The Lynx ferry ride across Cook Strait is a very comfortable and fast boat ride on a catamaran. It takes just over two hours from Wellington to Picton on the South Island. There is another ferry called the Transislander that is slower and takes just over three hours. The Lynx is one of the fastest and smoothest car and passenger ferries in the world. There is a very comfortable lounge to relax in during the journey with hot food and tea and coffee available. Unfortunately, the weather was, again, very bad and fog shrouded most of the mountains; so we were not able to enjoy the scenery. Also, the open water was quite rough because of the weather and it was difficult to walk around for part of the journey. You are not allowed to stay in your vehicle or return to your vehicle during the voyage so be sure to bring books or snacks or anything you need when you leave your vehicle. Both Louise and I worked hard during our trip! Reservations are a necessity so visit the web site at www.tranzrailtravel.co.nz to book passage.

Picton and Blenheim are well known wine producing areas and there are many winery tours to choose from. We visited Cloudy Bay winery because Mike and I had celebrated our actual 25th anniversary day in Toronto Canada and had ordered a Cloudy Bay Chardonnay with our meal, so we were anxious to see the actual place it was produced. We were very impressed with all the wines they had for tasting although they did not have any of the Chardonnay we had enjoyed in Canada, as they are sold out of that until the new vintage. The Late Harvest Riesling was excellent as a dessert or sipping wine and we bought a bottle of that to treat ourselves on Christmas Day. Cloudy Bay Winery is renowned for their Sauvignon Blanc and, as that is one of my favorite wines, I had to purchase a bottle of that also! We spent a very pleasant hour enjoying the atmosphere and speaking with Diane who was pouring wine for us. Visit www.cloudybay.co.nz for more information on these delicious wines.

We were very lucky to spend the evening with a New Zealand family in Blenheim. They were friends of friends of ours in the United States and were very hospitable and friendly to people they had never met! It was very exciting for us to actually spend some time on a working sheep station although, according to them, the work we saw them doing was very mundane day to day chores! The farm encompasses 1000 acres with 1500 head of sheep and some cattle. They were separating the ewes and lambs the day we arrived and we were able to see the dogs doing their work to herd the sheep. We were treated to an excellent meal and a wonderful evening of conversation.

The reason for the title of this piece as the Empty Land is that we spent over a week traveling the South Island viewing wonderful scenery but saw very few inhabited areas. Also there was very little wildlife in any part of New Zealand. There were many dead possums on the road as the possum is the national pest at the moment and there were some rabbits to be seen but very few birds and no squirrels or chipmunks. Of course, there were thousands and thousands of sheep everywhere we looked. We could drive for miles seeing no signs of habitation except the sheep but the scenery was certainly spectacular.

From Blenheim we traveled right across the island to the west coast and down the coast. Once we reached the coast there were many stops we wanted to make to visit unusual places. Our first stop was just south of Westport to take a short walk to view the New Zealand fur seals. We were lucky to see the little pups that had recently been born suckling from their mothers and being taught how to swim.

Pancake Rocks and the Blowholes was our next stop with another short walk to view amazing coastal scenery. The Pancake Rocks are a phenomenon that no one can explain. The rocks have been washed by the waves for thousands of year and in this particular area have formed very thin layers that look like pancakes stacked on top of each other. The blowholes are large holes, again formed by the waves, where, during the high tide, the waves crash into and blow up through the holes. We were not there at high tide so were unable to witness this ourselves but the walk was still very worthwhile.

We stayed at Greymouth Seaside Top 10 Holiday Park and had a very enjoyable evening. We tried as often as possible to stay at the Top 10 parks as they have a reputation for cleanliness and higher standards of accommodation. They are all individually owned but have to meet certain standards to belong to the association. Different types of accommodation are available including tent sites, power sites for camper vans, cabins and motel rooms. Most of these parks also have a computer terminal where, for a small fee, email can be received and sent. We had been very impressed with all the Top 10 parks we had visited as cleanliness of restroom facilities is very important when traveling in a small camper van and relying on the parks for restrooms. Visit the Top 10 web site at www.top10.co.nz for the locations of the parks.

It is just over 500 kilometers from Greymouth to Queenstown but this trip should definitely be planned as a two-day trip. The scenery was "brilliant", as they say here to describe things that are better than wonderful, and it was a very appropriate word for what greeted us around every bend in the road. Also the road was full of twists and turns and went up and down so the average speed was about 30 to 40 kilometers an hour. We found it was best to just take our time and enjoy the panoramas that opened up in front of us.

The town of Haast was a good place to break up the trip. The visitor center in this tiny town is very interesting with a museum giving great detail of the local area. The trip from Haast to Queenstown was the best day of our trip in New Zealand. The scenery was amazing and the weather was brilliant. We made many stops to enjoy the short walks from the highway to see points of interest. The 30 minute walk to view the Blue Pools should not be missed but make sure to take some courage along! Half way through the walk there is a suspension bridge over a beautiful glacial blue river that requires great intestinal fortitude to cross! But the Blue Pools are an awesome sight and well worth the effort. They are the most amazing blue caused by the icy cold clear water and the reflection from the bottom of the pools. Words cannot describe the beauty and the peacefulness of the surroundings. We were very glad we had taken the time to make the stop and visit this incredible place.

Another stop we made along the way was the Dublin Bay Pottery Shop. The owner, Joy, designs and makes all of the pottery in the shop and told us she has a hard time keeping up with the demand for her unusual and attractive wares. We could not leave without purchasing a teapot and mugs to match and will think of this beautiful area every time we use them.

Our favorite town in New Zealand had to be Waneka. The town is on the banks of Lake Waneka and with the sun sparkling on the lake and the mountains rising behind, it was one of the most beautiful sights we have seen. Joy from Dublin Bay Pottery had suggested that we eat at Trades Café and we took her advice. The meal was excellent and we had a wonderful table in the sun on the patio overlooking Lake Waneka. We tried the local brewery beer called Brewski and it was the best beer we have ever had. Talked to a couple from Christchurch who were vacationing in Waneka and spent a pleasant hour in the sunshine. We had to make a stop at the local liquor store to pick up the some Brewskis to take with us!

There are two ways to get to Queenstown from Waneka. The 8A that goes through the valley or the Cardrona Highway that goes right over the mountains. We decided on the Cardrona Highway and made the right choice. The view overlooking Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu was outstanding and the fields of pink and lilac lupins were magnificent.

Our last stop before reaching Queenstown was Arrowtown a historic goldmining town. The town sprung up quickly in 1862 when gold was discovered in the Arrow River. Thousands of miners came to the area and the river became known as one of the world's richest sources of alluvial gold. Now this picturesque little town offers a leisurely afternoon stroll through the shops, cafes and restaurants that line the narrow downtown street. One of the stores we visited was Golden Fleece a very inviting shop with lots of quality New Zealand made goods to choose from. They have a large selection of wool, mohair, merino and possum mix and alpaca products available. Email them at golden.fleece@xtra.co.nz for overseas shipping information. Check www.arrowtown.org.nz for more attractions in this quaint town.

Finally arriving at our destination of Creeksyde Top 10 Holiday Park in Queenstown we still had time to visit the gondola before the light faded. This park is excellently located to all Queenstown attractions and the downtown area is within easy walking distance. The ride in the gondolas is well worth the money for a great view of the whole Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu area. There are observation decks around the complex and the views are amazing. To the north is Coronet Peak, the Remarkables mountain range in the east and to the southwest a breathtaking view across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil and Walter Peaks. See more about this top Queenston attraction at www.skyline.co.nz.

The longest day of our trip was the trip from Queenstown to Doubtful Bay and back with Fiordland Travel. Although it was close to a 14 hour day by the time we were dropped off back in Queenstown we had seen some awesome scenery and learned a lot about the country through which we passed. The bus leaves the downtown area at 7:00am but will pick up from the holiday park at 6:30. The first 2 hours is a very comfortable bus trip to Lake Manapouri. Our bus driver, Brian, gave a running commentary of the countryside and the history of the area that was very informative. When we arrived at Lake Manapouri we took a 45 minute boat ride to the last leg of the journey to Doubtful Bay. The jetty, where boat lands are owned by the Department of Conservation, and the road to Doubtful Bay is the most remote road in the country. Fiordland Travel was bringing tourists to the area before the road was built and is the only tour company to have an arrangement with the Department of Conservation and can use the docking facilities and road. We were disappointed that the weather was overcast and dull but when told that we were actually in a rain forest and that there was a drought because it had not rained in four days we realized that we were actually quite lucky not to have rain.

Doubtful Sound is definitely worth the trip. The scenery is awesome and the solitude is amazing. The only civilization around was the boat we were on; there were no other boats or people in the area. We traveled out into the Tasman Sea to visit the fur seal colony just outside the bay. Sometimes it is not possible to view the seals because the Tasman Sea is too rough but it was very calm on the day we were there. There is a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins who call Doubtful Sound home and most days they are visible somewhere in the area. We found them in a secluded cove and spent a delightful half hour drifting with them as they made their way to a destination only they were aware of! There was a small baby traveling with it's mother and of course that was the highlight of the experience. The three hour boat trip in Doubtful Sound is made in a catamaran and lunch is available for purchase although we bought our own and the found very comfortable place in the main lounge to enjoy it. It was mostly too cold to spend much time outside and the lounge windows were not tall enough to take in all the scenery but we did spend some time standing on the back of the boat where we were sheltered from the wind enjoying the unspoiled and remote wilderness.

The only problem with the trip is that is it necessary to completely retrace the steps taken in the morning, and this is very tiring after such an awesome day, but the bus is very comfortable and most people took advantage of the free time to nap on the way back. Fiordland offers many other tours in the area including some to Milford Sound that we wished we had time to go on but we had to leave that for next time! www.fiordlandtravel.co.nz is the place to check all the tours available.

Queenstown itself is a delightful town and well worth a day spent relaxing and enjoying the many shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury of that extra day so just spent the rest of the evening after our return from Doubtful Sound in the downtown area. One part of the town has been closed off to traffic and made into a pedestrian mall and it seems that most of the action takes place around this area. There is a large casino available downtown and a beautiful area on the shores of Lake Wakatipu to enjoy. We ate our dinner in an Irish pub on a verandah overlooking the lake and watching the sunset. A wonderful end to an excellent day!

The next day we were up early as we had to make the journey from Queenstown to Christchurch which is a distance of over 400 kilometers and knowing the slowness of the driving we were afraid we would not make it in one day. The next day we were booked on a train trip from Christchurch to Greymouth and back again through Arthur's Pass National Park and, as the train left at 9 am, had to definitely make our goal of Christchurch in one day!

As it turned out, the road was much quicker than we had thought as it was quite flat instead of windy and twisty the way we had been used to on the coast, and we were able to make excellent time. One of the highlights of the trip was the view of Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. We didn't take the time to take the road up to the mountain but enjoyed it from a distance. We stopped for lunch in the charming town of Lake Tekapo and spent an enjoyable hour wandering around the many souvenir shops. It was our last chance to pick up New Zealand souvenirs and we all took advantage of it!

We were in Christchurch in the late afternoon and were well rested for our train trip to Greymouth. Although the scenery was amazing, we could not enjoy it as much as we would have liked due to the bad weather. It rained and was overcast most of the day. We realized that having the camper vans had already afforded us the opportunity to see a great deal of the type of scenery we were seeing from the train, and would probably not recommend this trip to someone who had already spent a lot of time driving on the island. For someone just arriving in Christchurch, who would not have the opportunity to visit a lot of the south island this train trip, this would be an excellent choice to get a good overview of the scenery of the island.

As it was Christmas Eve, we stocked up on groceries for the next day because we assumed, rightly as it turned out, that almost everything would be closed for Christmas Day. We were disappointed by the lack of Christmas decorations around the city as it did not feel like Christmas to us.

We spent Christmas Day relaxing at the camper park and went for a drive around the city. Christchurch is considered the most English city in New Zealand. It is full of beautiful tree lined avenues and the Avon River meanders it's way through the city affording plenty of opportunity for scenic rest stops and numerous parks and gardens. Unfortunately, as usual, we did not have enough time to enjoy the city as we should as there is a great deal to do in the city itself and in the surrounding region. Get more information at www.christchurchnz.net.