Taieri Gorge Train Trip

On December 23rd, we took a ride on the Dunedin Taieri Gorge Excursion Train. What a magical adventure this turned out to be. The Dunedin Train Station is absolutely incredible to visit. It is fun to see it actually being used as a train station because of the the popularity of the excursion trains. They even run extra excursion trains from Dunedin to Port Chalmers where the cruise ships port. They drop the passengers off here at the station and they can choose to tour the city or take an abbreviated Taieri Gorge Excursion Train.

We got to the Dunedin Depot a little early and got to meet the engineer before the train pulled out of town. It was fun for Elder Edward to reminisce with him about railroad days gone by.

Our train was on the left. It pulled out of town on-time at 2:30pm.

All of the passenger cars on the train have been refurbished. Our car was one of the newer cars. The older cars were really cool with their wooden interiors and windows that opened from the bottom up.

Our first stop - Wingatui. It is near where the train leaves the main line and starts onto the Taieri Gorge route. Restoration on this depot began after 1989.

As we enter the Taieri Gorge the views are incredible. They give a commentary as we travel along telling us about the different sights and how and why they built this section of railroad. It is only used for excursion trains now.

One of several large trestles.

The stone work on the pillars was very well done.

Another great view of the gorge.

Looking up the stream you can see the right-of-way carving through the gorge on the left.

The train stops several times along the way to let passengers get off and take photos. When the train is moving it doesn't matter if you take pictures to the front... rear...  or the side... there is always a photo op.

The Dunedin Railway really makes their equipment look special with the way they take care of it.

Isn't it interesting how we give our expensive camera to a complete stranger and then turn and walk away.

At Hindon there is a stone carving of Sue the collie dog. It is a tribute to sheep dogs of the high country.

Lots of shades of green.

They told how this section of track was the hardest because the tunnels had to be dug out by hand because of the fragile nature of the rock and that explosives wouldn't work.

When we arrived the station of Pukerangi they stopped and ran the locomotive through a side track and put it on the other end of the train for the trip back to Dunedin.

As we began our journey back to Dunedin something magical happened. It's hard to describe it. We went into a mystical fog and when we came out of it, we appeared to be on the front of the train in the locomotive. We know that's hard to believe but here are some of the photos. Doesn't it look like that is where we are? Weird, huh!!

We appear to be approaching a tunnel.

That hole looks very small.... wonder if we will fit!!

Thought tunnels were straight... we appear to be curving.

Something is getting brighter... what could it be!!

Is that the light at the end of tunnel?

Oh no!!. We made it through the tunnel but now appear to be speeding out of control.

Is that Sister Edward smiling through all this chaos... doesn't she realize how crazy things have gotten!!

What now... that mountain is in the way.....

Whew... a tunnel just when we needed it.....

The light at the end of the tunnel again. Hope when we get out of here everything is back to normal!!

Oh, just great!! Now everything is black & white..... I think it's time to end this blog and go ask Auntie Google how to fix the color. Thanks for stopping by!!

Te Anau & Milford Sound

Te Anau
After our trip to Queenstown, we drove to nearby Te Anau and visited the Glowworm Caves. We had a nice boat ride across the lake to the caves. 

We docked at the pier and went into the visitors center for a short explanation of what we were going to experience. We then entered the cave.

The cave was very cool to climb through. It went back into the mountain quite a ways. No photography was allowed so you'll have to take our word for it. The walkway was well planned through the labyrinth of water and falls inside. When we got to the end of the cave we climbed into a small boat and journeyed around a really small cavern in the dark. On the ceiling were a few little glowing things..... that was the worms. The brochures might have enhanced the brightness of the worms glowing a little, but we enjoyed the cave and the boat ride over anyway.

We stayed overnight in Te Anau and got up bright and early Saturday morning for our bus ride to Milford Sound where we had booked a day cruise. The bus was very nice with large picture windows on the sides and glass roof panels throughout. That was a very nice touch with all the waterfalls above. 

We made a stop at Mirror Lakes along the way. On a clear day the reflections in the lake are stunning. Even though it was overcast, I show this photo so you can see how clear the water is.

You can see the tree roots in the water.

Sister Edward loves a challenge!!

MILFORD SOUND

Before we went to Milford Sound we were told there were no bad days. If the sun is shining it's beautiful with blue skies. If it's raining it's beautiful with more waterfalls. We got the later..... and the stories were true..... there were lots and lots of waterfalls..... waterfalls on top of waterfalls. Enjoy the photos!!

Real Journeys was fantastic to travel with. The cruise featured a buffet meal and comfortable seating.

The first part of the cruise was the journey out of Milford Sound into the Tasmanian Sea. Elder Edward stayed up on the top deck for a lot of the time. The rain and wind were pretty strong at times. It gave him a chance to try out his new rain jacket.

Here you can see the waterfalls above the waterfalls.

Seemingly endless supply of water!!

Did we mention lots of waterfalls?

Some smart people stayed inside and avoided the pelting wind and rain.

On the trip back into Milford Sound the weather started to ease a little.

We were finally able to see some patches of blue sky.

And we saw more..... you guessed it..... waterfalls!!

There is beauty all around.....

Some of the inside people came out.

We were in constant awe of this spectacular place!!

Some of the local creatures enjoying the day.

When we approached this waterfall the captain backed the boat up near the falls.

Sister Edward and a waterfall..... priceless!!

One last waterfall before we docked.

Elder Edward would love to do this again sometime.

On the ride back to Te Anau we made another stop along the way. This time it was at The Chasm..... a rest area near the road. We experienced an incredible walk into a tropical paradise. Sometimes you get a bonus when you least expect it.

We followed a pathway through some of the most incredible vegetation you can imagine.

We couldn't begin to count the different shades of green.

The end of the walkway crossed a bridge over this slot carved out by water over many years of existence. A loop around and we were back on the trail out.

We made one other stop as we returned from Milford Sound. We stopped where one of the many waterfalls flows down into a nearby river. We filled our water bottles up with fresh water from the mountains. It looked clean and pure..... and tasted great.

Upon our arrival back at Te Anau we got in our car and drove back to Dunedin. It's hard to imagine all this beauty just three hours from our home in NZ. We felt gratitude for the chance to see this beautiful example of God's Creation.

Queenstown

We were able to spend a few days in Queenstown the first week of December at a retreat arranged by Mike Higgins of Family Search. We were able to associate with the other Senior Missionaries serving in the archives in Christchurch. It was wonderful to talk shop with them and share experiences and techniques. One thing we discovered on this trip is there is no shortage of beautiful blue lakes and rivers on the South Island.

We stopped beside a river near Alexandra on the way to Queenstown. The water was so clear and beautiful.

We had easy access to the river at a riverside camp ground.

Been a long time since we did any rock-skipping.

As we continued driving we discovered the source of the river water. It is hard to concentrate on driving with such spectacular scenery all around.

When we got to Queenstown we wasted no time in catching a cruise on Lake Wakatipu. It was a very relaxing way to see some of the sights

The mountain range beside Queenstown is called The Remarkables. I can only imagine how beautiful they are in the winter when covered with snow.

Several different jet boat rides to choose from.

We were all booked into the same motel in Queenstown. Late Tuesday afternoon we met with everyone and went out for a fantastic dinner. Back at the motel we got to be the hosts, as our accommodation was a two bedroom unit with a large main area we could use for our meetings.

Our unit was upstairs with a private glass-enclosed deck facing Lake Wakatipu. Thanks, Mike!!

Front Row: Sister Debbie Edward, Sister Billie Ward & Sister Carol Tasker. Back Row: Mark Kelly (Family Search Pacific Area Manager - Australia), Elder Bart Edward, Elder Gary Ward, Elder Tom Tasker, and Mike Higgins (Family Search Pacific Area Manager - New Zealand

Wednesday morning we got to know each other a little more. We then set out on an afternoon adventure, which included a gondola ride up to the Stratosphere Restaurant for lunch. There are so many things to do in Queenstown..... most water related..... go figure.

Amazing view of Queenstown from the Statosphere. Lake Wakatipu stretches for miles in several directions

Stratosphere Restaurant from below. They have bungy jumping up there, para-sailing, bike trails (take your bike up on the gondola).

It is so much fun to share these adventures together.

All you can eat buffet with a view..... and seafood..... priceless.

West side of Lake Wakatipu looking south.

Another view of Lake Wakatipu.

The Y on the mountain made Sister Edward feel at home.

View of where Lake Wakatipu ends and the river begins. You can go one of those jet boat rides that will take you under that bridge and down the river. It looked pretty intense.

We visited the Kawarau Bridge bungy site. It is where bungy jumping all began. We got there in time to see one jumper before they closed for the day. I wonder if Elder Edward would have tried?

Going down?

When our time in Queenstown was over we headed to Te Anau for a trip to Milford Sound and the Glowworm Caves. Check out our next adventure.