Antarctic Center ---------- Arthur Pass -------------On Way Bridge

Christchurch to Greymouth, NZ 10/31/08
We visited the International Antarctica Center that is adjacent to the airport. The US Antarctic Program has its headquarters across the street. The Center gives you the feeling of being in Antarctica. They have displays on the 22 varieties of Penguins and standup cutouts of full size penguins. They range in size from the Little Blue penguin at 18” to the giant Emperor penguin at 51” or almost 5 feet. The Emperor is not only tall, he is heavy. I was surprised as I stood next to the cutout. The Little Blue is a favorite of the New Zealanders. They have extensive trap systems to capture the predators of the penguins. We saw about a dozen Little Blue Penguins swimming in a natural pool setting and also looked into their nesting tubes.

The Center has a snow room that requires special clothing and footwear due to the extreme cold and snow. We chose not to go into this arctic blizzard room. We did walk through the ice cave and it was very realistic. The sea around Antarctica freezes and thaws during the year. They had a display showing the depth of the ice. It is the height of a person. There was an exhibit with explorer’s equipment that you could dress in and take photos with the snowmobiles and sleds. They have Hagglund vehicles for you to ride on in the parking lot. Their extraordinary documentary film is shown on a 30 foot wide screen. The vastness of the icy wilderness is captured on screen. For example, you see an icy plain that you know is large but then you realize that the Hot Wheel size car shown on the screen is actually a helicopter flying below the camera.

We visited the AA Club of New Zealand and became reciprocal temporary members. They supplied us with knowledge and plenty of maps and suggestions. We traveled east to west across South Island on Highway 73 from Christchurch to Greymouth. We went through Arthur’s Pass and the Southern Alps. The area was beautiful with sheep and cattle ranches. We were surprised to see one car width bridges on this main road. The uphill car has the right away.

As we approached Greymouth, we felt we had gotten used to the one car width bridges until we came upon the Combo bridge. This bridge is a multi use one car width bridge traveled by car, bike, pedestrian, and TRAIN. We settled in Greymouth for the night and drove around the area. We saw costumed kids ready for Halloween night. We went to see the town of Blackball which is known for a pub called “Blackball formerly known as the Hilton”.. The town is “the way it used to be” We decided not to stop in for a drink!

We spent time walking on the rocky shore with the waves pounding. The evening was clear and beautiful. The countryside is pastoral with ranches and small villages.

Greymouth to Franz Josef, NZ 11-1-08

Sign ------------------ Bridge [Cars Trains one Way] ----------- Motel @ Franz Josef

Greymouth to Franz Josef, NZ 11/1/08
We drove up to Punakaiki known for its pancake rocks and 30 foot blowholes. Our weather had made a change and we had severe weather warnings. It rained hard and we decided not to walk out to the shore and blowholes. The large amounts of rainfall created waterfalls flowing out of the rocky cliffs. We came around a turn and I saw a beautiful large waterfall about 40 feet high and 6 feet wide. As we got nearer, we wondered “ Is that water fall actually falling on the road”. It was!

We then headed south towards Franz Josef Glacier. Nowhere in the world outside the arctic region will you find glaciers just 1,000 feet above sea level and just 7 ½ miles from the sea. We drove through 12 miles of Rain Forest Preserve area. The rainforest was the most beautiful that I have seen. Punga fern grew out of the cliffs. The tree ferns towered above us. What an unexpected sight it was. The rainforest has Totara, Rimu, Rata, and Kmahi trees. The bellbird and Kea a mountain parrot are in the glacier while the Thrush, Fantail, Blackbird and Wax Eye are in the rainforest.

In Franz Josef we learned that the one lane bridges were created about 10 years ago when they did not expect increased traffic. The car/train bridge was created because the train line is not too busy. This area has traditionally been one of isolation. There has been a 50% increase of visitors since 1996.

We had dinner at the Alice May Pub. A very nice restaurant filled with antiques. A history included in the menu tells the story of Alice May a very religious young woman. In the early 1900s she killed her lover when he refused to marry her. She was sent to prison and served 6 years before the New Zealand people petitioned for her release. She was pardoned and married and had 10 children. Her grandchildren opened this pub in her memory.

Franz Josef to Queenstown, NZ 11-02-08

Franz Josef Glacier ------------ Fox Glacier ---------------- Queenstown

Franz Josef to Queenstown, NZ 11/2/08

We drove to Franz Josef Glacier. The new Zealanders pronounce it Glay-se-er. Ours was only the second car in the parking area. We walked through the rain forest to overlook the beautiful glacier.
We continued down the road to Fox Glacier. We hiked back to the mouth of the glacier. It was an amazing sight.

We continued through the countryside with beautiful rainforest and rolling valleys. We took the high road over Crown Range. It looks down over Queenstown.

We stopped at Haas for lunch. This area has a beach and is known for penguins and seals. We asked if we would be able to see the penguins if we drove to the beach. We were told that if they were there they were there. We got a better description later that the penguins come out at sunrise and sunset. We had a delicious lunch and I asked about the fish. I was told it was monk fish. The New Zealanders like to accentuate the vowel sounds in their words. We hear a lot of Yip! Yip! like we say yeh.

We spent the night in Queenstown over looking the lake. We rode the Skyline Gondola up to the top of the mountain. They have luge rides for kids and adults. The track hugs the side of the mountain with a spectacular view over the side. Queenstown is known for adventure. About every other shop is making reservations for adventure activities.

We made reservations for the Glow Worm Caves in Te Anu

Queenstown to Te Anu, NZ 11-3-08

Te Anu West Side View ----------------------East Side From Glow Worm Cave

Queenstown to Te Anu, NZ 11/3/08
Again we were treated to stunning views as we passed over the road to Te Anu. The grassy plains were so green and lush. In Te Anu, Wayne found a Lakeside Motel with stunning views of the lake and mountains.

We took the catamaran across the lake to the Glow Worm caves. The water was choppy with strong winds. We got off at the dock and walked through a rain forest and up to the caves. There was a stream coming from the entrance to the cave. Our guide told us to prepare to bend over since the entrance was very low. Also we were advised not to talk in the Glow Worm cave since they would shut off their lights. The glow worms hang strings to catch bugs. They shine their lights to attract the bugs.

I had to bend in half to enter the cave. Only the guide had a “torch”. We walked along aluminum walkways built above the stream. The water was rushing through with rapids and loud noise. We passed tunnels that went up and out of the cave. The ceiling height was either low or cathedral height. We came to a very large waterfall. We were advised that we would get into a boat and our guide would pull our boat through the glow worm cave.

We climbed into the boat- reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We moved into the glow worm area and it was so dark that I could not see my hand in front of my face. The glow worms were all over the top of the cave. It looked like tiny pinheads of light. We moved a distance and I realized that we were back to the spot that we had first entered the boat. I didn’t know that we had turned but Wayne did by the movement of the lights on the ceiling. It’s a great activity to do once but I don’t think I would be excited to do it again.

Later, I walked through the town of Te Anu and window shopped. I passed a vehicle parked by the side of the road as the driver ran into the Chemist store “pharmacy”. He left his vehicle in park with the motor running. The vehicle was a large farm tractor.

Te Anu & Milford Sound, NZ 11-4-08

Milford Sound --------Tunnel & Birds-------- Camp for Tunnel

Te Anu & Milford Sound, NZ 11/4/08

We’re up at 6am to head out for an 8 hour drive to Milford Sound. The road passes through beautiful farmland. We expected snow because of a North/Westerly. This is a wind that travels over the Tasman Sea picking up water. When the clouds hit the shoreline of the South Island, they are driven up by the Southern Alps. The winds then release their moisture and in our case winter snow conditions were expected for the afternoon. We continued on through Eglinton and Hollyford Valleys. We started our drive through the Homer Tunnel. This ¾ mile tunnel was built in 1935 and completed in 1940. It is one way with a signal advising you when to start. The tunnel is narrow and dark and just tall enough for the tour buses to drive through. We visited the museum afterward and the workers stayed in little cabins and moved their families as the work progressed. The road is very steep as you leave the tunnel.

At Milford Sound, we walked the docks. We decided not to go on a boat trip since we had seen the three Fiords by the Dawn Princess in ideal weather. Two Kea birds were on the dock. They look like a heavy parrot. They have a long curved beak. On our return trip after we passed the Homer Tunnel. We stopped and there were several Kea birds. They are very aggressive and make the sound K-E-A. We were told that they are destructive and peckand /or pull the rubber weather stripping out of cars.

We also drove through Manipouri famous for the underground power plant at the west end of the lake.

We had a lot of rain as we settled in for the night.

Te Anu to Wanaka, NZ 11-5-08

Te Anu to Wanaka, NZ 11/5/08

This morning about 2am, I woke up and looked out to see the rain. To my surprise, the grass and everything on it was covered with white. We had expected snow in the mountains but instead it was right here on the lake shoreline. Basically it was snow at shore level. I woke up Wayne so he would see the beauty before it melted in the AM. When we got up in the morning it was still covered with 4 inches of snow. As we drove to Cromwell the landscape was ice and snow, mountains and grassy plains. What a view! The sheep that had been grazing on grass were now walking in snow. As we drove along, we saw a ewe and two lambs running towards us in our lane of the highway. We avoided a head on collision. We came along side the Kingston Flyer (a local train) and it was traveling slowly. At the front end two sheep were running on the tracks. The conductor was yelling at them trying to get them off the tracks.

We stopped in Cromwell a village where families have lived for generations, farming, and now with the addition of wineries. .We were advised of the closure on the highway due to a truck spillage of hazardous material. We attempted to drive round the spill area but could not. We waited for the next advisory and were told that the road would not be open until the morning. We returned to Wanaka, my favorite setting in New Zealand. We found the Oakridge Resort and settled into a beautiful room for the night. There have been snow flurries off and on during the afternoon. We drove into the town to take photos of the Lake Wanaka with a backdrop of snow covered Alps.

Tomorrow we head out since we are now a day behind in our plan to see Mt Cook.

Carns to Christchurch, NZ 10-30-08

Cairns to Christchurch, NZ 10/30/08
We flew Virgin Blue from Cairns to Sydney and then took a bus to transfer to the International Terminal. At the airport we were told by the check in agent that he had a conversation with one traveler who had paid $5,000 dollars in excess baggage fees. This same agent had taken a trip following the sale of his restaurant. He traveled for 6 months and finally just got rid of most of his luggage. He got tired of paying high fees.

We planned to have a leisurely meal in the International Terminal. We were surprised to find that they did not have a food court just a couple of small stands sushi, Pad tai etc. We were worried about dinner for awhile but ended up finding a hamburger!

We arrived a little after midnight. We had planned to spend a few hours sleeping in the car. Somehow it didn’t sound as good when we got there so we stayed at a motel close to the airport.

Carns, AU 10-29-08

Cairns, AU 10/29/08
We found a very nice opal store, Everts, in Karunda and decided to visit their main store in Cairns. Wayne took me opal shopping. I had great memories of shopping in Surfer’s Paradise on the gold Coast with our Scott, Colleen, and John in 1991. The kids waited on the sidewalk outside the store while I looked for the perfect opal. Well this time, there were no kids waiting but my selection skills did not improve. It is so hard to choose from all those beautiful opals. There are three types to choose from Black, Boulder, & Crystal. Each is found in a different location within Australia. The opal can be a full stone or a triplet (three sections glued) or a doublet (two sections glued). The black is from Lightning Ridge and the Boulder is from the Moore Mine in Queensland. The Black is only available in a smaller stone while the boulder (ironstone) is available in larger pieces. The black has a black background while the boulder is usually found in blue/blue green colors. The crystal is usually found in light/white background colors. Wayne bought me a gorgeous opal as a memory of our trip. He also found a statue of a wild stallion made of Boulder opal as a souvenir for himself. We talked with the two sisters about their opal store. Their father had started the business as just a hobby. He expanded the store through the years. He and his wife had ten children. His widow still lives in Minton a town of 1,000 close to the mine. The children continue to operate several stores. They purchase directly from the mines and have the stones polished and set in the Cairns area. It was a pleasure to meet them.

We had a lovely gourmet dinner at our favorite place, Hungry Jacks (better known in the USA as Burger King). We took a long walk on the Esplanade enjoying the cool evening along with many others. A sign close to the pool, showed the UV index as very high. The Australians have made many accommodations to prevent skin cancer. Much of their outdoor activity is done at night. The shops along the street all have very wide 25 foot verandas to protect from the sun. Outdoor eating and displays take up much of the area. Hats are sold for all ages along with sun resistant clothing. Even the pontoon that we swam from on the reef was almost completely covered with sun shade. We passed a group of school children playing at recess. All of the children wore hats.

We spent the rest of the evening packing and eliminating weight in our suit cases. With the increased weight restrictions on the airplanes, we have to make every kilogram count. We are allowed one 50 pound checked in and one 15 pound carryon each.