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Day 7: Queenstown/Mt. Cook

Posted: July 14, 2016

Another rainy morning in Queenstown, but you know it’ll still be a good day when New Zealand’s More FM is playing their “high school hits” during breakfast, including Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up and Baha Men’s Who Let the Dogs Out.

After checking out of Browns, we walked up the street to see if the Skyline Queenstown gondola was worth a trip despite the rain. The staff people said it was snowing at the top, but one of the luge courses was scheduled to open shortly… so we decided to go for it.

Good view of Queenstown from top of the gondola

Suiting up for the luge

Crews were able to de-ice and clear the snow from one track

View from Skyline north toward Arthur’s Point

Following our luging Grand Prix, we filled up the gas tank and left Queenstown heading north via the Crown Range Road. The New Zealand weather alert service (and a guy at the gas station, for good measure) said we should go around and avoid the snow, but we took our chances with the scenic alpine route.

Snowy Crown Range Road

We’ve got the chains, but thankfully don’t need ’em here

Eventually the weather cleared and we passed through Cardrona, where we waved hello to the Snow Farm. The Snow Farm, of course, is the Nordic-style ski resort where we should have been hanging out with our sled dogs pals, but after calling to check again, they said there still wasn’t enough snow.

Cardrona township with Snow Farm road in the distance

You can check out anytime you like, but you can’t go dog sledding today

Our journey north took us through Wanaka, an idyllic lakeside resort community along Lake Wanaka; Omarama, a farming and ranching service town with some cool clay cliff formations we spotted from the road; and Twizel, a hydro-electrical power town home to the landscape where the battle of Pelennor Fields was filmed in LOTR.

We also drove over the highest portion of the South Island highway network at Lindis Pass. Technically, it is not an alpine pass, but it was brisk and windy nonetheless.

You. Shall. Pass.

That way!

Yellows, browns, whites, blues

From sheep farms to cattle country

We turned left onto Highway 80, driving alongside Lake Pukaki into Mt. Cook National Park as the sun started to set and some weather appeared to be rolling in from the west.

The turquoise blue waters of Lake Pukaki

Racing the incoming weather to Mt. Cook

Hermitage to the Hermitage

We made it to the Hermitage Hotel before dark and settled into our room. Then we ventured back outside and walked 15 minutes to the casual pub at the lodge down the road. It wasn’t yet storming outside, but the clouds had definitely closed in and a wintery-mix was brewing.

The pub food was great. And when a technical glitch with the printer delayed our order, we got a couple of free beers out of it. Score! Whatever this New Zealand, Monteith Black Beer is, it is delicious.

Good stuff!

Walking back in the dicey weather, we had a strong feeling our plans for evening stargazing might need a revision. We were right, but they still held the planetarium show for us. Mt. Cook is located in dark sky reserve area, so if the weather is better tomorrow (who knows!?!), we will go out then. Fingers crossed!

Day 6: Queenstown Area

by Joanna

Updated: July 13, 2016

1 Comment

You probably noticed in our pictures that the weather here the past few days has been pretty amazing. Sunny and perfectly mild winter days. Well, it seems our luck has been too good. The unseasonably mild winter means that there has been no snow in the mountains, and so, no sled dogs. Boo.

Also, the rain caught up with us.

Good morning, soggy Queenstown

So, we dusted off our indoor plans and set out to make the most of an extra day in the Queenstown area, starting with a tasty breakfast and a drive to nearby Arrowtown.

Walking around this historical gold-mining town is probably more fun when it’s not raining, but you can’t really put a damper on any stroll that involves stopping for hot chocolate and hazelnut truffles.

Second breakfast at Patagonia Chocolates

We checked out a few other places in town, including a jade factory, the town post office, and Dudley’s Cottage, which offers visitors a chance to pan for gold.

At least Dudley had a warm fireplace inside

At least Dudley’s had a warm fireplace inside

When the rain slowed for a couple minutes we also tracked down two more LOTR filming locations within walking distance from the city park and the trail to the historic Chinese Settlement.

First, we found one of the river beds that was a portion of the Ford of Bruinen (the rest is in Skipper’s Canyon, which is nearby, but accessible by the one road in New Zealand which rental car companies specifically tell you not to drive).

If you want him, come and claim him

Second, we found the location where Isildur was attacked by orcs and lost the One Ring into the bottom of the Anduin River.

Isildur and his crew coming around the corner before the orcs attack

This is better than PokÃƒÂ©mon Go!!!

Having reached an acceptable hour for drinking, we embarked on the second part of the day’s plan, visiting a handfuls of the wineries in Gibbston Valley along the Kawaru River.

Come on down to winerytown

First up was Chard Farms, located south of the river and accessible via another death-defying dirt road along a cliff. They love crazy roads here. On the plus side, the road offered a spectacular view of the river gorge.

Good view of Kawaru River and Highway 6

Home of original AJ Hackett bungee jump

More importantly, home of the Anduin River and the Argonath

Charm Farms vineyard

Let the tasting commence!

The next winery was Gibbston Valley Winery. Here we toured the vineyards and tasted the seasonal selections in their unique wine cave. The Central Otago vineyards are the southernmost vineyards in the world by a good margin. The soil is composed of the surrounding schist rock, making it difficult to grow a variety of grapes. They specialize in Pino Noirs, and outside a few exceptions, are unable to make other reds.

Tour guide was really good

Gibbston wine cave

Lunchtime!

Ready to make a couple more stops, we headed to Peregrine Vineyards, which has award winning architecture and wine you can buy at Whole Foods, followed by Mt. Rosa Vineyards for a full tasting menu.

Peregrine Winery’s award-winning architecture

99 barrels of wine on the floor…

Mt. Rosa Winery, last stop

Back in Queenstown, and free from the stress of the the traffic, rain, and crazy mountain streets, we discovered a Thai restaurant with free delivery. Sold!

Our bonus Queenstown day is complete. Time to head north tomorrow as long as the roads are open!

Day 5: Glenorchy

by Joanna

Posted: July 12, 2016

1 Comment

We’re getting good at waking up before sunrise. Today we started with a 7AM breakfast at Browns before driving to Glenorchy for some horseback riding. The road from Queenstown to Glenorchy runs along the coast of Lake Wakatipu’s northern branch and is, unsurprisingly, gorgeous.

Bienvinedo a Glenorchy!

We arrived in the small town of Glenorchy and found Dart Stables. After getting checked in and geared up, we took a short ride to a second stable location where we were matched with our horses. I got Bryan and Matt rode Bobby.

Jo and Bryan

Matt and Bobby

Our tour was aptly-named “River Wild” because our path followed the Dart River south from Mt. Alfred to the head of Lake Wakatipu. On our left, the Richardson Mountains, and on our right, the Humboldt Mountains — or if you prefer, Misty Mountains on both sides (according to LOTR filming).

Humboldt Mountains to the west

Training for the Rohirrim

Fun fact: one of the horses (Trevor) in our tour group was Prince Caspian’s horse in the Prince Caspian Narnia movie (whichever one that was). And years ago, eight horses from Dart Stables appeared in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Very regal, these horses.

Crossing the Dart River

Mount Earnslaw in the distance

For parts of the trail, the guides gave us the green light to let the horses trot. Ironically, the only person who fell off was one of the guides. To be fair, her horse tripped and she executed a perfect tuck and roll. This commotion startled Bobby a bit, but Matt managed to hang on. As for Bryan, he did hold up the entire tour for a couple minutes demanding a drink of delicious glacial river water.

I AM THIRSTY! Glacial river water is my demand.

I AM THIRSTY! Glacial river water is my list of demands.

Upon returning to the starting stables, we enjoyed tea and a handful of lollies (New Zealand gummy candy) before saying goodbye to our horse friends. Next up, we booked two tickets to Paradise! (aka. Town nearby LOTR filming locations for Isengard and LothlÃƒÂ³rien)

Clouds looming over the Wizard’s Vale

LothlÃƒÂ³rien Forests of Mount Aspiring National Park

Ok, so we didn’t actually need tickets, but the 4-wheel drive rental helped. After leaving Glenorchy, the “no exit” road to Paradise enters the Mount Aspiring National Park forests (LothlÃƒÂ³rien) and becomes a small dirt road with washout zones at the various river tributaries.

Finally, we met a washout zone crossing that looked legit.

Wizard’s Vale River Crossing: July 12, 2016

We chose to turn around and go thru the Mines of Moria

Rather than driving straight back to Queenstown, we made a few stops for a couple walks along the way. First, the Glenorchy general store. They had some cute local items, and lots of wool products (remember all the sheep?). I saw a necklace I liked, but when I found out they bought it online (rather than from a local artist), it lost its luster. Alas.

This sign seems redundant in Southern New Zealand

Southbound along Lake Wakatipu

In our quest to find more Lord of the Rings filming locations, we also stopped at Bob’s Cove and Twelve-Mile Delta. Bob’s Cove technically didn’t have any filming locations, but it was pretty.

At Twelve-Mile Delta, they shot the Ithilien Camp scenes where Sam, Frodo and Gollum see the Haradrim/Oliphaunts and argue about cooking coneys. We googled the exact latitude and longitude of the filming locations from the LOTR guidebook, but they must have been for the production assistant’s trailer or something. As such, we didn’t find them, but we did find two French guys looking for the same thing. We’re not the only nerds in New Zealand! Also, we saw a couple rabbits, which seemed appropriate.

Where are you hiding!?!

Resorting to visual cues, we walked around the area’s trails (and off some trails, too), in hopes of finding the spot. All said and done, we were solidly in the ballpark. Plus, we got a good little hike out of the deal, and saw some really cool rocks in the delta area.

Twelve-Mile Delta with the Remarkables across Lake Wakatipu

Back in Queenstown, we found a little walk-up taco restaurant called Taco Medic where we picked up dinner and brought it back to our hotel (much like last night).

Forty CCs of tacos, stat!!!!

We’ve figured out how to cheat the system and get all the good food, but avoid the hustle and bustle of the city!

Day 4: Te Anau/Queenstown

by Joanna

Updated: July 13, 2016

Day 3: Milford Sound

by Joanna

Updated: July 11, 2016

1 Comment

The sun wasn’t up, but we were! Ready by 7:30AM to drive to Milford Sound via one of the most scenic routes in New Zealand. After a quick stop at the gas station, we were on our way. Fun fact: In New Zealand, you can apparently pump your gas first, THEN pay inside.

Pre-dawn misty mountains

With cold temperatures and heavy mists, the Milford Road can be very icy and dangerous in the winter. And they weren’t lying. We saw one car abandoned in the ditch and about 5,000 black ice warning signs. However, having grown up in the Midwest, the fervor over the road conditions really amounted to “don’t drive like an idiot.”

Frosty morning landscape along Milford Road

Rising elevation

Approaching Homer Tunnel

As the sun rose, the views got more dramatic. We pulled into a parking spot at Milford Sound and were immediately greeted/startled by a Kea bird that landed on the roof of the car. Technically, Keas are alpine parrots, but they act like seagulls at Wrigley after a Cubs game.

Did we rent a Kea?

We checked in with Southern Discoveries and made it to the boat right on time. Milford Sound is actually a fiord created during the last ice age as the glaciers moved through the area and carved through the mountains, which were formed when the Australian techtonic plate subducted under the Pacific plate… I can go on and on, but the point is: this place looks really freaking cool.

It rains over 200 days per year in Milford Sound, but not today

Look at those rocks!!!

It’s a subduction zone!

Excellent subduction deduction.

Our tour guide on the boat was informative, entertaining, and obviously from New Zealand — because every third nature fact was a set-up line for a sick burn of the Australian Rugby team.

Speaking of nature, we were lucky enough to spot a Fiordland crested penguin (AKA Tawaki) on the tour. They are the second most rare penguin species in the world. Fun fact: The number one threat to the Tawaki are domestic dogs. So, remember everyone, keep your dogs away from the penguins in Milford Sound.

It’s not too hot for this penguin

We also found some seals hanging out on the rocks in an area the map suspiciously calls Seal Rock. What kind of deal do the boat companies have with the seals to get them to show up and wave that very location?

Seal Rock, indeed

Although it is not the rainy summer season, there are many waterfalls in Milford Sound. The most impressive was Stirling Falls, which is three times taller than Niagara Falls, highlighting how insanely fast these mountains rise from sea to summit.

Stirling Falls

The last stop was the Milford Discovery Center and Underwater Observatory. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a small museum area on the main floor with large panels all about Milford Sound as well as an underwater observatory. Much like an aquarium, we were able to look out of glass windows and view aquatic life in the actual fiord waters.

Black coral is fairly rare. It is also white.

Black coral is rare… and white.

After returning to dry land, we found our car amongst the sea of tour buses that had arrived for the afternoon. Good lord, this place must be a zoo in the summer!

Without any further time constraints to worry about (except the sun setting), we were free to see whatever we wanted on the drive back. The list included the Tutoko Suspension Bridge, Monkey Creek, and Pops View. We also saw The Chasm, which sounds like a Stephen King novel, but is actually an area featuring powerful waterfalls and the fascinating rock formations that have resulted.

Gaze into the chasm!

We continued to The Divide, which is the lowest east-west pass in the Southern Alps. More importantly, it is the start of the Routeburn hiking trail, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks.

Heading for Key Summit

Hey! We found the white tree of Gondor along the trail

The full Routeburn trail takes three days, but in three hours, you can make it to Key Summit and back. Wasting no time, we hiked up the steady incline through trees and rocks with completely stunning views. We made it to the summit, enjoyed the sights, and headed back down the mountain before dusk turned into a search and rescue mission.

Sunset behind the Darran Ranges as seen from Key Summit

Summit success!

Arriving back in Te Anau for the night, we dropped off our gear, ate a tasty dinner at The Ranch, and called it a day. From all of us at Metro News One, good night!

Day 2: Te Anau

by Joanna

Updated: August 15, 2016

2 Comments

Need a good reason to get out of bed in the morning? Turns out, a helicopter ride over fiords is good motivation! After breakfast, we drove a couple of miles down the rode to Fiordland Helicopters where Kim Hollows, the owner/pilot, and his MD Hughes 500 (HJO) was waiting to take us for a ride.

Hey, look! It’s Jo’s helicopter.

Taking off was very exciting; we were on the ground and all of a sudden we were floating through the air. Within seconds, we were zipping over Lake Te Anau and I couldn’t help myself from going through the survival skills I learned from Hatchet.

Leaving the clouds behind

Entering Fiordland National Park

We flew over Te Anau to Fiordland National Park, breaking through the low clouds, and eventually landing on a fiord overlooking New Zealand’s largest fiord, Dusky Sound. The flight continued over ridges, along waterfalls, and over to Doubtful Sound before returning to Te Anau. The pictures can tell the rest of the story.

Cue the Howard Shore music

View from chopper

Find the deer!

This fiord is my stop.

Dusky Sound

Alpine lakes

Good view of tree lines

And here are a couple videos we shot during the flight as well:
Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 | Video 4 | Video 5

Following a Dramamine-induced nap, we headed out for our next adventure: glowworms. The glowworms are located in a cave across the lake, once again in Fiordland National Park, which required a ride in the Real Journeys Luminosa catamaran.

Getting on the boat

At 12,000 years old, the caves are actually quite young – too young even to have stalactites and stalagmites. There is, however, rushing water, which erodes the limestone and continuously changes the structure of the cave. The Maori name Te Anau means “swirling cave of water.”

Learnin’

Ducking through some parts of the cave, we walked a couple hundred feet to a boat landing. We sailed in complete darkness to the Glowworm Grotto, where the walls and ceilings were scattered with the tiny lights from the glowworms.

Back outside in daylight, we took a short nature walk and learned a bit more about glowworms, the area, and the native bird species.

Once upon a time, the fightless takahe bird didn’t have much to worry about. Their best defense mechanism was to stand still and be “vewy, vewy, quiet.” European explorers came and accidentally left a whole bunch of rabbits. In the 1880s, New Zealand introduced stoats (aka. weasels) in order to control the rabbit population. The stoats said, “Why the heck should I chase the rabbits, when I can eat this delicious bird standing still right over here?” As of today, stoats are public enemy number one, and the takahe is critically endangered, but hanging in there.

Actual size and look of a takahe

Not actual size of a takahe.

Our third main event of the day was the Te Anau Illumination Festival. Everybody gathers in the town center (ya know, that one main road) where the stores and businesses turn off their lights, and turn on twinkling/Christmas lights. Then the crowd is led down the road by Glowy the Glowworm (three people in a makeshift Glowworm costume) to the lawn of the Distinction Hotel where there is a fire show.

Glowy the Glowworm and Lighty McLightPants

I think we saw this on Game of Thrones

We continued onto the shore where everyone released Chinese wish lanterns into the air. Well, most people released them into the air. Some people released them into the trees.

We successfully launched our lantern

The day concluded with dinner at the hotel, a quick review of tomorrow’s plans, and, of course, more local wine. See ya then!

Day 1: Te Anau

by Joanna

Updated: July 21, 2016

2 Comments

We made it! Our flight from Chicago was delayed by an hour and a half, and we were pretty worried that we would miss our connection in LA. Turns out both American Airlines flights were the same plane. However, that meant the flight from LA to Auckland was delayed as well, making it a tight connection for our Air New Zealand flight to Queenstown.

Welcome to New Zealand. Hold that plane!

After a quick jog (literally) from the international terminal to the domestic terminal, we made it to the gate in time. The flight from Auckland to Queenstown was pretty short, and we got some great views.

Flying over the South Island

Fun Fact: While we were remiss to not see the Tolkien-themed Air New Zealand safety video (at least the jetway was Hobbit-themed), we were impressed by their new Men in Black-themed rap video performed by members of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team (Get it? All Blacks, aka. Men in Black).

Mountains!

Finally in Queenstown, we picked up our bags, got the rental car and were on our way. The first 10-15 minutes of driving on the other side of the road was a bit unnerving, but Matt got the hang of it and the rest was smooth sailing to Te Anau. Pro Tip: Whenever you see an approaching vehicle, yell “LEFT” to overcome the urge to bail to the right.

Ready to hit the road

Stay left!

No longer bound by flight connection times, we stopped for a snack at a place called Five Rivers Cafe, where there was a farm right out the back door. I wanted to pet the miniature horse, but the sign said he bites, so I thought better of it.

On the road again, we stopped a few times for pictures and to amaze at the sheer number of sheep along the highway. Seriously, we’ve seen a lot of sheep. And it’s only day one.

Sheeeeep

We also stumbled upon a Wilderness Scientific Reserve which, according to the sign, is an area of unusual shrubland (not an area with rodents of unusual size) that mimics what an ecosystem may have looked like 10,000 years ago after the first ice age. A harsh environment with freezing temperatures, stony soil, moss, lichens, and other colorful plant species. You know, like Wisconsin.

Joanna is lichen the view

Red rocks

Why are we the only ones here. This place is a moss-see.

Where is everybody? This place is a moss-see!

Eventually, we arrived at the Te Anau city center (which is about three streets) and the shore of Lake Te Anau. You guessed it: another great view.

On the shore of Lake Te Anau

Pulling into the Bella Rosa Bed and Breakfast, we were greeted by our host, Gill, and her co-host, CoCo (the dog). Gill showed us around, let us settle in, and gave us local wine, beer, and cheese. A much appreciated welcome after roughly 30 hours of travel.

Local beer, cheese plate, and planning

We chatted with Gill for a while and she gave us some suggestions on restaurants and other places to visit on our trip. We then put on a few extra layers, and took a walk into town. stopping by the grocery store to stock up on trail mix, dried fruit and other snacks. The night sky is pretty incredible without all the light pollution of a city. We could even see the Milky Way.

Milky. Way.

If all goes according to plan, and these wifi upload speeds get their act together, tomorrow we will have another installment. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

Prologue: Journey to NZ

by Joanna

Updated: October 4, 2016

2 Comments

Hello travel blog followers!

As we embark on this journey, we invite you to come along with us. Check back daily for some information, pictures, and perhaps even a video about where we have been. We will let you know where in New Zealand we are, and what adventures we are going on. For those of you playing along with “Where in Middle Earth are Matt and Joanna?” we will be sure to keep you posted.

This is the map. Most of these places are real.

Above you will find a map which highlights some of the main cities we will be visiting on our trip. The journey will begin with a layover in Auckland, a flight into Queenstown, and a drive to Te Anau (on the left side of the road!) where we will be spending three nights. Look out for fjords, glaciers, and glowworms. After that, we will head to Queenstown for some wine, mountains, and horses. An overnight dog sledding trip will be next, followed by star gazing and hiking at Mt. Cook. We will hike Mt. Sunday (or Edoras for you LOTR fans) before heading back to Auckland and Hobbiton for the last two days.

I hope you enjoy our blog. If not, just stop reading. Feel free to leave comments about my awesome writing, how great the trip is, how you wish you were here, etc., etc.

Day 14: Hong Kong

by Matt

Posted: June 17, 2012

2 Comments

Today began with a 6:30AM wake-up call and some final packing maneuvers before we headed upstairs for one last tasty Hyatt breakfast. We also successfully remembered to return the entire Daniel Craig portion of the business center’s DVD library (which we had rented).

Forks down, we picked up our bags and headed to the lobby. Nicole arranged a taxi to take us to the airport at 8:30AM. On the way toward Lantau Island, we got a couple long-distance views of downtown Hong Kong to make up for yesterday’s rainout.

Quick glance at Victoria Harbor and Hong Kong Island on the way to the airport

At the airport, I paid the cabbie with all the Hong Kong dollar bills and coins left in my pockets, which was the exact right amount (including a tip). We have become very proficient at using up all our local currency to avoid a trip to the exchange window. (Not as satisfying as the BK Chicken sandwich and the DQ sundae for the EXACT amount of Baht we had left in Thailand, but still.)

Using a luggage cart is complete cultural immersion

Feeling adventurous, we decided to use the self check-in kiosk rather than wait in the Cathay Pacific economy check-in line. Typically, we just stand in line with everybody else because it avoids any troubles with checking bags for international travel, especially if the machines (and the people helping you use them) are interfaced via a foreign language. But seeing as how everything worked great this time, we’re happy to add the international self check-in machine to our traveling repertoire.

A Cathay Pacific 777 is ready to take us home

The flight took off on Sunday at 11:50AM local Hong Kong time and landed at O’Hare about 13 hours later at 1PM CT… still Sunday. So dads, take pleasure in the fact that we have been able to celebrate your Father’s Day about 150% longer than usual!

Back under friendly Chicago skies… Just me or do those clouds say “Hi”?

And now, the trip is complete!

Day 13: Hong Kong

by Matt

Updated: June 17, 2012