 | |
South Island
November 23: Christchurch, New Zealand
As always, click the thumbnails to see enlarged and clearer versions of the
photos...
|
|
|
|
 |
|
This strange juxtaposition inhabits a
central square in Christchurch. |
Christchurch
is the gateway to Antarctica. Outside the museum dedicated to the
southernmost continent, we took a very bumpy ride in these specialized
vehicles over some simulated Antarctic terrain.
|
Christchurch
also has museum featuring Maori art.
|
|
 |
 |
Christchurch's
Botanical Gardens served as an introduction to the natural beauty of New
Zealand.
|
November 24: Mount Cook
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Our tour today
included
Fairlie,
and Burkes Pass to Lake Tekapo, with Lupine-studded scenes like the one
above. |
From Lake
Tekapo we took a light aircraft over Mount Cook.
|
The
views between Mount Cook and our landing in Glenntanner Park were such as
you see above.
|
November 25: Milford Sound
 |
 |
|
|
|
After a five-hour scenic bus ride from
Queenstown, we reached Milford Sound, where we took a cruise, from which
we saw the above views and a lone penguin. The penguins we saw here were
perhaps only a third the size of the Emperor penguins shown in The March
of the Penguins. |
November 26: "Lord of the Rings" Tour, Walter Peak, and
Queenstown
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
This morning took us on a "Lord of
the Rings" tour, i.e. a trip through some of the areas used in Peter
Jackson's film trilogy. The panorama at the top of this page was also made
on the tour. |
In the
afternoon we took the TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakatipu to the island
Walter Peak, where we got this view back to the lake.
|
At
Walter Peak, we got a course in sheep herding and shearing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
After Walter Peak we returned to
Queenstown for the Skyline Gondola view of Lake Wakatipu, the city
itself, and a hang glider above. |
At
Walter Peak, we got a course in sheep herding and shearing.
|
November 27: Franz Josef Glacier Tour; November 28: Greymouth &
Transalpine
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
This morning we saw a lot of countryside
on our nearly-all-day trip to Franz Josef Glacier, a sample of which is
shown above. |
Finally in
late afternoon we reached the glacier itself.
|
Yep,
it's kinda big.
|
Leaving Franz
Josef Glacier the next morning, we went through the country pictured
above, arriving at Greymouth. |
From there we
took the Transalpine train through spectacular views, back to Christchurch
for our last night on the South Island. |
Click here to continue to the North Island, the
conclusion of our Australia and New Zealand tour in 2005.
|
