The top two pictures here are coming down from Mt Cook. We posted a picture in the beginning of the blog above the photo at the concert of this lake and Mt Cook in the background. The coloring this day happened to show the richness of glacier water which is this incredible creamy blue that looks unrealistic. A little further down the road we stopped in Lake Tekapo. This church sits right on the shore of the Lake, The Church of the Good Shepard.

Going to and from Milford Sound you must pass through the tunnel you see above. We were staying in Te Anu which is a good hour drive to The Sounds. However, on our way back we had a few visitors on the other side of the tunnel. A very cheeky bird, this mountain parrot a Kea is quite capable of doing damage to your car by pecking all the rubber from around the windows and pulling off windshield wipers. As you can see roof racks too. They were quite amusing as was the server in the restaurant we ate at that night.

So we were on our way out to the ocean and along comes this amazing family of dolphins. We followed them for a good 25-30 minutes. It was great having them directly below us swimming with the boat and we could actually hear them communicating with one another. This maybe one of the most incredible places in New Zealand. The landscape was breathtaking and the wildlife made it just a bit more astounding.

Some how throughout the time Phil and Debbi were visiting it only rained the first day or two when Debbi arrived and the night as the two of them were flying home. No complaints, it was perfect for everything we decided to do. When we made it here to Milford Sound it rains 8000mm about 315 inches and around 200 plus days a year. We manged not only to have a clear beautiful day but we also lucked out and saw a large family of bottle nosed dolphins...

We stayed in Franz Josef Glacier for a couple of nights. It felt very European with the atmosphere as far as all the hostels and the range of people coming and going as well as ALL the activities. We went out one night and became good friends with the bartender who we ended up swapping an Oregon Dechutes beer with. Having them in the car became quite handy. In Wanaka we went into their brewery and traded a beer for a sampler of the variety they had. Anyway, as you can see in the middle picture here, there is a warning sign which indicates there is an ice cave which could fall at any given moment. Take a close look and notice, it's already gone. You could hear cracking as well as see in melting quick. We've got to reach the top before it's too late!

On our way back to the South Island we stopped in Lake Taupo again, had a little car trouble but managed to work it out. We went back to Wellington for a night and came across an amazing display of original photos near our hotel and right on the water front. Here is a link if you're interested at all in Photography. His books are also fabulous. http://www.yannarthusbertrand.com/yann2/affichage.php?reference=TVDC%20116&pais=France
We then caught the ferry again the next morning. Debbi was smart and took some dramamine. She ended up asleep with no motion sickness. I decided to join Andy and Phil at the front of the boat to see the 8 to 10 foot waves, which made me green and yes, give up my breakfast in a small white bag. After that, I managed to get some dramamine and make myself comfortable. We then made it down to Pancake Rocks or Punakaiki. The rocks are layers of water sculpted limestone, as you can see resemble stacks of pancakes. There are also geysers which add some action from the Tazman Sea through the blowholes in the rocks.

Right near the beach house there is great kayaking! We drove north to Cathedral Cove which is beautiful. We managed to see a little Blue Penguin swimming along to shore and a few other birds on the Islands. Thanks to Debbi and Phil we have all these pictures here too!