Advertisement
Published: March 10th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Off to the South Island
Well Friday was my last day at work, last day at GVN, last day in Petone and after 6 months I was leaving Wellington. I can't believe I have been six months in New Zealand. It really has flown by. But then when I think what I have been doing 6 months doesn't seem like enough time to fit it all in.
So Friday I flew down to Christchurch, can I just tell you that wellington airport on a Friday night is a great place to be. There was a whole hockey team there flying somewhere. Nice way to start the holiday!
Got to Christchurch and jumped into a shuttle to meet mum. This was a bit of an adventure but I won't bore you with the details. Was great to see mum again and she had put the kettle on so had a cup o' tea made in a proper teapot. Mum told me proudly that she had picked it up for a bargain.
Saturday
So today we picked up the campervan and headed out of CC. The camper, who we have named Clive is a battered old thing, much like it's new owners,
Mum and Clive
Clive is the Campervan! and has definately seen better days. After introducing mum to pac and save we were finally on the road. Our first stop was Grumpy's Retreat, an aptly named campsite in the small town of Geraldine. Would recommend it, had great facilities and was quiet and green. Not much going on in Geraldine though. Our camper then decided to spring a leak, the first of many problems. No water for us then.
Lake Tekapo
I had been told to go to Lake Tekapo by one of my fellow volunteers and it definately is worth a visit. It is stunning. The blue colour of all the lakes in this area is unbelievable and will never come out true in the photos. Apparently it is caused by undisolved rock salts from the surrounding glaciers, for the science bit, but whatever it is beautiful. We were lucky that our chosen campground was right on the lake front and we had a perfect view from the camper right down to the water. I even went for a swim. It was lovely. Really cold but perfectly clear and such a pleasure after swimming in Wellington harbour!
Not that Wellington harbour is not lovely I
just don;t like the salt water. The mountains surrounding the lake were snowcapped but it was gloriously warm and we lazed by the lake for the two days we were there. We had planned to stay two days and it was a good job because we had to get a new camper driven down to us, the old one was unrepairable. So Clive number 2 was brought down from Christchurch. On his way to us the driver was hit by a stone so we now have a huge crack down our windscreen. Honestly it is like hicks on tour!
The sun was so hot there that we got a little burnt on a short walk round the lake and had to hide under the trees, pathetic I know, but lovely since it is February and I keep reminding myself that it is freezing in the UK!
We also saw a most amazing cloud, sun thing over the mountains that we tried to photograph, you will have to decide on the results.
Onto Mount Cook
After two glorious days in Tekapo we headed off to the mountains and Mount Cook. The drive there was glorious with snowcapped mountains
all around us. Then we got close to Mount Cook (where Hillary trained for Everest, and New Zealand's tallest mountain) and there was a lake just before the mountain. The view was spectacular. We stopped at Peter's Lookout (lookouts are becoming something of a must stop for us) and I persuaded mum down an embankment and through some vicious bush, I still have a huge gouge out of my arm. We ended up down at a rocky beach on the lake shore, and had it all to ourselves. I perfected my rock scimming and mum wandered about in her hat. There are many places in New Zealand, even in the most touristy places where you can have the whole place to yourself. Then we headed back up the hill. Mum whinged and I remembered how hard it had been climbing all those hills at the start of the volunteer program. Oh why hadn't I kept fit after finishing the volunteer work, instead of just sitting on my bum in the office.
We then continued on to Mount Cook where we were doing our first bit of free camping! Well not really free as we had to pay to the park
ranger to be there but it was definately not a holiday park. We were camping right under the mountains and when you got over the shock that the glacier perched right over your head was not going to fall on you in the night it was fantastic. We walked a lovely walk up to nearly the base of Mount Cook and had to cross two scary rope type bridges. Mum's face was a picture on the first one and she wouldn't cross until I had got off the other end. No she wasn't worried that our combined weight would break the thing! I had the annoying habit of jumping and swinging the bridge every time she stepped on!
We saw a Kea on our way back to the camper. They are a large mountain parrot and very naughty! They eat the trims off cars etc. We also saw a large pack that night flying over tha camp ground but they didn't come to near. The stars that night were amazing as there is nothing there with any light.
The next morning we got up early and headed off to Glentanner up the road as I had a horse trek booked. I have relly gotten into the horse thing over here. When I arrived I found I was the only one there so had a 1 hour personal trek across the station. It was beautiful up there and my thighs were nowhere near as sore as last time.
After the ride we headed for the small town of Oamaru, home of the Penguins was what it boasted!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.078s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 15; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0333s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Jen
non-member comment
who is max and who is paddy?
hmmm sounds like your having a blast my lovely and clive looks like a laugh- is it better than the red volly van though? Oamaru lovely place huh? lol Hope you are going to Queenstown? and the catlins is a gorgeous part of NZ! enjoy yourself... Not long til i return to freezing land like pippa.... :( Enjoy it while it lasts!