WANDERING WITH WILLIAM
  • Home
  • Blog

A loooong Friday of travel

3/13/2017

25 Comments

 
We leave our Christchurch hotel at 5 am on Friday.  Our ultimate destination is Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, which we should ultimately reach around 5 pm on Friday.... 32 hours later.

In Christchurch we must first return the rental car then take the provided shuttle to the terminal.  Since we haven't previously been to the Christchurch airport we allot one hour for that process plus two hours for airport check-in, etc. prior to our 8 am flight.  Everything goes very smoothly and we have more than enough time at the airport to have a cup of coffee and cup of tea.

It's only a 1 hour 20 minute flight on Air New Zealand to Auckland.  It's fun to watch the travelers, most are relaxed Kiwi's.  There are few suitcases being brought as carry-on, perhaps partially because you may need to schlep a suitcase up and down external staircases - not all planes get airport jetways.  The only people jumping up and getting into lines early for boarding appear to be tourists.  And when lines are naturally formed, people are polite. We have an empty seat between us - sweet!

We have a 6 hour layover in Auckland.  Ugh.  But, with the Chase Sapphire Card we have access to the Priority Pass Airline Lounge, so that's the plan!  We are hoping that our luggage will be checked through to Vancouver, but we learn that since we are moving from a domestic flight on Air New Zealand to an international flight on United we will need to claim our luggage in Auckland then walk or take the shuttle bus to the International Terminal.  When we arrive in Auckland we walk the 10-15 minutes between terminals since it is a nice day.

But, there's a glitch in the plan.  United will not open the check-in gate until 12:10 pm.  We have 2 1/2 to three hours before we can check our bags, go through passport control and settle into the Lounge.  Luckily there are a couple of restaurants in the terminal for us to choose from.  We have breakfast and use our electronics until check-in is available.

At check-in we find out that we are going to have to go through immigration, collect our bags then recheck them before boarding our flight to Vancouver.  Ugh. After check-in we make our way to the departures area .  We find the Priority Pass Lounge and it is is fine as we wait for our 3:10 pm flight to San Francisco, an 11 hour flight today, faster than normal due to the tailwinds.  In fact, we hold on the ground because we would arrive too early - US Immigration doesn't open until 6 am.  On the flight we have an empty seat between us - double sweet!  Unfortunately we just cat-nap on the plane.  Fortunately I saw three movies I have been wanting to watch.

We are though all the US immigration/customs/bag recheck and sitting in the United Club Lounge in San Francisco before 7 am.  Our flight to Vancouver doesn't leave until 12:20 pm, so we have around five hours to kill, there are no Priority Pass Lounges in this terminal, and we figured this is a perfect time to use the two United Club passes we get with the credit card each year.  After a couple of hours we go have a meal at one of the airport restaurants then go back into the United Club.

Our flight to Vancouver is only 2 hours 20 minutes.  We settle into our seats, they close the cabin door and the seat between us is empty.  Triple sweet!  After customs and baggage claim in Vancouver we easily find the representative for Whistler Shuttle.  30 minutes later we are in the van and one of the slowest shuttle drivers we have ever encountered is making his way to two Vancouver hotels for more passengers.  It takes us almost an hour to leave the city.  A picturesque 90 minute ride takes us up to Whistler, but both of us doze on-and-off.  32 hours after leaving  our Christchurch hotel we arrive at Nita Lake Lodge.

After a quick shower, Paul and Kara's friends John and Tiffany pick us up for lasagna dinner at the condo where they all are staying.  We enjoy a nice meal and great conversation, but we begin to fade and John drives us back to the Lodge where we snuggle in for a good night's sleep.
​

Picture
25 Comments

Christchurch

3/12/2017

0 Comments

 
We arrive at our Christchurch hotel at 11:30 am.  My request for early check-in has been noted and our studio is ready for us.  The hotel is located in the central area, right at Cathedral Junction.  After putting the bags in our room it is time to explore!
Picture
We meander down New Regent Street and stop at one of the many cafe's for a cup of coffee.  While enjoying the java and the sun, a wizard sits at the table next to William.  Not something you see every day.
Picture
After a brief stop at the Clock Tower we walk to the Cardboard Cathedral (also known as the Transitional Cathedral).  After the original neo-Gothic Cathedral was heavily damaged in the 2011 earthquake, the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed the cathedral similar to the cardboard cathedral he did after the Kobe earthquake.  Two years later it was fully completed, consisting of cardboard, wood, steel with a polished concrete floor and polycarbonate roof.  Side chapels and offices are shaped from repurposed shipping containers.  The architect also designed the cathedral chairs.  We   learn the story of the Cardboard Cathedral from a volunteer then sit a couple of minutes to take in the space.  

A block away is 185 Empty Chairs, the monument to the 185 people who died in the quake.
Picture
Every where we turn there are signs of the earthquake's destruction and the rebuilding.  There is an entire shopping mall made from cargo shipping containers, aptly named re-START City Mall.  The Christchurch Cathedral looms at the center of the destruction, with it's collapsed tower and cracking throughout the building.  The Bridge of Remembrance (built as a memorial originally to WWI) remains standing, seemingly anchoring the reconstructed around it.
Picture
After an afternoon of sight-seeing we head back to the hotel to do some re-packing for our flight to British Columbia.  Then we pick out two restaurants for a last dinner in New Zealand.  Because we are early we are able to get a table at our first choice, Twenty Seven Steps.  It is located on the second floor, and you guessed it, there are 27 steps to get there.  The restaurant is highly rated and we can quickly see why.  The food is fabulous and the wait staff exceptional.  They have a starter of fresh scallops gently placed on a corn purée.  William chooses the grouper special, while I have the incredible lamb chops prepared with a red wine demi sauce. Both of us sigh with extreme satisfaction between bites and conversation.  This is the perfect send-off dinner.
Picture
0 Comments

Off to Christchurch

3/12/2017

0 Comments

 
Google Maps says it takes 6 hours to drive the 480 kilometers from Queenstown to Christchurch.  We know it will take longer plus we want some time to stop along the way.  So, we decide to cut our stay in Queenstown short by one day and stay somewhere along the way on Wednesday night.
Picture
It's cool and clear was we pull out of Queenstown.  We retrace some of the route we took coming from Hawea, (including going past the giant fruit sculpture) then branch off to take Highway 8 further north.  We are driving through the middle of the South Island on the leeward side of the Southern Alps.  The landscape is dry grazing land except where the farmers irrigate.  William navigates the curves in the road that takes us up to the summit of Landis Pass.  Of course we need to get out, take some photo's and stretch the legs.
Picture
We begin to get better views of Mount Hood.  North of Twizel we realize we are in "Mount Hood" country, with the Mount Hood Visitor Center nearby.  Then we take the curve at the end of Lake Pukaki and - oh my - Mount Hood is there behind the most turquoise lake we've ever seen!

The next town is Tekapo, our destination for lunch.  The town sits on a Lake Tekapo, also a beautiful body of water, but it does not have the same views of the mountain.  We stop for the night in Ashburton.  There's a few sights in the town, but nothing too exciting.  We decide to rest then walk to a local restaurant for dinner then veg in front of the TV.
Picture
0 Comments

A Cooler Day

3/7/2017

0 Comments

 
It starts raining during Monday evening; the wind picks up and the temperatures drop.  It's still raining a bit when we awaken.  As I drink my morning tea I look out at Lake Wakatipu every few minutes.  The landscape looks different almost every time I look.  There's some small breaks in the clouds as the sun comes up over the lake.  When the clouds/mist move out for a few minutes I realize that snow has lightly dusted the mountain tops.  Beautiful!
Picture
Late morning the rain stops and it becomes partly sunny.  It's a cool 11.5C (53F) when we begin our walk down into town.  We meander along the wharf and waterfront then pick up the Queenstown Trail along the bay to walk to the Queenstown Gardens.  The Gardens are pretty and include a good stand of Giant Sequoia's.  

We opt for a late lunch at Flame.  We order the sampler platter - calamari, BbQ chicken wings, BbQ ribs and Boerewors (South African farmer's sausage) arrive on a huge board.  Everything is delicious, and we take some leftovers for a snack later. Mmmmm.
Picture
On our way home as we get within a block of the Bach the road is blocked.  There's a crew moving an entire house.  Not something you see every day!
Picture
0 Comments

Queenstown

3/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Our first full day in Queenstown starts by watching a nice sunrise over Lake Wakatipu.
Picture
After lounging about and having a late breakfast we walk 15 minutes downhill to the wharf and check-in early for our noon cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw.  We have about an hour to take photo's and explore the wharf and shops before our boarding.
Picture
The TSS Earnslaw is a 1912 twin steam screw (TSS) boat which has served the lake for over 100 years.  It is proud to say it is the last commercial passenger coal-fired steamship in the Southern Hemisphere.
Picture
Our 45 minute picturesque trip takes us across the lake to Walter Peak.  There's an option to go on a local (tourist) farm tour at Walter Peak Station, us we opt to just do the 45 minute return voyage right away.  During our crossings we have the opportunity to see the engine room as well as to enjoy the scenery and have some snacks.
Picture
As this is a good weather day our next destination is the Skyline Gondola, up the hill from the wharf.  The gondola goes up Bob's Peak.  When we approach the ticket booth we realize that this is an entire entertainment complex.  In addition to gondola ride to the viewing building/cafe there are options to bungee jump, mountain bike, and luge on the mountain top.  I know you'll be surprised, but we did not bungee jump.  We enjoy the wonderful views of the lake and the mountains and watch the adrenaline junkies.
Picture
After our gondola ride we stroll through the Queenstown Cemetery.  There's some interesting monuments, some from the early 1900's.
Picture
It's 4 pm and we've only had coffee's and a snack since breakfast.  Pog Mahones Irish Pub serves food all day (unlike many other restaurants) so we stop in. William has a burger with a pint and I enjoy a flavorful bowl of Irish lamb stew with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Afterwards we walk to the local grocery store for a few supplies then hail a taxi which takes us uphill to our bach.  It's been a fun day playing tourist.
Picture
0 Comments

Moving on to Queenstown

3/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Queenstown, our next destination, is about 1 1/2 hours away.  We leave Lake Hawea at 10:30 am and can check into out next Bach officially at 4pm.  How to fill the time?  Wineries and food of course!

After going the opposite direction for 15 minutes to the nearest gas station, we plug our first winery into Google Maps.  We drive to Māori Point Vineyard only to find a sign out front that the tasting room is closed today.  Bummer.  No worries, we will see if there is another winery open on our way to the second spot we have picked out.
Picture
As we pull into the city of Cromwell there are signs for a number of vineyards.  Wooing Tree Vineyard shows it is open, so we stop for a tasting.  They have six wines all from Pinot Noir grapes.  The first is Blondie, a Blanc de Noir.  A pressing of Pinot Noir is completed, as is done for champagne, but the wine is fermented dry and without the sparkling wine methods.  It's unique and refreshing.    I proceed through the tastings ending with their dessert wine, then decide to buy a bottle of the Blondie.  Across the way from Wooing Tree Vineyard is Cromwell's signatory giant fruit sculpture.  Lol.  

Another 30 minutes down the road we stop at Gibbston Valley Winery.  In the early 1980's, the owner Alan Brady (an immigrant from Ireland) was the first to try planting vines in Central Otago.  After a few years he found that Pinot Noir did very well.  The 2000 Pinot Noir Reserve won several world-wide competitions.

Picture
We take the cave tour, which takes us into the space drilled and blasted out of the schist mountain behind the winery.  There is a special storage alcove (almost a shrine) for the aging bottles of the 2000.  We enjoy tastings of their Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and dessert wine while in the cave.
Picture
The next stop is Arrowtown and it's Chinese Settlement park.  After a late lunch we walk through the small park which includes the story of Chinese immigrants who came to work the goldfields at the tail end of the boom.  The story is interesting.  The first structure we come to is the single-person community outhouse.  It is followed by the small cabins built and inhabited by the single men or very small families.
Picture
15-20 minutes later we are driving along Lake Wakatipu and into Queenstown.  Our bach for the next three nights is a three bedroom / four bath home built up a hill behind other homes.  Level 1 is the garage and clothes dryer.  The bedrooms are on level 2 and level 3 is the kitchen/dining/living room.  As we walk up to the top level we see an incredible view of the lake.  Now we understand why the home was built this way.  A great place to enjoy Queenstown.
Picture
0 Comments

A River Walk

3/4/2017

0 Comments

 
It's Saturday and a day for laundry so we have a somewhat lazy Saturday morning as the washer runs.  After putting the clothes on the line we decide to tackle some of the trek that runs along the Wanaka river.  We are hoping to walk to the dam where the river meet Lake Hawea.
Picture
We drive to Camp Hill Road, park in the small lot before the one lane bridge, and start walking north on the trail.  We learn that this section is the Wanaka Whitewater Park. We enjoy looking at the rapids and the kayaker's having fun on the rapids.
Picture
The path is shared with walkers and bicyclists, and we meet both types.  Everyone is happy on this sunny, 20C (68F) afternoon.  The views at some points are stunning.  After walking for a while we pull out google maps and realize that the dam is much further up the river than we expected.  We turn around and head back, enjoying the views in reverse.​​
Picture
0 Comments

Wanaka, Wine and Alibaba

3/3/2017

0 Comments

 
It's very windy on this Friday as we drive 20 minutes to the city if Wanaka at the base of Lake Wanaka.  This is a city tourists flock to, and is the location of the regional I-Site which provides tourist information.  Our first stop is the I-Site to get some local trail maps and other information.
Picture
Based upon a recommendation from our waiter from last night we drive 10 minutes out of town toward Mount Aspiring for a stop at Rippon Winery.  The view of Lake Wanaka is unbelievable.  During the wine tasting we learn of the bio-dynamic techniques used in the vineyard, including the use of Scottish Longhorn Cattle for fertilization and chickens for bug control.  In my estimation the 2012 Pinot Noir and the 2015 Gewürztraminer are their stars.

We return to the town of Wanaka to check out the shops.  I look for a wool sweater, but like most everywhere else all I can find is wool-possum blends (yes, the dumb animals that get run over in the road each spring).  I am not willing to venture there - what happened to 100% wool?
Picture
William spies Alibaba's Barber Shop.   With Paul and Kara's wedding ~ a week away, this sounds like perfect timing.  William puts his name on the whiteboard and waits his turn.  On Thursday evenings after 5pm they offer a free beer with a cut.  There's no beer in sight today, except at the bar next door. 10 minutes later it's his turn and another 20 minutes and $20 later he is neatly trimmed.

Since William did not get a beer with his hair cut and didn't partake of the wine tasting we stop for a local brew at one of the many restaurants facing the lake. Then we are off to the New World supermarket for some groceries.  As we walk through the aisles I hear at least five different languages being spoken.  So much fun!
Picture
0 Comments

Moving on.... to Lake Hawea

3/3/2017

0 Comments

 
After three nights in Hokitika we pack up the car and aim for the town of Lake Hawea.  The day is mostly overcast - what a difference from yesterday when we were flying.  We were so lucky with the weather!
Picture
Our route is Highway 6 along and through the Southern Alps.  We've picked out a few spots to stop along the way to break up the day.  Our first stop is Okarito, a little less than two hours south.  William turns off of the highway on the road to the beach town.  It is supposed to have a pretty lagoon, some hiking and a cafe. When we arrive the cafe turns out to be part of the kayak rental place with a couple of picnic tables and the lagoon looks ok, but not special.  Oh well, we just wasted 30-40 minutes.

Highway 6 takes us into the small town of Franz Joseph, and the starting point of trails to the Franz Joseph Glacier.  It's overrun with tourists in hiking gear, but we stop at a cafe for coffee.  We also fill up our gas tank which puts William more at ease (we can sometimes drive for 1-2 hours without seeing a gas station).
Picture
Our next stop is Lake Mathison, near Fox Glacier.  There is a 20-30 minute walk to the lake.  On a clear, calm day you can capture a photograph of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman with them reflecting in the lake.  The clouds part for a little while we are on our hike and we are able to capture the beautiful mountains, but by the time we arrive at the lake the clouds are back.  While I am stubbornly taking photos anyway, William chats with a couple from Highland Park, Illinois.  It really is a small world.
Picture
As we are driving along the coast we see a sign for Knights Point Lookout and can't resist.  The parking lot and lookout are right next to the highway!  It's a wonderful rocky coastline below with some stretches of sand below us.  Out at the point some seals are sunning themselves on the sand.  But in the 10 minutes we are out of the car the sand flies descend upon us.  We brave the outdoors for a couple more minutes to put on our natural bug repellent, which helps significantly on future stops.  It also makes our car smell like Lemon Pledge.
Picture
0 Comments

Fantastic Flight to Mountains and Glaciers

3/3/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
We decide to splurge and take a scenic flight to see the New Zealand Southern Alps.  We meet Ben, our pilot and the owner of Wilderness Wings, at the Hokitika Airport at 9 am.  We are joined for the flight by Graham and Christine from Dumfries, Scotland.  Ben provides us with safety information and then helps us into our seats in the six passenger Cessna.  We all have our headsets on and seat belts fastened as Ben asks for clearance from the tower.  He taxies down the runway and we're off!
Picture
The flight is very smooth as Ben takes us up to 8,000-10,000 feet.  He expertly flies us toward and around the mountains,  Providing commentary and stories throughout the flight.  Shortly after taking off we see Lake Hahinapua.  Then there are small mountains and lush valleys.  The rivers are an incredible blue-green. The first large mountain peak we come to is Elie du Beaumont, elevation 3,111 meters (10,200 feet).  There is a smaller Tasman glacier on the side of the mountain.
Picture
We circle around and are off to see Frank Joseph Glacier followed by the Fox Glacier.  Ben flies us remarkably close to Mount Tasman (3,500 meters) and Mount Sefton (3,150 meters), then we fly toward the summit of Mount Cook (3,724 meters).  The scenery is breathtaking.  Some of the ice on the mountain peaks has a beautiful blue tint.
Picture

​Ben turns the plane around and flies approximately the same route on the way back, which is gives everyone on the plane a chance to see the same sights.  Ben is in contact with a helicopter flying in the same vicinity and William spots it - seemingly so far below us.


An hour and 15 minutes later we are back at Hokitika Airport, bubbling with excitement from our experience.  This experience was definitely worth the money.

Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Hi.  I'm Anne.  I wander around the world with William.


    Enjoy Some of our Favorite Links below
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014


    Categories

    All
    9138
    Albuferia
    Alicante
    Ambato
    Antarctica
    Argentina
    Armenia
    Atlantic And Islands
    Barcelona
    Cambodia
    Cartegena
    Chile
    Colombia
    Costal Rica
    Cuenca
    Easter Island
    Faro
    Hungary
    Iceland
    Jaco
    Jakarta
    Kuala Lumpur
    Lisbon
    Loule'
    Malta
    Medellin
    New Zealand
    Olon
    Panama
    Porto
    Portugal
    Santiago
    Scotland
    Seville
    Singapore
    Slovakia
    SouthEast USA
    Spain
    Taipei Taiwan
    Tavira
    Thailand Bangkok
    Thailand Chiang Mai
    Uruguay
    Usa
    Valparaiso
    Vancouver
    Vienna
    Vietnam Halong
    Vietnam Hanoi
    Vietnam Ho Chi Minh
    Vietnam Hoi An
    Vietnam Hue

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from A Vahanvaty