March 5th – March 11th – Swimming with Dolphins!
Greg Says……
Mon 5th – We got up early and moved out of the Doc site. We made for the Skyline Gondala and Luge in Queenstown. We went in the Gondala to the top, and were looking forward to the Luge ride. To get there we had to go on a chair lift up again to the start area. We were not disappointed, the Luge ride is great, and as we were there when it opened, there was hardly anyone around. Alistair and Rowena talked us into to having two more goes each!! It was great! Apart from the Luge there are great views over Queenstown, and the lake. There are also other things that people can do like Paragliding, helicopter rides, Mountain Bikes and some tramping.
After two-three hours we came down on the Gondala, and spent the afternoon doing food shopping, and a few more necessary things.
We left Queenstown, and travelled down the side of the lake to the Kingston Motor camp.
Tues 6th – Got up late and had a nice cooked breakfast, just what the Doctor ordered. However we later found that out toaster was left there!! I guess that’s how they get all the things that are in the kitchen like cups, plates, knives and forks etc etc.
On the way south we passed the Kingston Flyer, a steam train from the beginning of the 20th Century. It reminded me of the trains they had in the wild west, with a big kind of skirt on the front of it. We caught it just as it was leaving Fairlea station.
We continued down the road to Manipouri and booked in at the Motor amp there. It’s a really nice site with a good kitchen, and facilities. They collect Morris Minors here, and they were strewn around the campsite. They also had a tree house and an underground tunnel. However on arrival the children couldn't make use of the play areas as it was pouring with rain. It was the first rain that they had had in 36 days, and it lasted for the next 2 days!
Wed 7th – Today it rained all day, but we managed a trip to Te Anau, where I bought some nice warm sheepskin slippers…..Oh what a difference slippers make!! We also booked onto a boat trip on the Milford Sound for Friday. That night we stayed again, in the rain, at the Manapouri campsite.
Thurs 8th – We awoke to a day where it was not raining! It was a nice day today, so we travelled on towards Milford Sound. It’s a beautiful scenic drive through the Earl Mountains on one side and the Livingston Mountains on the other, passing some lovely lakes on the way. One of which, Lake Gunn, was where we stayed for the night in the DOC campsite. This was a very small site, but you could , if you were early enough, park right beside the water. We were not early, so we parked in the car park, but we did have a view of the lake. The campsite was full very quickly, but a number of other cars and vans camp down to check for space, and all had to turn around and manoeuver back out again! Still, once it settled down, we had a nice quiet nights sleep.
Fri 9th – We got up at 6 am today, so that we could leave at 7.30 am to drive to Milford. We were due to get on our boat at 8.55 am , and had to check in at 8.35 am
After parking, we got there dead on time, and the boat left. Within about 10 minutes there was a shout that there were some dolphins in front of us! We all rushed to the bow(the front) and sure enough there was a pod of Bottle Nose Dolphins. They played around next to our boar, and you look down under the bow, and see them swimming under it. They were so close that it felt like you could reach out and touch them! We moved to the stern (the back), and they were surfing on the wave forged by the boat. They also were jumping out of the water, it really was the highlight of the trip! We continued along the Sound, seeing mountains rising straight up out of the water to around 1000/1500 meters, waterfalls falling 160 meters, New Zealand Fur seals, and just beautiful scenery!! It was well worth the trip! Afterwards we drove back to Te Anau, and stayed at the Kiwi Camp.
Sat 10th– Drove down through the mountainous countryside to be suddenly confronted with the Ocean in front of us. The landscape changed from the scorched dry land to luscious green lands. Was this an omen for things (rain!) to come? We drove on to a lovely free overnight sight at Colac bay, where we parked about 10 feet away from the beach. The children played on the beach all afternoon, at last using the body boards that they had. However the most fun they had was throwing stones into the sea, or trying to land them on a big rock without the bouncing off. We had a peaceful night, apart from the waves crashing in on the shingle beach!
Sun 11th – My Birthday today. I don’t generally celebrate these anymore, but for some reason I awoke at dawn, and saw the most amazing sunrise. The sub was red, and as it rose up the red reflection shone off of the shimmering sea! Perhaps this was a special day after all! After breakfast, presents and cards we drove to Invercargill where we found a great restaurant for Lunch. Fed and Watered Lucy took the wheel, and we departed for Curio Bay, a place where you could see Dolphins. We got to the campsite on the hill above the sandy beach, and decided to go in search of the famous Dolphins, the man in the campsite office said we would see them without fail The children brought their body boards, and promptly went in to play with them, and then we waited for the arrival of the sea mammals. We must of waited about 20 minutes, and then they arrived. We were all in the sea, and they swam within 10 feet of us, it was awesome. I can now say that the Dolphins came to see me on my birthday!
Mon 5th – We got up early and moved out of the Doc site. We made for the Skyline Gondala and Luge in Queenstown. We went in the Gondala to the top, and were looking forward to the Luge ride. To get there we had to go on a chair lift up again to the start area. We were not disappointed, the Luge ride is great, and as we were there when it opened, there was hardly anyone around. Alistair and Rowena talked us into to having two more goes each!! It was great! Apart from the Luge there are great views over Queenstown, and the lake. There are also other things that people can do like Paragliding, helicopter rides, Mountain Bikes and some tramping.
After two-three hours we came down on the Gondala, and spent the afternoon doing food shopping, and a few more necessary things.
We left Queenstown, and travelled down the side of the lake to the Kingston Motor camp.
Tues 6th – Got up late and had a nice cooked breakfast, just what the Doctor ordered. However we later found that out toaster was left there!! I guess that’s how they get all the things that are in the kitchen like cups, plates, knives and forks etc etc.
On the way south we passed the Kingston Flyer, a steam train from the beginning of the 20th Century. It reminded me of the trains they had in the wild west, with a big kind of skirt on the front of it. We caught it just as it was leaving Fairlea station.
We continued down the road to Manipouri and booked in at the Motor amp there. It’s a really nice site with a good kitchen, and facilities. They collect Morris Minors here, and they were strewn around the campsite. They also had a tree house and an underground tunnel. However on arrival the children couldn't make use of the play areas as it was pouring with rain. It was the first rain that they had had in 36 days, and it lasted for the next 2 days!
Wed 7th – Today it rained all day, but we managed a trip to Te Anau, where I bought some nice warm sheepskin slippers…..Oh what a difference slippers make!! We also booked onto a boat trip on the Milford Sound for Friday. That night we stayed again, in the rain, at the Manapouri campsite.
Thurs 8th – We awoke to a day where it was not raining! It was a nice day today, so we travelled on towards Milford Sound. It’s a beautiful scenic drive through the Earl Mountains on one side and the Livingston Mountains on the other, passing some lovely lakes on the way. One of which, Lake Gunn, was where we stayed for the night in the DOC campsite. This was a very small site, but you could , if you were early enough, park right beside the water. We were not early, so we parked in the car park, but we did have a view of the lake. The campsite was full very quickly, but a number of other cars and vans camp down to check for space, and all had to turn around and manoeuver back out again! Still, once it settled down, we had a nice quiet nights sleep.
Fri 9th – We got up at 6 am today, so that we could leave at 7.30 am to drive to Milford. We were due to get on our boat at 8.55 am , and had to check in at 8.35 am
After parking, we got there dead on time, and the boat left. Within about 10 minutes there was a shout that there were some dolphins in front of us! We all rushed to the bow(the front) and sure enough there was a pod of Bottle Nose Dolphins. They played around next to our boar, and you look down under the bow, and see them swimming under it. They were so close that it felt like you could reach out and touch them! We moved to the stern (the back), and they were surfing on the wave forged by the boat. They also were jumping out of the water, it really was the highlight of the trip! We continued along the Sound, seeing mountains rising straight up out of the water to around 1000/1500 meters, waterfalls falling 160 meters, New Zealand Fur seals, and just beautiful scenery!! It was well worth the trip! Afterwards we drove back to Te Anau, and stayed at the Kiwi Camp.
Sat 10th– Drove down through the mountainous countryside to be suddenly confronted with the Ocean in front of us. The landscape changed from the scorched dry land to luscious green lands. Was this an omen for things (rain!) to come? We drove on to a lovely free overnight sight at Colac bay, where we parked about 10 feet away from the beach. The children played on the beach all afternoon, at last using the body boards that they had. However the most fun they had was throwing stones into the sea, or trying to land them on a big rock without the bouncing off. We had a peaceful night, apart from the waves crashing in on the shingle beach!
Sun 11th – My Birthday today. I don’t generally celebrate these anymore, but for some reason I awoke at dawn, and saw the most amazing sunrise. The sub was red, and as it rose up the red reflection shone off of the shimmering sea! Perhaps this was a special day after all! After breakfast, presents and cards we drove to Invercargill where we found a great restaurant for Lunch. Fed and Watered Lucy took the wheel, and we departed for Curio Bay, a place where you could see Dolphins. We got to the campsite on the hill above the sandy beach, and decided to go in search of the famous Dolphins, the man in the campsite office said we would see them without fail The children brought their body boards, and promptly went in to play with them, and then we waited for the arrival of the sea mammals. We must of waited about 20 minutes, and then they arrived. We were all in the sea, and they swam within 10 feet of us, it was awesome. I can now say that the Dolphins came to see me on my birthday!
posted by greg and lucy | 3:57 PM
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