A holiday of a lifetime - Part 3

For the final part of our New Zealand odyssey, we travelled south, flying to Queenstown and then being driven to Te Anau, a small resort town on the shore of Lake Te Anau in the aptly named national park of Fiordland. Te Anau is a gateway to an area which is largely uninhabited wilderness and much favoured by adventure tourists braver than me. People will go tramping for days on end, often in the trickiest weather conditions - this is one of the wettest areas in the world. Much of Fiordland is remote in the extreme, but it was very pleasant to dine in the comfort of the hotel a couple of times with a fine view of the lake!

The trip from Te Anau to Milford Sound was dramatic and truly unforgettable. Milford Sound has been called the world's top travel destination, and Rudyard Kipling - of all people - described it as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The only way to get there, unless you're trekking, is along a long and winding road, hoping to avoid the avalanches. Vehicles are monitored to see if they are fire risk - you wouldn't want to be caught in a fire in the Homer Tunnel through the mountains, that is for sure. On our trip, in a small tour group in a van, the weather was astonishing. On the way out, the rain was absolutely torrential. As we drove along, by the roadside, there were dozens of 'pop-up' waterfalls created by the downpour. And yet, as the two-hour drive came to an end, the skies were clearing. We boarded a boat to explore the fiord that is Milford Sound, and had a picnic on board as the skies turned blue. There were dolphins and seals to be seen, though I didn't spot any whales or penguins - maybe the weather had deterred them! And on the way back, the weather had become close to idyllic - and most of those waterfalls had disappeared. There was a 'mirror lake' that looked as calm as a mill pond. But you'd never, ever find me trekking in that territory! An amazing trip - unique in my experience. We celebrated our survival with a couple of mocktails...

 

 

Next morning, a drive to the swish resort of Queenstown, via the small town of Garston (very different from its Liverpudlian counterpart and boasting the smallest 'library' I've ever seen), and another room with a fantastic view, this time of Lake Wakatipu. The long coastal walk into town took us into the Queenstown Gardens and then to the waterfront. A relaxing day, rounded off with a meal in a pub complete with Premier League football on TV (one can't be an adventurous tourist 24/7...) Next day, it was up in the Skyline Gondola (the cemetery and hospital are conveniently located nearby...) to enjoy sensational views. And then it was the final boat trip of the holiday, across to Walter Peak farm, where a fantastic barbecue, one of the best I've had, was followed by a farm show including sheep shearing and a sheepdog show. And that was our last full day in New Zealand, a country I found truly gorgeous, full of friendly and interesting people. It's very well suited to hardy, paragliding types (which I'm definitely not) but the landscape holds a universal appeal. Hugely impressive, totally memorable.

And then it was time to head back for Singapore and continue the exploration of all that it has to offer. Which is plenty. On the first visit, I'd been very taken by the Skypark and so I wanted to check out the views from the top, which was fun. After that, a truly iconic experience - afternoon tea at Raffles Hotel. This was great, and made even better by a harpist who had the good taste to serenade the tea drinkers with a Burt Bacharach tune! We went round a couple of cathedrals before taking a final walk around Marina Bay, enjoying the light show from the other side of the bay, and then heading back to the hotel to await our driver. Even in the airport lounge, there was time for one final memorable experience - my first Singapore Sling. It probably won't be my last...

 

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife - the cover reveal

So here it is - the cover reveal for my Christmas puzzle mystery, Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. The novel (and it is, first and foremost, a novel, with lots of clues and puzzle ingredients) will be published by Head of Zeus in September in the UK and by Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen in the US in October. There will be translations in various languages including French (the first time my fiction has appeared in French translation), Italian, and Spanish. 

I'm really pleased with the Head of Zeus cover and also with the promotional trailer - as well as with the wonderful quotes from fellow authors.

And yes, this book does have a Cluefinder!

A holiday of a lifetime - part 2

The North and South Islands of New Zealand are separated by the Cook Strait, said to be one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. Luckily, our trip on the Interislander ferry was a sheer delight - calm seas and excellent cuisine on a lovely summer's day. We landed at Picton and headed for Blenheim, a pleasant town with an excellent library (and yes, that does of course mean they had copies of my books...) and art gallery. A tour of the Marlborough area's wineries (one of which occupies a former chapel) - specialising in Sauvignon Blanc - was the next item on the itinerary, followed by a scenic rail trip along the coast to Kaikoura.

The highlight of the short stop in Kaikoura, apart from a long walk along the waterfront, was a boat ride to watch dusky dolphins - and there were a huge number to be seen. Years ago, we went on a dolphin watching boat trip off Gibraltar and didn't see any - but there were hundreds to be found in Kaikoura. 

Another appealing rail journey came next, this time to Christchurch, a delightful city with wonderful botanical gardens. Exactly 14 years had passed since the devastating earthquake, and the renaissance of the city is impressive. I arranged to visit the Ngaio Marsh House, enjoying an excellent guided tour and a pleasant discussion with some of the trustees. More about this marvellous place another time. After that, it was time for a tram ride around the city with dinner as part of the package - quite splendid. Next day, a trip to Arthur's Pass by train and bus, and yet another chance to marvel at the landscape, not least the amazing Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area, as well as the cheeky keas.

And after that, it was goodbye to Christchurch and time to head to the southern resorts...