South Island New Zealand Jan 30-Feb 1, 2015

South Island, NZ Jan 30-Feb 1,2015 Wee are now on the South Island of NZ after a glorious day hiking through the 100 year old redwood forest. the trails go for miles and the trees are already over 200 feet tall and many feet wide. The silence is magnificent and the scent from the many ferns and plants intoxicating. that evening we drove back to Auckland and flew AirNZ for an hour to Christchurch , a very British city on the South Island which was virtually destroyed a few years ago by 2 major earthquakes. Was interesting talking to the locals about that time. In the AM we set out south in a 2014 Toyota Yaris for Oamauru , a gorgeous little town home to 2 different species of penguins,We spotted the rare yellow eyed ones but not the blue fairy kind. would have loved to see a blue penguin. did spot a fur seal on the beach though. this little town was so cool. the buildings were very grandiose , made of a local white rock and carved into Greek columns, an opera house, grand theaters and banks . the Main Street was about 100 feet wide. Laid out 100 years ago to the width it would take to turn around a team of 12 oxen attached to a cart. we stayed at an old converted flour mill with 3 menacing chickens which pecked at my door this morning waking me. The owner told me they are rescue chickens, rescued from a factory where they were being brutalized . first time I ever met a rescue chicken! during today we continued south first stopping at the Moeraki Boulders. These giant completely round boulders up to 7 feet in diameter occur only here on this particular beach. Not rounded by the ocean rather they are formed somehow in the high cliffs adjacent and when the 75 ft cliffs are eroded the stone falls-to the ground. they are like giant geodes. really cool and there are dozens of them scattered on the wide beach at low tide. Next stop after a scenic tour a Ong the ocean was Dunedin with its Flemish neo-Classic train station and then the settlers museum which contained artifacts from the last 200 years. Sadly my iPod which is one of the originals was on display. At last we landed in Gore where we have been staying with a lovely NZ couple , Brian and Shona who have a small farm with 6 horses and 50 sheep and a gorgeous modern house with a view overlooking at least 30 miles of hills covered with sheep and cattle and ... Well pictures wouldn't do it justice. We shared our supper with them and after a tour outside to meet the animals are happily ensconced for the night. Sent from my iPa🐪