New Zealand - North South and the bit in between - 2014

[OZDUCK]

Finishing off Hokitika.

Just 15 mins south of the town is the "West Coast Tree Top" walk. It was built by the same company that built the treetop walk in 'The Valley of the Giants' in south west W.A.. This one runs at about 20 metres high through a "Rimu and Kamahi tree canopy"





It can be a bit daunting for those with a fear of heights - like me. You can see how relaxed I am in this photo. My hands were never far from a rail and there were several bits that I avoided.



Climbing up this tower is something I did avoid - unlike my wife.



There was a separate gate to go out onto a cantilevered section which can get up a nice sway. Needless to say, only one of our group went on it.



There was, apparently, a nice view over the nearby Lake Mahinapua.



One last view of the west coast beaches. My wife picked up a few little pieces of greenstone on the beach.



And now off to what you have been waiting for - the mountains

 

[OZDUCK]

My wife has complained about what I said in regards to Greenstone jewellery. She actually did buy some but it was from an "Antique" shop in Nelson. She bought a bangle and I bought some "Pick of Punch" books from the1960/70's.

 

[OZDUCK]

The road to the mountains was not always straight and easy.



Our first stop



The access road alongside a meltwater stream.



A scenic view from the car park



There was a long walk over the moraine valley



Looking back down the valley.



At the foot of the glacier. Note the warning signs. Two Australians had been killed in a ice fall at the foot of this glacer in 2009.







Some blue ice

 

[OZDUCK]

We stopped overnight in the little town of Fox Glacier.

The view from the front of our motel was pretty nice.





We then took a short drive to Lake Matheson - it"is famous for its reflected views of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman". And we soon saw why.





Some fooling around with the camera settings.



These were taken from "Reflection Island".

A few people in front of me.



My turn. I believe that it is Mt Tasman on the left and Mt Cook is the pointed peak to the right - but I am not 100% sure.





I think I got the peak of Mt Tasman through the clouds.

c

 

[OZDUCK]

The next day we went to Fox Glacier. This was a much harder walk than at Franz Joseph and the glacier itself seems to have retreated more up the hill.

There was a bit of creek hopping.





Plenty of warning signs as you walk up the valley.



The valley also seemed a lot more desolate than at Franz Joseph.On the way up I had to ignore the sign and stop to get my breath at a couple off points. It was a pretty tiring climb.





If the rocks don't get you the ice will.



You could not see too much of the glacier from the lookout point.



This B & W shot I took seems to show the ruggedness of this place better.



A nice spot for a cooling dip.

 

[OZDUCK]

Now we set off to Wanaka going via the Haast Highway over the Haast Pass.

The road ran alongside the ocean for a while.

Knights Point



The black spots on the beach are seals.



It then runs alongside the Haast River for a fair while. There was plenty of evidence of rockfalls on the road.



We had a bit of delay at this spot. You can see by the running water , how difficult it must be to keep these roads clear of landslides etc.



We stopped to have a look at Thunder Falls which feeds into the Haast River.



There are no prizes for guessing the origin of this beautifully coloured water.



You also pass through some lovely alpine valleys.



The road then began to pass alongside some beautiful lakes.





This is Lake Hawea

 

[OZDUCK]

Around and about Wanaka and especially Lake Wanaka. Like many of these small towns at beauty spots in NZ the town itself is not very photogenic.

Our self contained accommodation in Wanaka - run by a Swiss couple who had been professional skiers.





The view from the garden



It was just a short walk to the shores of Lake Wanaka

Looking out over the lake from Bremner Bay





The jetties on the town beach



Looking back at Wanaka town from the other side of the lake.



Looking across the lake directly towards Bremner Bay. I took the earlier photos just to the left of that large crop of trees on the far shore.



A small holiday shack on the shores of the lake



Further north on the lake - I think.

 

[OZDUCK]

After Wanaka we headed south to Te Anau via Queenstown.

We took the Cardrona Valley Road. It is only open during the summer months. This meant we had some spectacular views on the drive, especially as Queenstown came into sight.










Lining up on runway 05/23. It must be an 'interesting landing/takeoff.





The road down into the valley reminded me of some of the alpine regions in Europe.







We had a quick look at the historic gold mining town of Arrowtown. It was crowded with tour bus passengers, far more so than it looks in this photo. So we spent a pleasant half an hour at the Arrowtown Primary School fete and bought some cakes and toffee.

 

[OZDUCK]

Queenstown was covered in low dark clouds with rain showers and strong winds so we only had a quick look around before moving off.

The road runs alongside Lake Wakatipu for quite a distance and gives some good views even under dark skies.





The highlight of downtown Te Anau was this "map" of the local area.



Looking across Lake Te Anau towards the town of Te Anau.



I didn't often take photos of meals in these pre-AFF days. However, I hadn't seen Ice Cream in cardboard wrapping like this for umpteen years so I had to buy it. (We had a freezer in our motel room.) It was actually very nice.



We woke up on the day of our departure to see a fresh snowfall on the mountains. The name of our Motel was justified on this day. If you compare this photo to the earlier twilight one you can see the difference . This was the 11th of November.

 

[craven morehead]

Lovely spot Te Anau would love to go back.

 

[OZDUCK]

The main reason for us stopping in Te Anau was to see Milford Sound. Normally I would drive to places like this but this time I decided to take a 'Tour Bus' as I wanted to see the scenery on the drive in/out and not just concentrate on the road. We chose to use a small operator. He was a local Deer farmer and the bus was only about a 16 seater. There was a selection of nationalities on the trip with one American being someone who lived in NZ and was showing her mother and aunt around. More interestingly, she had worked as a crewhand on the Lord of the Rings movies and had some interesting anecdotes.

The deal included the round trip with about 4 stops on the way in, morning tea, light lunch and a tour of the sound on one of the smaller boats. The lunch & morning tea was picked up from the Fjordland National Park Lodge cafe on the outwards journey. The weather ranged fromm overcast to pouring rain so we at least saw lots of waterfalls. I am sorry but there will be lots of photos of this trip.

The floating jetty near the lodge



Eglinton Flats



Mirror Lakes - you can just about read the reflection



It got a bit wet on some of the walks



Falls Creek Waterfall



The Chasm





Ours is the smaller bus



The weather was still a bit overcast - or undercast



Snow or ice was still around at road level

 

[OZDUCK]

Onward we went to Milford Sound itself. You can see we were definitely there on one of the 182 days a year when there is rain. I can see how it gets over 6 metres of rain a year. Ours was one of the smaller boats and our busload were the only passengers.

Looking back at the cruise terminal.



But it did mean that there were plenty of waterfalls and plenty of power in them. Apparently on sunny days there are only two permanent waterfalls. We saw literally hundreds.





You can see the effect of all that rain here..



Mitre Peak. This was the last photo I got out of my better camera for the day. I had forgotten to recharge it.



Some other views










There were plenty of seals around and being a smaller boat we could get very close.

 

[OZDUCK]

A bit more water.

Our vessel was probably less than a third the size of this one.



Therefore we could get right under some of the waterfalls.










Waterfalls as far as the eye can see.



On the way back'

There are apparently always one or two Kea waiting at the entrance to the Homer Tunnel to get scraps or pry off bits of cars stopped at the traffic lights.





Tutoko Bridge

 

[OZDUCK]

We then headed towards Dunedin.

This building in the town of Gore took my fancy. To quote Wikipedia "This factory was the home of Fleming’s Creamoata, an oatmeal porridge that was the staple breakfast for thousands of New Zealand children for much of the 20th century. The Sergeant Dan figure, seen here on the side of the building, was used to promote the product. The mill was built in 1919 and was closed in 2001 when the overseas owners shifted the operation to Australia."



I really liked Dunedin, even though it was cold and windy.

Looking down Stuart St towards the Railway Station. The streetscape reminded me of Perth in the 1960's with the verandahs etc.



Said Railway Station (1906).









On the hills above town, the Otago Boys High School, This building was opened in 1885 and was built in, fairly obviously, Gothic Revival style.



The King Edward Technical College - 1914. Now a bit forlorn and subdivided into various commercial enterprises.



Once an icon of downtown Dunedin now sadly closed.



We took a very entertaining tour of the factory - and got some free chocolate!

 

[OZDUCK]

More around Dunedin

After losing the title of "The Steepest Street in the World" for a few years Baldwin Street has since regained that 'honour'.










We took a drive out of town to see Larnach Castle. Built by an entrepreneur and politician and fully completed in 1887. It fell into disrepair but has since been fully restored.



There is a very attractive glazed gazebo in the garden.



Characters from Alice in Wonderland were a theme through the extensive gardens.



There was much use of wood in the interior.





Some slight views from the 'turret'

 

[OZDUCK]

Finishing off Larnach Castle

Views from the gardens.







Music room - it has apparently had a major renovation since we were there.



Looking over the ballroom - a 21st birthday present for the owners daughter. The bus tours have 'Scottish themed' meals there.



A face at the window





After this we drove out to the Albatross sanctuary at Tairoa Head. It was blowing such a gale that any birds were earthbound - we were there at the wrong time of the year anyway. I could barely open the car door against the wind.





Looking towards Port Chalmers and the Cruise Ship berth. This may be a familiar spot to some of the 'cruisers' on here.



Dunedin across the harbour. You can see how strong the wind still was.

 

[OZDUCK]

The next day we took a trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway (In 2014 it has now been renamed as Dunedin Railways). This trip starts from Dunedin Railway Station and then heads out into the old goldmining areas in the hills.

The station platform



The train stopped at a scenic spot. You will notice the proliferation of yellow flowers in these photos. This is Broom and it is a declared noxious wed in NZ. It has really taken over these hills.



A trestle bridge



A stone pier bridge



The gorge



The wreckage of old railway carriages at the bottom of the gorge didn't always inspire confidence.



You are allowed to stand outside and get some great views. Especially when you pass through the many tunnels and over bridges.



Don't touch!

 

[VPS]

I thought it was gorse rather than Broom

 

[TheRealTMA]

I thought it was gorse rather than Broom

 

[VPS]

Well I'm none the wiser