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Week 5
Sunday, January 3, 2010
We left Feilding around ten this morning and headed for Wellington. The drive should take about three hours, but it took us just over four because we had to stop to look at shops and sights along the way. We got to the Interislander Ferry Terminal, parked the car, and read until it was time to board. It is quite interesting to watch the cars and trucks being offloaded and then actually driving our car into the belly of the ship. It is done with precision..almost like a ballet. The weather was terrible crossing Cook Strait. Those who wanted to stand on the outside deck had to hang on to the rail in order to keep from being blown away. Sea and sky were the same shade of slate grey. We settled into chairs inside on the lower deck to read and relax. the ferry arrived in Picton on time at 9:30 PM. We are staying at the Jasmine Court Motel in Picton where we have stayed before.
Monday, January 4, 2010
After a quick look at the antiques (read junk) in Picton, we headed for Christchurch. As we drove south of Seddon, the scenery was amazing. The hills are covered with long pale grass, and the wind creates an undulating effect almost like waves on the ocean. The hills give way to fertile valleys, the road goes through the famous Marlborough wine country, and there are vineyards everywhere. Suddenly, we found ourselves on the Kaikoura Coast where rocky outcroppings are home to a seal colony. The seals put on quite a show for us, and the scenery was beautiful. We got to Christchurch in the late afternoon and contacted Pete Sommerville who took us to see his mother. Pete's father, Geoff, was Buzz's boss when we lived in Feilding. He and Ngaire were almost "in loco parentis" for us. Geoff passed away about a year ago. Ngaire is 90 years old and lives in a retirement community. Although a bit confused, she is the picture of physical health, and she was pleased to see us...especially Buzz, I think. We had a good visit with her, took Pete home, and picked up some fish and chips to eat back at the motel. It was almost 9PM by the time we ate dinner.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
We slept late this morning. Maybe our old bodies are not meant for daily road travel! This morning we went into the central area of Christchurch. We had planned to take a tram ride around the city, but the tram was not running due to a police emergency (read "bomb scare").
We walked to the Art Gallery. The building is a marvel of glass and steel. The art within...less impressive. From art to craft, we walked to the Arts Centre which is a rabbit warren of shops inside an old building. There are crafts people doing wood turning, pottery, jewellery, textiles, etc. I bought a lovely shawl made of merino wool and possum fur. it is soft and warm.
We left the city and drove to the seaside town of Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula. The vista of the Akaroa Harbour from a hamlet aptly named Hilltop is every superlative you can think of, majestic, awesome, amazing, breathtaking. The town of Akaroa was originally a French fishing village...now it is a tourist mecca. We walked around the town and along the harbour front before heading back to the city. The round trip took about 3 hours. The view from Hilltop was worth the entire drive. A quick dinner at the local Kebab Center across the street from our motel and a stop at the supermarket finished our day nicely.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Today we drove from Christchurch through Timaru and Oamaru to Omarama. The first part of the drive as far as Oamaru is on a main road and for a time the drive is along the sea. This area known as the Canterbury Plain is the flattest part of New Zealand, and the scenery not particularly interesting. Once you turn off the main road, however, the scenery is beautiful...a mix of mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers. We arrived in Omarama in the late afternoon, checked into a small motel which was originally housing for the single men who worked on the Benmore Hydro Dam project, and had dinner at the local pub.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
We drove from Omarama to Queenstown today. The drive through Lindis Pass was lovely. Scattered beds of lupins in every color imaginable line the roadway. Part of the road follows the mighty Clutha River to the town of Cromwell. Cromwell is a town that was moved and rebuilt because it was flooded out by the hydro project. We stopped long enough to stretch our legs and continued on. We got to Queenstown around noon. Buzz was stressed at the first sign of traffic and throngs of tourists. We couldn't check into the hotel until 2; so we took ourselves partway up the road toward Glenorchy to have our picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Wakitipu. The lake is majestic even on a cool gray day. We have now checked in and given our car over to the valet.
We had a walk around town this evening and settled on a food court for a light dinner. I had Indian curry and Buzz chose a good old Kiwi roast dinner! We had gone back to the hotel and had settled in for the night when Michael Goldman called to ask us to join them where they were having dinner. We went along to have coffee with Anne, Michael, Rina Durkin and Michael's niece Sarah and her husband, Frank. We had a nice finish to the evening and got back to the hotel around 11PM.
Friday, January 8, 2010
We awoke to a cool (10C/50F) rainy morning. Decided to get the car and travel south a bit to Lumsden. I even packed a picnic. More rain, no sun, no picnic. We got back to the hotel around 2:30 and spread the picnic goodies out on a bathmat on the bed in our room! Around 5:30 we went down to the lobby bar where Anne & Michael were having a meet and greet with lots of lovely wine, appetizers, and good company. We caught up with old friends Jeff and Rina Durkin and Estelle Bieder and Dan and Valerie Cohen, and met Bridget's large and friendly family. The party was over around 8:30PM, and we opted for an early evening rather than more partying.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Another cool grey day in Queenstown but no rain…yet. We slept late, read our books, I ironed our clothes for the wedding…a suit for Buzz, if you can believe it, and we left around 11:30 am to have a walk around town. There was a Craft Fair on down by the waterfront, and I bought a lovely handmade scarf in a beautiful teal blue. We checked out all the shops…lots of souvenirs. You have to be careful because many things with NZ designs are actually made in China! I am only willing to buy genuine NZ made things to bring home. Back at the hotel I took advantage of a half hour of free Internet access to check my email and Facebook. A light snack, and time to get ready to go to the wedding. A bus is picking us up to take us to the vineyard and bring us back later tonight.
Saturday 11:30PM
The wedding at Mt.Soho Winery was lovely even if the weather was not ideal. The ceremony began promptly at 4PM. Elliot handsome, Bridget beautiful, family and friends gathered to witness. Following the ceremony and some photographs, came the surprise of the day. Two helicopters landed outside the winery and the bridal party, the photographer, and a few close friends were whisked away for an hour of soaring over Skippers Canyon and landing near the top…complete with picnic hamper of goodies while the rest of the guests were treated to drinks and hors d’ouvres inside where it was warm. When the bridal party returned, exhilarated and chilled to the bone, there was a delicious dinner followed by dancing. We opted to return to the hotel with Dan and Val who had brought their car rather than wait until midnight for the bus.
Tomorrow we will pack up, spend a little time with the Goldmans at their home and then head for Haast and the trip up the West Coast of the South Island.
- comments
Eric Ralph & Alice,It is so "smile making" to read of your travels in that beautiful land
Sandy Greenbaum Sounds fabulous. Especially the shopping!
noa wow what scenery and your descriptions are so real. you have saved me a trip. !!! enjoy!! noa
Barbara So, what do you do for an encore? Your trip sounds great. Sorryn about the rain, but at least it isn't snow!
deb weinberg We are following your trip with a great deal of interest (read: envy) from beneath our three feet+ of snow. It all sounds lovely, and even more so because of the good friends you encounter along the way. Thank you for sharing.