Back Home

We have made it safely back home to Canada and are now in the processing of unpacking and getting back up to speed here. After we left the South Island we travelled through Palmerston and up to Auckland where we sold the car before flying back home. We had been worried about selling the car but after we posted it on Trade-me we had text messages and emails coming in like crazy. Obviously we posted it for a good price and so we sold it to the first person who looked at it.

Now that we are home it almost seems like we never left but we will have the memories from New Zealand forever. I know the experience has been a fantastic one for me and allowed me to not only learn a lot about another country but also about myself. I think it has also been a very positive experience for Bree. We will really miss all the new friends we made in New Zealand but with Facebook, email and all the other electronic tools out there it is much easier to stay connected.

Thanks for following the blog of our adventure. I hope it kept you up to date on our whereabouts and for me it has been an excellent way to journal our travels and experiences in New Zealand.

Heading Back to the North Island (June 24)

After our nice relaxing stay at the Lake Heron Station we headed back to Christchurch for a quick visit with Nadia, Daryl, Paige and Fin. Bree was excited to see Paige again and they instantly started begging for a sleepover. Since we were only in town for one night we decided that it would be ok as long as Paige was back home in time for school the next day. I took Paige, Fin and Bree to Chipmunks, an indoor kids play place and then we grabbed a snack. Later we went with Nadia and Daryl to the Westcoast Bar and Grill for dinner. This time Russ was feeling better so he got to enjoy some of their good beers! The food was great and we had a nice evening.

The next day we dropped off Paige and said goodbye. Then it was just a short drive to Hanmer Springs. Hanmer is a very popular area as it is near a ski field and also has natural hot pools. Fortunately for us it is pretty quiet here mid-week so we were able to get a nice motel at a discount. For the first time in our entire trip we had free internet and it was actually a decent speed. Needless to say Russ and I took full advantage of it finally getting up to date on our emails and postings for the blog etc. The town of Hanmer is quite small and we were able to walk everywhere. We spend the first afternoon at the hot pools which have spa pools, a warm swimming pool, a family pool, a waterslide and the “superbowl”. It was a beautiful sunny day and it did not seem like winter at all. This was good as all access to the pools is outside and the same for the waterslides. So although the water in the slides is warm you still have to walk up all the stairs in your swimsuit in whatever the outside air temperature is. The waterslides were fun, especially the one called the black hole which was entirely black inside making it feel like you were going really fast. The superbowl is a cool ride where you go down on an intertube and shoot out of the tunnel into a large open bowl which you circle around in until you drop to the bottom and then out the second tunnel to the end. Bree loved the slides and made good use of her pass.

Hanmer is also home to a variety of walking and biking trails and since the weather was so nice both Russ and I were able to get out for some short runs and enjoy the forested park area. We ended up staying for two nights as we knew this would be our last vacation type stopover before driving up to Auckland and trying to get organized for our flight home. From Hanmer we drove to Picton and ended up catching the evening ferry as the ferry for the next morning was already full. This had us arriving in Wellington at 11 pm, a little later than we would have liked but at least we are now back on the North Island and it is just 10 to 11 hours of driving separating us from Auckland. Our plan now is to head up to Palmerston North and spend one evening there so that Bree can have a sleepover with her friend Layrah and I can tie up a few loose ends.

Lake Heron Station (June 20)

On Saturday we drove from Dunedin all the way north through Timaru and then headed inland again and up towards Mt Hutt and the Lake Heron Station. Located at the north end of Lake Heron the station was first established in 1857 and has been in the Todhunter family since 1917. The valley is beautiful and is surrounded by spectacular mountains. The focus of the station is on Merino wool production which they ship to Icebreaker but they also run Angus cattle and are involved in lamb production. They are also partners in a helicopter skiing operation which takes guests into the Arrowsmith Ranges and other nearby mountains. The station runs along the east side of Lake Heron and is 19,000 ha in size with the homestead located at 700m but with some grazing land at higher elevations.

We arrived late afternoon and had some time to do a little exploring before dark. Then we enjoyed a nice dinner and a relaxing evening in front of the fire in the cottage. The cottage has three bedrooms and a nice living room/ kitchen area – really pretty deluxe for just the three of us. It was so nice and quiet up that we all slept late in the morning and then woke to a bright sunny day. We packed some snacks and headed off for a hike in the surrounding hills. A short row across the lake gives you access to Mount Sugarloaf and we decided that we would tackle that. The top did not look far off but we soon found that this was a false summit (one of several) but we finally made it up to the top. We stopped along the way and enjoyed the incredible views – breathtaking. When we reached the summit the clouds had started to move in but it was still quite mild.

When we got back I looked up the elevation of Mt Sugarloaf and it was 1238m. With the farmstead at 700m that means we climbed 538m which is quite a climb for Bree. Once again she never got tired and talked the entire way up (and down). This time she wasn’t a chipmunk but instead was a Viking in search of dragon eggs and dragons to hunt.

Before leaving the sheep station we had a chance to talk with Anne and Phillip about their operation. They currently run 10,000 Merino sheep but also have around 700 head of Angus cattle. We toured the woolshed and Phillip explained how important nutrition of the animals is to the strength of the fibre. I had always thought that the benefit of the New Zealand grown merino wool was that the colder winters made for a more insulating product. However it is more likely the consistent nutrition that produces the superior product as fluctuations in nutrition can cause weakness in the fibre (Russ’s had a good analogy relating this to growth rings in trees). Therefore keeping the animals in good condition is important to produce good quality wool.

The shearing here is done once a year and typically takes place after winter in September. The wool is sorted and then baled for shipping to Icebreaker. The station produces about 50 tonnes of wool per year. It might be possible to run higher numbers of animals but Anne and Phillip want to manage their grasslands in a sustainable way and feel that their current numbers allow for this. They have agronomic pasture and do feed out alfalfa and other forage in the winter but also graze a large portion of native range. These native pastures are larger in size but are still run in a rotational grazing system.

Phillip is also a helicopter pilot and flies for their heli ski business during the winter months. This along with the cottage and tourism (they do guided hut walks) and the beef and lamb production helps to diversify income. We stayed at the cottage for three days and had a wonderful time. It was great to learn a little more about Merino sheep farming and to spend some time in a hill station. It was also nice to be away from everything – no television, no internet, no phone, no stores, no people – and just relax.

Dunedin (June 18)

From Queenstown we drove straight over to Dunedin to spend a few days before starting our journey back north again. Dunedin is located on the west coast and is the “doorway” to the Orago Peninsula. It is full of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and is sometimes referred to as the Edinburgh of the south.  It is quite a hilly town and seems large although the population is only around 124,000.

The first night there we decided to take a tour of the Speights Brewery. Speights is one on New Zealand’s most popular beers and has been made in Dunedin since 1876. The tour was very informative and at the end we were allowed to sample the Speights line-up of beers and one cider and operate the taps ourselves. I imagine some people get their monies worth out of the tour at the sampling alone!

The next day we toured Cadbury World – Cadbury’s chocolate factory for New Zealand and for export in the south. The products here are quite different from at home with many of the bars being marshmallow based with a chocolate coating. A New Zealand standard are Jaffas which are chocolate balls covered in a hard orange sugar coating. On the tour we saw several different products being made including the start of the Easter eggs for next year. We also saw a five story high chocolate fall that dumps over one tonne of chocolate. We were all given sample bags and by the end of the tour we each had quite a large bag full – I am sure Bree will help us eat our way through these before we have to leave for Canada.

In the evening we drove out to the tip of the Otago Peninsula to visit Penguin Place, a private conservation reserve that is home to s small group of Yellow Eyed Penguins. These penguins are quite different in that they are solitary. They are also the most endangered type of penguin which makes habitat conservation for these birds very important. The place we visited is actually a working farm but they are protecting all their shoreline and planting native shrubs to give the cover the birds need. They have built in ground tunnels and covered shelters so that you can go down near the beach and watch the birds as they return to shore without frightening them. We were lucky enough to see several of the penguins arrive in the surf and then walk up the beach and into the shoreline area where their nets are located.

That night a storm blew into town and we could hear the wind blowing all night. I thought we might wake to snow or at least rain but it was just windy and cloudy in the morning. We packed up the car once again and prepared for a long drive up into the hill country in South Canterbury where we are going to spend a few days at one of the Icebreaker sheep stations.

Queenstown (June 16)

Ironically the one town that we didn’t plan to stay in we ended up staying for four nights! We had originally planned to just pass through Queenstown on our way to Te Anau which is the gateway to Milford Sound but when we arrived it was late afternoon and we decided to stay the night. The weather for Te Anau was not good and we found out we could take a coach from Queenstown to Milford Sound for close to the same price as from Te Anau. We were also tired of packing and unpacking and decided staying in one place for a few days would be nice. We found a great place right in town and there were special rates since the ski season has not opened yet.

The first day we took the trip to Milford Sound which I posted earlier. The second day we took it easy and toured the town in the morning. I took Bree to Cookie Time were she sampled some of the New Zealand made cookies and we stuffed as many cookies into a container as we could for a set price. I think we will be eating cookies for the next week or so! We also restocked on paper and coloured pens at Smiggles (Bree’s favourite stationary store). Bree spends most of her time in the car colouring pictures and making toys out of paper so are stocks were running low and we still have a lot more driving to do.

In the afternoon we went on the Shotover Jet Boat ride. Russ had done a jet boat when he was in Queenstown a few years ago and said it was something we should do. The trip he did was on the lake so this time we decided to go down the Shotover River. It was incredible! I have to admit I was a little nervous as the boat travels so fast and they take you so close to the canyon walls but they are well trained and it is all part of the thrill. They also do some 360 turns and Bree would scream her head off and then laugh like crazy afterwards. The ride was at least 30 minutes long and the boat is quite small, holding approximately 15 people. As soon as the ride was over Bree wanted to go again!

The third day Russ and I took turns going for a run in the morning and then we all went up the Skyline Gondola which overlooks Queenstown. They have a luge ride that you can take at the top and we had done this at Rotorua when Bree was a year old. This time Bree was tall enough to ride on her own and after a trip down with me she decided to drive her own cart. She did a wonderful job but her arms were getting tired by the end and she hit the median just at the end of the ride. She was fine but it did scare her a little and the next ride she decided to come with one of us.

Queenstown is like a tiny Whistler, pretty much a resort town with tons of outdoor gear shops and tourist activities. There are also lots of great restaurants and pubs and we did grab take away a few nights. Queenstown sits on Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake at 84km. From here it is only a short drive to Coronet Peak ski area and to The Remarkables ski field. For us staying in Queenstown was great as we parked the car the day we arrived and did not use it again until the day we left. It was really nice to have a few quiet days and not have to pack bags or drive. Now we are packing up the car again and planning a longer drive over to Dunedin. From there we will start working our way back up the coast.

Milford Sound (June 13)

One of the things that Russ really wanted to do was to see Milford Sound and today we finally made it. We ended up taking a bus from Queenstown which meant quite a long day as it is about a 4.5 hour bus ride each way (and longer if you add in the stops). However, it was worth it as we got to sit back and relax and also the bus driver was able to tell us all about the surrounding area and I found that very interesting.

 We left Queenstown and travelled to Te Anau and from there we made our way along Fiordland National Park and up into Milford Sound. Along the way we stopped at several places. One of these was Mirror Lakes were you can see a perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains in the shallow, still lakes. On the drive you also travel through the Homer Tunnel which is quite long and was dug entirely with picks and shovels starting in 1935 and opened to allow traffic through in 1954. I am not quite sure how driving through the tunnel works as there were no stop lights and if a bus is in there is really not much room to get back. The drive through took a few minutes and I imagine that sometimes another vehicle must have to back up. Apparently rental vans often get a little too close to the side and do some damage to the roof – this is known as “tunnel bite”. Just after Homer Tunnel we stopped and walked in to the Chasm, where you can see waterfalls and shaped rocks and potholes, formed by the running water in the Cleddau River.

In Milford Sound we took a boat and travelled through the sound and out to the Tasman Sea. We had pretty nice weather with some clear skies and some light rain. We were told that it rains up to 7 or more metres a year in Milford Sound so rain is pretty common! The good thing about having the rain is that the waterfalls are quite impressive when it rains. We also saw at least 5 rainbows that afternoon alone. Sometimes I think that New Zealand should be called land of the rainbow instead of land of the long white cloud as I have seen more rainbows in the last 6 months then I have in the last 6 years at home.

Bree made friends with a young girl named Claire on the bus trip and they had fun running around the deck during the trip. Claire and her family were visiting from Singapore and it was nice to chat with them. The drive back home was long and everyone on the bus had a little sleep except for Bree who managed to stay awake and play the entire trip home. We were back in Queenstown by 7pm and ready for a quiet evening in. Milford Sound was definitely worth the trip. It is hard to do it justice in writing and even our pictures won’t really show how magnificent it is.

Wanaka (June 12)

Wanaka is a small town located on the shores of Lake Wanaka and is the entrance to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wanaka is well known for hiking, biking, skiing and adventure activities and is a like a small version of Queenstown. The lake itself is 45.5km long and the day we arrived it was clear and sunny out. Russ and I took advantage of the weather and did a short run along the lake before it got dark.

The next day it was clear again but the upcoming forecast showed a storm moving into the Milford Sound area and we decided to head down to Te Anau while the weather was still good. So we packed up and headed off for Queenstown and then Te Anau. Before we left town we decided to stop at Puzzling World which is in Wanaka. It was well worth the stop! The place is full of optical illusions and we had a great time touring the different rooms. Our favourite was the room that was tilted so that everything seemed to be moving uphill (when in fact is was actually going downhill). There was a pool table where the ball appeared to roll uphill, a chair on the wall that you sta on and it went “up” and also a river that appeared to run uphill.

Outside they had a large maze and the goal is to make it to the 4 corner towers (red, blue, green and yellow) and then back out. They tell you this generally takes an hour or more and when a 6 year old is leading the charge it takes even longer! We ended up running around outside for quite some time but it was a good way to burn off some energy before driving. The gift shop was full of all kinds of puzzles and they had many of these out on tables for you to try. We could have easily spend hours just playing with those but we had to move on. If you are ever in Wanaka this place is worth a stop.