I added a photo below of the rainbow that arched across the waterfall during our cruise yesterday. So lovely. Also, I found out today that it rains in Milton Sound more than 270 days a year, so we were so extraordinary lucky to have such a beautiful sunny day.

Yesterday I mentioned purchasing a winter hat. A few days ago, I purchased a beautiful shawl, made of the same material…merino wool, possum fur, and silk. I told you in a previous post how the possums are decimating the wildlife and the land in New Zealand. They came from Australia and were introduced to New Zealand in the 1860’s to start a fur trade there. The population got out of hand quickly, and now the possums are hunted, poisoned, trapped and shot and conservationists are seeking alternative solutions to rid the country of these pests. They eat the birds eggs so the birds are in danger of becoming extinct. There are currently over 47.6 million possums in New Zealand.

In the meantime, scientists have discovered that possum fur cannot be knitted like Merino wool, but it is hollow and holds warmth very well and it never freezes. They realized it can be incorporated with Merino wool to make beautiful garments. It takes about 18 possums to provide 39 lbs of fur and when combined with the Merino wool, the outcome is outstanding! My items are 53% Merino wool, 40% possum fur, and 7% silk. They are warm, soft, and just beautiful. So for now, possums that have been hunted or trapped are used for at least some good.

We were able to sleep in today and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. We did a bit of laundry and then at 12:30 we walked over to get the coach for our adventure of the day: Jet boating on the Dart River!!

We had about a 45 minute ride to where the jet boats leave from, traveling all along Lake Wakatipu and enjoying the beautiful mountains. We were bundled up with lots of layers since Catherine said it would be windy and cold on the water.

We arrived at the town of Glenorchy where we would depart from in our jet boat. Glenorchy is a little town with 400 residents. The jet boat folks gave us heavy rain slickers and life jackets and we were also given gators for around our neck that we were told to pull over the top of our heads so that we could tuck our sunglass frames inside so the sunglasses didn’t blow away.

We boarded the jet boat and were given safety instructions and then…we were off. It was exhilarating and a lot of fun!!! Our pilot Pedro did 360 degree spins in the water every now and again, letting us know he was going to do one by circling his hand above his head. He had to navigate the shallow waters and the rocks and we zipped through and around curves, holding on for dear life. The handle bars we held onto were heated, so that made our gloves nice and cozy.

Pedro stopped every now and then to make sure we were all okay and hadn’t turned chartreuse, and he would then tell us about the mountain and the areas where parts of The Lord of the Rings was filmed. He also told us he came from Brazil but fell in love with a kiwi girl and didn’t want to leave this beautiful country. He’s been driving the jet boats for about four years.

According to Wikipedia, “A jet-boat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft.” It differs from a powerboat in that it does not use a propeller that sits under the water. It draws water into a pump inside the boat and then expels it. It rides along the surface of the water for the most part.

In the 1950’s in New Zealand, a Kiwi by the name of Sir William (Bill) Hamilton, developed the Hamilton Jet unit. You can read more about him in one of the photos posted below.

We were out in the jet boat for about two hours, cruising between the beautiful mountains and enjoying the ride. It was a fabulous adventure!

We came back around 5:15 and went to dinner with the group at 6:15. We have flights tomorrow to the North Island flying first to Wellington and then on to Rotorua.

Seeing the South Island of New Zealand has been amazing! Christchurch, Canterbury, Otago, Milford Sound, Queenstown! Just fabulous! Looking forward to seeing what the North Island adventures will be.

Below – The rainbow on the waterfall during yesterday’s cruise in Milford Sound.

Sunrise this morning in Queenstown

Our friend Sharon caught a photo of an Aotearoa in flight. Great pic!!!

Along the Wakatipu River

Black swans with their cygnets

The peak in the distance was in Lord of the Rings.

The pilot has to avoid the rocks. The waters are very shallow.

My Merino wool, possum fur, and silk hat and shawl.

Just want to mention before I talk about today’s fabulous adventure… The views from the gondola yesterday were really beautiful. I guess I was so giddy after going up such a steep incline, I forgot to mention how spectacular the panarama was that was spread before us when we reached the top. It was really amazing!

Today Catherine told us the story of Shrek the Sheep. It’s really an amazing story and you can read about it here:. https://www.montessorihandwork.com/post/the-story-of-shrek-the-sheep

An interesting fact about New Zealand’s wildlife… Sheep, goats, deer, etc. have all been brought into the country over the years. The only indigenous mammals in New Zealand are the bat and marine mammals.

Today we saw a kea parrot. The Kea is the world’s only alpine parrot and lives in the high mountains of New Zealand. They are beautiful to see, and are highly intelligent. They have been known to turn on water taps and once one Kea locked a mountaineer inside an outdoor bathroom. However, they can cause a lot of damage to cars… Particularly to the tires as they like to peck on them to sharpen their beaks, thus shredding the tires.

We started our day very early… Eating breakfast at 6:30 and on our coach at 7 for the long drive to the west coast of the south island…to visit Milford Sound which is 173 miles from Queenstown, traveling the Milford Road.

The Milford Road is much more than just a way to get to Milford Sound. This was an amazing journey through Fiordland National Park. We passed through magnificent glaciers, valleys that were carved by glaciers, waterfalls, clear ice blue rivers that looked like the waters of Antarctica, and of course rainforests… All in one journey.

We crossed through the Main Divide of the Southern Alps and the highest point we climbed to was 3,083 feet. It began to snow and we watched as the beautiful mountains were covered in a blanket of white and the valleys were filled with snow. It was early in the season for this to take place, so we were extremely lucky to be able to see it.

As our journey began upon leaving Queenstown, we passed Lake Wakatipu. Lake Wakatipu has a ‘tide’ or actually a seiche, which causes the water to rise and fall about 4″ every 25 minutes or so. Maori legend thought a monster named Matau, was sleeping under the lake and it was his heartbeat causing the rise of the water. Apparently, Lake Geneva has this same phenomenon. We didn’t have time to witness the seiche ourselves, but visitors do sit at the waters edge and have fun timing it. It’s a pretty reliable rise of water every 25 minutes.

We passed hay bales in the pastures and everyone calls them marshmallow fields because the bales are wrapped in white plastic and look like giant marshmallows. Some bales are wrapped in pink plastic and some in blue. The farmers buy these colors especially for breast and prostate cancer awareness and the extra money they pay to purchase the colored plastic is donated to those causes.

We continued our journey through Fiordland National Park which was made by glaciers 100,000 years ago. There are waterfalls streaming down the mountains, a rainforest, lakes, and fiords. It is a beautiful passage to Milford Sound, with something different to see every few miles.

We made a pit stop at Te Anau, known as the gateway to the fiords and we enjoyed a coffee and did some quick shopping. I bought a really nice merino, possum, and silk hat to keep me warm.

We got out of the coach to stretch our legs at Mirror Lake and we walked along the boardwalk through the beautiful woods. Unfortunately, it was raining so we weren’t able to see the reflections of the mountains that make Mirror Lake so famous.

We went on our way and entered the Eglinton Valley. It was carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Beech trees line the valley and there is beautiful tussock grass below. I actually saw effects of a beech landslide that I mentioned in a previous post.

It started to snow and the mountains were covered very quickly in a winter wonderland of beauty. It was awe-inspiring standing before the towering mountains and looking up and feeling so insignificant. The scenery looked like a postcard. We couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.

We passed through Homer Tunnel which is a 1.2 miles tunnel through solid rock. It took over 19 years to complete and before it was built, there was no access road to Milford Sound. The tunnel passes through Darran Mountain.

We also stopped to view Mt. Tutoko, thought to be named after a Maori chief. It is the highest peak in Fiordland National Park – 8,934 feet. We were able to see the peak as we gazed up since suddenly the clouds parted.

We found ourselves in a beautiful rainforest as we traveled through Cleddau Valley and then we finally arrived at Milford Sound and boarded our boat.

Upon going aboard, we enjoyed a box lunch and a glass of wine, and then we went up on deck to view the cliffs, the glacial valleys, and waterfalls. The Milford Sound is apparently one of New Zealand’s most visited sights. We saw dolphins as we cruised along, but did not see any penguins that are sometimes there, as they had not yet migrated back from Antarctica.

The sun was shining and the sights were amazing. Palisade Falls, Bowen Falls, and Stirling Falls. The boat goes up close to Stirling Falls and you get covered with the mist. Legend says that the waterfall’s mist makes people look younger. I was drenched in the mist so you probably won’t recognize me tomorrow as I’ll look so young!!

The boat went into the Tasman Sea for a bit and then turned around and sailed back to port. It was a two hour cruise and we all enjoyed it immensely.

We boarded our coach for the long ride back to our hotel and arrived at 7:45 and had a bite to eat.

It was a fabulous day…Long, but absolutely wonderful.

On our way to Milford Sound

Seeing the sunrise on the way to Milford Sound over Lake Wakatipu.

The marshmallow field. Photo below is the beech tree landslide evident on the mountain with the tussock grass in the field below.

Mirror Lake

And suddenly…. it’s snowing!!

The snow on the mountains was magnificent! Looked like a postcard.

Mt. Tutoko

We took a side trip to the Swiss Alps! No… Just an unforgettable stop in Fiordland National Park.

Spectacular!!!

The rainforest

Our boat on Milford Sound. And suddenly… The sun is out!

Sailing through the fjord to the Tasman Sea

Two of the many waterfalls

Approaching the sea. This is where a glacier, a rainforest, and the sea all meet at the same time!

Entering the Tasman Sea.

The Stirling waterfall. The boat went very close to it and we all felt the mist on our faces.

Homer tunnel through the mountain.

A kea parrot. Photo taken by my friend Sue.

On our way back to the hotel. Beautiful scenery.

The sunset on our way

Lammy travels in the bus wherever we go!

Some treats we ate along the way

April 25 is the National Day of Remembrance in both Australia and New Zealand, honoring the war veterans and those who gave their lives in all the wars that both countries have fought in. Most places are closed today and there were wreath laying ceremonies all over the area.

Before we left for today’s itinerary, we looked out the window and saw a double rainbow arch across the sky. It has been raining hard, but when we were ready to leave the hotel, the sun came out.

Our tour group took the public bus to Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town in the Otago region. It is located on the banks of the Arrow River where scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed. There are still many well preserved buildings there that were used by the European and Chinese immigrants who settled during the town’s gold mining era. There was an original miner’s cabin as well as the original pharmacy building, which remains a pharmacy today.

Arrowtown highlights the contribution of Chinese gold miners to the region. Their living conditions were generally poor during the gold rush and most of the Chinese miners spoke very little English. They stayed to themselves, worked hard, but were not treated kindly. The local paper in 1883 had the headline “Almond Eyed Leprosy Tainted Filthy Chinamen!”. And went on to say “that for the past week, Arrowtown has been the center of attraction for about 200 Chinese who have made night hideous with their exploding crackers and their disgusting presence felt in more ways than one.”

The Chinese went to New Zealand because they wanted to strike it rich in the gold mines, but their determination, despite the racism and resentments that they endured, left an enduring strength and respect with the New Zealand nation and in 2002, the then prime minister Helen Clark, formally apologized for the discriminations that took place during the gold rush.

Arrowtown holds its annual autumn festival in April each year and we were lucky to be there on the day the festivities began. This year marks the 39th festival edition.

The movie Lord of the Rings put the New Zealand production company Wingnut on the map. Up until then, they were producing horror films that were not well received, but after the success of Lord of the Rings, they went on to produce The Lovely Bones, The Adventures of TinTin, The Hobbit, and The Beatles: Get Back.

Allan and I decided to take the public bus back into town, and not stay for the festivities, since there was a lot of walking involved and my foot wasn’t feeling up to it.

Before we boarded the bus, I used the bathroom facility in Arrowtown. That was an experience!!!! You wait outside the door until the green light comes on and then you walk into your private bathroom and press the inside button. The door closes and a voice says “Door is now locked. You have 10 minutes until an alarm goes off and the door will open.”Yikes! Then there’s a sign above the toilet that reads that the toilet won’t flush until you start to wash your hands in the sink on the wall. Soap is dispensed, water comes out, the toilet flushes, and then you dry your hands on the fan. You press the button to exit and voila…that’s it! It was pretty cool.

We boarded the bus and asked the bus driver to drop us at the Old Courthouse on Ballarat Street. He had no idea what we meant and so he said he’d drop us at the town square. Of course, we had no clue what that meant. Allan could see the stops that we were approaching on the screen next to the driver, so we waited for Ballarat Street to appear. It never did. The driver never told us where to get off and as we passed by the Old Courthouse, we realized we missed our stop. We had to walk back a few blocks to get to the Skyline Gondola, an adventure we decided to take since it was such a beautiful and sunny day.

Given my fear of heights, this really was out of my comfort zone. The Gondola rises to a height of 1,476 feet and is the steepest cable car lift in the Southern Hemisphere!!!!

And….It was REALLY steep… And my legs were jelly by the time we arrived at the top. We went out to the viewing platform but I could only take a few pics since I didn’t even like being outside and being up so high.

We had a quick bite to eat up at the top in the cafeteria and then we headed back down in the Gondola, during which you could REALLY get the effect of the steepness. There was a sign inside the car that said don’t worry if the gondola slows down or stops. Everything will be okay. Yeah! If that gondola stopped midway, I probably would have passed out.

Fortunately, all went according to plan and we wound up on terra firma. But believe me…I won’t be ziplining anytime soon!!!

We all went out for pizza tonight and it really was very good. It’s an early to bed since we are on the road tomorrow at 7 am for a very busy day!

The toilet experience

Arrowtown Autumn Festival with the street lights festooned in autumnal array.

Gorgeous autumn day

One is the original miner’s cabins

Outdoor privy from the gold mining era. Hmmmm… No door???

The Skyline Gondola

Standing on the viewing platform

We wore our poppies to show solidarity in honoring the veterans on this solemn day.

New Zealand has three official languages: Maori, English, and sign language. Maori was often spoken by government officials until the 1870s, when the use of it declined due to the increase of the European population. In 1867 the Native Schools Act banned the speaking of Maori in the schools. The language was almost totally lost due to that Act, but a Maori language revitalization began in the late 20th century and that has helped slow the decline. A major protest in the 70’s caused greater awareness and now the language has resurfaced. The language is now taught in the schools beginning in kindergarten which has helped increase the number of native speakers.

This morning we checked out of our hotel and drove back to Christchurch to take our flight to Queenstown.

It was a beautiful day and we drove back over the Southern Alps, stopping at different places along the way. We saw where filming had taken place for The Chronicles of Narnia which was pretty cool to see.

The scenery along the way was absolutely magnificent. Autumn is the perfect time to be here…the leaves are changing colors and the temperature is very pleasant – not the hot temps of the summer months.

On the way, Catherine told us about the school teachers in the 1900’s. The men did not have to sign a contract, but the women did. The women’s contract said: 1. They could not smoke. 2. They could not marry. 3. They couldn’t be in a carriage unless accompanied by a member of their family. 4. They agree to get to the schoolhouse early and start the wood heaters and erase and clean the blackboards – not only for their classrooms, but also for the mens. 5. Their dresses had to be below the ankle. 6. And no loitering in front of an ice cream store. (Now that one is just cruel and unusual punishment!!!)

We stopped for a break at the Otira Cafe and Bar. What a crazy place! The guy collects antiquities and his entire place was filled with all kinds of wild and crazy things… And he was just as crazy. He cooks food with a parrot on his shoulder that nibbles on his ear. I’m sure if the Board of Health came in, the place would be shut down in an instant!

The guy wasn’t very nice either. I bought a honey, ginger, lemon tea and he said it would be $6 (as the parrot squawked on his shoulder). I said, “But the sign says $5.” He says, “Oh, Ok. I forgot.” So Allan gives him $10 and I walk away while Allan waits for his change. Unbeknownst to me the guy gives Allan $5 back and then says, “And you owe me a dollar!!”. What a wheeler dealer!

We traveled further along and stopped for lunch at a very popular kiwi pie place. They had all kinds of pies. I had the chicken one and Allan had the steak and mushroom one. The kiwi pies are delicious with flaky crusts and savory fillings. They are very popular in New Zealand.

There are beech trees along the mountain road and Catherine told us that the roots of the trees intertwine under the ground. Unfortunately, if there is a bad storm, the trees are toppled and because the roots are intertwined, they all fall down the mountain like a tree landslide. After a storm, red algae eventually appears over time, which begins life anew and the trees and other flora eventually grow back. We saw the red algae all over the rocks.

We finally arrived at the airport and boarded a small turbo prop plane to take us to Queenstown. The flight was a little bumpy as we soared over the mountains and even the flight attendant was sitting clenching his hands on his knees, but we arrived safely and went to our hotel.

Queenstown is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu. The mountain range called The Remarkables (and they really are) can be viewed from our hotel as well as the Cecil Peak and the Walter Peak. Apparently, so the story goes, the name The Remarkables was given by early Queenstown settlers upon seeing the mountain range during sunset one evening, and they named them the Remarkables to describe the beautiful sight.

We checked into our hotel which overlooks the lake and then went for a walk into the town for dinner. The town is a happening place! Restaurants and bars all over as well as shops selling everything you can imagine. We walked along the lake and admired the beautiful trees in vibrant colorful array.

We had a delicious dinner and then walked back to the hotel through the streets that were crowded with diners sitting outside in front of gas heaters looking across the lake at the beautiful mountains.

We’re here for four nights! Looks like it will be a great place to stay and enjoy everything Queenstown has to offer.

Antiquities store

The place is a hotel as well

The scenery along the Southern Alps is magnificent. Below is a picture of the red algae.

The mountains change colors as the sun hits them

Filming for the Chronicles of Narnia took place here

Chronicles of Narnia

View from our hotel window

The peaks of The Remarkables

The lake and pine trees. Below is a picture of The Remarkables mountain range…our first glimpse when we deplaned.

Can get just about anything in this pharmacy

The moon as we walked back to the hotel.

What an amazing day!!! I know you all have been waiting to hear what the opportunity of a lifetime was for Allan and me. 

We took a helicopter ride over the Southern Alps!  What a beautiful country this is and seeing it from the sky was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Flying close to the forests and the rocks was amazing and as we climbed higher to go over some of the higher mountains, we were in awe of the natural beauty.  The pilot flew to a glacier and let us off on the rocks so we could walk right up to the snow covered glacier. I was able to ride in the front seat of the helicopter on the way back. The photos will tell the story better than I can.  By the way…we all were weighed before we boarded the chopper so that the weight was distributed evenly.

After the helicopter ride, we went for a 1.3 mile walk through the Hokitika native bush and arrived at a suspension bridge overlooking the gorge. The water below was a gorgeous shade of turquoise blue which we were able to see very clearly since it is another beautiful sunny day. We then walked the 1.3 miles back to our bus. 

Our bus took us near the beach and we got off and walked along the sand where driftwood is plentiful. 

We had lunch and then we all went to hear how jade (greenstone or Pounamu) is mined from the nearby area and how it is cut and polished and made into beautiful jewelry, carvings, and many other things. I bought a beautiful necklace carved into the shape of a fish hook. Fish hook (Hei Matau in Maori) represents determination, strength, peace, (the name Irene means peace), prosperity, and safe journey especially over water. A very apropos necklace for me. 

We also went to The Possum People store to hear the owner discuss the controversial topic of possum eradication by poison pellets. Possum in New Zealand are destructive pests that were introduced to the country in the 1800’s to promote fur trade.  The country since realized the devastation the possums were causing but by then, the population of possums had increased to record levels. 

In order to eradicate them, the New Zealand government uses a poison known as sodium monofluroacetate. The toxic pellets must be prepared and distributed with care. They are usually dropped by helicopter in the National Forests, which is unbelievable. The pellets are harmful to humans, livestock, and non-targeted animals. Dogs have been killed by accidently ingesting the pellets while out for a walk.

The government recognizes the risks, but they feel the risks need to be weighed against the actual threat that the possums pose to the native forests and the farming industry. 

After the talk we did some shopping and then met in Catherine’s hotel room for some wine tasting and snacks. 

Catherine was once a wine maker and she told us how Pinot Noir wines are so tricky to produce. The grapes need cool mornings and nights with lots of sunshine during the day. She said the grape skins on those grapes are like silk shirts…thin so the sun can penetrate as opposed to the darker wines where the skins are like leather jackets. Interesting discription.  She said when you throw the Pinot Noir grape at a wall, if it bounces back, it is ripe.

We all went to dinner and I had pork belly and Allan had Hoki fish. I finished with pavlova and Allan had apple crumble. 

Hokitika is a charming little town and we are sad to leave it tomorrow. 

Ready to go

Whoa….flying close to the mountain

We landed on the mountain and walked to the glacier

Coming in for a landing

Rainforest walk

Looking into the gorge

Walking over the suspension bridge

Driftwood all along the beach

The jade store

My Jade necklace

The Possum store

Pork belly

Pavlova

Before I begin today’s post, just wanted too tell you about the first picture below. This was from our kayak experience yesterday and one of the Maori showed us his war stance to scare the opponent. It was pretty scary as his tongue came way out of his mouth and his eyes rolled back into his head. If I was his opponent, I would have run away for sure!!! It is called Pūkana. Women open their eyes wide and jut out their chin.

Now to tell you about today’s adventure.

We started our day visiting the Rubicon Farm,  a working farm in Rubicon Valley, nestled in the Southern Alps.  Our guide for the day, Chris, the owner of the farm, doesn’t own the sheep, but borrows the sheep from his neighbor so he can run his tour business and show people how the sheep get herded as well as how they get shorn. 

We watched as Chris rallied the sheep in the paddock with commands with his voice to his dogs, having the dogs round up the sheep and bring them into the pen. The dogs only respond to his voice and some of us tried to give the commands to the dogs, but the dogs would not obey. 

Then Chris took us over to where the long-haired Romney sheep are shorn. It is a very hard job, but the pay is very good. The record for shearing one sheep is 28 seconds which is really amazing. Shearing a sheep takes many years to learn and we watched Chris demonstrate both the electric shears and the hand blades that are used today.

 In the shearing room there are many workers and they know exactly what their jobs are. Some are shearers and some sweep away the pelts as they are shorn. The pelt from the poop underpart is separated from the underbelly, etc. since it is the dirtiest part.  The workers must work fast and it is all synchronized like a ballet.  

Chris told us how the wool is then sorted for market according to its length, color, the amount of seeds and debris in it etc., and how it is graded. White wool free of debris and long in length gets the highest rating of one. Four is short tufts which is not as good. Some of the wool is sent away to be washed in huge washing machines, but this is costly and diminishes the profits.   

He also has alpacas on the farm and we were able to have a photo op with them. 

We went for a BBQ on the farm and enjoyed lamb, sausage, potatoes, and delicious salads and desserts. It was a very informative and fun morning. 

Then we boarded our bus for the drive through the majestic Southern Alps on our way to Hokitika, and what a beautiful ride it was.  We stopped many times for photo ops and you can see the beauty of the landscape in my photos. 

Our day was filled with sunshine, which is unusual for this area since it usually has a lot of rain, so we were very lucky. 

We arrived at our hotel which is right on the beach and Allan and I enjoyed some wine and cheese on our balcony looking at the ocean and the afterglow of the sunset. 

When it was fully dark, Susan took us to see the glow-worms at Glow-worm Dell. 

Glowworms are bioluminescent, meaning they produce and emit light naturally from an organ similar to a human kidney.  While glowworms are pretty small, about the size of a one inch needle, they prey on even smaller insects such as mayflies, midges, moths and flies. To capture their food, glowworms build a network of silk threads that are covered in a sticky mucus and hangs vertically from their habitat. As the insects are drawn to their glowing bioluminescent light, they fly toward it and into the sticky silk maze, where they get stuck for glowworms to eat. When the glow-worms are hungry, they glow even more, so when we walked through the dark to see them, it was like looking at the starry sky. I guess they were pretty hungry! What a fabulous opportunity it was to see these unusual creatures. 

And then we all walked to the beach and gazed at the stars and Susan showed us the Southern Cross. We had seen it in the Outback but we never get tired of seeing it again. 

We have a very exciting day planned for tomorrow!  Hopefully, a once in a lifetime for Allan and me. Stay tuned!!  

The alpacas

Getting ready to shear the sheep

The sheep wool

Rain water pouring into the gorge

The Tasman Sea is a sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. 

Our hotel room

The Glow Worms. It was like looking at the starry sky.

The Sea

The Southern Cross. It is on its side. You can see the four stars forming a square on the right and then to the left is the bottom of the cross.

The moon is almost full tonight so the sky is not very dark.

At the sheep farm

Kia Ora! Good morning from Christchurch, New Zealand!

Before I begin today’s adventure commentary, I just wanted to mention a few things.

Yesterday, when we arrived in New Zealand, our luggage again went through security. They are very serious about not bringing anything into New Zealand that is from another country, that could be harmful to the delicate environ of this beautiful country. They also checked a few of our shoe bottoms since we had been in the Outback and wanted to make sure they were clean and free from debris.

Also, Susan told us that the day before we were at the Great Barrier Reef, someone tragically coded and had to be transported out by helicopter and did pass away. She also confirmed that in Darwin, two fisherman were taken by crocodiles and never seen again. She said people think the crocodiles are not that dangerous and after they’ve been drinking and trying to goad the crocs, they can come to a very sad demise.

And finally, in Australia, Chlamydia is devastating the koala population. However, even though the disease is widespread in most koala populations, the disease is not present on Kangaroo Island due to its isolation from other colonies. Currently, in the areas where Chlamydia is rampant, veterinarians are testing a process that would vaccinate the koalas for the disease. Two vaccinations are needed, so scientists are trying to come up with a way to give an injection first and also implant a pellet at the same time that disintegrates over time to administer the second dose. They would use a rapid Chlamydia test that can be done in 20 minutes and if the koala is Chlamydia free, he would be vaccinated and the pellet would be implanted and the koala would be sent back into the wild.

And now…. Christchurch, New Zealand.

Our hotel is lovely and after breakfast, we met with our guide for the next two weeks in New Zealand, Catherine. She told us about her family… Her daughter is a Master wine maker and owns the Blank Canvas winery, and years ago, Catherine herself made wines.

Catherine told us about what to expect for the next few weeks and ended the talk giving everyone a taste of manuka honey. Manuka honey has been found to have various benefits, including antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities. Scientists have been trying to use Manuka honey in the area of tissue engineering to design a template for regeneration. It was thick and delicious.

After our talk with Catherine, we walked over to the Otakaro River to learn how to paddle a kayak. We also learned the chants that keep the rhythm for the paddlers to stay in sync.

First we played a game with the paddles. We all stood in a circle and one of the Maori, Dave, told us the words for “right”, “left”, and “clap twice in front of you”… And then he called them out and we had to grab the paddle of the person either to our left or right, or just clap. It was a lot of fun.

Then we climbed into the kayak and we all worked in sync chanting the rhythm. It was paddles up, paddles in the water, then it was paddle, tap the paddle on the kayak, paddle, tap, paddle, tap, until our guide Dave said paddles up. We did a great job!!

Christchurch became a city in 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. Christchurch is one of five Antarctic gateway cities, hosting bases for several Nations.

The city suffered a series of earthquakes between 2010 and 2012, the most destructive occurring in 2011 in which 185 people died and thousands of buildings suffered severe damage and collapse. As we walked around, we could see the devastation as well as the rebuilding that is going on of many of the buildings.

An OAT group like our group was here during the earthquake. Their hotel was damaged and deemed uninhabitable. Fortunately, the group was out on a dolphin watch tour at the time of the quake. They were not allowed back into the hotel and had to be taken to the nearest embassy in order to get passports reissued since many left their passports, money, etc. in the hotel. They also could not retrieve their luggage. Unbelievably, 9 months later, all the tourists that were impacted received a knock on the doors where they lived, and their belongings were returned to them.

The earthquake destroyed the Christchurch Cathedral spire and damaged most of the building. The Anglican Church decided to demolish the building and replace it with a new structure, but various groups opposed the church’s intentions. It was eventually decided that the cathedral would be reinstated with monies promised by grants and loans from governments. By 2019 stabilisation began. In the meantime, the people worshipped at the Cardboard Cathedral also known as the Transitional Cathedral.

We then visited the Cardboard Cathedral. What a work of art. The materials used to build this building consists of cardboard tubes, timber and steel. Also, shipping containers were used in the construction. Instead of a replacement rose window, the building has triangular pieces of stained glass which are beautiful. The cathedral is magnificent.

Allan and I had a delicious lunch of kiwi chicken pie (Allan’s had bacon and cheese and mine had brie and cranberries). Then we walked to the Botanical Gardens. The flowers were blooming and the trees were changing color. Just lovely.

Everyone in our group split up and we all went to a home hosted dinner. Allan and I were with four others and we went to a lovely couple’s home and had a delicious meal. We sat at the table and had a wonderful conversation about their life in New Zealand. Their home was beautiful and actually, most of their home had to be repaired and rebuilt after the earthquake. The husband Shaun is a builder and did most of the work.

They cooked a delicious dinner for us. We had some appetizers and then they served lamb, roasted potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and peas. For dessert we had homemade pavlova with homemade hokey pokey ice cream.

We chatted for quite awhile and then they took us back to our hotel and we bid them a fond farewell.

Our guide Catherine with her daughter who is a Master Wine maker, and Catherine’s granddaughter Isabella.

Kayaking

We all worked together and went down the river

It is autumn here and just beautiful

Care for the people

The Arts Center

Bridge of Remembrance

Delicious Chicken, brie, and cranberry kiwi pie. It’s not made with kiwi…it’s just the name of the pie that is so delicious and served all over.

The peacock fountain in the botanical garden

Flowers were in bloom

Trees are changing colors

Kayaking

Info about the Christchurch Cathedral

The Cardboard Cathedral

The triangular stained glass

Inside the cathedral

Shaun and Nicki – our dinner hosts

We bid a fond goodbye to our wonderful Australian guide Susan, and boarded our flight to Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Sydney airport is crazy town!! What a mess!! Our flight was delayed over 45 minutes and then we went on one line, herded into another waiting area, waited there for about 30 minutes, was herded into a bus, and finally arrived at our plane.

The flight was fine, however, three people lost their luggage. Apparently, Qantas deleted their luggage ticket and now they have no clue where the luggage is. Sadly, they had medications that they need as well as cameras in the luggage. This is a wake up reminder. Never, ever put anything you absolutely need in something other than what will be on your person and with you at all times!

We met our new guide Catherine and had a welcome dinner to get acquainted. I had Hoki fish for the first time. It was okay… But I wouldn’t order it again.

Our hotel is lovely and we all were pretty tired from traveling all day, so it was off to bed.

Hoki fish

First glimpse of New Zealand

We slept in today and had a late breakfast and then we met Debbie and took the light rail to the wharf to board Captain Cook’s Harbor Cruise which took us all throughout Sydney harbor. Susan gave us each a light rail card with $20 on it so we were able to ride the rail until the money ran out, which never happened as it was enough on the card to get around the city all day. It’s a “tap on tap off system” where you tap your card before boarding the light rail and again when you get off. It’s a $200 fine if you try to ride for free and they catch you.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the hour ride on the boat was lovely. We sat up on the top deck and the sea air was refreshing and we were able to get a good overview of the city. It was also nice to see an entirely different view of the opera house, one you can only view from the water.

Since it was lunchtime when we disembarked the boat, the three of us went for lunch at a local pub. I had fish and chips which was very good. Allan had a chicken dish.

Debbie was interested in touring The Hyde Park Barracks museum so we once again boarded the light rail and did the tour.

Entry to the museum was free and we were given a headset with a commentary device that you could either listen to or read while you went through the museum. The headset was intuitive to know exactly what exhibit you were viewing and what room you were walking into. Pretty neat.

The Barracks is a UNESCO World Heritage site and presents an amazing record of colonial Australia. It was originally built to house prisoners and as we went from room to room we saw how the convicts lived and how they were treated. Many of the convicts were there perhaps because they had stolen a loaf of bread or committed some other minor crime. They were taken to the Barracks instead of being hung, and forced to work in chain gangs to build and expand colonial Australia. Some of the convicts were flogged if they didn’t obey and we were able to see the different forms of punishment the convicts endured.

It was getting late so we had to leave the Barracks to get ready for our farewell dinner cruise. We all met in the lobby of our hotel and while some of the group walked to the wharf, Allan and I went with others on the light rail to get to there.

It was a beautiful sunset cruise and a nice salad, chicken dinner and desserts were served. We took lots of photos along the way of the skyline in the glow of the setting sun.

After dinner, were took some of the bottles of wine that they were serving on the cruise (shhhhhh… don’t tell) and had a “pub walk”, stopping periodically as we walked back to the hotel, toasting each other with the wine, regaling all the wonderful things we experienced in our two weeks in Australia. There were a lot of laughs and good natured teasing and we had a great time as we sauntered back to our hotel to get ready for our flight tomorrow to New Zealand – to embark on the second half of this amazing trip.

When we returned to the hotel, a few of us stayed up and chatted with Susan and enjoyed a final evening with our fabulous guide. Then, it was off to our rooms to pack for our flight to Christchurch, New Zealand.

Entry to New Zealand from another country is very strict. On board our flight we will be given an Arrivals Card to complete which we will hand to a customs official. We must declare any food items containing loose nuts or seeds as they are not permitted and fresh fruit is also prohibited. We are not allowed to take any food from the plane and we cannot bring in shells or coral. We also have to declare any wood or leather items.
In regard to our shoes, we have to make sure the soles are clean and we have to wear the shoes we wore in the Outback, since customs will check them and it saves customs from searching through our bags for them.

It will be around 68 degrees when we land and we should be able get some great views of the majestic Southern Alps upon disembarking.

Our morning cruise

Seeing the Sydney Opera House from the water

The Barracks

The hammocks where the convicts slept.

Walking back to the hotel through the park

Our sunset dinner cruise

On our “pub walk” back to the hotel

Our sunset cruise

Our “pub walk”

This morning we had a delicious breakfast in the hotel. There was the usual breakfast items, but in addition, they featured pork dumplings, stir fried noodles, and congee. There is a large Asian presence in the city. 

After breakfast, we visited the iconic Sydney Opera House for a private tour.  Groundbreaking for this magnificent structure began on March 1, 1959 and was completed in 1973.  The opera house is the home to Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theater Company, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and others.

It was designed by Jorn Utzon, but completed by Peter Hall due to circumstances that overshadowed the building of the opera house, causing Utzon to be forced out and resign. Sadly, he never returned to Australia to see his design completed, but he did live long enough to see it named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Our tour guide explained how the structure was built.  It features a series of over 900,000 precast concrete shells forming the roofs. It is supported on concrete piers that sink at least 82 feet into the ground. The shells are not all white (ice), but also include beige colored ones (cream) so the overall look from the distance is not stark white and instead becomes “ice cream” colored. 

We were very fortunate that there were no rehearsals going on in the different concert theaters so we got to see the Joan Sutherland Theater where Opera Australia as well as the Australian Ballet perform.  Interestingly, the floor where the ballerinas perform is made with a special Tarkett floor which gives slightly so the ballerinas do not injure their legs when they perform. And often, the stage managers mop the floor with classic Coca Cola  to make the surface sticky so the dancers’ shoes will stick better and they won’t slide. 

Beautiful red carpet, a royal color, leads the way to the Sutherland Theater, but into the concert hall, there is a purple carpet leading the way.  Although purple is a royal color as well, it is considered bad luck by many musicians. When Pavorotti came to sing at the concert hall, he refused to go in and so they had to move everything to a different hall, one without any hint of purple. 

There are what look like large petals hanging from the ceiling in the concert hall that can be moved in different ways to reflect sound back to the musicians so they can hear better.  

The opera house is just beautiful and we enjoyed learning all about it from our guide. It is well worth seeing the inside and of course marveling at the iconic outside, as it sits perched on the water. 

We then met another guide who walked us all through The Rocks District. The Rocks is the oldest historical district in Sydney and was originally a slum with very squalid conditions. The bubonic plague broke out at one point causing thousands of homes to be demolished. 

We walked through the “Nurses Walk” which runs into the “Suez Canal”, a narrow passageway where sewage actually flowed through, hence “Sewers” canal.  The canal was later filled in and became a haven for prostitutes and gangsters. Today, the Rocks is a thriving neighborhood with cafes, restaurants, and boutique shops and is lovely to wander through the narrow lanes that wind throughout. 

We enjoyed lunch and then took a long walk through the botanical gardens with another guide who was a First Nations member.  First Nations’ recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the sovereign people of the land. She told us about her life and customs, many of which we had already learned about in Port Douglas, but she was very interesting and we enjoyed the talk as well as touring the gardens. 

The heavens opened up at one point with thunder and lightning, so we made our way to the cultural center where she showed us many artifacts indigenous to her culture. 

I want to mention that whenever we take a flight in Australia, begin to listen to a lecture, or begin a tour of an historical area, the Aboriginal people are honored with these words: “We respect and honor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present, and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions, and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on this land and we commit to building a brighter future together”. This is usually followed by a moment of silence. 

Allan and I had a quick bite to eat and then we took an Uber over to the Handa Opera House on Sydney Bay to see West Side Story in the open air overlooking the bay. 

We had fabulous center seats since I purchased them months ago, and it was a sold out performance, so I was happy to have purchased tickets so far in advance. 

It was a beautiful moonlit night with mild temperatures, although we were dressed warmly which we appreciated as the evening wore on and the breeze over the water picked up. 

The sets were amazing, the singers spectacular, and the dancing choreography was unbelievable. The actor who sang Tony’s part was our favorite. His voice was beautiful as he sang Maria. Fireworks went off at one point during the show which was wonderful!  

We had purchased platinum club tickets for intermission which was to include drinks and appetizers, but that was a waste of money. The wine was awful and we were only offered two measley appetizers along with a cookie. 

The show was well worth the price and we Ubered back to the hotel with the iconic tunes to the musical swirling around in our heads until we climbed into bed. 

It was a fabulous day. 

Flying into Sydney

Sydney’s beautiful skyscrapers

The iconic bridge

Inside the opera house

An amazing architectural feat

The ice and cream colors

The purple carpet

Spectacular!

Botanical gardens

Art museum. ….Michael Angelo??? Too funny!

The stage

A friend took this photo. Gorgeous!