Day 26 – Queenstown to Christchurch then Home

It was time to return to Christchurch for our flight home, but before we did, we took some pictures of Queenstown.

Even in the rain, the autumn leaves were spectacular.

Shotover Street is the main drag.  We did not get a chance to take the gondola to the top of the mountain for a bird’s eye view of the town.  We were even game to try out the luge.

We wish we could have rented a bike here and rode around the lake on the scenic bike path.  If we would do the trip over again, we would add a few more days in Queenstown and Rotorua, as well as extend our itinerary to include Doubtful Sound and Dunedin.  We cannot get our fill of this wonderland of a country.

A better picture of Fergburger, home of Marsha’s favorite burger.  We can’t believe that diners eat these humongous burgers at 9-10 in the morning.  Holy heartburn!

Quaint town with lots of stone and brick work.  Yes, that is a raindrop on my camera lens.

Because we have had little rain and an endless summer in California, we enjoyed experiencing fall / winter twice in other parts of the world (Europe and NZ).

Pete, so sad to leave, takes one last look at Queenstown.

Winter here officially began May 1.  This is our last photo of Queenstown before we drove to the airport.

In Christchurch, we met up with Sandy and Diederik, a couple we met in Fiji, who live in Christchurch.  Diederik, originally from Holland, was so kind to shoot some of the Okamura / Oliver wedding pictures.  The family is going to visit us soon in LA, where they will experience, we are sure, culture shock.

Their children, Anneke and Michiel, were good sports. Both tried Mexican food for the first time.  We’ll torture their taste buds some more when they visit LA.

They told us about school life in Christchurch.  They all wear uniforms in public school (Tartan plaid, ankle length skirts for the girls and knee length shorts & blazers for the boys), such a preppy look.

We left Christchurch at the crack of dawn the next day.  We had a 5 hour layover in Sidney, so we checked into the one of the lounges and caught up on our blog. Marsha wanted us to bring back her favorite chips (Red Rock Deli – Sweet Chilli [sic] and Sour Cream) that she cannot find in the states.  Sorry, Marsha, but the bag burst open as a result of the pressure in the plane’s cabin and we were forced to eat them.  They were tasty!

We want to thank all of you that followed our blog, for your comments warded off homesickness.  We cherish you all.

To the folks we met during our trip – Diederik, Sandy, Alan, Cheryl, Loch, and Janet – we enjoyed the time we spent with you comparing NZ experiences and life in our respective countries. When you visit the USA, we hope you are able to spend time with us in LA (Los Angeles).

We also want to thank Black Sheep Touring, New Zealand [http://www.blacksheeptouring.co.nz], for putting together this awesome self-drive tour.  All of your research, input, notes and suggestions–so helpful and right on target–made for us an amazing experience.  Would we travel back to New Zealand?  In a heartbeat.  Nuclear free, pristine and organically beautiful, NZ should be on everyone’s list of places to see.