Hello my friends. Welcome to Week 4. I realized this past week that I've been traveling since last Sunday, November 24 when I left Eau Claire headed for Toronto. Four weeks on the road. I have to work diligently to avoid everything I'm experiencing from becoming a blur. I now take a few minutes throughout the week to remind myself of where I've been, who I met and what's happened in the previous few days.
This week started in Dunedin on the east coast and ends up in Franz Josef/Waiau on the West Coast. Yes, I've arrived on the West Coast. The road closure between Haast and Lake Moeraki did extend to last Friday morning (November 22). I decided to take the circuitous route to my destination so I could travel through Arthur's Pass which is renown for its road building engineering prowess. Circuitous means taking eleven hours to reach my destination instead of two hours taking the direct route.
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| Fox Glacier |
The continued blessing I've received through my travels this week is twofold benefit of being immersed in amazing landscapes AND meeting extraordinary people everywhere I've traveled. You'll have a chance to meet Henry and his mother Rachel, Ann-Marie and John, a second visit with Gabriela, Gordie, Nicola and Carson, Claire, Apolline and a Polish couple who I, sadly, failed to ask for their names. I'm having the gift of participating in so many diverse personal stories. Hard to believe I'm an introvert, isn't it?
The weather has been, for the most part, favorable for traveling. Some rain over one 24 hour period. There has also been a few coolish days - starts at 5C (41F), warming to 11C (51F). Long way to travel to have similar temperatures in North America. The good news is warmer weather is in my future.
Happy Thanksgiving - wishing my American friends the very best Thanksgiving ever! 🦃 Safe travels if you celebrating away from your own home!
Travel Administration: For those interested in pursuing international travel, there is a short section at the end of this week's blog focused on how I look for the accommodations I end up booking.
Travel Maps
Tracking this past week's travel: South Island Travel - As Of November 24. Have to admit the map is starting to look congested. Glad I'm traveling northward where most of where I'm going is new territory!
Dunedin
It's Sunday morning in Duneding and I am of to see Allan's Beach and the Royal Albatros Center on the Peninsula to the east of Dunedin. Allan's Beach is reportedly a great place to see marine wildlife like sea lions. I think the time of day and the temperature conspired against me. I shared a beautiful beach with another couple.
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| Allan's Beach - looking south |
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| Allan's Beach - South |
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| Allan's Beach - North |
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Path to Allan's Beach - wish this
photo could share the flowers' fragrance |
Next stop was the Royal Albatross Centre (Royal Albatross Centre) - it is the only mainland breeding colony in the world. Albatross' have a 3 meter (10 ft) wingspan. Just my luck that I chose a day where the winds were nonexistent. Very tough to see an albatross soaring without wind. There was a small prayer session happening for the winds to reappear in the afternoon - at least that's the impression the woman at the ticket desk left with me.
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Royal Albatross Centre - looking
seaside. Where I was standing
when I met Rachel & Henry
The Centre is just to the left
of the lighthouse |
Now it's time to meet Henry and his mother Rachel. I started chatting with them on a viewing stand near the Centre. When they discovered I was traveling down the coast, they shared several key destinations they had just visited, that I should consider stopping at. As we continued talking, Henry shared he was all about palaeontology so he was thrilled to be visiting the Centre. Rachel (his very active YouTube manager) mentioned Henry had a YouTube channel (
Henry - The Paleo Guy) which Henry shared with me. As you can see, Henry is very successful having almost 94,000 subscribers. I've noticed he has added 300 subscribers in the past week alone. Henry started his channel at 17 and he just turned 23. He's achieving all of this while attending uni. I did share my blog link with Henry who kindly suggested he'd share the link with others. Henry is targeting 100K subscribers - so, if you have a chance, check out his YouTube channel and subscribe!
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| Royal Albatross Centre - looking inland |
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Blessed with unending barista
artistry! |
After what now seems like a mandatory flat white coffee I was off to drive the Southern Scenic Route which followed the southeast coast - suggested by Tegwyn at the hotel, endorsed by Rachel and Henry. I had a couple destinations in mind as well as reaching my B&B accommodation outside Invercargill by 5 pm. I was aiming to stop at the different waterfalls that I had just learned about. I also wanted to visit the Southern Most Point of the South Island; yup, that's a destination on Google Maps. When I was visiting Borneo last year, I visited the Northern Most Point of Borneo - kind of continuing this travel pattern. (
Trip to Borneo's Northern Most Point)
My first (and unplanned stop) was at Nugget Point (Nugget Point). The vehicle in front of me had turned in that direction so I decided to follow - it can be that random on my itinerary. After all, I was going to continue in the same general direction, just a small deviation. Very happy with my last minute choice.
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| Nugget Point |
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| What we all came to see |
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| How sheer the cliffs can be |
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| Weather station - lighthouse |
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| Find more info on this signboard |
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Truth be told - these signs help me remember
where I took the photos - haha |
Next stop was Parakaunui Falls (
Parakaunui Falls) recommended by Rachel and Henry. This is the only waterfalls recommendation I stopped at - apologies to Rachel and Henry for missing out on the other waterfalls! Beautiful falls in a gorgeous setting. Well worth making the stop! Thanks Rachel and Henry!
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| Interesting effect with the light and shadows |
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| Waterfall - in training |
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Different angle - had to wait for the guy and
his dog to move after getting their photo taken |
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| One last photo |
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| Info kiosk to keep the sights straight |
The Southern Most Point of the South Island - mission accomplished! A short part of the drive included a section of road with a sign indicating that this part of the road was subject to tidal flooding. All about timing, I guess. You reach the southern most point from the parking lot by crossing a field through private land under the watchful gaze of cattle. Amazing views out into the South Pacific. Antartica is out there in distance, I'm sure.
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| Just about half way between the two |
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Yeah, that's a sheer cliff with the Pacific in the
background |
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| Looking south |
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Well, I do need to be some photos - even if the
writing appears backward. |
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| Fairly calm day on the sea |
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| Unsure what this is for |
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| Ann-Marie and John's home |
McIvor Lodge, a B&B, was my home for the night. Switched up my accommodation to this B&B because this destination was outside the city AND it was a deer farm. I've forgotten to mention that there are deer farms in the southern part of the island. Deer were introduced to the South Island, and without any natural predators, have flourished to the point that there are regular culls to control the population. Velvet from the deer's antlers is an important export that the deer farms support.
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| B&B bedroom - attached on the right |
Ann-Marie and John were consummate hosts. I was invited to share evening tea with them which featured venison from the deer that John had just hunted in the past day. We also had breakfast together. The entire experience made me feel like I was back where I grew up in Lac La Biche, Alberta with my family or with my friends in Wisconsin. Hunting was/is part of everyday life. I also got involved in John's efforts to sell his older brother's 1967 Impala (was originally purchased from a Toronto dealership) which was posted on an auction site. I learned about John's son who was a hunting guide working in Canada's province of British Columbia. Ann-Marie and John were also kind enough to share more about the velvet business (and a lot more) and see the deer up close.
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Antlers with the prized velvet - kept in a freezer.
Learned a little bit about how the antlers are
graded for sale
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Antlers are heavy. John wanted to see if
I could hold them |
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One stag - they are kept separate from
each other; grouped by year of birth |
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| The herd |
My next day started with a quick trip to the Bluff Lookout about 35 km south of Invercargill. I has mistakenly thought this was the Island's most southern point until the day I unexpectedly discovered the real point when planning out my travel route.
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| You know why this photo is here |
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| Looking north from Bluff |
All the above happened within 24 hours. Blurring may be understandable!
Te Anau
My next destination on the Southern Scenic Route was Te Anau for a night. It was a place I wanted to revisit after the brief stop last week on the bus trip to Milford Sound. Note to self: Check where Google Maps wants to take me. I veered off the Southern Scenic Route for a distance in Google's unyielding commitment to find the quickest route. Te Anau is a beautiful little town on a lake with mountains in the background. My hotel, Te Anau Lodge (Welcome to the nunnery) was a converted convent so it made for an interesting 'spiritual' pause in my journey. I used the time in Te Anau to write last week's blog and walk around the town. One disappointment. I missed getting a pie at Miles Better Pies. They had just sold the last pie minutes prior to my arrival.
In the midst of this traveling there was a couple things happening in the background. One was the ongoing West Coast road closure between Haast and Lake Moeraki. I decided to take the chance to book a couple nights in Haast with the hope that the road would reopen while I was in Haast. In any case, I wanted to visit Haast. Life will unfold as it should.
The second thing in the background was coordinating a date/time/place to meet up with Gabriela. What I omitted last week is that I was compelled (yes, compelled) to return to The Winery to see if Gabriela would share her contact info. I periodically meet people, like Gabriela, who I believe (unsure where this belief originates) I need to stay in touch with. I've learned the best course of action is just follow the universe's guidance and let life unfold. Gabriela has a most extraordinary story. Originally from Chile, she has traveled and worked in several countries including Canada. She had her own tour company in Chile. She would meet tourists coming off cruise ships and offer local tours, busy on her phone organizing transportation on the fly. Presence, confidence, interpersonal skills and energy that are larger than life. The plan was to meet on Tuesday afternoon as I drove through Queenstown on the way to Haast.
Trip to Haast
Tuesday was to have two highlights - a six hour drive to Haast through the Haast Pass and coffee with Gabriela. I've now learned thoroughly that reviewing the weather forecast and road conditions (including roadworks) are key to a safe journey and avoiding unpleasantries. There was rain in the forecast as I approached Haast which caught my attention. Quick story why rain in the mountains always captures my attention. A long time ago, I had just started my drive up into the Canadian Rockies. As I was driving on an upward section of road (in the rain), the Honda Civic decided to start spinning in circles. The car spun in three complete circles before coming to a stop on the mountain side of the road, as opposed to the sheer cliff on the opposite side. After several moments of quiet reflection (and underwear cleaning) I was back on the road. The memory gets resurrected every time I find myself in a similar situation.
Had a wonderful visit with Gabriela. My thanks to Gabriela for picking a meeting place convenient to my travels (and for sharing the lemon cake/fish and chips!) Many details about Gabriela I've already shared were learned through our conversation. The original reason I wanted to meet with Gabriela was to give her a book I travel with - Embers by Richard Wagamese (
Embers). I often think I'm actually carrying the book for others; the gift I have is being guided by the universe to find the next person to share the book with. From what I now know about Gabriela, I believe the book has found the right new home. She shared an awarding winning entry to a Chilean tourism 'contest' - 2nd place. A gift of for writing - in a way similar to how Richard Wagemese expresses ideas that become almost are magical and lyrical. I can only aspire...
Happy to report the road trip was uneventful. There was pouring rain for the last hour of driving. The good news was the road was fairly flat and I was the sole driver - except for that guy I passed pedalling his bicycle.
Enter Carson and Nicola, the owners of the Haast Beach Hotel, in our journey. Carson grew up in East Germany and was 19 when the Berlin Wall came down. Is an engineer by profession. Big motorcycle guy. Has traveled across Africa in the days before the internet and Google Maps. Has plans to do some biking across the north part of the island in the near future. Nicky has nursing credentials. Nicky was kind enough to contact me in advance to advise the road was closed and they would cancel my reservation without charge given the road closure. I'm glad I made the trip for the people I met.
The beach, about 150 meters across the road, is both expansive and seemed untamed as the photos show. So good to hear the surf again.
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| Untamed is a good descriptor |
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| Where food magic happens |
I took advantage of Carson's dining recommendation to have a meal at the Craypot in Jackson's Bay - about 30 miles down the road. Here is where Claire enters our story. She is a waitress extraordinaire. She guided me to ordering the homemade seafood chowder and chips. The Craypot was the only place I was going to get the chowder. And, btw, you dip your chips in the soup. Claire filled me in on the local info like there was only 254 permanent residents left in the area. The school had nine elementary students; after which parents had to send their children to boarding school (only partially subsided by the government). The fishing and crayfish industries were winding up. Memorable moment - Claire was at the restaurant door to give me a farewell wave as I drove by. And then I met her husband, the local police officer, almost immediately after her wave. He waved me down as our vehicles approached each other on the road just seconds after passing the restaurant. He sternly warned me that the speed limit was 30 kmh in the road works immediately ahead. Not 37 kmh, not 40 kmh - the speed was 30 kmh he emphasized. I now guess he was on his way to having lunch with his wife Claire.
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| My amazing lunch |
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| What would you like to order? |
I stopped at Lake Ellery for a trek to the lake - Claire's travel recommendation. Yet another beautiful short trek in the rainforest. Do wear your hiking boots if you go.
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| Ideal lighting for these photos |
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| Reflections are wonderful with still water |
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I was enraptured by everything
green on this tree |
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| Ellery Lake - 30 minutes later |
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| Being immortalized at the edge of paradise |
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| Natural beauty - great resting spot |
One last story that starts in Haast. Gabriela shared I could buy crepes in Haast, this small West Coast village, in the middle of nowhere. Crepes made by this extraordinary woman (Apolline) originally from France, no less. To my initial disappointment, I discovered the Crepe & Snow (Crêpe and Snow) was temporarily closed due to the ongoing rain and road closure. I sent an email to Apolline to extend greetings from Gabriela and express my sadness at missing out on her crepes. To my surprise, Apolline responded, volunteering to drive from Queenstown on Wednesday evening (a five hour plus drive) to prepare crepes for me on Thursday. Well, as much as I would like a crepe, we determined we would need to find another solution. I now had the idea that I must meet Apolline in person. How many people do you know will travel five hours to make something for you? The story continues in a later section below.
Trip to Franz Josef/Waiau
On Thursday morning, I started my eleven hour journey over two days, through Arthur's Pass, to reach Franz Josef Glacier my next West Coast destination. I thought I'd make this journey, in spite of retracing my previous traveling, as it was likely my only chance to drive Arthur's Pass.
The return trip through Haast Pass gave me a chance to take photos of the two lakes along the way - Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.
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| Lake Wanaka |
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| Lake Wanaka |
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| Lake Hawea |
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| Lake Hawea |
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| Lake Hawea |
If you like drive winding roads, New Zealand is just the place for you. These are the moments where I wish I was behind the wheel of my Mazda RX7 (Mazda RX7) sports car. Wonderful example of outstanding engineering. Open stretches of road are so welcome when they do appear. One highlight, in driving all these winding mountain roads, is when a wide open lush green valley appears in front of you as you descend from the mountain. Breathtaking beauty!
And the wind blows
I've forgotten to mention how much the wind blows on this island. There are signs on many highways cautioning drivers about wind gusts. If you want to see a mega hedge, this is the place to visit. The wind breaks on this island are super sized, as far as the eye can see, as the following two photos show. This is but one example of the many of these wind breaks.
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| Windbreak - looking in one direction |
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| Same windbreak - looking opposite direction |
It's time to introduce Gordie - the host at the Southern Cross Lodge in Methven, my overnight stop after about six hours on the road. What makes Gordie memorable was he was the consummate host in the hotel. He had this magnificent fire burning in the Lodge's common area, offering to open the bar, or turn the TV on. He seemed to just wanted his guests be well attended to. Sadly, he was powerless to do something about the overly soft mattress.
Destination Franz Josef/Waiau - Day 2
It's now Friday morning, Arthur's Pass (Arthur's Pass) is next, then Franz Josef Glacier - about five hours driving time. The Pass is an epic travel experience given the extraordinary engineering efforts made to create the Pass. I'm glad I defaulted to travel from east to west as the climb from the West Coast seemed to go on forever. I happy for the dry and sunny travel conditions. Another breathtaking experience. Sometimes it's hard to breathe in New Zealand with all these breathtaking moments. 😉
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| Beautiful, right! |
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Yes, that's right. We going through those
mountains in the background |
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| And, we are off through the Pass |
While all this traveling is happening, Apolline and I have been in contact. She advised she was planning to reopen on Friday as the road has opened and the rain has stopped. I decided the best day for my crepe experience, based on the weather forecast, wass Saturday morning. Just one more day to wait before I could savor the taste of France on New Zealand's West Coast.
After arriving at the Aspen Court Lodge in Franz Josef, I decide I should walk to the Franz Josef Glacier viewpoint. Pam, the lodge owner, said it was only about 20 minutes away (did I mention 20 minutes by car?); a convenient fact I ignored when I decided to walk. The viewpoint is about 6 km, one way, from where I'm staying. I did get my steps in after all that driving earlier in the day. Couple of disappointments after all this exercise - the Glacier 1) was shrouded in cloud cover and 2) has retreated so far that it is miles away from the viewing area. This naive Canadian should have read more in advance to set his expectations. The receding glacier is big business for the local helicopter companies who offer you the chance to land/walk on the glacier.
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| Info for the walk ahead |
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What's so different about viewing glaciers
in New Zealand is walking through a rainforest. |
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| Trail through rainforest |
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If you look real close, you may see
a hint of the glacier just below the clouds |
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| This riverbed used to host the glacier |
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| Where the glacier once was |
Haast Revisited
Being in crepe heaven is now within reach! Two hours driving separate me from culinary delight in Haast! I triumphantly returned to Haast around 10 am on Saturday. Apolline is another person who is larger than life. She is all personality and energy, creating this extraordinary service experience I know I was enviable for in my business. I was pleased to have made the effort to meet Apolline in person. Sets a new level of the customer experience that I need to work to.
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Apolline found this trailer with the Shaved Ice
sign and all. Like she says - it was meant to be |
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| Wheel of Fortune - free coffee for me |
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| Crepe menu |
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| Get your shaved ice here |
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| Apolline |
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This is my second crepe - I was enamoured
with the first crepe I forgot to take photos,
in spite of Apolline suggesting to do so |
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| So, so good! Hazelnut spread and banana |
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A little piece of paradise - in a country full of
surprises |
I was blessed she had a few minutes to chat between customers. She talked about traveling to Auckland when she decided she didn't want to return to France. She ended up spending a week in Hawaii when she discovered the Auckland she was traveling to was in California, and not Auckland, New Zealand! As she said, not a bad place to get stuck in while she waited to get the travel sorted out. She had planned to stay in Haast for three months, and here she was years later - having found the right partner for her in Haast.
Her original dream was to open a shaved ice concession. Her partner reminded her that shaved ice may only have limited appeal in this part of New Zealand given the seasons. Learning how to make crepes became a practical business decision. I know first hand she has achieved making fantastic crepes. So good, that I ended up having two crepes. Apolline had also created a 'spin the wheel' prize game for customers. She has an unwavering commitment to bring fun for her customers into her business. I was fortunate to win a free coffee with my hazelnut spread and banana crepes. Apolline gave me the ultimate gift - a Crepe and Snow branded pen. Talk about feeling special! Thank you!
If you are looking for an energy boost, I'd encourage you to look at her website and review all that stories that have been written about her and her business.
For my return journey, I made several stops including Ship Creek, Knights Point and Fox Glacier. I met the Polish couple and their baby daughter at Fox Glacier. They have traveled Roger's Pass in the Canadian Rockies so we had a common starting point. They spent a month in Sri Lanka, traveled to Iceland for 12 days and were off to Vietnam, after New Zealand, to meet a friend. They were traveling for about five months in total. I was remiss in failing to introduce myself and asking for their names.
Ship Creek
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| Mother Nature's glory on stage |
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| Jaw dropping beauty |
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| Ship Creek beach |
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| Ship Creek beach |
Knight's Point
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| Amazing beauty |
Fox Glacier
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| Blessed with a clear view |
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| Closer view |
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| Even closer |
Franz Josef Glacier Revisited
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Fortunately, the cloud cover lifted
on Saturday to get this photo |
Travel Administration - Booking Accommodations
My opening comment is to offer this advice - try to avoid booking your accommodation at the last minute like I do. You are likely to have much better choice of places to stay at a lower cost. I've been fortunate, in most instances, to find what I was looking for and at a 'reasonable' cost. I'd have a completely different approach if I had a traveling companion. The certainty of having a good place to stay after a day of travel or adventure is high priority. Predictability brings comfort which brings traveling happiness!
With that out of the way, my approach to finding accommodations is to start with Trip Advisor to get a general idea of what is available/cost for the dates I'm looking for. I'll then turn to Booking.com to see what they have more specifically for availability/cost. Once I narrow the options down, I go directly to the accommodations website to see what they have in comparison to Booking.com. I've found that booking direct with the accommodation can be more expensive than Booking.com. There are the odd occasions where Booking.com will have availability when the accommodation shows sold out. It all depends.
The other learning on this trip is that contacting the hotel directly can make a difference. The reason I called is I was unable to book my room online. In that instance, I saved $50/night for each of two nights. In a second instance, I found there was room available at a $30/night savings. It just depends.
Why Booking.com? I've used the service so frequently I've attained the illustrious Level 3 status giving me the illusion of better service and potential discounts. Buyer beware is the operative phrase. Trying to get in touch with someone at Booking.com in person, is impossible irrespective of what they say.
I've learned, over time, to temper my expectations with booking sites for the ratings given by others and the experience I might have. I've have had my share of surprises of what good is like. I have found reading the most recent comments from customers provides insights in the facility as well as the commentator's expectations.
I will turn to VRBO or AirBnB as required. On this trip within New Zealand, the pricing has been generally better in hotels and motels.
Next Week
The travel plan for the upcoming week is to move up the West Coast from Franz Josef to Westport then travel across to Abel Tasman National Park ending up in Nelson near the top of the island. My time on the South Island is quickly coming to an end.
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