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Published: January 30th 2018
Mirror Lake early morning
As we sat there and watched the fog lift, so quiet and peacefulWe arrived home last night, but decided to do one last blog on New Zealand. The country continued to amaze us with its beauty.
After leaving Milford Sound area, we decided we still really wanted to catch a glimpse of the western and Northern parts of the island. A rainy drive over Haast pass to arrive in Fox Glacier, a surprisingly small village at the base of Fox Glacier. Up early the next morning the clouds were lifting, so we hiked to Mirror Lake to catch the reflection of the mountain on the lake. It was so peaceful as the fog slowly lifted. The setting was magical!
Then, drove up the western coast which every corner showed amazing dramatic coastal scenes. The gentleman the night before suggested we stay at Punakaiki, known for its pancake rocks and blow holes. Unfortunately we arrived at low tide, so did not witness the blow holes, but the area was quiet and beautiful. We stayed at the hostel right on the beach and enjoyed the sunset.
Still driving north, the dramatic coastline has a beautiful fog layering. We stop to take a pic, and so does
the local cookie distributer salesman. He stops to chat, tells us he loves to email pics of his 'office' - the beautiful drive, and also gives us a packet of his cookies. Just another friendly New Zealander! Then it is on to Cape Fowlweather, on a beautiful sunshiny day, seeing lots of seals. We drive to Nelson, and our usual stop at the Tourist office. We ask our usual question - one thing you would do and she suggests a concert tonight- The Richter City Rebels, a New Orleans type brass band from Auckland. It is a tiny outside venue with @ 200 people. By the end of the concert, they have everyone of us dancing to their great music!
The next morning it is a drive to Picton, arriving just in time to take the 3 hour boat trip on the Marlborough Sound, literally with 15 minutes to spare. We figure we will find a campsite when we get back. Fortunately, the holiday travelers are thinning and we do not find near the demand for the campgrounds. Another beautiful day of sunshine, we see Hector dolphins, which are relatively rare. There are at least 10 of
them and they just swim around the boat. Quite a few birds, which we don't remember the names, and just a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. The campsite is just outside of town and we enjoy our last night of camping with the birds waking us in the morning.
Our last stop is Kaikoura, right on the beach known for their whale population. Unfortunately they suffered a devastating earthquake of 7.6 Nov 15 2016, which they are still recovering from. In fact the road in and out of Kaikoura from Picton south and from Christchurch north just opened Dec 15, 2017. They are still working on the road, trying to replace portions that slid off the side of the mountain. And in the very small town, there are still empty lots and buildings that are no longer habitable. But everyone we meet there are just grateful for what they have and determined to rebuild.
We take the whale watching cruise. The water is quite rough to start, but once the Dusky dolphins show up, all is forgotten. There are so many of them. They are known for their acrobatics and they are all
jumping, completely out of the water. Not 5 minutes into it, I just set the camera down, and have to just watch! It is amazing, almost to the point, that when the whale is spotted, just laying there, you are almost disappointed. The sperm whale is at least 45 feet long and @ 40 ton. It is massive!
We arrive back in Christchurch, Sat afternoon, staying at Amber's again. They greet us like family returning. Little time in Christchurch we vow to return.
So, up early Sunday morning and on our flight home via Brisbane (yes a little west before east, but they were cheap tickets 😊 Novel note - we end up seeing 7am on Jan 28th, three times. Once in Christchurch, then again in Brisbane and then due to the international date line we land in LA in time to see 7am Jan 28th again.
And the ends another amazing adventure!!
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Andridge
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Lovely New Zealand
Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures. Southern NZ is one of the most beautiful land we have ever seen. We enjoy your travel log. You guys are amazing travelers. Thanks thanks thanks.