South Island

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My hopes were high as my plane took off from Australia bound for New Zealand. So many travelers rave about these islands and the natural beauty they offer, and I was excited that I would finally see it. My first crazy experience happened before I even got through customs. The line was extraordinarily long, and being the middle of the night someone had decided that only one customs officer was necessary for foreign visitors (there were three for NZ and Aussie nationals). However, while waiting in line I thought I recognized a girl a few people in front of me, and I had plenty of time to puzzle out who it was. It was Katherine, a friend I had gone to uni with all those long years ago and hadn't seen for about 6! She was getting picked up at the airport by a friend of hers and they graciously offered me a ride into town. Very fortunate for me, because my bank card immediately decided that it did not like the land of the Kiwi and I was without any cash.



I arrived in Christchurch to the gracious hospitality of Avra and her Kiwi boyfriend Charlie. After so long on road, it was really nice to be able to chill out at someone's house for a while. there isn't a whole lot to do in the city, so I mainly just wandered around and relaxed in the sun. A phenomenom that missed the North American colonies is the Royal Botanic Gardens, and Christchurch has the nicest one I've been to yet. Avra and Charlie took me on a few little tours around the countryside and, after so long in the alien landscapes of Australia, it really reminded me of home. Six days in Christchurch was long enough, and it was time to start my tour. I said farewell to my hosts and started up the Pacific highway, which oddly enough is on the East coast.




Abel Tasman National Park is one of the most popular destinations in NZ, and I was a little concerned that the crowds would ruin the experience, as they so often do. Conveniently located near the city of Nelson - which has a similar feel to our Nelson - the park has loads of different options for exploring. Along with a few new friends - who I would stick with for the next couple weeks - I set out for a combination walk/camp/kayak adventure. A water taxi made things almost too easy, dropping us off on the beach and eliminating the need for backtracking. The weather was perfect for two days, and when we arrived at Bark Bay where we would be camping, it looked just like something out of the Carribean. Some other campers with a guitar and some serious skills to go along with it provided the entertainment for the night. The next day was quite a long kayak back to our starting point, but our guide turned our convoy into a sailing ship making the trip quite relaxing for all but the two holding the sail up (and I was one).



The trip down the west coast is hailed by many as being one of the world's amazing journeys, but I think those who write these things really need to visit more places before making such statements. It was nice, but nothing compared to what can be seen in BC. The coastline is pretty much the same the whole way down, and the mountains are less than spectacular. The bus tended to stop every hour or so to let everyone off to 'get amongst it', another unfortunate repetition heard everywhere here. The crew of people I was traveling with more than made up for any other shortcomings. The highlight of this leg was definitely the beach theme dress-up party we had at Lake Mahinapua. I thought I had thrown together a pretty good lifeguard costume for a last minute affair, but I was no match for Borat who came out of nowhere to take the top prize. The best part was the old guy who owned the pub had no idea who Borat is, and was quite convinced that Craig (aka Borat) was actually from Kazakhstan!



The scenery definitely made a turn for the better once we got to Franz Josef glacier, and crossing over the Haast pass to Wanaka was a highlight. The climate changes abrubtly, going from temperate rainforest to desert-like. Everything around Wanaka and Queenstown really reminded me of the Okanagan, but instead of round top mountains there is craggy peaks - I guess a combination of the Similkameen and Okanagan. Both of those cities are classic ski-towns, although Queenstown doesn't slow down at any part of the year. I was told that every day there is a weekend, and I set about testing that theory. I may not have been there long enough, but I did not find any cracks in it. There are activities galore in the 'Adrenaline Capital of the World', although nothing is cheap. Most things are at least 50% more than they would be in Canada, if not more. I decided that the Nevis Bungy would be the one thing that I wouldn't be able to find back home, and it didn't disappoint. At 134m it is the third largest in the world, and words can't accurately describe what it feels like looking down from the platform. The pic only vaguely shows it, but better than nothing.



I stopped off in the little town of Te Anau, on the way to Milford Sound, a base for several of New Zealand's Great Walks. The Kepler track is the nearest, and I embarked on a day trip to the summit of Mt Luxmore, a little past the first hut. The weather was not prime when I left, and there was a heavy rainfall warning for that afternoon. My water taxi driver told me that the warning had been issued every few days for the last couple weeks and there hadn't been any rain yet. I made it to the summit without any problems, save winds that nearly blew me off a couple times, but on the way down the heavens burst. Four hours of trudging home, so wet it was as if I had just hopped in a lake with everything on, did put a bit a downer on the day, but all was better as soon as I made it back to the hostel. It did, however, take my shoes several days to dry out.



I boarded the boat at Milford Sound just as the rain was starting to ease, 24 hours and 270mm after it began. The difficulties it caused the day before were completely reversed by what it had created here. There are only two waterfalls that run constantly at Milford, but on this day there were hundreds! Once again it was not possible to capture an appropriate image, and what I have shown is quite literally about 1% of what there was. It was actually a bit of an educational voyage. I learned that Milford Sound is not in fact a sound, but a fjord. Why the name has stuck is a bit of a mystery, but it isn't the only fjord in the area that is called a sound. Quite fascinating.



The last major stop on the island was Mt. Cook. I nearly gave this a pass, but because of Steve's recommendation I stayed for two nights. It was definitely the most spectacular place yet. The weather was perfect for two days, and sights equally so. The second day, after hiking 1000m of elevation above the valley bottom, me and my friend Letteke spent over an hour just watching, and more importantly listening, to the thundering boom of avalanches across the narrow valley from us. Just the sound was enough to inspire awe in anyone, and helped to make this my favorite place so far.

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Photos

Abel Tasman
Looks very tropical here, although the water temp is a little lower here.

Borat!
The winning costume, and deservedly so.

Franz Josef
The procession of glaciers climbers (or perhaps strollers).

The Nevis
At 134m, this was fairly intimidating to leap off!

Milford
The big waterfall is one of only two that flow continuously.

Mt Cook
The highlight so far.

Comments

[gmc]

south island
Inspiring to read about your adventures. Keep it up Skip.

[TJ]

Awesome pictures, Coach! Glad you're having fun. We're heading down the Pacific Coast, too, but just to Oregon. Talk to you soon.