NZ/Aus Days 31-33: Top of the Lake

The view from our Air BnB!

A beautiful drive followed. We'd saved Queenstown for the end of our trip, hoping that by the time we got there it would be abundant with fall colour. And we were right! Approaching the city we followed the lake surrounded by trees in every shade from yellow to red. The town itself reminded us of Newfoundland: colourful houses stood stacked on top of each other up the steep hillside. All with a spectacular view of the water and the ring of mountains around it. (Note: we'll leave you with a teaser for now as all of our shots of the town are in video format).

Our main interest in the area was to drive out to Glenorchy and Paradise, where Top of the Lake was shot, to take in the views. Again we were battling the weather. The forecast showed rain and cloud cover for our two days there.  We awoke to a fog so thick you couldn't tell there were mountains across from us or a lake!  When they lifted slightly, we took a chance and were off. Once again, we were lucky: the weather improved over the course of the trip and by the time we were heading back, we were treated to this:

NZ/Aus Days 28-30: Marlborough Sound

The view from our cabin's porch

Mitre Peak with an endangered
white heron standing guard

After our relaxing morning at Cloud 9, we packed up again and finished our drive back to the western side of the country (I can't wait to see our map of our driving route). Craig found us a great spot outside of Manapouri with views of the lake and mountains behind. We had our own little cabin, complete with a wood stove, sink, and private deck. It would prove to be a relaxing spot and the perfect launching point for our next day's adventure into Milford Sound.

We hadn't minded the rain too much on our trip so far, but this was a day when we needed the clouds to lift. The two hour drive to the sound and the following boat trip boasted some of the most stunning views in the country, and we wanted to get to see them! We were hopeful when we were treated to a lovely sunrise as we started our drive.


A striking difference between our mountains back home and those in New Zealand, particularly towards Milford Sound, is just how steep and narrow the valleys are. That said, there are also a few spots that had more than a passing similarity to home.

Along the drive we plotted where we would stop on the return trip, there was no time for stopping as we had learned to expect a deluge of construction zones on NZ roads and we had a boat to catch.

We arrived at the jetty with only a few minutes to spare and quickly jumped aboard our little boat as the motor turned over and found seats outside. Baby peered curiously from the carrier and, perhaps picking up on our excitement, didn't cry. She stayed awake long enough to see the mountainous views unfold before us at the mouth of the sound and watch the water pour down multiple waterfalls.

The next two hours were beautiful. Our pictures don't do the scenery justice. Being out on the water with forested hills hugging tightly to either side of you was oddly comforting. The degree of steepness of this saddle was a definite highlight, as was the waterfall at its lowest point. We even got an Iguazu/Niagara'esque view from directly underneath!

After the tour, we lingered a bit longer, eating our lunch looking out at the iconic Mitre Peak. Then, with time on our hands now, enjoyed a more leisurely drive back to Manapouri with the opportunity to pull-out at a few of the lovely viewspoints we saw on our way in.

Our adventure in our cabin was capped off with us running out of propane for our gas burners while the wonderful owners were away for the night (their first night off since November). We felt like true pioneers cooking our dinner and heating water for our tea on the wood stove.

NZ/Aus Day 27: At Cloud 9

For one night we decided to splurge. Staying at "Cloud 9" was practical, we told ourselves. It broke up a long driving day and gave us the chance to see the southernmost point of New Zealand, Slope Point. But really, it was its beachside location and no cleaning necessary that were the real draw. Throw in a wood fireplace to help keep the chilly autumn breeze at bay, and we were sold. Oh, and did we mention the owners habitually see little blue penguins off their back deck?!?

In the end, it felt worth every penny. They were the most comfortable beds we'd slept on all trip, and possibly in our entire lives. We actually emailed the owner to inquire about her duvet and sheets because we were dreaming about them after our stay. It was heaven to drive up, unload, then head straight out to the beach to swim in the southern ocean for the first time. We kept our meals simple so we could just enjoy the location as much as possible for the brief time we were there, indulging in both a sunset and sunrise stroll in the surf. We waited up for what felt like half the night (it might have even been as late as 9:30 pm!) to see if any little blues waddled up to our doorstep, but alas, they remain elusive.

Baby-wearing on the Beach! 

What we were fortunate enough to see were two more yellow-eyes. This time it was Craig's expert safari skills that got us the penguin sighting: those people have all been staring in the same direction for a while... let's check it out! So, no little blues for us, but again we feel so fortunate to have seen these endangered guys in such a beautiful, natural setting. Oh, and we spotted a sea lion and a dolphin from our living room, too!

NZ/Aus Days 24-26: Otago

"The penguins have all gone out to sea today." Hmm... not the best start to the day. Aren't the little blues nocturnal??? We'd already driven two hours and this was supposed to be our big stop - knock off another penguin species (the smallest in the world), eat our packed lunch...the lack of penguins dampened our already wet moods from the persistant rain, and the head cold we were all fighting. Instead, we found a cute cafe in a restored barn to have lunch at, feeling like we'd earned a meal out from the money we'd just saved from the lack of penguin viewing. After lunch, we continued heading further south and enjoyed a brief stop and walk at the interesting spherical moeraki boulders.

We passed through the very nice looking town of Dunedin (the beautiful train station looks worthy of a stop for anyone not travelling with a tired baby ready to get OUT of her car seat for the day), and wove our way out onto the Otago Peninsula. Our bach was a quaint bungalo set right on the tidal shore. We enjoyed looking out at the wading birds and watching the tide come in and out. When we finally were ready to brave the brisk sea air, we hopped over to a gorgeous cliff that hosts the albatross colony and protected area. We debated going in but it was too rich for our blood. Instead, we stood on the cliff outside admiring the view and felt like petty criminals when an albatross would fly overhead before returning to its protected cliffside.

When the sun finally poked through on our last day, we hustled out the door in the direction of the terribly, and thankfully not too accurately, named Sandfly Bay. Craig had learned that it's possible to see penguins here on you own,  if your lucky and with an expert spotter oh Erin.  The thrill of looking for them also meant that we didn't have to shell out to a landowner for the privilege or have to wait until Baby gets upset later in the afternoon.


We approached the beach from above and used our snowshoeing skills to half run-half slide our way down the sand dune path. After a half kilometer walk down the pristine beach, Craig, wearing Baby, stopped to take a break. Erin continued on with the plan to motion to Craig if she saw something. She'd barely gone 20 m when there-shuffling between two sand dunes-was a yellow-eyed penguin! (It was having just as much trouble on the sand dunes) We enjoyed watching it for a few minutes, then continued on to give it space.

We walked the length of the beach and back without another sighting (unless you count a colony of lazy sea lions), and turned towards the path to the parking lot. Our sun was long gone at this point and we were getting wetter by the minute from a combination of rain and mist coming off the roaring waves. It was then that Erin spotted a second penguin coming in from the ocean. It waddled up the sand and began the laborious climb straight up the dune. We began to feel sorry for it before remembering that we had the same climb ahead of us. It was likely the most challenging hike we'd done thus far on the trip... two steps forward and we'd slide one back as we trudged straight up, up, up the sand. But it was all worth it to see not one, but two of the world most endangered penguins!

NZ/Aus Days 22 & 23: Mount Cook? more like Mount Coy

Our drive out the other side of the pass was not much better. Rain splattered the car windows, encouraging us to keep our stops short and purposeful. The lengthy walk we'd planned at Castle Mountain to explore the symbolic Maori boulders became a quick jaunt halfway up the path, then back to the warm glow of our car. We were forced to find a stick-in-the-woods café where Craig could keep dry while Erin nursed since Alexandra is too stuffed on driving days for him to be in there during feedings.

The rain subsided long enough for us to stroll a bit at Lake Tekapo. We took a look at one of the most photographed churches in the world. It's the perfect place to get a night sky picture because it's located inside a Dark Sky Reserve. We had high hopes for stargazing opportunities at our nearby accommodation. However, the rain gods had other plans as thick cloud cover put the idea of any nighttime viewings to rest.

With crossed fingers, we drove an hour to Mount Cook, the town at the bass of the tallest mountain in New Zealand. Alas, views were not to be found and our dreams of splurging on an airplane tour were dampened. We did two short hikes anyways, hoping things would clear as the day wore on.

Instead of a view of the mountain, we were rewarded with a close-up encounter with two keas (alpine parrots). They surprised us in their large size and colouring, and startled Baby with their aggressive cries. Our second hike was noteworthy for Erin because it was the first time she felt strong enough to baby-carry, something she'd been longing to do for over four months now.

A chilly wind blew us back to our home at Lake Ohau, and reminded us that winter is coming in New Zealand. Thankfully this NZ bach was well-prepared for fall weather and we were able to find a way to drown our rainy day blues away.

We each find our own way to relax...

NZ/Aus Day 21: Arthur's Pass

Sadly, not much had changed when we got up the next day. We decided we'd just laze about and enjoy what views we had from our cosy cabin.

Around 3pm, the sky suddenly brightened, and we felt compelled to get out for a short hike to see the local waterfall, The Devil's Punchbowl. Numerous stairs later, we arrived at its base and paused to take in the 131m drop. The quick jaunt, though exerting, was worth the effort. We headed home satisfied that we'd at least seen and done something in Arthur's Pass.

NZ/Aus Day 20: Punakaiki Pancakes

The next morning was spent driving along the coast, pulling off at every possible turnout to soak up the amazing views of the west. For once, we were in no big hurry because our drive to Arthur's Pass would be short and if anything, we wanted to delay things so we'd get to the Pancake Rocks as close to high tide as possible.

The Pancake Rocks are Punakaiki's big tourist attraction. These interesting formations coupled with a set of blowholes set against the wild backdrop of the relentless sea made for a spectacular stopping point. It's rare for us to go to something so touristy (and by New Zealand standards, overrun with people) and love it so much. If you're headed that way, we'd recommend allowing an hour to view this site even though you could walk the path in twenty minutes. If you're anything like us, you'll get addicted to one spot and want to watch it until a satisfyingly huge wave comes by. Keep an ear out, as well, for the thunderous roar you can hear as each chasm fills with frothy water.

When we finally tore ourselves away, we continued onwards. The drive took us longer than expected because not long after leaving Punakaiki, we arrived upon an accident on the highway. Most passengers and drivers from the long line ahead of us were out of their cars, milling about on the side of the road. We didn't get all of the details but we know it involved a motorcyclist and we saw an air ambulance fly in and out. Hopefully everyone involved was ok.

It had started drizzling by the time we turned off into Arthur's Pass and the cloud cover was low. One of our most scenic drives, though atmospheric, was hidden behind a wall of grey. A little disappointed, we arrived late at our cottage and hoped for sunny skies the next day.