Unwanted Christmas Present

We arrived safely in Atlanta after a long day of travel on the 26th. Two days later my sore throat had not improved and I was eating slowly. Finally I sought medical diagnosis. After $130, checking my vitals and a brief medical history, I found out I have tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Now it's two days later and the antibiotic is starting to help me feel better! That and other medications set me back another $100.

We have had short visits with Chris' parents and Tom's parents. Next we head north to see Tom's sister and family in Michigan.

Visiting the States

After about three weeks of talking to the travel agent, we have paid for tickets to visit the States after Christmas this year. We will spend time in Atlanta, North Carolina, Chicago and Michigan. Our trip will last about 4 weeks. It's a good time to go because businesses close or slow down in January for NZ summer holiday.

We will get to experience cold winter and maybe even some snow. We've only seen snow at the mountains--no snow in Wellington.

I has been over 3 years since we moved to Wellington.

Blenheim to Picton

We spent our last night in Blenheim. Blenheim is in wine country so we went out wine tasting and buying. You can even rent bicycles equipped with saddle bags perfect for wine bottles. For us the car was adequate.

We also picked cherries to take home. Dennis found a baby bird inside the netted cherry orchard. The baby bird was allowed to stay inside.

For our last night of holiday we stayed in a cabin so we'd have a comfy bed and wouldn't have much packing to do in the morning.

Finally on 3 January 2011 we drove to Picton to board the ferry back to Wellington. Tom already posted a photo of he and Dennis sailing mini boats in the pond.

Hanmer Springs for New Year's

On Friday 31 December we checked into the Top 10 in Hanmer Springs. Once we got the tent up and settled, we headed for the "Spa." We bought a two day pass. The place caters to all ages. Dennis went on the water slides. Tom and I went into the different hot mineral pools. It was relaxing and good for the skin.

New Year's eve was pretty quiet around the campground. Campers stayed up late to toast the new year and then went to bed. I got up to use the toilet at 2:00 a.m. and the place was totally quiet.

Dennis met kids and had fun playing and running around the holiday park.

Hanmer Springs or Kaikoura Next?

It was a good thing we stopped for petrol and talked about where we were heading. Tom found out that Hanmer Springs would be totally booked because the road was closed at Lewis Pass due to flooding. I got on the phone and indeed found the holiday parks booked. We changed course for Kaikoura.

Kaikoura was pretty booked as well. We wanted to be indoors for the rainy night. After trying four places, we found room at the Dusky Lodge Backpackers. Dennis enjoyed the swimming pool and playing pool with Tom. I appreciated a stove to cook on and being inside.

We spent two more nights in Kaikoura at the Top 10. The proprietors were checking for tent space every day. We were pretty well packed in there.

Kaikoura is known for whale watching. We were too cheap to spend the money for a boat ride, and of course there are no guarantees that you'll see whales.

We went for a picnic one day. Another day we visited an animal farm and a lavender farm. Dennis was thrilled when he caught a chicken. We learned the difference between an alpaca and a llama (one is bigger than the other). They spit when they're mad.

Our tent was pitched by the swimming pool so we cooled off in it a few times.

Amberly Beach

We set out in the rain. First stop was Lake Tekapo for a quick look at the village and some coffees. We continued driving on Highway 72, the far outskirts of Christchurch. For many kilometres we saw farmland dotted with small villages.

I had my camping guide book out figuring out where we would stay. We ended up at a basic campground at Amberly Beach. The amenities were water, toilets and a playground. Our camping neighbors were really helpful. One neighbor brought Tom some coffee in the morning. Dennis made friends with some kids who were at their bach (beach house) adjacent to the park.

On Tuesday morning (28 December) it rained. We were kindly offered refuge with Peter and Sandra and their kids. Dennis played, we chatted. Peter made giant pancakes for lunch. Finally the rain let up and we continued packing up our tent.

Mount Cook

On 26 December, Boxing Day we headed north to Mount Cook. Along with many tourists we went into the visitor center, read about mountaineering, viewed Mount Cook, and got the weather forecast. We were thinking about staying at a DOC campsite but heavy rain and wind were fore casted. We ended up staying at the Glentanner Holiday Park. This park had many guests yet wasn't crowded since the park was so large. We found a sheltered spot and pitched the smaller tent we had brought. If wind was going to be an issue, we thought we'd break our own tent rather than the one we borrowed.

We had barbecue for dinner and ate looking at the mountain. Later Tom spotted some fellow campers seated at a picnic table sipping port. He joined them for a while.

The wind and rain did come. On Monday, 27 December we were taking down our tent in the rain. It's all part of the camping experience!

Queenstown for Christmas

On Christmas eve we headed for Queenstown. I booked a townhouse for us to stay in for 2 nights until Boxing Day. Turner Heights Townhouses had a view of the lake and the mountains. They also had a community spa pool.

We found the New World in town and I bought the fixings for Christmas dinner. We had a premade stuffed chicken roast, potatoes, veggies and a ready to heat pudding. We set up a tiny fake tree with little LED lights. For decorations we added some individually wrapped lollies (candies).

On Christmas day the gondola and luge were open, so we went. We got the family deal for the luge, so Dennis got more trips than the grown ups. The views were stunning, although I didn't like going close to the railing. We did get a few photos.

Cromwell and Central Otago

On Thursday, 23 December we drove from Dunedin to Cromwell. It was hot there in central Otago which is normal summer weather. Once again we stayed at a Top 10 Holiday Park.

Caitlins and Dunedin

On 22 December we got back on the road again. We drove through the southeastern coast called the Caitlins. It's beautifully rugged with rolling hills.

When we got to Dunedin we found the Top 10 and got a cabin for the night. Tom was tired and under the weather.

While in Dunedin we toured the Cadbury Factory and came out with goodie bags filled with various confectionery bars. The tour guides gave us a few extras since they were closing for the Christmas holiday which meant that the machines were no longer running.

We drove up the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street. Tom drove down in low gear. We even saw a cyclist riding up the street in a zig-zag pattern.

The train station is a landmark you can't miss and we took a few photos of it.

We drove on the Otago Peninsula towards the bird colonies at the end of it. Unfortunately the bird colonies were fenced off and the admission seemed steep to us. We stopped for a coffee and then headed back towards town.

Crossing the Foveaux Straight

Among the roughest waters in the world. Luckily we crossed on a good day ...






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Bluff and Stewart Island

You have to go to Bluff to catch the ferry for Stewart Island. That's just what we did on Tuesday 21 December.

The ride there was fairly smooth. The Foveaux Straight is known for being rough. The weather started out cloudy and drizzly but became sunny by lunch time.

We walked around the island a bit. In the afternoon we had booked a bus tour. We didn't need a bus tour since there aren't many paved roads on Stewart Island. However, the bus driver told us about life on the island--a somewhat isolated small town. Electricity is very expensive, so not many lights are on at night.

The island is a place where people come to go deer hunting or week-long hiking (tramping). It would also be a lovely place to book a holiday house and stay put for a week.

Late in the afternoon we bought some fish and chips. We had to try the famous bluff oysters and got some raw and some deep fried. We preferred the deep fried. We enjoyed our meal on the shore.

After dinner we took the return ferry to Bluff. The Foveaux Straight gave us a bumpy ride going back. We treated it like an amusement park ride. Fortunately the fun only lasted an hour and we were off the boat.

We took a drive up the hill in Bluff for a quick look. It was pretty windy and we're used to wind!

Invercargill

After our second night in Manapouri we drove the scenic route to Invercargill. We had taken so many photos after just one week of our vacation that the camera card was full. We decided to buy another camera instead of just another picture card.

Once we bought a camera, we found the Top 10 Holiday Park in Invercargill. Invercargill is a flat town with all the stores one could need. We walked through the big park and saw some animals and the aviary.

We spent two nights there in order to do a Stewart Island day trip. Two nights in one place simplifies life a bit when you're tent camping.

Doubtful Sound

On Sunday 19 December we got to tour Doubtful Sound. We got on a boat and crossed Lake Manapouri. That was about an hour. Dennis and Tom kept busy coloring a big coloring page the tour company gave them. Next leg, we got on a bus. The driver stopped a few times for photo opportunities and warned us about feeding the sand flies. (Fortunately I remembered my repellent.) Then we got onto another boat to actually see Doubtful Sound.

It's called Doubtful Sound but it's actually a fjord. True "sounds" are former river beds whereas fjords were formed by glaciers.

We took so many photos, way too many to post. Incredibly beautiful place.

On the return journey we saw the Manapouri power station. The bus went through a tunnel where the bus had to drive on the right side of the road. I believe it's the only road like that in NZ. The bus driver said it was designed by Americans.

A full day which we thoroughly enjoyed.

We got to experience the quietness and the sound of the birds when the boat was turned off briefly. We also got to see a seal colony up close.

Te Anau and Manapouri

Having obtained a new air mattress, we headed further south through Te Anau and on to where we would be camping in Manapouri. Te Anau is the town at the south end of the road to Milford Sound. We decided to go to Doubtful Sound instead.


To see Doubtful Sound required a tour and two overnights. We camped at a place that had been built in the 1970s. The original owner had come from California. He brought trees from there and had planted them in the campground. We knew it felt like we were in the US and once we talked to the proprietor we understood why. The campground had a collection of old cars sitting out. Dennis borrowed a bicycle and rode around. We discovered an old play area with a tree fort and an underground tunnel. In the toilet stalls were old Far Side cartoons for our reading pleasure. The water from Lake Manapouri was excellent tasting--the signs they had posted did not lie!

Cardrona and Arrowtown

After Wanaka we headed towards Queenstown. A friend had told us to stop at the hotel in Cardrona. We did and we're glad we did. The garden was gorgeous.

We stopped in a little old fashioned village called Arrowtown. I window shopped while Tom and Dennis bought ice creams. Someone was selling cherries so I bought some more.

Queenstown was almost just a drive through. We would be back a week later for Christmas. However, our air mattress flattened so we were looking for a replacement one. We found one at a Kathmandu store.

Wanaka

The drive to Wanaka went over many bridges. We lost count of how many one lane bridges we went over.

Once we arrived in town, we set our tent up at the Top 10 park. Then we visited Puzzle World where we took this fun photo of Dennis.

Wanaka is on a lake and has mountain views. We really liked the town. The bonus was that it was cherry season. We bought cherries on the main street from a vendor who named his fruit, "Dam Good Cherries." They were amazing.

Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson

On Friday, 17 December, we stopped at Lake Matheson for some photos (bridge and deck) and a view of Mount Cook.

Then we headed for the Fox Glacier and walked along the riverbed to get close. Our camera did not get a great picture. It was cool and we wore jackets.

That was our morning, then we headed to Wanaka for the afternoon.

The Glaciers

On Thursday, 16 December we headed for the Franz Josef glacier. We walked along a riverbed to get 100 metres from the glacier. While we were driving to the glacier we saw a sign that said, "The glacier was here in 1860."

We stayed at the Top 10 in town. Tom really liked it there. We had a Mount Cook view, it wasn't too hot and our campsite was pleasant. Near the kitchen were some planters with herbs saying to help yourself but leave some for others.

The West Coast

After making knives, we stayed at the Greymouth Top 10 Holiday Park. Dennis likes the Top 10 parks since they usually have things like a trampoline or bouncy pillow. As the sun was setting over the Tasman Sea, I motioned Tom and Dennis to come and see it. We were rewarded with a "green flash."

On Wednesday, 15 December we headed south along the West Coast. On our right side was the sea and on our left was bush and mountains. We stopped in Hokitika for me to do some walking and shopping. I bought a pair of wool socks from a store that uses old fashioned hand machines to knit them. I also bought some tasty looking bread from a bakery since Tom wasn't baking while we were traveling around.

In Hokitika we could see the Southern Alps in the distance and the town is also along the sea. The South Island has many places with a combination of mountains and water.

We started looking for where we would camp for the night. We wanted to try out a DOC (Dept of Conservation) place. DOC camping is basic--toilets and water, no showers, no kitchens, no playgrounds. It is also cheap. We considered Lake Paringa but decided to go further on down the road to Pleasant Flat.

At Pleasant Flat we found out how hungry the sandflies were. I thought mosquito bites were unpleasant! We brought along insect repellent. However, I found out my skin doesn't like DEET.

It was interesting cooking sausages on Tom's unconventional wood-gas stove. It took a while and I was wanting a more conventional camp stove.