3/14/09We had our last wonderful breskfast, packed the car and it was off to the races. For the harness (sulky) ride we arrived at Horsepower just down the road from where we stayed. There I met Jim my driver and he let me groom the horse, Mattie. He is a Saddlebred horse at 16 hands. There was quite a bit of gear to put on the horse and that took several minutes. Jim would do one side and I did the other. The gear included a bridle, breast strap, the hobbles tha...

3/13/09This blog is going to cover our last three days in beautiful NZ. When we left Dunedin the first thing we had to do according to Al was walk Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. Now it was cold, windy, and had been sleeting but walk we did. At the steepest part the gradient was 1 to 2.46. Needless to we where no longer cold.Then it was on the road to see the Royal Albatross and again the weather was in our favor for the more windy the more the ...

Today we travel to Dunedin for a night stay. We have decided to go across from Te Anau instead of down to the coast line and then up. There where several things we wanted to have time for that this route would allow. The countryside as you leave Te Anau becomes more low rolling hills and no forest. When we where driving into Milford Sound yesterday the forest would come to the edge of the road and cover you in green tapestry. Then the foliage would part and there...

3/8/09Today we took the Doubtful Sound cruise with Real Journey's. This is the only compay that goes into Doubtful. We begin with a 55 minute boat cruise across the Manpouri Lake. The boat was full so we sat six to a table. It was a great way to meet people from all over the world and share experiences. We met more Americans on this tour than any other time on our trip. In fact while checking in we reunited with the couple we met on the ferry coming from the No...

3/7/09We are now on the road to Te Anau. The first stop is at Shotover river to go jet boating. I loved the 360 degree spin arounds they do but did not like getting so close to the canyon rocks. The boats where designed by a local NZ person and only need 10-15 cm of water to run. They pump out around 800 liters of water per second. The hand rails we where to hold during the ride where heated. It was so very nice. Most places where we stay also have heated towel r...