Interesting and beautiful drives from Te Anau to Dunedin; then, from Dunedin to Mt. Cook

(I'm writing and posting this on Thursday, 3/27, at about 8:30 p.m.)

I didn't have time to write a post yesterday, about our drive from Te Anau to Dunedin.  I'll just add a couple of notes now.

This is a blurry photo of an interesting thing.  In NZ, we saw hundreds of these perfectly manicured hedges.  They're sometimes 30 feet tall, and they've been pruned on all sides, and on the tops!

Pretty green field, pretty blue sky

Dunedin is known as the "Edinburgh of the South," meaning, of course, that it was founded by Scottish settlers.  We had some time to wander around the downtown area.  John and I chose not to join a tour of either the Danbury Chocolate factory or the Speights Brewery.  Shocking, I know.

This is the Dunedin train station, the most photographed building in New Zealand.

That's John, sitting on a bench in downtown Dunedin.

 In the evening, our diner began with a special bagpipe ceremony.

Today was purely sunny and warm, with clear, blue skies.  We had several interesting stops on our drive from Dunedin to Mt. Cook.  The first was New Zealand's only castle, Larnach Castle, built in 1871.  The owner called it "The Camp;" the rest of the country called it a castle.  It has a typical history--built by a rich man who had various kinds of bad things happen to him and his family; it went into disrepair; it was used as a school and by a religious order; someone finally rescued it; now it's repaired and refurnished.  Here's one very interesting thing about the castle.  In it is a hanging, spiral staircase.  The tour guide said it was the only one in the Southern Hemisphere.  She said she had heard that there was one in the Northern Hemisphere.  I said, "I've seen that one!  It's in the United States, in Santa Fe, New Mexico!"  I told her the mysterious story of the NM one.  (The nuns had no way to get to the choir loft; they prayed to St. Joseph; a stranger arrived, a carpenter, who built the amazing stairway, using no nails, and no wood from that area; he then disappeared.)

John, in front of Larnach Castle

Mossy stone wall at Larnach Castle

The second stop was Glenfalloch Restaurant, surrounded by lovely gardens and walking paths, where we had morning tea--which is something Americans should begin to have, by the way.  We spent an hour in a the city of Oamaru, which, for a time, was a very bustling, wealthy place.  Google it, if you have time.  When it was first settled, back in the late 1800's, it was ideal for farming because there were no trees there.  The problem was, because there were no trees, the settlers had to use something else to build all their homes and commercial buildings.  Fortunately for them, the area was loaded with limestone.  They used it for all their construction.  And, because there was lots of money in the city, the buildings have a stately, Roman style.  It's quite impressive, and is one-of-a-kind.

On we went, riding northwest, following the Waitaki River, and passing by some gorgeous, turquoise lakes--Lake Waitaki, Lake Aviemore, and Lake Benmore.  Along with the beautiful water, the terrain became mountainous, so we had some great scenery.

Beautiful Lake Benmore

John and I, with Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook in the background

 Our destination tonight was Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand, at 12,218 feet high.  It, and the peaks nearby, have glaciers on them,  which makes them even more impressive, of course.  We're staying at a hotel that overlooks the beautiful peaks.

Mount Cook, from our hotel

I mentioned earlier that our tour director for the South Island (that is, for the past nine days) is Riki.  He's Maori, and has told us many interesting stories from the Maori traditions.  He's also a wealth of information about New Zealand's history, geography, and culture.  He's efficient, kind, and funny.  Also, as it turns out, he's a great singer.  Last night and tonight, during dinner, he sang us a traditional Maori song.  What a treat for us!

Riki, our tour guide for the South Island.  (Nicolaas is on the right.)