Blogs from Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 6

Så er vi på Syd-øen på New Zealand. Ja, det vil sige vi har efterhånden været her en uge. Tiden flyver. Vi startede med et par dage i Christchurch, hvor vi forsøgte at afklimatisere os lidt, inden vi begav os ud i den autocamper, der skal være vores "hjem" de næste tre uger. Christchurch er stadigt stærkt præget af jordskælvet for to år siden, som forårsagede store ødelæggelser i Centrum og kostede næsten 200 mennesker livet. Da vi havde fået overdraget vores kæmpe køretøj begav vi os med venstrekørsel (gæt selv, hvem der er chauffør!) op mod det højeste bjerg i NZ: Mount Cook. Fandt en campingplads ved bredden af den smukkeste turkise sø omgivet af bjerge. Campinglivets "fornøjelser" med fællesbad er vi efterhånden ved at vende os til, og alle de steder vi har været ... read more

The drive to Wanaka from Fox was a spectacular one. It took us a bit longer than expected because we stopped at a couple of lookout points to take in the views. There's scenery and then there's New Zealand scenery! We arrived at the campsite which had good facilities and loads of space. It was pretty late so it was dark and we couldn't see much of the lake, so we showered and headed out for dinner to celebrate my birthday. We went to an Indian restaurant called the Spice Room (the lady at reception in the campsite had recommended it). It was really cosy in there with a fire blazing and comfy couches to sit on while you wait for them to prepare your table. The really was really tasty and afterwards we went to ... read more

Queenstown, a tourist town on Lake Wanaka flanked by the ‘Incredibles’ mountain range and Ben Lomond. Ok that’s the boring bit done, Queenstown is an adrenlin packed playground and our welcome involved travelling by cable car to the sadle of Ben Lomond and looking down to Queenstown with hang-gliders above us, bungee jumpers below us, Luge drivers alongside us and jet boaters on the lake. So we took the soft start and raced the Luge circuit in a go-kart no less than 5 times. Then to the serious stuff…45 minutes on the lake and Shotover River in a twin jet boat driven by Kevin with a glint in his eye like it was his last drive…it was. The boat shoots down the river like something from a Bond film, aiming for any obstacle and swerving at ... read more

The photos speak for themselves!... read more

What can I write that would do justice to the sights we have seen? If a picture is worth a thousand words, I have a lot of work to do to equal all the wonderful shots my better half has taken recently. Our trip to Milford sound, a fjord on the west coast of NZ, was like a dream. We boarded our 700 ton ship, the Milford Mariner and were greeted with hot chocolate and muffins. Upon seeing a pod of about 30 dolphins, including calves, they lowered the tender ships and we got to see them from about ten feet away. Nearby, seals were basking in the sun under the 1000 foot cliffs that surrounded us. The food was excellent and it was just an beautiful way to spend a couple days. Yesterday we arrived ... read more