A few days in Clyde, Central Otago

We are now in Singapore, but I must backtrack to New Zealand, in order to finish off the blogs.

First a photograph of Coco, Suzanne and Mark's dog.  Coco loves having her photo taken, I think.  A very cute dog. However she is also a fiesty little dog with an attitude towards anyone outside her human family.  She is a friendly ball of fur with her family, but everyone else is kept at a distance, with a snarl and a snap of the teeth.  One does not mess with Coco.

Walter, Margaret and I spent a few days in Clyde with David and Catherine, and their little Jack Russell dog, called Lucy.

The weather was glorious and we were able to eat outside most evenings.   Lots of reminicising, stories and laughter.  Plus a couple of glasses of wine.

We also went for quite a few walks, plus a shopping trip to Alexandra, and a couple of lunches out.

The Central Otago Rail Trail starts in Clyde.  This has certainly brought lots of tourists to the small towns along the trail.  Cafes and accommodation have also sprung up alongside the track.

One evening our walk took us to the local cemetery, where we collected pine cones for David to burn in the fireplace at their other holiday house at the mouth of the Waiai River.

We were fascinated by the number of rabbit holes in the cemetery.  Rabbits are an imported pest in New Zealand.

The grave in the photograph below was full of rabbit burrows.  Luckily Lucy, the dog, was on the lead otherwise she would have been down one of the burrows chasing rabbits.

On Sunday we drove to Ophir, a sleepy small town near Ranfurly.   David had read that there was a restaurant in the town that had received top reviews.  So we decided to go along and give it a go.  Yes the food was very good, and innovative, but it was definitely nouvelle cuisine - small and delicate pieces of food, dressed in fancy sauces, on large plates, at a high price.   An experience for sure.  But unreal in a tiny old town in Central Otago.

The lineup outside the restaurant.

David and Catherine's holiday house is in a new area in Clyde.   The houses all have lovely gardens, and we always enjoy walking around the streets looking at the beautiful flowers and trees.

The loaded crab apple tree outside David and Catherine's house.

The house on the corner opposite David and Catherine's house.  A country styled house and garden.  Roses galore.

Another walk.  This time we collected pine cones from a local park.  Now David has plenty of pine cones to put on his fire at the Waiau.  I think the fire will need more than pine cones but they burn easily apparently.

On the Monday we said our reluctant goodbyes to David, Catherine and Lucy the dog, and set off north, towards Nelson.   We had had a lovely time, and we were very sad to leave them.