New Zealand 2017 - Day 26: Flying Home!!

Monday, March 13 - Took off from Christchurch 11 AM flight - took off Auckland 2:20 PM - took off LAX 8:40 AM - landed BOSTON 4:40 PM:

All on Monday March 13, 2017

Turned-in the rental car = 5677 kilometers (3528 miles)

The North Island is 821 km (510 miles) from the northern tip (Cape Reinga) to the southern tip (Cape Palliser)

The South Island is 885 km (550 miles) from the northern tip (Puponga) to the southern tip (Stewart Island)



Which means that in 26 days, I drove 3.3 times the entire length of NEW ZEALAND!

This was a cool hallway at the Christchurch airport:


From the 1st flight (to Auckland) - the blue Tasman Sea:

and the North Island:



And here I was thinking it was the "Far out International terminal":


Cool "wing shot":


Cool LAX (that is a giant oriental/metallic fish swimming upwards on a 2-story screen):

The 12-hour flight to Los Angeles:

looked a lot like the 5-hour flight to Boston:


Ellie picked us up, and we had a FUN dinner on the way home:


THANK YOU GOD for these wonderful adventures in these Beautiful Places!!

Music today - I read a WHOLE BOOK, and listened to a lot of albums on my big iPod (and the battery lasted the whole way!):
Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club, 1993


David & David - Boomtown, 1986


Pat Metheny Group - American Garage, 1979


J. Geils Band - Anthology, 1993

38 cuts of GREAT MUSIC!

Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick, 1972

Wendy laughed when I told her "I am going to listen to all of Thick as a Brick next."

Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat (cd + bonus cd), 1971


R.E.M. - Reckoning (cd 2 live), 1984


Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, 1975


The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night, 1964


The Beatles - Help!, 1965


The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request, 1967


James Gang - Rides Again, 1970


Vangelis - Chariots of Fire soundtrack, 1981


Chappaquiddick Skyline - Chappaquiddick Skyline, 2000

Moody, breathy, acoustic music
I came across this in a used cd bin 15 years ago - how could I not buy it??
Um, the only way to listen to it (to hear it) is with headphones, so I’m glad I have this opportunity.
It is lousy.

Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials, 2011


Blood, Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father to the Man, 1968

New Zealand 2017 - Day 25: All Saints Church, Arthur's Pass!!

Sunday, March 12 - Sunday morning church down in Methven, then up into Arthur's Pass, and spend the night back down in Springfield:

(I especially like seeing the map in TERRAIN VIEW!)

We made the 10 AM Service at All Saints:


Left there at noon - then drove through some beautiful countryside:


We made the Arthur's Pass National Park Visitor Centre a little after 2


I went to get some petrol, then we went through the Pass to see the Otira Viaduct:


Very Impressive Road Construction - those gray streaks on the mountains are rock slides, where hillsides just give way after a rain or an earth tremor.

We stopped at Otira Valley (a side valley running west from the north-south highway),but did not hike because of the bad weather:


Back in Arthur's Pass Village, I let Wendy out for a cup of tea (and, it turns out, some french fries!); while I went back to see the Devils Punchbowl Falls

they look PRETTY COOL from a distance:

the trail has its ups-and-downs through a rain-forest environment:

before finally arriving at the Falls:


My last photo of Arthur's Pass is of this side-trail named Scott's Track - the sub-title says "to Avalanche Peak" - HOLD ME BACK!!:


It took us about an hour to get down the road to our B&B in Springfield (which is 44 minutes from Christchurch airport tomorrow morning). We unloaded everything, then packed it all up appropriately, then had a nice dinner out (fish-and-chips). THANK YOU GOD for these wonderful adventures in these Beautiful Places!!

Music today - music from my silver nano:
Air Traffic Controller - NORDO, 2012


American Authors - Oh, What A Life, 2014


The Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out, 2003 (cd 1-of-2)


Jackson Browne - Hold Out, 1980

It sounded so good, we listened to it twice!

Lorde - The Love Club (EP), 2013

Since Lorde is from New Zealand, it seems appropriate that we end this trip with her.

New Zealand 2017 - Day 24: Caroline Bay, hike Mount Sunday

Saturday, March 11 - Another day seeing what this beautiful country has to offer: a final drive down to see the ocean, then a hike up on Mount Sunday, and the night in Staveley Heights:


This road sign describes today's weather!:

We were able to make a morning stop at Wendy's favorite New Zealand store - the PAK 'n SAVE


They have EVERYTHING for EVERYBODY!

and then we drove over to Caroline Bay (in the rain):



I put my hand in the Pacific Ocean, then ran back to the car!

It was a pretty desolate, dismal, cloudy day in New Zealand:




I wanted to see/hike Mount Sunday because of its "Lord of the Rings" connections:



This is the trail I saw on the AllTrails website:

which is a little more expansive than just the green one from the DOC:

I like the idea of going down the more-gentle northside after having ascended via the steeper southside.

We started hiking early afternoon in mist/light rain. You cross a bridge to get to Mount Sunday:


It is a pretty steep climb, but it is pretty cool at the top:



No "Mountain Tops", but still some pretty cool stuff!

Although the northside starts off well:

the unmarked "trail" quickly merges into a gravel road, but the you have to find your way home between the stream and the cattle-fence:

(I apologize if I put too much stress on this "hiking part of the day".)

Made our way back to the car; when we were on the road (and in cell service), we called Staveley Heights (which turns out to be the name of the B&B we are staying in) to see about dinner. Since we were going to be the only guests having dinner there, Steve and Sharon invited us to share their beef stew (we offered to bring the wine!); and it worked out GREAT! From photos the next morning, this is the kitchen/dining area (and view):

and this was our corner room:


After WONDERFUL dinner-and-socializing, I excused myself to blog - Wendy came back an hour later! Lovely place! THANK YOU GOD for these wonderful adventures in these Beautiful Places!!

Music today - music from my silver nano:
The Modern Jazz Quartet - The Best of ..., 1988

They have more of a vibraphone-type of feel (versus trumpet).

The Lumineers - Cleopatra, 2016

See, I listen to some NEW MUSIC!

Coldplay - Clocks, 2003 cd single


Canned Heat - Cookbook: Their Greatest Hits, 2002 (I only like 4 songs)

Rollin' And Tumblin', Going Up The Country, On The Road Again, Fried Hockey Boogie

Rod Stewart - The Definitive Rod Stewart, 2008 (2 cds)


Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà Vu, 1970