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| The InterIsland Ferry |
We had a nice ferry ride to Picton. The plan was to stay around the port and
explore the Marborough wine region but the campgrounds were either run down or
by noisy highways so we continued toward Christchurch.
Fortunately we ended up at Kaikoura and ended up spending 2
nights in this one road beach town. We
went to the seal colony and hiked a few miles.
The beach was made of finely ground black rocks but had not one
shell. This area is famous for a species
of Abalone called the Paua. Of course,
we bought two.
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| Port of Picton |
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| Kaikora Peninsula |
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| Shoreline in Kaikora |
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| Kaikora Fur Seal |
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| Tucker Sno-Cat from the actual expedition |
We went to the Museum by the Botanical
Gardens in Christchurch.
They had some nice exhibits but
we both thought the Antarctic Exhibit was very interesting.
New Zealand
is the closest major country to Antarctica and has been
a major player in its exploration.
When I was flying EC-130's in the Navy, my engineer, Dan Shore, flew in the squadron that had LC-130's belonging to the National Science
Foundation in support of Antarctic Operations.
I always wanted to fly in that squadron. What an incredible experience that would have been.
Apparently the US Air Force now has the job.
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| Temporary Support for the Anglican Church in Christchurch |
We stayed 2 nights at a backpackers hotel in Christchurch
(Kiwi Basecamp).
It was kind of fun and
more social than a regular hotel but had a frat house feel to it.
Us old folks were falling asleep as the
youngsters were
jamming on guitars and
drinking out back in the courtyard.
We walked the City
Center and visited the Quake
City Museum. Even though the city was basically leveled by
earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, the rebuilding has been progressing rapidly. There is no shortage of work in CC for
construction workers.
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| Catholic Church in Christchurch under repairs |
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| More of those walking road blocks |
We picked up our final camper
and headed to the west coast in search of
something besides hills covered with dry brown grass and found it.
Once we hit the foothills of the New Zealand
Alps, it rained solid for 24 hours and then never really stopped.
We did finally find green hills and some
incredible scenery.
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| Franz Josef Glacier |
Neither of us had
ever seen a glacier and that was probably the highlight of our trip.
If it was winter, it would have been nothing
more than a snow capped mountain but being summer and warm, it was truly
special.
The glaciers are receding 125
metes per year and probably won't be there in 50 years.
Too bad.
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| Reflecting Lake - Too much wind, Too bad |
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| Front edge of the Fox Glacier |
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| The Fox Glacier used to cover this entire valley |
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| Getting there was half the fun |
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| The Fox Glacier |
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| Mostly loved by the sand fleas |
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| The Blue Pools. Nice hike, nice surprise |
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| Suspension bridge to the Blue Pools |
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| On the Lookout at Bluff. |
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| At the south tip of Bluff |
We headed down to the 'Far South' and were as close to Antarctica
as most people ever get when we went to the town of Bluff. A Low had come passed and it was windy and
cold. If it wasn't, I would have been
dissapointed. We went to another museum
in Invercargill and headed up the east coast to Dunedin.
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| It was cold at Bluff |
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| Cheese tasting and tour in Oamara |
We were ahead of schedule and spent a few extra
days exploring the southeast and even had an unplanned night at Akaroa.
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| Never too old for the Jumping Pillow |
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| World Famous Chips in Akaroa |
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| Akaroa Harbor |
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| Getting a little stick time at the museum. P-51 in the background |
We returned to Christchurch
on our last day and went to the New Zealand Air Force Museum and took back the
campervan.
The flight the following morning
was full but we were lucky and had a morning arrival at the Coolangatta
Airport in Australia.
Now that we are done living in vehicles, it's back to
Tortuguita. Sure seems huge compared to what we have been living in for the
past 2 months.
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| Kiwi Air Force Museum |
