NZ flowers...

We visited New Zealand in Spring so there were joyful blooms of flowers in different colours everywhere! I was very surprised to see some very interesting flowers that the roadside succulents had. It was also wonderful to see blooming daffodils as I only saw them once during my days in Canberra. I missed the vibrant, yellow coloured flowers! I also missed the pansies outside Toad Hall. It's great to see them once again! There were also tulips, rhododendron and azaleas in various hues of yellows, reds, purples and delicate white. When we went to Mrs Jones Fruit Orchard for the fresh fruits, and dried fruits and nuts, her big roses were still in buds. She told me that they were orange in colour. Then again, she had a long row of poplars in front of her shop so it will definitely be a magnificent sight during autumn - a long road lined with trees with golden leaves that have a soothing, rustling sound when the wind blows!

NZ Food

Our package tour includes 80% of our meals, so we had Chinese food all the time! The whole tour was conducted by a Chinese speaking Malaysian tour guide. I wonder if one can do a study of the Chinese restaurant names and link it to the number of years they have been in operation. These are the names of the Chinese restaurants we went to: JC Palace, Teochew Restaurant, Jade Palace Chinese Restaurant, Lakeside Restaurant, Mandarin Restaurant, Memories of Hong Kong Restaurant, Wong's Wok, etc. I'd like to guess that for the earlier established ones, they tend to use place names while the later ones are confident enough to use a person's name. Then again, we have yummy food from Happy's, Dumpling Inn (gone up in smoke during the terrible bush fire in 2003), Jimmy's Place, Timmy's Kitchen, Superior Peking Chinese Restaurant and the relatively cheaper Great Wall Chinese Restaurant (think it is closed now) in Canberra.

Our young tour guide's enthusiastic recommendations were that we should try the hokey pokey ice cream, fries and a fizzy drink called L&P. I'm not a big fan of the last 2 so I didn't seek them out till the last day. I had the ice cream for 2 consecutive days and couldn't get enough of it. It's really rich and creamy! I tried the fries at MacDonald's - not so great. But my friends let me try the fries they bought from KFC - those were really good! We also had Fish & Chips during lunch one day when we need to get our own lunch. I ordered a seafood basket and the mussels were really good! They didn't have that funny fishy taste and were fat and juicy. Normally I wouldn't eat mussels but those were GOOD!

I wasn't looking forward to returning home on the last night. It felt strange to be snacking after midnight. I had the salt and vinegar Bluebird potato chips and finally tasted L&P (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_&_Paeroa). I must say L&P is very nice! It is mild and not too fizzy like 7 Up or Sprite. Lastly, I also like the taste of Bell Tea. It is a bit different from Lipton but not as strong as Dilmah's. Unfortunately, the coffee bags they had in the hotels were all made in Australia so I'm not sure if there are any NZ brand coffee. ^.^

Back to Christchurch

More beautiful scenery greeted us along the way and we stopped at Arthurs Pass Store for coffee and carrot cake...

We were told that's where the Orcs in LOTR came running down in one of the fighting scenes.



AND we never expected to have a close encounter with SNOW!!! At first a few of us were curious with what we saw along the road. Then someone yelled, "SNOW!!" All of us who have never seen or touched snow before became very excited. Our amused Kiwi coach driver kindly parked along the road and let us all down to get a closer look. After some photo taking, someone started a snow fight! We had fun grabbing whatever snow we could find and throw at each other. It was great fun! The coach slowly drove further away from us... According to our tour guide later, he said both of them thought we had gone mad. Haha... He reminded us to wear gloves next time as we could get frostbite. I couldn't feel my fingers for a long while. All of us wore a silly, happy smile on the way back to Christchurch. Sigh! I haven't laughed so much for a very long time!

Hokitika

After a night's stay at the Franz Josef Glacier Hotel, we set off to Hokitika. It's a shopping day for some of us as we were brought to a Greenstone Factory and a Glass-Blowing Factory. I find it interesting in the way they treat the greenstone, or jade. A machine is used to cut the jade boulder into more or less uniformed slices of jade. I wonder how does the Chinese do it. I like the glass pieces, but they are not cheap!




















I must take a picture of the Free Public Library building... it now serves other purposes.

Fox Glacier

Once again, we were told that we have been very lucky. It seems that the previous group was unable to visit this place due to an avalanche. How does it feel like to be there? It's like walking into the freezer section of a refrigerator. The colours of the water is really fascinating and there are waterfalls flowing from the top of the cliffs. I'll let the pictures do the talking... Like I said before, you've got to be there yourself to experience it. Be prepared to do a lot of walking though.

Along the way to Fox Glacier...

On our way to the Fox Glacier - highlight of the day - we passed by the beautiful Lake Wanaka.




We also stopped by the Thunder Creek Falls...

And we hopped down the coach to take pictures at Knight's Point, near Haast. It reminds me of the Great Ocean Road. The wind was so strong that I could feel the coach shaking from side to side when parked. Of course, I didn't stay out there for long! It's too cold!!

Arrowtown

We set off early on Day 6 and said goodbye to A-Line Hotel. Our first stop for the day was Arrowtown (http://www.arrowtown.org.nz/), a quaint little place made famous by the filming of LOTR. It is a former gold-mining town. We had a look at the Chinese Miners Settlement above. The house is very, very small with minimal furnishings. Our young tour guide jumped on the outdoor lavatory (it's on the right hand side of the picture above) to show us how it used to be done. Suddenly, everyone started taking pictures of the lavatory. Unfortunatly, our tour guide was too shy to be our model!

After a good laugh, we visited the Lake District Museum to gain a better understanding of the harsh conditions that the pioneer European and Chinese settlers had to endure in the 1800s gold rush era. We were amused by the museum curator's sense of humour. At one dark corner, there was a room and we were encouraged to open the door. When we did that, we found a large European-like mannequin, with big beard, seated on a toilet bowl. To add on to the surprise factor, you hear a booming voice saying, "OI!! CLOSE THE DOOR, CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY!!" Hahaha...



I like the simple layout of the town and the well preserved buildings.




















Do you remember seeing this place in LOTR?

More on Walter Peak Farm

Walter Peak Farm
(http://www.experiencequeenstown.co.nz/the-experience/attractions/walter-peak-excursions/)

This place has everything I love - animals, flowers and lots of space!!

I made friends with Storm, a two and a half year old Border Collie. It is very well trained and can herd sheep using just his eyes. He hardly barks! I think I should ask my neighbours to seriously consider sending their dogs for training by the farm folks.

The farm also has merino sheep, alpacas, deers, spring lambs... love them all!





I was reluctant to leave...

Bungy, Winery, Steamship & Farm Visit!!

It's Day 5 and I was slowly getting used to everything there.

Our first stop was the Kawarau Bridge - the site of the world's first commercial bungy jumping operation. This is roughly how it goes. You register and pay, then someone will measure your height and weight to determine the thickness and length of a rope, made up of rubber band materials, which will be tied to your legs. You have a choice of just flinging yourself up and down or touching the water - that will affect the calculations of the rope. You get on the bridge and try to look brave while people are staring at you. Taking a deep breath, you jump. While you are hanging upside down, swinging above the Kawarau River, a bright yellow boat with 2 very bored men in swimsuits will be released and the 2 men will try to 'fish' you using a pole. You try to grab onto the pole and they will then pull you into the boat. End of story.


We saw 2 brave people attempting the jump. The 1st person was 57 years old and he didn't make a sound. I wonder if he enjoyed the whole process or he has blanked out all thoughts? The second one was a young kid. He made a lot of noise and because he didn't tuck in his t-shirt, the audience get to see his big tummy while the t-shirt was stuck on his face!

Next, we explored New Zealand's largest wine cave at Gibbston Valley Winery (http://www.gvwines.co.nz/). It was established in 1987. We had our wine tasting at the underground wine cave. It was quite an experience. We were introduced to Pinot Gris. I quite like the taste. Unfortunately, none of us were wine connoisseur so when we were told that there was a cheese place next door, everyone made a beeline to check out the assortment of cheese... hehe...

After lunch, we took the TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship (http://www.zqn.co.nz/earnslaw/) to Walter Peak Farm. This steamship has been in operation since 1912, when it was first used to carry goods to remote settlements. I didn't explore the engine room. It was very hot! Plus the view outside was absolutely breathtaking! On our way back, I stayed in the Steamship and enjoyed singing along with fellow new friends, while the ship's pianist played songs I learnt when I was a very young kid. The pianist 90 year old mother sang with us too! It was a wonderful way to end an eventful day.

Milford Sound II

You've got to be physically there to experience the views Milford Sound has to offer! My tiny camera cannot take in everything so here are some pictures of cliffs and waterfalls. We spotted fur seals lying around a flat rock, basically lazing around and ignoring us! The buffet spread served during lunch was very good too!!
































Oh yes, forgot to mention that when we first arrived at A-Line Hotel on the previous day, it was still pretty bright. So most of us opted to go on a gondola ride up the steep Bob's Peak. It was a spectacular view! Be prepared for the cold gusts of wind though. Brr...