Dunedin to Cromwell to Waneka

January 2, 2011
Sunday

We slept great and had a delicious breakfast with muesli, fresh fruit, juice, croissants and eggs cooked to order before heading out for a three hour drive to Cromwell where James wanted to get to their Sunday Market. Just as we entered Cromwell James noticed that two cars in front of us were their friends, Toni and Derek. We followed them into town and said hello and then headed for the market which was just about finished for the day. The day was warming up and the guys changed into shorts at the vineyard where we went for lunch. It was quite nice sitting outside among the vines eating a meal of pates, cheeses, salads and condiments. The Israeli couscous and ham (unlikely a combination as that sounds) was delicious. So was the duck pate. Unfortunately, as we ate our lunch the clouds started rolling in (again). We poked around in some markets and headed to our lodging for the night at the home of more friends of the guys, this one was called Smooth Water Haven and our hostesses were a couple named Bonnie and Susie. Susie is Indonesian and Bonnie used to work for the World Bank and lived in Maryland. Their dog, Ramses, came from Kentucky.  Susie was busy dusting and apologizing for the dust inherent in a dry climate where you keep the windows open. Everyone we meet are delighted with the gift of rain that we've brought with us because they can turn off the hydration systems for a change. Bonnie and Susie grow fruit trees, grapes and raise chickens for eggs.

Our dinner tonight was at a place called Feast, a boutique restaurant in a strip mall. The service was ridiculously slow. I ordered a dish of medallions of merino lamb with potato and mushy peas (very NZ). The lamb was very chewy (so was J2's).

Monday, January 2.
Cromwell to Waneka
We awoke to "liquid sunshine". Bonnie and Susie were delighted for their crops but commiserated with us, knowing how disappointing it is to be on vacation and have crummy weather. Oh well... For breakfast we had muesli, croissants, toast, juice and coffee. Before we left Bonnie wanted us to meet friends of theirs who just built a fabulous house down the road. Fabulous would be putting it mildly. I have never seen a copper and stone house before. It was very modern with concrete floors gleaming with urethane, lamps they designed themselves, a sound system that had James drooling (they can control every aspect of their house from their home in Wellington. We had a tour of the house (and wine cellar and tasting room) and stayed for coffee and fruitcake. By the time we finally got into the car to head for Wanaka the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out.

The drive to Wanaka was comparatively short. We arrived just about 12:00 and headed for Uncle Mike's BBQ where we had down home bbq ribs and chicken wings. In New Zealand! We browsed in some shops and stopped to take pictures at the Lake and then on to Rippon Winery to taste some of their wines. What a beautiful view! We checked in at our lodge for the next two nights, Tiritiri Lodge, and met Stephanie and her daughter (and cook), Tiff. The guys and I walked down to the lake and back, enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures. When we got back, the guys went shopping with mom and I stayed at the lodge and read near the waterfall. We had before dinner drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the lounge and then went to dinner at the Botswana Butchery where we all had steak of some sort or another. The food was good but service was agonizingly slow. Back to the lodge and straight to bed.

Tuesday, January 3
Wanaka

We had a lovely breakfast of muesli, fruits, pastries, and eggs benedict. After breakfast I went shopping with the guys in Wanaka. We picked up sandwiches to take back to the lodge for a picnic which we ate outside. At 1:15 I left with the guys for the Wanaka Airport. We boarded a Cessna 206 (holds 6 passengers and a pilot) for a sightseeing excursion to Milford Sound. The scenery was breathtaking and riding in a small plane was not as scary as I remembered. The cruise up the fiord was pretty but I was very glad I brought along a sweater as it was much cooler and windier than it was in Wanaka. We flew back to Wanaka taking the scenic route past Mount Aspiring (2nd highest peak in NZ) and more glaciers than I can count. What a fabulous day! Dinner was at Tiritiri. The other guests had requested venison and I just didn't care for it. At 10:00 I excused myself and went to bed.