tooks Eve's car and went to airport to get a one way hire from Jucy, then into town for retail therapy and met Eve and Charlotte for a light lunch at a diner on the pier. More shopping, then we drove up the lake to Glenorchy where we had tea and cake with E and C and I sat in the same seat as Gandalf had!!!
Drove along gravelled road to Paradise and to the start of the Dart track, crossing 5 fords on the way, it started to rain so we quickly came back in case it all became impassable. This side trip took 1:30hrs so we straight to diner at Cows, a Queenstown institution Seating was communal in ex-cow stalls. We sat next to an older couple who told us about a cruise on the Doubtful Sound, then we found the most Amazing Coincidence - Jetta had lived in Blacketts Wood Drive, gone to Russell School. Her parents had built their house and we said we would put her in touch with the current owners.
E & C came in for a meal, and we chatted to their adjacent couple who were Americans on an extended vacation, cycling, sailing etc around NZ. They had just spent 6 months walking the Appalachian trail, the guy having left his company that made stairs I.e. he claimed he was an entrepreneurial millionaire.
We stopped by the Patagonia cafe for ice cream, then drove home. Cherry rang my phone and I called out to her, but she denied it, I assumed she had pressed a button by mistake. Then cherry said she had lost her phone, then my phone rang again, and it was the ice scream place to say they had her phone. We called E and she hadn't left the town so we arranged to pick them up and collect the phone, all done successfully.
We called up the Doudbtful Sound company recommended by our new best friends ex-Chorleywood, and booked on the Deep Bay Charters, and also into a motel they had recommended.
Sun Up and packed to be taken to airport by Jucy. Slight mix up over whether we had paid for the car, maybe we have done so twice, let's see when the visa bill arrives. Anyway, off on our own now, first stop 100 metres down the road for coffee and breakfast!
Lovely scenic drive along yet again side of lake, then it opened up more pastorally and we turned right to Te Anau. Tea and date scone and quick Internet emailing at Bracken Hall at Mossburn. Stopped briefly at Te Anau but decided to go to motel at Manapouri which I then realised was the wrong one I had booked, so as we hadn't given them any deposit or details, went to the right one and got room with lake view. Sat outside and planned next day, we booked into Nadir lodge at Slope Point (most Southerly point of south island). Walked down to beach and along to Pearl Harbour to checkout where we were meeting tomorrow, back along track above beach. drinks in front of our room then along to cafe at 6 for dinner, C had pan fried blue cod and I had Thai chicken curry and a couple of Tui dark beers. In bed by 8:30!
Mon met up with Deep Cove lady at 9 and joined Real Journeys boat to end of lake where we 12 of us took the minibus driven by Dan (or Din as he introduced himself) over Wilmots pass to Deep Cove. It was light raining, and we saw lots of waterfalls and green mossy trees. Boarded our billet for the night, the Sea Finn, and set sail straightaway down a fiord arm. Lots more waterfalls. Fantastic so-called light lunch of locally caught crayfish, best ever. Down another arm where we kayaked, I jumped in, and Cherry swam over to a rock and was greeted by a seal. Others fished with some success.
Down the First arm where others fished with even more success so we have dinner tonight. It's 530 so time for a drink. Weather lightening up a little as we sailed to the mouth of the fiord. Got really close up to lots of seals on the rocks at the mouth, fascinating. Then we headed back inland up the Bradshaw Sound arm where we had the best experience of the trip with a pod of dolphins following us and jumping in the wash. It started to rain quite heavily! anchored at Prospective Cove.
Dinner was amazing - fillets of the freshly caught fish and braised venison with steamed veggies, pavlova for dessert, all made on the small galley kitchen. A few glasses of wine and chat with our fellow inmates. Slept well.
Tue Apparently it rained hard during the night, and continued to do so. Fruit and yoghurt for breakkie. set off at 6:30 for 2 hour ride back to Deep Cove via waterfalls that were in more spate than yesterday. On bus over Wilmots Pass, then boat back to Manapouri for 1150. Talked to an Aussie woman whose grandparents had lived in Chorleywood and he had been the caretaker at RMS!!!! Yet another Amazing Coincidence, which make 2 so that is an even more AC!!!!!
Still raining. Weather clears as we drove down to the coast and had lunch at the Riverton Beachside cafe, overlooking the beach(!) I had seafood chowder and Cherry salmon. Into Invergargill for coffee, petrol and groceries, then stopped at viewpoint on coast and saw a group of Hector's dolphins playing in surf - they are small and very rare and only seen in a couple of places.. Along coastal route to Slope Point, the foremost southerly point in NZ south island and Nadir Outpost, a small holding that did rooms with Bev and Richard from Wales. Luckily we popped to the point before dinner as it started to rain again. Had Bev cooked fish for dinner plus the wine we had bought.
Wed Woke to grey drizzle, which pretty much stayed like this for the whole day. We followed the coastal route but didn't see much coast because of low cloud. Stopped for coffee at Kaka Point Cafe with a nice hostess and log fire. Then straight on to Dunedin for tea and lunch at the Good Oil cafe. drove to Lanarch Castle to check into the Stables, then took tour of house. Remembered that we had stayed there before! Drove to end of Otago Peninsula and saw Royal Albatross wheeling across sky. It was good luck for Cherry that she got pooed on by a seagull, though she didn't see it that way.
Into Dunedin to see Richie House, and out to dinner with John and Charlotte at Platos for fishy things. Drove home back to Larnach and in bed by 11. Still raining. This is NZ for you.
Thu. Gosh it did rain in the night. And in the morning as well. Apparently it rained as much in one day as it normally does in the whole of Feb. Had nice breakfast in stables, then set off about 945 in the rain along coast. Early lunch at Fleurs Place at Moereki (as approved by Rick Stein) great fishy courses. topped by Moereki boulders, very underwhelming , then onto Oamuru where we booked into Criterion Hotel, by which time it has just stopped raining. Walked around the old historic district then along to the Whitestone Cheese Factory for a coffee. walked back to car and we drove out to Bluff Bay at 6 to see the yellow penguins. It started to rain and by 7 one penguin had come ashore. Objective achieved we went to end of waterfront and had meal at Portside restaurant. It was still raining, so ditched the tour to see the blue penguins and came back to hotel for phone calls andinternet etc.
Fri breakfast in hotel, then along coast till we went inland to Fairlie - "Mackensie country" - lovely views up to the hills. Coffee and muffin. Then on road to Geraldine saw sign for Oiphie winery, 11k so we headed off and found it. Small place but chatty owner and a 6 glass sampler. We bought the Pinot Noir. Back along gravel to road and stopped in Geraldine for tea at cute cafe with nice flowery garden. Sun came out and it turned hot. Drove into Christchurch to get to S and Ps at 4. Unpacked car, and out to dinner in Lyttleton with Pim and Stuart.
Lytlleton has been badly hit by the earthquake, the main street is devastated. We met for a drink in The Porthole, now resident in some containers! It rained heavily, making much noise on the roof. Then we crossed the road to Freemans for a nice sooner, wine and mega catchup chat. Back home by 11 for a quick drink with S and J.
Sat Up for lovely BreadMan muesli and home grown bacon and toast breakfast. packed. Off to have a coffee in the Restart Zone, then out to Palms shopping centre to met Mike, Pili and Ella for lunch. Lovely to see them out of Bahrain. Mikes tales of Investcorp made me so glad to have escaped the moribund madhouse of static strategy and inflated egos.
Back at 330ish for John to help drop of the Jucy car at airport, then we went for an MTB ride around a rec park the otherside of the airport, great fun swooping around the trails for 30 mins. Johns excuse was to try out his new bike (1,500 UK pounds worth). Cherry went for a dip in their pool. Then we all had drinks on the patio till time to go to the airport at 645.
Checked in luggage through to Heathrow. Flight to Auckland quick and lots of legroom, then only 1 hour wait to board a full ANZ flight to HK, 11 hours went quickly as we slept a lot. Arrived HK at 6am local time, shops just opening so grabbed a coffee and used the free Internet to type this up. Boarding in an hour for 13 hours to LHR, arriving at 1405 where our lovely daughter has kindly said she will meet us.
...which she and Jon did. ANZ provided excellent service with 3 meals, as much nice wine as you wanted, and friendly staff who seemed genuinely interested in you and your needs.
New shower looks great.
Popped round to checkin with Granny and Nigel, then out for the usual curry. Kiddies left around 830, and we went to bed at 930, and easily went to sleep.
