Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 4 part 2

Baby seal returning from a swim
Pat at Golden Bay
Dusky Dolphins
Nutty Mushrooms

We took the 3 hour ferry ride from Wellington to Picton and started the second half of our trip on the South Island. We drove the narrow, windy Queen Charlotte Drive and were rewarded with excellent coastal views. At Able Tasman NP, we boated the entire length of the park’s coastline and then did a 4 hour coastal hike. We drove to Golden Bay, where Able Tasman first encountered Maoris and lost 4 of his crew. He called the place Murderer’s Bay. We found it quite pleasant and enjoyed many of the sights there including Labyrinth Rocks, a maze of passageways, tunnels and caves - the perfect place to hide.
We crossed over to the north east side of the island and saw baby fur seals playing in the water while their mothers sunned themselves on the rocks. During a whale watching trip we saw three sperm whales and some Dusky dolphins. We left Kaikoura and crossed back to the west coast.

Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 5 part 1

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef up close

Mt Cook

Wanka Lake

Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 5 part 2

Mt Aspiring
Ship leaving Milford Sound
Milford Sound
Beats Driving!
We drove to Hokitika and set out to see Lake Kaniere and Hokitika Gorge. After doing several hikes near the lake in the rain, we were soaked to the bone. We decided to skip the gorge and drive to Franz Josef Glacier. A clear morning gave us great views and we hiked as close as we could get to the face of the glacier. We tried to get a classic picture of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman and their reflection in Lake Matheson, but the clouds and the wind did not cooperate. We headed down to Fox Glacier and hiked to its face.
We crossed the Southern Alps again at Haast Pass and enjoyed the many falls and hikes in the area. The last time we were in NZ we hiked the Milford Track to Milford Sound. Since it was a 10 hour RT drive to Milford Sound we decided to skip the drive and take a scenic flight to Milford Sound from Wanaka, cruise the sound and fly back. We heard a storm was approaching Fiordland, but it held off long enough for us to do our trip. It was a great way to see the mountains and the sound.

Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 6 part 1

New Zealand Fur Seal

NZ style road block

Bird - Watcher

Yellow eyed Penguin

Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 6 part 2

McLean Falls

Forest Walk

Sun Rise

Purakaunui Falls

Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 6 part 3

Nugget Point

Paradise Shelducks (Female has white head)

Dunedin's RR station

Moeraki's Boulders (She makes really big snowmen too)

Feb-April 2011 New Zealand Week 6 part 4

Opera House at Oamaru
Dahlia
Not a bad view
Blue Penguins at Antarctic Center

From Queenstown, we toured the remains (from gold mining days) of a Chinese village in Arrowtown. After a drive following the lakeshore to Glenorchy, we headed south to the Catlins. Here, in addition to seeing many waterfalls, we saw the rare and endangered New Zealand sea lion, the endangered Yellow Eyed penguin and a fossilized forest 140-180 million years old.
We moved up the coast to Dunedin but the rain and cold moved in and hampered our desire to see the wildlife of the Otago Peninsula. We did tour some of the historic buildings and churches in town plus taking a tour of the Cadbury Factory. We left town with a big bag of candy. Moving up the coast we saw the unusual round boulders of Moeraki. In Oamaru, we saw dozens of blue penguins, the world’s smallest penguin, as they returned to their nest at sundown after a long day at sea looking for food.
Our departure city was Christchurch, which had been hit by a strong earthquake just before we arrived in NZ. The downtown area, where most of the damage occurred, was closed off. The last thing they needed was a steady stream of tourists milling around. Many of the local attractions were closed so we visited the Antarctic Center located near the airport. This was a good pick. We spent our entire last day there learning about penguins and life in Antarctica. We took a body jolting ride in the same vehicle the scientists use in the NZ and American camps in Antarctica.