Wellington NZ, Wednesday, 11/30/16

It's always a pleasure for me to snag a window seat on a jet, especially for a cloudless afternoon flight.  Queenstown, surrounded by mountains (below), was a pretty sight from the air.  Our passage to Wellington was relatively short, about 1.30 hours (translates to roughly 600 miles).  In a small country, most New Zealand flights are blessedly short.

Lucky me!  My assigned seat was on the turbo-prop's port side, with the spectacular snow-covered Southern Alps in view outside my tiny window.  In the distance is the Tasman Sea, the body of water that separates NZ from Australia.  These are the kind of flights that actually seem too short.

So, we took our leave of New Zealand's cool, pastoral (and often dramatic!) South Island, returning to the North Island and Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, located near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait.

Evoking the famous Lord of the Rings trilogy, the cute sign above greeted us at the airport ... no hobbits in evidence, tho.

Hmm, it appears that Southern California's early-afternoon infamous gray-May/June-gloom weather, aka low clouds, has descended on Wellington, but our hotel balcony overlooks the harbor, which is great! No matter, the sun will be out soon!

I think I've mentioned previously that when the luggage is retrieved and we hit the pavement, our Road Scholar group doesn't disappear like shadows into a hotel.  No sir, our esteemed and informative guide, Albert, finds the hired coach and driver (always good ones), and shepherds his (usually unruly) flock onto the coach toward whatever is next.  In this case, we'll get an overview orientation of the central city, hop off the bus for a walk-about, plus a cable car ride to the Botanic Gardens.  Oh boy, one of my favorite places to visit.

What is this?  I don't know, but I liked it.  I'd call it a mural or perhaps yard art.

On our way through town, we passed this strange-looking Beehive, which is the common name for the Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament Building.  Tomorrow, we'll have a guided tour of the parliament buildings, which should be kinda cool.  The city looks like it'll be fun to explore.

When we were in Auckland ten days ago, the Pōhutukawa (po-hoo-tu-ka-wa) trees were beginning to launch their blazing crimson flowers.  Now, in Wellington, they've ramped it up!  Because they bloom at Christmastime, they've earned the title of New Zealand's "Christmas trees," and they're real lookers with their red/green holiday colors.  While not quite in peak form, check out the tree above!  The flower reminds me a bit of California Bottlebrush shrubs.

Pōhutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) blossom.

 Somewhere deep in the foliage was a Tui singing its heart out, and I stalked it till I found it.

I think I'll "do" the Botanical Gardens in my next post.  My eyeballs are on overdrive.  Till tomorrow, then.

Look out, Queenstown NZ! Nov 28-29, 2016

We hopped back on our coach after cruising beautiful Milford Sound, for a relaxing drive to Queenstown, a few hours away. Picturesque to the nth degree, it was easy to sit back, leave the driving to a pro, and gaze out the window, maybe even close the eyes for a few seconds! New Zealand is a spectator's paradise.

Queenstown is situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in the Southern Alps. This town is known for all sorts of recreational delights, a favorite holiday center, crystal clear days and bright autumn colors. Lake Wakatipu itself is 1020' deep at its deepest, and 52 miles long, with a mean temp of 53 degrees, definitely not my idea of a swimming hole!

We checked into the Copthorne hotel before moving on to the next venue!

The next morning (Tuesday), our guide led the group on paths through outstanding Queenstown Gardens. More than a few of us could have spent two hours traipsing around there, but we enjoyed what we did see. We were on our way to an outing at Walter Peak Station. A brisk wind was blowing in off the lake.

 

Stellar flower gardens!  The peonies were as big as dinner plates.  Most of the roses were just coming into bloom (still late spring here), but they would be a sight to see when fully open.

Green and lovely, with a huge Chestnut tree behind me.

We paused here near the water's edge to view this special commemorative rock and plaque to Captain Scott and his team of Antarctic exploration fame.  Plaque is below.

 Another one of those fantastic silver fern fronds!

A special outing on the coal-fired vintage steamer TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak Station was the highlight for today.  This old boat, built in 1912, was launched on Lake Wakatipu where the pure cold fresh lake water kept her in great condition.  She was the only coal-fired passenger-carrying vessel in the Southern Hemisphere.  It was such a pretty day to be on the water.

New Zealand's Black-billed Gulls.  Bright eyes!

Windy ... hold onto your hats!

Look at those Lenticular clouds!

Doesn't this look like a place you could hunker down for a while? Situated on enchanting Lake Wakatipu’s south-western shores, this is Walter Peak Station, where lots of neat things are planned for us ... and then we'll partake lunch on the lakeside terrace. Here, again, are gardens you wish you had in your own yard. Simply gorgeous.

The best part of what we'd see was watching the young man shear a sheep. He single-handedly pulled it out of the pen behind him, made it docile and tractable by holding its front feet (paws?) off the floor and proceeded to shear it in a matter of a minute of two. He made it look like a piece of cake, but I'm sure it took muscles and lots o' practice to make it appear so easy.

 

A few alpacas dotted the green hillsides.

Next came a demonstration of working farm dogs to round up sheep from the hill paddocks and herd them into that pen.  The young fella whistled different tones or sounds and the dog responded to those commands, and it could run!

I was remiss in taking photos of the delicious buffet gourmet BBQ lunch served at Walter Peak Station.  Ohmygosh, what a feast.  I'm not a big BBQ aficionado, but this food was really good.  They had entire sections set aside for salads, veggies, breads, taters, and succulent meats cooked on the outdoor rotisserie or grill.  All yummy, every morsel. Desserts, too, of course!  We piled it on, licked our fingers.  I found the lamb tasted best (very delish).

The TSS Earnslaw departed for Queenstown after lunch.  We had a free afternoon to wander at will, and so we did.  How could I resist a picture of Jimmy at Wilkinson's Pharmacy? 

Jimmy liked this one.

We enjoy going into churches, any denomination, and this is St. Peter's Anglican Church. It's been a part of Queenstown and wider Wakatipu since 1863.  It was quiet and serene inside, not ornate or fancy and seemed to beckon in the weary or curious.  Jimmy lit two candles in memory of his son and my brother, who both passed away this year.

And this perfect vase of peonies in the church foyer is my way of saying gidday to you, for now, but our day wasn't over yet, nope -- there's more, always more!  Till next time!

Milford Sound, finally! Monday, 11/28/16

Milford Sound IS New Zealand -- this glorious fiord comes to mind when you think of NZ's South Island, along with earthquakes and the Southern Alps, not necessarily in that order. Arrestingly beautiful, it's been named one of the Wonders of the World.  Milford Sound is a destination, though the journey to get here from Te Anau and the cruise on the sound were the same to me, and so worth the effort.  Together they made a whole. 

This is an end goal ... once here, you have to turn around and return to Te Anau or Queenstown, 'cause there's no town to speak of, no hotels, streets or grocery stores at Milford Sound.  Instead, throngs of jabbering tourists burst out of coaches, step off buses ... those behemoths lined up like sardines in a single-layer tin ... forming queues, to get on their particular cruise boat, cameras clicking away.  Is this another spectacular spot on earth being loved to death?  I hope not.  Our little Road Scholar group had an 11 am (early) cruise booking, which meant we wouldn't be crowded out. Hooray!

Ready to board.  Gray skies prevailed on the sound before Noon.  Yes, it was chilly, but not cold. You could sit inside and stay warm or roam the outside decks.  You know where we were -- taking in the sights and pictures up top.  (Is it me or are the people taking "selfies," running from location to location, becoming real pests?  Do they even care what they're seeing?  They sure seem pushy.) 

Snow-capped mountains serve as a backdrop for New Zealand's bright red flag.

Above and below:  No shortage of waterfalls on Milford Sound, each meriting a heap of photos.  Two permanent ones exist, and a hundred or more during the rainy season.

Appropriately named Seal Rock.  After diving for food at night, New Zealand's Fur Seals bask and relax (haha) here during the day.  Above is one big ol' male with a herd of females.  Looks like a great place to slide off, whether you wanted to or not. 

Wild, rugged mountains!  Mitre Peak at 1692 m (5,551 ft) is the highest.  Milford Sound's deepest point is 390 meters (1280 ft deep).  I was reminded of a fiord cruise we took in 2010 through Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne Nat'l Pk, Newfoundland, though that one is an "inland fiord." 

One of the world's rarest, we were lucky to get a glimpse of the Fiordland Crested Penguin. Check out the distinctive, bushy yellow eyebrows.  Seconds after I caught it on camera, it plopped in the water.

Red kayaks dot the pristine water above (kayaks can be rented), and it looks like yellow kayaks below. This water has to be cold, but it would be an awesome experience, maybe one I'd like if I was prepared for the really chilly water/weather.  But, maybe it'd be a bit scary, too.

Like a water jet, wonderful Stirling Falls is on full blast!

Looking toward the Tasman Sea, Milford Sound stretches inland roughly ten miles (16 km). Slightly misty conditions near the sea added to the overall ethereal beauty.

Geez, this scene looks primeval.

Might Gandalf, from Lord of the Rings, be lurking around the corner?

Thin cascades dripped off every mountain.

Back on our coach, the driver aimed for Queenstown, maybe four hours away.  I sat with my face glued to the window, drinking in all New Zealand had to offer.  We'll spend a couple of nights in Queenstown, with lots more adventure planned.  What a once-in-a-lifetime day!  What a trip we're having!