Beginning the Year Right

GBack to Happy Trails from Barbados for awhile until our next adventure.  Played Pickleball with groups 3 or 4 days a week and walked almost everyday 2 to 5 miles.  Really a walk/run, usually less than 18 minutes a mile.   Bob is back in his swimming 3 days a week.  He's looking great.  I have to work really hard just to maintain.

For Christmas, we had 5 couples, John and Pat, Dennis and Bunny, Harolyn and Don. Geoff and Nancy and us. More of an informal meal and played cards. Reminded me of Christmases we used to have at my Mom's.  Eating, playing and then more snacking.  Lots of fun.

On New Year's Day, we hosted about 20 people for breakfast.  Nancy and Wayne Muggli helped with the cooking and Bob made his Apple Cinnamon Pancakes.  Everyone started the New Year with a full tummy of Pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns.

Our next adventure was to New Zealand, North and South Island.  Long trip for 10 days.  Flew from Phoenix to Los Angeles and then to Auckland, the City of the Sails, arriving on Feb. 11, 2017.

Arrived at Hotel around 10:00 am, so couldn't check in.  We had been on a plane for 11 hours, so decided to take a walking tour of the Auckland harbour.  Only a mile or less from the hotel.  Wanted to get our bearings before the formal tour started.

Really Big people for these chairs

Big Big Trees

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Kids playing in water at harbour.viaduct

 







After lunch at a restaurant on the water with a beer, we headed back to the hotel.  Welcoming dinner that night with the other members of the tour.   We were at the 5 Star Langham Hotel.  Nice hotel, but 1st night Buffet wasn't anything to write home about.  One other couple had been on our trip to Canadian Wilderness and it was great to see Roger and Dottie.




                                                                             The Next morning it was we boarded the Bus at 8:00 am for a tour of Auckland.

War Memorial Museum

View from steps at War Memorial Museum

Our next stop was Bastion Point.  The gardens were really beautiful.

This is one of the 3 ships in the New Zealand Navy.  They depend on the US for there defense. 

Gardens at Bastion Point

A visit to Davenport gave us a view of Auckland from across the Channel

Kids on outing from school in Davenport

Bob on Seawall  with Auckland in the background

Had lunch at the artsy little town of a Meat Pie.  One of the many we had on this trip.  A favorite food in New Zealand.

Then the highlight of the day. A harbor boat ride.  The weather in Auckland wasn't the best.  Misting rain much of the time and cool. But we were still able to get out and see everything.

No sails up, but you can see why it's called the city of Sails.  Wind was really gusting and water was rough.

We still managed to have a great time viewing the harbor by boat. 

A big sport of the people here is to Bungee Jump from the Harbour Bridge

Back to the Hotel for a great Buffet.  Tonight was the main Welcome Party and the Buffet was included as most of the dinners were.  We heard that if you just came to the buffet, it would be $199 a person, not including drinks.  Was more than enough food for everyone.  Then to bed since we were packing and moving on the next morning.

Ackland to Rotorua

On the way to Rotorua on Tuesday, we at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.  Interesting.  To dark to take pictures, but here's a few that show us and the formations.

We rode by boat like the one in the picture and in the dark, the glow worms did appear to be lights.
We didn't actually see a Kiwi in the wild, but here's a couple of gaint ones.

On to our hotel and Rotorua. 

 That evening we went to a Maori Village and had a Hangi feast.  The feast was cooked in pits in the ground similar to a luau. It was a reenactment of the way they lived and their beliefs and dances.
We also participated in some of the events.

Dance that evening

Beginning of Ceremony

The warriors were not fighters, but would try to scare their enemies by the tattoos and facial expressions.   







The next morning,it's up again early.  We load back on the bus to visit Te Puia to escort us through the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve with Mud pools and geysers.

Prettier than Yellowstone, but the geysers were shooting off all the time.



Te Puia was also a learning center for the  Maori
People.  Learning to weave baskets from grass and carve the totem poles and walls.







That afternoon, we boarded a New Zealand Air Plane to fly to Christchurch on the South Island.  WE made our way from the airport to  Christchurch.  This was not an easy task as ChristChurch was damaged by earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, and much of the city is under construction.   Checked in, had time to just clean up before dinner and then to bed almost midnight.  This is the way the whole trip was, too jammed pack and always running late.

The next morning, it's on the bus again to make our way to Franz Josef.  This was supposed to be on a train through the Southern Alps to Arthur's Pass.  The train tracks were damaged by the earthquake just this year.  Beautiful scenery, but as always, after a visit for Lunch at small town of Hokitika where the greenstone/jade factory was, we didn't have much time at the Franz Josef Glacier.  The plans were that if you wanted you could walk to the edge of the glacier, a hike of 45 minutes each way.  Since we were running late, we were only going to have 30 minutes total.  Bob and I and one other couple said "screw that" and made the hike anyway.  It was well worth the delay.  We made it round trip in an hour.  Everyone else may have been happy shopping and eating, but we wanted to hike to the geyser.

Scenery at Arthur's Pass

More scenes

Waterfalls at walk to Glacier

Even though we went as far as we could, you didn't have access to the Glacier

But plenty of falls.

 Of course, we were really late getting to the hotel.  Dinner was different.  It was good, but served as a mini buffet at each table.  I've never eaten so much lamb and venison in my life.  Of course, this is a country of 4 million people and 60 million sheep.  They also have deer ranches and the deer are not wild.  Matter of fact, there is only one wild native animal and that is the Opossum.  Different from the ones in the states, with a bushy tail and fur.  Still in the rat family. Up early the next day and a drive to Queenstown.  This was the best of all and we actually slept in the same hotel for 4 nights.

First stop for a break was a Salmon Farm

and of course the Heron were watching for a chance to fish

Very lush in a rain forest

From there we moved to the coast

Back in the rain fores to Thunder Falls

 We stopped several times for views along the coast and then entered the forest and Lake area again.  There's numerous lakes along the highway.

At Thunder Falls, we had time to walk along trails and wooden trellises to see the falls.  I was surprised at the lack of birds and wildlife there.




 

 

Rest stop at fruit stand and flower garden

At the Fruit stand, another snack, we didn't buy anything.  We had a couple of people on this trip that had to buy an ice cream at every stop.  With all the food included in the trip, I can't believe there was room to eat more.  Very little exercise and lots of food.  I'm surprised I only gained 5 lbs.

Next stop was lunch and it was included.  Some days, the lunch was your expense.  On those days, Bob and I shared something or just didn't eat.  Lunch was at Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town. Then on to Queenstown.  Late again, dinner after 8 or 9 o'clock.

The next morning we didn't have to have our luggage down, but did get on the bus for a tour to Milford Sound. This area is worth visiting several times, beautiful lakes, rain forest and fiords.

First coffee break stop, Bob had to get picture of big blue Kiwi.

Mirror Lake

Notice the sign

another beautiful waterfall along the way

Melting snow, we're here in early summer

The Chasm Walkway

Looking down as the waters rush through

Bob really was there

Finally, Milord Sound.  We take a boat ride with lunch out on the sound to see this beautiful fiord.

Boating out

1st waterfall

The Sea lions sunning on the rocks

                                                                            

 This was going to be a 3 hr. cruise, but ended up being 4 or 4 1/2 hrs long.  The captain and crew said that this was the first day in months that it wasn't raining and cold and really rough.  We were able to go outside the sound and they wanted to enjoy it.  Fantastic short cruise.

However; since we still had to drive back to Queenstown for dinner and the night, quess what?  another late dinner.  Next day was to be a free day, but everyone wanted to go to Skipper's Canyon.  Our director included the trip in the cost.  Except for the Jet Boat Ride up the river which was extra. 1/2 day free to do what we wanted in Queenstown.

The van ride up was on  a narrow bumpy dirt road

You had to go up and then go down, almost a 4 wheel drive adventure

Part of the history of the area

Our Jet Boat

After the jet boat ride, we panned for gold.

See my gold nugget

Back to the hotel and free time to explore Queenstown.  Nice little town with a lake and beautiful gardens to walk around.  We met up at the Hotel to take the Gondola up to the restaurant for dinner.  It was a great ride and beautiful views, but I can't find the sd card for that time frame.  We rode back down and then walked back to the hotel to pack. Driving back to Christchurch.

 Packed and ready to go after breakfast .  On bus by 8:00 am.  On the way back we toured the Church of the Good Shepherd.  They also had a statue of a Working Sheepdog.  These dogs are very important in New Zealand.

Back in Christchurch.  You remember I told you it was almost destroyed by earthquakes.  You can see some of the damage here.

using containers as temporary buildings for stores, etc

                                

End of the journey, I would like to have seen more, down to the south tip that has penguins and more time to hike around the country sides.  If we go back, we will definitely rent an rv and stay 6 to 8 weeks. 

All for now, but new blog coming soon to bring you up to date.