NZ_DragonBar.jpgWe took a little walk the following morning to the top of Mt. Victoria. I captured this nice specular on the way to the trail.
Towards the end of October, Eliz & I took about three weeks holiday in New Zealand, having signed up for Haka Tours North-South island adventure tour. This was my selfish birthday present to Elizabeth, and I had insisted despite our busy schedules that we go before the end of the calendar year. We had a terrific time, and met a wonderful group of young people who had also signed on. (While Haka assured us we wouldn't be the oldest ones on our tour, we had at least a quarter century on all of them.)
Between us, we took almost 3000 photos, which I've winnowed down to about 750. I've further broken these into 24 pages, which you can jump between more easily. A few of the pages have linked video, or will have when I get around to uploading them.
Page 1, wherein we arrive to Auckland and explore the town and harbor.
Page 2, wherein we meet our tour group and head in the bus for our first destination on the north island, Whtianga.
Page 3, wherein a handful of our group go on a "black water rafting" adventure and check out a glow worm cave.
Page 4, wherein we check out a swing bridge and the Blue Spring, where the majority of New Zealand's bottled water originates. That night, we dine with the Mitai tribe and are treated to a demonstration of some Maori traditions.
Page 5, wherein Elizabeth and I go zip-lining in a native rain forest.
Page 6, wherein we visit the Waiotapu Thermal Park and check out the natural hot springs and Huka waterfall in Taupo.
Page 7, wherein we sail Lake Taupo on a boat that once belonged to Errol Flynn.
Page 8, wherein we enjoy a group barbecue and try our hands at Gumboot Throwing. We arrive to Wellington and enjoy a nice dinner.
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We took a little walk the following morning to the top
of Mt. Victoria. I captured this nice specular on the
way to the trail.
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Some of the houses were a bit run–down.
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Especially compared to their neighbors.
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We took turns on a rope swing near the base of the hill.
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It was such a moving view.
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The trail itself was well sheltered.
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There was in fact a parking lot not too far from the
top.
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Mt. Victoria
The view was spectacular, even with the bit of overcast.
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Airport
The Wellington airport is notorious for the continuous
winds being funneled near the strait.
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Tui
Back in town, we caught some native birds singing and
playing.
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Two Tui
It was fun to see them chase each other, and we enjoyed
their musical calls through much of our stay in NZ.
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This was another place Rhonda insisted we go, and we
learned later that a few others in our group went there
as well. The bagels were beautiful and delicious.
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In the afternoon, we strolled through the Te Papa, National
Museum of New Zealand. It featured a mixture of native
art, and natural and historical dioramas. The Gallipoli
exhibit was amazing with giant, life–like models
of soldiers and nurses.
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The building itself was also a work of art.
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An extinct Moa being predated by an extinct eagle.
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At the nearby waterfront, kids were actually jumping
in the chilly seawater.
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After the museum, we went to check out the NZ seat of
government, referred to fondly as "the Beehive."
Inside, they (a) required you to wait for a scheduled
tour, (b) charged money for said tour, and (c) didn’t
allow photographs. We went to the botanical gardens.
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Best of all, there was an inexpensive cable car that
took us to the gardens.
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Some kids were climbing this, despite the fencework
designed to discourage such activity.
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We didn’t take the observatory tour.
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Magpie
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Kaka
This one is native to New Zealand, and I’m told
it likes to eat the rubber door seals off of cars.
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This piece is supposed to represent the north and south
islands of New Zealand.
Page 10, wherein we meet the others for some street food and fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. The next morning, we leave our bus for a ferry ride to the south island. (Just in time as it turns out, since Ronnie lost her rear suspension towards the end and broke down completely when the next group took her over.)
Page 11, wherein we travel to Kaikoura, and Eliz & I swim with some dolphins. We end the day at a nice Haka lodge in Christchurch.
Page 12, wherein we go hot-air ballooning with Yen & Brian, then check out the Christchurch Art Museum.
Page 13, wherein we meet up with our group and head out to Tekapo, where we were all surprised by a snowstorm in the night.
Page 14, wherein we enjoy our first afternoon in Queenstown and take a gondola up to Bob's Peak to be amazed by the view and learn how to luge.
Page 15, wherein Eliz & I are joined by Lauren on a horse trek near Glenorchy.
Page 16, wherein Jon, Brian, and Yen join us in a "canyoning" adventure that was more than we'd signed up for.
Page 17, wherein Eliz & I enjoy a leisurely day on Lake Wakapitu.
Page 18, wherein we drive over a mountain pass to get to Wanaka. The following day, most of us take a hike up Mount Iron. Some of us also go to see "The Lonely Tree"
Page 19, wherein we make a number of stops for beauty on the way to the Franz Josef glacier.
Page 20, wherein some of our group hike to see the glacier.
Page 21, wherein about half of us go on a final group kayaking adventure on Lake Mapourika.
Page 22, wherein some brave singers stand up for karaoke night at the pub. The next day, we stop in Hokitika and see some live kiwi birds on our way to catch the train in Greymouth.
Page 23, wherein everyone but our leader boards the Alpine Express bound for Christchurch, the final destination for the organized part of our trip.
Page 24, wherein Eliz & I have a final day on our own in Christchurch, which we spend wandering in search of good eats and take a ferry to Diamond harbor. We also finally get a chance to check out the Christchurch botanical garden, which is definitely worth the visit.
Page created Nov 27 2017