Purakaunui Falls, Catlins.

I spent many years of my youth using placemats with this on, and now I have my own photo.

Sealions Seurat Bay, Catlins

Liked this place, and was amazed at how close you could get to the sealions. Fortunately aggressive pursuits of viewers only lasted about 5 seconds before the sea lions would fall over with exhaustion/ennui.

Petrified Forest, Curio Bay, Catlins.

This was amazing. As in "I am amazed that zillion year old trees turned to stone are even less interesting than ones that are currently alive." Bruce liked it anyway, but I spent my time with my camera waiting to capture the wave that swept him off the rocks.

Handy Warning Signs

I found these warning signs placed at "attractions" to be very useful. This one means the "feature" is a) infested with children & b) so boring you'll want to poke your eye out with a stick but c) you are unlikely to be eaten by packs of wild dogs. Should be displayed at all sites involving Petrified Forests.

View from restaurant at Mt Difficulty winery, Cromwell, Otago.

Now this is more my type of tourism, I find excesses of scenery are often made bearable by the application of pinot noir.

Rakaia Gorge, Canterbury

Lake Pukaki with Aoraki (Mt Cook) in the background.

OK, even I have to admit this was pretty spectacular.

Dog Statue, Lake Tekapo.

A statue erected as a tribute to the working dogs of the high country. No, I don't want to think about that too deeply either.

More Dog Statue

Now you can appreciate the difficulty in taking the previous photo! We needed a good dog to round up some of the tourists.

Tasman Valley Glacier, Aoraki

This was my first glacier and I still thought they were pretty cool! I climbed for hours (OK, 20 minutes) to see this.

Glacier Lake, Tasman Valley, Aoraki

Glacial Valley, Aoraki

Majestic landscapes, I was completely blown away. Not a coconut palm in sight!

Camping near Milford Sound...

Ah, beautiful scenery, sunshine & a book, want more could I want?

...and then night approaches.

Well, I think the answer to the previous question is total extermination of sandflies and instant global warming. Two hours after going to bed, Bruce convinced me to remove my hat and jacket.

Milford Sound

Absolutely stunning scenery, Milford is actually a fjiord formed by glaciers.

More Milford Sound

Sill more Milford Sound...

Yes, you yachties, this is accessible by sea but there is one slight problem...

Milford Sound - straight down

... it's a wee bit deep to provide many anchorages.

Fox Glacier, Westland

Fox Glacier, Westland

Ice formations on the front of the glacier.

The Fox at the Fox Glacier

Getting a bit over glaciers now - "You want me to walk HOW far to look at a hunk of ice???!!"

Shotover Jet, Shotover River, Queenstown

Kawarau Gorge, Whakatipu Basin.

We rafted down here. Note the tiny "road" on the left heading up to the Chard Farm Vineyard. Yes, of course we went up there! This is the site of the Pillars of the Kings in the first Lord of the Rings movie.

Wanaka Moment

Quick, someone call Amnesty International!

Giant Sandfly

Bushman's Museum, Pukekura, Westland. They had a great display inside showing how it was hunted and shot. Can't recommend their possum pies.

Otira Gorge, Arthur's Pass

A great drive, even if it was a wet day. The roof on the left provides shelter from falling rocks and the one on the right diverts a waterfall over the road.

Otira Viaduct, Arthur's Pass

Nice piece of engineering, being admired by a kea (native alpine parrot). For those not familiar with NZ, this is one of the main roads from one side of the South Island to the other.

Bruce Picking up Birds

The local kea were not at all shy, all visitors got monstered for titbits, despite warnings about feeding them.

Cape Foulwind Seal Colony

The pup paddling pool. Very cute.

Punakaiki Pancake Rocks

I was very underwhelmed by these - I thought they would be heaps bigger. Great pub nearby though, just don't order a hot chocolate.

Formerly the Blackball Hilton, Blackball

Subject of the infamous Hilton litigation. Note the cyclist in front of the hotel. I know the West Coast is a little behind the rest of NZ, but still...

Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds

Furneaux Lodge, Marlborough Sounds

We tried to buy an "I survived New Year's Eve at Furneaux Lodge." t shirt, but they didn't have any. A missed marketing opportunity.