At Waitomo, David (my husband) parted company from my son Danny and me. David did the Glowworm Cave tour, gently floating down some underground stream and seeing zillions of beautiful glowworms. BTW, we learned that the glowworms aren’t really glowworms at all; they’re actually glow maggots and what’s glowing is not their bodies but their waste products. But it doesn’t sound real appealing to call the caves glow maggot poop caves so they’ve stuck with glowworm caves. Don’t know if this is true, but it makes a good story! Anyhow, while David was gently floating down the stream, Danny and I did a blackwater rafting trip which we thought was floating down a more exciting underground river. It turned out we were a bit off though. The trip involved wearing wetsuits, boots and those miner’s hats with lights on the front and walking, crawling, swimming, climbing and tubing thru an underground river in some nearby caves. It was a great trip – although we were a bit achy and bruised by night time. The trip was about 4 hours and lots of fun. About 10 people with 2 guides who actually served us hot lemonade and Cadbury fish at about the 2 hour mark! I’d highly recommend this if you don’t mind getting wet and a bit muddy (hot showers available afterwards), aren’t claustrophobic and don’t have too much trouble contorting yourself like a pretzel. Otherwise, stick with the gentle float. At different points, we turned off our headlamps (the only sources of light down there) and floated on tubes looking at the cave roof filled with glow whatevers.
The 3 of us met up afterwards and started the drive down to Rotorua. It was a beautiful trip – you can see the extent of the logging industry as you drive these roads. There are huge areas that are cut down and replanted with thousands of tiny trees. Apparently, the trees grow very quickly here and forests can actually be replaced within 10-12 years. We arrived in Rotorua where we stayed at another Scenic Circle hotel, Lake Plaza. The first thing that hits you in Rotorua is the smell of sulpher. There are geysers and mud pots and hot springs all over the place. We just wandered around town in the evening, took a swim/soak in their thermal pool and went to bed.
The next day, we did something called a 5 star attraction pass which gave us admission to the Agrodome (sheep show – definitely touristy, but fun – where Danny got to milk a cow on stage and I got to feed a lamb), the Skyline gondola (they’re in several cities), Paradise Valley nature center (local NZ flora and fauna except for baby lion cubs which they raise for NZ zoos), the Maori Cultural Center (this is great – a really good introduction to Maori culture, history and arts as well as spouting geysers and mudpots) the Polynesian Spa (an assortment of thermal pools). Then that nite, we went to a Hangi Feast (the Tamaki one) which was definitely worth the trip. We were picked up at our hotel and taken a short distance to a Maori village. We learned all sorts of things about Maori culture on the way and were met with a traditional greeting, saw demonstrations of games, singing, dancing and ate a meal cooked in stone covered pits. Yes, touristy, but again, a great way to learn about the history and culture of the first people to settle NZ. (The Maoris are of Polynesian roots, but no one actually knows exactly where they came from. But they were already there when the English, French, etc. showed up.)
The next morning, we went to the Buried Village, just outside Rotorua, which was buried by a huge volcanic eruption in the 30’s (I think). The area had been a major attraction for wealthy tourists because of these pink rock terraces. But they were totally buried and destroyed by the eruption. We then headed for the east coast and Napier. We drove past Lake Taupo (the largest lake in NZ in a volcanic crater) where David had high hopes for a fishing trip. But the winds were howling and no one would take their boats out. So fishing had to wait. As we got closer to Napier, we started passing all the wineries (how can you tour and drive at the same time?) and fresh fruit stands. We were thrilled to be able to buy all those great summer fruits that we can’t get in the states this time of year – apricots, peaches, etc. We got to Napier where we stayed at this beautiful hotel on the ocean, another scenic circle, Te Pania. The hotel only has rooms on one side, the side that faces the Pacific. There’s this huge long beach that stretches for miles.
Napier is a really interesting city because it’s one of the only almost completely art deco cities in the world. (It was just written up in the New York Times last month.) The reason is that the city was destroyed by an earthquake and resulting fire in the early 1930’s. Since the prevailing style of architecture at the time (during the Great Depression) was art deco, the whole downtown of the city was rebuilt over the next couple of years in art deco style. (We learned all this on an art deco walk given by the visitors’ centre.) So it’s really something to see.
We took a drive up a nearby mountain Te Mata, not for the faint-hearted. I think David would have turned around it we’d given him the option. It’s a steep winding road – single lane is some places with no forward visibility - with a very sheer drop-off and signs that say enter at your own risk and we’re not responsible for anything that happens to you here. Doesn’t exactly give you a warm and fuzzy feeling, but we persevered – it was daytime, would definitely NOT do this in the dark!! (David would definitely say not to do it in the daytime either.) Gorgeous view of the Pacific, wind was unbelievable up there. We visited the local aquarium (didn't have time for the possum museum).
We took an afternoon cruise in Hawkes Bay which was lovely – they offer lunch, dinner or just scenic cruises. Then had a quiet dinner and wandered around the beach at nite.
The next morning, we returned our rental car and flew from Napier airport (tiny place) to Dunedin on the South Island. We flew Air NZ; the fares were low and it saved time and money we would have spent driving down to Wellington and taking the ferry across and for all accommodations, etc. Unfortunately, this meant we bypassed Wellington and also didn’t have time to visit the northern part of the South Island - Kaikoura, Abel Tasman, etc. But I guess that gives us lots to look forward to on the next trip… More on the South Island tomorrow.

Funny you should say don't do Te Mata in the dark! I grew up there as a teenager we used to go up there in cars after dark for fun (and romance!). Needless to say I used to close my eyes and pray that the boys were good drivers.

Te Mata actually means "The Peak" so while everyone calls it 'Te Mata Peak' they are actually saying The Peak Peak. Funny eh?

Forgive my intrusion. Just so few travellers on this board make it to the Hawkes Bay that it is great that you did!!

Those must have been some scary drives up there at nite! I can see why you'd close your eyes! I thought Hawkes Bay was just beautiful. It was suggested to us by a travel agent in Auckland who helped me plan the trip. And it does seem to be off the typical tourist route. But we loved it there and I'd highly recommend a visit. If you search the new york times website (i think it's nytimes.com) you should be able to find the article on napier. it's really interesting! thanks for your reply!

Enjoying your report Sharon - keep it coming!

I'm enjoying your report, Sharon! Did you go tubing with Blackwater Rafting? We had a great time with them.

Lee Ann

Posting the parts as separate threads makes it somewhat difficult to folow your great report and trip. May I suggest that further parts be posted as relpies to this thread so the rest of your report could be followed more coherently? Thanks

Hi, Sharon,
So you enjoyed the area of my youth - Havelock North - and in particular Te Mata. I was reading through thinking I must say about "The Peak Peak" and wilees beat me to it! When did you live in HN, Wilees? I used to help out at the original Peak shop, opened about 1962/3! And I used to ride my bike as far as possible then walk. I must confess I don't remember it being as windy or steep!
Sharon, I love your description of Waitomo caves and their natural 'lights'. You have certainly taken on board a lot of information to share with other Fodorites. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Hi everyone. Just got back from stocking up on groceries during our on-going and soon to be accelerating blizzard! Would definitely rather be in NZ or OZ right now!!
Thanks for the feedback. Also, I'll follow Jed's suggestion and post additional parts to this thread - i've never done this before and wasn't sure what the best way to post was. Thanks for the help and I'll get more up soon. And Dot, I hear you're meeting kodi? Should be great!!

Trip Report - Part 4 ( please let me know if it works better posting on this same thread or if i should separate it. Thanks!)

We learned there are some tricks to getting the best deals on the flights in and from NZ. There are some good discount airlines (tho their routes may be limited), but Qantas and Air NZ are trying to stay competitive. But the fares they show you on-line depend on where you say you’re logging in from. So if you log into the Air NZ and say you’re in the US, you’ll get a totally differently (MUCH higher) fare than if you say you’re in NZ. Same thing’s true with Qantas. The big difference between them is that Air NZ won’t let you buy their cheapest fares (even from the NZ site) unless you have a NZ address. But Qantas will! So at the end, when Danny and I flew from Christchurch to Sydney and when David flew from Christchurch to Auckland (he had to go back to the states earlier), we booked on-line with Qantas – at the same fare that Air NZ wouldn’t sell to us.
On the the South Island…
We picked up our next car at Dunedin airport (around 2:30) and headed straight out to Tairoa Head for our tours at the Albatross Centre and Penguin Place. Both places had recommended we do the tours around sunset because there tends to be more activity then, especially with the penguins who are coming ashore. The road along the coast was pretty but it did start to rain and then rained pretty steadily all that evening and through the nite. We did the albatross tour first and saw them sitting on their nests. The males and females divide the work into weeklong shifts; first one sits on the nest while the other goes out feeding. Then, about a week later, the one who was out feedings comes back and they switch places. Great role models! Because it’s nesting season, the birds on the nests don’t get up to fly around; they just sit there til their mates return. But there were some other albatross hanging about who didn’t have any eggs and we were really luck to see a couple of them flying around. Their wing spans are enormous and they’re magnificent in flight – it’s just really hard to get good photos of them as they’re flying. We also did a tour of the fort there with a concealed gun that was built when NZ thought that they were going to be attacked by Russia. The gun is built to pop out of this hole in the ground, fire, and then go back into its hole. (If you’re interested in history, you’d like this part. BTW, the Russians never came!)
Then we headed over to Penguin Place (only 5 minutes away) to see the yellow-eyed penguins. They had a short briefing, gave us big raincoats (the albatross centre had also) and drove us by bus to this farm where they’ve built a network of tunnels and concealed hides for viewing. It was about sunset now and the penguins were all over the place! Swimming, walking around, talking to each other – and of course totally oblivious to the pouring rain (which was soaking our jeans and feet and everything else that was sticking out!) Still, I can’t complain since we went there to see penguins and we certainly did see lots of them – but it was cold, windy and very wet! We did pass the Happy Hen (which someone on the board had recommended, but it was closed.)
We went back to Dunedin where we stayed at the (Scenic Circle) City Hotel on the Octagon which is a great location. Dried off, took hot showers and hoped the weather would clear for the next day. The next morning (still rainy), Danny’s girlfriend met us (she flew in from the states) and we went to the Cadbury chocolate factory tour – highly recommended by several on the board! A chocoholic’s dream – tho I hadn’t heard of a number of the bars they’re making. At the end, you get to go into their special chocolate shop and buy all sorts of chocolates at great prices (we bought tons!) and souvenir accessories (I confess, I bought a tiny purple Cadbury truck – which I said was for my nephew but it was really for me!)
Then we walked a short way to the train station (which is beautiful with tile and stained glass) and took the 4 hour round-trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway. I’d definitely recommend this train into the mountains. We even crossed above the cloud line and wound up with beautiful blue sunny skies up there! Because of all the rain, the rivers were muddy and raging and there were serious concerns about flooding all over the southern area of the island. It was still drizzly in town, but easing up. We had dinner, wandered around for a while and went to bed.
The next morning, we were headed to Te Anau. Before we left, I had seen some great comments about the Otago Museum in Dunedin so we stopped in there. What a great museum!! Admission is free (except to the special Edmund Hillary exhibit where they give you a really great discount if you’re an Otagan). What we were especially excited about was their excellent Polynesian exhibit since this is something we don’t get an opportunity to learn much about in the states. Definitely wish we’d had more time to spend there – but next stop was Te Anau and the drive was almost 300k so we figured we should get started.
Just as an aside, we really enjoyed listening to the radio as we were driving (and watching local tv – and Maori news, too, tho most of the news at that time was sadly about the tsunami). Hearing local news, seeing what songs and artists were on the charts, learning how to pronounce vowels in unimaginable ways – oops, sorry about that!

sharon -
It works much better keeping the entire trip report together. I'm loving your experiences, and can't wait for the rest. Keep it coming... like what else is there to do when we've got 12" of snow outside which isn't supposed to let up till tomorrow sometime!!!

Hi dotty, I lived on Napier Hill 1986-97. Got married in Havelock North last year and had the reception at Peak House!

Gotta love the bay!

Hi, Sharon,
Definitely good to have the report altogether, thank you. I am sad you didn't make it to the Happy Hen in time. Katkat did make it, and bought two of the hens!!
I took some photos of the inside of the Dunedin Railway Station because of its beautiful windows. Sadly, they didn't quite do it justice. Great to read you took the Taieri Gorge trip - amazing part of the Otago province. And so pleased you had a chance to pop into the Otago Museum. Ted and I found it awesome - we spent a lot of time in there over two days! Hee hee hee, how much over the limit were your bags with the Cadbury's chocolate! Did you buy a chocolate-smelling pen? I bought one 3years ago, and it still smells of chocky!
Yes, Kodi hits Wellington tomorrow (Monday) - so looking forward to meeting her and showing her around our city. We'll show you next time you come to NZ and make it to Wellington!
Wilees, we had our wedding reception at Peak House in 1969!! I do love the Bay, just not sure whether or not I could live back there. Hope that makes sense!
Dot.

Trip Report - Part 5 – 3 weeks NZ/1 week Sydney/Blue Mtns. – Dec-04-Jan05

Sorry for the delay. We spent yesterday shoveling out from under ½ meter of snow. I’d be grateful for even those not-so-summery days in NZ right about now. Anyway…
Next stop – Te Anau…
The drive across was pleasant on good roads. We decided to use Te Anau as a jumping off point to Milford Sound instead of Queenstown because it’s much closer. The trip from Queenstown just to Te Anau (which is the only way you can go) makes the round trip about 4 hours longer. Lake Te Anau is huge and the wind was howling when we arrived. We stayed at a fairly large B&B called Shakespeare House where all the rooms (I’d say about 10 or so) were named after Shakespearian plays. Te Anau’s a tiny town with one main street with the obligatory restaurants, souvenir and photo shops and supermarkets. There’s a great fish and chips place on the main strip and one of the best things you can eat in NZ is kumara chips – often served with sour cream. Kumara is sweet potato (supposedly brought over by the first Maori settlers), but it doesn’t taste quite like the yams and sweet potatoes we get at home. They cut and fry them up like French fries (chips) and they’re great. We ate them most everywhere we went!
We decided to give David a driving break (although by this time he was getting really proficient on the other side) and took the Real Journeys bus and day cruise trip to the Sound.
We woke up to an absolutely gorgeous, sunny blue sky. Surprise!! The bus (a big luxury coach that had actually started from Queenstown, so there were people already on from there) left around 9am and the driver told us all sorts of interesting facts about the history, geography, culture, etc. as we drove. He also made a number of stops for great photo ops and a short hike. We went thru the famous tunnel – pretty neat! The cruise was wonderful; the weather was perfect – at last (t-shirts, jeans, sunny, dry). We packed our own lunches (thought the prices on the boat were pretty high for what they were offering) and they had inside tables to eat at. Then we spent pretty much the entire cruise out on the decks. The captain announced they were in the middle of a drought – it hadn’t rained in 92 hours. We considered ourselves lucky - although we did read that the Sound is spectacular in the rain with torrential waterfalls – (but we eventually saw plenty of those while drowning on Franz Joseph – more about that later). What a magnificent place!
When we got back to Te Anau, around 5ish, we found this little nature preserve next to the Lake with native birds and animals – no people around at all, just some enclosures with signs and info and these animals! There we learned the very important fact that a takahe is not just a fat pukeko (you can take my word for this or do some research on it yourself. After more fish and kumara chips, we headed back to the B&B where we found some really odd gifts waiting for us on our beds.
It was 24 Dec and our hosts had lefts these strange things on our beds. They looked kind of like the cardboard inside of a paper towel roll wrapped with shiny paper twisted at the ends with a Merry Christmas note. We carefully unwrapped the packages (by untwisting them) and inside were these really dumb jokes, plastic toys and some crepe paper stuff. We had absolutely no clue what this was all about (that didn’t come til the next nite!) but appreciated the thoughtfulness.
The next morning (Christmas day) was sunny (still jeans), we headed up to Queenstown where we were to spend the next 3 nites. The drive was gorgeous (about 2-3 hours) as we started approaching the snow-capped mountains. We stopped to take lots of photos along the way. There’s a great place to turn off about 30 minutes before you get to Queenstown that takes you down to the lakeshore and picnic tables. Queenstown looks like a postcard photo – unbelievably fantastic. We stayed at Rydges next to the lake and had gorgeous views out of our windows.
That nite, we had made reservations for the Christmas dinner up at the top of the mountain. We took the gondola up, did some luging at the top (it was our first time – and lots of fun) When we got to our table, there were those same strange gift-wrapped rolls that we’d seen on our beds the nite before. Now, we were truly confused! Since we’d gotten there on the early side, there weren’t too many others sitting down yet. So we unwrapped the things and again – there were these dumb jokes, plastic toys and crepe paper things. Still no clue… Within a few minutes, lots of people started sitting down at nearby tables and we kept hearing these snapping noises all over the place. And suddenly, all sorts of people were wearing these paper crowns! It didn’t take us long to figure out – at last - what the things actually were – although we’d opened them the wrong way again! I’m still not sure what you call them (Dot, can you help me out here?) or if they’re something only in New Zealand, but it’s clearly a big tradition!
Anyway, we had a wonderful buffet dinner with all sorts of sea food, lamb and other meats, veggies, etc The food was quite good. As we sat eating, we watched paragliders sailing right by the windows. Sunset was spectacular over the lake (around 10pm)!!

Hi, Sharon,
The objects with the really dumb jokes, strange plastic toys and even stranger paper hats are Christmas crackers. They have two pieces of card joined together to form a long thin strip that runs the length of the cracker, and in the middle of this strip where it is joined is a tiny smidgeon of gunpowder. You hold the end of the cracker with your thumb on the strip and someone else does the same on the other end then both of you pull hard. That is what the snap sound was - the gunpowder exploding as it is rent apart! They originate in England, created in 1847 by Tom Smith , almost by accident. Sometimes they are referred to as Snaps.
Aren't kumara chips delishimo! I just love them. Another great report, thanks.
Caught up with kodi last night - took them for a drive around Wellington's interesting streets. Meeting them for brekky this morning before they head south at 1:00 pm on my favourite boat, the Bluebridge's Santa Regina. Have preinted off all reports so far for kodi to read.

Hi Sharon! I am loving this report. Two questions 1) are you glad you took the coach to Milford Sound or do you wish you drove from Te Anau? Did you have any photo stops on the way there?
2) What other activities, besides the gondola/luge, did you do in Queenstown? (Maybe that is the next part of your report)...
Thanks again for writing this-- it must take a long time but it really helps a lot of us plan our upcoming vacations!

Hi Liz and Tim.
After doing all the driving, David was happy for the break he got when we took the coach. The coach was really comfortable and the driver stopped a number of times on the way. It was also nice because the scenery on the way to Milford was so beautiful that David didn't have to worry about us telling him to stop looking around and keep his eyes on the road! He could just sit back and enjoy the view. The top of the bus is all plexiglass so you not only get to look out of the side windows but you look out at the mountain peaks through the ceiling.
I just finished the next part about Queenstown so I'll post that now.

Trip Report - Part 6 – 3 weeks NZ/1 week Sydney/Blue Mtns. – Dec-04-Jan05

Today was rainy and chilly and we were booked to do the afternoon Dart River Safari (about a 4 hour trip plus the ride to/from Glenorchy). We wandered around Queenstown for the morning and apparently missed all the celebrities who were also wandering (at least according to the newspaper photos) – Shania Twain (who bought this huge farm), Peter Jackson, Sam Neill, Holly Hunter and the list goes on. It seems like this is NZ’s “Aspen.” The Dart Safari driver picked us up at the hotel and drove us to Glenorchy which is one of the major Lord of the Rings filming locations. They gave us an opportunity to cancel the trip because of the weather, but we were brave and stalwart and carried on – and it was well worth it. We bundled up with sweaters and sweatshirts and they gave us raincoats. There were probably about 30 of us. The first half of the trip was by 4 wheel drive bus to the Dart River which feeds into Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu. and a hike through the woods to the river bank. Then we put on life jackets and were divided into 3 jet boats for the ride back down the river. The jet boats were great! As luck would have it, I got one of the end seats which no one warned me were the seats most likely to get soaked as the boats spun and turned and raced all over the place. The wind was so strong in our faces that if you didn’t have some type of glasses on, you couldn’t even open your eyes. The sun actually popped in and out over the course of the afternoon and we were fine. We had a great time (I keep saying that a lot, I know…) and when we got back to the Safari office, we had hot chocolate and kumara fries at a restaurant across the street. We chose this trip over the Shotover and others because it was longer and involved the other pieces as well. Dart also does a great sounding day trip with funyaks (some kind of kayak things) but I can’t tell you anything more about that.
Back to Queenstown, picked up some groceries (make sure you ask directions to the supermarkets where “real people” shop, not tourists; there’s a 24 hour market right in the centre that’s so outrageously expensive – it was around $10 for a box of cereal), more wandering around town, dinner and sleep.
Next day was beautiful and we took the steamship TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakatipu (built the same year as the Titanic but still afloat) for the afternoon barbecue and farm tour. It was a gorgeous and a really relaxing afternoon. The food was great and then we saw demonstrations of dogs herding sheep, sheep shearing, wool spinning…
Queenstown is definitely the place for all sorts of extreme sports. They say that bungee jumping was invented there and everywhere you look are paragliders, parasailors, abseiling, scenic helicopter and light plane flights (these are all over the west coast of NZ) – you name it. Unfortunately, unless you’re on an unlimited budget (wishful thinking, eh?), you need to pick and choose what you do because these activities are not cheap – except I think you do real well with the pound these days; the dollar is going straight down the tubes everywhere thanks in large part to the great fiscal policies of our reanointed king – but we won’t go there…
When we got back to Queenstown, David finally got to do his fishing trip while the rest of us checked out the shops in town, lay on the grass in the park at the dock and wandered along the beach. David went out with a guide on the lake and brought back a whole mess of different kinds of trout and salmon. When they came back in, the guide took him to a nearby restaurant at the dock and they cooked up all the fish and served it to us for dinner with salad and chips – at no charge at all!! Amazing – and one of our best NZ dinners! David was in a state of undeniable bliss and we all went to sleep happy and very full.
Next morning, we were off for our longest drive of the trip from Queenstown to Franz Joseph (about 400k). There was this great shortcut we heard about to Lake Wanaka up this mountain road. However, after driving about ½ mile on this steep, narrow road with no shoulders (shades of Te Mata!), David said he’d rather drive an hour longer on anything else than deal with this, so we (very carefully) turned around and went back down to the main road. This road took us past AJ Hackettss famous bridge where we actually got to see people bungee jumping (no, not us). The drive to the glaciers is beautiful, past lakes and gorgeous scenery. We had a picnic on the shore of one of the lakes. The day started out fairly clear but we began to pick up some rain as we headed north and west. This is one stretch where you really need to make sure you’re car is fully gassed up because there’s nothing for long distances. (Actually, it’s probably a good idea when you drive between most cities in NZ to start out with a full tank.) We stopped at a couple of scenic lookouts along the way, but then it started to rain and the mossies were coming out to feast on us, so we made a strategic decision and ran back to car. Eventually, the road takes you along the Tasman Sea which we could just barely make out through the mist and fog. It’s amazing because you’re looking at semitropical vegetation on the one hand and snow capped peaks on the other; they’re just not supposed to go together – except in NZ!!
We were planning on stopping at Fox Glacier which we passed first to go to Lake Matheson which is supposed to provide you with w magnificent reflection of the glacier in the lake. But with the rain steadily intensifying, you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face, not to mention the lake or the glacier. So we went straight through to Franz Joseph which is a little bit bigger than the town of Fox. Here’s one place where I’d think you have to make reservations ahead of time, since there’s nowhere any place nearby to stay if you get shut out. We stopped at the Franz Joseph Glacier Guides office on the way, got our pre-hike briefing for our planning morning trip the next day, and then went on the Holly Homestead B&B – probably one of the nicest B&Bs I’ve ever seen. The hosts (Bernie and Gerard) have paid such meticulous attention to detail that it’s incredible. I’m not one to make a big deal about most accommodations, but this place was sooo warm and so classy. There are 4 guest rooms, a huge kitchen and toasty living room with a fireplace. The bedrooms are beautifully decorated; the bathrooms have heated floors and towel racks. Gerard cooks awesome breakfasts; Bernie is as warm as can be. An Aussie couple and an American doctor and his son were also staying there and we had a great time having tea and Bernie’s homemade muffins and chocolates by the fire. This place generally books up very, very far in advance (we tried to make our reservations in early summer and were waitlisted – fortunately for us, someone cancelled).
There are a lot of restaurants for dinner in town and of course souvenir shops. At this point, it had been raining steadily for hours and just continued on through the nite. When we woke up in the morning, it was still pouring with no prospects for let up. We called Glacier Guides and they said we could cancel if we wanted as it would be bloody awful on the glacier and get a full refund. But it was our only day to do the hike, so we went to their office to decide what to do. After talking to the staff, Danny, his girlfriend and I decided to go ahead with it and David decided to go back to the B&B and spend the day sitting by the fire. Looking back, I think we all made the right decisions for ourselves.
Here starts probably our wildest adventure of the trip.

Sharon-
Hmmm... I guess we should consider the coach to Milford with the glass ceiling and photo stops. We are also planning on the Dart River safari and the TSS Earsnlaw, so glad you enjoyed both. Too bad it was rainy but sounds like you made the best of it.
I am looking forward to the resolution of your "wildest adventure of the trip" cliffhanger.

Hi again Liz. I'm working on the next part - probably won't have it done til the morning. When are you going? Do you have your itinerary put together?

Sharon-- we aren't going to Australia until end of December and then will be in the south island for 2 weeks in January. I know it's early, but I have been reading a lot and am very excited. I especially love your review because it's at the same time of year that we will be going.