Picton: Day One Hundred (27 January)

It was Sunday so we went to Holy Communion in Nelson Cathedral before heading for our last stop on New Zealand’s South Island: Picton. This is where the Interislander ferry leaves from.

We opted to take the route known as Queen Charlotte Drive to get there because it follows the waterside. It was another windy road and as you can see the day was rather overcast but the scenery was still lovely. We stopped for lunch at a lookout with great views of the Marlborough Sounds.

We found our motel in Picton easily and then explored the attractively developed harbourside and had dinner in the Beachcomber Inn.

Barnaby

Farewell Spit: Day Ninety-Nine - Afternoon (26 January)

We reached Collingwood about 3pm from where we could see Farewell Spit but hadn’t actually reached it yet! Collingwood is a lovely little town with an interesting museum and a fabulous beach that has been given over as a regeneration area for coastal plants. It was very wild and rugged and, being on the coast, very windy too.

But we found a sheltered spot in the garden of the Old Courthouse Café to bask in the sun while we had a cup of tea. Then we drove onto Farewell Spit itself – only the last kilometre of road was unsealed so it wasn’t too bumpy.

We didn’t leave there until 6.15pm and it was a long drive back. (Just as well it was summer time when it stays light till late in the evening). We stopped for dinner at Motueka and got back to Nelson about 9.20pm, tired and ready to fall into bed.

Happy Australia Day to any Aussies reading this!

Barnaby

Farewell Spit: Day Ninety-Nine - Morning (26 January)

Today we went to the very top of the South Island, Farewell Spit. Spit in this sense means a long narrow strip of land projecting into the sea and Farewell because it was the last point to say goodbye from when people left the island. It turned out to be much further away than we’d thought but again the scenery was stunning, when you dared take your eyes off the very windy road.

We took the coastal route (Highway 60) out of Nelson and our first stop was Kaiteriteri where we had hot chocolate at a lovely café overlooking the beach. Twenty-five kilometres of bends further on, we had lunch at Takaka Hill where the views over the valley was stunning.

Barnaby

Nelson: Day Ninety-Eight (25 January)

We drove through the centre of Blenheim on our way out today as we thought we hadn’t seen it properly and called at The Village again briefly before heading to Nelson, in the centre of New Zealand.

It’s a bit confusing because it’s nowhere near the centre of the South Island but if you put the two islands that make up New Zealand together, Nelson is where the centre would be. It was a reasonably sized town when Miss Robb’s Mummy was here about sixteen years ago; it’s now a city!

After we’d checked into our motel, we walked to the actual geographical centre. You know what I said about New Zealand hills being steep? This one was almost perpendicular! We even tried walking up it backwards to see if that was any easier. It wasn’t but when we got to the top the 360 degree view was amazing.

Barnaby

Marlborough: Day Ninety-Seven (24 January)

As we were in one of New Zealand’s prime wine producing areas, we had to go on a wine tasting tour didn’t we? But our first stop was Makana Confections, just outside Blenheim, which is a boutique chocolate factory. I got to see chocolates being made after all and the free samples were delicious :-).

From there we went to the beautiful vineyard of Domaine Georges Michel and then to Cloudy Bay, where we were taught how to taste wine properly (except they didn’t tell us spit it out afterwards, although Morris would have if he’d tried it because he doesn’t like wine).

We had lunch at The Village, where there was also olive tasting and a quilting barn before relaxing back in Blenheim.

Another fun day!

Barnaby

Blenheim: Day Ninety-Six (23 January)

Our time on the South Island is coming to an end. Today we drove up to Marlborough, which some of your parents might have heard of as it’s one of New Zealand’s biggest wine producing areas.

Our route took us through Kaikoura and we didn’t even need to take a cruise to see the whales it’s famous for as we spotted a group of them from the road :-). The colours in New Zealand are amazing – the sea at Kaikoura was actually turquoise.

We had lunch (chowder again – yum) at a restaurant our friends had recommended and then drove on to Blenheim where we were spending the night. At this motel we had a bedroom each (often we shared a room) and there was a swimming pool: more sunbathing in January!

Barnaby

Christchurch: Day Ninety-Five (22 January)

This morning we watched the state funeral for Sir Edmund Hillary on television and then we had to arrange for the car windscreen to be fixed. Fortunately Amberley isn’t too far away from Christchurch where we’d hired the car as we ended up having to return it and get a replacement one. (The windscreen crack proved too severe to fix).

So we said goodbye to Dippy (our nickname for the Mazda) and hello to Dora (our replacement Toyota).

We returned to Amberley and had another pleasant evening catching up with our friends.

Barnaby

Amberley: Day Ninety-Four (21 January)

Today we were heading towards Amberley, which is where New Zealand friends of Miss Robb’s Mummy live. This took us from the West to the East Coast of the South Island via Buller Gorge and Lewis Pass, where we had lunch.

On the way we stopped at Hanmer Springs where there are natural hot thermal pools. Lovely after so many hours in the car. Morris and I didn’t go in the water (the hottest pools are 40 degrees Celcius and above) but we enjoyed lounging alongside.

Unfortunately on the way to Amberley a lorry threw up a stone and chipped the car windscreen but we made it our motel safely. Our friends had relatives staying so couldn’t put us up but we had a lovely evening with them and they showed us a bit of Amberley.

Barnaby

Westport: Day Ninety-Three (20 January)

A quiet day as Miss Robb’s Mummy was still feeling a bit unwell. We drove out to Tauranga Bay on Cape Foulwind (Captain Cook and his ugly names for beautiful places again!) and had a light lunch at the Bay House Café.

Then we walked to a nearby seal colony and had fun watching them, especially the babies. We had an icecream and stayed a long time admiring the view.

On the way back we stopped briefly at Carters Beach and then we watched some of the Australian Open tennis back at the motel. (Let’s hope Andy Murray gets further this year).

Barnaby

Westland: Day Ninety-Two - Afternoon (19 January)

When Miss Robb returned from her Glacier Flight we packed the car and headed up the West Coast. The Kiwis nickname this the “Wet Coast” because it usually rains so much but we had glorious weather.

We had lunch in the old gold mining town of Ross and then visited the jade factory at Hokitika. This area has always been a good source of the gem also known as greenstone.

Then we drove on to Punakaiki, whose English name is Pancake Rocks. I expect you can see why :-). I wouldn’t recommend trying to eat these with maple syrup or lemon and sugar though.

Our last stop was Westport where we spent the night.

Barnaby

Franz Josef: Day Ninety-Two - Morning (19 January)

Today we had planned to take a flight over the Glacier but I wasn’t allowed to go for health and safety reasons :-(. Unfortunately something Miss Robb’s Mummy ate last night hadn’t agreed with her so she couldn’t go either. Morris and I stayed in the motel to look after her and Miss Robb flew over the Glacier on her own.

She got to sit right behind the pilot so she could see everything. They flew right to the top of Franz Josef Glacier from where they could see Mount Tasman and Mount Cook. Then they flew along the east side of the mountain and could see Lake Tekapo (it already feels ages since we were there) and back over Fox Glacier where they actually landed in the snow. It was such a stunning day they could see all the way to the ocean.

At least I can look at the photos.

Barnaby

Franz Josef: Day Ninety-One (18 January)

Another long drive today – all the way to Franz Josef Glacier. But when the views are so amazing it doesn’t feel like a trial, even when the first bit of road is accurately named “The ZigZag”.

We stopped briefly at Wanaka and had lunch at Lake Hawea Lookout then steeled our nerves in Makarora for the drive through the Haast Pass. Because most of New Zealand’s mountains are extinct volcanoes the sides drop away very steeply and the roads are quite narrow. At least they drive on the left like us!

We reached Franz Josef a little after 5pm, checked into our motel and, after dinner, walked up to the Glacier. The ice is made of blue in parts not just white!

Barnaby

Queenstown: Day Ninety - Afternoon (17 January)

Then we caught the TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship across Lake Wakatipu and I even had a go at the wheel :-).



It took us all the way to Walter Peak Farm where we had a delicious four course dinner and watched a sheepdog and shearing show. On the cruise back to Queenstown we had a singalong round the piano – a really fun evening.



Barnaby

Queenstown: Day Ninety - Morning (17 January)

Our next stop was New Zealand’s Capital of Adventure, Queenstown, but I wasn’t planning doing any bungee jumping. Instead we took the slightly more sedate gondola (it's reputed to be the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere) to Bob's Peak and admired the “Remarkable” views with clear eyesight.

Barnaby

Doubtful Sound: Day Eighty-Nine - Afternoon (16 January)

We went all the way to where the Sound joins the Tasman Sea then turned round because it was getting choppy and rejoined the coach at Deep Cove.

On the way back to Lake Manapouri we called at the Hydroelectric Power Station which is 213 metres below ground. It felt strange driving into it in a coach and it was bizarre seeing something so modern having just returned from almost primeval scenery but very interesting.


We braved more unmade roads on the drive back to Te Anau as we visited Rainbow Reach on the Kepler Track and walked across another swingbridge.

A tiring but lovely day.







Barnaby

Doubtful Sound: Day Eighty-Nine - Morning (16 January)

We were really lucky with the day we picked to visit Doubtful Sound as it’s often overcast in New Zealand’s Fjordland but the day of our cruise was beautiful with bright blue skies.

We caught the boat across Lake Manapouri and then joined a coach to reach the Sound itself, stopping en route at Wilmot Pass lookout, which has a fabulous view looking down on the Sound.

Our second boat had windows in the roof as well as along the sides so we could enjoy all around views of the stunning scenery and wildlife. Because the Sound has a layer of freshwater that floats on top of the seawater, it is home to marine animals, including dolphins, yet plants that need freshwater grow along its sides. The waterfalls were fantastic thanks to the recent rain.

Barnaby

Te Anau: Day Eighty-Eight (15 January)

Another day, another new location. We said goodbye to the very friendly people in Invercargill and set off for Te Anau, which we were going to use as our base to visit Doubtful Sound (so named because Captain Cook thought it was "doubtful" he could navigate it).

The Sound can only be reached via Lake Manapouri, which we passed on our way from Invercargill so we checked how long the journey took from there to Te Anau ready for the morning (about half an hour). Our motel was lovely and central and had free Internet access on site so we could email people back home :-).

Te Anau is also where lots of people stay to visit Milford Sound. We didn't have time to visit that as well but we saw a wonderful film about it in Te Anau's cinema, called Ata Whenua - Shadowland. The photography was amazing: almost as if we were in the helicopter with the cameraman. We knew he was good because he was asked to help with the film of Lord of the Rings.

Barnaby

Stewart Island: Day Eighty-Seven (14 January)

Today we are going as far South as it is possible to go without visiting Antartica.

We left the South Island of New Zealand from Bluff, about 25 kilometres from Invercargill, and caught a ferry to Stewart Island. The crossing via Foveaux Strait is notorious for being rough but it was okay going, despite the grey and damp weather.

We docked in Oban (also known as Halfmoon Bay) and took a tour of the bays, which also gave us a history of the island. Today most of it is given over to walking tracks and there are only 28 kilometres of road. The South Sea Hotel is famous for its seafood chowder so of course we tried some for lunch and it was delicious.

We caught the 3.30pm ferry to the mainland and it was decidedly bumpy: the hour's crossing felt much longer.

Back in Invercargill it turned into a pleasant evening which bodes well for our journey onwards tomorrow.

Barnaby

Invercargill: Day Eighty-Six (13 January)

We said goodbye to the beautiful Otago Peninsula and joined the Southern Scenic Route through the Catlins. Our first scenic stop was Nugget Point so named because of the rock formations just off it, where we managed to spot several seals. It was also our first experience of unsealed roads. The ride there was distinctly bumpy.


After a restorative cup of tea in Owaka, we drove past New Zealand's Niagara Falls. They are not quite on the same scale as the ones on the Canadian/American border which I've also been to. (I'll tell you about that trip another time).


From there we drove down to the petrified forest at Curio Bay. Although we often use the word petrified to describe feeling really scared it actually means being turned to stone, which is exactly what happened to these trees. They've become fossils.



We eventually arrived in Invercargill in time for dinner and an early night as we're heading even further South tomorrow.



Barnaby

Dunedin: Day Eighty-Five (12 January)

This morning we drove back out to Pilot's Beach at the end of the peninsula where we watched the fairy penquins come ashore on our first night here.


We were taking the Unique Taiaroa tour; first stop the Royal Albatross Centre, where we had lots of time to look around. We could see four albatrosses from the observatory. The peninsula is also home to a colony of shags and to seagulls.

Next stop was Taiaroa Fort. We were the only people on this part of the tour so we had the guide all to ourselves. I saw a retracting cannon.


Back at the motel we planned the rest of our itinerary for the South Island. Tomorrow we are heading right to its bottom: Invercargill.



We saw this dragon boat in the harbour opposite our motel.


Barnaby