Gibbston Valley Winery

Linda is enjoying a taste of wine at Gibbston Valley Winery. The
Winery had their first planting in 1984 when no one thought the area
could support grape growing. It is still a small business but it is
winning awards for it's Pinot Noir. 80% of the winery's production is
Pinot Noir. I couldn't help but think of my daughter Amanda who often
favors Pinot Noir. By the way she is soon taking her oral boards for
general surgery; say a prayer for her.

Lake Hawea

Lake Hawea also had stunning view.

Lake Wanaka

Lake Wanaka was breathtaking with a beautiful blue and mountains in
the background.

Gorgeous Scenery on the Way to Queenstown

We had wonderful scenery on the way to Queensland. We saw many
waterfalls. The land changed from rainforest to dryer. In this picture
you see a very long waterfall.

Franz Josef Glacier

We took a 3 mile walk (1.5 mile each way) to get a closer view of the
Franz Josef Glacier.

Our Guide

Jim Eldridge is our Collette guide through Australia and New Zealand.
He has been giving us tips that make a much better trip. For instance
he told us how to stake out the top area in the docking station by the
Great Barrier Reef for our entire group and it worked very well. He is
also making suggestions of where to buy what for the best prices or
where to get money for lower rates. We've comparison shopped and he is
right on every time. He's also quite funny and extremely knowledgable.
He has been traveling to Australia and New Zealand for more than 25
years. We feel extremely lucky that Papa Jim is our guide.

Hakitika Driftwood Competition

We stopped off for lunch in Hakitika, a town next to the Tasmanian
Bay.They were having a competition of driftwood creations; this is one
of my favorites.
We had a wonderful lunch of fish and chips; the fish was Rig and lunch
was served in newspaper. Pat, you would have loved this fried fish!
Jade is mined near Hakitika; it is Nephrite Jade.

Rail Trip in Southern Alps

Tom and I are well satisfied with our train trip through the Southern Alps.

Southern Alps 3

Another view in the Southern Alps.

Southern Alps 2

We took a trip by rail through the Southern Alps and we saw gorgeous views.

Southern Alps

We are leaving Christchurch and heading into the Southern Alps.

Pavlova for Desert

We were served Pavlova for desert; it was so beautiful and tasted
yummy. And then we retired to the living room for coffee, tea, and
chocolates with a lively conversation. Thr Rowes are well travelled.
They lived in Davis Ca for 4 yrs and Oregon after that. Richard likes
the Asian countries, especially China and Korea. They were originally
from Australia where they visit for a month every year.

Dinner with a New Zealand Family

We had dinner in a New Zealand home. It was the home of Professor
Richard and Barbara Rowe, a couple in their mid 70's. The dinner was
outstanding. For the first course we had a bed of greens from the Rowe
garden with small tomatoes, cucumber and pomegranate. We also had
salmon roulade. For the main course we had lamb with mont sauce,
roasted potatoes, roasted carrots and peas. Pictured is the main
course.

Cotswald Inn

We stayed in a cute hotel - Cotswald Inn - that had units that were in
an old English style. Very cute!

Earthquakes in Christchurch

We flew from Sydney to Christchurch very early this morning waking up
at 4am. Christchurch has experienced two recent earthquakes; the most
recent was in February 2011 leaving much damage that still remains
today and 180 lives lost. This is a picture of a church being restored
after the earthquake.