Blogs from Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 10

After an all-but-relaxing Bali cruise (more on that when I'm at a less expensive terminal), we arrived in New Zealand on Thanksgiving Day. We actually managed to find the one restaurant in Christchurch that offered a special Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Unfortunately, it was the largest All Blacks rugby pub in the country, so the holiday ambiance was pretty weak! We rented a car and spent yesterday and today driving on harrowing, twisting roads on the South Island. I had always pictured New Zealand as a green flatland covered in merry sheep, so I was a bit shocked by the enormous volcanic passes we had to cross. Steve just laughed at me (probably because I'm the only person in the free world who hasn't seen any of the LOTR movies). I'm about to lose access (32 seconds ... read more

Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, Mt. Cook (Aoraki) It was a very casual morning drinking in the view and coffee with our campmates…Scottish folks to the left, Dutch to the right. We did decide to take off late morning and had breakfast for the second time at our new favorite café in New River. Joe had a bagel and lox and I had a decadent white chocolate/boysenberry muffin. We ended up at Lake Tekapo which is turquoise colored by glacial silt. The place is teeming with wildflowers and people. We are amazed to see so many swimmers and water skiers in that cold lake. We also drove to get a good look at Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in NZ. As it is with so many place names now, Mt. Cook is known by its Maori name, ... read more

So no one told us it was going to be so bloody freezing in New Zealand! We are here a week already and we are only just warming up. Some bloke returning his van in the campervan hire place kindly give us some blankets saying "it can get cold out there". D'ya think?! Its jaysus freezing! We've been sleeping with the duvet we got with Ruby (our campervan), our sleeping bags and the kindly donated blankets and its still jaysus freezing!! But enough whinging, apart from the temperature, New Zealand absolutely rocks. It is completely stunning. We are in South Island at the mo, spending most of our time here, before heading up to North Island. We started in Christchurch and made our way to Lake Tepako, Mount Cook Village, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Lake Mavora (I ... read more

Thursday 25th September We were picked up by our airport transfer, Luxury Airport Shuttle, just after 1130 and by 1400 we were at the Auckland International Airport. It was a smooth flight to Christchurch and we were picked up and taken to the nearby Sudima Hotel a few minutes after advising them of our arrival. We were quite impressed with our room, large, modern, well worth what we paid. Hotel.com does give you a good bargain. We caught the bus into Christchurch, walking one stop further than the one outside the hotel on the advice of a local, saving us $5 each. We have noticed on several occasions now that the tourist is certainly made to pay here! Cathedral Square was our destination, this considered the centre of the city. Very pretty, nice cathedral and buildings ... read more

With a beautiful sunrise over the delightful Akaroa, it was disappointing to move on from this piece of paradise. The only way out of Akaroa was to return the same route almost back to Christchurch, with the morning sun glistering on Lake Elesmere with the snow covered Southern Alps as a backdrop it was absolutely stunning.Reaching the outskirts of Christchurch, we turned off to Lincoln and then Rolleston where we turned on to Highway 1 to begin our journey down the east coast to the coastal city, Timaru. We drove only about 35kms before we arrived at the small town, Rakaia, situated near the mouth of the Rakaia River, one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The two bridges crossing the Rakaia River, at the township of Rakaia, are New Zealand's longest road and ... read more