Tuesday 28th January 2014- Another great drive

We had planned bacon and eggs this morning but both of us felt a little full after last night’s steak. So yoghurt and muesli it was. We left the Motel around 0930 and headed west and drove by several lakes including the fabulous Mount Cook Mountain range, photos to be added later, and it was really a lovely drive. Today Jennifer did most of the driving but for a coffee we stopped in a little place called Geraldine which clearly is a tourist driven town, you can tell by the shops. Then  on for a while and we reached the outskirts of Christchurch where we found a New World for topping up our food supplies and also a sandwich for lunch which we ate in the car. The drive out to Akaroa took about 75 minutes and is an interesting drive. Its flat and a little boring for about the first 45 minutes but then you start mountain climbing and the last 25 kilometres takes almost 45 minutes again until we reached Akaroa. This town was established by the French many years ago and all the street names are all French street names. Akaroa came about as a result of a volcano being here where the side collapsed andf the sea water poured in causing a lovely bay which is visited by many cruise ships; in fact there was a big Celebrity ‘Solstice’ Cruise Lines ship in the bay when we arrived.

It took about 75 minute to get set up and ironically they gave us the same site we had last time we came here about four years ago. For dinner a nice chicken and ham salad whilst Noel had a scotch egg and washed down with a nice cuppa sitting overlooking the harbour was great.

After dinner we went down town to check out the cinema and decided we would go the next day. We watched the sun go down and it got dark so we went back for a good night’s sleep.

Monday 27th January 2014- What a fantastic drive in the country

Mount Cook view this morning

This morning the sun was shining, which was not forecast or expected but certainly well received as we left Te Anau on the drive to Twizel. The sun was shining on the mountains with snow, the rivers and streams the colour of glacier water and with sheep and cows and little towns it was a wonderful experience. The trip took us through Queens town, past the bungee jumps and shot-over jets and parachuting etc , before we stopped for lunch in a place named Cromwell. We had a nice snack at a bakery and then some shopping for tonight dinner and so laden with two nice rib eye steaks and some coleslaw and other stuff including a bottle of ‘Yellowtale’ red plonk off we went in the direction of Twizel which overlooks the Mount Cook chain of of mountains which are still having snow on top and looked really great. We are modelling it tonight at the Aspen Court Motel which is very nice and recommended highly by Trip Advisor reports.

Noel cooked the steaks, it’s always difficult when you don’t know how hot the cooker is only this time it’s a ceramic hob with bright red lights but anyway the steak was fine. And so the rest of the evening was spent reading, Ipoding and watching TV. Tomorrow we go to Akaroa which is Noels favourite place in NZ and so can’t wait to pitch the tent.

What a great day it was...

Sunday 26th January 2014- An easy day and a pie to die for

We were rather slow off the grounds this morning and enjoyed the lay in before a quick shower and then off to breakfast followed by Noel uploading photos to the blog and Jennifer taking care of some laundry needs.

Bloody brilliant pies here

At about 12.30 with all jobs complete we hopped in the car and headed off for Te Anau and as pie shop that we had espied earlier and had good comments on trip advisor. Yes they were all correct some of the best pies we have tasted for some while and Jennifer had Venison pie and Noel had the steak and kidney and bacon and both were really good. The chap that owns the place is an ex ex jockey and although we worried we might end up with an old nag we were wrong and the pies were great. So if you ever visit Te Anau try the ‘Miles Better’ pie shop and you will not be disappointed.

After lunch we took a leisurely drive down to Manapuri where we drove around this semi deserted town for about ten minutes, its hard to believe it’s the hub of the tourist boat rides to Doubtful Sound and one would expect a certain buzz but NO its nor happening here. We have noticed what looks to be a considerable downturn in the number of tourists in this country and it is low compared to our previous experience.

In the evening we had a chicken salad for dinner and then followed by a quiet music night for Noel and reading for the Captain of the ship. Damn the group of Americans youngsters have returned and are noisy again and I will give them stick if they get noisy again, but they didn't thank 

Saturday 25th January 2014- Lunch in Milford Sound

It’s about a two and half hour drive up to Milford Sound from Te Anau if you do not rush. We did consider an organised trip but they tend to leave early and include a boat trip and its several hours on a coach which neither of us really like.

Milford Sound at low tide

So we took our own time and headed up the road to Milford late morning initially through bendy but interesting views until later on you end up climbing the mountainside for about an hour to reach the pass and tunnel which connects Te Anau with Milford. This road is often closed in the winter due to snow and so Milford is then not accessible at all. There is a major outcry in te Anau as a investor want to build a huge complex on Te Anau Downs which is about half an hour North of here and connect it direct to Queenstown via a monorail.  If this goes ahead it could have a devastating effect on tourism in Te Anau as all traffic to Milford must currently pass by here and in the event of the monorail then many tourists will bypass this place.

Anyway after a lovely drive and a picnic lunch by the side of the Lake we headed back to Te Anau and up the mountain one side and through the very dark tunnel and down the mountain for about an hour. On the way to Milford we entered the tunnel with bright sunlight outside and very dark inside and I temporarily was lost as I could not see the road but then we discovered that once you enter the tunnel it drops down so quickly and you are initially looking at the tunnel ceiling and not the road.

The mountain pass

On the way back we noticed there was a cycle race planned which we avoided by about an hour but later in the evening when we went back to town for a dinner of Fish and Chips followed by the cinema, yes again you say, but this time we saw a film called August-Osage County with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts and other good actors and it is all about an American dysfunctional  family after the death(nee suicide) of the father, well worth seeing for Streep and Roberts performance. And so home to bed when overnight it started raining again heavily and with more rain planned for today and overnight it confirms our decision to take a cabin.

Tomorrow an easy day is planned.

Friday 24th January 2014- Gosh an early start but it’s for Doubtful Sound

The alarm went off just after 06.00 so rush down to the showers and then back in time for a light breakfast in the cabin. By 0700 we were at the front of the site waiting for the coach to arrive and transport us.along with others, down to the Manapouri ferry dock for the first stage of the trip to Doubtful Sound.

The underground road to the power station

The boat trip across Lake Manapouri  first which takes about fifty minutes and then its off the boat and on a bus for ten minutes to visit the Manapouri Power Station which quite frankly is a bloody marvel. The power station sits in the middle of a mountain with water coming down from the sea in to the Lake and it drives five generating units which alone can provide enough electricity to power the whole of South Island. The building of this complex took about six years and just digging through the rock on a 24 hour basis for seven accomplished about 7 metres, not a lot really but they were using explosives and drills etc. They were also hampered by the rain which as you go further West gets more than you can imagine. At Manapouri its about 1.5 metres per year, which increases to 3 metres per year at the power station dock and by the time you reach Doubtful Sound it’s up to 8 metres per year, quite a lot when you think about it.

Doubtful Sound in all its glory

Then a bus ride for about 45 minutes with occasional photo stops and you arrive at the sound and transfer to a boat which then goes out to the sea entrance and this takes about 100 minutes. We stopped by some Islands which had seals and also saw the odd penguin and finally on the way back we saw a couple of schools of Dolphins but they were a bit too far away with the lens that I had on and to change it would mean missing out totally.

We arrived back in Manapouri around 17.00 and then a bus back to the Holiday Park and then feet up on the bed for 40 minutes then time to cook dinner and a well-earned glass of wine.

This is the third time we have done this trip and it is well worth it for a great day out and well worth the £ 120 per head for the day.

The weather today has been pretty good and by the time we got back to camp the sun was shining down and it is quite warm and we hope that tomorrow will stay the same for our drive up to Milford Sound.

If you want to know more about the Power Station see the following Wikipedia link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapouri_Hydroelectric_Power_Station

Thursday 23 January 2014- Need to sort out our accommodation

Please be aware that all photos taken so far are on following weblink

noelgroves.phanfare.com

As mentioned we spent the night in the cabin and heard the rain pouring down overnight and thankful we were not in the tent as it was very damp and humid and cold outside in the real world.

It was clear to us that if the weather continues this way for the next four days we will end up with a very wet tent and perhaps bad colds and perhaps worse as we are not getting any younger. Noel inspected the tent sites on the way to reception to discuss the problem and they agreed to use our payment for the tent site as a contribution to the cost of the cabin for the next four days. Later checking of the weather shows Friday is fine but going very fast downhill on Saturday through to Tuesday next week and so a cabin it will be.

We did some sorting of the kitchen equipment and Noel spent some hours on catching up with photos and uploading same to the web and checking a few more hotel bookings and also to find out now that the Interislander has got a replacement vessel if we could catch an earlier sailing for when we retrun to North island but it is not possible, so never mind.

We have changed our Hotel in Blenheim, as we found the one we stayed in last time was right by the main road and a bit noisy and no full kitchen we need and so the new Hotel is on a quiet back street we believe and with a full kitchen, unless its next to the airport!

We went for a walk around town and also to check on the arrangements for our Doubtful Sound trip tomorrow and it going to be an early start as they pick us up at 07.00 and we don’t get back to the site until 17.30 so it’s a full day but really looking forward to it.

We visited the Cinema and watched a film we have seen several times and even have on DVD all about the National Park, the film is called ATA Whanui 

and it is well photographed and shows some really amazing scenery taken from mostly helicopters. We have also booked to see a film on Saturday called August-Usage County with Meryl Streep and Julie Roberts and also other well-known faces but understand the story is a bit depressing, but hey-ho! It’s something to do rather than open copious bottles of wine!.

We did some shopping for the next couple of days and then headed back to cook dinner and tonight we are having lamb chops with pasta with a tomato sauce, should be good. It’s always fun cooking in a large kitchen with other nationalities comparing recipes and notes and experiences. Jennifer met an American couple during the washing up routine and there was riotous laughter from the kitchen as I was working on some emails.

The time is now 8 pm and the sun is finally shining down and we hope that this augers well for tomorrow, we hope, but we don’t really like early starts when on holiday.
This camp site is excellent and the toilet and washing facilities are very clean and quite new and the cooking and eating area are great fun as you meet people from all over the place and share dinner tables etc., perhaps not everybody's cup of tea but we enjoy it.

Wednesday 22nd January- Te Anau awaits us

The Germans in the Rotel were up at 0630 and the babe next door started crying and so by 0710 we were getting edgy and although it rained a little bit overnight it had also been windy which had dried off the tent and so by 0730 and after a cup of tea we were in full clear up mode.

The weather was still rather grey but this turned out to be only on the peninsular as the nearer we got to Dunedin on the road alongside the sea etc the town was lit up by the sun and shining of the waterfront warehouses so not a good photo to take. We stopped in a little shop for some batteries for the airbed pump and then headed South on Route 1 in the direction of Invercargill. We stopped for a coffee in a rundown old town called Clinton which they called a ‘three horse town’ as they had a statues of three horses pulling and cart. The on to Gove where we stopped for a Subway, Gove is a bustling little town with loads of cafes, restuarants and even has a McDonalds and Pizza hut.

We then continued West across the lower half of the South island and about 70 miles from Te Anau it started to spit with rain and it got steadily worse thereafter and when we arrived at the site it was chucking it down and there was no way either of wanted to put up a tent. So we changed our booking and now have a little hut complete with a double bed a kettle and toaster and not much else and you still have to use the communal loos and it is costing us an extra £ 15.00 per night. Lo and behold not long after we arrived so did the Germans with the Rotel cattle box on wheels and they were setting up the table under the tarpaulin again in the pouring rain, good luck. We were planning to do our lamb chops tonight but even the small distance from the hut to the cooking area would have meant that everything would have been saturated. So we remembered that there was not a bad Chinese Restaurant in town that we have previously used and opted for that and the food was very good but the size of portion has also increased significantly and there was to much for us to eat. Te Anau is a lovely place when its not raining, we do have to bear in mind that it does rain 300 days per year and so to get  the weather right is more luck than judgement. The little town has some smashing little shops and all based on the shores of this very large lake and in the sun is a perfect place to stay. So we have decided to review the position tomorrow as the ground is pretty much waterlogged in the camping areas and although we don’t mind a wet ground sheet we do not want a very wet tent that we cannot dry out for several days as it could go mouldy and then we are in real trouble. So we may opt to stay in the cabin for the small amount of extra required.

After dinner we spent time on the internet and the notebook pc is now running much better thank heavens so the giuys in Dunedin did a good job.

Let’s see what the weather brings tomorrow but on Friday we are on the Doubtful Sound full day outing and the weather promises at least for Friday to be good, so let’s wait and see what happens.

Tuesday 21 January- There is a lot to do today.

What with the bed going down overnight again by about 70% which made it most uncomfortable whilst Noel’s little Acer computer was playing up with the outlook programme which was able to send messages but not to receive and he was not sure whether this was due to the v

ery, very slow internet speeds which cause the problem.

So first thing off we went to Dunedin town and dropped off the pc at repaid shop and then on to a café for a full English breakfast, it’s had to be done, and then found an internet café where we could investigate what was available as a replacement bed as we cannot see the problem the current one except it keeps going down. We decided to avoid the el’cheapo beds and in the end found a Colman queen size which was being sold with a large discount as its getting near to the end of season.

From there we took a trip along the coast and out top Port Chalmers where our friends cruise ship was due to dock today and it was there in all its glory on a wet and windy Dunedin. We too some photos then watched the birds cracking what looked like oyster shells by dropping them from about twenty feet which should be enough to crack rather than smash them. On the way back to town the computer shop called to say it was fixed but then when discussing there was a couple of problems to be fixed and so it would not be ready until around four pm so en route we stopped for some lunch of iced coffee complete with ice cream and a large chunk of carrot cake, and both were really excellent. Then some final shopping in New World supermarket to cover our food needs for a couple of days. Dunedin was quite busy with the cruise ship people and of course this is a University town which means lots of young people and a huge choice of food takeaway joints. It is also home to the steepest street in the world they say, we saw it last time we were here but not this as we had stuff to do.

We collected to computer and headed back to Portobello Caravan park and was nay shocked to see what looked like a converted cattle truck ( photo to follow) with windows called Rotel something or other but later on a large coach turned up containing loads of Germans, we think East Germany, and mostly older folk at that who the slept the night in the large truck on wheels, most odd and we hate to think how large the bedrooms are as they looked miniscule based on the window size. The back of the truck was also the kitchen and then they produced benches and tables and pulled tarpaulins out from the roof and they all sat under the tarpaulins and had their dinner then climbed in to what must be very small rooms. There must have been around 25 people and it must have been most uncomfortable.

We enjoyed our ham salad which was washed down with a nice cuppa and then drove down the coast and watched the mist come down and Jennifer read a book and Noel caught up on some iPod music.

Tomorrow we leave for Te Aneu which is about a four hour drive, give or take.

  

Monday 20th January- A day in then the cinema

We needed to spend a day sorting ourselves out and Jennifer needed to do some washing whilst Noel needed to sort out the car which was a little disorganised by now.

Our tent in the sun

The weather was a little overcast but never mind and so we were abale to get most of the jobs we needed doing complete by late afternoon  and so we headed in to town  to see what was on at the cinema. We went to the centre of town where there was a large Hoyt’s Cinema last time we were here but that now appears to have disappeared but there were two other cinemas we located and chose to see a film starring De Caprio called ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ an outrageous film which actually lasted for almost three hours, which we did not realise before we went in. Prior to the film we found a really good Italian Restaurant where we had a great dinner and bottle of New Zealand Malbec which had rather a different taste to it.

As mentioned the film was quite over the top of drugs, sex and language but was quite a lot to take in first time, so might arrange to see it again or get it on DVD sometime. Anyway we did not leave the cinema until around 11pm and then drove back on the very windy road with hills one side and the sea the other with no safety guards, Uhmmm so one has to be a little careful. We got back to the site around midnight and re pumped un the inflatable bed which had started giving us some problems over the last couple of days.

Sunday 19th January:- The train ride

After an early start 07.30 would you believe, we left the site at 0830 and arrived at Dunedin Station in time to connect with the six hour ride up the gorge to Middlemarch

Unfortunately today the weather is rather overcast which always good pho

tos rather difficult but the train was not full. The journey took about 2.5 hours, we did a brief stop en route for some photos, then on to the old town past a variety of gorges, houses cut off from the world till we arrived in the main town of the area where the arrival of the train twice a week does cause some excitement. There is a lady who has a horse and trap and gives rides around town, perhaps ten minutes would do it, and the a few locals who set up a BBQ and sell sausage sandwiches for the local school charity, which we tried and they were very good.

On the way back we stopped at ‘Arthurs Knob’ not sure why it called that but there was a guy on the train who was called Arthur who stood in fron of the sign and took photos, its takes all types I guess.

We arrived back in Dunedin at 3.30 pm and did some shopping at New World again and this time we fancied fish which we did with stir fried vegetables. By this time it had started raining, great, and so rather than sit in the tent we drove down to the sea side and listen to our IPods for a couple of hours before returning to bed.  

Saturday 18th January- Time to leave this lovely place

The sun was shining for us to pack up our tent and leave this well organised site, apart from the wifi which was not their fault, and two hours later or less we were all packed up, showered and breakfasted and left the site at just about ten am. The triathlon apparently started at 0630 and so by the the time we drove through twon most of the competitrs had departed and it was only on the outside of town did we start the see some of themn heading back for the next part of the event, tough these people. Pity we did not know it was taking place as we would have trained up for a couple of days and joined in , I don’t think so!!

The drive was very enjoyable and of course not much traffic on the road howver we did spot on the road many old historic cars with lots of Ford Galaxy and Mustangs and many others and they were descending on a town called Cromwell which was really jamming. Due to time constraints we could not stop and enjoy which was a pity but there will be other car events in the final part of our holidays on the North Island.

We arrived in to Dunedin at 2.30 pm and went to the the station to obtain our tickets for the train ride through the Taiere gorge which we were due to be on tomorrow. Then some shopping at New World Supermarket and we bought some truly large and excellent Rib eye steaks plus some supporting salads ready for tonight. We took the road over the hills to Portobello where the camp site which was chosen in the first place to be near Port Chalmers where our good friends would have been arriving on there cruise which they unfortunately had to cancel. It was then we found that although Portobello is only four miles from Port Chalmers there is three miles of sea in between and this would have entailed an 70 minute drive, great, however it did not matter in the end.

The site is fairly quiet and not as big as the one in Wanaka and the facilities not as good but very acceptable and situated about 30/40 minutes outside of Dunedin on the peninsula.

We pitched the tent and got set up much quicker this time, boy are we getting good on this, and set about having a glass of wine then cooking the steaks which as mentioned earlier were really good.

And so to bed!!

Friday 17th January- A day going up the Lake

We decided to drive up the side of Lake Hawea for the day and it was a really nice drive and many beautiful houses and views en-route. We stopped and took a few photos, to be added later, and arrived at a very interesting café which is only open about six months a year as snow generally cuts it off. This is the route to Haast which is a well know ski resort, we have visited there on an earlier trip, anyway had a nice lunch by the side of the lake and left relatively soon as there seems to be a few mozzies about which does not suit Jennifer at all.

We had booked again for the cinema again tonight and so got the same seats as the previous evening and watch a very good film called Philomena which started Steve Coogan ( also the joint writer) and Judi Dench.  The film was about a young girl in Ireland who pregnant and was put in the work house and the baby was adopted without her approval or knowledge until it was too late. The story follows Steve Coogan as a journalist as tries to help her find her son. Great film and well worth watching and these Southern Ireland nuns have a lot to answer for!!

Oh well we went back to the site which was very busy  as there is due to be a triathlon in Wanaka this Saturday when we leave and this could stop us leaving or at least delay us, no one seems to know. Oh well whatever will be will be.

Thursday 16th January- A night out tonight

Another easy day around the site and just enjoyed doing not much for the day as the previous few weeks including Christmas flooding worries etc did not enable the calm departure we wanted. Add on to that a Audi Q7 which could have done considerable damage to us and then a car crash so a quiet day it was.

In the evening we had booked for the Jack Ryan film at the Cinema Paradiso, (photos to be added) a unique cinema with old cars for seating in places plus a few aircraft seats and settees etc. The film (Jack Ryan) was very good and as usual in this place half way through the film they stop it and everybody gets up to go and get there hot cookies and bring back in to the cinema and so fifteen minutes later the film starts. Perhaps a little unusual but good to do and we are also booked for tomorrow night. Watch out for details.