Flying and Sailing

Wow, the time is just flying by - and Monday (NZT) sees me boarding a plane back up north to Wellington to meet with my friends again and hopefully see a tiny bit of the capital while I'm here. Now that I can see Queenstown airport without the mist and rain, I'm in awe that I flew in on an Airbus A320 on a runway that sits neatly between two mountain ranges. This little plane took off just moments before I took this shot.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Bridget and Gary again, and meeting some of their musical friends (and watching a top 10 international chorus rehearsal). But even before that, the flight to Wellington itself turns out to be incredible. Miles and miles of remote mountains and wilderness, which I find out later is created due to a fault line. After landing, I hear that that there was a small (5.5) earthquake in Fjordland the day before, which I likely didn't feel because I was either in the gondola or on the luge.

One of the things I had hoped to do while here was to see Mt. Cook, which I had from a distance a few days ago. Since then, it has not been completely visible from ground level, due to the clouds. But the flight from Queenstown goes right over the mountain. The captain announces that we are flying at 21000 feet, and the height of Mt. Cook is 12000 ft (plus), and as we pass over it feels very much like we could just reach out and touch the Tasman glacier on top. New Zealand has over 3500 glaciers, and while we can see several of them as we fly over this mountain range, the Tasman is the largest. I couldn't fit it all in this frame of the summit. After seeing this incredible sight, the rest of the flight seems markedly anti-climatic.

After my friends picked me up from the airport, we have a few hours before the chorus rehearsal. The day has turned out to be absolutely beautiful, sunny with a light breeze, and very warm. I'm glad I wore shorts. We find a little cafe (this whole country is full of them, and the coffee here beats Starbucks and Timmy's by a few hundred miles), and have gelato, cake, and coffee till it's time to pick up our hostess for the night - Joan. Very relaxing, sitting by the Wellington harbour, watching the rowing club move sculls around, and sipping a flat white. Wellington is a real artisan town, and already I know that I will need to come back and spend more time here. The New Zealand School for the Fine Arts is just down the pier, and Joan's house is full of local artists' works.

We find another cafe for supper, then it's off to rehearsal. What an incredible chorus! This group of about 45 young men (mostly collegiate and college age, some not old enough to shave) have an incredible sound, blend of voices, work ethic, and ability to pick up everything Gary gives them to work with. I get goosebumps listening to them, and now my list includes going to the next BHS international contest to hear these young gents perform.

Tuesday morning arrives way too early, and it starts by walking down to the beach (2 min. from Joan's house) and getting our coffee from a wagon on the beach. It's divine. Our first stop is Te Papa, an amazing cultural museum that includes the only colossal squid on display in the world (and it is colossal!), and an earthquake experience (you enter a small house and an "earthquake" hits it, very interesting!). Today, they have a "Taste of Treasures Tour", which includes a guided tour of some of the Maori artifacts and a small taste of traditional Maori food. Perfect! Our guide turns out to be Maori, and several of the artifacts are from her family. She is delightful, and very knowledgeable, and the tour is very complete with descriptions of everything from the facial tattooing (moko) to the meeting houses, and finally, a taste. The tea (of course I bought some) is an herb that is said to be so strong in nutrients and anti-oxidants you should only drink it twice a week, is flavoured with ginger and lemongrass. The bread, which is made from potato flour, all that was available during the depression, is served with a pesto paste and pine nuts. The biscuit is served with makura honey - different from any other honey I've tasted. What a treat!

Unfortunately, we can't stay any longer, as we have to walk several blocks to the train station, where we board the shuttle to the ferry. The Interislander is considered to be one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world, and will take us from the North Island to Picton, on the South Island. It's an incredibly windy day to cross Cook Strait, and the boat lists to one side for most of the way (significantly listing) until we reach the Marlborough Sounds. For a long time, it seems as though the ship will just keep going until it crashes into the hillside, and then, off to the left, we can see an opening - narrow, but an opening all the same. It's soon apparent why this ride has the reputation it does. The water is blue-green, the hillsides are green and yellow, and the sky is sapphire blue. Sailboats dot the area, along with salmon and mussel farms. Occaisionally we see houses, but they are dwarfed by the hills around them.

From Picton, it's an easy 20 minute drive back to Westview, where my adventure began. I've convinced G&B to let me take them somewhere nice for dinner, and wow, do they find a nice place. As everywhere here in NZ the wine is superb, and the food and service here is 5 star. Entrees included crayfish ravioli with scallops (including their roe - another new experience!), and antipasti plate full of wonderful taste treats and a few other goodies. I chose the veal and risotto for my main - incredible. And dessert was a selection of apricot treats - mousse, sorbet, meringue and tart. I really need to come back here again!