SOUTH ISLAND

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We began our explorations of the South Island on February 7 after arriving via ferry from the North Island.  Our first destination was Nelson.  However, en route, we took a side trip to Havelock, the “green lip mussel capital of the World.”  Well, Lindy has never been a fan of green lip mussels (in the U.S. they arrive frozen and they’re served primarily on oriental buffets) but that’s not the case any longer.  Ed steamed these fresh fellows in a New Zealand champagne and they were outstanding!  As far as sightseeing while in Nelson, we enjoyed going to PuPu Springs at Takaka where the water was so clear that in places it was 12’ deep and appeared to more than 2’.

We next went to Christchurch via rental car.  We stayed in the city and were able to walk to the sights here.  In particular, we enjoyed seeing the Cathedral and Ernest Rutherford’s Den.  On the 12^th of February, we took the TransAlpine Train which traverses the mountains in the north of the South Island to Inchbonnie.  There we were met by representatives from Lake Brunner Lodge where we began our first week of fishing on the South Island (see, THE FISHING).

On February 19, we once again returned to touring the South Island.  We began on the northwest coast at Greymouth.  While there we drove north to Pancake Rocks, a beautiful spot where the ocean has carved some great formations and where spectacular waves crashed into the shore and blow holes spewed spray up to 50’ in the air.

We then drove south to Franz Josef Glacier.  It was quite spectacular and the beginning of our explorations in the “Southern Alps.”  The following day we visited Lake Matheson, set high in the mountains with Mt. Cook behind it.  We also visited Fox Glacier, again quite spectacular.

On February 22, we toured Roaring Billy Falls, Fantail Falls and the Blue Pools before beginning our final New Zealand fishing, again trout fishing but this time via helicopter,  at Cedars (see, THE FISHING).

On February 26 we returned to touring at Queenstown, a well-known resort city in the south, central part of the South Island.  Here we relaxed and had great fun at a park dedicated to preserving Kiwi birds, the national bird of New Zealand. 

We then drove to the west coast to Milford Sound.  En route, we went through Homer Tunnel which is an adventure in and of itself (no lighting, narrow lanes, lots of dripping water – actually, a bit scary).  We arrived at the Sound in late afternoon in time to board an overnight cruise ship for the evening.  We had great views of the Sound, especially at dawn the following morning.  Wow, it was great!

After leaving the cruise, we drove back to civilization and spent the night at Te Anua.  We also had another great mussel dinner (this time Ed cooked them in a red sauce).  Te Anua is part of the Southern Scenic Route which we began the next day.  We drove to the southern most city in New Zealand, Invercargill, and then proceeded back up the east coast to Dunedin.  It was a beautiful drive with very few tourists (or natives for that matter).

We next drove to Christchurch where we ended our New Zealand adventure.  From there, we caught a flight back to Auckland.  We routed home via Hong Kong (we spent two nights there) and then back to the U.S.

All and all, SIMPLY BRILLIANT!

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