Stewart Island, 2005!!

Stewart Island for New Year’s Eve was loads of fun – 8 of us went over on the ferry from Bluff and hiked in to Bungaree Hut (just north of the Rakiura Great Walk track). I’m not sure if I can express how muddy the track, but we squelched in to knee-deep at some points so it was pretty slow-going! However, we were at the hut in time to celebrate with plenty of supplies we’d carried in. Mulled wine, g & t’s, sambucca, vanilla-flavoured Galliano, whisky, and a couple of kiltlifters – between us I think we had more than enough. Fun was had by everyone, and singing Auld Lang Syne on the beach with headtorches to bring in 2005 was definitely a good laugh.

The next morning Derek and I started back to join the Great Walk Circuit and go around it in 2 days, while the other six planned to continue with the 10-day hike. We stayed at North Arm Hut (passing by North William Hut) on the 1st, and then walked back out to the ferry terminal at Halfmoon Bay. Jana’s knees convinced her to walk out the way we’d come in, and then join us for the ferry back on the 2nd for the rest of the adventures to follow!

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Driving South pics

   Mt. Cook views;  Church of Good Shepherd;  lupin!


   Lake Pukaki;  clear water


   bike fence;  Cromwell watersports;  collecting the frisbee!



   Qu'town goldfields;  mining equipment;  roadside lupin

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Driving South

Dec 27th: The weather was fantastic for the drive down to Te Anau the next day, and we had various picture stops, plus a picnic lunch and some fun with the frisbee by the lake in Cromwell. We had a walk around the lake in Te Anau and made plans for the next few days. Although touristy, Te Anau is a nice wee place in a superb setting and offers loads in the way of scenic hiking/running/biking tracks.

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Te Anau, Kepler, Milford

Dec 26th: The Antarctic Centre in Christchurch is definitely worth a visit - really interesting with a variety of exhibits and interactive displays which are fun to see. Plus, I learned loads of fascinating facts (along with some pretty useless information but maybe I’ll use it in trivial pursuits someday)...Driving south we reached Fairlie for the night at a great wee motel.

Dec 27th: The weather was fantastic for the drive down to Te Anau the next day, and we had various picture stops, plus a picnic lunch and some fun with the frisbee by the lake in Cromwell. We had a walk around the lake in Te Anau and made plans for the next few days. Although touristy, Te Anau is a nice wee place in a superb setting and offers loads in the way of scenic hiking/running/biking tracks.

The Kepler Track was the first adventure, and the first day we hiked from Te Anau to Irish Burn campsite. The sun was shining all morning…and of course just as we got above the bushline it changed – typical! Our views were somewhat marred from Mt. Luxmore hut, but we were able to make some hot drinks with lunch after the rain and strong winds. From there we hiked up to the top of Mt. Luxmore, although we couldn’t see much at all – I’m sure it would have been beautiful! It was a really exposed section (would be really cold in harsh conditions) with very scenic surroundings – mountainous terrain overlooking lakes and valleys either side. Dropping down to Iris Burn, we set up camp but were a bit surprised to be denied access to the hut even just to use the facilities!

It started pouring with rain sometime during the night, and remained that way throughout most of the second day. It was still a very nice hike, but definitely would have been preferable in the sun. Through a variety of forest areas and differing vegetation, the track remained fairly close to the lakeside all the way back to the control gates. From here we managed to hitch a ride back to Te Anau and then got the car and booked back in to a motor cabin for the night.

On to Milford Sound, the drive was beautiful but unfortunately the weather was still overcast and misty most of the day. We took a boat cruise which was a bit cold and wet but the Sounds are still really impressive, and the gloomy conditions add a kind of mystical theme to the surroundings. We had a ticket to view the underwater observatory on the way back which was interesting as well – the only place in the world where freshwater plants and animals live in a salt water environment. Driving back toward Te Anau we had loads of picture stops as the weather cleared a bit, with great views by the Homer Tunnel and over Hollyford Valley.

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Antarctic Centre

The Antarctic Centre in Christchurch is definitely worth a visit - really interesting with a variety of exhibits and interactive displays which are fun to see.


   penguins and ice cave!

Plus, I learned loads of fascinating facts (along with some pretty useless information but maybe I’ll use it in trivial pursuits someday)...


   antarctic shelters & equipment

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Christchurch

   Avon River, Cathedral Square


   ready to go!

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Kaikoura, Hamner Springs

Hoping to swim with dolphins and do some whale-watching in Kaikoura, the weather spoiled our plans one more time and we couldn't do either. It was pouring when we reached Kaikoura so we didn't do much except look in the visitor centre, and watch an audio-visual presentation on the whales - not quite the same as the real thing! Anyway, we did an actual winery tour (because we didn't get enough the day before) of Kaikoura Winery, which was really interesting and saw how the wines were made, where they were stored and for how long etc. Of course there were more tastings, and another nice lunch platter.

We drove on to Hamner Springs, for a soak in the hot pools. Just slightly expanded and more commercialised than mum and dad remembered from 25 years ago, it was nice and relaxing to get into the hot pools, especially after a run in the rain! We got a carry-in to the motel and spent the last night trying to make a dent in some of the wine we'd purchased in the last few days (after all, it seemed a bit silly to carry it home again!) It's been a brilliant 3 weeks, but its passed by far too quickly!

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Wobbly Winery Tour

Well, in Blenheim on Friday we decided to do a wobbly winery tour around some of the vineyards. We rented bikes for mum and dad after checking into a local motel, and I had my own with me. We didn't quite make it round all 30 vineyards that are in the region, in fact we only had time for 4, but that was probably more than enough! Free tastings and information about the different wines - it was really interesting and now I'm not quite so clueless about what I might like.

Mudhouse was the first stop - we had a great lunch platter there and then tasted several whites...Reisling being my favourite. Nautilus was a bit average, and none of us liked many of the wines, so we just wobbled on to the next stop (really wobbled, because the wind had picked up and it was becoming quite hard work!) Bladen was a really small family-run business, but it had some great wines...Gewurztraminer was a favourite there. We then spent a while in Framinghams, probably our favourite place, and with 9 wines to taste we didn't want to 'spoil the palate'. By the time we finished we couldn't remember which was our favourite (not just the wine I promise!) but we all ennoyed most of their selection, and had a visit to their cellar and bottling rooms. It was a really fun afternoon!

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Queen Charlotte bach

After a quick tour of Nelson with Allan & Sunny in the afternoon, we headed off to their bach in the Marlborough Sounds, near Te Mahia. The weather had unfortunately changed and it started pouring with rain on the way there. The bach itself is in a beautiful setting and very cosy inside, which is just as well because we spent all of the next day there waiting for the rain to stop!

We caught up on stories and pictures about various trips, and generally had a lazy day. In the evening it finally cleared, and we got a brief idea of what the area is really like when the sun came out. Pity that hadn't happened 24 hours earlier! The next day we drove out via Picton and on to Blenheim.

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Paragliding, Nelson

We got to the Pantings house in Nelson around 9:30pm, after a quick stop for fish & chips in Motueka. Although it clouded in the next day, it was warm and dry, so we took this small window of opportunity to get at least one of our planned adventures in – paragliding! After seeing how much fun dad and I had, mum was convinced she’d
love it too…it was really relaxing and comfortable floating in the air above Nelson and taking in the sights. We could see Mt. Arthur although the clouds were covering most of the mountains in the distance.

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Golden Bay

Pohara Beach – we arrived at the Pattons holiday house in the afternoon, smelly and dirty from our Mt. Arthur adventure. After a refreshing shower and a good catch-up of pictures and stories, we went down to the beach for some games. The weather was superb and we had a great laugh playing rounders and tennis (with a very creative court + net).

The next day after a run on the beach and some tremendous fresh croissants for breakfast, we headed to Totaranui at Abel Tasman. Finally lucking out with a couple of perfect days weather wise, we were definitely going to make the most of it. Kayaking round to Goat Bay, swimming in the sea, lying sunbathing on the beach, and walking to Anapai Bay for lunch and champagne – this is the life!! Lesley, mum, dad and I then continued walking up the northern end passed Mutton Cove, Whariwharangi and around to Wainui. This was my favourite part of the track when I walked it in July, particularly Mutton Cove, so I’m really pleased they got to see it too, and they really loved it. We met Mike in Wainui and he’d brought a cold beer for each of us – what a great guy! Although far too short, we had a brilliant time in the Golden Bay area.

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