Day 30 - London

Last day today.  Ready to get back. 

Went to the British Museum to start the day.  If you only go to one museum in your life, this is probably the one.  Huge, great stuff.  Can't be done in one day.  Lots of stuff to enjoy once you have wrapped your head around the fact that a lot of it was stolen, plundered or pillaged.

On to the Museum of London.  An excellent museum that traces the history of the city right from prehistoric days.  Very interesting and can be done in a couple of hours if you're pressed for time.

That's it.  Dinner and packing for home tonight.

Day 29 - London

Went to the London Zoo today.  Good zoo, not outstanding, though.  Easy walk.  My general sense is that the enclosures are too small.  Toronto Zoo is much more spacious.  Beautiful weather for walking around.

Walked around a lot today, just looking at things and enjoying the day.

Had dinner in the Docklands and took the ferry back after dark to see the city at night.

Got home just before a huge thunderstorm hit.

Day 28 - London

An early start today to visit St. Paul's Cathedral.  A big, impressive church to be sure, but far from my favorite.  Plus, they charge more than 25 CAD to go in.  A lot of famous churches are free.  No photos allowed.  If you've seen the churches in Italy and/or France, I'd pass on this one.

That was followed by a visit to the Churchill War Rooms.  This is definitely one of the things you should do in London.  This is the actual space that was created for the government and military to command the war effort during WWII.  Not a re-creation, but the actual rooms.  It also includes a Churchill museum and a ton of WWII history.  Loved it.

A few thoughts on England and London with only two days left in our journey:

• If you are anywhere near the coast, it's colder than you think.  Always damp and always windy.  Dress appropriately.
• Englanders think that if it's 12C or warmer and sunny, then it's summer.  Shorts and short sleeves.  It's not.  They are all nuts here.  Dress appropriately.
• Country roads are really, really narrow.  Drivers know this and are courteous about pulling to the side to let you by.  Most roads are lined with hedges.  If you pull over to let someone by, STOP MOVING.  You will scratch you car and you will get dinged by the rental company if you keep moving when against a hedge.
• This is the first country I've visited where you can consistently get a good hamburger.  Surprising.
• Make sure you have at least 50P in your pocket at all times.  Pay toilets.  Enough said.
• There aren't nearly as many Indian restaurants in London as TV would lead you to believe.  The ones they do have are good, and have things on the menu you've never heard of.
• Most everything here opens late and closes early.  Even in London.  Except for pubs and restaurants.  Don't plan on shopping before 10 AM or after 5 PM.  Or on Sunday and bank holidays.
• Vehicles will always stop for you IF you are in a marked, lighted crosswalk.  Otherwise, you are simply a target.  Especially to a cabbie.  You have been warned.
• It is possible to have a good transit system.  If we had one like London's, I'd use it all the time.  It is pricey, though.  A single ride is about 4.25 CAD in the central area.  Prices vary by distance and time of day.  An annual pass will run you about 2,500 CAD if you live and work near central London.  Can get up to close to 5,000 CAD if you live a ways out.
• England is pricey.  Sticker prices of almost everything here look very much like they do at home.  But they are in GBP, not CAD.  They do, however, include taxes in the posted price.  And tipping isn't usually done here.
• A single order of fish and chips at a "chippie" will usually feed two people.  You can get half orders.  Consider it.
• There are no large supermarkets in central London, but they do a great job on prepackaged take home meals for one or two people.  So much so that it seems that everyone who lives here must buy these all the time.  There are entire sections in the stores dedicated to these meals.

Day 27 - London

Today was Tower Day. 

Started off early at the Tower of London.  It's a bit of a misnomer, as the tallest building is only 4 stories.  Hardly a tower.  It's more of a castle.  Having said that, there are 21 different named towers within the Tower of London.  Maybe it should be the Towers of London.  In any case, it's a cool place and one of the must do places in London.  Lots of interesting things to see, including some fantastic old weapons and armour.  Great history here.

Moved on to the Tower Bridge.  Moderately interesting, especially the Engine Room tour.

Finished off at the Borough Market.

A few new photos here.

Day 26 - London

Up early today to walk the canal from Little Venice to the Camden Market.  A nice walk, although quite cool, where you can see canal boats, some seedy sections, some ultra rich areas and part of the London Zoo.

Camden Market is very touristy, with loads of mass produced merchandise and very little in the way of original stuff.  It does have a unique setting and layout and is easy to get lost in the maze of streets and tunnels.  But, if you want a market with original stuff and/or real antiques, this is not the place.

On to the RAF Museum.  It doesn't officially open until June, so there are some teething problems.  It needs more signage and some displays aren't ready yet.  But we did get in, and it has some great planes to look at.  It's good, but it will get better.  Worth a visit if you like this sort of thing.

Day 25 - London

We spent the day at Windsor Castle.  Much to our surprise, we missed the wedding.  I could have sworn the invite said Tuesday.

It's a beautiful castle, worth the visit.  No photos allowed inside, though, so I can't show you the good stuff.  The little town of Windsor is basically one pedestrian shopping street and a small mall.  A place to kill an hour or so.

A short rest and then we visited the Sky Garden, for a view of London from up in the sky.  A different look, and it's free.

Day 24 - London

Started the day with a tour of Royal Albert Hall.  It's likely that you've seen this place on TV, but TV doesn't do it justice.  It is quite spectacular.  A must do if you visit London.

After that we spent a few hours at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Some interesting stuff, but not my favourite museum.

Wandered around Soho for a while after that.  Walked up Carnaby Street.  It used to be a thing, but it isn't anymore.

Day 23 - London

Another very sunny day today.  We spent the day in Greenwich.  First stop was the Painted Hall ceiling tour.  It's an up close look at a massive art conservation project.  Read the link.  It's an impressive work.  Then we toured the Cutty Sark.  On to the Royal Observatory, home of the Meridian Line.  Finally, a stop at the Maritime Museum before catching the ferry back to London.  Some new photos here.

Day 22 - London

The play last night was excellent.  A little too long, at three hours plus.  Despite the late night, we had a full day today.  Beautiful weather. 

We started the day at the Portobello Market.  Interesting, lots to see.  After that, we split up with everyone but me going to Kensington Palace.

I went off on my own to see:

• Big Ben
• London Eye
• Houses of Parliament
• 10 Downing Street
• Westminster Abbey
• St. James Park
• Buckingham Palace
• Hyde Park

Seems like a lot, but they're all pretty close together.  After that, Michele and I met up and went to Covent Garden.

Day 22 - London

Today we leave the countryside for London.  It's been an excellent trip so far, aside from a little bad weather to start.  It's a very pretty country.  But, it's time to move on to the big city.

We can hear..., so we'll be on the.... .  Actually we'll be on a train from Liverpool.  There will be lots to do, because we all know that.... .  We'll be staying.... , so we might visit....  or.... .  We might bump into some.... .

Off to the theatre tonight to see The Ferryman.  Our tickets to the wedding haven't arrived, so we may have the day free tomorrow.  We'll see.

Day 21 - Parkgate

We spent the day in the wonderful city of Chester.  A truly magical city.  It's like you are transported back to Tudor times.  Wonderful architecture.  Definitely worth a visit.

Day 20 - Parkgate

Rainy and overcast this morning.  Took a day trip into Liverpool.  Visited the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the British Music Experience, the Beatles Story and the Cavern Club.  I think the Beatles Story was the best.  You may have seen my Facebook post about living a real life nursery rhyme.  The highlight of today was living a real life song.  And, one of my favourite songs to boot.  Took the Ferry Cross the Mersey.  There are some new pics here, but not a lot since our internet is really slow here.  Took 4 hours to upload 6 photos.

Day 19 - Parkgate

Spent the entire day today taking a car trip into Wales.  Basically we circumnavigated Snowdonia National Park.  The scenery is much, much different here.  We saw mountains, moors, mining areas and beaches all in one day.  Quite interesting.

Day 18 - Parkgate

A long driving day today with a few stops along the way.  We visited Witley Court first.  Quite spectacular, with beautiful gardens.  A look into what life was like for the wealthy at the turn of the century.  On to Stokesay Castle, which isn't really a castle at all, even though it has a moat.  Amazingly preserved and original.  Finally, the Iron Bridge.  Unfortunately, it's under renovation, so you can't see much.  Then on to our residence for the next four days before London, Backwood Hall.  Dinner with an old friend.

Day 17 - Cotswolds

An excellent day today.  We started with a quick visit to Cheltenham, but the highlight of the day was Walks With Hawks.  Up close and personal with three owls, a hawk, a kestrel and an eagle.  We got to handle them and they flew around and landed on our outstretched arms.  Quite an experience!  We ended the day with a short hike to Belas Knap.

Day 16 - Cotswolds

Just a little touring around today.  We visited Chipping Campden first.  Sleepy town, not much going on.  Judging from the houses, lots of money here.  Then on to Broadway Tower, the tower with no apparent purpose.  Learned about the Royal Observer Corps and ventured into a nuclear war bunker.  Last visit was to Bibury.  Very pretty town.  Finished off the day with a hike through 4 fields, a golf course and over two hills to the Black Horse Inn.  Tried to get an Uber to get back, but alas, it was not to be.

Look who I ran into in the nuclear bunker.

Day 15 - Cotswolds

Cool and windy today, but dry.  Slow day today, as yesterday was so long.  Visited a few of the local towns, starting with Bourton-on-the-Water.  Very pretty little town - quite touristy, but in a good way.  We visited the Cotswold Motoring Museum.  It is surprisingly good.  After, we visited the towns of Naunton and The Slaughters (Upper and Lower).  Then back home for what should be an early night.

Day 14 - Cotswolds

A long day today.  Left Bath at 7:30 AM and didn't get to our new accommodations in the Cotswolds until after 10:30 PM.  About 4.5 hours of driving included.

Our first stop was at Bletchley Park, the home of the codebreakers during WWII.  Certainly a tremendously important place historically and a fascinating story, but the presentation was somewhat lacking.  Confusing, with a lot of repetition.  Still, an interesting visit.

The highlight of the day for me was an after hours visit to the Mercedes F1 plant in Brackley.  Thanks to David Scott, the brother of one of our traveling companions for arranging the tour.  David works for the Mercedes F1 team.  We got to see a lot of the manufacturing processes and touch and feel many things.  As I'm sure you will understand, photos are banned except for the lobby area.  You'll have to take my word that the place is amazing.  Many $$$ in this place.  We even got to see the race weekend support room.  It houses about three dozen people and looks like a NASA control room.  They are all connected in real time to the cars, the pits, the racetrack, wherever the team is racing at the time.  Monitoring everything.  Amazing.

We arrived late at our next stop, Aylworth Manor.

Check out new pics here, including my Mercedes F1 team hat signed by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas (thanks David).

Day 13 - Bath

A quieter day today.  In the morning we went to the Holborne Museum.  Nice, not spectacular, free.  Then we took a walk to Lansdown Crescent, another example of the magnificent curved terraces of Bath.  There are spectacular views over the city and a field with sheep grazing in front.

That took us to lunch at Boston Tea Party.  We chose this place because it was close to the Assembly Rooms, which we wanted to visit.  There was a large group of young women in uniforms at the restaurant, appearing to dine with their families.  We thought they might be nurses, celebrating graduation.  A quick chat with the woman seated next to us gave us the real story.  They were from Norland College, which is a school for nannies.  But not just any nanny school.  This is apparently THE nanny school.  Royal families get their nannies here.  It's a three year program and graduates get a B.A. (Hons.) degree.  And it's not cheap.  About 15,000 GBP per year.  Who knew?

Anyway, as it turns out, the nannies spoiled our Assembly Room plans as they had the entire place booked for their graduation.

After lunch we all split up and did our own thing.  Michele and Cheryl had High Tea at Sally Lunn's.

Bath is somewhere you could spend a lot of time.  Lots to do and very beautiful.  If you come to England, you really should visit Bath.

Day 12 - Bath

Today we took a day trip to the city of Wells, the smallest city in England.  We visited the Wells Cathedral, which may be the most attractive church I've ever visited.  We also did the High Parts tour, which takes you behind the walls and up into the ceilings of the cathedral.  A real behind-the-scenes visit.  Very interesting.  Before we left for home, we walked up Vicars Close, the oldest residential street with all original buildings still intact, in all of Europe.

I added a few pics, plus a video that shows the Roman bath springs still functioning after 2000 years.  All original,

Day 11 - Bath

We visited the Roman Baths this morning.  A very interesting site.

After that we did a two hour walking tour of Bath with Jack Smith, a very entertaining and informative guide.  He had many good stories about the history of Bath and its buildings.  He showed us Royal Crescent, which is a collection of thirty very expensive homes.  All connected, they are referred to as a terrace.  There are 8 similar terraces around Bath.  Lots of money here.  Around 4,000,000 GBP each.

Take a look at this house.  Notice how some windows are bricked in.  You see a lot of that around here.  It has to do with the window tax that England and Wales had in the 1700s and 1800s.  Instead of an income tax, homeowners were taxed on the number of windows they had in their house.  So people just bricked in windows to pay less tax.  Also, notice that on the first and second floors, two of the windows have been moved closer to the other window than they were initially.  That's because if windows were less than 12 inches apart, they were only counted as one window.  Some think that the window tax was the origin of the phrase "daylight robbery".

A nod to the English in general, who realize instantly that when they have called us Americans, they have offended us.  They all seem to know it.  Thanks for the apologies.  Sorry to my American friends, but I'm sure you understand.

We ended the day with a visit to Bath Abbey and a Tower Tour.

Another perfect weather day.

Day 10 - Bath

Another beautiful day today.  Drove to Bath, perhaps the most historic city in England.  Just spent the day walking around taking in the sights.  Lots to see and do here.  Just don't try to find a parking spot on a bank holiday weekend.  Had a traditional roast beef and yorkshire pudding dinner at The Crystal Palace.  A few new pics posted here.

Day 9 - Bournemouth

Today we traveled to Lyme Regis.  It's on the Jurassic Coast and is famous for its beaches that are covered with fossils.  Today was also the first day of the Fossil Festival.  We took a two hour walking tour to discover some local history and look for fossils.

On the way we stopped at the Abbotsbury Swannery.  Yes, that's a word.

After we returned to Bournemouth, we took a walk on the Boscombe Pier.

Day 8 - Bournemouth

Beautiful day today.  Sunshine and 15C.  Today we explored some areas of the Jurassic Coast.

First stop was Lulworth Cove, where we walked around the town, hiked to the Lulworth Rocks, had lunch and ice cream.  Before we left Lulworth, we hiked (quite difficult) to the Durdle Door.

After lunch it was on to Corfe Castle.  It's pretty much in ruins now, but you can still see how impressive it must have been.  This is probably my favorite castle so far.

Our last stop was a hike to Old Harry Rocks.  Unquestionably the best return on your hiking investment.  It's a pretty easy hike with spectacular views at the end.

Stopped in Studland (uh huh...Studland) for a pint at Bankes Arms before catching the ferry back to Bournemouth.  Tiring day, more than 22,500 steps.  But beautiful weather for being outside.

Day 7 - Bournemouth

Good day today.  Sunshine and nice weather.  Today was all about large rocks and druids.  First we went to Stonehenge.  It's pretty much what you think it is.  A bunch of very large stones arranged in a series of circles for no particular reason.  Because it all happened so long ago, no one knows why it was done or how it was done.  It's impressive and fascinating.

Interesting fact about Stonehenge.  It's not a henge.  Nor does it have anything to do with druids.  Druids didn't appear until 1,000 years after it was built.

Next stop was Woodhenge.  Yup, there is a Woodhenge.  Not terribly impressive.

After that was Avebury.  The largest stone circle in Britain.  Impressive.  Not Stonehenge-impressive, but still good.  Had lunch at The Red Lion.  Excellent food and it's haunted.  And has an actual well inside the pub.  After lunch we went to the Alexander Keiller Museum.

Then on to Silbury Hill.  Another place that has no explanation.  If you look at the photo closely, you can see a deer right on the top of the hill.

Finally, back to Stonehenge for an after hours special visit.  Normally, no one gets to go close to the stones.  But, if you are fortunate, you can book a private after hours visit.  They only allow 30 people per visit.  We got to walk among the stones for about an hour.

New photos can be seen here.

Day 6 - Bournemouth

A long drive today through driving rain to Portsmouth, where we visited the Dockyard.  Spent the whole day here.  Toured the Warrior as well as the Victory, the most famous warship in England's history.  This was Nelson's ship at the Battle of Trafalgar.  Both very impressive.  Also toured the Royal Navy Museum, which is really three museums in one.  Then completed the drive to Bournemouth, which we are using for a base for the next 4 days.

Day 5 - Canterbury

Awoke to sunny skies this morning.  Only 2C, but still sunny.  I think it got to about 12 or 13.  Full day today.  We started in Whitstable, a funky little seaside town.  Just wandered about, checking out the sights.  Next stop was Reculver Towers, just along the coast.  After that, we made our way to Ramsgate, where we had lunch at the Royal Victoria Pavilion.  Then on to the Richborough Roman Fort.  Impressive place, and a very important historical spot.  This is where the Roman invasion of England all began.  Finally, we ended with about 2 hours of hiking along the White Cliffs of Dover.  Still sunny, but very cool and super windy.  About a 2 hour hike.  Ended the day with dinner at the Old City Bar.  Totally exhausted.  On the road tomorrow morning at 7 A.M., so it will be an early night.

Day 4 - Canterbury

Miserable day today.  Currently 6C with a windchill of 1C.  Solid rain all day.  We were supposed to hike the trail along the cliffs of Dover today, but the weather was just too bad.  So we went to Deal Castle (excellent - by the way), Walmer Castle and the Roman Museum in Canterbury.  Just picked up dinner at Marks and Spencer and tucking in for the evening.  Supposed to be much nicer tomorrow.  Here's hoping.

Day 3 - Canterbury

Today we spent the day in Dover.  First we visited the Western Heights, then spent the rest of the day at Dover Castle.  Cold, rainy and windy.  Normal English weather.  It didn't prevent us from doing anything, however.  Did a couple of guided tours of Operation Dynamo and the Underground Hospital.  Pics from the first two days are here.

Day 2 - Canterbury

Arrived at 10 A.M. on almost no sleep.  Got an upgrade on our rental car and a bonus rate reduction.  Good start to the trip.  Wandered around the town of Canterbury and spent most of the time at the Canterbury Cathedral.  Interesting cathedral and quite massive.  The place we're staying is quite nice and well equipped.  Weather was cool but not wet.  We all packed it in early due to tiredness.

Day 1 - On our way to Merry Old England

We're leaving tonight for 30 days in England.  Stops will be in Canterbury, Bournemouth, Bath, Bourton-on-the-Water, Parkgate and London.  4 days in each of the first 5 stops and 10 days in London.  Should be fun, although it looks like we'll miss the beginning of good weather in Toronto.  Keep you posted.

Day 28

Drove from Mount Cook to Christchurch.  Rain all day.  Final photos posted here.  Back to Auckland tomorrow and home the following day.

Day 27

Good day today.  Excellent weather.  In the morning did a boat tour to the Mount Tasman glacier.  In the afternoon, the much cancelled Tasman Glacier heli-hike finally happened.  And it was worth it.  Perhaps some star gazing tonight.

Sorry about the lack of photos.  Most wifi isn't fast enough to upload photos and I'm saving the little data I have left on my phone card for other stuff.

I've uploaded a few today.  All photos are here.

Coincidence, fate or .......

Since our heli-hike was cancelled yesterday, we went on a 3.5 hike to a glacial lake.

As a preface, I need to mention a lovely couple from the Czech Republic that we met on our overnight boat trip to Doubtful Sound.  They were supposed to be on a different boat with a large group travelling together, but there wasn't enough space so they got bumped to our boat.  We sat together for meals and talked to them quite a bit.

Anyway, we're hiking yesterday and run smack into them again.  The series of events that allowed this to happen were extensive:

1. They had to be the one couple out of their whole group that got bumped.
2. They had to get bumped to our boat, out of a choice of a few.
3. We both had to end up on the opposite side of the country at the same time.
4. Our Franz Josef heli-hike had to be cancelled.
5. Our Mount Cook heli-hike had to be cancelled.
6. We both had to choose this particular trail, out of about 8 choices.
7. We had to be on that trail in the same timeframe.

Coincidence or fate or .....

Day 26

Drove up to Mount Cook today.  Nice weather most of the way, pretty warm.  Uneventful drive except for a stop at the Elephant Rocks.

The scenery in and around Mount Cook is beautiful.  Mountains, valleys, rivers, glaciers.  There is no town, although they call it a village.  A few places to stay and a couple of places to eat.  As you can imagine, the places to eat are priced accordingly.  The buffet dinner at the Hermitage, which is the biggest place to stay in Mount Cook, the buffet dinner - I repeat - buffet dinner is $63.  You get the idea.  We found a place which wasn't cheap, but was more reasonable.

Today, which had very nice weather for most of the day in the village, we were scheduled to do our previously cancelled heli-hike from Franz Josef.  We had rebooked it for Mount Cook.  You guessed it - cancelled again.  Bad weather up on the glacier apparently.  So we have rebooked again for tomorrow.  This is our last chance.

Tonight we were to go stargazing, but to no one's surprise, it also was cancelled.  Cloudy and raining.  Tomorrow is fully booked, so that's out as we are gone off to Christchurch after tomorrow.  Maybe we can venture out and see something on our own.

Day 25

Before leaving Dunedin, we visited Signal Hill, Baldwin Street, and the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.  It was very foggy looking down from Signal Hill, but was still a good experience.  Baldwin Street is indeed very steep, but only locals can drive on it.  We didn't feel like walking up it, so we just looked.  The sanctuary was very good.  We had an extensive look and visit with four Takahe birds, saw a couple of Kaka parrots and a large blue eyed longfin eel.

We drove to Oamaru.  On the way we stopped to see the Moeraki Boulders, which are really quite amazing.  Oamaru is a very funky town with a lot of great old buildings and interesting shops.  It's worth a visit.  Just don't arrive on a Saturday or Sunday because nothing is open.  They actually have a toy store on the main street that is open Tuesday from 10:30 to noon and Saturday from 10:00 to noon.  3.5 hours for the entire week.  Most stores close by 4:30 on weekdays.  Welcome to 1950.

In the evening we visited the blue penguin colony.  Cute little guys, but only saw 13 of them returning from a day at sea.

Big day tomorrow.

Day 24

Long drive today to Dunedin.  Showers on and off, but it turned into a nice day by the time we reached Dunedin.  Visited the Dunedin railway station, the Settlers Museum and the Chinese Garden.  Apparently Fridays are some sort of cruise night for the classic car owners and we watched them parade by for about 20 minutes.  Lots of neat old buildings in Dunedin.  Very hilly city.

Day 23

Today we did a boat tour of Milford Sound.  It's a 2-3 hour drive there and about the same to get back.

But it's worth it. You've never seen anything like it.  The day was drizzly on and off for most of the day, but that made the experience even better.  Waterfalls everywhere you looked.  Hundreds of them.  Big, small, tall, short.  Fantastic.

I'll post some photos, but I'm sure they can't convey the spectacle.

Before dinner we went to the local movie house and watched a half hour aerial documentary of this area.  The area is Fiordland National Park.  Quite good.

Day 22

We didn't get back from the boat and finish lunch until about 1:30 PM.  We did find time to do another 4 hour hike, but that was it.

If you read the Day 20 post, it originally had the wrong hike posted.  It is correct now.

Day 21

Very special day today.  We did an overnight boat cruise into Doubtful Sound.  You drive for 20 minutes, catch a boat to ferry you across a lake (50 minutes), then take a shuttle bus for another 55 minutes to get you to the boat that you will spend the night on.

This was likely the best day so far.  The boat takes you up and back through several fiord arms of Doubtful Sound and reaches the Tasman Sea before returning.  The scenery is spectacular and the water was like glass.

Along the way we:

• Saw a couple of fur seal colonies.
• Saw a crested penguin.
• Went kayaking for about 30-40 minutes in the fiord.
• Fished (for our own dinner) a couple of times.
• Pulled up lobster traps and reset them (the crew, not us).
• Caught the following fish and/or birds:
• Scarlet wrasse
• Blue cod
• Tarakihi
• Barracuda
• School shark
• Albatross
• Watched the ship's captain have to dive and cut loose the lobster trap rope that had fouled the propeller.  

Michele caught (and lost) the shark.  Actually, she caught a wrasse and the shark swallowed it while she was reeling it in.  Same story with the albatross.  He was unhurt, as was the shark.  This brings her lifetime total to three of things she almost caught while catching something else.  In Brazil she caught a piranha that was then stolen by a hawk.

Lunch was a type of rock lobster caught in the sound.  The captain (who is also a lobster fisherman) says he gets 109 NZD a kilo. for it.  No idea what the retail price is, but geez....  Dinner was whatever we caught that day.  I'm not a fish guy, but the blue cod is very nice.

We slept in a bunk that was almost big enough for 1 person.  Cozy.

Anyway, we were gone for more than 24 hours in total and it was excellent.

Day 20 (with updated hike link)

Four days behind in posts.  Sorry.  Sometimes just busy, sometimes it's technical.

Day 20 found us driving from Queenstown to Te Anau.  Arrived early and did a 4 hour + hike.  Easy track, but a magical walk through a fairytale forest of moss, ferns and mushrooms.

Day 19

We had a Jet Boat tour scheduled for today.  The weather forecast when we got up showed rain starting at 2.  Since we were supposed to be back by then, we figured we'd be OK.

We were wrong.  Just before the bus left the city, they gave us the option to cancel because the conditions where we were going were "heavy".  That meant not good.

Due at lot to the fact that we had already experienced many cancellations, we decided to go ahead.  Most people on the bus made the same decision, but several cancelled.

It was raining and very windy on the boat.  Michele and Cheryl lucked out and sat in the front row, behind the windshield.  Malcolm and I were in row 3.  Not behind the windshield.  Kind of in the spot where everything that doesn't hit the windshield goes.

BBs in the face from a machine gun.  Sleet at 50 mph.  Riding a motorcycle in the rain with no helmet.  I think you get the picture.  Still, it was fun.  Not nearly as fun as bright sunshine would have been, but still...

We also got to see some of the places they filmed the LOTR and Hobbit movies.  We got to walk in one of the woods used for filming.

Left at 7:45, got back at 1:30.  Had lunch at the harbour, then the rain began.  We're packing it in for the day, unless it clears enough for ice cream.  Always time for ice cream.

Day 18

More nice weather today.  Today is only a short drive from Wanaka to Queenstown.  Made a couple of stops along the way, but the highlight was trading in the POS Holden Captiva we have been driving since Day 1 for a brand new Toyota Highlander.  What a difference!  More storage, more legroom, comfier seating and best of all - better gas mileage.  And only 1,900 km!

The weather forecast for Day 19 was not good, and we had an evening boat cruise scheduled.  We managed to get it switched to tonight.  We cruised on the TSS Earnslaw.  It's a 100+ year old steamship that still runs on coal.  A nice cruise followed by a very good BBQ and sheep shearing demonstration.

Queenstown is a decent sized resort town that at first glance reminds me of Lake Como in Italy, if you're familiar with that.  Without all the millionaires.  I'm thinking more of the view from the harbour.  Malcolm said it's like an upscale Niagara Falls.  It's certainly touristy, but I wouldn't be that harsh.  So, it's somewhere between the two.

Day 17

More great weather.  After debating several options, we decided on the Rocky Mountain hike.  It was very tough.  Took about 5 hours, including a lunch break at the top.  450 metre vertical ascent.  Length is somewhere between 7 and 10 kilometres, depending on whose device you believe.  Exhausting but exhilarating.  Fantastic 360 degree views at the summit.

In the evening we went to the Cinema Paradiso to see Black Panther.  This is a funky local treasure.  The seating includes bus seats set in the back of a Morris Minor convertible and many living room couches.  At intermission (yup) they shut off the movie so that everyone can go out and get the most delicious hot-from-the-oven cookies you can imagine.  Once everyone is back in their seats, the movie restarts.  Mostly first run movies and an excellent screen and sound system.

I've added a few photos.

Day 16

Beautiful weather this morning.  We drove through the Haast Pass today.  This was the nicest scenery of the trip so far.  We travelled to the town of Wanaka, but stopped many times along the way to take in scenic viewpoints as well as take several hikes ranging from 5 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Wanaka is a picturesque lakeside town with much to offer.  It would be easy to spend a week or more here.  Spectacular vistas and many activities.

This is beginning to look like the New Zealand that we were anticipating.

Day 15

The weather broke this morning at around 11 AM.  Too late for our heli-hike tour, though.  It was cancelled.  They were fully booked for the next two days, so we couldn't reschedule.

Instead, we hiked to the Franz Josef glacier.  Not too hard, took about 2 hours return.  At least we got to see it.

All things considered, even with the train cancellation and the heli-hike cancellation, we were much luckier than other tourists.  Some never got out of Christchurch, some got trapped in between closures on highways, many couldn't get accommodations, some had to sleep on buses that couldn't go anywhere.  We heard of at least one campervan blown over by the winds.  The highways around us were still closed this morning but reopened by noon.

Just watched Canada lose to Great Britain in curling, now a little R&R outside on the porch.

Forecast looks good for tomorrow.

Day 14

Quite the day today.  The scenic train trip we had scheduled was indeed cancelled due to the impending cyclone.  We did manage to retrieve our rental car and were able to drive to Franz Josef, our next destination.

The weather all day was bad, really bad.  Rain and high winds.  I believe the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm, but it still had gusts up to 150 km/h.

We managed to reach our destination just before they closed the highway.  Very fortunate.  We've had power outages all evening, but it seems to be more stable now.

We have a heli-hike tour scheduled for tomorrow, but it's very likely that it will be cancelled.  The manager of our lodge says that all tours are cancelled until Saturday.

So, it was an inside evening doing laundry and watching Canada lose to China in curling.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Another random thought

You know how when you have a single lever faucet in the sink or shower, hot is always on the left and cold on the right?

In NZ, that's true if it's a kitchen faucet.  But in the shower, cold is on the left and hot is on the right.  Makes for quite a surprise until you figure it out.

Day 13

Good weather again today.  Drove to Christchurch where we took a ride up the gondola to the top of Mt. Cavendish.  Nice view up there, but it's quite a bit away from the town centre and not outstanding enough to recommend.

Then took a tram ride part way around the city and walked a bit.  Went to Quake City, which is a museum dedicated to the Christchurch earthquake.

We should mention that Christchurch is almost entirely under reconstruction from the devastating earthquake of 2010 and the aftershock in 2011.  You can't walk a block without construction.  And this is 7 years after the fact.

The highway into and out of Kaikoura (our last stop) was entirely wiped out and is still in the process of being rebuilt.

Just as we were walking back to our hotel, we received word that our scheduled scenic train trip tomorrow has been cancelled.  And the day after as well.  We were all really looking forward to this, but because of the impending cyclone, it has been cancelled.  This has left many tourists scrambling to find accommodations (there are none) and rental cars (also none).

We were very fortunate in that Budget (where we had a car reserved at the end of the train trip) called us to let us know that the train was cancelled.  We had already turned in our car today in Christchurch, but Budget said they would hold it for us so that we could drive tomorrow instead of taking the train.  Above and beyond the call of duty on their part, and very lucky for us.  Without that car, we really would have no options.  Bravo Budget!

We're being told that the mountain passes will be open tomorrow in spite of the weather, so we have our fingers crossed.  Wish us luck. 

Until next time.  Photos have been added.

Day 12

Outstanding weather still holding.   Sunny and hot.  Today we had two tours:

Tour 1 was a boat ride to spot albatrosses (albatrossi?).  Fantastic tour.  We got to see 4 different albatross species, as well as shearwaters, and a couple of different kinds of petrels.  At one point there were 10 different albatross around us.  We also got to see dozens of dolphins.

Tour 2 was also a boat ride, but for whale watching.  It's not whale season here, but we did manage to see a couple.  The first one we saw was a first for us as well - a sperm whale.  We have seen humpbacks, minkes, belugas and even a fin whale, but never a sperm whale.  They aren't that easy to see because they can dive for up to 90 minutes at a time.

Later we saw a humpback with a bunch of dolphins.  Even saw a breach, but no photos of that.

Perfect day.

Day 11

Sorry for the delay.  As anyone who has travelled knows, wifi and cell coverage can be unreliable.  Back on the grid again, so three days of updates to come.

Today included a drive through wine country and along the coast to Kaikoura.  Kaikoura is a bustling little coastal town with lots of tourists and many things to do.  The coastline is spectacular and this is a place you could spend a lot of time in.

We arrived after lunch and did a clifftop hike followed by a beach hike.  About 2 hours in total.  On the beach we spotted a fur seal colony and they let us get up close.  Quite exciting.  Looking forward to tomorrow's tours.

Update on Bulls

The funky town of Bulls, NZ which we loved, is in the direct path of Tropical Cyclone Gita.  No bull.

Random thoughts on New Zealand so far

• Gas is expensive in New Zealand.  Over 1.80 CAD/litre.  Something to take into account when doing a driving tour of New Zealand.  We did not.  It's costing a fortune on gas.
• We're driving a Holden Captiva SUV.  While it's the perfect size and quite a nice vehicle, it's a total POS when it comes to gas mileage.  About 12 L/100 km.  That's horrible for any vehicle.  Our Altima at home is about 6.5 L /100 KM on the highway.
• Diet Coke is very expensive in NZ.  A 600 ml bottle is $4 NZD, about $3.60 CAD.  At home we can get six 710 ml bottles for less than 3 bucks.  About 850% more expensive here.
• Overall, things are a little more expensive than back home, but not by a lot.  Restaurant prices seem a lot higher at first glance, but you have to remember that the prices include all taxes and tips.
• People here all seem friendly and helpful.
• Unless you're in town, almost all roads here are 100 km/h.  Even small, twisty turny small roads.
• While NZ lamb is much desired in North America, and there are 6 sheep per person in NZ, it's hardly ever on the menu anywhere.  Seems like locals don't eat it, at least not in restaurants.
• On the North island we saw cows and sheep everywhere.  And I mean everywhere.  The whole island is covered in cattle and sheep farms.  The only crop we saw was a little bit of corn.
• Only on the South Island for two days, but we have seen many produce farms so far.
• Early thoughts are that the South island is much more scenic.
• Ketchup is called tomato sauce.
• Cormorants here are called shags.  Must make for interesting conversation.

Day 10

Another beautiful day today!  Two in a row.

We did an all day boat cruise/hike along the Abel Tasman coast.  As pretty a coastline as you're likely to see.  The boat seems to act as a taxi/shuttle, putting ashore at numerous secluded beaches along the trip.

TIMEOUT - Something like an air raid/tsunami warning siren just went off.  We'll have to check it out.  There is a cyclone in the forecast.

It's all good.  They have a volunteer fire brigade here, and we're next door to it.  The sirens alert the volunteers to the fact that there is a fire.  So, good news is that there is no tsunami.  Bad news is that something's on fire.

The boat dropped us off at one beach and we hiked about 2 hours and got picked up at another.  Nice trail, lots of shade, which was needed.

Great day finished off by a good dinner at a local pub.  Pics tomorrow.

Day 9

Fantastic day today!  Took the ferry from Wellington to Picton.  It's a beautiful ferry ride with great scenery, through the Queen Charlotte Strait, around many islands, past many mountains and bays.  A great sightseeing tour for the price of a ferry ride.  Reclining window seats, tray tables, free wifi and lots of legroom.

Sunny all day and 30+ degrees.  A nice change.  We took the Queen Charlotte Drive to get to our hotel in Motueka.  Very scenic.  The views along the coast are spectacular.

We stopped at a place for lunch called The Mussel Pot in Havelock.  Excellent lunch and service.  Highly recommended.

Curling on two different channels in our motel room.

All in all an excellent day.

Day 8

A driving day today, from Rotorua to Wellington.  Lots of interesting scenery today.  We drove through at least 4 distinctly different areas - rainforest, desert, rolling hills, prairies.  A much easier drive than some of the other days which were all twists and turns.

We stopped for lunch at a little town called Bulls, mainly because it was called Bulls.  This is definitely a town with a sense of humour.  Almost all of the businesses include "bull" in their name or slogan.  One exception was "The Rat Hole" bar and grill.  This was our choice for lunch, of course.  How could you not eat at a place called The Rat Hole?  To our disappointment, we were turned away.  Banished from The Rat Hole.  Ended up at a place called the Mothered Goose.  Quite decent and not a rat hole.

Another stop was at an excellent car museum, the Southward Car Museum.  Hundreds of cars, motorcycles and memorabilia worth millions.  One of my favorites was a 1913 Mercedes Benz that was powered by a 24,000 cc (not a typo) 1,000 hp aero engine that was used in zeppelins.  Apparently you had to use 4th gear because the tires spun too much in the first 3 gears.  And a Rat Fink tricycle (see photos).

Dinner was at the Wellington harbour, which is what a waterfront should be if it's not covered in condos, like Toronto.

After dinner we did a night walk at Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary in Wellington.  We saw our first (and maybe only) Kiwi birds on this walk.  They are nocturnal and very hard to spot.  I have photos, but nothing that would convince anyone that it was a Kiwi.  You can't use flashes and the only lights have red filters, so photos don't really work well.

I'm writing this on the ferry from Wellington to the South Island, where we spend the rest of our time.  Hoping for sunshine.

Day 7

Turns out that you do get used to the smell after a couple of days.  Today was a good day, albeit overcast and sprinkling for a good portion of the day.  Pretty decent though.

We visited the Waimangu Volcanic Valley.  Did a 2 hour hike through areas of geothermal activity - hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, etc.  Very interesting and scenic.  Likely the highlight of the trip so far.  After the hike we took a boat tour on Lake Rotomahana, which is basically a huge volcanic crater filled with water.  Informative and interesting.  The lake is home to dozens of black swans.

In the evening we attended a Maori cultural event and concert followed by a traditional Maori dinner.  The highlight was to be an eruption of the Pohutu geyser, but apparently no one told the geyser.

All in all, a good day.

Day 6

Sunshine!  30 degrees and sunny today!  So what did we do?  Cave exploring, of course.  We drove to Waitomo, where we visited the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and the Ruakuri Cave as well.

The glow worms are really glow maggots and what glows is their poop, but the Waitomo Glow Maggot Poop Caves apparently was nixed as a name by the marketing people.  They are fascinating, however.  The cave is in complete darkness and the ceiling sparkles like thousands of stars.  Unique.  Just keep your mouth closed.

We travelled to Rotorua at the end of the day.  It's in a geothermally active area, and as such, smells really bad.  Sulphur.  Apparently all of the recent rains magnify the smell.  Perfect.  We're told that you get used to it after a couple of days.  That seems unlikely.

We've added a photo link here.

Day 5

Raining again today.  The day was a fairly leisurely drive from Paihia to Whangaparaoa, stopping at a few viewpoints and seaside towns along the way.

Photos link

Any photos we upload can be found here.

Day 4

Another day in Paihia.  Woke up to torrential rains again.  Sat around watching Olympic doubles curling until it was time to go for the boat tour.

The boat tour was cancelled because of the weather, so we decided to drive to the northernmost point of New Zealand (6 hours roundtrip).  There is a famous lighthouse there and spectacular views.  Not so fast.  The whole area was socked in by clouds and you couldn't see more than 100 feet.  Oh well, we had a very nice and quite surprising lunch on the drive up.

Got back in time for a late dinner.  Hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Day 3

A bit of a sh*t show today.  Drove to a town called Paihia on the north east coast.  Torrential rains for a good part of the day.  We were supposed to go on a boat tour in the afternoon, but due to a series of almost comical coincidences, we missed it.  The good news is that they let us reschedule for the next day and we were able to juggle a different reservation from Day 4 to Day 3.

In the afternoon, we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, which is a very important historical spot for the Maori people.  There is an excellent historical museum onsite.

In the evening we took a ferry across to a town called Russell, which is quite picturesque and is a holiday spot for rich Aucklanders.  Russell was the first capital of New Zealand.

Day 2

Sorry for the delay in Day 2, but we were off the grid.  No wifi at the place we stayed and even though we have a SIM card, reception is spotty once you get out of the larger towns.

Today was mostly driving to a place called Hokianga up on the north west coast.  Sleepy little beach town.  The highlight was a stop at a place called the Kauri Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Kauri tree.  It's really a fantastic museum and it's huge.  If you ever come here, it's a must do.

The Kauri tree lives thousands of years and is massive.  We saw the oldest and widest living tree in the Waipoua forest.  It's over 2,000 years old and is 17 feet wide.  We did a walking tour with a local Maori guide and learned about the trees and some Maori history.

Had rain on and off for most of the drive.

We've arrived

Well, it took more than 24 hours, but we got here with no issues.  All people and bags arrived intact.  We came on American Airlines, and it was a good flight.  On time and the best onboard entertainment system I've ever experienced.  We paid for the extra legroom and it was worth every penny.  Having said that, the next time we have to take a flight of this length, it will be in whatever class has those sleeper "pods". 

We just walked around the Auckland downtown and harbour area today.  The downtown has a lot of cool art deco buildings and the marina is packed with many incredible super yachts.  Like this one.  And this one, which was purchased a few years back for 45,000,000 USD.  They were docked next to each other.  There were several more.

No photos today, but likely tomorrow.  We're understandably bagged and will be hitting the hay early tonight.

An interesting aside - on the plane our friends were sitting next to a professional card player who travels all over the world playing cards.  He's sponsored and has qualified for the world championships.  You may be thinking that's not so interesting - there are thousands of professional poker players.  But I didn't say he played poker.  This guy is a professional Pokemon card player.  

The Adventure Begins

We're leaving today and returning on March 9.  We'll be doing both the north and south islands, mostly by car, but also train and ferry.  A map of our north island stops is here.  The south island stops (part 1) are here.  The south island stops (part 2) are here.

Flying Toronto to Los Angeles, then to Auckland on American Airlines.  Long flight, but we got the extra legroom.  Also, the inflight entertainment is excellent.

Until we get there.....

A New Adventure Awaits

Hello everyone!  This is just really a test so see if we still know how to use this blog.  If you got a notification to come and visit this, let us know.

We're leaving on February 5th for a month in New Zealand, so stays tuned.  Until then...