Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 2436

We get up, fix breakfast in the motel and pack to leave Motueka. Then down to the pharmacy to get a new knee brace for Michael since he can’t find the last one we bought. To the internet café to see if we can get on the travel blog one more time. No luck in getting on the blog but it says we have made a new entry?? We go eat a sandwich for lunch and walk back to the motel to be picked up by the bus that will take us to Nelson. The trip to Nelson is only about one hour and the bus driver drops us right at the door to our motel. We are in a cute little motel near central Nelson, the Waimarie. We have a small apartment with living/dining area, ... read more

Hi everyone! The week after exams was bittersweet, it was tons of fun seeing all my friends in NZ but saying goodbye was difficult. For a 'final hoorah', a bunch of us (Rachel, Liz, Ngaire, Tonja, Corrina, Christian, and me) all went to Lake Taupo to stay at Liz's bach (pronounced batch...it’s a kiwi version of a 'lake house') The Lake is about a fiver hour drive north of Wellington. I hopped into Christian's new car, named "Hektor", and enjoyed the ride. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe, called soul food somewhere in between Welly and Taupo. We passed through the Tongariro National Park and stopped to take pictures of Mt. Ruapehu, Mt. Tongariro, and Mt. Ngahroe (spelling?). This area was "Mt. Doom" in Lord of the Rings. The area is one of the ... read more

We had arrived in Taupo, (city of adventure, according to Lonely Planet), late last night and checked in at Rainbow Lodge. Come the morning, we were eager to see what was on offer, and had heard rhumours about Taupo being one of the cheapest places for outdoors activities, so checked at front desk. Adam wasn't too keen on a bungy, or skydive since he'd done the latter before and the former didn't really appeal, (I'm being nice here and not saying the 'chicken' word at all - Mr Compassion, that's me). Anyway, the girl pointed out a fantasic 4-in-1 offer that was impossible to decline and within seconds we were booked in. Come 12.30 I was standing 47m above Lake Taupo, strapped onto a large, inadequate-looking elastic band, being told "3...2....1...Jump!" You don't really have much ... read more

Whenever anyone wishes to travel with a vehicle from the North Island to the South Island or the other way around it requires to get involved with one of the ferry companies who dock in Wellington in the North Island and Picton on the South. Wellington is the capital city of the country and as a result is one of its largest cities. The main downtown area wraps around the harbour and provides easy access to the ferr terminal. We prefer the Bluebridge for its friendly service and cheaper rates. Picton on the South Island end is a very small community but one we really enjoy. Top quality Lecafe on the waterfront is our hang out usually. Great food, coffee and weekend entertainment. Plenty of shops to visit when strolling around. The crossing is about 3 ... read more

The last day of hiking and we get up to a light rain. By the time we are ready to leave the hut it is raining pretty hard, so out comes the rain gear for us and our packs. Although we start out with a pretty steep climb from the beach, it is a pretty light hiking day. With the rain, we are thankful for that. There is not a lot of ups and downs, most is pretty level and hugs the side of cliffs at the coastline. The narrow trail is not for the faint hearted, with shear drop offs. It is about a four-hour hike with no shelters so we don’t take breaks. At the end there is a long boardwalk causeway over the estuary that ends at Marahau. We see a little café ... read more