Day 7 (24-Dec-09) Stewart Island - Invercargill

We’re just sipping our cuppa in the Shiny Paua hotel, trying to let our wary bones recover after a full day of tramping on the various tracks of Stewart Island. Some of the tendons/muscles can do with a bit of extra recovery time. I sprained my hand when sliding down a slippery slope and Quentin sprained his ankle when hot on my heels (I was worried the last track for the day might not get us back in “town” in time for our 16:50 hrs flight check in).

The bikes we’d rented for the day proved to be somewhat of a burden as there is only a total of 27 km of road surface on which you are allowed to ride them, of which more than half only seems to have one direction: up, and very steep at that.

Anyway, having given the cycling a bash and deciding that walking uphill is our forte, rather than climbing them on, (or was it with?) a bike, we decided shortly after lunch time to return the bikes. We had a quick beer and were off again for our afternoon hike. Oh, before I forget: during our morning hike we encountered what we initially believed to be a Kiwi. Very cute, brown, flightless and totally fearless bird. We were elated! Actually, we were over the moon, which I believe is higher off the ground than simple elation. Who would have thought we’d actually spot one of these in the wild? As it turned out (identified by the barmaid later that evening), we’d had an encounter with a Weka. No less special but this leaves the Kiwi still on the list to be ticked off as having “seen .that”.

Anyway, good day today. Started with a mild drizzle and ended up quite nice with again with plenty to look at and see on the way.

The flight back to Invercargill was uneventful although it left 5 minutes late. As Q and his Blackberry were uncontactable during our stay on Stewart Island, he’s currently catching up on all the missed fun in the office. I’d better have a quick shower and try to do the final washing before we head off into the wilds of NZ the day after tomorrow.

Tonight, X-mas eve, I’ll finally be able to give Q his present. I hope it won’t turn out to be a case of me as the giver liking the present more than the receiver. Right! Time for a shower so we can go out for dinner.

22:10 hrs now and just back from dinner (great again) followed by a stroll through a very drunken town. Don’t think we’ll make it too late tonight. Although.....

Day 6 (23-Dec-2009) Dunedin - Stewart Island via Invercargill - 270km

It’s been one of those days again: where to begin? – mainly because I’m suffering a severe moment of old age pensioners blondness. Ok, let’s try to jog my memory. I do remember falling asleep with the lovely prospect of a good breakfast as was promised me, having skipped dinner the previous night owing to some little Blue critters. As happens when food is involved in this manner, I fell asleep and woke up with a huge smile on my face just because of the thought of food. This expression, however, was quickly wiped off once I realised we’d not have enough time for a sumptuous breakfast considering all that had to be achieved today if we had any hope of making our check-in time of 16:30 hr at Invercargill airport.

1. Pack separate pack for our day on Stewart Island tomorrow
2. Check-out of the hotel in Dunedin
3. Shop for food to be taken on the Milford Track, as we’d not expecte X-mas day was a good day to find shops open
4. Fill the car up with petrol
5. Visit the steepest street in Dunedin (in the world I believe) and try to set a new record running uphill
6. Reach Invercargill Airport by 16:00 hrs (preferably for peace of mind)
7. Enjoy the drive

It became clear, quite early on, that in order to maintain peace of mind, we’d better skip our attempt at the Guinness Book of Records by having to forgo our attempt to run up the steepest street in the quickest time ever recorded.

Like I said before, I’m suffering a senior blond moment so I can’t remember to where along the Southern Scenic Tourist Route we made a little detour to visit an absolutely gorgeous outcrop which provided us with a leg stretching opportunity.

After this pleasurable little side-trip to this unnamed location, we decided to make straight for Invercargill, picking up our first bit of rain for the holiday. We reached Invercargill with plenty of time to spare so decided on a quick exploratory drive through town and a stop at the local Starbucks. We also managed to get a replacement watchstrap for Q’s statistical measuring device.

When we got to the airport we were able to check in early and board the plane even earlier! Don’t worry about switching off your phone, just make sure you’re wearing you’re seatbelt and don’t try to walk through the plane whilst in the air! The short flight over stranded us on Stewart Island before 17:00 hrs, which was the time we were supposed to take off from Invercargill! I’m sure there is some sort of a time machine operational in NZ....

Checked in to the hotel, went for a short walk followed by a lovely dinner, followed by a longer walk. Bedtime after a quick stop at the local pub where we witnessed local fashion in action: men in shorts wearing wellies! Fortunately, the females were dressed more appropriately.

Day 5 (22-Dec-2009) Otago Peninsula - 130km

Pretty late already and to be honest, I’m feeling quite tired. Must have something to do with the fact that my body has only just managed to recover from the freezing temperatures I’ve had to endure for at least the past 2 hours.

Anyway, not to worry. I’m recovering with my 2^nd cup of tea and I can already say it was well worth the agony, hardship and all that lark Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up not even remembering why I thought I’d not been this cold, ever!

Now, if I look at the total km’s (mileage for those amongst us with no metric understanding), I wonder again at how it is possible to do so many km’s on a peninsula that stretches for only 30, maybe 40 km’s. Also, or should I say “especially”, as part of the afternoon was spent using the alternative transport provided by our tour company. Perhaps we’ll get to the bottom of this rather poignant question during the following analysis of today’s events.

We were up by, I believe, 8 and, following a quick cup of tea/coffee, were in the car to try and find a shop where we could buy and external HD so we’d have a safe way of storing the megatons of footage Q is capturing with his new HD video camera. Mission accomplished so off to the Otago Peninsula.

First port of call: the Albatross colony on the most north-easterly tip of the peninsula. Not seeing much action when we got there, we decided that the best way to have some guaranteed sightings would be to sign up for a guided tour. 12 o’clock was still available so let’s go for that one.

The introductory video and lady guide were very informative and helpful but we were after the real thing. Once actually at the observatory we were afforded with views of 3 nesting Albatrosses. Unfortunately, no aerial happenings as there was still no wind to speak of. Still, no disappointment really because who can actually say they’ve seen a Royal Albatross on its nest?

With another guided tour booked for the afternoon which wasn’t due to commence until 16:15 hrs, we opted for a take-away coffee/tea and decided to visit some of the remote beaches to try and spot some other critters. Beautiful vistas on our drive and we were rewarded with views of some Fur Seals on one of the beaches.

We arrived at our tour pickup point with some time to spare so time for a quick drink. The tour company picked us up at 16:15 hrs sharp and first took us back to the Albatross Centre where we, this time, did have the pleasure of witnessing some fly-by action as wind had picked up slightly and the time to return for the night was neigh upon us. The drive to the Fur Seal colony did take us back across some terrain we’d already covered earlier in the day, but again, with vistas like that, who’s complaining?

At the end of the drive we were taken to a substantial Seal colony with quite a number of pups. Just around the corner from the Seals was a Yellow Eyed Penguin colony. Although very antisocial, on this occasion the creatures decided to play ball and show themselves, one by one. What absolutely gorgeous creatures! There were also a number of chicks that decided to show themselves. The plump little puddings! So cute!

We were dropped off at our car again at around 20:30 hrs and were hoping we’d be able to make it back up to the Albatross Centre in time for the return of the Blue Penguins who have their colony near by. Well, we made it back in more than enough time! By 21:00 hrs we were on the beach, eagerly looking out for some beachings. It wasn’t until nearly 22:00 hrs (just after sunset on this the longest day of the year in the Southern hemisphere – how did we manage to pick this day to go and see the Penguins?) that the 1^st individual of the 1^st group of 3 waves of little Blue Penguins decided it was time to come on shore. The +1 hr wait to see this spectacle in the “freezing” cold was more than worth the wait though! However, Hotel; here we come!

Day 4 (21-Dec-2009) Mount Cook - Dunedin - 403km

Finally sitting down with a cup of tea and Ironman on the TV playing in the background, giving us the chance to sort out today’s video and photographic proof and update our holiday’s narrative for as much as we can remember.

The plan for today was to do a short hike of approx. 1½ hrs to Sandfly Point and back (slight change to that) followed by a drive to Dunedin (slight detour to that too). So what really happened and what is actually the point of planning ahead?

22:46 hrs. Sorry, really needed that shower and 2^nd cup of tea.

Right! What really happened? Well.....

We were up at 06:45 hrs. Pack some final last bitties, bags in the car and off into the communal kitchen for a quick breakfast. Drive over to another car park to start our short hike to Sealy’s Point. At least, that was what our new intended, further destination after trying to follow the original plan of the Sandfly Point route for all of 5 minutes and already guestimating this trip would not take us longer than ½ hr, max.

It was another beautiful morning, great route, although somewhat steep in places, especially in sneakers and without hiking poles. After 1 hr and 20 minutes and having climbed well above the snowline, we decided to turn back with strong suspicions of having overshot the mark.

On the way down, after I examined the route and side of the mountain real close up and from a different angle, we did find the sign pointing to Sealy Point had in fact been tempered with and we had been well on our way to Müller Hut. Not to worry! As intended, we reached the parking lot 3 hrs after setting off, feeling well chuffed with ourselves and our achievements.

On to Dunedin! Via Oamaru that is. A Blue Penguin colony has settled itself here quite some time ago and a Yellow Eyed Penguin colony can also be found just around the corner. We did see some little Blue puddings in their nesting boxes, but were unfortunately too early (14:45 hrs) to see much action as the little munchkins, i.e. the parents, normally don’t start returning from the sea (with food for the chicks) until a bit before sunset, which currently is not until around 21:30 hrs. As we couldn’t wait that long because we still had a way to go before getting to Dunedin, which, after our visit to the hatching boxes made it very unlikely we’d get there until some time around 17:00 hrs anyway.

A quick wonder to the location where the Yellow Eyed Penguin is normally found, again too early, and off we were for Dunedin. 17:15 hrs and we’d reached our accommodation in Dunedin. In reception we were received by an extremely large and very loud purring cat. However tempting to stay and cuddle the big fluffy thing, it did not stop us from already paying an exploratory visit to the Otago Peninsula.

We were very lucky in spotting a huge female Elephant Seal on Sandfly Beach (what is it with these continued references to Sandflies?) and decided the hike up and down the beach along the steep cliffs was well worth the effort, including the load of sand we carried back in our shoes.

Although weather was beautiful and therefore didn’t look very promising for spotting some Albatross in action, who like gale force winds to facilitate their landings and take-offs, we decided to drive on to the top of the peninsula, just on the off chance.....

No wind to speak of but we did see some Albatross. What magnificent gliders! Can we have some more of that tomorrow please!

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off for a spot of dinner and reached our humble but more than comfortable abode by 21:30 hrs.

Shower time! Well past midnight now and time for bed.

Day 3 (20-Dec-2009) Christchurch - Mount Cook - 383km

Having just finished another lovely dinner, with the obligatory alcoholic beverage(s), and now back at our Youth (!) Hostel, it is time to look back on today’s events.

· Rise: not too early, approx. 07:00 hrs

· Breakfast: frugal, salami and cheese sandwich c/w tea/coffee

· Pack: too much stuff, and as out of practice taking way too long

· Check-out: smooth and quick (or v.v.)

· On road: 09:00 hrs

· Navigation: QM with a reasonable degree of precision and firmness

· Driver: AM with a great degree of proficiency

· Scenery: beautiful

Today’s story:

A 400 km drive was to take us from Christchurch to Mount Cook via the “Inland Scenic Tourist Route 72”, and scenic it most certainly was. The great enjoyment of the drive was very likely partially due to the excellent weather experienced en route. Great vistas of mountain ranges were interspersed with wonderful country-side sights. As the roads were nice and quiet, which we suspect had nothing to do with the fact that today was Sunday, driving was sheer pleasure and without any major stresses.

As indicated by our Lonely Planet guide, Fairlie should be a nice place to stop for lunch. Now, for those of you to whom the name “Lime Tree” means more than just a shrub, you will understand exactly what I mean when I mention those words in the same breath as the word “food”. Probably due to the fact that the nourishment presented to us here deserved more than just a casual seeing to, we spent an hour savouring the flavouring and pulled out of Fairlie at around 1 o’clock.

The final part of the drive was undertaken by Q, and again I must comment on his exemplary behaviour behind the wheel. I am seriously considering the possibility that he’s finally turned a new leaf and has seen the light..... when it comes to driving that is.

Anyway, the drive that eventually lead us to our current place of domicile was absolutely stunning, especially around the glacier lakes. What colours!!! What mountains!!! What glaciers!!! What scenery!!!

We were in our room (shared amenities NOT the sleeping space) by just before 16:00 hrs and were back on the hiking track by just before 16:00 hrs (ok, I exaggerate, perhaps a bit later).

The aim was to get as close to Mount Cook as could be expected in the short time available. The only thing between the mountain and us was, apart from the wind, terrain and the distance, a raging current of glacial run‑offs. Beautiful, but a bummer.

Having wetted our appetite sufficiently after about 2 hrs of traipsing around ,we stopped off a the famous Hermitage Hotel, which is probably more famous for its ugliness rather than the fact that it’s the oldest hotel in NZ. Oh, and it also burned down twice (or was it 3 times?). Malicious intent could be suspected if the previous incarnations were as ugly as the current one.

Unfortunately, the Edmund Hillary Centre located at the hotel was already closed so the option was to either eat (now why mention this as the first option?), or wait 1 hr for the movie on Mount Cook NP in 3D..... ??? ..... ???

Right, so we didn’t see the movie but we did have a wonderful dinner. Actually, I think we saw something better than the movie: we saw the real things whilst having dinner.

21:30 hrs now and looking at Mount Cook from our bedroom window. Unfortunately, we weren’t afforded with magnificent sunset views as it doesn’t appear the sun sets in quite the right place. However, a mountain as beautiful as this one doesn’t really need more to show off its beauty.

We’re currently enjoying our aluminium mug filled with Chateau Neuf du Pape, also known as Delegat, Hawkes Bay, 2008, Cabernet Merlot, with Q doing the techie stuff in preparation of tomorrow.

Day 2 (19-Dec-200) Banks Peninsula - 193km

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birth……..

Or at least, so we finally remembered at about 12 o’clock, by which time we’d already hiked into town to buy a Starbucks, cought the bus to the airport to collect our rental car before heading off to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula.

Although our initial intention was to get up at 07:30 hrs this, in hindsight, was deemed to be too early, so a press on the alarm button and one hour later resulted in the adjusted waking up time of 08:30 hrs. As we would be returning to the same hotel this evening, we could pack only the minimum: some drinks, a bite to eat, jackets (just in case…), and the vital photo and video equipment.

The 20 minute hike into town to catch our bus gave us ample time to properly wake up. The easy bus ride and smooth car collection set us up for full enjoyment of the beautiful scenery we had awaiting us. Stunning views of both hills (mountains for our Dutch compatriots) and rugged coastline were afforded us throughout the day. Around 1 o’clock we reached the foot of the hills and the bottom of the inlet at Akaroa, our turning point. A good time to get out of the car and stretch the legs a bit.

No dolphin swimming for us, but merely a short hike through this original French settlement town. Onwards and upwards! Some interesting driving later, with lots of birdlife viewed, we caught sight of Christchurch at around 17:00 hrs. Unfortunately, among the birdlife “spotted” were 2 apparent road kill Kiwi’s. Very sad and an unfortunate reminder of the need to drive with care and not too speedy. Good thing I was driving today!

Q is currently in the process of transferring the first video and photo booty whilst enjoying the last of our lovely bottle of wine. Reminder to self: Buy more!

Guess all that’s left for us to do today (or night, or whichever you prefer) is shower and eat.

22:30 hrs and just returned from dinner with 2 bottles of wine in hand. Yesterday’s traipse through town took us past a Wagamama’s. Where is this disjointed story going I can hear you think. Well….. As it was to be my birthday dinner and I hadn’t had a Wagamama’s since we left Dubai and they have this great “Raw Juice” on the menu (which is a non-alcoholic beverage)….. and I was allowed to choose where we’d eat tonight. Get it?

Ok, let me explain: we had dinner at Wagamama’s, I had the Raw Juice with some food and Q had something else to eat and drink. During the walk home we decided we needed to buy some wine for back in our room for afters. See, not a disjointed story at all!

Day 1 (18-Dec-2009) Singapore - Christchurch

This year’s holiday started entirely different from those of previous years: stress free!!! Things were actually so relaxed, that we had half an hour to spare (and therefore had to wait) before the taxi arrived to pick us up at 17:00 hrs yesterday afternoon. How on earth was it possible we managed to break a habit of a lifetime?

The secret to our success seems to have been due to having done all the packing the previous night. This left us with all the time in the world to drop off the cats, get the house spick and span and for Quentin to simply turn up at the office for a few hours prior to coming back home.

Catching the pre-booked taxi, which turned up at the appointed hour, getting checked in and boarding the flight on time, all were mere trifles compared to experiences we’ve had when trying to go on holiday from Dubai.

After an uneventful 9 hr flight, with some turbulence on the way, we touched down in Christchurch, having aged an additional 5 hrs en route, Quentin couldn’t overcome some minor feelings of frustration at the slow pace at immigration. I guess the start of any holiday has to be accompanied by some sort of stress….

The next wound inflicted as far as Quentin’s was concerned was wholly self-inflicted: he’d not cleaned his hiking boots after his trip to PNG earlier this year. As New Zealand (from here on known as NZ) is extremely cautious with respect to bio-hazards, Q’s boots had to undergo a rigorous cleaning routine to ensure no unwanted bugs or fungi could potentially pollute the country’s pristine environs. However, the wait could be considered by some to have been worthwhile as Q’s boots have not looked this clean since the day they were purchased. I did offer the Environmental Officer some money for the excellent job done. I think, however, that having had to handle Q’s boots, she was more than happy to get us out of her sight a.s.a.p.

Following a 20 minute taxi ride to our hotel, we were told that an 11:30 hr check-in was not possible and that we’d have to wait until 14:00 hrs. As we could leave our luggage at reception, we decided to head in to Christchurch for a coffee and our first impressions of this sleepy, 300,000 people city.

After a well deserved Starbucks, we decided that our best plan of action for the afternoon would be to visit the International Antarctic Centre at the airport. Seeing the little Blue Penguins when they were being fed was very cute. Most of these little critters have ended up at the Centre because they no longer have a chance of survival in the wild due to injuries sustained in a variety of accidents, usually involving man.

The other exhibits were almost equally as interesting and after some 3 hrs spent there, it was time to head back into town to take some pictures of some of the other sights and sounds we’d spotted on the way out to the Antarctic Centre, one of which was a statue of Scott, sculptured by his wife. Also, a 134 step climb to the top of the cathedral’s spire was, of course, something not to be missed. A quick stop to stock up on some foodstuffs for tomorrow’s drive following which we headed back to the hotel to, finally, check in.

18:35 hrs now and Quentin’s sound asleep. I think I’ll just join him in his 1 hr kip before we should try to get some dinner somewhere…..

Nearly 22:00 hrs now and, obviously, back at the hotel. Just opened a bottle of Delegat, Hawkes Bay, 2008, Cabernet Merlot: lovely! Almost as lovely as the wonderful dinner we had at the “New York Steak House” just down the street. The place didn’t look like much from the outside but was wonderful on the inside, in all respects.

Q’s just on the phone to M&D back home. Crazy to think they’re more than ½ day ahead, eh….. behind. Already confused about this time difference thing and don’t think that’ll get any better.

Although we’re not having an extremely early night on this, our first night here, after only 2 hrs sleep on the flight over and another ½ hr in the hotel before dinner, we won’t be too much longer before hitting the sack, I’m sure.

First impressions: green, lush, quiet, safe, peaceful, so looking forward to the next 3 weeks.