EE & S Adventures

First stop in Wanaka was just around the corner from our accommodation.  Puzzling World  was a great way to spend a couple of hours.  We went through a sequence of rooms with various optical tricks, some of which we had seen before but many which were new.  Then we attacked the very complicated and lengthy maze which was a good way of getting our step count up for the day.   **WARNING SPOILER PHOTOS** We had a quick stop at the lavender farm.  The lavender played second fiddle to the cherry blossoms. The trip from Wanaka to Queenstown was uneventful.  We had some nice pies for lunch and found an open winery for a tasting which was actually a bit disappointing when considering the price of some of the wines (we won't name the Winery). After checking in we headed into town for dinner.  Rata was an outstanding venue, every dish was superb and Sam thought it was even better than Arbour.  His fish he rated as the best he had ever eaten.  Des...

 Arising early, we drove to Lake Matheson, the lake with the stunning view of Mt Cook - best at dawn and dusk. While not exactly reaching it at dawn, we were the only people there and drank in the beauty. We were joined by many waterfowl who made lots of noise and churned up the water. A slight walk away then back again saw us get the ideal mirror like picture!    After a hurried second breakfast at a salmon farm, a jet boat tour of the Waiatoto river was up next, one of our most anticipated adventures after the abandoned cave rafting. This was not your typical thrills and spills (well splashes) New Zealand jet boat tour but rather the boat was the means for us exploring the back country of the South. We met Ruth, our tour guide and driver, and found we were the only members of the party that morning. (Samuel also met the cat which belonged to Ruth's daughter, needless to say the cat did not join us.) The tour was amazing, instructive and much longer than we anticipated....

Eric planned an early morning run but awakening to the sound of rain on the roof at 6.30 was more than enough to nix that.  So we slept in again.  Holidays are great. After breakfast the sky was still overcast but showing promise of clearing up.  So we elected to take on the 11km Roberts Point track .  This was an " advanced tramping track " which proved to be not a major  issue fitness wise, even with the steep climb, and navigationally simple, but it was extremely slippery for anyone (Elise and Sam) in runners.  Mind you trail shoes (Eric) were only marginally better. The first few kilometers were pretty easy, although there were some interesting creek and chasm crossings.  Some were a simple hop from stone to stone across small streams, then there were the elaborate bridges including one enormous span to dodge a big cliff that dropped straight down onto the galcier moraine.  After the big bridge the track became a rocky scramble uphill with a f...

Beauty really does not benefit from being shrouded - or missed altogether. Overnight I awoke a number of times to hear heavy rain on the cabin roof. While it made things feel cozy for sleeping, we soon learned it also made things too rough for our planned caving adventure. So instead of riding rubber tubes through caves with glow worms we remained dry and warm and set out for Frans Josef.  Our early morning drive along the west coast had all the hallmarks of being spectacular. For example, the road closely hugged the shoreline, bordered on one side by lushly wooded cliffs and on the other by the wild foamy sea: craggy, jagged rocks poking out between the waves. And yet we could only partly see glimpses of it due to the shrouding of fog. Our first stop was Punakaiki or pancake rocks which also boasts a blow hole. Being there so early meant we had it all to ourselves. A short walk on a very well-manicured track set up for wheelchairs brought us close to the amazing rock formations....

 This was very much a taking it easy travel day.  We left about 9.30 and headed back towards Richmond and Nelson.  We started the morning with a bit of shopping for glass and pottery.  Then we headed south just as the drizzle started, tragically missing a visit to Wendleton Guinea Pig Village. We had planned a walk in Nelson Lakes National Park, but with the drizzle getting heavier, a change of plans was in order.  We skipped the lakes and landed in Murcheson for a nice casual cafe lunch.  Samuel ordered another burger - as usual in New Zealand it was enormous. Post lunch the clouds got darker as we checked out Buller Gorge.  The Jetboat wasn't running and we baulked at paying $10 each for a walk across the swing bridge .  Moving on down the Buller River and Gorge we stopped for one or two photos before the skies finally opened. With the rain now pelting down, we pushed on to our accommodation just outside Westport and, post check in, spent a bori...

 This was going to be one of the "signature" experiences of the trip.  A day walk in the famous Abel Tasman National Park.  Alas Elise awoke with a migrane.  And if mum wasn't going then Samuel wasn't going to do 23km with just dad for company.  So in the end it was just Eric driving north from Motueka in the early morning. The prize after an 80km drive was a circle hike at the northern end of the park along the Gibbs Hill Track, and then the last 15km of the famous Abel Tasman Coast Track, reputedly one of the best sections of one of New Zealands best Great Walks. Another advantage of travelling to the north end of the park was people (or lack of).  While the southern sections of the 60km track get the majority of day trippers, very few go to the extra effort of getting to the top of the park. Without family to look after, this became a part run, part walk, with 15-25 minutes of jogging the easy bits, separated by walking the tougher ones.  By sensibl...