Advertisement
Published: March 11th 2007
We know this post is a little delayed, but we've been busy! What's more, internet cafes are kind of expensive here, as is everything else. Especially after Hong Kong.
We hired a campavan from Auckland and travelled to Wellington the first week. It was a flush one, with toilet, showe, kitchenette and dining table that converted to a king sized bed. Quite comfortable. The bed was so comfortable in fact that Peter snored the night away. I almost smothered him. If we were on the ball (which from the date of this post, we are not), we would upload our pics, but we haven't so if you're curious, here's the link to our campa--http://www.maui.co.nz/new-zealand-rv-rental. The North Island is very pastoral and everywhere looks a lot like Hobbiton in the LoTR, all rolling green hills and lots of sheep. As for Auckland and Wellington, they have their charms but I wouldn't spend too much time there if I had to do it again. They are cities and NZ is more about what is outside of the cities.
The highlights of the trip have definitely been in the South Island. Milford and Doubtful Sounds were spectacular. It was pouring rain the day we went to Milford and we discovered that that was a good thing. There were about a million (no exaggeration) waterfalls that day. It was amazing. Someone more poetic than I will have to describe it to you but we can only say that it is truly one of the most dramatic, stunning places either Peter or I have been to. Basically, the sound is a narrow body of water with sheer cliffs on either side. When it rains, there are these incredible waterfalls all over. That's a really poor description so I suggest you research it yourself.
We then splashed out on an overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. Well worth the budget busting cost. At first, I wasn't sure Doubtful would be as beautiful as Milford but certain parts of it (it's a lot bigger than Milford) certainly were in contention. The first afternoon, we cruised around a bit (which was 'eh' compared to Milford but then we docked and kayaked around and that was really fun despite my numerous bug bites and having to paddle the single kayak myself (usually I just let Peter do all the work). Some brave souls even went in for a dip in the freezing water.
The next morning, we went to Hall Arm, which is the most stunning part of Doubtful. The scenery was enhanced by a pod of dolphins who decided to "surf" along the wake of our boat. It was incredible. I've been to SeaWorld and all, but seeing them leaping through the waves, doing flips and somersaults and generally having a great time in the wild was really cool. We had two different dolphin escorts that morning and it was spectacular.
And yes, we've done a lot of tramping or hiking. Even in the pouring rain. Can you believe it? I hiked 6 hours through pouring rain and gusting winds and loved it. Amazing. Peter was in his element, putting on his gaiters and looking like some Irish gentleman farmer "walking the land".
Well, those are the initial thoughts for now. We are going to Abel Tasman National Park for some sea kayaking tomorrow (at 7:45 am!). We then head off to Australia for 2 weeks before we go to Vietnam to meet my parents.
Speaking of which, bonus points and a cool souvenir for anyone who can give me explicit instructions on how to get a Vietnamese visa from Australia (we will not be in Sydney, which is where the embassy is), Hong Kong or Singapore on an expedited basis (2 days or less). We tried to get one in NZ but they rejected my application, saying it was on the wrong form and that I needed to submit 2 photos, etc. I suspect they just had a problem with the fact that we stole out of the country in the dead of night when I was three without a permit. The grudges these bureaucrats can hold!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.096s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 11; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0498s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Raymond Ha
non-member comment
Visa Information
So... there is no Vietnamese embassy or consulate in Hong Kong. There is one in Singapore. To obtain one in Singapore, you supposedly have to go through a travel agent there. The website does not specify how many days it's going to take. http://www.vinatradesingapore.org/About_Vietnam.htm As far as an embassy in Australia, it's in Canberra, where ever that is. Website is... http://www.vietnamembassy.org.au/ Supposedly, the Visa process takes five days there... but that's normal, it's unspecified if they have an expedited process. Good luck. I've gotten all my documents in order and ready to go. Passport and Visa. Suprised? :)