2007 12/30 Deer Farms

Deer farming is huge business in New Zealand - Kiwi love their venison. On this ranch we spotted sections full of buck, further down the road there would be a block of only doe.

For our hunting friends, you can only drool.

12/30 Kawarau Bridge Bungy - Geronimo!

Yes - Joe's officially lost it - and loved every second! No - Nancy did not make take the leap.

We made the drive from Wanaka to Queenstown - the Adventure Capital of the World. Joe was scheduled to Jump at 11:30 this morning and he's ready to take the big leap. Kawarau is the home of the world's first and most famous leap. And yes, we have a DVD of this historic event.

Nancy captured the leap as best she could. It was over in a flash!

2007 12/29 Jet Boating on the Matukituki River

Another fun day jet boat journey on the Matukituki River. We enjoyed lovely weather and beautiful views of Mount Aspiring and the Avalanche Clacier.

12/28 Joe Parasailing Lake Wanaka

Joe Parasailing at Lake Wanaka

2007 12/28 Wanaka, New Zealand

Snow-peaked mountains of Wanaka

Our Apartment.

2007 12/27 Celebration Dinner

Joe and Nancy with our guides, Renee, Scott, Mark and Taka at the Celebration Dinner in Queenstown.

The Routeburn Track - Length and Elevations

Day 1 - 13 KM (8.1 miles)
Day 2 - 15 KM (9.2 miles)
Conical Hill Elevation 1600 meters
Day 3 - 10 KM (6.1 miles)

2007 12/27 Routeturn Track - Day 3 - The Finish

Day 3 - We awakened to the sound of raindrops.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay in bed - we had another day of hiking ahead. Yesterday's sunshine was a memory. At least today's segment was the easiest leg of our trek - downhill and with relatively few rocks and tree roots.

As you can see, this place is gorgeous - even in the rain. The meadows, rivers, and magnificent gorges - What an awe inspiring place!

Pic #2 - Nancy finishing!

Pic #3 - Nancy & Joe at the finish

Pic #4 - Our Group - Happy to toast our success at Glenorchy Pub for a celebratory beer with our mates! Let's get out of these wet clothes!

2007 12/26 Routeburn Track - Day 2

Day 2 - Today we left the ancient forest of moss and lichen and entered the Alpine World. What a place - and we're here! Fantastic!

We stopped for views of the Tasman Sea at Martins Bay. After reaching the Harris Saddle we stopped for lunch. Joe went on to ascend Conical Hill. Nancy continued with Barry and Jerri toward the hut. Onward to Lake Harris, in the mountains that tower above the upper basins of the Routeburn River. Finally, down to Routeburn Falls and the Hut.

Views from our hut was incredible. Windows from the sitting room looked out over the river basin and the Darrin Mountains. Words cannot describe how we felt. The day was utterly fantastic. Weather couldn't have been better - we were literally on top of the world.

It was a tough day - 6 or 7 hours in all, but one of the most memorable things we've ever done. We encourage everyone to do it - what a way to spend our holiday!

2007 12/25 Christmas Day - The Routeburn Track, Day 1

Day 1 - After leaving Queenstown by Bus, we arrived mid-day to the start of the Track. Of course, as our luck would have it, the rain began to fall. It was cold and wet and we started to question what we were thinking.

In preparation for today we'd hiked part of this stage a few days previously and it kicked Nancy's butt! Now she had to do it in the rain, and then add a few kilometers before arriving at our Hut - FUN!


Did I mention it's a CLIMB? UP HILL in rocky terrain????

Five hours later, a very tired Nancy dragged her weary, wet feet into Lake Mackenzie Hut. Our Hostess greeted us with great enthusiasm for a job well done. After a hot shower, wet gear and boots off to the drying room, and a gourmet Christmas Dinner, a nice glass of wine was just what she needed. It was a chance to get to visit with our fellow hikers and relax, and discuss what we may be in for on Day 2. We were, after all, hiking into the alpine region.

We were entertained by a delightful family from Auckland (mom, dad and 3 teens) playing the piano and singing Christmas Carols.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2007 12/24 Christmas Eve

Today we left beautiful Wanaka and headed to Queenstown. As soon as we settled into our room, we attended a mandatory group briefing in preparation for the upcoming multi-day Routeburn Track Hike. The meeting consisted of watching a short DVD outlining what we'll encounter over the next few days - a brief overview of the walk, estimated time to complete each day's walk, weather conditions, etc. Next we went over the list of items we were required to carry in our packs..... bed sheet, towel, water, hats, gloves, insect repellant, sun screen, sun glasses, hats, long underwear, pack liner. Lots of little things, but they all add up. We were excited and nervous about what the next 3 days held for us.

We were nervous with anticipation - like little kids on Christmas Eve - hoping Santa would be good to us and give us strong legs over the next 3 days.

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

See you in 08!

12/23 NZ, The Kepler Track, Rainbow Reach Walk

We headed back to Kepler Track this morning to take in a bit more of this gorgeous place. We started at Rainbow Reach to see how the track varied from one end to the other.

The track runs adjacent to the river and it is lush with moss and fern. You feel as though you're in a botanical garden instead of the wilderness. The rivers, lakes and mountains are spectacular. The water is so pure you can drink from the river with no worries about getting sick. There isn't any air pollution either - hard to believe you can still find places like this in the world.

12/22 NZ, The Kepler Track

Another great day for hiking. Here are a few shots from the Kepler Track. Very different as it runs along the river, very lush, green, fern and moss covered areas. Very beautiful! Great walking too - no rocks!

12/21 NZ, Routeburn Track Summit Hike

Shot from the Summit of the Routeburn Track.

12/21 NZ, Milford Sound Cruise

Fur Seals warming on the rocks of Milford Sound

Our Cruise Ship for the Milford Sound Cruise.

Shot #3 - A View of the Sound from the shore.

Shot from over the Bow of the Ship.

12/21 NZ, Scenic Drive to Milford Sound

We decided to drive the Scenic Highway to catch the boat for the Milford Sound Cruise. As you can see, we weren't disappointed. No only were we surrounded by snow-capped mountains, but we passed flowing river valleys filled with Lupens as high as my head and they went on for several miles. The air was thick with their pungent sweet fragrance and the temperature was cool-crisp. What a lovely world!

12/20 NZ, Lake Te Anau Cruise & Milford Track Walk

Today we enjoyed another incredible day. The weather and the views were spectacular. Here is a shot taken during our Lake Te Anau Cruise. Shot #2 is a Kiwi Christmas Tree - it is an evergreen tree that blooms bright red flowers around Christmas time. Shot #3 is where we started our walk of the Milford Track. Shot #4 is the swing bridge that crosses the River at the start of the Milford Track.

2007 12/20 Te Anau - View from Blue Thistle Cottage

Good morning! This was our view of the mountain at 6:00 am this morning.

We're off to hike the Milford Track. The tour bus will pick us up for an hour long drive to the harbour on Lake Te Anau. We will board a boat that will take us another hour to the northern end of the lake where we will begin an 11 kilometer hike of the Milford Track. We'll stop for lunch and resume hiking up the Glade Burn Track for spectacular views of the Lake before returning to the river bed for our return by boat and bus to Te Anau.

12/18 & 19 NZ, Doubtful Sound Fiordland Cruise

Wow! What a fantastic cruise! We drove by car from Riverton toManapouri where we boarded a large ferry for the Lake Manapouri crossing. When the ferry docked we were wisked onto large coaches for an hour-long scenic drive through Milmot Pass where we boarded the Fiordland Navigator at Deep Cove, Doubtful Sound for an overnight cruise in the Fiordlands. We cruised for hours through the different arms of the Fiords, while we listed to informative commentary from a naturalist on board. The ship stopped in a beautiful mountain setting where we had the opportunity to kayak, or ride the tender around to get a close-up view of the mountains. Later, for those brave and daring souls there would be swimming in the Sound! No way for me or Joe. After more cruising and wildlife spotting we anchored for the night in a wonderful scenic cove for a delicious gourmet dinner. After dinner we were off to our cozy little cabins for an early rise to watch dolphin, penguin and other wildlife in the area. We returned mid-day only to wish we could have stayed longer!

2007 12/16 NZ - Riverton's Nautical Haven Guest House

We took our final domestic flight from Stewart Island to Invercargill where we picked up yet another rent car and headed for Riverton. The flight was short and the drive was - well, very different. The roads are empty - no traffic. We arrived Riverton as planned - no problems or hiccups along the way. Once we settled into the charming seaside cottage Joe broke out the maps and started to plan our sightseeing journey.

Once again, we had rain, but the cottage was very charming and every inch was decorated to the nines in a nautical theme. Better yet were the fresh flowers, delicious gourmet breakfasts, and the port and chocolates that greeted us upon our arrival!