Day 110: Kangaroo Island 2

Thursday 24th March

Hanson Bay Koala Sanctuary

Remarkable Rocks 

(The one thing not named by the French)

Admiral's Arch

Hanson Bay

Clifford's Honey Farm

American River

Late ferry back

Late bus

Late to bed

Distance:

Total Distance:

The next morning we went out to the Hanson Bay Koala Sanctuary. Here the trees are filled with koalas, as well as a few interesting birds. 

We were also informed about the island's Koalas.

Koalas are not native to the island. In fact there's a lot of animals here that have been introduced. It was used about 100 years ago as a sanctuary for all of the animals from the mainland we were steadily killing off. Some animals didn't do well, such as the Emu, all of which died. The Koalas, at first did quite well. They're very fussy about their food- they only eat certain species of eucalyptus, and even if those they need them to be growing a specific way so that they don't get killed by the toxicity of the leaves- this varies from region to region. Luckily the koalas found the right trees on the island and ate them. All of them. Suddenly there were 50,000 starving koalas on the island.

The problem was "solved" by culling them down to around 10,000. The eucalyptus regret and the koalas thrived again. This time there was another culling, but also they desexed a proportion of the population, reducing the probability of over population. This worked for some time. Then human chlamydia was introduced- the theory being similar to myxomatosis used on rabbits in the UK and Australia. However this has spread rapidly through the population, even spreading on the mainland.

They now get infected early in their life, eventually developing red eyes which become blind, leading to them starving to death at about 6 years old- far earlier than their usual life span of around 18 years. It's keeping much of the population in check, but in a cruel and debilitating way.

The island also has some problems with its native species- the kangaroo and wallaby. Combined they number around one million, having lots of food and no natural predators. Only starvation, disease, humans, and bush fires really control the populations. Bush fires sounded like a horrific incident for them. Our guide told us of one area in the west end of the island where a bush fire was chasing kangaroos towards the sea. At the cliffs the kangaroos would simply jump off and into the water. They're good swimmers, so I assume many survived. This didn't stop the local Great White Shark society turning up though. Apparently shots from helicopters had shown them lining up along the shore waiting for kangaroos to jump straight into the waiting jaws.

Incidentally, there are no Aboriginal presently native to the island. In fact, they don't talk about the place. The nation that used to live nearby on the main land has since moved into cities, leading normal western lives. Their ancestors would travel onto the island occasionally over 10,000 years ago when it was still attached to the main land. However, as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age the causeway was lost. It's possible people could have remained on the island and survived- it's large enough, being the third largest island in Australia. Yet there's no evidence to suggest they did. 

Today the island is known to the Aboriginal as the Island of the Dead. It is believed that the spirits of the dead travel over the island to the far end before ascending to the heavens to become a star. Their culture doesn't speak of the dead after they've passed, though, so the island of the dead is not spoken of either. Aboriginal people will not speak of nor travel to the island- to them it effectively doesn't exist.

Next up were the Remarkable Rocks. These were created in granite during the underground metamorphosis stage, forming unusual shapes which were then forced to the surface. They are on the furthest end of the island and are the most often used site for photos advertising the island. They have weird and interesting shapes, with large spherical "bites" taken out. All sit on top of a large curved rock. Great place to clamber around with limited regard for ones own health.

The Remarkable Rocks are lucky to have their English name. Most of the island is named in French. The reason for this is that a British explorer arrived just 3 days before his French counterpart, claiming the island for the British Empire. There was some conjecture from the French, but it was decided in Europe that those three days were enough for it to be British. The French revenge, however, was that their explorer had sailed around all of the island and named nearly every feature he could see with a very French name- names that officially remained. Somehow he missed the collection of massive rocks that site on the top of the cliffs on the western end of the island though.

We stopped in at Admiral's Arch- an arch of rock that was surrounded by sealions and New Zealand seals. 

After this was Hanson's Bay- another beautiful beach, famous for being in a national park, but one in which the government allowed a small, very expensive, hotel to be built next to. There's some rumours that the government of the day was given lots of money, maybe a bribe, to give the rights to those properties. For the cost of staying $20,000 per night was mentioned. No wonder they could afford a bribe. Some people have more money than sense.

In the 1880's Honey Bees were imported from the Italian province of Linguria. These thrived into a honey industry, so we made a trip to the Clifford Honey Farm. As well as various honey to try made from a variety of native plants they had sweets, soaps, candles, and even mead and beer.

Finally we were returning, reaching American River. This isn't a river, but it's not American either. It's a long inlet filled with sea water. Over 200 years ago (1802 I seem to remember) an American came here with one ship to hunt seals for a season. So skilled was he that he filled his ship, and set about building a second to fill with more skins to take home. This ship was named the "Independence", inevitably. Being the river where the American lived the name has stuck, despite some people complaining that it has nothing to do with America- they've still got the Stars and Stripes up there though.

Anyway, it's now full of fishermen and Pelicans.

Quick stop off at Penneshaw to buy fish and chips from a man in a caravan who had a mullet. Then onto the ferry, coach into town, and into Shakespeare's hostel.

Day 78: Fraser Island

Sunday 21st February 

4x4 Warrior- a truck with huge wheels and passenger compartment- onto Fraser Island via the barge.

World's largest sand island, explore beaches, forest, rainforests, lakes, native and industrial history, ship wreck, and then some rain!

Distance: 370km

Total Distance:12492km

Having taken a bus out of Brisbane we were met by our formidable transport, a Warrior 4x4. Designed and built in Scandinavia it has been modified with larger tyres and a passenger compartment so that one can travel up and over and sand one sees fit. Thus we went over the sandy peninsula and out to the barge. A steel craft in green, simple, stout, a ramp at either end and enough deck to fit us alongside a troop of Utes and Land Rovers. We were twice the height of anything there. And twice the length. And somewhat wider too. After a very short journey of 15 minutes we disembarked on Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island.

I was expecting a giant sand bank, maybe a few palm trees, some bushes. It's far larger than that! We hit the local highway, generally known as a beach, and passed dense forests. This carried on for over an hour. Sandy beach. Waves from the Pacific. A forest built on sandbanks.

Eventually we reached the one town on the island. There are a few tourist enclosures here, but this is the only town, though it mostly caters for the tourist trade. We passed over an electrified cattle grid and high fences. These aren't to keep livestock in or out. These are for the Dingoes.

The Australian Dingo has been on the continent for around 4000 years. Descended from south East Asian wolves it somehow got here. Over time it became its own species, a dog-like hunter and scavenger. Fraser Island has around 200 patrolling the beaches, forests, and lakes. They are something of an asset for the tourist trade. But also a danger. Whilst this is perhaps the best place to see a wild dingo one does want to be careful. They have been known to be aggressive, especially with a history of feeding. Settlements and picnic area have the fences, gates, and grids to keep them out. The grids had to be electrified as dingoes are (obviously) smarter and more nimble than cattle.

We left town to go up to Lake Mackenzie. There are three types of lake in the island. Window lakes- holes in the sand that are deep enough to be below the water table. Dams- were a shifting dune has moved over the path of a creek (sand beavers!). Finally depressions- on dunes some of the sand can be scooped out. If this bowl filled with enough debris an impermeable layer can form preventing rain water from falling through the sand. Without an outflow the area fills. This is Lake Mackenzie. A blue lagoon atop a dune, surrounded by a dense forest of brush and tall, straight trees. The water goes down to 12 metres at its deepest. With no inlet/outlet virtually nothing lives in the waters, though this also makes pollution a real risk- nothing gets washed away. Amazing place though, beautiful clear warm waters. The shore is also made up of fine white sand. Apparently it's rejuvenating to smear it on you skin. Forgive me for laughing at the 3 spoilt brats we have in the group. You know the sort, won't join group games, communicate in snide comments, can't possibly get dirty. They were sat on the shore liberally plastering themselves in this stuff whilst the rest of us played in the waters. 

We stopped off at Central Station next. This has once been the centre of custom built railway for getting timber from the centre of the island. The timber here was both incredibly unusual and valuable- for 30 years no one in the trade even believed the reports of trees growing so well on a sand island. That sand prevents the trees having a solid foundation. They are therefore forced to grow in such a manner as to keep nearly all of their weight perfectly centred above the point they grow from. The trunks run straight and tall without imperfections. Long straight timbers can thus be cut from them. One of the trees was even found to be from the terpentine family. The compounds within it prevent rotting even when left underwater for long periods. This makes it valuable for creating docks and waterways, though it is much heavier and harder to harvest. Once found it was used in a rebuild of London docks and to line the Suez Canal. It's still there now.

At the station we had a walk around. They've built replica of the woodman's family homes. There some of the wheels they used on the tracks- they had to be wider, as did the tracks, to prevent the lines sinking into the sand. A board walk leads through the forest. Out guide explained the trees, plants, and history of the place. We passed a few walkers too. Would be a nice lace to come walking. It's possible to walk from one end of the island to the other. Only takes 7 days. Then you have to walk back. I wonder if there's a water taxi you can get?

Back down to the beach and the rain came in! It started thundering down at us, lashing against the bus. We were introduced the the local ship wreck. She's an steel ship used as a luxury craft between Sydney and NZ, then a hospital ship during the war, an after a few years back at home before being sold as scrap, lost in a storm, deposited here, then used as target practice by the military forces. Exciting life story! Now mostly under the sand we could just see the rusted remains in the whistling wind and fierce rain. Still, I'd been swimming, so was already for getting wet!

The rain didn't relent at our penultimate stop either. Just a little creek for us to slowly paddle down. Only a few of us were again in the rain. It was actually beautiful and pleasant slowly swimming down through the overhanging vines and brush as he rain patterned down. Rain? It's only going to make things better! Can you tell I'm from Britain?

Out accommodation for the evening was at a place called Happy Valley. Beyond the dingo fences were a number of small houses and the pub we'd be staying at. I love staying at pubs- don't even have to walk home. Still, we were all knackered by 8pm. It was only by group effort that we decided to stay up until 9. Thank goodness we did. I got chatting to our driver-guide. Great guy. Used to be a zoo keeper. Then he helped breed reptiles for zoo collections. Helped out on croc farms at times. Done wildlife work. Owns a number of lizards and snakes now, his wife has alpacas, plus there's the dogs and cats. Great guy. Even if he did play us 70s disco throughout the day.

Day 40: Ulva Island

Thursday 14th January 

Bird watching on Ulva Island

Distance: boat, 2km, walked, 10km

Total distance: 5133km

Today I took a boat out to Ulva Island, a bird paradise. I watched Wekas digging for insects by the path, Kakas chew into trees for grubs, and Stewart Island Robins beg for food wherever one stopped- actually I even watched 3 Robins attack an old lady who'd fed one a crumb of her sandwich. They got away with a good chunk of crust!

Between the forest, my camera, and the constantly moving birds, however, I eventually gave up trying to photograph all that I saw. Some came very close, but my photos were never going to be as good as others, so I just happily ambled about, pausing in one spot for a while, trying to see and hear all I could.

I purchased a very useful little self guiding booklet before I came across. There a some very good guided tours, but it's nice to go out and explore these places alone, when I could be quiet and still. Having said that their guide could show them things I missed.

Here's a few photos from the booklet, for better check Google Images

In order

Brown creeper- heard, not seen

Tomtit- seen

Stewart Island robin-they hunt in packs

Bellbird- heard 

Stewart Island weka- seen many, had to disappoint an Ozzie to tell him it wasn't a kiwi

Silvereye- sitting on power lines yesterday 

Yellowhead- not seen

Kaka- they live in the hostel garden

South Island saddleback- seen! Beautiful 

Grey warbler- seen

Oystercatcher- seen, been told to "piss off" by angry parents who have little fluffy grey chicks at the moment

New Zealand Parakeet- seen! Far up in the trees, a pair, beautiful 

Shining cuckoo & long-tailed cuckoo- not seen either

Fantail- seen. A chick learning to fly landed at my feet yesterday 

Tui- seen loads

Rifleman- not seen

Morepork- not seen here, but saw on North Island 

New Zealand wood pigeon- seen. Looks fat, juicy, and beautiful. I can understand why the Moari loved them.

Stewart Island brown kiwi- others did today, I'm still working on it

YELLOWHEAD 

Day 39: Invercargill to Stewart Island

Wednesday 13th January 

Took the ferry to Stewart Island (I've left the South Island!) and landed on the birders paradise.

Distance: Bus to Bluff, 29km, Ferry ~40km

Total Distance: 5121km

There was a German kid going from the Southern Comfort hostel to Stewart Island so we set out together on a boring, neither grey nor blue, morning to take the bus out to Bluff. Along the way we chatted about our plans- like me he was going to do the little three day "Great Walk" of Stewart Island.

At the ferry our bags were packed away into large steel tubs and hoisted on board. We followed onto the little craft and found seats in the cabin with a table.

The start was rough, having to get out of the swell around Bluff before getting into the only slightly less turbulent Foveaux Strait. Outside the winds wiped up the surf as the boat hammered through the waves. We headed outside for photos and to try our sea legs, whilst chatting about how we were finally leaving the South Island and joking that we'd better look after the complimentary sick bags just in case.

Within an hour we reached the calmer waters of Stewart Island to disembark and set foot on a new land. There were already a multitude of birds in the sky and forest surrounded the little township of Oban, the one small community here.

We found our hostel, then went out to find the Department of Conservation building, getting the tickets for our walk accommodation. I dropped in to organise a ferry for the next day to Ulva Island, the largest island in the inlet by Oban, now virtually cleared of rats and deemed the best bird sactuary in the area.

The Kai Kart is on the next street serving the best Fish and Chips in all New Zealand. No kidding, we went for lunch and it was glorious. The seagulls looked at us expectantly as we tucked in, leaving nothing for them. The Germans in the hostel are presently talking about them as I write (in German- I'm able to get a few of the words, like "Fish und Chips")

We couldn't help laughing over lunch at the number of cars here. 400 people inhabit Oban. It's the only settlement on the island. There's maybe, including every side street, a total of 50km of road here, with the maximum travel distance between two places maybe being 10km, though Oban's only about 1/2km across the main centre. Yet there looks to be 200 cars. WHERE IS EVERYONE GOING??

Kind of surprised they haven't all just chipped in to buy 10 utes to leave for anyone wanting to move anything heavy. Not like anyone's going to steal them. I can understand the people further out having cars. I'm sure there's good reason for the rest, but still.

It's such a small place. And it's filled with cars! Half of them must be doing 2km per day! Oh well.

My German friend was starting the walk the next day so he went to pack as I went for a nap. I hit the hay pretty hard and was awake just in time to make it next door to the island's cinema. Yeh, they have a cinema. A proper one. Small, but it has proper seats and a decent screen. They have short-film festivals and every day at 11am, 2pm, and 4pm show a 40 minute film about the island and its history, presented by the cinema owner's dog, Lola. In the foyer Lola sits patiently for photos and cuddles- there's a hall of fame of her with such big names as Prince Harry. Before the show started a couple of people lined up to use the "make your own popcorn" machine before Lola rang her a little bell, relieved a thin slice of carrot as a treat, and we all went to find our seats.

The film revolved around "stories from the pub", going back as far as when the Maori arrived, through early days of whaling, sealing, and forestry, to the setting up on Oban. For a while Stewart Island wasn't actually part of New Zealand. No one really noticed this for years. The islanders brought supplies in from Sydney and life went on. Yet without checks at the port into Oban, and no checks from Oban to the main islands there was a loop hole. This was used by a local Maori to smuggle in gunpowder and guns which were traded to Maori on the main islands, so that they could have the advantage in intertribal wars. The initial attempt to stop this failed due to the legal loophole. Thus the island had to be bought by New Zealand from the Maori, with certain exceptions in laws such as allowing the continued traditional harvest of Mutton Birds by the local tribe, and protection for the rest. And thus Stewart Island became part of New Zealand.

There were attempts her to farm cattle and sheep, but these weren't profitable. The locals funded and built there own fish processing plant, enabling the local catch to be frozen for export on the island, making this business significantly more profitable for the island. Now there are fish and mussel farms, as well as the summer tourism, which is built up around the fact that nearly the entire island is a reserve hosting the country's rarest birds, including 50,000 kiwi, and off shore the one island to still have Kakapo.

That evening I walked around nearly all of the paths on the western side of Oban, seeing the wharf where I would be leaving for Ulva Island the next day, and a few of the birds still flying around.

As I arrived back at the hostel I was met by a phenomenal sight- everyone was in the garden and surrounded by one of New Zealand's parrots, the Kaka. The large birds were taking food off the table and people's hands as we all took photos.

Photo from Google images. Sorry, none on my phone, only camera. If anyone wants to sponsor an upgrade to tech that allows for transfers I'm all for it

Day 34, 35, & 36: Hogwartz, Dunedin

Friday 8th, Saturday 9th, & Sunday 10th January

Bus to Dunedin, World's Steepest Street, Hogwartz!

Dunedin University City, Natural History Museum, Churches of Dunedin

Botanical Gardens, Aviary, Railway Station, Settlers' Museum, Speight's Brewery!

Distance: Bus Queenstown to Dunedin, 301km, Walking round Dunedin, ~15km

Total Distance: 4783km 

Dunedin's great! Why aren't more people going there!?!

Compared to the Kiwi Experience buses the "Bottom Bus" was a small older bus that reminded me of something from Forrest Gump. We travelled through a few small towns that had once thrived with the industry of Gold Mining now reduced to farming back waters or minor tourist destinations. One of these was Palmerston South- the southern counterpart to the town I leaved near on the north island, Palmerston North. They're not really connected in any way, but accidentally got the same name so became designated by their island. PS is no where near as big as PN. There's a monument on a hill over looking it to a local MP who was part of the negotiations as to where the capital city should be.

They also have a monument to the FIRST FROZEN MEAT EXPORT!

This was actually really important moment for NZ- frozen meat allowed more than just the tanned skins and fleeces could be exported. NZ had lots of animals it could profit from, but it was difficult to send them overseas. Suddenly carcasses could be sent to the rest of the world and the economy jumped and, unlike the early days with forestry, whaling, and gold, the farming economy was more stable and continued to provide revenue.

We came over the hill to Dunedin and, having expected a regular town, I was met with a city, speckled with medieval style churches, student flats, and university buildings.

We dropped in on the way in to Baldwin Street, the world's steepest street. At 19' it is very steep people were very bravely driving up the street or reversing out of their driveways. The houses either side have 1 storey at one side and 2 on the other. The council has used cement on most of the road to give traction when people drive up it. Must be a lot of people who come here- there's a refreshments stall half way up and a souvenir shop at the bottom. It's a street on a steep hill. I can live without the tshirt, thanks.

Time to go to Hogwartz!

Hogwartz was to be my hostel for the next 3 nights. It wasn't actually that Harry Potter themed- there was a little, but not a great deal. If that was all I'd gone for I would have been very disappointed. Yet I was also after somewhere nice to stay, with nice people, and nice surroundings- I really don't ask for much these days- and I really was very pleased with what I found.

The hostel was once a priory for the Catholic monks who went to the St Joseph's Church next door, which also has the nunnery on the opposite side. The design is the same as many of the buildings in Edinburgh, giving it, for me, a touch of home. There were many lovely people staying there and one of them, in my dorm, was a young man from the Australian army holidaying in NZ.

The Ozzie and I wanted to go see nearly all of the same things in Dunedin so for the next two days we went to things together, occasionally accompanied by an older Chinese guy.

DUNEDIN

The city was founded by Presbyterian communities from Scotland escaping religious persecution. They wanted to build a home from home and this Dunedin is based on Edinburgh. Dunedin is actually the Gaelic name for Edinburgh. It even has a Prince's Street and George Street, though they are not parallel, running along the same line, meeting in the Octagon, the central "square" of the city.

We end down to the Train Station, the most photographed building in New Zealand, one of the few still standing made of stone. Here there was a farmers' market so we bought fruit, bread, and salami at a surprisingly cheap rate- less than the supermarket!

From here we went on to the Natural History Museum. Being based on the University city of Edinburgh the founders of Dunedin invested heavily in the university here and the museum society, something I wasn't quite thinking of as we climbed the stairs.

"I've been to so many museums in New Zealand now I'm starting to feel kind of jaded. They all have the same sort of thing, I worry I'll get bored", I had to open my big mouth, of course. 

At this the museum employee just behind us piped up,

"Well we do have the Planetarium now, and there's the butterfly forest. If you go to the top of the  building we have the animal attic, New Zealand's biggest collection of stuffed animals." JACKPOT!

(I appreciate the killing and stuffing of many animals is not the done thing now, but they're over 100 years old and remain interesting.)

The museum did not disappoint. We not through the best displays of ancient Natural History of the country I've ever seen- even even better than Te Papa in Wellington, and I love Te Papa. Further up we found the animal rooms. The Empire apparently sent half of Noah's Ark here, although there was the occasional pair. Ozzie had done biology at university, and was thinking about doing marine biology here when he finished in the army, so we both had a significant interest in what we found.

There were also fossils of dinosaurs and Moa bones, a section about cultures of the world, including an Egyptian Mummy and a caste array of swords. Finally we made it to the special exhibit about Einstein before we left.

The university was just across the road, so we ducked in there. The students aren't in town right now, hence the quietness of the place, making our walk through both quick and boring. Excellent place, looked like somewhere I'd have enjoyed studying, yet without the people it was dead. 

Ozzie went for a run whilst I had a quick poke around the local churches.

These intrigue me as they are in the style of British churches- which are about twice the age of this nation. The time and skill to build these places is not easy to come by. The Sctos were determined though and they nearly got what they wanted. Nearly.

The church by the Octagon has a very plain back to it, incorporating the altar. This is entirely at odds to its front and midsection, which is decorated with all the usual details of a British church. Turns out they ran out of money after the First World War, and building ceased. It wasn't completed until 1971! I met a man who's father-in-law had been the architect. They had never had the money to match the architecture of the rest of the church, so he'd decided upon a simple, plain design, yet one that matched with the overall outline of the building. For all that it's unusual, the design does work, preventing the building from being an ugly mess it might otherwise have been.

The other church I went to was St Josef's. The Catholic Church had managed to build a similarly impressive structure, and had even completed it. However it was not as large as the original plans. The ground plans, like many churches in Britain, show the shape of a cross. Only the foot of the cross was built, the arms being missed out. It's still large and lovely though.

That evening the Chinese guy brought out his special green tea brought from China. We discussed methods and theories around tea making, as well as different forms of tea. His green tea was lovely, and we drank away the evening discussing New Zealand and our travels here.

On my second day we went, Pommy, Ozzie, and Chinese, to the Botanic Gardens. We took a frizz bee with us and had an hour in the sun and wind trying not to entirely destroy the garden. It got lost in a tree once, into the rose garden a couple of times, and then as I fished it out of a bush a bee stung my foot. Man down, man down! We ended the game there and went into the tropical glass house.

The tropical house was amazing- the Chinese guy and I took lots of pictures of the beautiful flowers and he told us stories of what could be used for different types of tea.

We trundled around the rest of the gardens, seeing the duck, the tree, and up to the Aviary. I've seen a few Botanical Gardens with Aviaries here, but none as large as Dunedin's. As well as an array of rare species they had many different parrots that were all entertaining.

Ozzie went off of the museum again, Chinese went to go have a sit down and make tea, and I went off to go see the Settlers' Museum. It was diverse and had a lot more about the actual people who were the first European people here than many other museums I've seen. There was even a mock wattle-and-daube cottage showing how the first settler's lived, and a reconstruction of the sort of cabin they would have had on the voyage here.

I stopped in at the Railway station afterwards. Only scenic tourist trains go through now, no public trains. Within there is now a large cafe, a museum, and an excellent and cheap art gallery- paintings by the local art society for 1/10th of the price you'd pay elsewhere. I nearly bought a $50 rabbit-the artist had done great work on the eyes, I've done many eyes, they're hard- the results are either terrible or amazing, and these were amazing.

There was one space left on the 7pm Speight's Brewery Tour, so Ozzie and I took them up. We were guided around NZ's oldest working brewery, got an education (Mr Speight was from Wakefield, near my home. He might have even been to my high school.), before making it down to the bar. Free beers! Many many free beers! And as the last tour we got in some extra, after hours, time! The glasses were tiny, but we kept at it and came away with a slight stumble. 

I didn't make it to the Castle, which disappoints me, but it's not a real castle, I think I'll be able to leave it for next time. Sounds good though.

Day 28: Full bus from Franz to Wanaka

Monday 2nd January 

Bus to Wanaka via Fox Glacier, Dolphins, a reflective lake, and Blue Lagoon

Distance: bus, 278km

Total Distance: 4357km

We were all due to get up early for the bus. My dorm mates got up especially early, however, probably because of the very nice guy from Sheffield who has asthma couldn't stop snoring and none of us were really sleeping anyway.  Didn't matter, we had 4 hours on the bus to catch up on sleep.

There were more people for the bus than seats. Oops, someone in the office had mucked up. I was last on the list, but there were 4 who had been subsequently added. 3 crazy Australians and a German who's birthday it was. Well, we couldn't leave them behind! The German took the courier's seat at the front by the driver. One Ozzie sat next to him on the step coming down from the aisle. And at my feet, in the central aisle, the other two Ozzies found a comfortable place to lie down and sleep off their hang overs.

We drove out of Franz towards Fox Glacier. Our driver made a "wrong" turn, ending up on a gravel track between two farms, giving us all spectacular views on the Fox Glacier.

Returning to the correct route we got to a lake so flat it, on a good day, gives a perfect mirror image of the mountains beyond. The drizzle set in as we got there- not enough to ruin the day, just enough to make our reflections hazy. 

As we got further along the coast we passed a cove where two guys were enjoying the uneven weather with a spot of surfing. Someone noticed a couple of fins. We parked up. There in the waves were a family of dolphins. Hector's Dolphins, one of the world's rarest with only an estimated 175 left. We must have seen most of them! They were playing in the waves, or swimming as a group further out. We saw little but their tiny black dorsal fins, but enough to make the bus excited.

The Blue Lagoon is formed as melted glacier water runs down from the mountains and enters an old waterfall pool just before joining the river. The is now a bridge above the pool. A short walk took us down to where a large group of Germans and Brits were throwing themselves off the perfectly good swing bridge and into the freezing cold, refreshing, waters below. Our crazy Ozzies joined them, but even they said, whilst good to do once, not again. Not ever again.

The landscape changed dramatically as we passed over from the western Southern Alps to the eastern Southen Alps. We left Jurassic Park behind and finally emerged in Rohan of Middle-Earth, aka the Scottish Highlands on steroids. Gone were the rainforests produced by the rain coming off the Tasman Sea, replaced by scrubby grasslands of sheep, rocks, and lakes.

We made it to Wanaka, the town by Lake Wanaka. A beautiful place which advertises itself as "The World's First Protected Lifestyle Reserve"...which goes on to sound like a game reserve for the middle classes, or the village from Hot Fuzz. There's a few communities in New Zealand that feel, to me, like that's what they want- and you can't blame them. If I lived in some where this beautiful, with so few tourists, and especially with the raucous Queenstown next door, I'd want to keep it as it is.

Some how there were people I knew here from the Bay of Islands and other parts of my trip, so we went out together for an evening meal and drink. It's amazing how often one meets the same people time and again here!