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Published: February 29th 2008
I have to begin by saying I have never fell in love with a country in quite the same way as I have with New Zealand. My last 4 weeks have been jam packed with adventure, awe and adrenaline! I really should have written a blog here before now because I have done so much, but here goes...
New Zealand: South Island
Christchurch Although i am currently in Christchuch, I originally landed in Christchurch way back on 2nd February, which frankly feels like a lifetime ago. Here 2 nights, I spent my time exploring the city. It had a somewhat relaxed feel to it, more so in the way it felt like home but in the past. The cathedral was nice and there was a choir singing when I was there, which contrasted the old men playing giant chess outside in the square. I visited the botanical gardens and the Cantabury museum, which was worth the visit. I learned about the extinct Moa (similar to a giant emu) along with the museums meteorite and mummy.
February 4th I got on the Stray bus for the first time. This would become my 2nd home for the next 6
weeks! It is essentially a hop on hop off style travellers bus which takes me around both islands and to places i wouldn't be able to visit with public transport.
Kaikoura Known for it's dolphin and whale encounters, Kaikoura is on the east coast north of Christchurch. I drive there for the second time tonight to jump in and
swim with dolphins at 5:30am tomorrow! Yes, that is 5:30...AM!! It will be early, but worth it! last time in Kaikoura it rained all day so I spent the afternoon in the hot tub - I mean what else would you do?
Picton Arriving in Picton at around lunchtime, the weather was patchy but I decided to go for a tramp, and i'm really glad that i did. Most people on that bus went onto the north island but found a nice german girl to go with. The views were spectacular. For those who have seen it, the view reminded me of Jurassic Park when the first arrive to the island on the boat/helicopter. I must have thought that a dozen times throughout New Zealand, it's not hard to see why so many movies and
filmed out here!
Arrrrrgh...All aboard Hoover's Pirate Ship At Picton I boarded Hoover's Stray bus/pirate ship. This was the driver I stayed with for the next few weeks, and I'm glad I did. Many people stayed with the same driver all the way down to Queenstown at least and we formed a really good group! For reasons I am still not certain of, our stray bus was in fact a pirate ship, complete with pirate-finallia including 2 jolly roger flags on the wing mirrors (but of course!). Apparently pirates are from Ireland and not Frome(Somerset)!
From Picton the bus headed to Abel tasmin, via a winery, which was a rather popular choice, especially at $2 a head. The wine and liqueurs were really tasty but I didn't buy anything.
Abel Tasmin Stopping only for supplies after the winery, we arrived in the Abel Tasmin early evening. I spent 2 nights there and I must say it is was beautiful. If it is true that the Abel Tasmin is the most beautiful area of New Zealand, and New Zealand is the most beautiful country in the world, doesn't that mean. . .
Anyway, despite
sleeping in a tent on a farm I loved it there. yes a farm; sheep, larmas, peacocks, "shamels" the lot! On the full day I took a water taxi 26km up the coast and walked the 7 hours back. The views from along the coastal track were stunning, long sweeping golden bays, lush green forest, and crystal clear blue waters, and i do mean crystal clear due to the way the water filters down to the sea. Being half asleep after my cold nights sleep I managed to forget my camera, brilliant.
However, the thing that will stick with me will probably be the stars. I have never seen a nights sky like it. There is no real light polution anywhere nearby and it showed. The sky was covered with thousands of stars from orion to the southern cross, and the milky way was clearly visible along with the large and small Magellanic Clouds - 2 neighbouring galaxies I learnt about these in an observatory tour yesterday! It was one of those moments where you find you cant help but stare into the sky.
West Coast Travelling down the west coast was one of the best
roads I have been on. In my opinion it tops the Great Ocean road in Australia, although here I wasnt drving, unfortunately! We stopped at the pancake rocks, naturally formed coastal rock formations which actually look like american style stacks of pancakes, pretty impressive.
Barrytown:
- White Dress.... $5
- Plastic tennis racket... $1
- Cheap local beer... $3
- A bus full of backpackers taking over a pub and making idiots of themselves...PRICELESS!!
Well what can I say, Barrytown is essentially a pub and 20 odd houses and not much else. However it was also one of the funniest nights of my trip! On the way down the bus stopped for everyone to pick up fancy dress. 2 rules; Guys must not where any mens clothes; Girls must be in fancy dress.
Throw in $3 beer aka Baz Vegas - brewed downstairs, and i must say very nice! The result - lots of laughter, singing, banter, and many embarrassing photos!
Franz Joseph Further south is the Franz Joseph Glacier. Here I decided to do a full day glacier hike with a group of guys from the Stray bus. Having attached crampons
to the boots i'd hired we made our way up the ice axe carved steps. It felt strange walking on ice but not really being that cold also being able to see down into the valley below. We learned the Franz shuffle, basically walking sideways so you dont end up on your face, and walked through little valleys and over icy cliffs. At one stage the guide cleared out a narrow cave so that we could squeeze down through- great fun! Given that it rains/snows 300 days a year up there it wasn't really a shock that we got rather wet! We were lucky that the most interesting part (and also during lunch) was dry. However, it absolutely hammered down on the way back down and didnt give in until we were back at the hostel. fantastic day though!
Puzzle world deserves a quick mention. We stopped there in Wanaka - I cant believe I almost forgot! the pictures speak for themselves - lots of things that mess with your mind and a maze. It was really good fun! Also stopped at a fruit "stall" en route which was great, got loads of lovely fruit for a few dollars
- practically free!
Queenstown: Adrenaline capital of the world!
Like most people, I loved Queenstown. What's not to like? A town surrounded by tree coverred hill and the remarkables (a set of mountains that lines up, remarkably, north to south), Queenstown also looks over a large lake. The views from both the town and up by the gondola are like something from a postcard. On top of this there is a manic nightlife and enough adrenaline activities to keep you, but probably not your bank balance, going for months! Infact I met a guy who had been there 3 yeras and still not managed everything he wanted! All in all I spent a week or so there, split over 2 visits. There was so much to do, it's just as well i was only there a week, much longer and i may have had to come home early due to lack of funds!!
Bungy.... Before I'd made it to New Zealand I knew I'd want to do a bungy here and i did. At
134m Nevis is the highest
Bungy Jump in New Zealand and the 3rd highest in the world!! I had already done a
canyon swing but this was a whole new kettle of fish. Imagine taking a little open air cable car over to a pod suspended a few hundred feet over a rocky gorge, being attached by your ankles to a rope and then diving head first out towards emptiness... i cant choose a word that describes the feeling. it was exhilerating, hurtling towards the ground yet feeling completely free, nothing around you, just you and the conyon floor rushing towards you. It felt like i was falling for much longer than the 8 seconds it takes. An awesome feeling and an experience i would recommend and would repeat tomorrow! I have a DVD that i will try and put online.
Shotover Canyon Swing Not to be over shadowed, before the bungy I also did a
Canyon Swing. Well 2 actually. I'd seen a video on a mates ipod the first day on the bus and knew i wanted to do it straight away! strapped to a harness you freefall 60m, then swing out in an arc over the canyon to a low point of 109m, reaching a top speed of 150km/hr! The first one i did "the pin
drop", you stand in the platform with hands behind your back, stare at your feet and simply jump sideways with your feet together. sounds simple enough but try it while staring down into a canyon! Although it may sound similar to a bungy it felt completely different, but equally good!
I did a second swing half an hour or so after the first. "The Elvis Cutaway". This was what had made me want to do it! The crew really tried to wind me up.
They stood me next to a red mark on a pole and started talking to each other:
-"dude, i think he might be too tall for this one"
-"nah, he'll be fine!"
-"i'm not sure bro"
-"well let's hang him out and have a look. He's never 6'3", that's just what he tells the ladies!"
So they suspend me, flat on my back staring at the sky. swing me round over the canyon and tell me to look over my shoulder (gulp!). They decide to move me out a bit further...
-"put your hands above your head so we can have a look how close you are..."
- ...
-"mate, i'm really not
sure abou...
And i'm gone! No warning, just dropped. The first one i yelled pretty loud, the second, nothing. mouth wide open, staring at the platform rushing away, cliff behind my head, not a sound - literally took my breath away! Then i swang free, feet upwards, head down, free over the canyon... what a feeling! the DVD is priceless! The guy said i looked like a possom caught in headlights!
Also in Queens Town... I had some great nights out in Queeny with some great people! Including Amy, a mate from uni who I knew was in NZ but not in Queenstown, small world! One bar worth a mention was the world bar, the actually serve cocktails in a teapot, a new one on me, but as they say - when in Rome...
Also I 'disc'overed a new sport - Frisbee Golf! What could be better than grabbing a few beers and throwing frisbees around with a few mates surrounded by trees, a lake and generally beautiful scenery! It's basically the same principal as golf but instead of hitting a ball with a club, you throw a frisbee, and rather than a flag and
hole, you hit a post or basket! great fun, and best of alll completely free!
Another Adrenaline pumping activity was the shotover jet. Essentially a water jet propelled speed boat that only needs 4 inches of water, travels at 80km/hr in a canyon and can spin 360 degrees on the spot. To be honest i wasn't that impressed but put a smile on my face nonetheless, and those rocks get pretty close!
Aside from frisbee golf, the biggest bargain in Queenstown was Luging! For $40 (15GBP), you get a gondola ride that gives you the best views over Queenstown, and you get to hurtle yourself down a track in a luge 6 times - great fun!!
That doesn't cover the whole of the south island but i feel like i have been writing for a week and i need to get going to Kaikoura!
I hope everyone is well! also if you haven't already can you text me your mobile numbers as my phone stopped working in Oz.
Lofty/Dave
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matt
non-member comment
NZ
Wow, sometimes i think you must be bored somedays traveling around. But bye eck, it still looks like your having an amazing time. Will you ever want to settle to a job behind a desk? Looks like your having a fab time. Planning traveling myself for a month or two in the summer but i dont think it will be like your trip !