New Zealand 4 – 13 January 2018 Upper South Island

Here is the route for this trip:

Saturday 13 January 2018 Sydney to Christchurch

We caught a taxi to Sydney airport at 5:20 am. The trip was quite quick and only $70, less than expected. We had coffee and a croissant or toastie then I bought a small bag and SD card for my GoPro. I got some magazines and juice then nearly missed my boarding call because I was in the toilet! We had a long walk down ramps to the gate, a long trip to the plane in a bus then a long taxi in the plane.

We flew Air New Zealand this time. The flight was good with a nice meal. I watched Battle of the Sexes, a movie about Billie Jean King. It was really good and I just got to finish it. At Christchurch airport we got Vodaphone SIMs, our bags then our rental car, a sparkling blue RAV4.

We had a snack at the airport then set off. I drove to our accommodation, Shamrock Gardens B&B Airport, which was less tan 10 minutes away. We had a big very clean room with a pond view on two sides, a nice big bed and a spa bath.

we went straight out to Willowbank Wildlfe Park. We bought wildlife, bird and fish food and had fun feeding various deer, ducks and eels. It was nicely landscaped and relaxing. We saw kiwi foraging really close – less than 1 m from us – in the nocturnal house.

We went to a nearby shopping centre and had Thai food for dinner at Abalone Thai Restaurant. It was very good.

Sunday 14 January 2018 Christchurch to Kaikoura

We had a nice breakfast, which was cooked by the owner. We strolled in the garden, checked out then went to the supermarket and stocked up on breakfast food and snacks.

I drove all the way to Kaikoura. It seemed to take a very long time, but I was driving below the speed limits and there were stops for road works.

We stopped at Mainline station, the cafe we stopped at in 2011. We ate a very good lunch at tables out the back.

We stopped near Kaikoura to look at the ocean and rockfalls. There were several roadwork stops as damage was still being repaired from the earthquake in 2016.

We checked into the Lobster Inn, which was clean and spacious. I read about using my GoPro underwater in preparation for the Seal Swim.

We drove to Point Kean to look for seals. We saw about 5 on rocks a fair way away and 2 close up.

We found a Thai restaurant for dinner. It was quite nice.

Monday 15 January 2018 Kaikoura

We woke early, ate and headed to Seal Swim Kaikoura for our seal swim. The owners were very nice and provided all equipment and instructions needed. We went to the boat ramp in a mini bus then were taken in two boats to the first site. We slipped into the water and were free to quietly snorkel around and hope the seals would come to us. I used my new GoPro Hero 6 for the first time but unfortunately not well. I only got one video a few seconds long of a seal going past. My main aim was to enjoy the experience and not fuss with the camera, which I did … mostly.

We went to a second site where there were only a few seals, motored over a large swell to a third site then came back to the second. There were a couple of seals there that got into the water every so often. It was lovely being with them even watching them on land from the water.

We went for a look at the shops and bought a few souvenirs. After this we looked at the coastline, including part of the Peninsula Walkway, then went to the Point Kean Seal Colony again. We saw several seals, including one on the boardwalk, one on a rock in the bush, a big one and a pup.

We also saw a silver gull rookery with lots of juveniles. We drove to a lookout and got a very good view of the Peninsula. Later, we went out and had an Indian meal.

Tuesday 16 January 2018 – to Blenheim then Picton

We packed, checked out then got petrol. We headed north on SH1, which only reopened on 15 December 2017, because of damage sustained in the November 2016 earthquake. We first got behind a house that was being moved then had to stop several times for roadworks. We could see big land slips on the steep slopes beside the road. We stopped for coffee at The Shack then continued to Blenheim to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Museum.

We saw 2 exhibitions: Knights of the Sky, which had WW1 aircraft, and Dangerous Skies, which had WW2 aircraft. They were both well worth seeing and the museum presented the planes and information very well. We had lunch in the cafe onsite. We also went into Omaka Classic Cars, which was in a hanger next door. There were all kinds of cars, from an old Model A Ford to cars from the 1980s. There were luxury cars, including many Jaguars, a Bentley and Rolls Royce.

We rang ahead to confirm our Dolphin Swim tomorrow morning then drove to Picton. We checked into the Picton Beachcomber Inn. We had a lovely room with a balcony overlooking the harbour. We arrived just in time to have a cup of tea while watching the Interislander – the ferry that goes between the south and north islands – arrive.

Picton is lovely and quiet. There is plenty of activity but not much noise.

Wednesday 17 January 2018 Picton

Today we went to E-Ko for our Dolphin Swim. We got wetsuits and masks and snorkels, but no hoods or fins. We were split up into 2 groups on 2 boats. Our crew were really nice. They took us on an extensive trip along Queen Charlotte Sound looking for dolphins. First we saw a couple of male seals, then rare king shags. We also saw a lot of spotted shags in the water. After a while, near land, we saw about 6 very pretty Hector’s dolphins. One jumped out of the water several times. We were not allowed in the water with them as they are a threatened species. I saw what I think was a bottlenose dolphin near them, but no one else saw it. We also saw an Australasian gannet colony with about 30 adults and a few juveniles.

They took the boat all around but did not find any dolphins for us to swim with. We were allowed to get in the water near a jetty and see a few dull fish feeding and some sea jellies.

We had lunch and a much-needed coffee then went to EcoWorld Aquarium & Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. It was small with some temperate fish, 2 rescue little penguins, some kakariki (parrots) and tuatara (lizards).

Next we went next door to see the Edwin Fox convict ship. We were able to go inside it to look around and found it fascinating. It is the 9th oldest ship in the world!

Because of steady rain, we had a meal at the restaurant in our accomodation, which was a tragic mistake.

Thursday 18 January 2018 Picton to Nelson

It was still drizzling with a lovely cool breeze when we awoke. We checked out then went back to the Edwin Fox to watch the movie about the ship. The movie was very interesting and there were more displays upstairs.

We decided to take the road to Nelson via Havelock. It was winding and uncrowded with sea views and lush vegetation around it. We had a coffee  and yummy toasted sandwich at Momrangi Store.

The trip to Nelson took about 2 hours but we found our accommodation, Aloha Lodge easily. I had to carry our bags up the stairs but it was well-priced, convenient to restaurants and included breakfast.

We had a short break then went to the World of Wearable Art Museum and Nelson Classic Car Collection. The costumes were amazing and more were shown in a video. Some looked like they belonged in Cirque du Soleil, a movie such as Priscilla or an opera.

The cars were spectacular and in very good condition. My favourites were a Packard …

… and a gold car I couldn’t find the manufacturer or model of.

How beautiful are they!

Friday 19 January 2018 Nelson to Punakaiki

We got packed fairly early and headed down to eat a nice complimentary continental breakfast. We checked out then headed into town to get petrol and visit Jens Hansen jeweller to get a replica Lord of the Rings ring.

After this we drove about 1 h 15 mins to the Kawatiri Historic Railway Tunnel. It was at a very scenic spot and we enjoyed seeing remnants of the bridge and walking through the tunnel.

A bit further along we stopped for lunch at the Red Barn Cafe and Animal Park. I had a very good toastie, smoothie and cappuccino. We paid the $3 per adult entry to see the farm animals and enjoyed feeding them $1.50 worth of food. This is great stop for families. It is very pretty – surrounded by mountains – and peaceful.

The roads often became windy and slow. I needed another break so we stopped by a river at Berlins Cafe & Bar – lovely view – to get an ice cream. We also stopped at lookouts at Lower Buller gorge and about 4 km north of Punakaiki.

We finally arrived at Punakaiki about 9 hours after we visited the jeweller, despite it being a 3 h 45 mins drive. It felt like a very long time. We checked into the Paparoa Park Motel. Our room was spacious and felt like a log cabin. We could hear the ocean and in the evening there was a delightfully cool sea breeze. We rested for about an hour then had a yummy pizza at the cafe opposite the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.

We then did the 20 min walk in a loop to look at the shapes of the rocks.

Saturday 20 January 2018 Punakaiki

We headed out at 8:45 am and had another look at Pancake Rocks with nice even overcast lighting. We then stopped at the lookout to get a panorama shot while tourists weren’t in the way.

At the Underworld Cafe at Charleston we had lunch and coffee then were outfitted with a helmet for the Glowworm Cave Tour. We were taken by minibus to a little train station in a sheep paddock, then caught a train through the rainforest.

We walked to the cave entrance, including a 130 step climb. There were only 5 of us plus the guide so we had a really good slow-placed tour through the cave. We saw some pretty stalactites and a glowworm area.

We sat by the river to wait for the tyre rafters then went back to the cafe for a snack.

We stopped once more at the lookout then went to the Truman Track. It was a 15 min walk through pretty rainforest to a new-looking lookout over the beach.

We went down onto the beach and walked along to the next bay where we found a large dry cave with little birds breeding on it.

We had a rest then went to Punakaiki Tavern for a good quick meal.

We stopped back at the cafe to buy a t-shirt and ice-creams. We saw a lovely sunset and saw the motel’s own glowworm grotto, an impressive wall with glowworms in their garden.

Sunday 21 January 2018 Punakaiki to Hammer Springs

We checked out then I drove to Reefton. The drive was not as windy as I expected, as it was between mountain ranges. The scenery was spectacular, with vertical mountains almost at the coast. When we turned inland near Greymouth, we went through some flat land that looked like river plains.

Reefton was a pretty small town with mountains all around.

We looked in the information centre, had lunch in a cafe then drove 2 km to Blacks Point Museum. They had all sorts or equipment and memorabilia from the gold rush time. They also had a working crusher.

We continued on to Hanmer Springs. The scenery as we entered Victoria Forest Park was beautiful; walls of trees on each side of the road with mountain ranges behind them. They eventually opened up to what looked like U-shaped valleys with braided streams and mountains with trees up them, deep crevasses and bare tops.

We were exhausted again when we arrived at our accommodation, Drifters Inn. It had taken 7 hours with 2 stops. Google Maps said 3 h 16 mins with stops. I think it means for people willing to do the maximum speed limit the whole way and I just can’t do 100 km/h around those windyroads.

We went to the Thermal Pools and had a Thai beef salad each for dinner from the cafe there. Then we went into the hot pools and soaked until close at 9 pm. The pools that are 36-37oC are just right; in the hotter ones I have to keep my upper body out of the water. The pool that takes you around is fun.

Monday 22 January 2018 Hanmer Springs to Christchurch

We had breakfast in the nice dining room at our accommodation then decided to relax in the Thermal Pools again. It was a bit overcast, which made it better being there in the daytime. We stayed mostly in the 37oC pool and had our photo taken. We also rescued a bumblebee from the water. We put him on the side with a flower to eat and watched as he slowly dried out and became active. I saw him do some short test flights then fly confidently away. I rescued another one near the stairs.

At 12:00 pm we dressed and had lunch at the cafe. I had a healthy ham salad sandwich, fruit salad, juice and coffee for only about $20. We drove directly to the Air Force Museum in Christchurch. The road was much straighter but it was tough coming back to civilisation and traffic.

The museum was free and extremely well presented. It had lots of aircraft, information and exhibits. It also had a good cafe and gift shop.

We drove back to Shamrock Garden where we had stayed on the first night. After a rest and flight check-in, we headed out to the same Thai restaurant for our final dinner.

Tuesday 23 January 2018 Christchurch

We had to stay in Christchurch instead of flying home because of food poisoning. We were able to stay in the same accommodation and our hosts were absolutely fantastic.

Wednesday 24 January 2018 Christchurch to Sydney

Our host drove to the airport to help me return the rental car and late drove us to the airport again for our flight. I can’t thank him enough.

There was a minor problem with the changed booking but it was sorted out. The flight went very smoothly and we arrived in Sydney 30 minutes early! This meant we could drive home the same day.

Tips

Write an itinerary with links to web sites for all accommodation and activities. Include emails and phone numbers. Email it to yourself so you can open it on your phone on the trip and select a phone number to ring and check in.

In NZ the roads are different. A trip will take much longer than google maps says.

 

 

 

 

 

New Zealand 2 5 January 2013 Lower South Island

This was our route:

Saturday 5 January 2013 Sydney to Queenstown

At 5:30 am, we caught a taxi to Sydney Airport for our 8:20 am direct flight to Queenstown on Air New Zealand. The flight was excellent and we got a beautiful view of snowy mountains as we flew over the South Island. Queenstown airport surrounds were incredibly pretty.

We picked up our Avis rental car, a lovely silver Toyota Rav 4, and Nick drove to our accommodation, Larch Hill Bed & Breakfast/Homestay. Our room was lovely, with a beautiful view of Lake Wakatipu.

We rested for about an hour then drove into town for our one hour Segway on Q: Bay Ride, which I’d booked for 5:00 pm. We had a lesson first then went for a ride on a path in a waterfront park along Lake Esplanade to Steamer Wharf. The Segways were so much fun, I wished I had one of my own.

At 7:00 pm, we headed to the Minus 5^o Ice Bar. We were given coats and gloves. The ice sculptures inside were beautiful.

I’d booked a family pass which included one cocktail or mocktail each. My glass was made of ice and the alcohol made it spring a leak. The staff gave me – and others – a refill. Our visit was only 30 mins, so by the time we left, I could really feel the effects of the drinks!

We wandered up the street and discovered Sombreros Mexican Cantina. The food was really good.

Sunday 6 January 2013 In Queenstown

We enjoyed a yummy late breakfast at our accommodation before heading out.

I’d booked the Skyline Queenstown Gondola, a ride up to Bob’s Peak. We walked around the top looking at the view and bought some souvenirs in the shop.

We had lunch at Subway then went to Kiwi Birdlife Park, which was at the bottom of the Skyline. We saw kiwi feeding and a conservation show, and bought some wooden balancing kiwis to play with.

We rested in the afternoon and had pizza for dinner. We drove out to Onsen Hot Pools for a one hour booking at 9:30 pm (late enough to see the sun set). The view over the Shotover River was beautiful, but I found the pool too hot.

Monday 7 January 2013 Queenstown to Wanaka

We checked out and went on the very scenic drive to Wanaka. We stopped at lookouts along the way and looked at wildflowers – lupins – and saw planes flying into Queenstown airport.

We went to Have a Shot shooting complex so we could try firing rifles. We all did well and Nick had two turns of the claybirds.

We went across the road had lunch in the Warbirds & Wheels café, which had a 1950s décor and good food.

We then went into the National Transport and Toy Museum. There were heaps of toys I hadn’t seen since I was a kid. There was a massive shed with hundreds of old cars, many from manufacturers I’ve never heard of.

We then went to the Warbirds & Wheels museum. The museum had a small number of fighting aircraft and some gorgeous classic cars in pristine condition. The Packards were my favourite; they were just gorgeous.

We checked into our room at Panorama Court. It was an older style motel with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains.

I did the washing then we walked up to dinner at Amigos Mexican Grill.

Tuesday 8 January 2013 In Wanaka

In the morning, we went to Puzzling World, which had a Great Maze, Illusion Rooms, Roman Toilets, Leaning Tower and Puzzle Centre. We took our time so we could see everything and had lunch there too. It was a great place to go to on a holiday; heaps of fun for all ages.

We had a rest at the accommodation, then in the afternoon, we went to Basecamp Wanaka Climbing Centre. It had Basecamp indoor and outdoor climbing walls and Clip ‘n Climb. Clip ‘n Climb was great because it had automatic belays, so we didn’t need to rely on other people to be a good belayers. Tom and Ash did a great job and went right to the top of different walls. I had my first go at climbing up a wall and only made it about halfway up. I just couldn’t make myself go any further.

We had simple dinner at Subway.

Wednesday 9 January 2013 Wanaka to Mount Cook Village

Today we checked out and drove to Mount Cook Village. We drove into light rain, which increased in intensity. We had lunch at Ladybird Hill Café, Restaurant, Winery and Salmon Farm at Omarama. We fed the salmon briefly in the rain then rushed back to the car.

We tried to go to the Omarama Clay Cliffs but there was a $5 fee. As it was raining, we didn’t bother. We saw heaps of Swamp Harriers along the way.

I had booked and paid for a ski plane flight in the afternoon, but we couldn’t do it because of the weather; by this time heavy rain and gale force winds.

The rain got even heavier and I could hardly see by the time we got to the Hermitage Hotel at Mount Cook Village. I had booked and paid for an Explorer Pass to give us 24 hour theatre access in the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. We watched a few 2-D, 3-D and Planetarium movies and had a look around. We got snacks from the gift shop then holed up in our chalet.

I made some pasta for dinner because we didn’t dare go out. The wind was so wild we thought the chalet might get torn apart.

Thursday 10 January 2013 In Mount Cook Village

We awoke after hearing amazing gale force winds for most of the night. The morning was fairly clear and we could see that there were mountains all around us. Rain started again but we went on the tour I had booked, on the Tasman Glacial Lake with Glacier Explorers.

We had a bit of a walk – 30 min – to the lake wearing warm gear then went by boat to the glacier. We saw an iceberg rolling.

We walked back and looked at the plants and animals along the way.

We had hot chips for lunch in the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. We spent the afternoon reading then had a good dinner in a café near our accommodation.

Friday 11 January 2013 Mount Cook Village to Oamaru

We woke to a beautiful morning and saw a view we hadn’t even known was there for the last two days!

We rang to find out if we could go for the flight I booked with Mount Cook Ski Planes and Helicopters (for two days ago!). We couldn’t go on a ski plane but were allowed to go on a helicopter flight at 2:00 pm. We checked out then Ash and I did part of the Hooker Valley walk. We drove to Mount Cook Airport and did our briefing. Our helicopter was a Squirrel and we did The Grand Circle flight. It was a 55 minute flight through the Aoraki Mt Cook and Westland National Parks with a snow landing on the Tasman Glacier.

It ended up being even better than a ski plane flight because the pilot could hover close to things for us to have a good look. The snow field at the top of the Tasman glacier was pristine, with a slight orange tinge due to bushfires in Australia! The whole flight was magnificent. The weather closed in again after our flight, so we were incredibly lucky to go at all.

We drove to Oamaru and had lunch on the way at a café in Twizel.

We checked into Ambassador Lodge. After a rest, we went to see the Yellow-eyed Penguins at Bushy Beach Scenic Reserve. We looked down at the beach from a lookout  and saw two penguins and five New Zealand fur seals. It was lovely to see them in their natural habitat, with hardly any people around.

Saturday 12 January 2013 In Oamaru

We went to Oamaru’s Victorian Precinct and looked at some of the old buildings and machinery.

Ash and I went for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage! We went to the park and had a go on the flying fox and ran in the barrel. Brunch was at Annie’s Victorian Tea Rooms (sadly closed 6 months later).

In the afternoon, I did all of our washing. Luckily it was a hot day!

We had dinner at Subway then went to see the Blue Penguin Colony, which I’d booked. 209 little penguins came ashore! They swam in rafts to the beach, walked up the slope then ran through a gap in the fence to man-made burrows. They were very cute.

Sunday 13 January 2013 Oamaru to Dunedin

We checked out, had breakfast at Maccas then drove to the Moeraki Boulders. These were huge round rocks on a beach. They looked amazing!

We arrived at the Victoria Hotel in Dunedin and were told we had been upgraded to the penthouse. I carted our four heavy bags up the stairs only to find the bedding was unsuitable – two double beds. We were then given another room.

We had lunch at Nandos, which was on the ground floor of our hotel. We could get internet near reception.

We drove to Wellers Rock wharf  for our 4:15 pm wildlife cruise, which I’d booked with Monarch Wildlife Cruises. The road was very windy going along the Otago Peninsula. It was raining when we went out but cleared to a blue sky. We saw lots of birds, including Northern and Southern Royal Albatross and Giant Petrel.

We also saw New Zealand Fur Seals on rocks, including pups.

When we got back to the hotel, two staff members were waiting to tell us our room had plumbing issues. We were moved again but given two rooms. The staff were really good to us. We had dinner at Nandos.

Monday 14 January 2013 In Dunedin

We went for a walk into the city centre and got breakfast at Starbucks. After this, we walked around The Octagon shopping area.

We drove out to the Royal Albatross Centre on the Otago Peninsula. We had seen it from the boat yesterday. We went on the Fort Taiaroa Classic Tour. We had a great guide all to ourselves. We saw nesting Northern Royal Albatross,

Stewart Island shags,

and nesting gulls. There was also a museum with things on display from when the fort was used.

In the afternoon, we drove to Lanarch Castle for our 3:00 pm booking for high tea (cakes and little sandwiches, which I enjoyed). We looked around the castle, including climbing the tower and walking around the grounds. The view was spectacular.

We had dinner at Nandos again because it was yummy and convenient.

Tuesday 15 January 2013 Dunedin to Invercargill

We checked out, went to Starbucks again for breakfast then went to Cadbury World for our factory tour. I was genuinely shocked when they said we couldn’t go because the factory wouldn’t open until the next day. I had rung, I had a confirmation email and I’d made all our bookings of accommodation and activities for the whole trip so we could go on the factory tour. Being offered the chance to buy chocolate in their shop was no compensation. We did get to see a few things, including 1 tonne of chocolate being poured into a bucket.

We went to Baldwin Street, which was the world’s steepest street (in the Guinness Book of Records) and walked down and up it with some effort!

We got petrol then decided to visit the Otago Museum. It was one of the nicest museums I’ve ever seen and had a butterfly habitat. We had lunch at the cafe there.

We drove to our accommodation, Queens Park Motels in Invercargill. Bob the cat led us to our rooms, came inside and slept for three hours on the lounge chairs (and on me!) while we watched The Hangover. He was the most beautiful, loving,  trusting cat I’ve ever met. For dinner, we had Dominoes.

Wednesday 16 January 2013 In Invercargill

I did some washing and then we went to Queen’s Park and had breakfast in the museum cafe. We had a look at the aviary, Japanese garden, greenhouse,

animals and the Exeloo toilet (which did many tricky things).

We visited E. Hayes and Sons Limited and saw Burt Monroe‘s Indian motorbike.

It’s been a dream to see it since we saw the fantastic movie, The World’s Fastest Indian. There were some other lovely bikes and cars there too.

We went back to our accommodation and watched The Hangover Part II. Nick and I went to Oreti Beach (where Burt Monroe tested his motorbike). We had the whole place to ourselves.

We raced back to pick up Tom and Ash, got Subway for dinner and went to the cinema to watch The Hobbit. When we got back, Bob the cat visited us again.

Thursday 17 January 2013 Invercargill to Te Anau

We had breakfast at Maccas then took Tom and Ash for a drive to Oreti Beach.

We got petrol, went through a carwash then drove to Te Anau. We stopped along the way at Oreti River to skim stones.

We arrived at Edgewater Motel, which was a lovely place overlooking Lake Te Anau.

Lunch was Subway. We went to a Trout Observatory and Nick and I got stuck in the turnstile! Luckily we got through.

We went into the Visitor Centre to Te Anau Wildlife Centre Walk. There weren’t very many animals but there were two lovely Kaka. One opened a box of food.

We went for a walk along the lake, then had pizza for dinner.

Friday 18 January 2013 Te Anau

We went for a really nice walk that was recommended by our accommodation manager. It was called the Kepler Track: it started from Rainbow Reach about 12 km south of Te Anau towards Manapori. It had a swing bridge

and a lovely walk through rainforest.

There were heaps of ferns and a lot of moss. The river was running extremely fast. After this, we had lunch in a cafe.

In the afternoon, we went on the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour. We had a 25 minute cruise to the cave on a fast catamaran

then a walk through the cave which had loud rushing water and waterfalls. We went in a boat under the glowworms. There was a short bush walk and a talk in the building.

We went into the town centre and looked at souvenirs and photographed birds.

Saturday 19 January 2013 Te Anau to Queenstown, fly home

We drove back to Queenstown, returned our hire car then caught our flight home to Australia.

New Zealand 1 – January 2011 Middle South Island and Rotorua

Here is a map of our route. After returning to Christchurch, we flew to Rotorua:

Saturday 8 January 2011 Fly Sydney to Christchurch

Sunday 9 January 2011 Christchurch to Kaikoura

Monday 10 January 2011 Kaikoura

Tuesday 11 January 2011 Kaikoura to Hanmer Springs

Wednesday 12 January 2011 Hanmer Springs to Christchurch

Thursday 13 January 2011 Christchurch to Greymouth

Friday 14 January 2011 Greymouth to Franz Josef

Saturday 15 January 2011 Franz Josef

Sunday 16 January 2011 Franz Josef to Fox Glacier to Hokitika

Monday 17 January 2011 Hokitika to Christchurch

Tuesday 18 January 2011 Christchurch to Rotorua

Wednesday 19 January 2011 Waiotapu & Waimangu Thermal Experience

Thursday 20 January 2011 Waitomo Caves

Friday 21 January 2011 Fly home