New Zealand Final Report

... the journey ends.

Thursday January 25th

The following morning, I was a good boyfriend and let Phil sleep in a little more as I walked across town to pick up the car. Our last vehicle was the big trip winner, and was a new fully-equipped Honda Civic, with AC and CD player...( of course, now that we had all those cassette tapes, the CD players wasn't going to be all that helpful! ) A comfort nonetheless! I picked up some coffee from the Brooklyn Cafe, which somehow seemed appropriate, and drove back to the hotel to make sure Phil had crawled out of bed!

We gathered the basics we needed for the day, and I grabbed the folder that had all of the wedding information in it. The trip to Martinborough was expected to be about one hour over the Rimutaka Hill. As we mentioned before, this so called hill is clearly a mislabeled mountain, and we realized quickly that it might not be the best idea to consider making this drive twice a day for the next 3 and a half days! In fact, the thought of actually trying the pass in the middle of the night sober, much less after cocktails, seemed a recipe for disaster, and the seed was thus planted for an early move out of Wellington to something closer!

Martinborough marks the center of the Wairarapa Wine Region, one of the country’s newest with some 30 wineries within several hundred yards of town. The region sits on the eastern slopes of the Tararua Range in the south east corner of the North Island.

We made it to town pretty easily and did a quick spin through the small town center. Though a tiny place, the town does have a certain old western charm about it, with old fashioned wooden buildings surrounding a classic town square. At the street level, we noticed a number of cute shops and cafes, but no obvious sign of said 30 wineries. We were a little confused! As we looked more closely at the wedding information, it also became clear that there were some very important details missing from the itinerary I had taken from the website, like the actual starting point of today’s adventure! What was worse, I realized that I did not have Vanessa's new cell phone number in my phone... SHIT!!! Panic-mode started to settle over us in a wave, as we found ourselves sitting in this little town without a clue as to what to do next! We thought about a blind drive around the region, but given the large number of wineries in the area and not the slightest inkling about what they’d be driving, we aborted that plan quickly… there was just no point driving around aimlessly! In a moment of desperation, we pulled up to the i-site we'd seen on the way into town, and walked in on a wing and a prayer!

The place was empty except for a man and a woman working behind the counter. I asked them sheepishly if they happened to know anything about one Vanessa-Jayne’s wine tasting plans for the day. Who knows, it’s a small town, maybe they’d heard something through the grape vine! All I can say is that the New Zealanders, yet again, truly proved themselves to be lovely people! They hadn’t heard anything, but without missing a beat they were online and on the phone digging up information! They called a friend, who knew a friend, who does wedding planning to see if there was anything scheduled for the day... nothing. Then they called a few of the wineries in town to see if there were any group stops planned... nothing. Curses!! I racked my brain for any other clues. I did not know Paul's surname, so they couldn't look there, and Vanessa-Jayne was not a resident! Ugh... As we went over my itinerary, they noticed a horse and carriage mentioned, and called the owner of the only one they knew of in the area. As they did that, the man let me go on their computer to check my email to see if I had her number in an old message or something.... thankfully, as if anticipating such a fiasco, Miss Vanessa had sent out a detailed itinerary some time in the last day or so and I was able to print out on site… at that very moment, the horse and buggy folks had Vanessa’s number in hand and the dynamic duo was already ringing her up! They handed me the phone, and as soon as I heard her voice on the phone, my anxiety started to fade away! She laughed at our, um, forgetfulness, and suggested we meet at the second winery since it was closer to where we were. Since they were running a little behind too, we decided to start at the beginning with them... after all, what better way to settle the nerves from the morning’s stress than to get as much wine tasting in as we could?!

We left town and quickly found ourselves in the middle of Wairarapa country living! The region is beautiful, surprise surprise, what isn’t in this country?! Once over the Rimutaka hills, the terrain becomes more rolling than rugged, with wide open fields of dry golden grasses surrounded by tall green trees, the occasional requisite sheep-filled pastures, and the geometric green rows of the vineyards scattered throughout. The softer lower hills were contrasted nicely by the rugged Tararua Mountain Range hovering over the region to the west. Our first stop was the Fairmont Estate Winery in Carterton. I met Vanessa-Jayne with a giant hug and introduced her to Phil, and she introduced us to everyone in her group. She was traveling with her bridesmaids Natalie and Julie, her brother Nigel, and her good friend Maxine. The quick back story on Vanessa is that I met her while doing a semester in London at Regent’s College during my junior year of undergrad in 1994. We have kept in touch throughout the years, sharing our life updates from time to time, and seeing each other a handful of times along the way. Despite the limited contact, she is one of those amazing people that you feel at once at home with. The kind of person, that no matter how much time has passed, you can talk to as if you just spoke yesterday! Lovely indeed! The group she had with her was a fun bunch, with a dry British sense of humor that we loved! We spent the better part of the day touring and tasting a few of her favorite regional wineries, including:

Kairanga Winery

Palliser Wines

Alana Estate

The Alana was the most beautiful of the bunch. You enter through a long narrow drive down a small hill with vineyards on either side, to a beautiful modern looking home. The grounds are well landscaped and there is a fine wide wooden deck wrapping around the facade with a stylish open air café set up out back. We enjoyed our last tasting here and then moved the party onto the deck for a fine meal. It was a most enjoyable time with good food, delicious wine, and great company. We got the quick and dirty on how everyone knew each other, holiday travel plans, and then just reverted to silly talk about entertainment and such. It was good fun.

The last stop on the trip was to a gourmet chocolate shop in the neighboring town of Greytown called Schoc Chocolate . It was delicious decadent goodness, but expensive! Poor Phil dropped $30 on 2 chocolate bars, a couple of assorted pieces, and one small bag of chocolate nuggets. It was the most he’d ever spent on such a small volume of candy! We laughed it off though. I mean you only live once, right?... and they were off the chart yummy!!

After saying good-bye, we did a quick tour through Greytown and Featherton, looking for any local artisan who might have a locally crafted cat. My mother likes to collect cats from around the word, and we told her we would keep our eyes open for something for her collection. We had only half-looked up to this point and realized that the clock was now ticking on the trip so we’d better get our butts in gear! We saw a great Jade cat in Queenstown, but thought that since the greenstone was so popular in the country we would certainly see another one along the way… Um… not so much. Finding nothing, we hit up the $2 store in the hopes of stumbling on anything! Well we found something… something special. We left there with a fabulous crystal beauty **cough, clears throat** I mean faux crystal glass mess we couldn’t say no to! It was kind of tragically sweet looking, with glued on bent wire whiskers, red nose, and black eyes… at least it was sophisticated enough to not have googly eyes! If nothing else, we knew my mother we pee laughing if that was all we could find! After a good laugh, we packed up or little gem, and head back towards the Rimutaka Hill and on to Wellington for the night. It was on this drive back that we decided that we had to get closer. The Rimutaka could not happen with even a hint of alcohol in our system, and we wanted to enjoy the last 2 nights with everyone!

That night in Wellington, we decided to explore the other recommendation our hotel concierge had made for dinner and then see about actually finding some “alternative” nightlife! We walked down to the waterfront area and actually felt like we were in a breathing city! The streets were alive and hopping with people, and it was after 6pm! We passed a number of fun modern trendy looking bars and restaurants along the way to dinner. Tucked down a quieter street, was Monsoon Poon, a pan-asian restaurant whose tagline “Love you long time” screamed eat here now! Could you say no to that?! The energy of the place was vibrant and fun. The bar area opens on to a balcony overlooking the street, and the main dining area is a fairly spacious modern looking room with large high-ceilings, fun lighting, and walls colorfully adorned with art from Southeast Asia. We were very pleased! The food was great, the service was fun, the energy alive, and the price was reasonable… we recommend it if you get the chance.

After dinner, we tried to find our way to Cuba Street to find a place called Our Bar, the city’s only 7-day a week gay bar. Sadly, my little print out map of the city’s downtown was deceiving, and things were actually a littler further than they looked! It was a nice night for a walk though, so we didn’t worry too much. Of course it ended up taking us much longer than we thought, and after an hour or so, the idea had lost some of its luster! Um, yeah, now I’m not saying that we got lost, I mean come on, look at who you’re talking to… puh-lease… I am just saying that we did have to ask the owner of an adult book store to point us in the right direction! Yeah, and ha ha, this is kind of the funny thing… the bar ended up being, um, right next door! Oops!! Our Bar is the core gay bar of the city. It is a nice clean modern space, but very sparsely decorated. A large dark wood bar was the centerpiece with several plain wooden tables and high tops scattered throughout the room. The bar also has a second floor that features a DJ and dancing on the weekend, and a small outdoor seating area. On this fine night there were probably about 10 people there! Not a real hot bed of excitement, so we stayed for one drink and called it a night. The city does have a few bars that do have gay nights on the weekends, so there is hope for one looking to cha cha... just make sure you’re in town at the right time

Friday January 26th

Friday morning, we got up early and did a quick online search for a place to stay in Masterton. We thought a relaxing B&B a few minutes from the wedding would make more sense for the last 2 nights, versus a couple more city nights and an hour-long drive through the mountains! We stumbled upon a very reasonable place called the Moata: located a few minutes outside of town. Our only formal plan for the rest of the day was to go to the rehearsal dinner at Café Cecille in Masterton that evening, so we decided to have a leisurely stroll around downtown Wellington before heading off to the country.

We checked out of the Kingsgate Hotel after talking to the owner of the Moata and head back down to Cuba St. (now that we knew where it was, it was easy to find!) and hit up a café called Fidel’s that Phil’s friend Elvira recommended from her time living there. Fidel’s is a very eclectic eatery both in food and clientele! They have a fun outdoor garden-type seating area in the back with old political posters and pictures of Castro on the walls. It was kind of fun. Given the U.S. Relationship with Cuba, we felt a little rebellious for even eating here! From Fidel’s we walked through the downtown area and window shopped for little mementos and the silly cat for my mother! To our astonishment, not a single F-ing cat in the country! They were all about the kiwis and penguins and such! =) After our unsuccessful shopping venture, we decided to pop into the Te Papa Museum. Te Papa is the country’s largest museum, and it focuses on the natural, cultural, and political history of the country. It is kind of a cross between the American Museum of Natural History and the Met (although all of the sculptures and paintings were done by citizens of New Zealand) It is a very nice museum, and one worth popping into if you are in the Wellington area.

After the museum, we did one more spin through downtown looking for a cat for mom, failed again, and hit the road to Masterton. The drive was pretty uneventful, until some teenaged New Zealand hoodlums in 2 loud obnoxious run down looking cars got pissed at Phil thinking that he was filming their driving shenanigans… okay maybe he was… but still! In any event they were none-to-happy… and got all ghetto on us, hootin’ and hollerin’ trying to tail us… good times really! Thankfully, my high powered machine was just too much for their tired clunkers…( or maybe they just didn’t want to go over the Rimutaka Hill ) but we lost them by the time we were comfortably in the hills! We stopped at the hilltop café, all that excitement having worked up our appetite, and had ourselves two surprisingly delicious venison burgers on the deck out front overlooking the pass.

Once satiated, we continued the drive over the hill and eventually found our way to the Masterton town line. The Moata B & B sits about 5km outside of the town center. We took a by-pass road just before town and quickly found ourselves in cow-country way off the beaten path. It was peaceful and scenic, and just what the doctor ordered for our last 2 nights. We turned off the country road to a long quiet dirt driveway up to the house. Cow pastures flanked us on either side of the drive, and a cattle grate marked the entrance to the Moata grounds. I guess they didn’t want the resident heifers eating in their gardens! The house sits on over 10 acres of well landscaped grounds, and as I understand it, is over 75 years old. It was acquired by the current owners, Ngaire & Ross, a lovely older couple, in the last decade or so. Their own kids have grown and gone off to college and/or have gotten married, so they decided to enter the B&B game. They also have an adorable Jack Russell Terrier as well, but sadly I cannot remember her name... I know, I know… I’m a bad vet. They were warm and gracious hosts and took very good care of us. Our bedroom was very spacious with a giant queen bed that begged us to take a nap! We didn’t have a chance really, and in short order we were counting sheep in dreams. After a few wonderfully restful hours, we were woken up by the sound of rain on the roof!

We took a nice warm shower, made ourselves look all purty-like, and set out to Queen Elizabeth Park and Café Cecille for the rehearsal dinner. It was pouring by the time we made it to the café, so we weren’t able to enjoy any of the outdoor seating, but no worries. It was a very intimate affair, with about 20 of Vanessa’s friends and family sharing in the moment. It was a lovely evening. We hung out with Natalie, Julie, and Maxine, the ladies we met the day before at the wine adventure, as well as some new fun faces: Rachel, Sarah, Lisa, Max, Marilyn, Paul, Ruth, and Terry… it was a nice time indeed! I was a good lad since I was driving, so Phil did more of the drinking for both of us! Maxine and Phil seemed to get along the best of the folks we met. She is a performer and singer in a theater group in London, so they had a lot in common, and their senses of humor seemed to gel perfectly! They got so comfortable the next day, that they took over the wedding entertainment! …but we’ll get to that later. After a few fun-filled hours, Paul made an appearance to escort his wife-to-be home in the rain, and we got a chance to meet the man, the myth… the legend… for the first time! Paul is a very gregarious, warm, and friendly guy. It was nice to put a face with the name, and by their interaction, I could tell they were a perfect fit! I was so happy they found each other! We followed the couple back to Paul’s house to meet his mother and father and to have a night cap. They were very gracious hosts, and we felt immediately comfortable there. Vanessa-Jayne turned in early, and we wished her a restful night’s sleep, and wished the bridesmaids luck in lacing up the back of the gown! We had one last beer with Paul’s father and Nigel on the porch after everyone had left and gone, and then decided we’d better get home and rest for the big day tomorrow!

Saturday January 27th

The wedding was at 3pm, so we allowed ourselves to sleep in a little. After finally deciding to crawl out of bed, we showered and head downstairs to the sunroom for breakfast where we found our host buzzing about the kitchen. She put out a huge spread of cereals, fruits, fresh-baked breads, muffins, cookies, homemade jams, juices, teas, and coffee for Phil!! It was magically delicious! After recharging, we decided to spend the early part of the day in downtown Masterton. Like so many towns before it, Masterton center consists of a long main road with various shops and restaurants lining the way. It is a bit bigger than other towns we were in, so the variety was better, and better still, if you visit at the right time, you might just catch the Annual Golden Shears Competition!! Sadly, we didn’t visit at the right time! After striking out in the Mom cat department for most of the trip, we hit the jackpot in Masterton. Every place we looked into seemed to have something better than the next. Of course, given the bad luck up until that point, we were a little careless, leaving each successful venture with a new cat not realizing another one sat waiting for us! By the end of the morning’s shopping, we had 3 more cats to add to the glass masterpiece from the day before! After a nice lunch at a corner café, we head back to the Moata to get cleaned up for our final bow in New Zealand, Vanessa-Jaynes wedding bonanza!

The wedding ceremony was held at St. Matthew’s Chapel, a small but lovely edifice on the campus of a local private Christian school across a wide field from Paul’s family home. It was perfect, as the reception was to be held on the grounds of the homestead, so guests could walk back to the reception with no fuss at all! The whole event was charming in every sense of the word, and it seemed to go off without a hitch. Though clouds covered the sky and a light mist fell from time to time throughout the afternoon, the spirit of the day was nothing but bright. We arrived in time to see the bridal party leaving the house in a handsome horse-drawn carriage. Vanessa-Jayne was radiant, with her beautiful long red hair curled to perfection and accented with fresh cut white flowers. She was beaming throughout the affair, and her love for Paul was ever apparent! The service was simple and charming. She was lead in by her two best friends, Natalie and Julie, and her brother Nigel was there to give her away. Paul’s mother Liz presided over the service and was eloquent and charming in her performance. After sealing their union with a kiss, the couple made their first public appearance beneath the steps of the chapel.

After the last of the guests trickled out of the chapel and made their way across the field to the reception, the fun really began. The grounds of the Greville home were beautifully appointed and the reception was a comfortable and casual affair. The party was kept running smoothly by the tireless efforts of the neighborhood kids Paul and his brothers grew up with! They are a very close-knit community, and everyone insisted on donating their time and services to help celebrate the happy day. It was wonderful. From the moment people arrived, the finger-foods never stopped coming out of the kitchen, and the drinks never stopped flowing. They were so persistent, (God bless them) that no glass was ever allowed to be more than half empty! Good times!

Paul’s sister’s fiancé, Richard was charged with the task of entertaining the crowd with some beautiful classical piano music. As the evening progressed, and people relaxed, things got more and more silly. Before the sun set on the day, the cake was cut, and various toasts were made in honor of the happy couple. Paul rounded out the lot, expressing his feelings for his new wife in a charming speech that was both humorous and heartfelt.

After the last of the formalities, people really started to let their hair down, and Phil and Maxine, who had been cavorting with a group near the piano, were starting to get pressured into singing a little something for everyone. Well anyone who knows Phil knows he is terribly shy, and he just couldn’t possibly be made to sing on demand… oh no, not him… he belted!! He was a hit, and Maxine was asked to follow! Though coy at first, after hearing her sultry rich voice, the crowd response eased her nerves, and before long she was sitting at the piano with Phil running through their favorite showtunes! You all saw this coming didn’t you?! In short order, people were surrounding the piano, and the cabaret duo was on!!! At one point, the couple was asked to do a first dance, and Phil and Maxine sang their song a cappella. As the booze flowed, and the hours passed, the duo turned into group sing-a-longs, which became group sing-and-dance-a-longs! By the end of the night, Phil and I were dancing arm in arm showing off our best 70’s airplane-esque dance moves much to the delight everyone around us. Vanessa and Paul’s family and friends are wonderful people, and we couldn’t have felt more at home if we tried! Before we knew it, it was almost 2am, and we had the sad task of saying good-bye to all of our new friends, Vanessa-Jayne and Paul, and New Zealand! It was all smiles and big hugs though, as it was a happy occasion, and we knew in our hearts that we had just experienced something wonderful… and I’m not just talking about the wedding… that was just the icing on the cake… I’m talking about the whole experience. Phil and I didn’t kill each other after 2 weeks together, and I think I can comfortable say that our affection and love for each other only grew as the time together passed. I consider ourselves lucky, or fortunate, or blessed, or whatever the right word is to describe that special something that happens when you 2 people just come together and fit.

Sunday January 28th

We woke up early Sunday morning to make the journey back to Wellington to catch a 10:30 flight to Auckland, and then an early afternoon flight from Auckland to home. Despite the early wake up, our gracious hosts at the Moata were up earlier to send us off with a full belly! Too kind indeed! The drive back over the hills was painless and beautiful, and we sat in comfortable silence savoring the last few hours on the ground of this amazing place! There are no words to truly convey our feelings (well, maybe a few, if you count this ridiculous 10 part series you’ve been reading through ) but suffice it to say the memories will be long-lasting! Thank you Phil for sharing… and making it so easy. XOXO

New Zealand Part 9

Wednesday January 24th

We got up early, for a change, and hit the road north for Picton by way of Kaikoura . Kaikoura is a place that would have been fun to explore had we had one more day. It isn’t the town so much that is exciting, although its location on a rugged coastal peninsula surrounded by dramatic snow-capped mountains adds a certain magical something, but the coastal waters around it that is the draw! The town is an old whaling village that now draws its income from a huge ocean tour industry. The whale watching here is allegedly out of this world, offering people the chance to see a huge variety of cetaceans, the centerpiece of which is the Sperm Whale! Yep, that’s a real life Moby Dick in the house people! Alas, two weeks just wasn’t enough!! We hoped we’d get lucky enough to see something from the coast as we chugged along the Kaikoura coastal drive, but alas, it was not meant to be. Fear not though, we did not leave “empty handed” as there is a huge fur seal colony at the tip of the peninsula that more than made up for things! In fact, as we pulled into the lot, we were greeted by a large male fur seal who decided to lounge on shore right next to the car park. The fur seals are adorable, and are just big lumbering lazy looking critters on land. The one next to the car was just sitting there with eyes half-mast completely un-phased by our presence. Of course, as docile as they seem in repose, they sure as hell come to life if you cross them! Our furry little friend became one nasty Mo Fo when I tried to take a picture from his other side! I guess he’s like Barbara and prefers his left side for pictures! Oy!! All I know is the beast sat up more quickly than I ever expected and showed me a mouth full of teeth that would make a lion envious! Yeah, I was scared, and for one brief moment I was overcome with that pre-diarrhea sensation as I ran as quickly as I could back to his good side! Wow… the term wild animal quickly came back to mind as I noticed a warning across the lot with a cut-out of a person holding a camera and a seal with a line between them measuring 10m… ha ha ha… ha… oops. My bad!

After spending some time with Mr. Angry the seal, we hit the road and continued the drive north. The stretch of coast you enjoy as you head north of Kaikoura is pretty spectacular. A branch of the Southern Alps kisses the coast at this point creating dramatic views, with gorgeous shear rock bluffs, rocky coastal stretches, and secluded beaches. We also learned in short order that almost everywhere that there were rocks on the coast, there were seals! It was amazing! At various points along the road the mountains come down so sharply that tunnels have been cut into the rock to keep the road out of the ocean! As we rounded one particular bend and head into a tunnel, we passed one proud seal sitting on a rock higher than the guard rail on the road watching the traffic go by! So funny!! About halfway along this stretch of road we happened upon a small white trailer that at first glance looked abandoned. As we got closer though, we realized that it was a little seafood shack called Nin’s Bin. Apparently it’s a little treasure that both tourists and locals alike have enjoyed for several decades now! Lucky us! It sits on a flat stretch of rocky coast absolutely off the beaten path with no signs of civilization anywhere near it. We went in and ordered some garlic and herb butter steamed mussels and a crayfish (New Zealand lobster) for the drive later. We took the plate of mussels out to a picnic table outback right on the ocean. There were seals on the distant rocks and a couple of interesting shore birds exploring the beach along the breakers as we ate. A black variable oystercatcher and some pied shags picking at something in the sand. Further along, just before the road leaves the coast, we passed a stretch of beautiful gray sand beaches with sun soaked turquoise ocean waters. I was a striking contrast, so of course we stopped. We walked out along the soft gray sands and enjoyed the warm ocean breezes on what would turn out to be our last beach moment of the trip! It was hard to leave, but the ferry was a-calling, and we had a little ways to go to get back, and we wanted to try and see a few of the famous Marlborough Wineries. On the way, we decided not to wait until the ferry, and cracked open our crawfish prematurely and enjoyed the succulent bounty within its orange shell! Okay, it wasn’t as rich and sweet as a Maine Lobster, but it was damn good!

We made it to the town of Blenheim with time to spare, and after getting lost in the town center for a spell, managed to get ourselves on track to see a few of the local wineries. Blenheim is considered the center of the wine region, and given its close proximity to Picton ( less than 30 minutes) it’s a great first place to stop when you get to the South Island, or certainly before you’re leaving! Our day in the region could not have been better if we tried. The weather was flawless with temperatures near 80 and not a cloud in the sky. For those of you who have been to Northern California, the Marlborough Region has the flavor and beauty of Napa, without the commercialism. The grounds are all well landscaped and the tasting rooms are beautiful and intimate! What is more, the tastings are usually free or cheap cheap cheap! I don’t think we paid more than $2 NZ for any of them! Truly remarkable and not to be missed for the wine lovers among you!! And oh did we enjoy ourselves this fine day!! In fact, if we had a flexible ferry pass, we would have needed a driver to get us back to Picton, because we were well on our way to getting comfortably numb enjoying all of the sumptuous flavors that afternoon in the valley! We only had time for 3 wineries, but they were all great! Our first stop on the loop was Cloudy Bay . Across the street was Allan Scott , and on the home stretch towards the ferry was Hunter’s Wines !! Yummylicious! We managed to leave with a bottle from each of them! Of course, our collection was growing, and we had recently learned that you were only allowed to take back 2 liters back per person… so we had a bit of problem, as we probably had about 7 bottles now. Shit! I guess we were going to be drinking before we left! Again!


After our last tasting we hit the final stretch of South Island road back to Picton. The weather was even better than when we arrived, and we were psyched for what we knew would be a gorgeous journey back to Wellington. We pulled the car back in front of the terminal in a screech, as we had carelessly lost track of time and had only 10 minutes or so to get unpacked, checked in, and up the ramp! Oops! As we were unloading, we started smelling wine, and knowing that we were not that sloppy at the wineries, realized that one of the bottles must have offed itself on the last leg of the trip! D’oh. As we pulled the big army green bag out of the back seat, we noticed it appeared to be bleeding along the bottom edges. We tore through the bag and found the bottle of Waiheke Weeping Sands White Merlot in pieces in the bottom corner! So sad! ( Sorry Heather - Our proof that a decent white merlot actually exists outside of the U.S. was lost in a heap of stinking glass!) We didn’t have time to mourn the loss though, as we were late! We just prayed that in dying it did not ruin all of our clothes in the process… and then there were 6!. We checked the wine soaked mess into the baggage hold to put the tragedy behind us, and ran up the boarding ramp in time for the final boarding call. We apparently like to give ourselves ulcers, because it seems like we were on the verge of missing every major scheduled event we made on this trip!

We set up camp on the top deck at the rear of the ship in the glorious summer sun, hit up the concession stand for comfort food in the form of meat pies and fish and chips, and sat back and enjoyed the ride... and boy did it deliver! The trip was out of the park amazing! The water color was insane, changing in intensity with the depth of the water and the angle of the sun, with light Caribbean blue eventually darkening to a deep royal blue as we entered the deeper waters of Cook Straight! Clouds hugged the peaks of the northern coastal mountains and we watched as the waves crashed powerfully against the dramatic rock formations at their feet on our way out into the open waters. The power of the sea was apparent as several of the larger rocky crags along the way had tunnels worn right through their centers! Circling sea gulls serenaded us as we pulled into the open waters and soon the strong open water winds were whipping past our ears making it hard to hear ourselves in simple conversation!! About halfway across the Straight, we noticed the North Island was not yet visible because a wall of fog had settled over the water. It was like we were sailing into a Stephen King Novel. If any of you ever read “the Mist” you know what I’m talking about! Creepy indeed! For a few minutes, as the fog surrounded us, the whole ship sunk into the darkness of a rainy day, and we were cut off from land entirely. Before our imaginations had time conjure up the worst though, the sun burned brilliantly through the leading edge of the cloud wall and the North Island came back into view. We were welcomed back to the North Island by the same twin light houses we’d seen on the way out, and the Interislander cruised comfortably the rest of the way into port.

We collected our bags, loaded them into the first cab we saw, and sped to the Kingsgate Hotel on Oriental Bay. Oriental Bay is the body of water that the city of Wellington curves around. The hotel was sublimely located up on a hill overlooking the entire downtown and within a few blocks from the restaurant and arts scene. Perfection! Looking back up the hill our hotel sat on was very reminiscent of San Francisco, with steep streets traveling up the face and a variety of multi-colored houses hugging the hillsides. Of course… what we didn’t realize was that while the location was fabulous, the inside of the hotel itself was probably designed in the 60s, and had not changed since! WOW!! We had an antique radio on the nightstand that conjured up images of small children in the 40’s listening to little Orphan Annie on while sipping their Ovaltine! We didn’t care though. It was a spacious room and our balcony had the view that you see on the hotel website! (P.S. I’m happy to report that renovations are currently underway, so don’t be scared!)


Once settled, we assessed the damage the bottle of wine had caused, and had hope that the fact that it was a blush might save the clothes inside from permanent ruin. We rubbed our lucky casino chips and set up a few loads of laundry, conveniently located 2 doors down from our room. I also soaked the back in the shower a few times and set it on the balcony to get some fresh air. Instead of waiting in the room, we decided to pass the time in the pool while awaiting the final verdict on the clothes! The pool sits at the far end of the hotel on the main floor and has a floor to ceiling glass wall on 2 sides and an outdoor balcony all with beautiful views of Wellington and the bay. There was nobody using the pool when we arrived, so we had the room to ourselves! Fantastic! The water was like a bath, and we reveled in the moment, soaking ourselves until every last bit of stress was gone and our fingers told us we were done! I should also mention that the acoustics in the room were kind of fun, you know, like that small room echo you get in a racquetball court, and Phil took advantage and treated me to a song or two, or four, but who’s counting! It was great. He’s quite the romantic if you hadn’t figured that out yet, and I’m a sucker for a man who can sing! A good match indeed!

Once in the room, I checked the laundry, and was happy to find that everything cleaned up nicely. Even the bag had recovered! We decided to celebrate by walking down the hill to a local restaurant call Kai in the City. The word Kai means Food in Maori. The restaurant offered traditional Maori food in a modest setting at a great price! It was a cozy little place, and we had the good fortune of dining at the same time a larger Maori family was. A young woman among them took out her guitar and treated the patrons to a number of traditional songs. It was a real treat! The food was surprisingly delicious too, and aside from our absentee waitress, who was more caught up in singing back up to our native songstress, the experience was a great!

The plan for the next day was to meet up with Vanessa and company to kick off the wedding festivities by doing some wine tasting in the Martinborough area! Because we had to pick up the car early in the morning and get to the region, about an hour away, by 10, we decided not to have too crazy a night. Instead, we settled on our usual wine in the room, and enjoyed the great views and each other’s company… and then there were 5…

New Zealand Part 8

Tuesday January 23rd

... after a good night’s sleep we got up and drove into the downtown of Christchurch. Christchurch is the 3rd largest city in New Zealand, and it is definitely a real city. We really only explored the downtown, and that was great, but if you have a chance, the coastal stretch is supposed to be beautiful as well, so take advantage!! The city is centered around Cathedral Square and radiates out from there. It is a beautiful mix of old meets new with classic English Gothic style architecture abutting a more modern style. The Christchurch Cathedral is the centerpiece of the square, as the name implies! The square itself has no real greenery, save a few trees, and is largely a main thoroughfare for the locals and tourists alike. We got there in the middle of the World Busker Festival, so the main square was always filled with large groups of people surrounding the entertainers! We saw glimpses of a few of the shows and they were good fun! Everything from young Irish girls river dancing, to a drag queen juggling machetes while wearing roller skates and standing on a barrel… good wholesome family fun! We were more interested in seeing the city though, so never hung around too long in one spot. The Historic Trolley, an electric trolley system a la The Rice-a-Roni San Francisco Trolleys, can be picked up near the Cathedral, and is a fun and convenient way to see the downtown sites. We had hoped to have dinner on one of the trolley cars that has been transformed into a fine restaurant on the go, but due to its popularity we had to settle for a plan B. We chose to go with The Christchurch Gondola Restaurant on the rim of the extinct Lyttleton Volcano. We'll get to that later...

From the main square we branched out and started exploring some of the coffee shops and stores on our travels through town. The early part of the morning was cold, and we didn’t dress as carefully for the weather as we should have. In an emergency effort to warm up, we made decided to make a quick pit stop into the… anyone? anyone? you guessed it, the Salvation Army and found Phil a long sleeve shirt to wear. Much to our dismay though, it was cash only and we were fresh out! The woman behind the counter was very gracious though, and without missing a beat told us not to worry and just take it. She was much more concerned that Phil was comfortable than making the $5. aw… **sniffle** It was a very kind gesture… and I suspect, in some ways, payback for all of that bad music we bought from them on the trip! I should also mention, as is often the case, as soon as we bought said shirt, the sun came out and the day warmed up considerably!

We made our way back to the center of town to a greenway surround the Avon River. The city is quite charming in this way. There are many interconnected greenways and parks making it a very scenic and outdoor friendly place to visit. The small Avon River snakes lazily through the center of town wrapping around the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park. There are several Gondoliers along the way, and if you have the time, they can take you punting on the Avon. The walks around the river were all green with weeping willows and tall trees flanking the shores along its length, with picturesque bridges crossing here and there. On our hunt for food, we settled on a restaurant called Ferment which featured a large outdoor seating area with River views. It was a tasty modern twist on the New Zealand Standard (starting to sound familiar!?) We sat outside and enjoyed a nice crisp glass of Savignon Blanc from the region, some good food, and some people watching.

We continued along the water after lunch to the main road over the river, Worcester Blvd, and traveled south towards the botanical gardens through the cultural precinct. The main Art Gallery , http://www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz/ is a large stylish modern structure on your right as you walk south. I should mention that the reason you haven’t heard much about the art and cultural scene is because Phil and I decided that for us, the natural beauty of the country was more interesting to us. It was winter in the U.S. after all, so why not spend as much time outside as we could?!

On the opposite side of the Art Gallery, are the gorgeous stone Gothic buildings of the Arts Center, the old home of Canterbury University. The Center is now home to artisans of all sorts, crafts, candy-makers, painters, music groups, and theater troupes. We picked up a couple of local wares as we passed through, and continued our trek to the Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are open to the public so you can amble about at your leisure, and we did just that. We held hands and walked along the Avon and then through the flowering paths taking in the warm afternoon sun. After spending some time in the gardens, we hopped on the trolley and stopped off at Hagley Park. This park is more for recreation, and is just a wide open expanse of green where folks can play cricket, soccer, or just be silly like we were, doing handstands and cartwheels, and having a little makeshift photo shoot in the bright afternoon sun! My boy Phil looked damn good!

After Hagley Park, we hopped back on the trolley and head to the Christchurch Casino for our last betting chip of the trip! Yeah, we were kind of lame as we never actually bet in these casinos! From the casino we walked back through Victoria Park and stopped to see the famous working flower clock. The park sits along the Avon River, so we strolled back along the river towards the center of town just enjoying the lazy time together. It was nice to just relax and enjoy the day without having to run off to the next destination. After a full day in town, we collected our old girl from the car park, hopped in, and hit the road for the Christchurch Gondola mentioned before on the outskirts of town. The ride takes you up about 1500 feet above sea level on to the rim of an extinct volcano with panoramic views of Lyttleton Harbor in one direction (created after the last great eruption) and Christchurch in the other. The views are amazing. We took advantage of a hiking trail around the rim of the volcano before dinner since we still had reasonable sunlight. It was a nice walk, just a little on the cold side! The wind was brisk, and low clouds were blowing in quickly up the face of the rim on either side of us. It was eerie.

We turned back as the sun was getting lower and the air colder, and decided to enjoy the views from inside the restaurant instead. Unlike the Queenstown experience, the restaurant was a more modest affair, and far less crowded. It was not a buffet, and the menu was wonderfully eclectic. We enjoyed an ostrich starter and quail and lamb entrees. YUM!! During dinner, the restaurant was entirely lost in the clouds, and for a while, it looked like we were eating in the sky. It was amazing. After the hearty meal, we head back down the mountain and drove back into Christchurch proper toward the Jailhouse. We thought about hitting up the local gay bars, yes they actually had a few here, but after our underwhelming experience in Auckland and our plans for an early departure the next morning, we decided not to overextend ourselves. We wanted to be fresh to enjoy a leisurely drive back to Picton for the ferry trip back to Wellington.

New Zealand Part 7

Monday January 22nd

… we got up early to bid adieu to Queenstown and get a good start on the day. Our initial plan was to take the cross country road northeast through the high mountain pass towards Christchurch, but were convinced instead to take a southern detour through Gore and on through to the southeast coastal city of Dunedin (Duh – nee’ – dun) by our friends on the Milford Wanderer. They suggested it because it offered a good chance to get up close and personal with The Royal Albatross, Yellow-eyed penguins, and fur seals. How could we say no?! The morning was cool and comfortable as we head out, and we were greeted with clear blue skies and warm rays of sun just starting to peak out from behind the mountains around town. Since it was so nice, we decided to take one last stroll along the inner harbor before we left. It was wonderful. We drove up the eastern hills for a final view of the beautiful town below before saying one last good-bye. It was sad to leave, but we were excited to see more. We did our typical quick eat and go, and took the road south along Lake Wakatipu towards the turn off for Te Anau as we did the day before. When we got to the turn though, we kept on heading south instead. In typical New Zealand fashion, the dramatic peaks around the lake softened gradually, and within twenty minutes we found ourselves driving through open pastures and rolling hills as far as the eye could see. The fields across the distance, from golden to green, created a kind of patchwork quilt over the land. The occasional farm house was thrown in to remind us that sheep were not the only living creatures in these parts! The road took a bend to the east and after about two and a half hours we found ourselves driving through the metropolis of Gore!! http://www.gorenz.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.home

Okay, so I exaggerate… but by New Zealand standards, it was a pretty big town. The main street of it was in the style of many of the smaller towns before it, sporting basic boxy awnings with the added bonus of hanging basket plants over the walkways. It gave the place a homier feel than others we had seen. We made a quick pit-stop in town, as we needed a new memory card for the camera and some new tunes for the tape deck! I walked up one way for the card and Phil the other, towards the Salvation Army. We met back in about 15 minutes ready to shoot more pictures and with a collection of music to brighten the mood. It was an eclectic mix, from Choral, to Symphonic, to Ally McBeal, to some local songstress who turned out to be a 60’s-style religious diva! Um…WOW!! By the time we got to the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin that afternoon, we were way down with Jesus! We turned through town and just before leaving came to a roundabout with a number of things that caught our eye and forced us to make the loop instead of leaving town! First, was a ginormous 30 foot brown fish posed as if jumping out the water attached to a welcome sign touting Gore as the Brown Trout Capital of New Zealand… Who knew?! As if that weren’t enough, we passed a large modern glass clock tower marking the epicenter of the arts scene in town (apparently there are a number of galleries and small theaters… go Gore!) And at last, the piece de resistance, a large marble tower with a guitar cut out of the center announcing proudly that Gore was New Zealand’s Country Music Capital!! Yee Haw!!! Aligned along the base were handprints of the stars (a la Planet Hollywood) with the one and only “Gambler” being the most famous of the artist’s represented!

After a good laugh, we pressed on. Gore is close to the southeastern coast and as we looked at our map we found KaKa point just south of our main course and couldn’t resist taking the small detour! Yes, I know, we are very mature thirty-somethings… Don’t judge! We’re glad we did though. Kaka Point is right near Nugget Point, naturally, at the northern extent of the Catlins,
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/features/catlins-feature/catlins.cfm

the southernmost region of the South Island. We only got a small taste of this region, but it is known for its natural beauty, full of soft white sand beaches, dramatic rocky coastal stretches, quiet secluded bays, and thick dense rain forests that serve as the home for a number of New Zealand’s most endangered birds. Kaka point is a beautiful coastal stretch that reaches its most beautiful where it merges with the rugged peninsula of Nugget Point which features an old white lighthouse on the high hills at its tip. The beaches were beautiful white sand stretches with tall grasses flowing in the wind and scattered rocks along the surf. We enjoyed some time walking on the beach and breathing the fresh sea air before continuing on to Dunedin.

The coastal drive north to Dunedin is beautiful. There are wide open green fields across rolling hills, scattered small lakes, with hints of the grand alps just visible in the far distance to the west as you crest some of the bigger passes. We turned off the main highway and took a more narrow gravel road for a stretch that carried us to the Pacific Ocean. It was stunning… we approached from a higher elevation, so to our north we were treated with a panoramic view of the curving beaches leading up to the city of Dunedin. We stopped a few times to just enjoy the scenery, but kept a reasonably quick pace to try to get to the Otago Peninsula with time enough to see the animals. We knew that Dunedin was going to be a more formidable city when the little 2 lane highway opened up to an actual freeway. The hilltops started to fill in with houses and by the time we hit the final approach to Dunedin we were in a real city. We parked on the street just off the main square and decided to get a bite to eat before driving on to the Peninsula. Dunedin’s main square is actually an octagon with restaurants, church, and state buildings surrounding the central “square”. It was really nice, and unexpected! We walked fast down a stretch to the Old Rail Station, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunedin_Railway_Station
which is one of the most striking buildings on the South Island. It is a gorgeous old stone building, but we didn’t really stop to tour it or anything because the hunger pains were starting to kill us! We settled on a cozy vegetarian restaurant called Pot Pourri. No, I’m serious, it was vegetarian. I know, crazy talk! We figured we had so defiled our systems with meat pies that we should try and purify ourselves with at least one healthy meal! It was a real treat. It was a one woman show, and she overstuffed our plates with a colorful array veggies, beans, and cheeses… YUM! We rolled ourselves to our car, and hit the road to see the wildlife. Much to Phil’s dismay, we spotted the Cadbury World New Zealand on the way out, and missed a chance to treat ourselves to some chocolate magic! We did stop to hit up the Dunedin Casino though, for our lucky betting chip before leaving town. Of course I had to do an on the street change of clothes to actually pass “inspection” on the way in to get said chip though! Apparently they are a more sophisticated lot over there, and no one gets in with shorts, jeans, hats, or T-shirt…hurrumph.

We drove out of the main city to the Otago Peninsula http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otago_Peninsula and snaked our way out to the very end on one of the slowest windiest coastal drives I’ve been on!! Oy! At the end of the island the road winds up a hill to a high point light house and the home of the Royal Albatross Breeding Colony, the only mainland breeding colony in the world. http://www.albatross.org.nz/. We opted out of the tour though when we found that it was going to be a lot of money for a lot of talking and little to no actual bird time. No thank you… education, shmeducation… we wanted wildlife! Instead, we walked to the cliffs at the edge of the car park and tried our luck at seeing the Albatross in flight. The colony is perched high above the ocean below. From the lighthouse at its peak, the grassy surface becomes shear rock as the cliffs fall sharply to the water. Sea gulls were flying all around the cliffs, filling the sky with specks of white. Perched on various small outcroppings were a number of breeding pairs of Pied Shags. And lounging on the water’s edge we spotted a few fur seals lounging in the cool afternoon air. We weren’t sure if we’d be lucky enough to see the Albatross, as it needs a good wind to sustain itself in flight since it does little to no flapping of its wings once it hits the air! The lucky chip we picked up must have worked, as the winds picked up and within a few minutes several of the birds were seen soaring effortlessly through the skies at times high above and others hovering inches above the water. At almost 10 feet of wingspan, they are pretty impressive indeed!


From Albatross land, we drove 20 minutes or so down the road to Penguin Place, http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/ a conservation for the Yellow-eyed penguin, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-eyed_Penguin the rarest penguin in the world! The Penguin Place is protected cove on the peninsula that has hidden walkways built within the scrub and bushes that the penguins use as their breeding ground allowing for up close and personal viewing without getting in their way. The adults head out to sea during the day to gather food for the young, and the babies just hang out in the nests or under the bushes waiting for their dinners! Those are some patient babies! We got there a little too early to see the big parental return from sea, but we did happen to catch one lone parent walking across the beach to the bush. It was so funny to watch it walk across the sand. It is quite impressive how far some of them will choose to climb into the bush, especially given their small stature; adults don’t get much more than 2 feet tall. It just looks like a lot of work for them! Since the parents were largely gone we saw mostly babies and adolescent birds, and oh my God are they cute! If you’ve seen Happy Feet, then you know what the main character mumbles looks like, all downy soft on his head, with an adult lower half! It was adorable! At one point we were within 5 feet of three youngsters that were hanging out under a tree together, like a little penguin daycare! We walked along a high embankment overlooking the cove and came across a couple of fur seals just hanging out. Their population is threatened as well, but is on the rise, so the folks of the conservation find it bitter sweet. They are happy for the seals, but since the seals are one of the number one predators of the Penguin, they aren’t thrilled to see them moving in near the birds! The other bonus was the presence of a few small nesting Blue Penguins, the world’s smallest penguin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin They were all nestled on their eggs, but they were so sweet looking, peering out suspiciously as we tried to catch a glimpse within the boxes.

After the tour, we head back to downtown Dunedin, and decided to stop at the last minute when we saw a sign for Larnach Castle: http://www.larnachcastle.co.nz/index.pasp New Zealand’s only castle. It is a small structure compared to the grand structures of Europe, but it is quite lovely and in an amazing natural setting! We only hung around long enough to walk through the grounds a little, because we had a long drive ahead to get to Christchurch.

As the sun was setting on our coastal drive north, we again happened upon a sign for another tourist trap, I mean stop… the Moeraki Boulders: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders They are written about in all the guidebooks, so we figured what the hell, they must be cool, we’re here, why not?! Well at first glance they are rather underwhelming. You step on to the beach and you can just make out a small grouping of rocks along the shore about a 15 minute walk north of the car park. When you get to the rocks they are definitely beautiful and kind of otherworldly, but just not as grand as I would have hoped.

Now that said, if you are in the area, I think it is worth seeing, but don’t make a special trip. If you read the link though, and I didn’t know this until I came back and read about them, it appears that the large 3+ foot diameter boulders are actually hollow! Very cool! Anyway, the boulders did give us an excuse to get a little more beach time, and it is actually very nice one at that. If you’re lucky like we were, you may get to see dolphins playing in the waves just off the beach! From their size and coloration, they looked like they could have been Hector dolphins, which are the rarest of the dolphins in the world, and only found in New Zealand waters… Who knows though, I obviously couldn’t be sure, but whatever they were, they were fun to watch splashing in the waves teasing me as I tried my damnedest to capture them on film. Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. While we were waiting though, we were treated to the beginnings of a most spectacular sunset. It was not low enough to create the dramatic oranges and reds, but brilliant and striking sunbeams stretched dramatically down through the clouds touching the horizon before us. It was magical! One of Phil’s favorite moments I think! Nature astounds me continuously, and this was just one more example of why!

We hit the road from there and started really cruising to try and get to the Jailhouse before too late. Thankfully, we called ahead and there was no chance we were going to get locked out like we did in Greymouth, but we were still a little nervous. It took a few hours, and on the way we started getting peckish… as we tend to, but found that after 9pm, finding food in New Zealand is a real bear! After driving aimlessly through some small towns, we broke down and had our first and only fast food of the trip, filling our bellies with a Pizza Hut special! BBQ chicken if I remember correctly! Since we had time to kill, we decided to clean out the car and repack our bags for the Jailhouse. It was a hell of a sight seeing all of our gear spread out on the sidewalk, the roof, and hood of the car as we tried to regain control!! It’s a damn good thing the town was quiet… it wasn’t pretty!

The last stretch of the drive to Christchurch was pretty painless. It was pretty much a straight shot, with no real twists or turns, and since the sun had set it was too dark to really appreciate the landscape making it a pretty generic stretch… that is until we were reminded by a talk radio host that “comet” viewing was spectacular this evening. I should mention that the night before we had seen an odd “something” through a break in the clouds, and weren’t sure if it was an aircraft or UFO, so we kind of brushed it off. When we looked around and realized that there was ZERO light pollution around us, we stopped the car with a screech and pulled off on to the grass. When we got out and looked around, the night sky was truly awe-inspiring; like something one might see in a NASA photograph of deep space. In all directions, stars filled up every inch of the night sky shining a brilliant white down from the heavens. The spaces not covered by stars were backlit with soft pink and yellow hues creating that patchy “cloudy” look one might see with dense star clusters and nebulae. It is humbling to say the least. As if that were not enough though, illuminating the western sky, the Comet McNaught, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_McNaught was seen diving down towards the horizon leaving a dramatic long flowing tail that filled half of the night sky!! There are no words. Truly a once in a lifetime as this comet may never come back to us!

Feeling inspired and energized, the last stretch to Christchurch was easy. We found our accommodations, the historic jailhouse. This hostel is actually in the restored jailhouse and is surprisingly nice, with a an element of mystery and fun. The rooms are all converted cell rooms, and the bath rooms and showers are all refurbished original structures! It was a lot of fun… nothing like a hot shower in a prison and then getting locked in with your cellmate for the night… Oz anyone? =)

New Zealand Part 6

And the journey continues.....in baby steps! :-) Enjoy!!!

Sunday January 21st

… We settled back into the Pulsar and set ourselves up for the drive back to Queenstown. Yet again, I didn’t really judge the gas situation very well from Te Anau on the way in, and found ourselves in a precarious situation where we might end up stalled out in the middle of the rainforest with the poor old girl sputtering for air. The next gas stop wasn’t until Te Anau, 144 miles away. CURSES! With no option but to drive on, we did just that; why fret what you can’t control… we hit the road and just enjoyed the scenery on the ride back hoping for the best! The fog was a little lower in the early part up to the Homer Tunnel, so we really felt like we were driving in another world. The rainforest on the western side of the tunnel was dense in places and we stopped off at the Chasm about 15 minutes up the road from the sound. The Chasm is a natural “bottomless pit” that the Claddau River has carved out over thousands of years. The falls are set back from the road but can be reached easily by a wonderful 10 minute walk from the car park. The open air of the car park disappears quickly, and you are immersed immediately in lush dense temperate rain forest. A small network of boardwalks and bridges leads you to the falls. A subtle mist hung in the air that morning, blurring the distances, making it easy for us to lose ourselves in the moment. Glistening drops of water clung to every leaf and branch and the only sounds we could hear were the singing of birds and the constant subtle roar of rushing water in the distance. A wooden bridge takes you right over the crest of the falls, and even standing over them, it is difficult to appreciate how far they fall since they are lost quickly in the narrow chasm of rock they created. It was beautiful. We were the only people there, so we spent a few minutes enjoying the solitude.

We strolled back through the forest to the car and continued on. Going back east through the tunnel was interesting because it just didn’t seem quite as steep on the way down! On the other side, we found ourselves back in the granite bowl with the “three amigos” still reeking havoc with the tourists. One of the three had perched itself on the driver side mirror of a large tour bus. The Japanese tourists on the bus were loving every minute of it! As we slowly passed the crowd, we noticed some of them staring at us… before we panicked, we heard the sharp clicking of metal on our roof, and realized one of the Keas was freeloading on the roof of our car. Phil got out quickly and snapped a picture. With nothing for it to tear at and play with though, as the brilliant minds at Nissan that designed the performance Pulsar opted for the sleek aerodynamic shell you see in the pictures, the Kea got bored quickly and flew off.

The pace back was much more leisurely, and we got to savor the views more than we had on the way in. At one point, we were passing the Earl Mountains on our right and a striking splash of purple and pink caught our eye. We turned on to a small gravel road and found ourselves driving through a meadow of gorgeous tall lupines.

The road winded leisurely through the flowers towards a creek that cut through the valley floor. The field was a densely covered with the flowers and we decided to get out and stretch our legs again. The air was crisp and clean and a subtle sweet smell filled our nostrils. We walked off the beaten path through the flowers, which were up to our chests in some places. It was amazing to be surrounded by so much natural beauty and be the only 2 people around! We had fun taking pictures and relaxing, and after feeling refreshed, we finished our looping drive through the meadow.

We got back on the main road and drove a little further to the Mirror lakes. The mirrors are a small series of connected lakes that hug the road as you head back towards Knob’s Flat. Though small, they are remarkable because they create an amazing reflection of the mountain range across the valley floor. Sadly the sun did not peak through for us this time around, and the subtle persistent breeze did not allow the water to settle completely, so our reflections were not as dramatic as they could have been! It was a stunning effect nonetheless.


Our drive took us back past the Flat south towards Te Anau, at which point I gathered up some steam to make sure we had enough forward momentum to coast in to town if we got into trouble with the gas situation!

Te Anau is a tiny little town at the sound end of the lake that bears its name, so we weren’t expecting to find anything too exciting for food. We were starving though, and were willing to eat no matter what we found…I mean, we did spend a week stuffing our faces with meat pies… we weren't exactly picky! Nevertheless, we were oh so pleasantly surprised to find a very modern and chic restaurant called the Fat Duck. It had a very modern scacious interior with a large handsome bar at the far end and dark wood trim and deep blue lighting artfully placed throughout the space. The menu was a fun mix of flavors, and we opted for a giant sampler platter of various meats, cheeses, fish, and vegetables. It was delicious! Thank you Fat Duck for filling our bellies!! We filled the tank, and sped out of town for the remaining 2 hours or so to Queenstown.

We arrived back in town in the early afternoon and went straight to the Gondola to make arrangements for dinner and a Maori cultural show at the Skyline Restaurant overlooking the city. Once set, we decided to explore the Kiwi Birdlife Park which was sitting at the base of the Gondola. We figured we probably weren’t going to see a Kiwi in the wild, so we had to see one live before we left the country! The park entrance is misleading, as it is actually set much further down the hill, so we found ourselves walking down a steep path down a hill from the car park.

The park is very cute and well landscaped. It is also on the small side, so it is easy to walk through in an hour or so. They have several Kiwi houses and a number enclosures with many of the threatened and endangered bird species found in the country. The Kiwi was our focus though, and we got to see it! It is a rather remarkable thing, the Kiwi. It looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, with a rounded furry looking brown body which tapers up to a small head with a long narrow tan curving beak. It is flightless, as you probably all know, and it moves much more quickly on land than I imagined. Because there were no indigenous land predators during the evolution of New Zealand, many of the local birds, including the Kiwi, lost their ability fly. The nights and days have been reversed in the houses, so the birds are active during the daylight hours that visitors normally attend. The houses are lit with subtle red overhead lighting to which allows you to view them once your eyes adjust. They are funny critters, and we had a fun time watching 2 of them chase each other around one of the pens. After a quick spin through the park, we headed back to the waterfront to get settled in the hostel. Brumbles Backpackers is pretty nice as far as hostels go, and you can’t beat the location. We had a lakefront view from a balcony off the bedroom, and we were a 5 minute walk to the center of town! After unloading our gear, we took a relaxing and well deserved hot shower!!

As I mentioned before, the center of Queenstown sits in an L shape on the waterfront and is a charming gridwork of streets lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars. We strolled down the streets holding hands comfortably along the way. It was perfect! We hit up the Wharf Casino: http://www.queenstown-nz.co.nz/information/product/?product=the-wharf-casino to pick up our lucky chip. The casino sits on the waterfront and is part of a waterfront complex. Downstairs from the casino we found the Minus 5 Bar: http://www.queenstown-nz.co.nz/information/Product/index.cfm?productID=34966 and decided to head in! The bar and all of its appointments are made out of 18 tons of ice! Even the glasses you drink out of! It is totally cheesy, but a fun novelty experience you have to do! They provide warm parkas and wool gloves to help keep you warm inside the bar. The entrance fee gives you 30 minutes in the bar and one cocktail. You can drink as much as you want, but we chose to keep it sane since we hadn’t had anything to eat yet. Inside, we were introduced to our Australian bartender, who’s name escapes me! He was very friendly and funny, and totally supported and encouraged silly behavior.

He let us behind the bar to pose for shots, and encouraged ice sculpture “interactions”! I’m sorry for some of the pictures! Um… yeah… so we laughed and drank for the allotted time and concluded our stay with the traditional smashing of the glass in the trash bin before you leave… Phil had no problems, but I had to be difficult and put a little too much butch in the toss! I put my whole body into the wind up, and threw full force into the EDGE of the bin, not the body, so the glass proceeded to shatter itself all over the floor of the bar! Oops! It’s a good thing it was empty and we were on our way out! It’s hard being this strong all the time! Ha ha…ha…. Um… so moving along…


After the bar, we head over to the After the bar, we head over to the Skyline Gondola: http://www.skyline.co.nz/
to head up for the Kiwi Huka Maori cultural show and dinner. The Restaurant is stunning, sitting at an elevation of 2500 feet, over 1200 feet above the lake. The Gondola takes a few minutes to go up and is allegedly the steepest gondola in the southern hemisphere… who knows! We took a minute to clean the camera lenses with the 2nd lens cloth of our trip (the first one got lost somewhere, somehow on the north island) and prepared to capture the views as we came out above the trees.

Just beyond and above the Restaurant complex is a twisting collection of alpine slide tracks that were closed due to the weather. We had some time to kill though, so we walked up along the paths anyway to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the lake. After about a half an hour, we head back down to take in the show. The show was a basic introduction to the Maori Culture. We were greeted at the entrance by a somewhat heavy set smiling Maori woman in dramatic black face paint reminiscent of Henna tattoos. She greeted the group and asked for a volunteer to be group chief. The chief was meant to introduce the group, and accept the Maori tribe’s offering of peace so that the show could proceed… well poor unsuspecting Phil had made a bee-line for the lieu and came back just after she finished her question, and offered to help not realizing what she was asking for!! So Phil became our tribe’s Chief! He was met at the bottom of the theater by a lean half-naked Maori man with full face paint shouting, stomping, and wielding a spear. Oh my!! He was walked through the traditional greeting by our friendly hostess, accepted the young man’s offering, and made it possible for the rest of us to see the show without being killed! Thanks baby!! The show was entertaining and informative. It is an interesting culture to be sure, and not something I will even attempt to write about… except for the poi episode. The poi is an exercise of sorts that both Maori men and women do to improve coordination and flexibility. It utilizes a foam ball at the end of a rope that is whirled around and deflected off the opposite hand and other body parts. This was another group participation kind of thing, and our man Phil got picked again! He was placed in the center of the line of tourists, and twirled and spun like a natural!!

After the show, we proceeded back upstairs to the main dining room. It was a massive 3 tiered room with high ceilings and walls made entirely of glass giving every patron a spectacular view of the natural surrounds. We were placed at a cozy table on the east end of the room with views of the southern extent of the lake, the town below, and the mountains behind us… not bad at all! The dinner was buffet style and truthfully, was only average, but the view and the company more than made up for any shortfalls in the meal! Average schmaverage though, we still stuffed ourselves silly!! As our meal was winding down and the sun was finally setting, we started taking pictures, and that lead us to conversations with our neighbors. I was bummed to find however, that somehow I managed to lose the damn lens cloth between the journey up the gondola and dinner, so I was sans cleaner again! SHITE! But I digress… sitting behind us was an older couple from England. They were very friendly, and were talking about their travel plans. It turns out they were headed to L.A. and they were looking for advice on the quick and dirty tour of the city! Phil, being the native, offered up some suggestions and we wished them well! To our right, was a newlywed lesbian couple from Tasmania, Rachael and Fizz. The couple looked very happy and shared with us their travel plans and a little about their lives in Tasmania. It turns out they were musicians and music teachers, and very much on the same page as Mr. Zipkin. It was a hoot. Yet another connection to Phil… We laughed a lot, and suddenly realized that the place was closing down! We said our goodnights and before leaving invited us to stay with them if we ever made it back down under. We thanked them, wished them well, and offered a space in Queens if they ever made it to the Big Apple.
On the way back down, a freaky thing happened, we stepped into the gondola and as we were sitting and chatting, Phil looked over his shoulder and found the lens cloth we had left behind! What are the odds that we would leave it in the gondola and get right back into the same one on the way down!! Spooky!! Anyway…

We held hands as we made our way back through the center of town towards the hostel. The town was such a cosmopolitan mix of people, we felt completely at ease. Before retiring, we settled down on a quiet bench on the lakefront beach across the street from the hostel. We opened a bottle of wine and had nightcap. We sipped quietly as we sat listening to the calming sounds of the water breaking on the shoreline. Phil leaned against me and with my arm around his shoulder pulled him in tight… what a night! What a trip!