Blogs from Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

I got a surprisingly good sleep despite the pile of rocks we were lying on. We woke to an extremely cold morning and struck camp as soon as we could. Two full days of walking lay ahead of us and we were looking forward to it. This was all of the Kepler Track that we could do due to lack of accommodation on the trail - we would walk out one day and back the next by the same path. We saw it as a practise for a full multi-day hike later in our time on New Zealand. It would certainly stretch us: forty-four kilometres over two days with full packs including tent, sleeping bags, stove, food and water. We had a few things to do in Te Anau so it was around 11am when we ... read more

Geo: -45.4151, 167.718A bit of frustration in the wind here in New Zealand for us travellers. The past few days have been a comedy of errors it seems. After leaving the Dunedin area, we headed down to the Catlins which is the southernmost part of New Zealand. We had planned on staying 3 nights at a backpacker hostel that was situated just off a wide crescent beach. After driving past all the major viewpoints and hikes along the way due to the blustery, rainy weather, we arrived at our destination with our sights set on a restful 3 days with no driving and maybe, just maybe, time to read and chill out. We were enjoying the company of a British couple while making and eating our dinner when a big, furry cat walked into the common ... read more

New Zealand – Wk 1 - Waitaki Camping Park heading South thereafter.....Monday 9th Jan. Another comfortable night was had under canvass and we awoke this morning to a fine sunny day. After a trip to the wash rooms, breakfast we were ready for a hike down the lane to the sea. It’s only a trip of approx 800 mts along a made up farm track passing hundreds of sheep and dairy cows happily grazing along the way. Currently in this area there is actually at the moment a severe drought warning and all the farmers are using sprinklers everywhere to green up the grass for grazing. These sprinklers range from a garden hose up to some enormous irrigation arms, 200+ mts in length. Anyone caught at their homes using excess water, they would be in deep ... read more

Geo: -45.4151, 167.718Zaterdag 5 februariVandaag moesten we een hele afstand overbruggen van Dunedin naar Te Anau via Catlins. De Catlins is het uiterste zuiden van het Zuidereiland. We hebben hier enkele stops gemaakt, maar de steile, smalle niet verharde straat naar Cathedral cove hebben we met de camper niet durven oprijden. Dan zijn we maar wat verder gereden en hebben we een wandeling gemaakt naar de McLeans watervallen door een heel dicht bos met reuzenvarens. Het leek recht uit het decor van een film te komen zoals het Fangorn forest uit LOTR. Daarna zijn we nog naar het versteend woud gaan kijken in een van de talrijke baaien van het natuurpark. Via Invercargill zij we dan naar Te Anau gereden door de gietende regen. Zondag 6 februariIn het Fiordlands National Parks is het twee dagen op ... read more

Day 7: Park Soundscaping and Glow-Worms We arrived safely in the southland, and after a quick breather at the hostel ventured down to the glow worm caves. Lake Te Anau (where we are staying the next few days) got its name from the Maori words for Spinning Water, later the caves were discovered. I had never seen glow worms before, but now that I have, I must say that I think they are the most beautiful bugs I have ever seen. We ventured down in a rickety wooden boat in the dark caves, and the worms lit up the cave like a night time sky. This town has a pretty boardwalk with lots of interesting wildlife, scenes, and sounds. Day 8: Milford Sound Tramping Today we journeyed to Milford sound on our own, stopping at will ... read more