Have a look under Galleries at the top of the page and see some of my photos from our recent South Island trip. We were fortunate enough to have some good friends from California come and join us for a whirlwind trip from Auckland to Christchurch… take the TranzAlpine train from the East Coast to the West Coast of the South Island, then drive from Greymouth down to beautiful Queenstown. While in Queenstown we took a trip across Lake Wakatipu over to the sheep station, Walter Peak, for a picnic lunch and a sheep working/sheering exhibition. Also while in the deep south, we visited Te Anau in Fiordland and took a cruise across Lake Manapouri, stopping to visit the underground power station before continuing our journey overland to another boat ride through the incredible Doubtful Sound, all the way to the mouth of the Tasman Sea. The next leg of our journey was a car ride from Te Anau to Christchurch, through Dunedin, Oamaru and Timaru… stopping there to pay homage to Phar Lap the great race horse, of course! In Christchurch we explored the landmark Anglican Cathedral as well as other sights in the heart of town. After flying back to the North Island, our friends experienced a genuine NZ farmstay just by spending a couple of nights with us before heading back to California! We had a really great time and were super lucky with the weather… just days after we left Te Anau and Queenstown the heavy rains came flooding both places, wiping out bridges and trapping people in Fiordland! Good timing on our part. Thanks to Fred and Linda for a great time!
PS There are more pics on www.jimmello.com from this trip.