Blogs from Greymouth, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 5

We hadden al zoveel over Shantytown gelezen in elke folder hier in de buurt dat we het dorpje toch moesten zien hé! Maar het is absoluut de moeite niet! Het is een replica van 30 huizen , hoe een goud stad er hier zo'n 100 jaar geleden moet uitgezien hebben. Een soort Bokrijk dus! Hier moest je $30 per persoon betalen. We staken ons fototoestel even over de poort en fotografeerden de huizen langs de buitenkant. Na de hevige regen de dag ervoor , het was zelf even een nieuwsonderbreking tijdens de film in de keuken van de camping. Wind van 130 km/uur en hevige regen over het ganse land door. Kans op overstromingen, mensen moesten binnen blijven etc. Er was ook geen echte mogelijkheid om te gaan wandelen. Tot grote ergernis van Jan die verplicht ... read more

Ein Drittel unseres Neuseeland-Aufenthaltes ist nun leider schon wieder vorbei. Kurzes Resume: AWESOME! Heißt soviel wie: - genial - gigantisch - wunderschön - aufregend - spannend - adrenalinig Am heutigen Tag musste unser Chauffeur Strecke machen. Am frühen Morgen haben wir uns in Richmond auf den Weg gemacht, um über Punakaiki nach Hokitika zu kommen. Diese Strecke beträgt rund 350 km. Ein echter Höhepunkt und eine willkommene Abwechslung zum Camper fahren, waren die Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki. Diese Rocks sind im Laufe der letzten Jahrtausenden durch Erosionen entstanden. Bei genauerem Hinschauen erkennt man, dass die Rocks in Wirklichkeit nur aufeinander gestabelte Pfannkuchen sind. Anschließend ging's entlang der rauen Westküste weiter nach Hokitika. Die Stadt ist bekannt durch die Bearbeitung von Jade und Gold. Hier buchten wir auch in der I-Site (bei Treacy, nette B... read more

This morning was a bit of a rush due tothe fact that my shuttle was picking me up @ 7.30am which isn't too bad except for the fact that not only did I have to be up and showered and dressed, but all of my belongings also have to be packed up etc. etc. But I am getting better at it. I arrived at the train station in plenty of time and found that they had given me a table of 4 all to myself. Yay. I overheard some of the people on the train talking about the erathquakes in Christchurch. It seems to be on everyone's mind. And funny, but it felt lilke a bit of a relief pulling out of Christchurch. I don't think I was the only one on the train who ... read more

So I have been in New Zealand for about a week now and feel like I have seen very little of this beautiful place. It looks like I might have to extend my stay. The past couple of days I have been hanging with my friend Tristan on the west Coast, a plance called Barrytown, just noth of Greymouth. My days have been filled with walks on the Beach, kayaking in the rivers, and walks in the woods. This place is truly amazing, so lush and full of life and activities. Prior to my stay in Greymouth I traversed the southern Alps with some friends. We chose one of the harder tracks in Arthurs pass, so that we could avoid the crowds and challenge ourselves. The rangers at the park told us that three groups have ... read more

HI Sorry I have not posted sooner. Internet in NZ is a real challenge - or non existant. Or shuts down when you don't want it to. Anyhow - interesting drive to Christchurch two days ago - I drove most of the way. Due to some map difficulties and address problems - it took a couple hours to get to our hotel. It was lovely - very much Edwardian - including no internet. Nice restaurant. Walked half an hour to Botanical gardens - I was NOT going to drive ! - gardens were lovely. Walked for several hours so felt I deserved a good meal and a few extra calories. W ehave starteda tradition of a sof wine in the evenings with a plate of cheese and crackers. lovely way to end the day. then on ... read more