Over The Hills In A Cocaine Van To See A Whole Lot Of Sheep...

Christchurch was our first destination and it is a city full of charm in a very English kind of way. It feels like how I would imagine an outpost of the old British empire with numerous old colonial houses, churches and the Avon river running through it's heart. We were lucky enough to have a bright sunny day to explore the city and spent a while walking through the gardens along the river bank as ducks waddled nearby and boat loads of Japanese tourists were being punted past on the river. An Ice cream helped round of the early afternoon and we headed to the art gallery for some cultural insight.

Here we saw a few nice exhibitions including a photography exhibit depicting Maori culture through the changing social climate in New Zealand in the 20th century. On the way in I happened to over hear an old lady declare "Unfortunately I don't care much for the Maori" and promptly escort her husband upstairs. This was my first hint of the social tensions that still exist in kiwi society regarding the role of the Maori people and how they have moved from a rural lifestyle and integrated into urban life. It must be said though as an outsider it seems they have adapted well to change and fought continually throughout the years for their rights, with considerably more success than Australian Aboriginies for example. Anyway I found some of New Zealands' history fascinating and enjoyed the Christchurch museum as well.

Before we knew it it was time to pick up our rental van and head off to explore the south island. After a sketchy start involving a one way street and a slight scrape of the van I was soon into the swing of driving again and we struck out to the Banks peninsula and Akaroa. A nice drive out and we stayed at a campsite for the first time ever. It was full of people in enormous vans that made us feel a little inadequate. We had a great view overlooking the harbour and the town itself was a peaceful little place and we soon settled into our new 'retired' lifestyle.

Taking the road inland we drove to Lake Tekapo. The road there was spectacular with snow peaked mountains as a backdrop. From here we had a great walk up and across the open hills behind the lake. Up top we had more panoramic views of the alpine forest and brilliant blue lake beyond. We also got latched onto by a small dog for the last few hours of our tramp. Clearly a stray she seemed to like company and apart from a dodgy moment where she tried to eat a poisoned carcass left out for pests she seemed quite jolly and stayed with us until we got back down to the church beside the lake. As well as that we did manage to get swooped by a magpie making a fuss about it's nest but no injuries were sustained. I have also discovered that New Zealand has the biggest bees I've ever seen, at times it feels like a bird has buzzed past your ear. That night as the clear blue sky turned black we saw the most perfect night sky. The clearest, brightest and most star filled I've ever seen.

Back on the road we set off on yet another amazingly scenic drive to Mount Cook village. A remote feeling little place which is dwarfed by the surrounding mountain ranges. We soon found a nice spot for our discreet little van and hiked out on one of numerous walks you can do in the area. At the end of the trail we had some nice views of Aoraki/Mt Cook and the whole range.

The highlight of our Mount Cook visit was to do a late birthday treat for Jed and take a helicopter ride. We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and decided to go for it as it was something we had both wanted to do. We headed off to the tourist office and booked on to the 20 minute flight before making our way up to the helipad. When we arrived there we were happy to find out that we had been upgraded to the 30 minute ride which was a bit of a bonus! As we took off I was so busy taking pictures of Jed in the front, I was shocked when I turned around and found we were already in the air. It all happened so quickly! I felt a bit unstable as we were being buffeted by the winds and it was quite odd being in this wobbly flying thing but the views were incredible. After flying for a bit we came in to land on a glacier which was just so amazing! The angle we came in at seemed all wrong and I was sure we were going to hit it but the landing was smooth - Respect to the pilot!(Nigel) As we got out of the helicopter I felt like we had landed on the moon, it was so exciting. The views were perfect and it was such an adrenaline rush to be there! We flew over the glacier next and over to Mount Cook before landing. It was such an unforgettable experience and we wanted to do it all over again.

A few stops along the coast and then we reached Cannibal Bay where we parked up near the beach deciding to spend the night here rather than at a campsite. We had assumed we would have the place to ourselves but it seems several other people had the same idea and there was a steady flow of people arriving to do the walk along the beach. We walked along the beach and over to Surat bay where we saw a total of 7 sea lions and fur seals. Some were very big and we were able to get quite close to them whilst they were busy getting cross at the flies and trying to have a rest. The most fascinating thing to watch was when two seals, a mother and a pup emerged from the sea and made their way up the beach. We were quite close and the protective mother obviously thought we were a threat and made as if to chase us several times whilst making a lot of noise. This got the attention of a large sea lion who had been sleeping nearby who decided to come and investigate. He then saw the vulnerable pup and tried to take her away from her mother. The mother tried to run in to the sea with the pup following close behind but the male sea lion was to big and intercepted the pup easily. I felt like I was in the middle of an animal planet documentary, it was so strange to be watching it all go on. Eventually the pup made her escape and the mother and pup swam off leaving the very grumpy sea lion watching after them. It shows how hard their lives are, always under threat and just going for a rest turns in to a fight for freedom. It was amazing to be able to get up so close and see these powerful creatures in action.

The following day in Curio Bay was a bit of a washout as the rain swept in horizontally. When we reached Te Anau in the fiordlands the weather improved and we had a nice drive out to Milford Sound. Famous for it's scenery and solitude the sound is a nice place to visit but not as peaceful as you might hope. Tourist boats honked on leaving harbour and the air was filled with helicopter and plane noise. The whole area on route to the sound is a really wild and beautiful place, it feels like you are watching nature and geology at work. The road winds around mountains, across clear streams and through dense forest before cutting beneath the mountain through a mighty tunnel. On the way back we stopped of at a place called the chasm where a river has cleaved a path through the rock and is now a cascading waterfall. Definitely a worthwhile stop off. We also saw several Kea's here, a greeny/brown parrot that we have been seeing all over the island. They are very curious and a bit cheeky and people are turning them in to pests by feeding them which is a shame. They are beautiful to watch though, especially when they fly as their wings are so pretty and colourful underneath.

We pushed on to Queenstown next and took a day off driving which was nice. The town is set in a lovely location on the hillside overlooking the lake and we enjoyed a walk around it, wrapped up in gloves and coats. Queenstown is only really exciting if you have a bit of spare cash to do all the extreme activities on offer though and there are plenty of them. Unfortunately we didn't so our attention was not held for long and we soon moved on to our next destination, Wanaka.

We drove out an hour from Wanaka to Mount Aspiring National Park to do the Rob Roy Glacier walking track. The drive itself was very exciting as we had to go quite a way along an unsealed road before braving several fords in our trusty Chad. He coped well though and it was a very exciting drive as we dodged sheep and stopped to chat to some cows. When we arrived at the starting point for the walk, the sun was shining and we set out across the rolling green hills alongside a sparkling clear blue river, in high spirits. The walk was fairly challenging with most of the first half going uphill through the woods and it was some pretty good exercise for us. I must say we have been doing a lot of walking since we arrived in New Zealand! Anyway, the walk was beautiful with everchanging scenery and when we reached the glacier we saw several avalanches which was incredible. We made our way back through the woods, this time much quicker as it was all downhill, and back to find out if Chad would start. He did and we were really happy that we had made the effort to drive out as it was one of the best walks we have done here so far! Top day!

We decided to visit the famous Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers next and took the walks to see them up close. It is amazing to think how far back they are from where they have been in the past and we found it interesting to have a look at them although they are pretty similar, at least to our untrained eyes! We stayed the night at a place near the Franz Josef Glacier and were not surprised to see all the tour buses also stopping for the night here too. It was a bit of a reminder of our Australia travels as we saw tired backpackers herded of the buses and in to dorms and although we enjoyed our experience in Australia, we have loved the freedom we have had on this trip, stopping when and where we like and running to our own schdule.

We headed away from the Glaciers and towards Arthurs pass next where we spent a quiet night. From here the road back to Christchurch is pretty quiet with a few tiny little towns with a couple of houses each and we turned off and stopped in a place called Glentunnel, just because it had a campsite. It was a friendly little place though and a lot of people were living permanently in their caravans enjoying a peaceful life. It strangely reminded me a bit of Hayling Island without the beach, possibly because of the number of old people there but it was odd to be thinking of home. A lot of New Zealand has a very English feel to it and parts of our trip have reminded me of past holidays in the peak district. Very hilly and very green!

Our time in the south island has been great fun and I'm glad we decided to rent a van. I can't imagine many nicer places to be driving around with amazing vistas seemingly around every corner.

We headed back towards Christchurch to spend our last few days with Chad soaking up some much needed sun by the seaside just outside the city centre. We popped in to the city and were instantly reminded how crazy it is, the sun shining brightly and the square filled with entertainers juggling, playing music, and one guy who must come regularly as we have seen him twice already who shouts passages from the bible at the top of his voice and acts as if he were performing on stage. Its a fascinating place with the gorgeous mixture of old and new buildings making the city a place filled with character and never boring. Waking up after our last night camping to some very hot sunshine we packed up one last time and set off. We returned Chad, said our goodbyes and thanks for the memories and were off on our own again with the excitement of sleeping in a proper bed and enjoying some more of Christchurch's wonderfull culinary offerings bubbling through our minds. Simple pleasures.

Next stop Picton on the train, then to Wellington and the north island!

(By the way for anyone planning to do food shopping in NZ, New world kicks Pac 'n' saves bum!!)

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Part of trip: Oceania

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