Kaikoura

A nice leisurely morning, collecting another rental car and then driving up the coast to Kaikoura. The weather continues to be kind to us and it's a very pleasant 27 degrees. After booking into our B&B, we wandered down into town - a very typical seaside town, with a real holiday feel to it, grabbed some lunch and paid an impromptu visit to the local golf club. It wasn't on the itinerary but looked very quiet and inviting in the sun so decided to play - very nice little course and we were round in less than 3 hours.

We then decided to continue with some more exercise and took a walk on the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway which has some great views over the rocky bays. There was a 2-3 hour option but I'm afraid we only managed an hour on the southern side!

Rocks in Limestone Bay

Then it was back to base to freshen up before dinner. looking forward to whalewatching tomorrow - just hoping the bad weather doesn't come in so that it gets cancelled.

Finally CONGRATULATIONS to Kirsty on getting her place at Christchurch Canterbury - knew you would and hope the dentist goes okay tomorrow x

Back to Christchurch

From Hokitika we drove up the coast toward Greymouth.  We turned off to visit a jade workshop where we were able to chat to the Maori who finds the greenstone and works it into jewellery and ornaments.  He was able to explain the importance to the Maori of the stone and the meaning of the shapes carved.

The mine train at Shantytown

From there we went to a place called Shantytown - a reconstruction of an 1860's township which included some original buildings that had been moved there.  It was more museum than themepark and quite interesting.  Then on to Greymouth to the station and the TranzAlpine railway.  The train crosses the Southern Alps and runs some 250 km to Christchurch.

The TranzAlpine

The scenery along the route is quite stunning and using the train meant that both of us could enjoy the journey rather than have a driver having to watch the road.  We are back at our first B&B and were welcomed with a glass of their pinot noir (oh what a shame!).

Blue Ice and Driftwood

It rained very heavily overnight in Franz Josef.  After a leisurely breakfast, we drove out to Okarito - a settlement that originally opened for mining but which diminished in size after as it had grown at the beginning of the Otago gold rush.  Nowadays it seems that the tourists are the only thing that keeps it going (and even then it is not buzzing - the general store which used to open two days a week closed in the mid 80's).  We then went back into Franz Josef township as we were booked on a 1230 glacier walk.  This entailed getting kitted out with boots, crampons and a rainjacket - we declined the hat and glove and overtrouser options as the weather had cleared up very nicely.  We were advised to wear 3 or 4 layers of clothing (which we ignored as it was warm and we are English).  Having been coached to the car park at the bottom of the valley, we walked up a track through the rainforest and emerged to get our first view of the glacier and an impression of the scale of it.  It is difficult to convey the scale as, even looking at it first hand, being told that something on the ice is 6 km away does not quite do it.

The first ice fall beyond the glacier face - and, yes, those are another group of walkers coming down the ice

What looks in places like rock is, often, ice that has been covered in rock dust and debris by landslides or rock falls.  The natty footwear of crampons is a must on the glacier - even though the guides helpfully cut steps in the ice with axes to help the tourists.

Pretty cool eh?

The walk takes place on the lower end of the glacier because that is the area where there are the first ice falls and stresses that open crevasses and create 'caves' and holes.  The fresh ice below the surface is blue - something to do with its reflective quality and blue being the first colour we pick up (the same reason that the sky is blue apparently).  We walk down some of the larger crevasses and through a hole.  Most of the holes are created by water running through and under the glacier.  One we walked through went from a metre diameter to the size it is today in 4 days.



In a crevasse



There was also a huge ice cave which had formed in less than 10 days with millions of tons of ice having collapsed from its ceiling - one could hear more ice falling in the cavern (which was quite spooky).

From there, we had a 90 minute drive up to our next stopping point - Hokitika.  As our walk overran, we did not arrive until 7.30 and, as NZ is not quite like England, we were advised to get out quick to get some supper before everywhere shut!  After eating we went down to the beach to view the annual driftwood and sand sculpting exhibition which finished today - there were some odd and some very good pieces of work.  The overall winner was a cow constructed from pieces collected from the beach, replete with udder and horns!

Tomorrow we are on the move again, so we will have a quick look at Hokitika in the morning as it is the biggest town we have been in since Christchurch and has, we are told, a reputation for jade.



Through the Southern Alps to Glacier Country

Today we had a fairly serious drive to do - you could tell that when, an hour in, the sat nav announced as we turned on to Highway 6 'follow the road for 294km to your destination'!  The first part of the trip from Queenstown to Wanaka was in sunshine and followed a scenic route through the mountains.  The road had been subject to a couple of rock slides and bits were being repaired.  Unlike home, we turned one corner to find a bulldozer and a road sweeper lorry in the middle of the road - no coning off here.  We then had a run along the lakes to the east of the mountains before climbing to go through a pass and down to the west coast.  As we got to the mountains, we found the rain that had been forecast and it did not leave us until about 7.30 this evening.  We drove to Fox Glacier and, as the rain was not much more than a misty drizzle at that point decided that we would walk to the glacier face.



A potential Helen Money moment - remember Dovedale?



From the viewing point (c100m)



It is about a kilometre and a half's walk along the valley, over streams and up the rocks to get to the viewing area - everywhere there are warnings as to rock slides and the like.  In today's gloomy weather, one could see how things get washed down the sides of the steep valley and, potentially, hit people.  The scale of the glacier is quite something to see.  The ice we were looking at is probably in the milions of years old and one gets a mix of blues and whites in the main flow (it is a bit grey round the edges where it is eroding the rocks).  The face advances some 5 years after a heavy snowfall at the seat of the glacier (it takes that long for the effects to be translated down the length of the valley).  The walk up and down is easy - they recommend walking boots or stout footwear but, to back-packers and some visitors that appeared to equate to a pair of flip-flops.

We then went on to Franz Josef where our accommodation is.  As it is so wet, we spent a while doing some laundry (very exciting) and trying to book a trip on to the Fox Josef Glacier for tomorrow (which we achieved).  We are hoping that the weather is a bit kinder tomorrow.

Remarkables!

View from 1st Tee

No, the heading is not a typo.  Yesterday evening the Milford Sound downpour reached Queenstown and it hosed it down for much of the evening and night.  We woke, though, to some sunshine and, on opening the curtains, saw that above a certain height the rain had fallen as snow - we had a great view of it from our hotel.  Today was a golf day - at a place called Jacks Point, which ranks very highly in New Zealand's best courses and, on one review, is number 1 on the South Island.  The course sits on a headland alongside Lake Wakatipu and is quite spread out on the estate.  The lake is in another glaciated valley and both sides are, basically, mountains.  The scenery was stunning.  Why we say that the heading is not a typo is that the range to the east of the course is called The Remarkables and this morning with the snow laying above a certain level they certainly lived up to their name.  At times concentrating on the course was less than easy as, everywhere one looked, the views were a major distraction.

The course itself was described as a links course - which it isn't really, by UK standards - but it was still a very good course to play as the fairways were in beautiful condition and the greens were good and true (albeit not as fast as usual due to the 35mm of rain they got overnight).

View over Queenstown, its park and golf course

After golf, we went back into Queenstown and up to the local viewpoint in a cable car.  Up the hill they have activities such as bungee jumping, sky swings, paragliding and an option to cable car up and then mountain bike down the hill.  Sadly the sky swing and paragliding were closed (well, we were not really sad) and we avoided the bungee jumping - we did though decide to do one of the actvities.  Our girls (and Liz, Nicole,Kristi & Matt) will need to cast their minds back to Rotorua as being the last time we did this!!  There was a wheel luge run and, therefore, we took the chair lift further up the hill, donned our helmets and rolled off down the hill.(Good nostalgic fun!)  The views over Queenstown and the surrounding area were very good and we were able to get a perspective as to where we had been over the past few days.  It is our last night in Queenstown tonight and tomorrow we are off to Franz Josef to see the glaciers.

Hope all at home are well.

Hollyford Track - Day 3

The variant this morning was that we were woken by one of the guides (Bard) singing a Maori greeting!  The forecast today is horrible and the clouds are already dark at the tops of the mountains along the Hollyford Valley.  The usual form is that having done a morning's walking, guests are flown out in a light aircraft along the coast and into Milford Sound.  We are told that the plane company is not going to fly today and that we will be helicoptered out!!  After breakfast we go in the jet boat to the sand dunes at Martin's Bay.  Our walk teaches us to how plants colonise the dunes, stabilise them and how, eventually, the rainforest takes over.  We see the evidence of the Maori settlements and the remains of one of the few houses uses by the later settlers who tried to make a living in the area.  We are regaled with a number of stories (not all wholly believable) as to why a certain grass grows toward the sea, how a daughter of the settlers was wooed and why there is a stand of Eucalyptus trees on the dunes in New Zealand.  The last stretch of walking is a walk along the beach back to the mouth of the Hollyford River - this is some 4 km of sand, some of which is soft and therefore quite testing for some (by now) rather tired legs.  Some of our group found it very hard work and we are soon stretched out over a good few hundred metres.(guess who was at the front!!!!) All was going well until a rogue wave caught Ingrid by surprise and she ended up with one very soggy foot (she was very grateful it didn't happen on day 1)  Then it is back by jet-boat to the Lodge for lunch.  As we are eating, the first helicopter arrives.  We are to go out in three groups.  As the weather is closing in, the helicopter company is sending in three machines to get us out (rather than by doing it in relays with two machines).  We are in a six seater and no sooner than we take off, it starts lashing down and the mix of the rain, wind and pace of the helicopter makes for something of an adrenaline filled ride.  The view is limited by the rain but, in Milford Sound, the waterfalls that have not been flowing are now cascading down the fjord and it is very impressive.  The only sad point is that one does not get a view of the whole of Milford Sound.  After landing, we scurry to the coach and a four hour ride via Te Anau back to Queenstown.  All in all, we were very lucky with the weather on our trek - those starting today (and there is a group including the mother of one of the lodge hosts) are in for a very wet and miserable first day.

Martins Bay Lodge

Hollyford Track - Day 2



Our wake up call came as advertised and both of us were dreading getting out of bed to find that we were too stiff to move.  Pleasantly surprised, we were both fairly mobile although Ingrid had a niggle with a blister (brought on from her golf shoes not her walking books).  After a hearty breakfast (necessary given the walking to be done) we were off on the trail again.  First up we walked up to Lake Alabaster which lies in a tributary valley to the Hollyford River.  As the water levels were fairly low, we were told that we would be shuttled down-river on a smaller boat.  We volunteered to go on the first shuttle as it meant that we would have a chance to see a piece of the landscape that we would otherwise miss.  There is a flood channel that, when the river is high, creates an island in the middle of the river.  On this island is a hut maintained by the department of conservation for the 'freedom walkers' (those not on guided trips).  We had seen one person leaving the track on day one and no-one else.  We toured the 'island' and visited the McKerrow Hut - this has two huge bunks and 12 (yes, twelve) mattresses so that six can sleep per bunk!!  When all the others were at the island, we boarded a bigger jet boat and headed off downstream and into Lake McKerrow.  We had a couple of stops - the main stop being at Jamestown, which was the intended settlement of the region by the local government.  The settlement lasted only a few years as the area was, basically, wholly inhospitable and lines of communication to the local centres were not (and could not be) established.  There is nothing there but a plaque and a cemetery now.  Next stop was to jump back on to the trail (this trip misses out a piece called the Devils Trail which is a day and a half's difficult hike.  We resumed our walk through the rainforest and saw how the vegetation changes as you get nearer the coast.  Our lessons were punctuated by lunch as we got nearer the coast.



The warning sign for part of the track - we only had to do about a kilometre of it!



After seeing 1000 year old trees (which pre-date the Maori by some 200 years and Euopean settlers in the area by some 850 years), we reached the coastal part of the path.  Next up was a visit to a seal colony.  We were near the front of the group behind one of the guides when there was a splashing and a bit of turmoil in a bit of water on the land-side of the path;  a penguin popped up, jumped between the two of us (close enough almost to be on Ingrid's toes) and shot into the bush on the seaward side.  As the penguin was a Fiordland Crested Penguin - the rarest in the world - it was a very exciting moment and as much so for the guide as us.  It was also a piece of the trip that only 4 of us got to see up close.  On then to the seals and a sighting of adults and pups basking in the sun on the rocks;  we even have some video of a pup suckling.

Tearing ourselves away from this scene, we went back down the path to a landing site and were collected by the jet-boat to be taken to the Martin's Bay Lodge where we were to stay for the night.  The lodge hosts served salmon that they had hot-smoked themselves at the lodge;  this was followed by a very chocolate-y pudding.  Strangely, the starter was a cheeseboard.  Suffice it to say that it did not take long to go to sleep in anticipation of another early wake-up and a poor weather forecast for the next day.

Hollyford Track - Day 1

Tramping under the forest canopy

An early start for us this morning as we were picked up from our hotel at 0640.  We were coached to a place called Te Anau where the group for our walk congregated.  We were a group of 14 - 5 English, 2 Danes, 5 Aussies and a pair of Kiwis.  We had two guides - Mike the chief guide and Bard (sic) who used to be chief guide and had been called back in to cover a gap in the roster so we were going to be well looked after.  Back on the coach we had a further ride into the Fiordland National Park and down to the start of the walk.  We actually started walking at about 11.30.  In spite of the doomsayers at the briefing and the general weather pattern of the Southlands, it was sunny (although, we were told, there was rain on the way sometime over the next day or so).  The first limb of the walk is predominantly under the rainforest canopy and the guides talk you through the types of tree and how the climate and other matters affect the fauna.  The walk is along the Hollyford valley, which was created by a glacier and has steep sides and plenty of creeks that, when it rains, turn into cascades of water.  We stopped for lunch about 2.20, which we ate whilst sitting on the rocks in the river bed - the river being low at this time of year both by virtue of it being summer and because it has been drier than usual.  The stop was not very long and we were back on the track for another botany lesson.  Although most of the track is fairly close to the river (which is quite drinkable so it was handy to keep topping up our water bottles!) and, therefore, not overly hilly, there is a gorge and part of the first day's walk is over a hill to avoid this.  The uphill section is about 45 minutes of climbing (not too bad really and not as tough as we feared);  the downhill stretch the other side turned out to be more difficult - a mix of the gradient, the loose surface and the slight imblance given by the back-pack.  The reward at the bottom was a short break by a beautiful waterfall.  After this was the final push to the 'hut' where we were to spend the night (which was about an hour and a quarter);  at this point the guides fell to the back of the group and in the knowledge that there were only three showers at the hut, we pressed on with a view to getting out of our boots and into a shower as early as we could.  It was a successful tactic and, refreshed, we were able to adjourn to the lounge and get a drink and chat with the other members of the group.  After dinner not many were enthuastic to feed the eels or go and see some glow worms (we had just spent nearly 7 hours walking with a back pack!) - a glass of wine and an early night were in order as a 6.45 wake up call was to greet us next morning.  We adjourned to our bunks (yes, each room had two bunks in it) and hoped that we would not be too stiff in the morning.

Queenstown Golf

Today we played golf at Millbrook, a course that gets good reviews for its views. It would have been better but for the building that is ongoing. We then had a walk around Queenstown, which does not take long! The park, though, is beautiful. The 18 hole frisbee golf course was a novelty. Then it was on to the briefing for the trek we set out on tomorrow. We have now packed our rucksacks as lightly as we can as we have 17 km to cover and have to carry our three day's worth of gear. As this is a 'wilderness' trail, we will be offline for the three days. We are hoping for fair weather and will report in on our return.

Sunburn to Snow!!



Lake Tekapo with cloud capped mountains

 We woke at Terrace Downs to find that it was raining and still blowing and was only 8 degrees.  Some brave souls were going out on the golf course there - we were due to leave after breakfast for our drive down to Queenstown.  It rained throughout the first leg with one 10 minute deluge which made driving quite tricky.  Fortunately as we approached Tekapo there was a break in the weather and, when we stopped to look at a monument to sheepdog there and a church with a stunning view over the lake, it was actually quite bright albeit still quite cool.

Lake Tekapo runs up to the foothills of the Southern Alps and is almost a 'Tiffany' blue - the photo does not do it justice.

The next leg took us past the next lake - Lake Pukaki - which is in the valley below Mount Cook, the highest peak in NZ.  At the time we could not see the mountains because of the cloud.  However, as we carried on the cloud seemed to be clearing so we decided to make the detour and head up the side of the lake in the hope of getting a sight of the mountain.  It was worth the trip for the scenery alone.  As we got further up the valley we were able to see some of the mountains, the snow on the top and the dry valleys that, after the spring thaw, must be torrents.  When we got to the hamlet below Mount Cook it started to snow!  We could not get a sight of the very top of the mountain as the cloud started coming in again. 

We headed back down the valley and resumed our journey.  It was sunny for all but the very last bit of the remainder of the trip.  We were driving through some stunning scenery and through the Otago vineyards.  We did not stop at any of the wineries to sample the local Pinot Noirs but there is a serious risk that we will give that a whirl this evening when we wander out for dinner in Queenstown

Christchurch to Terrace Downs



View from the 16th tee

Awoke this morning to learn that the sunburn was not quite as light as we had first thought!  Pete's forehead and nose is glowing;  the backs of Ingrid's legs are good and red.  Today involved a drive from Christchurch (via the supermarket to pick up some aftersun) to a resort in a valley near Mount Hutt.  The drive was through farming country on the Canterbury plain where we moved from cattle to sheep and then on to venison.  We played golf on a very good course called Terrace Downs which had wonderful views of the mountains and, when you were on certain holes, the gorge and river in the valley below.



Chalet view



Our accommodation tonight is a chalet and it seems that we have been upgraded from the one we booked so we have loads of space and a view over the valley to the mountains.  Glad we did not have a late tee time as the wind has got up and it is blowing hard now - we can see why the nearest village is called Windwhistle.

Hope that Lexi is over her ordeal and that the painkillers are working for Kirsty.

Love to all.

Clearwater and Kiwis

Ingrid did make par at this par 3....

Having managed to get a decent night's sleep, we hope that we will be over the trip out here.  After a good breakfast at our B&B, we went to the golf course (all of three minutes away).  Clearwater has hosted the NZ ladies open and a Nationwide tour event - Ingrid was even greeted by the course designer, Sir Bob Charles!  The course was very good - water on nearly every hole to narrow down the target area - and the weather was splendid.  The sun down here is very strong and we missed a few spots with the sun block! 

After the golf we went to the local wildlife park and wandered around that.  We did spot our first kiwis - we cheated a bit as they were in the 'nocturnal' part of the park/sanctuary.  We also saw some of NZ's other native and endangered species amongst a number of enclosures where the endangered species were absent hiding or, perhaps, just absent!  Then it was back to the B&B and a quick dip in the pool before getting ready for supper.  Altogether an excellent first full day down here.

First Day in New Zealand

We arrived at Christchurch Airport on time this morning (thank goodness), then spent a bit of time having our walking boots and golf shoes checked for cleanliness (we are not allowed to import dirt!) and then collecting our hire car.  Our B&B is less than 10 minutes from the airport and is very comfortable;  the owners, Sue & Robin were very welcoming.  Having freshened up, we decided to drive into Christchurch to have a look see.  Sounds simple, but not quite as easy as that.  Many of the central roads are closed and a new one way system (newer than the sat nav) takes one round the areas that you cannot enter.  As there are still aftershocks, rebuilding has not started in earnest.  There are 'car parks' on the sites of demolished buildings and, in an effort to get people back into the town, the main shopping mall has been replaced by shops set up in ships containers (albeit now brightly painted and with one metal side replaced with glass).  You cannot get close to the cathedral (which is in the 'red' zone).  Sadly it is the older buildings that suffered as they had not been built to withstand tremors.  The photo on the left is taken from one end of where the main shopping mall was;  the cathedral square (the centre of the city) is some 300m to the left.  The buildings in the picture are unoccupied and, as you can see, some are being knocked down, others repaired.  The emptiness of the area is quite spooky and a stark reminder of the power of nature!  Back to the B&B afterwards as we are running out of steam after another overnight flight (without much sleep!) and the 5 hour time difference from Singapore.  It will be early dinner and early bed for us - with a quiet word before sleep to ask for the wind to be turned off tomorrow for our golf (presently it is very windy outside, but 25 degrees, and the course here has lots of lakes which will challenge our stock of balls.)  Hope all are well;  will be thinking of Lexi tomorrow and trusting that all will go well with her op.

Another Tour and the first rain!

Ingrid - Another relaxing morning by the pool - but managed 25 lengths to work off a few calories!! Seemed quite cloudy today so rather surprised at some "red bits" later on (sun lotion packed in the golf bags in storage! )Afternoon visit to Changi prision which was a little disappointing (although quite glad it wasn't harrowing as I had been led to believe) and learnt a bit about the local history.

 As you can see from the title - first rain of the trip where I got VERY wet in a very short time, however you dry out very quickly when it stops and within half an hour you can't tell that it's rained at all!!

Moving onto N.Z tomorrow so next post will be from there, as and when we get wi fi.
Hope everyone back home is well and a special GOOD LUCK to Kirsty for her interview on Wed.

Footsteps of Raffles

Having arrived yesterday evening, we had a wander about the area where our hotel is.  It was still very warm and humid late into the evening.  We tried to get as much sleep as we could before Pete had to be up to get ready and off to the office.  Ingrid had a very pleasant morning, swimming and relaxing by the pool.
It was 33 deg c at 7pm so not sure what it was late morning!!! Very nice.

 Ingrid's afternoon consisted of a tour of the quay area including high tea at Raffles - (wished she hadn't had lunch!) and then a river boat tour on the Singapore river.  Some of the buildings are quite amazing, especially the Sands Sky Park (below)

The day was finished off with a lovely meal out (a restaurant called Salt on the 55th floor of the Ion Building with amazing views) with one of Pete's work colleagues Adrian and his wife Suzanne.

Airports

Well here we go then.  We have made it as far as Heathrow Terminal 3 and checked in;  now sitting where we get free wi-fi so we can kick off the blog properly.  If we have forgotten to pack anything it is too late now.  The flight is due to leave at 2205 and arrive in Singapore at 1845 local time tomorrow.

We had a good day today, celebrating Pete's Mum's birthday a day early with all of the girls, Al, Oli and Lexi.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it - although we probably left a very tired pair of parents!  All a bit tearful as we left.