Travel Day Dunedin to Cromwell April 12, 2011

We traveled back on the same road on which we traveled to Dunedin. Today we stopped in Cromwell, the crossroads where we will turn north to Mt. Cook tomorrow. We arrived early afternoon, so we took a walk around the town center and then decided to visit the Wooing Tree winery across the highway. After all, what else would you do in New Zealand with time on your hands but do a wine tasting.

The Wooing Tree was a favorite spot for the locals to woo their sweethearts and they convinced the owners of the winery to keep the tree, which they did. They had very nice wines and we bought a small bottle of Rose. While there we chatted with a New Zealand couple that invited us to stay with them should we return to these parts.

Just some observations about the country. There are millions of sheep. They are often fenced into fields that seem small for the number of sheep in them. This goes for cattle and the domesticated deer. Coming from PA, it seems strange to see field after field of deer. There are so many animals that you often see signs offering manure for sale. I am posting two, the most interesting is the Lions Club in Milton and their manure station. There are sheep shearing supply stores and companies offering to dip your sheep. You see the sheep often herded by dogs and people on four wheelers. I love the road signs. One is “hidden queue” and instead of flagger ahead, there is “please stop on request.”

The fall colors as you travel away from the coast are beautiful, especially the tall poplar trees, with their color reflecting off the deep blues of the lakes and rivers and contrasting with the dark greens of the pines and other shrubs.