How much did this all cost?
There is a small addition to end of the Posting of January 10. Go to the
January 14 posting and page up to get to it easily.
Go to Posted March 7, 2007
Go to Posted February 24, 2007
Go to Posted February 18, 2007
Go to Posted January 20, 2007
Go to Posted January 14, 2007
Go to Posted January 10, 2007
On Sunday the weather was quite bad, but our hotel ( The Bolton) was near the Parliament and there was an open house at the Parliament. We braved the wind and water and were rewarded with a good look at the political history of New Zealand as well as some of the current workings of the government. That evening the wind and rain let up, and we met our new friends for dinner.
In Picton we picked up our rental car, fortunately being upgraded from a Camry to a Holden Commodore, which turned out to be a very comfortable car. You may note that the steering wheel is on the wrong side. That isn't all. They also drive on the wrong side of the road! The foot pedals are in the same relative position as in the US, but the hand brake and shifter are on the left (of course), and the turn signal and windshield wipers have also swapped sides. I did a bit of signaling turns with the wiper blades. Fortunately the New Zealanders are used to this and recognize it for what it is. They have a lot of traffic circles (roundabouts) in New Zealand and they work very well. A fundamental problem with roundabouts in the US is that we ordinarily give way to cars on the right (as they do in New Zealand). BUT, that's exactly wrong for a roundabout in the US, since oncoming traffic on the circle (that obviously must have the right-of-way) is on the left. Oh well.
After some careful maneuvering to get out of Picton and onto the relatively open roads, I settled into driving on the left side. While I have done this quite a bit before, it does take some careful attention to detail, especially when turning onto a deserted road where there are no visual clues that left is right (correct). We stopped for lunch at a small winery, Shelly's Cafe in Springsland. It was the first of many wineries we stopped at for lunch, all of which had very pleasant surroundings and good and reasonably priced food. I took this picture nearby showing the open fields, vineyard, and mountains in the distance.
After a stop in Nelson to stock up on kitchen supplies (and money), we proceeded on out to the cottage (ah yes, Amelia doing laundry already) we rented for a week. It was very pleasant, restful, on an estuary with lots of birdlife. It is called the Manuka Island Eco cottage by virtue of being built of sustainable materials and eco-friendly. Here is a panorama stitched together from several shots taken from the deck at low tide (if your browser resizes the picture to fit the window, it will probably be a little small - enlarge the window to full screen for this one). Here's a shot a little right of center taken at high tide. I got a few bird pictures with my Bushnell binoculars 8x digital camera. I seem to have a little problem holding still enough, but nonetheless, I offer a variable oystercatcher, a harrier, and a kingfisher, and a shot of the distant mountains.
Our cottage was near Rabbit Island and we went there for a walk a couple of times. It's a wonderful walking beach, with fairly fine sand and lots of shells. Back at the cottage, I saw this butterfly just showing itself off. Later we had a colorful sunset.
The next day we took the Abel Tasman AquiTaxi from Marahau to Tonga Bay, from which we walked to Awaroa Lodge for lunch. Here's the boat driver playing tractor driver while he takes the boat (and us) from their office out into the bay for launching. Able Tasman is a popular kayaking area and there were lots of kayakers getting ready to depart, some seen through the upper part of the windshield of the boat. Our first viewpoint was of split apple rock, with numerous shags hanging out in the nearby trees. Near Tonga Beach is Tonga Island where in the spring the seals return to mate. At last, we are on the beach and ready to head for lunch. As it turns out, there is a mountain between us and lunch (well, OK, at least a high hill). As well head up the hill we see Tonga Bay, and another view of Tonga Bay, and finally a view of Awaroa Bay. We also saw this Paradise Shelduck, this Fantail, and after we arrived at the Awaroa Lodge, this Chaffinch. At the lodge they had some sculpture (Chaffinch sort of got in the picture, too) and this interesting outdoor fireplace. After a leisurely lunch, we strolled down to the beach, where the AquaTaxi picked us up (oh yeh, one has to walk through varying amounts of water up to about knee deep at the outlying pickup/dropoffs). A little sightseeing took us past this tunnel. We returned to Manuka Cottage and were treated to this sunset.
Speaking of wineries, we had lunch at the Grape Escape Winery the next day, did some shopping, and whatnot. All the wineries have very nice gardens, like this one that included herbs. Again, we had a colorful sunset reflected in the "tides in" estuary outside our cottage. The next day we took another walk on Rabbit Island, when we found this "found sculpture" on the beach. Then we saw some seals cavorting in the bay (another binocular picture). According to a local walker, they are rarely seen here. Later in the day we went to the Museum of Wearable Art & Collector Cars) (something for both of us). Needless to say, I went for the cars, but also got to see the wearable art. More art than wearable, perhaps, but it has blossomed into a yearly show that outgrew the Nelson/Richmond area.
Later in the day we went wine tasting at the Neudorf Vineyards in the Upper Moutere region, close to our cottage. The entrance was nice, and the view from the patio was out across the vineyard.
One day I took a hike to the "centre of New Zealand". Here's a shot of me standing of THE SPOT with a rather ominous looking spike ready to puncture me from one end to the other if I joke around too much. The "centre" is very conveniently was located on top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the surroundings. The view out toward central Nelson with the bay (and probably Rabbit Island) in the background is pretty nice, if somewhat cluttered in the foreground. On the way down was this Kauri tree that was planted in 1950. Kauri trees grew mainly on the North Island and were (over) exploited by settlers.
On a quest to find a certain winery we found some hops instead, but Amelia seemed to enjoy them, too. We had a chance for an overview shot, showing both hops and vineyards. Nearby I spotted this dilapidated barn and had to have a picture of it. There were more vineyards. Lest you think it was all vineyards, we also found this tangle of lambs lying at the base of a tree. There were quite a few sheep in the green pastures. These pictures were also taken in the Upper Moutere area.
For lunch we went to Mapua for excellent fish (blue cod) and chips. They have an anchorage there in the bay with some boats anchored. While there, someone drove up in an Aussie Valiant. Afterward we stopped by the Seifried Winery where they had a vineyard (of all things!) and also a rose garden.
Our cottage was about a km off the road, and along the way was a pen with various animals, including a pig. He evidently was anticipating someone coming along to feed him, as with a little (snort, snort) encouragement, he would come running to the gate. Oh yes, and somewhat fitting to include here the matter of the cap I bought at the factory outlet in Mapua. Amelia made the mistake of wandering off next door to look at jewelry, or something, and I found a bargain cap I just could not pass up. It was quite pleased modeling it back at the cottage, . Amelia says that's what happens when she lets me shop alone. What the hay, it only cost NZ$5 (about US$3.45), and it's a worthy addition to my cap collection.
We took our leave of the cottage on November 6 and drove to the southwest intending to visit the Nelson Lakes area, and Lake Rotoroa in particular. Along the way we saw some areas that appeared as clear cut forest. Alongside were other areas that were obviously planted trees. There are many similar areas in New Zealand as they are trees raised as a cash crop. Unfortunately, not a year-to-year one, as the Monterey pines they plant take about 25 years to mature.
While we fantasized about perhaps renting a kayak for a little ride on Lake Rotoroa, it turned out no such facilities were available. So we settled for a hike through the nearby woods and along the lake. First thing that caught our attention was this family of black swans. As we walked through the woods we saw this great mossy tree trunk and this really knarly one. Eventually we came back to the very smooth lake. Along the lake were these flowers
We proceeded on (not exactly coining a phrase here - see the journals of Lewis and Clark). One of the invasive species introduced by the Scot settlers was (of course) Scotch Broom, which would seem to be the national flower of New Zealand. I'm quite sure it is the most common one, as there are hills of it all over (more later). We came to Maruia Falls, a pretty waterfall where we had a picnic lunch (in the car, since it was raining a bit). Below the waterfalls was a large mass of slowly rotating driftwood (this was a binocular shot). Further along toward Hanmer Springs I got this picture of the Hanmer River with Scotch broom along it and on the mountains behind.
We arrived in
Hanmer Springs later in the day, where we stayed in a B&B for
three nights. I suppose the owners wondered if we knew what we wanted to do,
as we first were staying three nights, but then when the weather forecasts
looked like poor weather for hiking and using the hot baths, we decided we
would go on to Christchurch the next day and come back for a couple of days
later. When the next day dawned with good weather and a forecast for more, we
were fortunate that the room wasn't rented and we were able to go back to
our original plan. Well, anyway, there were some very nice hikes possible.
The flowers were in bloom, and here are some pictures with small attempt to say
what they are:
One of the hikes went up into the hill a bit behind Hanmer Springs, past a
pond where we saw this
pair of Paradise
Shelducks.
Further on we saw more
clear cut and
scotch broom, the
latter overlooking a new development in Hanmer Springs. Maybe we should
call this pretty red tree
Flower I, but I didn't.
The walks through the woods were often along trails through some pretty
tall trees.
Hanmer Springs was very enjoyable. In addition to the walks, we went to the
Hot Springs a couple of times where they have about six pools of varying
temperatures, from a rather tepid 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
up to about 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit). The higher
temperature pools are also rather sulphurous. On November 8th we left for
Christchurch and in the next couple of days we read that Hanmer Springs had
had some terrific winds, with many trees being blown down and the road to it
(it is relatively isolated) being closed. Glad we hadn't planned to go back
about that time, which was in our plan if we hadn't stayed for our initially
planned three days.
On November 9 we headed on to Christchurch to see Mary Kay and Dick and
recover a bit from several days on the road without home cooked food or a
washing machine. After a little fumbling around going in, we found our way
to their house at the Academy Lodge near Canterbury University. They were
in their 5th month in New Zealand, so knew their way around. The next day we
and MK went to
Riccarton House and Bush. Here Amelia and MK
pose in front of the
map. Riccarton was built
for early settlers in New Zealand, the Deans. It is on the river Avon and
the Bush includes native trees and a rather swampy area. Here is a picture
of the
house and a cabbage tree.
Panning around to the right a little we see the
front of Riccarton House.
Among lots of other wildlife there are
Paradise Shelducks (I
suppose you are getting the idea that shelducks are about all that hold still
for me - could be true). Flowerwise, they had some nice
rhododendrens of
various colors.
Out in the bush we saw some
vines that
wrapped around each other and grew large over many years. In the swampy
areas there were
fantastic roots and
tall trees.
On Friday we saw MK off to
camping with the Girl
Guides for the weekend.
Addition in March
Forgot to include a couple of pictures that MaryKay took in the Riccarton
Garden. Here is
Amelia and I in front
of the Riccarton House, and here we are
out in the bush.
The next day we headed for Wanaka, a fairly modest distance, so we decided to take a detour to the village of Mt. Cook, The road goes north along Lake Pukaki and gives views of Mt. Cook (the mountain) in the background. The wonderful turquoise color of the lake is due to suspended rock particles ground up by the glaciers and running into it with the melt. Past the lake we had a good view of Mt. Cook using the binocular camera, while the regular camera showed pastoral views with Mt. Cook in the background. From the village of Mt. Cook there is a trail up the hillside (which I took while Amelia took a more gentle track). The clouds nearly obscure the peak. Back down the clouds on the windward side have backed off a bit while the cloud plume on the leward side is prominent. The binocular camera gave a closer view of the peak and cloud plume. I guess you can tell I kind of liked Mt. Cook (but enough to want to go up it).
While I waited for Amelia to get back, I poked around the hotel and found they had this ski plane that was used to fly to the glacier (not, perhaps, in its present configuration). After lunch, it was off to Wanaka, where we had some agricultural views along the way, including this very long (maybe up to a km) center pivot irrigation rig.
The next day we took a tour of Lake Wanaka in the Dual Image. This boat is operated by Lakeland Adventures. Unlike the day before (when we had scheduled the trip) the lake was very smooth. Our ultimate destination was Mou Waho Island. There we took a hike up the hill, where I took this picture of nature's sculpture. Across the way I saw this waterfall and took the picture with the binocular camera. Further along I got this picture of the Dual Image at anchor, and this one taken with the binocular camera. At the (almost) end of the trail was this mountain-top lake, fwhile the real end-of-trail was on this overlook. While I was resting, this Weka (just above midpicture) came out to see what was going on. A bit later, Amelia came along, and we traded places. When we got back to the picnic area near the boat, this leg-banded Weka came out to greet us (and beg for grub). One the way back on the boat Amelia caught a picture of some tourist taking it easy on the afterdeck. Inside, the captain and his wife were carefully threading their way through perilous waters (maybe I jest). They were very pleasant and knowledgeable hosts, and their daughter served tea and goodies going and coming. We got back before the clouds and rain moved in.
Finally the big day came to go to the Wanaka Transport & Toy Museum. The first two items in the entry building are this 1960 Cadillac that starred in Stephen King film Graveyard Shift, and this 1934 Cadillac that starred on a Western Australia sheep ranch (just kidding, but it was imported from Australia in 2002). I don't know if the lion on the 60 has anything to do with the movie, or not, but based on other displays, I'd guess not. Likewise the Corsair model airplane on the 34. Generally, the whole place is pretty much a jumble, and although this generic shot shows a bit of the junble, but doesn't really give the complete idea. Much of the museum is devoted to cars, and more of that later. In the meantime, other transportation related items are noted. This old turbocharged Caterpillar engine can be seen to have 4 valves per cylinder. This one looks like it's pretty old, but appears to have some traction tread. This tractor looks like a real old-timer. Panning around to the left shows some trucks, cars, and other equipment that either would not fit inside, or wasn't worth putting inside. This Chamberlin tractor looks like a real moose. Here's a little Ford tractor that was converted to run a rolling packer. Then here's another Caterpillar, but I can't remember whether it is a dirt hauler, or what. There was a display of jacks and outboard engines (how's that for a combination?), with some garden tilling equipment in the foreground, as well as an old Fairbanks-Morse type water cooled engine. On down the line they have a display labeled (labels are unusual) washing machine engines, but I think a see a cream separator in there. As one might find a bit of sherbet to cleanse the palate between courses in an Italian meal, I offer these pictures of sewing machines and typewriters to prepare you for the move from transportation to the toy side of things. Here is a cabinet full of model cars and related items. There is a large display of Barbie items, even some cars. Of course they have a large collection of Star Wars items, including this Wicket's World Coloring Book and this Ewok compound. Getting back to transportation, I've put all the car pictures into the New Zealand Cars file, and the airplanes into the New Zealand Aircraft file.
After a nice lunch, we carried on to Queenstown, where we looked for some Lord of the Rings memoriabilia. We knew where to go (well, almost, they were under renovation and not exactly obvious), but ... In new Zealand they have a lot to learn from the US. We can still buy StarWars stuff (twenty to thirty years later) everwhere one goes. In New Zealand one can buy Lord of the Rings stuff at only one place, and that only means what they presently have in stock, because they aren't making any more. All the better for the collectors, I suppose. Make no mistake, there are books available everywhere about where Lord of Rings was filmed, and lots of tours of "Lord of the Rings country". Oh, you say, where was Lord of the Rings filmed? Near as I can figure out, EVERYWHERE in New Zealand. I exaggerate, but it was filmed in lots of different locations, both North and South Islands. We found some stuff and then it was on to Lake Hayes, where we found the Peony Gardens B&B, but no one was home. I took a few pictures of peonies. This one shows our self-contained unit above the garage. There were more peonies all over the yard, in just about any direction you want to look. Since we were going to need a few groceries, we decided to drive up to nearby Arrowtown, where we remembered taking walk in 2002 along the Arrow River 150th anniversary walk. Along the way we saw these tall trees and this large flowering bush (may be a lilac, I can't tell now). It was late in the afternoon, and I got this interesting picture of our shadows across the river.
The next day we took the bus to Milford Sound. The trip we opted for was the "nature trip", and the driver (driveress?) was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and other things along the way. It rained and the wind blew. Even on the way through the mountains to the sound, we saw lots of waterfalls.
We stopped at The Chasm and were rewarded with this rushing stream after a short walk in the rain. Finally we got to the docks and boarded our boat for the trip on the sound. The rain and the wind continued. The falls were just spectacular! Here's a small cross-section of them. As the boat got out to the entrance to the ocean, the swells were becoming bigger and bigger. Before we turned back I tried to take a couple of pictures showing how much the boat was rocking up and down. After we turned back the sound looked surprisingly smooth back toward the ocean. Some people thought it was miserable, but I thought it was great. It would be interesting to take that cruise with the sun shining. We were very glad to have a bus to ride instead of a four hour drive back to Queenstown.The next day we took the SS Earnslaw across the lake from Queenstown to the Walter Peak farm. As we proceeded to the boarding area, we saw this giant Kiwi bird. Lake Wakapitu was pretty smooth as we looked out to the south part of the lake. Soon we were underway as the triple cylinder steam engine got us going. The Earnslaw made its maiden voyage on October 18, 1912. After a voyage of a bit more than an hour, we disembarked at Walter Peak Farm and looked back at the ship. Walter Peak is primarily a sheep ranch. Here a sheep dog rounds up the crowd (the duck is not part of the crowd). After the sheep dog demo, we proceeded to the shearing shed, where the guide demonstrated shearing on a live sheep. It is incredible how docile the sheep becomes when wrestled into the proper position. Then, it's off with the wool as he begins to shear. Almost finished now, with the sheep upside down, and finally it's over! To be perfectly honest, the shearer wasn't very good since he took several minutes to demo it while a REAL sheep shearer shears one about every 45 seconds for nine hours a day. That guys lives in a different world.
Elsewhere around the farm they have red deer and Scottish Highland Cattle. The former is a paying operation while the latter is mainly to perpetuate the breed and keep the tourists interested (I think). Here's a shot of a Scottish Highland calf that is pretty cute. I got a shot of this black ram and friend. On the way back, I got a shot of them scooping coal into the firebox. Walking down the dock looking for a place to eat after getting back, we saw the "sibling" to the kiwi, a closer to lifesize moa, which is now extinct. Finally, a shot of the drinks Amelia and I ordered where we ate. The caffe latte was mine, while the 175ml Coke (about 6 oz) was Amelia's. The ceramic top bottle is commonly used in New Zealand to serve water at restaurants.
The next morning we went out Mandeville where we found the Croyden Aircraft Company,LTD. There seemed to be no one around, but the door was open, so I just went on in. I took a self-tour and took a lot of pictures. They specialize in rebuilding DeHavilland aircraft, but do others as well. Pictures are in the New Zealand Aircraft webpage. As I was leaving, an airplane landed and someone got out and stood around, while the airplane took off again. I went and asked him about Croyden, and he told me what he knew (not much), but then a vehicle drove up and he said "there's who you need to talk to". So, I did, and she and her husband own the facility (she was mystified about why the building was unlocked, but confirmed to me it was OK to go in and look around and take pictures. She allowed as how they weren't getting rich, but they were having a lot of fun.
Then it was on to Dunedin, by way of Gore, the city which advertises itself as the three horse town. We found our B&B without difficulty, but it was unfortunate we found it at all. Not too good, and although close to downtown, it was a real tough walk, so we had to drive. We found it in the Charming B&B book, just as many others we stayed at. Guess it's not 100%, although all the others we found through it were very satisfactory, so I would recommend it in general (I make not promises to anyone, of course, unless I've stayed at the particular one). Anyway, we had a late lunch, whiled away what was left of the afternoon, and found another B&B (in Charming) for the next two nights.
On Sunday, 19th, we went to the Otago Settlers Museum. Cars seem to always play a part in the New Zealand story, and they have a number of them in the museum. Some other things that caught my attention was the display of bicycles, cabinet with model cars and trains, and this wonderful old depositor's desk from an old bank. The museum has lots of information about the early settlers in New Zealand (mostly British), but also exhibits on the local "indigenous" (I put quotes because New Zealand was only became inhabited around 1200 CE) Maori people.
Then it was on to the Dunedin train station, where I took pictures of the stained glass window.
We went on to the South Otago Museum. There I took some pictures of skeletons of kinds of now extinct moa. Here's a recreation of what the moa (might have?) looked like. I also got this picture of a brave young fellow putting his head in the mouth of an alligator. I was supposed to get an email so I could send back a copy of the picture, but none has come. There are many exhibits about the flora and fauna of New Zealand, and large collections of them are on exhibit. One can spend quite a lot of time here.
Dunedin claims to have the steepest street in the world, Baldwin Street , although that doesn't seem likely from this view toward the top. Of course, I had to walk up it (while Amelia read in the car). This view from near the top makes it seem a little more plausible. And back down at the bottom this sign clearly makes it true. After returning to our B&B we walked a few blocks to get something to eat. It was a "sibling" of places we ate at other places, a Speights pub and restaurant. We found them to be quite acceptable places to eat in New Zealand. Later, I took this shot from our room over Otago Harbour, and a little later, sunset over nearby houses. Looking down into the gardens below, we had this lovely view.
The next day we devoted to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. This garden is famous for its Rhododendrens, and since they were in full bloom we spent a lot of time pursuing them in different parts of the gardens. I got a lot of shots of flowers, some of which I list here:
There are lots of other plants and trees, of course, including this rather convoluted set of trunks. We saw New Zealand flax many places in New Zealand. There are quite a few birds in the Gardens, and I managed to get a shot of a Tui in the wild. They have other birds in a zoo setting, including this colorful Golden Pheasant. After a little refreshment near this sculpture of Peter Pan, we walked through some pretty nice rose gardens oon the way out.Proceeding on to Oamaru, we then found a little lunch place where we had sandwiches and drinks. I couldn't resist this picture of the old-fashinoned toilet setup, including the pull chain. Afterward, Amelia went somewhere, and I headed to the Oamaru Automobile Collection. Along the way I got this shot of a Morgan 8 on the street.
I had seen an advertisement for the The Hollies in a magazine in Dunedin. It is in Waimate, just off the road to Timaru north of Oamaru, so I thought I'd stop in for a look-see. We found Waimate's Main Street with little difficulty (we came into town on it). Since the address was 232 North Main, I expected to come upon it quickly. After traveling down the road several kilometers, we came to The Hollies and saw this shed. There did not seem to be anyone around, although we were greeted by four somewhat sharpei-looking dogs (apparently Rolys, acording to the website) that burst through the gate from the house. They were friendly, and I managed to get them back into the yard. The (about) 8x10 foot gift shop was open, but no one was inside. The shed was open, so I took the liberty of going in and looking around The Hollies Motoring and Memorabilia Collection. Then it was on to Timaru, where we spent the night. In line with our usual luck, we found that there their annual rose festival was in full bloom. But, we found a motel for one night and had time for a walk along the ocean but I guess I didn't take the camera along (at least I have no pictures).
The next day we went downtown to the Timaru Museum to see Richard Pearse's
airplane. Pearse
was also an inventor,
and made the engine
for his airplane. Fairly strong anecdotal evidence has that it that the craft
flew a goodly distance on March 31, 1903, several months before the Wright
Brothers. Unfortunately there is no proof postive of that. Some claim he
flew mostly downhill. The site is near Waitohi, west of Temulka.
After a fair amount of wandering around, we managed to find the
site of (the end) of
that flight. These
shots in four directions from the monument show the ground to be rather
slightly sloped:
one
two
three
four
Then it was on to Christchurch, where more adventures will be chronicled on web pages to come.
This being Thanksgiving Day (in the US), we wanted to have a turkey dinner. Alas, turkey is not that easy to come by in New Zealand, plus we probably would have to cook it ourselves. Heck, we can do that at home. So, we opted instead to go out to Sgt. Peppers Steakhouse. The restaurant is decorated in Beatles memorabilia and served (would you believe) lots of steak. Enjoyed it!
On Friday we left to go to Akaroa, a small town founded by French settlers southeast of Christchurch on Akaroa Harbour. Along the way we saw this offer to have sheep graze your pasture, the two signs being a hundred meters or so apart. Upon rising to the top of the mountain on the way, we stopped at this overlook and I got a picture of Akaroa and the Harbour. We stayed at a nice B&B, The Maples, and here's my picture of it, almost like their's, except I've got some people in mine. Here's a view toward the Harbour taken down the street a ways from the B&B. There are many nice old houses, some showing the French influence, and here are some:
On Saturday we decided to take a cruise on the Akaroa Harbour. We went with Black Cat Cruises. I took this picture of the Black Cat. I also got this shot toward the harbour with MaryKay and Amelia posing. Then MaryKay got one of Amelia and I. There was a steady breeze and three rowboats were all lined up like they were going someplace. Finally the cruise started and here's a look back toward Akaroa Lighthouse. Akaroa Harbour is known for the Hector's dolphins that live in it. Here they are starting to come nearby, and here they are bolder still, but we saw no jumpers like the picture on the Black Cat website. Toward the harbor entrance there are high cliffs that are home to nesting shags and other birds. There are also resident New Zealand Fur Seals. The latter two pictures were taken with the binocular camera. This canyon looked interesting to me. Back on solid ground we walked down the street, and I found this interesting personalized license plate. Oc course, in the US one can have one's company name on the license plate, but the additional advertising is what I found interesting. That evening we went to see "Beyond the Sea" at a local movie theater. It was an interesting little theater, perhaps 30 or 40 seats, and the more expensive seats had nicer accoutrements, such as nicer cup holders and trays for your dinner (or whatever). Wine and beer could be purchased beforehand, and indeed you could just eat there without going to the movie.
The next morning we prepared to head back to Christchurch, but first I took some pictures, showing the sandbox and flowers. Then a picture of a Kereru, otherwise known as a New Zealand Pigeon that was lurking in a tree about the driveway (wasn't my car there). Then it was off to do some shopping for New Zealand specialties (wool, etc.). After several hours of hard work (for Dick and I, anyway) we took some time off for a little liquid pepper-upper. When we headed back to pick up the car at the B&B we discovered that the New Zealand Charger Club was having a car show. Naturally, we stopped off to have a look at more New Zealand Cars. On the way back to Christchurch, we saw this interesting sign for dogs in a park.
On Monday we went to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. First up was this family picture. But then we proceeded to the gardens where I got this picture of MaryKay and Amelia at the entry archway. After that, it was lots and lots of roses:
There were other things in the Gardens. I saw a blackbird - Manu Pango. The Gardens also has a World Peace Bell which was installed by the World Peace Association. We came out eventually on the Avon River (not that one!) where people were enjoyed a ride. Nearby was was a rock garden and Alpine flowers. Beyond was a lilly pond.
There were interesting trees in the Gardens, such as this one and these two. Here's a closeup of the ecalyptus, and another showing that this is a big tree (I don't know who is in the picture - anyone recognize themselves?). Getting back to flowers.....
Later that evening, friends of MaryKay and Dick came over, bringing some desserts to join more on the dessert "groaning board". There was plenty for all! The next day we had dinner out at Mona Vale, where we shared the sampler platter. Then we took the bus out to the New Brighton Pier. Here's MaryKay and Amelia strolling down the pier. The building in the background houses a library and other places of interest.
The next day, November 29, our visit to New Zealand came to an end. In the afternoon we caught a flight from Christchurch to Auckland. I got a few pictures of the countryside along the way. I'm guessing this is Port Waikato, just south of Auckland. Here we have the green countryside as we come in toward the airport, seen on the left. Later the same day (after gaining a day across the international date liine), we had this welcome view of Mt. Shasta, followed by what I think is the halo around the shadow of our airplane. Getting closer to home, Mt. McLoughlin comes into view and we pass near to Mt. Ashland. Minutes later we were on the ground, arriving home the same day a little before we left Christchurch.
It was a wonderful trip, even better than we might have hoped. Thanks in no small measure to our friends, Dick and MaryKay.
Sorry this report was so long coming (that is, if you have been breathlessly (hardly likely) awaiting it). Next time I'll pretend I didn't take more than a thousand pictures, with so many good ones I just couldn't leave them out! I promise to be brutal next time (if there is one).