New Zealand: Weather…or Not

I can’t believe I’m blogging about the weather…but, well, it’s better than politics! It’s funny, looking back on this collection of entries, how much it seems that inclement weather thwarted our plans.  But thwart or no, we were always guided to some other pleasant discoveries…if only that my traveling companion (my beloved Mom) and I took such re-directs in stride, and shared an attitude of gratitude for what unfolded for us. The very unpredictability of conditions here is integral to the wondrous wildness of this lovely country:

Heading for Franz Josef Glacier, we encounter some rain on the way back north to Greymouth. What was to be a stunning scenic trans-alpine train ride was unfortunately shadowed in low rain clouds and a heavy rain…but there was a magical element to the journey.  We entered a 7-kilometer long tunnel in a heavy rattling rain, and upon our exit, we were greeted with a silent ethereal snowfall… and a collective “ohhhhh” rose up from all the passengers.  We actually climbed enough altitude inside the tunnel to go to freezing.  My nephew, Dane, would have loved it! Trains and snow all wrapped up in one delightful package.
I’m trying to put a silver lining on these clouds that have been plaguing us a bit more than we expected – and even the Kiwis are baffled.  Quite a bit of rainfall for this time of spring…though it’s a tough job to dampen our spirits, as regardless of the conditions, you just can’t ugly up New Zealand.  The landscape is stunning and diverse.  The weather, too, is changeable, as they like to say here.

We stop by Lake Tekapu on the way to Mt. Cook where we had a fly-over booked – dependent on good weather (uh oh…)  and visit a charming little stone church, nestled on the banks of a glacial blue lake.  The Catholics hold services in the morning, the Presbyterians in the afternoon, and the Episcopals in the evening… sounds divine.   We have some sunshine on the way and we foolishly get our hopes up that we may actually fly over Mt. Cook! – foolishly. Our bus driver radios ahead to receive the news that we are grounded. Gale force winds in the alps. No biggie – we stop at the renowned Hermitage Hotel, situated at the base of the same mountain, and lo and behold!…we have a stunning view of……mist ; ) For an hour and a half.  They do call her the “shy mountain”.  Lunch wasn’t too bad :}  We’ve heard this is typical. hmmm. Next!

Queenstown….stunning! Also, freezing, misty and finally, raining!  Not great views today from the top of the gondola peak, so I decide to go on the luge and realize I am nuts… NOT for wanting to luge, but for sitting down on a wet chairlift in a literally freezing rain.
After I go on my obligatory “gentle” luge run, required if one wants to do the advanced track, they close it all down due to the inclement weather… BUT, they give us a rain check – including another gondola lift back up.  Nice.  Our jetboating, too, is cancelled – the wind is driving the icy rain into the passengers faces. Not nice. So, what do those with a hunger for adrenaline do at times like these? Laundry, postcards, blogging, errands…

(All photos by G. Stark, except where I’m in them!)

To read more about my New Zealand adventures, try ‘New Zealand: Lamb Squeezing’ or ‘Goodness Glaciers! New Zealand’