Recap: On Sunday we flew to Christchurch (easy taxi ride at 6:15 am) and got a shuttle to our remarkably lovely hotel (Commodore). On Monday, we obtained our RVs, ate lunch and got on the road around 1:30; after a 4+ hour drive we arrived at our campground in Dunedin on the southeast coast. On Tuesday afternoon we toured 150 year old Larnach Castle. We also went for a moderate hike down to (and back up from) Tunnel Beach. On Wednesday morning, Elise took Ali, Cate and Henry for a walk along the beach while Liz, Wally and Lily toured the Otago History Museum. Meanwhile, Jon replaced a dead laptop. On Wednesday afternoon we drove out to the tip of the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Centre.
 |
| We're a long way from everywhere but at least this sign mentions places we've been (New York, Santiago, Public Toilets) and others we haven't (and won't), like the South Pole. |
Observation #1: Emirates is a really, really, really nice airline. Our Qantas flight was a codeshare and I couldn't be happier. We flew a jumbo Airbus for the three-hour flight, enjoying comfortable chairs, incredible seatback entertainment and even nice food. (The only fault is that the attendant said we only needed one immigration card per family so we had to hastily complete five more (individual) cards at the counter.
 |
| Our first sight of NZ |
Observation #2: The Commodore Hotel near the Christchurch Airport was one of the most pleasant surprises. It's family owned and nicely run. The rooms are lovely and there's a little gurgling brook outside them. There's a central courtyard with beautiful flowering shrubs and comfortable furniture. The pool is nice. The restaurant is excellent (we spent more on dinner than on the room itself). In a lifesaving move, the hotel let us store our empty suitcases with them after we had packed into the RVs.
 |
| A room with one queen and two twin beds: genius! (That's Cate still sleep with the windows wide open and people coming and going.) |
Observation #3: The Maui/Britz RV operation is impressive. They have dozens (maybe hundreds) of vehicles available and their check-in/out process is efficient. Compared to our experience in the States last fall, I was left with confidence. There is even a manual to reference!
Observation #4: The roads in NZ are small. Even the motorway is not access limited or grade separated. The maximum speed limit is 100kph, though the RVs are not supposed to be driven over 90. There are many times when the sign says 100 and I don't feel safe driving more than 60. Also, there are sheep everywhere and fences aren't perfect. As one friend correctly advised, the roads are like the branches of a tree: the further you go from the start, the smaller they get. They have clever signs for one-lane bridges to tell you who has right of way. Good thing too.
 |
| This officer received complaints that our caravan was making it hard for vehicles to pass us. Whoops. That's a two-way motorway you see. |
Observation #5: It's really beautiful here. Wally and Liz keep commenting that we could be on the coast of Ireland or Scotland, which might explain why this part of NZ was populated by Scottish immigrants. We haven't reached the alps yet so our landscape has been (constantly) rolling hills and astonishing coastlines.
 |
| The beaches of St Kilda (foreground) and St Clair (background) where we stayed in Dunedin. About 2 miles of sand in this picture. |
Observation #6: Albatross are cool. The Royal Albatross Centre (it's the albatross that are royal, not the centre) gave us the opportunity to see four nesting birds and even one in flight in addition to the lecture, the movie, the exhibits and the ice cream.
 |
| One albatross in the near right is regarding a seagull (standing) while another albatross ( sits in the background). |
Observation #7: Allergies suck. We had them in Argentina and now we have them again. What's weird is that it was late Spring in Buenos Aires, which makes sense for allergies. But here it's nearing the end of summer. Clearly, that isn't stopping something from seriously bothering most of us. So we have a lot of itchy eyes and runny noses.
Observation #8: The Tunnel Beach hike was cool. We hiked downhill for about a kilometer and then down through a steep tunnel (with stairs) cut into the rock. We emerged onto an isolated beach as the tide was on its way out. This gave the opportunity for beautiful sights and a very serene moment.
Comments
Post a Comment