Blogs from Oceania - page 7766

Well, in Te Anau. Stormyish weather has dictated no glow worm trips of mysticalness for me. Of course they deceided this after I paid, and also after we set off. Much overcrowded tourist seasickness, a demonstration that the boat is far from watertight - but all in all a fun, free experience. It was way wilder than jet boating... Will be trying again tomorrow, between coaching and cruising Milford Sound. It really is a hard life isn't it? Have switched accommodation styles to cabin (cheap room with a block to sleep on) from hostel (cheap room with a bed but far too distracting for any sleep). Queenstown, advenutre AND party capital was the final straw. The UK boozehounds were on fine form, ensuring they came home superdrunk every half hour just to alleviate the chance of ... read more

We were warned before that the road leading to Rob Roy track is terrible. I knew I had to cross some creeks with the car... and that the unsealed road is bumpy. Well the creeks were not too bad (in the first I felt I am driving an amphebian car, but I got used to it). However the 32 km of this road were bone breaking. I started out driving 20 km/h so I don't break the car, but then I understood that you feel much less the bumps ("coulisses - is that a word in English???) if you go 80 km/h. The noise of the stones hitting the car was horrible though :-) I drove and prayed that everything will be ok :-) Anyway, it was worth it because it lead to a most beautiful ... read more

Me again....am now in Queenstown, the "adventure capital" - i.e. the place where anything that in the real world is too dangerous and/or expensive to do is almost mandatory. Most of it is clearly too scary/expensive for me, but I dare say I'll be getting a bit wet tomorrow in the name of adventure. Most likely jet boating given it happens early and I have to leave in the afternoon. I have been told that recently people have been ejected from it onto rock faces etc. which might put some people off...? Absolutely NO bungy jumping for me though!! FWIW; it does appear to be a town, but I have yet to see any Queens. Have travelled from Franz - Queenstown today on a bus, stopping at a pile of cafes (seems like NZ tourists/drivers need ... read more

Well we did it ... no not run off and get married when none of you were looking, but "The Nevis". 134m of utter terror. I have never been so scared in my entire life. I was a gibbering wreck. Bryan was as cool as a cucumber.. talk about role reversel on the extreme sports. I was nervous when we arrived, I was green when I saw the "small" 43m bridge and by the time I saw the contraption which I was going to hurl myself off I was distraught. You have to get a cable car to a 'pod' swaying percariously on little metal strings in the middle of the canyon. Everyone ahead of me just walked up to the platform and wheeeeeeeee off they went, not even a pause. Then the guy infront of ... read more

We meant to wake up really early to go to a lake called Lake Matheson, where you are supposed to see reflections of Mount Cook in the water and it's beautiful in sunrise or right after. But the night before we met some nice people in the backpacker and we chatted too long... So we still went the all way around the fanmous TINY lake and the views of the high mountains were suberb but the reflections were really poor. No fight to the beauty I saw in Norway on the way to the glacier there, and right from the road... Shai if you find the picture and can send me a copy I will put it here for comparison :-) Then I drove all the long way to Wanaka, during which we stopped in ... read more