Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 2317

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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown March 8th 2006

We were a bit calculated about planning our trip, so to avoid any bad weather and only visit areas during the best seasons. All seemed well on paper, but it is just a reminder that nature does not like to cooperate, nor be dependable. at least not where i come from (new enland) and now i am learning, not in queenstown. while the little town is charming, packed with outdoor trips of fun, majestic lake and mountain views, it is also in the path of dasterdly southerly (read antarctica) winds! we have been told that it is an odd occurrence, but the southerlys have been whipping thru the area with no mercy for we travellors. It has brought with it rain, possible sleet, an snow to the mountaintop, below treeline. we are getting ready to sacrifice ... read more
Queenstown Sunset

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch March 8th 2006

Så er jeg tilbage igen med nye updates fra downunder. Hverdagene forløber stille og roligt, med undervisning som nu også inkluderer tutorials (små hjælpeklasser/diskussionsgrupper) så jeg er nu samlet oppe på 11 timer om ugen. Jeg er også blevet ganske flink til at besøge det gratis fitness center... herligt :) Selvom marts måned egentlig er efterår hernede, så er vejret stadig fantastisk godt. Solskin det meste af tiden og temperaturer der stadig tillader klipklapper og nederdel, i hvert fald hvis du spørger mig. De fleste kiwier synes dog at være lettere sæson-forvirrede, de har sprunget en hel årstid over og går i vintertøj. Denne her weekend har stået i ekstremsportens navn. Sammen med Julie, to englændere Rob og Alex, og Julies to flatmates Ed (NZ) og Steve (US) tog jeg på forlænget weekend til Queenstown, som ... read more
Lake Tekapo
Roadtrip billede
Kawarau

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch March 8th 2006

hey there folks, two blogs in one day wonders will never cease! So today is the day of celebration as the marc and claire team have finally been reunited! and frank of course. just to fill in the gaps....spent another day in kaikoura ended up staying in new hostel,called the dusky dolphin and it was the best hostel i've stayed in here - we had a hot pool sauna and heated swimming pool, all surrounded by very impressive mountains capped with snow. It's a hard life being a backpacker eh! Managed to spot some dolphins in the morning despite having failed to get on to a dolphin watching trip then spent all afternoon drinking beer in the hot tub celerating tomers birthday with whoever came to join us before cooking up a treat on the bbq....new ... read more
Hoorah

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands March 7th 2006

Sorry I haven’t written in ages! I have been consumed with…well, reading, sleeping, and hanging out with mom! Today it is raining raining raining. It is nice not to be frantic on vacation. Mostly when people are on vacation they zoom around madly trying to make the most, as it were, of each little moment by cramming it as full as possible with distracting, entertaining, or culturally-enriching events. There is something about being on a boat that just forces you to slow down a bit. Before I left most people were so impressed I was going to New Zealand and asked about all the stuff I was going to do. My general response was that, yes I was excited, but mostly I was going to see mom. That said, most of what I’ve been doing isn’t ... read more
Maori War Boat
Carved pole, by war boat
Carving detail, by war boat

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Timaru March 7th 2006

Kia Ora - Hej igen Sikke en masse vi oplever paa kort tid. Det er svaert at holde tridt med opdateringerne her paa siden. Hvor slap vi sidst... Ahh, Queenstown. Foer vi stak af derfra naaede vi lige et sidste adrenalinrush og en bytur. Foerstnaevnte bestod i at flyve et lille jetfly, dinglende i en snor, mellem to bjergskraaninger. Hernede kendt som Fly-by-Wire. I 6 minutter styrede vi dette hurtige fartoej og opnaaede hastigheder paa opmod 150 km/t. Svedigt opperen... Tilbage i Queenstown campede vi for at bade, vaske toej og oplade el-ting. Stedet laa ikke mere end et stenkast fra centrum hvilket passede fint med vores planer. Da morket havde lagt sig sneg vi os ind paa en poolbar og senere fandt vi byen hippe diskoteque. Flere EG mennesker dukkede op her, men det var ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington March 7th 2006

Wed. 22nd. Feb. Absolute chaos at the bus terminal, people being put on one bus, then being transferred to another. We could do without this at 8:00 a.m. Finally under way, only to stop 1/2 hour into the journey to swap more people over.. Crazy! Eventually the scenery was lovely, blue lakes going on forever and Southen Alps set off to perfection by the sunshine. Then the rain came and the scenery disappeared until we arrived in Franz Josef. A quaint town, with mountains in the distance topped by snow. We stayed at Montrose Backpackers, which was ok except for the automatic doors that made a heck of a noise closing. Lie-ins are not an option here. Thurs.23rd. All hell broke loose at 7:00a.m., when a Yorkshire couple burned their toast, and set the fire alarm ... read more


OK, this is almost too much for me to handle. Like a heroin addict dipping into a back alley and finding a fix, here I am being told that we have more time (!) in this little internet cafe in the middle of Queenstown (Melissa is putting some pictures on her blog entry and the slow computer is giving her fits). So, I thought I'd take the opportunity to start writing about our trip to Milford Sound. This will be written by both melissa and me, as I am also working on uploading some photos... Milford Sound is the most well-known of the fiords in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park. Its a World Heritage Site (others include the Grand Canyon, the Pyramids, etc). Check out this link for more info: http://www.fiordland.org.nz/Explore-Fiordland/Milford-Sound/Default.asp Fiords are created by the ... read more
Rainy and wet!
Some cloud clearing in the morning ...
Checking out more waterfalls from the Friendship


A few more photos for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy, Lau xx... read more
Our Kyaking Crew
Urm...
Arriving On The South Island


Left the hostel early to get to Mount Cook, NZs most famous mountain. Although the drive was in gorgeous sunshine, once we hit Mount Cook it was raining quite heavily with low cloud. Decided to wait out the rain in NZ's most famous hotel 'The Hermitage'. Weather was still awful a couple of hours later so drove on to Lake Tekapo. Checked into the Tailor-Made backpackers hostel and went on a 2.5 hour ramble along the Lake Tekapo Track. Great scenery - nice easy walk once you got the top of the hills and walked along the tops. Had to fill in NZ census forms (happens once every 5 years). ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Akaroa March 7th 2006

So a few details about the fishing trip. After a few days in very English Cristchurch as previously mentioned I headed off with new travelling companion Tom, to the Banks peninsular which is an hours drive away towards the coast. Specifically we headed to to just outside the town of Akaroa to the a small farm hostel in the bush - reminisant of south wales again. So after ghetting our bearings and sampling the delightful homebrew ale available at reception Tom suggested we take a strole down to the fishing beach nearby. To begin with this didn't really fill me with joy as fishing certainly not something that has ever grabbed me before. But anyway off we went to the beach about half an hours walk away, and most of my fears for going fishing in ... read more
Marc gets a shag
Scenic fishing off the pier
Tom and the tiddler




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