New Zealand- The South Island with Larry and Dixie

1. the Walter peak property- yours for only $50 million NZ$
2. Scottish highland Sheep
3. up close an personal with a red deer
4. view from the window of the parlour at the Walter Peak property (we had a tasty afternoon tea there!)
5. view from the boat on the way beck to Queenstown
6. puzzle world entry.. the clock has been running backwards since January 1, 2000! going back in time!
7. the maze
8. mountain view from our campsite
9. the Cinema Paradiso
10. Lake Wanaka
11. Dixie driving! (Larry had had enough and she fiercely took over!! JK she did great!)
12. our ferry across the Cook strait
13. the pancake rocks (or so i think.. could be the blow holes.. it was dark, but still perty!)
14. view from the passenger seat
15. views from the passenger seat



It really is hard to believe that the South Island could be nicer than the North Island, but with the Southern Alps dominating the West coast it really is beautiful.

So we crossed over tot he South Island on the 10th of May and headed to Blenheim. Dixie and I toured the stores in this sleepy town while Larry went to an airplane museum. Then we started making our way to Wanaka with a sty over in Greymouth. On the way we attempted to check out the Punakaiki Blowholes and Pancake rocks, but it was late and dark, so we only had a dim view of what looked like it would have been spectacular!

The next day we headed to Franz Joseph Glacier (and I already did a blog on that). Which was sooooo nice. I had a lot of fun crawling in and out of the ice caves and climbing on the ice with the crampons.. maybe next time I'll do a full fledged ice hike!?!?

We arrived in Wanaka early in the afternoon and started the tour at Puzzle world. A neat little place (which deja vu tells me I have been before!). We stated with the outdoor maze that uses two stories to complete. One has to find for different colored forts (one in each corner) and the find the exit... It took us a little while, but we all made it out, some a little easier than me! When we arrived in Wanaka, WOW, what a beautiful place! the water was huge and peaceful with mountains rising from the shores and the sky was a clear blue with the sun getting ready to set... so neat!

That evening I went to the neatest movie theater ever. The Cinema Paradiso is much like any other theater, until you walk in the actual theater. There are no cinema seats, but couches and lounge chairs to relax in. There is even an old car if you want to feel like you are at a drive-in! Then half way through the movie, they have an intermission and I had theee best ginger and white chocolate cookie ever, then brought mu tea with me to finish watching the movie. (It was "into the Wild", if that matters).

While Larry went on a flight in a tiger moth plane and airplane and toy museums, Dixie and I had facials and toured the shops of Wanaka. A very neat little tourist town that everyone should pass through at least once! And off we headed to Queenstown.

Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand and there really is anything you want to do to get you adrenaline going... but I decided that really I like my life and don't feel I have to test it, so massages and pampering my bones is much more my style (and the money lasts a little longer!) But before I came to this grand decision I did go on a jetboat ride on the Shotover River and a couple of other rivers, where the water was only about 6 inches or so deep in some spots. Pretty neat thing to do. Then the three of us went on an old steamboat, the TSS Earnshaw, to Walter Peak farm. It was a nice relaxing thing to do and the farm was on a landlocked piece of property (only accessible by boat) and oh so BEAUTIFUL... and for sale for only $50 million dollars (so about $40 million CDN!)

The next morning I had my interview for probation services and Larry and Dixie went up the gondola and luged, then Larry finally got to fly, though as a parasailer. he loved it though (and I did it a couple of days later.) That afternoon they dropped me at the YHA and headed off to Christchurch to catch their plane to the Cook Islands.

It was a very quick 2 and a half weeks and having a camper van was fun and a great way to see the country, only if we had months and months to do it would it have been better!