Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center at Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, New Zealand

Our group.  Visiting the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center at Mount Cook Village.  Pictured with Tenzing Norgay - the museum recalls Hillary's training in the New Zealand Alps before his historic climb of Mount Everest. 

Lunch at the Hermitage Resort in the village.

http://www.hermitage.co.nz/en/the-sir-edmund-hillary-alpine-centre

Lake Tekapu, Farlie, New Zealand

Views of the mountains from the Canterbury Plains outside Timaru, New Zealand.  Church of the Good Shepard at glacial lake Tekapu - views along the road to Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Timaru, New Zealand Steam trains and the Southern Man

We are traveling out of Timaru, New Zealand to see Mount Cook in the South Alps.  Along the road we stop to visit another steam train - "Kiwi the Engine".  Also - we see a billboard advertising the Southern Man - a legend of the toughness of the Kiwis!

Chris Roberts of Back to Nature Tours is our host again for our second day on the South Island of New Zealand.  We appreciate that Chris drove up from Dunedin to spend the day taking our group into the mountains.

http://www.backtonaturetours.co.nz/

The Royal Albatross Center, Otago Peninsula, NZ

http://www.albatross.org.nz/

The only mainland colony of Albatross live on Harington Point on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin, New Zealand.  Sea mist starts to roll in as we end our tour of the peninsula at the Royal Albatross Center.  It was really cool to see these giant birds soar.  The colony also has several babies - which are quite large and heavy.

Yellow Eyed Penguins on Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/

The preserve is built like an Army bunker - we walked through the tunnels to view the rare yellow eyed penguins on the edge of the Otago Peninsula just outside of Dunedin, New Zealand.  A colony of seals also call Harington Point home. 

Gardens at Larnach Castle, Dunedin New Zealand

Beautiful grounds and gardens of the Larnach Castle - perchedn a hill overlooking the Otago Peninsula just outside of Dunedin, New Zealand.  The garden features native plants and is lovely.  We enjoyed a traditional lunch at the castle and walked the grounds.

Larnach Castle, Dunedin, New Zealand

Larnach Castle* -  The gardens are one of the finest in NZ and a great place to take a short stroll with the song of the bellbird in the distance. Learn about our native plants as our guide takes you for a wee nature walk. Tour inside the castle that has been restored to its original grandeur. Lunch in the ballroom that was built as a birthday present to William Larnach's daughter.

A wonderful setting for our tour of the Otago Peninsula just outside of Dunedin, New Zealand. Built in 1871 and still privately owned - the mansion is filled with antiques.

Dunedin, New Zealand - the Scottish City

Otago University, Signal Hill, Baldwin Street - the "steepest" street in the world - just a few of the sights that greeted us as we started our tour of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula on the South Island of New Zealand.  We thought Robert Burns might join us as we walked through this city filled with Scottish Heritage.  St. Paul's cathedral at the Octagonal in downtown.  Our tour was escorted by Chris Roberts from Back to Nature Tours.  We felt we were visiting friends as Chris provided a warm welcome and a relaxed escort for the day.

http://www.backtonaturetours.co.nz/

Reflective Doubtful Sound - sailing the Fiordlands of New Zealand

Milford Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand

 

Sunrise inside Milford Sound - see the rays just reaching the tips of the mountains below:

Our first sight of New Zealand was to wake up and watch the sun rise inside Milford Sound in the Fiordlands of New Zealand.  Sheer cliffs, waterfalls and picturesque sights abound inside this scenic sound.  The light constantly changed as we enjoyed the sunrise.  Lady Bowen Falls.