Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 2531

March 6, 2002 Not far from Christchurch there are huge geodes that have washed out of the hillside that borders the beach. Our bus pulled into the parking area. Everyone got out and followed our guide along a boardwalk and down a set of wooden steps. The view that confronted us made us gasp in amazement. There littered on the beach were hundreds of huge round geodes. Never in my life had I imagined such a sight. We were fortunate enough to have a geologist with us on the trip. He looked at them with amazement and from the way they were shaped was sure of their kind and the way they must have been formed. He had never heard of this grouping in New Zealand. He proceeded to explain the entire scenario to us. Later ... read more

The South Island of New Zealand, dear reader, is one of the world's most beautiful travel destinations. While most of the population and industry are concentrated on the North Island, mother nature has blessed the South Island with an abundance of natural beauty. In fact the stunning surroundings are enough to take your breath away. The journal continues from where we left off in Wellington, in company with the Kiwi Experience bus team that started our adventures out of Auckland. Our driver loaded the bus and his passengers on to the Interislander ferry, and we settled down for the three hour crossing of the Cook Strait before arriving in Picton. We'd landed in the south, and were ready to explore and experience new Kiwi adventures! Our itinerary took us down the west coast, where we enjoyed ... read more

I crossed the Tasman Sea on a three hour flight to reach destination Auckland, the largest city of our closest neighbour and great mates from New Zealand. The country of four million people is blessed with sublime natural scenery, friendly people, superb tourist infrastructure and world class beer. Oh, and it's also the adventure capital of the world! If you have a taste for adventure and wanna do something wild and crazy ... sweet as a nut bro, just come to NZ and the Kiwis will take care of you. I was out of the airport like a shot, and had a few days to explore Auckland before joining a pre booked bus trip with Kiwi Experience. I chose the option of a three week jump on, jump off tour of the North and South Island ... read more

We're in Wellington, New Zealand at the moment, killing time before getting a ferry to the south island tonight. We've been here about a week and, so far, it’s great. Auckland was a really cool city, and from there we headed to Hamilton to catch up with a friend from Japan, Michelle. Got to experience some good old kiwi culture - a mad beer drinking competition! Believe me, these guys can really gulp it down (Brits pale in comparison!). The best news is that the girls out-drank the boys - hoorah! It's official - girls are better drinkers than boys!!! Next on the list was the town of Rotorua, famous for its geothermal areas - geysers, mudpools, and that distinct eggy smell! After a quick side-trip to the coastal town of Tauranga to spend a few ... read more

The following is a Five Day Combined Entry detailing my time spent in Auckland from December 15th-December 20th. Day One I'm now in New Zealand on my first night. Immediately when I stepped into the Auckland Airport it felt more like Christmas. I don't know if it was the colors, dark greens and browns. Maybe it was the fact that people were wearing long pants. Some people even had on long sleeved shirts. The night was cold too, mid-60s. All this and the more familiar temperate plants made it feel a little like New York State. There aren't any really big buildings here that I could see driving in from the airport, except for that big tower all lit up in blue. I don't like arriving at night as I have no idea where I am. ... read more