Quirky movie theatres and ancient forests

We've seen a few movies in New Zealand, and while we enjoyed them, what was more interesting was the movie theatres themselves. Unlike Canada they all seem to be independently owned and operated, and they are each quite different. In Te Anau, we didn't realise that we should have booked our seats days in advance. No matter, we still managed to get almost the last seats. We ordered popcorn for the kids, which were provided in white ceramic bowls, and waited in the adjacent Black Dog Bar while others ordered glasses of wine or beer for the show. Once inside the theatre, we placed our bowls and drinks on little tables between the seats and enjoyed the first half of The Martian. Next came the required intermission to get another drink. Others preferred a slice of cheesecake. The last theatre we visited was the Paradiso in Wanaka. This place was less upscale but no less unique. The theatre was filled mostly with sofas, along with a few regular theatre style chairs and one '50's era convertible, with theatre seats in the back seat. The best part about this place was the freshly baked cookies timed to be out of the oven for intermission. Of course we couldn't resist a few. I think all movie theatres should be like this.

Yesterday I went for a late afternoon run around part of Lake Hawea while the kids did their homework and Catheleen started making dinner. It was a magical moment with the view of the lake and snow capped mountains in the distance. The sun was shining and a strong wind was blowing a couple of kite surfers along with the waves. The water was a deep azure blue, and as I ran along the gravel path I passed through grassy fields and forests filled with strange wind-swept trees I've never seen before. I finally reached white cliffs overhanging the lake below, and turned back for a reverse view, with the sun slowly setting towards the mountain tops, casting a silver glare on the lake. I had to stop a dozen times on my run to take pictures, but the photos didn't do justice to the moment.

We drove up from Hawea along the west coast and stopped near Franz Josef Glacier for the next two nights. The drive was very wet since it rained all day, as it mostly does in these parts. Our drive through the mountains was remarkable for the huge ferns and strange trees. This whole area in a national park, and so this remote landscape has remained largely untouched. Since New Zealand is so isolated from the rest of the world, the trees and foliage are thought to be ancient species from 80 million years ago when the island started separating away from Australia. It all seemed so foreign. We would see trees that looked somewhat like a palm tree but not quite, and huge black ferns. If you needed a location for a movie with foreign plants unknown to most, this would be a good place to go.

Once we made it through the mountains and the Hass pass, we drove along the coast, with the Tasman Sea on one side and the Southern Alps blocking the way on the other side. We didn't pass many towns along the way, this being one harsh and lonely place for most people to handle I imagine.

Here is one of the pictures I took on my run on Lake Hawea.