Down Under 2025 - Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier, New Zealand. 12/14-February-2025.

Table of Contents:

• All posts
• Introduction, 05-February-2025
• Sydney, 06/09-February-2025
• Cromwell, 09/12-February-2025
• Fox Glacier, 12/14-February-2025 
• Christchurch, 14/16-February-2025 
• Blenheim, 16/19-February-2025 
• Wellington, 19/23-February-2025 
• Napier, 23/26-February-2025 
• Taupo, 26/27-February-2025 
• Auckland, 27-February/03-March-2025
• Sydney, 03/05-March-2025

Wednesday 12. Today saw us leaving the lovely town of Cromwell and driving 4 hours via the Haast Pass through mountains and forest to Fox Glacier on the west coast where we would stay for a couple of days. Fascinating to see the changes in farming and vegetation throughout the journey: from vines and fruit trees in the Cromwell basin to cattle and wheat as we climbed up and then to national parks of trees, palms and ferns on the western side.

There were lots of photo opportunities on the route. First stop Lake Hawea, about an hour from Cromwell.

Second stop shortly after was Lake Wanake. Text from an explanatory plaque: 

• Several times during the past million years this area has been covered by glaciers which carved out the surrounding valleys and scooped out the basin of Lake Wanaka.
• The highest level reached by the ice was about 3000ft above lake level. 
• Several rounded rocky hills in view are ice-sculptured and Pigeon and Ram Islands were part of a partly submerged ridge dividing the loe stream A small branch of the Hawea glacier Joinep the Wanaka glacier by way of the Neck the narrow strip of land separating Lakes Wanaka and Hawea. 
• Glacial action and down-cutting of the Cluthe River dropped the lake level thus forming a series of beaches clearly visible at several points around the lake. 
• As the 30 mile long lake is 1000ft deep its bottom is below sea level. 
• In early days a Maori camp was situated nearby but was abandoned after raids in 1836. 
• Minaret Station is in Minaret Bay behind the low rocky hill across the lake. 
• Until 1860 beech forest covered the lower slopes.

Third stop after about two hours from Cromwell was Fantail Falls. Starting to see real differences in the vegetation. The short path that leads to the falls is bordered by trees covered in lichen.

Thursday 13. Our first full day in Fox Glacier did not go according to plan. The booked e-bike & hike to the Fox Glacier was cancelled, due to lack of numbers. When we woke up we understood why - low cloud / mist meant there was nothing to see. 

Instead we did two walks: first a circuit of Lake Matheson and then a Glacier View Walk (without the view).

The paths around Lake were broad, gentle and well maintained taking us through temperate rain forest with regular little plaques telling us what trees and plants we were looking at.

This was a scary suspension bridge that bounced and swung from side to side. It was an opportunity to channel your inner Indiana Jones!

The paths were lined with lush vegetation. Not sure if this was lichen or moss.

On first landing in Queenstown we described New Zealand a like the Lake District on steroids. These were ferns on steroids. I can see why the fern is the symbol of New Zealand. 

We had seen these plants on the roadsides on our drive here and thought they were papery flowers but closer look shows they are cobwebs.

Matheson Lake is normally noted for its reflections of the mountains but this was as good as we got due to the mists.

“There is a way that nature speaks, that the land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.” Linda Hogan. 

In the afternoon we did the Glacier View Walk. It was very similar to the Lake Matheson walk well laid out but steeper.

We were hoping the mist might have burned off but when we got to the viewpoint the glacier was still shrouded in cloud. There is a glacier up there somewhere!

Friday 14. Woke up to lovely weather so managed to grab a couple of views before setting off up the west coast. This shows the contrast between yesterday and today at Lake Matheson: views of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook.

We then drove from Fox Glacier to Greymouth to pick up the Tranzalpine (sic) Express over the alps to Christchurch.

This was planned as one of the highlights of the trip through some stunning scenery with spectacular views on mountains, ravines and rivers! The train company have an app which tracks your journey and provides regular, informative snippets like mini-podcasts on points of interest: towns we passed through, history of the area, geology, building of the railway itself, etc.

View of Lake Moana from the train. 

Hills, gorges and viaducts on the train journey.

En route our Booking.com host sent a message claiming maintenance issues at our apartment and switched us to a different apartment further from the centre of Christchurch. The new accommodation was a very smart two bed apartment but not within easy walking distance of anywhere. 

We had planned to eat out for a Valentine’s meal but because of the change in location we ended up dining in with a meal of penne and a jar of sauce purchased from a local convenience store that was just managed to get in to as the owner was pulling down its shutters at 8:30. Still we washed it down with a pricy bottle of delicious Pinot Noir purchased in Cromwell.

Next: Christchurch, 14/16-February-2025

Down Under 2025 - Cromwell

Cromwell, New Zealand. 09/12-February-2025.

Table of Contents:

• All posts
• Introduction, 05-February-2025
• Sydney, 06/09-February-2025
• Cromwell, 09/12-February-2025
• Fox Glacier, 12/14-February-2025 
• Christchurch, 14/16-February-2025 
• Blenheim, 16/19-February-2025 
• Wellington, 19/23-February-2025 
• Napier, 23/26-February-2025 
• Taupo, 26/27-February-2025 
• Auckland, 27-February/03-March-2025
• Sydney, 03/05-March-2025

Sunday 09: Now in Cromwell, our first stop in New Zealand. Thanks to the time zone shift our bodies were in NZ, but no idea where our time clocks were! Rather than eat out we bought some comfort food (spicy lamb sausages and potatoes) and drank some local wine.

Monday 10.

Today was all about wine tasting with Roaring Wine Tours and the very knowledgeable Natalie. We visited four different wineries, had a delicious food and wine pairing lunch and in total tasted over 30 wines including an interesting Pinot Noir white, a number of delicious Pinot Noir Roses plus Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc and, of course, Pinot Noir. 

We learned interesting new facts: they are the most southerly vineyards in the world, their specific climate means a few problems with pests, and they have to net the vines when the grapes start to form to stop the birds getting them all. We also learned that the Māori were only here for about 600 years before European settlers arrived. 

Starting at the stunning setting of Te Kano where we must have seemed especially interested as we got to taste 9 wines instead of the promised 4! The last 3, single vineyard Pinot Noirs, were a fascinating demonstration of what could be done with the same grape in slightly different locations.

We then moved on to Terra Sancta, again showing what can be done with a variety of wines and wine plots. A smallish vineyard where they were proud of the fact that they do everything themselves - from vine to bottle - meaning they have control over every part of the process.

Lunch was at Stoakers where old wine barrels come to die but only after being used to BBQ delicious meats and vegetables. The pork in the barrel on the left is being slow roasted for about 4 hours over wood chips. Lunch was a huge platter of delicious food with 5 matching wines.

Next was Ruru where you could select any 5 wines to taste. We decided to share and so were able to taste all their wines. As we were tasting on the porch, we could see them netting the wines in the distance.

Last was Dunstan Road and the indomitable Marc who created a small vineyard from scratch and runs it single-handedly, a real labour of love. After tasting 5 of his bottled wines he showed us around his production facility (about the size of a double garage) and let us taste some of his Rose left in a barrel which he has to top up regularly to replace the "Angel's Share". It was fascinating to compare against the bottled version with the barrel wine being distinctly richer and fruitier!.

Of course we had to buy some! Looking forward to the Gewürztraminer with Thai food tonight.

.

Tuesday 11.

A relaxing day with a gentle stroll to the Cromwell Heritage Precinct and then along the Clutha river to Misha's vineyard as recommended by our tour guide yesterday. By sharing glasses we managed to taste all 10 of their wines.

Too good to resist. 

Lunch was back at The Stoaker Room next door but not the huge platter of yesterday. Roast pork anyone? Smell was gorgeous!

After lunch our way back took us to the fascinating Cromwell Museum. There we learned about the formation of the town in the Otago gold rush in the 1860's and it's development through to it's partial submerging as a result of damming the river for hydroelectric power in the 1980's.

Cromwell Historic Precinct, some are museums, some are shops or cafés.

Enjoying a coffee in the precinct...

... on the edge of Lake Dunstan, formed as a result of the dam.

Assuming that this is named after Kilwinning Lodge No 0 (in Ayrshire).

Anthenum Hall, once on hill high above the river.

Likewise Renshaw's cottage.

That evening we stayed in for a relaxing evening with a light supper of a Thai-style prawn salad accompanied by one of yesterday's purchases, the Dunstan Road Gewürztraminer.

We loved Cromwell for its pride in its fruits, wines and heritage and its character - gnomes bungy and homekill butchers are available!

Next: Fox Glacier, 12/14-February-2025 

Down Under 2025 - Sydney

Sydney, Australia. 06/09-February-2025.

Table of Contents:

• All posts
• Introduction, 05-February-2025
• Sydney, 06/09-February-2025
• Cromwell, 09/12-February-2025
• Fox Glacier, 12/14-February-2025 
• Christchurch, 14/16-February-2025 
• Blenheim, 16/19-February-2025 
• Wellington, 19/23-February-2025 
• Napier, 23/26-February-2025 
• Taupo, 26/27-February-2025 
• Auckland, 27-February/03-March-2025
• Sydney, 03/05-March-2025

Friday 06: We made it to Sydney! We had a refuelling stop at Singapore where they kicked us off the plane for an hour which gave us a chance to shower and change in the BA Executive lounge. We had a couple of days in Sydney before travelling onto NZ. 

I loved the inflight map with its pilot’s eye view.

We ordered an Uber from the airport and had a short drive to our home exchange apartment between the airport and the city centre. We then went for brunch at Tramsheds, a nearby shopping complex / food hall.

It’s not called Tramsheds for nothing.

Friday 07.

Our apartment was in Forest Lodge, a lovely green suburb with many old, Victorian houses. Despite feeling a bit zombie-like and not used to the heat (29 degrees C), we managed to fit in a lot on our first day: after brunch at Tramsheds, a walk around the river front and back through the streets, a trip into the centre for a sunset concert at the Sydney Observatory and back for dinner at a local Korean restaurant. 

There were lots of typical historic houses in our area with lovely cast iron railings. It was fascinating to see the similarities and the differences between Victorian houses in London, New Orleans, South Africa and Sydney. All the same era and many commonalities in the detail but all subtly different.

Anzac bridge and the continuation of our walk.

We saw all manner of Local wildfowl inhabiting the canal area: wild turkeys, noisy cockatoos, white faced heron and an Australian white ibis.

Just at the bottom of our street, this lovely path along the side of a canal leads to the Tramsheds shopping mall & food hall and brunch.

We booked for a free sunset concert up by the Sydney Observatory. Heading up to the concert, we turned a corner and suddenly this was the view!

It was a lovely setting for the concert with a view of the harbour bridge in the distance.

The two lads played for about 3 hours, modern ambient music. Gentle to listen to whilst watching the river flow.

The obligatory sunset photo from the observatory.

Supper was back at the conveniently close Tramsheds but at a different restaurant from brunch.

Saturday 08. 

Another busy day in Sydney. Morning was, of course, parkrun / parkwalk. We might be jet-lagged and not accustomed to 23 degrees and 67% humidity but it is #parkrunday! 

Today's parkrun choice was actually the second closest to our apartment but chosen in order to give us an N for our second alphabet. A three-lapper round the perimeter of St Leonard's park, the course descriptions led us to expect hills but thankfully only gentle slopes. Big friendly crowd of 460 runners and walkers, almost everyone we spoke to were tourists or expats, Mary had a lovely iced coffee in a local cafe afterwards.

General view of the park.

Mary volunteered as park walker and donned the blue tabard.

After a shower back at the apartment a friend, Peter, picked us up and took us for a drive up to Sydney's lovely northern beaches. We made a stop for lunch at a marina we then headed off to a huge bushland National Park stopping at a couple of viewpoints to enjoy the scenery. 

One of the stops near Dee Why beach.

Some of the birds we saw on our walk and on the tour with Peter: Sea Eagle, Bush Turkey, Pelican & unidentified raptor (possibly hawk or osprey).

At our insistence Peter dropped us off at Manley Quay and we made our way home by public transport: ferry, train and bus. Then a quick change and back to Tramsheds again for a lovely supper and some Australian wine. Mary’s first wine since arriving in Australia!

Sunday 09.

We had an early flight to New Zealand, so rather than rely on Uber we took a recommendation from our host and ordered a local taxi driver. The alarm went off horribly early at 5:30 for a 6 o’clock pick up which meant we were at the airport in good time to do bag drop and get airside for our breakfast. The flight to Queenstown all went very smoothly and thus began our New Zealand adventure.

Next: Cromwell, 09/12-February-2025