New Zealand 2019

As we flew into Christchurch from our overnight layover in Auckland, we could see the rugged coastline and the distant Southern Alps, giving us tantalizing glimpses of sights we will see later in our travels. For the next few days, we are in the city of Christchurch on the South Island.

Walking around the city, we were struck by how much the architecture and trees and gardens are similar to California. There are the turn-of-the century clapboard homes, or else newer large-glass window houses like you might find in affluent coastal communities. Similar to California as it may have appeared to us, Christchurch was modeled on an English city, complete with it's own river Avon, bordered by weeping willow trees and punters taking tourists out.

We spent our first half-day walking through the botanical gardens and visiting the Canterbury Museum -- a treasure trove of displays about New Zealand's cultural and natural heritage.Read more

Dan and Laura organized a before-breakfast walk just as the sun was rising over the mountains around Queenstown's Lake Wakatipu. We strolled the quieter lakeside part of the bustling town, pausing at a memorial to victims of the Great War. Also on the walk was a memorial to British explorer Robert Scott, who spent a lot of time in New Zealand preparing for his Antarctic expeditions. We wandered around the (blooming!) rose gardens before returning to our hotel for breakfast and final farewells. Most of the group were returning to the U.S.

We walked over to the Kiwi Birdlife Park, a private, family-owned conservation center, focusing on native birds, some reptiles and endemic trees and plants. The kiwi-feeding was a highlight of the day. These birds are nocturnal, so you view them in very darkened rooms, with just a little red light to see by (apparently they don't see in the red spectrum). We watched one for a long time probing its long beak into a decaying log, searching for bugs.

We got to see several other birds -- the Morepork owl, the Kererū wood pigeon, and the naughty Kea--an alpine parrot that pecks at bicycle tires, seats, car weatherstripping, etc. The tuatara is an ancient reptile, born with a third eye on top of its head -- but it only gets to use it for the first 4-6 months of life. After that, the eye is covered in scales. We cut our visit a little short as the heavy rain was beginning to soak through jackets.Read more