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Published: June 15th 2006
Due to privacy and scummy traveller issues in Australia, we decided to hire a campervan for the duration of our trip around New Zealand. Definitely well worth it - we are waking up to some breathtaking views in the mornings and we can do as we please - and, it's clean - no bed bugs to worry about!
We arrived in Christchurch to some very chilly temperatures that we have not been accustomed to for the last six months. We purchased some thermals in Australia ready for the onslaught. We've since had to purchase a few more and we're both having to wear about six layers of clothing (ie practically our whole wardrobes) at once to keep the chill out. It is very cold in New Zealand at the moment - lovely and cosy in our camper though!
The day after our arrival (Saturday) we ventured into the city centre to have alook around and do a little shopping. It felt like being in the UK - the buildings, the town planning, and the general landscape, was just like back home - so was the weather! We spent the evening at a local jazz bar where I (Alex...obviously! )
sunrise
one of our many beautiful morning viewsgot to dance with Tony - a seventy year old twinkle toes - who danced with every lady in the house and was by far the best dancer in the house - and the one with the most energy!
We spent the next three or so days driving towards Mount Cook and then down the east coast before receiving a text from our good friends Debbie and Phill announcing that they were getting married in Invercargill and could we make it! We raced down the winding mountain roads and through the green open pastures which were heavily populated... by sheep, and managed to arrive on the eve of the wedding to enjoy a glass or two of wine before the big day.
There were to be 6 people in all for the wedding party - Debbie and Phill, myself and Mathew, and Jon and Clare, who Debbie and Phill had met while in Invercargill. We all went for a quick coffee to settle the nerves - or rather get them racing - before heading to the registry office where the ceremony was to take place. It was lovely - made us feel all warm amd fuzzy inside! Mathew
Mount Cook
the thermals are out! and Clare were witnesses and afterwards I chucked a load of confetti at them and we went for lunch in Victoria Park.
The day after the wedding, we began our journey north. First stop was Queenstown where we only stayed for a night - we were hoping to get a bit of snow boarding in but the snow was a little late in coming so as there was nothing else in particular that we wanted to do there, (no bungy jumps for us thanks!) we carried on up north.
Next stop was Wanaka where we again spent a night and I had possibly the best seafood chowder ever, then on to see Franz Josef Glacier. This definitely had to be one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand. We were planning to book a tour to the glacier but as we were driving past, we decided to go and take a look at it, and then we decided to get a bit closer... and a bit closer - ignoring all the signs saying that we should not proceed unless with a guide or are experienced trampers - until we were actually touching it! It was amazing
and slightly worrying - there were lots of signs warning of the dangers of falling ice boulders - and also a bit eerie as it was very quiet save for the occasional loud, tortured, creaking sounds coming from the glacier.
Unfortunately, we couldn't climb it properly as I only had a pair of trainers on - not good for trying to clamber onto solid ice cliff faces of 50 metres high! It was fantastic though, just standing next to a real life glacier, and if we're ever in the area again, with a pair of decent climbing boots each and a pair of gloves and warm clothes in general, we shall definitely be climbing that glacier!
Next, we drove to Hamner Springs where we bathed in the natural hot springs with a beautiful view of the mountains looming above us, and then on to Kaikoura where we were hoping to do a spot of whale watching. Unfortunately, due to rough seas, it wasn't to be, but we weren't missing much according to a little old lady who we stopped to asked directions from in Blenheim...
"...they just look like a wooden log floating in the sea, then
giant marbles at Moeraki
I haven't lost me marbles! - woosh! - the tail flips up. No... the dolphins are much better" !
Blenheim was another highlight of our time spent on the south island. Blenheim is situated in the heart of the Marlborough region - the white wine growing region of New Zealand. We had been told by our friends Bob and Chris (the couple we stayed with in Sydney) about the wonderful wines that come from that region and it had been our plan to do a little wine tasting if we passed through the area. Well, we managed to put aside a couple of days and so booked a full day wine tasting tour of some of the local vineyards and prepared to get trolleyed! Neither of us had ever done a wine tasting before so it made it all the more memorable. We visited 10 wineries in all and had great fun.
I love wine but I've never really known that much about it and like a lot of people I tend to choose a mid priced one when at a restaurant or at the off license or supermarket, knowing that it will usually be pretty good. What an education - and a
revelation! I now definitely know what I do and don't like and also the reason why I may buy one type of wine of a particular grape and like it and buy another from another part of the world of the same grape again and find it - how shall we say - disgusting! Mathew has been converted - he loves the stuff now!We will now be a bit more discerning about our choices. Looking forward to tasting some fabulous reds in Chile!
After Blenheim, we took the scenic route to Picton where we were to catch the ferry, camper and all, to the the north island. It is now a certainty - I get seasick - I can't deny it any longer! My dreams of living on a yacht, after sailing in the Whitsundays, are dashed!
Arriving in Wellington, we were struck by how much traffic there was and how many people there were. In the first 10 minutes of arriving we saw more cars than we had seen on the whole two weeks on the south island!
We met up with a friend, Alex, who we'd first met trekking in Thailand and spent the next
couple of evenings with her, catching up on each other's adventures. Alex happened to mention that during her time on the north island, she'd done a spot of sky diving - not bad for someone who's scared of flying and scared of heights! So, I thought I'd give it a go too! It's something I'd always wanted to do but never got round to and the fact that it's so inexpensive here, I just thought - why not? You can't come to the adrenaline junkie capital of the world and not do something like chuck yourself out of a plane!
So, after a couple of days in Wellington, we drove up to Lake Taupo - one of the best spots for sky diving. On our second day there, we drove to the airport, booked the skydive and we were just in time to go for the first jump of the day! I was to be second in the group of 6 to jump.
I actually felt very calm on the 15 minute climb up to 12000 feet. It was only when I saw the first person go plummeting head first towards the earth that I thought "oh s***"!
I was next - I had no choice really - I was attached to a big 6'5" bloke who's day job is to jump out of planes at least 10 times a day, every day and my legs were dangling out of the plane and he was ready to go. Well, next thing I know, I was upside down careering towards solid ground at stupid speeds and it was absolutely fantastic - totally exhilarating - once you level off it really does feel as if you're flying and I was actually quite disappointed when the chute opened up - but I guess that has to happen at some point.
After another day relaxing and settling my nerves we drove to Rotorua where Mathew did a spot of racing driving and a tree landed on top of us during breakfast. Well - not quite - we were parked up by the lake, eating our toast, there was a thud and next thing we know there's a massive tree on the bonnet of the camper. The weather had turned for the worst with gale force winds and rain on the north island and snow storms on the south and power
cuts all over the country.
We are now in Auckland, preparing for our next flight to Chile, taking in the sites and a bit of culture. Our trip to New Zealand has definitely been a highlight and we shall be coming back to climb up that glacier! The south island is breathtakingly beautiful - the north too - though after all that countryside it's nice to get back into more populated areas so we haven't explored the landscape so much up here - mainly due to time restrictions though.
Beautiful country - well worth a visit!
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Paul
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Blimey! NZ sounds like extreme sports central..... with a nice bit of wine-tasting thrown in for good measure (10 wineyards in one day - hardcore!). So, South America next. Hurrah! The one continent I have always wanted to explore. Looking forwards to your escapades, as always...