New Zealand- part 4

Before planning this trip I had no idea that New Zealand had glaciers. Just another thing that makes New Zealand such incredible country. The two most famous glaciers are the Fox Glacier and the Franz Joseph Glacier. We arrived for our half day glacier hike at 8:45 am, well more like 8:55 am because we can never be anywhere on time! When we arrived they told us that Emily may not be tall enough to go on the hike. But after a manager came and spoke with us and Emily they decided to let her go. We were in the slow group which consisted of mostly folks in there 60's and 70's and our family. We had to get all the necessary equipment which consisted of boots, wool socks, a gortex jackets and our spikes for our boots. We boarded the bus and drove about 10 minutes to the park. It was probably a rough 40 minutes to the base of the glacier. We climbed up steep paths where there often streams of water flowing. Sometimes we hiked along the river bed where chunks of ice from the glacier could be found. Often there were waterfalls spouting of the rock faced mountains. It was just beautiful. The guide had Emily and Logan up front with him so he could help in difficult spots. They did better than I did! What a workout that day was. When we got to the base we were told we would only be hiking up about 1/4 of the way. Of course my first reaction was what a rip off but two hours later I changed my mind! At the base of the glacier we put on our spikes and got some lessons in walking and off we went. The first part was about 100 ice carved steps. They had a roped hooked in the ice for you to hold on to. There were some really steeps steps. We thought it would be cold but by this time the jackets and sweatshirts were tied around our waist, the sun was out and we were working hard. We hiked about 2 hrs the the "top" of where we were going. It was a beautiful view. The ice in some spots was the most beautiful shade of blue, it is hard to describe.

The trailMason and and ice chunk

Logan tightening the bolts that secure the rope

Emily and the waterfalls

A crevice in the glacier...love the blue color!

Franz Joseph Glacier

The base of the glacier

We were extremely exhausted after finishing up around 2pm. We head back to the Glenfern Villas and rested. The next day we began our drive to Wanaka. The drive of course had several major stops on the way. The first stop was just about 30 minutes from Franz Joseph to Lake Matheson. The lake is know for its calm water in the early morning hours where you can see the mountains reflection...an absolute mirror image! It was so beautiful. We walked around the lake which took about 1 hour. I think by this point every time the van pulled off the road the kids went into panic mode...how long of a walk this time was the question!

Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman

New Zealand- part 3

We traveled from Nelson to Franz Joseph Glacier....a long day but it was fortunately filled with lots of beautiful stops. We drove past beautiful vineyards. Evidently the vines that are close to being ready to harvest are covered with netting to keep the birds out. We did see some grapes being harvested on the east coast but failed to get a photo of it. Our first stop was the Buller Gorge Swingbridge near Murchison where we walked across a suspension bridge. The river was very beautiful and the trails were fun to hike on. We saw a very old mining shaft. One interesting sight were twin waterfalls that are from the epicenter that produced the 1929 earthquake. The boys enjoyed riding the flying fox back across the gorge. We continued our drive toward the west coast. I was finally at the wheel, learning how to drive on the wrong side of the road (uhm..I mean the left side). I was driving along when suddenly the I was on a very curvy one lane road. I hit the brakes as I didn't remember seeing a sign for a one lane bridge. One lane bridges are extremely common and a bit scary when you can't exactly see what is around the corner. Well, I stopped and Ted woke from his sleep and helped me out. We saw a mirror up ahead that showed the rest of the curve and we fortunately made it to the other side! This section of the road I believe is called Hawks Crag. Another very interesting one way bridge we went on shared the bridge with trains. I am not sure how it works but they are certainly clever to create a one bridge for vehicles and train. We were constantly amazed at the excellent road work through out the entire island. They keep the roads in good shape and continually keeping the road markings current. We made a lunch stop at spot on the west coast. The kids had fun climbing on the rocks. Logan and I got our picture taken just a big wave headed towards us. We escaped without getting wet though. We enjoyed stretching our legs until the sandflies enjoyed biting us! Ouch, they are tiny little bugs worse than mozzies! The next stop was Punakaiki, know for the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. These limestone formed rocks have formed into what looks like thin pancakes. And depending on the tide the water flows into caverns and is forced up into geyser like blowholes! I was amazed at seeing the forceful nature of the water. When a large wave hit you could actually fill the earth move! There were other stops that we could have made but we still had several hours before reaching Franz Joseph Glacier so the rest of the family was glad that the wheels kept turning!

The beautiful vineyards south of Nelson

Logan playing at the Buller River

Twin waterfalls caused from the 1929 earthquake

The boys on the flying fox over the Buller River gorge

The mountain mist

A lunch break until the sandflies found us!

Logan and I about to get washed out to sea!

Can you see what they are showing??

Punakaiki National Park(Pancake Rocks and Blowholes)

Emily

Trains and vehicles share this bridge!

This one lane section (Hawks Crag) requires a leap of faith and a mirror

Near Greymouth

New Zealand- part 2

In Blenheim we stayed at a lovely 2 bedroom apartment called Brydon on Rose. We enjoyed staying here, they had a trampoline for the kids to play while we sat out and grilled beef under the brilliant star filled sky! The weather was crisp and cool, it was their fall time and was fabulous! The next day we headed north to Picton where we took a scenic (AKA-very curvy) road towards Nelson. Picton is a lovely waterfront town that connects the North Island to the South Island via the ferry. It seems to be a pretty lively little town. We enjoyed the harbor views of the Queen Charlotte Sound, one of the four sounds that makes up the Marlborough Sounds which is what the top of the South Island is consisted of. Due to the tropical vegetation is looked like what I would expect an island in the South Pacific to look like. We managed to find a great trail that walked along the Sound. We took our time driving to Nelson. I really got good at finding anything remotely scenic to look at! I had 3 things within reach the whole trip: camera, map and travel book!

Ted wished he was flying this seaplane!

A busy shipping port (lots of timber ready to head out)

A nice tramp through the forest

Mason checking out the clear water!

Logan

Nelson was a really nice town as well. We stayed at the Moorings which was an awesome apartment! It was located on the mudflats. That was a really interesting site. I guess the mudflats rely on tidal water because there were actually boats tied up in the mud. Nelson also had beautiful beaches and a very nice playground where the kids had fun burning off some energy. Believe me, they had plenty after being in the car all day long!

The mudflats

Emily on top of the whale

New Zealand - part 1

After arriving in Christchurch we had most of the day to explore the city. It really is a lovely city, so clean and green, such a contrast to Chennai. The Avon River runs through the city and the kids had fun feeding the ducks that flocked the banks. We strolled through the most beautiful botanical gardens. I have never before seen such enormous tress. And there was a fantastic rose garden filled with tons of rose bushes. Even the boys enjoyed smelling the roses.

We then headed north to Blenheim but enjoyed making several stops along the way. It was so refreshing to be out driving ourselves and seeing very little traffic! We made a wonderful stop in Kaikoura which is well know for its whale watching and dolphin swimming. We had considered doing one of these but considering the water temperature and the large waves that are quite common we decided against them. We did meet a couple who did the whale watch and said it was a waste of money so that may us feel better for our decision. We hiked on trails around the bay at Kaikoura and saw a fur seal colony. The sky was such a brilliant blue and the water was so clear. We thought we would only hike for around 30 minutes but it turned into about a 2 1/2 hours hike. On the way back Emily decided to hike to the top of one the hills as she had forgotten her camera as she said the view was beautiful. So I decided to hike it with her. When we got the top, I trailed behind abit she announced that I probably shouldn't have followed her, I was getting kind of old to be doing that!

Our family on top of Seal Point, Kaikoura

Hiking the hill

Climbing the fence

Mason, Ted and Logan

Look at the cows on the hill, hope they are afraid of heights

Some winding roads!

Home safely

We arrived in the wee hours this morning. Ted and I were very tired but the kids were running around the house like hummingbirds. I suspect tonight they will drop like flies! The journey was long, over 18 hours of airplane time and several hours of airport lounge time. I have definitely decided that traveling is wonderful, it is just the getting there that is no fun. Ted is busy catching up on work and preparing to fly to the US in a few days. I have been joking that his body clock won't have any idea what time zone to be on. So in a few days when the house is quiet I will work on posting about our New Zealand trip. Ted and the kids were so patient with me as I photographed New Zealand. It was truly an incredible adventure! So check back in a few days and I will hopefully have some more photos posted!