Blogs from Hokitika, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

So we disembarked the ferry, hopped back onto the bus and enjoyed a amazingly scenic drive to Kaiteriteri, a little village in the middle of nowhere. Here I met a chap from Stratford-upon-Avon. Literally 10 minutes from where I live. And we met on the opposite side of the world in a remote little village. Crazy! By this time it was pretty late in the day so we got showered and went to, you guessed it, the bar. Here they put on a pub quiz for us all which was a laugh. Our team didn't win though, which was probably a good thing as the prize was a $30 bar tab. The following morning we headed to Westport stopping off along the way to see some more natural marvels. We first stopped at the Nelson lakes ... read more

Okarito is een klein plaatsje aan de kust. Héél gezellig! Je kan hier ook een gids huren om 's nachts door het bos te wandelen om de zeldzame Kiwi vogels te bewonderen. Je moet er wel een hoop centen en engelengeduld voor over hebben om ze te bekijken maar ze moeten wel de moeite waard zijn denk ik! De kiwi vogels (daar zijn de Nieuw-Zeelanders naar genoemd , en nee niet naar het kiwi-fruit!) zijn uiterst zeldzaam. De dieren zijn tussen een merel en een kip , want je hebt er verschillende soorten in. Ze kunnen niet vliegen en zijn héél schuw! Nu heb je er in Okarito een kleine 300 nog over. De DOC probeert de kiwi vogels te beschermen door de moeders en hun eieren over te plaatsen naar het vogel bescherm centrum in ... read more

Sup Everybody! It's been a stunning pattern to always seem to report things accomplished here as "one of the coolest things of my life", but this last tramp proved the point with gusto. Just yesterday, I was walking down the giant Frans Josef Glacier, easily being one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was a constant feeling of exhilaration from the combo of doing something a little dangerous, while still not ever feeling like you were going to die. We had some knowledge of what we were doing, and most of the gear people would suggest, but still conquered the Glacier and hiked up it to a remote, seldom used hut (Castle Rock) sitting on a ridge line with amazing views. According to a few calculations we could muster between us, an estimated ... read more

We have been camping (in the nissan) outside hokitika for 2 nights, yesterday we bought some meat and planned for a bbq. to late we discover (when the meat is already bought!) that one time use bbq doesnt exist in NZ, like anywhere!! aaaarrrggghhh!!! so plan B was frying the steaks in the lid of the gas stove, this is not to recommend,. we ate our plates in silence,, thinking the salad dressing was the highlight. we decide to go for a small walk, we followed a track called swimmers beach,, a half an hour bush walk and we arrived at the water, the beach was infact only the path leading into the water! ha ha, beach my arse..... we had a skinny dip in the brown water, feeling more dirty than before the bath! only ... read more

The unique designs and forms of New Zealand jade Pounamu has special significance for the Maori. The Maori believe that Pounamu absorbs the 'mana' or spiritual power of its wearer. The Maori also believe that a piece of Pounamu will always yearn to return to its source in the rivers and mountains. New Zealand jade carving is unique in its designs and forms. We owe this to the Maori who have refined techniques of working with the stone over a long period of time. We can trace their use of Pounamu back to the twelfth century. Because of its extreme hardness, Pounamu was used by the Maori for weapons and tools. It was also prized by the Maori for jewerly - pendants and earrings and soul protection. Many of the designs are contemporary interpretations of traditional ... read more