The last few days have given us a real taste for the beauty and diversity of the South Island of New Zealand. As we’ve been driving the last few days, we’ve agreed that a month is just not enough time to do justice to what this country has to offer.
It has certainly worked to our benefit not to do to much (ok “no”) prior planning, as speaking to locals as always proven to be the right approach. From the Oparara Basin to the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, to the beauty of the coastline to where we just arrived – Franz Joseph Glacier, it has all been pretty spectacular.
The roads – windy, narrow and in many areas almost impassable have certainly not been my favorite. I do offer to drive, but as long as Bob is ok with that part, I’m all in! One can certainly do a lot of driving and we are trying to slow that down as we wind our way down the west coast to ChristChurch – our final destination.
The Kiwi have been lovely people, and it’s easy to see why one would want to live here full-time. The cost of living in New Zealand is high, and it’s difficult to imagine how people live, as the minimum wage is really no different than in California. The host at our Airbnb today was telling us, with an abundance of fishing, hunting and green-house gardening, it can be done. They are in their first year running as an Airbnb location in handcrafted cabins, which are quite cozy and lovely.
While we had a few days of rainy weather, the last several days have brought some pretty spectacular weather. This has enabled us to do some great hikes. One person was telling us today that the Franz Joseph glacier area doesn’t get that much great weather, particularly in the summer. So needless to say, the locals are pretty happy to be sharing the sunshine with us!
New Zealand is on our bucket list. For now we will travel vicariously with you. Praying for your continued safe travels. Enjoy.
Bob misses Bob at CordeValle!