Otago Adventure, Day 7

 Up early and ready to go, we were off to Dunedin!  Kay took us out to the market before we left Queenstown so we could purchase the most delicious cherry chutney ever, and we also found plum sauce and several varieties of teas. Bye bye to Kay, see you in 3 days and back on the road. We had decided that we would take a route a bit further north of Dunedin so that we could visit the Moeraki Boulders and Fleurs Place(more about that later). Once again truly beautiful countryside. Along the way we stopped at 'Gilcrests General Store' at Oturehua, a blink and you miss it town. The store was large and set up like the original store. Mixed in with modern merchandise were old bits and pieces, even aniseed wheels! A quick but really cool stop (and a clean loo). On we went and took a little detour to Naseby, a slow blink.  We were lured into the Blackforest Cafe by the description of the berry smoothies. The smoothie was good, however the melting moment was one of the best I have ever had, soft, but not too soft, crumbly but not exploding, icing that tasted like cream and a raspberry swish in the centre as well. Worth the detour. Back on track and ready for lunch.

Changing hat from travel writer to food writer.  

I had read articles about Fleur's Place at Moeraki and had always wanted to visit so ensured the Moeraki Boulders were in our itinerary . As we drove from Queenstown I phoned through for a booking. "Are you here or are you travelling?" Was the comment, must happen a lot I thought. Booked in for 1:30pm. After driving up and down dales and mountain valleys we finally hit the coast, a glorious day and you can imagine the glistening sea. The sea smelt different though, remembering that we live on the sea in Auckland, this had a briney Ocean smell almost like oysters. We practically had to follow our noses as there was only one hand painted sign to direct us off the main highway and follow the narrow coastal road through the fishing village of Moeraki.  Suddenly a ramshackle building appeared on a finger poking out into the sea, we were there, and so was everyone else. The place was packed, but reassuringly as we walked in there was Fleur, instantly recognisable with her long fairy like silver hair. It was like we had entered  a pirate ship and climbed the wooden spiral staircase to the crows nest. The view was fantastic, initially we were a little disappointed that we had an inside table, however despite the sunshine it was quite chilly in the wind, so the disappointment was unfounded. Okay, the food!  Remembering that we had partaken in refreshments in Naseby, we thought bugger let's order a huge feed anyway. We ordered a fish platter to share and  myself blue cod with a coconut cream, chilli and coriander sauce. And Lance blue cod with lemon caper sauce. The wait was  extremely long, however it was easy to wait in  such as easy atmosphere and it seemed almost sinful to rush anything. Lance had a beer and myself a sparkling elderflower juice. A bowl of salad appeared "for you to nibble on while you wait". It was fresh and lightly coated in an oily balsamic mix. Climbing the staircase came our platter, huge and full of fish, not a fancy space taking useless garnish in sight. Blue cod, smoked eel, conga eel, groper, salmon, raw fish in coconut cream, gurnard, dory and more. We tucked in like we hadn't eaten for weeks. Along side was served 3 varieties of home baked bread which I tried not to eat because I needed to save room, but just couldn't resist. After another long wait that was interrupted by some Hectors Dolphins (not on a plate but swimming past) our mains arrived.  Again simple, but superb. Fish fresh and cooked perfectly, sauce served in a shell so you can coat your flesh to perfection and under the fish a selection of steamed veges, including some cunning little Maori potatoes. Mmmmm. I ate the lot accompanied by a Te Whare Ra Sav blanc.  We waddled out after 3 hours and said thanks to Fleur who commented that we had, had to wait long enough. We can understand why celebrated British foodie Rick Stein felt it was important that he visit this place. Definitely worth the trip. 

 On we went to Dunedin, I have never been here before and didn't realise what a pretty place it is. Our B&B is in St Clair, a pretty surf beach and the bed is comfy, no dinner tonight. Oh well, actually we walked down the road for a beer and I had a bowl of berry eaton mess.

Otago Adventure Day 6

The view from our bedroom this morning included a cloudy sky, however this was just another beautiful phase of Lake Whakatipu. A lazy start and on the road with tiki tour driver Kay.  Queenstown was packed to bursting, especially so when we drove past Fergburger in Shotover Street. I mention the street because the queue for burgers trailed way down the street. Not joking, at 11am hundreds of people were waiting for burgers. Very effective marketing because I immediately felt deprived that I have never ever had a Ferg Burger. We continued through town onto the road to Glenorchy, a really beautiful lakeside drive with of course a mountain backdrop. There is nothing really at Glenorchy, a few cafes and bars, so we continued on to Kinloch.  More fabulous scenery and across the dart river working up an appetite. At the end of a dirt road on the lakeside was a lovely little set of cottages with a garden restaurant. Perfect. However when we went in she told us that they had so many people checking out today (19) that she didn't have time to serve food as she had loads of washing to do. If we wanted to wait (it was 1:30) the restaurant would reopen at 5pm. We were of course a little disappointed, and really wondered how anyone made any money here. Surely the people checking out may have enjoyed a coffee and a scone?  Back to Glenorchy and after a long wait we were served a fantastic lunch.  Never mind the wait, we had all day anyway. On the way home (past the still very long queue at Ferg Burger) we decided that we should introduce Kay and Jeff to "Scoffy Night". A little tradition that we started many years ago with our good friends "The Ethell Family". This entails buying yummy things that do not require too much work and putting them all on the table at once and scoffing. A great dinner!!  So that is what we did and Kay and I hit the hay at 1am after a few medicinal wines. 

Otago Adventure Day 5

 A slow start to the day and a cooked brekky of left over ham and potatoes. The sun was up and a gorgeous day in Queenstown. We donned our outdoorsy clothes and set of to the  Remarkables for a walk to Lake Alta. The road to the Remarkables Ski Field winds up the side of the mountain range and is pretty spectacular. At 1600 metres we started the walk, only a vertical 300 m. I had to have a few cardiac arrest stops, but blamed them on the altitude and the need to take in  the vista. What a fabulous spot, drifts of snow sat in alpine pockets and the sun was blazing. The lake was not as cold as I thought it might be, but this was not a time for a swim. 

Going down was almost as tricky as going up, but without the heavy breathing. And we headed off to beautiful Arrowtown for a wander and a coffee. Only to bump into the baby boy and companions once again. A drive through Millbrook Golf course has led Lance to decide on his purchase when when win big lotto. Looks like we could be spending a bit of time down here at his  golfing retreat. We had a chilled evening with a chicken off the barbie and salad and a couple of wines. All in all a lovely day in Queenstown.

Otago Adventure Day 4 Happy New Year!!

 We awoke in our stable room to the pitter patter of rain and wandered into the breakfast room.  At a long wooden table, set with old China, we feasted on locally grown stewed fruit, muesli and clotted cream. Followed by home baked bread, jam and baked eggs. We had a leisurely stroll around Clyde, packed up and hit the road, well literally hit the road and stopped at the Bank Cafe where we had to squeeze in a cheesy roll. All in the name of science.  10/10, and fortunately couldn't squeeze in a second.

It was a quick drive to Queenstown with a stop in Cromwell and Gibbston Valley Wines. Our time in Queenstown will be spent with old friends Kay and Jeff Turner. They have a fabulous home on the edge of Lake Whakatipu. We settled in and caught up on kid stuff, medical dilemmas and life in general. New Years Eve was started with drinks, a meal and meeting new friends at the Turners and at 11:15 we braved the cold and drizzle to walk down the road to the Hilton and onto a water taxi and across the lake to town  where hoards of people were enjoying live music. Declan is also holidaying in the South and we caught up with him, his girlfriend Alena and her family to see in the New Year. Spectacular fireworks, no rain and a great atmosphere. A New Year to be remembered.

Otago Adventure : Day 3

Otago Adventure : Day 3

After a sporadic sleep in our cosy cabin we rose to an overcast day. This was a nice contrast as it gave the sounds a different vibe. Fun facts ( come on, I am a teacher after all) It is called Doubtful Sound because when Captain Cook found it from the Tasman Sea he was "doubtful' they would find their way out if they went in. And it is not even a 'sound' as a sound is carved out from water and these were carved out from glaciers. Last  fact, there is no soil, so the trees and plants are hanging onto the hills and mountains by the skin of there teeth (actually lichen and moss) so there are frequent landslides. After a bacon and egg breaky we reversed the trip order and arrived back at Manapouri around mid day. 

 As I have never been down this way I want to see as much as I can so wisely or unwisely we drove to Clyde via  Invercargill. There was not much to see and the terrain was not as rugged as I had anticipated, but it was an easy drive (well it was for me because all I had to do was sit and look out the window). A brief stop in Riverton for late lunch at the Postmasters. Nice little cafe where we have begun a project to aid mankind. "Cheesy Roll Testing". These are pieces of white bread with a cheesy sauce filling and rolled and toasted. These were served with butter slathered and melting over the top. I would rate them an 8/10. Not a ten because we needed a second serving just to re test. I also demolished a superb custard square (vanilla slice for you Australians). 

Back on the road the vista was pretty and much like the North Island, until we hit a sign saying 'Welcome to Central Otago'. An immediate change in countryside. Rugged hilly mountains with piles of rocks and stone, hills yellowed and golden with poplar trees in rows like soldiers. In the valleys lush patches, especially in Ettrick and Roxburgh where cherries and other fruit were so thick on the trees you could see the flashes of colour as you drove by.

And then we got to Clyde. We had been here once for lunch on our 10th wedding anniversary, nearly 17 years ago. Oliver's stables is a quaint historical stone set of buildings  and our room is awesome.  Like we have just stepped off a gold rush wagon. Furs are draped over leather chairs and the room is dotted with old books and bone china. We are ready for a luxurious shower, food and sleep. Goodnight.

Day 2: Otago Adventure.

 We were up early and waiting to board a small vessel to cross Lake Manapouri. Fifty minutes later we boarded a shuttle boat to drive across the amazing Wilmott Pass to board the Tutoko 2, our home for the next 2 days. A hardy vessel (we thought) and a cosy little cabin to ourselves. Our shipmates (of which  there were 9) and 4 crew were all nice. 

 Apart from one kiwi who lives in Perth the rest of the tourists were young Americans. One young guy is an astronomer from NASA! Doubtful Sound is beautiful, the weather was perfect and we sat on the top deck with cups of tea and home baking watching the mountains slide by. As we approached the Tasman Sea, a wall of cloud appeared and we were swallowed into it, immediately the weather took on a new and slightly menacing feeling.Almost like we had entered the King Kong Movie. 

We had a quick look at the seal colony and re-entered the sounds. It was a whole day just sliding through the water, we stopped to let a crew member dive for some crayfish.  Lance's favourite meal. And he popped up with half a dozen. Nice birthday meal in store for Lance.

 Then we were off to another cove for some fishing, I caught a small shark (dog fish) and another thing too small. But Lance pulled in a couple worth eating, still a happy man. I went kayaking and then braved a dip off the side of the  boat.

I was astonished at how warm it was with the odd cold patches. And the fresh water made it a tiring swim, but delicious.

 Later as we were about to tuck into our crayfish the skipper came and explained a "situation". There was a hole in the boat. Honest, that is what he said.  He said not to worry, it was only a small hole and they would strap a plank of wood over it for the night. We all tried to look casual as a very long plank was taken down into the hold. Anyway, we didn't sink so it must have worked, but they have had to cancel the next couple of cruises. After our four courses which included freshly caught fish we popped back on deck to watch the Dolphins playing around our boat. It was so peaceful with hardly any other boats around. All in all a fantastic thing to do, highly recommended in the scheme of things you must do in NZ. Fiordland Explorer.

Otago NZ Adventure 2014/15

Day one: Otago Adventure. 

Up at 4:50am, stand on the back of a man's jandal at Christchurch airport and broke it, throw a "Sorry" over my shoulder as I join the queue boarding for Queenstown. Pray that he isn't  on the flight. 

Jump in the hire car and drive to Milford Sound, 5 hours. 

I hoped that it would be worthwhile- it was!!!  We bumped into Fiona Allison. Dipped our toes in the water expecting ice, but it was warm as a bath. After a 2 hour drive to Manapouri, Manapouri we arrived at the Lakeview Inn, good lodgings, a swim in the Lake and dinner at the pub 100m from unit. At 10pm and Lance is still sitting outside in daylight and me ready for bed. Great day today!