New Zealand's South Island

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This is going to be quite a beast of a blog. Nearly three weeks to catch up on - and a lot has happened in that time. New continent, new time zone, in fact, a new date to the UK for half the time! I'm growing a beard too - Aimee's suggestion can you believe? There's quite a few town names dotted in, but that's so you can look on Google Earth and follow us round! May as well crack right on with it:

Thursday 02nd October
Travel day. Arrived at airport ready to check-in a bit early so we could go for seats together (they split backpackers up 'cos they got cheap tickets). At the front of the queue we were approached by a LAN employee to ask if we would like to volunteer not to fly till tomorrow. They had overbooked the flight by 15 people and so needed 15 volunteers to stay behind. the next flight is tomorrow (24 hours later) and as compensation we were offered 530US$ each, plus overnight in the airport's 5* Hilton or Sheraton, plus all meals till our flight. They would also re-arrange our connecting flight (Auckland to Christchurch) for when we arrived. Obviously we agreed. That would be approx 550 quid altogether, plus a 5* Hotel and food for 24 hours. We were asked to stand by the side until everybody had checked in then they would sort it out with us. I guess to make sure that everybody did check-in or they would make us fly. We were soon joined by lots of other volunteers - all backpackers oddly enough. Shortly afterwards we were again approached by the LAN representative. Terms and conditions had changed! Only four of us could have the 530US$ because QANTAS would only pay compensation to four passengers. The remaining 11 volunteers were being compensated by LAN who are tight and would only get 270US$ each. We said that as we were first on the list of volunteers we should get the 530US$ each, so off she went. As the flight was ready for boarding we were told that we could fly after all. It turns out that she had been a sneaky git! She had gone round the queue and got 15 passengers that were prepared to accept the 270US$ compensation, so us greedy guts that wanted the full 530US$ had to fly. In fairness she did what I would have done so I can't complain to much - she played a good game!

Friday 03rd October
Today didn't exist! thanks to the International Date Line we totally lost out! As was pointed out by a good friend of ours (Jane Fowler De Carmona) at least it wasn't my birthday! Speaking of which, does that mean I'm younger now?

Saturday 04th October
Arrived Auckland 0430ish. Transferred to our flight to Christchurch. Arrived Christchurch 0830ish. Got loads of helpful info at Christchurch airport Tourist Info. and caught a bus into town. By CHRIST it's expensive. About 65NZ$ for a double room (about 33 quid, though we're not sure yet). We negotiated with a hostel to do us 40NZ$ per night if we paid cash and booked five nights. That's fine by us as we needed a few days to go and find a van. Found a big, cheap supermarket called PAKnSAVE. It's great. Bought a vindaloo curry paste and all the ingredients. Cooked in, mmm curry!

Sunday 05th October
It's Christchurch Car Market today. I'll just check the leaflet to make sure we go to the right place. Oops. It's only on till midday. We missed it then! Went to Christchurch Tourist Info to get more stuff. Got loads of maps/booklets etc. then spent the rest of the afternoon with them to try and plan out a route. Watched "The Godfather" on telly.

Monday 06th October
Went van hunting. Went to a backpacker market. There were three we looked at, but two were expensive. We took the other for a test drive but didn't like the feel of it! Then we saw a cheeky Toyota hiding. It was short of equipment. It had a mattress and a wooden bed base/storage unit but nothing else. It was 1800NZ$ (647 quid). Took it for a test drive and it seemed fine. Negotiations got us down to 1600NZ$ but there was no way we could go lower. We asked what would happen if we turned up first thing tomorow with 1500NZ$ cash. He said that he would take it and earn "less commission." So that became our plan! Finished off Saturday's curry. It was still fine!

Tuesday 07th October
Turned up at the backpacker market with 1500NZ$ cash (561 quid) and bought us a van. "Timmy" is a 1990 Toyota Townace. We also paid for insurance and got a tent thrown in for 18NZ$ more. Went to buy stuff for Timmy. Bought: Chairs (x2); duvet; duvet cover; bottom sheet; and pillow cases which totalled 40NZ$ (15 quid). Bargain!! We added to that by "borrowing" from the hostel: Big plates (x2); small plates (x2); breakfast bowls (x2); chopping board (x2); cups (x2); wooden spoon (x2); tea-towel; fish-slice/spatula; pillows (x2); and bath towel (x2); which totalled 0NZ$. Evfen bigger bargain!! Cooked steak, veg, and gravy. It was fab. Had a beer to celebrate getting Timmy!

Wednesday 08th October
Had a look at gas/stoves for Timmy. Didn't buy anything yet. We're keeping our options open. Getting loads of British style food in that we missed whilst in South America. Tonight is steak pie, veg and onion gravy!

Thursday 09th October
A day of sightseeing. Christchurch is a very British City with loads of stately home style buildings, parks and even a tram! saw The bridge of Remembrance (for WW1 victims), the Victorian Clocktower (brought over from England in 1860) the main square with the Millenium Vase and the Cathedral. There's quite a lot of modern monuments too. The tram is 35NZ$ each for a 20 minute trip, there are Botanical Gardens and the River Avon with real-life punting. We went to the Art Gallery and the Canterbury Museum. Tonight we "fished-out" with Shrimps and Surimi pieces in sweet chilli sauce, followed by poached salmon and monkfish. We're getting good at this cooking! First night in Timmy tonight. We're out the back of the hostel we've been staying in. It's 20NZ$ and we get to use the facilities of the hostel.

Friday 10th October
Road trip! First day out in Timmy. We headed out to Akaroa on Banks Penisnula. Akaroa was home to the first French colony in New Zealand and it "strives to recreate the feel of a French provincial village." Came back on a dirt track through Pigeon Bay, Port Levy, Diamond Harbour and Governor Bay. Went North of Christchurch to find a DOC (Department of Conservation) site. map was awful and none of the locals had heard of it. Stayed at a private site near Amberley which had a 2.50NZ$ charge. This was to be paid into an "Honesty Box" which is basically a post box where you drop the money! We DID pay it as well! The scenery throughout the day was incredible! Parts of it were very British with rolling green hills, sheep and cows. Other spots had vast lakes and snowy mountains and of course, the South Pacific coastline.

Saturday 11th October
Travelled North up to Kaikoura. More amazing scenery. Had lunch down a farm track overlooking a large, flat, green pasture with the snow-capped mountains behind. Kaikoura is famous for whale/dolphin spotting and it also has several seal colonies. Investigated stuff for tomorrow then found a campsite right by the beach. It is very quiet so we've collected some driftwood for a fire. There are seals sunning themselves on nearby rocks and we can see dolphins out in the sea. Spent the night in front of the fire. I think we're the only people on the campsite!!

Sunday 12th October
Glorious sunny day. Down to nearby campsite for a shower. Also had a 2NZ$ laundry so did some washing. Went back to last night's campsite to sit in the sun and dry the washing. Typically the sun went in after an hour or so, so we went back to the laundry to put the clothes in the drier. Went on the beach while the clothes dried and saw a seal! We got really close! Found a cheeky spot by the road to camp - FREE!

Monday 13th October
Sneaked back into campsite for a free hot shower. Hit the road and headed North towards Blenheim, then out West to the Wairau Valley. Saw loads more fab scenery, lakes, mountains, rivers, coastline and followed the "Classic New Zealand Wine Trail" for a short while. Campsite was DOC owned and was "honesty box" style. It was set in a clearing in the forest right next to the Wairau River. It's a very blue, fast flowing river with a mountain behind it with a light dusting of snow on the top. There are toilets (long-drop style) but no fresh water supply other than the river. We knew this in advance so we have 12 litres of water in Timmy's undercarriage. Washed my spuds in the river (see picture). Ate outside under the stars. Later we sat by the river and hat a hot-chocolate in the moonligh. Aaaaah it was nice.

Tuesday 14th October
Had a bath in the river. Well, I walked across it and lost all feeling in my legs! It was freezing. Heading South West through St. Arnaud, Murchison and Reefton to Nelson Creek. Quite a dull day but nice scenery again. Campsite is near a few gold mines. There are fireplaces and even a wood pile! It is a free site though there is a donation box. Had a chilled out night by an open fire.

Wednesday 15th October
Arose to a dullish day. There are three walks through the forest. We did the 20 minute one before breakfast. It started off going through a gold mine tunnel then across a rope bridge. Heard some very strange bird-song! Returned to camp and breakfasted on Eggy-Bread. Did the other two walks through the forest, one of which was short and boring, the other followed a water race which is like a stone chute that was used to send minerals/rocks/gold from the mines. Saw quite a few different tunnels too. Camera needed recharging so we headed up to the local pub to see if we could plug it in there. Decided we ought to buy a beer or two first! Got chatting to the locals, one of whom was a real life gold miner, the other was a Coronation Street fan!! This evening we sat outside by the fire again. I did foil-wrapped baked apples in the embers and we ate them with a vanilla dessert thing that tasted like custard. Just about got into bed when the rain started to pitter-patter on Timmy's roof. I love the sound of rain when I'm all tucked up in bed..............

Thursday 16th October
......................and it rained all night long!! Heavy rain as well. It continued into the morning so we packed up and left fairly quickly. I've only ever seen rain like it in England. We're headed South East, over Arthur's Pass. It's a shame it's rainy and grey because it's supposed to be a lovely view. On the plus side though, all the rivers are brimming and there are loads of watefalls by the side of the road. At one point there is a mini ledge to take the water over the road as you drive beneath it. As we got to the summit it started to brighten up a bit so we had a roadside lunch and continued along the "Inland Scenic Route," headed South via Sheffield and Methven. Found a campsite in Mount Somers for 10NZ$ (honesty box). It has hot showers and a free kitchen with hot water. Warmed the kitchen up with the electric oven and taught Aimee how to play chess.

Friday 17th October
Got up and and another hot shower - two in two days! Cleaned up and left the site, headed South for Lake Tekapo. Stopped at a cheap supermarket for a "big shop" and petrol refill. Another nice, sunny Spring day and lots of lovely scenery. Lots of fields with sheep and cows but also seen a lot of deer farms, a few reindeer and llamas and even bee farms! Arrived in Tekapo and asked at Tourist Info for campsites. "There's only the one in town," which she marked on a map and left us to it. We went for a look and they wanted 28NZ$ per night. Nothing included ie. no showers, no hot water, no kitchen. So, basically it's 28NZ$ to park our van for the night? No thank-you!! We decided to go and look for a cheeky (and free) layby to pull into. We actually found another lake (Lake Alexandrina) and a DOC campsite for 6NZ$ (honesty box). We stayed there! There are ducks on the lake that came to eat from Aimee's hands. It's very remote here. Sat in the van and continued teaching Aimee how to play chess. Made beef curry and rice (beef is cheaper than chicken).

Saturday 18th October
Took a walk. We went up Mount John which overlooks Lake Tekapo. It's a lovely, sunny, clear day but there is a very cold wind blowing. Lake Tekapo is very bright blue due to "rock flour" (basically a sediment that doesn't dissolve in glacial water) that refracts the sunlight. Had a look at The Church of the Good Shepherd which perches by the lakeside. Went back to the cheap/free 6NZ$ (honesty box) site for another cheapie. There's ot a cloud in the sky which makes it perfect for star-gazing. Because we're so isolated here there are no lights so it makes it really clear. It's also very cold. Tonight is the coldest night we've had so far!

Sunday 19th October
Today we were planning to go up to Mount Cook which is Australasia's highest peak. Well, not actually "up" it but at least drive to the bottom! After reading up on it though we would be going 130km out of our way and for what? Lonely Planet describes"......most tourists arrive on buses, jump out at the Hermitage Hotel for photo's and then zoom off back down......" So, instead we carried on our merry little way to Queenstown, stopping by Lake Pukaki which also has fab views of Mount Cook. We then drove along the Kawaru Gorge where we saw "river surfers" and Kawaru Bridge Bungee Jump which was the first commercial jumping site. Nobody was doing one though. Hardly suprising for 140NZ$. Queenstown is a hell-hole!! EVERYTHING has to be paid extra for! The "cheap" campsite was 34NZ$ with no showers, no hot water, no anything! We couldn't even leave Timmy there whilst we went sightseeing unless we booked a trip with them! As you can imagine, we told them to "jog on" and stayed on the outskirts of town at a nice place with hot showers, kitchen and TV lounge. Still not cheap though at 28NZ$.

Monday 20th October
Quite a long drive today. Should be nice scenery though. A lot of "Lord of the Rings" and "Chronicles of Narnia" movies were filmed around here. Went through Arrowtown which was an old Gold mining area, and down to Cromwell which has a lot of fruit and veg growing places. We stopped off at a roadside vendor and bought some fresh apples. We then headed North through Wanaka and between Lake Hawea and stopped near Makarora at a DOC site for 6NZ$ (honesty box). A horrible, rainy evening. Dull and grey. The kind of weather my dad describes as, "a right p!sspot!"

Tuesday 21st October
Another driving day. Headed North over Haast Pass towards Haast where we have to fill up with petrol as it's the last fuel before Fox Glacier, 120km away. From Haast we headed up the West Coast where we had our first glimpses of the Tasman Sea, over the Copland Valley Track and into Fox Glacier. We still had a bit of time left so we went to see the Glacier itself. You can get within 80m of the glacier face, and see it cutting through the valley. We also had a chance to go to Lake Matheson which is very sheltered and gives perfect mirror images of the surrounding hills/mountains. It must be a bad day today though 'cos it looks just like any other lake. We then drove to our campsite which was another FREE cheeky pull-in by a river on the way to Franz Josef. Another amazingly clear night, and not another soul around for miles.......

Wednesday 22nd October
Had a bit of a lie in and took a walk up to Franz Josef Glacier. Similar to Fox Glacier really. You can only get to within 200m. Walked up to a viewpoint and took a couple of photo's, then back to Timmy for the drive North. Finished the day just South of Hokitika at a DOC campsite for 6NZ$ (honesty box). It's quite a big site just by Lake Mahinapau. As I was getting ready for bed a car pulled up (about 100m away) and a guy got out. He sneaked over through the trees towards Timmy. After looking at the back of the van he made his way to the front, unaware that I was sitting in the front watching his every move! As he got nearer I jumped out and asked if I could help him. He whipped his phone out and said he was trying to get a signal. I told him that there was no signal round here so he walked off, waving his phone about, still "trying to get a signal." He got back in his car and disappeared. Not sure what he was really after!

Thursday 23rd October
Complete "spoil yourself and chill out" day. Checked into a Hostel, 50NZ$ for a double room with shared facilities. It has a TV though. Washed pots and stove and did some laundry. Cooked in on our camp stove in the room and even had apple crumble and custard!

Friday 24th October
Woke up and had a hot shower. Packed up, left our dirty, used towels and took the fresh clean ones! Went to a fish and chip shop for whitebait pattie and chips. It's whitebait season here and 1kg usually sells for between 100NZ$ and 500NZ$ depending where you buy it! My pattie and chips cost 11NZ$. We're heading to Punakaiki today. Drove up the SH6 which follows the coastline halfway up the cliffside so we have a steep, bushy, Paparoa range on our upside (the right) and a very rugged coastline about 100ft on our downside (the left). There are loads of big rocks, seperated from the rock face and lying in the sea with huge waves crashing against them. It's turned into a dull, grey, wet evening so we decided to stop off at a real campsite again. It was 28NZ$. The public areas (kitchen, toilets. showers etc.) are locked at 2200 at night so we'd have to sit in Timmy anyway. They then open them 0700 till 1000 when they lock up again to make sure everyone if off the site! Stuff that! Found a pull in by a river with whitebaiters in it. It's FREE!! We are soon joined by another camper van (two girls) and then a third (three fella's).

Saturday 25th October
Up early to go and see the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. Schoolday again - "Through a layering process called stylobedding, the Dolomite Point limestone has formed into what looks like piles of thick pancakes. When the tide is right <0900 today for us> the sea surges into caverns below and booms intimidatingly through blowholes." It was a dull-ish day, but still good to see. As ever, the photos don't do it justice! As it was quite windy the sea was rough so the blowholes were spectacular to say the least! Carried on our little journey North to Cape Foulwind, then inland North East just past Murchison. It was rainy again so we found a DOC campsite with a covered area to cook under. 6NZ$ (honesty box). Luckily though the rain stopped just long enough for us to cook outdoors!

Sunday 26th October
We're heading for Nelson today for a swim. It was 7NZ$ for the two of us in a real leisure centre. Obviously had a shower and charged the camera up in the toilets for a while! We then did some of Nelson's sights. The Art Deco Christ Church Cathedral and "South Street" which is NZ's oldest preserved street! We then walked through the Botanical Gardens and up a hill to "The Official Geographical Centre of New Zealand." It was then back to Timmy for our drive to the campsite, which is just outside Havelock (the green-shelled mussel capital of the world). It's another DOC run 6NZ$ (honesty box) by Queen Charlotte Sound.

Monday 27th October
Woke up to the sound of speedboats. Our campsite has been taken over by sun-worshipping locals! Headed off and made our way East to Picton. Got cheaper than expected ferry tickets at 189NZ$ for tomorrow evening. Decided to stop at a posh hostel with indoor pool and movie theatre! It was only 50NZ$ and we managed to have a swim, watch a couple of movies, do all our washing up and re-stock our water bottles! AND we got to sleep in a real bed!

And that's South Island pretty much wrapped up! Not a lot to add really. I'll leave it for you to decide how many (if any) of the Honesty Boxes we filled. We're off to North Island later today. Apart from that I'll try and update the blog more frequently. It's quite hard though because the DOC sites don't have internet access so unless we deliberately pay to stay in a hostel in a town we can't get online! Still, our mobiles are working out here, though we wont answer you 'cos it's too expensive!

Ah, well. Hope everything is well at home. Everyone seems to be getting engaged/married/pregnant at the moment so congratulations if that includes you. We'll be back in June 2009 so don't plan any major evens till after then!!

Speak soon.

Stephen.

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Photos

Paying for Timmy
That's 1500NZ$ cash

Washing my spuds
The Wairau Valley

Bath time.
Note the snow on the hills behind!

A real life, genuine Gold Mine
Nelson Creek

Lake Alexandrina
Where we camped instead of Tekapo!

Lake Pukaki
Aimee is pointing at Mount Cook

Beer river.
If only it was............

A Whitebait Pattie
You can see their eyes and everything!!!!

Christ Church Catherdal, Nelson.
What does Art Deco mean?

Comments

[ollie]

nz
looks like your having a great time, paknsave is good and cheap there, dont forget to save your fuel tokens from them, also if you need more supplies for camping and clothes bits and bobs etc look out for a shop called the warehouse they have loadsa stuff, the kiwis go for days out in them shops. ps its mo-vember, are you growing a mo to support cancer research, by the looks of ur photos u have a decent mo going on.