New Zealand 2004
Gwendolyn and I (along with my parents and my brother Greg) spent two weeks on the south island in November. I can't recommend it highly enough, but be sure to give yourself plenty of time when you visit--you'll need it!
The
vacation was made possible by my parents, Bill (at right, with me) and Katie
(below left, with Greg), who cashed in a metric tonne of frequent flyer miles
for the airline tickets.
Together,
the five of us made the trek across the Pacific, not knowing entirely what to
expect at the other end. Though my parents had visited New Zealand and Australia
before, none of the rest of us had ever crossed the Pacific Ocean.
We
began the vacation with a few days in Christchurch, a charming city that bears a
strong British influence in almost every way imaginable. One thing that you soon
realize in New Zealand is the strong association the country has with Antarctica
(thanks to the proximity and the number of Antarctic expeditions that left and
continue to leave from New Zealand to the present day). At right is a statue of
Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott prominently displayed in Christchurch.
Over
the next few days, we took part in a variety of activities in and around
Christchurch. We toured a local museum and the enormous botanical gardens
adjoining it. Gwendolyn and I punted on the Avon River (the third-largest Avon
River in the world, we were told). Our friendly boatman is pictured to the left.
We
took the train up into the mountains to Arthur's Pass, which offered a variety
of hikes both short and long. Though the weather was a bit gray . . . and damp .
. . we braved the trails far enough to see (and capture) a few nice sights,
including the waterfall to the right. Then it was back to the lodge for a hot
mug of cocoa before returning to Christchurch.
But
the 700+ meter altitude of Arthur's Pass was only an appetizer for what was yet
to come, because our next big adventure took us nearly twice as far up into the
sky--in a hot air balloon. It was awfully quiet nearly a mile above
the ground, though we could still hear the sheep below by listening carefully.
From
Christchurch, we made our way down the east coast of the island to the
Scottish-flavored town of Dunedin (pronounced dun-EE-din). Not all the towns in
NZ are flavored like parts of the UK--it just seems like it. We had our sunniest
day there--about 75 degrees F. We spent the day visiting an albatross breeding
area and the sandy beach nearby. Standing on the shore, it was odd to realize
that there was literally no land between me and the other coast of the island
all the way around the globe. Were it possible to see around the horizon,
there'd be nothing visible but water until I hit the fiords on the west coast of
the south island.
I
didn't get any good albatross pictures, but I did get a good shot of the cat
that snuck in our bedroom window during the night to curl up in bed. (Smokey is
one of the cats that lives at the B&B, and he's very friendly.)