Day 97 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquises Islands April 29

Today we landed on the island of Hiva Oa in the little town of Atuona. This island has a spectacular harbor which is surrounded by steep mountains on three sides. I am of the opinion that we are in the bowl of an acient volcano. In addition to its beauty this small island is also the last resting place for the artist Paul Gauguin and the entertainer Jacques Brel. This is not a bad resting place.

We had lunch at a small restaurant which again served us food we had never seen. Needless to say the one thing everybody knew was ok to eat, pork, was quickly consumed. Chris has some interesting pictures of the rest of the dishes served.

One of them was fried breadfruit. Ever since I read Mutiny on the Bounty I have wondered what breadfruit was like; Well, don't waste any time trying to get some yourself as it is like a potato but more dense with a mealy type of consistency. I got over my curiosity quickly.

As I write this we are sitting in a side room off of the post office on a public computer. At least it is air conditioned. Internet connections are few and far between since it is all handled by satellite. We don't know when our next opportunity to get online will be.

We are enjoying the entire experience, including Chris packing a ham sandwich at breakfast not knowing what we will be served for lunch. It is hot and humid and yesterday afternoon we had quite a bit of rain. As English speaking passengers we are in the minority so listening to announcements has its challenges. They also seem to be somewhat disorganized when providing us information about the times and places for various activities. But it is all part of the experience and we are enjoying it.

Tomorrow another island whose name I cannot recall.

Chris - Early this morning Paul and I went on an organized 7 kilometer hike to an overlook of the harbor. Even at 8 AM it was REALLY hot and mostly uphill....WHAT WAS I THINKING? I really wanted a picture of the harbor from the mountain, and it was beautiful. I'm frustrated that we can't post our pictures until we get back as they are really something. The hike was so bad I even had to eat my half sandwich I made for lunch just to make it up the mountain. Fortunately, today's lunch I could actually eat. In addition to the sweet and sour pork that we got little of because they ran out, I could eat the shrimps and vegetables (always cabbage and carrots slivered) and the noodles and chicken. The goat and fish in coconut milk, raw fish, and disgusting looking banana pudding were another story...

Day 92 thru 96

Well we are back!! We met up with the Barretts at the hotel late the night before we left. After breakfast at the hotel we were off to board our ship the Aranui 3 in Tahiti and set off for the island of Fakarava. We spent the rest of the first day acquainting ourselves with the ship and catching up with all the news from the Barretts.
Our first island, Fakarava, was a coral atoll which seemed to be over 20 miles in diameter. It looks like a necklace. It is only about 150 yards wide and has some islands in its very large lagoon. Of course the water was beautiful which we took advantage of to swim and wade. Chris swam and I waded. A very small town that is supplied by our ship. It was Sunday so we saw a church service which Nancy Barrett attended. Then back to the ship and on our way again.
The next day we spent at sea. The ship we are on is reasonably stable and comfortable. Breakfast is a buffet so you eat when you arrive. Dinner and lunch are served to all passengers at the same time. We sit at tables of 4 or 8. The food is good but there is no choice. You get what is served, you do not order. We have had duck twice now which is not to Chris liking. The boat has a lounge and a bar which both are used consistently on our day at sea.
The next day we pulled into the harbor of Nuka Hiva, which is actually the first of the Marqueses Islands we will visit. Waiting for us at the dock were 40 jeeps to take us across the island to another harbor. Along the way we stopped to take pictures which unfortunately, we are un able to post due to the limited band width of the satelite internet connection. We had lunch on the other side of the island and then I went on a short hike to see a Tiki, which is the name for the carved figures like you see on Easter Island. Then back to the boat which was still unloading cargo; It was not until about 6 oclock that we were ready to leave for our next stop, but not before loading a few pens of cows to deliver to another island;
Today we are in Ua Poa which is another gem of an island.
Going forward there is no internet service on many of the stops we have so this blog will be silent from time to time.
Tomorrow Hiva Ova.

Chris - It is too bad that we can not put up our pictures as they are beautiful but we will try to put a highlight mix up when we can. We do not have nternet acess on the ship and in most ports, we are in the post office using it today. It is a French keyboard and quite different from ours. The q is where our a is for instance. But then I feel like I have been dropped in France as the main language on our ship is French but they also translate into English and German. Most of the passengers are French and we have met very few Americans. There seem to be quite a few Australians and we have met a few couples from Canada. The ship itself is basic but comfortable. There is a main desk, a large lounge, a coffee bar, a real bar, a dining room, a small swimming pool, a little store a laundry room, and a small gym. They do offer to do your laundry twice a week (but no underwear). Now let us talk food. They serve one menu for everyone. There is a lot of fish, duck, lamb, cabbage and some side dishes I have no idea what they are. Did I mention fish and duck? The food is very good if you happen to like what they are having. I hedge my bets and fix a ham and cheese sandwich every morning so I can have half at lunch and half at dinner if I don not like what they are serving for meat. I have no complaints with how good the food is, my complaint is WHERE the food is. They only have food at the three meals except for olives and peanuts. The only food you can even buy is candy and some cookies at the store. For me it is hard as I eat a lot of fruit and dried fruits and there are no dried fruits, like apricots, and actually surprisingly little fruit. Having said that I did find a small store yesterday in port with nuts and hope to find something today. Other than the need for a banana or raisins or anything healthy, the cruise is terrific. We are starting to make some friends onboard and the Barretts are a blast. We have fallen into the habit of playing cards everynight after dinner either on deck in the gorgeous, warm moonlight, helped with some overhead lighting or in the lounge. We play either Hearts or canasta and are easily the last to go to bed around 11:30. The islands are amazing and we are really enjoying ourselves. I seem to be able to get text messages in some ports if you need to get a non emergency message to us. All for now and hopefully another port where we can get internet.

Day 91 Auckland to Tahiti

Well today was interesting since we got to experience it twice. The day started in Paihia, NZ where we loaded everybody in the van and headed off to Auckland to catch our flights. Chris and I flew to Papeete, Tahiti and the kids flew to Los Angles. Since we crossed the international date line we automatically gained one day. So we left NZ on the 23rd and also spent the 23rd in Tahiti.
It was the final day of our adventure in NZ with the kids. I think we all were saddened to see our time together come to an end. The trip was a huge success as everybody had a great time together and tried to soak up as much family camaraderie as possible.
Our second opportunity to spend the day in Tahiti allowed Chris and I to visit the beautiful island of Moorea which is a 30 minute ferry ride away. My advice to anyone heading this direction is to make Moorea your base of operations. The beaches are much better and cleaner and you just get a little farther away from the dirty city of Papeete. We had lunch and then a swim in the ocean. It was wonderful. Then back to the ferry to Papeete and our hotel for relaxing and dinner. We are looking forward to seeing Dick & Nancy Barrett tonight, who will be joining us for our cruise through the Marquises Islands on the ship Aranui 3.
Tomorrow the Aranui 3 and the final leg of our journey.

Chris - We weren't able to blog last night due to our flight. On our way back yesterday from Paihia to Auckland we stopped for lunch and last minute shopping in the cute town of Parnell, definitely worth a stop if you're ever around Auckland. It was really hard to say goodbye to the kids and to our terrific guide, William yesterday. William was EXTREMELY knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He fit right in with the family and I'm sure it's a bond we'll carry with us. His only flaw was he gave us a 20 question quiz yesterday about New Zealand...and hard questions. He said he was going to, but I thought he was kidding...right up to the point he passed out paper and pens!! To no one's surprise, Patrick had the highest score and was awarded a stuffed kiwi for his efforts. It actually turned out to be fun. We will certainly miss William, although he and his wife hope to visit us in Montana sometime in the near future. I hope he gives me time to learn about all the flowers, trees, animals and mountains in Montana so I can do at least half the job he did. He wasn't even born in New Zealand, he's originally from England. As for the experience with the kids, it will be treasured forever. I always have trouble saying goodbye to them and yesterday was no different. I look forward to seeing them all in about 3 weeks, however. Today in Tahiti was fun, despite a light rain most of the day. We swam at in the ocean at the Sofitel Hotel in Moorea, which had white sand, palm trees and crystal clear water. The colorful fish swam around us as we enjoyed the very warm water. :) We may not have internet this next leg so we'll see what, if at all, we can blog. GOOD chance we can't and probably not the power to put up pictures....we'll see.

Day 90 Piahia Russell, NZ Pictures

Day 90 Piahia Russell, NZ

Today was our final full day on our trip as a family. We capped off the two weeks with a day on the water. We sailed this morning on the boat "Lion New Zealand" which is a boat constructed to compete in the Whitbread race, which is a ocean crossing race. The boat was commissioned by Sir Peter Blake after previously competing on another boat that broke some critical components a few years earlier. He was determined that that would not happen again so this boat was built extra strong. Unfortunately, the extra strength meant extra weight so the boat has not been able to win any significant races. It has competed well especially in around the world type races.
We enjoyed the boat and were able to have Patrick, Tracy and Chris swing from the mast in a mesh chair. Patrick was dunked a few times for extra fun.
It was a full day on the boat but we enjoyed the entire experience.
Tomorrow Auckland to catch our flight to Papetee, Tahiti while the kids fly back to the states.

Chris - The sailboat today was a ton of fun with helping to put up and take down the sails, driving the boat, kayaking, hiking up some significant hills to enjoy some gorgeous overlooks, riding out over the ocean on a mesh chair and enjoying our last full day together in New Zealand. We also have enjoyed our last two days here in a two bedroom suite at the Paihia Beach Resort Spa io the Bay of Islands. It has an enormous porch overlooking the beach with two sets of tables and chairs and a huge living room...dining room...kitchen, which has been wonderful for playing cards and hanging out. It's been a perfect location for our last days in New Zealand because we can all be together. A highlight for me isn't the 5 pools, although I sure enjoyed them, but the washer and dryer I have in the suite. Paul and I will get on our container ship cruise on Saturday and it was VERY helpful to get a chance to wash our clothes, not to mention some of the kids clothes as well. Sharing New Zealand with the kids has obviously been the best part of our trip. It's a dream come true to be able to get them all for two weeks and watch them enjoy each other as much as the magical adventures we've had around New Zealand.

Day 89 Auckland to Piahia Pictures

Day 89 Auckland to Piahia (Russell)

Today we left Auckland and drove north. Last night we spent some precious minutes shopping just as the stores were closing then had a nice dinner on the waterfront. It did occur to me that we have had little time to shop or lounge around since we are trying to make the most out of the time we have in New Zealand.
One our way north we got a rare treat as we were able to see and even touch a Kiwi. These small flightless birds are about the size of a chicken. The most amazing thing about them is the size of the egg they lay. You will see in the picture how much of the body cavity the egg takes up. These cute little birds have very strong claws and dig burrows that they live in. They are endangered due to the loss of habitat and the predators that have been introduced to this island. Probably 95% of New Zealanders have never seen a live Kiwi much less touched one.
We also stopped along the way to see some of the native plants and trees. The Kauri tree is one of the native trees that was almost logged to extinction. These trees get to be very old and grow to be very large. You can see us with our arms around one of them. The one you see in the picture is over 800 years old.
Our destination today is Piahia which is a small resort town directly across the bay from one of the towns Chris and I liked so well, Russell. We immediately hopped aboard the ferry that took us across the bay to Russell. This is a quaint littls former whaling town that sits right on the water. It is only about two streets deep and three blocks long but is has a definite charm of its own. After a walk around we settled in on the large porch of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel and had some drinks and enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine.
Once again a great day for all involved.
Tomorrow we stay here in Piahia.


Stephan (guest blogger!) - Today was another gorgeous day in NZ with the family. There have been several constants on our journeys... sunny weather, lots of laughing with (and at) each other, card games (Euchre, Hearts, Nertz, Kings Corners, & 952), new hotels and restaurants, hours of driving, and me taking videos on my camera. There are several (who will remain unnamed) who haven't been a big fan of my documentary film making techniques... namely recording videos anytime one of us is doing something funny or embarrassing. Tonight I suffered a setback however, as the tables were turned as I was caught unaware making a complete fool of myself (much to my brother's amusement). Tomorrow will be fun, I'll be showing a bunch of my videos to the family as a NZ trip retrospective before we leave Friday.

As some of you may know, before and after this trip I'm traveling with my Theatre Company (Transcendence Theatre Company) across America in RVs and speaking with theatre leaders, educators, and artists as a part of the founding of our company (check out our website). When I left our group for New Zealand, we were in Detroit on day 38 of our travels, when I return to the states I'll be joining right back up with our group in Denver, and finishing out our RV trip through the west, up to Seattle and then down the coast back again to LA.

One of our group trademarks is our "thinker pose" which we have pictures of us doing with brilliant theatre people all across the country (check out our blog about it!). Today my family got our own thinker pose in honor of Transcendence, look for it in our pictures!

We're laughing so much and having such a joyous time together, it's going to be hard to leave on Friday.

Day 88 Taupo to Auckland Photos

Day 87 Pictures

Day 88 Taupo to Auckland

We started the day with a cruise on Lake Taupo, which is slightly larger than Flathead Lake. It was a lovely morning and we saw some Mauri carvings on the rocks around the lake. The captain also talked about the volcano that sits just off the lake which erupted about a decade ago. We were thinking of the Icelandic volcano that continues to spew ash over large parts of Europe.
We hopped back into the van and drove to Auckland. Along the way we stopped to see a waterfall. We hoped to get to Auckland in time to do some shopping.
It was another great day for family togetherness. We ate at a very nice waterfront restaurant and the back to the hotel to play some cards.
Tomorrow Russell, Bay of Islands.

Chris- Lake Taupo is a huge lake at 40 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide and 186 metres at it's deepest point. There are many hot water areas that can be seen both at the southern and northern ends of the lake. A natural hot water beach runs along side the lakefront of the town of Taupo. These springs occur naturally as a result of the volcanic fault line, which forms part of the Pacific volcanic fault. The lake was formed by a volcanic eruption that occurred 1800 years ago. It was the largest volcanic eruption recorded by man. Both the Chinese and the Romans recorded the eruption as the "days of nights" when 1200 cubic kilometres of matter was sent 55 kilometers into the air causing global darkness for 3 days. Today the lake is a beautiful, crystal clear lake that is rimmed by mountains. It was a gorgeous, warm day to be cruising the lake. We're now in Auckland and at the Langford Hotel after some shopping and a lovely waterside dinner. The hotel is terrific with all the amenities you'd expect with the best boutique hotel in New Zealand. We had a terrific time tonight with all enjoying an exciting game of hearts.

Day 87 Napier to Taupo

This morning started off with a lovely breakfast and then we enjoyed the amenities of the hotel . Scott, Patrick and I played 9 holes of golf on the par three course on the grounds. It was only three holes, but we played it three times. Meanwhile, Chris was bike riding around the property, and Stephan and Tracy were enjoying the comforts of their rooms. When golf was over we adjourned to the grass tennis court and had a rousing game that included our guide William. It was my first time playing on a grass court so it was an interesting match. The bounces were much less predictable and the footing was challenging due to the dampness from the morning dew. Chris, Tracy and Stephan had massages which they thoroughly enjoyed. I relate these activities to give a sense of how nice the hotel was. It was located on about 20 acres surrounded by orchards and high hedge fences. We all had a great time.

We left and drove to our next location at Lake Taupo. This lake is the largest lake in New Zealand and is a favorite holiday spot for many of the Kiwis. Our guide, William, dropped us off at the hot springs just out of town where we soaked for an hour before checking in to our hotel.

Once again the drive we had through the country side only reinforced the beauty of this island country. This area is green and full of vegetation as it gets considerably more rain than some of the other areas we visited in the south island. There are quite a few wineries in this region which was evident by the many vineyards we passed on our travels, but there was no time to stop.

Tomorrow Auckland.

Chris – Thanks to Patrick for writing in my stead yesterday. Today was a warm day full of exercise, relaxation and fun. We had the morning to enjoy the old homestead hotel where we were staying and Paul described the many activities we indulged in. The hotel called the Mangapapa Petit Hotel had beautifully maintained grounds and was surrounded by vineyards. It was nice for all of us to have some unscheduled time and just enjoy each other. Our rooms at this hotel were, once again, amazing. Large living rooms, 4 poster beds, one bed that lit up and had about 20 controls and a bathroom that was not only enormous but had two whole showers in one. Stephan and Patrick’s room even had what appeared to be a small dance floor…well at least the appropriate person got that room! The trip to Lake Taupo was about two hours long and was along a somewhat winding road and quite hilly. The vistas were of very green rolling large hills or small mountains with sheep and now and then a canyon. It was much hillier than most the landscape we saw in the South Island. When we started this trip our guide asked us what we’d like to do in NZ that wasn’t on the schedule. I mentioned that I’d always wanted to swim in a hot springs and had never done it. Well, today we did that. It was fun and quite hot and everyone supported my suggestion and participated…..you gotta love family! Tonight we’re staying right on the lake and I enjoyed swimming in their pool that was about 18 feet long and was about 100 degrees. It was outdoors so it was great that it was hot, but after 40 minutes I was pretty well cooked. Paul, Scott and Tracy took a walk along the lake and Stephan and Patrick worked out in the gym. A toast was given to all the participants in the golf and tennis matches and a delicious dinner was had by all at the lakeside restaurant in the hotel . Paul, Stephan, Patrick and I played a game of euchre after dinner, a game I learned yesterday on the three hour boat crossing. Careful, Mike and David, I might give you a run for your money! Scott watched rugby on TV and Tracy had a phone date with Jeremy and read afterwards. It was another great day!!

Day 86 Across the Cook Strait to Hawke's Bay, NZ

Day 86 Across the Cook Strait to Hawke's Bay, NZ

Today will not go down as one of the most interesting days on this trip for sights we saw. For me it was one of the best days of the trip because the kids were all engaged with each other having fun and enjoying each others company.
The day started out early so we could catch the ferry from Picton, on the south island, to Wellington, on the north island. This was about a three hour ride in very calm seas thru some beautiful scenery. Once off the ferry we spent the rest of the day in the van until we reached our hotel in Hawke's Bay. So far not overly interesting.
We arrived at our hotel, which is a gorgeous old building with a gate just off the road to keep the riff raff out. We have three rooms and it was a contest to see who's room outdid the other.
For me the real value of the day happened when we met for drinks and dinner. There we six were all together and had a great time joking and talking. I tried to savor every moment and appreciate what it is that we as a family enjoy about each other. I am sure for my readers thjs is not what you have come to expect from my travel blog, but to me it was the entire value of having the kids join us in New Zealand.
Tomorrow Taupo, NZ

Patrick - (Guest Blogger) Wow, for a long time reader but first time blogger this is exciting. We covered plenty of ground (and water) today but I worry that I'm beginning to take for granted the beauty of the New Zealand landscape, having spent the past week in the gorgeous south island. What's that? You want to see another range of majestic peaks with a patchwork of colorful fields and sunlit hills in the foreground? Sure, why not, knock yourself out, I'll just be over here watching this waterfall spill straight out of the clouds and be blown to feathers of mist before it reaches the sea. You know, whatever. Say, would you mind turning the starlight down, I'm trying to sleep.
In addition to the sublime surroundings, we've been enjoying some of the best food I have ever tasted. In the course of a single week I've had lamb twice, venison twice, hare, duck breast over walnut mashed potatoes (every bit as good as it sounds), steak, and hokey pokey. Hokey pokey, for those not in the know--that is, everyone who doesn't live in New Zealand--is vanilla ice cream studded with balls of butterscotch which not only tastes delicious but also sounds hilarious when pronounced with a Kiwi accent. Apparently it's a national favorite, and it's quickly becoming a Stubbins favorite.
The one food experience that most stands out for me came two days ago when we were staying in the tree house hotel. My appetizer came with a drizzle of red juice that was best described by Tracy, who called it "essence of skittle." The sugar content must have been astronomical but it tasted too good to exercise any restraint. I decided to refrain from asking exactly what it was lest I find out and become utterly addicted. All in all, there hasn't been one dud restaurant yet. At this point I'm more worried about food lag than jet lag when I get back home. It's been an amazing trip so far and I can't wait to see what the next week has in store for us.

Day 85 Kiakoura to Nelson,NZ Pictures

Hotel Monaco

Day 85 Kiakoura to Nelson,NZ

This morning we left our cozy tree house rooms and headed off on our whale watching adventure. We weren’t in the boat 10 minutes before our guide William spotted a whale on the surface of the water. The boat quickly turned so we could get a better view of it. Once close enough we could see that what we found was a Sperm Whale. This leviathan of the deep was actually sleeping and would exhale every 5 minutes or so. The captain estimated it to be about 18 meters long and 30 years old. They live to about the age of eighty and don’t start reproducing until they are at least twenty years old. It was a special experience to be able to get so close and observe such a large animal. Next we spotted some dolphins and enjoyed watching them swim around the boat as we continued to keep up our speed. Finally, we were able to return to the original whale and see it swim for a little while before it had enough of us and dove out of sight. We were back in the van for our drive north and stopped for lunch at the Allen Scott winery where we had a wine tasting followed by a delicious lunch. After lunch we drove across the street and had another wine tasting at the Cloudy Bay winery. Not a bad couple of hours. We then drove north to our hotel for this evening, the Monaco Apartments, in Nelson, NZ. This hotel looks like a quaint English set of row houses. Red brick covered with ivy with red tile roofs set around a cute little courtyard with flowers and an open green area. We will have to enjoy it quickly because we are up early tomorrow to catch our ferry to the north island. Chris – Today was a fun filled day as we enjoyed the whales and dolphins in Kaikoura. There are sperm whales here all year round, although there are only male whales as the water is too cold for the women…you got that right! We had a beautiful day that was pretty temperate and fairly calm. Yesterday it was so rough they didn’t even go out for their cruises. We weren’t able to get the fan of the entire tail of the whale but he allowed us to get a partial view as he slipped below the surface. There were about 20 or more dolphins that played along side the boat. They jumped out of the water and came very close to the side where we were standing. Today’s wine tasting and lunch was very satisfying, even for us non wine drinkers as it was a gorgeous setting. We lunched at Allan Scott Family Winemakers among the sculptured gardens and vine covered trellises. The setting was what you’d dream a winery would look like and the food just as special. It was a fun lunch. On our way to Nelson to our quaint cottage hotel we stopped at Tahunanui Beach for Tracy to look for shells and we all could get some fresh air. It was a wide sandy beach with a warm breeze and it was nice to be able to get out and walk along the shoreline.

Day 84 Pictures

Day 84 Mt Cook to Kaikoura

This was largely a travel day as we were up early to get on the road for about a six hour drive thru the beautiful pastoral countryside. However, before we left Mt Cook revealed itself as the sun came up and illuminated the mountain against the bright blue background of a New Zealand sky. Our patience was rewarded and we were able to see up close the most majestic peak in the "Southern Alps".
We spent the rest of the day in the van traveling to our next stop Kiakoura, which is the whale watching capital of the country. We are staying in rather unique quarters this evening. We are in what they call tree houses. These are separate little buildings warmly furnished appointed with wood stoves, perched about 20 feet off the ground on stilts up among the trees. We had a delicious dinner and retired to one of the three rooms to watch "Lord of the Rings" which was filmed on the north island of New Zealand.
It has been a cherished experience to travel with the kids. Even though we have another 8 days or so it is great fun to see them enjoying each other and experiencing New Zealand with us. I am sure all parents will appreciate how special this can be. We all would have liked Scott's fiancee, Emily to be able to join us for this incredible experience.
Tomorrow Whale Watching then off to Picton to catch the ferry to the north island the next day.

Scott (Guest Blogger) - Hanging out Swiss Family Robinson style tonight in the tree house. It has been a great week full of adventure, beautiful scenery and our typical Stubbins Family shenanigans. It takes a fair bit of humor to share a van with the same 6 people for 2 straight weeks. We have been covering this epic country by van in 2, 4 and 8 hour chunks; good thing we were trained at an early age to travel long distances by car. All those childhood 10 hour trips to Canada are paying off now.

As my father mentioned above, it would have been nice to have my fiancee Emily with us on this trip. Being a world away from loved ones is always hard, but particularly when trying to navigate moving and a wedding. While she would love the gorgeous scenery and the family bonding, I'm not sure that there is enough ginger and motion sickness drugs to for her to enjoy the windy roads and long drives of this trip. We are fortunate to have the ever positive and the ever factual William to pass the time. It is impossible to stump our guide on the name of any: landmark, fauna, or local animal. I'm not sure I could name as many things in Cincinnati, much less a country.

We've made our way from the mountains and plains of the south part of the South Island, to the eastern coast. We've had our first sighting of the ocean and we look forward to a morning with the whales tomorrow. We've had an amazing trip thus far and we can't wait to see what is coming next. That being said, it will be pretty hard to beat a real life tree house right on the Pacific.

Day 83 Pictures

Day 83 Queenstown to Mt Cook

From Queenstown we drove north to Mt Cook which is New Zealand’s tallest mountain. We are spending the night in the “Hermitage” which is the hotel at the base of the mountain. From our room we can see the bottom two thirds of the mountain and the clouds covering the top. We are hoping that tomorrow morning before we leave the weather will clear enough for us to get a glimpse of the top of the mountain.
Most of our time today was spent in the van viewing the countryside. Coming up out of Queenstown over the mountain pass provide some pretty spectacular views. After cresting the pass we entered a more level area that was flanked by mountains on either side. It was very scenic. We passed many farms with herds of sheep. Our lunch stop advertises itself as “Sheep Shearing, Café, Wine and Gifts”. You have to go a pretty long way to find that combination again. Tracy has decided she is going to get a sheep of her own as a pet and keep it to mow her grass.
New Zealand is fighting some self imposed problems with various animals they have introduced to this island. First they brought in rabbits for sport. Well they quickly got out of control and ate many of the hillsides bare. So they brought in stoats, a little weasel like animal, to kill the rabbits. Well the stoats figured out that chasing rabbits was hard work so they went after the small flightless birds that the country is famous for. So now the Kiwi is endangered and a number of other similar birds are extinct.
Tomorrow Kaikoura.
Chris - Thanks, Tracy, for being my guest blogger yesterday, I’m not happy to follow your writing! It was a beautiful morning with sun peaking between some high clouds which made for some beautiful pictures. We took a walk around the lake this morning before we left for Mt. Cook and enjoyed the picturesque town of Queenstown, one last time .We will all miss Queenstown, from the breath taking scenery to the terrific food….including unbelievable French fries. Patrick even finagled the restaurant that has the best fries to make some more for us (before they were really open) at 9:30am on our way out of town. It was a sunny drive to Mt. Cook but very windy. When we got to Mt. Cook it was shrouded in clouds and had started to rain. We enjoyed the lodge this evening which had a beer and wine tasting before dinner, which some participated in. Following dinner we enjoy playing cards and just spending time together as a family.

Day 82 Milford Sound Pictures

Day 82 Milford Sound, NZ

This morning we left early for a 6 hour ride into Milford Sound. The name is a misnomer as it is actually a fjord, and quite a grand one. We had a few stops along the way before boarding the boat that would take us out into this 14 mile long incredible fjord. There was a constant rain that we thought would severely diminish the quality of the cruise. The rain actually activated waterfalls at every turn as the water cascaded down the steep, lushly vegetated walls of this water filled canyon. While we would have preferred a bright sunny day, we were quite happy to see this stunning feature attraction of New Zealand spouting water from every crevice.
The steep walls of the fjord are covered with green vegetation until it becomes to steep or high to support the growth. As you float past the walls you are surprised by the height of the mountains on each side as they make you feel so small. This is clearly a special place.
Upon our return to the dock five of us boarded a helicopter for a flight back to Queenstown. The drive would take 6 hours while the flight only 45 minutes. As majestic as the fjord was the flight back to Queenstown was that exhilarating. With a low cloud cover as our ceiling we threaded our way back thru canyon after canyon, rising over ridges only to fall away toward the bottom of the next canyon. The rain initially added a interesting aspect to the flight as did the strong winds as we wondered if the weather was too bad to even fly. As we twisted and turned thru the canyons wondering if we would touch the walls and hoping to make it high enough to clear the oncoming ridges we were constantly amazed by the scenery unfolding beneath us. I hope the pictures we post do justice to the experience. I am just now able to swallow as my heart has found its way back into my chest and out of my throat. It helped that the pilot seemed unconcerned about anything that we were flying thru including the buffeting by the strong winds or the looming canyon walls. Just because I think he could tell we were new at this kind of ride he dropped quickly and banked hard over the water in a 270 degree turn before landing us 25 feet from our taxi that returned us to our hotel. The flight was breath taking and the views were gorgeous. This flight will be long remembered by all on board as will our cruise of Milford Sound.
Tomorrow Mt Cook, NZ

Tracy - (Guest Blogger) What’s the saying… some roads aren't meant to be traveled alone...after today I believe ‘roads’ can include skies as well! Like the Scooby Doo van, we climbed in our tour bus early this morning, heading toward a day of thrills an amusement park couldn’t provide. I can’t tell you how lucky we are to have such a delightful, animated guide for the whole of our trip. William allows us the freedom of not worrying about time, driving, eating, and much needed bathroom breaks making an amazing trip that much more incredible. With gigantic waterfalls and dramatic mountainsides I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Peter Jackson used a Fisher-Price camera to film Lord of the Rings; the scenery here speaks for itself. Our cruise turned out some spectacular pictures…that is if you could manage standing longer than a few seconds against the wind. As dad has so elegantly described our helicopter tour, I will tell you what we were really thinking……OH SHIT!!!! As a thrill seeker myself, rounding those corners and scaling the mountains the helicopter quickly felt like an oversized Jelly Bean floating through mid air. I would not have changed a single moment today; days like this remind me why I embrace my fears and try to live regret-free. Today will never be forgotten because I didn’t have to experience it alone; I was blessed to have shared it with my family.

Day 81 Queenstown, NZ Pictures