Blogs from Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

02.01.2012 Fuhren wir nach Alexandra, wo wir uns am darauf folgenden Tag noch einmal im Office für Seasonal Solutions meldeten. Diese hatten immer noch keine Arbeit für uns, sagten allerdings, dass die Kirsch-Saison bald losgehen würde. 03.01.2012 Da es noch keine Arbeit für uns gab, fuhren wir noch nach Wanaka. Das kleine Dorf liegt ähnlich wie der Gardasee an einem See (Lake Wanaka). Wundersche. 04.01.2012 Wir machten noch einen Abstecher zum Mount Cook, dem größten Berg Neuseelands (3754m). Nach einer kurzen Wanderung sind wir von den vielversprechenden Blue Lakes und dem Tasman Glacier völlig enttäuscht worden. Dennoch ist der Anblick des Mt. Cook mit dem Lake Pukaki im Vordergrund abartig. 05.01.2012 Verbrachten wir nochmal einen Tag in Wanaka. 06.01.2012 Da langsam aber sicher doch das Geld z... read more

11.12.2011 Am nächsten Tag fuhren wir nach Alexandra, wobei einen Abstecher zum Nugget Point machten. War schön. In Alexandra gingen wir zum Büro, bei dem man sich für eine Arbeit beworben konnte. Wir übernachteten beim Nachbardorf (Clyde) an einem Stausee.... read more

Week 2 We spent the morning looking at the earthquake damage in Christchurch and the city felt eerie as it was so deserted. There was lots of damage; buildings collapsed and if they weren’t already down they were being demolished as they were no longer safe, we both felt sad to see it and so didn’t spend long there. Then it was time to collect Benn and Ange from the airport and we were feeling a bit strange for seeing people for the first time and letting them in our bubble! It was great to see them and we slipped straight back into normality; abusing each other etc! We had a pretty chilled night a few drinks and games of cards because Benn and Ange were knackered after their mammoth flight, although we did manage a ... read more

March 12 Greymouth Last night was the big earthquake in Japan and New Zealand was under tsunami alert. We took a look at the map and Nelson, which is a coastal city, was potentially in its path. Kind of eerie, especially since there was no information from anyone as to what was happening, or what to do in case of. We followed things on the news, and decided on a plan of action for ourselves, should anything happen. We then went to bed, woke up around 4am and checked the news again. All was well. Guess a wave of a about a foot hit the northern beach where we had done the beach bus trip. Our trip to Greymouth was a long day, hitting the road at 8am. It was uneventful until we stopped for ... read more

I checked out of my Premium Room With Lake View (at $149 NZ, the most expensive room I expect to be staying in on my trip) and thankfully bade farewell to the Internetless YHA Queenstown. Promptly at 11:45, the bus hired by Track and Trail Taieri showed up to take me to Pukerangi to meet the train. It was a Connexions bus, and it was responsible for getting a lot of people to a lot of different places in Central Otago. By the time we stopped at the airport, it was nearly full. I had had a double seat to myself up until that point, but when I saw two people about to get on, I knew I had to move, so I went up to the only two seats left, both singletons next to ... read more

I spent the morning doing laundry. I stayed to watch my clothes, though I noticed that most people did not bother to do so, and I was able to help a teenaged boy who wasn't sure what settings he should choose on the washer. There was a separate laundry building, shared by the Pinot Lodge backpackers and the Chalets RV park. Laundry was a reasonable $6 a load -- three to wash; three to dry. Unfortunately, once again my wash did not dry in an hour, even though I selected Perm Press rather than Delicate. So I had a long wait, especially since it was hard to read Plum in the sunlight. The benches near the laundry were a bit low, too. In the afternoon, after trying and failing to chat with Jim -- I do ... read more