The New Zealand outing finally took place and it was excellent. Readers of these trip letters may remember that we were all set to go to NZ in February but I (yes me, not Dawna) got sick and had to cancel at the very last minute. We quickly rebooked both to minimize the financial hit of the cancellation and to ensure that we would still make the trip - in December and for nearly three weeks rather than the previously planned two and a bit. The new plan was based on wanting to go as late this year as possible without bumping into holiday crowds and a blackout period on Dawna's frequent flyer ticket. This meant returning on 15 December and thus leaving on 25 November. A few months after booking, we noticed that the 25th was Thanksgiving, but what the heck. In fact maybe that would mean less travelers and certainly it meant making use of the two day Lockheed holiday. We just ate our turkey a week earlier .

Thursday-1: Betty and Crystal took us to the airport, leaving the house around 4:30 PM. Sure enough, the roads were not crowded and the airport was emptier than I've ever seen it. Our first leg was the shuttle to L. A. and we actually took one a half hour before our planned one since it was just sitting there. We had checked three bags through to Auckland so had only modest carry- on luggage. The change to a 747 in LA went smoothly but unfortunately the plane was nearly full. So, we had three folks in our three seat side of the plane. We always ask for an isle and a window so as to increase our chances of having an empty middle, but it didn't work. Dawna traded the fellow her isle seat for his middle one and it turned out he was both fairly small and a very good sleeper so we got along as well as one can in a tight airplane flight that lasts about 12 hours. The rough part was that the seats in front of us were very close and the fellows in them tilted them back the entire trip. But, so it be and we did get some sleep and certainly some eat and drink. The time difference this time of year is only 3 hours so we weren't much out of temporal sync, just tired from not really having had a nights' sleep.

Saturday-1: Yes, there was no Friday due to crossing the international date line. Arrived Auckland around 8 AM, a bit ahead of schedule, and by the time we hit the toilets, changed some money, did some duty free shopping (like some Bacardi Lemone for the lady), and picked up some travel literature; our bags were sitting there. The rules for declaration into NZ are rather elaborate, including declaring if you have hiking boots with you. We played it straight, with a ‘yes.’ Figured they'd just chat a second and send us on but low and behold we had to dig down into the duffel bag and pull out the boots. The inspector checked them for dirt/mud on the soles and then sent us onward. Can't imagine they really catch the accidental importing of all the bad stuff this way, but guess every little bit helps and NZ certainly is a unique and isolated environment so we don't mind trying to do our part. Next step was to call the car rental folks and have them come pick us up; which we and they did. The company was one I had found on the internet and interacted with by E-mail to arrange a car (& ferry) nearly a year ago for the original attempted trip and they were very cooperative when we canceled at the last minute - so we booked again with them. Got a rather nice/new 4-door Toyota and headed out with Dawna driving, me guiding, and both working to be sure we stayed on the "wrong" side of the road. Headed south/out-of-town. Stopped at a convenient gas station to fill up the tank since it was only half full when we began and to plan our attack. The weather was overcast with drizzle but not heavy rain. Decided to go SE to the bottom of the Coromandel Peninsula as something worthwhile to see/do but not a major item for which we'd prefer to be better rested. Countryside was nice and green as we tooled along. Got to the Bay of Thames and drove a short way up the western side to Miranda to where there was a Naturalists Nature Center according to our Lonely Planet Guidebook, here after referred to as the Bible. Nice lady at the center told us of a couple of spots where we'd see birds on the shore/mud line and we went to one of them, and sure enough we saw quite a few. Drove around the bottom of the Bay and up a little ways to the "picturesque historic" town of Thames. Walked the street a bit; sort of like being in a US town 50 years ago. Found a pub-like place for lunch and had a poor lunch but quite good beer.

Continued SE. Part of our motivation for this direction was based on a friendly discussion we/Dawna had with the fellow selling us things in the airport Duty Free shop who mentioned a few places in the vicinity of his home that we ought to see. First of these, which was also in the Bible was the Karangahake Gorge. Nice views as one drives through plus there is a walking path along the river which has as a highlight a loop walk, part of which is through a very long (and no longer functional) railroad tunnel. We donned our waterproof pants and jackets, put on our hiking boots, and had a very nice (and refreshing/awakening) walk. Boy were the tree ferns huge and spectacular; and the drizzle was modest. Also some wild flowers. Hit the eastern coast (Bay of Plenty) and drove south to Tauranga. Picked a modest motel, checked in, cleaned up, and went to dinner. I had a quite good grouper-like fish and can't remember what Dawna had. It rained like crazy while we were eating but only for a few minutes. Back to the motel and crashed. An aside about their motels in general - very friendly proprietors, modest in cost, always have a tea kettle and coffee, usually have toaster and a microwave, often have a stove top, and always have a small frig. VERY CIVILIZED for folks who like to keep their beer cold, relax in the room, have breakfast in the room, etc. Many also had spas either associated with each room (like right outside) or a spa-type bath tub or a spa that you sign up for. And several had gas BBQ's that you could borrow/use. I believe we both made use of the spa right outside our back sliding door this first night.

Sunday-1: Coffee and oranges for breakfast in the room and then drove along the coast SE-wise. This is kiwi fruit country and fruit in general and we were amazed at how they grow enormous wind-blocking hedges of trees in lines say 50 feet apart and then plant the orchards and other things in between. Must be quite a sight to see the pros trimming these "hedges." Went off the main road a bit to Maketu to see the "information center shouldn't be missed - a beautiful mural decorates its front" but it was useless. This was about the only goof in the Bible that we found. Oh, yes, the quoted items throughout this letter are from the Bible or other literature. Left the coast and headed inland/south to the top of Lake Rotorua - nice drive through forests but also the rain got heavier. Headed to Hamurana Springs because it was the other place the duty-free chap had told us about. Nice grounds but the walk to the springs was closed due to the heave rain and supposedly possible danger to tourists from falling trees. I think the attendants were just wanting to stay in doors, but we couldn't persuaded them otherwise so drove on around the lake and stopped at the Agrodome. This is the major let-the-tourists-see/touch sheep place in NZ and they put on a fine show describing the couple dozen or so different breeds they have there and which were bred for food, for wool, for having multiple lambs, etc, etc. The show ends with a shearing demonstration and information on different methods, how many sheep a pro can do in a day, and things like that - try a record of 720 sheep sheared in a 9 hour period or perhaps even more impressive is that typically 300-400 per day (at like 50 cents each) for a normal shearer. This is with an electric clipper; they do almost half as many when using non-powered shears and also receive twice the money per sheep - some type of sheep/wool is best done by hand. Everything was well done and in doors - part of why we selected it on this rainy day. Actually the rain stopped by the end of the show so after a bit of an indoor demonstration with a pair of sheep dogs we all went outside for a better demonstration of the dogs’ ability. Good but no great so I'd say the fellow doing the show is a better shearer and talker than sheep dog runner.

Went on into the city of Rotorua ("most popular tourist area of the North Island. Nicknamed Sulfur City"), stopping first at Ohinemutu which was a Maori village and is now still functioning with a beautiful church and meeting house - great carvings and weavings and more. Went to the quite nice visitor center and asked where we might get good fish and chips. Didn't find the spot (till later) but found a different one and had a nice meal served by a very friendly young lady. Walked back to the VC and selected a dinner-dance show for that evening as well as a motel down the street and near the hotel where the dinner show would be; a famous/touristy Maori Concert & Hangis "deal." Walked over to the local museum which is housed in a beautifully restored bath house. Very nice (and small) exhibit on the local Maori tribe as well as the history of the bath house (spa) and the nearby volcanoes. This area is very geothermal, for example just driving to the little village area one sees bubbling, steaming water coming up in people's yards. By the time we left the museum the rain had stopped so we walked around the (especially rose) garden a bit and then drove the couple of miles to the motel. Again, the people were quite friendly and we relaxed with a drink or two, freshened up, and walked over to the dinner show. The meal was extensive but not wonderful and the show was enjoyable but not great (I probably liked it better than Dawna because she was bothered by the singers being off key). A fun evening, however just not magnificent. Walking back to the motel after dinner we even saw stars, giving us hope for better weather a coming.

Let's see, as I look at my notes I see that Dawna had a cappuccino at lunch time and that the enjoyable girl serving it had a friend in the show at the Sheraton so that's why we picked it and also that we continued to have fruit for breakfast nearly every day making it more fruit than I usually eat in a year (I'll also stop reporting on every motel breakfast), and lastly that at the sheep show place I even bought a pair of nice wool socks in anticipation of hiking in the rain.

Monday-1: Yes, some sunshine or at least not rain when we woke up. Went to a big grocery store to stock up and then hit the road to pre-planned must-do number two - the Waitomo Caves. This meant heading back NW toward Auckland but we were just bumming so what the heck. Nice, although rather long, drive through very green country side with plenty of white sheep on the rolling hills. Arrived there a bit before noon and signed up for a black-water rafting outing at 1:30 PM. Used the 90 minutes to go a bit further north to the Otorohanga Kiwihouse and Native Bird Park which is one of the largest of these sort of sanctuaries in NZ and run by a non-profit conservation group. Saw the mandatory kiwi bird or two which were really quite neat as well as a good assortment of other NZ birds in NZ’s largest aviary; plus a fine selection of Geckos and the Tuatara lizard that is extremely old and looks like a small dragon. Quite enjoyable.

Back to the caves. These are famous glow-worm caves and rather than do the standard walk and boat ride deal we had decided to be crazy and go for the activity of going through narrow parts of the cave sitting on an inner tube floating along. So, we joined with about 8 others, put on a wet suit with padding, a helmet with a miners light, and double boots and then went for a short ride in an old van, got out and walked through the fields a ways and then entered the cave by going down some stairs. After that you float along, go over a waterfall or two, get plenty soaked, go through relatively tight places, see the glow worms which look like stars over your head, and things like that. A silly but fun "adventure." The group included 3 semi punk kids from near SFO (Concord), a mother and two daughters from Australia, and us. At then end you climb back out of the cave, ride back to base, take a hot shower, eat some warm soup with toast, and "are dismissed." In our case it meant heading back south but mostly over a new road and ending up at Taumarunui where we found a modest motel and then went to a fancier motel restaurant for dinner. Not many people eating but we both had the rack of lamb and it was extremely good. Oh, yes, not very long after leaving the caves we stopped in a small town (Kuiti) to see "The magnificently carved Te Tokanganui-o-nuho Marae …" and it was truly excellent. There was also a nice (cement) monument of a sheep shearer in action and a claim as to this being the sheep shearing capital of the world.

Tuesday-1: Some cereal and juice this AM since the motel was sort of a B&B. The Sun was shining! So, off to Tongariro National Park. Hit the very nice visitor center and after some discussion procured a little brochure about day hikes and did a pair of them. First out across some great landscape and along a river and then to Taranaki Falls, and back on a loop. Great geological area. Next was a picnic lunch near the visitor center, followed by a second walk/hike in a different direction. This was to the Silicon Rapids. The Sun was out, the sky was blue, the volcanoes were snow capped and nearly constantly in view, and the colorful silicon rapids were quite unique. All in all a wonderful time; and in addition it gave us a bit of conditioning. Oh, yes, before these two "major" hikes of say 4 miles each we did a little one to a different (Tawhai) waterfall. There is a one day long hike across the park with shuttle service back to your starting point that would have been neat ........ but we had to keep rolling. That meant driving along the largest lake in NZ (Lake Taupo - sort of like Lake Tahoe in appearance) which was quite pretty and getting to Taupo for the evening. Sun still out but also quite windy. Picked a motel at random, although by now we were putting some faith in their AA ratings. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that the NZ AA and the US AAA reciprocate and that when in Rotorua we had gotten a whole bunch of interesting maps, accommodation guides, etc. Anyway, the yet-again-nice folks at this motel said everything was taken but a three bedroom unit but they'd give it to us for the price for two people. We objected that we could go down the road and they could rent that unit for more but they insisted that was not the Kiwi-way, so we took it. We also learned they had a gas BBQ we could use and there was a butcher shop two blocks away - so we ran over there before it closed and got a bunch of loin lamb chops at a very low price, came back, and had a feast. Speaking of nice people and catching up on earlier items, when we first hit Rotorua we were looking for a phone in order to call a Farmstay that was in one of the books and in asking at a shop where the closest pay phone was they said to just use theirs - without even asking how far away we were calling. This chosen farmstay advertised grommet dinners as well as the farm experience but they were booked for both that night and the next night. Anyway, we had a fine meal in our motel room and went to bed!

Wednesday-1: Usual get up routine and then out to a spot on the Waikato River where folks might be bungy jumping - they weren't yet, and we didn't, but it was scenic. Then did a couple mile walk along the river. OK but not great. Super foxglove flora, however, and some fine views of a very pretty river. Drove back to the far point of where we had walked and a bit further and saw the Huka Falls. Not very high or wide but really flowing rapidly and a spectacular turquoise color. It was lunch time so we went into the Huka Lodge which is one of those old/historical/fun/ costly/uppity places and had lunch. Ate outside, beautiful view of the river, excellently prepared food, fine service, no hurry by we bums. Dawna had salmon on top of eggplant and I had a venison/ham burger; plus D had some fine broccoli soup. All was prepared exquisitely and good tasting and along with some wine - it took awhile.... Oh, yes, this was 1 December which meant it was the first day ever that wine and beer could be sold in Supermarkets in NZ (big political thing needless to say) so the price wars were on and we participated.

After our fancy lunch we went to the visitor center and tried to book a farm stay. No one was answering their phones so we left recorded message and our desires with the folks at the VC for when the calls got returned and headed off for the next spot. This (the Hidden Valley of Orakei Koraka Geyserland) was a quite picturesque area with "… geysers, silica terraces, hot springs, boiling mud pools and the majestic Aladdin’s Cave."). To walk around them meant taking a short boat trip across the lake. A very nice spot and an enjoyable time (still in the Sun). Back to town but the possible Farmstays had not returned the messages left on answering machines so we decided to invoke a different plan and headed across the island (to the southeast again) to a town called Napier. Had an ice cream cone first, however. We had picked up literature describing many things along the route to Napier so I read that while Dawna drove. Most were just of general interest but one pointed out a spectacular waterfall across a lava flow which we thoroughly enjoyed. The drive went through many nice forests. Got to Napier and picked a motel slightly above our prior selections. They had a BBQ, we had loin lamb chops procured a day earlier at the major super market and the combination, along with the usual pre and at dinner drinks, was super.

Thursday-2: The attraction of Napier is that it is an art-deco city. This happened rather naturally because the prior Napier was totally destroyed by an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 in 1931 and thus it was all rebuilt in the same style. This being the low point in the depression period added to how it was rebuilt in a single point in time by an infinite supply of basically hand labor. Gradually folks realized this made the city unique so they have reemphasized the art deco items and made it a tourist attraction. We went on one of the local docent guided tours and enjoyed it a bunch. In fact Dawna would like to spend several days there sometime. She also spent some time in a local antique store as well as a charity/junk store but didn't make a lot of purchases. By noon we were headed south with a modest goal in mind - getting to Willington for our ferry on the next day. We took in some non-direct roads, some nice scenery, lunch along way, hit a fruit stand with great strawberries, and things like that. We thought we might grab a motel on the outskirts of Willington but didn't see many so ended up in town at the visitor center where they went to quite a bit of effort trying to find a non-full motel for us; and one opened up nearby when someone else canceled out. Went to this motel that was basically right in the middle of town and after checking in went to the new and very impressive Te Papa (NZ National) museum. The Bible had properly said it was open on Thursday night which was part of our desire to get to Wellington by a reasonable time. Neat "find/coincidence." Oh, yes, this museum, like the National Parks and like almost every non-private item, was free but there was always a spot to put donations in if you so chose. We usually did and we used American dollars on the theory that this had some redeeming features. After the museum we went to dinner on our way back to the motel. OK, but nothing to really report on.

Friday-2 (unless you want to quibble about the fact that there was not really a Friday-1): The day to cross the channel to the south island. Sunny and not windy. Boy did we luck out since this can be a very rough crossing and we had it calm as can be. Also not a super full ferry so it was easy to get a good seat outside and watch the scenery; which is spectacular. In many ways it reminds one of the San Juan Islands as one goes up the Queen Charlotte Channel with spiky coast lines on both sides. We were typically going about 20 miles/hour according to my GPS but it seemed like we were hardly moving. A great way to spend 3 hours in the AM. Arrived Picton and parked in this rather nicely appointed small town. Went to a French restaurant suggested in the Bible and had excellent seafood chowder while sitting out doors and watching people. Nice life. Took the scenic (i.e., slow) route along the north coast and then joined the (also scenic) main route to Nelson. Selected a motel and then went to a fish and chips "store" that we had seen driving in. Just like the good one in Guildford, England we used to go to it was doing a large business, wrapped the fish/chips in newsprint, etc. Took ours to a park and enjoyed it with a beer and some wine for J & D respectively. A couple dozen seagulls watched us eat from a respectable distance of 10 feet or so; and as we left D gave them the left over fries as a treat. And for the first time of the trip we stayed at the same motel for two nights.

Saturday-2: Drove down the road to Marahau which is the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. There is a famous A-T Track there which runs along the shore line and there are also some water taxis that do similarly off shore so one can combine things if so desired. We did the first 7 or so miles of the Track most of which was in the hills next to the shore but some of which was on the beach and a bit was across a muddy area since the tide was out; at high tide you take a different/longer route for this part. Very nice walk with lots of ferns and other flora to stop and look at plus a quite nice coast line and a few islands and a few birds. My guess is that this is relatively similar to the Lost Coast of northern California; which we should check out some time. We then caught the taxi/speedboat by walking out to the shore and waving at the appropriate time and took it to the end of its run and then all the way back to our car. The boat driver said that in the high season (which would begin in a couple of weeks) there are sometimes 800 tents or so at the nice beach at the end of the run and likewise many, many people on the trail. Again, we were glad we had avoided that time period and thus had very few folks hiking the trail, were able to arrange things like the boat trip at the last minute, could get a motel whenever we wanted to stop, etc. About a 2 hour scenic boat trip to top off our 4-5 hour hike with the boat pulling into several places to pick people up - you have to wade out to it a bit. Have I mentioned that this was yet another sunny day?

Speaking of sunshine, let me digress (again). Not only was this the 5^th sunny day in a row but we were feeling extra lucky since upon our arrival (in the rain) they had just finished having a very large storm following months of rain. Reading the local paper there were articles on how the day we landed more than a 1000 folks were stranded in Wellington for 24 hours because the sea was too rough for the ferry to travel. Also stories of how people on a section of the Milford Track had to walk in a river that was by then waist high and eventually get taken out by helicopter. And, how a piece of a river bank broke and badly flooded about 1/3 of the downtown of Queenstown where we were heading in a few days. Oh, me. Commenting on reading the newspaper further reminds me that I did this most days because most motels put a copy of a local paper outside your door in the early AM. What with the weather predictions to always look out, sport section articles on the on-going Americus Cup races, articles on the evils of now selling alcohol in grocery stores as well as lowering the drinking age to 18, and the national election - it was never dull. I had forgotten to mention that the elections were the first day we were in NZ and that the Greens made some real wins, one being by a young Rasterian (sp) with dreadlocks and all.

Back (finally) to the main story line==> drove back to Nelson, cleaned up, relaxed, and went to a recommended fish restaurant on the water front. They were booked for the rest of the night, so walked a bit along the water front and selected a different one. I had blue-nose fish, later learning it was dolphin; and Dawna had crab mouray - with hers being the best choice but both being good. Again a friendly waitress and some quite nice beer (Speight’s - pride of the South Island). The highlight of the meal/evening, however, was a fantastic sunset over the water! What a great day (again).

Sunday-2: Yet another nice day. Breakfast was a slight variation from the coffee and fruit routine for we did some English muffins in the toaster. Chatted with the motel fellow about all the things he thought we should do as we headed south down hiway-6, our road for the next few days. He even produced a map with driving times and marked his favorite items on it - he is from the bottom of the island so does the drive fairly often. We rolled out and made some miles but also enjoyed the fine scenery - much reforestation going on and also some nice wildflowers along the road. Got some rain as we went through a quite nice (Buller) gorge in the mountains. Went across many one lane bridges which seem to be a NZ specialty. They are marked with who has the right away and you follow the rules. Finally had to get out and take a photograph of one which not only was long and one lane but the lane included railroad tracks so you also share it with a train and he always has the right of way. The coast line is like our/California Hiway-1 south of Monterey but with different forests on the hill side of the road. Stopped at a spot to see some very unique geological stuff (pancake rocks they are called due to the pile of thin layers which make up the ultimate rock/cliff. Very nicely laid out walk/view/explanation. Checked out the craft store across the road as well as having a cappuccino (D) and hot chocolate (J) and a unique item that contained venison but wasn't great.

When we hit Greymouth the town was full of people so we only got gas, learned that they were having their Xmas parade that day, and drove on. We were now getting drizzle which hurt the views a bit. A bit further down is the town of Hokita which specializes in Jade (really Greenstone) carving/jewelry, etc. Looked through some nice stores but didn't make any major purchases. Likewise we hadn't bought much at the Pancake Rocks store although debated about an elaborately carved wooden mask for awhile. Went to the local info/tourist place and talked with a nice/helpful lady; eventually booking a motel in Franz Josef that she liked and that our motel man that morning had recommended as well as the heliohike on the Fox glacier (for the next day). Drove on down to FJ checking out the rain forest as we went, checked in, relaxed a tad looking out our widow at the rain forest and at clouds over the glacier and then went to dinner. Sorta ordered three meals treating one as an appetizer and sharing all three --> whitebait paddies (a specialty of the area), lamb that was excellent, and venison that was good but not great. This motel had internet access and I connected up and did a rapid checking of hundreds of E-mail messages which disclosed no disasters plus the win of our STEREO proposal/program. Also sent a couple of message assuring folks we were alive and doing well. Oh, yes, this slightly more fancy/expensive motel had the least friendly proprietor we ran into. Not enough statistics to draw a real conclusion, however.

Monday-2: Slept in a bit as we had booked our heliohike for noonish in order to hopefully get the best weather. Actually was sunny when we got up, however. Went for a hike to see the terminal portion of the FJ glacier but couldn't go very far for the trail was closed due to the prior rains/flooding. By the way, we learned that no helicopters flew the prior day due to the rain and clouds. Drove down to Fox Glacier (nearby) and did a wonderful hike out to its terminal spot. Neat canyon, fine rocks, super to look into the foot of the glacier, etc. Then went back and got our helicopter. You fly up onto the glacier with fantastic views, get out, and hike around with a guide. He chops ice steps as required. You have on special boots with spikes and use a special walking stick. Go through ice tunnels, get wet (but smart Dawna had on her water proof pants), and just have a wonderfully unique experience with everyone telling you how you lucked out on the weather! The group was about 10 folks and the outing took about 4 hours. Had a little picnic and then continued down the road a bit and stayed at a motel in Haast, which is sorta like nowhere and the last spot along the sea coast before you head inland. Fine weather and nice sunset and a meal with OK crab cakes and the best venison we had on the entire trip.

Tuesday-2: We had stopped at Haast because it is in a World Heritage location, has a new visitor center, and we hoped to find out where we could see some penguins as well as what else to see/do. The suggest spot was 20 miles or so backward, so off we went. It is about a 45 minute walk/hike through an absolutely wonderful rain forest to get to the beach to hopefully see the penguins; but it was too late in the year for them and also (we later learned) the wrong time of day. Result: a super rainforest walk, a splendid beach walk, and no penguins. Turned around and headed south again, through Haast and over the pass towards Queenstown. The road over the pass was great with many stops for waterfall viewing and one stop for a little picnic lunch. Then down the other side and past farm land, scenic lakes, and a rough river/canyon. Along the way there were many neat, yucca-like cabbage trees, wild rose bushes, and wildflowers. Arrived Queenstown, which is a tourist mecca/zoo. Tried to stay at a motel the Duckers had stayed at a few years ago but it was full so we stayed next door. Hit the visitor center for more information.

The main goal was to decide how to treat the following day. Highest on the list was trying to book a farmstay (again) and after that there were all manner of thrill outings to consider although we weren't into that very heavily. Dawna had been interested in doing "water boarding" down

one of their rough rivers (wetsuit et al) but we gradually decided against it. I was pushing for a deal where you jet boat up a fine (the Dart) river and then come down it part way in an inflatable canoe. However, when it turned out we could get a farmstay booked for the following night this didn't fit in since it was a long day event and we wanted to not cut the farmstay short. Walked the town a bit being impressed with how much damage the flood had done and also how rapidly they were repairing things. Ate some rather strange pizza at a bustling cafe, and hit the hay.

Wednesday-2: Up at a modest rate, went to the tourist place to confirm and pay for the farm stay and get directions for it, went to a spot to see if a shorter outing on the river was feasible (it wasn't) and the drove up along the lake to Glenorchy. The drive was a bit slow due to the construction that was in process for fixing damage from the flood but it was quite scenic. Stopped at a spot a person had suggested and took a nice hike along a river and up to an old miner's cabin. Had lunch at Glenorchy with Dawna having steamed mussels (big in all of NZ) and my having some sort of venison pie that wasn't so great. But twas a fun little cafe in this tiny town in a beautiful setting. Next door was a small shop that made (and sold) things out of possum fur so we spent a fair amount of time there and bought a couple of small items. Then back down the road through Queenstown to our farmstay that was an hour or so further down the road toward where we were heading anyway (carefully planned as such, of course)

Had a fine farmstay experience. The farm is 5,000 acres and they have a like number of sheep on it and 2-3,000 deer. It is run by Ted and his son, who lives in a house nearby with wife and new baby; and had been Ted's father's. The lady of the house is Shirley who also does remedial reading teaching at the local (Lumsden) school a couple of miles down the road. They are fun folks and basically our age with 3 kids (all married). They do a farmstay deal about once a month for the heck of it in order to meet people ==> we felt we lucked out by getting some folks who weren’t actually in the farmstay "business." Ted drove us around the spread while Shirley got things ready for dinner, describing the scene (like how they fertilize by dropping manure from an airplane), the flora, and of course the animals. Neat. Then we went back and had a non-fancy but "real" dinner. After that, based on various discussions, we went out rabbit hunting with Dawna handling the gun. Saw a few rabbits but never got a shot off. Probably the most amazing thing we learned was how what began as deer farming for venison when the countryside was so overrun with deer for hunting that they needed to get it under control has become a business of selling antlers to the Orientals who grind them up in a manner similar to rhinoceros horns. In good years they get like $75 US per kg and a nice rack is 4-5 kg. Multiple this by a few thousand deer and you are talking real money (deer also equals elk and cross breeds in my lingo. Dawna and I differ a bit on this subject so I won’t elaborate). They get the antlers a bit before the deer would naturally shed them and cut them off under strict health and humane practices.

Thursday-3: A simple breakfast, friendly good-byes, and on down the road we went. More interesting country with impressive fields of tussock. Stopped at a small shop in one town to look at deerskin products and then got to Lake Manapouri. This is a quite scenic spot and the takeoff point for all-day outings to Doubtful Sound which is becoming the more rustic place to go instead of Milford Sound. We didn’t have the time to give a day to this, but instead rented a two person kayak and spent a few hours on the lake. Went through a very interesting training session before being allowed to go on the water; oh, yes, you should see me in a (kayak) skirt. Then drove to Te Anau and checked into the only motel for which we had made a prior reservation. The reason for doing it was that it is the central motel for doing the Milford Track which was our next, and perhaps most major and certainly only pre-booked, activity. Nice enough motel and we spent time getting organized since the system was that we’d carry some clothes on our back for the hike, send one suitcase off to meet us at the motel/lodge at the end of the hike, and put the other items into storage there or in the trunk of our car; plus we were sorta packing for the trip home. Then we walked down town in fine weather and went to a steak place and had steak (pick your own out of the ice and they cook it for you). OK but not wonderful.

Friday-3: Mainly spent getting further organized and started on the Track. More specifically: slept in, went to an 11 AM briefing on what to bring and also to pick up the packs and raincoats they provide, finished packing, had lunch with the group, had a group photo taken; and then a half hour bus/coach trip along the lake followed by a one hour boat trip to the end of the lake and a 1 mile or so walk on the Milford Track to the first lodge. After settling into our accommodations there was a very nice (hour or so) nature hike by one of the guides, then a meal, and then a slide show about the area and in particular what we’d be seeing on the next day’s "real" hike. And off to bed. On the nature hike we saw many interesting trees and ferns, the dinner was roast beef and an endless supply of good red wine (from New Zealand), and the slide show was informative and not too long. The group consisted of about 33 folks - the maximum allowed is 40. The way it all works is that the Milford Track can only be walked by reservation and there are two sets of walkers - up to 40 of we guided walkers and up to 40 independent walkers. The latter stay at a different set of specific lodges with much fewer amenities and at a much lower cost. Like they only get a bunk and mattress and running water so carry food and a sleeping bag as well as their clothes while we have served meals, blankets (so carry only a sleeping sheet), a drying room, hot showers, and various other pamperings. Both groups walk in the same direction so you never see anyone coming the other way. Very organized but this is a necessity since this is the most famous walk in the world and has been overbooked all century basically. Some of the other walks are becoming so over crowded that they too are going to this formal configuration. About the group and the sleeping arrangements: over half was a Japanese hiking club which stuck together both during the day and at the lodge and after awhile of trying to mix with them we simply stayed with the non-J folks. The non-J’s amounted to like 6-8 from the US, a similar number from Australia and one from NZ. There were a couple older than us, some only a bit younger and some significantly younger (like one 10 year old). You sleep in a room that handles 4 or 6 folks with 2 or 3 bunks. We were paired with Ralph & Joan from Albuquerque the first two nights but since he snored a lot and she worried about this bothering us no matter what we said and thus kept poking him and neither of them got any sleep, we managed to get them a room to themselves on the third night (and thus had one to ourselves as well).

Saturday-3: Breakfast, both cold and cooked items, and on the trail by 8:30. Hiked 10 miles on rather flat land along a river. Great vegetation of many types of ferns (the lance fern was one of my favorites) and trees (the wild fuchsia tree was something else); as well as nice river views (including a fine/large trout but we never did see the large eels that are in the river). Oh, yes, a reasonable assortment of birds as well. One carries lunch but eats it at a prescribed spot (which is inclosed or at least covered against the elements and has hot liquids (soup, coffee, tea, etc) provided there. Rather "soft/nice." Our hiking speed was a bit faster than average but in general everyone hiked at about the same pace with no hot dogs way out ahead and no people way behind. Folks did separate nicely so that you hardly ever saw anyone on the trail which was great. Some drizzle and eventually some almost sunshine. The drizzle had with it fog/low clouds which hurt views of the surrounding mountains but otherwise was fine and even a bit fun in the rain forest - not cold (partially because we were properly clothed). A hot shower, followed by a quite reasonable dinner (excellent chicken), a short slide show, and a good night’s sleep.

Sunday-3: Breakfast and on the trail by 7:30 AM. This was the toughest hike day since it involved going from about 1,000 ft elevation over a pass at 3,800 ft and then back down to 600’ or so (9 miles in length). Blowing mist/clouds and drizzle (again letting up in the afternoon) which on the one hand killed our views of the mountain tops (especially nice from the summit we were told) but on the other hand made hundreds of great waterfalls spring out of the steep mountain sides all around us and also made for the most spectacular raging river that I’ve ever seen which we walked along for an hour so much of it being on boardwalks right on the side of the river and/or bridges across it. The wild flowers at the higher elevation were great with many, many varieties. They do an amazing amount of trail maintenance and we were pleased to learn that half of the cost is borne by folks on guided tours like us. Besides the impressive and extensive wood walkway along the roaring river there were 1-2 dozen suspension/swinging bridges on the walk and various boardwalks in the rain forest fragile areas. Arrives at the lodge for the evening about 3 PM (being the second group to get there) and after some tea/coffee did a couple hour excursion (yes a few more miles) out and back to the world’s 5^th highest waterfall - quite impressive. One can (and we nearly all did) get under/behind the falls and look out through it which is an interesting experience but in doing so you get absolutely soaked (including your boots for you go through water up to your knees) thus making it a rather foolish thing to do. Again, made use of the drying room, had a nice meal, a short slide show, and a good sleep (in our "private" room).

Monday-3: The longest (13 miles) day but no major elevation changes - just various ups and downs. A nice relief from the long downgrade the day before where one spent a lot of time being careful not to slip on wet rocks. The up and down grade the day before was reasonable modest however (not like Yosemite Falls for example) but you still got tired of it. This day the drizzle was close to rain and lasted all day. It is the rain forest after all and it does rain more than 200 days a year and they do get like a couple hundred inches a year and sometimes an inch an hour; so it wasn’t a big surprise. But it would have been nice to have had sun this day as we went through the rain forest. By 3 PM we were at the end (33.5 miles plus side trips from the start). A short boat ride to our accommodations which were at a lodge which can also be reached by car. That’s where our one suitcase was now and thus we not only took a hot tub (yes, we had a tub), we had our carefully sent forward manhattan and Lemone drinks, and then joined everyone for champaign in the lobby and awards for having made it and a celebration dinner, etc, etc. Our room was quite adequate and had a super view of Milford Sound and surrounding mountains and some gardens. Pretty fine situation; and the rain had stopped. Woke up around 2 AM, went to check the weather out our window, and saw fantastic stars. I’ll assume this was the Southern Cross and admit I should have gotten up and gone outside to see more but didn’t.

Tuesday-3: Sure enough, the Sun was out and the sky was blue. Breakfast followed by a 3 hour fantastic boat trip on Milford Sound. It is a classic fjord with steep high walls all around, mountain tops to stare at including a couple nice glaciers, some excellent waterfalls, dolphins playing in the water around the boat and on and on. Oh, yes, Dawna still had on her can-stand-the-rain clothes and encouraged the boat driver to go right up to the falls while she alone remained at the front of the boat getting soaked. The J’s for the most part stayed out until they got good and wet and then retreated to where they could take a picture of the crazy lady. After the boat trip it is a 2.5 hour coach ride back to Te Anau through spectacular scenery. We had a front seat and thoroughly enjoyed it (the J all slept which seems crazy to me). There was fresh snow on all the mountains; in fact the snow level was reported to be like 2,300 feet and given that our pass two days earlier was at 3,800 feet one wonders what the hike was like up there that day. Probably neat, but in a yet different again way. Back at Te Anua we had the final meal with the group and then got in our faithful car and drove back to Queenstown. First however we visited the quite nice Fiordlands National Park Visitor Center at Te Anua and learned more about what we had been seeing. Checked into the (Deucher’s) motel where we had previously made an arrangement, did a gentle walk (getting some kinks out) through some quite nice gardens as well as the town, and then had dinner with one of the walker folks at a seafood restaurant - excellent meal and chatting. This girl is our kids age sorta, is a museum information-computer person, and may visit us in late January when she is out here for a meeting.

Wednesday-3: Breakfast at 7, off to the Queenstown airport, plane to Christchurch, different plane to Auckland, different plan to LA, and different plane to SFO. Got home by 11 AM, also on Wednesday due to the international date line crossing but in reality some 31 hours after leaving our motel. We got window seats on the proper side of the airplane for the Queenstown to CC flight and it was clear and beautiful looking at the NZ Alps all the way including Mt. Cook. Also had window seats for CC to Auckland but only reasonable views because there were some clouds and we were often over water. For the A to LA 12 hour flight we had a set of three seats for the two of us which makes it nice for trying to sleep but neither of us did very well - and I actually rough typed a fair amount of this letter. From LA to SFO we again had window seats and clear weather and while Dawna rested I saw great views of Vandenberg and the rocket silos, Pismo Beach and all the sand dunes, the coast line, Santa Cruz/Monterey (especially since we were put in a 10 minute holding pattern out there) and then the Bay Area. Fridel met us at the airport shortly after we got our bags and home we went. The usual unpacking and beginning of the washing plus I read a few hundred mail message, a short nap, more around the house stuff, a nice dinner, and a fine sleep. All in all each flight was on time and none were packed so we were rather lucky.

Summary - a great trip. An easy country to bum around and we were really glad we did it slightly off season as that was what made it additionally easy. Various places (like Christchurch, Dunedin, and the area north of Auckland) that we didn’t get to because we tried to not always be racing around. Maybe we’ll catch them in combo with a trip to Australia some day or maybe they just won’t get caught. All in all we did a lot of air miles ranging from 12 hour flights between LA and Auckland to hour flights in both NZ and the USA to the 15 minute helicopter rides; trips on the water ranging from the 3 hour ferry and about 3 hours in the kayak to shorter times and distances in smaller boats and finally the tube through the cave; and of course on the order of 60 miles by foot.

PS - if you really read all of this lengthy letter, I’m amazed; and I could easily have made it twice as long.