Tuesday 9 January 2024
Sandra:
Again, another relatively relaxed get up and moving, we had slightly further to go today but all things considered we were on the way again by 10am. We eventually arrived at Balclutha and paid a visit to the Information Centre – it was in a very new, not quite finished in parts, Community Centre, Cinema, Council offices and of course loos. The only thing it didn’t have was a coffee shop. Whilst we were there we made quite the discovery – a leaflet that detailed a slight diversion from the main road SH1 but which took in major parts of the coast. The Centre lady explained about the time it would take but we were more than happy to do so. Were we glad we opted to do this – yes and then some. We moved up the high street and found a lovely café for our usual coffee stop and remembered to park the right way this time!
The Southern Scenic Route was clearly signposted and soon after setting off again, we turned off the SH1, much to the Google Maps lady’s annoyance!
The route takes in an area called the Catlins and winds through rural plains, alongside rugged coastlines, lakes and through forests. It was, of course very picturesque indeed, even on an overcast day and was, as usual, a pleasure to drive, with hardly any traffic at all. There are lots of stopping off points marked but some of the sights require a bit of a walk.
At Okawa we diverted to pause for lunch at Surat Bay, named after a sailing vessel, wrecked in 1874. Arguably a bit bleak but very peaceful.
A long and winding climb soon after Papatowai brought us to the Florence Hill lookout. Wow:
Next up was Niagara – and yes there are waterfalls here too, however our stop was for tea at an old school house. Proper tea out of a teapot in a beautiful setting. Very nice.
On display were some medals won by the New Zealand Paralympic team in London 2012:
From there it was about 40 minutes to our motel, the Balmoral, on the outskirts of Invercargill. As usual I’d booked using the Agoda app but we’d been given a far better unit than we paid for. Spacious, well-appointed and with a mezzanine bedroom and a second telly too. Not only that, the Wi-Fi was the 2nd fastest we’ve had and, on prepping dinner, it now holds the accolade for the sharpest veg knife too!
Stop 14 | Balmoral Motel | Invercargill | 2 nights | NZ$ 160/night
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Sandra:
Today was the day set aside for one of the main reason for visiting Invercargill – a trip to the southernmost point of South Island of New Zealand – technically speaking a little promontory up the coast holds that record but for some reason, Bluff has the tourist claim to fame. We set off and drove along the remaining section of SH1, it goes through industrial, then farming, some old housing and old harbour type buildings and the odd old hotel. Suffice it to say as we neared Bluff, the industrial buildings were decidedly showing their age and many were boarded up or clearly shut for some time. We could not find a coffee shop on the way out but pressed on and eventually arrived at the end of the road. The mandatory selfie taken, we commented on how the local people were missing a trick in not having a café or coffee van – something which seems to be sadly lacking over here as I may have mentioned before. There were, however, superb free public loos! A lighthouse and an artistic sculpture of a type of chain – simulating a link to Stewart Island – once you understand it’s significance, it takes on a much stronger meaning.
We retraced our steps and facing the other direction, it was possible to see a coffee shop banner – we first drove up a side road to a well signposted lookout point – a good few photos taken, we returned to the coffee shop – actually sharing a room with a local estate agent. It was run by two ladies who were very welcoming and, as always, glad to have a chat with us and where we were from etc. They very kindly allowed me to use their toilet – such was the size of their coffees!!
We returned to the apartment via the Pak n Save supermarket – we were relieved to see that it also had a fuel station attached and so NSD$10c off a litre again made things more economical. Lunch consumed, we then set off in the opposite direction to visit the Bill Richardson Transport Museum – to say it is gigantic is something of an understatement. We slowly worked our way through some amazing exhibits. When I had had enough, I opted to sit and watch a video on the social history of cars and vans in NZ. A very interesting piece of social history it was. I will leave Richard to explain his photos of the vehicles.
The museum is billed as the largest collection of its type in the world and is the result of one mans passion of all things transport. It was a fascinating collection, not only of cars but trucks and buses too, featuring vehicles that have helped shaped New Zealand through the decades. One truck – the Deerhunter – notched up 3,800,000 kilometres during its working life – and it was the stories accompanying some of the vehicle that made for such a fun and informative visit.
Thursday, 11 January 2024
Sandra:
Two nights meant that we were on the move again - this time again a short hop up to Te Anau – this being the nearest accommodation place to the intended visit to Milford Sound. We had a very pleasant drive up to the village and happened on a café literally in the middle of nowhere – apart from its proximity to a beach. It was an old style NZ single story building converted into a café. We were in luck as it had just opened at 10am. We both had our usual coffees and I opted for my usual chocolate brownie. I was, however, in for a huge surprise – expecting said brownie to appear on a plate, perhaps with a napkin and a fork. It appeared a few minutes later on a big plate, warmed, two blobs of fresh cream, a slurp of yoghurt and chocolate sauce decorated the plate and a mint leaf! I was thrilled and we both shared a portion of a delicious home made brownie produced with such loving care and detail. Fortunately, they had a guestbook and I was more than happy to write a comment on how pleased I was.
Another very enjoyable drive – in fact, aside from the horrendous traffic when we headed south past Auckland at the beginning of the trip, every journey has been a pleasure.
We had plenty of time so there were a few photos stops, first up the Clifden Bridge, no longer in use but a focal point for the adjacent picnic area.
A couple more stops and the chance to wield the old DSLR which has been taking some superb photos, despite my best efforts!
Still way too early we paused for our packed lunch at Manapouri, by the lake of the same name. Manapouri is seen as the gateway to Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park which occupies the southwestern corner of the South Island. To get there you take a boat trip to the far end of the lake, then board a coach for another hour or so journey to Doubtful Sound itself. There is no way to drive there on your own and not surprisingly, it’s a very expensive trip and a long day.
Sandra:
We arrived at the motel – it was now about 26C, clear blue sky and sun. We found our motel and were thrilled to see that it had air conditioning and had obviously recently been renovated to a very high standard – the bathroom was a delight. On the downside it has an unfortunate claim to fame on our lists as having the worst WiFi signal we have encountered since arriving in NZ – and plenty in more remote locations have fared far better. A couple of missing items from the kitchen would have helped, a pair of kitchen tongs, a chopping board, (so as not to damage the new kitchen surfaces, we used a dinner plate), teapot and a salt and pepper dispenser. Might seem picky but these are things that are pretty standard in the motels we have been using.
Affordable accommodation options were limited in Te Anau – many have lake views and even ours – which didn’t - was considerably more expensive than we have been used to, however we have to remember it is summer here, the school holidays and therefore peak season.
Stop 15 | Edgewater Motel | Te Anau | 2 nights | NZ$254/night
Nap taken and cuppa necked we went for a pootle around to get our bearings. It’s a place very much designed to cater for holidaymakers but it was good to see that prices didn’t seem notably more expensive – even fuel was roughly the same price as we’ve been seeing elsewhere on the South Island. A real fruit ice cream went down very well indeed before we headed back to the motel to cook dinner.
Todays journey:
Friday, 12 January 2024
Sandra:
Today was the day set aside to visit and cruise Milford Sound. As with Akaroa and pretty much everywhere else we have visited, there are few words to describe the breathtaking views and scenery both on the drive to and from Milford Sound and cruising on the Sound itself. Richard enjoyed himself immensely on the twisty turns over the mountain pass and through the tunnel which would not have looked out of place in the Alps!
It was every bit as good as I remembered it from 27 years ago. First the drive itself, just when you think New Zealand’s scenery can’t astound you anymore it does. Time and time again.
There were plenty of places to stop and take snaps and I found one that Trev and I had stopped at back in 1997.
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| 1997 |
Back then we had a rent-a-wreck; an ageing Datsun – not Nissan – Datsun – Sunny saloon. Manual, just four forward gears, no air-con, no electric windows, all the stuff we take for granted now. I think it was only 1.3L too so we had to work it hard. The drive this time was much more fun in the Elantra.
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| 1997 |
And as for the cruise on the sound – well, I’ll say nowt and just share the photos:
What a fabulous day – and whilst we’ve had many on this trip this is right up there with the day at Akaroa at the beginning of January. Even Trev would have been lost for words. Possibly!
Sandra:
The whole day including the getting there and back were superb, its claim to be one of the best visits in New Zealand is not misplaced. Though, as we continue to say, everywhere you look is stunning. I was glad we had the nice big catamaran for our trip. Plenty of seating, both inside and outside, free tea and coffee made the journey even more enjoyable. That we actually went out of the Fjord and into the Tasman Sea, allowing us to see the entrance in its entirety was the icing on the cake. Beautiful.
Saturday 13th January
Back on the road again, first east then north to our next stop at Queenstown. The road continued as the Southern Scenic Route and we made several stops to commit views to memory.
We’d already decided on Garston as our coffee stop – it was another place Trev and I stayed at in 1997. I recall we started out very early from there in the morning, most likely to head to Milford Sound. Sadly, our actual itinerary back then eludes me and the photos I took at the time were not scanned in order. Anyway, we stayed at the Garston Hotel – a pub with rooms. Despite the bar falling silent when we first walked it turned out to be a very friendly place. The landlady rustled up some food for us from the freezer and after a couple of beers at the bar we retired to the TV lounge before an early night.
The building is still there but the bar has gone and it now seems to be a backpacker place.
Garston has the accolade of being New Zealand’s most inland village and of course I had my picture taken at the sign as I did back then. As will see the population has grown by 34 people to 140!
Across the road there was a converted Airstream serving coffees and snacks and was attracting a good crowd of travellers. The coffee was very good.
Sandra:
We duly arrived in Queenstown after a superb drive. Although I nearly did not make it – I was unaware that the road we were on actually ran along the end of the runway of the international airport, just outside of Queenstown! It is actually hidden by a bank and the road is at lakeside level. A Qantas A320, on full throttle at about 200ft screaming over the top of you without warning is somewhat fright inducing. A firm hold on the steering wheel prevented any disaster thankfully. Google maps took us to our motel – although it was somewhat of a detour as the road our motel is on is actually being rebuilt and a massive restraining wall is being built further up the road itself. Queenstown, not physically big is built on a small promontory overlooking Lake Wakatipu – part of which I had earlier driven along. It is, however, very hilly and roads are steep and housing built on very sloping mountainsides. Fortunately, our motel is not too far from the main centre. What I had not expected, given my experience since arriving in NZ was how little consideration was given to people who have difficulty in moving around. There were no assigned parking spaces in the city centre at all, yes some on the outer edges but hill walking distances away. The other issue was just how busy it was – the pavements were absolutely packed 4 deep and it did not feel all that comfortable for me personally.
Without doubt the busiest place on our trip, Auckland aside, and the lowest average age thanks to all the thrill seekers that descend on Queenstown to jump, ride, get dropped, launched etc. Seemingly every corner has an outlet to book such and pretty much everything was at least three figures. Our planned activities would be much more sedate, boring old farts!
Sandra:
We booked into our motel room – it was very pleasant and smelt clean and fresh. It had enough equipment to cook dinner on and given its proximity we had indeed got a bargain.
Stop 16 | Amber Lodge | Queenstown | 2 nights | NZ$156/night
We opted to have a little drive round – orientation drive and a look at the lovely public gardens down by the lake – we were able to park here but it is some distance from the centre. There is a bandstand and lake with a nice wooden bridge over the middle. It is also the home of the 2020 statue of a sheepdog. It was a very good masterpiece in bronze – the sculptor managing to get the movement and musculature of the dog perfectly.
We returned to the apartment and had a dinner of steak, carrots and potatoes, followed by syrup sponge pudding and custard, all very nice. We then switched on the TV and came across a programme being shown on NZ TV itself about the life and history of the Bee Gees. It was both interesting and poignant so we decided to watch that instead of our usual series. A few words on the crossword – we did a little better that night and sleep came.
Todays journey:
Sunday, 14 January 2024
We awoke to the sound of heavy rain, probably the heaviest we have encountered since arriving. The weather forecast was correct – it was due to stop by 1pm and indeed it did. Putting it simply, we took the morning off – there was not much to see, the mountains were covered by cloud and it was late morning before the airplanes started moving. We had one definite and one possible activity in mind for the afternoon. First up though was lunch – we had all but used up our supplies, knowing that there was a Pak n Save supermarket and fuel station on the inevitable out of town retail park which has sprung up a few miles away. So we decided to go down into the centre – after trying to find a space nearby, it was not too far and relatively flat save for the last 100 yards. We had one place in mind – courtesy of the internet – Mrs Ferg’s Café, Bar & Gelateria. We turned the corner to see two massive queues to even get in the building – that was a no no, so we moved on. Eventually, hunger the need to eat before our first activity starting time, we headed for, yes you guessed it, good old McDonalds. What we hadn’t reckoned on was that they had apparently sold out on quite a number of items we wanted! A decision took, we went next door to KFC. I, like a lot of people, enjoy the occasional McDonalds or KFC, they have their place and this was one of those times. My biggest bug bear with KFC is their overuse of salt – big time! Anyway, nuggets, zinger stack burger and chips later we made the short walk to the jetty where our first activity was to start from.
We had bought tickets a few days ago, knowing we would be in Queenstown to go on the TSS Earnslaw – a genuine over 110 year old steam ship which plies on the Lake between Queenstown and Walter Peak. We opted not to get off as to do so would add another NSD$50 or so to the ticket price! I will leave Richard to explain his photos and tell you about it. It had turned into a picture perfect afternoon, hot sun, blue skies, calm as a millpond lake made for a lovely cruise.
Built in Dunedin in 1912 at a cost of £20,850. Duly dismantled then put on a train to Kingston, the southern most point of Lake Wakatipu where it was reassembled and launched. Initially it worked primarily as a cargo ship transporting everything from sheep and cattle to mail but tourists would frequently join it too.
In the 1960’s with road transport around the lake much easier, demand declined and it was very nearly scrapped. Thankfully an enterprising couple gave her a new lease of life and is clearly a very popular draw. It’s the last remaining coal fired commercial passenger carrying steam ship in the southern hemisphere. As part of her refit the engine room was opened up and you can see the stokers working and the boilers in action. A great experience. I am told that the latte was good and can report with some certainty that the merlot was too…
Sandra:
After this, we had decided on our earlier orientation drive; if when we went to go on it, there was parking available outside, then it was the sign to go on the Queenstown Skyline Gondola. We were in luck, so decision made and we soon bought our tickets and boarded. Of the three we have been on so far, Rotorua and Christchurch, this was by far the steepest and stunning views were in all directions. The clearness of the weather after this morning was justification to making the trip. One funny thing is how perspective can change how things look – from up top, Queenstown looked as flat as a pancake and we obviously knew it was anything but. We saw the TSS Earnslaw plying her trade again from the top, how tiny she looked.
Back to the motel for bacon baps for tea and a trip to the supermarket. A thoroughly delightful day.