Our last few days in the South Island were spent at Lake Tekapo and Christchurch. The Southern Alps extend north from Aoraki or Mt Cook National Park to the Westland National Park, where the Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers almost meet the sea. Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo and their rivers drain eastwards, running along … More From Aoraki to Lake Tekapo and Christchurch
Wandering from Queenstown to Wanaka along the Kawarau River gorge involves stopping at various wineries. Our first stop was the Gibbston Winery and Cheesery. Here we tasted various aromatic wines and devoured a Gibbston Cheese platter of 3 cheeses of our choice. We tried the washed rind Brie, goat’s milk Gouda and a Brie, the … More Wandering from Queenstown to Wanaka and beyond
The day we were scheduled to arrive in Dunedin, we flew out of Stewart Island with a packed aircraft of 8 passengers, a pilot and trainee, who flew the plane. We landed uneventfully in Invercargill, where it was wet and squally. Our plan was to travel along the Southern Scenic Route to Dunedin via the … More Dunedin and Otago
Twitchers or birdwatchers with their binoculars and skyward gaze are a rare breed and as relative novices, we hoped our trip to Stewart Island would provide a great training ground. The Island at the southern tip of New Zealand is renowned as a wildlife sanctuary, where one can see the endangered kiwi in the wild. … More Twitching on Stewart Island
The weather continued cold and wet. A brief sunrise revealed the snow line had advanced down the Kepler Mountains. Our tour to Milford Sound was cancelled due to an avalanche closing the road! The alternative option was a trip up Lake Manapouri, over the mountains and down to Doubtful Sound, so we like hundreds of … More Doubtful travel to Doubtful Sound and beyond
Fiordland in springtime conjures up images of spring lambs and flowering Manuka honey bush. We arrived in Queenstown on Monday to sunny skies and temperatures of 16 degrees. Indeed it did feel positively springlike for New Zealand. As we drove south to Te Anau, we passed paddocks of sheep with their tiny white lambs and … More Fiordland in springtime
Come wandering 