Wharekauhau Country Estate, North Island

Upon disembarking the ferry in Wellington, the four of us were met by our driver who would take us to the Wharekauhau (pronounced 'fara-coe-hoe') Country Estate. 

    With the mountains behind us to the west, and the Pacific Ocean in front of us to the east, once again we found ourselves surrounded by beauty. The estate is also a large working farm. Our guide Marilyn provided us with a tour, showing us the sheep and the facilities for shearing them, the large vegetable gardens and the flower beds.

Immature asparagus

Places far away

Places farther away seen from Southern Hemisphere
Our Milky Way, at least two distant galaxies, and a meteor trail
30 second exposure, 16mm focal length (35mm equivalent), ƒ2.8, ISO 6,400

The Interislander Ferry

https://www.interislander.co.nz/experience/kaitaki

About 58 miles separate the South Island from the North Island of New Zealand at the ferry crossing. We took an Interislander Ferry from south to north. Aboard, there are two restaurants, two movie theaters, a bar, shopping, and a large playground for children. It can carry 525 cars, 108 trailers, and over 500 passengers.

View looking back at the south island

The trip took three and a half hours. The views were breathtaking. Then we were treated to a school of at least a hundred dolphins which seemed to accompany the ship. What follows is a sampling of the large number of photos I took.

Bay of Many Coves

 For our climbing pleasure, the Bay of Many Coves has been constructed on a steep slope with switchbacks. The photo below from the web site gives some idea of the vertical nature of the place. The suite we shared was elevated over 100 feet above sea level. We felt like we were living in an eight story walk-up. The situation was not ideal for average septuagenarians, but we had a good time anyway. Fortunately, a golf cart could negotiate the steep slopes and switchbacks. We utilized the cart about half the time, and our trekking poles for the rest. We renamed the resort the Cove of Many Falls.

https://www.bayofmanycoves.co.nz/

   Our youngster Sheree (10 years younger than the rest of us) took on the Ridge Loop which is 2.7 miles in length with an altitude of 1,200 feet.

For Bob and me, the highlight of our visit was an EcoTour by boat to the Montaura Island Scenic and Historic Reserve. During the ride and on the island, we saw innumerable birds, some quite rare. A variety of cormorant called the King Shag is found only in the Marlborough Sounds and numbers about 700 total - in the world. What follows are a few of the many pictures I took with my Sony camera and telescopic lens.

Spotted Shag, feeding her young

Fluttering Shearwater

South Island Saddleback

Included in this photo is about 1% of the world King Shag population

Coastal Pacific Train Journey from Christchurch to Picton

This six hour journey along the shore of the Pacific Ocean with its abundance of wild (and tame) life, sloping vistas, and mountains must be one of the most scenic encounters any of us have ever experienced. What a great way to travel.

    The first half of the journey was through sloping terrain with many farms, rivers, and small villages. We made two stops along the way for passengers to board and disembark.

 

Much of the farm land was occupied by cattle and sheep with the occasional horse or alpaca.

A variety of rivers ran toward the sea. This one was half shallow water, and half river bed. Others were narrow whitewater streams. This is also wine country. We saw many vineyards along the way.

The second half was mostly along the coast. 

Oh my!

This went on for about 60 miles with spectacular views around every bend.

https://www.viator.com/tours/Christchurch/Coastal-Pacific-Christchurch-to-Picton-by-Train/d400-59907P5?m=28353&supag=118063152419&supsc=dsa-694098304204&supai=660597825099&supdv=c&supnt=g&suplp=9118712&supli=9118710&supti=dsa-694098304204&tsem=true&supci=dsa-694098304204&supap1=&supap2=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAk9itBhASEiwA1my_67wiNq5O6asx4jQyAdkjaYiKLp2fD5lEL3p-y6FRsq4seND9JJDw8BoCl4sQAvD_BwE

Did I get lucky or what?
Taken with an iPhone

We disembarked in Picton which is at the northernmost part of the south island, right next to the docks. We traveled the short distance to the office of the Cougar Line, the boat service that would ferry us to our hotel, accessible only by water. Our fearless captain awaited us.

Christchurch and Otahuna Lodge

 Had there been train service from Queenstown to Christchurch, we would have taken it. Instead, we flew about 40 minutes on a commuter turboprop. No security check was necessary. Imagine that!

    Once landed, we were picked up by our driver and taken to the Otahuna Lodge. Between the four of us, we have stayed at some of the finest hotels and lodges around the world. We all agreed that this was perhaps the finest.

    From the start, the place had the feel of Downton Abbey without the pomp. Upon our arrival, we traveled the long driveway, and were greeted by a staff of five who already knew all our names. And it only got better. We were to stay only two nights. We would have preferred two years.

    From the moment we landed in Queenstown three days earlier, we had been seriously over programmed with activities. This stay was an opportunity to unwind with a vacation from our vacation. I took very few pictures. Here is a picture that one of our hosts took of us at the dinner table.

Here are additional pictures that I pulled off the web sites.

They claim that there are one million daffodils on the property.

Dignitary visitors to the lodge include King Charles and Camilla while they were still Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. Although the late Queen Elizabeth II never visited Otahuna Lodge, her parents, the Duke and Duchess of York did visit. QE II did visit the Huka lodge; more on that in a later post.

For a far more detailed description of the Lodge, please check out

https://www.otahuna.co.nz/getattachment/7012d000-4a58-48cf-8cba-c67ed8c5e43d/SeaSpray-Magazine.aspx

Milford Sound

 Milford Sound is actually a fjord, not a sound. Both a fjord and a sound are filled with seawater. A sound is a river valley that has filled water that has refluxed from the sea. A fjord is usually a deep trench between mountains that has been carved out by glaciers and connects directly to the ocean.

We had the opportunity to take an overnight cruise to the mouth of the fjord at the Tasman Sea. (the body of water between New Zealand and Australia, really part of the Pacific Ocean) Our boat was smaller than most tour boats, with 20 relatively spacious cabins. This was a luxury cruise with a wonderful crew who knew all the passengers by name.

The scenery seemed to come out of a storybook. Each waterfall was more spectacular than the last. There was an abundance of wildlife. The experience was outstanding.

    The two wettest spots on earth are Kauai, and you guessed it, Milford Sound, each getting about 250 inches of rain a year. So, we were prepared with the obligatory rain gear. The weather was perfect! The sky was clear. The water was calm. We could not have asked for better conditions.

Here are some of the pictures I took as we traveled down and back.