Dec 17th 2011

Moving to Queenstown today. Left accomodation at 9.45am & headed towards museum to see the Tuataras. These creatures were around in the Jurassic Period. Although they look like reptiles they display some 'bird like' features. They have a pineal body in the top of their heads & this is thought to detect changes in light intensity with the seasons. Their skulls also have bird like features and along the backs of their heads & part of their spine they have stunted feathers. They are endangered now and are only found in New Zealand because there were no mammals to predate them. They are v cute and the museum has a breeding programme going to try & maintain/increase numbers so there were quite a few lively youngsters around. Seems sad that having survived all that time man's actions have pushed them to near extinction.

We also saw the replica of the 'Indian Scout Special', speed record motorcycle which was built by Bruce Munro and was the subject of the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" starring Anthony Hopkins.

We then went to E Hayes & Sons Ltd a HUGE hardware store founded by Ernest Hayes in 1895 in Oturehua.One of his sons opened the store in Invercargill where now they also have a large selection of classic motor bikes and cars. They have the original Indian Munro Special. The Hayes family have a special interest in motor bikes and have built several themselves.

We then headed off towards Bluff. Some deer farming here. As there's a strong Scottish connection & venison has always been a favourite of the Scots it's not surprising. When we arrived we drove up to the top of Bluff's Hill (867') where we ate our lunch looking at the view of the bay. At one time much of NZ was submerged under the ocean & it broke away from the super continent, Gondwana, before any mammals arrived. Fauna was made up mainly of birds and reptiles. Many birds lost the ability to fly which made them very vulnerable when humans arrived and introduced other mammals. The first colonisers had come from the South Sea Islands. The Maori hunted the Moa ( which stood at approx 3m) & many of it's relatives to extinction and now only v small numbers of Kiwi survive. Most of these are in sanctuaries where attempts at breeding is taking place with the view of reintroducing them into the wild. The first European settlers arrived in 1820s and were firstly involved in seal hunting for their fur. They virtually hunted seals to extinction & then turned to whaling decimating the whale population. They then turned to farming. Between 1862 & 1864 12 ships arrived in Bluff carrying 1600 Scottish immigrants - most of them from Glasgow!! They brought with them, or imported later, cats and dogs & rats came on the ship. These decimated the native bird species. Possums were later imported from Australia for their fur and the problems they caused still continue. They are herbivores and have caused untold damage especially to the native Ratta tree. Evidence of this is very obvious on Bluff Hill.

We then headed off from Bluff towards Queenstown. Getting a bit warmer now 14 degrees C - a bit of a shock to the system after 34 degrees a few days ago!! Mostly farmland again with huge herds of Friesians with some Jerseys for cream - -all these will be producing milk & NZ butter and cheese. Also flocks of sheep for NZ lamb. Most are shorn so wool must be of value here - -wonder if they're Merino sheep. They seem to use rows of trees, mainly, but nt exclusively, pines as borders & wind breaks. Some were trimmed into huge rectangular box shapes. About 50 miles from Queenstown the landscape changes. Now we have valleys with mountains on either side - some in the distance have snow on them. Hills are covered in bright yellow gorze or broom. Also lots of pink & white foxgloves. Just after passing a sign for Glen Nevis we came upon a beautiful lake - the clouds had cleared now and the water was crystal clear & deep blue. This was Lake Wakatipu which we stayed beside. Drove along the length of this wonderful lake amongst the Remarkable Range Mountains in perfect weather. Deer farming here too, also beef rearing - suckling calves. Stunning scenery. Came to Franckton - quite an upmarket resort on the lake side. Our accommodation is on the other side of Queenstown overlooking the lake (Heritage holiday resort). Nice appartment with a magnificent view of the lake and mountains.

Dec 18th 2011

Walked down into Queenstown & had a look around before going on a Jet boat ride! It was great fun - narrowly missing bouys, masts, trees, bridges etc on the Kawara & Shotover Rivers. Some areas had v shallow water but these boats only need 2 inches clearance - -I would have liked more! The driver guy also did 360 degree turnes on a v small area & we all got a bit wet!. We had photos taken & if you'd like to view them they're on

www.kjet.co.nz

. Select 'daily photos' then enter code KWJT 112180121660. After that we went down below the level of the jetty where there was a glass wall & we could see Rainbow & brown trout & salmon swimming in the lake. All pretty huge fish! The most fascinating thing for me though were a couple of Scaup ducks (the only diving duck in NZ) that kept diving to the lake bed, feeding, then going up for air. It was fascinating watching them - -reminded me of the Cartesian diver in Science!

After that we walked through the town and bought a book on NZ wildlife. This helped us to identify some birds of prey that we'd seen flying quite low down (rather than hovering) on several occasions looking for prey. They have a white rump and are Australasian Harriers.

We then caught the courtesy bus back to our apartment and had lunch on the balcony over looking our wonderful view! Then we drove off to Cromwell which used to be a gold mining town. On the way we stopped at the Bungee jumping centre. Pete went first and said it was fine apart from when they duck your head in water. My hair needed washed so I thought that would be quite useful. Only kidding!!! we watched enthralled while these v brave (or foolish?) young people paid $100 to be pushed off a diving board, 300 feet high, suspended from their ankles. Oh well whatever appeals I s'pose!

Cromwell had gone into decline when it was decided to flood the valley it was in to create a hydroelectric power station. Some of the town's buildings have been (lovingly?) rebuilt & is now a tourist village & it's possible to visit the dairy, stable, blacksmith's, printers etc & also buy nice herbal things & metal work. When mining for aluvial gold by sluicing it out of the rock became uneconomical the miners turned to fruit growing & this was so successful that this is now a major frut growing area. There are also quite a number of vineyards and wineries. There are also quite a lot of beehives around and honey sold. The scenery here again is quite spectacular. We drove round to Bannockburn (!!!) where there used to be a gold mine & it is now possible to do a tour of it but as it had got quite late we gave that a miss. (BTW there is also a Ben Lomond around here!).

Dec 19th 2011

We drove from Queenstown to Glenorchy alongside the lake in the valley between the Humbolt Mountains. We stopped now and again for Pete to take calender photos. Reckon he could do quite well producing calendars. He wouldn't let me be a 'Calender Girl' though!

This route is considered to be one of the most scenic in the world. We had perfect weather for it too- -clear blue sky with just a few fluffy clouds clinging to the mountain tops. There was a cold Southerly breeze this morning but by lunchtime it was a scorcher. Alongside the road were lots of foxgloves, wild lupins and also the bright yellow flowering bush that looks like broom but is called Kowhai (must be closely related to broom). They are now trying to increase the colonization by this plant as it is loved by two native species - -the Bell bird and the Tui.

When we got to Glenorchy we went on a circular walk through 'bush' and came to a lagoon. There was a wooden bench with 'Pete & Al' written on it so we sat. It was so peaceful - all we could hear was bird song & no other human in sight. There were several very elegant Black Swans cruising about the lagoon. Again we were Encircled by nature's best - -blue lagoon, snow capped mountains, warm sunshine and lush vegetation. As we were walking back we were priveledged to encounter a huge grey bird of prey circling in and out of the trees and bushes just in front of us totally oblivious of our prescence. It caused panic amongst the small birds though. We had our lunch on a wooden picnic table overlooking the lake.

We then set off on a drive to 'Paradise'. This is the v scenic area where 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy was filmed and also 'The Hobbit'. Just as well they didn't have a Holden Commodore to hire at the airport as the only way to get there was by 4WD and the Toyota Rav 4 coped admirably. That's the only way Pete & I are going to get to 'paradise' anyway! It was such an amazing drive through stunning snow capped mountains, crystal clear mountain streams (we drove through several fords), through dense forests of tall majestic trees with foxgloves at their bases. Again we saw several birds of prey, one being chased off by two masked lapwings. In fact, we went "Beyond Paradise" as far as Chinaman's bluff - -so called after the Chinese gold miners. The weather held & after an hour's drive we were back in our apartment surrounded by spectacular scenery again. What a fabulous day. We will be very sorry to have to leave here tomorrow.

Dec 20th 2011

Drive to Te Anau