With today being my last day in NZ before my flight, I was up early for no reason, probably due to flight nerves. I wasn't actually entirely sure what time my flight was until late last night as the airports website was slightly confusing to navigate and I saw a flight to Nadi at 11.45am although I eventually realised this was an arrival and my flight in fact departed at 1pm which is what I thought. I guess I just had that in my mind, so to kill time I headed down to countdown to spend my last few coins I had in my wallet for breakfast before heading back to the hostel.
It was frustrating when returning to the hostel however because my key card didn't work to my room, which is annoying after you've climbed several flights of stairs to get there. I eventually sorted out the problem and collected my stuff, leaving behind a half empty bottle of cooking oil and all my water bottles to prevent problems at the airport. After leaving the hostel I waited at the nearby airport shuttle bus stop, although soon after arriving a taxi turned up and offered a lift for the same price which I accepted.
The journey seemed to take forever, forgetting just how far out of town the airport was. I would have probably been better off on the bus as they get bus lane priority although I was ridiculously early anyway so it didn't matter. Being at the airport about 4 hours before departure meant I had around an hour to kill before check in began 3 hours prior to the scheduled departure. About a minute of that time was killed weighing my bag which now weighs 12kg, which I am sure is close to 3kg heavier than I started with. I have no worries exceeding the baggage limit yet however with the limit generally being around 23kg!
With little else to do other than spend money in the international terminal area, I sat in the arrivals area. If Heathrow is anything like this arrivals area then there is no hiding as there was one set of opening doors blackened out, raised one step high with a few rows of seats for people waiting! One of the benefits of the airport however was the complimentary 30 minutes of free WiFi which nicely took me through to check in for my flight to Nadi.
After checking in, I eased my way through security which happened to give people with British passports priority access. There was none of the bio security stuff I had to battle through coming into the country. When getting through to the main airport area, I bypassed the shopping area and checked out the viewing deck where you watch the planes take off. Heading back down after a short while I looked round all the duty free shopping areas, perhaps the highlight being getting to spin a wheel to win a discount voucher. I still had a while to wait for my flight to start boarding, although after finishing my look round the shops I settled down in this bar area and watched the full match replay of the Man Utd game which passed the time nicely.
About an hour before departure I was called down for boarding, however there was a delay in the flight arriving into Auckland which meant boarding was delayed until they had sorted out the plane. It wasn't until around about 15 minutes before the original departure when I managed to finally board, with children and Fijians getting priority boarding. When finally settling down on my Fiji Airways flight on a plane with 2 aisles, 8 seats wide, we didn't depart until at least half an hour late.
With the plane journey being less than 3 hours, I decided to spend the flight watching a film, watching a film about this guy who donated lots of sperm for money then found out he had 533 kids. It was a pretty decent film actually, and during the film got supplied an unexpected lunch which was a tuna roll with scotch fingers and coleslaw, taking a fanta for on the side. I spent the remainder of the flight watching the flight show which is always interesting seeing a birds eye view of the planes journey and the related stats.
In the end we landed at around half 4 and after easing through security, and barely even getting searched in the bio security screening, headed to the Feejee Experience office just to make sure everything was ok. It was all good in the end although the woman did confuse things a little. I had originally planned to start on the 28th April which would have given me two free days at the end, although due to a few misunderstandings I am now starting on the 30th April which gives me no flexibility whatsoever and little space for mishaps otherwise I will get stranded in Fiji!
By the time I had finished in the office it was getting dark, although I got an unexpected transfer to the hostel which was just a well because it was a good ten minute drive! When arriving at Horizon backpackers where I am staying for three nights now, I couldn't resist but have the island curry buffet. I was going to say just last week I was craving a good curry, and with Fijis strong Indian heritage, it was the business! With it being dark outside I stuffed the exploring for tomorrow, instead staying in and having an early night.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
April 26th... Auckland
With a dead phone, I ended up having a lie in this morning with no alarm to work off. Luckily I wasn't up too late with other peoples alarms going off, heading off for a shower and write my blog while I risked charging my phone in the hallway. The plan for the day was basically to go to the sky tower, with little idea of what to do after. Auckland is a really nice place but despite the massive size there are very few cost effective things to do other than perhaps going up volcanoes or going window shopping. To be honest not knowing what to do generally works in my favour because it forces me to explore more.
Heading out in the morning, I walked through the shops before turning off to the imposing sky tower. This unique structure, *cough* Seattle Sydney *cough* was built in the 1990s and is over 300m tall, although the public can only go to about 220m as the top is more for broadcasting. I had three options with the tower, the one I was considering most being the sky jump where you jump off the tower. I opted against this however as it looked pretty tame being a controlled jump unlike a bungy. The other option was the sky walk where you walk around the edge of the tower without a barrier. I thought this was pretty expensive for what it was.
In the end I just opted to go up the tower as I thought I would get just as much out of the experience instead of worrying about a thrill activity. Having a burger king breakfast en route, yes I'm getting bad, I managed to get a discounted rate up the tower as I classed as a concession being a backpacker! We then boarded this lift with a glass bottom, being able to see as we went up through the cylindrical structure. Our first stop was floor 52 I think at 192m. From here we were able to gain 360 degree views of the city, which was on the widest section of the tower. This meant there were also glass floors on the outer rim so we could look straight down!
After a short while here, it was into another lift which took us up to floor 60, at 220m this time I think. This was in a smaller circular area although being higher up you could look down on the buildings a little more. There was even a sweet shop up here and mr sky tower himself who I did his respect handshake with! Before long I headed back down from the sky deck to the observation deck. It was pretty cool watching the people as they jumped off, which was done with three ropes controlling the fall. I spent a fair while on here just sitting on the bench's round the circumference to take in the scenery.
On the level below the observation deck was a cafe, which I looked at but didn't buy anything. The other area on the tower, an area I couldn't visit was the orbit restaurant which was a revolving restaurant. It takes an hour to make one full revolution! By the time I reached the bottom I had spent well in excess of an hour up top, heading straight back to the hostel after a look round the gift shop. When returning I still wasn't sure what to do come afternoon. Under normal circumstances I would have just gone geocaching although I'm awful in city environments as the tall buildings interfere with the gps.
In the end I took a random walk towards the green area I saw from the tower, called the Auckland Domain on my map. En route to this area I got lost however, finding myself within the university campus whilst taking a shortcut! I soon got back on track however and headed through this green area like any other city park up to the Auckland museum. I was going to visit this historical building although I then saw you had to pay to get in, and even from the outside Te Papa in Wellington looked better.
Heading back out another way, I eventually emerged at beach road which surprisingly meant I knew where I was because the kiwi experience office was down here. Passing the old railway station and events arena, I soon got back to the hostel where I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. I headed out after a short while however to check out the harbour bridge at sunset. I timed it all just right in the end, and even had time for a couple of geocache finds in this area a little more out of town.
By now it was dark, although I bumped into this woman on the way back who told me all about Auckland being a local. I eventually found my way back to the city and after returning to the hostel fulfilled a skype session as this was my last day in NZ and I wasn't sure about WiFi in Fiji. It was all a pretty relaxing evening, although after one last trip to countdown for dinner, I headed out for the football which was reasonable kick off time for once. It was another pretty good evening, although I was outnumbered two to one by Everton fans, although I was the happy one at the end.
Heading out in the morning, I walked through the shops before turning off to the imposing sky tower. This unique structure, *cough* Seattle Sydney *cough* was built in the 1990s and is over 300m tall, although the public can only go to about 220m as the top is more for broadcasting. I had three options with the tower, the one I was considering most being the sky jump where you jump off the tower. I opted against this however as it looked pretty tame being a controlled jump unlike a bungy. The other option was the sky walk where you walk around the edge of the tower without a barrier. I thought this was pretty expensive for what it was.
In the end I just opted to go up the tower as I thought I would get just as much out of the experience instead of worrying about a thrill activity. Having a burger king breakfast en route, yes I'm getting bad, I managed to get a discounted rate up the tower as I classed as a concession being a backpacker! We then boarded this lift with a glass bottom, being able to see as we went up through the cylindrical structure. Our first stop was floor 52 I think at 192m. From here we were able to gain 360 degree views of the city, which was on the widest section of the tower. This meant there were also glass floors on the outer rim so we could look straight down!
After a short while here, it was into another lift which took us up to floor 60, at 220m this time I think. This was in a smaller circular area although being higher up you could look down on the buildings a little more. There was even a sweet shop up here and mr sky tower himself who I did his respect handshake with! Before long I headed back down from the sky deck to the observation deck. It was pretty cool watching the people as they jumped off, which was done with three ropes controlling the fall. I spent a fair while on here just sitting on the bench's round the circumference to take in the scenery.
On the level below the observation deck was a cafe, which I looked at but didn't buy anything. The other area on the tower, an area I couldn't visit was the orbit restaurant which was a revolving restaurant. It takes an hour to make one full revolution! By the time I reached the bottom I had spent well in excess of an hour up top, heading straight back to the hostel after a look round the gift shop. When returning I still wasn't sure what to do come afternoon. Under normal circumstances I would have just gone geocaching although I'm awful in city environments as the tall buildings interfere with the gps.
In the end I took a random walk towards the green area I saw from the tower, called the Auckland Domain on my map. En route to this area I got lost however, finding myself within the university campus whilst taking a shortcut! I soon got back on track however and headed through this green area like any other city park up to the Auckland museum. I was going to visit this historical building although I then saw you had to pay to get in, and even from the outside Te Papa in Wellington looked better.
Heading back out another way, I eventually emerged at beach road which surprisingly meant I knew where I was because the kiwi experience office was down here. Passing the old railway station and events arena, I soon got back to the hostel where I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. I headed out after a short while however to check out the harbour bridge at sunset. I timed it all just right in the end, and even had time for a couple of geocache finds in this area a little more out of town.
By now it was dark, although I bumped into this woman on the way back who told me all about Auckland being a local. I eventually found my way back to the city and after returning to the hostel fulfilled a skype session as this was my last day in NZ and I wasn't sure about WiFi in Fiji. It was all a pretty relaxing evening, although after one last trip to countdown for dinner, I headed out for the football which was reasonable kick off time for once. It was another pretty good evening, although I was outnumbered two to one by Everton fans, although I was the happy one at the end.
April 25th... Rangitoto Island
I was up early this morning, waking up to a room full of people who must have turned up in the night. To be fair I was really tired last night and fell asleep early which is probably why I didn't hear them. After a quick shower and writing of my blog, I set out ready for a planned day on Rangitoto Island. What I didn't realise however was that it was Anzac Day, which meant two things. I could have saved money by doing the early bird ferry sailing over to the island being a public holiday but also the shops were all shut until the afternoon due to it. I think Anzac Day is their equivalent of Remembrance Day.
After being unable to get lunch from countdown, I ended up having to go to fix which is an expensive newsagent chain. In the end I ended up getting lunch from Subway. It was pretty important to buy lunch as Rangitoto Island doesn't have running water let alone food outlets! With a 9.15 departure from the main ferry terminal in Auckland Harbour, I had a bit of time to kill although a nice walk down the more industrial side of the harbour compared the glamorous Wynard Quay killed the time.
The ferry departed slightly late in the end in what was a glorious day. It was pretty rammed full of people, and en route to the island the ferry stopped at Devonport to pick up some more passengers. This is a basically a village on the opposite side in of the main harbour to the cbd. Whilst sailing out to Rangitoto there were some cracking views of the distinctive city skyline and out towards the large harbour bridge. The ferry journey took around 25 minutes in the end, getting dropped off on this rickety old walkway to access the island.
Said to have been formed around about 400 years ago, Rangitoto Island is the result of a long term volcanic eruption prior. Forming within the harbour through the solidification of volcanic lava, the island is now a tree infested island with a large hill visible from Auckland city. My plan for the day was to combine an interesting walk called the volcanic explorer with a series of caches someone had just happened to place along this route. Funnily enough some people still live on the island in these houses called baches which is where I found my first find. Each time one of the residents dies the houses are demolished with the goal I think to make Rangitoto a completely natural pest free island.
The island itself is not too far from the city with my GPS yesterday registering the nearest cache as just 8km from my city based hostel. My walk on the island begun by taking me along this 4wd track covered in black sands before detouring off to Flax Point to see the black gull colony. There were terrific views of the city skyline from here, slightly obscured by Devonport which is the peninsula. The terrain here was also a little precarious in places with these large volcanic rocks deposited all over the place. Despite finding a couple of caches by this point, there were a couple I thought were stupid to attempt directing me across these unstable rocks which cut my leg when attempting to walk on!
By this point it started to rain, although I got shelter under some trees. The path I was walking on was pretty safe being used by 4wd vehicles, it was just the detours that were slightly precarious as was with my next find which took me up these rocks to get a view of both the city skylines. From here I continued onto Mackenzie Bay and the lighthouse which was red and white. It was nice and sunny again by now made nicer by the sandy beach which I ended up having my lunch on.
After lunch the coastal track I had been on began to go inland which came with it a gradual climb. The path took me through these vast lava fields with the caches seeming to run on a theme of the lighthouse being where's wally! The path then went back into the woods where there was a real cluster of caches to find along here before I took the detour to reach the summit of the volcano. It was only little over 200m though so I was barely climbing a mountain!
The path then took me up this boardwalk, finding a cache en route which gave brilliant views of the islands north of the harbour. It was hard to believe I was in Auckland at this point with the such scarce development. Before long I reached another junction where I opted to take the long route to the summit so I could walk around the crater. It was pretty cool looking down but it was not like the old picture books with a pool of flowing lava, just a large hole with trees growing inside, and I mean it was like half a mile to walk round! I didn't need to worry if it erupted though as there were evacuation buildings!
I eventually reached the summit of Rangitoto, up top getting rewarded with some cracking views back towards Auckland, although getting in the right position gave me views in all directions. After a short while up top I got the dreaded GPS out of battery message which put an end to my day of caching, my spare batteries frustratingly being back at the hostel. I therefore instead headed down to the lava caves which was this cave, although more like a long tunnel formed by lava flows many years ago. There was a hole in the roof in the middle which let lots of light in. The terrain was pretty rocky getting here though, putting the first noticeable signs of wear into my new trainers!
I had originally planned to get back to the harbour along the Islington Bay Road, although now my GPS was dead I decided to head back down the summit track, taking a detour en route to do the short kidney fern walk to see the rare plants. I ended up arriving back to the harbour by around half 2 in the end, although with the return ferry not until 4 I walked round to the opposite side of the harbour for the views. When returning I gave a good read of the information boards outlining the history of Rangitoto Island before queuing up for the ferry. There were these young boys jumping off the pier into the water which I wouldn't have fancied!
Come 4 everyone had boarded the ferry to make a spot on departure. Despite my gps dying on me I still had a pretty good day on the island which if anything was interesting with all the geological and historical aspects associated with the place. Stopping off at Devonport en route, we were back to the city by half 4 although it was pretty chilly on the boat because of the wind! Straight after disembarking I took a walk over to the sky tower just to stand beneath it. I plan to do one of the three activities on it tomorrow.
Come evening I took a walk down to the harbour as far as the restaurants on the harbour edge to catch the sunset. It was pretty lively yet expensive down here, although I liked the modern approach taken to the containers which many were built in. It was even nice to see the Americas cup yachts docked in the harbour! Dinner this evening was pizza hut as the kitchen in the hostel is chaos, being on the top floor and tiny. There are 21 flights of stairs to get to it! I then headed back to the hostel through the shopping area where upon return I just relaxed, although my phone soon ran out of battery. There is one power point between 8 people in my room!
After being unable to get lunch from countdown, I ended up having to go to fix which is an expensive newsagent chain. In the end I ended up getting lunch from Subway. It was pretty important to buy lunch as Rangitoto Island doesn't have running water let alone food outlets! With a 9.15 departure from the main ferry terminal in Auckland Harbour, I had a bit of time to kill although a nice walk down the more industrial side of the harbour compared the glamorous Wynard Quay killed the time.
The ferry departed slightly late in the end in what was a glorious day. It was pretty rammed full of people, and en route to the island the ferry stopped at Devonport to pick up some more passengers. This is a basically a village on the opposite side in of the main harbour to the cbd. Whilst sailing out to Rangitoto there were some cracking views of the distinctive city skyline and out towards the large harbour bridge. The ferry journey took around 25 minutes in the end, getting dropped off on this rickety old walkway to access the island.
Said to have been formed around about 400 years ago, Rangitoto Island is the result of a long term volcanic eruption prior. Forming within the harbour through the solidification of volcanic lava, the island is now a tree infested island with a large hill visible from Auckland city. My plan for the day was to combine an interesting walk called the volcanic explorer with a series of caches someone had just happened to place along this route. Funnily enough some people still live on the island in these houses called baches which is where I found my first find. Each time one of the residents dies the houses are demolished with the goal I think to make Rangitoto a completely natural pest free island.
The island itself is not too far from the city with my GPS yesterday registering the nearest cache as just 8km from my city based hostel. My walk on the island begun by taking me along this 4wd track covered in black sands before detouring off to Flax Point to see the black gull colony. There were terrific views of the city skyline from here, slightly obscured by Devonport which is the peninsula. The terrain here was also a little precarious in places with these large volcanic rocks deposited all over the place. Despite finding a couple of caches by this point, there were a couple I thought were stupid to attempt directing me across these unstable rocks which cut my leg when attempting to walk on!
By this point it started to rain, although I got shelter under some trees. The path I was walking on was pretty safe being used by 4wd vehicles, it was just the detours that were slightly precarious as was with my next find which took me up these rocks to get a view of both the city skylines. From here I continued onto Mackenzie Bay and the lighthouse which was red and white. It was nice and sunny again by now made nicer by the sandy beach which I ended up having my lunch on.
After lunch the coastal track I had been on began to go inland which came with it a gradual climb. The path took me through these vast lava fields with the caches seeming to run on a theme of the lighthouse being where's wally! The path then went back into the woods where there was a real cluster of caches to find along here before I took the detour to reach the summit of the volcano. It was only little over 200m though so I was barely climbing a mountain!
The path then took me up this boardwalk, finding a cache en route which gave brilliant views of the islands north of the harbour. It was hard to believe I was in Auckland at this point with the such scarce development. Before long I reached another junction where I opted to take the long route to the summit so I could walk around the crater. It was pretty cool looking down but it was not like the old picture books with a pool of flowing lava, just a large hole with trees growing inside, and I mean it was like half a mile to walk round! I didn't need to worry if it erupted though as there were evacuation buildings!
I eventually reached the summit of Rangitoto, up top getting rewarded with some cracking views back towards Auckland, although getting in the right position gave me views in all directions. After a short while up top I got the dreaded GPS out of battery message which put an end to my day of caching, my spare batteries frustratingly being back at the hostel. I therefore instead headed down to the lava caves which was this cave, although more like a long tunnel formed by lava flows many years ago. There was a hole in the roof in the middle which let lots of light in. The terrain was pretty rocky getting here though, putting the first noticeable signs of wear into my new trainers!
I had originally planned to get back to the harbour along the Islington Bay Road, although now my GPS was dead I decided to head back down the summit track, taking a detour en route to do the short kidney fern walk to see the rare plants. I ended up arriving back to the harbour by around half 2 in the end, although with the return ferry not until 4 I walked round to the opposite side of the harbour for the views. When returning I gave a good read of the information boards outlining the history of Rangitoto Island before queuing up for the ferry. There were these young boys jumping off the pier into the water which I wouldn't have fancied!
Come 4 everyone had boarded the ferry to make a spot on departure. Despite my gps dying on me I still had a pretty good day on the island which if anything was interesting with all the geological and historical aspects associated with the place. Stopping off at Devonport en route, we were back to the city by half 4 although it was pretty chilly on the boat because of the wind! Straight after disembarking I took a walk over to the sky tower just to stand beneath it. I plan to do one of the three activities on it tomorrow.
Come evening I took a walk down to the harbour as far as the restaurants on the harbour edge to catch the sunset. It was pretty lively yet expensive down here, although I liked the modern approach taken to the containers which many were built in. It was even nice to see the Americas cup yachts docked in the harbour! Dinner this evening was pizza hut as the kitchen in the hostel is chaos, being on the top floor and tiny. There are 21 flights of stairs to get to it! I then headed back to the hostel through the shopping area where upon return I just relaxed, although my phone soon ran out of battery. There is one power point between 8 people in my room!
Saturday, 26 April 2014
April 24th... From Rotorua to Auckland
I was awoken this morning at first by my room mates alarm going off, which she didn't hear at first, shortly followed my phone playing the skype call ringtone! After getting the room to myself eventually I skyped back and after tears were shed about the harsh reality that going to university will probably involve me leaving home, I had the whole morning to myself. The fact I had woken up so early with a departure not until gone 10 meant it was completely unnecessary to have awoken so early!
Due to the fact I had purchased WiFi yesterday I ended up spending the morning online. When finally getting to the 10am check out time which as always is the time you must check out by or risk losing your key deposit, I headed outside to wait for my bus. The pick up time was only vague this morning as Rotorua is just a pick up going north from Taupo en route to Auckland. I certainly won't miss the sulphurous smell round Rotorua which was particularly eggy this morning. I ended up having to breath this in until gone half 10 in the end which is when the bus arrived.
With another cruisey drive planned for the day, our first stop of the day was Matamata for a lunch stop. Whilst here our driver pointed out a cheap cafe which certainly was cheap getting a cheese and onion toastie with a jam filled chocolate dipped shortbread thing for lunch. Matamata is more commonly known as the gateway to Hobbiton, somewhere I passed going south. Within the town there were remnants of this connection including the i site which was built like one of the houses from lord of the rings. There was even a statue of gollum inside. Remember I have watched a film now after my rained out days in Kaikoura!
After around half an hour here which was funnily enough in the rain which had turned from drizzle on arrival to heavy rain when leaving, we continued straight on into Auckland. The city of Auckland is actually double the size of London in terms of land area, although I wouldn't class the countryside we were passing through as city. Before long we came into more built up areas although there were traffic jams going in, something our driver said was common. To be honest our driver wasn't really selling the city to us describing it as an accident waiting to happen with clueless migrants living inside it. I thought this was pretty harsh to be fair.
By around 3 we made it into the city and after checking into the hostel I went straight out to the sta to sort out my problems with the Fiji trip. Despite being unable to directly help me as the uk database is not linked to the nz one, they were helpful in giving me advice everything. Whilst here I also booked my hostel in LA. I was going to split my four nights here between Hollywood and the beach, although they made the valid point that I would lose a day transferring between hostels and day trips from one base is more time effective. I am therefore staying in Santa Monica when I go to LA now.
When getting everything sorted I headed through the city back to the hostel via burger king for dinner. Based around a single street with lots of side streets, I took a slow walk down basically going window shopping through the modern shopping area. When returning to the hostel I basically relaxed, although I did spend time planning geocaches for my day tomorrow. Auckland is built around and probably on volcanoes, with an eruption likely to happen in the future. I am visiting one of these tomorrow!
With two full days planned round Auckland I wasn't too fussed about rushing round and exploring Auckland today, instead spending my evening with a visit to the local supermarket, followed by a return to the hostel. Once again I had a half empty room with just me and Dutch girl having the room to ourselves. She was just starting her kiwi experience trip so I advised her on where to stay longer! I then opted for an early night.
Due to the fact I had purchased WiFi yesterday I ended up spending the morning online. When finally getting to the 10am check out time which as always is the time you must check out by or risk losing your key deposit, I headed outside to wait for my bus. The pick up time was only vague this morning as Rotorua is just a pick up going north from Taupo en route to Auckland. I certainly won't miss the sulphurous smell round Rotorua which was particularly eggy this morning. I ended up having to breath this in until gone half 10 in the end which is when the bus arrived.
With another cruisey drive planned for the day, our first stop of the day was Matamata for a lunch stop. Whilst here our driver pointed out a cheap cafe which certainly was cheap getting a cheese and onion toastie with a jam filled chocolate dipped shortbread thing for lunch. Matamata is more commonly known as the gateway to Hobbiton, somewhere I passed going south. Within the town there were remnants of this connection including the i site which was built like one of the houses from lord of the rings. There was even a statue of gollum inside. Remember I have watched a film now after my rained out days in Kaikoura!
After around half an hour here which was funnily enough in the rain which had turned from drizzle on arrival to heavy rain when leaving, we continued straight on into Auckland. The city of Auckland is actually double the size of London in terms of land area, although I wouldn't class the countryside we were passing through as city. Before long we came into more built up areas although there were traffic jams going in, something our driver said was common. To be honest our driver wasn't really selling the city to us describing it as an accident waiting to happen with clueless migrants living inside it. I thought this was pretty harsh to be fair.
By around 3 we made it into the city and after checking into the hostel I went straight out to the sta to sort out my problems with the Fiji trip. Despite being unable to directly help me as the uk database is not linked to the nz one, they were helpful in giving me advice everything. Whilst here I also booked my hostel in LA. I was going to split my four nights here between Hollywood and the beach, although they made the valid point that I would lose a day transferring between hostels and day trips from one base is more time effective. I am therefore staying in Santa Monica when I go to LA now.
When getting everything sorted I headed through the city back to the hostel via burger king for dinner. Based around a single street with lots of side streets, I took a slow walk down basically going window shopping through the modern shopping area. When returning to the hostel I basically relaxed, although I did spend time planning geocaches for my day tomorrow. Auckland is built around and probably on volcanoes, with an eruption likely to happen in the future. I am visiting one of these tomorrow!
With two full days planned round Auckland I wasn't too fussed about rushing round and exploring Auckland today, instead spending my evening with a visit to the local supermarket, followed by a return to the hostel. Once again I had a half empty room with just me and Dutch girl having the room to ourselves. She was just starting her kiwi experience trip so I advised her on where to stay longer! I then opted for an early night.
Friday, 25 April 2014
April 23rd... From Taupo to Rotorua
With most of room having not done Taupo yet as they started in Christchurch, people were getting up for the 5.30 departure to do the crossing. The constant rustling of bags woke me up however although I soon went back to bed, waking up at around 7 today. With an 8.50 departure this morning, I spent the morning down on the warm lake front catching up on my blog once again before a quick check up on things with the WiFi at the burger king.
The bus arrived early this morning, and by 8.50 the bus departed although there were only like 10 of us on the bus! This number did increase however as we did quite a few pick ups en route before finally leaving Taupo for Auckland, although I am hopping off at Rotorua en route. This isn't an official stop going north but I liked it going down so thought I would spend an extra night here.
Driving through these fields which were just shrouded in cloud, our first stop of the day was at the Waiotapu geothermal mud pools. This was basically this large lake full of mud which bubbled due to the volcanic rift. I got an unwelcome taster of the smell of sulphur once again, although it was fascinating seeing the mud bubble. In places it was really shooting large amounts of this watery mud in the air. From here it was just a short drive into Rotorua, with it only being an hour or so journey from Taupo.
Finally arriving at about half 10 because our driver did a drive round town to show the sights of Rotorua, I was dropped at the base hostel. It was weird that I was the only one who got off here, although some others got dropped off at other hostels. After checking into the hostel I booked myself in to do the zorbing in the afternoon, something I regretted not doing on the way down. With a 1pm pick up from hostel arranged, this allowed me to dump my stuff in my hostel room, which was completely empty, before heading out to look round the city.
First stop of the day was the day was the post office where I sent a few more postcards home. It is always tense seeing whether the people will send them as a letter or a parcel as it is a tight fit! I then headed over to the shopping mall where I had a good look round all the shops, before finally going over the supermarket to get some lunch. I was pretty pleased their nashi pears were on offer as they are really nice! It was then a little stroll round the cbd area with the high street shops which are basically all small souvenir shops before returning to the hostel.
Come 1 I was all outside ready and waiting for my afternoon or zorbing, although come half 1 there was still no one there to pick us up. There were two girls from Guildford doing it as well. It wasn't until 2 when they arrived to pick us up in the end which I wasn't too pleased about! When arriving to the centre we had to fill out our details on an iPad and then choose what kind of zorb we wanted to do. There was basically a choice of wet or dry, with me opting for wet which I was already prepared for.
We were then taken up to the top of this small hill where we were then given the choice of going down a straight course or a zigzag course, I chose zigzag. Due to the fact I did wet basically meant I didn't have to be strapped in unlike dry. The guy up top then filled my zorb up with a bit of water, then told me to dive through the hole which I think I did without touching the edges! The water was warm as well which was nice! They then zipped me into the ball and pushed me down the hill. It was so much fun, falling around everywhere. It was impossible to stand up as I was being tossed around in all directions!
Due to the fact they were late picking us up, they gave us an extra go for free which I suppose worked out in my favour. I was going to do the zurf option on my second go although apparently that is just surfing down the straight hill. I just went for the zigzag which was widely regarded as the better option. It was so much fun like last time, and when reaching the bottom and getting some more photos, I headed inside to dry off before my transfer back to Rotorua. It was a pain though as my photos were on cd as they had ran out of usbs.
When returning to the hostel, I went straight into the on sight hot pool which was empty. This geothermal pool was just like a swimming pool and was a nice way to relax as they had them sausage float things! I then headed into town where I just got the WiFi, finally getting a reply from FeeJee Experience about my booking. In one word disaster, but oh well. It was then back to the hostel where I just got the WiFi to try and sort out my booking. Dinner this evening was pie and bread as it was cheap, before settling down and relaxing in bed in my dorm which had just 2 people in including me!
The bus arrived early this morning, and by 8.50 the bus departed although there were only like 10 of us on the bus! This number did increase however as we did quite a few pick ups en route before finally leaving Taupo for Auckland, although I am hopping off at Rotorua en route. This isn't an official stop going north but I liked it going down so thought I would spend an extra night here.
Driving through these fields which were just shrouded in cloud, our first stop of the day was at the Waiotapu geothermal mud pools. This was basically this large lake full of mud which bubbled due to the volcanic rift. I got an unwelcome taster of the smell of sulphur once again, although it was fascinating seeing the mud bubble. In places it was really shooting large amounts of this watery mud in the air. From here it was just a short drive into Rotorua, with it only being an hour or so journey from Taupo.
Finally arriving at about half 10 because our driver did a drive round town to show the sights of Rotorua, I was dropped at the base hostel. It was weird that I was the only one who got off here, although some others got dropped off at other hostels. After checking into the hostel I booked myself in to do the zorbing in the afternoon, something I regretted not doing on the way down. With a 1pm pick up from hostel arranged, this allowed me to dump my stuff in my hostel room, which was completely empty, before heading out to look round the city.
First stop of the day was the day was the post office where I sent a few more postcards home. It is always tense seeing whether the people will send them as a letter or a parcel as it is a tight fit! I then headed over to the shopping mall where I had a good look round all the shops, before finally going over the supermarket to get some lunch. I was pretty pleased their nashi pears were on offer as they are really nice! It was then a little stroll round the cbd area with the high street shops which are basically all small souvenir shops before returning to the hostel.
Come 1 I was all outside ready and waiting for my afternoon or zorbing, although come half 1 there was still no one there to pick us up. There were two girls from Guildford doing it as well. It wasn't until 2 when they arrived to pick us up in the end which I wasn't too pleased about! When arriving to the centre we had to fill out our details on an iPad and then choose what kind of zorb we wanted to do. There was basically a choice of wet or dry, with me opting for wet which I was already prepared for.
We were then taken up to the top of this small hill where we were then given the choice of going down a straight course or a zigzag course, I chose zigzag. Due to the fact I did wet basically meant I didn't have to be strapped in unlike dry. The guy up top then filled my zorb up with a bit of water, then told me to dive through the hole which I think I did without touching the edges! The water was warm as well which was nice! They then zipped me into the ball and pushed me down the hill. It was so much fun, falling around everywhere. It was impossible to stand up as I was being tossed around in all directions!
Due to the fact they were late picking us up, they gave us an extra go for free which I suppose worked out in my favour. I was going to do the zurf option on my second go although apparently that is just surfing down the straight hill. I just went for the zigzag which was widely regarded as the better option. It was so much fun like last time, and when reaching the bottom and getting some more photos, I headed inside to dry off before my transfer back to Rotorua. It was a pain though as my photos were on cd as they had ran out of usbs.
When returning to the hostel, I went straight into the on sight hot pool which was empty. This geothermal pool was just like a swimming pool and was a nice way to relax as they had them sausage float things! I then headed into town where I just got the WiFi, finally getting a reply from FeeJee Experience about my booking. In one word disaster, but oh well. It was then back to the hostel where I just got the WiFi to try and sort out my booking. Dinner this evening was pie and bread as it was cheap, before settling down and relaxing in bed in my dorm which had just 2 people in including me!
April 22nd... From Wellington to Taupo
After zonking out surprisingly early last night, I ended up waking before my alarm which was a good thing as I could sort out a few things throughout the morning. With a 7.45 departure this morning I ended up being ready much earlier than expected, so to kill time went outside and took one last walk round the sights of Wellington. The bus arrived bang on time this morning, although when finally leaving the bus was half empty. I think it has well and truly got into low season now, although a lot of people finished in Christchurch.
As we were driving the same way we came down to our overnight stop in Taupo, it was a pretty relaxing day planned. Driving along the Kapiti Coast we got cracking views of the island and when looking we could also just about make the south island! Further along the route we passed through the town of Levin where our driver told us about some old lady who refused to move when the highway was built, and sat in her porch with a shotgun. That explained the little kink in the road!
Our first stop of the day was in the small town of Bulls once again, somewhere we stopped on the way down. The names on the all the buildings still get me, which all take the mick out of the town. Even the welcome sign described the place as a town like no udder! We spent about half an hour here in the end before continuing on to our next stop in Waiouru for a toilet stop. More commonly known as a NZ military base, we only stopped here briefly for a quick toilet break.
Our drive then took us back through the central plateau and past the Tongariro National Park. We got cracking views of the imposing snow capped Mt Ruapehu, and also the one I climbed, Mt Ngaurahoe. Being about 1200m above sea level along the road, the flatlands surrounding us were used in the lord of the rings film. To make the scenes more realistic they invited the military to take part and use real violence. Apparently there were more injuries during this filming, compared to the NZ military in WW2, although I doubt this is true.
After pulling up for a photo stop en route for the mountains, we sharply dropped down to the great lake Taupo, one of the five super volcanoes in the world before beginning our drive around the mass of water larger than Singapore. We arrived into Taupo just after 2 in the end and after checking into the hostel, this time urban retreat, I headed straight out to look round the decent town. First stop was the local i site to get a little information as my plan for the afternoon was to go to the natural hotpools.
When finally working out which way to go I walked up the appropriately named Spa road before turning off into the park passed the bungy site. When finally reaching the hot pools I soon realised that hot meant warmer than cold as they really weren't bubbling like I expected. It was a nice walk round the surroundings area through the forested park. After a short walk round the area I headed down to the lakefront to watch the sunset as time was getting on by now, getting there just in time for a cracking sunset.
It was then back to the hostel where I had dinner which today was chilli con carne with tortillas. When checking in I was given the option of paying extra to have a catered dinner, which when thinking about was probably cheaper than me buying a tin of chilli! And I got proper beef mince in this one. After dinner I went out to find a few geocaches, without much success although I found 5 after walking round the marina area.
Come evening I settled down in burger king, passing the mcdonalds plane which I love! Using the free WiFi I was in here for a while with my refill cup. After eventually finishing up in here it was straight back to the hostel, although I quickly checked out the hole in one challenge on the lakefront where people were hitting balls into the lake trying to get a hole in one! When finally getting back to the hostel, most of my room were asleep, probably because most of them were doing the crossing tomorrow.
As we were driving the same way we came down to our overnight stop in Taupo, it was a pretty relaxing day planned. Driving along the Kapiti Coast we got cracking views of the island and when looking we could also just about make the south island! Further along the route we passed through the town of Levin where our driver told us about some old lady who refused to move when the highway was built, and sat in her porch with a shotgun. That explained the little kink in the road!
Our first stop of the day was in the small town of Bulls once again, somewhere we stopped on the way down. The names on the all the buildings still get me, which all take the mick out of the town. Even the welcome sign described the place as a town like no udder! We spent about half an hour here in the end before continuing on to our next stop in Waiouru for a toilet stop. More commonly known as a NZ military base, we only stopped here briefly for a quick toilet break.
Our drive then took us back through the central plateau and past the Tongariro National Park. We got cracking views of the imposing snow capped Mt Ruapehu, and also the one I climbed, Mt Ngaurahoe. Being about 1200m above sea level along the road, the flatlands surrounding us were used in the lord of the rings film. To make the scenes more realistic they invited the military to take part and use real violence. Apparently there were more injuries during this filming, compared to the NZ military in WW2, although I doubt this is true.
After pulling up for a photo stop en route for the mountains, we sharply dropped down to the great lake Taupo, one of the five super volcanoes in the world before beginning our drive around the mass of water larger than Singapore. We arrived into Taupo just after 2 in the end and after checking into the hostel, this time urban retreat, I headed straight out to look round the decent town. First stop was the local i site to get a little information as my plan for the afternoon was to go to the natural hotpools.
When finally working out which way to go I walked up the appropriately named Spa road before turning off into the park passed the bungy site. When finally reaching the hot pools I soon realised that hot meant warmer than cold as they really weren't bubbling like I expected. It was a nice walk round the surroundings area through the forested park. After a short walk round the area I headed down to the lakefront to watch the sunset as time was getting on by now, getting there just in time for a cracking sunset.
It was then back to the hostel where I had dinner which today was chilli con carne with tortillas. When checking in I was given the option of paying extra to have a catered dinner, which when thinking about was probably cheaper than me buying a tin of chilli! And I got proper beef mince in this one. After dinner I went out to find a few geocaches, without much success although I found 5 after walking round the marina area.
Come evening I settled down in burger king, passing the mcdonalds plane which I love! Using the free WiFi I was in here for a while with my refill cup. After eventually finishing up in here it was straight back to the hostel, although I quickly checked out the hole in one challenge on the lakefront where people were hitting balls into the lake trying to get a hole in one! When finally getting back to the hostel, most of my room were asleep, probably because most of them were doing the crossing tomorrow.
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
April 21st... From Paraparaumu to Wellington
With a double bed once again to sleep in last night, I woke up around about 8ish again. It's probably good this is my last night in something so much like home so I don't get used to it before going back to a dorm room tonight. When getting out of bed I was spoilt to bacon sandwiches which put me even more at home. The one thing my diet probably lacks out here is meat and vegetables, and I have been treated to these the last couple of days everywhere. I felt so spoilt!
With no rush to get back to Wellington this morning as my bus didn't leave until tomorrow, I had a pretty relaxing morning, other than the cat going missing! I hear its all fine now though! The buses only leave five times a week a now which means when I hop off places I need to be careful. It was nice to dish out the photo albums this morning as well which even included some old photos of me!
Before long it was time for lunch which today was chicken salad sandwiches followed by orders to finish off the plate of cake. I didn't need asking twice! Due to the fact I had nothing planned for Wellington I hung around in Paraparaumu to meet Melvas side of the family who were coming down. It was nice to meet the clan as my Dad calls them after hearing so much! I couldn't resist showing my bungy video either, although the more I watch it, the more I find my 'jump' off more pathetic!
Come afternoon I thought it would finally be wise for me to make a move as the bus journey back Wellington was over an hour. Before going to the station I was shown the shopping mall which was a lovely way to end my time in Paraparaumu, finding out more about this controversial express way going right through the centre in the process. From here it was over to the train station where we waited for my bus to come.
Before long the bus arrived and I said my goodbyes. Thank you Tom and Melva for having me, I really enjoyed myself. It was so nice to finally meet you after all the dramas along the way! In the end the bus left at around half 3, and I soon found out it was the express bus which made the journey quick seeing as we didn't have to keep driving off the motorway. I was into Wellington by around half 4 in the end and after getting off the bus and finally getting some free WiFi thanks the cbdfree scheme I walked along the harbour edge to the hostel.
It was nice seeing some familiar sights on what a really warm and sunny afternoon before arriving at the hostel. After checking in and paying Easter prices which base had sneakily implied, I headed back into Wellington just to take in the sights for one last time, as it gets dark before 6 now! I simply walked round the shops in the end, taking in Cuba Street for the water thing and then round the main high street to the parliament buildings before checking out the old St Pauls just as it was getting dark. It was a shame however as it was closed when I arrived so I could only look at the outside.
In the end I arrived back where I started at the railway station, although I headed back to the hostel via the shops instead of the harbour this time, passing the civic centre and doing a big loop round the back in order to arrive at dominoes. I think you can guess what happened next! I had a bangers and beef with chips for dinner, heading out to the supermarket after for a few supplies for tomorrow. I even got a $1 l&p!
By now it was completely dark so I decided to finish my time in Wellington with a walk round to Oriental Bay on the more residential part of the harbour, also home to a sandy beach. It was here I got an amazing view of the cities night time skyline which included all these illuminated lights in various colours. I even got to try some Whittakers chocolate here which was really nice!
When finishing relaxing on the harbour side I headed straight back to the hostel, finally meeting a sizable group of Americans for once in my room. They were all studying a semester in NZ instead of studying back home, something for me to think about in the future perhaps? They had come from Dunedin as well! When laying in bed after a good chat with them about uni I fell asleep really quickly for some reason. I must have been tired!
With no rush to get back to Wellington this morning as my bus didn't leave until tomorrow, I had a pretty relaxing morning, other than the cat going missing! I hear its all fine now though! The buses only leave five times a week a now which means when I hop off places I need to be careful. It was nice to dish out the photo albums this morning as well which even included some old photos of me!
Before long it was time for lunch which today was chicken salad sandwiches followed by orders to finish off the plate of cake. I didn't need asking twice! Due to the fact I had nothing planned for Wellington I hung around in Paraparaumu to meet Melvas side of the family who were coming down. It was nice to meet the clan as my Dad calls them after hearing so much! I couldn't resist showing my bungy video either, although the more I watch it, the more I find my 'jump' off more pathetic!
Come afternoon I thought it would finally be wise for me to make a move as the bus journey back Wellington was over an hour. Before going to the station I was shown the shopping mall which was a lovely way to end my time in Paraparaumu, finding out more about this controversial express way going right through the centre in the process. From here it was over to the train station where we waited for my bus to come.
Before long the bus arrived and I said my goodbyes. Thank you Tom and Melva for having me, I really enjoyed myself. It was so nice to finally meet you after all the dramas along the way! In the end the bus left at around half 3, and I soon found out it was the express bus which made the journey quick seeing as we didn't have to keep driving off the motorway. I was into Wellington by around half 4 in the end and after getting off the bus and finally getting some free WiFi thanks the cbdfree scheme I walked along the harbour edge to the hostel.
It was nice seeing some familiar sights on what a really warm and sunny afternoon before arriving at the hostel. After checking in and paying Easter prices which base had sneakily implied, I headed back into Wellington just to take in the sights for one last time, as it gets dark before 6 now! I simply walked round the shops in the end, taking in Cuba Street for the water thing and then round the main high street to the parliament buildings before checking out the old St Pauls just as it was getting dark. It was a shame however as it was closed when I arrived so I could only look at the outside.
In the end I arrived back where I started at the railway station, although I headed back to the hostel via the shops instead of the harbour this time, passing the civic centre and doing a big loop round the back in order to arrive at dominoes. I think you can guess what happened next! I had a bangers and beef with chips for dinner, heading out to the supermarket after for a few supplies for tomorrow. I even got a $1 l&p!
By now it was completely dark so I decided to finish my time in Wellington with a walk round to Oriental Bay on the more residential part of the harbour, also home to a sandy beach. It was here I got an amazing view of the cities night time skyline which included all these illuminated lights in various colours. I even got to try some Whittakers chocolate here which was really nice!
When finishing relaxing on the harbour side I headed straight back to the hostel, finally meeting a sizable group of Americans for once in my room. They were all studying a semester in NZ instead of studying back home, something for me to think about in the future perhaps? They had come from Dunedin as well! When laying in bed after a good chat with them about uni I fell asleep really quickly for some reason. I must have been tired!
April 20th... Paraparaumu
It was nice to have a lie in this morning aided by the fact I had a whole double bed to myself. I think I basically slept in it sideways in the end! After spending a while just relaxing in bed I picked up on another dull football result, although I at least knew we hadn't lost as my phone stayed silent all night. It was then onto a quick shower which easily beats what's on offer at the hostel, before finally settling down for breakfast!
It was all pretty relaxing this morning having a nice chats about everything and looking at various things. I couldn't resist showing my bungy video either which went down well I think! It was also very interesting to hear about all the genealogy research into the family, something which I have always wanted to do but have never really had the motivation to really go into any depth.
After an interesting morning we went out for a walk round the surprisingly large retirement village which included this massive leisure complex. With a swimming pool, darts room, pool table and an outdoor bowling green amongst the things on offer, I would have been in my element. After looking round here it was off for a walk along this small forest walk which ran next to this lake. There were lots of allotments and interesting plants along here, even seeing an grapefruit tree amongst other things!
After returning home, the next thing we did was go for a drive round Paraparaumu where I was shown many of the sights round the place. First stop was this lookout up a hill where I got a 360 view of the nearby area, including Kapiti Island which I was tempted to visit but opted against because it is strictly only 86 people a day. The island is home to many of NZs protected bird species as it is free from predators. We also saw this new housing development up top which were all these bungalows. Apparently the town is growing at a rapid rate.
After getting back into the car and passing all the newly built houses, each one completely unique to another, we continued our drive right down to the coastline although the sea was a little rough. Whilst here we stopped off a couple of times to take in the views before stopping off at the beachfront shopping area which was only small for a lunch of fish and chips. It was a proper piece of fish and nice way to finish the morning.
Having a quick look round the shops which were dominated by cafes open on this Easter Sunday, we drove over to the other side of town, this time to check out the river. After crossing this swing bridge we were going to walk right down to the estuary although the heavens just opened so we turned around and came straight back. From here we therefore drove just out of town to the Southward Car Museum, passing construction work for this expressway being built right through the middle of Paraparaumu.
Upon arrival at the museum it was gleaming sun once again although whilst inside the heaven's just opened! Spread over three floors, this museum showcased many old cars, planes, bikes and other quirky little things in-between. Among the highlights included this futuristic white pod, this weird dog thing, and what I think was a plane from the war. There was so much to see from all over the world, and after finishing we went to the cafe where we had an ice cream before leaving after a pretty full on day, going via a country housing estate on the way home, also getting a glimpse of this new express way to be built.
When returning home on what was a brilliant day exploring the town, I just relaxed, aided by the fact I had computer access! Before long it was time for dinner which this evening was fillet steak with mash and vegetables, followed by the amazing pavlova for dessert! This was them followed by these homemade sponge cake things, and by this point I couldn't help but think I was being spoilt! The evening was then spent watching tv which was all UK based for a change, before eventually heading to bed after watching a show about deaths in the tower of London!
It was all pretty relaxing this morning having a nice chats about everything and looking at various things. I couldn't resist showing my bungy video either which went down well I think! It was also very interesting to hear about all the genealogy research into the family, something which I have always wanted to do but have never really had the motivation to really go into any depth.
After an interesting morning we went out for a walk round the surprisingly large retirement village which included this massive leisure complex. With a swimming pool, darts room, pool table and an outdoor bowling green amongst the things on offer, I would have been in my element. After looking round here it was off for a walk along this small forest walk which ran next to this lake. There were lots of allotments and interesting plants along here, even seeing an grapefruit tree amongst other things!
After returning home, the next thing we did was go for a drive round Paraparaumu where I was shown many of the sights round the place. First stop was this lookout up a hill where I got a 360 view of the nearby area, including Kapiti Island which I was tempted to visit but opted against because it is strictly only 86 people a day. The island is home to many of NZs protected bird species as it is free from predators. We also saw this new housing development up top which were all these bungalows. Apparently the town is growing at a rapid rate.
After getting back into the car and passing all the newly built houses, each one completely unique to another, we continued our drive right down to the coastline although the sea was a little rough. Whilst here we stopped off a couple of times to take in the views before stopping off at the beachfront shopping area which was only small for a lunch of fish and chips. It was a proper piece of fish and nice way to finish the morning.
Having a quick look round the shops which were dominated by cafes open on this Easter Sunday, we drove over to the other side of town, this time to check out the river. After crossing this swing bridge we were going to walk right down to the estuary although the heavens just opened so we turned around and came straight back. From here we therefore drove just out of town to the Southward Car Museum, passing construction work for this expressway being built right through the middle of Paraparaumu.
Upon arrival at the museum it was gleaming sun once again although whilst inside the heaven's just opened! Spread over three floors, this museum showcased many old cars, planes, bikes and other quirky little things in-between. Among the highlights included this futuristic white pod, this weird dog thing, and what I think was a plane from the war. There was so much to see from all over the world, and after finishing we went to the cafe where we had an ice cream before leaving after a pretty full on day, going via a country housing estate on the way home, also getting a glimpse of this new express way to be built.
When returning home on what was a brilliant day exploring the town, I just relaxed, aided by the fact I had computer access! Before long it was time for dinner which this evening was fillet steak with mash and vegetables, followed by the amazing pavlova for dessert! This was them followed by these homemade sponge cake things, and by this point I couldn't help but think I was being spoilt! The evening was then spent watching tv which was all UK based for a change, before eventually heading to bed after watching a show about deaths in the tower of London!
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
April 19th... From Kaikoura to Paraparaumu
By the off chance I woke up at 6am this morning, and after checking my phone to see I had a signal at last I bounced straight out of bed. Heading down to the supermarket I hoped to finally get an internet connection to let everyone know I was ok although it was just my luck it didn't work. Apparently they only have the WiFi active during the stores opening hours. Despite the disappointment the fact I was on the east coast and on the beach worked my in my favour as I witnessed the most amazing sunrise.
After spending a fair while down the beach I headed back to the hostel, finally being able to see the Kaikoura ranges which I am sure have gained a heck of a lot of snow since I last saw them! With an 8am departure this morning I was ready bright and early in what I thought was a strict departure time. After waiting a while after this time we soon found out that whilst getting the bus out one of the drivers had got their bus stuck in the mud. I say drivers because there was now effectively two buses heading north as we didn't leave yesterday. Luckily it wasn't my bus that got stuck and by half 8 we were finally on the road out of Kaikoura after 4 unexpected nights here.
Driving along the dramatic Kaikoura coastline through manmade tunnels and at times just metres from the sea and imposing cliffs next to us, we made swift progress. The sea was slightly rough however, although it was a viewpoint slightly after the rocky coastline where we made our first stop of the day at Ohau Point to see the seal colony which was teeming with seal pups. With the majority of these small seals squealing and playing in the rock pools below, we were lucky enough to see some up close which had climbed up the bank beside the road.
Further along the coastal road we began to see the aftermath of what all the fuss was about yesterday. The area where there was a landslip had been cleared luckily although the railway line which runs next to the road was still buried. There were these 4wd vehicles on the train track clearing the area though. There were some parts of the road still flooded however which slowed down the traffic although our bus had no problems getting through.
It wasn't until our next stop at the Flaxbourne services until the road finally got properly cleared. It was here we had our breakfast stop, although as usual I had breakfast prior. It was fascinating reading the front page of the paper though which said the west coast came worse off than me with building damage and loss of power all together! We had a fair stop here in the end and it wasn't long before we reached the town of Blenheim where we dropped off the people just doing the south island. The fact these people got stranded in Kaikoura means they couldn't do Kaiteriteri.
By now the bus was practically empty and it was simply one last push to Picton for the ferry from here. We arrived by around 12 in the end and here I finally got some WiFi access to check out what I missed. To be honest there wasn't really much to catch up on! After checking my bag in it was just a waiting game for boarding on the ferry to begin, which took a while, not boarding until half 1. With a 2pm departure it was nice to get a look at the south island for the final time as we slowly sailed through all the islands making up the Marlborough Sound at the northernmost tip of the island.
Taking a seat by the window, I got fish and chips for lunch although you could tell they had just got stuff out a frozen packet. Being productive during the three hour journey I spent the first part writing postcards and sorting out my folder which took me up to the Cook Strait where the sailing got a little rockier. As it felt a little funny by this point I just went out on deck to see the south island fade away and north island emerge. It was frustrating however as the ferry crew did a fire drill and they kept encouraging passengers to play an active role in the drill when all I wanted to do was relax.
The rest of the ferry journey went pretty quickly, sitting inside before going out on deck to take in the surroundings as we entered Wellington harbour. In the end we arrived into Wellington just after 5 and after collecting my luggage from the conveyer belt I left the terminal and walked into the city instead of taking the kiwi bus. This was because the kiwi bus would have taken me to the hostel near Courtenay Place when I wanted the railway station the other end close to the ferry terminal. It was only a ten minute walk or so and it was nice to see things like the harbour views and stadium whilst walking in.
The plan for the evening was to go to Paraparaumu along the Kapiti Coast to visit some family friends I haven't seen I was five years old! Due to railway improvements I had to take a bus here instead of the train, and after a trip to the new world I boarded the bus although there was all sorts of confusion as they had express buses and stopping buses. It didn't really make much difference to be honest, driving through the darkness. It was pretty difficult however knowing where I was however as the driver didn't shout out stops, although luckily I got off at the right stop!
A short while after arriving into the principal town of the Kapiti Coast, I arrived to be greeted at the front door by Melva who I am staying with having not seen since a very small child. It was nice to have a good chat as this was one of the things I have been looking forward too, and a short while after arriving I got an unexpected roast dinner, followed by the most amazing pavlova. Many people know I like my desserts! From here it was all a pretty relaxing evening, meeting Tom who once again I haven't seen since being a young child. It was also nice to have a Skype session amongst things this evening, before eventually settling down in a double bed. I was well and truly at home by this point in what felt like pure luxury!
After spending a fair while down the beach I headed back to the hostel, finally being able to see the Kaikoura ranges which I am sure have gained a heck of a lot of snow since I last saw them! With an 8am departure this morning I was ready bright and early in what I thought was a strict departure time. After waiting a while after this time we soon found out that whilst getting the bus out one of the drivers had got their bus stuck in the mud. I say drivers because there was now effectively two buses heading north as we didn't leave yesterday. Luckily it wasn't my bus that got stuck and by half 8 we were finally on the road out of Kaikoura after 4 unexpected nights here.
Driving along the dramatic Kaikoura coastline through manmade tunnels and at times just metres from the sea and imposing cliffs next to us, we made swift progress. The sea was slightly rough however, although it was a viewpoint slightly after the rocky coastline where we made our first stop of the day at Ohau Point to see the seal colony which was teeming with seal pups. With the majority of these small seals squealing and playing in the rock pools below, we were lucky enough to see some up close which had climbed up the bank beside the road.
Further along the coastal road we began to see the aftermath of what all the fuss was about yesterday. The area where there was a landslip had been cleared luckily although the railway line which runs next to the road was still buried. There were these 4wd vehicles on the train track clearing the area though. There were some parts of the road still flooded however which slowed down the traffic although our bus had no problems getting through.
It wasn't until our next stop at the Flaxbourne services until the road finally got properly cleared. It was here we had our breakfast stop, although as usual I had breakfast prior. It was fascinating reading the front page of the paper though which said the west coast came worse off than me with building damage and loss of power all together! We had a fair stop here in the end and it wasn't long before we reached the town of Blenheim where we dropped off the people just doing the south island. The fact these people got stranded in Kaikoura means they couldn't do Kaiteriteri.
By now the bus was practically empty and it was simply one last push to Picton for the ferry from here. We arrived by around 12 in the end and here I finally got some WiFi access to check out what I missed. To be honest there wasn't really much to catch up on! After checking my bag in it was just a waiting game for boarding on the ferry to begin, which took a while, not boarding until half 1. With a 2pm departure it was nice to get a look at the south island for the final time as we slowly sailed through all the islands making up the Marlborough Sound at the northernmost tip of the island.
Taking a seat by the window, I got fish and chips for lunch although you could tell they had just got stuff out a frozen packet. Being productive during the three hour journey I spent the first part writing postcards and sorting out my folder which took me up to the Cook Strait where the sailing got a little rockier. As it felt a little funny by this point I just went out on deck to see the south island fade away and north island emerge. It was frustrating however as the ferry crew did a fire drill and they kept encouraging passengers to play an active role in the drill when all I wanted to do was relax.
The rest of the ferry journey went pretty quickly, sitting inside before going out on deck to take in the surroundings as we entered Wellington harbour. In the end we arrived into Wellington just after 5 and after collecting my luggage from the conveyer belt I left the terminal and walked into the city instead of taking the kiwi bus. This was because the kiwi bus would have taken me to the hostel near Courtenay Place when I wanted the railway station the other end close to the ferry terminal. It was only a ten minute walk or so and it was nice to see things like the harbour views and stadium whilst walking in.
The plan for the evening was to go to Paraparaumu along the Kapiti Coast to visit some family friends I haven't seen I was five years old! Due to railway improvements I had to take a bus here instead of the train, and after a trip to the new world I boarded the bus although there was all sorts of confusion as they had express buses and stopping buses. It didn't really make much difference to be honest, driving through the darkness. It was pretty difficult however knowing where I was however as the driver didn't shout out stops, although luckily I got off at the right stop!
A short while after arriving into the principal town of the Kapiti Coast, I arrived to be greeted at the front door by Melva who I am staying with having not seen since a very small child. It was nice to have a good chat as this was one of the things I have been looking forward too, and a short while after arriving I got an unexpected roast dinner, followed by the most amazing pavlova. Many people know I like my desserts! From here it was all a pretty relaxing evening, meeting Tom who once again I haven't seen since being a young child. It was also nice to have a Skype session amongst things this evening, before eventually settling down in a double bed. I was well and truly at home by this point in what felt like pure luxury!
April 18th... Kaikoura yet again
After a good nights sleep I was optimistic this morning that we would have a nice and relaxing day which included my sailing back over to Wellington. Getting up bright and early the morning was simply spent in the common room catching up on various things before heading back to my room to pack. In terms of weather this morning is was pretty moderate with just drizzle, a good sign after some of yesterdays ferry's were cancelled due to the weather.
Come 8.45 I was all ready to leave, although there was a bad sign as the stray bus driver, the rival company, came in and told all his passengers that he would not be driving today as the road was closed! By this time I got a little worried and everyone soon realised after this that yesterdays storm had cut out all phone lines and internet connections, meaning we had no idea what going on.
In the end my bus driver arrived around half an hour late and told us that he was going to wing it, although when coming inside to pick up the three of us staying in the Lazy Shag he bumped into the stray driver and his attitude soon changed. Instead of telling us our bus was cancelled however, he went with the stray driver in our hostel owners car to see what was going on. God knows what he did with the bus though as it had a coach load of people onboard!
With little other to do than wait for the driver, as he told us to stay put in case we could go, we just sat and waited in the lounge area. It was nice talking to this couple who are going to the world cup as the next part of their travels! In the end we hung around waiting ages for our driver to return, although they eventually did where he told us there was no way of leaving Kaikoura due to a landslip along the coastal stretch of road. This was really frustrating as I had plans for the evening and with no forms of communication I immediately knew it would worry a few people later.
After checking back into the hostel which the owner was really nice about giving me a discounted rate and no key deposit, I had little else to do other than go downstairs and watch a film. I timed it just right going down catching the tail end of monsters inc, before watching this film called Poolhall Junkie or something. It was basically about some guy who gambled at pool. When finishing the film and returning upstairs I found out that the road had reopened and that the stray bus was leaving, although as it was gone 3 by this time the kiwi bus decided to wait until tomorrow. As far as I was concerned a night in bed was better than a midnight ferry departure and a bus ride by this time!
With little else to do I got so bored I turned to do my laundry, which was a smooth process for once. It was nice talking to some of the locals whilst inside the public launderette. Whilst doing the laundry I headed up to the supermarket which was for the second time today to try and get WiFi, although all communications were still down which was frustrating.
Once finishing the laundry I headed back to the tv room to watch another film, this time Shaun of the Dead which was actually a pretty good film. By the time this finished I went into town for a drink to try and end a pretty rotten couple of days, although to top things off I found out that good Friday in NZ means they cannot open. When arriving into town the whole place was pretty much a ghost town as all the atms were down, most shops were closed, and takeaways were shutting early as their eftpos didn't work.
Instead I went to a takeaway where I had a breakfast burger and chips for dinner, although many people had no cash which meant they were going hungry. Some people even failed to get accommodation meaning they had to sleep on the streets. My hostel owner was pretty nice though because due to the fact she had my yesterdays bus load of people here, and also another bus load of people today, she let people sleep in the tv room with their sleeping bags. Apparently these were scenes reminiscent of the earthquake!
When finally returning to the hostel there was yet more rain, although I ended up watching another film. I was optimistic I would get some form of communication back by this point but was without luck when finally getting to bed. Our driver put posters up round the hostel saying we have an 8am departure tomorrow, although it maybe 6am so tomorrow could be interesting!
Come 8.45 I was all ready to leave, although there was a bad sign as the stray bus driver, the rival company, came in and told all his passengers that he would not be driving today as the road was closed! By this time I got a little worried and everyone soon realised after this that yesterdays storm had cut out all phone lines and internet connections, meaning we had no idea what going on.
In the end my bus driver arrived around half an hour late and told us that he was going to wing it, although when coming inside to pick up the three of us staying in the Lazy Shag he bumped into the stray driver and his attitude soon changed. Instead of telling us our bus was cancelled however, he went with the stray driver in our hostel owners car to see what was going on. God knows what he did with the bus though as it had a coach load of people onboard!
With little other to do than wait for the driver, as he told us to stay put in case we could go, we just sat and waited in the lounge area. It was nice talking to this couple who are going to the world cup as the next part of their travels! In the end we hung around waiting ages for our driver to return, although they eventually did where he told us there was no way of leaving Kaikoura due to a landslip along the coastal stretch of road. This was really frustrating as I had plans for the evening and with no forms of communication I immediately knew it would worry a few people later.
After checking back into the hostel which the owner was really nice about giving me a discounted rate and no key deposit, I had little else to do other than go downstairs and watch a film. I timed it just right going down catching the tail end of monsters inc, before watching this film called Poolhall Junkie or something. It was basically about some guy who gambled at pool. When finishing the film and returning upstairs I found out that the road had reopened and that the stray bus was leaving, although as it was gone 3 by this time the kiwi bus decided to wait until tomorrow. As far as I was concerned a night in bed was better than a midnight ferry departure and a bus ride by this time!
With little else to do I got so bored I turned to do my laundry, which was a smooth process for once. It was nice talking to some of the locals whilst inside the public launderette. Whilst doing the laundry I headed up to the supermarket which was for the second time today to try and get WiFi, although all communications were still down which was frustrating.
Once finishing the laundry I headed back to the tv room to watch another film, this time Shaun of the Dead which was actually a pretty good film. By the time this finished I went into town for a drink to try and end a pretty rotten couple of days, although to top things off I found out that good Friday in NZ means they cannot open. When arriving into town the whole place was pretty much a ghost town as all the atms were down, most shops were closed, and takeaways were shutting early as their eftpos didn't work.
Instead I went to a takeaway where I had a breakfast burger and chips for dinner, although many people had no cash which meant they were going hungry. Some people even failed to get accommodation meaning they had to sleep on the streets. My hostel owner was pretty nice though because due to the fact she had my yesterdays bus load of people here, and also another bus load of people today, she let people sleep in the tv room with their sleeping bags. Apparently these were scenes reminiscent of the earthquake!
When finally returning to the hostel there was yet more rain, although I ended up watching another film. I was optimistic I would get some form of communication back by this point but was without luck when finally getting to bed. Our driver put posters up round the hostel saying we have an 8am departure tomorrow, although it maybe 6am so tomorrow could be interesting!
Monday, 21 April 2014
April 17th... Kaikoura again
I woke up bright and early this morning, the plan being to do a walk up Mount Fyffe which was a summit in the Kaikoura Ranges at around 1600m high. It was all a little chaotic when my alarm went off however as my phone had disappeared, although I soon traced the alarm sound to the side of my bed. When going outside to check out the conditions however I just took one look and turned around back to the bed. The weather was horrendous.
Waking back up again at around half 8, the rain was still pretty bad which put me in an awkward position as I had revolved my time in Kaikoura around the decent hikes that were on offer. To be honest though all tours were cancelled yesterday, and the case was the same today which meant I was forced to have a lazy in the hostel. I had been looking forward to climbing Mount Fyffe as well, being a summit I would have reached literally from sea level. When I could actually see the mountain ranges it even had traces of snow up top!
After having some kind of lie in I ended up emerging and having a quick shower, before having breakfast which I had luckily purchased yesterday at around 10 in the end. My problem however was the fact I had only bought food up to lunchtime today. One of the highlights of the hostel however was the tv which had a hard drive with 1000s of movies and stuff on, quite literally. With most people asleep I had control of this and I ended up watching family guy whilst eating my breakfast of french stick, crisps and a sugar bun.
After watching a few episodes, I headed back to the room, bearing in mind I had to trek through the pouring rain and muddy grass to get between the two. There really wasn't much to do in the hostel other than relax in bed or watch tv, the only other thing to do being board games. I ended up just relaxing in bed right up until lunchtime, although I wasn't the only one in my dorm as other people were in the same position. I didn't mind having a relaxing day, although I did find it frustrating that I was in New Zealand and all I could do was do nothing all day due to the horrendous weather.
Come the afternoon I headed back to the tv room with the two other people from kiwi experience in the hostel. We stayed at a different hostel because we decided to spend more than one night in Kaikoura. Perhaps the most productive thing I did all day was watch a lord of the rings film, although it was second one as the first one was missing a section on the hard drive. Some of the scenery seemed familiar, although I couldn't pick out any locations I have been to other than perhaps the Tongariro National Park. I had my lunch here as well which was the same as breakfast.
After finishing the film word had got round about the ferry and how there had been cancellations due to the weather today. Luckily one of my fellow kiwi experience rang the office and they said everything would be fine and they were in fact just delayed. It didn't seem promising however with the forecast being worse for tomorrow. It was bad enough when leaving the tv room heading back up the driveway which had a running waterfall due to the wind and rain.
With not much else to do other than lay in bed in my room, it soon became dark and still the rain kept coming down. With just three people including me in my room we joked about how we thought we had left this at home. It later became time however to head out to the supermarket to get dinner, and after getting a supposed a lighter patch of rain I headed out for supplies. It was nice when arriving to get a WiFi connection although whilst in store the lights went out a couple of times. I ended up spending a while here on the WiFi as the rain was pretty bad outside.
After eventually heading back to the hostel I cracked straight on with dinner which this evening was pie and baked beans, with a couple of kit kats for afterwards. I am trying to make the most of the kit kat chunky mint 3 bar while I'm here, smooth, crunchy, gooey! With the rain not easing up all evening I opted to spend my evening in bed, with little else to do. It wasn't long however with the limited options of amusement before I fell asleep ready for my trip back to the north island tomorrow.
Waking back up again at around half 8, the rain was still pretty bad which put me in an awkward position as I had revolved my time in Kaikoura around the decent hikes that were on offer. To be honest though all tours were cancelled yesterday, and the case was the same today which meant I was forced to have a lazy in the hostel. I had been looking forward to climbing Mount Fyffe as well, being a summit I would have reached literally from sea level. When I could actually see the mountain ranges it even had traces of snow up top!
After having some kind of lie in I ended up emerging and having a quick shower, before having breakfast which I had luckily purchased yesterday at around 10 in the end. My problem however was the fact I had only bought food up to lunchtime today. One of the highlights of the hostel however was the tv which had a hard drive with 1000s of movies and stuff on, quite literally. With most people asleep I had control of this and I ended up watching family guy whilst eating my breakfast of french stick, crisps and a sugar bun.
After watching a few episodes, I headed back to the room, bearing in mind I had to trek through the pouring rain and muddy grass to get between the two. There really wasn't much to do in the hostel other than relax in bed or watch tv, the only other thing to do being board games. I ended up just relaxing in bed right up until lunchtime, although I wasn't the only one in my dorm as other people were in the same position. I didn't mind having a relaxing day, although I did find it frustrating that I was in New Zealand and all I could do was do nothing all day due to the horrendous weather.
Come the afternoon I headed back to the tv room with the two other people from kiwi experience in the hostel. We stayed at a different hostel because we decided to spend more than one night in Kaikoura. Perhaps the most productive thing I did all day was watch a lord of the rings film, although it was second one as the first one was missing a section on the hard drive. Some of the scenery seemed familiar, although I couldn't pick out any locations I have been to other than perhaps the Tongariro National Park. I had my lunch here as well which was the same as breakfast.
After finishing the film word had got round about the ferry and how there had been cancellations due to the weather today. Luckily one of my fellow kiwi experience rang the office and they said everything would be fine and they were in fact just delayed. It didn't seem promising however with the forecast being worse for tomorrow. It was bad enough when leaving the tv room heading back up the driveway which had a running waterfall due to the wind and rain.
With not much else to do other than lay in bed in my room, it soon became dark and still the rain kept coming down. With just three people including me in my room we joked about how we thought we had left this at home. It later became time however to head out to the supermarket to get dinner, and after getting a supposed a lighter patch of rain I headed out for supplies. It was nice when arriving to get a WiFi connection although whilst in store the lights went out a couple of times. I ended up spending a while here on the WiFi as the rain was pretty bad outside.
After eventually heading back to the hostel I cracked straight on with dinner which this evening was pie and baked beans, with a couple of kit kats for afterwards. I am trying to make the most of the kit kat chunky mint 3 bar while I'm here, smooth, crunchy, gooey! With the rain not easing up all evening I opted to spend my evening in bed, with little else to do. It wasn't long however with the limited options of amusement before I fell asleep ready for my trip back to the north island tomorrow.
April 16th... Kaikoura
With little more planned than a walk round the Kaikoura peninsula this morning, I was up bright and early for no reason. This was mainly because the two Germans in my room had got up really early and did what felt like a constant rustling of bags which was really frustrating. With no reason to set out early for my walk which I was tying in with geocaching, the morning was spent doing various bits and bobs, most importantly planning my geocache route.
With a nice and sunny day once again I headed out into town where I had a series of caches in and around the streets of Kaikoura. Heading through the main shopping street to begin with, I got beach views once again before returning again to the whale bone walkway. From here it was into the more residential areas of Kaikoura, where all the streets seemed to be named after places from southern England! After heading as far as yet another housing development where they were selling patches of land, it was back down to the seafront, six caches in all for the morning.
I then begun my walk along the seafront so I could complete the scenic walk round the peninsula. It was primarily road walking for the start of the walk, passing the aquarium en route before heading round the corner to Fyffe House. The oldest surviving building in Kaikoura, this small cottage was home to the first European during Kaikouras whaling days. It is built on the rib of a whale and nowadays is a museum detailing the history of this controversial industry.
After detouring off the peninsula walkway to find a cache up a hill, which involved going through this field of cows which were scared of me, I took in the impressive coastal views up top. It was then back down to the road where I reached a car park full of people with cameras. I soon realised this was the local seal colony location and I had a free way of seeing them here! Despite previously seeing these creatures, this is the first time I have been so close and it was surprising just how big they were! Like the sea lions, they were pretty lazy, although at one point I accidentally nearly touched one when going round the corner and it just being there!
Spending a fair while at the seal colony, which were on these flat rocks which went a long way out to sea, I started heading up this path to the now cliff top as the road had finally ended. On a clear day apparently you can see the north island from up top, although it was a little overcast, not even being able to see the Kaikoura Ranges! From up here there was a high amount of bird life, although I don't have the knowledge to name what I saw. They were probably seagulls. The walk got pretty decent from here along the windy cliff edge, finding yet more caches along the way which took me up and down the cliffs at various points.
The next significant point I reached after heading more inland through fields was this lookout over the other side of Kaikoura down towards South Bay. It was starting to get drizzly at this point although I just about made out the outline of the coastline heading southwards. From the lookout the path began to sharply go downwards where I got my last couple of finds in South Bay, the streets here all being named after birds of New Zealand.
My final cluster of finds took me into the central part of the peninsula which was quite a way from the hostel and with the rain getting slightly more threatening it worried me slightly. After reaching the road which went up to the lookout we visited yesterday, I effectively headed up and over the hill eventually coming out to the coastal road I had been on in the morning. This signalled the end of my day, where I headed back to the hostel, stopping off at the four square en route for a very late lunch. In the end I got away with the weather as I only got drizzle.
Relaxing in the hostel room for a while, the light drizzle soon became heavy rain, although I soon realised I would have to go out as I had no food left. After seeing one of the people in my room come back from work like a drowned rat, I delayed it for as long as possible although I eventually got pretty hungry which meant I had to go out. In the end I managed to pick out a pretty moderate patch and completed the ten minute walk or so the new world where after getting food and free WiFi I headed back again. For dinner however I ended up having sausage and chips from the chip shop next door to my hostel which went down pretty well. After being soaked in the end from my trip to the supermarket, the evening was just spent in my hostel room as it wasn't worth going out again.
With a nice and sunny day once again I headed out into town where I had a series of caches in and around the streets of Kaikoura. Heading through the main shopping street to begin with, I got beach views once again before returning again to the whale bone walkway. From here it was into the more residential areas of Kaikoura, where all the streets seemed to be named after places from southern England! After heading as far as yet another housing development where they were selling patches of land, it was back down to the seafront, six caches in all for the morning.
I then begun my walk along the seafront so I could complete the scenic walk round the peninsula. It was primarily road walking for the start of the walk, passing the aquarium en route before heading round the corner to Fyffe House. The oldest surviving building in Kaikoura, this small cottage was home to the first European during Kaikouras whaling days. It is built on the rib of a whale and nowadays is a museum detailing the history of this controversial industry.
After detouring off the peninsula walkway to find a cache up a hill, which involved going through this field of cows which were scared of me, I took in the impressive coastal views up top. It was then back down to the road where I reached a car park full of people with cameras. I soon realised this was the local seal colony location and I had a free way of seeing them here! Despite previously seeing these creatures, this is the first time I have been so close and it was surprising just how big they were! Like the sea lions, they were pretty lazy, although at one point I accidentally nearly touched one when going round the corner and it just being there!
Spending a fair while at the seal colony, which were on these flat rocks which went a long way out to sea, I started heading up this path to the now cliff top as the road had finally ended. On a clear day apparently you can see the north island from up top, although it was a little overcast, not even being able to see the Kaikoura Ranges! From up here there was a high amount of bird life, although I don't have the knowledge to name what I saw. They were probably seagulls. The walk got pretty decent from here along the windy cliff edge, finding yet more caches along the way which took me up and down the cliffs at various points.
The next significant point I reached after heading more inland through fields was this lookout over the other side of Kaikoura down towards South Bay. It was starting to get drizzly at this point although I just about made out the outline of the coastline heading southwards. From the lookout the path began to sharply go downwards where I got my last couple of finds in South Bay, the streets here all being named after birds of New Zealand.
My final cluster of finds took me into the central part of the peninsula which was quite a way from the hostel and with the rain getting slightly more threatening it worried me slightly. After reaching the road which went up to the lookout we visited yesterday, I effectively headed up and over the hill eventually coming out to the coastal road I had been on in the morning. This signalled the end of my day, where I headed back to the hostel, stopping off at the four square en route for a very late lunch. In the end I got away with the weather as I only got drizzle.
Relaxing in the hostel room for a while, the light drizzle soon became heavy rain, although I soon realised I would have to go out as I had no food left. After seeing one of the people in my room come back from work like a drowned rat, I delayed it for as long as possible although I eventually got pretty hungry which meant I had to go out. In the end I managed to pick out a pretty moderate patch and completed the ten minute walk or so the new world where after getting food and free WiFi I headed back again. For dinner however I ended up having sausage and chips from the chip shop next door to my hostel which went down pretty well. After being soaked in the end from my trip to the supermarket, the evening was just spent in my hostel room as it wasn't worth going out again.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
April 15th... From Christchurch to Kaikoura
For some reason we had a mega early departure this morning, the bus leaving at 7.20 from outside the hostel. The driver yesterday said that this was to get to our next stop in Kaikoura nice and early for activities in the afternoon which was fair enough. After a quick shower and toast for breakfast the bus arrived bang on time and we made our way out of Christchurch, easier said than done! There were many hostel pick ups as there were a lot of people starting there bus pass from here, and there were also road works everywhere and at one point a normal road got to a dead end and we had to reverse for ages just to get back on track. We got onto the highway eventually though!
With another relatively cruisey day as many Kiwi people say, it was a pretty relaxing morning. Driving through the Canterbury Plains, our driver sent back what felt like an endless supply of clipboard of things ranging from Kaikoura activities to accommodation bookings to ferry bookings. This took us a good hour to complete on the once again half full coach and it was timed just right when arriving into our first stop of the day, Cheviot. With little more than a single street dotted with shops, cafes and houses, it was all a nice little stroll. I even treated myself to an egg and bacon sandwich here, arguably my favourite sandwich.
From here it was one last push into Kaikoura, arriving at 11 due to our slow departure out of Christchurch. I am staying 3 nights in Kaikoura because I couldn't do 2 nights here and 2 nights in Christchurch, so I chose to spend longer in Kaikoura. The buses all get very confusing! Before checking into my hostel, our driver took us up to the lookout over the small town and the views were pretty impressive seeing all the mountains in the Kaikoura ranges as well as the town and sea on both sides as Kaikoura has a peninsula attached to the mainland. After leaving the lookout, it was straight to the hostel called the Lazy Shag, which despite the name was actually a really cosy little place run by a very vocal Asian woman.
Little more than a small fishing town until recent years, Kaikoura is perhaps most famous for its abundance of wildlife with things like whales, dolphins, penguins, seals and albatross amongst the things living here. This brings with it lots of tourists with local operators running cruises and even flights to see these things. These didn't really appeal to me however as they were so expensive, although the one activity that caught my eye was the seal swimming, although it was cancelled apparently due to murky water. The other tour I was interested in was this fishing trip where you go fishing and catch lots of fish, then go back to the organisers house for a few beers, before staggering down the street with a bag full of fish to the local chippy to fry up and eat! This was also cancelled as it has shut down for the year which was a shame.
With not many other appealing options left to do Kaikoura, I headed into town to check out the shops and the beach which was covered in this grey sand. With a beautiful day I walked as far as this whale rib walkway which was pretty impressive, I headed back the same way via the i site to see if I had missed any potential things to do during my time here. The only other interactive thing that appealed to me on offer was a day trip llama trekking, although I soon lost interest when I heard the price. With just sightseeing trips on offer for mental prices, it appears I will be doing the two major hikes round Kaikoura in my two days here!
Heading back the hostel, my next stop of the day was the local new world which is my free WiFi hotspot for the duration of my stay in Kaikoura. Apparently this is newly built and despite being out of town has been a huge boost for the town. Walking back along the seafront to the hostel, I then opted to spend the afternoon geocaching. I decided to head more out of town however as there was a trail round the local farmland with a high density of caches.
Walking back along the main highway we drove in on, I walked all the way to the outer suburb of ocean ridge, finding 3 caches en route based in and around the coastal area. In terms of ocean ridge it was a new housing development although as with so many other areas they were selling by patch of land so people could build what they want. It is always nice seeing peoples idea of their dream home, as well as thinking how I would develop each piece of land which had such varying profiles.
I then headed up through the empty streets with land patches for sale to begin the short caching trail through farmland and up hills. Apparently Kaikoura has had a lot of rain recently which made the paths slightly wet and muddy, although I guess it is good to stuck straight in with my new trainers! In all I found all but one of the caches I hoped to find up on walking comparable to the UK countryside, although it started to drizzle by the end which signalled my time to head back to the hostel.
Arriving back by around 6ish, I just cracked straight on with dinner which this evening was steak casserole with rice which was nice and easy, mainly because this kitchen actually had pans! From here it was all a pretty relaxing evening, checking out the town briefly before heading back to the hostel to fulfil a promised Skype call. When finishing I just went to my room, although it wasn't all relaxing as the girl in my room dropped her shampoo out of the window which meant I kindly volunteered to go round the back to retrieve it!
With another relatively cruisey day as many Kiwi people say, it was a pretty relaxing morning. Driving through the Canterbury Plains, our driver sent back what felt like an endless supply of clipboard of things ranging from Kaikoura activities to accommodation bookings to ferry bookings. This took us a good hour to complete on the once again half full coach and it was timed just right when arriving into our first stop of the day, Cheviot. With little more than a single street dotted with shops, cafes and houses, it was all a nice little stroll. I even treated myself to an egg and bacon sandwich here, arguably my favourite sandwich.
From here it was one last push into Kaikoura, arriving at 11 due to our slow departure out of Christchurch. I am staying 3 nights in Kaikoura because I couldn't do 2 nights here and 2 nights in Christchurch, so I chose to spend longer in Kaikoura. The buses all get very confusing! Before checking into my hostel, our driver took us up to the lookout over the small town and the views were pretty impressive seeing all the mountains in the Kaikoura ranges as well as the town and sea on both sides as Kaikoura has a peninsula attached to the mainland. After leaving the lookout, it was straight to the hostel called the Lazy Shag, which despite the name was actually a really cosy little place run by a very vocal Asian woman.
Little more than a small fishing town until recent years, Kaikoura is perhaps most famous for its abundance of wildlife with things like whales, dolphins, penguins, seals and albatross amongst the things living here. This brings with it lots of tourists with local operators running cruises and even flights to see these things. These didn't really appeal to me however as they were so expensive, although the one activity that caught my eye was the seal swimming, although it was cancelled apparently due to murky water. The other tour I was interested in was this fishing trip where you go fishing and catch lots of fish, then go back to the organisers house for a few beers, before staggering down the street with a bag full of fish to the local chippy to fry up and eat! This was also cancelled as it has shut down for the year which was a shame.
With not many other appealing options left to do Kaikoura, I headed into town to check out the shops and the beach which was covered in this grey sand. With a beautiful day I walked as far as this whale rib walkway which was pretty impressive, I headed back the same way via the i site to see if I had missed any potential things to do during my time here. The only other interactive thing that appealed to me on offer was a day trip llama trekking, although I soon lost interest when I heard the price. With just sightseeing trips on offer for mental prices, it appears I will be doing the two major hikes round Kaikoura in my two days here!
Heading back the hostel, my next stop of the day was the local new world which is my free WiFi hotspot for the duration of my stay in Kaikoura. Apparently this is newly built and despite being out of town has been a huge boost for the town. Walking back along the seafront to the hostel, I then opted to spend the afternoon geocaching. I decided to head more out of town however as there was a trail round the local farmland with a high density of caches.
Walking back along the main highway we drove in on, I walked all the way to the outer suburb of ocean ridge, finding 3 caches en route based in and around the coastal area. In terms of ocean ridge it was a new housing development although as with so many other areas they were selling by patch of land so people could build what they want. It is always nice seeing peoples idea of their dream home, as well as thinking how I would develop each piece of land which had such varying profiles.
I then headed up through the empty streets with land patches for sale to begin the short caching trail through farmland and up hills. Apparently Kaikoura has had a lot of rain recently which made the paths slightly wet and muddy, although I guess it is good to stuck straight in with my new trainers! In all I found all but one of the caches I hoped to find up on walking comparable to the UK countryside, although it started to drizzle by the end which signalled my time to head back to the hostel.
Arriving back by around 6ish, I just cracked straight on with dinner which this evening was steak casserole with rice which was nice and easy, mainly because this kitchen actually had pans! From here it was all a pretty relaxing evening, checking out the town briefly before heading back to the hostel to fulfil a promised Skype call. When finishing I just went to my room, although it wasn't all relaxing as the girl in my room dropped her shampoo out of the window which meant I kindly volunteered to go round the back to retrieve it!
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
April 14th... From Lake Tekapo to Christchurch
I was up bright and early this morning despite a later bus departure, even emerging into the lounge area first. I don't know why I woke up so early but this gave me a free tv remote where I put on the NZ breakfast show, although all they were going on about what the royal tour and Paul Potts! Whilst relaxing and watching this morning show comparable to Daybreak I went between the kitchen every so often to do myself some toast for breakfast. Due to the fact I was up early I didn't want to wake everyone in my room up packing my bag which meant I packed as late as possible when they eventually emerged.
With a 9.30 departure this morning to our next stop in Christchurch, I found out I had a driver which I had earlier on my trip. He has done a lap of the south island and caught up with me! Driving out of Lake Tekapo bang on time, our first stop of the day was in Geraldine which was nothing exciting. With a few shops, cafes and a supermarket, this was simply described to as a breakfast stop by our driver. With just a short drive today we then continued straight on to Christchurch, driving through the many suburbs en route. So many place names we drove through on the way had the same names as British places which was funny.
By around 1 we arrived in Christchurch, passing the royals on our way in. The reason I know it was them was because a series of police cars passed us, then these posh cars with flags, followed finally by more police cars! When driving into Christchurch it looked pretty fine and I was just thinking what all the fuss was all about over the earthquake, although apparently it was the other side of the city which was worst affected. When checking into the hostel which was a chaotic check in, I headed straight out to look round the city. I'm only staying one night here as there are only five buses a week now which meant I couldn't spend two here.
Widely nicknamed the garden city due to its array of open spaces, Christchurch was devastated by an earthquake in 2011. When leaving my hostel I got my first taster of just how badly affected Christchurch has been from the earthquake. The CBD was amongst the most badly affected areas and to try and modernise the city much of this area is having the both damaged and even old buildings demolished and rebuilt. After passing the old war memorial which was cordoned off to repair and landscape the area, I worked my way through the streets covered in road works to the CBD to check out the many features.
First stop was the Re:Start Mall which is a shopping centre made out of shipping containers stacked on each other and painted all colourful. You could see the old main shopping centre here which is in the process of demolition, as well a new structure emerging behind the containers. The toilets here were even portaloos! Amongst the things here was a museum which explained the events leading up to the earthquake. I then continued round to the cathedral which was just a shell surrounded in boards. During the events of 2011 the historic spire collapsed, and as far as I can make out they are in the process of refurbishing this iconic city building.
One of the big emphasises put on by Christchurch is colour and there were so many little features like mosaics put on the building railings and temporary structures painted in bold colours. The cathedral even had a small house with a garden constructed around it. In addition to colour, whilst the rebuild takes place Christchurch has lots of little things called space fillers. An example of this was the oversized armchairs which were these chairs covered in AstroTurf a little bigger than normal. Nearby here was this sound garden which had lots of interactive musical instruments made out of things like fire extinguishers. There is even a crazy golf course of 18 holes spread round the city to fill in little gaps!
I then continued round through a park, seeing more developments in the process, to the cardboard cathedral. With no place of worship after the destruction of the historic cathedral, an alternative was made out of cardboard! The outside structure is primarily plastic however but inside all the internal decorations are cardboard tubes and cardboard that everywhere. The chairs were even made out of mdf! Nearby the cathedral was a memorial called the 185 empty chairs to represent the lives lost during the earthquake. With each chair being different, it was recommended you pick the chair that represents you most and sit down to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives.
After returning back to the Re:Start mall, I had a good chat with a local about the future of the city, before heading off to Hagley Park and the Botanical Gardens to go geocaching. By far the biggest green space in Christchurch I ended up caching round here until dark! Perhaps the highlight was the botanic gardens which were just teeming with plants and unique structures, although I nearly got locked in not realising it closed at half 6! Luckily the hostel was nearby which meant I could go back quickly ready to relax after a full on afternoon round the city. It's hard to talk about everything because Christchurch has so many little things to fill up the big gaps left behind, mainly emphasised around things like sculpture or colour.
Dinner this evening was originally going to be rice based, although there were no pans in the kitchen which was annoying. This meant I went out into town, heading for the out of town mall where I went to the supermarket, and also by the off chance the warehouse discount store where I got a new pair of trainers to replace my destroyed current pair for just $12! I then settled down in burger king where I used the free wifi which couldn't quite sustain a skype call before demolishing a big eat meal. It was then back to the hostel after a fair while in here through the drizzle and darkness back to my hostel, where I just opted for an early night as the hostel was called the ymca. This meant there wasn't really any on sight night time facilities!
With a 9.30 departure this morning to our next stop in Christchurch, I found out I had a driver which I had earlier on my trip. He has done a lap of the south island and caught up with me! Driving out of Lake Tekapo bang on time, our first stop of the day was in Geraldine which was nothing exciting. With a few shops, cafes and a supermarket, this was simply described to as a breakfast stop by our driver. With just a short drive today we then continued straight on to Christchurch, driving through the many suburbs en route. So many place names we drove through on the way had the same names as British places which was funny.
By around 1 we arrived in Christchurch, passing the royals on our way in. The reason I know it was them was because a series of police cars passed us, then these posh cars with flags, followed finally by more police cars! When driving into Christchurch it looked pretty fine and I was just thinking what all the fuss was all about over the earthquake, although apparently it was the other side of the city which was worst affected. When checking into the hostel which was a chaotic check in, I headed straight out to look round the city. I'm only staying one night here as there are only five buses a week now which meant I couldn't spend two here.
Widely nicknamed the garden city due to its array of open spaces, Christchurch was devastated by an earthquake in 2011. When leaving my hostel I got my first taster of just how badly affected Christchurch has been from the earthquake. The CBD was amongst the most badly affected areas and to try and modernise the city much of this area is having the both damaged and even old buildings demolished and rebuilt. After passing the old war memorial which was cordoned off to repair and landscape the area, I worked my way through the streets covered in road works to the CBD to check out the many features.
First stop was the Re:Start Mall which is a shopping centre made out of shipping containers stacked on each other and painted all colourful. You could see the old main shopping centre here which is in the process of demolition, as well a new structure emerging behind the containers. The toilets here were even portaloos! Amongst the things here was a museum which explained the events leading up to the earthquake. I then continued round to the cathedral which was just a shell surrounded in boards. During the events of 2011 the historic spire collapsed, and as far as I can make out they are in the process of refurbishing this iconic city building.
One of the big emphasises put on by Christchurch is colour and there were so many little features like mosaics put on the building railings and temporary structures painted in bold colours. The cathedral even had a small house with a garden constructed around it. In addition to colour, whilst the rebuild takes place Christchurch has lots of little things called space fillers. An example of this was the oversized armchairs which were these chairs covered in AstroTurf a little bigger than normal. Nearby here was this sound garden which had lots of interactive musical instruments made out of things like fire extinguishers. There is even a crazy golf course of 18 holes spread round the city to fill in little gaps!
I then continued round through a park, seeing more developments in the process, to the cardboard cathedral. With no place of worship after the destruction of the historic cathedral, an alternative was made out of cardboard! The outside structure is primarily plastic however but inside all the internal decorations are cardboard tubes and cardboard that everywhere. The chairs were even made out of mdf! Nearby the cathedral was a memorial called the 185 empty chairs to represent the lives lost during the earthquake. With each chair being different, it was recommended you pick the chair that represents you most and sit down to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives.
After returning back to the Re:Start mall, I had a good chat with a local about the future of the city, before heading off to Hagley Park and the Botanical Gardens to go geocaching. By far the biggest green space in Christchurch I ended up caching round here until dark! Perhaps the highlight was the botanic gardens which were just teeming with plants and unique structures, although I nearly got locked in not realising it closed at half 6! Luckily the hostel was nearby which meant I could go back quickly ready to relax after a full on afternoon round the city. It's hard to talk about everything because Christchurch has so many little things to fill up the big gaps left behind, mainly emphasised around things like sculpture or colour.
Dinner this evening was originally going to be rice based, although there were no pans in the kitchen which was annoying. This meant I went out into town, heading for the out of town mall where I went to the supermarket, and also by the off chance the warehouse discount store where I got a new pair of trainers to replace my destroyed current pair for just $12! I then settled down in burger king where I used the free wifi which couldn't quite sustain a skype call before demolishing a big eat meal. It was then back to the hostel after a fair while in here through the drizzle and darkness back to my hostel, where I just opted for an early night as the hostel was called the ymca. This meant there wasn't really any on sight night time facilities!
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
April 13th... Lake Tekapo
I was up early this morning because everyone in my room was leaving for their next bus journey whilst I was staying an extra night. I had originally planned to spend an extra night in Lake Tekapo to get get the shuttle out to the Mount Cook national park and do one of the many walks beneath the mountain, which requires ice picks and crampons to climb. Yesterdays weather meant I was reluctant to commit however which meant I instead planned an alternative walk round the lake instead. It was just my luck when waking up that it was sunny day, although the mountains were still covered in cloud!
Breakfast this morning was just my last remaining rolls which I toasted up before heading out for a walk which included some geocaching. My first find of the day took me into the shopping based area and I took the opportunity here to both look round the gift shops, but also visit the information centre for a map. Despite only having a handful of shops, there were some real quirky places for such a small place.
I then headed round to this little old church which is one of the most popular places to get married in New Zealand. On a warm summers day you can get cracking mountain views over the lake, aided by this glass window on the back wall of the small isolated building. Whilst here I found another cache nearby this statue of a dog which I can't remember what for, but was famous for doing something. Continuing on now out of town, I found a further cache before joining the main road to head to the nearby park.
Only opened to the public in recent years, the Lake Tekapo Regional Park is a coniferous forest following the lakes edge one side and the foot of the imposing nearby mountains on the other. Nowadays this area is popular with both cyclists and dog walkers, but it also the perfect area to hide geocaches as the tree interference can make it challenging. I found this out with my first find as my gps was going all over the place before I eventually found what I was looking for! All in all I found 3 caches in here, frustratingly not getting one which was meant to be inside this old shack.
After going up to this viewpoint to see the snow capped mountains surrounding the area, I worked my way through the forest down to the lake. Whilst here I just took a gentle stroll, seeing these really weird mushrooms on the way! Briefly going via town, I had two more potential finds along the canal. The walks itself was really nice starting by this dam before gently climbing through these quad bikes tracks right up a hill. Luckily I got the find here which came with some alternative views of Lake Tekapo and the flat plains heading out the other way.
My last find of the day had extra significance being my 900th find, and I well and truly had a trek to get to it being the wrong side of this fast flowing river. Luckily I found a dam of large rocks holding back the water at the nearby HEP plant which I managed to get a across before heading back through open land to get a quick find. From here, being rather content with myself, I headed back to the hostel back along the other side of the river which was basically one big hill.
Arriving back at like 1, my early start had created an early finish which meant which meant I just spent the afternoon relaxing. Come late afternoon I headed out to the Tekapo Springs which were these hot pools and sauna. I found out though that the ice rink and snow tube doesn't open until the 18th though which was frustrating! It was a nice and relaxing evening in the outdoor based pools of 36, 38 and 40 degrees. I even got to so relaxed the cool evening air which was in the dark by now didn't feel cold! I also spent my time rotating between the sauna room too which I was effectively using by relaxing inside the sauna for a while, then jumping into their 8 degree plunge pool after!
All in all it was a pretty well spent evening, heading back to the hostel by gone 7 in the end! Dinner this evening was Lamb Rogan Josh and rice, which took ages to cook for some reason. It was then films again all evening which was the same as yesterday to start with, although they showed Harry Potter after which was a welcome alternative. I went to bed after this film as it was slightly chilly inside despite having the fire going!
Breakfast this morning was just my last remaining rolls which I toasted up before heading out for a walk which included some geocaching. My first find of the day took me into the shopping based area and I took the opportunity here to both look round the gift shops, but also visit the information centre for a map. Despite only having a handful of shops, there were some real quirky places for such a small place.
I then headed round to this little old church which is one of the most popular places to get married in New Zealand. On a warm summers day you can get cracking mountain views over the lake, aided by this glass window on the back wall of the small isolated building. Whilst here I found another cache nearby this statue of a dog which I can't remember what for, but was famous for doing something. Continuing on now out of town, I found a further cache before joining the main road to head to the nearby park.
Only opened to the public in recent years, the Lake Tekapo Regional Park is a coniferous forest following the lakes edge one side and the foot of the imposing nearby mountains on the other. Nowadays this area is popular with both cyclists and dog walkers, but it also the perfect area to hide geocaches as the tree interference can make it challenging. I found this out with my first find as my gps was going all over the place before I eventually found what I was looking for! All in all I found 3 caches in here, frustratingly not getting one which was meant to be inside this old shack.
After going up to this viewpoint to see the snow capped mountains surrounding the area, I worked my way through the forest down to the lake. Whilst here I just took a gentle stroll, seeing these really weird mushrooms on the way! Briefly going via town, I had two more potential finds along the canal. The walks itself was really nice starting by this dam before gently climbing through these quad bikes tracks right up a hill. Luckily I got the find here which came with some alternative views of Lake Tekapo and the flat plains heading out the other way.
My last find of the day had extra significance being my 900th find, and I well and truly had a trek to get to it being the wrong side of this fast flowing river. Luckily I found a dam of large rocks holding back the water at the nearby HEP plant which I managed to get a across before heading back through open land to get a quick find. From here, being rather content with myself, I headed back to the hostel back along the other side of the river which was basically one big hill.
Arriving back at like 1, my early start had created an early finish which meant which meant I just spent the afternoon relaxing. Come late afternoon I headed out to the Tekapo Springs which were these hot pools and sauna. I found out though that the ice rink and snow tube doesn't open until the 18th though which was frustrating! It was a nice and relaxing evening in the outdoor based pools of 36, 38 and 40 degrees. I even got to so relaxed the cool evening air which was in the dark by now didn't feel cold! I also spent my time rotating between the sauna room too which I was effectively using by relaxing inside the sauna for a while, then jumping into their 8 degree plunge pool after!
All in all it was a pretty well spent evening, heading back to the hostel by gone 7 in the end! Dinner this evening was Lamb Rogan Josh and rice, which took ages to cook for some reason. It was then films again all evening which was the same as yesterday to start with, although they showed Harry Potter after which was a welcome alternative. I went to bed after this film as it was slightly chilly inside despite having the fire going!
April 12th... From Queenstown to Lake Tekapo
With my phone being the other side of the room due to the power socket locations I woke up before my alarm which in effect meant I could take my fully charged phone to bed as I beat it by in excess of an hour. With the hope of some extra sleep, it was short lived with alarms going off all over the place. It really frustrates me however when people don't turn them off, which was the case for a good five minutes this morning. Due to this I was up earlier than expected so decided to treat myself to a subway breakfast before catching the bus out of Queenstown.
With a 9.15 departure this morning I waited outside in what was a gloomy day with drizzle, boarding the bus bang on time. By the time we left Queenstown our bus was barely half full which was weird. Apparently lots of people didn't turn up! When leaving I thought about how much I am going to miss Queenstown because it just had so much to offer. I could have stayed there at least two weeks, although in terms of my bank balance it was probably best I was leaving an area alive both day and night.
First stop of the day today was Cromwell once again, primarily as a supermarket stop. It feels as if I have passed here many times now, although this was the first time I actually disembarked in the town area. Getting a few supplies from the supermarket, it was nice just to take a leisurely walk round the small town which included this big fruit statue to welcome you to town! I didn't stay out for long though, getting back on the bus as it was freezing and a little drizzly outside.
One of the nice things about my bus today was the familiar faces which I have met at various points along, many of which I lost before doing the deep south because barely no one did that section. I even found out someone was going to Fiji at the same time as me, and after lots of persuasion I think I managed to get her to book on the same tour as me! Due to the awful weather today which was just cloud, our driver just tanked it on to Lake Tekapo, stopping at Lake Pukaki for a photo stop en route. On a clear day you can see Mount Cook overlooking this long skinny lake, but we weren't so lucky today. There was a good information centre however which told us about the salmon fishing in the area as well as showing pictures of what we were meant to see!
In the end we arrived into Lake Tekapo by 2, where upon arrival we had a short guided tour of the town which by my standards would just scrape a village size. With an array of shops and restaurants, it was a pretty tourist based kind of settlement. We then checked into our hostel which was pretty modern. Kiwi experience have only been stopping here since the new year, and after dumping my stuff in what was a pretty compact room I headed out to explore Lake Tekapo despite the weather.
With the hostel being a 10 minute walk from the shops, I just opted for the alternative option of going up the hill with a few others I've been on the bus with on and off since Wellington. Passing the hot pools, the path up Mount John which was a little slippery rose at a gentle pace. Zigzagging through woodland we soon arrived at an open grassy area and after going up these rocks we reached the summit. Despite the surrounding mountains being engulfed in cloud we got a good enough view of Lake Tekapo and the town below as well as the flat lands lacking in vegetation in the other direction.
A short walk across we checked out the observatory which is used for stargazing. The sky is meant to be so good here to see space related things that it has been designated national park in effect to protect it! Even the lights in the town are designed to aim light downwards. It was very interesting and a short while after looking round we headed back down, finding three geocaches in the process. We also got a better view of the hot pools and the ice rink with a tubing area going down. I am tempted to go now.
After returning to the hostel and having an awful shower with either really hot or really cold water, I cracked on with dinner. This evening I had Lamb Rogan Josh which was a very generous portion in the end after I slightly misjudged the quantities! With not much going on other than relaxing in the hostel, the evening was spent watching DVDs by the heater as it was pretty chilly inside. In the end I managed to sit through two films before heading to bed, where eventually I settled down and went to bed. Prior to going to bed I checked the night sky although I was not in luck, getting swiftly back inside as it was freezing outside.
With a 9.15 departure this morning I waited outside in what was a gloomy day with drizzle, boarding the bus bang on time. By the time we left Queenstown our bus was barely half full which was weird. Apparently lots of people didn't turn up! When leaving I thought about how much I am going to miss Queenstown because it just had so much to offer. I could have stayed there at least two weeks, although in terms of my bank balance it was probably best I was leaving an area alive both day and night.
First stop of the day today was Cromwell once again, primarily as a supermarket stop. It feels as if I have passed here many times now, although this was the first time I actually disembarked in the town area. Getting a few supplies from the supermarket, it was nice just to take a leisurely walk round the small town which included this big fruit statue to welcome you to town! I didn't stay out for long though, getting back on the bus as it was freezing and a little drizzly outside.
One of the nice things about my bus today was the familiar faces which I have met at various points along, many of which I lost before doing the deep south because barely no one did that section. I even found out someone was going to Fiji at the same time as me, and after lots of persuasion I think I managed to get her to book on the same tour as me! Due to the awful weather today which was just cloud, our driver just tanked it on to Lake Tekapo, stopping at Lake Pukaki for a photo stop en route. On a clear day you can see Mount Cook overlooking this long skinny lake, but we weren't so lucky today. There was a good information centre however which told us about the salmon fishing in the area as well as showing pictures of what we were meant to see!
In the end we arrived into Lake Tekapo by 2, where upon arrival we had a short guided tour of the town which by my standards would just scrape a village size. With an array of shops and restaurants, it was a pretty tourist based kind of settlement. We then checked into our hostel which was pretty modern. Kiwi experience have only been stopping here since the new year, and after dumping my stuff in what was a pretty compact room I headed out to explore Lake Tekapo despite the weather.
With the hostel being a 10 minute walk from the shops, I just opted for the alternative option of going up the hill with a few others I've been on the bus with on and off since Wellington. Passing the hot pools, the path up Mount John which was a little slippery rose at a gentle pace. Zigzagging through woodland we soon arrived at an open grassy area and after going up these rocks we reached the summit. Despite the surrounding mountains being engulfed in cloud we got a good enough view of Lake Tekapo and the town below as well as the flat lands lacking in vegetation in the other direction.
A short walk across we checked out the observatory which is used for stargazing. The sky is meant to be so good here to see space related things that it has been designated national park in effect to protect it! Even the lights in the town are designed to aim light downwards. It was very interesting and a short while after looking round we headed back down, finding three geocaches in the process. We also got a better view of the hot pools and the ice rink with a tubing area going down. I am tempted to go now.
After returning to the hostel and having an awful shower with either really hot or really cold water, I cracked on with dinner. This evening I had Lamb Rogan Josh which was a very generous portion in the end after I slightly misjudged the quantities! With not much going on other than relaxing in the hostel, the evening was spent watching DVDs by the heater as it was pretty chilly inside. In the end I managed to sit through two films before heading to bed, where eventually I settled down and went to bed. Prior to going to bed I checked the night sky although I was not in luck, getting swiftly back inside as it was freezing outside.
Monday, 14 April 2014
April 11th... Queenstown again
After yesterday booking a bungy jump, I was surprisingly relaxed this morning as I dismissed my first two alarms and woke up as late as possible. I had booked an early slot to jump, the theory being just wake and jump. After a dreadful shower due to the fact it was blocked up with hair I ended up having noodles for breakfast which was another one of my microwave meals which left not one bit of washing up. It was then off out ready to check in for my bungy after spending the remainder of my morning using the WiFi I paid for.
Despite being told to check in at 8.50, arriving early, I was told my shuttle bus did not leave until 9.20. This meant I had some time to kill although I think they were just using this time so we could think about what we were doing! Apart from the shop selling all sorts of merchandise, there was a display which showed the different bungees used depending on weight. The heavier you are, the more elastic cords you get. There were also these bean bags to relax on which I did for a while, watching videos of the various things they offer. I am doing the Nevis bungy.
Perhaps the most tense part of the day was the actual drive to the bungy. Driving out of Queenstown the way I came in once again, we went passed the Kawarau Bridge site which is the birthplace of bungy, the first commercial bungy site in the world. At 43m high, it is just a fraction of the 134m I was doing today. Continuing along the road we soon turned off along this gravel track which was a private road. This soon started to rise and we eventually reached this canyon where we got a glimpse of the swing next door, and our first idea of the sheer height of the canyon we were about to jump into!
With just 3 of us jumping this morning there was a quick safety briefing before we were all harnessed up ready to be transported over to the jump pod. Getting the launch pad was no easy journey as we had to board this wobbly little cart thing on a wire to get transported into the middle of the canyon to this launch pad. You could literally see below. When reaching the small booth supported with wires in the middle, we were told the jumping order where I was last up. The pod had a glass bottom floor in places so you could see down just make things more tense.
It wasn't long before the other two had jumped, even missing the first guys whole jump whilst talking to one of the instructors who was a West Brom fan. The reason being was the fact I had attached my Southampton scarf to the back of my harness for effect. They told me to hold it originally! I then had to sit in this chair where I got my ankles attached together with a karabiner and then this weight attached beneath my legs to the bungy cord. They then dropped the cord which signalled it was time to jump.
It was very daunting standing on the edge because it was a long way up, although I went on their countdown, even if I did fall off instead of jump off like they recommended. When you're on the edge there with nothing other than a rope dangling below you turn to jelly! The actual bungy was an amazing thrill and with 8.5 seconds of freefall the feeling was amazing, even if I was rapidly hurtling towards the ground. Before going down I was instructed to pull a cord on my third bounce to detach my feet which would put me in an upright position. I accidentally pulled it on my first bounce which kind of shocked me a bit but considering only 50% of people ever successfully detach themselves I felt good!
After the bungy stopped and I was hanging upright in the canyon, which would have been upside down without pulling the cord, I was pulled back up to the jump pod. The feeling was amazing when finally getting back and I was so glad I did it. I know I would have regretted not doing it, mainly because Queenstown is the home of bungy but also because I had kept thinking about before. The Nevis is the 3rd highest commercial bungy in the world behind South Africa which is dodgy, so I did pretty well!
After getting transported back to proper land by the cable car thing I got to look at the photos and video, the video surprisingly being better. After purchasing these things we hung around at the centre waiting for our lift back to Queenstown. It was nice to watch people on the bungy from the viewing platform after doing it, as well as people on the swing. It wasn't until gone 12 when I got back to Queenstown where when returning I just relaxed in the hostel for a while looking at my photos and thinking about another thing ticked off my imaginary to do list.
Come afternoon I went out into town to look round the gift shops amongst other places for postcards and things. I also took a long overdue visit to the worldwide sweet shop, described as a top 10 thing to do in Queenstown by my base guide. With every sweet you could imagine, it was interesting seeing the British section with things like Wispa and Yorkie bars included, which to be fair I haven't seen until now! When returning to the hostel I happened to fall asleep for some reason, probably because of my late night and early morning catching up with me.
When waking up again it was dark outside, although I liked the reaction to my bungy jump as people were also waking up back home! I soon headed out for dinner at this point which this evening was a venison and Portobello mushroom pie with chips from the fergbaker next door to the fergburger. It was really nice and when returning to the hostel to spend the evening on skype and everything. When finally running out of WiFi I went out for a bit, although the rain eventually put me off and I headed back to the hostel for bed, although I couldn't sleep probably because I fell asleep in the day!
Despite being told to check in at 8.50, arriving early, I was told my shuttle bus did not leave until 9.20. This meant I had some time to kill although I think they were just using this time so we could think about what we were doing! Apart from the shop selling all sorts of merchandise, there was a display which showed the different bungees used depending on weight. The heavier you are, the more elastic cords you get. There were also these bean bags to relax on which I did for a while, watching videos of the various things they offer. I am doing the Nevis bungy.
Perhaps the most tense part of the day was the actual drive to the bungy. Driving out of Queenstown the way I came in once again, we went passed the Kawarau Bridge site which is the birthplace of bungy, the first commercial bungy site in the world. At 43m high, it is just a fraction of the 134m I was doing today. Continuing along the road we soon turned off along this gravel track which was a private road. This soon started to rise and we eventually reached this canyon where we got a glimpse of the swing next door, and our first idea of the sheer height of the canyon we were about to jump into!
With just 3 of us jumping this morning there was a quick safety briefing before we were all harnessed up ready to be transported over to the jump pod. Getting the launch pad was no easy journey as we had to board this wobbly little cart thing on a wire to get transported into the middle of the canyon to this launch pad. You could literally see below. When reaching the small booth supported with wires in the middle, we were told the jumping order where I was last up. The pod had a glass bottom floor in places so you could see down just make things more tense.
It wasn't long before the other two had jumped, even missing the first guys whole jump whilst talking to one of the instructors who was a West Brom fan. The reason being was the fact I had attached my Southampton scarf to the back of my harness for effect. They told me to hold it originally! I then had to sit in this chair where I got my ankles attached together with a karabiner and then this weight attached beneath my legs to the bungy cord. They then dropped the cord which signalled it was time to jump.
It was very daunting standing on the edge because it was a long way up, although I went on their countdown, even if I did fall off instead of jump off like they recommended. When you're on the edge there with nothing other than a rope dangling below you turn to jelly! The actual bungy was an amazing thrill and with 8.5 seconds of freefall the feeling was amazing, even if I was rapidly hurtling towards the ground. Before going down I was instructed to pull a cord on my third bounce to detach my feet which would put me in an upright position. I accidentally pulled it on my first bounce which kind of shocked me a bit but considering only 50% of people ever successfully detach themselves I felt good!
After the bungy stopped and I was hanging upright in the canyon, which would have been upside down without pulling the cord, I was pulled back up to the jump pod. The feeling was amazing when finally getting back and I was so glad I did it. I know I would have regretted not doing it, mainly because Queenstown is the home of bungy but also because I had kept thinking about before. The Nevis is the 3rd highest commercial bungy in the world behind South Africa which is dodgy, so I did pretty well!
After getting transported back to proper land by the cable car thing I got to look at the photos and video, the video surprisingly being better. After purchasing these things we hung around at the centre waiting for our lift back to Queenstown. It was nice to watch people on the bungy from the viewing platform after doing it, as well as people on the swing. It wasn't until gone 12 when I got back to Queenstown where when returning I just relaxed in the hostel for a while looking at my photos and thinking about another thing ticked off my imaginary to do list.
Come afternoon I went out into town to look round the gift shops amongst other places for postcards and things. I also took a long overdue visit to the worldwide sweet shop, described as a top 10 thing to do in Queenstown by my base guide. With every sweet you could imagine, it was interesting seeing the British section with things like Wispa and Yorkie bars included, which to be fair I haven't seen until now! When returning to the hostel I happened to fall asleep for some reason, probably because of my late night and early morning catching up with me.
When waking up again it was dark outside, although I liked the reaction to my bungy jump as people were also waking up back home! I soon headed out for dinner at this point which this evening was a venison and Portobello mushroom pie with chips from the fergbaker next door to the fergburger. It was really nice and when returning to the hostel to spend the evening on skype and everything. When finally running out of WiFi I went out for a bit, although the rain eventually put me off and I headed back to the hostel for bed, although I couldn't sleep probably because I fell asleep in the day!
April 10th... Queenstown
I don't know how it happened but upon waking up this morning my room was even more of a bombsite! I soon found out it was all down to two people which was pretty impressive to cover the whole room in their stuff. To avoid any hassle when waking up I just packed a bag of stuff for the day and headed straight out, going downstairs to try and catch up with my blog which I somehow got behind on whilst doing the deep south despite the plentiful free WiFi. I also had to phone kiwi experience to change some buses which was surprisingly hassle free which made a good start to the day.
Today I didn't really have anything officially planned although I knew I wanted to do the gondola and luge, tying it in with a walk up the nearby 1748m high Ben Lomond. With not a cloud in the sky today it was the perfect day to do these activities. Before heading up I went to the bungy centre to book my bungy, something I would have regretted not doing. I also made a quick trip to the post office to send some long overdue things home, then heading through town on my way up to the gondola.
One of the first tourist attractions established in Queenstown, the gondola is a cable car system taking you up around 500m to the 800m summit of Bobs Peak overlooking Queenstown. With a glass surrounded car all to myself I was able to enjoy cracking aerial views over Queenstown below as I went upwards. It was fun wobbling the cart as well going up! When reaching the top I took a look at the viewpoint overlooking the town and surroundings below, before going past the cafe to begin my walk along the Ben Lomond track. En route I passed all the luging tracks and this interesting sign telling me distances to various places. I am closer to the north pole and south pole compared to London!
Heading upwards through a coniferous forest briefly I soon arrived at this helipad. I had previously spoke to these people who said they had reached this point and said they couldn't find the next path. I found it no problem after finding a geocache nearby. I then headed upwards at a rapid rate until I reached this ridge which I followed for a while. The views were already amazing from here. It did get a little precarious here however as I reached a point which was just rocks which I had to traverse across. Luckily I got across without falling off the hill and continued up and over this small peak, meeting up with this other path in the process.
A short while later after tanking past these people on this gradually climbing path, I reached a sign indicating an hour to the summit. It was very daunting standing at the bottom seeing what looked like just rocks, but I just went for it and soon met this Canadian who I walked up top with. It was a pretty challenging ascent physically because there were so many rocks to climb, and like usual everytime the top came into sight more mountain appeared. Eventually we did what felt like a loop of the mountain before one last push to the summit!
The views up top were simply stunning with 360 views over Queenstown and Lake Wakitipu one way, and towards the snow capped southern alps the other way. Despite only climbing the 1748m peak from around about 800m it was a challenging hike. There was this interesting trig point as well up top which told you what each peak was in the distance by an eye piece. Whilst up here what started with just a couple of us soon became a crowd as more and more people reached the top! Eventually after a fair while taking in the views I headed down, this time alone.
It took me little over an hour to complete the descent down Ben Lomond, randomly bumping into someone I met in Invercargill coming down! He told me how to use the microwave back in the hostel there. It was nice to take an alternative route back to the gondola after as well, this time going more through the forest instead of going up and over this peak. It was tough my legs though by the end due to the impact on my legs jumping off rocks onto gravel tracks.
When reaching the cafe up top over Queenstown I treated myself to a beef roll and chips for lunch, and also a long overdue first l&p which was actually really nice! It was then time for my luging session where I basically got 5 runs. It was fun going up this chair lift each time, getting plenty of photos before taking the scenic luge track first to prove I could properly use the luge effectively. Luckily I passed which meant I could then use the fast track on my next go's which was much better. I did misjudge some turns, crashing on occasions however. Overall it was a really fun and relaxing end to the day up top of the hill.
Before heading back to the gondola for my descent, I relaxed in the entrance area as there was free WiFi up top. It was also nice to look round the gift shop and also these portraits made out of jelly beans. When finally going back down in the gondola which was just as fun as before I returned straight to the hostel where it was nice to give the room some light for the first time! I ended up relaxing in here for a while.
Dinner this evening was a long overdue Fergburger which is a must do thing in Queenstown apparently. I ended up ordering the mr big stuff in the end which was 1/2 pound of beef with cheese, bacon, bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and aioli. It was the business despite a half hour wait, the portion being massive! From here the evening was spent in the hostel where I just did a skype session along with a good update on things. It turned out to be a late one in the end although it was nice when returning to the room to see nicely packed bags and a clear run to my bed, ready for bed.
Today I didn't really have anything officially planned although I knew I wanted to do the gondola and luge, tying it in with a walk up the nearby 1748m high Ben Lomond. With not a cloud in the sky today it was the perfect day to do these activities. Before heading up I went to the bungy centre to book my bungy, something I would have regretted not doing. I also made a quick trip to the post office to send some long overdue things home, then heading through town on my way up to the gondola.
One of the first tourist attractions established in Queenstown, the gondola is a cable car system taking you up around 500m to the 800m summit of Bobs Peak overlooking Queenstown. With a glass surrounded car all to myself I was able to enjoy cracking aerial views over Queenstown below as I went upwards. It was fun wobbling the cart as well going up! When reaching the top I took a look at the viewpoint overlooking the town and surroundings below, before going past the cafe to begin my walk along the Ben Lomond track. En route I passed all the luging tracks and this interesting sign telling me distances to various places. I am closer to the north pole and south pole compared to London!
Heading upwards through a coniferous forest briefly I soon arrived at this helipad. I had previously spoke to these people who said they had reached this point and said they couldn't find the next path. I found it no problem after finding a geocache nearby. I then headed upwards at a rapid rate until I reached this ridge which I followed for a while. The views were already amazing from here. It did get a little precarious here however as I reached a point which was just rocks which I had to traverse across. Luckily I got across without falling off the hill and continued up and over this small peak, meeting up with this other path in the process.
A short while later after tanking past these people on this gradually climbing path, I reached a sign indicating an hour to the summit. It was very daunting standing at the bottom seeing what looked like just rocks, but I just went for it and soon met this Canadian who I walked up top with. It was a pretty challenging ascent physically because there were so many rocks to climb, and like usual everytime the top came into sight more mountain appeared. Eventually we did what felt like a loop of the mountain before one last push to the summit!
The views up top were simply stunning with 360 views over Queenstown and Lake Wakitipu one way, and towards the snow capped southern alps the other way. Despite only climbing the 1748m peak from around about 800m it was a challenging hike. There was this interesting trig point as well up top which told you what each peak was in the distance by an eye piece. Whilst up here what started with just a couple of us soon became a crowd as more and more people reached the top! Eventually after a fair while taking in the views I headed down, this time alone.
It took me little over an hour to complete the descent down Ben Lomond, randomly bumping into someone I met in Invercargill coming down! He told me how to use the microwave back in the hostel there. It was nice to take an alternative route back to the gondola after as well, this time going more through the forest instead of going up and over this peak. It was tough my legs though by the end due to the impact on my legs jumping off rocks onto gravel tracks.
When reaching the cafe up top over Queenstown I treated myself to a beef roll and chips for lunch, and also a long overdue first l&p which was actually really nice! It was then time for my luging session where I basically got 5 runs. It was fun going up this chair lift each time, getting plenty of photos before taking the scenic luge track first to prove I could properly use the luge effectively. Luckily I passed which meant I could then use the fast track on my next go's which was much better. I did misjudge some turns, crashing on occasions however. Overall it was a really fun and relaxing end to the day up top of the hill.
Before heading back to the gondola for my descent, I relaxed in the entrance area as there was free WiFi up top. It was also nice to look round the gift shop and also these portraits made out of jelly beans. When finally going back down in the gondola which was just as fun as before I returned straight to the hostel where it was nice to give the room some light for the first time! I ended up relaxing in here for a while.
Dinner this evening was a long overdue Fergburger which is a must do thing in Queenstown apparently. I ended up ordering the mr big stuff in the end which was 1/2 pound of beef with cheese, bacon, bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and aioli. It was the business despite a half hour wait, the portion being massive! From here the evening was spent in the hostel where I just did a skype session along with a good update on things. It turned out to be a late one in the end although it was nice when returning to the room to see nicely packed bags and a clear run to my bed, ready for bed.
Friday, 11 April 2014
April 9th... Milford Sound
This morning was an early start due to the horrifically long drive to what is widely regarded as one of the most scenic places in the world, Milford Sound. With my alarm set for half 6, I surprisingly beat it as my phone was the other side of the room and when randomly waking up to check the time it was 6.25! After having one of them showers where I didn't want to get out due to the cold air outside, I treated myself to a bacon, egg and cheese sub for breakfast. I seem to be getting a little carried away with the whole not cooking idea at the moment! Still a $3 sub brought no complaints from me.
By half 7 we left Invercargill after seeing an amazing sunrise which coloured the whole sky orange above the city skyline. Saying city in New Zealand is generally like saying town in the UK though. The last few days I have been exploring what is collectively known as the deep south on the bottom bus, however my trip to Milford Sound was operated by kiwi experience. Due to this our driver put his foot down in the minibus heading back north so we could intersect the kiwi bus heading south. Luckily we made the connection smoothly, arriving at a layby at Five Rivers by 9, seeing a few familiar faces on our new half empty coach.
A short drive later we arrived into our first proper stop of the day, Te Anau. Widely regarded as the gateway to the Ffordland National Park, we stopped here for a good half hour. This small settlement lies on the second largest lake in New Zealand formed by glacial activity like most landforms in the south island. I was tempted to stay a couple of nights here to do one of the great walks but they are so expensive with national park fees and hut hire fees which can be around $50 a night! They are also one way tracks and I would have ended up somewhere random. I just thought I would settle for the one day hikes.
Leaving Te Anau we started our drive down the Milford Road rated as one of the top 10 drives in the world. Taking 25 years to construct it winds its way through the national park right down to the Milford Sound. Our first stop off along this scenic road was the mirror lakes which are named for obvious reasons due to the reflections they give off. The surrounding hills were pretty special too with clouds floating below them rather than being shrouded in them which made this area very picturesque.
A short drive later down the road passing 45" latitude, the halfway point between the south pole and equator, we arrived at Knobs Flat. This was a toilet stop, although there was an information centre which was interesting showing the impact of things like stoats on the native wildlife species. New Zealand used to be teeming with bird life which evolved to be flightless in many cases as there were no predatory cycles. That all changed when the Maori people arrived around a 1000 years ago introducing mammals and hunting birds like the Moa to extinction. This was made worse when European migration begun which included the logging of many areas creating loss of habitat. In the matter of a few generations a once thriving country of biodiversity now has some of most endangered species in the world.
The next stop along was at the Holyford creek, which was an area surrounded by snow capped mountains. It was here we filled up our water bottles and had a quick photo stop. I love how so many places have streams which have water so fresh you can drink. Continuing along the scenic road through an avalanche risk zone, we got to Homers Pass. Luckily there is no snow for avalanches yet and the only risk we had was rock falls, although apparently there are tree avalanches here too as the lack of soil round here means trees are loosely attached to the side of mountains. In terms of Homers Pass, this was a 1.2km tunnel created through using explosives to take away the granite. It was a single lane tunnel however which meant we had a little wait before going through.
From the tunnel it was one last push down to the Milford ferry terminal, stopping just after the tunnel for another photo stop. We dropped sharply after this along winding roads before finally emerging at Milford Sound. This world heritage area is not actually a sound as the name suggests but actually a fford. This glacial landform now attracts visitors worldwide for cruises and even scenic flights round the area. We were doing a 2 hour cruise round the area. Before boarding we got our packed lunches which had a sandwich, cheese, crackers, apple, kiwi, cookie and a carton of juice in.
In terms of the cruise we got presented with scenery in all directions for the duration of the cruise. Passing waterfalls cascading down the rugged walls along with snow-capped mountains and endless forest making up the background round the steep granite cliffs, it was truly something special. Perhaps the highlight was seeing this fur seal colony close up on these rocks, although we weren't lucky enough to see any penguins. Our cruise took us all the way out to the Tasman Sea and back the other side. At one point we went into this waterfall which gave off this mist which looked like cloud in the water. The other impressive feature was sitting below this monster mountain. It was a real scenic cruise in the end made better by the fact it was a sunny day.
By 3.15 we started our drive back to Queenstown. We did have the option of flying back though which would have saved about 3.5 hours off the journey home and set me back nearly $700! Our driver pointed out we had been lucky because Milford Sound has on average 2 out of 3 rainy days a year, and we had sun. Going back the way we came, it was slightly worrying when the tunnel sign stated it was shut. Luckily it was only a 10 minute wait in the end and we continued through. It was interesting looking at the scenery outside from the other direction as it felt completely different. En route we home we stopped off at Te Anau again just for any supplies and a toilet stop for the last bit of our journey.
Arriving back in Queenstown by around half 7, getting a cracking sunset on the bus going home, I checked into my new hostel, base. I just fancied a change of scenery for my second stint in Queenstown. To be fair however Nomads was probably better as when checking into my room it was like a bombsite with stuff everywhere. It was also dark which meant I just quietly unpacked my stuff into the drawer which I can't understand why no one else did, and just relaxed on my bed. Dinner this evening was pasta to be quick and easy, although afterwards I went straight to bed as I was knackered. I thought I would give nighttime Queenstown a day off considering I have 3 more nights here.
By half 7 we left Invercargill after seeing an amazing sunrise which coloured the whole sky orange above the city skyline. Saying city in New Zealand is generally like saying town in the UK though. The last few days I have been exploring what is collectively known as the deep south on the bottom bus, however my trip to Milford Sound was operated by kiwi experience. Due to this our driver put his foot down in the minibus heading back north so we could intersect the kiwi bus heading south. Luckily we made the connection smoothly, arriving at a layby at Five Rivers by 9, seeing a few familiar faces on our new half empty coach.
A short drive later we arrived into our first proper stop of the day, Te Anau. Widely regarded as the gateway to the Ffordland National Park, we stopped here for a good half hour. This small settlement lies on the second largest lake in New Zealand formed by glacial activity like most landforms in the south island. I was tempted to stay a couple of nights here to do one of the great walks but they are so expensive with national park fees and hut hire fees which can be around $50 a night! They are also one way tracks and I would have ended up somewhere random. I just thought I would settle for the one day hikes.
Leaving Te Anau we started our drive down the Milford Road rated as one of the top 10 drives in the world. Taking 25 years to construct it winds its way through the national park right down to the Milford Sound. Our first stop off along this scenic road was the mirror lakes which are named for obvious reasons due to the reflections they give off. The surrounding hills were pretty special too with clouds floating below them rather than being shrouded in them which made this area very picturesque.
A short drive later down the road passing 45" latitude, the halfway point between the south pole and equator, we arrived at Knobs Flat. This was a toilet stop, although there was an information centre which was interesting showing the impact of things like stoats on the native wildlife species. New Zealand used to be teeming with bird life which evolved to be flightless in many cases as there were no predatory cycles. That all changed when the Maori people arrived around a 1000 years ago introducing mammals and hunting birds like the Moa to extinction. This was made worse when European migration begun which included the logging of many areas creating loss of habitat. In the matter of a few generations a once thriving country of biodiversity now has some of most endangered species in the world.
The next stop along was at the Holyford creek, which was an area surrounded by snow capped mountains. It was here we filled up our water bottles and had a quick photo stop. I love how so many places have streams which have water so fresh you can drink. Continuing along the scenic road through an avalanche risk zone, we got to Homers Pass. Luckily there is no snow for avalanches yet and the only risk we had was rock falls, although apparently there are tree avalanches here too as the lack of soil round here means trees are loosely attached to the side of mountains. In terms of Homers Pass, this was a 1.2km tunnel created through using explosives to take away the granite. It was a single lane tunnel however which meant we had a little wait before going through.
From the tunnel it was one last push down to the Milford ferry terminal, stopping just after the tunnel for another photo stop. We dropped sharply after this along winding roads before finally emerging at Milford Sound. This world heritage area is not actually a sound as the name suggests but actually a fford. This glacial landform now attracts visitors worldwide for cruises and even scenic flights round the area. We were doing a 2 hour cruise round the area. Before boarding we got our packed lunches which had a sandwich, cheese, crackers, apple, kiwi, cookie and a carton of juice in.
In terms of the cruise we got presented with scenery in all directions for the duration of the cruise. Passing waterfalls cascading down the rugged walls along with snow-capped mountains and endless forest making up the background round the steep granite cliffs, it was truly something special. Perhaps the highlight was seeing this fur seal colony close up on these rocks, although we weren't lucky enough to see any penguins. Our cruise took us all the way out to the Tasman Sea and back the other side. At one point we went into this waterfall which gave off this mist which looked like cloud in the water. The other impressive feature was sitting below this monster mountain. It was a real scenic cruise in the end made better by the fact it was a sunny day.
By 3.15 we started our drive back to Queenstown. We did have the option of flying back though which would have saved about 3.5 hours off the journey home and set me back nearly $700! Our driver pointed out we had been lucky because Milford Sound has on average 2 out of 3 rainy days a year, and we had sun. Going back the way we came, it was slightly worrying when the tunnel sign stated it was shut. Luckily it was only a 10 minute wait in the end and we continued through. It was interesting looking at the scenery outside from the other direction as it felt completely different. En route we home we stopped off at Te Anau again just for any supplies and a toilet stop for the last bit of our journey.
Arriving back in Queenstown by around half 7, getting a cracking sunset on the bus going home, I checked into my new hostel, base. I just fancied a change of scenery for my second stint in Queenstown. To be fair however Nomads was probably better as when checking into my room it was like a bombsite with stuff everywhere. It was also dark which meant I just quietly unpacked my stuff into the drawer which I can't understand why no one else did, and just relaxed on my bed. Dinner this evening was pasta to be quick and easy, although afterwards I went straight to bed as I was knackered. I thought I would give nighttime Queenstown a day off considering I have 3 more nights here.
Thursday, 10 April 2014
April 8th... From Dunedin to Invercargill
With a departure time of half 8 this morning, I was up at 7 and ended up having what was a very productive morning. Typing up a blog and maximising the free breakfast, I just about managed to post my blog before boarding the bus. I did get a bit of stick from the driver for being last one on though but the fact he was a Villa fan meant he soon stopped! With just 8 of us on the bus this morning, it was nice to see some familiar faces including some people I met back in Wanaka and also some people who I met in my hostel room in Dunedin as they just chucked us all in the same room.
After leaving the city of Dunedin, one of those places I wish I could stayed longer, we started our drive down to the Catlins to reach the more southern depths of New Zealand. It was naturally colder due to this, and after a fair drive we arrived at our first stop, Kaka Point. It was here we got a view of our next stop Nugget Point, although more spectacular was our timing to arrive as this rainbow came out spanning from the beach into the hills. We ended up spending a good half hour here in the end inside the local pub where we played some free pool.
Our next stop was a short drive further along to the aforementioned Nugget Point. Here we took a short walk to the lighthouse on the headland, en route seeing these seals on the rocks below. They were really cute making these squeaking noises and there were some little pups there as well. When reaching the lighthouse we got to see what was known as the nuggets which were rocks coming out of the water. I probably should have wrapped here more though as a t shirt just didn't cut it!
Driving back the way we came for a short way, we soon continued our drive south. To give you an idea of the roads we were going down, they were primarily single tracks made up of gravel. We were well and truly off the beaten track, and eventually after passing so many fields of sheep in the rugged surroundings we arrived at Cannibal Bay. Like many other places, this area was named for obvious reasons due to cannibalism which occurred here in the past with the Maori people. Today this area is a cracking place to see sea lions, and we weren't disappointed seeing many of these impressive creatures relaxing on the beach. Ensuring we didn't get too close, we took a walk down the other end of the beach to get different vantage points to see these amazing creatures.
From here our drive took us back onto proper roads to the small town of Owaka for lunch. I treated myself to burger and chips here as they had a special bottom bus menu and it was more appealing than supermarket food. It wasn't anything special however as everything just fell out the bun when picking it up. There wasn't really much else to do here and after lunch our drive took us to the Florence Hill lookout. This was another view lookout, although the more spectacular feature on a day with high tide was the spouting cave which spat out water through this hole, supposedly. We happened to come at low tide.
Continuing along the south coast, our next stop was the McLean falls where we went for a short walk through the beach forest to this impressive waterfall. Cascading down rocks to form something comparable to rapids, with a large backdrop in the background, the intriguing part was the water colour. The water was this swampy brown although our driver said that this wasn't because it was dirty, but because the recent rains had forced the oils and stuff from the plants surrounding the river to colour the water. To prove its freshness he drank it, which I swiftly followed and I felt fine afterwards. Apparently within around 48 hours the water will be clear again.
Our final stop of the day took us to Curio Bay, perhaps the most southerly point I will ever stand. As kiwi experience says, next stop Antarctica. The reason we stopped here was to go penguin watching to see the rarest penguin in the world, these ones with yellow feathers on their head. Like usual with me and wildlife I was unsuccessful after standing there in the cold for a good hour. The interesting thing with this area too though was the petrified forest which were these trees which over many years have fossilised into stone. They had the texture of trees but were literally these stones lieing on the ground!
It was then one last push to Invercargill from this point, stopping at the nearby cafe and hostel just before leaving to pick up a couple more passengers. We didn't end up arriving into Invercargill until gone half 6 in the end, although we got a decent sunset before arriving. Described as flat and suburban and one of the less enthralling places you will visit in NZ by my lonely planet guide, I kind of got the idea as we drove into this grid formation of streets before arriving at our hostel, Tuatara Backpackers in the city centre.
Cracking straight on with dinner which this evening was noodles which was a ready even including a fork to reduce washing up! I then quickly went out to find a cache as Invercargill is the most southern place I stay and I wanted to make my geocaching statistics look as impressive as possible. This also enabled me to briefly explore the city which had nothing interesting other than shops and a war memorial to speak of. I did however get a chocolate sundae for $1 though! The evening was spent inside the hostel, and it was interesting speaking to these people who went shark diving earlier in the day, seeing some of there videos! Before long it was time for bed in the weird hostel.
After leaving the city of Dunedin, one of those places I wish I could stayed longer, we started our drive down to the Catlins to reach the more southern depths of New Zealand. It was naturally colder due to this, and after a fair drive we arrived at our first stop, Kaka Point. It was here we got a view of our next stop Nugget Point, although more spectacular was our timing to arrive as this rainbow came out spanning from the beach into the hills. We ended up spending a good half hour here in the end inside the local pub where we played some free pool.
Our next stop was a short drive further along to the aforementioned Nugget Point. Here we took a short walk to the lighthouse on the headland, en route seeing these seals on the rocks below. They were really cute making these squeaking noises and there were some little pups there as well. When reaching the lighthouse we got to see what was known as the nuggets which were rocks coming out of the water. I probably should have wrapped here more though as a t shirt just didn't cut it!
Driving back the way we came for a short way, we soon continued our drive south. To give you an idea of the roads we were going down, they were primarily single tracks made up of gravel. We were well and truly off the beaten track, and eventually after passing so many fields of sheep in the rugged surroundings we arrived at Cannibal Bay. Like many other places, this area was named for obvious reasons due to cannibalism which occurred here in the past with the Maori people. Today this area is a cracking place to see sea lions, and we weren't disappointed seeing many of these impressive creatures relaxing on the beach. Ensuring we didn't get too close, we took a walk down the other end of the beach to get different vantage points to see these amazing creatures.
From here our drive took us back onto proper roads to the small town of Owaka for lunch. I treated myself to burger and chips here as they had a special bottom bus menu and it was more appealing than supermarket food. It wasn't anything special however as everything just fell out the bun when picking it up. There wasn't really much else to do here and after lunch our drive took us to the Florence Hill lookout. This was another view lookout, although the more spectacular feature on a day with high tide was the spouting cave which spat out water through this hole, supposedly. We happened to come at low tide.
Continuing along the south coast, our next stop was the McLean falls where we went for a short walk through the beach forest to this impressive waterfall. Cascading down rocks to form something comparable to rapids, with a large backdrop in the background, the intriguing part was the water colour. The water was this swampy brown although our driver said that this wasn't because it was dirty, but because the recent rains had forced the oils and stuff from the plants surrounding the river to colour the water. To prove its freshness he drank it, which I swiftly followed and I felt fine afterwards. Apparently within around 48 hours the water will be clear again.
Our final stop of the day took us to Curio Bay, perhaps the most southerly point I will ever stand. As kiwi experience says, next stop Antarctica. The reason we stopped here was to go penguin watching to see the rarest penguin in the world, these ones with yellow feathers on their head. Like usual with me and wildlife I was unsuccessful after standing there in the cold for a good hour. The interesting thing with this area too though was the petrified forest which were these trees which over many years have fossilised into stone. They had the texture of trees but were literally these stones lieing on the ground!
It was then one last push to Invercargill from this point, stopping at the nearby cafe and hostel just before leaving to pick up a couple more passengers. We didn't end up arriving into Invercargill until gone half 6 in the end, although we got a decent sunset before arriving. Described as flat and suburban and one of the less enthralling places you will visit in NZ by my lonely planet guide, I kind of got the idea as we drove into this grid formation of streets before arriving at our hostel, Tuatara Backpackers in the city centre.
Cracking straight on with dinner which this evening was noodles which was a ready even including a fork to reduce washing up! I then quickly went out to find a cache as Invercargill is the most southern place I stay and I wanted to make my geocaching statistics look as impressive as possible. This also enabled me to briefly explore the city which had nothing interesting other than shops and a war memorial to speak of. I did however get a chocolate sundae for $1 though! The evening was spent inside the hostel, and it was interesting speaking to these people who went shark diving earlier in the day, seeing some of there videos! Before long it was time for bed in the weird hostel.
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