Day 24 - Monday 6th October

For a change, we were able to sleep in this morning because we had no APT commitments. It had been raining overnight and the forecast was for showers later this morning.

When we went downstairs for breakfast at 8am, many of the other people on our APT tour were there too. It gave us another opportunity to say goodbye to them. Although we'd expected only a continental breakfast, there was hot food too.

We checked out at 9:15am and left our bags at the hotel reception.

Last night we'd decided to go to the Christchurch botanic gardens with Peter and Yolanda provided that the weather was fine. Since it was only about 1km away, we decided to walk.

The botanical gardens have a good reputation and it was soon apparent why. It is a large area with green lawn, colourful, flower beds, tall trees, smaller pretty trees and a rose garden. There is a narrow river winding through the park that is crossed by attractive pedestrian bridges.

Near one of the ponds, we spotted a mother duck and her ducklings on the lawn. She was chasing away any other ducks that came close to her ducklings. Eventually the father turned up too. There were plenty of other ducks and birds in the ponds and the river.

We went inside the conservatory and marvelled at the beautiful flowers. Another area of the conservatory was heated and contained a display of tropical plants.

At one stage, I noticed a gondolier on the river with two female passengers in a boat. He was standing at the end of the boat and pushing it along with a long pole - just like you might see in Venice or on the river behind Cambridge University. I ran to the bridge and the river bank to take photos.

The next stop was the cafe in the middle of the gardens for a cup of coffee. While we were there, it started to rain and, by the time we left, the rain was quite heavy and there was a very strong wind blowing. So we decided to abandon our visit to the rest of the gardens. We walked briskly to the museum and ordered a  taxi to take us back to the hotel.

We had about an hour and a half to wait in hotel foyer for the van that would take us to the airport. This gave time for our clothes to start to dry. It also gave us yet another opportunity to say goodbye to fellow APT travellers.

The van pickup us up at 12:45pm and it only took about 20 minutes to get to the airport. Just like Auckland airport, Christchurch airport was not crowded - especially compared with Sydney airport. There was no problem with queues. They had automated systems for customs - you just feed your passport into a machine and stand in front of another  machine to have your photo taken.

First, we had some lunch and then the girls went off to look at the duty free shops.

The plane left on time at 3:45pm but arrived about 20 minutes early (before 5pm). Furthermore,  it took no time at all the get through customs - there were no queues and they were using similar automated systems to Christchurch.

Even when I bought some duty free scotch, there were no queues at the checkout. Although Suzy had ticked the box about bringing in wooden goods (some drink coasters she's bought in NZ), the customs people decided not to check our bags.

APT had arranged a driver to take us home but we were in the arrivals hall by 5:15pm - 10 minutes before he arrived. Once again it was a professional driver in a large comfortable car. We were home by 6pm.

Our New Zealand adventure was over. I'd been wanting to have a holiday in New Zealand for ages and now I've done it. People had told me good things about New Zealand. They were right - it had been a fabulous experience with lots of great memories. Partly because of the places we'd been and the spectacular natural scenery and partly because of the people we'd met.

Day 23 - Sunday 5th October

When we woke up, there were clouds around but it wasn't raining. The clouds (long white ones) were hiding the top of Mt Cook. It was a slightly later start than usual - bags out at 7:30am and departure at 8:30am.

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant was very good - a wide selection for the buffet and a great view of the mountains through the huge full-height windows at the end of the restaurant. A great start to the day.

The first stop on the bus was to get a group photo at the Lake Pukaki Visitor Centre. This location offered an ideal photo opportunity with the lake and mountains in the background. Next to the visitors centre building, there was a statue of a ram.

Initially Karen had suggested that we leave our cameras on the ground in front of the group so that she and Malcolm could take photos on each one. She soon realised that this would take too long and they took a photo with Michael's camera (the biggest and most sophisticated camera in the group) on the proviso that he would send it to everyone else.

The next stop was for morning tea at Tekapo which is a small tourist town on the shores of Lake Tekapo. On the way into town, Suzy noticed that there was a Peppers Resort on the hill overlooking the lake.

In the distance on the edge of the lake, there was a small stone church. This turned out to be the next stop on our tour. We were only back in the bus for five minutes before we stopped outside the Church of the Good Shepherd.

The church looks great from the outside and inside there is a large glass window at the front of the pews that overlooks the lake. With a view like that, it would be hard to concentrate on the church service.

About 150m away, there is a statue to McKenzie's dog. McKenzie was a legendary local outlaw. This area is named after him.

The bus stopped for a lunch break at Geraldine. This town was bigger than many that we'd stopped at. After walking a block or two, we stopped at the Country Cafe where I ordered a Hawaiian burger - a tasty chicken burger - just what I needed. The cafe has a nice layout and a good atmosphere - partly because of the large skylight in the centre near the counter.

A popular tourist spot in Geraldine is the shop containing the giant jersey and the 1066 medieval mosaic museum. Both of these are recognised in the Guinness book of records.

We reached the Christchurch city centre by 3pm. The bus dropped us off so we could explore the earthquake effected areas in the centre of the city. The central area has been labelled the Restart Mall. Nearby we saw the city's main cathedral that was badly damages in the earthquake. It is fenced off and braced by steel structures to stop it collapsing even further.

They have cleared away a large area in the central city to build an instant city using shipping containers. Clever idea. Suzy, Peter and Yolanda all bought ice creams. The girls browsed the shops while Peter and I chatted to some of the locals.

The bus had taken our bags to the Ashley Hotel and came back to pick us up at 4:15pm. While we were waiting, we admired the park beside the river and a statue to a New Zealand World War I recipient of the Victoria Cross.

The Ashley Hotel wasn't one of the better hotel we stayed at on our bus trip. It seems that the choice of accommodation in Christchurch is still pretty limited after the earthquake. The hotel is more like a motel or block of units.

It has three levels overlooking the courtyard and our room was on level 3. We were grateful that the porters had carried our bags up to our room because there was no lift. The hotel has only basic facilities. The WiFi was slow and unreliable. The room had a heater but no air conditioning.

Since this was the last night on our coach tour, APT hosted drinks (one free glass of wine) in the bar at 6pm. Afterwards, we had dinner at 6:30pm. There was a limited choices for wine and food.

Karen and Malcolm gave farewell speeches. The group gave them a rousing send off. It was also a good opportunity for us to say goodbye to our fellow travellers. We were back in our room by 9pm.

Day 22 - Saturday 4th October

A stormed passed through Dunedin last night. Other people in our tour group were woken during the storm but I slept through it. In the morning it was still raining and there was snow and sleet on some of the cars parked outside the hotel.

However, when we got back from breakfast, there was some blue sky and the sun was rising above the buildings outside our room.

It was another early start. We had our bags ready for pickup at 6:45am and went down for breakfast. The bus left at 7:45am.

It was very cold outside when we left the hotel to get on the bus. As we travelled north, it started to rain and then we saw sleet and some light snow. There was snow on the mountains and on the side of the road. A grader came past us and I assume they had been clearing the snow from the road ahead of us.

The first stop was at the Moeraki Boulders. These are a group of rounded rocks on the shoreline at Koekohe Beach. They were formed from sea floor sediments around 60 million years ago. They vary in size from small rocks up to large boulders about 3m in diameter.

Luckily by the time we stopped here, it was sunny and there was plenty of blue sky. However it was still cold. At the top above the beach, there is a cafe, a gift shop and timber steps leading down to the beach.

Next we stopped at Oamaru. Apparently this used to be a prosperous thriving port in the 1800s. Many of these 1800s buildings are still standing. The main street was built wide enough to accommodate bullock teams.

It was very cold with a strong wind making it even colder. Suzy and Yolanda went shopping while I wandered the streets and wharf area taking photos.

We stopped at Benmore Dam which is one of the hydro-electric power stations in a series of attractive lakes. It was a great photo opportunity. While we were there, Michael solved my problem with auto-focus on my camera - I must have pressed the wrong button at our previous stop. I was very grateful for his expertise.

The lunch stop was at the Merino Country Cafe at Omarama. There wasn't much else in this town other than the cafe. Once again it was very cold outside.

Next we stopped at Peters Lookout at Lake Pukai. This is yet another beautiful lake.

We reached the Hermitage hotel near Mt Cook at 2:45pm. This is a modern hotel consisting of two buildings connected by an enclosed elevated walkway. Our room is on level 6 in the rear building with a fabulous view looking directly at Mt Cook. There were some clouds hiding the top of Mt Cook.

It was a large room but I later realised that part of the reason it felt so spacious was that it had no cupboards. It has air conditioning and WiFi.

The hotel is slightly elevated on the hillside at the base of one of the many mountains in the valley. A guide later told us that this is the fourth hotel on this site. The previous hotels had been destroyed by flood, fire or landslide. I'm not sure that this information made us feel particularly comfortable about the location.

Our tour to the lake at Mt Cook was due to depart at 3:15pm. The first bus they put us on was only small (and crowded and uncomfortable) but they offloaded us from this bus when they realised that it had a flat tyre. The next bus was much bigger and more comfortable.

It was a 10 minute trip by bus followed by a 20 minute walk ( about 1.5km) before we reached the lake. It was a magic setting - a beautiful blue lake next to the snow-capped mountains.

On the small wharf, there were three rubber ducky boats waiting for us.The organisers told us that we weren't allowed to take anything on board except a camera and so we had to leave backpacks etc in a locked box on the shore near the wharf.

The first step was to put on life jackets.We'd been forewarned to be well rugged up for the cold and so I had on my thick fleece, warm spray jacket, scarf, beanie, gloves - plus the life jacket. Overall it was very bulky.

They then slowly and carefully helped us on to the boats - one or two people at a time. By this time, it was about 4pm.

As each boat got its full load of passengers, it sped off on a guided tour of the lake. I had been expecting an hour of wild rides on the water. Instead the lake was flat and quiet. It was an ideal sunny sky giving a great view of lake and surrounding snow-covered mountains including Mt Cook.

Our guide took us first to a collection of icebergs that were floating in the lake. He explained how the icebergs were formed, how the lake was formed and how the glacier was formed. Apparently a small puddle forms on the surface of the glacier which is then heated by the sun and so more of the glacier melts.

Currently the lake is expanded faster than the glacier is growing. I had expected a lecture on global warming but he didn't mention it once.

I had expected him to tell us that the lake had been there for thousands of years but I was amazed to learn that it was only formed in 1990. He said the lake changes all the time - even from one tour group to the next.

Towards the end of the tour he took us to within about 200m of the edge of the glacier. He wouldn't go any closer because there was a large ice shelf just below the lake's surface between us and the glacier. Periodically this ice shelf pops up out of the water and causes a huge wave that floods the surrounding area - including the wharf where we'd left our backpacks.

He also explained that landslides are a regular event.

Before the tour, we'd been required to sign indemnity forms. It was becoming apparent why this outing was so risky. The organisers couldn't guarantee our safety and they didn't want to be sued if a calamity occurred.

We returned safely to the wharf at about 5:15pm, took off our life jackets and walked back to the bus. On the earlier walk from the bus to the lake, I'd started to get warm and so I'd taken off my jacket, scarf, gloves and fleece. By the time we were heading back, it was get colder and so I started rugging up again. The bus got us back to our hotel by about 6pm.

We met in the bar for drinks at 6:30pm and had dinner at 7pm. The hotel restaurant is very big and has huge full-height windows at one end that give an amazing view straight out to the snow-capped mountains including Mt Cook. It was a very nice buffet with plenty of choice.

Towards the end of the meal, I went to take some photos. It was a great photo opportunity - perfect timing - because the clouds were no longer hiding the top of Mt Cook. Instead the top of the mountain was bathed in sunlight.

Day 21 - Friday 3rd October

Apparently there was a storm overnight but it didn't disturb me. We noticed there was snow on the mountains nearby.

The morning routine was for bags packed and ready at 7am, breakfast in the hotel restaurant and departure at 8am.

The weather was cold and cloudy. There were some light showers that turned to sleet before we reached the town of Gore where we stopped for a morning tea break.

There was more sleet and even some light snow between Gore and Clinton. We saw the snow falling but it melted before hitting ground.

We reached the Scenic Hotel at Dunnedin by 12:30pm. The hotel must be undergoing some renovations because there was scaffolding along the footpath outside the hotel where the bus pulled up to let us off.

We had a nice room with large double bed, a desk with a chair, a table and chairs, a heater, air conditioning. The bathroom had a separate shower (no bath).

There was some free time before our afternoon outing and so we ventured out to find somewhere for lunch. The hotel is close to the centre of town and we found a suitable cafe, Alibi Cafe, near the plaza. Allan had left the hotel at the same time and joined us for lunch.

The group doing our outing met in foyer at 2pm and Malcolm drove us in the bus to Dunedin railway station. The expedition was to ride on the Taieri Gorge Railway. This is a private tourist railway that travels along a scenic route for two hours and then returns along the same route to Dunedin.

Dunedin station was once a thriving transport location. Although it doesn't have commuter traffic any more, they've maintained the beautiful exterior and interior of the building as a tourist attraction.

The train departed at 2:30pm but soon experienced some delays caused by freight trains before leaving the Dunnedin area. Throughout the journey, there was a commentary from a man in the buffet car. Although he had excellent knowledge of the area, he spoke with a Canadian accent.

They said there were viewing platforms on the train. I had expected this meant a carriage without windows - like the one we'd experienced earlier in or holiday between Christchurch and Arthur's Pass. It turned out that they meant to a narrow platform at each end of the carriage where you could walk from one carriage to the next.

Inside the carriage, we were sitting with Peter and Yolanda. Taking photos through the train windows wasn't ideal because of the reflection and so I would often get up to go out the the "viewing platform". It was warm inside the carriage but very cold on the viewing platform. I made sure that I held on tight to the railing as I took photos.

The railway track followed rivers in gorges. Generally the track wound around the hillside near the top of the cliff giving us a great view of the valley and river below. Often we went through tunnels. There were also several bridges and viaducts. Along the way, we saw horses, sheep, goats and llamas in the farm paddocks.

At one stage the train slowed down and one of the staff handed mail to a man standing beside the track. A lady in the nearby house waved to us and everyone on board waved back.

The man who delivered the letters was very entertaining during the trip and kept up a steady banter whenever he came though the carriage. However when he started telling us that the All Blacks are the champions of the world, we were able to point out that our netball team beat NZ yesterday - to which he said I was wrong because we'd thrashed NZ.

Later, the train stopped just short of a bridge so we could get off and walk across. Then the train crossed the bridge to give us the opportunity to take photos.

It was somewhat precarious standing on the edge of the cliff as we waiting for the train and so I knelt down to steady myself as I took photos. We were rather concerned by the parents were allowing their children to run around near the track and the cliff.

We were running a little late by the time we reached Pukerangi where the train was due to terminate for the return journey. I got off and took photos as they moved the engine from one end of the train to the other.

It was bitterly cold at Pukerangi - especially because of the wind. It is high up in the mountain range - about 250m above sea level. I was glad that I had my heavy coat, fleece, scarf, beanie and gloves. There was a storm building in the distance. The train announcer said he hoped we would get back to Dunedin before the storm reached there.

Because of the delays, they decided not to make any stops on the return journey. We returned to Dunnedin at about 6:45pm (15 minutes late). It had been a very enjoyable journey with great scenery. Malcolm was waiting for us with the bus to drive us back to the hotel.

Dinner was in the hotel restaurant at 7pm.

Day 20 - Thursday 2nd October

The routine for this morning was to have our bags ready at 7:15am, breakfast in the hotel restaurant and departure at 8:15am. The forecast was for showers. It was cloudy but there was little rain so far.

When we got on board the bus, Michael took the microphone and told an amusing anecdote about mistakenly believing that it was Graham's birthday yesterday. He'd searched to find Graham's favourite food only to find out it was actually Allan's birthday and so he gave the cupcake to Allan.

Our hotel destination for the day was to be Te Anau. We reached the town in the morning and, because it was early by hotel standards, the bus dropped us in town so we could go to a cafe for morning tea. Meanwhile the bus took our bags to the hotel. Naturally the girls found a gift shop.

While Suzy was still shopping, Yolanda, Peter and I walked down to the lake. Once again, it is a beautiful setting - a vaste lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Although there weren't many people on the shore, we noticed one couple who had a pet dog and a pet lamb.

The bus picked us up again at 11:45 for our trip to Milford Sound. Along the way, there were several stops to take photos.

The first photo stop was on a straight stretch of road next to a wide grassland area with views of snow-capped mountains in each direction. The sign labelled it as Eglinton Valley Viewpoint.

The next stop was at Mirror Lakes. As the name suggests, these are lakes that give an excellent reflection in the water when the water is still. The bus dropped us at one entrance and moved to pick us up at the other entrance. In between, we walked next to the lakes through the bush on a boardwalk.

Next we stopped at Knobbs Flat which has a building providing facilities for campers. There are strict rules for people coming into the national park - including only using toilets at the locations provided by the Department of Conservation.

As usual there was great scenery from the bus. At one stage, the driver slowed down on a small bridge so we could take photos of a waterfall next to the bridge.

At the next stop, there was another tourist coach. Someone pointed out that there was a Kea (a native New Zealand bird) on top of that bus and so we crowded around to take photos of it. I'm not sure if the bus driver realised what all the fuss was about.

There is a long narrow tunnel, Homer Tunnel, that takes the road through the mountain to get to the Milford Sound area. They have traffic lights at each end to allow traffic in one direction at a time.

On the other side of the tunnel, the road winds down the side of the mountains. It was an eerie scene - low clouds, steep rugged rock faces, waterfalls and lush vegetation in the valley.

The next stop was at The Chasm. Here we walked for about 20 minutes through the bush on gravel tracks, boardwalks and bridges to admire the bushland setting. In the carpark there several more Keas who seemed happy for us to take photos of them.

We reached Milford Sound soon after 2:30pm. The boat trip was booked for 3pm. The bus parked at the wharf area where there is a large terminal building and several wharfs.

Although it was still cloudy, the showers were decreasing. Because of the lack of sunlight, the water was a grey colour. I guess it would be quite a sight on a bright sunny day. At least the clouds added interest to the scenery.

The waterway has huge steep cliffs on both sides and there was snow on many of the peaks. There were numerous waterfalls on both sides. The captain steered the boat right up to the edge of the cliff underneath one of these waterfalls.

The boat had a large capacity for customers over three levels. There were plenty of spare seats because there weren't too many passengers on board apart from our tour group.

It was comfortable inside but the best place to take photos was on the top deck. The downside was that the top deck was cold, windy and slippery. We were well rugged up while on the top deck.

We sailed out of Milford Sound and into the Tasman Sea before turning around to head back the way we came. By this time, there was some blue sky out to sea. On the way back, we saw more waterfalls and seals on rocks near the cliffs.

We were back to wharf at 4:40pm and the bus drove us back to Te Anau on the same route as we'd come. This time there were no stops for photo opportunities. We reached the Te Anau Hotel at 6:30pm.

The hotel staff greeted us with a welcome drink. Our bags were already in our room and so we didn't have to wait to unpack and get ourselves organised. Our room was near the end of a long corridor on level 2. It was a great room with a view of the lake. It had a large double bed and a bright modern bathroom.

On the other hand, the hotel's WiFi was only available in the foyer - not in the rooms. There was a desk in the room but no chair - only a stool. There was also no air conditioning.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant at 7:30pm. It was an elegant and tasteful setting. However, the meal only consisted on tasting plates for all courses followed by dessert and coffee.

Day 19 - Wednesday 1st October

I'd been feeling unwell for a few days and so I decided not to go on the excursion today. I slept in rather than getting up early. Suzy still went on the Dart River Safari outing. She left at 7:30am and got back to the hotel at 2pm. She said it was a fabulous experience.

I had a late breakfast (8:30am), did a load of washing and caught up on my photos and blog. I went for a walk to explore the lakeside and the streets of Queenstown. The lake backdrop is a beautiful setting. The shops are ideal for tourists. It is no wonder that it is such a popular town.

This afternoon, we planned to go to the Kiwi Birdlife Park to see Kiwis. Yolanda, Peter and Cassie came with us. We met there at 4pm and had a look around the displays of other birds before going to the kiwi cabin for the 4:30pm feeding.

Because kiwis are nocturnal, they keep the kiwis in a dark cabin during the day and then turn night into day. Tourists can see them feed the kiwis at various intervals during the day. The kiwis mate and produce young. They release kiwis into the wild to increase the population.

The Queenstown gondola chairlift is right next to the Kiwi Park. It takes you to the top of the mountain high above the town and the lake. It's a long way up. At the top they have a viewing platform, restaurant, bar and (naturally) a gift shop.

The views up there are amazing. It's a spectacular setting.

As we looked down, we saw the steamer heading off across the lake to the Walter Peak Dinner - the one we went on last night.

When we returned to Queenstown, we looked at several restaurants and eventually decided to have fish and chips on the side of the lake.