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Published: March 11th 2010
After publishing our last blog, we decided to stay another night in Queenstown. This city has a really charming mix of ski resort and small town feeling to it. We headed once again to our cool camping spot 12 km from Queenstown and watched the sunset.
The next morning in Queenstown was spent getting supplies in the grocery store and fuel station for our next adventure into Milford Sound.
MILFORD SOUND
We drove to Te Anau which is a small town in front of the pretty Te Anau Lake. This town serves all the people getting to the Fiordland National Park, which is one of the most beautiful and remote national parks in the country. This park is mainly formed by several groups of sounds or fiords. A fiord is a long narrow coastal inlet that forms a group of mountains, peaks and cliffs covered in lush forest and surrounded by mirror lakes or the sea, these fiords were formed by glaciers during the last two ice ages. Milford Sound is the most majestic and accessible one.
Driving into Milford Sound was the most impressive and beautiful drive we have ever experienced! Our necks were
a bit sore after the drive for having to look around and up at so much beauty all the time. It has many mountains and cliffs all over the drive, these cliffs are really tall and beautifully shaped. During most of the drive the cliffs have thin waterfalls flowing from their sides which gives an amazing look to it. You also get to cross many turquoise and blue rivers. At the highest point of the drive, the car comes into a part of the highway that has huge blocks of ice left from winter. Also at this point you cross a very cool tunnel that is about 1.5 km long. The tunnel looks like it was carved a few weeks ago! It is completely dark in there but you can see they carved the rock of the mountain and left it just like that, with no real sealing, for over 50 years... As we left the tunnel we entered heavy fog, it was like we were driving in the clouds! At the end of the road we encountered Milford Sound and the majesty of it.... just breathtaking.
The next day was a very exciting one because we booked a
Milford Sound Kayak Adventure. In the morning we met our group for the day, our New Zealand kayak guide, a couple from Germany, a couple from the U.S.A. and a couple from Canada. It was an amazing being among the cliffs of Milford Sound and into the crystal waters of the ocean. Sea kayaking for the first time was so much fun. We passed by a small colony of seals sitting on the rocks and later that day as we are crossing from one side of the sound to the other, a group of 3 seals swam by our kayaks and under them, they were so close to us! Unfortunately since we were sailing at the time, we didn’t have the time to take a picture.
We also had a cool encounter with a sea gull as our whole group was in the middle of the ocean, one kayak next to the other, the gull decided to land on the tip of our kayak and stay with our group for quite a while. Our guide told us that in 7 years he had never seen a sea gull land on a kayak!
Around noon we stopped by the beach
with the best view of the Milford Sound and had a picnic lunch. The view of the mountains were on one side and a beautiful waterfall on the other.... breathtaking.
We then headed to the lake were we would finish our kayak adventure. To get there we put all of our 5 kayaks together and used a sail, just like in a sailboat, that we hold on to as our kayaks moved with the wind and took us to the lake. It was fun to see how good that worked and we didn’t even have to paddle to get there which felt good after kayaking for about 3 hours already, we were already a bit tired. It was a bumpy ride because the sea was getting a bit rough from the wind but we made it safe to shore.
After saying goodbye to our friends and to Milford Sound we headed down the beautiful ride again to get some more great views and pictures. By the afternoon we found the beautiful Gull Lake, were we decided to camp for the night. There were many other campers that were there and that night we met a really cool couple from
Germany which whom we also spent part of the next morning.
THE CATLINS
Our next drive was to get to The Catlins Conservation Park in the southern most point of the south island. This is a region of beautiful isolated forest and wildlife filled bays. The morning of our first day spent there was rainy and windy but it didn’t stop us from visiting an amazing sight that could only be seen during low tide: Curio Bay, a petrified forest from over 160 million years ago! It is a pretty big piece of land where you can a lot of fallen petrified trees. It formed from several conditions that were in the area 160 millions of years including changing high and low temperatures and a constant flow of mud and ashes from a nearby volcano.
We then drove on a winding roads that took us to different bays and forests along the way. By noon the weather had already gotten pretty sunny. We stopped at Porpoise Bay and Cannibal Bay to admire seals and fur seals, some of which were huge and laying only 6 meters from us. It was really special to be able to
get so close to this animals and watch them in their natural habitat.
Our afternoon was spent watching the Yellow-eyed Penguin. This is the rarest penguin in the world. You can only find them in Antarctica, the South Island of New Zealand and small sub-Antarctic islands that belong to New Zealand. Around sunset is when these creatures come out from fishing in the ocean and go home to a rocky beach. We got to see about 3 of these beautiful penguins. They are very shy and therefore you have to be pretty far away to see them. If they see or hear any people they will jump back into the ocean and if that keeps happening they will change the beach where they come to. Therefore we needed to be inside a special observation shelter to see and picture them.
That night we camped, once again, next to a beautiful beach.
MT. COOK & LAKE TEKAPO
The next couple of days we needed to drive about 6 hours in total to go from The Catlins to Mt. Cook and Lake Tekapo area. The first day we took it easy, having a long breakfast and
then enjoying the ride and the views. We stopped mid-way by a pretty turquoise river and swim for a while. Before sunset we found our camping spot for the night next to another beautiful deep turquoise river!
The following day after 11 a.m. we headed to Mt. Cook. The road that takes you there changed from the usual green lush forest of the south island to dry looking hills and some rocky mountains. We stopped by the Butcher Dam Lake and tried fishing with no luck. The fish play hard to get in New Zealand!
That afternoon we made it right for sunset into Mt. Cook, which is the highest peak in Australasia (region consisting of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and neighboring islands of the South Pacific)
at 3,755 meters (12,392 ft.) above sea level. We camped at a lookout point with beautiful views of the mountains and the sunset, as the pictures can tell.
We spent the next morning having a long breakfast and waiting for the sky to clear so that we could enjoy the Mt. Cook views again. By noon it was sunny and beautiful and we headed to the Mt. Cook Visitor
Center. The most complete visitor center we have seen so far in New Zealand. Visitor Center: There is a visitor center in almost every little and big town in New Zealand. They are administered by the Department of Conservation, an entity that belongs to the government and they are the ones that manage all the national parks and conservation areas. It is a very well organized entity in New Zealand and super helpful to the local and foreigner tourists. Everywhere you go, you know there is a Visitor Center that can answer all your questions!
The Mt. Cook visitor center was almost like a museum and a lot of the information they had was about the New Zealand pioneers that first hiked to the top of Mt. Cook and a memorial to the people that died trying to accomplish this. It was very impressive to learn about the gear and equipment that they used back in the year 1882 to climb a mountain of this height! It was pretty much nothing compared to what we have nowadays. The first woman that hiked to the top was in 1913 and she actually used a skirt (with a pant inside) to do
it and had a purse the whole way! It is a very steep and icy mountain to climb and therefore it is mind-blowing to think about how this people accomplished this back in those times.
We were inspired and went for a small hike ourselves. A 2 hour gorgeous walk to see a lake made from glacier waters, with the stunning background of snow capped mountains. Rustin does look like he climbed Mt. Cook himself ! (picture). During our hike we heard a thunderous sound, we looked back to realize it was a small avalanche on a distant peak, very cool...
Later that afternoon we headed to Christchurch, a 5 hour drive, that we broke into 2 days. The first day we camped in front of Lake Tekapo in a very pretty setting and we got there just in time for sunset.
BANKS PENINSULA AND CHRISTCHURCH
The Banks Peninsula is the rugged coast peninsula that you can see in a map coming out of Christchurch town. We decided to head day for a day since we read it was a very pretty coastal area. Unfortunately, that afternoon a mix of rain and wind was
blowing all over the country and according to forecasts it was going to last 2 days.
That evening, after driving for about 3 to 4 hours we stopped by the first lake that you find when entering the peninsula. As we pull into the road rest area next to the lake, we realize the lake had over 100 black swans swimming on it. There were also some ducks and other birds but the swans were all over and they made our camping spot feel very magical.
Since it was rainy and windy the next day was fully spend inside our campervan where we realize we could turn our bed into a couch area! We couldn't explore the peninsula but we read and relaxed all day long as we admired the swans in the lake.
KAIKOURA
For our last few days in the South Island, we headed to Kaikoura once again, where we booked a whale watching boat tour. Our tour was amazing! We did not get to see any orcas but according to the tour guide you usually see one or two sperm whales and we saw about 6 of them!
The first time
you sight a whale is very awesome. You see the spout (jet of water mist that comes out from their nose) from afar and as you get closer you get to see more and more of the whale's body. And to think that we only see 9% of their body from the boat... these whales are huge to say the least. A very special moment was when two of the whales starting coming towards each other and rubbed their bodies to acknowledge each other and swam together for a while! They were always really closed to us.
That night we went back to the seal colony rest area where we had slept 5 weeks before in Kaikoura. But this time the sky was clear and the stars were amazing.
PICTON TO WELLINGTON
In order to cross to the North Island of New Zealand we needed to take a ferry for 3 hours. You almost feel like you are going to another country because it takes so long, the ferry is huge and feels like a cruise and because everybody talks about how different the 2 islands are (scenery, people, etc.)
The views from the ferry
were really pretty on a sunny day. We had some lunch in the ferry and after a few hours were in Wellington.
Wellington is a sea side city by with a big harbor. It is pretty and full of hills. The houses and buildings are in those hills, stacked one next to the other in most areas. It does feel a bit condensed, but it has its charm. For Rustin and I, after coming from the south island’s tiny towns and pure nature, it felt stressful to be here. The city was busy and full of traffic (like most cities!). Nevertheless, we did have to pass by the Thai embassy to get my Thailand tourist visa and the some information from the Vietnam embassy. After getting those the next day, we decided to leave the big city for some more quiet nature time. In this country we have found a new appreciation for nature. It is such a difference to be in a big city, it‘s rushed life and it‘s buildings. Being in contact with rivers, lakes, the sea, forests, mountains and animals all day is a very enriching experience and gives us a very special energy that one
cannot find in the city.
That night we slept by a small beach town about 1.5 hour from Wellington called Paekakariki. This town is facing the Kapiti Island which gives it a island beach charm to it. The town has a huge park with a lot picnic areas facing the beach and we spent most of our day in a pretty spot.
TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK
Our first main stop in the North Island is the Tongariro National Park. This park features 3 peaks that are volcanoes, some still active. For those who watched the Lord of The Rings movies, they were all filmed in New Zealand and Mt. Ngauruhoe was used as Mordor’s Mt. Doom. It is a tall cone shaped volcano, and it is beautiful to look at.
This park is a World Heritage Area and it has a big cultural significance to the Maori people, which are the natives to New Zealand. The Maori people are close in the way they look to the Hawaiians (both came from Polynesians) and have similar aspects in their cultures from my point of view. The North Island is very rich in Maori culture because most of
the natives live in this island.
This National Park is famous for having the best one day walk in all of New Zealand. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 7 to 8 hour hike/walk that takes you thru some really gorgeous volcanic landscape.
Xiomara was a bit worried about doing the longest hike of her life for the first time and about the peaks and cliffs that we may encounter, but finally we decided to do the best day walk in New Zealand... and we are so happy we did.
The walk is easy for 2.5 hours in the valley of one of the volcanoes and then it starts ascending into one of the highest cliffs to get to get to the main crater of the hike. This easy walk is very beautiful and has some really interesting old lava flows on both sides. After arriving to the top, you realize how high you really are, probably about 1,400 meters, (4,200 ft.) and the views are amazing! It is very rewarding to get to the top but you know you still have 5 hours of walking to do. We were feeling tired but with enough energy to finish the
walk and we had a snack at the top of the crater.
After our snack, we looked over to the other side of the top of the crater and for Xiomara it was one of the scariest things she has ever seen. Realizing that she had to go down that side of the crater (we didnt feel like paying 1,000 dollars for a helicopter to pick her up and bring her down, haha). It was a very very steep (it may not look too steep from the pictures!) hike down to the gorgeous Emerald Lakes, and there were cliffs on both sides. She shed a few tears and then put some courage together and started going down the cliff, trying to only look at her feet and the step right in front of her. She would have probably had a panic attack if she looked down to the side cliffs which were ssooo high! She wasn't the only one, there were some other people that were going down the downward hike very slowly, and one guy that actually had to sit down and ride himself down from the cliff instead of walking it down. We finally reached the end
of the steep hike down together and that is why she has a picture with her arms lifted up in victory!
Afterwards we had lunch next to one of the gorgeous Emerald Lakes. We continued our walk to the Blue Lake which took another hour. The last 3/4 hours of the hike were the hardest ones. It was all going downward which amazing views of Lake Taupo which is the biggest lake in New Zealand. The last 2 hours seems extremely long and our knees where starting to get very tired and a little sore. But we made it!
As you may see from the pictures, this walk was somewhat crowded. We think there were probably about 700 people doing this hike with us. It was a constant flow of people passing by and it was so interesting to see people from all ages doing the hike. We saw a few 10 year old kids with their parents and an 80 year old couple!!! It was impressive!
That evening after our hike, we went back to our quiet and beautiful camping spot by Lake Taupo. We had some pizza to refuel after our hike and went to
bed probably at 8pm... needless to say we were extremely tired. It took us the next few days to feel like we could walk normally, haha, but it was so worth it and very rewarding accomplishment.
LAKE ROTORUA AND LAKE TAUPO
The next day we took off to Lake Rotorua area with is an area full of thermal activity. We stay there a few hours walking around the thermal park that they have and you could see very interesting mud boiling holes and such things. Pretty cool. That night we camped by another pretty river where Rustin found a cool fishing spot Huckleberry Fin Style from a leaning tree.
COROMANDEL PENINSULA: HOT WATER BEACH AND HAHEI BEACH
We were now headed to the Coromandel Peninsula, which is renowned for its beautiful coastal areas and beaches. This peninsula also hosts the Hot Water Beach. We arrived here that evening and it was very impressive. It is a beach where you dig up your own water hole in the sand with a shovel and you can enjoy your own natural jacuzzi right next to a gorgeous beach! There is some thermal activity under that specific area
of this beach and you can touch some very hot spots in the sand that can almost burn you!
That night we camped by Hahei Beach.... so beautiful!!! As you can see from the pictures, there is so much variety to this country's natural landscape. This beach looked like the Caribbean or Indian Sea!
AUCKLAND
Unfortunately, we realized the next day we had to go to Auckland. Our amazing trip in New Zealand was coming to and end, and we needed to go to this city to sell our campervan before we left. Auckland is a very beautiful city, by a gorgeous sea and in front of some very pretty islands. It is the biggest city of the country and almost one quarter of the country's population lives here!
For us, coming here meant some stress, because we only had 3 full days to try to sell our campervan. Fortunately by the second and third day we were able to sell our amazing kiwi campervan to a nice French couple! We had a mixture of sadness for leaving the country and the campervan, happiness for being able to sell our campervan on time and for a good
price and excitement for moving on into another amazing part of the world: Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia!)
On March 7th, we said goodbye to the amazing country of New Zealand to go to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) for 2 days and then on to Thailand. Our flight to Kuala Lumpur was with Malaysian Airlines. It was a cool way to realize that we were going to a very different part of the world. Malaysian Airlines together with other Asian airlines like Emirates, Thai Airways, etc. are considered to be the best in the world service wise. Everybody in the airplane was very kind and welcoming. The uniform for the women was a gorgeous and colorful long dress and men wore olive green suits and tie. What a change! Also the seats of the airplane were purple and green... everything was so colorful. Each economy class seat had each own small TV and games set and there with more than 20 new movies to chose from!!! The food was also excellent and very complete menu. It was a fun flight and after 5 movies and 10 hours we arrived to Asia.... the big city of Kuala Lumpur. Everything
felt different and exciting.....
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Peace be da journey Brah!
Hijos: Thank you so much for sharing details and pictures of your spectacular journey with your friends and families. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say how it fills my heart with joy to know how much you are enjoying this extraordinary experience. Thank you so much! P.S. Rustin, you may want to shave before going through airport security!