Farewell to Conway Flat, NZ

After 10 weeks on “the Flat,” it was time to say goodbye and move on. We have never done a trip like this, where we stayed in one place for such an extended period. Between Oct. 15 and Dec. 25, we were the residents of Wadi Nimrin (the homestead / farm / property name). We made ourselves comfortable, established a routine, and really enjoyed the tranquility of being at the end of the earth.

We learned that isolation and not seeing another human being for days is not a bad thing at all; yet the neighbors and community on the Flat are such genuine and welcoming people.

We noted that cows and sheep are generally quiet and good neighbors, unless they are being moved and you are trying to drive through them at that time.

We loved eating lettuces that we planted and watching so many things blossom and grow.

We savored the views and beauty of the landscape and the birdsong.

While we thrived as “country mice,” ultimately, we confirmed that we are “city mice.” It wasn’t difficult to complete our various chores, and we were efficient and strategic at mowing the lawns, caring for the pool, and managing various other tasks. Still, property ownership and maintenance are not “our thing.” We like not owning a car, for example, and a lifestyle that allows us to eat out on a whim. If Jeff never mows another lawn, it will be too soon, even though he is quite good at it now.

It was fantastic getting to know more of the South Island during our stay. We spent a total of 13 nights away from the Flat exploring. Our trips with Adam were especially fun. When we finally drove away for the last time, we were sad to go, but excited to get back on the road again.

And here we are now in Tasmania and its 2024. Wishing everyone joy and adventure in the new year!

More to come soon,

Shana & Jeff

The Catlins

Shortly after Adam departed, we took a 3-day trip down to the southernmost part of the South Island to visit the beautiful area known as The Catlins. This would be our last trip during our extended stay in New Zealand. We drove to Christchurch, flew to Invercargil and drove east to our accomodations in Surat Bay. Our accomodation was a cottage that was basic, but remained warm despite intense rain the night we arrived and high winds the next night.

Surat Bay is a small community of 20 people (literally) with the nearest town about a 10-minute drive away. In fact, The Catlins are very rural with few towns or even restaurants. So, we had to plan our travels (and our meals) carefully. 

Surat Bay Beach, about a block from where we stayed, was named after a ship that was shipwrecked there in 1874. We saw a sleeping seal during our walk on the beach. Seals are everywhere in the Catlins as demonstrated by the road warning signs. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any on the roads.

After our morning walk on the beach, we drove to see several other sights. The first was a series of rock formations known as The Nuggets, along with the Nugget Point Lighthouse (one of the oldest in NZ). We thought this site was much more impressive than the far more well-known (and well-marketed) Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Austailia. Far less croweded too.

After our stop at The Nuggets, we did not expect the rest of the sights to measure up, and perhaps they did not; but, as usual, New Zealand continues to impress with its physical beauty. First, we stopped at Purakaunui Falls, which was easy to access and very impressive.

Then, we stopped at Jack's Blowhole, which was impressive in size, but not easy to photograph. However, the walk out to the blowhole provided some amazing views.

The next day, there were even more sights to see as we made our way back to Invercargil. First, McLean falls, which included a beautiful walk to get there.

Next, we stopped at Curio Bay where we we able to see the petrified forrest from above. Unfortunately, the sea was far too rough to climb down and see the forrest up close, but our view of the roiling sea was quite impressive.

Finally, we stopped at Slope Point, which is the most southern point of New Zealand's South Island. If you look closely at the picture, you can see that it indicates that we are closer to the South Pole than we are to the Equator. While a lot of land is closer to the North Pole than the Equator, this is a very rare point in the Southern Hemisphere. The Great Southern Ocean, which separates Antartica from the rest of the world is huge, so there is very little land south of 45 degrees south latitude. 

We were also able to get a couple of pictures that show how rough the sea was the day we were there (very common for this area). To get an idea of how high the spray is, the point we were on was about 50-60 feet above the level of the ocean.

Although we did not have great weather in the Catlins, we very much enjoyed exploring the area. Unfortunately, the rough seas closed the most famous site, The Cathedral Caves, which are only open at low tide in calm (or at least calmer) seas. So, if you get to the Catlins, don't miss The Cathedral Caves if they are open.

Hasta pronto.

Jeff and Shana

Adventures with Adam, Part 5: Lake Tekapo

Our drive from the Central Otago region to Lake Tekapo took us through some fairly bare hills, but also past a gorgeous lake with the snow-covered Mount Cook in the distance. Lake Tekapo itself is very pretty, but there is not much to do in the town and the main reason we stopped there was to do a star-gazing tour.

Lake Tekapo is part of a dark sky initiative, which seeks to limit light pollution in order to allow better stargazing opportunities. We noticed that even most of the streetlights are low to the ground, and a yellow-ish color rather than night-vision-killing white. Our stargazing tour was fantastic as we learned about the southern sky including how to find the Southern Cross and use it to identify due south (more complicated than simply using the North Star to find north), saw Jupiter and Saturn through a telescope, and looked at much more distant objects, including a beautiful view of the Milky Way. We even learned that some of the constellations we know in the Northern Hemisphere can be seen in the Southern, but they might be a little different. For example, the constellatiion of Orion (the Hunter) is easy to find by the three bright stars on his "belt", but in the Southern Hemisphere Orion is standing on his head.

They tour even provided us with pictures that show the beauty we witnessed:

The next morning, we spent a bit of time wandering around down by the lake, and saw the two most visited sites in Lake Tekapo: the Church of The Good Shepherd, and the Sheepdog Memorial, a statue of a collie, which was built to celebrate all of the dogs who came with the Scottish settlers to the area and helped them complete their work.

There was also a public art exhibition by the lake, and given Lake Tekapo's importance to astronomy, we thought this globe statue was the most interesting and relevant.

After leaving Lake Tekapo, we dropped Adam in Christchurch so he could make the (long) journey home to Seattle while we returned to Conway Flat. More about our adventures in New Zealand soon.

Jeff and Shana

Adventures with Adam, Part 4: Central Otago Gold Country

We spent three nights in a small town called Ophir, estimated population 50. Not joking. Why Ophir? Largely because our hosts’ friend was kind enough to let us stay in her historic cottage because she is away for extended periods. Who are we to say “no” to free lodging in a place that is one of the country’s most authentic and significant settlements from its gold mining days? 

The town sprouted quickly and became a commercial center, and just as quickly petered out. Its 31 historic buildings are preserved, including Heather’s property, known as Elm Cottage, which dates back to early mining days, and which also has a stone barn that was owned by two brothers who built horse-drawn cottages. Fascinating, right? Our favorite town feature was the Daniel O’Connell Bridge, built in 1880 of wood and rebuilt with steel in 1905.

We used Ophir as a base to explore the area’s gold mining history and vineyards. We ventured out to St Bathans, another gold mining settlement to hike around Blue Lake and see the historic Vulcan Hotel, established in 1869, and a great place for refreshment after a hike.

We also explored the larger towns of Clyde and Alexandra. It was great to celebrate Adam’s 56^th birthday with dinner at The Old Clyde Bank, now a restaurant. We visited several local wineries, nearly all of which are so small that their “tasting rooms” consisted of the viticulturalists’ back porch, the kitchen/great room, or a small basement lounge room. It was very different from the more commercial wineries in Blenheim. Adam’s favorite was Judge Rock, likely due to the vineyard and wine names. Our favorite was RuRu, operated by two Dutch immigrants who were super friendly. One slick commercial winery had just opened, Monte Christo Winery, which has historic roots and terrific wines, but the contrast with the smaller operators was night and day. Hopefully it won’t change the wine experience in this area.

We rented mountain bikes and rode the riverside trail between Clyde and Alexandra before continuing on to do part of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail, ultimately circling back along parts of the Otago Central Rail Trail. We rode 40+ kilometers. While Adam and I had e-bikes, Jeff went old school. He was only sorry during the last 8 kilometers or so. It was a beautiful ride.

As you can see, at one point we had to dismount and walk the bikes due to the narrow and steep nature of that part of the trail. Quite the adventure.

Alexandra has a unique feature – a clock up on a hill, which presented another hiking opportunity. But first, to get to the base of the hill where the clock is, you have to cross the Shakey Bridge (yes, that it literally its name). 

This entire area was new to us and we had fun exploring, especially with the good weather. 

One more adventure with Adam to come,

Shana & Jeff

Adventures with Adam, Part 3: A Tale of Two Beaches

After leaving Oamaru, we continued down the east coast to Dunedin, a city we visited on our trip last year. However, since we were coming from the north this time, we were able to stop at Moeraki Boulders Beach. The Moeraki Boulders are large, spherical stones, which are officially known as septarian concretions. These naturally occuring formations are importatant for science, but they have also become a tourist attraction, and we had a lot of fun with them (especially Shana).

The next day we returned to Tunnel Beach near Dunedin. We felt that both the spectacular beauty of the hike down to the beach and the beach itself were something that we should show Adam. It certainly did not disappoint.

After Dunedin, we headed toward the Central Otago region, but more about that soon.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana

Adventures with Adam, Part 2: Oamaru

During Adam’s visit, we took a 6-night road trip south. We spent the first night in Oamaru, a small town with a Victorian heritage. Oamaru sits on the coast, offering lovely views, Victorian architecture, and penguins.

Our night there we watched Fairy penguins (the smallest penguin breed) arrive on shore from their day at sea. We saw these penguins in Australia last year, but can you ever get enough of penguins? We witnessed several hundred penguins come home. They arrive in “rafts,” congregate on the beach, and then make a run … err, waddle for their burrows. It is a pleasure to see. No photos allowed during the penguin “parade,” but we did get some fun related photos.

We spent the morning exploring the Victorian precinct and enjoying the small-town vibe.

Oamaru has an interesting history.

More to come,

Shana & Jeff