on the road - part 1

Wanaka

So my man has arrived, and we are on the road.

He flew into Queenstown airport and while I waited to collect him I considered how much more I might enjoy going shopping if I had a view like this.

Specsavers -   a sight for sore eyes

The sun shone and the mountains have their first sprinkling of snow.

Cornflakes

We have a vehicle and some cornflakes.

We have bacon and some eggs.

We have a long drive ahead.

From the south of South island, via Westland and the north of South island then on to North Island.

Via places with no wi-fi or central heating, and an outdoor bath, complete with gas lamp.

bath with log-fire-controlled water temperature

Hard to write when on the road, especially when OH is sitting behind me asking me why I haven't written my blog recently…………

I have advised him to read The Luminaries, in the hope that it will keep him busy for an hour or two so that I can put fingers to keyboard and sort out some photos. It is set on the west coast of New Zealand in gold mining times, and won the Booker Prize.

He checks the newspapers on his iPad and informs me that this weekend in the UK will be a 'sizzler' and that the number of sausages eaten will stretch three times around the M25.

I ask him what newspaper he is reading ……..

I'll let you guess that one



Later he asks me what sprig muslin is………  I admit my ignorance

and then what  phillumeny is 

and later a lucifer

My ignorance is being surely tested.


I am beginning to wish he wasn't reading The Luminaries .


                                                                 *******


We are enjoying the bird life in New Zealand.

as usual, they remain elusive

Wekas are more amenable to sightings

Pukeko are everywhere, and rather elegant

Pukeko ( swamp hens)  are everywhere but the only Kiwi we have seen is on a plate.

Kiwi

We have travelled from the autumn colours of central Otago and Queenstown to the lush temperate rainforest of Abel Tasman national park.

Autumn in Queenstown

Autumn in Genorchy

Via the greys of the west coast glaciers and the Tasman sea at Punakaiki.

danger of rock fall

Franz Josef Glacier

Punakaiki seascape

Today we had blue skies and frost. Perfect weather for tramping.


The water taxi dropped us off……..

Aqua taxi

and we strolled along the coast.

Abel Tasman national park

All in all, a perfect day.

Marahau, gateway to the Abel Tasman track

And just when we were least expecting it, we saw two penguins.