Best part of the nights at Muna Moke. . .having a crackling fire going and enjoying a bottle of Pinot. . .the firewood came in huge chunks. . .and is red like mesquite.
New Zealand is stunning. . . More snow capped mountains than I’ve ever seen. . .rushing rivers. . .beautiful or stark beaches. . .whales just off shore. . .dusky dolphins!. . .fur seals. . .wineries. . . sheep. . .cattle. . .repeat. . .repeat again.
On the drive from CC to Kaikoura, Carol suddenly remarked. . .deer! I was skeptical she would see them in the fields. . .but then, the next day. . .north of Kaikoura to see the fur seal sanctuary at Ohau. . .we saw multiple fields of fenced in, domesticated deer. . .turns out they are farm raised red deer, to be turned into vension. . .honestly, I had no idea that deer could be raised as farm animals.
That explains why the menus sometimes just say vension, and other times say wild Fjordland vension. . .the former is obviously farm-raised. . .the latter is, well, wild.
There is not much history here. . .NZ is younger than the US and much smaller. . .No Boston, DC, Philadelphia. . .if you want old school, go to Europe. . .if you want outdoor activity. . .and natural beauty. . .come to NZ.
We would rank Queenstown first. . .Kaikoura a charming second. . .and Christchurch 99th!
Hate to sound like a broken record (google it, kids). . .but traffic circles in small towns are much better than traffic lights. . .and cars having to stop for pedestrian crossings when people are about to enter is much better than the States. . .where cars are more important than walking.
The NZ accent is harder to understand than Aussie. . .I get most of what they are saying, but not everything.
No drought here. . .plenty of water, and the hot water is good. . .central heating does not appear to exist. . .We have not turned the TV on once in the nine days we have been here so far. . .and won’t tonight.
Our last night in Kiwiland. . .off to Australia. . .it will be weird going from the country to the city (Sydney). . .Maddy is enjoying being with her parents it seems. . .but she’s also looking forward to returning to Sydney and catching up with all her friends.
Small towns here can simply be crossroads with one or two buildings. . .interestingly, the only fast food places are in the medium to larger towns/cities. . .there are none in the small towns on/just off the highways. . .which is fine by me. . .just an observation, not a criticism!!!
The best breakfast we’ve had. . .was in Kaikoura yesterday at a little café called “Why Not.” Not much to look at. . .but the food is great. . .going back this morning.
New Zealand radio is really weird and really bad. . .Apparently they do not have competition from satellite radio. . .Because they play two songs and then talk for a while. . .and then ring someone up with a bad connection. . .and do an interview that makes no sense. . .and then rattle off ten minutes of news. . .traffic from all over both islands. . .weather from everywhere in New Zealand. . .and then a bunch of sports scores. . .then they play two more songs, with one invariably by Billy Joel.
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