NZ2024 - Leg 22 March 17 - Marlborough wine

Today was a day of wine and roses - but mostly wine.  The only roses I really saw were actually at the ends of the rows of grapevines at one of the vineyards in the Marlborough region.  How blessed am I to have a friend invite me and my friend to stay with her for a couple of days while we're in her area!  But here we are and enjoying her hospitality for yet another day, and she has the whole day planned.  And in the true spirit of St. Patrick's Day, we have a day full of wine tastings!

We are ready a little bit ahead of time, so she takes us around her neighbourhood, which is set in the hills, and each property is unique.  There is a golf course in the middle of all the houses, so each house has a view of at least a couple of the greens.  So lovely!   While we're driving around, we see a family of Pukekos, what appears to be a parent and two youngsters.  They're a lovely member of the rails, also known as swamphens, and are quite plentiful throughout Austalasia.

The first wine tasting is at 10:30 at the winery she works at part-time, Framingham.  She has talked about her colleagues there, and how much fun they are, so we're looking forward to meeting them, and trying the Reislings.  Aside from trying a number of Reislings and learning how to distinguish one from another, we have a lot of laughs as Lolly, in her leprechaun outfit complete with fake beard, accent, and all the little Irish -isms. makes joke after joke.  The wine is delicious, and having had a few "tastes", Linda and I decide we really should walk to the next winery, which Bridget assures us is only "next door", only a 10 minute walk, and we have 20 minutes before our scheduled time.

The day is shaping up to be yet another gloriously warm day with clear blue skies, and the walk is very enjoyable.  We giggle a little bit - first while trying to take a selfie, and not being able to get the sign included, then at taking a wrong turn walking to the next winery, and winding up trudging through a pile of sawdust (it was a lumber place - you'd think we would clue in before that?).  

Nautilus is our next stop and Bridget of course is already there when we arrive, as it was likely only about a 2-3 minute drive.  The seating area outside is sheltered by trees and there is little wind and some sun - just right.  Shelley, our server is very kind and generous, not just with the wines (we get a couple of extra, I think), but with her knowledge.  She shares some very interesting information about the bubbly we've been drinking, and it is a lovely, relaxing day.  In between wines here at Nautilus, the three of us are having a wonderful conversation, and thoroughly enjoying our time together.

  

  

Having now had the equivalent of a couple of glasses of wine, albeit over almost an hour, but still before lunch, Bridget has wisely booked us into one of the few wineries in the area that have a full meal.  Allan Scott Wineries have a fantastic menu, and Bridget suggests we share a starter of Sourdough bread with black garlic and coconut butter.  It sounds weird, but it was absolutely fantastic!  The bread was still warm from the oven, and had a golden, crunchy crust, but the inside was soft, and perfectly sour.  The butter - weird is it may sound - was so yummy, we almost ordered another!  The mains we ordered were also fantastic, and I tried a Feijoa Fizz, rather than having more wine.  After all, we still had one more tasting to go!

  

  

The last tasting of the day was at Wither Hills.  This was one of the larger wineries in the area, so we had high expectations.  They had an interesting, but somewhat limited offering, although I quite enjoyed all of the wines offered.   

It was now after 3 pm, and we were all ready for a wee break.  Bridget had offered to take us to a private movie theater, where they showed interesting and unique movies in an old outbuilding that had been converted into a theater.  We were looking forward to a couple of hours of rest first - I wanted to do some writing, and the others had their own plans - so we went back to Bridget's for a couple of hours.  It was an early showing tonight, which really suited us, it meant we could get home again at a reasonable time to pack up before our flight to Wellington tomorrow.

We got to the theater a bit early, which meant we got the best parking and the best seats.  We could bring our own snacks (supper, really, a picnic!) and wine, and of course Bridget brought the best of both.  Cheese, pears, carrots, crackers, popcorn, some of the Albarino wine we had purchased at Nautilus earlier in the day.  The movie was a French film - actually a French-Canadian film - that seemed to start a little slow, but by the time it was finished, we were all quite engaged, and chatted about it all the way "home".  We had one more glass of wine before hitting the sack.  

Tomorrow would be an early day, as our flight to Wellington left at 10 a.m.  Can't believe we have less than a week left before flying home.

NZ2024 - Leg 21, March 16 - Kaikoura to Blenheim

 Today we could sleep in a little bit later, the train arrived in Kaikoura at 9:55 a.m. - and left at 10:00.  We wouldn't have much of a window to "check in", although we didn't really need much time.  I had reserved the town taxi to pick us up at 9:30, and we were packed and ready to go in plenty of time to wait out at the road.  The storm from last evening had passed, the sea was calm again, the sun was shining, the air was crisp but not really cold, and there was snow on the mountains that hadn't been there the day before.  A gorgeous morning!  

  

We took a few moments to take a few photos of the surroundings, to remember our stay here.  I took the key back to the office to check out, and was offered a ride to the station, which I at first declined, thinking we would be getting the taxi.  9:30 came, and went.  No taxi.  No sign of a taxi.  Time was getting pretty short, so I went back up to the office, and asked if we could pay for a ride, that the taxi didn't seem to be appearing, and of course we couldn't pay!  But they would absolutely be happy to give us a ride.  

We made it to the railway station, tried to pay our host, and it was refused.  We went into the station, but the only thing we could find was the Whale Watch tour, so we went outside again, only to find a sign that indicated there was no real railway staff there, the train porter would take our tickets and provide our boarding pass.  Phew!  Only a moment or two later the train rolled in, and we went up to the front to drop our bags and get our boarding pass.  We got on the train and as soon as we found our seats - which apparently were already occupied, I noticed that my little bag where I kept my passport and credit cards and cash was missing.  Oh no!!!!

Linda watched my backpack and camera, and I went running - against the flow of people traffic coming onto the train.  I ran faster than I've run for years, trying to find the train staff, to ask them to please wait until I had found my bag, and I must have appeared panicked - I was!  It had been on my shoulder, and then it was just gone.  It had my life in it!  Please wait!  The porter who had provided our boarding pass lifted her hand and said "Do you mean this one?" and produced my bag!  I'm sure she was quite surprised when a complete stranger hugged her furiously!  I was sooooo grateful that someone had found it and handed it in.

So here's the funny part - I had tried to hand our host from the hotel a $20 bill for his time and gas to bring us to the station - especially after picking us up when we arrived yesterday.  When he refused it, I put it in my pocket, but in the running rush, it must have fallen out.  When I got back to my seat, it was no longer in my pocket.  I sincerely hope that whoever found my bag and handed it in - or perhaps the porter herself - found that $20.  They deserve it.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, but I was quite winded from the run from one end of the long platform to the other, so I took a few moments to simply breathe, and enjoy the scenery of the ocean on one side and the snowy mountains on the other.  Once I was calm again, and cooled off (the carriage was realllllly warm from the morning sun streaming through those windows that go all the way to the roof until the fans kicked in), and of course the view of the ocean had tapered off in the distance, we went to the dining car for a coffee and breakfast.  The food was very good all things considered, and I could even get a flat white - something we had discovered on the TransAlpine run.  We took our time eating and having our coffee, and enjoying the scenery that was rushing past us.  

  

We had started seeing vineyards on either side, so knew we were getting close to the Marlborough region, and Blenheim, our final stop.  The train would go on to Picton, but we were meeting our friend Bridget to stay with her for a couple of days and nights.  Bridget was the reason I had come to NZ the first time, in 2010, and we had stayed in touch over the years, having clicked right from when we met a few years before that.

We rolled into Blenheim a few minutes early, which gave us a chance to use the loo before Bridget arrived to pick us up.  The air was fresh but warm in the sun, and I gave myself the chance to fully let go of the scare of losing my bag.  And then Bridget was there, and we were hugging and excited to see her and all was right with the world.  

She had planned a lovely afternoon for us, and we were so looking forward to just catching up and hearing all about her recent and very exciting trip, as it had been a few years since we'd seen each other.  But first, she took us to her beautiful home in a very nice neighbourhood in Blenheim, showed us around, got us settled, and then we had a lovely lunch of quiche and salad.  Bridget's a wonderful cook, and like all food we've had till now, it was fresh and delicious.  

Recognizing that we would need a bit of a break - but also some fresh air - Bridget took us for a walk around a local lagoon.  There were black swans and many other birds around, and it was absolutely delightful to have a nice walk in the sun and fresh air, and just relax.  

  

  

We didn't have to be anywhere for a while, but there were plans in the works for a social hour at a local brew pub.  

We met some local folks and had some bubbly to celebrate our friendship, had a wonderful conversation with a couple of ladies that were true locals (apparently you can only call yourself a local if you have at least three generations having lived there), and then came back to Bridget's for some homemade lasagna.  It was fantastic.

But we were definitely ready for bed by that point.  Tomorrow would be another busy day - wine tastings and a movie night!  

NZ2024 - March 15, Leg 20 - Christchurch to Kaikoura

 We woke up in Christchurch, very early.  The Coastal Pacific railway leaves at 7 a.m. and we needed to be there in time to check in.  We had pre-booked an Uber for the following morning, to ensure we would be at the station in time.  It was still dark out, but that was ok, it meant we would see the sunrise from the train - maybe even over the Pacific.  We still hadn't experienced that and this was likely to be our last chance.  

Fortunately, our seats were on the coastal side of the train, the east side for the most part.  Wonderful!  The first part of the trip is very much through the city, and while we can see the sunrise, it is nothing spectacular today as far as colour goes, and we haven't reached the part of the journey that runs close to the coast.  Oh well.  Another thing to add to the list for next time.

  

  

Eventually, we see the morning light over the Pacific Ocean - the water is, as always, a beautiful blue-green and we hear over the speakers that the train will follow the coastline for the next 150 km.  We won't be going that full distance today, only about the first third of that, but will see a fair chunk of it before arriving in Kaikoura.  We also hear that we may get to see a few dolphins off shore, as they have been coming in to feed at about this time the last couple of days.

Shortly after this, there is a collective "oooh!!!!" from almost everyone in our carriage, someone has spotted a few dolphins jumping!  Then more, then more, then a fairly large pod all jumping and putting on quite a show - except that it's not a show, this is just what dolphins do naturally.  It's a real treat to once again see nature as nature is, and not what man has attempted to control.

We soon chugged into the Kaikoura station, one that is taken up mostly by the Whale Watch tour - there is no permanent railway staff here.  And we will be coming back to the same place in a couple of hours for our booking to see whales.  But first, we need to find our lodging for the evening.  I called the Kaikoura Beach Motel, and they were so lovely - there had been a small glitch on my cc and I was calling to confirm we had arrived and would sort things out as soon as we got up there, we would just walk up from the rail station.  "Oh no, dear, that's much too far to walk!  My husband will be around in a few minutes to pick up you and your luggage!  He'll be in a blue Mazda".  

Wow, really?  That's amazing!  So kind!  Sure enough, a gentleman soon drove up to the station and opened the back hatch, loaded up our bags, and five minutes later we were at the hotel.  We settled in, and then decided that we could walk back to the rail station to pick up the whale watch tour, and would stop on the way for some lunch.  I had my backpack full of heavy camera gear, so it was a bit more challenging than I thought it would be, but not terrible.  And we saw a lovely church along the way.

The Strawberry Tree smelled delicious, so we went in, and it was somewhat of a western tavern type of place - with the smell of smoked beef brisket which completed that Americana feel.  However, I had the garlic scallops (which were served complete with the roe), and we shared the loaded wedges, we didn't feel like having American food in New Zealand!

We pressed on after lunch, and got to the Whale Watch checkin with plenty of time to spare.  There were several announcements regarding not checking in until 12:45, and also that the captain of the ship would confirm before that if we even could go, because there had been some weather reports of strong waves.  Finally we heard that the ship would be going, even though there was a system coming in, but the swells could be up to 5 meters at times.  No children under 6, no one with mobility challenges, and no pregnant women would be allowed, and if anyone chose to not go, they would get their money back.  

We decided to go anyway, and checked in.  Then it was waiting time, as they took about 40 minutes or so to get everyone processed - checking in, refunding, or rescheduling.  It was getting to be within minutes of the buses coming to pick us up to take us to the ship, and the announcer came on again over the speakers.  "Sorry to say, but the weather system is moving in much too quickly, and we will have to cancel this afternoon's tours."  Oh no!  This was the whole reason we had stopped in Kaikoura!  But we could see the clouds already coming in, the breeze had changed to a wind, and the temperature had already dropped, so we could completely understand.

It took another 45 minutes to process everyone's refund or rescheduling, and we waited till last so we could sit outside and enjoy the breeze, rather than stand in a long line. I met a new friend, and we chatted about what we would do next, since we wouldn't be out on the ocean watching whales and dolphins and who knows what else.  

The sun was rapidly being covered by clouds, but it was still fairly nice out, so we could only do one thing - walk back to the hotel, and stop and shop along the way.  

Which we did!  Kaikoura is a lovely little seaside town - a beach town - with lots of little cafes and eateries and gift shops and clothing stores and gathering places.  

We enjoyed some window shopping, and watched for a place that we would be able to get to and back for dinner - not easy in a town where there was only 1 taxi, no Uber, and no car rentals.  Fortunately, there was a hotel with a great restaurant only steps away from the hotel we were staying in, and they would be open later.

We got back to our hotel, and rested for a couple of hours, made a reservation at the restaurant next door, for the only timeslot available that evening, as the storm swept over Kaikoura.  A family arrived at the room next to us, and as the children played under the awning, the parents unpacked the vehicle, while the storm raged - wind and rain that was fierce enough we were actually very grateful that we had not been out on the ocean when this hit.  

By the time we had to leave for supper, the rain had calmed down quite a bit, but it was still very windy and it had gotten quite cool out.  All good, it was only about 75 meters to the restaurant, and we wouldn't melt.

Dinner was absolutely fantastic, the service was friendly and efficient without being over the top.  The food was really well made, and the wine was delicious.  It was just what I needed after missing out on the whale watch.  What had started off being a long day of photography turned into a day of walking and then relaxation.  

On the way back to the hotel, the wind was still pretty strong and cold, and just a bit of rain.  A good night to stay in and listen to the howling storm and relax for one evening.  Tomorrow would be another busy day!

NZ2024 - Leg 19, March 14 - Hanmer Springs - Surprise!

 Hanmer Springs was never on the list of places to see.  Not once did we think we would get there, at least, not this trip.  I'd heard of the hot springs, of the exclusive hotel, of the Aspen, CO type vibe.  Not that it didn't appeal to me, there were just so many things on the list that it didn't seem possible.

But....  funny how the universe works.  After spending the day yesterday in Christchurch, and realizing that we had already knocked off pretty much everything we had wanted to do that we could do, Linda noticed a sign saying the Hanmer Springs was only about an hour and a half drive away.  And we had a car.  We could go just drive around and see what was there, have lunch and come back in time to do some laundry and have drinks with Ed and Loretta.

When we woke, it was already pretty nice out, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the forecast for Hanmer Springs was about 19C and sunny.  Perfect!  It took a while to get away from the city due to the time we left - about 9 - after finding a coffee and a muffin at Cafe Kudos, only a couple of blocks from the hotel.  Traffic was busy, but not the stop and go that we get where we live.

Once we were out on the open road we enjoyed the scenery and the condition of the roads - mostly flat and somewhat straight - it seemed odd, somehow.  The road from Christchurch to Hanmer Springs follows roughly a route between two mountain ranges, and across Weka Pass.  So the view is often a series of mountains in the distance on each side.  Different than what we've seen for the most part over the past three weeks, but just as lovely.  Especially with the blue skies and not much haze.  

  

At one point, a big hand painted sign shouts "BLACKBERRIES" and an arrow points toward the left.  I love blackberries, and home grown berries of any kind get my vote, so left I go and follow the directions to a house tucked in away from the road.  A young man about 14 years old sees me peeking in the window, and comes and opens it, allowing me entry.  There are two sizes available, the smaller is only $5 and that suits me just fine.

An hour or so later, after seeing some beautiful spots to pull over on the way back and take some photos (we are hoping to get up there in time to explore before lunch), we arrive in a lovely small town with plenty of free parking within walking distance of the town centre.  We wander around a bit, enjoying some window shopping - and maybe a bit of actual shopping - and enjoy the warmth of the sun at the same time as the autumn freshness in the air.  We find the spa, although decide to not explore it further - we simply don't have time.  And the biggest little library we've ever seen.  

And the Hanmer Springs Hotel - a place I am unlikely to ever stay, I just don't make that kind of money!

Lunch is at Monteith's Brewery - not the one in Greymouth, obviously.  The young lady who takes our order has a familiar accent - and we learn she is Canadian!  We quickly slip into easy conversation, having that in common, and she seems grateful to meet someone from her home country.  We enjoy our lunch even more, also grateful to have met a fellow Canuck.  A bit more wandering, where we see the cutest little carts/bikes and wish we had time to try one.

The trip back to Christchurch is relaxing, and we find a couple of spots to pull off and take a couple of photos.  Interesting rock formations (to be pulled from the "big camera" at some point), an old bridge that was just as pretty as the scene viewed from it.  

When we get back, we are just in time to do our laundry at the hotel, which is amazing, since we're both feeling like we have just about run out of clean clothes again.  Doing a month with just a carryon and a backpack has it's advantages, but also it's disadvantages.  Fortunately, most places seem to have guest laundry, some charge a nominal fee for use, others are free.  We've been fortunate to have this available almost every place we've stayed so far.

After laundry, we are planning to meet Ed and Loretta for drinks at some point, but first we have to have something to eat and get the rental car back to the airport.  Ed graciously offers to pick us up after dropping off the rental, and although Loretta is unable to join us, we all go for a couple of drinks downtown.  More great conversation at The Fox pub, and then it's time for us to get to bed.  Tomorrow we'll be taking the Coastal Pacific Scenic Rail journey from Christchurch to Kaikoura, and it leaves at 7 a.m.  We need our sleep!

NZ2024 - Leg 18 March 13 - Christchurch for the day

Today was a day in Christchurch, and while we had originally booked three full days here, thinking we had sooooo much to see and do, we wound up having to be pretty selective, as we moved one day to Kaikoura.  We'll be catching the Coastal Pacific train on Friday instead of Saturday so we can go whale watching.  So we grabbed some breakfast at Box Cafe, and drove into the city center to take the Tram hop-on hop-off tour for the day - and maybe the gondola ride.  There's a great deal through New Zealand Travel Tips for the Gondola and Tram package (and a lot of other packages too), and you can ride all day if you want.

We also had a friend living here that we planned to meet for lunch, so it seemed like a good plan to take the tram for one full tour - about 50 minutes - and pick out the places we wanted to photograph or go back and visit.  Then, we could have lunch with Ed, go for the gondola ride to the top of the city, and do the hop-on-hop-off tram again!  Perfect plan.

First we have to get the rental car.  In Christchurch, the downtown car rentals close at 5 pm, and the train dropped us here after 7:00, so we had decided to get a cab or Uber from the train station to the hotel for the first night, and get the car from the airport in the morning.  Well, the hotel we booked was not in a good area for this to happen - it was close to the train station, but not close enough to walk, which had been the original goal, and it was a 15-minute drive to the airport.  Fortunately, the hotel manager was kind enough to drive me to the airport so I didn't have to cab it - but he charged me almost as much as a cab....  Lesson learned, in Christchurch get a downtown hotel so there are shuttles from both the train station and the airport - and I could have more easily have gotten a downtown car rental this morning too...

It seems I'm learning a lot this trip - like I usually do.

Picked up the car, picked up Linda, picked up breakfast and off we went to find the Christchurch Tram.  The first stop - where you buy the tickets - we remembered as being in Cathedral Square, where there are a few stores, etc.  We purchased our tickets and walked around a bit, waiting for the next tram to hop on.  It was a grey, cloudy, cool day, with a bit of wind, perfect for this kind of activity.  We do the whole tour, and note the things we remember from the last time we were in Chch,

 and the things that are very different.  The architecture is still quite amazing, especially the new architecture, like the new Convention Centre, and the Library.  

Equally amazing is the work they are doing to restore the Cathedral that was almost destroyed during the earthquake in 2011.  There are construction barriers up, scaffolding and exterior structures holding up the walls that were for many years barely standing.

One of the coolest things about Christchurch is the amazing street art - huge murals that are really interesting and very well done.

  

We learned quite a bit about what the city has done with the buildings that were damaged or destroyed during the series of quakes that shook everything from Sep. 2010 to Dec. 2011, and that there are very few original buildings still standing.  There is parking available all over the city centre, because so many of the buildings that were destroyed were cleared, and these blocks became parking lots.  Although we were watching for it, the earthquake "White Chair" memorial was not part of the tour, and we learned later that it's because it has been dismantled.  How sad.

But the city has rebuilt so much, and become once again a vibrant and exciting city, full of life, and since all of the rebuilds were structured with the quakes in mind, ChCh is now probably the safest city in the southern hemisphere - at least safe from earthquakes.

After riding around all the way once, we stayed on for a couple of more stops to meet our friend at the Memorial Bridge, then walked over to the Riverside Market - a wonderful area of shops, bars, restaurants and cafes - for lunch.  Ed had chosen Kaiser Brew Garden, and ordered a set of small sharing plates for us.  We had a wonderful time - even though it was only an hour - catching up after not having had a chance to connect since we were here 7 years ago, eating fantastic food, planning a dinner together for later the same evening including Ed's wife Loretta.  

We parted company after many hugs and smiles, with the promise that we would meet for dinner - we couldn't wait to meet Loretta!

Considering that I had blown through two very large XQD cards with my camera, and did not want to delete anything just yet, I wanted to find some place to purchase another card.  I found Photo Warehouse, and they had exactly what I needed at an even better price that I would have paid at home - including the exchange rate.  Now I could photograph sooooo much more without worrying about not having enough data space!

We drove out to the Gondola ride so we could ride to the top of the city and look down.  I had no idea what to expect, this was something I had done in Queenstown back in 2010, and have done something similar in other cities.  I always thoroughly enjoy the view, and this was no exception.  The ride is quite steep - as they usually are - and we couldn't really see the building at the top very well - at least not from the bottom.  Actually not until we were about a third of the way to the top.  And once we were up there - what a view!  The best part was that there were a few sheep up on the hillside near the Gondola - and in fact the walking track that meandered around the area at the top was somewhat, well, you had to watch where you stepped.  

  

After several photographs from the outside, and some shopping at the gift store on the inside - and finding out that the Discovery ride - one of the things we were assured was a must-do - was out of order, we realized the time was getting late and we needed to go back down to "earth".  We still wanted to check out the "Harry Potter arts center".  This was an old college that was damaged in the quake, but they have turned a portion of it into little shops and art galleries, etc.  One part is still under reconstruction, one part is now a hotel (omg i want to stay there), and the whole complex looks so much like Hogwarts!

Everything was gorgeous, but the best part was the Great Hall, which was open for anyone to go inside and see - the vaulted ceilings, 3 storey high fireplace, stained glass windows, and it was now being used as a theater for live music etc.

  

  As we wandered about with our jaw dragging once again along the ground, we realized that we could easily have spent the entire day exploring this one set of buildings, photographing the many nooks and crannies and architectural features.  Once again, I'm looking forward to playing with the photos from the big camera when I get home.

We managed to get back on the tram in time to get back to where we parked - and get back to the hotel and freshen up for our dinner.  By this time, Ed had suggested we meet them at Tutto Bene, which sounded delicious.  And it was.  Fantastico!  And the company was wonderful - we all felt as though we had known each other for years, even though we had only just met Loretta, and we didn't want to leave!  We agreed to meet again the next evening for drinks, and back to the hotel we went, full tummies, and full hearts.

Tomorrow, the plan is to drive to Hanmer Springs.  And the weather is looking like it might be gorgeous.  

NZ2024 - Leg 17, March 12 Pancake Rocks for breakfast?

When we woke up, we found that it had stopped raining, and the sun was already trying to shine through.  This was odd, considering we were in the rainforest, and it was morning - usually we hadn't seen the sun till at least 10 a.m. and that was in sunnier areas of the country!  Although the plan had been to go jade shopping - in jade country - because the weather was supposed to be nasty, we decided instead to follow the original plan, and go check out the Pancake Rocks we'd heard so much about.  And hope that it was worth the trip.  

We had not yet heard anyone rave about the drive from Greymouth to Punakaiki, the town closest to the Pancake Rocks, but only a few minutes into the 40 minute trip, we were back into the hairpin turns and sights of the Tasman Sea, and I thought we couldn't top the day before, and this already had potential.  It wasn't long before we were once again gasping at the sheer beauty of the sun over the ocean waves crashing on the rocks, and the feel and smell of the sea air.  We may have missed one of the scenic lookouts, but we certainly didn't miss any after that.  

 

As we came around one of the hairpin turns on the inside of two mountains, and looked out at the shoreline, Linda actually let out a little scream.  Of course we didn't get that shot, but just a bit further up there was a turnoff, and we got a little piece of it.

The further north along the west coast we went, the more powerful the waves, and the more intense the sound - literally crashing and roaring, with huge splashes up along the rock walls.  This was one of those times when I used the "big" camera far more often than the cellphone, and there were a lot more videos than normal, because it's almost impossible to capture the full intensity of the ocean, flexing it's muscles in preparation for a high-tide fight, in a still photograph.

Then we were at Pancake Rocks, and it has been a lot more commercialized than I anticipated.  It was almost Americanized, with full walkways, stores with all the souvenirs, and lineups of people getting selfies.  But, it meant that the Rocks and the Blowhole were accessible to all, and probably saved the entire scene by blocking off sensitive areas and allowing people to see safely.  We were grateful that, for the most part, everyone who was there was being polite and taking turns to view and photograph the magnificence that was all around.  The Ooohs and Ahhhs were almost a collective by all those around us, whenever a large wave splashed up through the blowhole or up on the pancake rock walls, sometimes 20-30 meters high or more.

  

  

We were mesmerized, and couldn't seem to tear ourselves away, but eventually we must, as we have a train to catch.  The TransAlpine Scenic train, actually, way back in Greymouth, and there were a couple of lookouts that we still wanted to catch, hopefully in better light.

Arriving back in Greymouth, we finally hand in the little SUV that has taken us more than 3000 km in the past two weeks, has it really only been that far?  It is full of the things we've seen and done - straw from Peter's Farm Lodge, sand from Curio Bay, a couple of stray tags from the sunglasses I finally broke down and bought when I forgot mine from home, and an empty water bottle.  When we hand the rental car guy the key and apologize for the condition it's in, he says he has most definitely seen much worse, and I wonder if he is making enough money....

He points us to the train station, and suggests we drop our bags at the checkin counter so we can go find some lunch before the train leaves - both excellent suggestions.  We find the Speight's ale house and have a wonderful but light lunch and flat white before boarding the train that will take us through some amazing scenery over the next 5 hours or so to Christchurch.  We started in Dunedin a few days ago, came across the South Island from east to west, drove up the west coast, and were now going back across from west to east.  But every kilometer has been worth it so far.

On each seat of the KiwiRail train is a small, flat, brown paper package, and we find a headset inside, with instructions to plug them into the jacks between the seats.  If we wish, of course, many people do not, but in the first few minutes, we are hooked on the smooth voice regaline us with information and stories of the things we were seeing - and the history that came before us that we couldn't see.  We could have walked to the open air car, where we would have had full view of the entire journey, (except for the tunnels), but we were simply too tired, it was chilly outside, and we both felt the need to have a brief nap.  So we stayed seated in our assigned seats and watched through enormous windows to see some lovely views.

  

  

  

The scenery held our attention for much of the ride, although toward the end when there were fewer mountains, and far fewer "Oh my gosh!" moments, I did close my eyes for a few minutes.

Finally we pulled into Christchurch, and we now have to find a shuttle or taxi to get us to the hotel.  We eventually get a taxi, and when we get to the hotel room, are ready to completely crash.  I am able to do the previous day's blog, but not both, so I'm still in catch up mode after the incredibly full days in Twizel.  Since the hotel is not in the downtown, and not within walking distance of any dining establishments, we opt to order pizza through Uber Eats.  It arrives quickly and hot, and we devour it, catch up on writing and then crash.  Tomorrow will be another full day.