We flew from Sydney to Queenstown, New Zealand and then went by bus to Te Anau on the shores of Lake Te Anau, the South Island’s largest lake. New Zealand is home to some four million people and forty million sheep.
That night we had lamb for dinner.
On our way to Milford Sound the next day, we took a short walk through the rainforest.
Although the day started with bright sunshine, the clouds took control by noon. Otherwise, where would all these beautiful waterfalls come from?
The next day we did a winery tour
then back to Queenstown, where we had a reunion with a very special person.
While in Queenstown we took a steamship to visit a sheep farm. Launched in 1912, the coal-fired steamship is still running strong.
Queenstown is a major tourist attraction with ski slopes in the winter and hiking, biking, bungee jumping, and more during the summer. We did a couple of luge runs (wheels instead of ice), then enjoyed the view of the city below.
After a final hug, we said goodbye to Sarah and took a flight to Rotorua, a small town in the North Island known for its Maori culture,
natural thermal pools,
and Redwood forest.
On our way by bus to Auckland, we took a bathroom break near some unusual structures specially designed to attract tourists.
The national symbol of New Zealand is the Kiwi. We talked with a lot of people there and nobody had ever seen a Kiwi. It would seem that sheep would be a more appropriate symbol.
Auckland is by far New Zealand’s largest city at roughly one and a half million. The highlight was a short sailing experience on a 50-foot sailboat.
From Auckland, we flew northward to Fiji.