Tuesday January 15th 2013
Well after an uneventful flight yesterday evening, with a brief stop at duty free, we located our hire car around 7.30pm and headed home. We were both amazed at the absolute lack of traffic on the M5, M7 & M4 at that time. Would you believe the first set of red traffic lights we encountered was at Blaxland? Unbelievable! 2 hrs 35 minutes from the Airport to our door, you can't complain about that.
After being met by a very excited Buffy, we just basically dumped our stuff, had a shower and went to bed. I was hoping for a sound sleep after such a long day, however even in my comfortable bed I found it difficult to sleep with my troublesome shoulder. Looks like its time to seek a second opinion. I also seem to have succumbed to the respiratory bug many of the others on our tour had. At least I almost made it home before that one got me.
Now it's just that never ending process of unpacking, sorting, washing & ironing. At least we don't have to go back to work so no real urgency except I hate having a mess everywhere.
No photos this post as I have run out of storage on my IPad and need to download all (approx 4,000) on the desktop PC. Should manage that in the next few days hopefully.
I intend to do a summary on both legs of our holiday, in the next week or two so stay tuned.
Thanks to everyone who has been following this blog and sending me feedback. I have really enjoyed writing this each day and now I have a permanent record for the not too distant future when I forget what we did on which day :)
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Monday, 14 January 2013
Day 14 - Christchurch to Sydney then Home!
Monday January 14th 2013
Weather - warm & overcast 19C
Well the time has almost arrived to wish beautiful New Zealand goodbye :( This is our final day in Christchurch before we fly home this afternoon (5.55pm NZ time) and arrive in Sydney (6pm Au time).
This morning we awoke at our usual early time, so began rearranging suitcases & retrieving passports, flight schedules etc, which have not been required for a few weeks. Then we showered & headed off for our last hotel buffet breakfast in a while. I must confess we are over the hot buffet breakfasts as the. Food is often only Luke warm and over cooked. Luckily there have been many fruit & cereal options so we usually stick with them.
We have until 10.30 before we check out, then we store our luggage at the hotel until our airport pickup at 2pm. So plenty of time to fill in before we go & not much to do in central Christchurch. One building which was here last week has been demolished & another large office block is being knocked down as I write this. It is an eerie sight as we sit here drinking coffee, the sound & sight of the huge building being rendered to rubble.
Next is the very limited souvenir shopping. We have really restricted what we buy along the way due to luggage restrictions & the fact they are the same everywhere. We will just grab a few small items here in Christchurch before we go. So family & friends be warned ..... There will be no big presents from this trip (maybe just a tacky souvenir)! Anyway Christmas is just over so who needs more dust collectors?
Waiting ...... Waiting ...... Once you know the holiday is over all you want to do is go home, so all the waiting around in hotel lobbies and airports is very, very frustrating. We are back at our hotel, checked out, so no fixed abode. The very limited container shops are just starting to open now 11am) so we have finished our shopping and nothing left to do but wait. The hotel lobby is full of Americans from the Deep South who have been here all week (they were here last Sunday when we were here) at some sort of religious convention. They are as loud as & blessing anyone who should cross their path. There would be at least 100 of them & most are coloured. I am trying to read the tags on their a yards without looking to obvious to see exactly why they are all here. Think it says "Safeguard Your HEART" .... they sure are noisy! Just overheard some say they were heading to Sydney this afternoon. Will be just our luck to be on the same flight!
I have just taken a few more photos of the beautiful old church in the centre of Christchurch that was so badly damaged in the recent earthquakes. Apparently they started to demolish it, then there was a protest so it is just sitting there as a partial ruin until it is decided what to do. I will attach some photos.
Finally at the airport (Christchurch) after a delayed, hair raising shuttle ride from the hotel. All checked in and relaxing with our last NZ cider.
Just discovered free Internet so will send this now.
Almost the end of our holiday!
Weather - warm & overcast 19C
Well the time has almost arrived to wish beautiful New Zealand goodbye :( This is our final day in Christchurch before we fly home this afternoon (5.55pm NZ time) and arrive in Sydney (6pm Au time).
This morning we awoke at our usual early time, so began rearranging suitcases & retrieving passports, flight schedules etc, which have not been required for a few weeks. Then we showered & headed off for our last hotel buffet breakfast in a while. I must confess we are over the hot buffet breakfasts as the. Food is often only Luke warm and over cooked. Luckily there have been many fruit & cereal options so we usually stick with them.
We have until 10.30 before we check out, then we store our luggage at the hotel until our airport pickup at 2pm. So plenty of time to fill in before we go & not much to do in central Christchurch. One building which was here last week has been demolished & another large office block is being knocked down as I write this. It is an eerie sight as we sit here drinking coffee, the sound & sight of the huge building being rendered to rubble.
Next is the very limited souvenir shopping. We have really restricted what we buy along the way due to luggage restrictions & the fact they are the same everywhere. We will just grab a few small items here in Christchurch before we go. So family & friends be warned ..... There will be no big presents from this trip (maybe just a tacky souvenir)! Anyway Christmas is just over so who needs more dust collectors?
Waiting ...... Waiting ...... Once you know the holiday is over all you want to do is go home, so all the waiting around in hotel lobbies and airports is very, very frustrating. We are back at our hotel, checked out, so no fixed abode. The very limited container shops are just starting to open now 11am) so we have finished our shopping and nothing left to do but wait. The hotel lobby is full of Americans from the Deep South who have been here all week (they were here last Sunday when we were here) at some sort of religious convention. They are as loud as & blessing anyone who should cross their path. There would be at least 100 of them & most are coloured. I am trying to read the tags on their a yards without looking to obvious to see exactly why they are all here. Think it says "Safeguard Your HEART" .... they sure are noisy! Just overheard some say they were heading to Sydney this afternoon. Will be just our luck to be on the same flight!
I have just taken a few more photos of the beautiful old church in the centre of Christchurch that was so badly damaged in the recent earthquakes. Apparently they started to demolish it, then there was a protest so it is just sitting there as a partial ruin until it is decided what to do. I will attach some photos.
Finally at the airport (Christchurch) after a delayed, hair raising shuttle ride from the hotel. All checked in and relaxing with our last NZ cider.
Just discovered free Internet so will send this now.
Almost the end of our holiday!
Day 13 - Fox Glacier to Christchurch via Transalpine Railway through Arthur's Pass
Sunday January 13th 2013
Weather - Overcast & Raining in Franz Josef Glacier
Well we awoke to the sound of thunder & heavy rain. Not surprising as it was predicted as well as this area having the highest average rainfall in NZ with rain on 280 - 340 days of the year! At least we managed to visit a glacier yesterday when it was fine. There was a plan for the walking enthusiasts to be taken to another glacier at 8am for a 90 minute walk. Not sure how many took up this offer, but not us.
Today was another leisurely start, breakfast at 8am and departure not until 10am. Hopefully the rain will clear so we can go for a walk before we leave. No luck there as the rain just kept getting heavier so we had to remain at the hotel until departure.
Once on the road the rain continued to pour down so no photo opportunities which was a shame, as the countryside is just amazing with waterfalls everywhere. At around 12 we stopped at Kirakora for a lunch break. This town is also well known for its Jade factory. Once again it rained the entire time, so by the time we found somewhere for lunch we were almost soaked. Such a pity our last day is so wet.
We are now driving at Arthur's Pass & then taking the early afternoon Transalpine train to Christchurch, whilst our driver continues on the coach with our luggage. It continues to rain, & I mean torrential rain. We had a walk of around 100metres from the coach to station & I had a waterproof jacket on but no hood, so drenched hair & legs are the order of the day! We keep getting told it will be fine & warm on the run over the Canterbury Plain into Christchurch, however I am yet to be convinced. No sign of anything resembling sunshine as yet.
We finally boarded the train just after 4pm (it was 20 minutes late). It has been updated since I was last on it about 8 yrs ago. All new carriages with nice seats & tables looking out large windows. A ice wing deck outside & a drinks/snacks carriage. Sure enough, just 10 minutes into our 2 1/2 hr journey it stopped raining and the sun came out. It was just amazing how the weather changed totally in a period of 10 minutes, however that is normal for the area. You could feel the temperature rising as well. The trip was very enjoyable with breathtaking scenery from both sides of the train. I snapped lots of photos and will include a sample.
Arrived in Christchurch at 6.30pm and we were met by our coach & driver, then taken to our hotel. Our luggage had been delivered to our hotel so it was a quick trip to our rooms & change for our farewell dinner at 7.45pm.
Dinner was nice but it was a little sad saying goodbye to all the nice people we had spent the last 17 days with. Some had only joined the group a week ago and some back in Auckland 14 days ago. As with most tours like this there are people you get to know & like really well, some you say hello to & others you don't really want to see again. The latter were a small minority fortunately, but I certainly have some funny stories to tell which can't be published here :) Most people had an early night as many have flights out early Monday morning.
Weather - Overcast & Raining in Franz Josef Glacier
Well we awoke to the sound of thunder & heavy rain. Not surprising as it was predicted as well as this area having the highest average rainfall in NZ with rain on 280 - 340 days of the year! At least we managed to visit a glacier yesterday when it was fine. There was a plan for the walking enthusiasts to be taken to another glacier at 8am for a 90 minute walk. Not sure how many took up this offer, but not us.
Today was another leisurely start, breakfast at 8am and departure not until 10am. Hopefully the rain will clear so we can go for a walk before we leave. No luck there as the rain just kept getting heavier so we had to remain at the hotel until departure.
Once on the road the rain continued to pour down so no photo opportunities which was a shame, as the countryside is just amazing with waterfalls everywhere. At around 12 we stopped at Kirakora for a lunch break. This town is also well known for its Jade factory. Once again it rained the entire time, so by the time we found somewhere for lunch we were almost soaked. Such a pity our last day is so wet.
We are now driving at Arthur's Pass & then taking the early afternoon Transalpine train to Christchurch, whilst our driver continues on the coach with our luggage. It continues to rain, & I mean torrential rain. We had a walk of around 100metres from the coach to station & I had a waterproof jacket on but no hood, so drenched hair & legs are the order of the day! We keep getting told it will be fine & warm on the run over the Canterbury Plain into Christchurch, however I am yet to be convinced. No sign of anything resembling sunshine as yet.
We finally boarded the train just after 4pm (it was 20 minutes late). It has been updated since I was last on it about 8 yrs ago. All new carriages with nice seats & tables looking out large windows. A ice wing deck outside & a drinks/snacks carriage. Sure enough, just 10 minutes into our 2 1/2 hr journey it stopped raining and the sun came out. It was just amazing how the weather changed totally in a period of 10 minutes, however that is normal for the area. You could feel the temperature rising as well. The trip was very enjoyable with breathtaking scenery from both sides of the train. I snapped lots of photos and will include a sample.
Arrived in Christchurch at 6.30pm and we were met by our coach & driver, then taken to our hotel. Our luggage had been delivered to our hotel so it was a quick trip to our rooms & change for our farewell dinner at 7.45pm.
Dinner was nice but it was a little sad saying goodbye to all the nice people we had spent the last 17 days with. Some had only joined the group a week ago and some back in Auckland 14 days ago. As with most tours like this there are people you get to know & like really well, some you say hello to & others you don't really want to see again. The latter were a small minority fortunately, but I certainly have some funny stories to tell which can't be published here :) Most people had an early night as many have flights out early Monday morning.
Day 12 - Queenstown to Fox Glacier
Saturday January 12th 2013
Weather - Partially Cloudy & warm
We had a late start today so no rushing for a change, although we were awake fairly early & headed off to breakfast around 7.30. Then I made use of the time to sit in the hotel foyer & upload the previous 2 blog entries, thanks to their 30 minutes/day free Internet. I am also aware there will be no Internet service on Saturday when we visit & stay at the Glaciers as the West Coast of NZ is fairly primitive.
All aboard the coach & on the road just after 9am. A little sad to leave beautiful Queenstown, it is such a great place and we really enjoyed our time there. The weather has remained very good, which always helps.
First stop was at a beautiful lake where Phil, our tour guide took group photos with individual cameras & then we all took our own photos of the scenery. Next we had a coffee break as a huge fruit shop. All sorts of local fresh fruit which was nice, especially the samples! Lunch was a quick stop near Haast & the beautiful Haast River.
This is where we decided to raise the adrenalin level a notch or two & chose an optional jet boat safari ride on the Haast River. Luckily we didn't discover until we were aboard that this river had reached its 2nd highest level ever just 2 days ago due to the recent flooding in the South Island. The water level rose from 1 to almost 7 metres & the width was amazing & it was still flowing really rapidly. The coach dropped us off at a designated spot and then proceeded on its way ready to meet us down river.
Well our 1 hr ride covered almost 50 Kim's and ranged from flat out fast (approx 60k/hr) & almost stopped when the driver pulled up close to the shore & gently rotated the boat so we could take photos. Then it would take off really quickly & spin 360 degrees at breakneck speed. I absolutely loved it & so did Mike. We were wearing life jackets and told to hold on really tight, just as well as it would have been easy to get flung into the water! We had an absolute ball, me screaming as usual apparently.
The coach was waiting at our drop off point and we paid for our trip, went to the bathroom (really necessary) and boarded the coach. There were 15 of us in total which was pretty much the number the boat could take. Next we headed to Fox Glacier where we were allowed off for a photo shoot, then on to Franz Josef Glacier where we dropped off a few people for a helicopter flight, then just 2 minutes drive to our hotel. Amazingly the sun was out and it was beautiful and warm. Lots of people about this afternoon in this pretty little town.
Our hotel was really nice and right in the centre of town. We did our quick basic unpack, freshened up and headed to the (recommended by Phil) pub just on the corner nearby. It was a Speights bar/restaurant & very busy, however we found a table outside and had 2 pints of beer each. Phil, our tour guide joined us for the last one. Then we walked back to our hotel for the included dinner. Tonight was al a carte and pretty good food, so now 9.40pm & we are back in our room finishing a bottle of wine we opened yesterday.
I cant believe this is our 2nd last night of the tour & our holiday. Tomorrow night we will be back in Christchurch for our farewell dinner.
Don't take any notice of the numbering of days on this tour, which I have been writing on each blog entry. I have messed up big time somewhere as this is a 17 day tour & I have only made It to 14!
Will probably send this from Christchurch on Sunday/Monday as Internet here is scratchy at best.
More tomorrow.
Weather - Partially Cloudy & warm
We had a late start today so no rushing for a change, although we were awake fairly early & headed off to breakfast around 7.30. Then I made use of the time to sit in the hotel foyer & upload the previous 2 blog entries, thanks to their 30 minutes/day free Internet. I am also aware there will be no Internet service on Saturday when we visit & stay at the Glaciers as the West Coast of NZ is fairly primitive.
All aboard the coach & on the road just after 9am. A little sad to leave beautiful Queenstown, it is such a great place and we really enjoyed our time there. The weather has remained very good, which always helps.
First stop was at a beautiful lake where Phil, our tour guide took group photos with individual cameras & then we all took our own photos of the scenery. Next we had a coffee break as a huge fruit shop. All sorts of local fresh fruit which was nice, especially the samples! Lunch was a quick stop near Haast & the beautiful Haast River.
This is where we decided to raise the adrenalin level a notch or two & chose an optional jet boat safari ride on the Haast River. Luckily we didn't discover until we were aboard that this river had reached its 2nd highest level ever just 2 days ago due to the recent flooding in the South Island. The water level rose from 1 to almost 7 metres & the width was amazing & it was still flowing really rapidly. The coach dropped us off at a designated spot and then proceeded on its way ready to meet us down river.
Well our 1 hr ride covered almost 50 Kim's and ranged from flat out fast (approx 60k/hr) & almost stopped when the driver pulled up close to the shore & gently rotated the boat so we could take photos. Then it would take off really quickly & spin 360 degrees at breakneck speed. I absolutely loved it & so did Mike. We were wearing life jackets and told to hold on really tight, just as well as it would have been easy to get flung into the water! We had an absolute ball, me screaming as usual apparently.
The coach was waiting at our drop off point and we paid for our trip, went to the bathroom (really necessary) and boarded the coach. There were 15 of us in total which was pretty much the number the boat could take. Next we headed to Fox Glacier where we were allowed off for a photo shoot, then on to Franz Josef Glacier where we dropped off a few people for a helicopter flight, then just 2 minutes drive to our hotel. Amazingly the sun was out and it was beautiful and warm. Lots of people about this afternoon in this pretty little town.
Our hotel was really nice and right in the centre of town. We did our quick basic unpack, freshened up and headed to the (recommended by Phil) pub just on the corner nearby. It was a Speights bar/restaurant & very busy, however we found a table outside and had 2 pints of beer each. Phil, our tour guide joined us for the last one. Then we walked back to our hotel for the included dinner. Tonight was al a carte and pretty good food, so now 9.40pm & we are back in our room finishing a bottle of wine we opened yesterday.
I cant believe this is our 2nd last night of the tour & our holiday. Tomorrow night we will be back in Christchurch for our farewell dinner.
Don't take any notice of the numbering of days on this tour, which I have been writing on each blog entry. I have messed up big time somewhere as this is a 17 day tour & I have only made It to 14!
Will probably send this from Christchurch on Sunday/Monday as Internet here is scratchy at best.
More tomorrow.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Queenstown - Free Day - Evening
Friday January 12th 2013 cont.
After an afternoon nap (for me anyway, Mike denies falling asleep) we had a cuppa, changed and headed downstairs around 5pm. Most people were having a drink before the coach came to collect us for the short drive (100metres) to the wharf, so we had a Speights ale.
We were at the wharf & boarding the beautiful old steamship, SS Earnslaw at 5.45pm. It sailed at 6pm & the journey to Walter Peak Farm took approx 45 minutes. Lots of opportunities for photos along the way.
Once we arrived we were taken to the main homestead (see photos) for dinner. Very nice food with salmon, lamb, beef & venison with lots of veggies & salads. The lamb shanks were delicious & so tender. We also had a nice bottle of Stoneleigh Reisling with our meal. They also had several yummy desserts, tea, coffee & cheeses. After dinner we were entertained with some sheep dog demonstrations (this is a fully working sheep farm) & sheep shearing which was very interesting for those who had not experienced it before. We then headed back to the ship and sailed back to Queenstown, arriving just on dark at 10pm.
Now back in our room & time to organise our packing for tomorrow as we head off to The West Coast and the Glaciers.
Goodnight.
After an afternoon nap (for me anyway, Mike denies falling asleep) we had a cuppa, changed and headed downstairs around 5pm. Most people were having a drink before the coach came to collect us for the short drive (100metres) to the wharf, so we had a Speights ale.
We were at the wharf & boarding the beautiful old steamship, SS Earnslaw at 5.45pm. It sailed at 6pm & the journey to Walter Peak Farm took approx 45 minutes. Lots of opportunities for photos along the way.
Once we arrived we were taken to the main homestead (see photos) for dinner. Very nice food with salmon, lamb, beef & venison with lots of veggies & salads. The lamb shanks were delicious & so tender. We also had a nice bottle of Stoneleigh Reisling with our meal. They also had several yummy desserts, tea, coffee & cheeses. After dinner we were entertained with some sheep dog demonstrations (this is a fully working sheep farm) & sheep shearing which was very interesting for those who had not experienced it before. We then headed back to the ship and sailed back to Queenstown, arriving just on dark at 10pm.
Now back in our room & time to organise our packing for tomorrow as we head off to The West Coast and the Glaciers.
Goodnight.
Day 13 - Queenstown Free Day!
Friday January 11th 2013
Weather ..... Sunny with a few clouds. Expected top of 22C
As this is a free day we are having a leisurely morning, late breakfast then used the free Internet in Hotel foyer to upload last 2 days of blog entries as there were no opportunities yesterday.
The dining room here overlooks the lake so the views are spectacular. Our views from the room are a little less so, as I think the Premium tour passengers will have the scenic rooms :(
Our plans for today are very flexible so we headed out about 9am walking into the shopping/lakefront area. The SS Earnslaw was docked so we took some photos, then headed off in the direction of the Gondola. We finally made it after a struggle up the steep slopes to the area where you purchase the tickets. There was a little queue but we were on in a reasonable time after paying $26 each for the return trip (I certainly needed a return as not planning on the luge or bungee jump) & jumped in for the beautiful scenic 5 minute trip to the top. Once up there you have choices of just walking around the viewing area to take photos, taking a bungee jump, going on the luge, mountain biking, visiting the gift shop or having a coffee or a meal & enjoying the view. No need to tell you which ones we did :) We did ate lots of photos and stayed for a couple of hours at least. As we were heading down the queues for people heading up were becoming quite long. We were happy we had decided to be early birds.
Once back down we walked back into town and discovered the Irish Pub (Pog Malones) I had visited with friends last time I was in Queenstown approx 8 yrs ago. It was completely unchanged & we ordered a drink, cider for me & Guinness for Mike & sat outside by the lake. Unfortunately the wind came up & it was a bit cool so we moved inside and ordered lunch & another drink. Then we were joined by another couple from Wales (also from our tour) so we sat & chatted for a while before making our way back to our hotel.
After a busy morning and writing this, it is almost 3 pm so time for a granny nap before our big night out.
I will write a separate post on the evenings events so I can add more photos.
Weather ..... Sunny with a few clouds. Expected top of 22C
As this is a free day we are having a leisurely morning, late breakfast then used the free Internet in Hotel foyer to upload last 2 days of blog entries as there were no opportunities yesterday.
The dining room here overlooks the lake so the views are spectacular. Our views from the room are a little less so, as I think the Premium tour passengers will have the scenic rooms :(
Our plans for today are very flexible so we headed out about 9am walking into the shopping/lakefront area. The SS Earnslaw was docked so we took some photos, then headed off in the direction of the Gondola. We finally made it after a struggle up the steep slopes to the area where you purchase the tickets. There was a little queue but we were on in a reasonable time after paying $26 each for the return trip (I certainly needed a return as not planning on the luge or bungee jump) & jumped in for the beautiful scenic 5 minute trip to the top. Once up there you have choices of just walking around the viewing area to take photos, taking a bungee jump, going on the luge, mountain biking, visiting the gift shop or having a coffee or a meal & enjoying the view. No need to tell you which ones we did :) We did ate lots of photos and stayed for a couple of hours at least. As we were heading down the queues for people heading up were becoming quite long. We were happy we had decided to be early birds.
Once back down we walked back into town and discovered the Irish Pub (Pog Malones) I had visited with friends last time I was in Queenstown approx 8 yrs ago. It was completely unchanged & we ordered a drink, cider for me & Guinness for Mike & sat outside by the lake. Unfortunately the wind came up & it was a bit cool so we moved inside and ordered lunch & another drink. Then we were joined by another couple from Wales (also from our tour) so we sat & chatted for a while before making our way back to our hotel.
After a busy morning and writing this, it is almost 3 pm so time for a granny nap before our big night out.
I will write a separate post on the evenings events so I can add more photos.
Friday, 11 January 2013
Day 11 - Te Anau to Queenstown via Milford Sound
Thursday January 10th 2013
Weather - Wet, Wet, Wet & Cold
Early start today with a 6am wake up call. Open the curtains to check the weather and
Showers, packing, suitcases outside our door, off to breakfast, back to our rooms for teeth cleaning & final last minute packing ..... Yes we are now experts with the timing and packing, however we do enjoy the 2 night stays when we can just leave everything & relax more.
Now all ready to depart & waiting on news as to whether we go to Milford Sound. Well the news is mostly bad .... Milford Sound road has been closed due to flooding & 2 bridges en route to Queenstown have been closed due to flooding. So Phil our tour guide is trying to contact someone re alternative plans.
Update 8.3am .... We are going to take the coach partially into Milford & view the scenery, then turn back and board a boat (Catamaran) for a cruise around Te Anau Lake for 90 minutes. Well we didn't make it far via road before we had to turn back due to flooding. Apparently there has been 5ft of rain (that's 60" in old terms or approx 1500mm) in 24 hours. Now that is one large dumping of rain and almost 3 x the amount Bathurst receives in 12 months! The lake has risen 2 metres and all but one jetty is underwater, so is the walkway and park furniture.
So we board the boat at 10am with another 2 coaches & it is very crowded. It is pouring rain & the normally calm lake is very choppy. About 30 minutes later they dock the boat at a tiny little wharf & invite everyone to get off and view a video of the glow worm caves (which have flooded) for 30 minutes. We declined to get off as it was raining & quite a walk to a tiny little hall. Anyway the wind increased & they had problems keeping the boat moored, thus delaying the passengers getting back on as it was unsafe. Eventually the let them on and we headed back to Te Anau in very choppy water. Overall it was not a very interesting cruise as the visibility was zero in the rain and fog. I guess they had to fill in time somehow.
Back on the coach we were advised that Mark our driver had worked out an alternate route to Queenstown, so we headed off. After an hour or so the weather cleared a little and we had patches of bright sunshine as you will see in my photos. There were lots of river & stream crossings where the water was flowing very quickly. Because we were early for our hotel in Queenstown, the tour guide decided to take us to the historic village of Arrowtown for a very late lunch stop & look around. Of course as soon as we left the coach the rain started again, so we just had a coffee, looked in a few shops & took a few photos (see Betty's Liquor Store) then back to the coach.
After a 30 minute drive we were back in Queenstown and at our hotel. We are right in town & have a free day tomorrow, so weather permitting we shall check it out & maybe go up on the Gondola for lunch and photo opportunity. Tonight dinner is included at this hotel (St Moritz) & tomorrow night we go to Walter Peak Farm for dinner on the beautiful steam boat SS Earnslaw.
Weather - Wet, Wet, Wet & Cold
Early start today with a 6am wake up call. Open the curtains to check the weather and
Showers, packing, suitcases outside our door, off to breakfast, back to our rooms for teeth cleaning & final last minute packing ..... Yes we are now experts with the timing and packing, however we do enjoy the 2 night stays when we can just leave everything & relax more.
Now all ready to depart & waiting on news as to whether we go to Milford Sound. Well the news is mostly bad .... Milford Sound road has been closed due to flooding & 2 bridges en route to Queenstown have been closed due to flooding. So Phil our tour guide is trying to contact someone re alternative plans.
Update 8.3am .... We are going to take the coach partially into Milford & view the scenery, then turn back and board a boat (Catamaran) for a cruise around Te Anau Lake for 90 minutes. Well we didn't make it far via road before we had to turn back due to flooding. Apparently there has been 5ft of rain (that's 60" in old terms or approx 1500mm) in 24 hours. Now that is one large dumping of rain and almost 3 x the amount Bathurst receives in 12 months! The lake has risen 2 metres and all but one jetty is underwater, so is the walkway and park furniture.
So we board the boat at 10am with another 2 coaches & it is very crowded. It is pouring rain & the normally calm lake is very choppy. About 30 minutes later they dock the boat at a tiny little wharf & invite everyone to get off and view a video of the glow worm caves (which have flooded) for 30 minutes. We declined to get off as it was raining & quite a walk to a tiny little hall. Anyway the wind increased & they had problems keeping the boat moored, thus delaying the passengers getting back on as it was unsafe. Eventually the let them on and we headed back to Te Anau in very choppy water. Overall it was not a very interesting cruise as the visibility was zero in the rain and fog. I guess they had to fill in time somehow.
Back on the coach we were advised that Mark our driver had worked out an alternate route to Queenstown, so we headed off. After an hour or so the weather cleared a little and we had patches of bright sunshine as you will see in my photos. There were lots of river & stream crossings where the water was flowing very quickly. Because we were early for our hotel in Queenstown, the tour guide decided to take us to the historic village of Arrowtown for a very late lunch stop & look around. Of course as soon as we left the coach the rain started again, so we just had a coffee, looked in a few shops & took a few photos (see Betty's Liquor Store) then back to the coach.
After a 30 minute drive we were back in Queenstown and at our hotel. We are right in town & have a free day tomorrow, so weather permitting we shall check it out & maybe go up on the Gondola for lunch and photo opportunity. Tonight dinner is included at this hotel (St Moritz) & tomorrow night we go to Walter Peak Farm for dinner on the beautiful steam boat SS Earnslaw.
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