Here, There, Everwhere

Our adventures continue and we have been on a motor boat, a fjord cruiser and a gondola since I last wrote. We had a lovely quiet drive to Te Anau where our cruise through Doubtful Sound was to begin and arrived on a sleepy Sunday afternoon - the sun was shining and after we checked in our quite quirky hotel we spent the afternoon watching the sea planes take off and land and walked the shores of Te Anau Lake. Its a small town so not a lot to do so after dinner we watched Netflix - Yay! Quirky our hotel was but it was up to date and I caught up on the couple of series I'm following and we started watching The Crown. Sadly its at the point now where we know the story of Diana and we know how it ends, so its very sad. I know its fiction but I have enjoyed it from the beginning and will watch the rest of this series.

After breakfast we set off to drive to Milford Sound - we last went there by helicopter in 2019 and our visit was very brief so I was looking forward to the drive over the mountains and I wasn't disappointed. We have been incredibly lucky on this trip with the weather which has been very settled with whatever rain has fallen has been at night so we had a perfect day for the drive and viewing from the lookout points. We had a drive through the Homer Tunnel https://www.milford-sound.co.nz/travel-info/highlights/homer-tunnel/ which made Milford Sound accessible by road in 1954. You can imagine how difficult it must have been to tunnel through the mountain for over a kilometre and I've said before that I am incredibly grateful to our road builders and maintaince for making some of the worlds most beautiful places accessible. We were entertained while waiting for our green light by the Kea birds - a really intelligent indigenous native - despite being discouraged to feed them, people were feeding them and because of that they have become real scavengers and they hang about the tunnel for that reason and for another reason - they like to play with the traffic cones! See here ......very clever creatures!

We had lunch at the sound and enjoyed walking the trail for a bit of the way and then headed back as we had to pack and be ready for our exciting Doubtful Sound overnighter. We booked with Real NZ and they couldnt have been more helpful and organised. The boat sleeps 50 people and we were all transported across the Manpouri River - itself a beautiful journey and then onto a bus over the very rugged terrain to the jetty. Our first glimpse of the fjords was exhillerating! The mountains literally drop straight into the water and again luck was on our side with the weather and our driver told us it was the best visibility he had EVER seen and worth stopping and getting out on the lookouts on the route. It took us about an hour to cover less than 2 kilometers with steep elevations of 1 in 5. Again we were quicky processed on to the boat and on our way in no time - already a big bunch of friends.

 Our cabin was quite basic but had everything we needed and we had been warned not to bring much and so glad that we didn't  - just a small holdall each with basics. The sailing was just beautiful with mountains both sides, small islands, blue skies, great visibility and a open all hours bar! There were some serious photographers on the boat and I took my 'big' camera but the scale of some of the lenses on board made mine look insignificant! They never stopped clicking and I smiled to myself as I have been that person - greedy to take all that scenery home with me but I limited myself and remembered Pine Pinaar's (my late photography guru) wise advice, 'See more - Take less.' but even I could not control my excitement as whales were spotted - a female and her calf but we could only get so close and I had serious lens envy! This was so unusual at this time of year that the crew all abandoned their posts and whale watched with us. One of the crew was a young Irish lad we had been chatting to from Rosslaigh and he had been on the boat just two days - thats the luck of the Irish! We also saw penguins, albatross and seals. We moored and scones were served with jam and cream while the energetic on board - everyone under 50 - went kayaking or on the small boats. Our dedication to scones shows no bounds and we stayed on board and scoffed! More sailing and then we dropped anchor for the night in a sheltered spot and a delicious meal was served - it was really good and how it was prepared I will never know as the galley was smaller than our cabin. We chatted to the young Americans we were sat with and shared travel stories and then it was time to sleep - it stays light until about 10.30 as we were as far south as you can get in NZ but I went out like a light as the boat gently rocked us to sleep!  
The following day was not so kind and the water changed colour from shades of blue to murky greens - there was a little rain too - that is the sounds for you - but nothing that kept us off the deck. Our nature guide gave a great talk on the geography of the area and he was very informed and then, as we cruised towards our starting point, the skipper took us to a quiet bay - cut the engine and the generator and asked for five minutes of silence - we were asked to put our cameras down and just be - it was wonderful! Not a sound in the sound and amazing refections - a real moment of wonder and gratitude for this amazing place and I think a special memorable moment to add to my collection.

Back to land, over mountains and over the lake and we were back in Te Anau by mid afternoon to buy groceries and head back to Queenstown. I will never forget Doubtful Sound - as close to Heaven as I have been. 

We had to be up pretty sharp the nexrt day as we had tickets for the races at Cromwell. We were not sure what to expect but we ended up in a marquee with about thirty others and on a table with some lovely people - all local Kiwis - and we shared a day of country racing. It was great fun and we left a little poorer but a lot richer for having been there. 

Another day out was an early start to Lake Tekapo to enjoy the lake and to view Mount Cook. We've done this journey before but not both ways in one day - we shared the driving and made it there and back with time for lunch - a great coffee stop at Tarras Country Cafe who have delicious treats - and plenty of time for stopping to enjoy the scenery. Thanks to the wonders of modern communication, I was able to have a video chat with Sean and Nadine in the USA while looking at Mount Cook - I wonder what Captain Cook would have said about that!

This last week has been quieter and we have just enjoyed lunches at the different vineyards and tastings - Gibbston and Mount Difficulty being our favourite. We have had a last visit to Glenorchy to say Goodbye to the lupins - I know I'm daft! We bumped into Tevor - again in the pub there - we are old friends now! We have been up in the Gondala to see panoramic views of Queenstown and we have driven over Coronet Peak for more special vistas.

Its almost time to say 'Haere ra or e noho ra' to New Zealand and leave a little more of our hearts here.

We will be crossing eleven time zones between here and our next destination when we will be saying 'Sawubona, Dumela, Hoe Gaan dit' on our arrival in South Africa

Adventures down under!

Well we made it in one piece to the other end of the world. A mammoth twenty seven hour journey and we were very tired when we arrived but true to form we bounced back after a good nights sleep. It gets light early here in Queenstown and what a pleasure it is to wake up to a view of Lake Wakapitu with a backdrop of the Remarkables Mountain Range. This first week we have managed to get out and about in a leisurely way in contrast to when we have been here in the past and toured around with two nights there, three nights there and a whole lot of packing and unpacking to do. This trip we are in Queenstown for nearly four weeks with just day trips and a little cruise to look forward to.

We have visited the local vineyards in the Gibbston Valley and sampled some of the finest. We enjoyed a lovely charcuterie board at https://kinross.nz/. Kinross Estate and a very fine rose. It’s a popular stop on the wine route and though not new to us, we were surrounded by folk on wine tours. We watch an Asian group arrive, mostly female with two young men. The women were all dressed in various shades of cream and beige - it must be a huge trend currently in the east as its been a recurring theme here. I had no idea there were so many shades of vanilla - the lovely oriental ladies wear it so well - layers and layers of it. This group fluttered in phone cameras clicking away. The glasses had to be arranged and styled, the menus places just so, the table setting, the surrounding area videoed. Then the poses - with hands in lap, looking over the shoulder, looking up, looking down, fingernails photographed around the glass, heads together, heads apart, hats on, hats off, the handbag next to the wine bottle, the wine label ……and all before a drop of wine touched those nude painted Cupid lips! It takes wine tasting to a whole new level and people watching. Our waiter was a lovely chap called Rommel - the smiliest, sunniest, speediest Philippine and a true hospitality professional but even his patience was tested as none of the group were available to order anything until the photos had been taken and taken and taken! So very entertaining!

We carried on up the valley following the river and breathtaking scenery and enjoyed a breather at the site of an old gold panning community, enjoying the shade, a cold drink and a small pretty garden with the owners dog for company. Just as we were readying to leave, the dogs ears pricked up and a stream of cream came fluttering over the bridge, cameras clicking, selfie sticks expanded…..

The next day we could not wait to head off to Glenorchy - a favourite place of ours and even more so when the wild lupins are  in flower. There is no doubt they are a beautiful sight - fields of pink,blue and purple grow near the river banks and yellow ones in profusion along the roadside and lakeshore but they are an invasive weed and there is much debate about whether they should be admired, tolerated or eradicated. They are a feast to look at and photograph and we wandered through them enjoying their bluebell type scent. We stopped for refreshments at the local hotel and got chatting to a local treasure - his name was Trevor but he told us he’s known as ‘Treasure’ and he had been living in Glenorchy most of his life. His Scottish ancestors arrived in NZ by boat and camped on the shore until they were allocated land to settle on and farm. He was great to chat to and we said we hoped to see him again - he joked he may soon be buried treasure as he was getting on! 

Yesterday we drove over the Crown Range to Wannaka and admired the panorama from the top in 3C.

 Our descent took us past the old Cadrona Hotel built in 1865 - ancient by NZ standards, where we stopped to whet our whistle and then on to Lake Wanaka for a browse around, lunch and a walk around Gendhu Bay where it was considerably warmer. We enjoyed a lovely peaceful sit in the sunshine before driving back through Cromwell enjoying the scenery. 

I have been cooking most evenings or if we’d had lunch out we just enjoy a snack but we did enjoy a lovely evening at The Botswana’s Butchery in Queenstown with excellent food! The quality of food is very good here.

Today we gave the TSS Ernslaw a miss and bobbed about on Lake Wakapitu in a smaller boat towards Franklin passing luxury homes and hotels built into the steep slopes. We bought out ticket online and sat on another vessel which was going nowhere - essentially a floating bar - before we saw everyone getting on the boat next to us! It’s was a fun afternoon chatting with locals and visitors on the lake. Our table mates were Jack and Sheila who had escaped their retirement home in Auckland, bought air tickets for $35 and were having a wild weekend in Queenstown. She was born in the Uk and been a young WW2 evacuee whose family had never reclaimed her and had ended up marrying an Australian and making a life here. Lovely couple who had lived a life and were still jetting off on adventures in their 80s. I love meeting strangers on boats and listening to their stories!

Long may they continue to do escape the old age age home ……..And so may we!

Home ❤❤❤

There's no place like home! But where is home - most people can answer that question without thinking but for someone like myself who has lived over half my life out of this country its a bit more complicated. I came to ponder this question because of a gift I was given for my 70th birthday by my son - its an unusual gift in that each week I am asked to enter the answer to a question about my life online at a site called Storyworth - the questions vary from, 'Tell my about your grandparents ?' - to 'What has been your favourite job ?' to ,'What is the best meal you have ever had?' and the latest question, 'If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?' The answers to all these questions become chapters in a book that is compiled at the end of the year. I have enjoyed answering the questions and my family have enjoyed reading my answers and I'm sure my grandchildren will enjoy the 'book' in years to come. It's the last question about where is the world I would chose to live that had me thinking about where is my home  - this was my response.

........There are many places that I have enjoyed visiting and where I could happily spend time but home is really where the heart is or should I say ........ where my heart is that's my home. I am finding it challenging to live in a country where I have no children or grandchildren as I value the time I spend with them but I know that I get to spend real quality time with you all when in SA and the USA. I am enjoying the connections I have with my siblings here - even though they are fewer than I would like. I feel loved and cared for by Nick and a sense of belonging with my birthplace but it is a question I ponder often - Would I stay here if I was alone? I am not sure what the answer would be.  The ideal would be for my children and grandchildren to be in one place and me to be there but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
In the meantime I feel at home in moments when I am :-

In the African bush watching wild animals at sunset or at the watering holes or at dawn when the birds are calling.
In an English country garden enjoying the shrubs, roses, flowers and butterflies.
In an art gallery surrounded by thought provoking art work and exhibits.
On the beach with the sun warming my shoulders with a book in my hand.
Walking through the woods and countryside in Spring.
In an Irish pub listening to  traditional songs or Gaelic music.
Around a table in South Africa with my oldest and dearest friends.
In New Zealand surrounded by mountains that sweep dramatically down to the sea.
When I am hanging out  and creating memories with my family in Michigan.
Celebrating life and enjoying the company of my family in South Africa.

When we were given the opportunity to work in South Africa in forty years ago, we thought we were going on an adventure that would perhaps last five or so years but we fell in love with SA - the country - the people and the opportunity if offered us and knowing that if we worked hard that the rewards would be great. And boy did we work hard! In fact I had never worked as hard in my life and Tony didn't have a day off in nearly two years and I mean a Saturday or a Sunday he worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week! Of course things got easier as time went by and he rose to the top of his profession. Life just evolved there and although we spoke about a future of spending time in both the UK and SA in retirement, the SA currency declined and declined and that option hovered elusively out of our reach. No one can foresee the future and all you can do is make the best decision you can at that moment in your life. In reality England is not the country we left and South Africa is not the country we arrived in. So where is home?

 

It’s hard to spot a fork in the road of life, harder still to make a deliberate choice which way to go. But sometimes you can catch a fleeting glimpse of one as it disappears in the rear-view mirror. The outcome doesn’t change, but many miles down the road, with the map unfolded in front of you, it’s possible to point to the fork and say: Yes, that’s where we took a different route and in our case it resulted in a different life. I know I am not the only person to live very far from my children - it's become more and more common. There comes a point in your life that your nuclear family stop being a package deal and your adult children have to make the best decisions for themselves and indeed their own families. Technology makes this easier to stay connected - where would we be without it - but its not ideal. I'm fortunate to be able to spend a fair bit of time with my family every year. This is what I know is true for me.......

Home is uncertain. Home is where my family are. My family are in several places. Home is where my heart is. My heart has the ability to be in several places at once. I carry my home around within me.❤❤❤❤

 

Things to love about Autumn.....

 Hello Autumn - my second favourite season with Spring being my favourite. While many people are lamenting the end of summer, I am happy to move on towards the end of the year.

What I love about autumn:-

Crisp mornings - I like to wake up in a warn bed and feel a crispness in the air - it makes those stolen moments under the covers more special.

Leaves - I love the progression of colour as it changes from green, yellow, brown, red and then the slightest breeze will create a flurry of leaves whipping around on their journey to the ground. Even better if there is water to reflect all of this and double the spectacle

Trees - I like to see the structure of the trees as they are laid bare. Their branches almost mirroring their roots. Conkers, sycamore wings and other Autumn fruits appear ensuring there will be a spring in the new year.

My wardrobe - I love to wear Autumn colours - they echo the colour of nature and dark greens, tan, ochre, reds and neutral bring warmth into my life. Although I really dislike wearing tights - I love wearing my jeans and jeggings .....and  boots - I must have twenty pairs! Jackets and coats come out to play like old friends and sometimes there is money or a memory in the pockets - both valuable!

Warm baths - the bliss of soaking in a candlelit bath and then straight into bed all warm to read before sleep. I have always enjoyed bathing and after decades of living on a dry continent, often with water restrictions, I so appreciate a long deep, steamy, scented bath. Candle light makes it even more of a treat!

Soup - I could live on soup in winter - today I had leek and ham but any vegetables and homemade is the best with a slice of proper granary bread. Its all you need! 

Walking - Although its great to be outside in summer - I think of summer as a stroll whereas autumn is for walking - a dry day at this time of year is great for proper walking, power walking, walking to keep warm and if there are any crunchy leaves about then even better!

Making Plans - The countdown to the end of the year and planning. Halloween, family birthdays (there are a lot), Christmas shopping lists, holiday plans for the following year and as we generally leave for warmer shores in winter there is all that planning too. I think it was a quote from the 'A-Team' that said, 'I love it when a plan comes together' and I love it too when all our arrangements run like clockwork while we are travelling.

Television gets interesting again. We don't watch a lot of TV which is just as well as there is nothing on during the summer months but come September and its great to settle down to a good series and often start some knitting.

I don't like the shorter days when its dark by five pm but there is a lot to look forward to in Autumn.

'Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release— its what trees do!'