Reset search
Dunedin to Sub AntarcticDunedin to Sub Antarctic
SatelliteEdit route

Dunedin to Sub Antarctic

December 2023 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Julie Read more
Currently traveling
  • 23footprints
  • 2countries
  • 142days
  • 176photos
  • 0videos
  • 3.4kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    1
    11
    Day 1

    Arrived Queenstown New Zealand

    December 12, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    A very early start as the plane left at 7:40 a.m.. A very kind friend volunteered to drive us to the airport which did relieve some of the stress. I made a ridiculous offer to Qantas to upgrade to business and they accepted the offer. Not quite the usual luxurious 747 business class, but still more room and a very good breakfast. The trip was uneventful. We left Melbourne in fog and arrived to a beautiful sunny day in Queenstown. I chose Queenstown as our first stop because it reputedly has spectacular views on landing and they were. Bob was able to take some excellent photos as we came in to land. Picked up a car from the airport and drove a very short distance to our hotel.

    The hotel is very well positioned. We have a lovely view outside and we are close to town albeit on a steep path down to the main shopping and entertainment area, which of course means a steep walk back. It is such a spectacular place, a very large lake visible from the air surrounded by mountains with a hint of snow still on the top. A very rugged place and clearly popular with those. Looking for outdoor adventure, bike riding, hiking and of course lots of water sport. We walked into town and I was surprised by how many tourists there are here, I had thought we would be a little outside of tourist season as this is also a ski resort. Various options for entertainment, none of which we are likely to partake in.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    3
    Day 2

    Day one explore Queenstown

    December 13, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Up late recovering from the early morning start yesterday. We missed breakfast which was provided instead walked into town for brunch. Again a magnificent sunny day. Although a jacket still needed, not exactly hot. It is so hard to not take photos here. It reminds me very much of Bled in Slovenia minus the 12th century Castle and church and of course, the church on an island in the middle of the lake is missing as well.

    We took lots of photos as we walked through the gardens, watched the crazy speedboats with thrill seeking passengers bouncing around on the lake as the wind had come up and just mooched with no particular plans. Dinner was more up-market than the previous night. Venison and my first Pinot from Central Otago where we are. It was really nice but at $20 a glass it should be!

    So many photos so hard to choose which to upload.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    2
    Day 3

    Steepest Gondola in Southern Hemisphere

    December 14, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Another gloriously sunny day in Queenstown. This time however, sunglasses, hats and sunblock were necessary. We had breakfast down by the lake which was quite delightful followed by a short walk into town and a walk up the hill to the bottom of the gondola. We had two options. A steep set of stairs straight to the top or around the back on the road and footpath.

    Queenstown has made the most of their infrastructure. In summer the gondola takes you to the top where you have the option of going down the luge in a plastic sled like bucket, mountain bike riding to the bottom or simply walking around the viewing platform at the top. In winter of course this is a ski slope. The gondola will hold three, usually teenagers, with mountain bikes and thrill seeking intentions. The price per day for any number of trips was relatively modest. One trip to the top for us however came in at around $100. Still it was worth it. We got to the top and had coffee and walked around. Not too many people and the view both from the top and from the gondola was spectacular. You get a sense of the size of the lake which was not possible from the bottom.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    1
    Day 4

    Middle Earth - Glenorchy

    December 15, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today's adventure was a 45 km drive to Glenorchy where much of the movie Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit were filmed. Not a surprise really that Peter Jackson picked this area for filming. The landscape is quite spectacular particularly today as it was overcast. The mountains looked quite dark and imposing. Glenorchy itself is a tiny village with not much more than a general store and a couple of cafes. It was clearly the case that today was the journey rather than the destination.

    Birds were the other feature of the day. The bird with the yellow beak, Oyster Catcher I think was funny. It clearly took an exception to seagulls and seemed to chase as many away as it could. It would charge towards them, seagulls would scatter and then it would move on to the next group.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    Day 5

    Next stop Bluff south of Invercargill

    December 16, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    The drive out of Queenstown was spectacular. The road took us to the other side of the lake between two mountains. Yet again it was so hard not to take photos. The trip to Bluff our next destination was via Invercargill. This was a three and a half hour drive. Once we were through the mountains the scenery was very much open farmland like so much of New Zealand. Lots of sheep of course. Not a lot of traffic which was good so we made good progress.

    We arrived in Invercargill and found a very large budget supermarket to buy a few provisions and lunch. Invercargill is clearly not a tourist destination, but it appears to be quite prosperous. The buildings are original making for a pretty town center. The hotel where we are staying is outside of the township of Bluff another 20 minutes away. Spectacular scenery on the road since we are now again on the coast.

    Our hotel is described as boutique, this really means small. Just five rooms. Beautifully situated overlooking the cliffs and ocean. The room is very small and they have managed to squeeze a bathroom into a space. No more than a meter wide and maybe 4 m long. It is however, very comfortable. The only downside is that the owners are Chinese having taken over 2 years ago and they have very little English, thank god for Google translate. They did not understand my need for non -feather bedding but we sorted that out with Google translate.

    We are here for four nights and the hotel provides breakfast. Unfortunately that is the only meal they provide. Next door however is a small cafe which providing you order before 6:30 you can get dinner except on a Monday night. Our meal was excellent and I continue my exploratory journey of Central Otago Pinots. The first one I tried cost $20 and was very nice, the second glass cost $15 and was just ok, the third glass cost $13 and was very nice.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    1
    Day 7

    Stewart Island an expensive day trip

    December 18, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I decided we should take a day trip to Stewart Island, one hour ferry ride $400 return for two. When we got there it was obvious that a little more homework on this place would have been useful. It would seem that most people come to Stewart Island in order to get to another island Ulva, to see a wide variety of wildlife. Our boat trip will stop there so there was not much pointing us spending money to get there.

    It's a large island 40ks in any direction. Coffee and cake fortified us for a walk. After an hour or so it was apparent that we had seen what we could on foot unless we wanted to take a 30+ kms hike (sorry tramp). Next option pay $100 for four hour car hire. We had 3 hours before the return ferry so we hired a car.

     It is a pretty place but windy and overcast for most of the day. Three layers were definitely necessary. It was worth hiring the car as we got to see some of the beaches that, although those more intrepid than us walked to, we would not otherwise have seen. Not much by way of bird life apart from gulls. Apparently the kiwi population outnumber the human kiwis on the island but they are shy birds so no sightings.

    The lady in the fish shop told us that today she would be open and she had fresh blue cod coming in. This was our dinner plan, bottle of pinot and blue cod, fish and chips. Alas she is not open and nothing is open in Bluff the other modest looking hotel and restaurant can't find a chef so no go there. Apart from sandwiches, our only real option is a 20 minute drive north to Invercargill to find a pub. We are very confident something there will be one open.

    The research suggested The Southern Tavern was a good place to eat. Not quite. Bob's of the day was ham, my fresh cod was excellent but the chips not so fresh. Keeping up the Pinot tasting. This one cost just $10 for a large glass, better than the $13 one not as good as the others. The bottle of Toi Toi I bought is very nice.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    Day 8

    Around the bustling centre of Bluff

    December 19, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today, we took the opportunity to explore the heart of Bluff. Actually there's very little to see and we saw it all in the first 10 minutes of arriving here. However, we we took the opportunity to drive around more and take photos.

    The buildings are old and clearly show evidence of previous wealth in the area. Although we are not really sure where that wealth came from. Today there is an aluminum smelter and for 6 months of the year oysters are harvested. Some of the buildings clearly are used for processing is they have been well maintained. There's also quite an interesting collection of street art painted on the buildings.

    For some reason and not entirely clear to one person we spoke to, on the first day there was a large Seaborne cruise ship docked just off shore. It's a deep harbour maybe they came for fresh provisions certainly not for any tourist attractions around here.

    The weather is very pleasant. Tonight we will have our last meal at the cafe/restaurant near the hotel. Excellent dining and very good Pinot. I think for me this has been the highlight of Bluff.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    1
    Day 9

    Farewell Bluff next stop Dunedin

    December 20, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Not a very interesting drive from Bluff. 3.5 hours of greenness, rolling hills and sheep. I can't help but think the first English/ Scottish settlers must have thought they had found another England. It is so green and lush, of course it has been cleared of trees since then.

    The drive is uneventful, we drop the car off and taxi to our hotel. Really good hotel and central. We have a one bedroom suite consisting of three rooms, microwave, crockery etc and a washing machine and dryer - very handy after nine days and only $280 pn NZ. After the tiny room in Bluff I think this is good value.

    It's a lovely sunny day so it's good to get out and walk. Dunedin is a bit of a surprise. It has many historic, well maintained buildings suggesting wealth at some point in time. Wealth from gold but the gold rush only lasted about 30 years. The railway station is a must see although no longer a serious option for travel between cities old trains operate for tourists just not sure where to.

    Unlike yesterday, today is cold and damp, 13o when we head out. Bob is keen to take more pictures of the buildings. Three layers and a scarf and I am ready.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    Day 11

    A train trip to no where

    December 22, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Bob decided today was the day for a historic train ride through the gorge to Hindon. Taieki gorge train built over 100 years ago as a rail link from Dunedin to the hills. There is nothing there now but the original siding.

    An interesting trip through the hills outside Dunedin. It's again a cold, overcast day so the train was a good way to spend part of the day. The trip took us across two rail bridges, more than 100 years old. Very little by way of settlement in this area possibly because the land is too steep. The shape didn't seem to mind. We spend half an hour wandering around where the train line ended. The train engine needed to be moved to the front.

    Much of this area is inaccessible by road. Reputedly before the train stopped a regular service, fishermen would take the train and get off with tents and fishing gear and walk along the river in the hope of catching trout. They would then catch the train back. There was no other way to get to the river.    Read more

  • TravelerDunedin to Sub Antarctic
    1
    Day 12

    A short tour of Central Otago Pinot

    December 23, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I have documented as best I can the Pinot Noir (not Pinot Gris or Grigio) wines I have tasted including price, usually by the glass as you can't be too careful. I now include my rating from best to don't. Bob of course engrossed in my study of Pinots.

    Kuku $20 two glasses 150mill each
    Tohu $14 two glasses 150mill each
    The Last Shepherd $14 two glasses 150mill each
    Maude full bottle $90 (hotel restaurant Dunedin)
    Toi Toi full bottle $34 (most expensive I could buy in Bluff)
    Domaine Thompson "Explorer" $15.50 two glasses 150mill each
    Camshorn $10.5 one large glass (leave well alone)    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English