NZ2024 - Leg 4 - Te Anau to Milford Sound - almost - and back

Today, it was ALL about Milford Sound.  We had actually planned to do the jet boats today, but the weather was looking pretty cool, and the forecast for tomorrow was looking just amazing, so we decided to switch it around.  And Fjordland Jet Boats was so gracious about us transferring to a different day!  

First we had a light breakfast at Shakespeare House, then we stopped at the grocery store for some snacks, as we knew we wouldn't have any chance to eat if we didn't take something along.  Although really, we bought enough "snacks" for three or four days.  That's ok, we'll not be flying again for a couple of weeks at least, and will have a rental car to lug stuff around in for most of that time.

With some fruit, crackers, cheese, sandwiches, water, juice and a couple of Whittakers chocolate bars in tow (and maybe a bag or two of pineapple lumps - iykyk), off we go to find Milford Sound.  We may not get all the way up to the Sound, and don't have a cruise booked anyway - we did that last time - this time the goal is to stop and stay a while and fill our souls with all the goodness that is the drive to Milford Sound.  We want to see again the places we stopped last time (7 years ago) and explore those that we missed.  

I had forgotten that the drive toward Fjordland National Park from Te Anau is something not to be missed - some would argue that it is almost as beautiful - in the right light - as the drive through the Park.  I try to remember, but can't, there is just too much beauty to try and hold in memory.  And of course, while I'm driving, I can't see everything.  I would need to drive this route every day for the rest of my life to come even close to being tired of it.

First up once we hit the Park however, is Walker Creek.  It's a brief stop, and there are several other cars around, and although it's lovely, we know we can expect even better things to come.  

    

Just a couple of kilometers down the road we find Eglinton Valley, where we remember stopping before.  It's a flat valley, not like what one would expect in a mountainous region, but this is a relatively unique feature of New Zealand, we've learned.  Because of how the mountains have formed, what they are comprised of, and how young they are (relatively speaking, they are still older than me by a bit), the valleys are essentially "filled in".  It looks like a miniature prairie right now, with the grass brown from dry weather and the end of the season.  

Someone along the way recommended that we stop at Mirror Lakes, which was only a bit further.  Parking was plenty, so we pulled off and expected a 10 minute walk off the road - however, it was only a little walkway down, very accessible, and although we were expecting "lakes" (being from southern Ontario, and thinking of the Great Lakes, where you can't see the other side most of the time), there were two small ponds.  A few ducks swam about, but unfortunately, it was a windy day, and reflections weren't to be seen.  We hope that we will see a Mirror finish and reflection when we return later.  But....

There was a bonus.  In typical NZ fashion, there is a coffee station right there in the parking area.  Coffee Cat had a van there, with full service of various coffee styles, including our favourite Flat White.  A few small snacks were also available, however, we had fully stocked at the grocery so we kept it to a FW each.  Perfect.  And they had a small donation tin - this one to Save the Kea.  Thanks Coffee Cat!  Coffee Cat

The next stop is the most important - flush toilets at Knobs Flat - the last flush toilets before Milford Sound.  We take advantage, and find that this is actually also a campground with cabins, and the building that houses the restrooms is spacious and also houses some information about the area, as well as a sofa.  Across the road, we notice a van driving out in the flats, and decide to try and figure out how to drive through the area as well.  This is a place we hadn't stopped in either direction when we did the drive 7 years ago.  

Knobs Flats is similar to Eglinton Valley, however it has a stream running through it (stream?  Creek?  River?)  It appears that there was at one point another road through the area that was washed out at some point and not repaired.  A helicopter flew over as we came out of the washroom and we also wanted to find out where it had landed - which appeared to be a municipal works facility.  While we were exploring the Flats, the heli took off again.  Wonder where it's off to?  Probably taking people and supplies closer to the Sounds, as we found out later there is a lot of construction going on along the highway - not disruptive thankfully.

Knobs flats is actually quite beautiful, and the stream/creek/river is completely clear and that lovely blue colour we have seen throughout our travels here.  Definitely worth a stop to get out, stretch and take in the scenery.

Our journey continues, until we reach Cascade Creek and Lake Gunn Nature Walk.  Although we had stopped here on our way back from Milford Sound back in 2017, we had been completely sidetracked by the thousands of lupins blooming in the field next to the entry road, and never managed to explore the nature walk nor the Cascade Creek campground.  This time we did both - no lupins (maybe the odd very small bloom) to distract us.  

The Lake Gunn loop track is absolutely mesmerizing.  It takes you through old-growth red beech/tawhairaunnui forest, where the trees are clothed in moss and lichen, the birds serenade you as you walk, trying to take in the peace and calm all around.  There are so many little doors to little worlds beyond the trees, this forest must be full of elves and gnomes and talking creatures.  We're glad we've sprayed some insect repellant, though.  

One little South Island Robin, so cute, is completely unafraid - it has probably been fed by people and is therefore compromised, but it does afford an opportunity to capture a few photos with the big camera.  Hopefully they turn out.  It's a real cutie!  

  

  

  

We opt for a straight drive from this point to The Chasm, where we had been in 2017 and were really looking forward to seeing it again.  it was another 40 km or so, and we still had to get through Homer Tunnel.  The closer we got, the more traffic was coming the other way - it appeared as though one of the cruises had disembarked.  We were beginning to wonder if we were the only ones crazy enough to be going into Milford Sound, when everyone else was coming out.  But when we stopped at Monkey Creek, we could see many others going the same direction we were.  Still, we went through the tunnel all by ourselves (you can only have traffic going one way through the tunnel, so there are traffic lights on either side).  

The drive is downhill through the tunnel, even though it feels like you should be going uphill, and then when you get through to the other side, you go down even further - a lot!  And the roads are hairpin turns, and the mountains all around you are insanely huge and close and majestic and it makes you feel really, really, small and insignificant.  And at the same time, so powerful for being there at all.

We finally arrive at The Chasm, and are so disappointed - the bridge we remembered walking across to see the chasm and the water running through it, had been wiped out by a flood a few years ago, and hasn't yet been repaired or replaced.  So you really can't see anything at all.   There are a few parking areas and pulloffs along the way, however, that afford a magnificent view, and sitting still and quietly will net you some bird songs and possibly some bird sightings.

After a full day of driving, and some unbelievable views, we decide it's getting late enough to head back to Te Anau, rather than try to make it to Milford Sound yet.  The drive back is just as gorgeous, although the sun has started to sink behind the mountains, and Mirror Lakes are - although still - quite dark.  

We arrive back in town around 7:30, and find a Pizza at La Toscana, so delicious!  Fresh garlic, spicy pepperoni, super cheesy, and the crust was just right.  Then it's back to Sharespeare House to tuck in for the night.

  

  

NZ2024 - Leg 3 - Auckland to Queenstown to Te Anau

The fllight from Auckland to Queenstown was mostly smooth but cloudy below so we couldn't see much till just before landing.  That's the best part anyway, and it was fully sunny in Queenstown.  Fortunately, I was able to get a video of the entire landing, about 10 minutes.  I remembered from the first time I was here in NZ and flew into QT that the landing was a really hard stop at the end, because you drop down over the mountains and then have a pretty short runway as you come in.  If you overshoot flying in over the mountain, you go over a "bit" of a hill, but if you come in the other direction and overshoot the end, you plow into a mountain.  

Lovely airport, waiting for our baggage took a bit of time.  The plane was fuller than we thought.  But... when we went to get our rental car, the same thing happened as last time we were here - we were last to the counter, and had a choice to upgrade for free to a larger vehicle.  So we got a small SUV instead of the midsize car, a Kia Sportage.  Perfect.  Very comfy.  And much cheaper, it runs on diesel, which is incredibly fuel efficient!  And diesel is less expensive than regular gas here right now, but almost 20 cents per liter.  

Off we go to Te Anau, as we had stayed in Queenstown last time we were here, and it was busy, and expensive, and we really just wanted to get away from the city.  The further we drove, the less traffic we saw, and we stopped frequently to get photographs of the amazing scenery, filling our eyes, and our hearts.  There are many small pulloffs anyway, so that slower vehicles can move over and let people pass.  It's important here, because the roads twist and turn and visibility is never awesome.  

Merlin - my bird idenitifcation app - recognized the Tui in one spot that we stopped.  I saw it, but it was moving too fast - and hiding too well - to actually get a shot of it.  Hopefully I'll get one before we leave.  Glad I downloaded the library of New Zealand birds, although it isn't complete.  We're also noticing many birds that look like magpies - and a friend who lives here says that they are magpies.  Yet another invasive and non-native species that is taking over and causing problems for the native species.  

We reached Te Anau about 3:30 p.m., and found our favourite B&B from last time we were here.   New owners since we were here last, but that's ok, they are lovely, and the place looks the same.  Breakfast has changed a bit, but that's ok.  Our room is at the front this time - last time we were at the back.  Still a quiet spot, and the room is very spacious, freshly decorated, and spotless.

We rest for a bit, get settled, and then head "downtown" to find a pharmacy for bug spray and sunscreen, and then to find a spot for supper.  Since we haven't made reservations anywhere, we're advised that we might need to go early to get a table anywhere.  Plus it was a Tuesday, which means many places are closed - staff need a weekend too, so they close a lot of places Monday and Tuesday.  Tipping here isn't expected and in many cases frowned on, and if people tip, it doesn't go to the staff directly, it usually goes to charity or some other specific cause or event.  Why?  Because they believe in paying people what they earn, instead of expecting their customers to pay twice.  Makes sense to me.

We settle on The Ranch Bar & Grill, which appears to be exactly that, a bar, but with great food.  I had a Cheeseburger, just the way I like it, and the fries were seasoned.  It seems everywhere we go, the food is served quickly, and hot.  Wish it was like that at home!  

After supper, we stop at the liquor store to pick up some wine for the next couple of days, and laugh a bit because the liquor store is open 7 days a week and till 10 pm and most of the restaurants are only open 5 days a week and not super late (often only till 7 or 8).  The liquor store had awesome and unique (and new to us) selections - dangerous!  Especially the Flat White liqueur.  We're already starting to talk about how to ship a case of bottles home....

There is still a couple of hours till sunset - almost 3 - so we opt to go for a drive and check out a place called Te Anau Lions Lookout.  It is amazing.  It has a brass dial that shows where all the mountains are that we are surrounded by and their names.  The view itself is absoluately incredible, and with the clouds drifting over the mountain and the sun going down very slowly (we're pretty far slouth), the scene and the light on it continues to change and present a different view every few minutes.  

After filling our eyes and hearts for almost an hour, we opt to try and get lost, so we continue on the gravel road that got us to the lookout - but in the other direction.  Mostly what we see is incredibly green hills with cows, sheep and deer grazing.  We estimate that by the time we're finished our drive we've seen a few thousand deer - but then, venison has become almost as popular here as lamb, and we had seen it on the menu at The Ranch.

The drive is amazing, and although we tried to get lost, all roads seem to lead back and we wound up back in Te Anau quite easily.  A glass of wine, some blogging, and the eyes started banging shut.  More adventure will soon be coming.

NZ2024 - Leg 2 - Auckland and Warkworth

 From Vancouver to Auckland is about a 14-hour flight.  Air New Zealand, however, knows how to treat their passengers.  The service is absolutely exquisite, even if you are in economy, and of course, the accent....  You board, take off, and as soon as the crew are allowed to move about the cabin, they are getting ready to serve drinks and dinner.  There was a choice of two meals, and we both selected the beef roast and mashed potatoes in gravy, which also had a lovely mixed vegetables.  It was served piping hot and very tasty.  There was also a slab of real cheddar cheese, a warmed whole wheat roll with butter, a delicious quinoa salad with a light sesame dressing, and of course dessert - a spiced apple cake with light frosting.  Maybe not gourmet dining, but for airline food, not bad at all. 

After dinner, the lights were dimmed, and wine was topped up (if you wanted).  I slept early, after walking about Vancouver all day, I was tired.  I was grateful for the extra leg room in the seat I had booked, and slept fairly well most of the night, waking a bit earlier than i had hoped, but having still slept most of 8 hours.  I took the time to go online (in-flight wifi rocks!) and get an eSim for New Zealand, that I would have to wait until I was on the ground to activate, but at least I was prepared.  

Breakfast was a cheese omelette with turkey sausages, coffee or juice, breakfast potatoes, yogurt, and fresh fruit.  Lots to hopefully keep us going for a few hours.  Tasty, but actually, almost too much food.  A couple of hours later and we were on the ground in Auckland.

The day was rainy, and it was still very dark out (we landed at 4:45 a.m. local time), but we found the rental car that would give us a chance to get out of the city.  First we wanted to get to our room and freshen up/shower, drop our bags, and have a bit more of a snooze.  However, not having driven on the "wrong" (left) side of the road, and sitting on the right side of the car as the driver, for many years, in the dark, in very busy traffic, in a city I've never driven in, was an interesting experience.  I was ok, but we hadn't been able to punch in the address for the lodge to our GPS, so after getting out of the airport, I found a shopping mall - and of course drove in the wrong lane.  Thankfully there were no cars around in the parking lot.  

We managed to get ourselves oriented, and found the lodge, which was a beautiful, colonial style home that had been converted into rooms.  The owner/manager came to help us find our room, show us where everything was, including milk and complimentary bottles of water in the fridge (milk for coffee), and Linda wanted to crash for a bit more.  So I wrote my blog, and then showered.  

After Linda also had a chance to wake up and freshen up, we chatted about what we wanted to do - it was still raining, and the forecast was for rain much of the day.  We didn't feel like doing a ton of driving, even though Coromandel beckoned, it was just too far for one day.  So we chose Warkworth, a small town north of Auckland, situated on the Twin Coast/Hibuscus highway.  Before leaving, however, we managed to take a few photos of the beautiful place we had landed.  This historic home, called Western Springs Villa, sits on a hill, with lovely views, 10 foot ceilings, original doors and many original windows, and a property that was likely at one time the home of a wealthy businessman.  

  

  

  

Before heading too far, however, we had to fuel up.  By this time, it had been several hours since we had eaten on the plane, somewhere over the Pacific.  So as we headed out for Warkworth, we kept our eyes open for the cafe the lodging owner had told us about.  Not far out, we spotted The Parkside Cafe, which seemed on the outside to be closed at first.  But, finding the door open, and two people inside, we realized we were just a bit early for the lunch crowd, and very late for breakfast.  It was only about 11:40 a.m.  On entering, the lady behind the counter asked if she could get us something to drink, and our response immediately was - a flat white.  A proper flat white, not like they serve in a paper cup from Starbucks.  One with that wonderful NZ coffee and fabulous clean water and oh-so-delicious grass-fed dairy cow steamed milk.  Yes, a real flat white.  

Brunch was truly fantastic - I had the corn and capsicum fritter, served with a poached egg on top and hollandaise, and streaky bacon (what we call strip bacon, or just bacon).  Linda had a waffle with all kinds of yummy goodness on top like berries and butter and syrup.  It was all just fantastic.  On our way out, we got scooped into buying gigantic homemade cookies from large glass jars on the counter.  When I wasn't sure what one kind of cookie was, the lady behind the counter said "Smell it".  I did.  Sold.

Warkworth is an easy-ish 40 minute drive, which means we would take at least an hour - especially if there was something to see along the way.  Which of course there was.

  

  

Warkworth itself was really lovely, even in the rain.  We found a place to park in the core, and it was right by the public restrooms.  One thing we had noticed on our previous visit was that there are public restrooms almost everywhere - a blessing for all, local and tourist.  And they are usually kept very clean, in fact, there was someone in this one, cleaning, when we arrived!

A walk along the river graced us with the sighting of a beautiful historic boat, a number of birds including a white-faced heron, and a walk past a historic hotel.  

  

  

Our next discovery was found by following the yellow brick road (almost literally) -  a small but exquisite art gallery, of Hand & Heart, full of gorgeous works by local artists, pottery, silk clothing, jewelery, paintings....  All stunning work.  I encourage everyone reading this to check out the website.

Feeling like we needed another flat white, we stopped around the corner at a little "So French cafe", and had a flat white.  Another walk along the river, and soon we were headed back to Auckland, after having had a lovely afternoon!

When we returned to our lodging, we realized that we were hungry again, so we spent some time trying to find a restaurant close to us, and opted for the Surrey Pub.  Wonderful food and really great service.  Linda had the fish and chips, and I had the calamari.  Neither of us could finish it, so we didn't bother with dessert (not like I should have any anyway).

It wasn't long after getting back to the room that we were ready for bed.  The first day after a long travel like that is always tiring, with a bit of time-zone messup.  And tomorrow morning will be an early start - have to get to the airport, return the rental car, and get checked in.  We've learned that, even with our meager possessions with us, we have to check one of our bags with Air NZ - they actually care about getting things right.  I'll write more about this later, but trust me, I'm a huge fan of Air New Zealand - and it's about way more than the accent.

Even though we have now been here for another day, and I haven't even started writing about today, I'll have to leave this till tomorrow - which also promises to be a full day.  But the eyelids are starting to close, and we have another early start coming up.  I will share more when I have more energy.

NZ2024 - Leg 1 - Toronto - Vancouver - Auckland

    Vancouver, you never disappoint - of course it was raining!  Our first full day away from home, after a very late night flight arrival, but we managed to get our butts out of bed, eat breakfast, and have enough time to take the train from the airport (where we dropped our bags at storage) to the downtown.  As we came out of the terminal to find the train, we saw a huge beautiful wall filled with potted plants in trays, all the way to the roof of the building, at least three stories.  In winter, most of the plants are not thriving, but in the summer, it's probably stunning.  And what a lovely way to offset carbon!  More buildings should do this.  

We are definitely out of practice at this travel thing.  At first we thought we would get off at the Downtown stop, but then got a bit confused in the tunnel as to which stop we were actually at, and thought we would get off at the Waterfront, and then the train was backing up and going toward the airport again, so we got off at downtown anyway.  

The first thing we did was find a map on a board - across the street but kind of under someone's big umbrella.  We were headed toward it when a voice from under the umbrella asked what we were doing.  Our response - "looking for something to do for 2-3 hours".  "Ah", said the nice young man under the umbrella, "have you see the steam clock?".  OMG, I had totally forgotten about it, although I had considered Gastown as a place to explore, for nothing else but that it's unique to Vancouver, has some lovely old architecture, some art galleries to explore, etc.  

Receiving our directions from the nice young man who was actually a hot dog vendor under the umbrella on how to get to the steam clock, off we went, in the rain, no umbrella or hat or rain coat.  And without a care in the world.  Our adventure had officially begun.  As we walked, we found a very cool art installation, and I stopped for a couple of images.  One thing about urban art installations/sculptures, is that the background is hardly ever considered as part of the overall scene, and this was no exception.  But the art itself was interesting, thought provoking, and recent, installed only in 2022.

We joked along the way that we were going downhill, and that we were hoping we could get the Waterfront station on the way back so we wouldn't have to climb back up the hill.  We're not quite that fit - yet.  Or anymore?  We found the street the hot dog vendor had directed us to, and noted that while it was raining, it wasn't raining hard, and we soon spotted the steam coming from the clock.  Without the cool weather and rain, it's possible we may not even have seen that much steam.

At any rate, we found a few amazing places along the way to tuck in and enjoy some dryness, and some amazing Indigenous art.  Truly spectacular, the first gallery was full of art of all media, sculpture, wall art, jewelry, tiny woven baskets, and carved masks, so much to see.  The kind of art that needs to be seen and appreciated by more than just the few people who might enter this store.  So if you're interested in exploring virtually, check out https://coastalpeoples.com/  for a visual treat.

We also found a couple of other interesting places, and learned about an extremely rare gemstone called Ammalite - which is incredibly beautiful and unique.  And expensive, so unfortunately it had to stay there - for now.  Who knows what might happen on the way home....

Finally we found - the steam clock!  It wasn't until I looked it up that I learned it was only built in 1977, so the last time I saw it, it was only a couple of years old - and here I thought all along it was a historic piece of marvelous engineering!  Now, of course, it is actually kind of historic....

As it had started to rain, and was about 11:40 a.m., we opted to see if we could get a table at the cafe across the street - which turned out to a very popular and somewhat famous place, the Water St. Cafe.  We made our selections - mimosas to start - and while Linda waited for the server to come and take our order, I went back over with the "big" camera to get some video and hopefully capture the clock striking noon.  Mission accomplished!  So we had a leisurely lunch - mine was West Coast Crab Cakes, and we split an "add-on" of asparagus and broccolini with salsa verde - so yummy!  Dessert and coffee - I had a Berry sorbet with raspberry coulis and oh it was just divine!  We lingered, enjoying the fact that we were in a very good place, and had a whole month ahead to do more of this.

After lunch, we wandered about Gastown a bit more, enjoying the ambiance and the fresh air, and finally turned around, noting we had to be back at the airport and needed to find the train station and give ourselves time to pick up our bags.  Another gemstone place was worth a stop, and a stop along the way to admire Canada Place from across the bay, an interesting view in the rain and fog.

Back at the airport, we noticed this globe in the building of stairs that led to and from the train and parking.  It seemed to point to our direction - New Zealand was right in the middle from our perspective.  And so it will be the center of our world for the next four weeks or so.

The flight to Auckland is relatively smooth and uneventful, and we arrive before 5 a.m. local time - the next day.  Crossing the International Date Line has always intrigued me.  No photos yet, but we managed to find our lodging and it's a lovely old colonial home that has been converted into rooms.  Will share more tomorrow.  Off we go, though, to find a proper flat white, and enjoy the 20C temps - and explore a bit of the Auckland area for the first time.  More later.