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From Queenstown we had a long, long trip to Milford Sound, way down in the south. On the way we stopped briefly at Te Anau, a pituresque lake on the tourist trail, and headed on down the one way highway. The drive got more and more spectacular, we went from the green fields and mountains to driving down a steep narrow, winding road past walls of mountains. Their high peaks were hidden in mist, so it just looked like granite walls, rising vertically up from the gorge below. Waterfalls that tumbled down looked like dribbling taps; dwarfed by the sheer size of the mountains. It was a beautiful drive, and eventually we arrived at Milford Sound itself: the water calm and still, the mountains silent beside, with trees and bushes clinging impossibly to their cliffs. The misty weather added to the atmosphere, and we went for a little walk beside the shore as far as we could. You can go for cruises along the Sound, but we didnt have the time or money, so exhaustedly started the mammoth return journey back the way we had come. Running out of petrol, we detoured down a little road and stumbled upon the last
petrol handpump in New Zealand, operated by a lovely friendly guy who had walked the length of Hadrians Wall many years ago! We passed Queenstown and headed on up to stay the night at Wanaka, in the YHA there. It was smaller version of Queenstown, but we didnt see much as we arrived at night and had to leave early the next day. We set off for the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, and arrived at the Fox glacier just as the mist and drizzle were really setting in again. It was an impressive glacier, strange for it to be so near sea level, but I couldnt help comparing it and Franz Josef to Perito Moreno in Argentina...in comparison they simply didnt come close, looking small and dirty, but they were a sight to see nonetheless. We checked in at our hostel, Glow Worm, a really cosy hostel, with free soup! Franz Josef was shrouded in mist when we arrived, and as the rain set in we couldnt hide our disappointment. We decided to save our money and kayak Abel Tasman instead of walking on the glacier.
The next day we checked out and had another very long drive
all the way up to the north coast again, and Abel Tasman national park. It's got good tramping along the coastal track, but has become equally famous for sea kayaking along the same stretch of coastline. We stopped off along the way at Punakaki, to see the famous 'pancake rock and blowholes' there. They are strange layered stacks of rocks: the water at high tide rushes in, forcing its way up and jets out of the blowholes like steam from a boiling kettle. It was great fun to watch, and a welcome stop en route. The driving was endless, but the season right now is so beautiful, everything is bathed in autumnal colours, and at sunset, the snow on the mountains lights up orange then red. Along the way, numerous determined birds of prey sat defiantly on various roadkill, refusing to move and often nearly becoming roadkill themselves. We eventuallly passed through Motueka, a very touristy but pretty town, and drove on a little way to Marahau, a tiny little place at the start of the national park. We checked into a very tranquil place called the Barn, and went for a walk along the coast and the beach while
the tide was out and the sun was setting. We came back, and I threw a ball for a very enthusiastic, bouncy, miniature fox terrier named Doris. I got chatting to Nathan from Canada, who was hitchhiking his way around, then played cards with him, Phil, and a random Israeli guy, who on hearing that i had gone to university, exclaimed dramatically, 'but you only look 13!' I wanted to punch him.
The next day we went sea kayaking. We were led by two very bubbly, enthusiastic guides, a maori guy called Harold and 'Bretto'. We were given a short briefing, told how to paddle, and get in and out, then off we went! It was so calm and peaceful, and although the paddling was quite an effort at first, I soon got into it and it was fine after no time at all. It was gorgeous coastal scenery, rocky and green, and we paddled into little caves and along beaches. Despite the splash skirt I managed to get soaked, looking like i'd wet myself. We caught a water taxi back to the start, and rode in the boat as it was towed back to the base by tractor!
We set off again for Picton via Nelson; lovely green scenery around the usual winding mountain roads. Nelson was a pretty seaside town, and we stopped off at the beach to bask in the only sun out in New Zealand that day (so the weatherman said) We walked around the centre for a bit, saw the oldest preserved street in New Zealand, then went on and got to Picton at night. We stayed at Atlantis backpackers, a massive place, (30 bed dorm!) but it was homely, complete with a scruffy white dog and even a pool - hence the scrawny white guy strolling through the kitchen in tiny blue speedos....mmmm, just what you want to see as you're about to eat. Next day we dropped the car off and caught the ferry back to Wellington to start the North island experience!
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