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3/7/09
I'm going to back track some since we have not been still much to write. The road opened and we where moving again. Our stop was to the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. These are rocks formed 35 million years ago under the water by micro-organisms. They are limestone and the sea, wind, and rain are slowly eroding them away. We had great timing as the tide was coming in and that is the best time to be there and experience the drama of the rocks.
We had another two hour drive ahead to reach Hokitika, soSrry about the miss spelling before. Thank goodness for the MP3 player as the music helped the miles pass. We arrived shortly before sunset so sat at the bWeach to get some pictures. Not many colors in the sky tonight but that is okay.
We checked into our accommdations right on the beach. It felt good to stretch our and have some space. The place is called the Shining Star and we had a cabin duplex type unit. It was very nice. We tried to send blogs then but where blocked.
In the morning it was off to Franz Josef Glacier where we wanted to go in a helicopter and fly around the glaciers and Mt Cook. The wind was up and the cloud ceiling was low so we cancelled our flight and went to eat. Afterwards the clouds lifted and we could see the glaciers. The winds where still strong so they where only flying low which meant no Mt Cook viewing. Al and I both had a bad feeling about the conditions and overall so opted not to fly. This was a disappointment as it was to be one of our highlights but we believe it is always wise to listen to your intuition.
Our final destination was Wanaka. On the way I called our B&B just to find out he had no room for us due to some people staying longer than first stated. He had made arrangements for us though at another B&B called the Berry Farm. What a blessing this was. Bob and Annette made us feel so at home and where so very kind and helpful. We spent an hour or so at each breakfast just talking. We have much in common and felt like we made good friends.
Our room had a sliding door going out onto the deck and Annette warned us that if we slept with the door open one of her cats may join us and bring a friend in. About 4 AM we hear the cat meowing like it had something in its mouth. He came over to my side and droped a mouse on the floor that quickly went under the bed. Now it had been raining and the cat jumped up in bed with me and shook like a dog giving me a cold moment. Allen got up and was looking under the bed for the mouse and the cat jumped down and gave him a cold reception as well. After several attempts we finally got the poor scared mouse back outside. Tom, the cat, was sent outside shortly after. The next night we slept with the windows open instead.
We drove over to Fox Glacier and went on short walk to the base. You can see the pretty blueish color in the ice. There where markers indicating wher the glacier was in 1750 and 1835. There was a tour getting ready to walk on the glacier. They where all wearing hiking boots and had to walk through a small river to begin on the glacier. Apparently this is normal to have to cross rivers and have wet feet because there is so much water in NZ.
In three to four hours we where in Wanaka. The beaches along the way where a joy to see. The terrain is changing and the hills remain high but with less trees. More of what you would see in a desert. There are more sheep as well and more deer farms. They raise deer here called cervina because they are raised for food. A wild deer is called venison. Annette introduced us to green gages that are a very juicy and sweet plum type fruit.
On arrival in Wanaka, we find a small town of 4,000 sitting at the southern end of a beautiful lake looking into the mountians to the North. During the summer holidays, the population swells to 20,000 when the people with second homes come to town. In the winter the population again expands to fill the three ski areas close to town.
It looks like rain tomorrow and at the reference of our hosts we go to dinner at the Reef, a restaurant overlooking the lake. We have a lamb rump and meditranian chicken, plus cheese cake.
A night of rain. We are in Wanaka, a resort town in the Central Otago region of the South Island. The day is overcast and our hopes to go soaring in Omarama diminish with the weather.
We are staying in the Berry Farm, a wonderful B&B managed by Annette and Bob, semi retired farmers. They moved to Wanaka two years ago and added three bedrooms in a wing to rent out. Their home is filled with art and they maintain berry fields for rasberrys, strawberrys and tomatos. They are excellent hosts.
Since we cannot go soaring, we opt for the obvious choice, wine tasting. When we were on the North Island, Marcia had two glasses of Roaring Meg Pinot Noir, surprisingly, the winery is about 30 minutes from Wanaka. We went to the Mt Difficulty winery first for a tasting and found the tasting room and restaurant about 600 feet above the valley their vinyards are in. The views were wonderful and their wines were very good. Unfortunately they were sold out of the Roaring Meg, so we settled on some Riesling and Rose with lunch. The food was excellent and varied.
After lunch we went to the Carrick winery which had been recommended, however, it was not as scenic, but the wine was still good.
We then returned to Wanaka and decided to go to Cinema Paridisio to see a movie. We saw Man on a Wire, the story of the frenchman who did a high wire walk between the two towers of the World Trade center. The theater was part of the experience as it is small, serves beer, wine, cookies and has an intermission for all viewings, oh and the seating is on sofas, overstuffed chairs, cars, airplane seats, a variety of seating options. A wonderful experience, for going to see a movie.
After the movie back to the B & B. Well, it looks like Bob (our Host) has a brother in law that Soar's about 1/2 hour out of our way to Te Anau, after a call, it looks like on Saturday, Marcia will have her chance to go up in a Glider..
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