Murchison

Candy houses.  Even the hospital looks like a resort.

 A 45 min steep climb,  and I mean steep climb, above the town takes you up on to a ridge.

The air was Mongolian clear.

Again, drunk on scenery.

Back to the Hills

Leaving Christchurch heading north east over the Lewis Pass.  The rain followed us this day, falling as snow higher up the slopes.

3,164 km covered since we arrived in NZ, and 5 deg on the clock.  Lowest temp so far.

Photos from the warmth of the car, the order of the day.

Towards Christchurch

Scene 1, with snow.

Scene 2, with river of stones.

Scene 3.  with snow

The effects of the Christchurch earth quake are every where.  Whilst the plants and trees in the botanic's were unconcerned by the shaking, the conservatory is shut, awaiting the all clear to open again.

Arthur's Pass

The main route between Christchurch and the west coast.  The stage coach used to take 9 days for the trip.  Now less than half a day.

We awoke to snow fall on the mountain tops. A bit chilly.  Here are rivers of stone, a result of ice cracking the rocks.

The road is on a shelf and even needs a hard hat to bounce the falling rocks.

Kea

Me and my new friend, Kea

A parrot.

He uses that beak to rip everything and anything apart.

his under feathers are quite amazing.  Bright orange/red and yellows.

Rain forest

These are the original fauna.

Less than 10% of NZ is in it's pre-human arrival state.

The rest is as manicured as a\Capability landscape.

Franz Josef Glacier.

Peter's pool.

So, which is the mirror image.

Mount Cook.

With the glacier spilling into the valley.

Fox Glacier.

You can see how much the glacier has shrunk over the last few decades by the 'tide mark' left on the side of the valley.

This is as close as you are allowed the get.  Falling ice can be detrimental to your physical well being!!!

Towards the Fox Glacier.

The top end of Lake Wanaka.

Before dropping down to the coast.

to meet the locals.

Wanaka

In the chill zone.

And we were not on our own.  The south island is all about just soaking in the scene to save for future reference.   Like when you are sitting in your concrete box at home!!!!!

Puzzling World

 Very puzzling place.

We know that Gek is short but not that short!!!!!

This is the gents, Jo!!!!!!

On the way to Wanaka

?????  , a small town we passed through on route was closed off for a fair,  which included these two beauties.

Not many European's mainly Yanks.

and so to Wanaka.

Dunedin and surounds.

Mr. Burns.  This is a very Scottish town

The peninsular is quite something.

With albatross.

and waves.

Dunedin and Elizabeth

The entrance to Dunedin is very tight for such a big ship.  She is heeling over quite a bit coming around the point..

And then out past the mole on which we were parked.  The pilot boat is keeping pace to retrieve the pilot.  Not a job for the faint-hearted.

Free at last.  A very wet and windy departure.  What an unexpected treat.  Amazing thing to have seen.

Manapouri

 We had the cannon,  taking potshots at what we saw.

 Gek the Gem collector,

and this.

Unreal.

Mirror Lakes.

 These same lakes are on the Te Anau/Milford Sound road.

Very strange place.