It is hard to believe my 12 months in New Zealand is almost up and in just over a week I'll be winging my way back to Australia. Am I ready for that? Nope, not at all. Do I want to go back? Hmm trick question there. I can't wait to see my family again and am very much looking forward to catching up with my loved ones. That's a good reason to go back eh? Do I wish I was coming back here afterwards? Hell, yes! I'd much rather be living here for a variety of reasons.
My time here feels unfinished. I have loved every moment of living here and I feel incredibly lucky to have lived and worked in paradise. The climate suits me well and I love living in a place where there are very distinct seasons, each one having it's own beauty. To live in the southern alps and next to a huge lake that's so close to ski fields and national park has been my kind of bliss.
This place has nourished and nurtured my soul. It feels like home to me. I've become a part of this community and I've made some great friends. I've learned new skills, had many great experiences and explored places I hadn't seen before and some I didn't think I was quite capable of.
And festivals! Oh my gosh, New Zealand is a bit like festival central! Each area seems to have some type of festival at various times of the year. It's been fantastic to experience some of those.
Autumn in the Otago region is nothing short of magnificent so it stands to reason there is a festival! What better way to celebrate the wonder of autumn than at the Arrowtown Autumn Festival. The back drop of trees to the town are gorgeous at any time but in autumn they are breathtaking. The changing colours are spectacular and seem to get more and more beautiful until they are done. It's a photographer's paradise, even for the very amateurish.
Autumn at Glendhu Bay didn't disappoint either and offered plenty of opportunities to appreciate the marvels of mother nature, watch the leaves falling and enjoy the golden carpet they left behind.
At the end of May I travelled down to the Bluff Oyster Festival, a really popular festival going by the large number of people who had made the trek down to the southern most town in NZ. There is a lot of ceremony around opening the festival and it has quite a Scottish feel to it.
The oyster is piped in with bagpipes and is presented to the Master of Ceremonies. Next the Ode to the Oyster is read solemnly and with reverence.
We put you on a pedestal, oh oyster from the sea
You’re such a delicious delicacy, that’s where you deserve to be
We carry you from Foveaux Strait to the safety of the shore
And free you from your protective shell so the people can adore
A gem, a pearl set in Bluff’s crown, so proudly we display
Our oyster, in all it’s glory for all who are here today
Oh oyster, bounty of the sea, it gives us so much pleasure
To set before the world such a truly delectable treasure
The oyster is then tasted, declared delicious and the Festival is officially opened! It's time for the entertainment to begin with school children performing traditional Maori songs, dances and the haka. These kids were not only fantastic but also absolute troopers, the weather was freezing and they were in skimpy summer outfits and barefoot! Yet they performed for around 20 minutes. I sure hope they were able to get warm fairly quickly afterwards.
Plenty more great entertainment after the school kids and I shouldn't forget to mention there was LOTS of food on offer, some things I'd never seen before such as some type of sea urchin that looked suspiciously like a hedgehog and very long lines of people waiting to taste the various delicacies.
The weather hadn't been great that weekend so there were a few things I'd planned to do but had to shelve as it was too wet and soggy underfoot. Wet weather does not prevent a visit to the yarn shop though and I have to admit yarn found its way home with me.
However, wet weather also meant there had been plenty of snow across the Crown Range and it was like a winter wonderland up there! Of course I had to stop at the summit to check it out more closely, take some photos, look at a couple of large snowmen and watch the kids tobogganing on the other side of the car park. And it was a perfect opportunity to do a quick video call home to share with family.
A week or so later was the Steampunk Festival in Oamaru. That was a rather cool festival to attend with a Fire and Steam street event to kick things off on the Friday evening, followed by a street parade the next morning. All kinds of activities including a steampunk market, tea dunking championships and a tea pot race! There were fabulous and somewhat elaborate costumes worn by steampunk enthusiasts all through the Victorian Precinct.
On the way over, I'd planned to have a look at Elephant Rocks but there were cows everywhere. As in herds of cows were being moved from place to place on long stretches of road, so the parking area was full of cows. I found out later it was Gypsy Day - the day to move your cows from one farm to another. Who knew? The roads were much clearer on the way back, so I was able to go for a walk and check out these spectacular rock formations.
An inversion layer of cloud sat across much of the Lindis Pass going through both Omarama and Omematata on my trip over and back to Oamaru. There was a hoar frost that probably stayed there the whole time, given some of the beautiful icy photos I took at 4 in the afternoon! Rather pretty and also rather cold.
World Knit in Public Day was in June and needless to say, it was a somewhat cold blustery day to be sitting out on a street corner on couches knitting. Luckily, plenty of blankets (knitted of course) were provided to help combat the cold and the cafe had plenty of warm drinks on offer. It was a lively fun morning with women and children of various ages plus a few bursts of sunshine to warm things up a little.
I learnt about inversion layers during the early part of winter. Irritating low lying layers of cloud that sometimes sit for days above an area and other times it will burn off by early afternoon leaving a few hours of clear sky. I was up early one morning and saw one come in off the lake and wrap itself around the mountains where it stayed for much of the day.
There are areas/towns that experienced many days in a row with an inversion layer, so when this happens it's worth the effort to go for a drive to somewhere above the layer to have a break and get a fix of blue skies and sunshine.
In June, the Matariki Festival was held on the Wanaka lake front. I did a little research to learn more and found that Matariki is the Maori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades that rise in mid winter and for many Maori, it heralds the start of a new year. It's a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present and plan for the future.
In Wanaka, Matariki was celebrated on the lake front as a community family event. Along with music and other entertainment was a hangi that was put on for the local community. For a gold coin donation, a meal was provided for the community. The elderly were fed first, followed by preschool children and their families, then the remainder of people. The food was delicious and with two bonfires on the beach, there was some warmth from the chill in the air. My friend, her toddler and I settled in front of one to watch the fireworks that came afterwards.
Then of course is the Winter Festival in Queenstown. I didn't attend much of this as Queenstown is madness at the best of times, but there were so many more people around that parking was a nightmare. However, there was a Nordic Harp performance in the tiny hall at Cardrona that had it's own sense of unusual and quirky.
Unusual in that the music was all set to scenic photo's from the Nordic area with a little history in the mix and the music was hauntingly beautiful. To close your eyes and listen added to the experience, although the music was so peaceful there was a danger in drifting off to sleep.
An intermission during the evening provided home made scones with jam and cream which were served in addition to the coffee and tea. There was light snow and plenty of ice on the ground when we arrived and more by the time we left, but no black ice on the road thankfully.
I had my heart set on attending the Monteith Dog Derby and the Dog Barking Competition at Cardrona Ski Field but unfortunately didn't make it. Apparently it's a hoot and if the dog doesn't bark on the owner's command, then the owner has to bark instead. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to see this another winter.
Also in July, I was treated to a couple of visits from across the ditch by loved ones so it was nice to have the opportunity to show them around some of my favourite places and do a little more exploring with them.
My sons bought me a Mother's Day gift voucher for dinner at the Skyline Restaurant in Queenstown, so it was a perfect opportunity to enjoy the experience with company. The food was incredible but can't say I'm as keen on the whole gondola experience at night, I think I prefer being able to see what's happening in daylight hours. Especially given the steepness of the gondola climb.
We stayed in Arrowtown after the dinner and it was a rather crisp -5 the next morning. I'd bought a towel from the op shop the day before to cover my windscreen at night for frosts and it was frozen solid the next morning. Once we warmed up and got going, it was perfect opportunity to go for a walk and take some pics along the icy Arrow riverside.
One of the lovely things about working in the tourism industry is you learn about the different activities in your part of the world and sometimes have the opportunity to check them out as part of your work. I did a tour on a jet boat that followed the Matukituki River up into the valley of Mt Aspiring National Park. A fabulous way to experience the remote beauty of the national park, well beyond what you can get to by road.
I have absolutely loved the winter here and have had fun checking out different ski areas. Part of the fun/challenge for me has been getting my little car up the mountains and being bit of a tourist by making the most of photographic opportunities.
As I've mentioned before, Treble Cone near where I live is one of my favourite places as the views are nothing short of spectacular even from the car park. On a clear day at Cardrona Ski Resort, you can see right across the valley through to Queenstown. The road up to the Remarkables Ski Field has a few larger areas where you can pull over and take photos of the Queenstown area. Coronet Peak ski area has beautiful views in all directions and I love the way it is lit up at night. You can see it from miles away. Round Hill Ski Area is on the eastern side of Lake Tekapo. With the glacier blue waters of the lake against the snow topped alps, the views are stunningly beautiful.
The place I've had the most fun though is the Snow Farm, also at Cardrona where I had an absolute blast going down a hill on a tube numerous times. Great for the big kids who don't ski. I also had the opportunity to go on a dog sled ride which went across the tops of some of the back country. It would have to be one of the best experiences I've had so far, it's magic! I didn't drive the sled as I wanted to take pics, so I sat in the basket but driving also looked like a lot of fun. I'm hoping I can get at least one more visit into the Snow Farm before I leave here.
Well that's about it from me for now. I'm unsure if I'll squeeze another post in before I head back to Australia or whether it will be a catch up one in a few weeks as there is still lots more to share from this adventure of mine. Thanks for reading :).
