Trip to Lake Coleridge and BBQ

We went for another day trip out of Christchurch -- this time the weather was even colder and there were very strong winds we had to walk into. We were near the ski fields of Mt Hutt, south of where we went last time to Castle Hill. Unfortunately there was no snow at ground level, which I had been hoping for. We went for a walk near Lake Coleridge, which is part of a hydoelectric power plant, but the only exciting things were fantail birds and sheep. The fantails are so cute, flitting around and showing off their tails. There were three of them very close to us on one of the forest paths. The sheep were more afraid of us. There were one black-faced one and some were pregnant. The walk was fine on the way out to the lake, but the winds were blisteringly harsh and cold on the way back.

We took a detour to eat at this Texas BBQ place I had read an advertisement for in the paper recently. It's got a great name -- Truck Norris BBQ -- and is run by a Kiwi guy and his partner who is a Texan woman. She must be the one in charge of the Facebook page because it was very friendly and cheery on there. The guy is a typical Kiwi who doesn't say much and doesn't have the customer service skills we expect in America. I figured that would be the case and didn't mind too much because I am used to it. I just ordered the food and didn't make conversation. The food was indeed American-style and the BBQ sauce was soo good. Just like what I've had in the Southwest. We got a sampler platter with BBQ chicken, beef brisket, and pulled pork as well as macaroni and cheese and seasoned fries. I would be eating there all the time if it weren't such a long drive away. Maybe for the best!

I can't wait for winter to be over. The electricity bill was over $340 last month, and that's with us not being home during weekdays. There has been flooding in surrounding areas due to a huge rainfall in the past week, and tomorrow the high is supposed to be 6 C (43 F). It is just crazy that people don't have proper and affordable heating systems to cope with this kind of weather. And drainage systems cannot cope with the amount of water and the fact that the city is built in the floodplains of the river.

Fantail with the white and black tail

 

Dunedin: Otago Peninsula

We began our week-long road trip of the South Island by driving from Christchurch to Dunedin, stopping at the Moeraki Boulders along the way. Unfortunately the tide was in so some of the rocks were harder to look at and access, but this made for some fun runs to take photos before getting too wet.

Coming into Dunedin, we headed straight out onto the Otago Peninsula to look for albatross. The breeding colonies are closed off unless you pay the exorbitant fee for the tour, so we had to settle for a view of a soaring albatross overhead and lots of seagulls and some fur seals, who were snoozing on a pathway looking adorable.

seaweed looks like hair

he had rolled over by the time we walked back around!

this guy was a little suspicious of me photographing him

Then I took the Highcliff Drive on the drive back for great views on top of the peninsula. The weather was gorgeous, and the lambs were bleating -- it was a nice experience.

We walked around downtown Dunedin for a bit and checked out the big church and grounds.

North Island Itinerary: Hobbiton and Waitomo Glowworms

Flying back to New Zealand from Sydney, we arrived in Auckland and had two days to explore around before the trip was over. The first day, we chose a long day driving down to the Hobbiton Movie Set and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and then back to Auckland. It was a beautiful, sunny day for Hobbiton, and it was lambing season, so there were lots of sheep and their lambs on the green hillsides. We even saw a lamb that had just been born a few minutes prior, which the bus driver had seen on her way to pick everyone one up.

My phone battery died on the way to Waitomo, so we were left without navigation and got lost, which was not fun. We had to use the old-fashioned paper map from AA and stick to the main highway so we wouldn't lose more time. But this was my first time seeing the glowworms and they were very cool. They take you into the caves and then on a boat so your eyes can adjust to the darkness and see the thousands of glowworm larvae above and around you. Since you can't take photos down there (which is nice - frees you to actually enjoy the experience), I've only got one of the exit of the caves.

 

The recreation of Hobbiton in The Shire

 

Bilbo Baggins' house

The Hobbiton cat had the best seat in The Green Dragon Inn, next to the fire

Exiting the Waitomo Glowworm Caves