New Zealand Holiday - Week 9 - Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka and Cromwell - 25th to 29th March
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The Sounds and Otago
This might just be the Mirror Lake!
After spending a week in Queenstown, we bid farewell to our apartment in Remarkables Park and embarked on our journey to Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. The route was quite straightforward. Along the way, we stopped at Bracken Hall in Mossburn, an old-fashioned shop that seemed to sell everything. After purchasing a plush Kiwi, we continued to Te Anau. We had pre-booked at Parklands Motel, where we checked in early before going out for lunch. The owner was incredibly helpful, offering valuable advice for our excursion the following morning, including parking tips at Milford Sound. She also recommended a great spot for lunch, the Sandfly, located in the town center. It was a bustling Kiwi cafe, and although busy, we were content to wait for our vegetarian breakfasts.
Following lunch, we made our way to Lake Manapouri, which is roughly a 20-minute journey. This lake serves as the departure point for the Doubtful Sound Tour. We opted out of the tour, considered challenging for a vertigo sufferer. Originally, we had contemplated staying in Manapouri, but we were pleased with Te Anau and excited about upcoming trip to Milford Sound.
We had booked our Milford Sound Cruise for the 26th of March, necessitating an early start due to the two-hour drive. It's well worth taking an early cruise to beat the tour buses from Queenstown Accounting for scenic stops, we departed at 8:05am for the 11am cruise. The highlight en route was Mirror Lakes. We reached the ferry port around 10:30am, allowing time for a quick coffee before boarding. Following our motel's advice, we parked in a free car park just outside the town and shuttled to the ferry terminal. Despite the wet and cloudy weather, the waterfalls were spectacular, cascading with full force. The onboard Kiwi commentary was informative; we learned about the 'Milford Sausages' (seals) and experienced a 'Glacial Facial' (getting drenched at the boat's bow as the captain navigated close to the falls).
Getting to Milford Sound
Milford Sound
Heading home to Te Anau
There is not much habitation between Milford Sound and Te Anau and no coffee stops on the way home. There was a coffee caravan at the Mirror Lakes in the morning but it had moved on. So we headed for the very popular Ranch Pub as soon as we hit town. We would have stayed for Dinner but every table was booked. Te Anau is great little Lakeside town, we would quite happily have stayed longer. However, we had a booking in Queenstown at the Hotel I worked in about 40 years ago. We stopped for lunch in a cafe in Athol before driving on to Kingston on Lake Wakatipu to have a look at the steam train.
It's a narrow gauge job. Before the road was built from Queenstown this was an important link as animals were shipped on the Earnslaw from Queenstown to Kingston for onward transport. It was not running today.
All aboard
Autumn in Queenstown
A wet morning in Queenstown
Back to Queenstown for one night only. This time we were staying in the town in a Hotel I worked at nearly 50 years ago. We had a superb view of Lake Wakatipu and the Mountains from our room. Bit of an upgrade on our normal Motels or AirBnb.
The traffic out of Queenstown can be quite heavy but we made it to the Crown Range up a steep and winding road. Our first target was the Cadrona Hotel. Its a lovely old place and a perfect lunch spot on the way to Wanaka.
The Crown Range - looking back on Queenstown and the Airport
Staggering out of the Cadrona Hotel
A chilly Autumn morning at the Cadrona Hotel
Our rental car was a bit of a veteran
Fuelling up at the Cadrona Hotel
Cadrona Hotel Gardens
Lake Wanaka
We only had a few hours in Wanaka. we would have stayed but there was a big air show starting the next day and all the rooms were booked. We had a pleasant wander by the lake shore, visited a ski sale and had a coffee at Relish before moving on to Cromwell.
The Wanaka Tree - bit of a a local celebrity
Lake Wanaka
A coffee at Relish
Cromwell
Cromwell was unrecognisable from my last visit. A big hydro scheme resulted in the old town being drowned. They did keep a few of the old buildings and some reminders of the old place remain in a historical precinct. If my memory is correct the new town looks much better than the previous incarnation. We had a very nice Coffee and Cake at Pinot Junction by the Lake. We didn't want any bottles of Wine but as it was Good Friday we would not have been allowed! Cromwell is a big wine and fruit producing area these days and Lake Dunstan is a popular Holiday destination.
Brings back memories for TW
Lake Dunstan at the junction of 2 rivers
This didn't sink, the ground rose?
Penny Jack
Heritage Shops
We quite enjoyed our short visit to Cromwell and would happily return but we were ready to Enjoy Easter in Alexandra and Clyde. The Hot Cross Buns in NZ are yummy.
Heading West on a Staycation Broadhaven South Beach TW found a last minute cancellation to this 2000 Acre National Trust property. Our cottage usually takes six so it is not a cheap deal for just two people. In normal times, of course, we would have headed east for Austria but these are not normal times. The need for an expensive Covid test before we entered Austria made it inconvenient and impractical. Private Covid tests cost between £150 and £200 and there is no guarantee on how quickly you get results. To enter Austria you need the test to be carried out within the last 4 days. So the staycation made a lot of sense. Spending our money in the UK to help protect jobs was also a strong persuader. So with the car laden with our bikes and provisions we headed west on the 240 mile journey to Stackpole. Crossing the Border on the Severn Bridge No Covid test was required but the Welsh did make us go through a sheep dip ...
French Leave - 14th September 2013 Good Morning ride down the Old Rhine Canal Into the Forest - and out of the wind Crossing the border - walking bridge at Huningue over the Rhine Another good breakfast, another shower of rain and a return to the Old Rhine Canal. Got a bit adventurous after a while and turned off to take a look at some local villages. Am afraid I went a bit around the houses in the flat farming country. Found my way back on track near Volgelsheim. The place names around here do not exactly trip off the tongue. A fierce headwind from the south made cycling very difficult so had to get my head down. I needed my Patisserie stop! A diversion through a massive forest added distance but gave respite from the wind for a while. My downloaded Eurovelo 5 course headed for Mulhouse but I did not need to go there. I headed off to Basel. I think I was paying the penalty for not researching this area sufficiently. I could see the big Rhine Canal through the tree...
An Italian Escape With Covid in abeyance and another health issue resolved it was time to head South for a week in Italy. Bologna 17th May 2022 We chose the noble City of Bologna as our starting point and BA from LHR our carrier of choice. We had a shedload of BA credits from all our cancelled flights over the Winter so we even took checked luggage! Really great to be landing in Italy and even better that they did not make us line-up in the 'Other Passport' queue, we were straight through the e-gates onto the Marconi shuttle into the City. Bologna Station is a bit of a maze and we struggled to find our way out. Eventually we found a long overpass that took us to the front of the building and a Taxi to our digs for the first two nights. Coincidentally this was in Via Marconi. I thought the comms pioneer was an adopted Englishman but clearly he is very well remembered over here. Our La Dolla Apartment was really nice and modern, a bit of a contrast to the lobby and stairs but th...
A water theme for the day - 16th September 2013 At Bodensee - the shore of Lake Constance on a wet day Romanshorn to Rothenbach (timer reset after Lindau) I sat at the wrong table at Breakfast at the Anker Hotel in Romanshorn. My table was apparently set for a couple of elderly ladies. The waitress/boss ignored me after that. No offer of extra coffee, or whatever. Took the 9:36 Ferry to Friedrichshafen, home of the Zeppelin. It takes about 45 minutes to cross Lake Constance/Bodensee at this point. It is a car/lorry ferry but with only two cars on this particular crossing plus, of course, one bicycle. It was raining when I set foot on German soil and started to cycle to Lindau, about 28km to the South. Quite a nice route along the Lakeside but a bit busy in the towns. Lots of tourists wandering about with their umbrellas up looking lost. Cycling around Lake Constance is a popular holiday pursuit and I suffered the ignominy of being passed by a large group on e-bikes. Oh well,...
A Day in Winter - 13th December 2012 All quiet at the Advent Market - Daytime in Bad Hofgastein Winter in Bad Hofgastein Bad Hofgastein Kur Park with the Stubnerkogel in the background Bad Hofgastein Kur Park - across the frozen lake Ducks to water The current High Pressure system has brought low temperatures and clear blue skies. TW had the day off and took a few pictures as she walked into town through the Kur Park. In the evening the Advent Market is full of people enjoying a Gluwein or Hot Chestnuts and horse driven sleighs criss-cross the Park. During the day, all is quiet with just a few shoppers and some very hardy Mallard Ducks in the Kur Park. Open Loop - 14th December 2012 On the tracks We can see the Langlauf Loipe (cross-country loops) from our window and we noticed that they had put in some classic tracks. Had to give them a go. Slide and Glide, Slide and Glide. Looking North in Gasteinertal Looking South No downhill today ...
Pancake Day - Pouring in Punakaiki - 18th October Punakaiki Rocks take a battering Piled up Pancakes Hokitika - the clock tower Blown away on Hokitika Beach The wild weather continued. To be fair to the West Coast, if you drive down when a Severe Weather Warning is in place you can expect a little inconvenience. Even more so if the warning is for strong South Westerlies. Our little Yaris was buffeted by these blasts from the southern ocean as we wound down on Highway 6 towards the Pancake Rocks. We pulled up in a Car Park in Punakaiki that was filled with Camper Vans. Not sure how stable they are in the wind. One Aussie said he had seen one earlier that slid four feet sideways on the road ahead of him. They are very popular here though and range from basic people carriers to more sophisticated North American sized vehicles. We are relatively slow drivers and some have no difficulty passing us. Campers are certainly a reasonable option for a holiday here, th...
25th September Day 4 Feugarolles to Castelsarrasin 84km Hunting for snails Crossing the massive viaduct over the Garonne Really enjoying the cycling along the canal. The prevailing wind is from the NorthWest and our heading was South East. Couple that with a smooth surface and only a slight incline and you have a cycling idyll. There are also plenty of towns and villages en route so, really, it would be possible to do the trip several times and get variety by stopping at different places. So anyway, down for Breakfast on another cool day. Six cyclists now, the lead peleton had been joined by les Frères Eccossais, the Scottish brothers. After a jolly meal we headed off. I joined up with the Scots as the pursuivants, the Three Musketeers, in Tour de France terms. The yellow jersey had already left and we did not catch him. This wasn’t grape country. The fields alongside the canal were planted with a myriad of different crops including tobacco, kiwi fruits (what a...
Heading Northwards towards Picton. From Geraldine we skirted around Christchurch heading for Amberley a small town to the North and our staging post on the way to Kaikoura. The Teviot View Motel was very comfortable and the hosts were friendly. We had a wander on the beach at the end of the road. It was not a paddling day on Amberley Beach. The weather was still a bit wild after the recent storm. I ventured for a hair cut in the Barbers next to the Supermarket. I had to wait a short time but the other customers were friendly and one recommended we go to Ohau Point near Kaikoura to see the seals. Turned out to be an excellent tip. Amberley has a very fine Pie Shop which, of course, we visited and picked up lunch. Kaikoura Kaikoura is a well-known tourist spot. Despite a significant earthquake a few years back, the damage isn't readily apparent. The seabed rose during the quake, it seems. We spoke with a local woman who endured the terrifying event. Whales are the main draw here, w...
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