All things must end
All things must end, even good things. We had our final group dinner at the George, exchanged hugs and went off to get ready for the journey home. Flights leave for Australia from Christchurch at about 6am so we would … Continued
A last look at the mountains
Aoraki wrapped his cloak tightly around him this morning, his form not even a whisper in the mist. We had our breakfast and hit the road. But as we drove away along the shores of Lake Pukaki, the shroud lifted … Continued
Aoraki in all his glory
After our high tea at Lanarch Castle we set off back down to Dunedin and from there along the coast to Oamaru. Many of the town’s public buildings are built from the local Oamaru stone, a form of hard limestone … Continued
When it rains, it rains
We Australians live in a continent of extremes. In New Zealand they have earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In Australia we have floods and fires and droughts. We all learnt Dorothea Mackellar’s famous poem at school. It’s called My Country. Read … Continued
The magic of Milford
I loved Milford Sound in the rain last time we visited but I confess I was hoping the weather would be a little kinder to us. And it was. Mind you, at Milford Sound they measure rainfall in metres – … Continued
Walter Peak station
Our day off in Queenstown was vewy vewy kwiet (Elmer Fudd voice). We’d been on the road for a while by now, with mostly very full days. Peter and I had done the gondola ride up to the lookout last … Continued
Across the Haast Pass
The morning dawned bright and relatively clear. Fresh snow had fallen on the mountains overnight and there was a chance the fliers would be able to go up to the glaciers. Unfortunately, the conditions have to be just right and … Continued
Happy New Year
“May you live in interesting times” is supposed to be a Chinese curse (it isn’t). But I’m ready to believe it. We’re certainly living in dangerous times. Covid hasn’t gone away, Putin still wants to destroy Ukraine and incorporate its … Continued