Cruising Thru The South Island
From ... in Invercargill, New Zealand on Sep 30 '08
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Dear Friends,
Cathy and I and 90% of New Zealand are celebrating the victory of Obama. We cried after hearing the results as did many New Zealanders for they see in Obama a man who will have a very positive impact on the world economies as a whole. Later when we read his entire acceptance speech in a little cafe, we cried again. We took pictures of the newspapers that had him splashed across their front pages. We are happy to say that we mailed in our absentee ballots so that our votes would be counted. Obama has a tough job ahead of him with the financial mess the US is facing and we are sending our support and positive energy to him!
If you fall off that cliff don't expect me to rescue you !!!!!! Get back from that edge !!!
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This blog will be different from our previous blogs because after "working our butts off" for nine months in the North Island, we realized with only three months left before we leave New Zealand for good, there was too much to see in the South Island and also wwoof. So we twisted each others arms and agreed to become tourists only. The following is more of a running dialogue of our journey through the south and the things we saw.
We arrived in the South Island on the 20th of October in the small town of Picton and decided to drive to Blenheim which is in the middle of wine country. After spending a few days at the Lugano Motel, we headed to Judy and Barb's in Mapua, just outside Nelson. They are two of the four women that we met and befriended in the Cook Islands. We had planned to go for Barb's birthday celebration then move on to our next wwoof which was close by. Barb and Judy and the dogs (Fern and Tilly) made us so welcomed that we broached the idea of wwoofing for them. Without giving it a seconds thought, they said "yeeees". So we settled in for two incredibly enjoyable weeks.
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Barb and Judy took us to their book club luncheon where 12 members each read several books in a month 's time and gave a synopsis of their books. Members then had the option of taking a few books home to read until the next months meeting or select new ones that were talked about also. Cathy and I suggested some books that we'd read recently. It was a fun group and we ran into many of them again in town over the course of our stay.
The last week of October is New Zealand's Labor Day Holiday. and Judy took us to a real country fair. Throughout the countryside we saw decorative scarecrows reminding everyone about the fair. The NZer's are very family oriented and it was really interesting to watch fathers playing with and taking care of their children. For those who have asked, NZer's celebrate Halloween on a very small scale.
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Judy, a well known animal artist, took Ellen to her painting class that she was teaching and where Ellen attempted to draw a Brittany Spaniel in charcoal. She did much better than in the basket weaving class. There was good critiquing the 2nd week of every one's work by Judy. However the students only had one topic on their minds. You guessed it........OBAMA!!!!!! Oh, the sign up sheet to have Ellen draw your pets will follow shortly. Uhh...........................JOKE!
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On another afternoon, Judy took Cathy to her Lawn Bowling Club. Judy and the club wanted Cathy to have a real experience so they made arrangements for her to play in a match later that week. Judy showed Cathy what the object of the game was: get your ball closest to the little white ball. No one could believe it when on her second shot she not only got close to the white ball but actually hit it!!! Points for the good guys... Her team went on to win the match and she was told that she was a natural for the game. (all those years of playing " pool" in the States paid off....angle shots, etc )
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Our quasi wwoof for the ladies involved eating delicious meals that Barb cooked every night, mowing the grass, polishing brass, cleaning planters, planting some herbs, and tying jonquils into knots (sorry Judy that we never completed that task) Judy and Barb were just being polite in letting us help them around the house. They really wanted us to see the area so they took us to Golden Bay for a long weekend. What an absolutely beautiful area. While there, we took a day trip out to Cape Farewell and the Farewell Spit. ABBY, here we saw the BLACK SWANS that migrate from Australia, VARIABLE OYSTER CATCHERS (there are only 4,000 on the planet), GODWYNS who fly non stop for 8 days from Alaska, CASPIEN TERNS, TERN STONES, GANNETS, WHITE FACED HERONS, SPOONBILLS, SHAGS who are often mistaken for small penguins, and FUR SEALS. Captain Cook departed from New Zealand on his way back to England from Cape Farewell.
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One rainy afternoon we drove to Tanaka to an art show by local artists, some of whom Judy knew. She also showed us Pupu Springs that are reported to have the freshest water in NZ. It was on this walk to the springs that Judy showed us our one and only view of the famous "silver ferns" that are the national symbol. Leaving Golden Bay we all had lunch at Ligar Beach and then planned to meet them back home while we went off to see more of the area.
We went to the Langford Store in Bainheim, to the historic swinging bridge that the miners used to cross the river, a rock formation called Devils Dining Table, The Naked Possum and finally to the art studio of Peter Green "Earth Sea Gallery" (another of Judy's friends). His pictures are so detailed that you think you are looking at a digital photograph. Cathy fell in love with one of them but it was out of her price range. When it comes out in a less expensive format, perhaps she will get it then.
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Before leaving Barb and Judy we took them out to lunch at a restaurant nestled in the Orinco Vally called Monterey House Cafe and Gardens. The family home was on the property along with their own 9 hole golf course. The young adult grandchildren worked in the restaurant and "worked their buns off".
Sadly saying goodbye to Barb, Judy, Fern and Tilly we headed back towards Nelson to the WOW Museum, then southeast to Murchinson; had a quick look at the Nelson Lakes (it was now getting late) and on to Hanmer Springs for the night where we planned to enjoy the thermal springs. Ignorantly, we went in the morning for a soak and could barely drive on due to being soooooo relaxed by the springs. Ellen had it in her mind that she would drive an hour but lasted only 15 minutes. She just wanted to curl up and have a nap. We had a good laugh over how tired we were and it wasn't even noon yet!
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With toothpicks keeping our eyelids open, we arrived in Christchurch. Here we secured our lodgings for the next few days while waiting for Leika (my daughter) and her friend Josh, to fly in from Auckland. They were coming to not only visit NZ, but to be with me on my Birthday!!! It was a great birthday week and we had a great time. Josh made me the most delicious, succulent venison dinner imaginable. I had never eaten it before but thanks to Josh I am now a convert. Being around young people is good for the spirit because they are full of the humors of life and they had me laughing constantly. Cathy said, "Being around the 3 of you was like spending a week with 3 silly 11 year olds." But seriously, it was great to hear the deep belly laughs! While they were here we took a day trip to the wine country, saw the Maori cultural/history show at Tamaki, visited the Riccarton Flea Market, shopped at the Art Center, and went on an Alpine High Country Tour which included a high speed boat ride on the braided Waimakaria River, riding an all-terrain vehicle up the river beds to the high country. (Even the sheep get nose bleeds from the heights.) After lunch in a small cafe at Springfield we went to the train station at Arthur's Pass for the train ride back to Christchurch. While we were waiting for the train, we were able to see the infamous rubber eating Kea bird. Tourists get very upset going back to their cars to find holes in their tires.
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The week passed too quickly for Ellen.....she really hated for her daughter to leave......The final adventure was the Gondola ride with a 360 degree view of Christchurch. Final gifts were purchased and we headed to the airport where Ellen sadly said goodbye to Leika. I'm now glad that my family didn't come for a visit because seeing them leave would have been too hard !
Afterwards, Ellen and I went to the Antarctic Center near the airport. This is a huge research and training center for anyone going to Antarctica. I stood in a "winter storm" similar to what is experienced there. Even though it was REALLY Cold, I still want to go there before I get too old. Anyone interested in coming with me????? Ellen says she will wait for me at a warm pier in South America.
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After Christchurch, we went to the small French town of Akaroa. The story we were told was if the French had landed and planted their flag, the citizens of New Zealand would be speaking French instead of English. The French had been fishing in the waters around the area for years and were even building houses. But no one claimed the land.....So the English entered the harbor, climbed the nearest hill, planted their flag, and the rest is history ! However, as you travel around New Zealand, you feel and see the strong Maori presence that predated the European settlers by at least 400 years. A bilingual country of Maori and English, (NZ is called Aotearoa--land of the long white cloud-- by the modern day Maori) most cities, street names, waterways, and government buildings, carry the names of the Maori people.
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After Akaroa we drove to Timaru. The backpacker places were icky (we are now experts on good places to or maybe we have become backpacker snobs) so we stayed with Faye at her Homestead Lodge. She was one of many New Zealanders who was happy that we were enjoying her country and gave of many tips about people she knew and things to see when we got to Oamaru. Our next stop was Lake Tekapo and the historic Good Shepherd Church used by the Anglicans, Catholics, and Presbyterians on a rotating basis. Behind the pulpit is a huge window that looks out onto Mount Cook. With that incredible view who could ever pay attention to a sermon. We stopped for lunch closer to Mt. Cook and the Pukaki Lake. /the glacier water makes both of these lakes the most unbelievable and gorgeous aquamarine/teal color. Our cameras could not capture the true beauty. We just sat and watched....and watched. We also watched as three young French men decided to go for a swim. As they walked into the glacier fed lake they started to yell as the water rose to their upper thighs.....Do you suppose that is where the term "blue balls" came from?
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Then we drove straight to Mt. Cook, the highest mountain in the Southern Alps. At the Hillary Center we watched some movies depicting how the Maori believed the mountain was formed and about the life of Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, who was the first man to climb to the top of Mt. Everest.
Continuing on the next day, we arrived in Oamaru. The Universe directed us to the Old Bones Backpacker about 5 km south of the city. It is also the home to the Yellow Eyed and the Blue Penguins. This hostel was right on the South Pacific ocean, with rolling hills all around and filled with grazing sheep. It was built by Simon Abbot specifically for backpackers. Rated as a 98% by BBH, this one gets a 5 + star rating from us. There was a huge "great room with floor to ceiling windows facing the ocean, individual rooms on either side, and a huge well stocked kitchen behind. A wood stove was in the middle of the great room and furnished with leather chairs and sofas. Simon did not have any T.V.'s so that guests would talk and find out about each other. We had the most interesting conversations with a couple of young men from Germany and "National guilt over Hitler", but that would take a whole blog to report on. There were others from the Channel Islands, Switzerland, Asia, and England. We got great tips on the best places to stay along our intended routes. What started as a one night-er turned into 3 days at a fantastic rate of $NZ54/night. We tried for the 4th night, but the room was already booked. Sadly we left our own little piece of paradise.
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We continued on to Moeraki and the Moeraki Boulders (HUGE round boulders on the beach that are found nowhere else in NZ); shopping along the way to wrap up our Christmas shopping; and having another Birthday Dinner at the famed Fleurs Restaurant. We went to Stag Point to see the fur seal colonies before getting into Mosgiel, a suburb of Dunedin, where we spent 2 nights.
Along the Southern Scenic Route, we headed for the Catlins and the Catlin Beach House (one of our tips from the backpackers at Simon's place) Well, this place was also RIGHT ON THE BEACH.... is the universe telling us to enjoy these beach houses now because when we return to Bowie we will be landlocked? We stayed there for 4 days and came to Invercargill (the very south of the South Island)....OUR NEXT TO LAST WWOOF. Here again we are in a beach house with a wonderful wood stove to keep us toasty and warm while the cold winds are blowing outside. This house sitting is really hard....
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We will do one more wwoof in January before going back to the North Island and say goodbye to all of the friends we have made over the first nine months.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!
ELLEN and CATHY
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