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Bidhu

Swimming with the Dolphins, Wine Tasting

On Thursday we put on some wetsuits and went swimming with the dolphins. We were taken out to the sea and after spotting some delphins we dove into the water. We floated in the 14 degree water for about 45min with the dolphins coming in intervals in groups of 3 or 4 and checking us out.
On Friday we drove to Christchurch and went on a wine tasting tour through 4 wineries, tasting about 30 different wines from this region.
On Saturday eary in the morning we flew to Auckland where we had reserved a luxourious hotel for our last day in New Zealand. Our last supper, last 20 degrees sunny weather, last taste of New Zealand. An unforgettable experience. Bye bye!

Driving to Akaroa

After visiting the steepest road in the world in the morning (the Baldwin Street in Dunedin), the road between Dunedin and Akaroa (on the peninsula close to Christchurch) is not spectacular at all. And it was also a very warm day in the car. We stopped in Timaru for a fish and chips lunch, then drove bye Omarau to see where the blue pinguings are nesting (we did not see any as they are coming back form the sea only at dusk), we continued to Ashbourton where we had a coffe and a cake and then we finally got to Akaroa and checked in our Farm Hostel, on top of the hill next to the sea. It is a very rustical hostel, on a farm land, with the lambs just some tens of meters away.

Otako Peninsula

On Tuesday we took a guided tour on Otako Peninsula, near Dunedin, where pinguins, fur seals, sea lions and many birds live in their own natural habitat. It was an incredible experience to whitness the return of the pinguins from the sea. We were also very lucky to encounter 2 sea lions (there are only about 180 left on the NZ coast). We also saw a colony of fur seals and a Royal albatros (there are only a few thounsends of them left arund NZ coast).
All in all, a nature experience comparable to Milford Sound.

Arriving to Dunedin

On Monday we continued our Southern Scenic Route. We drove mostly on the Southern Coast with a few stops: Purakaunui Falls, Nugget Point. In Dunedin we wanted to visit the Cadbury's Chocolate Factory but we were too late for that. Dunedin is quite dead still after New Year, so we went to see Sherlock Holmes.

The Southern Scenic Route

We originally booked 3 nights in Te Anau, but since we managed to see the Glowworm Cave and the Milford Sound on Friday and Saturday, we decided to cancel the third night and leave towards Dunedin through the Southern Scenic Route, and not accross the country. We stopped in Riverton to have lunch, then we visited Bluff, the Slope Point (the most south point on the South Island), the Petrified Forrest where we saw some penguins and a sealion, then we drove to Owaka where we looked for some accommodation and had a delicious dinner.

Milford Sound

And some pictures from the boat through the fiord.

On the Way to Milford Sound

What a day! The drive to Milford Sound (maybe most spectacular fiord on the West Coast): so many and various spectacular landscapes on the way to Milford that we thought it cannot get any better: Mirror Lakes, Lake Gunn, roaring waterfals, mountains raising straight upwards like a wall and hundreds of waterfalls formed after the overnight rain, mini-glaciers with creeks running beneath, a 1.2km one lane tunnel dug into the mountain rock... And we reached Milford ready to embarque on the ship for a ride through the fiord.

To Queenstown for New Year

The drive from Wanaka to Queenstown went smoothly. The road is full of wineyards and wine tasting sites. In Queenstown we took the Gondola up to Bob's Peak for some great views over the surrounding region. The peak is 450m above the city. We are celebrating New Year in Fishbone Restaurant with a full course dinner. 6 hours left from this year... Happy New Year to everybody!