Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 2385

Vi aker tillbaka till vastkusten och soderut langs den med buss. Vi forstar varfor den ibland kallas Wet Coast eftersom det regnar igen, hela vagen i bussen sa vi missar en massa fina utsikter som busschaufforen berattar om. Det ar inte mycket manniskor som bor langs vastkusten, alla samhallena bildades under guldrushen och en del har lyckats klamra sig kvar. Fortfarnde bryter man guld har och dar. Det finns ocksa en stad kand for sin jade, dar bussen stannar till lagom lange for att man ska kunna kopa souvenirer. Resan slutar denna gang i "Fox Glacier". Gissa vad den sta'n ar kand for? Har spenderar vi var nyarsafton, och tar under dagen en guidad heldagsvandring uppe pa glaciaren, i det faktiskt fina vadret. Frammat kvallen festar vi till det lite pa campingplatsen, och gar en promenad ... read more

Day 3: 21.5km, 6 hours, James Mackay - Heaphy Hut Today was almost completely down hill. Heaven. We were back in the forest again but as we descended during the day towards the coast and mouth of the Heaphy River there was a noticeable change in the types of trees and vegetation that we saw, moving from predominately beech at the start of the day towards and increasing number of nikau palms at the end of the day. A few of the girls were starting to get some quite evil blistering and rashes but we still made steady progress. Poor Aileen took a wee tumble at one point which, with a few juicy embellishments, made for a good story later. We crossed lots more swingbridges, stopped for lunch at the Lewis Hut and eventually got ... read more

We woke early, ate breakfast and took our bags to the bus stop. The bus was almost one hour late, which is highly unusual. Since it was supposed to take until after 4 pm to get to Franz Josef if the bus was on time, we were concerned about how late we would be getting there. The bus was packed so Michael and I had to sit totally at the rear. Since most of NZ’s roads twist and turn around mountains we don’t like to sit in the rear as it can make you a little nauseous. Having no choice, we put on the i-Pod and closed our eyes so we didn’t have to watch the scenery as we were swaying back and forth. The bus driver promised to make up as much time as possible ... read more

Hi friends! It's been a while, but I am confident that few of you were kept up nights by my online absence. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with loved ones, and that you keep up the fun over the New Year. I've settled in nicely here in Akaroa, spending my days in a rather mundane routine that I am feasting on with the relish of a consistency starved traveller. Monday through Wednesday, I work at the Supply Store which is an anachronistic ye old general store in the age of super-tubs-of-mayonnaise-for-a-dollar bulk shopping. Roger and Coral are pleasant bosses who truly enjoy supplying the town with no more than three of anything you could ever need to eat, drink, fish or do repairs. I work with an interesting cast of characters. First is Roger ... read more

Fantastic day .... We reported in early at 'Alpine Guides' for our day glacier hike. A short bus ride and then a scramble over some rocks and we were at the glacier. After strapping on crampons and armed with a spiked walking stick we were ready to face the glacier. Our 2 guides led the way and used ice axes to cut steps in the glacier. We spent over 6 hours on the ice. The views were spectacular.... read more