Sunday, 7 February: Another beautiful day. We spent some time on lovely Carter's Beach in the late afternoon yesterday and had our picnic food for dinner. This morning we set off for our drive to Franz Josef Glacier. Our first stop was Cape Foulwind to take the short walk to the Tauranga Seal Colony. The seals did not disappoint: sunning themselves on the rocks, diving into the surging sea, mothers and babies together. A lovely start to our day. Next, a walk to the pancake rocks and blowholes of Punakaiki. Lucky for us the sea was fairly rough, and the put on quite a show. We stopped again just south of Greymouth to see Garth Wilson, our favorite carver of Pounamou (NZ Jade), but he was away. We left a note note, stopped nearby for our picnic lunch, and continued south. No drive along the West Coast is complete without a stop in Holitika, the Greenstone tourist mecca of NZ. We stopped briefly. The most interesting thing was the collection of driftwood sculptures on the Hokitika beach! We arrived in Franz Josef in the late afternoon and checked in to the Alpine Glacier Motel. The rooms were very nice, and the bonus was the fabulous view from the balcony in front of our rooms. We left our stuff and went off to find the glacier. We didn't attempt the 5 hour walk but set out for the walk that took us to a view point and back in just over an hour. It was lots of up and down hill...as close to hiking as I am likely to get. We stopped in town for dinner at the Snakebite Brewery and settled in to our motel for a quiet night.

Monday, 8 February: This was a long day of driving. We left Franz Josef and stopped at Lake Matheson to take a short walk (about 40 minutes with stops for views) to a spot where Mt. Cook is visible from the track. This lake is sometimes called the mirror lake for the beautiful reflections. Next, a stop at a view point to see the Fox Glacier...no walk just get out of the car and take the photo! Continuing south, we stopped at Haast Village to check out the souvenirs and then through the beautiful Haast Pass with stops at Thundering Creek Falls where Mary ventured into the cold water and Fantail Falls where there is a huge collection of obelisks made of river stones. We drove along Lakes Wanaka and Hawea to the town of Wanaka where we stopped for petrol and a few supplies. Wanaka was a sleepy little town when we first visited many years ago. It is all go now. We were glad to leave. Another 25km brought to the Cardrona Hotel where we are staying the night. It is an historic place. We have driven by and photographed it many times, but this is our first stay. It is charming. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, a walk around the grounds, and are settled in.

Tuesday, 9 February:  Another beautiful sunny day. For an area famous for wind and rain, the West Coast has been very kind to us. Before leaving Cardrona, we stopped to admire...and photograph...the fence decorated with bras. There is a donation box for Breast Cancer Awareness. We drove over the Crown Range Road from Cardrona to just north of Queenstown. This is a beautiful drive through the mountains. We were pleased to see the lupines in bloom. Once back on the main road, we skirted Queenstown and headed south and west to Te Anau. The road took us along the shore of Lake Wakitipu. There were many photo stops along the way. We checked into the Aden Motel and went for a walk into the town center. There was a cool wind off the lake and our walk was brisk. At the local cinema, we saw a short film about Fiordland National Park...no dialogue...just music and fabulous aerial views. The Park is larger than Yellowstone and Yosemite combined. Back to the motel for a few chores, and then out for an early dinner at La Dolce Vita. The meal was good, and there was 25% off for early bird diners. Are we getting old or smart? We will have an early night tonight. Off to Milford Sound tomorrow, and the tour bus picks us up at 8:15am.

Wednesday, 10 February: There are not enough superlatives to describe the beauty of the Fiordland National Park/Milford Sound. We went on a Jucy Tours Ecotour. The first pat of the trip was a two and a half hour bus ride with running commentary about the flora and fauna by our driver/guide, Simon. We stopped several times along the way to look at particularly stunning aspects of this park. When we arrived at Milford sound...actually a fijord since sounds are formed by rivers and fijords are glacial formations...we boarded the Maiden of Milford Sound for a two hour cruise. More stops on the trip back to Te Anau. In all, some of the most amazing, awesome, sublime views we have seen on this trip. 

Thursday, 11 February:  Happily this was a short day of driving. We left Te Anau and took a slight detour to find the Henry Creek campground. Simon, our guide from yesterday, had told us we would find smooth stones there. Was he ever right. This free camping area is on the shore of Lake Te Anau. There is no sand...just millions, or billions, of tiny stones that have been polished by the action of the water and washed ashore. We collected a few, took some photos, and set out for a reunion with our good friends Anne and Michael Goldman who have bought a home neat their son and daughter-in-law at Jack's Point just south of Queenstown. We drove up the road we had driven down on Tuesday stopping at Kingston for our picnic lunch. As we drove along, I was conscious of the different aspects one finds when going the opposite way on a road previously traveled. Anne and Michael were home to greet us, and we spent the rest of the day and evening happily catching up. 

Friday, 12 February: We had a lazy morning and then I drove into Queenstown with Anne, Joe and Mary for a look around. I don't drive much here; so I am a comfortable yet cautious driver. Buzz, on the other hand, is very confident. We call him "Mario" on the open road. Queenstown is a mix of very beautiful scenery and throngs of tourists. Buzz wouldn't care if he never went into town again, but I quite enjoyed the visit. We parked near and walked through the public gardens down to the waterfront. There were craft stalls on the wharf walkway, and we found a few goodies to bring home. After a late lunch, I thought I'd read for a while...fell asleep! In the late afternoon we took a walk down to the lake. This community that Anne and Michael have settled in is so beautiful. Michael baked a challah for Shabbat, Mary tried her hand at weaving flax leaves and made napkin rings. Elliot and Bridget joined us for Shabbat dinner. An altogether delightful day.

Saturday, 13 February: Joe went out early this morning to hit some balls before meeting Elliot for a 7:56am tee time on the Jack's Point Golf Course. This course is one of the finest in NZ. People come by the busload to play on this course, and it is in the Goldman's backyard. While the boys were golfing, the rest of us went to the Remarkables Farmers' Market in Frankton. We wandered for a while, bought a few things, and headed home. After lunch we will reluctantly leave the Goldmans and head to Lake Tekapo fo a night at another beautiful lake.