Doubtful Sound, Lake Hayes and Kawarau Gorge

After the bus journey down the hill from Wilmot Pass, we arrived at Doubtful Sound. The weather was idyllic, and Doubtful Sound looked beautiful. We slowly traversed the narrow waterways and marvelled at the scenery until we arrived at the seal colony. We had been told that there may be some penguins, but unfortunately their breeding season had just ended and they'd all left to make way for the seals.  

Before we'd even reached the colony, we were able to both hear and smell the seals. They were incredibly noisy, and seemed to enjoy showing off for the audience on the boat. Several of them stopped sunbathing and swam a few laps around the boat, then began playing amongst themselves.

Once we had lapped the 'island of seals' we began to head back towards the mainland. We followed a large cruise ship for the first few hundred metres, but it soon disappeared into the distance as we stopped to take a closer look at a small waterfall. I even managed to get a picture of a rainbow near the boat. I didn't see a pot of gold though...or a leprechaun. 

After spending a short time at the waterfall, we headed back to the wharf. We then got on the bus again for the windy journey up the hill and down again to the visitor centre. On the way back across Lake Manapouri we stopped to look at the power station there. It wasn't the prettiest of sights, so I didn't take any pictures, but it was interesting all the same. Apparently it is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand and the energy generated is used at an aluminium smelter near Bluff.

Once I had returned to Queenstown I took a walk in to the town centre for some dinner. I took a couple of pictures of the lake on the way there, and then another couple on the way back with the sun setting on the mountains. I then walked back along the edge of the lake to my hotel and packed my bags ready travel to Wanaka the next morning.

The next morning I got up bright and early and began the hour drive up towards Wanaka. I stopped at a couple of places on the way. One was Lake Hayes, a very picturesque lake next to Arrowtown, which isn't far out of Queenstown. I parked at the southern end of the lake, had a bit of breakfast, and then completed a loop of the lake. It was a fairly easy walking track and only took a couple of hours to finish. As you can see, the weather was lovely again, and made the walk all the more enjoyable.

Continuing north on State Highway 6, pulled in to a small winery called Gibbston Valley Wines. It had been recommended by a couple of friends of mine, so I thought I should go and check out all the hype for myself. I sampled a pinot gris, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and a riesling, and all were delicious. In the end I left with two bottles of pinot gris, two of pinot noir and a couple of riesling. I also bought a little bit of cheese and some chutney, and of course, I just had to sample the ice cream!

After departing the winery, it was a short drive up to the Kawarau Gorge just outside Cromwell. I pulled in at 'Roaring Meg', a hydro power scheme fed by the Roaring Meg Dam on the Kawarau River. The lower of the two power stations can be seen to the right in the first picture. I was impressed at how blue and clean the water looked, and would have been keen to do some white water rafting or kayaking had I been spending more time in the area. 

Next stop Wanaka!

South Island Road Trip - Queenstown, Lake Manapouri and Wilmot Pass

Last December (yes I'm that far behind again), I travelled to the South Island to do a bit of a road trip. I did another car relocation deal, this time from Queenstown to Auckland, and stopped off at a few places on my way back up. I flew down to Queenstown on the first flight of the morning, and arrived at around 9am. The weather was glorious so I decided to take a drive around and take few photos of Lake Wakatipu.

After familiarising myself with the town and the edges of the lake, I found my hotel, dropped off my bag and went to explore a bit further afield. I found a nice little walk a short drive to the north of Queenstown. The walk started off near the water, passed a few little bays and then climbed up into the hills. It was quite a warm day so I dipped my toes in the lake, but it was definitely far too cold for a swim!

After my walk, I drove back into town and picked up some supplies ready for my trip to the Doubtful Sound the next day. I had an early start so wanted to be fully prepared  and rested for my 5am drive. The boat left from a small village south of Queenstown called Manapouri, with the drive taking a couple of hours. The drive itself was quite pleasant, lots of farmland and unspoilt scenery, and the sunrise was amazing. 

I arrived at the dock at about 7am and waited for the the cafe to open for my morning hot chocolate. It was a little cloudy, and freezing cold, but I had a feeling that it would brighten up a bit later in the day.

To reach Doubtful Sound, we first had to take a boat across Lake Manapouri. By the time the boat left (around 8am), the sun had broken through the cloud and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. The boat ride took around 45 minutes, and I sat outside in the sun to take pictures. Again, the scenery was fantastic, and although Lake Manapouri was not billed as the main attraction, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just as the boat was pulling in to the wharf next to the visitor centre at the end of Lake Manapouri, we heard a helicopter coming from behind the trees. When it suddenly appeared, we could see something dangling from the winch line, and as it got closer we could make out several deer carcasses. Apparently they hunt the deer to regulate the population and then send the meat to be sold on the mainland. The only way for them to get the deer out of the thick bush is by helicopter, and then it's transported by boat to Manapouri wharf. It was a bit of a surprise to see, but quite cool at the same time.

After a short briefing at the visitor centre, we were loaded on to a bus that would take us up and over the hill to Doubtful Sound at the other side. The road was extremely bumpy (no tarmac) and windy, but the scenery was lovely. The highlight of the bus journey was at the top of the hill where we looked down on to Wilmot Pass. As you can see from the pictures, the view was phenomenal, and well worth a quick pit stop for photos.

Next stop - Doubtful Sound itself!

Budapest Part III

So we come to the final instalment of the 'Budapest series'. As previously mentioned, I visited the Museum of Military History. I thought that it would probably be a good museum with plenty to see, as Budapest has quite a rich history when it comes to wars and battles. I certainly wasn't disappointed - I spent several hours looking around the various exhibitions, and I could have done with several more! The first thing that struck me was the amount of medals that were on display. There were so many, and spanning such a large number of eras. I took quite a few pictures of them, but I thought I'd limit the blog to just one image of a couple of them. 

In addition to the vast array of medals, there were a number of uniforms on display. Again, although I took quite a number of photos, I selected a couple of my favourites for the blog.

I think the best section of the museum was that dedicated to the weaponry used Second World War. Again, the number of items on display was phenomenal, with knives, grenades, handguns, automatic weapons, missile launchers and landmines all on show. I also enjoyed the communications section, and spent a while looking at the radios and other equipment.

This next photo was a bit random. They had a replica cockpit from one of the aircraft used in the Second World War, and I was just in awe at the number of buttons, switches and dials to see. It looks extremely complicated - I can only imagine what it was like trying to remember what they all did and where in the cockpit they were! 

After viewing the displays of the Second World War, I moved outside to look at the replica tanks and anti-aircraft guns, and then on to the artefacts from the First World War. Unfortunately I was quite hurried for time and didn't get to spend as long as I would have liked looking at everything. I did get to see a number of the uniforms though, and took some pictures of the swords and medical equipment that was used. I must admit that some of the equipment looks very similar to the instruments knocking around the surgical theatres in Auckland, but just a bit older. It makes me think that even though World War I was around a century ago now, that surgery can't have changed too much. I think the pain relief is just more reliable nowadays! 

The day after my visit to the museum, I went to the Hungarian Parliament Building. The building itself is hugely impressive, and apparently the tallest and largest building in Hungary. You can enter and have a look around, but I chose not to as it was quite expensive. It was definitely one of my favourite buildings in the whole of Hungary though.

One of the things that I really found hilarious in Budapest, was how much the police resembled Thunderbirds puppets. I think it was the hats more than their glazed-over looks and rigid movements! I just had to try and stealthily take some pictures of them, as had they seen me I may have got into trouble.... and I'm not sure I'd have been able to take them too seriously!

After the parliament building, I walked to Heroes Square. Heroes Square is famous for its statues depicting the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars (the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians) and other national leaders. The tall column in the centre is topped by the archangel Gabriel, and sits directly behind the cenotaph. Again, it was all very impressive, and despite only putting a few pictures on the blog, I took many many more.

Just over the bridge from Heroes Square is Vajdahunyad Castle. It was built in 1908 and is a replica of a Transylvanian Castle of the same name. It sits on an artificial island, and can be reached by using any one of four bridges. The Museum of Agriculture is located within the castle, but again, I didn't go in. I just wandered around the courtyard and took some pictures of the outside. Within the courtyard there was a beautiful church, with a very intricately-carved entrance. I can imagine a lot of couples getting married there, and having their photos taken outside the church and castle. I think that in addition to the Hungarian Parliament Building, Vajdahunyad Castle and its associated church are also favourites of mine.

There is just one last photo I feel needs to go on the blog, although it should have really been in the last post. It's a very nice picture across the Danube to Fisherman's Bastion and the spire of Matthias Church.

In summary, Budapest is beautiful. The buildings are architecturally stunning, and the city is made even more picturesque by the Danube running through its centre. There was plenty to see and do, and all within easy reach of my centrally-located accommodation. I travelled predominantly on foot, but also used the metro, and could have very easily found a taxi if required. It was also relatively simple for me to communicate, as the predominant languages in the tourist areas are English and German, although for some reason, I was always spoken to in Hungarian first! I'd definitely recommend going if you get the opportunity, and would definitely like to visit again myself.