Blogs from Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 6

William and Catherine at St. Paul's cathedral got a good sighting people here very friendly no loud screaming just polite quiet cheers heading off to otago peninsula for trip to hopefully see albatross and penquins will be a hardy walk out to see them but worth it .rain has stopped. Ate in nice French restaurant for dinner ron did a great driving here took about 4 hours later we took a trip out to see penguins and albatross # AMAZING . Once in a lifetime viewing of royal albatross and yellow eyed penguin. This was on my list to do, we'll worth the cold and wind ?☔️??... read more

We arrived to Queenstown, the central town of the mountains of southern South Island, with mixed expectations. On one hand we had heard it was overfull with tourists and super expensive, on the other hand we had heard both the city and the surroundings were supposed to be beautiful. The road to the town was at least measuring up to the latter, and the lakefront where we had lunch just outside of town was spectacular. We also experienced the other part, being stuck in traffic jams (only time we have seen such in South Island except for in Christchurch where all the road work made the traffic jam) and having to pay for internet at the library, in all other public libraries we have had free internet access. Although the surroundings were beautiful, the city itself ... read more

Today we had a couple first experiences for our cruising. We were awakened at 7:00 by the ship’s captain making an announcement that the weather in Port Chalmers was too windy for the ship to safely move into the port or to try to dock. So the ship aborted today’s visit and we slowly made our way further south and then west toward tomorrow’s destination. Actually they said the winds in port we measured at 30 knots. The temperature was mid 50’s and drizzling this morning around the ship. The rain let up by mid-morning, but it was very cloudy all day, so we probably would not have enjoyed our tour to Dunedin anyway. But this is the first time in all our cruises where we have completely cancelled a destination from our itinerary. It just ... read more

Kia Ora ( Hello and welcome) On Friday we left Christchurch to travel to Lake Tekapo and it was cloudy. The journey took us through some wonderful countryside again and we stopped wherever we could to take in the views. We travelled across the Canterbury plains and over the Rakaia River via the longest bridge in New Zealand. The fields were full of sheep and cows and there appeared to be many more per field than we are used to back home. As we passed through Burkes Pass near to Lake Tekapo, the weather immediately changed to brilliant blue skies and hot sun. Lake Tekapo is a huge stretch of water and it was a vivid turquoise colour and not a ripple on the surface. Our Lodge was a beautiful building with only four bedrooms and ... read more

The day dawned bleak, both in the sky and in my head. The couple of bottles of wine shared last night had done their worst and while Anne and Mo slept it off, caffeine was my friend. Not long on the road and the skies opened up... my companions commenting that it was not a day to be standing on the side of the road trying to get a lift. Sometimes the best things aren't planned. About an hour into the drive, we noticed a cheese factory off the side of the road and decided to pull in. Evandale Cheese is made from all local milk (literally, the farm was 5km up the road), and we sampled a number of soft and hard cheeses while having a chat to the man behind the counter. Turns out ... read more