Mon 5th May - Set off to drive north west stopping in Wanaka to update the blog and by a magnificent lake to have lunch. Travelled on through the Haast pass - a great stretch of windy, steep roads with great scenery, the best being an old bridge over a series of massive waterfalls and rapids cascading down the valley. We arrived at Fox on the west coast at dusk and decided to find a free camping place we'd heard about on the web. Drove around 20km on an unsealed road to the coast where we parked up on a stony beach which was covered in huge pieces of driftwood. There were another couple of cars camping there and they'd lit a big fire on the beach. Cooked pasta and were in bed early.
Tues 6th - Got up in the dark at 6.30am to have breakfast and make packed lunches. Did some skimming on the sea as the sun rose - the best ever beach for skimmers! Drove along the coast to Franz Josef glacier town and went to the tour office for 8.15. Got kitted out in hats, jackets, gloves, trousers, boots and crampons and were bussed up to
the glacier carpark. Walked 45 minutes from here in a group of about 30 to the mouth of the glacier where we split into 3 smaller groups, me and gems chosing to be in the elite one! The glacier is an awesome sight as you get up close and we started to climb up the nose of it - the steepest glacier climb in the world. The guides carved ice steps with a pick axe up the steepest parts. The first part was very tiring and we soon had to shed layers. It was the perfect day to do it - sunny and clear. Sometimes using ropes and chains we continued up the glacier, winding up through deep cravasses and over moraine. After a brief lunch stop we were taken into some ice caves and through tunnels created by the melt water. In some places the ice and meltwater pools are a brilliant blue colour, it was like being on another planet! The glacier is over 400 metres thick and several km long and is currently advancing at quite a pace - 10 times faster than any other valley glaciers in the world. After a fantastic day we got back
to the office at 4.30 tired out. Crampons will be on my christmas list, they are awesome pieces of kit! Drove back to Fox to the same spot on Gillespies Beach where we were the only ones tonight. Amazingly the fire was still going! Cooked a rice satay stir fry and were in bed at 8pm!
Wed 7th - Woke up to rain so lay in for a while. Did washing up and poos at a nearby DOC site. Drove along to Lake Matherson which is famous for its reflections of mount Cook and Tasman but there were none because of the rain. Drove back to Franz where we went on internet and had a yummy lunch in a cafe - sausage roll and wedges smothered in cheese, salsa and sour cream. Continued the drive up the west coast in non-stop rain. Stopped at Greymouth to do a supermarket shop - a nothing town really. Drove on and the coast got very rugged and picturesque with great views despite the rain. Reached Punakaiki in the dark and checked into a campsite. Washing up, tea, laundry and showers. Rain continued into the night.
Thurs 8th - Got up early and had
a treat for breakfast - toasted crumpets! Having rained all night it was still showering in the morning. We drove to do a walk but it was teaming down and there were flood warnings in the area so we went on the web in a cafe at Punakaiki instead. At midday we put on the waterproofs and the rain stopped! Did a short loop walk to view the Pancake Rocks and blowholes at high tide - amazing rack formations and ferocious sea crashing over, under and through them. Got in the van and drove north up the coastline towards warmer and sunnier weather. Stopped for a sandwich lunch before reaching Westport to fill up with petrol. From here we changed course and headed East inland. Stopped at Reefton, an old mining town, to go to the i-site. Drove on along the Lewis pass amongst endless forests, rivers and mountains. Parked up for the night a few kilometres after Maruia Springs in a picnic spot off the road where a 2 minute walk finds you at 2 really hot thermal pools next to the river where you can see the gas rising up as bubbles through the gravel. A couple of
other campervans were freecamping there also. Stir fry noodles and veg for tea.
Fri 9th - Got up early to drive to Hamner Springs. Sat in the van until the pools opened at 10am. Wallowed in the various thermal pools ranging from filtered rock pools to natural pools which stank of egg (sulphur) and coated my copper african bracelet in a black substance! These pools were up to 42 degrees hot and some of the others 36-38 so they were steaming in the cold winter air. After a couple of hours poaching ourselves we set off to Kaikoura, an area rich in sea life. At Kaikoura we booked a trip at the i-site for tommorrow. The sea here is really turquoise. Had a beer and a game of pool in a deserted bar then drove out along the peninsula to free camp next to the sea by some toilets. Had crisps and dips, pasta and red wine for tea.
Sat 10th - Got up at 6.30am! This was so we could drive along to the whaleway station for our trip at 7.15, but the sea was too rough so it was cancelled. We were put on the 10.30 instead so
we had a bit of time to drive back along to the end of the peninsula where there is a seal colony. There were loads around, some sitting in the carpark! Walked up the cliff and along the coast for a couple of hours looking down at the lovely coastline and numerous seal colonies out on the rocks. The weather improved and we set off on our whale watch catamaran, heading out to sea in search of the worlds largest mammals. We had to sit inside the cabin as the sea was so rough. A few people were sick as we rocked up and down. We'd had tablets but still felt a bit queesy. After a while the sea took a dramatic change as we passed over the continental shelf, dropping from around 120 metres to 1600 metres deep! This deep water is home to many whales and through a combination of looking ourselves and getting information via radio from other boats and aeroplanes, we soon came across a sperm whale. He was an amazing sight despite only seeing a fraction of his exposed body (up to 18 metres) as most stays underwater. You can see them a mile off
by looking for the blow water which rises 3-6 metres up. They then stay on the surface for 5-15 minutes before diving again for around 45 minutes. When he did I missed the elusive tail shot because of the bloody digital delay! Soon after, though, we came accross another sperm whale and this time I got a great tail shot. Next we were very lucky to sight 2 orcas, or killer whales. They swam around for a while and came very close to the boat, it was an amazing sight! Also saw lots of albatross whose wing spans get up to 4 metres! Set off back to shore and came accross a third sperm whale. Then, as if that wasn't enough, a group of dolphins swam past but they were going fast in the opposite direction so views weren't great. Had lunch before setting off to drive north. Drove up through the Marlborough region - some lovely rolling green hills (like the shire in LOTR!) and this is wine making country so there were hundreds of vineyards which were orange in the autumn sun. Arrived in Nelson after a spectacular sunset and checked in to a campsite a kilometre from
the CBD. Had a rest then walked into town to eat. Found a nice reastaurant - 'Turkish Delight' and had a scrumptious meal with wine - a treat after all the van cooked meals. Very tired so bed at 11ish.
Sun 11th - Had showers and breakfast and went along to the local supermarket for supplies. Used the internet and i-site in Nelson then set off to the Abel Tasman National Park. It didn't take long to get up to Marahau - a little village at the end of the road, and the start of many tramping and kayaking adventures up the coast. Checked a few sites out and settled in one for the night. Cooked thai green curry veg with rice in the kitchen which wasn't as nice as it sounds!
Mon 12th - Rained in the night but it had stopped and cleared in the morning thankfully. Got up at around 7am and had breakfast and made a packed lunch. Drove along to Ocean River and Aqua Taxis company office and were briefed on kayaking - we're hiring one for the day to freedom kayak saving loads on a guided tour. We were then towed along by a
tractor to the beach and from there over the sand to the waters edge as the tide was out. Had jackets, lifejackets and skirts to fit over the seat holes. Just shorts and sandals on our bottom halves so it was quite cold standing around! With our lunch and towels in the luggage compartment I sat in the rear seat to control the steering with foot pedals while Gems sat up front to shelter me from the head winds! We also had flares on board in case of emergency! After a quick lesson in paddling we set off north up the beautiful coastline in glorious sunshine and winds of only a few knots. Passed Adele and Fishermans islands on our right and pulled into a sandy bay to shed some layers as we were so hot! Continued paddling along up the rocky coast past coves, caves and sandy lagoons arguing occasionally over each others paddling action. Just past Anchorage we stopped on a deserted beach for lunch. Continued the upper body workout by paddling out to Pinnacle Island where we saw seals basking on the rocks. Had an explore of the lagoon at sandfly bay before reaching Bark Bay in
plenty of time. Decided to go a bit further north into the marine reserve and look at mosquito bay before heading back to Bark Bay. As it was high tide there was a lagoon at Bark Bay which we paddled up into - absolutely beautiful, the water only a few inches deep and so clear. The aqua taxi picked us and our kayaks up and we travelled the 20 or so kilometres we'd paddled back to Marahau. The aqua taxi sailed straight onto a trailer pulled by a tractor so we didn't get off it until the carpark! Had some nice hot showers there before driving along to Kaiteriteri to do a short walk down to a beach off which is Split Apple Rock - looks exactly as its named! Drove towards Nelson and stumbled across a really cheap campsite off the main road by the seaside so slept here for the night after tuna pasta.
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