Blogs from West Coast, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 15

Monday morning we drove to Fox Glacier and Gillespie's Beach where we walked the beach, watched the sea, ate lunch and attempted a nap amid the bugs. We continued on to a town called Hokitika where nearly all of the jade is mined. After finding a place to sleep off the grid we popped back into town the next morning for a visit to the jade factory and a shower at the local pool where we met a friendly local with much wisdom to share. Our next destination was Punakaiki where the famous Pancake Rocks are found; these are somewhat of a mystery as it is not entirely known how they were formed. The Tasman was near high tide and entertained us with its mighty waves crashing on the rocks and into the blowholes. It was ... read more

We felt the urge to venture further up the coast to Golden Bay, and stayed at Pohara Top 10 campsite for a night. Lovely location, right on the beach, and perfect for accessing the Abel Tasman National Park, not that we did on this occasion, but you can... The journey to Golden Bay looks deceptively short on the map, but the winding road up the Takaka Hill and down the other side adds quite a bit to the journey time and is a good test of whether you've secured all the drawers and junk in the van. Great views from the top of Takaka Hill though, from Hawkes Lookout, all across the valley towards Tasman Bay and Nelson. Golden Bay stretches right up to the top of the South Island, ending in the Fairwell Spit, a ... read more

Hallo ihr Lieben, wird Zeit, dass ich mit meinen Berichten wieder Anschluss finde;-) Hier ein Versuch von meinen restlichen Erlebnissen auf der Suedinsel zu berichten. Von Queenstown bin ich nach Wanaka weitergefahren und hab dort was ganz tolles gemacht: Paragliding! Das Wetter war einfach perfekt dazu und ich spontan genug - kaum eine Stunde in Wanaka, war ich auch schon auf dem Berg und in den Harnest geschnallt - bereit zum Abflug. Kurze Erklaerung wie was funktioniert und schon haben Richard, mein Tandempilot und ich uns in die Luefte geschmissen - d.h. erstmal mussten wir ordentlich laufen um den Schirm ueberhaupt hoch zu kriegen und dann ab in die Luft! Es war echt genial! Der Ausblick, das durch die Luft gleiten, den Auftrieb spueren - einfach das Gefuehl Fliegen zu koennen - ein Hammer! Ich muss ... read more

Before I get to that, let me tell you about Okarito. Beautiful wee campsite close to the shore, no shop, no cafe, but jungle behind, sea in front, a lagoon to swim in and a nice man who left me 2 beers in a fridge. This has nothing to do with toilet love, incidentally. I stayed a couple of nights and enjoyed what the highly organised NZ tourist industry tends to trample with its emphasis on concentrating buses and the omnipresent campervans into the scenic highlights, which consequently lose their charm. More swims and camps by lakes going well too, though the bugger sandflies are now showing up and chomping me. I've a lovely big bite on my eyebrow. What was supposed to be a highlight was Franz Joseph glacier, but it was just far too ... read more

OK, so this is obviously being typed up in retrospect, but I did keep a diary of sorts through the ten days I spent with the Hiking New Zealand crew, and here it is, all typed up, and (hopefully) with photos. Day 80: Flora Saddle to Rock Shelter: Meeting the group "When you see someone putting on big boots, you can be sure adventure is about to happen" (Winnie the Pooh) I was really apprehensive about the whole group hiking thing, but I managed to drag myself out of bed bright and early and down to Nelson information centre, where I met the guide, Jaron, an friendly and rather enthusiastic guy who turned out to be the youngest person on the trip at twenty-four. Next to arrive was Shaun, a quiet Welsh guy who worked for ... read more