27 February, Monday. We left Golden Bay this morning and headed for Greymouth on the rugged west coast of the South Island, a five hour drive as the road goes, seven hours for us including stops for a picnic lunch, second hand stores, and construction. We arrived at the Greymouth Seaside Top 10 Holiday Park*, upacked the car, and went for a walk on the beach. This beach is stones with a bit of sand here and there. We picked up interesting stones as is our wont and will figure out which ones are keepers and which will grace someone's garden. We had a forgettable dinner in town and returned to the park in time to see the beautiful sunset. A group of young boys staying at the park was having a bonfire on the beach. The sight and smell was a perfect end to the day.

*Not sure if I mentioned this, but a Top 10 membership costs $49 for two years and gives a 10% discount up to $40 per stay at any Top 10 Park in NZ as well as 10% discount at various attractions.

28 February, Tuesday. This morning we drove to Mitchells on Lake Brunner. On the way we stopped at the site of the Brunner Mine. It is a very scenic drive, and once there we had our picnic lunch and went for a walk on the Bain Bay Walkway. We only walked about half way on this combination boardwalk/beach front track, but it was delightful. Lake Brunner is renowned for its trout fishing. We met a delightful woman at the picnic area and had a good chat. She was relaxing with a book while her husband was wading in the shallows with his fishing gear. On the way back to Greymouth, we stopped in at the studio of Garth Wilson, a young Maori carver we met several years ago. Over the years, he has shared his knowledge of carving pounamu (greenstone or NZ jade). We bought a couple of things, Buzz and Garth talked carving, Buzz gave Garth a spoonhe had made as a thanks for the knowledge imparted, and Garth gave Buzz a few small pieces of pounamu to carve. Another beautiful sunset concluded an excellent day.

1 March:  Wednesday. We left Greymouth this morning and drove along the coast road to Haast with a few stops along the way. The first was at Treetops NZ just south of Hokitika where a very impressive steel structure of walkways takes you twenty meters above the forest floor to a tower where another 107 steps brings you to 47 meters above the floor. The views are splendid, and the structure is amazing. As we drove south, the weather turned cool and drizzly. We drove through Franz Josef and Fox which were crowded with tourists at every cafe and stopped at a lunch truck on the coast. I waited in the car while Buzz went to get lunch. By the time he had gotten two sandwiches, he had been attacked by the sand flies. We stopped at a couple of other beaches, but the sand flies proved too formidable...even with insect repellent! On to Haast where we checked in to the Aspiring Court Motel (so called because of its location in Mount spiring National Park) and settled in for the evening.

2 March: Thursday. Jackson's Bay, the furthest south one can drive on the west coast of the South Island is a place we hadn't seen before. This morning we started with a walk on Haast Beach and then drove the 45km to see Jackson's Bay. There was a settlement of about 400 people here from 1875-1878. It didn't take the settlers long to figure out that the land was inhospitable to humans and livestock. Commercial fishermen still use the bay, and there is a nice pier to walk on. The beach, as with most on the west coast, is mostly rocks with a few bits of sand and lots of sand flies. On the way back we stopped at Neil's Beach to see if we might find a picnic table. No place to picnic, but we found an abundance of blackberries which we picked and ate on our way down to the beach. Along the road back to Haast, Buzz stopped along the side of the road and ventured about 10 feet into the bush to take some lovely photos just to show you don't have to go on a track to see the beauty of the NZ bush. We finally ate our lunch back in our hotel room and read our books and napped! I made us a big salad for dinner, and we walked over to the supermarket for ice cream and cookies for dessert.

3 March: Friday. It poured overnight and was still raining as we packed the car and headed south through the Haast Pass. The positive is that the waterfalls along the way were outstanding. Even the water at a place called Trickle Creek was cascading. We stopped at Thundering Creek Falls and Blue Pools to take short walks. At Blue Pools crazy young men were jumping off the bridge into the freezing water below! At Boundary Creek, near the head of Lake Wanaka, we stopped for a walk and the view but didn't stay long because the wind was fierce. We drove on and stopped along the Clutha River near Cromwell for our picnic lunch. Cromwell is in the Central Otago wine growing area. It has an interesting microclimate and, although it was very windy, it was quite warm. On to Jack's Point near Queenstown and the home of Anne and Michael Goldman to a warm welcome, Shabbat dinner and a weekend in beautiful surroundings with dear friends. Anne and MIchael provide day care for their granddog, Vinnie. Buzz and Anne took Vinnie for a walk, and we had a "chillaxing" late afternoon and a delicious dinner.

4 March: Saturday. It is always nice to have a late start to the morning after a long day on the road. We went to the local farmer's market near the airport and then on to Arrowtown. We got cheese and Stewart Island Smoked Salmon (hot smoked) at the market, and Anne got a flax plant for her garden. Arrowtown is an historic gold mining town on the Arrow River. In its heyday it had almost 7000 inhabitants including a Chinese settlement which is now a site to visit. The population now is about 2000, and there are strict building covenants to keep the old fashioned atmosphere of the town. We walked around the shops and went to the antiques fair that was on. There were many beautiful...and expensive things. I managed to find a small piece of jewelry for myself among the antiques and, in a fabric shop, a lovely piece of fabric to make a tablecloth. We came home for a late lunch, and a quiet afternoon and evening.

5 March. Sunday. Another leisurely morning. Elliot and Bridget stopped by with Vinnie after their morning walk. After coffee and delicious cheese scones, we were out in the garden when I noticed the sky divers drifting through the clouds. Jack's Point is a popular place for this sport. In the late morning, we went through Queenstown and south to Moke Lake to go for a walk. Moke Lake is a beautiful glacial lake through a station (large farm) at the end of a dirt road. There is boating, camping, horseback riding, and the walking track is an easy one. Buzz and MIchael stopped to enjoy the view while Anne and I continued a bit further. The flora and the mountains along the track beg to be photographed. It was worth going through the congestion of Queenstown, one of the main tourist cities of the South Island, to get there. We got home in time for afternoon tea/lunch on the patio before I needed a nap! We'll have another quiet evening before heading north tomorrow. I'll see Anne in Philadelphia in May when we meet up with Wendy Muchnick and Sandy West for our second annual Girls Who Met in NZ reunion. In September the four couples will meet in Quebec City for our annual reunion. We are ever cognizant of our good fortune to have these enduring friendships.