One way in which this trip differed greatly from our first visit to New Zealand was in the way we tried to immerse ourselves in the local feel. We talked to more Kiwis, ate and drank more of the local foods and drinks, tried to get away from the tourist spots to experience more of the everyday places. Here’s a list and some comments about the new things we experienced. New Foods/Drinks L&P, L&P Sweet As - respectively, the sugared and sugar-free versions of Lemon and Paeroa, a sweet drink that bills itself as “world famous in New Zealand”. Availabl [View Full Entry]

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The dreaded day has finally come - we’re on our way out of New Zealand. But I decided I needed to make the most of this last day. I was up at 4:45am this morning for a quick shower, gathering up my things in the darkness and quiet and slipping out the door while the others slept. Why? To see the sun rise over the Pacific and answer the call of the Port Hills and the Banks Peninsula, who weren’t about to let me go without the courtesy of a proper visit. What a great morning it was. I chose this [View Full Entry]

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Today we didn’t head out until 9am - what a treat! First stop was The Coffee House for a yummy breakfast. Seeing a drink called “Spirulina - A New Zealand Favourite” on the menu, I had to order it. Turns out it’s green and made from seaweed, which may sound strange but was quite delicious - it was cold, sweet and fruity like a smoothie. Next we went to the nearby Arts Centre Market, a collection of outdoor stalls selling various crafts. We we ready for it to be cheesy stuff, but were very pleasantly surprised. It turns out that all [View Full Entry]

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When we visited New Zealand in April of 2004, Rich and I had taken a flightseeing tour on the South Island, visiting some of the locations where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed. One place we visited was Mount Sunday, the place where the Golden Hall of Edoras (the Rohan capital on a hill) was filmed. On that trip we flew past it and viewed it from a few kilometres away; when I discovered a brochure for a company that takes you out there in a 4WD vehicle to stand atop the mountain, I vowed that I would do [View Full Entry]

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Today we had some time to wander about Dunedin for awhile. Dunedin was originally settled by Scots (its name is Gaelic for “Edinburgh”) and still maintains that Scottish influence. Even the people on the street looked more Scottish - lots of fair skin and red hair. We started with a yummy breakfast at Ra Café Bar, on The Octagon in central Dunedin. Then we spent some time wandering around the Octagon, looking at all the plaques dedicated to writers and poets from Dunedin. Dunedin is a college town - Otago University swells the city’s population by tens of thousands durin [View Full Entry]

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Well, today is Thursday, Thanksgiving Day in New Zealand (although NZ doesn't celebrate it and since we're on the other side of the International Date Line it won't happen in the U.S. until tomorrow.) Today was supposed to be one of the most uneventful days of the trip: a long drive across plains and hills to Dunedin, with very little to do or see on the way. It turned out the drive took less time than we thought, less than four hours. I took the wheel all the way to Dunedin, to make up for doing little driving the last couple [View Full Entry]

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We rose early this morning to allow time for the 2-hour drive to Milford Sound. It was a nice morning drive - banks of fog alternated with sunny patches for a series of ever-changing views. Early on we crossed the 45 degree south latitude line - actually the first of two times we’ll cross it northbound on this trip. As we got up higher in the mountains, the fog lifted for a number of gorgeous views of the snowy mountain peaks towering overhead. We stopped just before the Milford Tunnel to take some pictures and encountered a small band of keas [View Full Entry]

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André at the Birds Ferry Lodge had recommended we take the Crown Range road as a shortcut to Queenstown, and we enjoyed it very much. At the summit we stood outside, teeth chattering, looking at the gorgeous view of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and snow-dusted mountains as tiny flakes of snow fell around us. Then we descended into the valley. We went over to the Kawarau Bridge to take a look and possibly bungy jump, but there was a couple-hour wait so we decided to get lunch and try somewhere else. We ate at Gourmet Express in Queenstown - an homage to [View Full Entry]

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We awoke this morning to more rain showers, and sure enough when we showed up at The Helicopter Line they said there would be no heli-hikes until at least the afternoon. We had the option to take a half-day glacier walk but that didn’t sound like much fun in the rain. Instead, we drove down to Fox Glacier and had a lovely breakfast at Café Névé, then drove over to the Fox Glacier terminal to take a look. In the now-heavy rain, Ben and Gary took two umbrellas and set forth on the half-hour track. Rich and I waited in the [View Full Entry]

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Rich and I got up early and met Alison, Andre’s wife, who cooked us a delicious breakfast featuring bacon and eggs, homemade muesli with freshly-made yoghurt, tomatoes from the garden. I tried some Vegemite on toast - VERY salty and definitely a taste I’m not likely to acquire. Then our fellow guests Penny and Greg arose, and it turned out they were from Santa Barbara so we were an all-California contingent. The property was wonderful - great vistas, lovely gardens, very warm hospitality. One mistake Rich and I made was not discovering the chocolates in the bathroom before tur [View Full Entry]

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