Here we are again in Kuala Lumpur awaiting the connecting flight home. Still buzzing from the final few days of the tour.
From Christchurch we drove south in a great big comfortable 4x4, sharing the driving and listening to Sibelius symphonies as the scenery slipped by. At first a little dull but becoming more dramatic and unusual as the journey went on. Fabulous coffee stop in Riverstone Cafe then another quick stop by the sea at Oamaru. What an extraordinary place - with an historic centre which seems to have been abandoned as its ideas of grandeur in the import and export of whisky were dashed some time in the early 20th century, leaving huge Victorian commercial buildings to gradually disintegrate, only to now enjoy a resurgence as quirky tradespeople moved in, selling books, antiques, textiles, crazy rusty metal sculptures, and, yes, whiskey!
Sampling said whiskey!
There's even a steam train which moves up and down the short esplanade every 20 minutes or so (forwards then backwards!) and of course if you're lucky enough to be there at dawn or dusk you can watch the penguins leave or return from a busy day 'fishing'. From there we took an amazingly beautiful scenic route which was graced by a wonderful rainbow over the crashing Pacific, and onwards to Dunedin.
Dunedin has bits of Edinburgh in its name, and Dundee, and is indeed a very Scottish-looking place. Vibrant university town with majestic old buildings including a great theatre which has been modernised with great taste and finish, where the concert was to be the next day. But before that we had a fabulous day driving out to the famous Otago Peninsular, with more stunning scenery (yawn,yawn!) and the rare chance of spotting albatross when you reach the end. Which we did! As well as seals lazing on the beach, perfectly happy to pose for photos with enchanted tourists.
Here we made a little film of a kiwi rehearsal - see FB link - and walked on precipitous spectacular cliffs. The return journey on the other side of the peninsular was no less amazing. What a day! The concert that evening somehow seemed to glow with the memory of all we'd seen…
Next was Invercargill, the furthest south we were to go, indeed it's the very bottom of the South Island. The scenic route had to be taken, of course, so we spent an enjoyable few hours meandering along the coast, through the rain forest, looking at waterfalls and stopping for coffee at the quirky and excellent Whistling Frog.
At Invercargill the weather closed in and a fierce south wind with driving rain was quite a shock to the system. The big treat here after the concert was a special delivery of famous Bluff oysters, courtesy of one of the lovely committee, with a crisp cold white wine. Yummy!
Next day we had to get up early for the drive to Queenstown where we were to leave the car and pick up a flight back to Auckland. So, for the first time in almost three weeks we headed north! We were treated to a most stunning day - clear blue skies making the hills and eventually mountains seem greener than possible. That moment when you turn the corner and spot Lake Wakatipu for the first time is quite amazing… just such tremendously unspoilt natural beauty. Up the Devil's Staircase (hairpin bends) as the mountains loomed larger all around us, and finally arriving in the extremely chic and thriving town/city/ski resort that is Queenstown. The flight out of there was truly amazing, with views over lakes and mountains and to cap it all, a clear view of Mount Cook.
So finally we were back where we started in Auckland - I even had the same hotel room on the 22nd floor! Time for a quick nap then down to the Town Hall, this time the great hall, for our final concert. There was a fantastic atmosphere, as if everyone knew it was our last of the tour, and we felt inspired by all we'd seen and done in the previous days and weeks. We finished with an encore of Elgar Chanson de Nuit, which seemed quite fitting for our return home. After a lovely final drinks reception with Peter Walls and some of the team at CMNZ we returned to the hotel to pack, sleep, then after a quick breakfast watching crazy people throwing themselves off the Sky Tower with bungy ropes attached to their legs, headed for the airport.
It's been a fantastic trip, brilliantly organised and executed. Cannot wait to be back!
A few Cellfies
Hi again fans - here's my last Cellfies posting of the trip. It's all about relaxation - as we seasoned travellers know, winding down for the long haul home is important.
A final coffee at the airport
Kicking back in the massage chair at KL
Purchasing important accessories for the journey
And catching some well-earned shut-eye on board.
Night night!
