It was a pleasure waking up this morning to this.
Because they're heading to their summer solstice on Dec 21st, the sun rises early, and sets late. And of course because we're so far south, the difference is even greater than up on the North Island.
Our host at the B&B in Manapouri reminds me so much of you, Frank Kraemer! Not so much in looks, but rather in speech and mannerisms. We chatted with him a couple of times, and yep, the 2nd time I had the same thoughts. If I had turned my back to him, I swear it could have been you.
This was from the gas station at the top of the hill looking over the roof of our B&B.
We had a short drive today from Manapouri down to Invercargill. Lots and lots of pastureland for large herds of cattle and sheep, and some deer.
One sight along the way. But then the land flattened out.
We arrived in Invercargill too early to check in, so we thought we would drive to Bluff, a town out on the lowest point of the South Island, and a large shipping centre, not far from here. There's the port, and the ferry to Stewart Island (the next main island in the New Zealand chain), and the scenic view from the bluff.
This was heading in to Bluff.
If a town is named Bluff, you need to have a scenic view spot. How about this.
The rain would come and go, but not a serious downpour, or anything. It was windy though.
When we came back to Invercargill, we stopped at the old water tower. Quite an impressive old building.
We then were able to check into our B&B. An absolutely gorgeous spot. It's an estate property. Our hostess welcomed us to stroll the lawns and make ourselves at home. She said to beware of the wood pigeons - they might fly into us. We looked at her. She said it's because the berries are out and they eat lots of them. The berries become fermented in their stomachs, so they fly drunk, and they do do stupid things. Well, that didn't happen, but we sure do hear lots of birds around here.
Our unit is right there with the patio door - lower level.
In their yard.
Yep, pretty nice. She has 2 beautiful chocolate labs (Shelly & Mark) - that's not the dogs' names.
This is the end of the road heading south. Tomorrow we make our way back to Auckland.
A few more Kiwi notes:
- All the walking trails are called "tracks", and there are tons of them. And you go "tramping" or "walking", not "hiking".
- My previous note about pronunciation and stress on the first syllable - hogwash. I must have misheard (just like I misread "Beer" for "Deer".
- There are no gas full service stations here, at least not on the roads we've been on. But if you need to use a "toilet" (not a washroom or bathroom), all the towns have facilities within the town itself. They're all well-marked, and well-maintained.
- There are lots of picnic areas at which to stop, but all they typically have is one table, and no toilets, and no garbage cans. Some of these are used by the RVers for overnight stays.
- The sports bars feature rugby and cricket.
- A tuatara is a reptile, not a lizard (I've heard this a couple of times). Could have fooled me. Apparently they lived during the dinosaur age. On another note, I heard they've found more dinosaur bones in China, and paleontologists claim they can more firmly confirm all birds evolved from dinosaurs. (Your science lesson for today.)
Because they're heading to their summer solstice on Dec 21st, the sun rises early, and sets late. And of course because we're so far south, the difference is even greater than up on the North Island.
Our host at the B&B in Manapouri reminds me so much of you, Frank Kraemer! Not so much in looks, but rather in speech and mannerisms. We chatted with him a couple of times, and yep, the 2nd time I had the same thoughts. If I had turned my back to him, I swear it could have been you.
This was from the gas station at the top of the hill looking over the roof of our B&B.
We had a short drive today from Manapouri down to Invercargill. Lots and lots of pastureland for large herds of cattle and sheep, and some deer.
One sight along the way. But then the land flattened out.
We arrived in Invercargill too early to check in, so we thought we would drive to Bluff, a town out on the lowest point of the South Island, and a large shipping centre, not far from here. There's the port, and the ferry to Stewart Island (the next main island in the New Zealand chain), and the scenic view from the bluff.
This was heading in to Bluff.
If a town is named Bluff, you need to have a scenic view spot. How about this.
The rain would come and go, but not a serious downpour, or anything. It was windy though.
When we came back to Invercargill, we stopped at the old water tower. Quite an impressive old building.
We then were able to check into our B&B. An absolutely gorgeous spot. It's an estate property. Our hostess welcomed us to stroll the lawns and make ourselves at home. She said to beware of the wood pigeons - they might fly into us. We looked at her. She said it's because the berries are out and they eat lots of them. The berries become fermented in their stomachs, so they fly drunk, and they do do stupid things. Well, that didn't happen, but we sure do hear lots of birds around here.
Our unit is right there with the patio door - lower level.
In their yard.
Yep, pretty nice. She has 2 beautiful chocolate labs (Shelly & Mark) - that's not the dogs' names.
This is the end of the road heading south. Tomorrow we make our way back to Auckland.
A few more Kiwi notes:
- All the walking trails are called "tracks", and there are tons of them. And you go "tramping" or "walking", not "hiking".
- My previous note about pronunciation and stress on the first syllable - hogwash. I must have misheard (just like I misread "Beer" for "Deer".
- There are no gas full service stations here, at least not on the roads we've been on. But if you need to use a "toilet" (not a washroom or bathroom), all the towns have facilities within the town itself. They're all well-marked, and well-maintained.
- There are lots of picnic areas at which to stop, but all they typically have is one table, and no toilets, and no garbage cans. Some of these are used by the RVers for overnight stays.
- The sports bars feature rugby and cricket.
- A tuatara is a reptile, not a lizard (I've heard this a couple of times). Could have fooled me. Apparently they lived during the dinosaur age. On another note, I heard they've found more dinosaur bones in China, and paleontologists claim they can more firmly confirm all birds evolved from dinosaurs. (Your science lesson for today.)
Wow, the scenery is just amazing! I especially love the rainbow shots. They look like a painting. You sure have stayed at beautiful B&B's! Glad you dodged the drunk pigeons!
ReplyDeleteAmazing spots! Did their labs run up to you and hip-check you too?
ReplyDeleteNo - very disciplined.
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