Stewart Island

Leisurely breakfast in room before stroll round the town, then a tour of the island. Wonderful beaches and shame rather grey day.

Much of it is a national park and they are trying to ensure indigenous species are not displaced. Founded by Scots hence Oban is the main (and only ) town with apparently 380 inhabitants in total and children have to board on the mainland from the age of 13. A few habitations are outside the town but services are extremely limited and expensive. Electricity is produced by generators which run on fuel shipped over from the mainland! Just starting to put in some solar panels but not the sunniest place, whilst there is lots of wind but quite a lot of concern over the effect of wind turbines on the views and wildlife, so life not easy.

We then crossed over to Ulva island which is uninhabited and a bird sanctuary, some lovely birdsong and caught sight of a number of famous birds including a saddleback

and fantail which I failed to capture on film as well as their version of a robin.

The birdsong of some was lovely while we got to see how the forest is without main paths as well as seeing an orchid in flower.

Molly birds on the way back which are actually albatrosses landing much more elegantly on the sea than I've seen them land on the ground!

 Crossing to look forward tomorrow likely to be rougher than journey over, hopefully I will keep breakfast down.

Queenstown to Stewart Island

Early start on drive to Milford Sound ( which is actually a fjord i.e. a flooded glacial valley but who's counting!) via Mossburn, Mirror Lakes and Te Anau. (Think Keannu Reeves) The scenery continues to be amazing with huge vistas which are so difficult to capture on film. Mossburn has a lovely little church similar to others we have seen congregations must be small!

Just loved this cloud scene

Te Anau a very pleasant town on it's own lake

last place of civilisation before descending down glacial valleys to Milford, discovered by a Welshman. (who else!) Lots of waterfalls

many of which only flowing when lots of rain and we are enjoying lovely sunny day but tracks still visible. Long and steep tunnel through mountain only completed in the 1980's makes the place accessible by land. Arrived to board the overnight boat at 4.30pm and sailed up the fjord

before stopping for 'activities'. It could have been a boat ride but I went kayaking instead and have a picture from the boat crew to prove it, available to those at home. The trouble with this area is the sand flies which bite through the insect repellent and rather spoiled the trip close to the shore but fortunately avoided the worse and then sat on deck in the sunshine with glass of sparkling wine, well I am on holiday!! Dinner very good and then little presentation on the wild life to be found in and around the fjord before bed. A rather early start breakfast at 7am (and yes I made it!!) however such a change in the weather, all misty and murky

which is apparently more likely than our lovely sunny day of arrival. Good to see the comparison however and did see a seal

on the way back as well as close up and personal with a waterfall.

Landed at 9.15am and back the same and only way to Te Anau before turning south to Invercargill which is pleasant city with a good little museum with both the actual bike of Burt Monroe

featured in the film staring Anthony Hopkins about a man wanting to beat the motor bike speed record and a very ancient Tuatara called Henry (over 100 years old) amongst others of which there is a picture!

Then on to Bluff which is the most southerly point on the mainland of South Island and ferry point to Stewart Island renowned for it's wildlife and rough crossings. (Not so bad this way at least for us)

Place awash with youngsters as big wedding on the island, made my own supper as have room with kitchenette and limited restaurant capacity but have booked for Saturday night in only pub on island! Have tour and cruise during the day to look forward to.

Sky riding and boating

Oh the joy of not having to be up by a specific time, breakfast just after 9am and caught shuttle bus into Queenstown. It has quite a small year round population but has loads of visitors to mountain bike, para glide, jet boat and raft in summer and has 4 ski areas in the winter.

It has a beautiful lake of which I toured a small part that's nearest the town and because of the bays many properties have water front access, quite often not used, so I guess expensive to keep a boat moored. The water is very clean and has trout and salmon for fishermen.

Managed also to get a photo of the old steam ship belching smoke, a jet boat and someone parasailing, if you can spot them! 

There are a number of mountain ranges the most famous of which are The Remarkables, quite stark.

Town has lots of outdoor activity, shops and cafes, bars and restaurants and weather kind to us so very pleasant to wander around. In the early evening we went up the sky ride gondola to a large restaurant with stunning views of the town and lake. Food not bad either although drinks inevitably overpriced.

Fortunately we are up fairly early tomorow so I won't be tempted to try para gliding off the mountain, some of their manouvres look pretty scary

but we are going to Milton Sound where we are spending the night on a boat and may see dolphins and penguins, followed by 2 nights on Stewart island in the far south which Stephen Fry visited in search of an almost extinct parrot. I suspect internet access minimal so will be a while before next blog I suspect.

Transalpine train and beyond

I hate early mornings but somehow managed to get up in time to meet fellow travellers and catch the right coach. Quite a varied bunch from Germany, Sweden, Australia, USA, Canada and England predominantly. Two young girls, one a daughter travelling with her Mum and the other a German girl currently working in Zurich who is thinking of coming to NZ to work, rest of us considerably older!!  We started by boarding the train through the plains and half way through the alps, the scenery is quite stunning but getting good photo's is not so easy particularly as weather cloudy and rainy most of the time ( well that's my excuse!)

We then continued by coach passing a roundabout which includes the train track (so dodging tourist campervans and trains!)

to the Franz Joseph Glacier where I did manage to get some photo's.

The weather continued cloudy so no opprtunity for helicopter flight up to top of glacier, but started to clear up while we had group dinner as first night and so flights booked for first thing in the morning.
Woke up to lovely day with clear blue skies and warm at least down in the valley.  It was my first time in a helicopter and seems more like being in a hot air balloon as there is little feeling of going up and down and we did go very high, landing on the top of the Fox glacier before descending again, about 30 mins flying and 10 mins or so on the glacier, proof below!!!

We then continued to the coast for a bit before reaching the Haast river where I joined a jet boat ride. The width of the river bed and hieght of the mountains either side is quite majestic and no real photos without fancy lenses can do it justice, but this gives a clue.

We did some 360 turns before disembarking but on the whole rather more informative, gentle and longer (over an hour) than the thrill type jet boat rides. All this before lunch!!  Fairly lengthy journey through yet more majestic mountains toward Queenstown, passing a couple of huge lakes,

waterfalls

and then descending to extremely swanky accommodation, I have a room that would sleep  about 10 people, airmchairs, enormous bed etc. and looking out over stream. Only problem with that is sandflies which bite so everyone out with swathes of insect repellant to keep them and everyone else at bay!
Day to do as we like tomorrow so gentle explore of Queenstown before we visit a mountain restaurant for supper.

Christchurch or new England?

Final boat trip similar to first but island much bigger and beach much worse!Not that you'd know from this picture!!  It was apparently built for a tv show and is now the haunt of affluent backpackers, personally other island better although could not stay there but castaway and bounty look the same. Lunch grilled fish etc and salad, had a go in one of the kayaks and did a bit of exploring before return and inevitable rain .Passed a very classy resort (allegedly) where you stay in villas over the sea, no arguing or end up wet!

Enjoyable trip and suntan coming along nicely, long travelling day in prospect, woke up to news of Mubarak's resignation in Egypt, hope that works out Ok. Travelling relatively easy and as weather cloudy rather than sunny in the morning not so difficult to leave, managed to get a photo of some showers from the plane as left Fiji.

Enjoyed the flight from Auckland to Christchurch as had a chance to view the country from the air, some amazing river valleys on view. Quite late by time arrived at the hotel so ventured out for quick supper on Oxford terrace, by the river Avon so very homely!

Christchurch has a third of the population of the south island in it but seemed pretty quiet and certainly little traffic. I managed to book a wine tour for the afternoon and had the morning to wander, passing punting on the river, the cathedral square with street entertainers

and an old routemaster bus used for tourists, very nostalgic, they also have an old tram system may try it when we are back here in a week or so.

The wine tour proved good value with 4 vinyards visited with a minimum of 6 wines tasted and lunch and a tour of a vinyard was included! The weather has continued cloudy but not too cold. Tour starts tomorrow at 7am oh joy!

I'm in the future and it's wet!

However before I tell you about the future and it's already Thursday evening here, I should mention my trip on the magic LA buses to Santa Monica beach. Easy bus ride on the 'rapid' bus just half an hour unsurprisingly down Santa Monica Boulevard. Beach very wide with surfing (still in full wetsuits so water obviously not that warm yet)

away from the pier which is very touristy.

I passed Muscle Beach apparently famous with rings, bars etc like an open air gym plus yoga,  well it is California!

Next to the pier is an area with crosses for all the dead USA soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, (close to the obligatory car park) clearly meant to upset the american locals and tourists but having seen El Alamein, Ypres and even Greek sites in Crete, they don't know how lucky they are, considering the size of their population, oh dear sound like grumpy old woman ......   Found a great hotel with outside seating in the sunshine called The Georgian to enjoy a light lunch and glass of wine at a reasonable price, so rare to find a good spot but I knew I was in the right place when the Maserati turned up and the guys in it were prepared to wait for a table. It is the end of route 66 according to the signs and a mix of posh places (lunch) and people sleeping rough in the park.

Walking back from my bus stop passing lots of bars decked out for Superbowl, it was being played in near zero temperatures further north while LA had upper 70's F, I know where I'd prefer to be! I should now just say that LAX is probably the worst airport so far that I have ever visited! It makes UK ones look so fantastic it's not true, nothing past security, the only 3 large flights leaving were all next to each other so people sitting on floor etc with nowhere else to go. Long flight 10hours + on Air Pacific friendly and amateur, roll on Air new Zealand for the next leg! Still arrived safely about 5.30am their time and have shell necklace as souvenir.

My hotel in Fiji is in tourist central but as only 4 days convenient for arrangements, everyone very friendly and I was booked in before 10am inspite of official time of 3pm and hotel reasonably full. Passing the dateline means that I have gone from being 8 hours behind the Uk to being 11 hours ahead all in the space of a 10 hour flight. it is the rainy season which means it rains every afternoon on the mainland, gardens are suitably lush and well tended with 3 pools including adults only, beach not used much as not very wide but I did go in the sea which was ok but not very clear.

Adult pool


  However yesterday I did a trip out on a catamaran to one of the many outlying small islands where it was sunny all day and we could see all the clouds over the much larger island. Unfortunately the coral is mainly brown suffering as often from pollution and changes in weather patterns, but the water is crystal clear.

Kava ceremony for the chosen chief and first man picked from the punters.

main island with cloud and catamaran from 'desert island'
Today was quiet and rainy again in the afternoon so have booked another trip to different islands for tomorrow. It has been good to have not alot to do before I face the permanent travelling of the NZ tour. Fiji is certainly a lovely place and the islands are a very romantic destination, if it wasn't so far away I'd be tempted to come again, romance or not!! The Fijian people seem genuinely welcoming and apart from avoiding kava which apparently tastes like mud but is an 'honour' everything else including the sunsets are very good, even the posh restaurant is worth the money here, (LA eat your heart out!).

Sunset from the hotel
Not sure when next posting will come but I am keeping a written diary to make sure I know where I've been and what I've done so will fill you in as soon as I can.

Make my day!

Well here I am in sunny but cool LA. Flew over a very snowy north America until about Las vegas which is very visible from the air and very small, nothing much around this very bright strip of different coloured lights!
After the usual slog through immigration I was met by the taxi firm with very snazzy limo. Allegedly I have sat on the same seat as Angelina and Sandra Bullock, certainly the closest I shall get to any one famous. The hotel is tucked away on a sidestreet between Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica with the Viper Club once owned by Johnny Depp at the corner of the street. Fortunately there is a good bus service along Sunset which I used to visit the Kodak Theatre (Oscars) and walk of stars, next door is Graumann's Chinese Theatre and all the hand prints, Clint's seemed as good as any to photo!
Having done the tourist bit went on my quest for jeans, another bus, which are good value at fixed 1.50$,however long you are on it, to The farmers Market area, 2 pair later and a nice chat with shop assistant from Zurich, I wandered through the market and found a greek restaurant called Ulysses Voyage where I was served by Michael (long story!) Andricopoulos-Angels from Athens originally, you can tell we had a long chat. As ever I had been to many more places and islands in Greece than him. The mezes were great, the retsina better especially the complimentary glass(!) and the greek coffee as it should be, the fact that he was also handsome shouldn't go unmentioned either so I recommend a trip there!!

view from gallery roof

Decided should walk to Wiltshire (well not the county just the Boulevard!) where a number of their museums are situated and had a look at their Modern art one (not cheap at 15$) had some good pieces but also local stuff not so good in my opinion. Yet another bus ride home as everywhere so spread out to accommodate all their cars. 

Friday I ventured by bus and subway to Universal Studios to 'do' the film industry, still not totally sure it was  worth it, the studio tour is a mixture of driving through mock ups of different areas and saw Wisteria Drive for Desperate Housewives fans, not being one didn't find it that exciting! Watched a presentation on special effects and had a look at their archives on show, all 2 rooms of them, so how anyone could spend all day there I don't understand. Back on the train to Downtown where there are skyscapers as most of the buildings are low rise. All the banks plus KPMG but also came across the Angel flight tramway  and the Walt Disney Concert Hall building shining in the late afternoon sun.





Somewhat surprised to find that my local bus ended it's journey down there so got on it and went all the way along Sunset Boulevard back to the hotel. Passed Chinatown and some less saloubrious areas, then slightly more upmarket a very large scientology 'church' next to a spiritual healing centre and some other alternative religions, a bit like getting all estate agents in one street at home! As the journey took about an hour it was a good 1.5$ worth!

Today I have been to the Getty Museum which is on the outskirts of town north of Beverley Hills. Everyone should go there it has amazing buildings, gardens and then filled with lovely paintings, furniture and statues alongside a technical research centre where they do restorations etc. not to mention free!

Had to leave at 2.30pm but could easily have spent all day there, the driver that picked me up treated me to a tour of Beverley Hills and Rodeo Drive, (somewhat harder by bus!) so I feel I've done LA now. I'm hoping that the magic bus service will get me to the beach tomorrow which apart from being Superbowl Sunday is forecast to be the hottest day before it gets cooler and wetter toward next weekend. My flight goes late evening so next posting from Fiji.