Christchurch, New Zealand-Day 5

Hurunui Hills Merino Sheep Farm

Sunrise from the front yard of our VRBO. Today will be exciting; Scotty is picking us up this morning to take us to his family’s Sheep farm! His dad, mom, Scotty and his brother run it. This is a 6th generation farm!
This is the VRBO that Jan found for us. It’s a beautiful house right on the water and was very comfortable!
This is the farm. i don’t remember the actual size of it, but it’s huge!
That’s Scotty, Jan, Lane and Joni in the picture. He told us this was the spot on the farm where he got married.
A group photo
Two of the three working dogs they use. These boys do the field herding together. They do not bark, they just follow their orders and do their job
This is their third dog. Her job is to get the sheep into the chute to go to shearing. She does bark since the sheep are already corralled. We have a couple of videos but unfortunately, I couldn’t get them to upload properly. If you want to see them work, just Google sheep herding dogs. It’s very fun and fascinating to watch!
When they’re off duty they are very affectionate. She loved belly rubs!
Rounding up a stray sheep.
More belly rubs, please!
The boys have them corralled, now her turn to get them in th chute.
In line to be sheared.
Look at those eyelashes! The Kardashians would be jealous!
The boys job is done, ready for a ride.
Scotty’s mom is the shearer along with the hired hands. Here she’s explaining the process.
Some of the shearing tools.
The shearing tool.
A bundle of wool with the awards it has won. They produce Merino wool exclusively and have earned many awards!
Many top garment producers around the world use their wool.
Here she’s showing us the fine threads they get from this wool.
Back outside, this is their family greenhouse.
A scarecrow of sorts!
They also have a few pet sheep. We think they aged out of being useful for wool, so now they live their retired life with treats and pets!
Grapevines over their back patio.
We had a lovely Crumpets and tea that Scotty’s mom prepared. She shared that her sons are encouraging them to retire and travel, but she isn’t interested in doing that because this is her office! Why leave it to travel!
We’re back in the van to go to lunch.
More sheep on our way. Interesting fact: sheep outnumber people in New Zealand 5 to 1! AND they’re delicious (the sheep not the people!)
Scotty took us to this winery where we had great wine and absolutely the best lamb shanks we’ve ever eaten. Sorry, no pictures, I was busy eating!

That’s the end of our adventures in the Christchurch area.

Christchurch, New Zealand- Day 4

Kaikoura Whale Watching Tour

On day 4 of our grand adventures with Scotty, he took us to Kaikoura where we boarded a boat to go whale watching. This area is known for this activity, so we were very excited to go! And the weather was perfect too!
We’re about to board and start this adventure!
This high tech monitor shows our boat without the water, so we can see the terrain of the bottom and see what our depth is.
Sorry this is a bit blurry, but its showing what whales we might see.
The captain suspects there’s whale activity nearby so she’s scanning with some kind of sonar device to determine what direction to head.
She’s done with that, now she’ll move the boat towards it.
While searching, we got to see an Albatross! According to our commentator they are rarely seen!
Another screen shot of our boat, showing a depth of 745 meters or 2444 feet.
Here’s a closer shot of the Albatross. An Albatross’s wingspan can be 6.5′ to 11,5′ while a seagull will be about 3.5′.
Thar she blows! In short order, we spotted a whale, and not just any whale! it was a Sperm Whale! According to our guide, who’s been researching whales for 15 years, this is very rare! This whale can stay submerged for hours and only surfaces for about a half hour, we were very lucky to witness this occasion!
That protrusion you see sticking out of the water is not a dorsal fin, it’s just where the backbone drops down towards its tail fin. These whales are the largest whales that have teeth and can be 52 to 62 feet long for males and 35 to 40 feet for females!
Another interesting fact she told us is that the blowhole on sperm whales isn’t centered, it’s slightly to the left.
What a special day: to see both an Albatross and a Sperm whale on the same trip!
I wasn’t able to get it, but luckily Joni got this parting shot as the whale dove back down!
Here’s a clearer representation of this massive creature. According to our guide they were hunted extensively years ago because of the abundance of oil in their head, up to 500 gallons!
That sighting was only about 2 hours in on what was supposed to be a 4 hour trip, but there was a medical emergency onboard, so we had to head back in early!
What an incredible trip! It was unfortunately cut short but the good news was they refunded our money 100%! Fantastic adventure and FREE! Hopefully the poor sole who had the medical emergency was okay in the end.
They added an observation deck on top of this water tank, pretty cool!
One last view of the bay then back home for the day!

The end of our adventure for day 4, coming up, Day 5……..

Christchurch, New Zealand- Day 3

Akaroa

We’re on the road again with Scotty, on our way to visit the beautiful town of Akaroa.
Our route took us through this tunnel. I’m sorry, I still think we’re on the wrong side of the road!
The trip there was very scenic.
This was kind of bizarre , they planted these trees in a perfect square! It’s called a forestry block, pine trees for future harvesting. This particular one is called the Damn Square of Akaroa.
These are our first glimpses of their beautiful bay.
My obligatory shot of a pier, love the shadow!
Interesting tree.
Every fisherman’s rules!
Downtown Akaroa, beautiful flowers everywhere.
We were intrigued with The Giants House. After a short debate about trudging up the hill to see it, we decided to go for it. After all, we came half way around the world to be here!
The artist, Josie Martin, who has lived here for 26 years found some shards of broken tiles or pottery while digging for a garden and she had the idea of creating some artwork from it. That plus when she began, the town and neighbors donated more. It expanded exponentially from there! She calls it The Happiest Garden in the World!
Jan and Joni “relaxing” on this tiled cement bench!
The more we explore and look, the weirder it gets!
I warned you! The farther you go the weirder it gets!
These two are Joni’s favorites, NOT!
Lane about to be eaten by a huge rabbit!
Jan and Joni catching a little shade.
I’m not sure exactly what this is representing?!?
Upward and onward!
Why not, an octopus next to an elephant!
There was actually a nice view of the bay from up there.
Yes, VERY steep stairs and no railings! They obviously don’t have OSHA here! BTW, I did not go down them!
The hands have it!
Those non OSHA approved stairs from down below.
For a little normalcy intervention, some pretty flowers!
And back to the non normal!
More Topiary.
Broken wine bottles? Use them too!
Sure, why not!
Jan making friends again! No, we’re not adopting him!
Dove Sentries?
Hopscotch anyone? This looks to be a work in progress.
Yes, these are real flowers!
Well, back down to reality!

Christchurch, New Zealand- Day 2, Arthurs Pass National Park

Scotty took us to the train station in Christchurch where we boarded a train to Arthurs Pass.
This is the scenery along our train trip. I didn’t take a lot of pictures because of the reflection in the windows. While we were on our way up there he drove his van up to meet us and then took
us through the beautiful countryside.
The next several pictures are ones Joni and I took with our iPhones, much better than my Nikon could do from the train!
The map on the train showing us where we are on the route.
We’ve arrived at Arthurs Pass, now on to our adventure afternoon with Scotty.
In the van heading out.
Scotty took a group photo of us.
And of course, I had to take one with him in it too.
Charlie Warden was the first Ranger for Arthurs Pass National Park.
Devils Punchbowl Falls was our first stop. It was quite a hike to go up to the falls so all the close up pictures were up to Joni!
Devils Punchbowl Falls from a distance.
A close up view via my 300mm lens, no hiking required!
She even took a selfie!
This bridge was as far as Jan and I were willing to hike
Jan and Joni by the Arthurs Pass National Park sign.
Some views of Arthurs Pass as we move on to our next stop.
This is the story of the three sisters, depicted by the three busts shown here.
Lots of caravans here visiting.
The explanation of the shelter carving.
Lane trying to get this bird to cooperate for a photo.

The ending of a long day, van ride back to our VRBO to prepare for day three, stay tuned……..

Christchurch, New Zealand

I’ll start this post with a bit of an add for this awesome gentleman. Scotty of ScottyB Tours was our tour guide for our 5 days in and around Christchurch. He was a fantastic guide too! He was knowledgeable and very interesting to listen to. He knows the area extremely well and had lots of interesting stories along our journey. We highly recommend him if you are ever in New Zealand, he is available for tours anywhere on the South Island!
If your interested, his website is: http://www.scottybtours.com
Our first day was a tour of Christchurch itself. Our first stop was this place. The site was a building that housed Canterbury Television Station, King’s Education Language School, Hair Consultants, Relationship Services and The Clinic Medical Center. On February 22, 2011, an earthquake of 6.3 Magnitude struck the city and the building collapsed, killing 115 people and injuring many more inside. The site is now a memorial honoring the lives lost that tragic day.
This was part of the foundation of the building.
A memorial to those lives lost.
This is a church that they lovingly call the “Cardboard Cathedral”. It was designed and erected next to the memorial and it got its name because what you are looking at is the roof of the chapel
and those are 100 heavy duty cardboard tubes coated with waterproof polyurethane and flame retardant.! They sit on 8 shipping containers which form the base and walls. It was designed by a famous Japanese architect Shigeru Ban in association with a local firm Warren and Mahoney.This is their temporary place of worship while the original church is under construction to repair the damage caused by the earthquake.
Even the chairs that are the “Pews” are in keeping with the Japanese theme.
This is the Christ Church Cathedral which as you can see is fenced off while they work on it. Completion of the project is not until the end of 2027!
Local artists took advantage of the fencing and are displaying some beautiful artwork!
Next on our tour was the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. As you’ll see.
As you’ll see in the next several pictures it was very colorful, especially since this was the beginning of their fall season!
That is a huge tree! Especially compared to Joni and Lane!
Not all the flowers are real or life size!
Lane on the left, Jan in the middle, Scotty and Joni to the right.
Quite a variety of different color roses too!
We loved this fountain!
Some of the beautiful old buildings around the Gardens
There is also some interesting art pieces scattered throughout the city too!
Down along this river they have installed another memorial to those lives lost in the earthquake of 2011.
I’m not sure what this is about, kind of odd!
Christchurch is where a lot of the expeditions to Antartica leave from! They’re only about 3500 miles from there. It seemed weird that the farther south you go down here the colder it gets; opposite of where we live!
More beautiful flowers!
We had lunch at Delilah, a very cool restaurant with great food!
After lunch Scotty took us to this trail that lead to a great view of the bay.

That’s it for Day 1 of our Adventures with Scotty. Stay tuned for Day 2……..

Brisbane, Australia-Day 2

Maleny Botanical Gardens and Bird World

It was a rainy day but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of our guide in the Bird World enclosure! She was a fantastic guide with lots of great information!
Joni making friends!
The residents didn’t seem to care about the rain either!
I don’t think James was 100% sure he was enjoying this close encounter!
The bird was though!
I was glad I had a hood between this bird’s talons and my bald head!
Stunning White Peacocks
Joni making more friends!
Jan wasn’t too sure she was enjoying this! Exactly why I was glad I had my hood up!
Lane and friend! She had that feather duster to keep them away but apparently A) she didn’t want to or B) the bird didn’t care!
Joni’s turn, but at least she has thick hair!
The feeding station.
Twins! Whose nails are longer, the birds or our guides?
The useless feather dusters.
We rented a golf cart to tour the Botanical Gardens but due to the rain it was a short trip.
The rain and foggy conditions made the gardens look even more tropical and lush!

This concludes our pictures from Sydney and Brisbane, Australia. Next up will be our adventures in New Zealand! STAY TUNED!

Brisbane, Australia

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

James, Bryce’s brother who lives in Brisbane, was our tour guide and driver. He had lots of very interesting history and other info he imparted to us as we toured around Brisbane. He took us to this Sanctuary which was very interesting!
These are Flying Foxes, a very large Bat!
One of the many very cute Koalas. This one is actually awake….and eating!
I believe this bird is a Bush Stone Curlew, common for the area. It looks like it’s legs are broken but that’s the way they’re built!
A Pink Cockatoo, grooming!
Sleeping!
This picture is for our grandson, Reeve!
This handsome guy is one of the many species of lizards at the Sanctuary.
Another sleeping Koala!
WOW! Not sleeping or eating!
Rainbow Lorikeets
They had a great Raptor show!
A very large nest with an occupant.
A few resident Sheep as well.
And a lazy pig.
Another species of lizard.
The resident Crocodile, Wickham.
The crocodile enclosure tank even had this enticing child bubble for Wickham, the lone resident Crocodile!
We were excited that they even had a Dingo display!
Unfortunately, the Dingo didn’t share our excitement!
This little cute koala even posed nicely for me!
And one last lizard picture!
After our sanctuary visit, we went to the water for lunch. These sea gulls were enjoying the shade of this tree.
James, Joni and Lane enjoying the view including the wind surfers.
It was a very good windy day for the wind surfers for sure!!
A couple of tourists and their dog enjoying the gentle surf.

Next Up, Day 2 in Brisbane and a Bird Sanctuary

Sydney, Australia- Day 3

The Opera House (In Depth Views)

Here’s a full view of the front of the Opera House. It is quite a stunning structure!
These photos showsthe intricacy of the roof lines, amazing!
The structure inside was equally impressive as you’ll see in the next pictures!
This is Premier Joe Cahill who was instrumental in getting the Opera House built starting with the design competition starting in 195,. the winning design was picked in 1957. Actual construction began in 1959 and opened in 1973.
It took the architects and designers 3 years to finalize the design before construction could begin.
This is Queen Elizabeth and her Court at the opening in October of 1973!
Here’s an arial photo taken at the time; it was now the premier focus in the Sydney waterfront!
The walls and these wood structures were all engineered for optimal acoustics!
A view from the outer area towards the skyline of the city.
Lane and Joni with the guide. She was very informative.
Back in the city we took a Hop on Hop off tour of Sydney. This is the Australian Museum which we unfortunately did not get to visit.
This the Sydney Tower Eye from a distance.
We loved the contrast of old world architecture mixed in with very modern and creative architecture!
Again, Jan’s favorite “LEGO” building!
After the tour was lunch at Bondi Beach.

That’s it For Sydney! Next up; Brisbane! Stay Tuned….

Sydney, Australia (contd)

Blue Mountain Tour

The Blue Mountain Tour included Fantastic views of the Blue Mountains, the Hydro Majestic Pavilion, Scenic World, and a Zoo which had everything from Koalas to Kangaroos to a very large Crocodile!.

Hydro Majestic Pavilion
Beautiful views of the Blue Mountains on or way up.
Jan was particularly fond of this piece.
The views from inside were quite beautiful.
The color scheme and decor was quite “arresting”.
The billiards room with the biggest pool table we
have ever seen!
This place had quite a eclectic assortment of decor and furnishings!
I snuck a quick picture of the very elegant main dining room which we weren’t allowed to enter.
The main check in area. The is a living vine behind it!
Outside the building were ver beautiful landscaping and fantastic views of the Blue Mountains.
This fellow apparently can’t decide what color hair he wants!
One lone Cockatoo!
Young and vibrant
Older and not so vibrant!
Back on the bus with our fabulous guide Leonard and his little pal (I forget his name!)

On to Scenic World!

Our first mode of transportation was this Cableway
The glass floor was a bit disconcerting!
This formation is the famous Three Sisters
It was a beautiful ride but there seems to be an awful lot of slack in those cables!
It was very lush and green up there!
The next mode of transportation was quite different. It’s a Scenic Railway Incline and you can choose how inclined you want to be!
Three Sisters in the distance.
Once at the bottom there was nice wide path to follow with things to see on the way.
Lots of displays depicting the mining operations .
This was the original Scenic Railway Incline, not quite as plush and comfortable as the current one!
Here’s my obligatory lawyer picture of the working of the cable car.
Now they show this after we’re trapped at the bottom and have to take the cablecar back up!
On our way back up.
A bit cloudier on the way back up!

On to the Zoo

Of course they had plenty of these cute fellows & gals!
Just chillin’
This isn’t a baby Kangaroo, its a Tasmanian Pademelon.
Whatcha’ lookin’ at?!
Native language hyrglyphs? Your guess is as good as mine!
Tasmanian Devil, perfect name for this odd creature!
Koalas sleep most of the time! Kind of like cats!
No Zoo is complete without a VERY large Crocodile! You’ll notice he’s in that tank all alone! Such a cute smile only his mother could love!
And we finish with monkeys doing what monkeys do: monkey around!

To be continued with a more in depth look at the Opera House…

Australia & New Zealand Adventures

Welcome back to the Casa de Ziegler II Blog! I know it’s been quite a while since we posted anything but we’re back now! We hope you enjoy our new adventure abroad in beautiful Australia and New Zealand. We spent the month of March there with our dear friends/family Joni Berg and Lane Hammond.

Sydney, Australia

Our Walking Tour of Downtown Sydney

This is the Garrison Church in Sydney, one of the many beautiful stone churches there.
This bridge arch was pretty cool with the vines growing right out of the stone walls on either side!
The message on the side of this rental bike cracked us up!
This was a walkway along our walking tour.
I saw this beautifully done drawing on our tour and, of course, I HAD to take a picture!
Just a typical Post Box!
Another church and great old world architecture,
One of many wine shops.
Open air dining abounds!
This gigantic Cruise ship was in port!
The skyline was impressive with the mixture of old world buildings and modern, very progressive design, architecture!
The Contemporary Art Museum.
And of course the very iconic Opera House! (More of this later on in this post!)
The girls with the Opera House in the distance.
One of the many (MANLY?!?) ferries available.
An Australian White Ibis, a flightless bird.
Cameras, cameras and more cameras! Even Australia has Big Brother watching!
Some of the beautiful landscaping that was everywhere!
A Silver Gull, common in Australia.
LOTS of steps from the pier up to the street above!
More beautiful flowers!
We’re now in the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. This was an unusual art exhibit.
Lane and Joni enjoying the Gardens.
A view of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge from the gardens.
I zoomed in with my 300mm to catch the crazy people who choose to walk over the top of the bridge! They actually pay money for this honor!!
This exotic bird blends in quite well don’t you think?
This tourist lady asked Joni to take her picture and of course she obliged! As you can also see in this picture is a view of the opera house you don’t usually see, the front side where you enter the building!
Beautiful VERY old tree!
This was a very “interesting” sculpture!
Another very old tree!
This wrought iron structure was pretty cool!
This was constructed using smooth stones and cement.
The Royal Government House (Estate, Mansion, ETC!!)
Another view of the downtown architecture from the Gardens.Jan especially liked the “LEGO” building on the right!
These trees are massive!
Another impressive old government building near the gardens,

To be continued…….