If you are reading this (which obviously you are), please forgive the length of this post. I have many days of adventure to fill you all in on.
I'm not sure I've expressed the true horribleness of the backpacker's we stayed at in Nelson. Besides the stiff as a board (a three-inch foam camping mattress on plywood does not equate comfort) bed, the tepid shower, and the lack of room for
manuevering around each other, we also had to deal with an infestation of biting insects. We aren't sure what attacked us, but leaving was sweet reward. We are covered in bites from something. It turns out that cortisone is a controlled substance so I had to promise my first-born child in order to get some.
Back to Sunday... We enjoyed a wine tour of Nelson and the surrounding area. Dani and I did this same wine tour seven years ago, so I went ahead and booked with the same company. We had a rather annoying tour guide (well-informed but constantly nattering), but good company. We went to two wineries I'd been to with Dani, but the others were new. We purchased 7 bottles of wine, two bottles of olive oil, and some yummy
fejoia chutney. It was a fantastic day. We then discovered a local pub called the Sprig and Fern. They brew their own beer and cider and they are unpasteurized. This means we couldn't buy it to bring back, but it was great. Too great. We got a little tipsy and then decided to walk into Nelson for dinner. We had great Thai (truly it seemed great at the time, who really knows) and then stumbled back to the backpacker's. After packing and sleeping, we got up early for a flight to
Queenstown. Our taxi didn't arrive as promised.
Argh. We finally got on. She rushed like crazy to get us to the airport only for Rich to discover he'd left his passport in our room. He called the hostel, they rushed it by taxi to the airport and we barely made the flight! During our layover in Wellington, we left a poster tube with an antique map in it in the terminal. The tube hasn't turned up yet, so it may only exist in our memories from now on, but it was a beauty. The South Pole in German from the mid-nineteenth century.
Argh.
We got safely to Dunedin and picked up our rental car. It is a Toyota
Yaris manual. Yep, manual. That means we are shifting left-handed. Good times. So far so good. It's tiny, which works well on these narrow streets. We spent the rest of Monday shopping and sight-seeing in Dunedin. It is a beautiful city. The town center is laid out in an octagon! The art museum is free. The train station is stunning and we had a lot of fun. As it was St. Paddy's Day, we found an Irish pub to celebrate in. We heard great live music and saw some Irish dancers.
Our new backpackers is 100% better than the last. Our room is quiet and clean. No infestations. The shower and toilet are separate. Amazing technology that. It is a short walk to the center of Dunedin and everyone there has been very friendly. I highly recommend it.
Today we drove out to
Larnach Castle on the
Otago Peninsula. It was a stunning day. Blue skies, few clouds, and warm, but not hot. We couldn't have ordered better weather. I have tons of photos of the bay and the gardens at the castle. Stunning flower gardens. We then drove out to the tip and saw the Albatross colonies (but no albatross). Another great view. Then Rich, being the great guy he is, helped me find two yarn stores on the way back. One is a small Romney sheep farm that has factory spun,
undyed wool. It was fabulous and cheap. The other was a little old lady (polio survivor) selling
handknit jerseys out of her home. She doesn't really sell her
handspun yarn, but she found some bits for me and I bought what I could from her. I have some grays, orange, and a nice blue/green/red blend, as well as a piece she had already knit but wasn't working. I'll frog it and use it for something else. She was great to talk to and it was an experience I've never had in the States! She had us in her home and showed us around her beautiful gardens. It was fantastic.
Rich and I then drove back to Dunedin and headed north to the
Moeraki boulders. We drove past them at first to try and see penguins in
Oemaru. Alas, the penguins were out to see, so we missed them. We did get to
Moeraki to see the boulders (
google them) as the sun was setting. I found an intact
Paua shell (
google that too) and some other shells unlike I've ever seen. It was a magical day. We finished it at a Korean restaurant that I ate at during my first trip here with Dani and Shannon (remember it?). It was still great and filling. Overall Dunedin is a fantastic city.
Side note: when I was here seven years ago, we somehow found our way to a penguin rehab hospital and got to hang out with the penguins. It was a highlight of my life. But I couldn't retrace my steps. Oh well. Maybe the memory is best left as is.
Tomorrow we will go to the
Otago museum and see some butterflies and pieces by
Da Vinci. Then we head west to Te
Anau for our trip to Doubtful Sound. Cross your fingers that our great weather holds and we see seals, dolphins, and penguins on our trip.
I hope you all have a chance to visit New Zealand one day. This is my third trip and I love it more each time. The food has improved. The wine is great. And there is wool to be knit. Now the chocolate needs to improve and then we can discuss emigration.