The Dunedin Railway Station aka ‘Gingerbread House’. The booking hall has a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain, and the platform is 472m long.
A ‘lil champagne always makes a morning smile!
Having waved Dunedin goodbye, we followed the gorge all the way up to Hendon Station.
The bridge at Hendon was shared between the rail and the road.
At Hendon station a little time out.
Lan Yuan, Dunedin Chinese Garden. The only Chinese garden in the southern hemisphere.
Of course with a little oolong and dim sum. Both highly recommended!
Dunedin Public Art Gallery, covering all nationalities and all styles from Monet to…..
Waking up in Te Anau today, ready for a trip to see glo worms, which are endemic to NZ. A short half-hour boat ride over Lake Te Anau, which is the 2nd largest lake in NZ after Lake Taupo on North Island.
This lake is the largest containment of freshwater in Australasia and is fully drinkable without treatment.
The Tunnel Burn (stream) flowing through the Te Anau Glowworm Caves originates from the Murchison Mountains. We visited the Te Anau Glowworm Caves (250 metres long), which are the lower part of the much larger Aurora Caves system.
The system is dated at 30-35 million years old, although the section we visited is dated at less than 12,000 years old, making it very young in geological terms.
Before going into the caves, we were able to watch how they produce the sticky string like threads in which they catch their prey, together with what happens when they get too close to each other. Who needs prey when you have a tasty neighbour, who is likely to also be a family member?!!
Within the caves, we boarded a boat manually pulled by the guide, taking us further into the darkness. The lights of the glowworms were amazing!
Just a small portion of duck wings for lunch!
A drive to the south east area. Nugget Point with a viewpoint and walk out to the lighthouse. On the rocks below we could see fur seals, and some playing in a little rock pool.
Then on to Roaring Bay Penguins & Seals Observatory which is basically a beach with a hide.
They return from their day of hunting late afternoon. We could see from the google reviews that not all visits are successful.
Having arrived about 6pm, after an hour looking hard over the whole sweeping bay and spotting in the water various penguin shaped bits of seaweed, finally Billy waddled out about 7pm much bigger, closer and much more obvious than we had been looking for!
By 8.15pm we declared Billy definitely didn’t have friends and headed off, and 1.5 hours later having a very late arrival in Dunedin.
A 5am start. A quick step out to look at the sky just in case. No aurora, but an amazing array of stars (out in the darkness……)…… and the milky way! I’ll settle for that!
A little gutted it had gone by the time we had googled how to take a photo of it, but a sight I will never forget.
A 7am sailing then a coach and then another boat to get to the sound.
An amazing sunrise on Lake Manapouri
After the first boat, we followed the original 1880 track called the Wilmot track pass by coach through the mountain range out to Doubtful Sound on the ocean side. If we went direct west from here, the first land we would hit would be Argentina!
The whole area here is 1.2 million hectares called the Fiordland National Park.
Covered in a cool temperate rainforest made up mainly of silver beech and mosses that hold up to 26 times their weight in water, of which we sampled a little squeeze.
They don’t measure rainfall in millimeters or even centimeters. It is measured in meters, and on average, they have 10 metres of rain per year, making it one of the wettest places in the world.
The largest waterfall here is 830 meters high, called Browne Falls. Amazing site, although it is disputed whether it is a waterfall or a river. Whoever knew that it could be disputed!!
We definitely had all 4 seasons within 15 minutes….hail and icy cold to hot and sun bathing weather!
Leaning into the wind
Amazing vistas every minute, from colourful to dark and sultry.
The view down to the sound from the top of the Wilmot Pass, along with the most photographed dead tree in New Zealand…..
Fave meal so far in Redcliffe Cafe. Definitely our kinda place, and live music to add. New NZ term for the dictionary……. sticky……. meaning dessert wine
Back for another sun down in Te Anau
Certainly fallen in love with the Fiordland National Park. ❤️
Considering the forecast was thunder, it’s rather sunny, though raining somewhere!
Our friend returned too
A chilled morning and then off to the port for our cruise via the Milford swing, of course!
Here she is!
A lesson learnt in the few days we have been here…… don’t believe the forecast. So much for thunder and rain, it was beautiful! An absolute scorcher of a day though thankful to the forecast we had much needed coats for the front of the boat and especially the close up on the falls!
First of the year. With this weather it had to be done!
Back to Te Anau the way we came yesterday. We had to check out the mirror lakes again. How different from yesterday!
The front at Te Anau is very pretty.
A beautiful clear sky tonight, but still no sign of that Aurora
Another prompt start for a scenic drive through to Milford Sound on the west coast.
Mountains get in the way at times….
…though rather that than the cycle route!
A prompt start, though a good start….. we need one of these!
Scenic from the start. A brief coffee stop in Te Anau and on to the main route. Many stops along the route, our favourite being the mirror lakes. The weather is so changeable that by the time we had visited each of the photo points, the drizzle had paused, and the clouds lifted, the image had changed so much!
…… and a few other nice stops along the way.
We had heard at Te Anau that the route was busier than usual. Methinks Mr Google can be easily fooled! Yes, we are all just parked, and no traffic!
Weirdly, we spotted a car the same as our with the next plate number – PEN994 – heading in the opposite direction!
Apparently, it is raining down in the sound. It is the wettest inhabited area of the country.
Some well placed lights before the tunnel gave the opportunity to jump out of the car for better photos.
Once through the tunnel the hairpin bends kicked in and waterfalls everywhere.
Not sure when the phone service went, but we didn’t see it again!
What a beautiful place! We had booked a mountain view room. Wow….. when a place actually does look like their website photos!
A friendly weka came and said hello.
We spent the evening watching and listening to the waterfalls and the wildlife.
The winning wine with dinner was a Wet Jacket pilot noir. Interestingly, a vineyard we had noticed not far from Queenstown. We may have to call in!
Not too far then, and of course we detoured straight away on to the “inland scenic route 77” to the beautiful Rakaia Gorge
…. and an hour long rather hot hike that was totally worth it!
A brief stop for lunch with a view of those mountains that are slowly getting closer
A few more km and lake Takapo appears for a brief stop, and then on to the amazing Lake Pukaki
Over the Lindis Pass, amazing views all the way.
Then in to the Central Otago area. The town of Cromwell had to get moved in the 1980s to flood the valley for power, so they moved the buildings up the hill first. Very quaint.
Shame it was shut!
….and finally arrived in Queenstown. What a lovely, vibrant town it is, and awake so much later than anywhere else! Well, you can’t go to Queenstown and not have a Fergburger, right?
Top marks from me, and I don’t really do burgers!
So popular they had to end the queue at 9.40 for 10.00 closure!
A day on the trams. We are staying right by the first tram stop. The first tram we had was 100 years old last year and from Christchurch.
The city seemed hugely overshadowed by the earthquakes of 2011, with most buildings having either been taken down to rebuild, been rebuilt, or being made safe.
We had wondered why some car parks were gravel, to discover these are where buildings have been taken down.
The February 2011 earthquake hit the city the hardest of the four, in which two buildings actually fell and 185 were killed. Interestingly, there is a question over whether the two buildings should have been condemned, so they are probably now more cautious.
The cathedral has only just had work started on it. Princess Anne recently visited to consecrate the new memorial, only it’s not quite finished!
The temporary cathedral aka cardboard cathedral was really quite impressive.
The botanic gardens were a lovely place for a stroll, and had the best rose garden.
This chair and otto had been made with people’s broken crockery to mark the earthquakes.
The quake museum was very interesting, explaining the concept and effect of liquefaction, which actually ruined more properties than the shaking, and the new construct basis of isolation so that buildings move separately from the ground.
Other problems caused by the earthquake included brewery that lost power so the beer fermented for longer than normal, creating a much stronger beer.
Memorial to those that died and the injured.
In true British style, of course, a little punting
Very good of Francis to nip back down south to punt for us! 🤣
The Canterbury Museum is currently closed and will be refurbished. They emptied all the displays and it is currently home to a street art exhibition. Very unique and slightly odd but certainly enjoyable!
You can see this guy is now clamped on his pedestal. Apparently, he fell off in the earthquake, and it was two days before they found his head!
Dinner was a stumble on Sakimoto Japanese Bistro by the tram station. What amazing food! Edamame beans, gobo chips, kara-age chicken, deepfried eggplant in a sweet miso sauce, tuna sushi roll, angus beef tataki, and top marks on the allergy too!
An early start, but what an awesome view from breakfast!
This morning we did the bay of islands tour out to the hole in the rock.
It was still too choppy to go through the hole, but we did see some dolphins.
This afternoon we spent at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The treaty between the Mauris and the British was signed in 1840. The tour and museum was very interesting, and of course another (different) cultural show!
Back to the Charlotte for dinner and a little live music, and then an espresso martini in the bar next door, which last orders was 9pm….. on a Friday!
An amazing view from the village of Omapere where we stayed……
You can see on the right hand side of the photo the amazing sand dunes. They do trips across there to body board down them. We were a little heartbroken to discover that due to the weather, the trip would not be running for a few days!
We went back to the kauri forest to check out the largest kauri tree in the world.
You can just see Mark at the bottom to give you an idea of scale. It is thought to be about 2000 years old. The total height is 51.5m and the girth 13.8m!
After two weeks we have finally done the vineyard thing. Marsden Estate near Kerikeri in the Bay Of Islands. Wow! Amazing wines and food! Snapper and Chamborcin – a red that we had never heard of!
The people at the vineyard said that the temperature had dropped from 24° to 9° which is colder than their winter!
On to the beautiful town of Kerikeri, with a very impressive waterfall…..
Kemp house in Kerikeri – the oldest house and the location of the first vineyard in New Zealand.
Finally arrived in Paihia, abandoned the car at the hotel and jumped on the ferry to Russell, once known as a place of ill repute.
Stopped at the renowned The Duke Of Marlborough Hotel for a quick snack and….. oh look they know about Marsden Estate too! Cheers!
Got chatting to an Australian couple. She reminded us very much of Cali. They seemed hooked on the Rose. We told them to check out the vineyard!
On the ferry back we ran into the American couple we were chatting to on the way across… and then a quick drink with them in the only place open…… the Charlotte….. named after a rather “popular” lady from the local history. The place seems to shut very early….. the ferry only got in at 9.30!
Leaving our hotel still with electricity, we drove past many homes and businesses without. There were police directing traffic on many junctions where the traffic lights were out, and some other interesting sights…..
First stop was the waterfalls at Karekare. The beach some walk away is where much of the film the piano was filmed.
We then visited Piha beach which is equally beautiful and much more accessible…..
Stopped for lunch in their local cafe who thankfully has a generator! Very interesting to hear the locals comparing stories of last night. It sounded like most of the village was without power and phone.
We then headed up the kauri coast through the kauri forest with a quick stop at the kauri museum which was very impressive!
New Zealand is expecting an Antarctic blast. The weather forecast for here says rain and thunderstorms all day with very high winds from lunch, however, hot water beach seems to have avoided all of that with the sun out most of the morning.
Hot water beach…..what better way to start the day than digging a hole in the sand which then fills with water to sit in, with thermals heating the sand/water….. so much that you burn your……….ouch! You have to do it two hours either side of high tide, which was just after 8 in the morning. It sounded so touristy we almost didn’t do it, but hey when in NZ……! Surprisingly, being out of season and with the expected weather, then it was not at all touristy, and was a great experience. Sorry the photos are on go pro….!
Back to the chalet for a shower, give them back their spade ($10 hire at the beach….once the shops were open, so it is the done thing for hotels to have a stash to lend) and late checkout.
News is that a town west of mount Taraniki has been wiped out by a cyclone and heavy snow has fallen on the south island.
We continue on our tour round the Coromandel Penninsula which is not too bad considering. Quite sunny, just very windy and the occasional downpour.
I don’t need to mention the amazing scenery again?
Thought we should stop for a coffee to work out the plan of action and ended up staying!
Check out the size of the local Coromandel mussels!
….. and then headed up to the hotel just north of Auckland shortly after 8pm thankful to be out of the wind in a sturdy hotel rather than the chalet we had last night. The wind really picked up about 7pm to 55 mph!
Oh what a lovely lazy morning!…….. and a beautiful veranda for a cup of the local tea and open a few presents!
A short pop to Nga Manu Nature Reserve. Finally we have seen a kiwi!
They are nocturnal hence the bad lighting!
There was also a very interesting talk on eels. They are only found in New Zealand. They can live up to 100 years, but they only spawn once in their lives by migrating to Tonga and then they die!
Straight back to the lodge to enjoy a glass of sparkling in the hot tub
So Mark has booked a beautiful lodge in the grounds of a huge estate.
Yes, that is a double shower, and yes, of course it has a hot tub – out in the forest!
Tonight we have a table booked in the next village. Absolutely amazing food and brilliant service. Then to top it all, it turns out it is a gift from the girls! I am so spoilt!
The drive south, not on the main road, which adds a couple of hours to a three hour journey, with such amazing scenery, full of rolling hills and some less rolling, covered with sheep and cows. We could not believe how much beautiful land there is without many people!
We followed a sign to Waihi falls which we had previously marked. It was 18 minutes from the road…. of rough track!
The waterfalls were definitely worth it!
We finally got to Martinborough, a wine region by Wellington. Still not many vines though!
Napier was destroyed in the early 1930s by an earthquake and resulting fires, meaning most of the current buildings date from around the same period ie art deco.
We stopped back in Rotorua again last night. Yet another hotel where you have to check out the hot pools, much nicer this time as they were outside.
On our way to Taupo today. We took a little detour to check out a geyser and ended up stumbling on some bubbling mud pools. Very funny to watch!
Next enroute, a few waterfalls.
Aratiatia rapids:
Huka falls:
In Taupo we found a little natural spa on the side of a river. What a great experience!
En-route to Napier, a very scenic drive, not only did we notice many trucks with logs on, but you could see the various “ages” of pine tree plantations…. some newly cut, some a few years old, and some ready for cutting…. all in need planting sections.
Napier is just on the edge of the Hawkes Bay wine region…
The random play all for some reason started playing UB40 – red red wine as we passed! Though for a wine region……. there didn’t seem to be many vineyards!?
So a “wh” is like our “ph”, and sometimes the “a” sounds more like a “u”!
We drove up to Whakatane last night and stopped in a huge motel room. Lovely to spread out a little and do a little barbecuing……… lamb of course!
Now on our way to white island for a trek around New Zealand’s most active volcano.
With friends!
OMG! Words cannot explain how amazing that was!
Then to finish off, whilst sailing round the island we saw some huge flying fish! Each one was about 30cm and out of the water for a good five to ten seconds.
….where the mauris still live by the sulphur springs…
Of course we had to do the cultural thing! We also had a hangi meal, where they cook the food in the ground, and went down to see the geyser. It looked really impressive in the dark!
We’re on the road!….. heading for the Easter Jazz festival at Tauranga.
We absolutely love this place! Just got ID’d to buy a bottle of wine in a supermarket……. they check all customers that look under 30! Good job we had passports with us!
Tauranga jazz festival…….. our kind of place – live music, sun, and a little grape and hop juice with a good view!
Also amazing to see trains whizzing by full of logs…. where are they heading to?
Heather and Mark's travel blog 