Blogs from Picton, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Bonjour à tous, Réponse à MT et M, effectivement par beaucoup, de côtés ont peut se croire en Angleterre, et depuis deux jours la pluie en rajoute, à cette impression. Le mode de vie est assez proche, les pubs, la bière, tous ces cottages. Cela me semble encore plus marqué dans cette partie nord de l'île du sud, ou cette une illusion de ma part. Même la géographie, ces grandes prairies très vertes ça peut être l'Ireland, (que je ne connais pas) je suis également passé dans des zones tendance Ecosse, les moutons complètent le tableau et ne sont pas étrangers à ces similitudes. Un autre copain m'appelé, et on parlait du coût de la vie en NZ, et je lui répondais, que je trouvais la vie assez chère, beaucoup plus que j'avais prévu. Sa réponse ... read more

Blog 22 Picton, New Zealand, April 5 ,2018 – Weather forecast: sunny with scattered clouds; temperature 20°C, wind 8kts (3 Beaufort) Picton is located on the northern end of the South Island and is considered the gateway to the Marlborough region of New Zealand. This region is noted for its scenic beauty, its wineries, sheep farms and the “sounds” – the deep waterways along the coastline. Picton’s harbour has only one moderately sized main pier used primarily by cargo vessels. On the apron bordering the pier there were stacks of timber being sorted into their respective species and readied for transport to India, China, Pakistan where it will be transformed into pulp for paper and cardboard. Today we joined a group that was taken to the Omaka Marae, the cultural meeting place of the local Maori. ... read more

Op 20 januari zijn we doorgereden naar Marlborough: het land van de wijn. 75% van de wijn in NZ wordt hier gemaakt. Vooral Sauvignon Blanc. Daar zijn ze beroemd mee geworden. Door een verraderlijke wespensteek vlak boven de linker enkel van Frank zijn we wat minder mobiel. Dikke voet die niet echt in de wandelschoen past. We wilden toch al een walvistocht maken. Daarbij hoeft er niet veel gelopen te worden. Dat hebben we als eerste opgepakt. Gisteren naar Kaikouro gereden waar vandaan de tochten vertrekken. Toch ruim 2,5 uur rijden langs eindeloze wijngaarden en de uitgestrekte kust. Tijdens de walvistocht hebben 3 walvissen gezien. Als de sperm walvissen naar de oppervlakte komen hebben ze er een duik van 45-60 minuten opzitten. Ze komen naar boven om zuurstof te tanken. Dat duurt zo'n 10 minuten. Daarna ... read more

After my short visit to Wellington (the last stop in the North island before heading south), I was eager to get to the ferry terminal and cross over to the south. The actual ferry ride was very calm and the scenery as we got into the Marlborough sounds was extremely picturesque. On the ferry, I met a few really cool people- a guy from Uruguay, two guys from Norway and a lady from the UK. Funny story about the lady- she was "in NZ to come after a boy" (her words, not mine). Basically, she was here to surprise some lad and it was supposed to be all romantic and spontaneous. She told me the entire story and for a second there, I was pretty sure it was the plot to some romantic comedy or teen ... read more

While spending four months living the life of a city dweller in Wellington, I constantly felt the draw of the South Island. Subconsciously I put it off. I told myself it was inconvenient, and it was too much money to visit for just a weekend or a week. I had plenty of time. Besides, I knew that I couldn't just visit the South Island. I had to live it. Living in Wellington, snuggled up to the dining room table with a coffee in hand, I spent endless hours filling out job applications. For each application, I spent an average of five hours perfecting a cover letter. I would reorganize my CV for each one, highlighting appropriate skills and deleting others where necessary. The jobs I chose to apply to were ones that I craved to fill. ... read more