Six a.m. flight - why?

When I booked the 6 a.m. flight to Melbourne, I was thinking - "Great, I'll arrive early and have loads of time to drive on the Great Ocean Road". I should have been thinking - "Hmmm, a 6 a.m. flight means I have to be there before 6 a.m. which means a really early morning." However, I did not think the latter, so my debate has become whether to just stay up, or try to catch a few hours sleep before going to the airport. The verdict is still out, but chances are good that I will just stay up. Fortunately, my hosts tonight are generous enough to let me use their computer and Internet. This is a very good thing as our (Melissa is joining me in Sydney) North Island adventure is not yet planned, and I had some Sydney investigations to do as well.

I still cannot get over the beauty of Fiordland. Wanaka, and all the interior towns with their lakes and mountains were also stunning and lovely, but there is a special element to Fiordland. One note about NZ skiing - because the snow is so high up the mountains, you don't have to worry about the trees. I knew something was different while skiing, but had not figured it out until after I was off the mountain.

I returned to Christchurch; my driving escapades on South Island are over (for now :) I do intend to return to this country someday. There is so much to do on both islands, and I want to do it all. I didn't even touch the west coast of the South Island, and have yet to see the Nelson/Abel Tasman area. I have a rough idea of what we can do on North Island (pending Missy's review), but even that was hard to pick and choose. And, I may have been ambitious and planned too much. Still, I think we can get it done.

This post hasn't been so much about what I have done, but more about what I'm thinking. Oh well, late night blogging often results in a stream of consciousness.

I am sad to be leaving the South Island. It is an amazing place to explore. The people, both locals and fellow travellers, have been incredibly nice, friendly, and helpful. My Servas hosts were all fantastic; it's always great to interact with locals. I really think it adds so much to my travels to talk and interact with people who live in the area. The landscape is simply stunning. I love that you can drive a few hours and be in a vastly different area. Te Anau to Wanaka is about a three hour drive, but you go from Fiordland to the Interior which is that lovely combination of lakes and mountains (and skiing in the winter), at least near Wanaka. I love how easy it is to travel around, and there is a plethora of outdoor activities.

Today, I took the bus out to Lyttelton which is about 20 minutes from the city centre of Christchurch. I did go see the timeball drop. Back in the day, the various timeball stations throughout the world allowed mariners to check/reset their chronometers to ensure accurate navigation. I suppose it is now just a historical novelty, but I think it's a cool piece of the past. In the Timeball Station, they have a map with color-coded pushpins that indicate active timeball stations, inactive ones, and ones that have timeball guns. Lyttelton is a nice harbor town. I was once again graced with the presence of a lovely rainbow (that makes 4 so far on this trip). I had a yummy chowder for lunch, and then tackled the Bridle Path from Lyttelton over to Christchurch. (Elizabeth, thanks for both the timeball and path suggestion). It had been raining on and off for the morning, but I decided to go for the hike anyway. Fortunately, it did not rain at all while I was walking. It is quite a steep hike. It only takes about 30-40 minutes to walk up to the summit, but it is steep the whole way. It's just as steep going down the other way, so I think my legs may groan at me in the morning. It is a pretty at the top; from there, I had views of Lyttelton and of Christchurch.

I'm off to Melbourne in a few hours. I suppose I should make sure all my stuff is packed. More from the "Land Down Under"... (although, I have a new map that flips the standard map and puts NZ and Australia up at the top).

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