Sunday, January 29: We said our goodbyes and left Jack's Point at 6:45 am to meet the bus in Frankton for a combined bus/boat tour to Doubtful Sound. Our driver was knowledgable of the area, and the two hours from Queenstown to the town of Manapouri passed quickly. At Manapouri we boarded a catamaran for a short trip across Lake Manapouri. Onthe other side of the lake we baorded another bus which took us along a beautiful private road to the next catamaran and on to Doubtful Sound which is really a fiord. The scenery was magnificant, the day was beautiful, and the commentary informative. We met a nice couple from Australia on the boat. The boat went out to the edge of the Tasman Sea, and then three hours later we were back to the bus. On the way back, the bus took us to the Manapouri underground power station for a tour. It is an amazing place...very 007ish! The bus dropped us off back in Frankton and we were off to Cromwell. Monday, January 30: This was one of the most memorable days of the trip so far. At 8am, our guide, John Douglas, picked us up at our motel in his four wheel drive Toyota and took us on a twelve hour tour of the Nevis Valley , its old goldmining areas, high country sheep and cattle stations, and beautiful river valley. There had been snow on Thursday night, and there was lingering snow on the mountaintops. The area was mined for gold in the mid 1800s by New Zealanders and Chinese hopefuls. All along the route we saw the remains of stone buildings built by the miners and those who thought they might serve them...hotels, stables, old school sites. We had morning tea at a lovely spot by the Nevis River, lunch near the golf course (you'd have to see it to believe it), and afternoon tea at the picnic table of an occasionally used small house. The road twisted and wound through some amazing countryside and, not infrequently, through the river itself. There were more than 30 fords to cross...some fairly deep. The trip began in earnest at Bannockburn and the 4 wheel drive track came out at Garston. We then drove up the Shore of Lake Wakatipu and across toward Cromwell stopping near Gibbston to climb over a gate, walk through a paddock, and view the confluence of the Nevis and Kawarau Rivers. John knows every interesting site and sight along the way, and by the time we got back to Cromwell we were tired but exhilirated by the experience. You can find out more about John at www.wildflowerwalks.co.nz Tuesday, January 31: We checked out of the Cromwell Motel and did a few errands in town including sending a parcel to our little girls in israel. As we were walking toward our car, I stepped out in front of a slow moving car in the parrking lot. The driver called out , "You could get run over" It was Frank and Kay Tucker, the couple we met on the Doubtful sound tour. We chatted a few minutes and went on our way. We drove north to Haast. Unfortunately, it rained and was foggy all the way. We checked in to our motel in Haast, and I went out to get something out of the car...the Tuckers were checking in to the next unit! We had afternoon tea together. The grey rainy day was perfect for a nap. Wednesday, February 1: There was torrential rain and wind all night last night, and the morning was grey as we set out. The weather cleared nicely. We had planned to stop at Fox Glacier, but there had been a rock fall overnight and the road was closed. Instead, we took a short diversion to Lake Matheson. There we found a lovely walking track and for about an hour and a half we walked through the bush with occasional views of the lake which, in places, is like a mirror. We drove on for a while and stopped at a roadside picnic area for lunch. Just as we were finishing up, the Tuckers drove in. They, too, had hoped to drive in to Fox Glacier...but they took a helicopter ride instead! Just south of Greymouth we called in to see Garth Wilson. Garth is a young Maori greenstone (jade) carver we met on our last trip. He replaced the cord on my pendant, and we had a nice visit with him. He and Buzz talked about stone and wood carving, and Buzz showed him some of the thngs he has made. You can see Garth's work at his website: www.garthwilsonjade.co.nz. His work is beautiful and he is imbued with Maori tradition. We continued on to Greymouth where we spent the night in the Seaside Holiday Park...too bad it was so foggy you couldn't see the sea. Thursday, February 2: Our first stop was at the Greymouth Public Library where I got on the internet and checked my email and facebook. Interesting stuff, but nothing critical, and we did a bit of shopping berfore heading off to Westport where once again we ran into the Tuckers. We will probably not see them again until Monday when we are scheduled to take the same ferry back to the North island. We drove inland as far as Murchison. We picked a motel out of the AA Accommodation guide. As soon as we turned in the driveway we remembered we had stayed here before! The unit is excellent...including a jacuzzi tub. We dumped our stuff and went for a walk along the river. The highlight of the Willow Walk at the end of Mataki Raod was the plum tree. Buzz and I ate a few, and he picked a couple of dozen to add to our groceries. Buzz took a nap, I cooked dinner...a lovely day. Friday, February 3: We awoke to a bright sunny morning in Muirchison, had breakfast, packed up the car and headed toward Motueka. This turned out to be Buzz's favorite driving day as we turned off the main road at Glenhope and drove along the Tadmore Road which is a well maintained metal (gravel) logging road. We stopped in Ngatimoti to see a woodworker who made some chairs for us years ago. He is now retired. We had a nice chat and left for Motueka. We had a quick walk through town and a look in the second hand shop, and checked in to the Vineyard Tourist Accommodation. I had a lopng nap, Buzz read his book, and we went to the Motueka Bakery and Cafe for a delicious roast dinner...excellent food, and plenty of it. Another early night. I am having to admit that as I get older it is more tiring to drive every day. Saturday, February 4: We left Motueka early this morning and took another back road back to Glenhope and then south to St. Arnaud where we stopped at Lake Rotoiti...one of our favorite spots on the South Island. A beautiful, clear, cold lake. Then we were on to Seddon along the main highway...since it is the only road going east! When we got to Blenheim we took the Taylor Pass Road south to Seddon. This is another metal one lane road trough some beautirul scenery. This area is one of the premier wine grape areas of New Zealand. We continued aloong the Awatere Valley Road and then onto Renners Road about 15K to the end of the road...at the sea. All along these road are familiar winery names...Oyster Bay, Wither Hills, Matua for a few. We had our picnic lunch in the car by the sea..it was raining. A short drive from our picnic spot and we were in Seddon at the farm home of our friends Rob and Merodee Cameron. We received a warm Kiwi welcome, and picked up where we had left off two years ago. Our friend Cathy Black was there as well. My first order of business was to get the laundry done. They don't have a clothes dryer, and the clothesline is through the fence and out in the paddock. The weather had cleared, there was a breeze, and the clothes got mostly dry. Then I put them on a drying rack in the laundry room to be dry for the next morning. Buzz and Rob took a ride down to the river to gather some large stones for a water feature Rob is building off their deck. Sunday, February 5: Rob, Merodee, and Cathy went to church this morning, and Buzz and I just relaxed. In the afternoon, I worked on organizing photos and chatted with Cathy and Merodee while Buzz and Ron took a hike up Star Hill. Tomorrow we take the ferry back to Wellington. These couple of days with the Camerons have been a lovely opportunity to regroup. Monday, February 6: We said our good byes and promised to visit again and set out for Picton and the ferry. We had a look around the shops in Picton and met...the Tuckers! The three hour ferry ride was smooth and uneventful. I slept most of the last hour. Cathy's sister, Robyn and her partner, live in Korokoro just north of Wellington. We stopped there long enough to say hello and admire the fabulous view of Wellington Harbor from their front garden before setting off for Pine Haven another 20k up the road to the home of Darcy and Phyllis Ross. Again, a wonderful welcome, a delicious dinner, and a relaxing evening. We watched Avatar on the telly, I checked email, and we had a great night's sleep.