Continuing on from last week, if you haven’t read it yet, you can check out last week’s post here.
Tell me about some memorable holidays you have had in New Zealand
3 sons and 4 grandchildren later….
In 1989 your Granddad and I packed up the car and headed away on a trip around the South Island.
It was a trip that took us down The West Coast and back up The East Coast, visiting many beautiful New Zealand places; Picton, The Buller Gorge, Greymouth, The Glaciers at Franz and Fox, Punakaiki and Hokitika.
We stopped in Okarito to look for white herons but only found wasps!
We then headed onto Queenstown. There we took a ride on the gondola and had a meal at the top with million dollar views. We also took a cruise on The Earnslaw (which is notorious for its black smoke) to Walter Peak Station. We did a trip out to Arrowtown and Glenorchy and even did a day trip by bus to Milford Sound.
We then made our way back up the country travelling through Lake Tekapo and Fairlie with a side trip to Akaroa. We stayed a couple of nights in Christchurch. The night before we left there was quite a big storm. It turned very cold and we woke the next morning to see the Southern Alps covered in snow.
A sight to behold!
We headed back to Picton, spending a night in Kaikoura on the way. The Kaikoura Ranges were also covered in snow – a perfect finish to our South Island Odyssey.
I remembered thinking back to the trip we had done to Canada the year before when we went to Banff and I thought Queenstown and surroundings were much prettier.
In 2010 we did another trip around the South Island. This time on a group trip. It included a trip to Doubtful Sounds which was lovely – crossing Lake Manapouri then over a pass to the Sound – in the rain! When we got onto the boat though, the sun came out. We got right out to the Tasman in beautiful calm weather. On the way back they beached the boat on the shore, turned the engines off and told us not to talk. Nothing to hear but the lapping of the water on the shore.
Magical!
That’s what they call the Sound of Silence.
On the way back to Te Anau we stopped at the Manapouri Power Station and got on a bus that took us 2 kilometres under ground. I HATED it and couldn’t wait to get back up into daylight. It was so dark and damp and surrounded by solid rock. The power station was impressive but I couldn’t imagine how people (some girls doing clerical work as well) could bear to spend their days under ground. I remember my mum did a trip there in the 70’s and she loved it! Not for me.
From Queenstown we went to Cromwell and the Clyde Dam and then crossed the Maniototo Plain. It’s unusual, scrubby, rocky country. The wind was so strong our poor lady driver had trouble keeping the little bus on the road and she had sore arms for days.
One of the best things about that trip was we got very friendly with the couple running it and kept in touch with them for quite a long time after.
You have now lived in Aotearoa for over 70 years. Is there anywhere you haven’t been that you would love to see?
I have just been listening to a chap being interviewed about Great Barrier Island. It sounds like somewhere really different and I would like to see it, though I guess I never will. A half hour flight or a 4 1/2 hour ferry trip from Auckland. It’s a semi tropical place with a very laid back life style.
Maybe you could do the trip on my behalf?
Do you have any travel tips or advise for kiwi’s or foreigners who are wanting to explore ‘The Long White Cloud?”
The best way to see the West Coast is in the rain! It makes the scenery mystical!
Next week I will begin my Queenstown Series. My husband and I have just recently returned from a 6 day trip in this stunning place where we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.
Exploring the Long White Cloud 