Robert working hard in bay of islands.
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Wednesday 12 January 2011
12 Jan - Donnelly pharma consulting offices (NZ branch)
Robert working hard in bay of islands.
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Tuesday 11 January 2011
3rd to 13 Jan - new chapter of War and Peace
From the cold and wet of Fox glacier we made our way north on 3rd to Greymouth to catch the Transalpine express for the 5 hour trip to Christchurch. One of the world's most scenic rail trips. The highlight (along with the cream tea) was Liz spending several hours in an open carriage trying to take photos while hanging on for grim death to the safety rail, speeding at 60 miles an hour. Health and Safety would never allow this in the UK.
We arrived in the very English Christchurch. On checking in to our hotel we were given a note to meet for pre-dinner drinks with reps from Audley travel called Kelvin and Matilda - names were a bit suspicious. It was a wonderful surprise to find they were our dear friends Gill and Ralph. They had arranged their itinerary to travel with us for the next 7 days. We started off with a bottle of sparkling which set the scene for the rest of the next week.
Things had been fairly sedate until they arrived. We went punting on the Avon with 'sparkling' of course .Then Ralph suggested going to the Antarctic experience. $60 (£30) each was spent so it had better be worth it.
It started with us getting into a Haglan (enclosed rough terrain vehicle) recreating a ride over antarctic terrain. It is just as well Liz had not read the health warnings before getting in. We set off at great speed over very rough ground with all 12 people hanging on tight to straps from the roof shrieking (or was it screaming) as we bumped and shook along the track. Accompanied by animated commentary from the sadistic driver. We then slowly climbed a particularly steep slope and stopped expectantly at the top - and shot down leaving stomachs way behind. Thank God to get out alive!!
Next we went to a 3D film (with the glasses) of antarctic life. Amazingly life like including feeling sea sick as the boat plunged in a storm squirting water at us and being dive bombed by seagulls. We then moved on to the finale in a deep freeze to experience what the weather is like. We did'nt come all the way to NZ to experience -20 we can do that at home! We did finish up seeing some cute live penguins in their little nesting holes, accessed by opening little doors and peering in. We were practically nose to penguin, but they had a look of 'seen it all before' so were not to bothered by us gawping at them.
Next stop was Marlborough. We were lucky leaving Christchurch in the morning of the 5th as they had another quake in the afternoon (just a grade 3 aftershock). On the way up the East coast we stopped at Kaikoura to join a whale watch trip. Thankfully travel sickness pills had been swallowed, as the jet propelled catamaran shot off at high speed across the waves to track down sighted whales before they dived.
We found 2 sperm whales, one was marred by the fact that there were 2 whale spotting airplanes circling it as well as 2/3 boats. The whale didn't seem to mind and carried on feeding and spouting until the dive with tail up. It was fantastic to see them. But more amazing was being in the middle of large pod of dolphins. They were jumping and spinning and swimming around us, including babies - truly memorable.
6th Jan was wine cycling day. We had a great day although it did rain a bit. Marlborough is by far the largest vine growing area in NZ. We saw familiar names like Montana and Villa Maria and of course the famous iconic ones like Cloudy Bay.
We started off cycling in a straight line but after lunch we were a bit wobbly. We went to about 9 wineries. Some great small boutique ones including Gibson Bridge whose tasting 'cellar door' was more of a garage. The owner was a builder and recently gave up as his wine was doing so well - won awards. When Liz asked him if he exported his wine (so we could find out where we could get it in the UK) he said yes 'he had just sold 3 bottles to someone going back to the UK and 6 the other day'! Gill bought a few bottles of his excellent pinot gris which enjoyed later.
On 7th we all set off for Abel Tasman national park (top left of South Island). Fantastic scenic drive and arrived at a remote lodge with wonderful views of the mountains and forest. At Ralph and Gill's suggestion we decided on a trip next morning that included a jet taxi ride, sea kayaking, picnic and walking part of the Abel Tasman trail.
On the 8th Robert woke with a lot of mouth discomfort which was probably a dental abscess (it had been bothering him for a few days) so decided to seek out a doctor. I was left in the care of expert sailors R and G - big mistake. The 3 of us went off for another 'oh my God adventure'.
We were shoe-horned into a sea taxi, given life jackets and towed out by a tractor to the sea (low tide). Poor Gill only had one cheek on a seat, and Ralph and Liz had life jackets that were too small and could hardly breath. Once in the water the throttle was pushed to the floor and we crashed across the waves for 40 minutes - hanging on tight.
Liz and Gill had never been in a sea kayak, at least Ralph had canoed! Liz had thought we were going to paddle gently along near the water edge - no chance. We had 2 mins training, which included how to paddle and if you capsize pull the tab on the 'skirt' and you will fall out!! It was just the 3 of us and Robbie 'the expert' sharing double kayaks. Thankfully Robbie was behind me.
We paddled ot to sea for 25 mins to seal island. It was not too rough but Liz felt pretty tense. Looking at seals was great but when we then went around the island and further out to sea (with a warning that it would get a bit choppier) I was definitely outside my comfort zone. All that kept me going was knowing Robbie was behind me, and seemed to know what he was doing. R and G were smiling so must be enjoying themslves. In all we paddled for about two hours. I was never so happy to get on dry land.
Next stage was a picnic. A water taxi screamed to halt on the beach and out stepped Robert. It was a lovely surprise and I definitely needed cuddles after what I had been through. Unfortunately by this time his chicken roll had been given to a passing dog! He did get some carrot cake.
The walk to the next bay (about 2 hours) was stunning - and then there was getting the water taxi back......The best thing was that we were 7 miles closer so the ride was shorter. With no tractors however we had to wade into the now rougher water to drag ourselves aboard. Poor Gill got knocked over by a wave so completely soaked. We got going at great speed, crashing over the waves. This time the driver kept looking at information on his clipboard god help any kayaks in the way! So that was our adventure thanks R and G for the great idea!! Actually it was pretty special day, and really peacefully just paddling along.
Our last day together was 9th. I jampacked a day of sites to see - great scenery, waterfall walks. Nothing scary - apart from the swinging wire bridge over the river. We did get back to the lodge in time for a spa bath and a glass of wine before dinner. It was sad to say goodbye. Next day we flew to Auckland and drove north to bay of Island and they drove back to Christchurch to take the Transalpine to greymouth and then down West coast to Fox Glacier.
Our last days were spent in lovely sunshine. Gill and Ralph's at the glacier were spent in rain. What a surprise - they only have 8 metres a year. And so we have reached the end of our adventure. It has been an amazing holiday, but we are ready to go home. We miss kisses and cuddles from Adam. We are especially looking forward to seeing our new grand daughter Sophia and of course the adorable Jasmine.
We arrived in the very English Christchurch. On checking in to our hotel we were given a note to meet for pre-dinner drinks with reps from Audley travel called Kelvin and Matilda - names were a bit suspicious. It was a wonderful surprise to find they were our dear friends Gill and Ralph. They had arranged their itinerary to travel with us for the next 7 days. We started off with a bottle of sparkling which set the scene for the rest of the next week.
Things had been fairly sedate until they arrived. We went punting on the Avon with 'sparkling' of course .Then Ralph suggested going to the Antarctic experience. $60 (£30) each was spent so it had better be worth it.
It started with us getting into a Haglan (enclosed rough terrain vehicle) recreating a ride over antarctic terrain. It is just as well Liz had not read the health warnings before getting in. We set off at great speed over very rough ground with all 12 people hanging on tight to straps from the roof shrieking (or was it screaming) as we bumped and shook along the track. Accompanied by animated commentary from the sadistic driver. We then slowly climbed a particularly steep slope and stopped expectantly at the top - and shot down leaving stomachs way behind. Thank God to get out alive!!
Next we went to a 3D film (with the glasses) of antarctic life. Amazingly life like including feeling sea sick as the boat plunged in a storm squirting water at us and being dive bombed by seagulls. We then moved on to the finale in a deep freeze to experience what the weather is like. We did'nt come all the way to NZ to experience -20 we can do that at home! We did finish up seeing some cute live penguins in their little nesting holes, accessed by opening little doors and peering in. We were practically nose to penguin, but they had a look of 'seen it all before' so were not to bothered by us gawping at them.
Next stop was Marlborough. We were lucky leaving Christchurch in the morning of the 5th as they had another quake in the afternoon (just a grade 3 aftershock). On the way up the East coast we stopped at Kaikoura to join a whale watch trip. Thankfully travel sickness pills had been swallowed, as the jet propelled catamaran shot off at high speed across the waves to track down sighted whales before they dived.
We found 2 sperm whales, one was marred by the fact that there were 2 whale spotting airplanes circling it as well as 2/3 boats. The whale didn't seem to mind and carried on feeding and spouting until the dive with tail up. It was fantastic to see them. But more amazing was being in the middle of large pod of dolphins. They were jumping and spinning and swimming around us, including babies - truly memorable.
6th Jan was wine cycling day. We had a great day although it did rain a bit. Marlborough is by far the largest vine growing area in NZ. We saw familiar names like Montana and Villa Maria and of course the famous iconic ones like Cloudy Bay.
We started off cycling in a straight line but after lunch we were a bit wobbly. We went to about 9 wineries. Some great small boutique ones including Gibson Bridge whose tasting 'cellar door' was more of a garage. The owner was a builder and recently gave up as his wine was doing so well - won awards. When Liz asked him if he exported his wine (so we could find out where we could get it in the UK) he said yes 'he had just sold 3 bottles to someone going back to the UK and 6 the other day'! Gill bought a few bottles of his excellent pinot gris which enjoyed later.
On 7th we all set off for Abel Tasman national park (top left of South Island). Fantastic scenic drive and arrived at a remote lodge with wonderful views of the mountains and forest. At Ralph and Gill's suggestion we decided on a trip next morning that included a jet taxi ride, sea kayaking, picnic and walking part of the Abel Tasman trail.
On the 8th Robert woke with a lot of mouth discomfort which was probably a dental abscess (it had been bothering him for a few days) so decided to seek out a doctor. I was left in the care of expert sailors R and G - big mistake. The 3 of us went off for another 'oh my God adventure'.
We were shoe-horned into a sea taxi, given life jackets and towed out by a tractor to the sea (low tide). Poor Gill only had one cheek on a seat, and Ralph and Liz had life jackets that were too small and could hardly breath. Once in the water the throttle was pushed to the floor and we crashed across the waves for 40 minutes - hanging on tight.
Liz and Gill had never been in a sea kayak, at least Ralph had canoed! Liz had thought we were going to paddle gently along near the water edge - no chance. We had 2 mins training, which included how to paddle and if you capsize pull the tab on the 'skirt' and you will fall out!! It was just the 3 of us and Robbie 'the expert' sharing double kayaks. Thankfully Robbie was behind me.
We paddled ot to sea for 25 mins to seal island. It was not too rough but Liz felt pretty tense. Looking at seals was great but when we then went around the island and further out to sea (with a warning that it would get a bit choppier) I was definitely outside my comfort zone. All that kept me going was knowing Robbie was behind me, and seemed to know what he was doing. R and G were smiling so must be enjoying themslves. In all we paddled for about two hours. I was never so happy to get on dry land.
Next stage was a picnic. A water taxi screamed to halt on the beach and out stepped Robert. It was a lovely surprise and I definitely needed cuddles after what I had been through. Unfortunately by this time his chicken roll had been given to a passing dog! He did get some carrot cake.
The walk to the next bay (about 2 hours) was stunning - and then there was getting the water taxi back......The best thing was that we were 7 miles closer so the ride was shorter. With no tractors however we had to wade into the now rougher water to drag ourselves aboard. Poor Gill got knocked over by a wave so completely soaked. We got going at great speed, crashing over the waves. This time the driver kept looking at information on his clipboard god help any kayaks in the way! So that was our adventure thanks R and G for the great idea!! Actually it was pretty special day, and really peacefully just paddling along.
Our last day together was 9th. I jampacked a day of sites to see - great scenery, waterfall walks. Nothing scary - apart from the swinging wire bridge over the river. We did get back to the lodge in time for a spa bath and a glass of wine before dinner. It was sad to say goodbye. Next day we flew to Auckland and drove north to bay of Island and they drove back to Christchurch to take the Transalpine to greymouth and then down West coast to Fox Glacier.
Our last days were spent in lovely sunshine. Gill and Ralph's at the glacier were spent in rain. What a surprise - they only have 8 metres a year. And so we have reached the end of our adventure. It has been an amazing holiday, but we are ready to go home. We miss kisses and cuddles from Adam. We are especially looking forward to seeing our new grand daughter Sophia and of course the adorable Jasmine.
Monday 10 January 2011
11 Jan - Donnelly pharma consulting offices (NZ branch)
Robert working hard in bay of islands.
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11 Jan - Robert on balcony of our lodge in bay of islands
Last 3 days being spent at this lodge attached to side of cliff with stunning view.
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09 Jan - Penguins
Plenty of road signs with warnings of penguins crossing. Only ones we saw were painted.
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09 Jan - waterfall
Lovely walk but had to cross scary rope bridge to get there.
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08 Jan - Robert with sore mouth
Poor Robert has a suspected tooth abcess. Consultation with brother Tom confirmed his diagnosis. He saw a doctor (dentist difficult to find at weekend) and started antibiotics and painkillers. Thankfully as of to-day 10 jan treatment seems to be working.
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9 Jan - lodge hot tub
Chardonnay and hot tub. Last evening with G and R. We have had a great time together.
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Saturday 8 January 2011
7 Jan - Cloudy Bay
The iconic cloudy bay. Beautiful vinyard but wimes not so special except SB,
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Thursday 6 January 2011
3D experience
We were doong normal things before G and R arrived.
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04 Jan Punting in Christchurch is such hard work
Punting is so English. In Christchurch there is the river Avon. An enterprising young Englishman started the punting. Punters wear a boater of course
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04 Jan - Kelvin and Matilda punting on the Avon
We could not believe our eyes when our great friends Gill and Ralph turned up at our hotel on evening of 3 Jan. We had a message to join them (apparently from Audley travel) for pre dinner bubbles. We thought the names on the note were a bit strange. It was a wonderful surprise.
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3 Jan cream tea on the train
We took the trans alpine express from Greymouth to Christchurch. Stunning scenery most of the way. We couldn't resist scones and cream - so English. No clotted cream just whipped. Notice I look quite tubby, can't think why!
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Sunday 2 January 2011
Fanz Josef glacier
Even in the wet (it does rain 300 days of the year) you can see the glacier oozing down the mountain. looked much more impressive than the photo!
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28 to 2 Jan 2011
The highlight of the trip so far must be the drive to Milford Sound and back and also of course Milford Sound and the overnight cruise. We were spectacularly lucky with the weather. We started the drive in heavy rain and miraculously the clouds pulled back on the way and the sun shone. Given Milford has 7 metres of rain a year we were pretty lucky. In fact a metre of rain had fallen there in the past week! The scenery was simply stunning.
It must be about 30 years ago that I first noticed a picture of of mitre peak at Milford. I remember specifically finding out where it was. But NZ seemed so far to go. I thought it a beautiful place. Many times since I have admired that picture. To see it in the flesh in sunshine was just amazing. In fact it brought tears to my eyes. It was stunning. None of the photos do this iconic view justice.
On 29 Dec we moved into paradise in the name of Azur Lodge. Wonderful people who could not do enough for us. Simply amazing accomodation, and views to die for. It was a great place to spend new year.
And then to glacier countriy. It was one of the warmest sunniest days when we started our 6 hour drive on the 1st. Jan to the West coast to Fox glacier. We booked a 4 hour glacier walk for the next morning, but with rain lashing on the window next morning it did not bode well. The walk was cancelled. I then had to drag a very pi**ed off Robert around the glaciers any time there was a lull in the buckets of rain. To make up for it I agreed to a pizza tonight. The scenery was amazing. Seeing the glaciers up close was prety special. But if you want to see them you better come quick as they are disapearing fast!
It must be about 30 years ago that I first noticed a picture of of mitre peak at Milford. I remember specifically finding out where it was. But NZ seemed so far to go. I thought it a beautiful place. Many times since I have admired that picture. To see it in the flesh in sunshine was just amazing. In fact it brought tears to my eyes. It was stunning. None of the photos do this iconic view justice.
On 29 Dec we moved into paradise in the name of Azur Lodge. Wonderful people who could not do enough for us. Simply amazing accomodation, and views to die for. It was a great place to spend new year.
And then to glacier countriy. It was one of the warmest sunniest days when we started our 6 hour drive on the 1st. Jan to the West coast to Fox glacier. We booked a 4 hour glacier walk for the next morning, but with rain lashing on the window next morning it did not bode well. The walk was cancelled. I then had to drag a very pi**ed off Robert around the glaciers any time there was a lull in the buckets of rain. To make up for it I agreed to a pizza tonight. The scenery was amazing. Seeing the glaciers up close was prety special. But if you want to see them you better come quick as they are disapearing fast!
Saturday 1 January 2011
Azur lodge bath view - wow!
Baths only get better! At Azur lodge you can even open the window, as in this picture. Privacy is guaranteed as it is a pretty steep drop outside the window - watching out for abseilers.
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31 Dec - Posing with kiwi
It's 9.00 pm new years eve and the sun is still shining. This kiwi was posing outside the restaurant. I did not know they were so big.
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Liz with guard dog 'Kelpie'
Here at Azur lodge when you don't want to be disturbed you put 'Kelpie' in the window panel of the door. He even goes woof woof threateningly when you press his paw. He nearly found himself packed in Liz's luggage, but he was spotted by Robert before the case could be zipped up - spoilsport!
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