South Island Photos

Well as usual, not all internet is created equal so many a time I try to upload photos to the travel-blog I am denied. I guess one must be patient and accepting of tech glitches whilst traveling.
Once we landed on the South Island we (I) felt compelled to get to Queenstown and the Fiordland district as everyone raves about these areas.
We drove over to the west coast highway and down into Queenstown over the course of three days. Day one and overnight in Richmond, a little town in the Tasman province, which we will need to cover next trip, an overnight at the town of Moana on Lake Brunner. We had an excellent Happy Hour and dinner at the Lake Brunner Hotel. Good little hike along the river there also. The next day we arrived in Haast. It is the start of a Unesco World Heritage area in NZ as it is in very remote and unspoiled territory. There has been talk of making another road to join up to the road that ends at the top of Fiordland but many say it will lose its Unesco WHS status if the road is built.
From Haast to Queenstown through what looks very much like the Okanangan area of BC.
Queenstown is the hub for adventure sports: bungie, river jet boats, whitewater rafting, paragliding, base jumping and any other crazy thing people who are adrenaline junkies do. We did none of the above.
Our accommodation just outside of Queenstown was definitely remarkable. The cottage was delightful as was their garden. Our hosts were most welcoming and Jane left wonderful baked goods in our cottage every day. So much for any chance of losing fat in NZ. We had booked 4 nights and luckily were able to extend our visit for a couple more due to the amazingness of the area.
Time to add some photos!

Another one lane bridge. Actually they are mostly one lane bridges in NZ

A little waterfall along the way.

Thick vegetation along the West Coast Highway

Yet another one lane bridge.

Clouds sliding down the Southern Alps

The warning sign that a poison to kill possums is in the area.

The mountains are getting higher and rockier.

A solid wall of rock at the base area to the Fox Glacier.

Sign in the toilets at the Fox Glacier parking lot......

A peek out to the Tasman Sea from the highway.

And back into the mountains!

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Some little falls near the Fox Glacier

Down from the Alps into the Otago province, known for its fruit growing.

Giant fruit in Cromwell, about an hour from Queenstown

A lovely welcome to Orchard Cottage near Arrowtown

Pretty place to sit and enjoy the lovely garden

The view from one side of the garden. A lovely little orchard below the hill.

Life is a bowl of cherries, and a plum and an apple....

Orchard Cottage ❤️

Lovely lavender!

A bouquet of sweet peas and some treats.

This gorgeous rose called "Double Delight" wafted it's perfume in through the open window.

The view from the bedroom at the Remarkables mountains. There is a ski area up there.

Looking down into the orchard. We had lovely sweet plums from the trees.

The next photos are from our coach tour that took us out to Milford Sound (actually a fjord) for our cruise.

John found a possum fur at a tourist stop along the way.

Many little waterfalls along the way

The "Misty Mountains" from the Lord of the Rings movies

Along the southern arm of Lake Wakapitu

The landscape changes around every corner. Rugged mountains one moment, pasture in the valley the next! These cattle are Belted Galloway.

This was called Mirror Lake, for obvious reason.

Just because...

If you love mountains and streams and rivers the South Island of New Zealand is the place for you.

Our tour guide/bus driver stopped often along the way for photo ops.

Our boat

Heading out into the fjord

We had the best of both worlds as it had rained so there were plenty of waterfalls and then the sun came out.

Lush vegetation in the rain forest. Average rainfall 6412mm per year!

New Zealand fur seals resting

JL geared up to get close to a waterfall.

Nearing the Tasman Sea

Heading back to the wharf. Very nice cruise that included a buffet lunch.

A Kea. One of NZ's parrots. These skallywags will tear every piece of rubber and anything loose from your vehicle.

Here's a photo I found online of a Kea trying to steal someone's car aerial....😳

The bus trip/boat cruise to Milford Sound was a real highlight of our visit to this area. It was nice for John to sit back and relax and look at the scenery. It was a very long day and our host Roger drove us to our pickup spot and came and picked us up on our return. Such great hospitality from he and his wife Jane. I can't say enough about our hosts and the lovely Orchard Cottage at Hayes Lake near Queenstown. 5 star and plus!

I'll end this blog now and continue the Queenstown area in the next. We loved this part of NZ very much and will definitely make it one of our re-dos next visit.