The Trip

We have added the remainder of the New Zealand Photos, so far. Have a look and enjoy!

We had a one night stop in Punakaiki. things to see are the Pancake rocks and the blow hole. It rained all of that night but we didn't mind. We were staying in the Te Nikau retreat, which is an absolutely perfect place. And in the mornings they bake their own bread and muffins which you can buy. It adds to the charm of the place to wake to the smell of baking. I wish we had been able to stay longer, it would be a great place to unwind for a few days.

Hanmer Springs, is another nice little town and the obvious attraction is the hot springs. We arrived on Sunday, which seems to be a busy time, so we didn't go to the springs till monday morning before we left. Very nice way to start the day although we were beginning to find the 40 degree pool a little too much to bare!

We went o to Kaikoura for the whale watching. We spent two days there, on the advice of the Footprints book and it was just as well. We booked for 7:15 in the morning, and after watcing the safety video we were told that the conditions were too rought and our trip was cancelled. We were able to book for the same time the next day. As we were up and with little to do, we headed out to the seal colony for a look. It was nice out there, but as the tide was out it was necessary to use the binoculars (thanks Mary!) to see the seals.

We did get to see the whales the next day - it was really amazing. You don't really get an impression of the size of them until they dive. Amazing!! After seeing two sperm whales, we were taken in land a little to view a pod of Dusky Dolphins. These are a very frisky and apparently promiscuous animal. How nice! Got some great photos.

Having been up so early made the drive to Nelson quite tough and we had to stop at a picnic area so Jamie could have a snooze - ah!

It was a difficult drive from Wanaka to Franz Josef, not just because of the distance but also because it was a long, windy, mountainous road and it was a slow drive. We arrived in Fox Glacier at about 3:30 and took a break. We didn't go to see the glacier there, deciding to save ourselves for Franz.

Franz Josef is a nice little town and there is little else to do but the walks around the area and specifically the walk to the glacier. It was a very sunny day when we went, so it was nice to walk along the river bed which leads to the glacier. It was lovely but not as impressive as we were expecting. It is interesting to note the size of the glacier over the last hundred yeas or so and then look at it today. Of course it may be different in winter.

Monteiths is a brewery which services only the west coast and Franz Josef has a very nice Monteiths pub. With pitchers costing $5.50 for the first 2 hours, yes we got drunk, again!!! If anyone is near a Montheiths pub we recommend the Golden!

Before getting to Queenstown we took a trip up to the Remarkables - this was under the instruction of our LOTR location Guidebook. There is a ski field up here in the winter and the road is usually covered in snow, requiring the use of snow chains. It is an unsealed, windy, mountain road, which should be navigated at no more than 15kmph. At the top would have been where Dimrill Dale scenes were shot. Unfortunately, we were not brave enough to put our rental car through that and stopped before reaching the top. We don't regret the decision - we still have the car!!

A lot of filming for LOTR was done in this area and it is possible to combine the adventure activities, which Queenstown is famous for, with seeing LOTR locations. We, being the cheapies that we are, followed out book to some of the more accesbile locations. We had a lovely drive to Glenorchy, all very picturesque and we stopped at Twelve Mile Delta for our picnic lunch. Scenes from the film that were shot in the locale include, Amon Hen, Ithilien and Isengard.

We also went to Deer Park Heights, which is a nice place to view tame animals - deer, sheep, goats, donkeys and funny long haired cattle. Something else that makes this a nice place to visit is, yes you've guessed it - LOTR scenes were shot here by the bucket load. While leaving Deer Park Heights we had some trouble with a group of stubborn donkeys who would not get off the road. In fact, they came right up to the car and stuck theirs head in the passenger window - Hilary was less than impressed :-)

That night we got drunk in the Loaded Hog, who brew some very nice beers and followed that up with a lovely Thai Curry. Queenstown is a great place for eating and drinking - two of our favourite past times :-)

Before leaving Queenstown Hilary got a new haircut - that's enough about that!

After Queenstwon we headed to Wanaka. Two things of interest here (beside the fantastic views from the Purple Cow hostel) were the Fighter Pilot's museum and a woodcraft gallery.
The Fighter Pilots musuem was excellent - lots of information on the Royal NZ Air Force's participation in WWII and many aircraft actually used around that time. Jamie was highly impressed with the chipmunk (not Alvin, Simon or Theodore I'm afraid), the DeHaviland Chipmunk - a plane Jamie used to fly in. There's some sort of Ian Brodie connection there too. We would strongly recommend a visit to this museum if you are going to be in the area.

We only spent one night in Wanaka and the next day headed to Franz Josef Glacier.

We've have finally gotten off our lazy backsides and uploaded some of the photos from New Zealand - thanks to the Whales not turning up this morning in Kaikoura!!! Anyway have a look and enjoy!