A long time friend in Dayton, Ohio, had been dividing his time between there and Burkes Pass, New Zealand for many years. In 2010 we went to visit him and his wife. We began in Christchurch for a few days and then proceeded south to Timaru to see the penguins in Caroline Bay. Then to Oamaru and Dunedin, seeing the rare Yellow Eyed Penguin, visiting the Royal Albatross Centre, the Otago Settlers Museum and the Edwardian Dunedin Railway Station.
Now heading west we stopped in Gore and the nearby Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre. Our plan was to continue to the rainforest on the west coast, but with a forecast of heavy rain, we proceeded to Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. We made two trips on the steamer TSS Earnslaw, built in 1912.
In Wanaka we visited the most eclectic museum of transportation and toys ever. That night the west coast rains went through Wanaka. The next morning water was gushing down the hillsides as we drove to Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier on the west coast.
Now at the top of the south island, we stopped in Nelson and the World of Wearable Art (WOW) Museum. The museum displays award winning garments from the World of Wearable Art competitions. We returned to Christchurch for the MG Car Club National Rally. We concluded our trip with our friends in Burkes Pass.