Time to catch up! Our last day in Mosgiel saw torrential rain so no last golf game but we did have lunch with Bruce, on the water in Dunedin, surf pounding in the storm. Very nice! We said goodbye with a promise from Bruce that we would see him again. We hope to see all our cousins again, possibly in Canada or back in NZ.
On Friday, Lydia, Geoff and I drove to Wanaka in “Central” NZ, to her holiday home. Fantastic place, very roomy, modern and lovely. Cath and Karl joined us in time for Cath and Geoff to cook us dinner: lamb’s liver and bacon!
Interesting that they hit on this topic at dinner earlier in the week. Karl’s cousin Pieter and his wife Karen joined us for the weekend after dinner.
The next day, the three of us jumped in the car again and headed to Arrowtown and Queenstown. We crossed the Crown Range with the most spectacular vistas! Amazing.
My aunt and uncle lived in Arrowtown for many years after their kids left home; my mom and dad stayed with them there and golfed at the course reached by walking through their back hedge. We drove into the yard of their old house, but it was a little sad; the garden was seriously overgrown and made the place look rundown and unloved. Quite the opposite had been true as my uncle had planted and carefully tended rows of trees running along both sides of the drive, as well as extensive gardens.
Arrowtown exists as a result of the gold rush; what is left are heritage buildings and store fronts housing wool and souvenir shops, lovely cafes and a bakery specializing in meat pies. At 11:00 am, people were lined up out the store and across the sidewalk to get in. According to a local, selling meat pies is a license to print money in NZ. Seems the Kiwis are mad about them! We abstained.
Next stop Queenstown. It’s a less hip, less expensive Whistler, ski hill overlooking the village and lake, lots of young people lounging on the green space listening to the afternoon entertainers alongside crafts people selling their wares. We stopped for a coffee and ice cream, bought some souvenirs, had a good look around, then headed to the Bungy centre to have a look.
We returned to Wanaka in time for happy hour and dinner—Cath prepared a fabulous roast leg of lamb, with loads of veggies; Karen made a pavlova for dessert. Fantastic! Later in the evening, Karl and Pieter showed us the Southern Cross in the evening sky. Perfect end to a perfect day.
This morning, it was time to leave. Lydia and I walked out and cried together; so hard to say goodbye, especially knowing that we might not see each other again. For both of us, my mom was right there with us. I am so glad we came to New Zealand!
Today we drove to Hokatiki on the west coast of the south island. Sadly, the rain set it as we cruised past the end of 30 mile long Lake Wanaka so we missed any fabulous scenery we might have seen by the Fox or Frans Joseph glaciers. Holed up in the motel room tonight but off to golf in the morning and then back to watch the Academy Awards!
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