February 18, 2016. Fiasco at Milford Sound

CAMPGROUND:  Kingston Holiday Park. Commercial park.  Small communal kitchen.  Cozy TV /internet room.  Good showers and toilets.  $24/night.  3 stars

LOCATION:  Kingston, South Island, New Zealand.  About 40 miles south of Queenstown

WEATHER:  Rain, downpour.  Highs in 50s

We got up early to take advantage of a little sunshine.  We took off for the beautiful, famous Milford Sound.  Our sunshine quickly gave way to another downpour.  On a positive note, the rain created these gushing waterfalls on every mountain.

There is a long tunnel right before you get to the Sound.

We happily beat most of the tourist buses and looked for a place to park.  Uh-oh!  We hit a rock tip pointing out into the car park.  It punctured the tire.  We looked for help in the visitor center, but there are absolutely no facilities here.  Closest shop is back in Te Anu, 80 miles away.  

George found the spare tire in what seemed like an inaccessible space.  The company had bought our van, then just built the kitchen area ON TOP of the opening to the spare tire. We called the rental car company and they explained how to get to the tire and tools, admittedly with difficulty.

I helped with the jack as George lay on the wet, cold pavement pulling out the spare.  After about 3 hours in the cold, non-stop rain, we finally finished.  By that time, the clouds had rolled in and there was zero visibility.  We decided to scrap the Millford Sound cruise, and to return to Te Anu to get a new tire.  The gushing waterfalls and rivers were even more spectacular on our way back, so we think we got a pretty good flavor of Millford Sound.

In Te Anu, we found a garage with the right tire, and were on our way again.

We stopped in Kingston, a pretty little town on a lake.  We will explore Queenstown tomorrow.  After dinner, we sat in the lounge and shared in a birthday celebration for a 24-year old French traveler.

DINNER:  Homemade ramen with leftover grilled chicken, garlic, ginger, onions and carrots.  It really hit the spot!

February 17, 2016. Rainy New Zealand

CAMPGROUND:  Te Anu Kiwi Holiday Park.  Super busy. Good kitchen, lounge with fireplace.  Good showers and toilets.  Near town center.  $28/night,  4 stars

LOCATION:  Te Anu, South Island, New Zealand.  Near Milford Sound.  Southwestern side of island.

WEATHER:  Rain, rain, rain. High around 60

We left Bluff, on the southern point.  It started to rain in the morning and continued all day, so we decided to just drive.  We stopped in a fairly large town to buy a part to fix the van's rear bumper that George hit backing up yesterday.  The parts people were super friendly.

We stopped for a rainy picnic, inside the car, at Doubtful Bay.  Then, onward.  We stopped in Te Anu which is the gateway to Milford Sound.  All the hotels and cottages show "no vacancy".  Tour buses all over.  

It was now pouring, so we sat in the commons area, reading and doing some computer work.  Our ponchos came in handy!

By evening, we decided to go out for dinner since we were close to town.  We found a nice Italian restaurant and had a pizza.  

February 16, 2016. Part 2 of Stewart Island

The island has beautiful little coves.

The island is famous for its seafood, so we indulged for lunch.  We started with oysters on the half shell.  The main course was seafood baked in parchment paper....island's scallops, green-tipped mussels, blue cod, crawfish, shrimp, and salmon.

The island is famous for its shy kiwi birds, not found often on the main island...

We strolled along the beach and chatted with a crawfish (lobster) fisherman.

We returned to Bluff, on the main island.  We gathered with some Germans in the kitchen area for dinner.  They, like many people, will be taking a 3-day popular "tramp" (hike) around the island, staying in huts along the way.

DINNER:  Lentil soup with the leftover brats, onions, carrots and garlic.

February 16, 2016. Adventures on Stewart Island

CAMPGROUND:  2nd night at Bluff Campground

LOCATION:  Bluff, South Island, New Zealand

WEATHER:  Beautiful. Highs in upper 60s

The forecast was rain, so we were hesitant to go to Stewart Island, but we decided to go anyway....and we were so glad we did!  The forecast was totally wrong....it turned out to be beautifully sunny.

Stewart island is New Zealand's 3rd island.  

The crossing is famous for its rough seas across the Pacific, but today's 1-hour trip was smooth.  

The first thing we did was to watch a quirky movie about the history of the island, narrated by the pub's dog.

We took a hike through the national preserve.  The trail surprisingly reminded us of Costa Rica with its huge trees, lush ferns and exotic birds.  

Only 400 people live here, and much of the island is still unchanged.

See next post.

February 15, 2016. Driving clockwise around South Island

CAMPGROUND:  Bluff Motor Camp.  Commercial park. Kitchen, but no utensils. Laundry. Nice bathrooms.  $36/night.  3 stars. Wifi broken

LOCATION:  Bluff, South Island, New Zealand.  Southern most city on South Island

WEATHER:  Nice in AM. Downpour in PM

We left Dunedin and took the scenic route, hugging the coast south, then west.  New Zealand sure has a lot of sheep!  We passed fields and fields of them.  Some have been shorn for summer; otters are still fur balls.  We passed through one town that bragged about being the sheep-shearing winner of New Zealand.

Lots of bays with seals and penguins.  We stopped here at Niagara Falls of New Zealand.  

 

Someone jokingly gave this pretty little spring its famous name.

Clouds turned to rain and we debated what to do.  We had wanted to take a ferry to new Zealand's 3rd island, but now are on the fence due to the weather.  We will decide tomorrow when we wake up.  After finding a campsite, we returned to the village.  We wanted to have a beer and the famous Bluff oysters.  We learned that it is not oyster season, but we did have a great conversation in the one local pub.  

DINNER:  Using the campground's  kitchen, I sautéed some chicken thighs with potatoes and onions. Side was a cabbage salad.  

February 14, 2016. Part 2

More of Dunedin Railway trip.  It is a construction miracle.

We stretched our legs at the top while the engine turned around.

After the ride, we drove to the adjacent  beautiful Otago Peninsula.  We found this nice holiday park and decided to call it a day.  After getting set up, we walked to the nearby village to buy ingredients for dinner.

The community kitchen at the park is superb.

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It is equipped with pots and pans, microwave, toaster, electric tea kennel and dishes.  We happily stored our food in the refrigerator.  It was soon filled with campers making dinner and washing up.  Lots of Germans here. 

George chatted with a guy from the Marlborough wine region.  After telling the guy that he (George) had not bought me a valentine gift, the nice guy gave George a bottle of wine from his winery to give to me. 

DINNER:  The village store did not have a wide selection.  We grilled some brats.  I made rice in the kitchen's rice cooker and a side if sautéed veg.

February 14, 2016. Taieri Gorge Railway ride

CAMPGROUND:  Portobello Village Tourist Park.  Gourmet cook kitchen.  Great showers, bathrooms. Grassy sites.  $23/night.  5 stars

LOCATION:  Portobelli on Otago Peninsula outside Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand

WEATHER:  Beautiful. Highs around 70

All during the night at the freedom camping area, we heard cars pull in.  When we woke up, we were surrounded by dilapidated campervans and cars.  We were trapped in.  Even though this is a crowded hippie-like place, the bathrooms and dishwashinging area are surprisingly tidy.  By the time we ate breakfast, a few cars had cleared out (to escape being fined for parking illegally), so we were able to leave, too.

We drove into Dunedin, called Edinborough of the South, and caught the famous Dunedin Railway Taieri Gorge train ride.

We followed the Taieri River through the steep gorge for 2 hours.

See next post