Namaste.

The Rees Hotel Queenstown, NZ

The view from our balcony. No kidding.

River rocks are always a good sign that we’re gonna love it here. Mike loved the lamb at the hotel restaurant, which is called ‘The True South.’ Ha ha- look at the map, folks... they win.

Our chef was in a competition for desserts made with...wait for it...deer milk ice cream. That lemon was actually chocolate covered lemon ice cream. And yes... someone out there is milking the deer.

If you know our family at all, you will immediately love the tag on our tour vehicle that carried us to beautiful places, including a few that Peter Jackson had chosen for filming some of our favorite scenes.

Near Queenstown

Lake Wakatipu looking toward the southern alps. If we were eagles we could fly to Milford Sound from here without much effort.

Photobombed by a true elf from Lothlorian?

Every day scenery for locals

All smiles. Why not?

The beautiful Kawarau River.

It was so awesome that we were beside ourselves!

A.J. Hackett Bungy: The first commercial bungy \240jump in the world. No- this is not either of us. Ha.

No big deal… Just driving through the river. This is actually a public road! (We had switched into a Range Rover btw)

This view is right in town- no kidding. There is an ice cream shop within steps of here called, ‘Patagonia’s,’ that is a must. My favorite flavor was called, ‘Hokey Pokey.’ We had a yummy dinner at Madame Woo, where they call their cuisine, ‘polynasian.’

We are Americans. Americans drive on the right side of the road...just sayin... ha

Lessons learned quickly when driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car:

• If you try to use the turn signal with your left hand, you will just turn on the wipers.
• The gear shift is on your left.
• The rear view mirror is on your left.
• The traffic is coming from the right.. don’t inch out while looking left!
• Look right (and left)
• Keep left.
• Keep left.
• Keep left.

A little pit stop with \240New Zealand joy painted on the wall. Driving in NZ is truly a pleasure. Not fast-paced or commercialized, but peaceful and lovely.

I took this video from the passenger seat (on the left...remember)

Words are superfluous.

Lake Pukaki with Mount Cook in the background.

Birds eye view of the first walking suspension bridge in the Hooker Valley Track. This is a beautiful and easy hike suitable for most everyone. It takes three hours to do the whole thing, but we walked for about two hours, because the wind and rain were coming. If you only walked for 45 minutes, you would still feel like you had been somewhere like no other. There are lots of other hikes in the area, but we only allotted ourselves time for this one.

We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. This was our first real glimpse of Mount Cook as we were driving up.

So happy.

The mountains are so close to the sea. This looks like grass that we might see in Charleston!

I don’t think I could ever grow tired of this.

Panorama

Mike caught this pic of Lake Tekapo as we were driving by. So pretty. We had stopped in the little town near the lake and grabbed a quick \240lunch at The Greedy Cow.

Cool fact: From Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook is something they call a dark preserve, or something like that. Anyway, they take their darkness seriously in these parts and folks come from everywhere to gaze upon the night sky. Reportedly one can see galaxies. Our timing was a little off, as we had a very bright, almost full moon. But we could easily still see the Southern Cross, which was great, since it cannot be seen in the northern hemisphere.

Our room is in what they call, ‘The Residences’, and we can open up our windows to what feels like our own private British garden.

Today we made lunch our main meal (my favorite way to eat.) If you think this trip is focused on food, you’re right. Anyway, Inati is a foodies paradise...not for those looking for a juicy cheeseburger or pizza, but fantastic if you want to watch your chefs prepare creative dishes in front of you from scratch.

After lunch we walked to the Quake Museum 😢, the Canterbury Museum, and the Botanical Gardens. This city is, frankly, still recovering from one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. \240It happened nine years ago, and it was horrific. The recovery is happening, though, and because of what this city experienced, the whole world knows a lot more. At the Canterbury museum we learned about some ginormous birds who used to live here, as well as information about the original Maori people, and even a replica of Fred and Myrtle’s Paua Shell House (just google it.)The gardens were not at their peak, since it is late summer, but were still lovely.

The question I try to ask myself is this...in one hundred years, which choice will I wish I had made? Many times that makes the choice really obvious, but not always. We could have gotten from Christchurch to Blenheim a couple of hours sooner, but this was our only chance to see this part of New Zealand on this vacation, so we took the slower route. Truly they both would have been scenic, but this one went through the mountains, and, well... enough said.

I tried to capture the pictures in my head, and I wish my words would do them justice, but they won’t. We saw wooly sheep grazing in golden pastures; shorn Merino sheep grazing in fields so close to their color that they were almost camouflaged; black and white cattle; greener than green grass; \240brown hillsides; forested mountains; winding two-lane roads with one-way bridges; braided rivers making their way from glaciers into wide valleys; clear, narrow, rocky rivers probably full of brown trout; blue skies dotted with white puffy clouds; bright sunshine and shadows as we passed through the thick forests; tiny villages with tiny stores and without fast food or gas stations; passing lanes; majestic rocky peaks off in the distance, and a feeling that we got it right this time.

Whale watching was almost as scary to me as it was exciting, because motion sickness can ruin the best laid plans. But I was willing to take the risk, so we drove the 90 minutes south along the coast from Blenheim to Kaikōura. What we didn’t know at the time is that a couple of years ago, an earthquake raised the sea bed in that whole area by several meters (!!) so the roads were all under construction. But seriously the scenery was so drop dead gorgeous that we welcomed each slow-down and stop. Then to top it off, the Kiwis working on the roads were all smiles and waves each time we passed them. Not kidding.

The next thing we knew we were at the check-in and I snapped this pic...

The tour guide was as passionate about whales as any human being I have ever met, as far as I know, and so the excitement was palpable as he told us that we were about to see a ginormous male sperm whale surface for some much needed air. And he didn’t lie...

His head is 1/3 the length of his body, which is all we can see! This guy is HUGE!

These whales are known as the largest tooth predators, coming in around 60 feet long and able to eat a great white shark whole. They don’t eat any mammals, though, so you are safe if you ever bump into one of them.

Kaikōura

Mike took this from the passenger side as we were driving.

The fish and chips in town were gobsmackingly good!

Sauvignon Blanc is what put New Zealand on the world map, and the most famous ones are grown and produced right here in Marlborough. So it is absolutely right that the Kiwis are very proud of these wines. But what we learned today from Kathy, our wonderful guide from Bubbly Grapes, is that Marlborough produces lots of other delicious wines. I personally enjoyed some of the Chardonnay varietals, as well as many others. This tiny area has over 150 wine makers and we were fortunate to visit several of them. There are some huge wine producers here, and those are the only ones available in the USA. So we felt very fortunate to get to taste exquisite wines from smaller producers.

We found a fabulous Viognier that paired well with the flavorful food from a Southern Indian restaurant down the street from our hotel in Blenheim.

Hans Herzog is a small production winery that makes French-style wines with Marlborough grapes. We enjoyed lunch in their courtyard. C’est magnifique!

😉

The husband and wife are both doctors and both winemakers. We really liked their wines and the very enthusiastic presentation at their cellar door.

The best Pinot noir grapes in NZ are grown in Otago.

We really liked the Forrest wines! I wish we could buy these at home.

Vineyards are planted for maximum sun exposure. Marlborough has warm, sunshiny days and cool nights. If it gets too cool at night, they use huge fans or even helicopters to protect the grapes from frost injury.

This view is from the beautiful Brancott restaurant and tasting room, which looks over their vineyards and all the way to the north island! On a really clear day you can see a line of blue at the base of those mountains, which is the Cook Straight.

Blenheim is kinda like a scene from, ‘Back to the Future’ and I hope it always keeps that charm.

Tiny park near The Chateau Marlborough.

We wisely took the bellman’s suggestion and ate dinner at Charley Noble. The only seats they had available were in front of the open kitchen, which turned out to be the best view in the house. It was entertaining and educational to watch these chefs prepare beautiful and delicious dishes. I think we ate every bite on our plates.

Current event thought...we walked down the big hill to the restaurant and took an Über back. I wonder when our next Über will be since COVID-19 has shut them down at home. In fact I wonder how long it will be before we dine out again at home. I realize that is the smallest worry, but it is a symptom of the lifestyle change America and most of the world is facing. Hoping and praying for an end to this pandemic soon.

In a happier note...we ordered yet another dessert that had been entered into the deer milk ice cream competition, and it was scrumptious!

https://pamunewzealand.com/news/2020/chefs-tasked-with-creating-first-nz-deer-milk-ice-cream

https://www.cuisine.co.nz/comp-showcases-new-zealands-new-deery-product/

The InterIslander Ferry

The views never stop.

BYOV

This is our first time on a really big ferry boat and it is even better than we imagined. We’re traveling from the South Island to the North island in the InterIslander, of course. It is a three and a half hour trip from Picton to Wellington, and we wouldn’t mind if it took a lot longer. There are plenty of open places to sit, move around, eat and drink, see the incredible views, watch rugby or cricket, or just people watch. For some extra New Zealand dollars, you can even buy \240an all-inclusive ticket for the luxurious Plush Lounge. I love watching the Kiwi kids having fun as they explore...all seemingly wearing the jersey of their favorite team... Rugby, I think. We turned in our rental car and will pick up a new one (the rules) but lots of folks just drove their vehicles right into the ferry. \240I could be catching up on a little sleep, but I know I have some other catching up to do... namely, this travel blog.

We grabbed brunch in Picton at a little open-aire place called Le Cafe and it was really good. A couple of gals just came by our area on the Ferry with a cart and a bell, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had been selling chocolate frogs. Okay wrong continent and wrong movie but bear with me here...

Outside Le Cafe

From the Ferry in Picton

#selfieonthesound

There is no such thing as an ordinary drive in NZ, apparently! This scenery was another gift we weren’t expecting.

God keeps reminding us of his majesty.

This photograph was taken the first time we were in Napier on February 21. Little did I know then that we would be staying in this historic hotel a month or so later! No big deal...Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip stayed here in 1954. 😉

In the apartment living room! 👑

We didn’t know we would have this outdoor space! What a treat!

I have an idea... let’s wear light blue this evening! 😂

I took pics of this fountain almost one month ago. It was during the Art Deco Festival and kids were playing \240in it!

Art Deco Festival 2020 was a fun time for all. (Taken 2/21/20)

Don picked us up at the Art Deco Hotel and off we went to explore, taste, and learn all about winemaking in the Hawke’s Bay region, where they either are or should be world- renowned for their Syrah wines. These sycamore trees lined the drive up to Mission Estates, where we ate a decadent lunch.

Church Road Winery produces many wines, including delicious Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and really yummy bubbles. We currently have a Syrah on the counter and a Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge. I’m not sure if we can get these at home but I hope so.

Trinity Hill wines in oak barrels. Don taught us much about the tremendous amount of work that goes into producing wine. It is an all hands on deck process. He even told us about how the sheep help prune the leaves so the fruit gets enough light. Cool!

This old building was moved from its original \240location.

Sharon, from Brookfield, was gracious, hospitable, and her wines were outstanding. There is no doubt that this fine lady knows more about winemaking than most. She was so down to earth and had a lovely wit. I loved her immediately.

Our visit to Te Mata was special, not only because their wines are special, but because our hostess, Zara, is the granddaughter of the winemaker, If this Viognier, which is named after her is as lovely as she is, I want a case of it. She was truly lovely in every way. Their most famous wines are red blends, which we did truly enjoy, as well as Syrah, of course, one bottle of which we purchased to put in our cellar at home for up to ten years.

Another marginal view from our drive 😂

We probably had LOTR soundtrack playing

Early view of Lake Taupo

Another gorgeous view from our villa.

From our back porch just before walking to the lodge for a fabulous dinner.

This Kiwi had no idea who Chad Pennington was. He said he had just gotten it at a second hand shop and thought it was cool- ha. \240Mike told him that Chad played college ball at Marshall, his alma mater!

She had a great shirt on too! We had to grab a pic of this cute couple. Her chin tattoo indicates that she is important in her Maorii culture, I believe.

This is not a mistake...it’s just how feeble our attempt was at capturing the most incredible night sky either of us has ever seen. We were in absolute awe that it practically brought us to our knees. Looking back it should have. It was simply glorious and it makes me tremble as I think of it right now.

Mike, with Tim, and To. If you ever have the opportunity to go out with these two, don’t miss it.

Had to get the phone out for this.

We left the lodge at 0800 and were in the raft and on the river by 0900 with our fly-fishing guide, Tim, and our super strong and skilled rafting guide, To. It was cold, so I pulled my long sleeves over my hands. Big mistake, because before long we were bouncing and splashing in the rapids and my hands were even colder because my sleeves were wet. But the beauty around me and the sheer fun of it all surpassed any discomfort. Then before we knew it, the sun was nice and warm!

We rafted and fished the Tongariro through the gorge for 10 miles, not pulling out of the water until after 4:00 PM. Simply the best fishing day I’ve ever had.

Mike’s happy place.

Now that’s a pretty fish.

This one was maybe 6 pounds.

I even caught a few... Tim helped me improve my casting technique too, which was great.

Mike had a Frosty and I regretted not getting one.

Checking in at Auckland airport was like something from a science fiction novel...too quiet and too empty.

The food court in the international terminal was essentially a ghost town as the restaurants had obediently closed up shop.

Gates without planes.

Our flight was the only one that said ‘Go to gate.’

Thank you to New Zealand and to every amazingly friendly Kiwi we met along the way. It has been an incredible journey. We wish you and your people good health as you, and all of us in the entire world, fight a common enemy: COVID-19.

Houston under quarantine on a Monday afternoon around 5 PM.

Our Southwest Airlines flight still has an on time status. God bless the airport employees, pilots, flight crew, mechanics, and everyone else who came to work today so we can get home to Charleston. We count each an every one of you as a blessing. And huge kudos to the Air NZ team as well. We will book with them again the next time we fly into New Zealand.

One day this pandemic will be behind us and ‘normal’ life will resume. I do hope that when it does, we will all be a little changed...a little kinder, more gracious with each other, less hurried, \240more comfortable with peace and quiet, willing to slow down, and even stop once in a while...and be thankful.