At Rotorua we attended a Maori Concert done by ansester of the ancient Maori people group. They prepared a dinner for us where the meat and vegetables were cooked in hot rocks underground.
While there we saw bubbling mud pots and erupting geysers.
Monday, January 23, 2017
January 22, 2017
Today we took two short one hour flights. First flight from Queenstown to Christchurch. Then Christchurch to Rotorua.
At Rotorua we attended a Maori Concert done by ansester of the ancient Maori people group. They prepared a dinner for us where the meat and vegetables were cooked in hot rocks underground.
While there we saw bubbling mud pots and erupting geysers.
At Rotorua we attended a Maori Concert done by ansester of the ancient Maori people group. They prepared a dinner for us where the meat and vegetables were cooked in hot rocks underground.
While there we saw bubbling mud pots and erupting geysers.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
January 21,2017
Second day here in Queenstown. This is a young persons town where you can try all sorts of extreme sports. The reason you can do high risk activities is there is no suing here and they have a policy where anyone hurt will get a fair settlement.
So we went on a 4-wheel drive van that took us on an off road trail through the mountains. While on this trail we saw white water rafting, hang gliding, parasailing, motor-cross biking, and jet boat rides.
In the afternoon it turned cold and rainy, but we did try fergburgers.( A famous hamburger that was so large we could share it )
So we went on a 4-wheel drive van that took us on an off road trail through the mountains. While on this trail we saw white water rafting, hang gliding, parasailing, motor-cross biking, and jet boat rides.
In the afternoon it turned cold and rainy, but we did try fergburgers.( A famous hamburger that was so large we could share it )
Friday, January 20, 2017
January 20, 2017
7:30 a.m. We got in out motor coach to drive to Milford Sound (4 hour trip one way) Milford Sound is a point in New Zealand hard to get to. A beautiful drive this morning. When we arrived we took a nature lunch cruise through breathtaking fjords. Weather was very nice but cool.
We walked through a rain forest. Saw sea lions, dolphins,
and and kea parrots.
We walked through a rain forest. Saw sea lions, dolphins,
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
January 19,2017 Thursday
Checked out of our hotel ( Sir Edmund Hillary) this hotel is run by the national park service. Never saw Mount Cook; the tallest mountain in New Zealand (12,285 feet) where 138 have died trying to climb it. It costs 6,000 dollars to hire a guide to guide you up the mountain. In these times they fly you to the base and you start early in the morning around 1 a.m. you then have 12 hours to get to the top and 12 hours to get down. Since it's a nationa park you can try it on your own but it is not advised.
We left Mount Cook and headed for Queenstown. Along the way we saw grazing sheep, dairy cows and many flowering lupines along the roadside.
Made stops along the way at a winery. An ice cream and fruit market where we purchased fresh apricots, cherries, and yellow kiwi.
We made a quick stop at the first bungy-jump area in New Zealand. Our tour guide asked us if anyone wanted to jump. Most of us are retired and we were happy to just watch. I did take a video and will included it in a video that I plan to make when we return. You see the girl jumping, they weigh you 3 times, then attach ropes to your angles, and you jump off. When you have stopped bouncing a little boat comes over with a long pole you grab it and you are gently lowered into the boat.
Before getting into Queenstown we toured a small mining town called Arrowtown. Arrowtown was an old cold rush town in the late 1880's
We are now in Queenstown and will be here for 3 nights. I circled all the towns we will be going to here on the South Island.
We left Mount Cook and headed for Queenstown. Along the way we saw grazing sheep, dairy cows and many flowering lupines along the roadside.
Made stops along the way at a winery. An ice cream and fruit market where we purchased fresh apricots, cherries, and yellow kiwi.
We made a quick stop at the first bungy-jump area in New Zealand. Our tour guide asked us if anyone wanted to jump. Most of us are retired and we were happy to just watch. I did take a video and will included it in a video that I plan to make when we return. You see the girl jumping, they weigh you 3 times, then attach ropes to your angles, and you jump off. When you have stopped bouncing a little boat comes over with a long pole you grab it and you are gently lowered into the boat.
Before getting into Queenstown we toured a small mining town called Arrowtown. Arrowtown was an old cold rush town in the late 1880's
We are now in Queenstown and will be here for 3 nights. I circled all the towns we will be going to here on the South Island.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
January 18, 2017
Well we are here at the highest mountain in New Zealand but have not seen it and won't. so I took some photos of photos. This happened in Alaska and we didn't see Mount Mc Kinley either.
So today we have seen many excellent films on climbing Mt Cook and the daring rescues that have saved lives of climbers in trouble on the mountain.
We saw a firm of the life of Sir Edmond Hillary who was from New Zealand and the first to climb Mouny Everest
in the 1953.
We have also been reading books and Alan has been keeping up on his bible study fellowship work.
So today we have seen many excellent films on climbing Mt Cook and the daring rescues that have saved lives of climbers in trouble on the mountain.
We saw a firm of the life of Sir Edmond Hillary who was from New Zealand and the first to climb Mouny Everest
We have also been reading books and Alan has been keeping up on his bible study fellowship work.
January 17-18
Took a motor coach tour of Christchurch where in 2011 they had a massive earthquake which killed 185 people. The white chairs symbolize the people who died that day when the building they were working in collapsed. There is still a lot of workers rebuilding buildings. We visited a shopping center made out of shipping crates. Also saw a church made out of shipping crates and cardboard.
We stopped at a sheep farm and observed the owner shearing sheep. He and his son operate a farm with 4,000 sheep and 180 cattle and fed no grain. So these aninimals had to survive on grazing the land for their feed.
We ended our day at the Sir Hillary center where New Zealand's highest mountain Mount Cook is located. It was raining when we arrived and is raining today too. Not able to see Mount Cook. This hotel was named after an adventurer named Edmond Hillary. He used this mountain to prepare himself to climb Mount Everest 67 years ago.
We stopped at a sheep farm and observed the owner shearing sheep. He and his son operate a farm with 4,000 sheep and 180 cattle and fed no grain. So these aninimals had to survive on grazing the land for their feed.
We ended our day at the Sir Hillary center where New Zealand's highest mountain Mount Cook is located. It was raining when we arrived and is raining today too. Not able to see Mount Cook. This hotel was named after an adventurer named Edmond Hillary. He used this mountain to prepare himself to climb Mount Everest 67 years ago.
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