Queenstown

We returned to Queenstown around 3:30pm from our Doubtful Sound journey. All of us had fallen asleep on the bus ride back, which was probably for the best since we got a very early start on Saturday (thanks to the sound of the ship engines starting at 6:15 this morning). Sarah, her dad and Judy headed to a pub to grab a drink, I marched over to the Sofitel to resolve the booking issue we had on Thursday. They were pretty helpful this time, gave us our rooms right away and threw in a bunch of free perks for the trouble a couple days ago. I met up with the other three to deliver the good news, including that we’d all been booked in the Sofitel’s hammam for 7pm, after a free two-hour open bar. Not a bad way to conclude the Doubtful Sound adventure!

Pre-steam selfie with the family.

Once we were cleaned up, we walked down to the harbor for some dinner. Though it had been overcast most of the day, the clouds parted just before sunset – giving us some great views.

Sunset on the beach in Queenstown.

The sunset view of Queenstown harbor.

We grabbed some gelato from Mrs. Ferg’s on the way to the hotel, then settled into a deep, restful sleep.

We had a leisurely morning today, culminating with a free breakfast at the Sofitel (their last olive branch for the debacle on Thursday). Our excitement did not last long though, because it was time to say goodbye to Michael and Judy. We helped them load their bags into a cab, then they headed to the airport to begin the long journey back to the US. Sarah and I both really enjoyed the family time over the last 11 days and we think (hope) we showed Michael and Judy a good time while they were with us!

Not long after we parted ways, Sarah and I decided to get a little physical activity and took a hike up Queenstown Hill. We knew it would be a bit of a challenging hike, but neither of us were quite prepared for just how steep the ascent turned out to be. At least the views from the top were as good as promised!

En route to the top we saw a bunch of New Zealand’s Purple Flowering Hebe.

Lake Wakatipu.

Looking down on Queenstown.

We’re pretty sure this was Michael and Judy’s plane (squint and you can see it near the left of the shot). It was definitely Air New Zealand, it was flying west and it took off about the right time. Given that there are only a handful of commercial flights in and out of Queenstown each day, we think we have a good chance of being right!

Once we were back in town, we took a breather on the beach.

We walked around some shops in town for a few hours, but the weather only got worse as the day went on. Just before it started really pouring rain, Sarah and I grabbed some food to take back to our hotel and decided to call it a night. Tomorrow we’ll pick up our rental car and drive to Wanaka, the first stop on our mini-road trip up New Zealand’s west coast.

Doubtful Sound

The flight from Christchurch to Queenstown was about as carefree as our last domestic New Zealand flight: no ID checks necessary and no liquid restrictions (which was good because we still had a bottle of rosé from our vineyard tour). The flight was so quick that we barely had a chance to drink our free glass of water before we were descending into the mountains around Queenstown. We all agreed it is one of the most scenic airports we’ve ever seen - and the crystal clear sky didn’t hurt!

Very fun to watch the descent out the window (yes, I am a child when it comes to airplanes).

We grabbed our bags and headed into town. We were supposed to be staying at the Sofitel, but (to make a long, boring story very short) there was a mix-up with our booking and we had to find another place to stay. We settled into the Best Western, one of the only options available last minute, and walked to town to explore and grab dinner.

Downtown Queenstown is very nice – lots of shops, restaurants, bars and very clean – so we strolled around for a bit before eating dinner at Lone Star. As the name might suggest, this is a meat-heavy restaurant, which was just fine with us. I got the “big boy” portion of ribs (because who really wants to order the “little boy” version of anything?). I needed help finishing it…

The “Big Boy” ribs – I think they get their portion sizes from Texas…

We went home full and sleepy, excited for our trip to Doubtful Sound.

On Friday at 8am we began the first leg of our journey to Doubtful Sound. Our friendly bus driver / guide Barry drove us from Queenstown to Manapouri and provided commentary on the beautiful scenery we were driving past. We stopped for coffee half way at a small café that also had some great views of the mountains.

Wonder if this goat will ever realize just how good his daily views are?

Private road across from the café – pretty nice!

After about another hour of driving we were at Manapouri, where we would catch our first boat of the day across Lake Manapouri to its West Arm. We had a picnic lunch here before boarding and enjoyed just taking in the surrounding scenery.

Almost to Manapouri with a few minutes to spare, Barry pulled over so we could take some pictures.

Group shot.

Glad these guys showed up after we ate (they helped themselves to some of our boat-mates' lunches mid-meal - they must be used to people showing up every day I guess).

Our first boat boarded promptly at 12:30 and we set off on the 50 minute voyage across Lake Manapouri. It was VERY windy, but the decision to sit on the top, open deck proved well worth it - the views were amazing (and we're not even at Doubtful Sound yet)!

Making our way across Lake Manapouri. You can tell how windy it was - just look at all the whitecaps!

We stopped to pull into a cove with a waterfall along the way.

The next stage of our journey took us by bus over Wilmot Pass. It was a pretty steep drive - both the ascent and decent had such intense grades that we weren't sure our bus was the right vehicle for the road. Our light-hearted driver Alan reassured us that he "Passed his driving test yesterday!" When we reached the pass we were treated to great views of Doubtful Sound below.

Doubtful Sound.

When we reached the bottom of the very steep hill to Doubtful Sound, we boarded the Fiordland Navigator, our home for the night. The crew gave us a safety briefing then helped us into our not-so-spacious cabin - good thing we'll be spending most of our time on deck looking at the scenery!

Cabin for four - time to REALLY get to know my in-laws!

We left our overnight bags in the cabin, grabbed our cameras and headed out on deck. The Navigator had a nature guide on board to make sure we saw all the important sights, though the spectacular views were hard to miss!

Crusin' on Doubtful Sound.

Looking back on the Sound from the Tasman Sea.

We spotted some seals lounging on a rock (except for those two playing).

After several hours sailing around the Sound (which is a fiord, technically, by the way), we anchored in a calmer area of water to do some kayaking. The Navigator offered three water activities for those interested: tender boat rides (we all passed), kayaking (we all participated) and swimming, which they advertise as "for the brave only." Michael and I decided we were brave enough for the cold water in the fiord - good thing they had hot showers available for us right after we got out!

We anchored in Bradshaw Sound, one of the "arms" off of Doubtful Sound.

Ready for kayaking.

Michael and Judy beat us to it!

Father-in-law / son-in-law bonding.

After we warmed up it was time for dinner. The food was definitely one of our biggest surprises to the upside on the journey - we were expecting to get great views of the Sound, but we didn't expect the food to be so amazing! We ended the evening with a bottle of wine and a few card games before settling into our cozy cabin for the night.

We woke up this morning to overcast skies. Apparently we were quite lucky to have the clear weather yesterday - it rains two out of three days here. Fortunately we didn't get any rain though, just a mistier perspective on the Sound. It had a quieter, eerier feeling as we cruised around this morning and the water looked particularly black due to the depth of the water (over 1,000 feet in many places) and overcast skies.

Cloudy day on Doubtful Sound.

Exploring Hall Arm, the furthest point away from the Tasman Sea on Doubtful Sound.

By 10am we had docked in the harbor at Deep Cove and we disembarked for our return journey to Queenstown. Our cruise around Doubtful Sound was definitely a highlight of our time in New Zealand (and the trip overall)! A real bucket list experience!

Christchurch

Wednesday morning we woke up early and headed to the Blenheim train station to catch our bus to Christchurch. We'd heard the coastal drive was beautiful and that post-earthquake Christchurch was worth a visit so we bypassed a flight direct to Queenstown in favor of a more scenic trip.

The bus ride was a little bumpy and the weather wasn't perfect but we were treated to some pretty great views on the drive down the south island's eastern shore. We stopped in Kaikoura briefly for lunch (not great - someone really should open a fast sandwich shop there!) and a few snapshots of the water.

Waterway along the coast of Kaikoura.

The rocky beaches nearby were pretty empty.

This was the coastal drive we had in mind!

The whole journey took about five hours and we were definitely ready to exit the bus once we arrived in Christchurch mid-afternoon. We grabbed a taxi to our B&B for the night, Designer Cottage, and were charmed by the historic setting and lovely rooms. Our host Steve was super helpful in getting us settled and we'd definitely recommend a stay here if you ever stop in Christchurch.

After dropping off our bags - and armed with a map and restaurant recommendations - we headed to the city center to explore for a bit. We knew about the devastating 2010 and 2011 earthquakes but walking around the demolished city was still very sobering. Nearly all of the high-rise buildings and hotels have been demolished and the rebuild seems to be going very slowly. Additionally the city feels almost eerie after 5pm - very few people and not many open shops or restaurants.

The badly damaged cathedral.

We liked browsing through the re:start container mall and checking out the historic Canterbury Cathedral but felt somewhat like disaster gawkers while examining the ruins. We met some really friendly people in Christchurch so can only hope that the recovery continues and the city regains its footing.

Before the temperature started to drop we moseyed over to the Botanical Gardens for a while. The grounds have been nicely preserved and we even saw a few people enjoying the lawn for an evening picnic.

At the suggestion of our host Steve ("If you only have one night, head here...") we ended up at Café Valentino for dinner. Known for its lamb and meat dishes, the restaurant did not disappoint - we all had meat-laden entrees that were tender and delicious.

Two very happy customers!

We walked off a little of our feast on the way home and warmed up with some tea before calling it a night.

Thursday morning was overcast so instead of doing more sightseeing Alex and I headed to a nearby cafe to catch up on the computer and sip flat whites. We had a great lunch at the new The Colombo and are heading back to meet my dad and Judy now. Next stop: Queenstown!

Marlborough

The InterIslander Ferry is not shy to publicize favorable reviews of its service and it's not hard to find Wine Spectator's opinion in the ferry terminal: "It must be one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world." Interislander takes it a step further: "The journey is even better than getting there." I wouldn't go that far, but I definitely agree that it is a spectacular ferry ride across Cook Straight to the Marlborough region. We had great weather - the day seemed to get less and less cloudy as we got further away from Wellington - and the three hour voyage was easily spent gazing out the window (or out on the deck when the wind allowed).

Pulling out of Wellington Harbor.

Pencarrow Lighthouse

Entering Queen Charlotte Sound.

Once the ship docked in Picton, we met our shuttle bus driver (he had a white sign with Sarah’s name on it – Judy though this was particularly cool) and headed into Blenheim. Blenheim is a small town where many tourists stay when visiting the Marlborough wine region. So, naturally, the town consists of many inns and restaurants. Once we’d settled into ours – the aptly named 171 on High Street – we walked into town to find dinner. Despite the “No Vacancy” signs at many of the local accommodations, we saw almost no one as we strolled around Seymour Square.

Practically had the place to ourselves.

We settled on Scotch for dinner – it was packed (as opposed to many of the other restaurants) and was featuring a special Monday night burger and beer special. Say no more. We all enjoyed burgers and beers then headed back to our inn for some sleep.

I woke up early this morning to get a run in before a day of wine tasting. Sarah and her dad followed suit about the same time I got back. After taking turns in the shower and making coffee runs, we were ready to check out the vineyards. Sarah and I had such a great time doing a wine tour by bike in Mendoza that we booked a similar tour here. We were picked up in a van, dropped off in the middle of all the vineyards with some bikes and given a map of all the vineyards we could choose to visit.

The weather started out very pleasant, but turned a little cooler and windier as the day wore on. Fortunately, all the tastings along the way helped shield us from the elements! We visited four vineyards and a brewery over the course of the afternoon; our favorite was Wairau River.

We’re ready to go!

Wairau River Vineyard. We stopped here for lunch too since it was such a beautiful setting.

Post-lunch picture (including Michael’s new favorite wine, Reserve Viognier) at Wairau River.

Another vineyard we stopped at was Hans Herzog – we didn’t care for the wines much, but the grounds were very nice!

Hans Herzog is an organic winery and features less-manicured vineyards.

A rooster statue near the main dining room.

Clearly there is a strongly positive correlation between number of wine tastings and maturity…

We returned to our pick-up point by 5pm, exhausted. The morning runs and 10+ miles on the bikes had taken their toll on us (though Sarah and I were extremely impressed with Michael and Judy's athleticism all day!) We returned to our inn to rest up before dinner. None of us wanted to walk far, so we chose Mango, an Indian BYO restaurant close by. The food was good and hearty, and different from what we’re used to eating. (Sarah and I both couldn’t think of a time when we had Indian food so far on our trip so this was a nice change).

We walked back to our inn – though not before Judy could get some dessert at Scotch! – and went to bed. Tomorrow we take a bus to Christchurch. The drive along the coast is supposed to be very nice so we’re looking forward to that (and resting our tired legs in a bus seat for a few hours!).

Wellington

Traveling from Auckland to Wellington on Saturday was a breeze – we walked right through security and were actually never once asked to provide ID. After all of the crazy travel stories we have accumulated, our foursome was pretty shocked that no one cared to look at our passports! Safe to say domestic New Zealand travel has been pretty straightforward so far…

At check-in we realized our hotel had a huge gym, swimming pool and spa so we headed straight to the fitness center to take advantage of these newfound amenities. After a refreshing workout we got cleaned up and headed to Courtenay Place for a late meal. Given the hour, the scene was more bar-oriented than dinner-focused, but we stumbled across a quiet café still serving food: Big Dogs. While the service was pretty slow – especially given we were the only diners – we all really enjoyed our entrees and agreed that it “really hit the spot” (a favorite phrase of Judy’s).

Sunday morning we stopped at a nearby Starbucks (which will now be serving flat whites back in the States – check it out!) before taking the cable car from Lambton Quay up to Kelburn for views of Wellington.

View of Oriental Bay and downtown Wellington.

Once we got off the cable car we spent a few leisurely hours walking down the hill and exploring the Botanical Gardens.

Wellington is very hilly and we kept stopping to notice the beautiful homes nestled in the nearby trees.

View of the rose garden. We had a perfect day for taking a slow stroll through the park.

Alex stalked a bumblebee to capture this shot!

The path through the Botanical Gardens winds through The Bolton Street Memorial Park before ending in the city center. We hadn’t realized it was nearly 2pm so we walked quickly to Cuba Street in search of a lunch spot and quickly selected a cute café called Floriditas for delicious salads and pastrami sandwiches (I think my dad and Judy’s willingness to share meals has really worked in my favor with Alex recently).

After lunch we walked down Cuba Street and checked out some of the local shops before returning to the hotel for a rest (and another workout) before dinnertime. The sun was setting so we decided to grab a drink across the street by the waterfront.

Looking out across the bay.

Posing in shades of blue.

After enjoying a beverage outside we headed to Boulcott Street Bistro for dinner. Unfortunately, the restaurant had closed its kitchen for the evening so we walked to another nearby cafe I had heard about but they were only serving bar food! Tired and hungry we ended up eating at our hotel restaurant, Chameleon. While we did not plan to dine there, we were pleasantly surprised: the food was amazing and each dish was presented like a work of art.

Definitely the fanciest meal we have had while traveling!

Monday morning we packed up and headed over to the nearby Te Papa Museum for a few hours. The museum is beautifully designed and we enjoyed learning a bit more about New Zealand’s history and the people who live here.

The ceiling of Te Marae, the place of the Maori spiritual origins. This spiritual idea of Hawaiki means all people can regard the Marae as a place for them to stand ‒ a place to which they can belong.

The museum also has a rotating modern art exhibit so we checked out this piece by Bill Culbert. Not really my style but still cool to see.

After soaking up a little culture, we had a speedy lunch at The Crab Shack before catching our ferry to Blenheim, our next stop in New Zealand.