Final days in Auckland - sigh!

The Backpacker lodge that we stayed in was conveniently located in the Parnell area which is full of small shops, art galleries, coffee shops, bars and restaurants in every price range. It is a 20 minute walk downtown to Queen St the major shopping area. You have to take care with the local drivers who don't seem to have any patience for cyclists or pedestrians. The Sky Centre downtown is like similar towers in Seattle and Toronto. One exception you can bungy jump off the tower in Auckland. We spent time exploring the city, visited Kelly Tarton's undersea centre and went sailing on an ex America's Cup 40 sailboat. The sailboat was very exciting and I was put to work on the grinders which power the winches. That was a workout! On our last day we took the ferry across the harbour to Devonport and watched the Louis Vuitton match races from North Head. Some people had other ideas like hanging off the tower at Sky City



We stayed at a Backpacker lodge which was a house previously owned by the Queen of Tonga.

Bay of Islands

We have been enjoying the Bay of Islands for the past four days. The weather has been in the 30 - 34 degree range and with lots of water at hand to swim in, life is good. We have been staying at Glenfalloch B&B and the first 2 nights the 4 other guest were from Winipeg. On their last night we had a Canadian style BBQ which was in full force when 2 new guests arrived from the UK. We have been out sailing, touring the different bays and islands and recently climbed the highest point in the area called Paul's Rock.

Kaikoura - Dolphins

Our time on the South Island is coming to an end. We are now in Kaikoura and will drive to Christchurch tomorrow. Yesterday we were in Hammer Springs where we relaxed in hot pools and cleared our sinuses in the suphurous vapours. Kaikoura is a long beach strip stretching for several kilometers with snow-clad mountains towering over the town. It reminds me of Crescent Beach outside Vancouver BC. Lots of tourist type stores and restaurants. It appears to have mad a transition from a fishing port. We took advantage of the dolphin tour and we were amazed by the athletic ability of the dolphins. We were amazed by their numbers and by their agility and energy. I asked about interaction with the Dolphins and apparently the licenced operators can be closer to them than the general public. The Department of Conservation is the governing body. Thursday we leave for the Bay of Islands for some beach time.

Queenstown

Welcome to Banff, NZ. Today we went jet boating and whitewater rafting on the Overshot river. The biggest thrill was the access road that hung on the edge of a cliff. Jet boating was a rush but I would prefer to drive. The whitewater rafting was a lot of fun, we got wet and even went through a tunnel. The rapids were cat 3 - 5. Cat 5 is serious whitewater. Queenstown is full of young people and has a reputation for adrenalin sports e.g. bungy jumping was invented here. Friday we are going mountain biking.

Omarau

One of our favourite places on the South Island. Most of the buildings in the downtown area are made of limestone. They have an annual race on high wheel (penny farthing) bicycles that takes place every November. We discovered several bakeries and a warehouse full of cask whiskey. Just accept our word that it is good quality especially the 20 year old cask strength. On the beach at the edge of town we observed yellow eye penguins and blue penguins. 200 hundred of the blues came ashore right in front of us.

In the Mountains

We have arrived in Te Anau after a 4 hour drive from Dunedin. The weather was great sunny and warm considering they get 7-9 metres of rain a year in the Milford Sound area. In the first 7 days of January they got 25% of their annual rainfall so our timing was good. I had a sense of deja vu when we arrived since it looks like Kootenay Lake. Yesterday we visted penguin and albatross colonies and a beach where very large (and fast) see lions were sunbathing. Today we drove through the Southland region where there are vast herds of sheep, more than I've ever seen before. Apparently there are 50 million sheep in NZ. Wednesday we went to Milford Sound where we cruised for 3 hours on the fiord. Spectacular scenery!! Tomorrow we will head to Queenstown (the Whistler of NZ) where we hope to do some mountain biking.

Akaroa - south island

We arrived at this town after a challenging drive over narrow twisty mountain roads. It was originally a French settlement, however Captain Cook registered England's claim to NZ before the French. The town retains French names and some of the buildings look similar to old cottages in Quebec City. Today it is a popular seaside destination for Christchurch residents.

Last day in Wellington

Wellington is a wonderful place to visit. You can walk almost everywhere. Yesterday we rented bicycles and did a tour of the bays in the harbour. We cyled 40 kms at times in a stiff breeze that peaked at about 35 knots. Apparently Wellington gets about 176 days a year with wind in the range of force 4 to force 6 on the Beaufort scale (20 - 49 kph). Today we visited the excellent national museum, Te Papa and the maritime museum then walked around downtown. Tomorrow we fly out to Christchurch and the South Island.

Wellington

We've arrived in Wellington and are now car less. We plan to visit the national museum Te Papa, cycle the bays that make up the harbour and do lots of walking. The trip up the cable car was well worthwhile for NZ$3 then you walk back down hill through the botanical gardens and finally the memorial park. The botanical gardens are outstanding sort of like having Butchart Gardens in the middle of downtown.