Hester's wanderings: New Zealand Feb/March 2011, part 1

When I found out Eddie Vedder was going to tour Australia, I told myself I was NOT going to go... unless I got to go to New Zealand this time... so fortunately, I listened to myself, and spent 11 days there before heading over to Australia to see Ed.

I flew into Wellington and spent one night... It was enough...

From the cable car I took up to the top of the hill:

The waterfront:

The next morning, I took a ferry across to the South Island.

When the ferry landed in Picton, I rented a car, and started driving... took the scenic route to Nelson...

Stayed in Motueka, and the next day, I went on a boat tour of the lovely Abel Tasman park. The driver was driving with his feet!

Split Apple Rock

A little girl who was on the boat with her family...

Feeding fish:

At lunchtime, we anchored at this gorgeous beach and went ashore in the dinghy.... I was afraid to take my camera in the dinghy, so I took my waterproof camera. It proved to be a mistake, because I couldn't see the screen at all, so I had to take pictures blindly without composing... still, a few turned out:

After we got off the boat, I drove towards Golden Bay, and stopped at Pupu Springs, which is a sacred spring to the Maori. It is said to be the purest water, bubbling up from the ground.

Next day, I drove to the West Coast, and stayed in Hokitika... the drive from Westport, where I hit the coast, down to Hokitika was spectacular!

Stopped to see Punakaiki, where some unusual rock formations were, and in the parking lot, saw a Kiwi...

All down the coast were old bridges, most single-lane, some over rivers 1 km wide! Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic.

I saw this bridge, but didn't stop, but it was just one of those photos which had to be taken, so I turned around a couple miles down the road and went back...

All over New Zealand, it reminded me of America in the 60s... all the buildings were 50s or 60s, and even the playgrounds were from my childhood.

After spending the night in Hokitika, and doing a little shopping for greenstone, the local jade, I headed down past the 2 glaciers on the coast and then turned inland, to go to my next stop, Wanaka.

From the rainforests, I turned inland to see one of the 2 glaciers close to the coast. Only glaciers in the world within a couple miles of rainforests.... Driving along the river, the water was gray, because of the glacier grinding rocks, dumping lots of dust into the water. For the same reason, the glacier-fed lakes in New Zealand were an uncanny light turquoise color.

As I got to the end of the road, and could see the end of the glacier, a freak storm came out of nowhere and bucketed down... I snapped this picture of people running back from the glacier to the parking lot before I took shelter in the restroom with many others.

On down the coast...

One of several deer farms I saw...

Stayed 2 nights in Wanaka. The next day, I drove along the spine of the island to Lake Tekapo to catch a scenic flight.... most incredible experience... yes, that really IS the color of the water (from the glacier dust)... plane was a little rough at times, but I never felt in danger.