Our work here is done!

As you all know, we are home again. The following 18 photos were taken on New Zealand's south island during our 11-day whirlwind, motorhome tour right before flying home in mid-November. Hope you have enjoyed our blog; this will be the last entry.

This is another NZ road sign, the likes of which we saw frequently during our travels.

No stopping!

New Zealand is a dangerous place! Just take a look here and at the next photo!

Be careful!

New Zealand coast

North of Kaikoura

Roaring Meg River

Pasture and Mountains

New Zealand BIG sheep.

New Zealand BIG dog (again.)

New Zealand landscape 1

New Zealand landscape 2

Kingston

Lake Wakatipu

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Gunn Lake near Milford Sound

Queen Charlotte Sound and Mahau Sound

Runaway, runaway

We are continually amused by New Zealand signage. i've previously posted a couple of the signs we've seen; the next few photos are of signs we saw recently. They often make us laugh out loud, stop the car and turn around to go back to get a photo. This is a two-for-one - one sign says what's happening and the next, what you should do.

Civilization - well, NZ style.

Consider yourself warned.

Queues

Well, maybe on another day.

Road Hazards

Ford

Didn't see this sign for any other kind of car....but, i suppose they're talking about the low bridge over the little stream just behind the sign.

Maori Rock Carving

In mid-October we took a trip to the Coromandel Peninsula. On the way we stopped in Taupo and enjoyed a sailing trip on Lake Taupo on the Barbary (a sail boat that once belonged to Errol Flynn.) The highlight of the cruise was the Maori Rock Carvings. They were done in the late 1970s.This carving is about 30 feet tall and 20 feet across. The following photos are of the carvings and our trip around the Coromandel. Hope you enjoy.

Maori Rock Carving

Lady of the Lake

This is Lake Taupo's Lady of the Lake. She is lying down with her head on the right side of the picture.

Hahei and Hahei Beach

This photo of Hahei Beach and the cute little seaside town of Hahei (Ha hay) was taken from the trail to Cathedral Cove (more photos of that coming up) We stayed in a lovely "villa" at the far end of the beach. The next two photos were taken from the upper deck.

Hahei Sunrise

Full Moon

Hike to Cathedral Cove

This photo and the next two are taken on the trail from Hahei Beach to Cathedral Cove. It is the usual NZ hike (up down up down up down up up up down down down) and took about an hour each way. It was well worth the trip.

Hike to Cathedral Cove

Hike to Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove and Arch

This photo and the next two are of Cathedral Cove and Cathedral Arch. There is another view on this website. http://www.thecoromandel.com/ We had mostly clouds this day until we reached the cove. The water is an amazing color!

Inside Cathedral Arch

The inside of the arch is about 3 stories at the highest point. It's about 50 feet from one end to the other.

Cathedral Cove

Not a soul on this beach but us.

Cook's Beach

Cook's Beach is a beach and small town about 15 minutes drive from Hahei. Now, really, couldn't you live here?

Hot Water Beach

At low tide, people come to this beach to dig holes in the sand and enjoy a hot water bath. (Notice the shovel handle in the right lower corner.) There is a spring under the beach that is heated by cooling magma (5-9 million years old, so the story goes.) The water is remarkably hot - too hot to soak in without cooling it down with sea water. It can come out as hot as 65 degrees C (149 degrees F.) We dipped ours toes in it and can attest to it's warmth. You can see the steam from the pools in this picture.

Another Coromandel Beach

Waiau Falls

This waterfall was just steps (granted, they were the usual very steep steps) from the road. We were off the main route on dirt road and, per NZ's usual understated way of doing things, this was marked with only a small sign. You had to know it was there to find it.

Opoutere Beach

It was a short hike to this beach through an estuary and little forest. We saw only one other person on this beach, as we were leaving. Amazing. We loved the little benches.

Matarangi Beach

Yet another beach without a soul on it. This beach was part of a rather exclusive area with many very large, beautiful homes, a big golf course and private air strip. The beach flowers are in full bloom right now.

More Residents

Wild turkeys are a very common sight here. This one was just yards off the beach in a pasture.

Trelinnoe Park

On our way home from the Coromandel we stopped by Trelinnoe Park. http://www.trelinnoepark.co.nz/ It was a gray and rainy day so we virtually had the place to ourselves. It was a beautiful, beautiful place. We were there over an hour and didn't began to see all of it.

Prospect

No idea why this is called Prospect. The trees have all been groomed/pruned to touch at their tops. This is two sides of the square. It's like a room with several arched doorways between the trees.

Southwind Walk

Red Orchids

Green Dragon Labyrinth