Sun in the south.

At the moment we are in the deep south.  It doesn't get much deeper than Invercargill.  Our previous experience of Southland weather has been pretty bad but this spring has been an exception.  The weather has been dry and warm and amazingly the wind hardly rates a mention.  When last I wrote we were in Cromwell for a few days.  Then we packed up and went through to Queenstown.   Passing through the town it was again very busy with tourists everywhere.  As we like the quiet life we carried on through and took the Glenorchy road out to the 12 Mile DOC camp on the shores of lake Whakitipu.  The longest lake in NZ.  The camp was virtually empty when we arrived around lunch time but every afternoon this camp starts to fill with the young tourists in their small vans and station wagons.  The sound of those sliding doors reverberating around the camp.
    Jocelyn and I decided we would do the trip on the Earnslaw out to Walter Peak Station.  We made it into town early and boarded on a lovely fine day for our trip across the lake.  The Earnslaw  is truly a beautiful old ship and an engineering marvel. Once out at Walter Peak we were served a sumptuous barbecue lunch in the restaurant then returned across the lake to Queenstown.  Our fellow passengers were mostly overseas tourists with a large percentage of them asian.  They are mostly in awe of the southern scenery and those camera shutters are never still.


Remember to click on photos to enlarge.

The Earnslaw. lady of the lake.

Walter Peak Station.

  Joel and Julie were arriving Friday evening and staying in one of the police holiday homes, so we left the rig at the camp and moved in to town for the weekend.  By the time they arrived we had a roast lamb cooking on the webber and were admiring the view looking down on the town and the lake with a wine and a beer.
 The next morning we were off to the Gibbston Valley for a bike tour of the wineries.  The track looks down on the Kawarau River through the first stages then angles back to the highway where we stopped for the wine sampling and a nice snack at one of the restaurants.  We did end up doing a bit of cross country at one point when following Joels trail blazing and lost the track.  But all up it was a very enjoyable few hours.

On yer bike

A bit of cross country.

I kept saying a few more steps back. You'll be right.

Wine and cheese.

 Jocelyn and I also went for a drive up past Glenorchy and then onto the greenstone and Caples Valleys where we went for a walk into this stunningly beautiful area. Crystal clear rivers and wide river flats with high mountains either side. Stunning.

Hey Mick. A crystal clear stream flowing out of the steep and rugged Humbolt Range.

Jocelyn on the Caples River swing bridge.

Caples River. The greenstone Valley goes to the right in front of the large peak in the background.

   After Queenstown we were keen to head back into Mavora Lakes.  Once you have turned off the main road it is not long and the gravel road starts.  Rain had been so scarce down here the dust was a great billowing cloud behind the rig.  It was about 40 kms of gravel so by the time we arrived the dust had penetrated all of the outside storage areas and some of the inside ones as well.  The bikes on the back were so white with dust I just took them off and threw them into the lake.  The Mavora lakes are such a special area.  The scenery just takes your breath away.  Tussock flats around the lakes rising to beautiful high snow capped mountains.  Most of the snow had gone by the time we arrived but there were still patches on the higher peaks.

The river flowing between North and South Mavora lakes.

Looking up to the head of North Mavora lake.

  Again we struck the weather right with clear blue skies and the breeze held off until around lunch time, but it never blew hard enough to be uncomfortable.  Just enough to blow the sandflies off, of which there were a fair number.  The walking tracks around here follow the lake edge and are mostly inside the very picturesque beech forest.  One afternoon I decided to do a bit of climbing and worked my way up to a large clearing I had spotted from camp.  There were a few fallow deer marks around and apparently there are a number of chamois in the area as well.  From the clearing I could look down on the lake and the camp so I got out the camera and took a few shots. By the time I got back to the rig I had been away for about four hours.
 I spent a fair bit of time in the kayak and Jocelyn came for a couple of paddles as well.  A couple of young German blokes parked beside us one evening and I told them they were welcome to take the kayaks out. So they had a great time paddling off down the lake taking photos.
  I caught a few trout here but nothing large.  I only kept one to eat although I gave one to a lady who had been unsuccessful with her mornings fishing.  Being in a place like the Mavora lakes makes you realise how privileged we are to live in our beautiful New Zealand.  I only wish I had been more adventurous when I was a young man to come and seek out more of these wonderful places.

The rig slightly left of centre.North Mavora below and South Mavora to the right.

Early morning mist over the lake.

Parked in paradise.

   We stayed at Mavora for around 10 days then decided to move on to Te Anau. We had been talking about doing an overnight charter over to Doubtful Sound. We had already done the Milford Sound day trip but had heard the Doubtful one was even better.  So we rolled up at the Te Anau NZMCA camp and filled the water tank and washed off a bit of the dust.
   Jocelyn got on the phone and enquired about the charter trip and was told they had space for a couple the next day so we grabbed it.
  We were picked up from the gate at 9am the next morning with a bag and one fishing rod, as I find it very hard to go on a boat trip without at least one rod.  After picking up 2 more couples on the way we travelled through to Manapouri where we met up with the rest of the passengers, a total of 10 paying customers all up.  We were then boarded on a Real Journeys ferry to travel across lake Manapouri to the power station and the van that would take us over the Wilmot Pass to the  "MV Southern Secret" a 22 metre very well appointed launch.
  Clint was our driver and skipper and owner of the operation.  He also owned the large camping ground in Te Anau and a large transport operation linking tourists to all their destinations.  What a great host he turned out to be and his one lady crew called Kirsty was also indispensable as well as a real revelation.
  We were soon settled on board with a short safety presentation then shown to our cabins all with ensuite.  We got underway and were served lunch consisting of crayfish tails and several lovely salads.  Unfortunately I had to endure watching other people eat the crayfish as I had become allergic to them, damn it.  Jocelyn doesn't eat it either so the other couples got a couple of crayfish each. Never mind, the salads and crusty bread were great.

Doubtful Sound.

Mingling on the bow.

A bin full after picking up a couple of pots.

   What a beautiful place.  The weather was great although some stretches of the fiord were quite windy and exposed. later in the day the wind mostly eased off.  We stopped and some of them went kayaking, including Jocelyn while the rest of us dropped a line over to try for blue cod.  I managed a couple of very large specimens on my softbait and then the wind got up again and the kayakers where getting a bit hammered so we collected them back on board where I copped a telling off for not dropping my fishing rod and getting photos of Jocelyn in her kayak. It's all about priorities.  Fishing is right up there is it not?  Never mind after getting dried off and a hot shower all was sweet again.
  After this we were really spoilt as by this time we were approaching the open sea at the head of the sound.  As usual I was keeping my eye out looking for wildlife and I spotted a whale blow in the distance.  Clint steered in that direction and it wasn't long and we realised we were approaching a number of whales.  It turned out to be a pod of 7 or 8 humpbacks and we spent the next hour and a half in their vicinity being mesmerised in awe of these huge mammals.

  We had also seen yellow crested penguins and a number of seals and as the day was getting on it was time to cruise into one of the arms to anchor up for the night.  The other people on board were all very friendly and easy to get on with.  One couple from the UK, one from Holland. One from America, so quite a mix.  That evening Kirsty cooked a lovely meal with some of the blue cod that were caught as well as lamb and great salads again.  After food and a few drinks we were surprised when Kirsty and Clint carried out an electric piano.  It turned out that Kirsty in a previous time had been a concert pianist and over the next hour we were entertained with works from Chopin and some of the other well known composers.  She was a very accomplished pianist and we felt very privileged to hear her perform.

  After a calm night we rose early and the morning was spent cruising the arms of the sound.  We came across a small pod of bottlenose dolphin who came in to play then it was time to head back.  We had had a fantastic experience and I would recommend this trip to anyone.  We weren't keen on going on the other boat that takes 75 passengers but this one ticked all the boxes.  When we rolled up back at the rig after lunch we were still buzzing and talking about our last 2 days.  Awesome.

Bottlenose dolphin.

I even got to be skipper for a while.

The MV Southern Secret package.

  Jocelyn and I had been giving the bikes a bit of work recently and a couple of days after our trip, while out biking we met up with David and Sarah who had been on the cruise with us.  They lived in Scotland and were travelling around NZ for 3 months.  We found them to be very easy to get on with and they called around for drinks before we left Te Anau.  We exchanged phone numbers and emails so you never know we may meet up with them again as they thought maybe they would investigate coming to work in NZ for a few years.
  After Te Anau we took the Manapouri rd and travelled through to lake Hauroko.  Again we had a fair distance on gravel rd and it was still dry and dusty. We camped at the small DOC camp before the lake. While setting up you couldn't help but notice all the fresh deer droppings all over the grass we were camping on.  We were camped right on the bush edge on a lovely clearing. A very pretty wee spot.  And again the sun was shining and it was about 25 degrees.
   While here I went bush a few times for an hour or two.  Plenty of deer sign around and quite open bush.  Joel, Julie and Tia arrived with the boat on Sunday and we launched it  down on the lake.  It was quite nostalgic for me to get behind the wheel of my old boat and we all had a great afternoon exploring Lake Hauroko.

The paint job looking a bit rough after 25 years but still a great wee boat.

  We also went around to Teal Bay hut for a look, where deer and pigs had left their mark with rooting and footprints all around the hut and along the beach. On the way back  Joel, Julie and Tia all went for a wakeboard then Joel and I loaded the boat on the trailer and got absolutely monstered by the sandflies. We piled back into the ute and I think we carried about 200 of them with us inside.  There was a lot of arm waving and cursing on the road back to the rig.  Lucky back at the camp there weren't many sandflies at the camp.
  Next day a chiller truck arrived and parked up opposite the camp then a helicopter flew in with the first of 4 loads of deer on the strop.  It looked like about 40 deer all up were loaded into the truck with 2 helicopters helping with the operation.  After they had gone I wandered over and found a knife and pouch laying in the grass.  Anyone who knows me knows I like knives so this was a nice wee bonus.
  This is another spot I will be keen to come back and spend a bit more time at.  If I organise things I could always get the boat and use it here too.  Might be a good place for a couple of mates to arrive and do a bit of hunting.

Very friendly bush robin posing for photo.

Another load of dead deer for the chiller truck.

The Robbie loading the truck.

Another wee mate I met on my bush walk.

  Next stop Invercargill .  Jocelyn was flying north for her mum Maureens 80th birthday gathering, and also managing the transition of tenants leaving and new ones arriving in our house in Omokoroa. There were a few jobs to do at the house and Rod and Sean were going out with her to lend a hand.  Jocelyn also caught up with some family and friends while there but she didn't have a lot of time to see everyone.  She stayed in Rotorua with brother John and Margot and she flew in and out of Rotorua airport.

Happy 80th Maureen.

Birthday lunch at Mills Reef.

 While Jocelyn was up north I went and stayed with grand daughter Monique and Greg for 2 nights.  Monique always makes me feel so welcome so I enjoy staying with them.  I did give them a bit of a fright with my heart going out of sync again "atrial fibrulation", so hopefully I will still be welcome in the future.  Greg took me trout fishing to some of his favourite spots.  We saw plenty of fish and Greg caught a nice brownie around 5 or 6 lbs. It was a really nice weekend.
  Back in Invers the bikes were getting a bit of work, some days doing around 20kms.  Weather still fine and hot.What is going on with Southland? The locals are not used to this and are starting to complain, wanting to get back to the usual wind and rain.
  We have just had another short sojourn to Wanaka with Joel and Julie, staying at another police holiday home.  Unfortunately I needed the ambulance again and spent a night in hospital with AF.  Seems it might be with me from now on and I might have to learn how to manage it.  I seem to be pretty good at stressing Jocelyn out lately. Never mind we will continue to enjoy what we do best.  Having fun in the south island sun.  We will probably head off this week and have another look around the Catlins.