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January 2023

New Zealand

A 27-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 5, 2023
    skip's retirement travelskip's retirement travelNew Zealand

    Auckland

    January 5, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    The day I arrived in Auckland, there was an earthquake, and the summer storm that has been plaguing things was reclassified as a cyclone. An earthquake and a cyclone on the same day makes an interesting welcome to New Zealand. Most of these pictures were taken in the gloom and rain.
    The 1st picture is the Ferry Building. If it looks familiar, it is a copy of San Francisco's. It is said that this design was chosen as a way to welcome newcomers with a building that might be familiar.
    The 2nd picture is the old Customs House. The old foreshore was about where the street is. So everything this side of the street is reclaimed land. The Ferry building is actually behind me. So it is on reclaimed land.
    The 3rd picture is Britomart. It was originally the post office but has gone through many changes. It is currently being redone as a train station.
    The 4th picture looks down into the water from Queens Wharf. Those structures hanging in the water are supporting mussels. They are being used to naturally filter and clean the water of the harbor.
    The 5th picture is O'Connell Street. Those black blocks are inscribed with the history of the area, going back to before European settlement .
    At the bottom of O'Connell Street is the Chancery Chambers building shown in the 6th picture. This is the former headquarters of the ADLS, the Auckland Law Society.
    The 7th picture looks up to the Sky Tower, said to be the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.
    And finally, after 4 days of rain, the sun came out. The 8th picture is in Albert Park between downtown and Auckland University. The university is behind me.
    The last picture looks across the harbor from the end of Queens Wharf. There were 2 large cruise ships in port. So it was hard to find a place to see out. This picture looks away from the ocean towards Shoal Bay and Takapuna.    Read more

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    Some street art in Auckland

    January 5, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Auckland has a lot of art. These pictures are a sampling of what's in the central business district.
    The 1st picture is of a statue commemorating the arrival of the people we know as Maori. You can see the bow of a boat at the bottom and a flock of birds above. It is said the Maori followed birds to the land.
    The 2nd picture shows a pair of stacked stone columns meant to depict the largest tree in New Zealand, the kauri tree. The largest exceeds 14 meters in circumference.
    The 3rd picture is of a painting capturing a couple of the local critters. The 4th picture is a small park with a statue of Lord Freyburg, a former governor.
    The 5th picture is a local symbol that collects many local features. The surround is silver fern there is a volcano, a kiwi and more.
    The 6th picture shows many Maori motifs painted on the wall looking like pottery, even though traditional Maori culture didn't have ceramics like this. I didn't catch the reasoning behind the artist's choice.
    The 7th picture is sidewalk art. This mosaic is a traditional Maori design that recalls their journey and arrival to these lands. This design is a copy of an example of how they preserved their history rather than in books like we're used to.
    The last picture is another memorial, this one to women's suffrage. New Zealand is the 1st country to give women the right to vote in 1893.    Read more

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    Hobbiton

    January 10, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Welcome to Middle Earth! Or kia ora, as they say here. This is the set used for the town in the Shire in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies and now in the Rings of Power. Being an avid fan of the novels and the movies, I'm thrilled to finally be here.
    If you've seen the movies, most of these pictures will look familiar.
    The 1st picture, of course, needs no explanation. The 2nd is the cart path where Gandalf is seen arriving at Hobbiton and the road where Bilbo yells "I'm going on an adventure!" in the 1st hobbit movie.
    The 3rd picture looks across a working vegetable garden to a hill. Near the top, is a hobbit hole with a green door with a tree above. That's Bag End. The 4th picture is a closer look at Bag End, Bilbo and Frodo's home. The 5th picture is down the hill at the end of Bagshot Row. This is Sam and Rosie's house at the end of Return of the King.
    The 6th and 7th pictures show one of the cinematography tricks. The one where I'm standing would be used for hobbits and dwarves to make them look smaller. The smaller one in the 7th picture would have been used for Gandalf and other non-small people to make them look taller.
    You may recall that Thoron Oakenshield and company made a contract to employ Bilbo as their burglar to retrieve the Arkenstone. The 8th picture is that contract.
    The 9th picture is the Party Tree where Bilbo hosted his birthday party and pulled off his disappearing act.
    The last picture looks across Hobbiton to the Mill Pond. On the back and to the right you can see the Green Dragon Pub (see another post), the stone bridge and the Mill, all familiar from the movies.    Read more

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    Green Dragon Pub

    January 10, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    The Green Dragon is the pub in Hobbiton. This is the Hobbits' favorite watering hole, and it appears in the movies.
    The 1st picture is one of the bars on the pub: this one with the carved green dragon above. The other bar is in the 2nd picture. This is where the libations are poured. I can attest to the amber ale being quite good. They also have a stout, cider and ginger beer.
    The 3rd and 4th pictures are looks at different parts of the pub. I confess that the ambiance is such that I could be a regular, were this a public house near where I live. The 5th picture is a barrel of ale from one of the Shire's better brewers.
    The last picture isn't actually the Green Dragon. It is the old Hobbiton store. It no longer functions as all their business is now handled at the new visitors center.    Read more

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    Maori Cultural Show

    January 10, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    A delightful introduction to Maori culture held at Mitai Village at Rotorua. The evening begins with a war canoe arriving (the 1st picture) with men of the village chanting and flashing paddles in the traditional water approach to a village or even to conflict. The 2nd is a gateway to their sacred spring. It was on the river flowing from the spring that the canoe arrival was demonstrated.
    The 3rd picture is an update of their traditional method of cooking, especially for feasts. This is an excavated oven where a fire piled with river rock is burned to coals, and the food is place atop the rocks. It is then sealed until cooking is complete. You can see lamb, chicken, white and sweet potatoes, plus stuffing. That was the center of the feast they served. It was delicious.
    After dinner we moved to see their show. That's the next 6 pictures they began with the traditional welcoming ritual, followed by a number of demonstrations of games they play to develop hand eye coordination, arm strength, etc. all to improve their skills as warriors, men and women, both.
    The last picture is of a reconstructed traditional house. We were led on a tour after the show, but, in the dark, it was hard to see. We also saw glowworms, but the pictures I tried simply didn't come out. It is quite a sight.    Read more

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    Trollshaw Forest

    January 11, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    This is a site that you will see in the Hobbit movies and in Rings of Power. This is an off the beaten path site on private property where the owners host tour groups to see the places that figure in the films. What is especially interesting is everything here is natural. None of it was created by the creative gurus of the movie making team.
    The 1st picture is the route taken by Bilbo and the dwarves (the company) as they approached Mirkwood and the Staddle farm. The 2nd picture is the location of the Staddle farm where the trolls attacked and ate the farmer and family. The 3rd picture is where the farm stable was located and where the trolls captured a couple dwarves and stole a pony or 2. The 4th picture is a silhouette placed where Gandalf stood to split the rock and turn the trolls to stone, ending the battle between the company and the trolls, and rescuing the abducted trolls and ponies.
    The 5th picture is of the 90 meter high limestone cliffs on site that appear in the hobbit movies, but feature more in the Rings of Power.
    The rest of the pictures are at various places in the forest where scenes were shot. I'll leave you to recognize the specific scenes, whether it's the wargs attacking; or Radagast warning Gandalf and giving him the morgul sword; or the troll cave; or Radagast with his sleight pulled by Rhosgobel rabbits. There are more.
    The site is amazing, and the farmers who own the property and lead the tours are great people who also tell stories about their experience with the movie makers.    Read more

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    North Island miscellany

    January 11, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Here are several pictures of taken on the north island. These are in no particular order, though they are somewhat grouped into similar subjects. I also note that all pictures are south of Auckland.
    The 1st 2 pictures are in the more central part of the north island. You might think of this as typical of the Shire. The 3rd picture is farther south where the land begins to get more rugged. You might think of this as where the Company of Thorin (Bilbo and dwarves) are approaching the mountains. (See Trollshaw Forest post).
    The 4th picture is farther south yet. This is Lake Taupo. It is a crater lake in the caldera of Taupo Volcano, a supervolcano that is said to be active, though it hasn't erupted in over a millennium. This is also a major geothermal area with many hot springs and geothermal energy projects.
    The 5th picture is of the Huka Falls, a cataract on the Waikato River. This rushing water is created by the river narrowing sharply and creating the canyon.
    The 6th picture is taken in the Auckland Art Gallery. This is an example of traditional Maori weaving to create what is called bark fabric. The motifs are traditional.
    And finally the last picture is a look back at Wellington from out in the harbor. This was taken from the interisland ferry heading for the crossing of the Cook Strait to the South Island.    Read more

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    Mordor and more

    January 12, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Another LotR location. This area in Tongariro national park. There days it doesn't look like Mordor, but you might recognize Mount Doom in the 1st picture. It differed slightly in the movies. The Maori consider sacred Mount Ningāuruhoe, as it is known locally. So the director agreed to digitally reshape the upper part of the mountain.
    The 2nd picture is Mount Ruapehu which some call Mordor as some of the scenes in Mordor were filmed here. The 3rd and 4th pictures look at the landscape above the tree line in "Mordor".
    The 5th picture is the waterfall at Erebor also known as the Lonely Mountain beneath which the dwarves ancient kingdom was located. This was the destination for the company, Bilbo and dwarves, in the Hobbit.
    The next 2 pictures are of Gollum's fishing pool. This is where he was splashing around and catching and eating fish. The 6th picture is of the location, and the 7th picture has members of the group: 1 in a Gollum mask bashing and eating a fish; and 2 up on the rock where Frodo and Sam watched.    Read more

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    WETA and Wellington

    January 13, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Wingnut Entertainment Technical Allusions or WETA is the special effects and props company probably best known for its work on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. They work with production companies in television, public art, and more, all in addition to the film industry. The name also refers to the weta, New Zealand's largest insect that they use for their logo.
    The 1st 4 pictures are all in their lobby. The main museum space allows no photography as all the artifacts are owned by the production companies, not WETA. I'm sure you will recognize their creative genius from just these examples. The tour of their shop was amazing, seeing all these original, preserved special effects, masks, prostheses, etc. used in so many productions. BTW, Wingnut is the name used by Sir Peter Jackson, director of LotR and more, for his production company.
    The Roxy is a restored art deco theater owned by Sir Richard Taylor, founder of the company that became WETA Workshop. WETA is located in the Miramar section of Wellington.
    The 5th picture is a view over Wellington, taken from the observatory on top of Mount Victoria. It is a beautiful city. BTW, Miramar is out of this picture to the right.
    The next 2 pictures are 2 more LotR filming sites that are located on the side of Mount Victoria. The 7th picture is the site known informally as Shortcut to Mushrooms. It is here that the hobbits fall and roll down the hill to land among mushrooms. Frodo yells get off the road, and they hide under roots just before a black rider arrives and almost finds them.
    The 8th picture is where Frodo and Sam made camp one night. Frodo is sitting in the tree where one of our group is sitting. Sam is standing in front, and they hear elves passing by.
    The 9th picture is extra special. That is Daniel Reeve. He is the calligrapher, map maker, artist and more on both trilogies, Rings of Power and many more projects. We were blessed to be with him for a good part of a day where he walked us through his work on these JRR Tolkien related projects. Here he is demonstrating calligraphy on a painting of Hobbiton, writing a rather famous line. They asked that this not be splashed all over the web, but I simply could not leave it out. It is a big deal for me to meet him. So I included it here. I encourage you to visit
    https://www.danielreeve.co.nz. to better acquaint yourselves with this incredible, generous, kind and unbelievably talented artist.    Read more

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    Dwarves in Barrels

    January 15, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    In the Hobbit, Bilbo and the dwarves escaped from captivity by hiding in barrels that were dumped into the Forest River where they eventually reached the Laketown called Dale. This stretch of river is where those scenes were filmed.
    In the last picture, that hill just visible in the upper right is where Bard was standing when the company saw a person from Dale for the 1st time.    Read more

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    South of Rivendell

    January 16, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Early in the journey from Rivendell towards Mordor, the Fellowship stops for a rest. Gandalf sits upon a rock and says he doesn't want to pass through the mines of Moria. In the 1st picture, I am sitting on the rock where that scene was filmed. This is the scene where the crows or spies of Sauron fly over.
    The 2nd picture is where Sam had his campfire and was cooking before the crows flew over.
    The 3rd picture is a longer view of the entire location where this sequence was filmed.
    The next 3 pictures are various views of the site.
    The remaining 4 pictures are looks at the view. It is a stunning site.    Read more

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    One Ring to Bind Them

    January 16, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Meet Halfdan Hansen, eldest son of the late Jens Hanson. Jens Hansen was a master jeweler, acclaimed artisan and one of the founders of the craft jewelry movement in New Zealand. He is the creator of the "the one ring to bind them." In fact, he created all the rings of power for the films.
    Halfdan is standing in front of their shop in the 1st picture. In the 2nd picture, he is holding one of the many sizes of the ring that were made. It was this size ring that Elrond laid on the table in Rivendell before the journey. All props were made in multiple sizes to make them fit into scale with the height of each character by using cinematographic trickery. Given that all the actors were more or less the same height, the tricks were used to make the hobbits and dwarves short and the elves and humans tall.
    The 3rd picture is of a tray of more of the rings in the movies. It needs to be said that these rings are replicas, not originals. Those are with the production company.
    The 4th picture is in the Jens Hansen company jewelry workshop. There are old and new tools here. For example, the white machine in the center is a laser.    Read more

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    Edoras

    January 18, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    This is the location where King Theoden of Rohan had his Golden Hall, Meduseld. In the 1st picture, I'm holding the flag of Rohan from the movies while standing where the Golden Hall set had been built.
    The 2nd picture is of Edoras. That hill sits by itself is the middle of a large valley with almost 10 km of open space to the nearest mountain. The scale is immense and hard to fathom, even while there. I can imagine the shining Golden Hall on the high St point.
    The 3rd picture is taken about half way up the hill in about the location where the funeral mounds were located. You can see the 2 levels of the town. The flat area to the right is the lower town, protected by the lower wall. Meduseld sat on the very top overlooking the Mark.
    The 4th picture is the view from what was the front of the Golden Hall. The 5th picture looks in the opposite direction. Follow the line of trees down to the small hill. That is where Aragorn was rescued by his horse. The way to Helms Deep is the valley behind that point.
    The 6th picture is another look at the area around Edoras, this time from near the base of the hill. I hope you get the sense that this really looks to me like it could have been Rohan (see another post). JRR Tolkien's description is an amazing match to this place.
    The last picture is of the mountain where the beacon or signal fire was located. It was at the mountain top sticking up out of the clouds. Spectacular.    Read more

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    Rohan

    January 18, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    This is a panorama taken from the top of Edoras (see another post) while standing where Meduseld was sited for the filming. It is a stunning view, and I can easily imagine this being the heart of the Mark of Rohan.
    BTW, the guy in the Gandalf hat was our local guide.    Read more

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    Laketown

    January 19, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Laketown is where the "Dwarves in Barrels" ended up after floating downstream (see another post). The town was built over the water of the lake. Smaug, the dragon, had chased the Dwarves out of Erebor many years before, and destroyed the town of Dale in the process. The replacement town was put farther from the mountain and over water. The 1st picture looks out over Lake Pukaki (it's real name) over where that set had been built.
    The 2nd picture is where the refugee village was built. When Bilbo and the Dwarves snuck into the mountain and disturbed Smaug, the dragon attacked and burned Laketown, hence refugees.
    The 3rd picture is of some of the actual debris left from the burning of the set during filming plus a couple examples of refugee huts.
    The 4th picture looks along the lake from the site. At the far right is Aoraki Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. That is where the Lonely Mountain with the kingdom of Erebor was located. It will not look familiar as the model for that mountain is elsewhere and was digitally inserted.
    The last picture is from a lake side high point with the refugee village site to the right and the site where Laketown was to the left.    Read more

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    Pelennor Fields

    January 19, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    This is where the climactic battle was filmed, among other scenes such as the Osgilioth battle scenes. The 1st picture looks up to where the Charge of the Rohirim was filmed. Where I was standing was directly in their path.
    The 2nd picture looks from the field towards where Minas Tirith would have been located. It is very hard to see, but there is a white pole atop the center hill. That is said to be where Gandalf looked out from.
    The 3rd picture is a broader look over the site. This is another site on privately owned land, and it is an active sheep farm.    Read more

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    Fangorn Forest

    January 21, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Another LotR filming location. This time, I'm at the site chosen to be Fangorn Forest. The 1st picture looks across the field to the woods used as Fangorn.
    The 2nd picture is of the site where the orcs stopped for a meal when they were taking Merry and Pippin back to Isengard. It is here that the Rohirrim found and killed the orcs, piling their bodies. The 3rd picture looks out over where the Orcs were piled as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli arrived. The 4th picture is where that threesome entered the forest. The 5th picture is inside the forest.
    The last picture is where they filmed Gandalf (the White, at this point) summoning Shadowfax.    Read more

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    Mavota Lakes filming locations

    January 21, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Not far from the site used to portray Fangorn Forest are the Mavota Lakes. Several LotR sites are located here. The 1st picture is used to represent the dead marshes through which Gollum led Frodo and Sam toward Mordor. Those scenes, as I understand it, we're filmed using computer graphics, not on location. This site was said to be emblematic of the marshes.
    The 2nd picture was taken from a bridge over one of the lakes. This is where the scene of the Fellowship leaving Lothlorien and Galadriel was filmed. The 3rd picture isn't specifically LotR. It is the opposite direction from the previous picture, looking at the rest of that lake.
    In the 4th picture, I'm standing where Frodo stood to look across the Anduin as he left to make his way to Mordor alone, that is until Sam caught up and went with him. The 5th picture is at the same location, but this time I'm standing where Gimli stood watching the boat with the dead Boromir go over the falls. The distance was digitally modified to add the falls.
    The next 2 pictures go together. They are behind and up the hill from the previous 2 pictures. This is where the Uruk-hai attacked the fellowship right before Frodo and San left. The 6th picture shows the tree that Fordo hid behind as the Uruk-hai ran past. Right before the Uruk-hai passed, Merry and Pippin called Frodo to hide with them. The last picture is Merry and Pippin's log where they were hiding at that time.    Read more

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    Oliphaunts

    January 22, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    These pictures are take at the site of the battle in Ithilien where Faramir and his rangers attacked a company of the Haradrim bringing the oliphaunts to join Sauron at Mordor for the attack on Gondor. Fordo and Sam watched the attack which began after Sam was excited to actually see the beasts.
    The 1st picture is where the attack occurred as the army was heading north to Mordor.
    Before the attack, Sam was preparing a stew for supper. This is where he and Gollum argued about including potatoes. This is where they heard the Haradrim approaching.
    The 3rd picture looks down from where Frodo and Sam watched the battle unfold. The next 2 pictures are the point where Frodo and Sam where watching. The 4th picture is the site, and the 5th picture has a guy lying where Frodo was.    Read more

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    More filming locations

    January 22, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    One last set of filming locations. The 1st 2 pictures are of Caradhras. The pass here is the route the Fellowship selected to bypass the mines of Moria. They were thwarted by Saruman. The 1st is a distant look at the mountain selected to be Caradhras, and the 2nd picture is up close along the side of the mountain pass.
    The 3rd picture looks at the site where Beorn's house was located during the Hobbit films. Beorn was the guy who could change into a bear.
    The 4th picture looks at the location of Isengard, Saruman's lair. It was here that Gandalf learned that Saruman had joined Sauron, and from here, Saruman used his magical powers drove the Fellowship off Caradhras.
    Just right of center in the 5th picture is a lighted section of the far shore. This is the filming location of Dunharrow where the Rohirrim mustered to head off to Gondor to join the war to defend Gondor from the attack by the forces of Sauron.
    The 6th picture looks across to one of the locations used to film the battle of the wargs. It was in this battle where Aragorn was dragged over a cliff and nearly killed not too far from Edoras (see another post).
    In the 7th picture, I'm standing more or less at the shoulder of 1 of the Argonath, the giant statues of kings of Gondor (Isildur and Anárion) with their hand raised in a stop gesture. An the interesting fact: Viggo Mortenson's wife was asked for, and she provided, pictures of his father and grandfather without Viggo's knowledge. These are the faces of the Argonath. I'm told it brought Viggo to tears when he 1st saw it.
    Treebeard was developed as a combination of a number of trees to come up with his character. The 8th picture is 1 of those trees.    Read more

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    Skippers Canyon (really!)

    January 22, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    This is a real place that developed during the 1860s gold rush in the Otago Valley near Queenstown. Skippers Canyon Road is considered one of the most dangerous roads In all of New Zealand. In the 1st picture you might see why. The road is carved into the wall of the canyon with steep cliffs on both side: 1 up and 1 down. Of course there are no guard rails. And the road is a 2 way public road, mostly one lane plus a bit wide that got away interesting when dirt bikes came flying by and cars that don't expect traffic have to react. I'm told it gets even more interesting when school buses bringing kids on field trips are on the road.
    Also in the 1st picture you can see the original "road" into the canyon. It's the narrow path way down on the far side. Until recently, that was the only way for the folks who live back in the canyon to get in and out.
    The 2nd picture is a look into the canyon. The 3rd picture is the top of Lighthouse Rock, so called because of its shape and because it was a natural marker defining which part of the canyon was the correct way out. The place is a maze.
    The 4th picture is Castle Rock, so called because it looks like a castle. The last picture is Heaven's Gate. It's a 1 lane wide rock cut with 90° turns at both ends. There is also Hell's Gate, another narrow rock cut that's longer and more blind than this one.
    In spite of the name, I'm glad I wasn't driving.    Read more

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    Central Otago Wines

    January 24, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The central Otago wine region is the southernmost wine growing region in the world. It has several sub regions. The Gibbston region where I visited is the highest and coolest of them all. The main grape variety cultivated here is the pinot noir. This is the primary grape of Burgundy.
    Kinross is a winery that brings together 5 small growers into a single location, much like a co-op. The 5 bottles in the 1st picture are the 5 vinters and are a cross section of their wines. The 2 on the left are made by the founders of wine grape cultivation here. The 2nd from the left, Valli, is made by perhaps the top wine maker in New Zealand, Grant Taylor. Mr. Taylor holds the distinction of being the 1st winner of the award for best pinot noir in the world who is not from France. (I'm told that the French were rather up in arms!). He has now won it 4 times.
    The 2nd picture is the entrance to the largest wine cave in New Zealand. The inside is in the 3rd picture.
    The last picture is a bit of a vineyard growing pinot noir. It probably goes without saying, but the climate here more or less perfectly matches the conditions under which pinot noir grows best: warms days and cool nights. Add top shelf vintners and you have outstanding wines.
    Most of these winemakers are very small. In many cases, their wines can only be bought at the vineyard.    Read more

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    Doubtful Sound

    January 26, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The extreme southwest coast of New Zealand is carved by dramatic fjords, spelled fiords here. Doubtful Sound is the deepest and 2nd longest of them. It was named Doubtful Harbor by Captain Cook in 1770 when he didn't enter the fjord because he was "doubtful" that the winds would get him back out, leaving him stuck.
    The journey to Doubtful Sound from Queenstown is unusual, to say the least. It starts with a 2 hour bus ride to Lake Manapouri, followed by a 45 minute cruise across the lake to the large underground hydroelectric plant, followed by a 45 minute bus ride over Wilmot Pass through the rain forest and finally a 3 hour cruise on the fjord.
    The pictures may seem gloomy, but this was a nice day. It wasn't raining. They receive 3 - 6 meters (think 10 feet, not inches) of rain annually.
    The 1st picture is from up on the Wilmot Pass Road overlooking Doubtful Sound. The next 5 pictures are various views of the fjord from the boat.
    The 7th picture looks out at the Tasman Sea at the mouth of the fjord. Most of the time they can't get this far out as it's too rough.
    The 8th picture is of 1 of the islands at the mouth of the fjord where the local fur seal colony hangs out. You might make out a few. Also living here is the southernmost bottle nose dolphin colony.
    Many waterfalls drop into the fjord. This is a surprising one. Most of it is hidden in the trees. The section at the bottom is easily visible. Look closely at the top in the center of the picture where you can make out an upper section tif the falls through the trees.    Read more

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    South Island Miscellany

    January 29, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Like the north island, there is a lot more to the south island than Lord of the Rings filming locations. Here is a composite of images from this part of my time on the south island.
    The 1st picture is in Queen Charlotte Sound as the ferry from Wellington and the north island approaches Picton. The ferry route winds through channels between islands and peninsulas for about an hour before docking. It an amazing introduction to the less populated, more rugged (and larger) south island.
    The 2nd picture is along the east coast near Kaikōuri. This is a resident colony of fur seals resting on the rocky shore.
    The 3rd and 4th pictures are of Lakes Pukaki and Tepako. These are 2 of 3 roughly parallel alpine lakes formed behind glacial moraines. They are now managed for hydropower. Toward the other end of Lake Pukaki is Laketown (see another post). (I just can't seem to escape the LotR references. 🤔😃)
    New Zealand has a young but extensive wine industry. I'm told the 1st vineyard in New Zealand was planted with wine grapes in 1981. The 5th picture is 1 small example of a vineyard in the Otago Valley (see another post).
    The 7th picture is of The Remarkables, a mountain range near Queenstown that has appeared in many films, not the least being LotR (see other posts). On the other side of the mountain is one of the main ski fields, as they're called here, in this part of the country.
    The 8th picture is here because I had never heard of anyone milking deer. But it is real, and this wonderful cheese shop in the small town of Geraldine makes this. BTW, it is much like traditional havarti, but with a bit more bite. Very good.
    The last photo is taken from the mountain above Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. If the scale seems a bit off, that's because I took it as a panorama, and that results in a single image kinda crammed into the frame.    Read more

    Trip end
    January 31, 2023
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