Today was a driving day. I headed North up to Hicks Bay. The sea was very rough and the weather was wind and rain. I spent most of the day reading and drinking coffee, watching the ocean.
On the next day I stayed in the Waihi beach resort. Waihi is a small little town with a massive open cast mine at the top of the hill. I didn't manage to go down the mine as the weather was the worst I've ever seen. Literally it felt like buckets of water were being poured on you! Apparently the locals were pretty shocked by the weather as well and haven't seen anything like it! It cleared up in about 20 minutes!! Amazing. The beach resort was pretty good and would have been packed in the summer months. A pool for the kids and great beaches. I wish the weather was better!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Mahia Peninsula
I made my way to Mahia and along the Mahia Peninsula today. The place had golden beaches and was a small sand spit which had a beautiful ocean view. There wasn't much to do and it looked like the place had closed down for the season. Lots of kids playing on the beach and a few fishermen bringing in their boat, but other than that there wasn't a lot to do. I took a trip to the northern side of the spit and it was pretty damn windy! It's amazing the difference one gets between the sheltered (leeward) side of the island and the windward side!
Later on I made my way quite far north on Hwy 35 and ended up in Tolaga Bay at a campsite. Tolaga Bay is where Captain Cook Landed on 23rd Oct 1769. The bay is incredibly beautiful and its pretty obvious why Captain Cook chose this as an anchorage. the beaches are gradual and there is shelter on both sides by high cliffs. during the night the stars were very visible and it made me wonder what Captain Cook and his astro-navigators would have seen. Maybe very similar constellations.
Later on I made my way quite far north on Hwy 35 and ended up in Tolaga Bay at a campsite. Tolaga Bay is where Captain Cook Landed on 23rd Oct 1769. The bay is incredibly beautiful and its pretty obvious why Captain Cook chose this as an anchorage. the beaches are gradual and there is shelter on both sides by high cliffs. during the night the stars were very visible and it made me wonder what Captain Cook and his astro-navigators would have seen. Maybe very similar constellations.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Lake Tutaria
On the Sunday I made my way across to Napier and stayed by Lake Tutaria. Nothing really much happened but the views were really spectacular.
Lake Tutaria
Lake Tutaria
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Tongariro
On Saturday I made my way up to Tongariro. This is where a lot of filming of Lord Of The Rings was done. Unfortunately, a few days ago there was a flash-flood and it took the lives of a Teacher (a young Lady) and 6 high school children (16 and 17 yo I believe). What a terrible thing to happen.
I made my way up to the base and was told about the weather conditions so I decided that after what had just happened I'm not going to take my chances with nature. It was raining and starting to get windy (which is when Flash-floods and avalanches happen).
I made my way up to the base and was told about the weather conditions so I decided that after what had just happened I'm not going to take my chances with nature. It was raining and starting to get windy (which is when Flash-floods and avalanches happen).
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wellington
I spent a couple of days in Wellington. Wellington has to be my favourite city in NZ. It's cosmopolitan and has a character which is unique. It's a small town city! It has a very welcoming feel but also has a city feel. If I were to live somewhere here in NZ this would be my first choice. However the city seems to mainly host goverment jobs and thats not surprising since that's where the Houses of Paliament are.
Wellington from the harbour
The Houses Of Parliament
Wellington from the harbour
The Houses Of Parliament
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Boat to Wellington
I caught the ferry back to the North Island and met up with an Australian couple who I met earlier in my journey on the South Island. Rob and his Wife (sorry I can't recall your name) were really good companions and I would love to visit them in Perth, Australia as they have extended me an invitation. As it happens we met in Picton just before the ferry journey and ended up having a coffee together whilst waiting.
Leaving Picton into the Cook Straight
The Boat I traveled on
Leaving Picton into the Cook Straight
The Boat I traveled on
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Picton
On the following morning, I went to Picton. This was my exit from the South island. I decided to make my way to the North Island as I'm pretty much done with seeing the sights.
I hooked up with another English guy (Justin) and we went out for dinner and a couple of beers.
I hooked up with another English guy (Justin) and we went out for dinner and a couple of beers.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Kaikoura
Kaikoura was a bit of a waste of time for me. I stayed u[p in the mountains on the entry to Kaikoura and it was just amazing. Unfiortunately the winds picked up so I made a decision to not be blown off the cliff face and make my way down to the coast!
When I got down to the coast, I found that the weather was better. Only that it got worse about a couple of hours later. There was a line-squall coming in from the ocean and it got amazingly windy and rainy. I put in my earplugs and hunkered down for the night. At least I'd be blown in-land and not off a cliff!
So now dolphins, penguin or whale watching for me. Shame really as everyone has commented on how amazing Kaikoura is. You can't always get what you want ...
When I got down to the coast, I found that the weather was better. Only that it got worse about a couple of hours later. There was a line-squall coming in from the ocean and it got amazingly windy and rainy. I put in my earplugs and hunkered down for the night. At least I'd be blown in-land and not off a cliff!
So now dolphins, penguin or whale watching for me. Shame really as everyone has commented on how amazing Kaikoura is. You can't always get what you want ...
Lake Bruener & Lewis Pass
For the last couple of nights I've been traveling to the east coast again. Arthur's pass took me onto the west coast and then I came back over Lewis pass after staying by lake Bruener. Lewis pass brings me further north onto the east coast.
On my way I stopped a night at Hanmer Springs which is a small town based on the natural hot springs. They are set up as a few (8?) Pools so that you can bathe in different temperatures. I must admit the hot pools were very welcome as my muscles were still very sore after the Mueller Hut trail!
After Hanmer I made my way to Kaikoura. I decided to stop in the mountains for the night but at around 11:00pm the winds really picked up and since I was looking over a ravine I didn't feel too comfortable staying there. The van was rocking from the strong winds coming up from the valley. Anyway I decided to make my way towards the coast and ended up staying on Kaikoura's south beach. There were a load of other camper vans there so I felt that the spot was good. Little beknownst to me that there was a line squall brewing out at sea and it was heading landwards! The storm came in about 1:00am and made a heck of a racket. I decided to put in the earplugs and ignore it (since I wouldn't be blown off a cliff, being near the coast line).
Yesterday I left Kaikoura as the weather was so bad that I was unable to do any whale watching. A real shame as Kaikoura is famous for these thing. Anyway I'm pretty much done with touring the south island as the weather is getting progressively worse as winter rolls on.
Today I'm in Picton and have a ferry booked for Wellington at mid-day. So later today I'll be on the North Island and hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer as I travel north!
On my way I stopped a night at Hanmer Springs which is a small town based on the natural hot springs. They are set up as a few (8?) Pools so that you can bathe in different temperatures. I must admit the hot pools were very welcome as my muscles were still very sore after the Mueller Hut trail!
After Hanmer I made my way to Kaikoura. I decided to stop in the mountains for the night but at around 11:00pm the winds really picked up and since I was looking over a ravine I didn't feel too comfortable staying there. The van was rocking from the strong winds coming up from the valley. Anyway I decided to make my way towards the coast and ended up staying on Kaikoura's south beach. There were a load of other camper vans there so I felt that the spot was good. Little beknownst to me that there was a line squall brewing out at sea and it was heading landwards! The storm came in about 1:00am and made a heck of a racket. I decided to put in the earplugs and ignore it (since I wouldn't be blown off a cliff, being near the coast line).
Yesterday I left Kaikoura as the weather was so bad that I was unable to do any whale watching. A real shame as Kaikoura is famous for these thing. Anyway I'm pretty much done with touring the south island as the weather is getting progressively worse as winter rolls on.
Today I'm in Picton and have a ferry booked for Wellington at mid-day. So later today I'll be on the North Island and hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer as I travel north!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Arthur's Pass
I took a detour today as I was going to head in to Christchurch. As it happened it had been snowing last night and I decided to head into the mountains. I was blessed with some amazing views whilst starting out on the East side.
The Snow capped mountains of the east side
Lake at top of Arthur's Pass
As I worked my way over there were some pretty hard roads to climb. There is one part of the pass where they have put a rock-slide bridge in place so that an avalanches don't hit the road and just fall down into the valley below
The Snow capped mountains of the east side
Lake at top of Arthur's Pass
As I worked my way over there were some pretty hard roads to climb. There is one part of the pass where they have put a rock-slide bridge in place so that an avalanches don't hit the road and just fall down into the valley below
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Mueller Hut
This has to be the highlight of my holiday so far. Emma, Steve and myself were discussing going to the Mueller hut on top of the mountain (Herbert?) Last night and decided that if the weather was good that we would go for a 1 day hike. The trail is a 3.5 hour trail but most people stay the night at the hut and then come down the next day. We decided to do the whole thing in a day!
Obviously I was excited in the morning. I was up at 6:30 am!! Unheard of until now! We took off at around 8:30am and took our time. Me being the less fit one was really setting the pace. Steve hung around with me and Emma blazed ahead like an experienced mountain goat! I must admit I was envious that she could go so quickly.
The trail started out fairly shallow and I thought that was going to be the kind of trail all the way. Bzzz!! Wrong!! It turned into a fairly steep climb (by steep I mean 60 degrees incline!). We were traversing up the steps and over rock faces. To be honest I couldn't believe I was doing this but Steve encouraged me and I felt quite comfortable.
One of my thoughts whilst doing this was a recollection of the lord of the rings. During 'The Two Towers' I believe, there was a scene where Gollum is leading Frodo and Sam up the Misty Mountain (on the steps). I basically felt that I was retracing their footsteps. Bloody steep and along way to fall!!
Above Clouds on the Mueller climb
Anyway after stopping at various points to take photos it was amazing. Everything below looked like toys (even my van!!). Actually the hotel below in the distance looked like a piece of Lego. At this point we were probably only 1/3 of the way up! We were still below the cloud line!!
A bit more climbing and we ascended into the clouds. Talk about a nice cooling! It was just what I needed as I had obviously sweated it out at the lower elevation. The view was sporadic as the clouds came and went. I recall seeing the mountains besides us and we were at the same altitude as their peaks!! Yep I was up there with the Gods!
After more climbing up things got a bit steeper and knarly. We ended up bouldering and then the final push was up a scree slope. Not the most encouraging of sights. Its also marked as an avalanche warning area!! Since the conditions were dry and we were in good form we pressed on to the summit. Obviously traversing the scree opposed to just going up the fall-line.
After making it to the top I shook Steve's hand and gave him some of my chocolate (he'd been good enough to share his raisins with me on the way up). We took a load of photos of various Glaciers and managed to get a good look at Mt Cook. Talk about a high mountain!! We were also blessed with conditions that allowed us to see all the glaciers on the back of the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.
Looking out over the back side of Fox/Frans Josef Glacier
After the views we made our way to the Hut where there was a supply of fresh water and somewhere to rest. That was another trek! It took another 20 minutes and it was over a load of large boulders!! We got there and were rewarded with amazing views. We could see the Mueller glacier along with lots of waterfalls. The most amazing thing that mesmerized me and Steve was that there were snow avalanches happening almost every 30 mins or so. You'd here the avalanche and then try to work out where it was. We caught some pretty cool ones and a few that looked like waterfalls.
It's pretty hard to tell the scale of things at altitude and there's a phenomenon called 'dwarfism'. Basically anything you look at you make it smaller in your mind than it actually is. It's a perspective thing and your mind just can't cope with the scale of things. It actually looked like one of the glaciers was almost a step away whereas in reality it was probably over a kilometre away!
Looking over the Valley from the summit of the Mueller Climb (1850m)
Looking over the Valley from the summit of the Mueller Climb (1850m)- Yes they are cars on the valley floor!!
On the way down I started to feel the burn in my legs! Its actually tougher going down than up and my quads really took a beating along with my toes (time for some new boots - no expense spared!). Suffice to say I made it down safely (with a load of moans and groans). Steve was kind enough to lend me one of his walking poles when we started and it was a god send on the way down. Another lesson learned - get some walking poles!
View of Mount Cook from the Mueller Hut
I'm congratulating myself for managing to do a 1000 metre ascent (3300ft) and a 1000 metre descent in 10 hours. The summit was 1850m and the base was 800m. Something to be proud of!
View of Mount Cook on the Way down
We did the customary Milo drinks after a tepid shower in the village! After a few days without a shower anything was a good thing.
Of course we had a really windy night and I didn't sleep too well due to my van being jostled around!!
Obviously I was excited in the morning. I was up at 6:30 am!! Unheard of until now! We took off at around 8:30am and took our time. Me being the less fit one was really setting the pace. Steve hung around with me and Emma blazed ahead like an experienced mountain goat! I must admit I was envious that she could go so quickly.
The trail started out fairly shallow and I thought that was going to be the kind of trail all the way. Bzzz!! Wrong!! It turned into a fairly steep climb (by steep I mean 60 degrees incline!). We were traversing up the steps and over rock faces. To be honest I couldn't believe I was doing this but Steve encouraged me and I felt quite comfortable.
One of my thoughts whilst doing this was a recollection of the lord of the rings. During 'The Two Towers' I believe, there was a scene where Gollum is leading Frodo and Sam up the Misty Mountain (on the steps). I basically felt that I was retracing their footsteps. Bloody steep and along way to fall!!
Above Clouds on the Mueller climb
Anyway after stopping at various points to take photos it was amazing. Everything below looked like toys (even my van!!). Actually the hotel below in the distance looked like a piece of Lego. At this point we were probably only 1/3 of the way up! We were still below the cloud line!!
A bit more climbing and we ascended into the clouds. Talk about a nice cooling! It was just what I needed as I had obviously sweated it out at the lower elevation. The view was sporadic as the clouds came and went. I recall seeing the mountains besides us and we were at the same altitude as their peaks!! Yep I was up there with the Gods!
After more climbing up things got a bit steeper and knarly. We ended up bouldering and then the final push was up a scree slope. Not the most encouraging of sights. Its also marked as an avalanche warning area!! Since the conditions were dry and we were in good form we pressed on to the summit. Obviously traversing the scree opposed to just going up the fall-line.
After making it to the top I shook Steve's hand and gave him some of my chocolate (he'd been good enough to share his raisins with me on the way up). We took a load of photos of various Glaciers and managed to get a good look at Mt Cook. Talk about a high mountain!! We were also blessed with conditions that allowed us to see all the glaciers on the back of the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.
Looking out over the back side of Fox/Frans Josef Glacier
After the views we made our way to the Hut where there was a supply of fresh water and somewhere to rest. That was another trek! It took another 20 minutes and it was over a load of large boulders!! We got there and were rewarded with amazing views. We could see the Mueller glacier along with lots of waterfalls. The most amazing thing that mesmerized me and Steve was that there were snow avalanches happening almost every 30 mins or so. You'd here the avalanche and then try to work out where it was. We caught some pretty cool ones and a few that looked like waterfalls.
It's pretty hard to tell the scale of things at altitude and there's a phenomenon called 'dwarfism'. Basically anything you look at you make it smaller in your mind than it actually is. It's a perspective thing and your mind just can't cope with the scale of things. It actually looked like one of the glaciers was almost a step away whereas in reality it was probably over a kilometre away!
Looking over the Valley from the summit of the Mueller Climb (1850m)
Looking over the Valley from the summit of the Mueller Climb (1850m)- Yes they are cars on the valley floor!!
On the way down I started to feel the burn in my legs! Its actually tougher going down than up and my quads really took a beating along with my toes (time for some new boots - no expense spared!). Suffice to say I made it down safely (with a load of moans and groans). Steve was kind enough to lend me one of his walking poles when we started and it was a god send on the way down. Another lesson learned - get some walking poles!
View of Mount Cook from the Mueller Hut
I'm congratulating myself for managing to do a 1000 metre ascent (3300ft) and a 1000 metre descent in 10 hours. The summit was 1850m and the base was 800m. Something to be proud of!
View of Mount Cook on the Way down
We did the customary Milo drinks after a tepid shower in the village! After a few days without a shower anything was a good thing.
Of course we had a really windy night and I didn't sleep too well due to my van being jostled around!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tasman Glacier & Mt Cook
Mount Herbert (from Hooker Valley - Mt Cook base)
Today the weather was drizzly (or at least it was in the morning) so I just hung around and got talking to some people. I ended up meeting a great English couple (Emma & Steve) who had been traveling for about 5 months (IIRC). Anyway we were talking about what we could do and apparently the weather for the afternoon was going to ease up. We decided to take a walk to the Tasman Glacier which was about a 4 hour round-trip.
After taking a fairly leisurely walk we got to the top where we saw the glacier in all its splendour. The glacier was covered in gravel (moraine?) but we could see the face where ice chunks had fallen off. The lake into which the glacier was thawing had mini icebergs floating in it. Really neat to see first hand. Of course Steve and I had to play skimming with pebbles. It gave us something to do to warm ourselves up!!
Tasman Glacier
Later in the evening the clouds had lifted and Steve & Emma introduced me to Milo (a horlicks / chocolate drink which is very popular in NZ & Australia). It was very welcome after a walk and a cooling evening. We also got lucky and managed to see Mt Herbert since the clouds had lifted. It was a bit spooky because you could read a book by the moonlight. I guess that's due to all the snow and mountains reflecting the moonlight.
Today the weather was drizzly (or at least it was in the morning) so I just hung around and got talking to some people. I ended up meeting a great English couple (Emma & Steve) who had been traveling for about 5 months (IIRC). Anyway we were talking about what we could do and apparently the weather for the afternoon was going to ease up. We decided to take a walk to the Tasman Glacier which was about a 4 hour round-trip.
After taking a fairly leisurely walk we got to the top where we saw the glacier in all its splendour. The glacier was covered in gravel (moraine?) but we could see the face where ice chunks had fallen off. The lake into which the glacier was thawing had mini icebergs floating in it. Really neat to see first hand. Of course Steve and I had to play skimming with pebbles. It gave us something to do to warm ourselves up!!
Tasman Glacier
Later in the evening the clouds had lifted and Steve & Emma introduced me to Milo (a horlicks / chocolate drink which is very popular in NZ & Australia). It was very welcome after a walk and a cooling evening. We also got lucky and managed to see Mt Herbert since the clouds had lifted. It was a bit spooky because you could read a book by the moonlight. I guess that's due to all the snow and mountains reflecting the moonlight.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Twizel & beyond
Today I made my way inland to a place called Twizel (pronounced twyzel). This is a small town at the fork of a junction that either takes you to Christchurch or Mt Cook. I opted for Mount Cook! Once on the road, I made my way along lake Pukaki. I have to admit I was absolutely stunned by the colour of the lake. It's a deep turquoise which really shows when the sun is behind the clouds! Apparently there's a suspension in the water that makes it that colour and its due to the run-off from the Glaciers. After stopping to take some photos a familiar bus turned in to the same parking lot as me. It was a couple I met at monkey island a week or so ago and they recognised my car (how could you miss it!). They gave me some advice on where to camp and I took them up on it.
Lake Pukaki
I found Hooker Valley DOC campsite (Department Of Conservation) and parked up. I have to admit this is the best DOC campsite I've come across. It had a cooking area in a hut with running water and sinks. It also had flushing toilets and sinks in the restrooms. Luxury by comparison to some if the others I've seen!!
Lake Pukaki
I found Hooker Valley DOC campsite (Department Of Conservation) and parked up. I have to admit this is the best DOC campsite I've come across. It had a cooking area in a hut with running water and sinks. It also had flushing toilets and sinks in the restrooms. Luxury by comparison to some if the others I've seen!!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Dunedin & Aramoana
Today I spent the day driving up the Aromoana peninsula after driving through Dunedin. I mistakenly took a road as a scenic drive (the 86) and ended up driving along the coast. Actually it was quite scary as the road is about 2ft higher than the water line and the whole area seems to be a shipping area with a dredged channel. What's really scary is that you can see all the channel markers as you drive and in my case I could see a large Chinese container ship in the channels dwarfing me on the road.
After my accidental detour I went back through Dunedin. I must admit after being in the country so much I didn't much care for a large, old industrial city and made my way through it as fast as possible.
I made my way up the coast and stopped at shag point. I managed to se some seals but as far as the penguins were concerned there was shag all!!
After my accidental detour I went back through Dunedin. I must admit after being in the country so much I didn't much care for a large, old industrial city and made my way through it as fast as possible.
I made my way up the coast and stopped at shag point. I managed to se some seals but as far as the penguins were concerned there was shag all!!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Summer Hill & Cannibal Bay
Today I carried on north up the east coast. I stopped at a point called Summer Hill. What an amazing view. The beaches are golden the rolling hills a vibrant green and the sky a perfect blue! I got talking to a couple who were riding a Harley Road King (2 up). They were local folk from Invercargil and the friendliest people you could meet. Anyway after talking to Tony & Gladys they mentioned that they were having lunch at a good restaurant in Wangaloa and invited me to join them. I got there a bit after them (since they had a faster vehicle!) and ended up having lunch and a beer with them. As it happens the place was busy and they were under-staffed so Tony & Gladys were still waiting to be served when I arrived. Eventually I got my blue cod & chips! Wonderful, especially with a beer!!
Driving North Through the Catlins
After lunch I carried on and ended up at Cannibal Bay which is a remote beach. I drove about 8kms on a gravel road (I was feeling adventurous after my big lunch) and was rewarded by seeing a sea-lion coming out of the sea!! It looked like a young one and wasn't phased at all by me or the couple of kids playing near by. Actually it let us get quite close to it before getting defensive (when one of the kids hit a ball with their cricket bat!!).
Cannibal Beach - a Sea Lion
Later that night I looked for somewhere to stay and ended up staying in a Wetlands park. Needless to say I ended up in the middle of nowhere with only one other van. It was pretty scary to be honest. That night I got a taste of freezing conditions as a freezing fog had descended on the place. Not particularly pleasant but I managed to weather it out in my sub-zero sleeping bag!
Driving North Through the Catlins
After lunch I carried on and ended up at Cannibal Bay which is a remote beach. I drove about 8kms on a gravel road (I was feeling adventurous after my big lunch) and was rewarded by seeing a sea-lion coming out of the sea!! It looked like a young one and wasn't phased at all by me or the couple of kids playing near by. Actually it let us get quite close to it before getting defensive (when one of the kids hit a ball with their cricket bat!!).
Cannibal Beach - a Sea Lion
Later that night I looked for somewhere to stay and ended up staying in a Wetlands park. Needless to say I ended up in the middle of nowhere with only one other van. It was pretty scary to be honest. That night I got a taste of freezing conditions as a freezing fog had descended on the place. Not particularly pleasant but I managed to weather it out in my sub-zero sleeping bag!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Curio Bay & Slope Point
Sat 14-apr:
Today was spent driving to Slope Point which is the southern most point in the Southern Island of NZ. It's a pretty tough drive! I also ended up helping a German couple push their van back on to the gravel road. Apparently a bus had sped past and forced them off the road into a ditch. They were unable to get traction due to the verge being grassy and slippery. Anyway we managed to rock the car free!
After being at the most southern point I made my way north (duh!!). I ended up in Curio Bay which is a neat little peninsula. The campsite is like a corn maze with little alcoves for camper vans. It make it feel a bit more cozy and private. It also works as a great wind block. I'd advise anyone in this part of the country to stay here for those reasons.
Most Southern Point of the South Island
In Curio I managed to spot a yellow eyed penguin. They live in the bushes which are a good 25 metres away from the ocean. What's really cool is that I managed to see them at dusk (which is when you're most likely to see them). They're pretty hard to see since they blend into the rocks really well. Since I was at a long distance (they're protected) I couldn't get a good photo unfortunately.
Also I managed to spot a load of dolphins the following morning. They were swimming on the other side of the Peninsula. There must have been at least 20 of them and you just get a glimpse of their fins initially. I got my binoculars out and you can see them breaking through the water. Really cool to see them in the wild.
Later on I went down to the beach to see the petrified forest. You get to see wood preserved in rock including the wood grain and sometimes the stump of a tree. It must have been a really fast fossilization to keep them that well preserved. Maybe a volcanic eruption with a fast pyroclastic flow instantly turning the trees to charcoal? Any geologists out there care to answer this question?
Today was spent driving to Slope Point which is the southern most point in the Southern Island of NZ. It's a pretty tough drive! I also ended up helping a German couple push their van back on to the gravel road. Apparently a bus had sped past and forced them off the road into a ditch. They were unable to get traction due to the verge being grassy and slippery. Anyway we managed to rock the car free!
After being at the most southern point I made my way north (duh!!). I ended up in Curio Bay which is a neat little peninsula. The campsite is like a corn maze with little alcoves for camper vans. It make it feel a bit more cozy and private. It also works as a great wind block. I'd advise anyone in this part of the country to stay here for those reasons.
Most Southern Point of the South Island
In Curio I managed to spot a yellow eyed penguin. They live in the bushes which are a good 25 metres away from the ocean. What's really cool is that I managed to see them at dusk (which is when you're most likely to see them). They're pretty hard to see since they blend into the rocks really well. Since I was at a long distance (they're protected) I couldn't get a good photo unfortunately.
Also I managed to spot a load of dolphins the following morning. They were swimming on the other side of the Peninsula. There must have been at least 20 of them and you just get a glimpse of their fins initially. I got my binoculars out and you can see them breaking through the water. Really cool to see them in the wild.
Later on I went down to the beach to see the petrified forest. You get to see wood preserved in rock including the wood grain and sometimes the stump of a tree. It must have been a really fast fossilization to keep them that well preserved. Maybe a volcanic eruption with a fast pyroclastic flow instantly turning the trees to charcoal? Any geologists out there care to answer this question?
Friday, April 11, 2008
Invercargil
I went to Invercargil where I managed to find a scrap yard. The owner (Bernie) was great and managed to help me with fixing my locks and door handle. He actually managed to fully fix one of my locks on the van whilst I worked on the door handle! I managed to fix the other locks myself. Needless to say this wasted the best part of the day. After getting things sorted out I then went to the local hardware store (E Hayes & Sons) to see the original (#35) Indian Motorcycle that still holds the land speed 1000cc motorcycle record. It was the bike that Burt Munroe achieved the record on. I'll post some photos soon, promise.
Later that night I checked into a caravan park so that I could clean up and kick back. I met some Australians who were a great laugh and we sank a couple of beers as the temperature dropped!! They told me that I have to watch the comedy "Kenny" so I guess that's on my list for when I get back!
Later that night I checked into a caravan park so that I could clean up and kick back. I met some Australians who were a great laugh and we sank a couple of beers as the temperature dropped!! They told me that I have to watch the comedy "Kenny" so I guess that's on my list for when I get back!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Monkey island & Milford Sound
Over the last week I've done quite a bit of traveling. I went down from Te Anau to Milford and took my time touring. I have to admit this part of the world is just stunning (I'll upload piccies when I get to an internet cafe - I'm using my phone again!).
On the way down to Milford I stopped at The Divide. This is where the Route Burn trail starts. I decided to take a 3 hour tramp up to Key Summit. The hike up hill was tough but after about 1hr15 I made it the summit (I packed really light). The views were absolutely stunning. Basically there's a glacier and a valley below as well as there being an alpine pond at the summit! Really spectacular views from 950 metres(ish). I'll try and get some photos up as soon as I can!!
I went to Milford and took a boat trip out on the sound. Again the views were really spectacular (this 'is' the NZ I wanted to see). The boat took us out to the Tasman Sea and under some waterfalls (literally!). Again the weather was perfect and the views breathtaking! Actually it's just too much to take in as the scale of the fiords is too great to capture in one visit! Hmmm, maybe I'll have to return!! :-)
Yesterday I left Te Anau (I went back there after Milford) and made my way south. I'm now by Monkey Island which is not too far from Invercargill. I've spent a whole day here today since I'm sick of driving. Actually I was also feeling run down yesterday so I thought I should have some R&R from my R&R!!
Monkey Island
Monkey Island Beach
Monkey Island at Night
Tomorrow hopefully I'll get to Invercargill and see where Burt Munroe lived (the world's fastest Indian Motorcycle). I doubt there will be much there but since I'm here I might as well go.
On the way down to Milford I stopped at The Divide. This is where the Route Burn trail starts. I decided to take a 3 hour tramp up to Key Summit. The hike up hill was tough but after about 1hr15 I made it the summit (I packed really light). The views were absolutely stunning. Basically there's a glacier and a valley below as well as there being an alpine pond at the summit! Really spectacular views from 950 metres(ish). I'll try and get some photos up as soon as I can!!
I went to Milford and took a boat trip out on the sound. Again the views were really spectacular (this 'is' the NZ I wanted to see). The boat took us out to the Tasman Sea and under some waterfalls (literally!). Again the weather was perfect and the views breathtaking! Actually it's just too much to take in as the scale of the fiords is too great to capture in one visit! Hmmm, maybe I'll have to return!! :-)
Yesterday I left Te Anau (I went back there after Milford) and made my way south. I'm now by Monkey Island which is not too far from Invercargill. I've spent a whole day here today since I'm sick of driving. Actually I was also feeling run down yesterday so I thought I should have some R&R from my R&R!!
Monkey Island
Monkey Island Beach
Monkey Island at Night
Tomorrow hopefully I'll get to Invercargill and see where Burt Munroe lived (the world's fastest Indian Motorcycle). I doubt there will be much there but since I'm here I might as well go.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Te Anau
To answer some of the questions I've had: Yes the holes in the rocks in Cape Farewell do look very similar to Arches National Park in Utah. The expanse of Cape Farewell is not as large though and the rocks are constantly being eroded by the sea so I'm sure it looks different from year to year.
I've made my way from Queenstown southwards. I left Queenstown yesterday after being there for a day. I stayed in a campsite and I honestly felt like it was a 'pack-them and rack-them' deal. Literally there was 2 feet between each camper van. Queenstown is basically the epi-centre of activities in the south. It's surrounded by Bungee jumps, paragliding, skydiving, luges (which I want to go on if the weather is good) and any other adrenaline type of activity you want. They also have coach tours to the Southlands such as Milford Sound and the Fiordlands. Since I'm driving there's no point in me using those trips!
After leaving Queenstown I was really surprised. I left on the SR-6 road and the scenery changed very dramatically. Queenstown is set up in a valley and it has very sharp peaked mountains surrounding it. A very beautiful location and it's obvious why it's popular with tourists. Anyway, as you start heading south you follow the lake out. On the outskirts there's a lot of volcanic outcrops/mountains - I don't know what the proper geological name is. Anyway they are very shear and have ridges down them. Similar to California but more pronounced. They merge onto the lakes and have trees growing in the ridges. I know Mum would love these views! Hopefully the pictures will do more justice than my description.
Today I'm in Te Anau which is the start of the Fiordlands. It's Sunday and I'm hanging out waiting for a trip to one of the Glow Worm caves. I've got a fair amount of time to kill so I'm going to read my book after finishing this blog entry and photo editing session. I plan on doing a Kayaking adventure on Tuesday Morning in the Milford Sound. Hopefully I'll be able to also do a boat trip into the sound itself (I'm not sure if the Kayaking goes the same route so I'll find out tomorrow or the next day.
I have to admit after leaving Queenstown, I now feel like this is the New Zealand that I wanted to see and expected to see. It's just very stunning scenery and it's really hard to describe and I'm sure my photos will not do justice. Hopefully when I get better access to the internet I'll be able to upload some of my videos.
I'm also trying to adjust to the Time here since we've just flicked over to Winter Savings Time (it's all topsy turvey down here!). I think the difference to the UK is now +11 hours. I don't know when Summer Time begins in the UK so that may confuse me as well!
Franz Josef Glacier
Me at Frans Josef Glacier
Fox Glacier
Looking back at Queenstown
A Fiord just South of Queenstown
Lake Te Anau with Te Anua on the peninsula
Looking over the lakes south of Queenstown
BTW all of these photos are available on my Flickr site with higher resolution sizes availble. Please obey the Creative-commons licensing by giving me credit for them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16453589@N02/
I've made my way from Queenstown southwards. I left Queenstown yesterday after being there for a day. I stayed in a campsite and I honestly felt like it was a 'pack-them and rack-them' deal. Literally there was 2 feet between each camper van. Queenstown is basically the epi-centre of activities in the south. It's surrounded by Bungee jumps, paragliding, skydiving, luges (which I want to go on if the weather is good) and any other adrenaline type of activity you want. They also have coach tours to the Southlands such as Milford Sound and the Fiordlands. Since I'm driving there's no point in me using those trips!
After leaving Queenstown I was really surprised. I left on the SR-6 road and the scenery changed very dramatically. Queenstown is set up in a valley and it has very sharp peaked mountains surrounding it. A very beautiful location and it's obvious why it's popular with tourists. Anyway, as you start heading south you follow the lake out. On the outskirts there's a lot of volcanic outcrops/mountains - I don't know what the proper geological name is. Anyway they are very shear and have ridges down them. Similar to California but more pronounced. They merge onto the lakes and have trees growing in the ridges. I know Mum would love these views! Hopefully the pictures will do more justice than my description.
Today I'm in Te Anau which is the start of the Fiordlands. It's Sunday and I'm hanging out waiting for a trip to one of the Glow Worm caves. I've got a fair amount of time to kill so I'm going to read my book after finishing this blog entry and photo editing session. I plan on doing a Kayaking adventure on Tuesday Morning in the Milford Sound. Hopefully I'll be able to also do a boat trip into the sound itself (I'm not sure if the Kayaking goes the same route so I'll find out tomorrow or the next day.
I have to admit after leaving Queenstown, I now feel like this is the New Zealand that I wanted to see and expected to see. It's just very stunning scenery and it's really hard to describe and I'm sure my photos will not do justice. Hopefully when I get better access to the internet I'll be able to upload some of my videos.
I'm also trying to adjust to the Time here since we've just flicked over to Winter Savings Time (it's all topsy turvey down here!). I think the difference to the UK is now +11 hours. I don't know when Summer Time begins in the UK so that may confuse me as well!
Franz Josef Glacier
Me at Frans Josef Glacier
Fox Glacier
Looking back at Queenstown
A Fiord just South of Queenstown
Lake Te Anau with Te Anua on the peninsula
Looking over the lakes south of Queenstown
BTW all of these photos are available on my Flickr site with higher resolution sizes availble. Please obey the Creative-commons licensing by giving me credit for them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16453589@N02/
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Queenstown
So I've just arrived in Queenstown today. To be honest I'm a bit confused on what day of the week it is since I've been doing so much driving and stopping in random places!! I left Nelson and Motueka on Monday and then headed down to Westport. I stopped just outside at a DOC campsite which was an old railway siding. It was an old village that basically disappeared into obscurity and is now just an old railway bridge without the town. Apparently the railway failed to make it and the whole thing was shut down in 1950 something. Oh yeah, the sand flies are brutal!!
From Westport I went down through Greymouth and was going to stop there the night. When I got there I decided against it. Not the most pleasant of places. Not bad, just lacking character and charm. A bit of a null entity!! I'm glad I carried on since I found a great DOC campsite just outside Ross. The campsite was by a lake with a nice secluded grass area. As it happens there were about 5 camper vans on the whole site which was really nice. I got talking to the others and there were an Australian couple who were touring for 2 weeks and the other couple were Kiwi's who were sightseeing their own country! Good on them.
The following day I went and saw the Glaciers. Franz Josef first and then the Fox glacier. I'll try and get some photos up here at some point (I'm using my phone to upload and type at the mo' - this is the first time I've had cell coverage for a week!!).
The next day I went over the Haast pass which is very beautiful. Parts of it reminded me of the high desert in California with the yellow bracken that you can see in Scotland. The weather was definitely bleakly Scottish! Very beautiful though.
Last night I stayed in Wanaka. That's the home to Mt Aspiring NP. I passed lake Wanaka and lake Hawea. Both lakes are huge. Very humbling.
Today it was raining in Queenstown! I gave a backpacker a lift from Wanaka to here and at the start he broke the handle off my sliding door!! Damn! ...My mobile home is a wreck!! I'm going to have to take a day out soon to try and go to the scrap yard to get some replacement parts!! All good fun!
From Westport I went down through Greymouth and was going to stop there the night. When I got there I decided against it. Not the most pleasant of places. Not bad, just lacking character and charm. A bit of a null entity!! I'm glad I carried on since I found a great DOC campsite just outside Ross. The campsite was by a lake with a nice secluded grass area. As it happens there were about 5 camper vans on the whole site which was really nice. I got talking to the others and there were an Australian couple who were touring for 2 weeks and the other couple were Kiwi's who were sightseeing their own country! Good on them.
The following day I went and saw the Glaciers. Franz Josef first and then the Fox glacier. I'll try and get some photos up here at some point (I'm using my phone to upload and type at the mo' - this is the first time I've had cell coverage for a week!!).
The next day I went over the Haast pass which is very beautiful. Parts of it reminded me of the high desert in California with the yellow bracken that you can see in Scotland. The weather was definitely bleakly Scottish! Very beautiful though.
Last night I stayed in Wanaka. That's the home to Mt Aspiring NP. I passed lake Wanaka and lake Hawea. Both lakes are huge. Very humbling.
Today it was raining in Queenstown! I gave a backpacker a lift from Wanaka to here and at the start he broke the handle off my sliding door!! Damn! ...My mobile home is a wreck!! I'm going to have to take a day out soon to try and go to the scrap yard to get some replacement parts!! All good fun!
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