After a great few days in the Mount Cook National Park I left Tuesday morning. One of my friends who has been talking about coming to visit for months also told me he's arriving on Sunday last week which effectively gave me 5 days to play before heading back to Christchurch to meet up. I therefore decided I would do the Twizel and Omarama area and I found this remotely located place on a farm between Twizel and Omarama which seemed like a good base. En route I stopped in Twizel for lunch and to grab a few food supplies for my stay on the Buscot Station, arriving here early afternoon.
The Buscot Station is a pretty sizable dairy and merino sheep farm, previously owned by this retired guy who now solely runs a backpackers accomodation from his home in the farm. His son now runs the farm. About 1.5km off the main road down a dirt track and a further 9km from the nearest town of Omarama it was pretty remote. After checking in I was planning on just relaxing but part of the extensive land was this 1250m peak which he said I could climb. As it was such a nice day I thought why not and headed up through the gully before following the fence line to the snowcapped peak. Being on private land meant I had it all to myself. The views up top were great with Lake Pukaki and the Mackenzie Basin visible one way, and Lake Benmore and the Southern Alps visible as you looked round.
On Wednesday my plan was to visit the Omarama Clay Cliffs which are some fascinating rock pinnacles made out of clay. A combination of the very active fault line they lie on and erosion have shaped these pinnacles. The other person staying at the backpackers gave me lift down there as he wanted to go too. I was able to walk around the cliffs and climb up a few sections although all the recent rainfall and snow made the area very muddy. After visiting the cliffs I headed into Omarama itself and had lunch at the cafe and got some wifi as the Buscot Station didn't have any, before having a little wander around the small town. The owner then picked me up as he insisted I ring him when I needed coming back.
Thursday was a more relaxing day as the weather wasn't as nice. Overnight the hills got a fair bit of snow and the Burkes Pass was closed which is the most direct route to Christchurch from Omarama which wasn't great if that was still the case the following day. The owner did take me off in his car and drove me around the farm which was massive. It was nice to do something despite the weather, and it was very interesting hearing about New Zealand farming from his perspective. The afternoon was basically spent just spent watching trash tv!
Come Friday I left to head back to Christchurch, although in terms of hitchhiking it was pretty ambitious and I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there if at all. After it took me two rides just to get to Twizel I thought it would be a long day although from Twizel some guy took me straight to Christchurch and even dropped me off at the front door of my hostel! It was amazing going through Tekapo and over the Burkes Pass again as there was a lot more snow, although the road was a little icy. After checking into the hostel I just chilled out, with a free day the following day where I just popped over to Riccarton for lunch before watching a couple of rugby games down Hagley Park in the afternoon.
Sunday, 6 August 2017
Monday, 31 July 2017
Mount Cook National Park
My next intended stop after Lake Tekapo was the remote Mount Cook Village. En route I wanted to stop at Lake Pukaki just before the turn off to Mount Cook Village, and to get here I got picked up some Asians who took me to Pukaki and when arriving wanted selfies with me and gave me some South Korean snacks to say goodbye! New Zealand is popular with Asians although you do need to be careful as they often do things like drive on the wrong side of the road. There were some great views of the mountains from Lake Pukaki although you couldn't see Mount Cook because there was some low lying cloud in that area. Whilst here I did do a little walk down to Marker Beach as I had time on my side which was nice.
From Pukaki I pretty easily got a ride to Mount Cook Village. The small village lies in the heart of the Mount Cook National Park, and is particularly famous for the Hermitage hotel built in the late 1800s for people wanting to climb the surrounding mountains, many of which are above 3000m. Nowadays it is a hotel for the rich with penthouse style rooms offering views of Mount Cook itself. There is no supermarket in the village, the nearest town Twizel being a 63km drive away. The village is in fact just 39km from the West Coast though, with Franz Josef located the other side of the mountains. When arriving I went to the information centre where I evaluated my options, and with 5 nights planned in the national park I had plenty of time to explore weather depending.
Friday was not a great day in terms of weather with another storm battering New Zealand. Outside was gale force winds, zero visibility, and blizzards so I decided not to go out hiking. In fact what was snow in the village was heavy rain in lower lying areas and places like Timaru and Ashburton experienced some pretty bad flooding. Instead I headed to the Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre after lunch which was a mission getting to because of the weather, including a wind chill of minus 8. The centre had a museum and a variety of films to watch in this theatre and planetarium, watching films about Edmund Hillary, Mount Cook, and some interesting films about black holes and how infinite space is in the planetarium.
Saturday wasn't a great day either with poor visibility and persistent rain. It somewhat cleared after lunch though although it was still a little grey, but despite this I decided to head to the Tasman Glacier. Getting there was an 8km walk along a sealed road so I couldn't get lost, and when reaching the car park at the end there were a few little walks to various different points. I first headed to the Blue Lakes which were completely frozen over and I was even able to walk on them! I then headed to a lookout point over to the Tasman Glacier, the biggest glacier in New Zealand. The final walk took me down to the Tasman Lake which was completely frozen in places, a good 6 inches thick which a few icebergs floating at the end. The mountains even reflected in the lake despite the weather. I then headed back to the hostel, catching the sunset on the way, although I was glad to be back in the warm when getting back!
Sunday was by far the best days weather with blue skies and the sun out, which meant I had to make the most of it. Shortly after sunrise I therefore set out to do the Hooker Valley track, one of the most popular walks in New Zealand. The walk was flat going into the Hooker Valley finishing at the Hooker Lake with great views of Mount Cook and the Hooker Glacier. The lake was also frozen over with a few odd icebergs. As I left so early I passed very few people on the way to the lake and had it all to myself when arriving, but on my way out of the valley I passed a lot of people coming in.
After getting back to the start of the track I then decided to attempt the track up to the Sealy Tarns, about 1250m above sea level. As the village itself was covered in a fair amount of snow, heading up created even more snow and to add to this the path was incredibly steep and icy. In the end I got to about 1200m before I could no longer tell where the path was, and every direction I guessed I could go I was in snow above waist deep. I therefore decided not to continue, but I was still rewarded with great views of the Mueller and Hooker lakes and glaciers, as well as Mount Cook itself. When reaching the bottom I went via the Kea Point lookout looking out to the Mueller Lake, before heading back to the village via the Hermitage where I went up to this lookout point.
Monday was another grotty day. The only significant walk left I wanted to do was up to the Red Tarns and I saved this for afternoon when the weather improved a little. It was still a little rainy and visibility wasn't great but it wasn't torrential and I thought I would just go for it. When reaching the tarns there was a view looking back to the village, although the tarns themselves were completely frozen and there was a lot of snow. I even ended up to head at one point but luckily managed to dig myself out. When getting back to the hostel I was actually quite wet although I was glad I attempted to do every walk I planned in the national park. It would be interesting to return in the summer months to see how different it looks without snow!
From Pukaki I pretty easily got a ride to Mount Cook Village. The small village lies in the heart of the Mount Cook National Park, and is particularly famous for the Hermitage hotel built in the late 1800s for people wanting to climb the surrounding mountains, many of which are above 3000m. Nowadays it is a hotel for the rich with penthouse style rooms offering views of Mount Cook itself. There is no supermarket in the village, the nearest town Twizel being a 63km drive away. The village is in fact just 39km from the West Coast though, with Franz Josef located the other side of the mountains. When arriving I went to the information centre where I evaluated my options, and with 5 nights planned in the national park I had plenty of time to explore weather depending.
Friday was not a great day in terms of weather with another storm battering New Zealand. Outside was gale force winds, zero visibility, and blizzards so I decided not to go out hiking. In fact what was snow in the village was heavy rain in lower lying areas and places like Timaru and Ashburton experienced some pretty bad flooding. Instead I headed to the Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre after lunch which was a mission getting to because of the weather, including a wind chill of minus 8. The centre had a museum and a variety of films to watch in this theatre and planetarium, watching films about Edmund Hillary, Mount Cook, and some interesting films about black holes and how infinite space is in the planetarium.
Saturday wasn't a great day either with poor visibility and persistent rain. It somewhat cleared after lunch though although it was still a little grey, but despite this I decided to head to the Tasman Glacier. Getting there was an 8km walk along a sealed road so I couldn't get lost, and when reaching the car park at the end there were a few little walks to various different points. I first headed to the Blue Lakes which were completely frozen over and I was even able to walk on them! I then headed to a lookout point over to the Tasman Glacier, the biggest glacier in New Zealand. The final walk took me down to the Tasman Lake which was completely frozen in places, a good 6 inches thick which a few icebergs floating at the end. The mountains even reflected in the lake despite the weather. I then headed back to the hostel, catching the sunset on the way, although I was glad to be back in the warm when getting back!
Sunday was by far the best days weather with blue skies and the sun out, which meant I had to make the most of it. Shortly after sunrise I therefore set out to do the Hooker Valley track, one of the most popular walks in New Zealand. The walk was flat going into the Hooker Valley finishing at the Hooker Lake with great views of Mount Cook and the Hooker Glacier. The lake was also frozen over with a few odd icebergs. As I left so early I passed very few people on the way to the lake and had it all to myself when arriving, but on my way out of the valley I passed a lot of people coming in.
After getting back to the start of the track I then decided to attempt the track up to the Sealy Tarns, about 1250m above sea level. As the village itself was covered in a fair amount of snow, heading up created even more snow and to add to this the path was incredibly steep and icy. In the end I got to about 1200m before I could no longer tell where the path was, and every direction I guessed I could go I was in snow above waist deep. I therefore decided not to continue, but I was still rewarded with great views of the Mueller and Hooker lakes and glaciers, as well as Mount Cook itself. When reaching the bottom I went via the Kea Point lookout looking out to the Mueller Lake, before heading back to the village via the Hermitage where I went up to this lookout point.
Monday was another grotty day. The only significant walk left I wanted to do was up to the Red Tarns and I saved this for afternoon when the weather improved a little. It was still a little rainy and visibility wasn't great but it wasn't torrential and I thought I would just go for it. When reaching the tarns there was a view looking back to the village, although the tarns themselves were completely frozen and there was a lot of snow. I even ended up to head at one point but luckily managed to dig myself out. When getting back to the hostel I was actually quite wet although I was glad I attempted to do every walk I planned in the national park. It would be interesting to return in the summer months to see how different it looks without snow!
Sunday, 23 July 2017
Lake Tekapo
After being stuck in Geraldine for a week, Monday was the day I could finally move on, next stop Lake Tekapo for 3 nights. I had to book my accomodation here a couple weeks in advance as a combination of the snow and the fact it's ski season makes it a very sought after destination this time of year. En route to Lake Tekapo however I stopped in the small town of Fairlie to visit the famous Fairlie Bakehouse to try one of their pies. I got the pork and apple one and it was as good as people have made out to me, absolutely rammed full of pork and even a piece of crackling on top! Whilst in Fairlie the weather turned however which meant I stayed longer than intended but it was a nice little place.
After the rain somewhat cleared I got a ride to Tekapo and what was rain in Fairlie was snow in Tekapo, and quite a lot of it. Lake Tekapo is a glacial lake lieing in the Mackenzie Basin. At over 700m above sea level, the area is prone to snow, but it also makes a great place to go stargazing, and if your extra lucky you can see the southern lights, the area classified as a dark sky reserve. After checking into my hostel I just popped down to the famous Church of the Good Shepherd before it got dark, although you couldn't see much in terms of scenery with it very cloudy and cold. The streets were also very snowy and icy making them incredibly slippery!
On Tuesday the forecast was better although when waking up visibility wasn't great. I wanted to go out for a walk along the lakeshore to this island, and thought despite the poor visibility I would go anyway. Luckily my gamble paid off and it wasn't long until the sun came out and the views were great of the lake with snowcapped mountains as the backdrop. It was fascinating as the township behind remained in cloud but as I followed the lakeshore it got clearer. Before long however following the lake got challenging and after climbing up these rocks I had no choice but to do an improvised abseil down this cliff face with some old wire I found to get to the other side.
A bit further along the lakeshore this rock face made further progress impossible without swimming round, so I instead headed inland, attempting a scramble up where a recent landslide had occurred. The sediment was very loose but by using roots and trees to support my weight I made it up the cliff. From here there was lots of snow which slowed my progress but I eventually made it to the peninsula where I got great views of the northern parts of the lake, as well as the island in the lake. From here I headed to the road. I decided to take a short cut to the road across a frozen wetland which luckily took my weight although it was very slippery!
When reaching the road I followed it to Lake McGregor and then round to Lake Alexandrina where I followed a path along the lakes edge to the other end. There was a lot of snow along this path. I then reached another road which I intended to follow up to the summit of Mount John to get back to Tekapo. This road was however private and the security guard refused me entry and told me to walk the long way round (which would have got me back to Tekapo in darkness). I was having none of this and instead walked up to the summit cross country and because the security guard was so fat he couldn't catch up with me to stop me. It was actually a more direct route to the summit. When reaching the summit the views were great with all the cloud cleared. I then headed down the other side, although the path was an absolute ice rink which meant I just walked straight down the mountain through the snow for more grip instead of using the zigzag path. I made it back to Tekapo at sunset so it was a pretty full on walk!
On Wednesday I had more of a lie in, before heading out to the nearby forest via the Church of the Good Shepherd and dog statue as it was a nice day. When reaching the forest I headed to Pines Beach where I got some great lake views as well as seeing a fair amount of bird life. I then did a loop walk round the forest although there was a lot of snow. When exiting I headed up Cowans Hill before heading back into Tekapo. It was a far more chilled out day to the one previous. Come evening there was also a great sunset although I wasn't luckily enough to see the southern lights during my time here. There was only a kp rating of 3 at best and you need at least 5 to create a geomagnetic storm. There was great stargazing opportunities though, with very few clouds in the sky so at least I saw the stars.
After the rain somewhat cleared I got a ride to Tekapo and what was rain in Fairlie was snow in Tekapo, and quite a lot of it. Lake Tekapo is a glacial lake lieing in the Mackenzie Basin. At over 700m above sea level, the area is prone to snow, but it also makes a great place to go stargazing, and if your extra lucky you can see the southern lights, the area classified as a dark sky reserve. After checking into my hostel I just popped down to the famous Church of the Good Shepherd before it got dark, although you couldn't see much in terms of scenery with it very cloudy and cold. The streets were also very snowy and icy making them incredibly slippery!
On Tuesday the forecast was better although when waking up visibility wasn't great. I wanted to go out for a walk along the lakeshore to this island, and thought despite the poor visibility I would go anyway. Luckily my gamble paid off and it wasn't long until the sun came out and the views were great of the lake with snowcapped mountains as the backdrop. It was fascinating as the township behind remained in cloud but as I followed the lakeshore it got clearer. Before long however following the lake got challenging and after climbing up these rocks I had no choice but to do an improvised abseil down this cliff face with some old wire I found to get to the other side.
A bit further along the lakeshore this rock face made further progress impossible without swimming round, so I instead headed inland, attempting a scramble up where a recent landslide had occurred. The sediment was very loose but by using roots and trees to support my weight I made it up the cliff. From here there was lots of snow which slowed my progress but I eventually made it to the peninsula where I got great views of the northern parts of the lake, as well as the island in the lake. From here I headed to the road. I decided to take a short cut to the road across a frozen wetland which luckily took my weight although it was very slippery!
When reaching the road I followed it to Lake McGregor and then round to Lake Alexandrina where I followed a path along the lakes edge to the other end. There was a lot of snow along this path. I then reached another road which I intended to follow up to the summit of Mount John to get back to Tekapo. This road was however private and the security guard refused me entry and told me to walk the long way round (which would have got me back to Tekapo in darkness). I was having none of this and instead walked up to the summit cross country and because the security guard was so fat he couldn't catch up with me to stop me. It was actually a more direct route to the summit. When reaching the summit the views were great with all the cloud cleared. I then headed down the other side, although the path was an absolute ice rink which meant I just walked straight down the mountain through the snow for more grip instead of using the zigzag path. I made it back to Tekapo at sunset so it was a pretty full on walk!
On Wednesday I had more of a lie in, before heading out to the nearby forest via the Church of the Good Shepherd and dog statue as it was a nice day. When reaching the forest I headed to Pines Beach where I got some great lake views as well as seeing a fair amount of bird life. I then did a loop walk round the forest although there was a lot of snow. When exiting I headed up Cowans Hill before heading back into Tekapo. It was a far more chilled out day to the one previous. Come evening there was also a great sunset although I wasn't luckily enough to see the southern lights during my time here. There was only a kp rating of 3 at best and you need at least 5 to create a geomagnetic storm. There was great stargazing opportunities though, with very few clouds in the sky so at least I saw the stars.
Wednesday, 19 July 2017
Geraldine
I spent Monday having a relatively relaxing day exploring Geraldine. Geraldine is just a small country town popular with the elderly as a place for retirement with its slower pace of life. The town centres around a small high street with a few shops, which I looked round, with a backdrop of the Southern Alps, the town itself lieing in the Canterbury Plains. Originally I was only planning to spend a couple of nights here before heading out to the Ashburton Lakes for a few days of hiking, arriving at Lake Tekapo the following Monday which I had booked last week due to the high demand for accomodation there. This wasn't to be the case however with some significant snowfall hampering my plans.
Geraldine got away with the brunt of the snowfall and instead just got a lot of rain, accompanied by the odd bit of snow which unfortunately didn't settle. The surrounding areas got a lot though including Lake Tekapo and Mt Hutt (nearby Mt Somers) which were places relatively near Geraldine at slightly higher altitudes, and it looked stunning when watching it on the news. This did mean however that until Thursday I couldn't really go out and do much which meant I had the joys of daytime tv although I have missed watching things like Jeremy Kyle, tipping point, and the chase.
Come Friday the weather had improved and I had to do something other than be in Geraldine so I decided to go down to Timaru for the day, which is a sizable coastal town by New Zealand standards not far from Geraldine. After being dropped off at the information centre I headed to the botanic gardens before following the coast via the port and main high street to the popular beach of Caroline Bay. The town has plenty of Edwardian architecture unlike many other parts of New Zealand with less historical buildings. It was good to get out somewhere for the day.
Saturday was by the far the best days weather forecast for the week and I therefore decided to head out to the Peel Forest to check out some of the waterfalls and attempt the summit of Little Mount Peel. The forest itself was a little remote but luckily some old man in a vintage car picked me up and took me right into the forest to the main car park which saved me walking the sizable distance from the main road, a good hours walk from the car park where I was dropped off. Before attempting the summit I did a walk in the forest taking in some big trees, Acland Falls, and a boardwalk through some swamp land which was a nice walk.
I joined the the path to the summit after the waterfall and the path headed up through the forest before emerging at a frozen lake where I encountered my first significant amount of snow. From here it was snow all the way to the summit, initially through bushes before opening out to scrubland. It was a challenging ascent, especially through the scrubland as the snow had settled over this wooden boardwalk which was the path and I couldn't tell where the path was. Everyone I missed the boardwalk I would sink to my knee as I was effectively stepping on scrub. I eventually reached the summit and from the top the views were stunning, the Canterbury Plains one way, the Southern Alps the other. I couldn't have asked for better weather!
Coming down I was originally planning to take the South Ridge to complete a loop walk, taking me via Rata Falls and Emily Falls en route. Being south facing however there was a lot more snow because of the decreased sun exposure, and a mere 50m or so following the path with the snow above my knees I thought maybe not, so decended the same way I came up. Going down was a lot quicker as I could basically slide down, getting down in little over an hour. When reaching the bottom I unfortunately had to walk from the car park back to the main road at Arundel where I was able to get a ride back to Geraldine. Come evening Geraldine had a small festival thing on which if I had known about would have gone to. There was a fairly big firework display which I watched from the hostel but apparently there was lots going on where it took place. Sunday was my last day in Geraldine and I just had a relaxing one as the weather was a bit overcast.
Geraldine got away with the brunt of the snowfall and instead just got a lot of rain, accompanied by the odd bit of snow which unfortunately didn't settle. The surrounding areas got a lot though including Lake Tekapo and Mt Hutt (nearby Mt Somers) which were places relatively near Geraldine at slightly higher altitudes, and it looked stunning when watching it on the news. This did mean however that until Thursday I couldn't really go out and do much which meant I had the joys of daytime tv although I have missed watching things like Jeremy Kyle, tipping point, and the chase.
Come Friday the weather had improved and I had to do something other than be in Geraldine so I decided to go down to Timaru for the day, which is a sizable coastal town by New Zealand standards not far from Geraldine. After being dropped off at the information centre I headed to the botanic gardens before following the coast via the port and main high street to the popular beach of Caroline Bay. The town has plenty of Edwardian architecture unlike many other parts of New Zealand with less historical buildings. It was good to get out somewhere for the day.
Saturday was by the far the best days weather forecast for the week and I therefore decided to head out to the Peel Forest to check out some of the waterfalls and attempt the summit of Little Mount Peel. The forest itself was a little remote but luckily some old man in a vintage car picked me up and took me right into the forest to the main car park which saved me walking the sizable distance from the main road, a good hours walk from the car park where I was dropped off. Before attempting the summit I did a walk in the forest taking in some big trees, Acland Falls, and a boardwalk through some swamp land which was a nice walk.
I joined the the path to the summit after the waterfall and the path headed up through the forest before emerging at a frozen lake where I encountered my first significant amount of snow. From here it was snow all the way to the summit, initially through bushes before opening out to scrubland. It was a challenging ascent, especially through the scrubland as the snow had settled over this wooden boardwalk which was the path and I couldn't tell where the path was. Everyone I missed the boardwalk I would sink to my knee as I was effectively stepping on scrub. I eventually reached the summit and from the top the views were stunning, the Canterbury Plains one way, the Southern Alps the other. I couldn't have asked for better weather!
Coming down I was originally planning to take the South Ridge to complete a loop walk, taking me via Rata Falls and Emily Falls en route. Being south facing however there was a lot more snow because of the decreased sun exposure, and a mere 50m or so following the path with the snow above my knees I thought maybe not, so decended the same way I came up. Going down was a lot quicker as I could basically slide down, getting down in little over an hour. When reaching the bottom I unfortunately had to walk from the car park back to the main road at Arundel where I was able to get a ride back to Geraldine. Come evening Geraldine had a small festival thing on which if I had known about would have gone to. There was a fairly big firework display which I watched from the hostel but apparently there was lots going on where it took place. Sunday was my last day in Geraldine and I just had a relaxing one as the weather was a bit overcast.
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
Mount Somers
I left Akaroa Wednesday morning ready to head south to my next destination. That was easier said than done however as the road out of Akaroa basically takes you into Christchurch and it's not a very busy road. I managed to get a lift eventually though with this local guy from Christchurch who knew a lot about the local area and was telling me about all the settlements we passed. He even took a detour at Tai Tapu to show me this place which recently suffered from a wildfire last summer. He kindly dropped me off in Hornby which is a suburb of Christchurch lieing on State Highway 1, the main route south. I had lunch in Hornby too as there was a sizable shopping complex.
After lunch I got picked up within minutes and arrived in my intended destination of Ashburton for the night. Ashburton is town about an hour south of Christchurch. Lieing on the Canterbury Plains the surrounding area is very flat so there isn't much to see other than farmland. It's not the kind of place you would visit as a tourist but it has plenty of shops and facilities which I needed. My intention was the following day to get as close to Staveley as I could to hike the Mount Somers Track. Ashburton was the nearest town of a considerable size to that so I could buy food to do the trek. As I arrived a lot earlier than expected I took a short walk along the river which was nice. I then relaxed in my accomodation come evening.
Thursday morning I wasn't sure how the day would go with Staveley being very remote. I knew I could pretty easily get a lift to Methven which would have been a 3 hour walk from Staveley but I couldn't believe my luck that I not only got picked up within minutes, but was picked up by a local guy who was a trail runner unsure of where he fancied running so decided to go to Staveley too! The Mount Somers Track is a 2 day 1 night hike around Mount Somers, although I planned to do 3 days 2 nights to attempt the summit one of the days. After getting ready the guy who gave me a lift ran off and I followed on the same path behind.
The path was initially very steep and there was a heavy frost which made is slippery but equally beautiful. There was a viewpoint not far from the car park with some great views, before the path dropped a bit and followed this stream which was stunning with the frosty surroundings. There was even a partially frozen waterfall as one point with icicles all around it! The path then climbed steeply again before reaching an area called the pinnacles which were some rock formations, with the snowcapped Southern Alps as a back drop. There was also a hut up here and shortly after reaching it the guy who gave me a lift passed me and said he had ran all the way to the saddle so fair play to him. I had lunch at the hut.
After leaving the hut the path continued to climb up to the saddle which when reaching the top was 1170m so pretty high, although nothing compared to the mountains around me! The path then dropped down the other side eventually reaching a point called the water caves which were some rock formations which the stream flowed through. Shortly after this I reached the Woolshed Creek Hut which was my bed for the night. It was a pretty solid days walking. I was only one there when arriving which surprised me as it sleeps 26 people, although a Kiwi couple arrived shortly after. They only stopped for a rest though although they were over 2 hours from the nearby car park with only an hours daylight left!
Come morning it was absolutely freezing and outside was a solid frost. My plan for the day was to attempt the Mount Somers summit. Officially there is marked route up the south face although they strongly advise against this as that face gets the least sunlight and during winter the path is effectively ice which means crampons and ice axes are recommended. I instead thought I'd attempt the summit up the unmarked and less steep west face. Shortly after leaving I reached the emerald pools which was a swimming hole, although I was not planning on a swim. I instead took the swing bridge over the gorge and headed up through the scrub.
Before long the path headed down to this stream which was an interesting crossing as the rocks were covered in ice. Nearby there was a waterfall which was surrounded in snow and icicles which was pretty stunning. The path then rapidly started to rise and I eventually reached a feature known as the bus stop overhang which literally had a bus stop sign! From here I left the path and headed towards the summit, initially climbing this rock face before it levelled out a bit to this scrubland. It was very hard work making progress though and before long there were patches of snow everywhere.
I eventually made it to about 1400m but from here there was a considerably greater amount of snow and it was a little unstable. After accidentally triggering a small avalanche I rested on some rocks and decided I wouldn't continue. The issue was a hard layer of snow had formed over a soft layer which was great when the hard layer took my weight, but every so often it broke and I would sink a considerable way. The views were still stunning though but if I were to die no one would even know I'm missing let alone where I was. After having lunch I headed back down stopping at a few rock formations for views, eventually heading back down to the bus stop and the marked route. En route back I stopped at the waterfall and emerald pools again as they were pretty special! When arriving back at the hut there were a few people there and before long they had cheese and biscuits and all sorts out and let me help myself as they had loads. They even insisted I had dinner with them afterwards which was nice. More people later arrived and there were 14 people in the hut by bedtime!
After lunch I got picked up within minutes and arrived in my intended destination of Ashburton for the night. Ashburton is town about an hour south of Christchurch. Lieing on the Canterbury Plains the surrounding area is very flat so there isn't much to see other than farmland. It's not the kind of place you would visit as a tourist but it has plenty of shops and facilities which I needed. My intention was the following day to get as close to Staveley as I could to hike the Mount Somers Track. Ashburton was the nearest town of a considerable size to that so I could buy food to do the trek. As I arrived a lot earlier than expected I took a short walk along the river which was nice. I then relaxed in my accomodation come evening.
Thursday morning I wasn't sure how the day would go with Staveley being very remote. I knew I could pretty easily get a lift to Methven which would have been a 3 hour walk from Staveley but I couldn't believe my luck that I not only got picked up within minutes, but was picked up by a local guy who was a trail runner unsure of where he fancied running so decided to go to Staveley too! The Mount Somers Track is a 2 day 1 night hike around Mount Somers, although I planned to do 3 days 2 nights to attempt the summit one of the days. After getting ready the guy who gave me a lift ran off and I followed on the same path behind.
The path was initially very steep and there was a heavy frost which made is slippery but equally beautiful. There was a viewpoint not far from the car park with some great views, before the path dropped a bit and followed this stream which was stunning with the frosty surroundings. There was even a partially frozen waterfall as one point with icicles all around it! The path then climbed steeply again before reaching an area called the pinnacles which were some rock formations, with the snowcapped Southern Alps as a back drop. There was also a hut up here and shortly after reaching it the guy who gave me a lift passed me and said he had ran all the way to the saddle so fair play to him. I had lunch at the hut.
After leaving the hut the path continued to climb up to the saddle which when reaching the top was 1170m so pretty high, although nothing compared to the mountains around me! The path then dropped down the other side eventually reaching a point called the water caves which were some rock formations which the stream flowed through. Shortly after this I reached the Woolshed Creek Hut which was my bed for the night. It was a pretty solid days walking. I was only one there when arriving which surprised me as it sleeps 26 people, although a Kiwi couple arrived shortly after. They only stopped for a rest though although they were over 2 hours from the nearby car park with only an hours daylight left!
Come morning it was absolutely freezing and outside was a solid frost. My plan for the day was to attempt the Mount Somers summit. Officially there is marked route up the south face although they strongly advise against this as that face gets the least sunlight and during winter the path is effectively ice which means crampons and ice axes are recommended. I instead thought I'd attempt the summit up the unmarked and less steep west face. Shortly after leaving I reached the emerald pools which was a swimming hole, although I was not planning on a swim. I instead took the swing bridge over the gorge and headed up through the scrub.
Before long the path headed down to this stream which was an interesting crossing as the rocks were covered in ice. Nearby there was a waterfall which was surrounded in snow and icicles which was pretty stunning. The path then rapidly started to rise and I eventually reached a feature known as the bus stop overhang which literally had a bus stop sign! From here I left the path and headed towards the summit, initially climbing this rock face before it levelled out a bit to this scrubland. It was very hard work making progress though and before long there were patches of snow everywhere.
I eventually made it to about 1400m but from here there was a considerably greater amount of snow and it was a little unstable. After accidentally triggering a small avalanche I rested on some rocks and decided I wouldn't continue. The issue was a hard layer of snow had formed over a soft layer which was great when the hard layer took my weight, but every so often it broke and I would sink a considerable way. The views were still stunning though but if I were to die no one would even know I'm missing let alone where I was. After having lunch I headed back down stopping at a few rock formations for views, eventually heading back down to the bus stop and the marked route. En route back I stopped at the waterfall and emerald pools again as they were pretty special! When arriving back at the hut there were a few people there and before long they had cheese and biscuits and all sorts out and let me help myself as they had loads. They even insisted I had dinner with them afterwards which was nice. More people later arrived and there were 14 people in the hut by bedtime!
Sunday morning I had to decide whether to return to civilisation via the south face of Mount Somers back to Staveley, or to follow an old miners route back to the township of Mount Somers itself. I opted for the latter. The route basically climbed to this viewpoint back towards the creek before dropping sharply to an old mine which had a few old relics lieing about. The path then dropped down to a 4wd track which I followed until reaching Mount Somers and the inland scenic route 72 which was my way out. The road wasn't very busy though but I eventually got picked up. I had to decide whether to go to Methven or Geraldine and I opted for Geraldine. I arrived here by afternoon and after sorting myself out relaxed in the quiet hostel. Come evening I went down the pub for a roast dinner although it was full of old people playing ukeleles for the annual Geraldine Uke Fest.
Sunday, 9 July 2017
Banks Peninsula
Sunday morning I left Christchurch bright and early to head out to the Banks Peninsula just south of Christchurch. I ultimately wanted to get to the town of Akaroa in the heart of the peninsula, and I decided I would hike there instead of hitchhiking. Akaroa is an 85km drive from Christchurch although geographically speaking it's just 40km away. To get there I decided to follow a route called the Te Ara Pataka although I started from Diamond Harbour instead of the official start point elsewhere.
After catching a bus to Lyttelton I took the short 10 minute ferry ride across to Diamond Harbour where I began the walk. The weather wasn't on my side however and I couldn't even see the peninsula when I arrived. The Banks Peninsula is of volcanic origin and encompasses two large harbours as well as many smaller bays and coves. It is a very hilly area however with the highest peak Mt Herbert being 919m which to put into perspective is higher than Cadair Idris for example. The first part of my hike was to climb Mt Herbert which was fun because shortly after leaving the harbour I entered the cloud and the visibility was very poor. Luckily the path was pretty obvious.
Eventually I managed to leave the cloud and before long I was literally above the clouds and made it the summit. It was very surreal looking out just seeing random peaks stick out the cloud including the Southern Alps in the distance. From Mt Herbert the path followed the ridge line where the clouds eventually began to clear a little and I could see a couple of the bays. I even managed to find a few geocaches along the way! I eventually got to the point where I had to drop down into the valley to the hut I was staying in for the night which meant going into the cloud. After arriving I relaxed and by the time I got a fire going it was actually really warm unlike outside where the temperature just plummeted when the sun went down.
Come morning I actually had a really good night's sleep and after leaving the hut headed back up to the ridge line. It was amazing being somewhere in the middle of nowhere and unlike the previous day there were no clouds which meant some of the views of the smaller bays were stunning. I even found a few more geocaches although they were challenging in a terrain point of view as they were all mainly off the main path. One of them in particular took me to this cave which was only accessible climbing up this rock face which was incredibly slippery.
I eventually reached a point called the Hilltop which is where I finally saw people again, and where I also got my first views of the Akaroa harbour. From here the path dropped down to the road although the path was pretty treacherous as it was made up of slippery rocks and was really muddy elsewhere. I got down eventually and when reaching the road made it to the Hilltop Tavern which was the official end of the Te Ara Pataka. I had lunch and a well earned pint here, ordering one of there famous pizzas. It was nice as the pub was on top of the hill giving great views of the Akaroa harbour. From here I hitched a ride into Akaroa arriving mid afternoon where I checked into my hostel. It turned out I was the only person in the entire hostel though!
On Tuesday I had a more chilled out day although the weather in the morning wasn't great. It cleared up by lunchtime though and before long it was blue skies. I decided to best way to explore the town was to go geocaching. Akaroa was colonised by the French in the 1800s and that connection still goes on today with many of the street names being French. The harbour it lies on is home to the hector dolphin, the world's smallest and in the summer welcomes in large cruise liners! My walk took me along the beachfront where I saw the harbour, lighthouse, and beaches. I also headed up a couple of the hills to get a more aerial view of the town. Wednesday I had a more relaxing day, heading out to the Giants House in the afternoon which was a garden full of mosaic artwork and sculptures! The weather was a little more grotty though but it was nice to have a chilled out day.
After catching a bus to Lyttelton I took the short 10 minute ferry ride across to Diamond Harbour where I began the walk. The weather wasn't on my side however and I couldn't even see the peninsula when I arrived. The Banks Peninsula is of volcanic origin and encompasses two large harbours as well as many smaller bays and coves. It is a very hilly area however with the highest peak Mt Herbert being 919m which to put into perspective is higher than Cadair Idris for example. The first part of my hike was to climb Mt Herbert which was fun because shortly after leaving the harbour I entered the cloud and the visibility was very poor. Luckily the path was pretty obvious.
Eventually I managed to leave the cloud and before long I was literally above the clouds and made it the summit. It was very surreal looking out just seeing random peaks stick out the cloud including the Southern Alps in the distance. From Mt Herbert the path followed the ridge line where the clouds eventually began to clear a little and I could see a couple of the bays. I even managed to find a few geocaches along the way! I eventually got to the point where I had to drop down into the valley to the hut I was staying in for the night which meant going into the cloud. After arriving I relaxed and by the time I got a fire going it was actually really warm unlike outside where the temperature just plummeted when the sun went down.
Come morning I actually had a really good night's sleep and after leaving the hut headed back up to the ridge line. It was amazing being somewhere in the middle of nowhere and unlike the previous day there were no clouds which meant some of the views of the smaller bays were stunning. I even found a few more geocaches although they were challenging in a terrain point of view as they were all mainly off the main path. One of them in particular took me to this cave which was only accessible climbing up this rock face which was incredibly slippery.
I eventually reached a point called the Hilltop which is where I finally saw people again, and where I also got my first views of the Akaroa harbour. From here the path dropped down to the road although the path was pretty treacherous as it was made up of slippery rocks and was really muddy elsewhere. I got down eventually and when reaching the road made it to the Hilltop Tavern which was the official end of the Te Ara Pataka. I had lunch and a well earned pint here, ordering one of there famous pizzas. It was nice as the pub was on top of the hill giving great views of the Akaroa harbour. From here I hitched a ride into Akaroa arriving mid afternoon where I checked into my hostel. It turned out I was the only person in the entire hostel though!
On Tuesday I had a more chilled out day although the weather in the morning wasn't great. It cleared up by lunchtime though and before long it was blue skies. I decided to best way to explore the town was to go geocaching. Akaroa was colonised by the French in the 1800s and that connection still goes on today with many of the street names being French. The harbour it lies on is home to the hector dolphin, the world's smallest and in the summer welcomes in large cruise liners! My walk took me along the beachfront where I saw the harbour, lighthouse, and beaches. I also headed up a couple of the hills to get a more aerial view of the town. Wednesday I had a more relaxing day, heading out to the Giants House in the afternoon which was a garden full of mosaic artwork and sculptures! The weather was a little more grotty though but it was nice to have a chilled out day.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Hanmer Springs and Christchurch
On Monday I left Kaikoura relatively early, saying goodbye to everyone just before they started work. With the State Highway 1 northbound still closed, not reopening until December at the very earliest, I had to head south. The only public transport option from Kaikoura is a daily bus to Christchurch, but I decided I would attempt to get to Hanmer Springs about 135km drive via the scenic Inland Kaikoura Road. After crossing the nearby Kowhai River which was an extremely cold and interesting crossing over what was essentially rapids barefoot, I reached the the road and before long managed to get a lift off some massive Morecambe fan. Hanmer Springs is about 7km down a turnoff from State Highway 7, and he kindly dropped me off here, stopping in Waiau en route for a drink break.
A short way off the turnoff was a popular viewpoint of the Waiau river bridge which was a great view of the bridge, river, and surrounding mountains. It was then onto Hanmer Springs, arriving early afternoon. Surrounded by forests and mountains, Hanmer Springs is a popular alpine holiday destination famous for its hot springs and boutique shopping. After checking into the hostel I went out and explored the small town looking round a few of the shops before heading up Conical Hill where I got some great views of the Hanmer Forest and surrounding mountains. Come evening I visited the hot pools where I relaxed. Like many of the hot pools in New Zealand they are naturally heated by geothermal energy, with the springs essentially lieing on the Hanmer fault line. It was definitely a good place to be with the temperature outside the pools below freezing!
Tuesday was a great day in terms on the weather and I therefore decided to take to opportunity to climb the nearby Mt Isobel. At 1319m above sea level I had three route options to climb it, deciding to get there the most direct yet most challenging route through the Hanmer Forest via the Dog Stream Waterfall to reach the ridge line. Navigating through the forest was challenging as there were paths everywhere but I managed it, reaching the waterfall in good time which at 41m high was impressive! The section after the waterfall was the difficult bit as it left the forest up this incredibly steep path which was covered in a thick layer of ice which made making progress up very difficult!
I eventually made it to the ridge line where the views were stunning, and a short walk along the ridge took me to the summit which even had patches of snow about. The views one way looked out over the Hanmer forest and basin, the other way looking out towards the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges. After having lunch in a sheltered spot out of the wind, I headed back down the same way to the waterfall, before taking an alternative route back through the forest to the hostel. The next day I had a more chilled out day, deciding to go geocaching in the forest which was a successful day. I pretty much followed the dog stream before going up Conical Hill once again, although Mt Isobel which I climbed the day previously was not visible due to low lying cloud, so I was lucky with the weather!
Come Thursday I left Hanmer Springs to continue heading south. I was considering spending a few days hiking round the Lake Sumner Forest Park although I opted against this in favour of getting to Christchurch as I needed to buy a few things. I left Hanmer late morning, stopping at the viewpoint of the Waiau river gorge before hitching a ride with some guy into Christchurch. He even insisted on buying me lunch which was nice of him, dropping me off at the shopping mall just outside the city centre so I could look round the shops. After looking round I headed into the city, checking into a hostel for a couple of nights.
On Friday I headed into Riccarton which had a bigger shopping centre to the one I visited the day before, as well as some outlet and warehouse type stores. I spent a while looking round and managed to get some waterproofs which I was lacking. I should hopefully get through the winter now fingers crossed. Originally I was planning on spending just 2 nights in Christchurch, before heading to the nearby Banks Peninsula and Akaroa, although all the accomodation there was fully booked as it was a Saturday night so I ended up staying 3 nights in Christchurch instead. This was a good thing though as I could watch the Lions game and unlike the week before where there were just 3 British people, this time it was a pub packed with Lions fans who obviously went hysterical when they beats the All Blacks, a great atmosphere.
A short way off the turnoff was a popular viewpoint of the Waiau river bridge which was a great view of the bridge, river, and surrounding mountains. It was then onto Hanmer Springs, arriving early afternoon. Surrounded by forests and mountains, Hanmer Springs is a popular alpine holiday destination famous for its hot springs and boutique shopping. After checking into the hostel I went out and explored the small town looking round a few of the shops before heading up Conical Hill where I got some great views of the Hanmer Forest and surrounding mountains. Come evening I visited the hot pools where I relaxed. Like many of the hot pools in New Zealand they are naturally heated by geothermal energy, with the springs essentially lieing on the Hanmer fault line. It was definitely a good place to be with the temperature outside the pools below freezing!
Tuesday was a great day in terms on the weather and I therefore decided to take to opportunity to climb the nearby Mt Isobel. At 1319m above sea level I had three route options to climb it, deciding to get there the most direct yet most challenging route through the Hanmer Forest via the Dog Stream Waterfall to reach the ridge line. Navigating through the forest was challenging as there were paths everywhere but I managed it, reaching the waterfall in good time which at 41m high was impressive! The section after the waterfall was the difficult bit as it left the forest up this incredibly steep path which was covered in a thick layer of ice which made making progress up very difficult!
I eventually made it to the ridge line where the views were stunning, and a short walk along the ridge took me to the summit which even had patches of snow about. The views one way looked out over the Hanmer forest and basin, the other way looking out towards the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges. After having lunch in a sheltered spot out of the wind, I headed back down the same way to the waterfall, before taking an alternative route back through the forest to the hostel. The next day I had a more chilled out day, deciding to go geocaching in the forest which was a successful day. I pretty much followed the dog stream before going up Conical Hill once again, although Mt Isobel which I climbed the day previously was not visible due to low lying cloud, so I was lucky with the weather!
Come Thursday I left Hanmer Springs to continue heading south. I was considering spending a few days hiking round the Lake Sumner Forest Park although I opted against this in favour of getting to Christchurch as I needed to buy a few things. I left Hanmer late morning, stopping at the viewpoint of the Waiau river gorge before hitching a ride with some guy into Christchurch. He even insisted on buying me lunch which was nice of him, dropping me off at the shopping mall just outside the city centre so I could look round the shops. After looking round I headed into the city, checking into a hostel for a couple of nights.
On Friday I headed into Riccarton which had a bigger shopping centre to the one I visited the day before, as well as some outlet and warehouse type stores. I spent a while looking round and managed to get some waterproofs which I was lacking. I should hopefully get through the winter now fingers crossed. Originally I was planning on spending just 2 nights in Christchurch, before heading to the nearby Banks Peninsula and Akaroa, although all the accomodation there was fully booked as it was a Saturday night so I ended up staying 3 nights in Christchurch instead. This was a good thing though as I could watch the Lions game and unlike the week before where there were just 3 British people, this time it was a pub packed with Lions fans who obviously went hysterical when they beats the All Blacks, a great atmosphere.
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Kaikoura Week 4
Monday was the start of my last week on the farm. I was only ever intending to stay for a couple of weeks but by the time I leave I would have been on the farm over a month. The weather at the start of the week was really good which meant the farm had completely dried out. The owner was also away Monday and Tuesday which meant we were running the farm alone, not that he does anything anyway. This meant we were able to tidy the place up a bit and we even managed to paint a few of the fences which made it look a bit cleaner.
By Wednesday I had the afternoon off and I decided I would go geocaching as I haven't really properly been since I left home. Nearby the farm there was a mountain bike trail which had a load of geocaches along it so I decided to take a bike and find some of them which other than being extremely wet and muddy was a successful afternoon. There was even a geocache right outside the farm!
On Thursday I went round and fixed a few of the broken things round the farm, the main one being this gate which the pigs keep lifting off the hinges to get in together. I basically just wrapped loads of wire round it which now means if they get it off the hinges it won't topple over. I also finally managed to fix the guinea pigs cage which the goat repeatedly keeps breaking by jumping on it when it climbs off the roof. By Friday the weather turned and luckily with it only my half day I didn't have to work all day but the rain was just persistent which meant I was stuck inside all day.
Saturday was an interesting day as the owner decided he was shutting down the farm park. Apparently the government are cracking down on people employing backpackers in return for food and accomodation and say the hours worked should effectively equate to what the accomodation and food is worth. In my case I probably work more hours than what I get in return which I suppose is a good thing for me in terms of future employment, but in terms of the animals it's a bad thing as many are now going to be shot dead as they can't be looked after. Apparently he is going to keep the llama trekking and the wacky stays accomodation, but shut down the farm park which with respect doesn't really bring in much money. It was a sad day though because many of the animals I've been looking after are now going to die.
Sunday was my last day and I had the afternoon off. I'm definitely going to miss the animals, and things like waking up to the sheep and goatie outside my room in the morning for me to stroke them (a couple even give me their paws). I'll even miss Peppa Pig who despite being extremely annoying is funny because she always gets her cream cakes in the morning and loves being rolled upside down to have her belly rubbed. It was also nice to say goodbye to Bambi, Pony, Donkey, and Wallaby before they die, and I'll obviously miss the llamas too. In the afternoon in just sorted out a few things before I left to head south the next morning.
By Wednesday I had the afternoon off and I decided I would go geocaching as I haven't really properly been since I left home. Nearby the farm there was a mountain bike trail which had a load of geocaches along it so I decided to take a bike and find some of them which other than being extremely wet and muddy was a successful afternoon. There was even a geocache right outside the farm!
On Thursday I went round and fixed a few of the broken things round the farm, the main one being this gate which the pigs keep lifting off the hinges to get in together. I basically just wrapped loads of wire round it which now means if they get it off the hinges it won't topple over. I also finally managed to fix the guinea pigs cage which the goat repeatedly keeps breaking by jumping on it when it climbs off the roof. By Friday the weather turned and luckily with it only my half day I didn't have to work all day but the rain was just persistent which meant I was stuck inside all day.
Saturday was an interesting day as the owner decided he was shutting down the farm park. Apparently the government are cracking down on people employing backpackers in return for food and accomodation and say the hours worked should effectively equate to what the accomodation and food is worth. In my case I probably work more hours than what I get in return which I suppose is a good thing for me in terms of future employment, but in terms of the animals it's a bad thing as many are now going to be shot dead as they can't be looked after. Apparently he is going to keep the llama trekking and the wacky stays accomodation, but shut down the farm park which with respect doesn't really bring in much money. It was a sad day though because many of the animals I've been looking after are now going to die.
Sunday was my last day and I had the afternoon off. I'm definitely going to miss the animals, and things like waking up to the sheep and goatie outside my room in the morning for me to stroke them (a couple even give me their paws). I'll even miss Peppa Pig who despite being extremely annoying is funny because she always gets her cream cakes in the morning and loves being rolled upside down to have her belly rubbed. It was also nice to say goodbye to Bambi, Pony, Donkey, and Wallaby before they die, and I'll obviously miss the llamas too. In the afternoon in just sorted out a few things before I left to head south the next morning.
Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Kaikoura Week 3
Come the start of the week it came to our attention that some of the animals on the farm had lice which isn't a good thing. Bambi the deer had pulled loads of fur out and the Pony and Donkey kept scratching on the fence, as well as the small goat. We therefore had to assume every animal had lice. This meant we had to remove all the straw and thoroughly clean out all the paddocks which was easy enough, but the difficult thing was giving the animals this liquid stuff we had to rub on their skin, with Bambi and Goaty a nightmare to catch. Goaty always climbs on things and throughout the week broke the roof of the rabbit and guinea pigs cage, and got stuck on the roof of the feed room because we cleared all the leaves off the netting he uses to get up there meaning he wouldn't jump down.
It nice by Wednesday to have an afternoon off after the start to the week and I just went and relaxed down the beach as it was nice day. By Thursday the farm was starting to drastically dry out. The thing with Kaikoura is the ground is predominantly stones beneath the surface which means water drains away quickly. We did however have to rake up leaves which seems to be a job we constantly have to do but the trees are almost bare now which is good.
Friday was another afternoon off although in the morning we had to cut Pony, Donkey, and Bambis feet which was challenging. In the end we had to call a professional out because it just wasn't happening. They are funny in the afternoons though when we let them out into the paddock because they're best friends and Bambi just chases Pony round the field and Donkey just runs round in circles because he doesn't know what's going on. I had another relaxing day in the afternoon though because I have pretty much run out of things to do in Kaikoura in terms of walks and the bikes at the farm aren't really good enough to get me further a field.
Saturday it was a really nice day and that meant quite a few customers visited. By busy I mean about 10 people throughout the day although it's nice when there's customers because you can get out of working and talk to them instead. We did have to clean the guinea pigs and rabbits out though. It was nice in the evening though to have a few beers and watch the rugby which is obviously big in NZ, and with the Lions winning it shut a few of the kiwis up after the Highlanders had beaten the Lions midweek. It should be interesting when it's the first proper test match next week. Come Sunday I had another relaxing afternoon down the beach.
It nice by Wednesday to have an afternoon off after the start to the week and I just went and relaxed down the beach as it was nice day. By Thursday the farm was starting to drastically dry out. The thing with Kaikoura is the ground is predominantly stones beneath the surface which means water drains away quickly. We did however have to rake up leaves which seems to be a job we constantly have to do but the trees are almost bare now which is good.
Friday was another afternoon off although in the morning we had to cut Pony, Donkey, and Bambis feet which was challenging. In the end we had to call a professional out because it just wasn't happening. They are funny in the afternoons though when we let them out into the paddock because they're best friends and Bambi just chases Pony round the field and Donkey just runs round in circles because he doesn't know what's going on. I had another relaxing day in the afternoon though because I have pretty much run out of things to do in Kaikoura in terms of walks and the bikes at the farm aren't really good enough to get me further a field.
Saturday it was a really nice day and that meant quite a few customers visited. By busy I mean about 10 people throughout the day although it's nice when there's customers because you can get out of working and talk to them instead. We did have to clean the guinea pigs and rabbits out though. It was nice in the evening though to have a few beers and watch the rugby which is obviously big in NZ, and with the Lions winning it shut a few of the kiwis up after the Highlanders had beaten the Lions midweek. It should be interesting when it's the first proper test match next week. Come Sunday I had another relaxing afternoon down the beach.
Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Kaikoura Week 2
By Monday the farm was an absolute mud bath and the rain persisted to the point where we had to stop working by lunchtime because it was just silly. We did however still have to feed the animals at 3.15. Due to the adverse weather, Mt Fyffe which I climbed a few days previously had gone from having a few patches of snow on to being absolutely caked in the stuff which became visible on Tuesday when the sun finally came out. With Tuesday being an afternoon off I was considering doing a walk into the Kowhai Valley which runs behind Mt Fyffe between that mountain and the much higher mountains behind. I instead decided to have a relaxing day however taking advantage of the nice weather to relax down the beach, as well as playing mini golf on the free course in town.
Wednesday was another sunny day and it was unbelievable how quickly the farm dried out, all be it there was still a fair bit of mud. The afternoon was spent cleaning out the rabbits and guinea pigs which involved driving to the local woodwork place to steal some wood shavings for their bedding. Come Thursday it was the two Czech people's last day, as well as the other woofer leaving the next morning. After doing my morning duties I headed down to the caves where they supposedly did tours, although it was closed. I did sit in the cafe there for a bit though before heading back to the farm. In the evening to say goodbye we had a beer tasting evening seeing as Czech Republic is the birthplace of beer. We also tasted their homemade drink Slivovitz which was interesting and it was a really nice way to say goodbye.
By Friday we were down to just 2 of us and after the morning it was down to just me. A new person did arrive in the afternoon however who was British which was nice. On Saturday it was another intense morning with just 2 people doing the morning duties when it's normally done with 4 people. I did have the afternoon off however although the weather was a big grotty so I just cycled into town and looked round some of the shops and sat in one of the cafes just to get out. I also went and visited the seal colonies again as it's always nice watching the seals. By afternoon another 2 woofers arrived who were also British and from the south coast which makes a whole farm of southerners now including the owners.
On Sunday I had another afternoon off and with it finally being a nice day I decided to do a walk into the Kowhai Valley. There is officially a 2-3 day hike which goes through the Kowhai Valley, over the saddle, then through the Hapuku Valley, and I was just doing a small section from the Kowhai end. The path essentially followed the river which meant I wore wellington boots, although when arriving at the start it said the path was closed due to earthquake damage. I decided to just go for it however and to be fair there was a fair bit of earthquake damage. The terrain was extremely challenging with the fallen trees and unstable rocks from landslides but the main issue was the river level which was probably higher than usual due to the rain.
The path initially followed the cliff face which looked precariously unstable with a large amount of sediment ready to fall so I got past that quickly in case of a landslide. It then followed the river initially on a 4wd drive track before it completely disappeared and I just had to follow the river. I was glad I chose to wear wellington boots. Before long the valley became more like a canyon and I had a few complex rock formations to climb over which were pretty slippery but I managed it. The river got more like rapids further up but I managed to climb up this cliff face and avoid them to get further up stream before it got a bit too challenging to continue. I had lunch here before turning heading back the same way to the start. All in all it was a nice walk but I probably shouldn't have been in there.
Wednesday was another sunny day and it was unbelievable how quickly the farm dried out, all be it there was still a fair bit of mud. The afternoon was spent cleaning out the rabbits and guinea pigs which involved driving to the local woodwork place to steal some wood shavings for their bedding. Come Thursday it was the two Czech people's last day, as well as the other woofer leaving the next morning. After doing my morning duties I headed down to the caves where they supposedly did tours, although it was closed. I did sit in the cafe there for a bit though before heading back to the farm. In the evening to say goodbye we had a beer tasting evening seeing as Czech Republic is the birthplace of beer. We also tasted their homemade drink Slivovitz which was interesting and it was a really nice way to say goodbye.
By Friday we were down to just 2 of us and after the morning it was down to just me. A new person did arrive in the afternoon however who was British which was nice. On Saturday it was another intense morning with just 2 people doing the morning duties when it's normally done with 4 people. I did have the afternoon off however although the weather was a big grotty so I just cycled into town and looked round some of the shops and sat in one of the cafes just to get out. I also went and visited the seal colonies again as it's always nice watching the seals. By afternoon another 2 woofers arrived who were also British and from the south coast which makes a whole farm of southerners now including the owners.
On Sunday I had another afternoon off and with it finally being a nice day I decided to do a walk into the Kowhai Valley. There is officially a 2-3 day hike which goes through the Kowhai Valley, over the saddle, then through the Hapuku Valley, and I was just doing a small section from the Kowhai end. The path essentially followed the river which meant I wore wellington boots, although when arriving at the start it said the path was closed due to earthquake damage. I decided to just go for it however and to be fair there was a fair bit of earthquake damage. The terrain was extremely challenging with the fallen trees and unstable rocks from landslides but the main issue was the river level which was probably higher than usual due to the rain.
The path initially followed the cliff face which looked precariously unstable with a large amount of sediment ready to fall so I got past that quickly in case of a landslide. It then followed the river initially on a 4wd drive track before it completely disappeared and I just had to follow the river. I was glad I chose to wear wellington boots. Before long the valley became more like a canyon and I had a few complex rock formations to climb over which were pretty slippery but I managed it. The river got more like rapids further up but I managed to climb up this cliff face and avoid them to get further up stream before it got a bit too challenging to continue. I had lunch here before turning heading back the same way to the start. All in all it was a nice walk but I probably shouldn't have been in there.
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Kaikoura
By Monday I had got used to the daily morning routine which consists of feeding the animals first, then replacing their waters, then poo picking, then preparing their meals for the afternoon feed and next mornings feed. It was slight chaos though however as the male pig had taken out one of the gates over night and was inside the same area as the female pig which isn't good. We separated them eventually although we did have to somehow patch up the gate so it couldn't happen again. In the afternoon we just had to change some of the animals straw as the previous days rain had waterlogged it a fair bit, with feeding at 3.15 which is part of the daily routine.
Tuesday was my afternoon off so after the morning routine and with it being a really nice day I decided to do the peninsula walkway. I did this when I last visited but since the earthquake there has been some dramatic changes in the geology with parts of the seabed raising 2 metres and the south island getting up to 5 metres closer to the north island! It was a nice walk which I cycled in places and I was able to see a few of the seal colonies which was nice. There were also greats views of the snow-capped mountains which make up the back drop of Kaikoura. Tuesday was also the day the husband returned to the farm so it was nice to meet him.
Wednesday was another full day and it was a nice and sunny day, although by Thursday it was raining again which meant my afternoon off was spent inside which sucked. The rain persisted into Friday with the odd shower although I had to clean the teepee which is currently out of action for the winter in terms of their accommodation. I don't think they've ever cleaned the canvas as it was basically green and covered in mould. I used a pressure spray to attempt to clean it but it still looked filthy, just a little less green. Me and the Czech guy also woofing on the farm started watching the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy throughout the week though which was nice.
Saturday was a much nicer day and after my morning duties I decided to attempt Mt Fyffe which is a 1602m peak overlooking Kaikoura. It says online it is an 8 hour return walk from the car park which was 8km from the farm, although when I spoke to the person in the I-site they said they knew 75 year olds who could do it in 6 hours return. I made it to the car park by midday but that still only gave me about 5ish hours daylight. The path was effectively a 4wd track which zigzagged up at first to this lookout which gave me my first views of the peninsula. It then continued up where before long I had views of the taller snowcapped mountains behind Mt Fyffe, as well as some views of the Kowhai Valley situated between the snowcapped mountains and the Fyffe range. The path eventually got to a hut.
From here I entered the cloud and the temperature dropped drastically, the path now being effectively frost with even some snow about. I eventually managed to get above the clouds and into the sun and when reaching the summit got some spectacular views of the Kaikoura Peninsula and the mountains behind. I even managed to get up in 2 and a quarter hours which meant I had rocketed up! The descent was pretty straight forward and I was able to just let myself go, completing it in just an hour and quarter which meant I got back to the farm in daylight which was good as I didn't fancy cycling down country roads at night. It was a really good hike though.
Sunday was a full day on the farm and after the morning routine I carried on with the teepee. With it being bank holiday weekend (they have a bank holiday for the Queens birthday in NZ) the farm was busier than usual which meant a fair few people came to visit which was nice. It was a nightmare however as we had to catch three piglets which we were selling and they wouldn't go where we wanted them. The rain didn't help either which throughout the week had made large parts of the farm an absolute quagmire. We had to give up in the end.
Tuesday was my afternoon off so after the morning routine and with it being a really nice day I decided to do the peninsula walkway. I did this when I last visited but since the earthquake there has been some dramatic changes in the geology with parts of the seabed raising 2 metres and the south island getting up to 5 metres closer to the north island! It was a nice walk which I cycled in places and I was able to see a few of the seal colonies which was nice. There were also greats views of the snow-capped mountains which make up the back drop of Kaikoura. Tuesday was also the day the husband returned to the farm so it was nice to meet him.
Wednesday was another full day and it was a nice and sunny day, although by Thursday it was raining again which meant my afternoon off was spent inside which sucked. The rain persisted into Friday with the odd shower although I had to clean the teepee which is currently out of action for the winter in terms of their accommodation. I don't think they've ever cleaned the canvas as it was basically green and covered in mould. I used a pressure spray to attempt to clean it but it still looked filthy, just a little less green. Me and the Czech guy also woofing on the farm started watching the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy throughout the week though which was nice.
Saturday was a much nicer day and after my morning duties I decided to attempt Mt Fyffe which is a 1602m peak overlooking Kaikoura. It says online it is an 8 hour return walk from the car park which was 8km from the farm, although when I spoke to the person in the I-site they said they knew 75 year olds who could do it in 6 hours return. I made it to the car park by midday but that still only gave me about 5ish hours daylight. The path was effectively a 4wd track which zigzagged up at first to this lookout which gave me my first views of the peninsula. It then continued up where before long I had views of the taller snowcapped mountains behind Mt Fyffe, as well as some views of the Kowhai Valley situated between the snowcapped mountains and the Fyffe range. The path eventually got to a hut.
From here I entered the cloud and the temperature dropped drastically, the path now being effectively frost with even some snow about. I eventually managed to get above the clouds and into the sun and when reaching the summit got some spectacular views of the Kaikoura Peninsula and the mountains behind. I even managed to get up in 2 and a quarter hours which meant I had rocketed up! The descent was pretty straight forward and I was able to just let myself go, completing it in just an hour and quarter which meant I got back to the farm in daylight which was good as I didn't fancy cycling down country roads at night. It was a really good hike though.
Sunday was a full day on the farm and after the morning routine I carried on with the teepee. With it being bank holiday weekend (they have a bank holiday for the Queens birthday in NZ) the farm was busier than usual which meant a fair few people came to visit which was nice. It was a nightmare however as we had to catch three piglets which we were selling and they wouldn't go where we wanted them. The rain didn't help either which throughout the week had made large parts of the farm an absolute quagmire. We had to give up in the end.
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Christchurch and Kaikoura
Monday was the start of my job searching around Christchurch, and I initially hoped I could just walk into tradestaff which is the agency that gave me labour work in Auckland and get a job. They unfortunately said I needed a driving license which made me unsuitable for the job. I think they were just being awkward because the Auckland office knew I was a backpacker and gave me a suitable job with that knowledge, and the person on the reception at Christchurch seemed like they couldn't be bothered to accommodate me even though other people in my hostel in Christchurch were working for tradestaff without a car. I therefore spent the rest of the day just looking up other jobs.
On Tuesday I hadn't yet heard anything from anywhere so I decided to go out for a walk to the Port Hills which is home to Christchurch Gondola. I walked up the top however as there was a popular path called the Bridle Path up to the top, which linked Christchurch to the small port of Lyttelton before they built a tunnel. I didn't go down to Lyttelton however, instead admiring the views which one way was of Christchurch City and even the Southern Alps. And the other way Lyttelton Harbour and the Banks Peninsula. I also visited the small information centre at the top of the gondola which was interesting, before heading over castle rocks to get a better view of Christchurch. I then headed down back into Christchurch not getting back to the hostel until dark with the daylight hours now well and truly into winter.
By Wednesday I still hadn't heard anything from any jobs anywhere. The issue is in terms of work in Christchurch is there's a lot of construction work, but the alternative is only really retail and hospitality and employing a backpacker in low season probably isn't ideal for them. I therefore contacted a few more agencies to try and find labour work, and also broadened my search a bit. By Thursday the opportunity arose to do some voluntary work on a farm in Kaikoura, so I had to make the decision whether to continue searching for work in Christchurch, move elsewhere in search of work, or do some volunteering in Kaikoura. I opted for Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a small town located about halfway between Christchurch and Picton (the place you catch the ferry to North Island). It's particularly popular with wildlife enthusiasts due it's abundance of marine life including whales, dolphins, and seals. In November 2016 the town suffered a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake and eversince the main route north to Picton has been closed due to landslides, meaning a journey to Picton now takes about 9 hours instead of about 2 hours. In addition to this the main route south is also closed meaning the only road to Kaikoura is an inland mountain road, making the town particularly inaccessible since the earthquake. I managed to get there though despite this.
My job in Kaikoura is on a farm park just outside the town. I have to stay a minimum of 2 weeks but I'm not sure how long I'll stay yet, because to be fair Kaikoura is a nice place. The farm is supposedly run by an English couple from Bournemouth but the husband is currently in the UK and filing for divorce from the wife who has run off with a local Kiwi guy so it's slight fun and games. In return for food and accomodation I have to every morning feed the animals, clean out their areas, and prepare their meals which takes a couple of hours. And then 4 days a week spend a few hours in the afternoon doing so called project work which could be anything. There's 4 volunteers on site so we work in pairs.
Leaving Christchurch early Friday morning I was in Kaikoura by half 10 and was picked up by the owner who seems really nice. I was shown round the farm which includes Llamas, Pigs, Sheep, Donkeys, a Wallaby, Deer, Goats, and lots of birds, rabbits, and guinea pigs, as well as a 3 legged dog and 1 eyed dog. I even have my own bedroom which is like this gypo hut all to myself, as well as a bathroom, kitchen, and lounge area which I share with other volunteers. The farm is open to the public and also has holiday accommodation including a teepee, yurt, and train carriage. I spent the afternoon tidying up the cottage area.
On Saturday it was my half day although come afternoon it was raining which meant I stayed at the farm and played games with my volunteer partner. We did however cycle into Kaikoura late afternoon despite the rain to see one of the seal colonies before it got dark. The farm is basically located 4km from the town so it's walkable but the farm owners have bikes you can use to get around in our free time which is useful. Come Sunday I had got to know the daily routine with the feed times at 8.15am and 3.15pm, and it seems like a nice little job for the time being.
On Tuesday I hadn't yet heard anything from anywhere so I decided to go out for a walk to the Port Hills which is home to Christchurch Gondola. I walked up the top however as there was a popular path called the Bridle Path up to the top, which linked Christchurch to the small port of Lyttelton before they built a tunnel. I didn't go down to Lyttelton however, instead admiring the views which one way was of Christchurch City and even the Southern Alps. And the other way Lyttelton Harbour and the Banks Peninsula. I also visited the small information centre at the top of the gondola which was interesting, before heading over castle rocks to get a better view of Christchurch. I then headed down back into Christchurch not getting back to the hostel until dark with the daylight hours now well and truly into winter.
By Wednesday I still hadn't heard anything from any jobs anywhere. The issue is in terms of work in Christchurch is there's a lot of construction work, but the alternative is only really retail and hospitality and employing a backpacker in low season probably isn't ideal for them. I therefore contacted a few more agencies to try and find labour work, and also broadened my search a bit. By Thursday the opportunity arose to do some voluntary work on a farm in Kaikoura, so I had to make the decision whether to continue searching for work in Christchurch, move elsewhere in search of work, or do some volunteering in Kaikoura. I opted for Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a small town located about halfway between Christchurch and Picton (the place you catch the ferry to North Island). It's particularly popular with wildlife enthusiasts due it's abundance of marine life including whales, dolphins, and seals. In November 2016 the town suffered a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake and eversince the main route north to Picton has been closed due to landslides, meaning a journey to Picton now takes about 9 hours instead of about 2 hours. In addition to this the main route south is also closed meaning the only road to Kaikoura is an inland mountain road, making the town particularly inaccessible since the earthquake. I managed to get there though despite this.
My job in Kaikoura is on a farm park just outside the town. I have to stay a minimum of 2 weeks but I'm not sure how long I'll stay yet, because to be fair Kaikoura is a nice place. The farm is supposedly run by an English couple from Bournemouth but the husband is currently in the UK and filing for divorce from the wife who has run off with a local Kiwi guy so it's slight fun and games. In return for food and accomodation I have to every morning feed the animals, clean out their areas, and prepare their meals which takes a couple of hours. And then 4 days a week spend a few hours in the afternoon doing so called project work which could be anything. There's 4 volunteers on site so we work in pairs.
Leaving Christchurch early Friday morning I was in Kaikoura by half 10 and was picked up by the owner who seems really nice. I was shown round the farm which includes Llamas, Pigs, Sheep, Donkeys, a Wallaby, Deer, Goats, and lots of birds, rabbits, and guinea pigs, as well as a 3 legged dog and 1 eyed dog. I even have my own bedroom which is like this gypo hut all to myself, as well as a bathroom, kitchen, and lounge area which I share with other volunteers. The farm is open to the public and also has holiday accommodation including a teepee, yurt, and train carriage. I spent the afternoon tidying up the cottage area.
On Saturday it was my half day although come afternoon it was raining which meant I stayed at the farm and played games with my volunteer partner. We did however cycle into Kaikoura late afternoon despite the rain to see one of the seal colonies before it got dark. The farm is basically located 4km from the town so it's walkable but the farm owners have bikes you can use to get around in our free time which is useful. Come Sunday I had got to know the daily routine with the feed times at 8.15am and 3.15pm, and it seems like a nice little job for the time being.
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Bay of Islands and Christchurch
On Monday I went on a day trip up to the far north to visit Cape Reinga amongst a few other places. With about 480km of driving for the day it was an early start for a pretty full on day. First stop was the Puketi Kauri Forest where we followed this boardwalk to see some kauri trees. I have seen many of these before but the ones here were really big. We then continued along the coast which had some impressive scenery to this cafe where had morning tea. The next stop was Mangonui where we had an early lunch which was fish and chips at this world famous chip shop. The chips aren't the same as back home though. It was nice sitting by this small harbour though, despite all the seagulls which were pretty annoying.
Cape Reinga was the next stop, which is the at the end of state highway one and often mistaken as the most northern point of New Zealand. It is home to a lighthouse and signpost and is the place where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean clash creating rough waters. The scenery here was impressive with views of the coast, and the Te Paki sand dunes which we went to afterwards. When arriving at the sand dunes we were able to go sandboarding, and I typically went first and went flying into the stream and got quite wet. It was still fun though and we went down as many times as we wanted, although I grazed my arm a far bit.
The next part took us down Ninety Mile Beach which we were able to drive down. The beach is in fact just 55 miles long but it was still a vast beach, the coast to coast effectively being all sand on New Zealands northern tip. We drove the majority of the beach length before heading back onto the tarmac and down to this Kauri based place which sold many sculptures including an impressive staircase which was literally carved inside a kauri tree. It was then back to Paihia where we went down the pub for a dinner and a few drinks as it was quite a long day, and it was even bingo night which was a laugh.
On Tuesday I fancied going for a bike ride to Kerikeri to see a few of the waterfalls and historic sites. After breakfast I hired a bike and cycled along the road, first stop being the Stone House and Rewas Village which showcased an array of European and Maori history. I then cycled along the Kerikeri river trail where I visited Wharepuke Falls, Fairy Pools, and the very impressive Rainbow Falls. I had lunch at Rainbow Falls before doing quite a challenging traverse across this rock face to get behind the waterfall. I got quite wet but got behind it where a rainbow literally came out the water. After getting back I cycled to Charlie's Rock which was a popular swimming hole and waterfall before heading back to Paihia. The hostel had taco Tuesdays and it's quiz night in the evening which got interesting.
Wednesday was my last full day in Paihia, so we decided to go and walk to the nearby Haruru Falls. After having a lie in we walked to Waitangi which is where the treaty was signed in 1840 between the Maori people and European settlers. We didn't go inside the museum however, instead following this path through the woods and along mangrove boardwalks to the waterfall. There was a lot of water coming down probably because of the rain. After having lunch we headed back along the road to Paihia where we just had a relaxing afternoon. Come evening they had a curling competition in the bar and I actually won for once getting a free $50 bar tab, heading to this pool bar afterwards.
We didn't depart Paihia until half 2 on the Thursday, which gave a free morning to explore Paihia further. I took the opportunity to have a lie in before spending the few hours left there on the beach, where I had fish and chips. The journey back to Auckland was relatively easy and after dinner I did the frenzi bar crawl which I've been meaning to do for ages but the fact it's on Thursday nights and I was working Fridays meant I never did it before. It was actually a really good night. On Friday I just had a relaxing day, with it being my last day in Auckland before heading down to the South Island.
After a lie in I had a chilled out morning before heading to Auckland airport for a 3pm departure to Christchurch. It was slightly adverse weather conditions however with a fair bit of rain coming down but it was all clear by the time I arrived in Christchurch. The city itself is the largest city on the South Island and the third most populous in New Zealand after Auckland and Wellington. It is famous for its English heritage and is commonly referred to as the garden city. In September 2010 however the city suffered a 7.1 magnitude earthquake and despite no fatalities caused extensive damage to the city. Fast forward to February 2011 and the city experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, although this occurred a lot closer to the surface causing more damage, including the collapse of the iconic cathedral and the deaths of 185 people. The city suffered several further aftershocks into 2012 and it's estimated since these earthquakes 1500 buildings have been demolished.
On Sunday I explored the city which has changed massively since I last visited about 3 years before. There are still plenty of the so called gap fillers which are small pop up projects designed to put colour and life into areas whilst they're being redeveloped, but also several building sites and new buildings which have popped up since I last visited. The cathedral still looked the same however and it still just sits there exposed to the elements which is a shame. It was also nice the re start mall which is a shopping area full of shipping containers remained despite the construction of new shopping areas surrounding it. Come evening I just relaxed ready to go job searching the next day.
Cape Reinga was the next stop, which is the at the end of state highway one and often mistaken as the most northern point of New Zealand. It is home to a lighthouse and signpost and is the place where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean clash creating rough waters. The scenery here was impressive with views of the coast, and the Te Paki sand dunes which we went to afterwards. When arriving at the sand dunes we were able to go sandboarding, and I typically went first and went flying into the stream and got quite wet. It was still fun though and we went down as many times as we wanted, although I grazed my arm a far bit.
The next part took us down Ninety Mile Beach which we were able to drive down. The beach is in fact just 55 miles long but it was still a vast beach, the coast to coast effectively being all sand on New Zealands northern tip. We drove the majority of the beach length before heading back onto the tarmac and down to this Kauri based place which sold many sculptures including an impressive staircase which was literally carved inside a kauri tree. It was then back to Paihia where we went down the pub for a dinner and a few drinks as it was quite a long day, and it was even bingo night which was a laugh.
On Tuesday I fancied going for a bike ride to Kerikeri to see a few of the waterfalls and historic sites. After breakfast I hired a bike and cycled along the road, first stop being the Stone House and Rewas Village which showcased an array of European and Maori history. I then cycled along the Kerikeri river trail where I visited Wharepuke Falls, Fairy Pools, and the very impressive Rainbow Falls. I had lunch at Rainbow Falls before doing quite a challenging traverse across this rock face to get behind the waterfall. I got quite wet but got behind it where a rainbow literally came out the water. After getting back I cycled to Charlie's Rock which was a popular swimming hole and waterfall before heading back to Paihia. The hostel had taco Tuesdays and it's quiz night in the evening which got interesting.
Wednesday was my last full day in Paihia, so we decided to go and walk to the nearby Haruru Falls. After having a lie in we walked to Waitangi which is where the treaty was signed in 1840 between the Maori people and European settlers. We didn't go inside the museum however, instead following this path through the woods and along mangrove boardwalks to the waterfall. There was a lot of water coming down probably because of the rain. After having lunch we headed back along the road to Paihia where we just had a relaxing afternoon. Come evening they had a curling competition in the bar and I actually won for once getting a free $50 bar tab, heading to this pool bar afterwards.
We didn't depart Paihia until half 2 on the Thursday, which gave a free morning to explore Paihia further. I took the opportunity to have a lie in before spending the few hours left there on the beach, where I had fish and chips. The journey back to Auckland was relatively easy and after dinner I did the frenzi bar crawl which I've been meaning to do for ages but the fact it's on Thursday nights and I was working Fridays meant I never did it before. It was actually a really good night. On Friday I just had a relaxing day, with it being my last day in Auckland before heading down to the South Island.
After a lie in I had a chilled out morning before heading to Auckland airport for a 3pm departure to Christchurch. It was slightly adverse weather conditions however with a fair bit of rain coming down but it was all clear by the time I arrived in Christchurch. The city itself is the largest city on the South Island and the third most populous in New Zealand after Auckland and Wellington. It is famous for its English heritage and is commonly referred to as the garden city. In September 2010 however the city suffered a 7.1 magnitude earthquake and despite no fatalities caused extensive damage to the city. Fast forward to February 2011 and the city experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, although this occurred a lot closer to the surface causing more damage, including the collapse of the iconic cathedral and the deaths of 185 people. The city suffered several further aftershocks into 2012 and it's estimated since these earthquakes 1500 buildings have been demolished.
On Sunday I explored the city which has changed massively since I last visited about 3 years before. There are still plenty of the so called gap fillers which are small pop up projects designed to put colour and life into areas whilst they're being redeveloped, but also several building sites and new buildings which have popped up since I last visited. The cathedral still looked the same however and it still just sits there exposed to the elements which is a shame. It was also nice the re start mall which is a shopping area full of shipping containers remained despite the construction of new shopping areas surrounding it. Come evening I just relaxed ready to go job searching the next day.
Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Auckland Week 10 and Bay of Islands
Monday was the start of my last week at Unitec, and with plenty of deliveries of things like carpet and ceiling tiles there was a lot of lifting. It did however rain quite badly towards the end of the week, receiving all the rain in the aftermath of Cyclone Donna. To prepare for this we covered the roof in tarp as best we could to avoid it flooding again although the main building still leaks in so many places which isn't great. Due to the heavy rain we finished earlier on Friday although it was nice to go for a few beers before leaving saying goodbye to everyone I've been working with. It was also nice one of my old friends from South America arrived on Thursday evening who I'm going to do the Bay of Islands with.
To put it simple I'm flying down to Christchurch on the 20th May with no particular plans in terms of work, and visiting the Bay of Islands for the week before that. The Bay of Islands is a New Zealand enclave encompassing more than 140 subtropical islands next to the country's North Island. It’s known for its undeveloped beaches, big-game fishing and Maori cultural artefacts. It is also where the Waitangi treaty was signed in 1840. It is commonly referred to as the winter less north due to the reasonable all year round temperatures. With 5 nights up here, I had to plenty of time to explore, and doing it with an old friend on dragoman, and on kiwi experience meant I was doing the area with other backpackers.
Leaving Auckland at 7.15am in the morning, we departed on a relatively empty bus up towards Paihia, which is a popular tourist town to see the Bay of Islands. En route we stopped in Warkworth for breakfast which is where I got the bus to the week before. We then continued heading north, stopping for a short walk at Whangarei falls which was a nice little walk to a 26m high waterfall. It was then one final push towards Paihia, arriving by about 12ish. There was however a big country music festival so there were lots of people walking round in hats and doing line dancing!
After checking into the hostel which was about a 100m walk from the beach, we went on a boat trip out into the bay to see some of the islands. With 144 islands in and around the bay, we weaved in and out of the passages following the Cape Brett Peninsula out towards the lighthouse and famous hole in the rock which was a sea arch. Prior to leaving we told there was a 96% success rate of seeing dolphins, and even a chance of seeing Orcas and Killer Whales if you're lucky. We were typically in the 4% who didn't see any although they give you a free boat trip if you don't see any so if I want to do the boat trip again I can. It was still beautiful seeing all the islands however.
On the way back we got off the ferry at Russell which is the town on the other side of the harbour from Paihia, and was the old capital of New Zealand as other was the first area settled by Europeans. This is hence home to the oldest pub in New Zealand and we had a drink here while watching the sunset. We then headed back to Paihia on the ferry where we had a bbq back at the hostel which was really nice. With it being Saturday night and lots of backpackers about it was a really good evening.
On Sunday we managed to a get a few of us together to do a walk around the harbour, effectively a loop walk including two ferry rides. After having a lie in which was much needed we got lunch and followed the rocky coastline round to Opua. There were some pretty nice views of the harbour and we walked along some lovely beaches. At Opua we had to catch a ferry across to Opatiku, just a 5 minute ride on a car ferry. The walk then headed inland through native bush, on a fairly undulating section. It then headed down to the beach again where we followed some boardwalks through the mangroves back to Russell, where we caught the ferry back to Paihia. It was a pretty solid walk getting back at sunset, and come evening we went to a cheap restaurant for dinner, before heading back to the hostel ready for an early start the next day.
To put it simple I'm flying down to Christchurch on the 20th May with no particular plans in terms of work, and visiting the Bay of Islands for the week before that. The Bay of Islands is a New Zealand enclave encompassing more than 140 subtropical islands next to the country's North Island. It’s known for its undeveloped beaches, big-game fishing and Maori cultural artefacts. It is also where the Waitangi treaty was signed in 1840. It is commonly referred to as the winter less north due to the reasonable all year round temperatures. With 5 nights up here, I had to plenty of time to explore, and doing it with an old friend on dragoman, and on kiwi experience meant I was doing the area with other backpackers.
Leaving Auckland at 7.15am in the morning, we departed on a relatively empty bus up towards Paihia, which is a popular tourist town to see the Bay of Islands. En route we stopped in Warkworth for breakfast which is where I got the bus to the week before. We then continued heading north, stopping for a short walk at Whangarei falls which was a nice little walk to a 26m high waterfall. It was then one final push towards Paihia, arriving by about 12ish. There was however a big country music festival so there were lots of people walking round in hats and doing line dancing!
After checking into the hostel which was about a 100m walk from the beach, we went on a boat trip out into the bay to see some of the islands. With 144 islands in and around the bay, we weaved in and out of the passages following the Cape Brett Peninsula out towards the lighthouse and famous hole in the rock which was a sea arch. Prior to leaving we told there was a 96% success rate of seeing dolphins, and even a chance of seeing Orcas and Killer Whales if you're lucky. We were typically in the 4% who didn't see any although they give you a free boat trip if you don't see any so if I want to do the boat trip again I can. It was still beautiful seeing all the islands however.
On the way back we got off the ferry at Russell which is the town on the other side of the harbour from Paihia, and was the old capital of New Zealand as other was the first area settled by Europeans. This is hence home to the oldest pub in New Zealand and we had a drink here while watching the sunset. We then headed back to Paihia on the ferry where we had a bbq back at the hostel which was really nice. With it being Saturday night and lots of backpackers about it was a really good evening.
On Sunday we managed to a get a few of us together to do a walk around the harbour, effectively a loop walk including two ferry rides. After having a lie in which was much needed we got lunch and followed the rocky coastline round to Opua. There were some pretty nice views of the harbour and we walked along some lovely beaches. At Opua we had to catch a ferry across to Opatiku, just a 5 minute ride on a car ferry. The walk then headed inland through native bush, on a fairly undulating section. It then headed down to the beach again where we followed some boardwalks through the mangroves back to Russell, where we caught the ferry back to Paihia. It was a pretty solid walk getting back at sunset, and come evening we went to a cheap restaurant for dinner, before heading back to the hostel ready for an early start the next day.
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Auckland Week 9 and Matakana Coast
It was another busy week at Unitec, with a fair bit of scaffold being removed throughout the week which made the interior of the building a lot more visible. There was as ever a fair amount of lifting, although with the rain over the weekend the roof flooded again. The roof flooding is basically the old roof from an original two story block which they've renovated. The issue is where they built the new three story building to connect with this building the old roof tilts towards the new building which is not good. They've rectified this by building a wooden structure on the roof tilting the other way, but this is currently unfinished which means every time it rains the roof collects water. With it raining a couple of times throughout the week this meant a fair bit of time on the roof. We did get good news during the week when they brought us in pizza for lunch and told us we've got a $1 an hour pay rise.
Come weekend I decided to head away from Auckland for a couple of days, catching a bus to Warkworth to see the Matakana coast, about an hour north of Auckland. This area of coastline is particularly popular with divers, due to its abundance of reefs and marine life and various areas are classified as marine reserves. The hiking opportunities are also in abundance with an array of beaches to explore. When arriving in Warkworth I caught a local bus out to Omaha to spend the day exploring the Tawharanui Regional Park.
First stop was Omaha Beach which was a long sandy beach which seemed very popular. With it being low tide I continued following the coastline round instead of taking the road into the park, which took me over some rocky terrain round to Anchor Bay. This was a large sandy beach and the main information point for the park. From here I headed further along the coast before heading upwards and inland towards Tokatu Point. I then headed back down the sea level via Maori Bay and along the coast to this lagoon at the park entrance. All in all it was a very nice walk with great weather.
When leaving the park I had to decide where to sleep for the night. I concluded my best bet was to get to Matakana and have dinner before deciding what to do there. I managed to hitch a ride with some Canadians here. Matakana is a popular picturesque village with lots of cafes and restaurants, and I had dinner here before deciding to head towards Leigh as the plan the next day was Goat Island. It got incredibly dangerous however as I was walking down a dark narrow country lane and every time a car came I couldn't see anything. I eventually came across a bus shelter and just decided to sleep there for the night.
After a surprisingly good night's sleep I was off at sunrise to get to Goat Island Marine Reserve, going via Leigh. The marine reserve was more of a divers paradise that hikers but it was still very picturesque, and I followed the coast path from here back to Leigh. One issue with New Zealand however is they put fields full of fully grown bulls all together on public footpaths. With all the bulls by the fence line I warily tried to go round them but they started moving towards me. I therefore instead followed the fence line but they started charging at me so I had to somehow get over the fence, although it was electric so I hurt myself getting over. I personally think it's ridiculous putting fields of bulls on public footpaths but oh well.
When arriving back in Leigh I walked round the small harbour before following the coastline getting great views across the Huaraki Gulf. I then headed back to Matakana for lunch which was nice to explore during the day with its picturesque river setting and bustling cafes, where I went to one and ordered a full English which was really good. I then headed back to Warkworth where I had about an hour to explore before getting the bus back to Auckland, arriving back in darkness. Come evening I was just tired so after doing my shopping and just grabbing a takeaway for dinner I had an early night.
Come weekend I decided to head away from Auckland for a couple of days, catching a bus to Warkworth to see the Matakana coast, about an hour north of Auckland. This area of coastline is particularly popular with divers, due to its abundance of reefs and marine life and various areas are classified as marine reserves. The hiking opportunities are also in abundance with an array of beaches to explore. When arriving in Warkworth I caught a local bus out to Omaha to spend the day exploring the Tawharanui Regional Park.
First stop was Omaha Beach which was a long sandy beach which seemed very popular. With it being low tide I continued following the coastline round instead of taking the road into the park, which took me over some rocky terrain round to Anchor Bay. This was a large sandy beach and the main information point for the park. From here I headed further along the coast before heading upwards and inland towards Tokatu Point. I then headed back down the sea level via Maori Bay and along the coast to this lagoon at the park entrance. All in all it was a very nice walk with great weather.
When leaving the park I had to decide where to sleep for the night. I concluded my best bet was to get to Matakana and have dinner before deciding what to do there. I managed to hitch a ride with some Canadians here. Matakana is a popular picturesque village with lots of cafes and restaurants, and I had dinner here before deciding to head towards Leigh as the plan the next day was Goat Island. It got incredibly dangerous however as I was walking down a dark narrow country lane and every time a car came I couldn't see anything. I eventually came across a bus shelter and just decided to sleep there for the night.
After a surprisingly good night's sleep I was off at sunrise to get to Goat Island Marine Reserve, going via Leigh. The marine reserve was more of a divers paradise that hikers but it was still very picturesque, and I followed the coast path from here back to Leigh. One issue with New Zealand however is they put fields full of fully grown bulls all together on public footpaths. With all the bulls by the fence line I warily tried to go round them but they started moving towards me. I therefore instead followed the fence line but they started charging at me so I had to somehow get over the fence, although it was electric so I hurt myself getting over. I personally think it's ridiculous putting fields of bulls on public footpaths but oh well.
When arriving back in Leigh I walked round the small harbour before following the coastline getting great views across the Huaraki Gulf. I then headed back to Matakana for lunch which was nice to explore during the day with its picturesque river setting and bustling cafes, where I went to one and ordered a full English which was really good. I then headed back to Warkworth where I had about an hour to explore before getting the bus back to Auckland, arriving back in darkness. Come evening I was just tired so after doing my shopping and just grabbing a takeaway for dinner I had an early night.
Monday, 1 May 2017
Auckland Week 8
Monday was back to work at the university, and I was a little tired after the pretty full on weekend, although it was a very full on day with primarily lifting which made the day go quick. It was a blessing in disguise however that Tuesday was Anzac Day which is celebrated every year in Australia and New Zealand on the 25th April, which meant the building site was shut for the bank holiday, giving me a lie in and a day off. Anzac is an acronym for Australia and New Zealand armed corps and the day commemorates all those who have died in war, the date relating to when Oz and NZ armed forces landed in Gallipoli in WW1 in 1915. I went and paid my respects by attending the service up at the war museum on Auckland Domain, which was heaving with people and included a few displays by planes. Come afternoon I did a few things in town with the shops opening at 1, before spending the evening relaxing.
The rest of the week at the university was as ever busy, with a lot more lifting than usual due to the interior work really coming along meaning many deliveries of materials. The scaffold also started coming down which gave the tedious job of removing things like lose nails which could fall a few stories and damage the glass. All in all though it was a good week accompanied by some very warm weather which was nice. It was also nice on Friday evening to catch up with an old friend from South America who has just arrived in New Zealand.
Come weekend the weather turned, however I decided to stay in Auckland which meant I could be flexible. I spent Saturday morning relaxing at the hostel due to the persistent rain. I was originally planning to either do a walk in the Waitakere Ranges or along the North Shore, or to just simply relax on a beach somewhere, but I couldn't be bothered to get wet so after lunch I instead caught the metro to Sylvia Park which is the largest shopping complex in New Zealand. I just looked round the shops which contained many of the flagship stores before heading back to the hostel after a couple of hours, the rain pretty heavy by this point. Come evening I managed to get a break in the weather and went out for dinner at pizza hut before having an early night as I was tired after a late night the night before.
Sunday was forecast to be rain the morning, clearing up by the afternoon. I didn't want to sit around doing nothing again so I decided to head into the Waitakere Ranges which I visited before when I went to Piha. I instead headed to the northern section of the park however, focusing on the Cascade Kauri Park home to an abundance of plants and waterfalls. After catching the train to Sunnyvale I walked about an hour and a half along the road into the park, before finally reaching the Fairy Falls track. This woodland track took me to an impressive waterfall, although the rain got harder when arriving here. The waterfall had an upper and a lower section and it was a pretty impressive sight.
I then headed to the Waitakere dam, although when arriving it was really windy as it was exposed. The visibility was also quite poor with the rain so I headed back into the woods in search of the Cascade Falls. I took a longer route here taking in the challenging Cascade Track which was incredibly slippery, before joining the Auckland City Walk to see a pou which was a Maori carving statue. I then followed a steam along an undefined path, scrambling over some very slippery rocks and fallen logs across the stream to reach the loud Cascade Falls. It was difficult to get a good view of it with it being in a gorge but it was impressive, and it even stopped raining by this point.
Next I headed back to the Waitakere dam, this time in sunshine where I had lunch. I then headed in search of Waitakere falls, however despite hearing it I couldn't work out how to get to it without jumping off a cliff. I therefore followed the Waitakere tramline, an old tramline which took me to Kelly Stream Falls, and did give me a few views across the valley back towards Waitakere falls and dam. The tramline itself took me through the forest including a tunnel to a disused tunnel at the end. From here I went up and over and when reaching the other side reached the road which took me to Swanson station to get to the city. It started to rain however when getting back, and I got wet again but it was good to do something for the day.
The rest of the week at the university was as ever busy, with a lot more lifting than usual due to the interior work really coming along meaning many deliveries of materials. The scaffold also started coming down which gave the tedious job of removing things like lose nails which could fall a few stories and damage the glass. All in all though it was a good week accompanied by some very warm weather which was nice. It was also nice on Friday evening to catch up with an old friend from South America who has just arrived in New Zealand.
Come weekend the weather turned, however I decided to stay in Auckland which meant I could be flexible. I spent Saturday morning relaxing at the hostel due to the persistent rain. I was originally planning to either do a walk in the Waitakere Ranges or along the North Shore, or to just simply relax on a beach somewhere, but I couldn't be bothered to get wet so after lunch I instead caught the metro to Sylvia Park which is the largest shopping complex in New Zealand. I just looked round the shops which contained many of the flagship stores before heading back to the hostel after a couple of hours, the rain pretty heavy by this point. Come evening I managed to get a break in the weather and went out for dinner at pizza hut before having an early night as I was tired after a late night the night before.
Sunday was forecast to be rain the morning, clearing up by the afternoon. I didn't want to sit around doing nothing again so I decided to head into the Waitakere Ranges which I visited before when I went to Piha. I instead headed to the northern section of the park however, focusing on the Cascade Kauri Park home to an abundance of plants and waterfalls. After catching the train to Sunnyvale I walked about an hour and a half along the road into the park, before finally reaching the Fairy Falls track. This woodland track took me to an impressive waterfall, although the rain got harder when arriving here. The waterfall had an upper and a lower section and it was a pretty impressive sight.
I then headed to the Waitakere dam, although when arriving it was really windy as it was exposed. The visibility was also quite poor with the rain so I headed back into the woods in search of the Cascade Falls. I took a longer route here taking in the challenging Cascade Track which was incredibly slippery, before joining the Auckland City Walk to see a pou which was a Maori carving statue. I then followed a steam along an undefined path, scrambling over some very slippery rocks and fallen logs across the stream to reach the loud Cascade Falls. It was difficult to get a good view of it with it being in a gorge but it was impressive, and it even stopped raining by this point.
Next I headed back to the Waitakere dam, this time in sunshine where I had lunch. I then headed in search of Waitakere falls, however despite hearing it I couldn't work out how to get to it without jumping off a cliff. I therefore followed the Waitakere tramline, an old tramline which took me to Kelly Stream Falls, and did give me a few views across the valley back towards Waitakere falls and dam. The tramline itself took me through the forest including a tunnel to a disused tunnel at the end. From here I went up and over and when reaching the other side reached the road which took me to Swanson station to get to the city. It started to rain however when getting back, and I got wet again but it was good to do something for the day.
Monday, 24 April 2017
Auckland Week 7 and Tauranga
Monday was the last day of the long weekend, and I left Hamilton relatively early to return to Auckland, the bus journey being a lot quicker than the way down. When returning I checked into my hostel, moving back to Grafton House for a change of scenery. I had a relaxing afternoon, heading down into Newmarket to look round the shops, before heading back to the hostel to sort myself out for work the next day.
Much of my week at the university was spent over in building 183 which with it being easter holidays meant demolition work could begin properly in the building. This meant a lot of smashing up furniture and chucking it into the skip, as well as moving things which they wanted keeping. Over in the main building a lot of the interior work like electrics, walls, and roofing needed doing which meant there was a fair few deliveries which needed moving to various places. The building is starting to take shape now and come the end of the week we had a fair of tidying up to do for next week when they begin to remove some of the scaffolding.
Come weekend I decided to get out Auckland and spend it down in Tauranga. Tauranga is New Zealands fifth largest city and is home to the largest container port in New Zealand. Sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by Mount Maunganui and Matakana Island, the city has become a popular destination for both business and tourism with its warm climate, beaches, and is one of the countries most rapidly growing cities. I left Auckland early with it being a 3 hour bus journey away, arriving not long after 10, where I headed over to explore Mount Maunganui.
Mount Maunganui is a major residential and industrial suburb of Tauranga, but until 1988 was completely separate, when the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge linked the two places. The suburb itself is in fact on a tombolo which from my geography days is a depositional piece of land which links an island to the mainland, the island being the imposing mound at the end. This means Mount Maunganui has two beaches just a few blocks apart, one on the Pacific, and one on the harbour, making the area popular with tourists. Walking across the harbour bridge, it took me about an hour and a half to get here where when arriving I had lunch.
After lunch I headed to the large mound at the end, formed by volcanic activity. I was planning to walk around the bottom and then head up to the top, but the base path was shut as it was damaged from the cyclone the week before, with the Bay of Plenty area being particularly badly hit. I therefore headed straight up top along a gradual winding path with great views across to many of the surrounding islands. Once up top I sat down and took in the iconic view over towards Tauranga which I've seen in photos many times before.
After heading back down I headed to Moturiki Island via the beach which gave good views back towards the mound. I then headed the mere couple of blocks across to the other beach and grabbed a drink before heading to good spot to watch the sunset which was pretty impressive. After sunset I headed back into Tauranga, checking into my hostel for the night where I just spent the evening chilling out and watching a film before bed.
The following day I went and explored Tauranga itself, walking along the modern waterfront on the harbour edge, before heading out across the rail bridge to get views across the harbour. I then headed north to get some views of the islands and Mount Maunganui, following the waters edge round for a fair way. Before catching the bus back to Auckland I grabbed something to eat and looked round a few of the shops. When arriving back in Auckland after a pretty slow journey back, I checked in my hostel, moving to a new one over in Parnell for a change of scenery. With my stuff being elsewhere however, and shopping to do for the week, I didn't manage to sit down and relax until quite late but all in all it was a good weekend!
Much of my week at the university was spent over in building 183 which with it being easter holidays meant demolition work could begin properly in the building. This meant a lot of smashing up furniture and chucking it into the skip, as well as moving things which they wanted keeping. Over in the main building a lot of the interior work like electrics, walls, and roofing needed doing which meant there was a fair few deliveries which needed moving to various places. The building is starting to take shape now and come the end of the week we had a fair of tidying up to do for next week when they begin to remove some of the scaffolding.
Come weekend I decided to get out Auckland and spend it down in Tauranga. Tauranga is New Zealands fifth largest city and is home to the largest container port in New Zealand. Sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by Mount Maunganui and Matakana Island, the city has become a popular destination for both business and tourism with its warm climate, beaches, and is one of the countries most rapidly growing cities. I left Auckland early with it being a 3 hour bus journey away, arriving not long after 10, where I headed over to explore Mount Maunganui.
Mount Maunganui is a major residential and industrial suburb of Tauranga, but until 1988 was completely separate, when the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge linked the two places. The suburb itself is in fact on a tombolo which from my geography days is a depositional piece of land which links an island to the mainland, the island being the imposing mound at the end. This means Mount Maunganui has two beaches just a few blocks apart, one on the Pacific, and one on the harbour, making the area popular with tourists. Walking across the harbour bridge, it took me about an hour and a half to get here where when arriving I had lunch.
After lunch I headed to the large mound at the end, formed by volcanic activity. I was planning to walk around the bottom and then head up to the top, but the base path was shut as it was damaged from the cyclone the week before, with the Bay of Plenty area being particularly badly hit. I therefore headed straight up top along a gradual winding path with great views across to many of the surrounding islands. Once up top I sat down and took in the iconic view over towards Tauranga which I've seen in photos many times before.
After heading back down I headed to Moturiki Island via the beach which gave good views back towards the mound. I then headed the mere couple of blocks across to the other beach and grabbed a drink before heading to good spot to watch the sunset which was pretty impressive. After sunset I headed back into Tauranga, checking into my hostel for the night where I just spent the evening chilling out and watching a film before bed.
The following day I went and explored Tauranga itself, walking along the modern waterfront on the harbour edge, before heading out across the rail bridge to get views across the harbour. I then headed north to get some views of the islands and Mount Maunganui, following the waters edge round for a fair way. Before catching the bus back to Auckland I grabbed something to eat and looked round a few of the shops. When arriving back in Auckland after a pretty slow journey back, I checked in my hostel, moving to a new one over in Parnell for a change of scenery. With my stuff being elsewhere however, and shopping to do for the week, I didn't manage to sit down and relax until quite late but all in all it was a good weekend!
Monday, 17 April 2017
Auckland Week 6 and Hamilton
Come Monday it was back to work at Unitec, and upon arriving I got the news the place was robbed over the weekend, with an estimated $5000 of tools stolen. It appeared that could have more as many tools were moved so the people responsible must have been disturbed by the security who were meant to be working at the university. Despite this it was a busy week. With building 182 now completely refurbished, this meant work to refurbish building 183 began which meant removing a lot of furniture, carpets, and roofing tiles. There was also a lot to be done in the main building which due to a fair bit interior work being done meant a lot of deliveries of materials onto the site, meaning a lot of lifting and tidying up. This wasn't helped by the weather during the week which once again flooded the building in places, not helped further by a few of tarps protecting some areas blowing away leaving it completely exposed to the elements.
Come Thursday parts of New Zealand got a weather warning for a cyclone approaching. The issue with cyclones is they're unpredictable and can change course very quickly. Auckland was one of the areas predicted to be affected by strong winds and there was even talk of the harbour bridge closing. This meant the university campus was sent home at lunchtime. We worked on however checking and clearing the roofs and scaffolds of loose materials, and securing materials down with heavy things on top and ratchets in case there were strong winds. Luckily come evening the cyclone hit the east coast around the Bay of Plenty area and skimmed Auckland heading south meaning we just got a bit of rain instead of strong winds, so hopefully the site will still be in one piece.
With Friday being a bank holiday, this gave me a day off so I decided to head out of Auckland for the long weekend, going down to Hamilton. I had the option to work however we get paid for the bank holiday anyway, and working basically gave you time owed so there wasn't really much of an incentive to work. Leaving Auckland about lunchtime so I could have a much needed lie in, I caught the mana bus down which is like the New Zealand equivalent of megabus. The road down to Hamilton was busy however so it took quite a while to arrive, arriving about an hour and a half late. Upon arrival I checked into the hostel, before using the little remaining daylight to go and explore Lake Rotoroa, going there via the high street. It was a nice walk round the lake, tieing it in with the sunset. Some of the boardwalks were flooded however as Hamilton fared worse than Auckland during the cyclone. The city itself was dead come evening though as nothing was open being a bank holiday, so I just relaxed in the hostel in the evening.
With it being easter weekend, many services were not open and public transport was extremely limited. This meant it was difficult getting places although Saturday there were a few buses still running to a few places. I was originally planning to go to Raglan on the Saturday and climb Mount Karioi although this was unrealistic in terms of getting back to Hamilton, and the unpredictable weather also put me off having a beach day in Raglan itself which is popular with surfers. I instead looked up popular hikes round the Hamilton area and as with many things in New Zealand you could only get to many of them by car or an expensive private shuttle. The only realistic option I found was catching a bus to Huntly north of Hamilton to explore the Hakarimata Scenic Reserve.
After breakfast I took the bus north to Huntly and followed the Hakarimata walkway south to Ngaruawahia. This walk was described as 7.5 hours, although I only had 6 hours to do it to catch the last bus. Primarily in woodland, the walk showcased many native New Zealand plants in particular the Kauri tree. There was also the occasional clearing in the trees to get views over the Waikato river and surrounding areas. The weather however wasn't great although with the walk being in woodland I was relatively sheltered.
After a few hours I eventually made it to the Hakarimata summit which gave me views of the area. There was a wooden tower you could go up to get better views although it was a little cloudy. I also had lunch up here before heading down the summit track to this old dam which included a few waterfalls. It was very slippery going down however and part of the path had even collapsed. When reaching Ngaruawahia I found out the path down was actually closed because of this although I had no information of this the other end. Arriving about an hour before the bus, I had a bit of spare time so I followed the Waikato river round for a bit before heading back to Hamilton. I spent the evening relaxing at the hostel, watching one of the many films they had available to use.
Sunday was a complete shutdown of services, with only a limited bus service and most shops closed. I therefore decided to spend the day in Hamilton itself. Hamilton is the largest inland city in New Zealand with about 3% of the entire population living there. One of its most popular attractions is the gardens which is free to enter, so I decided to go there. The gardens were split into sections with each area showcasing how a garden looks in different time periods and cultures. It was nice place to walk around, and the surrounding area had nice little walks. It however started raining again come afternoon, so I visited the Waikato museum which was interesting before heading back to the hostel because of the weather. I then just watched a couple of films throughout the evening before going to bed.
Come Thursday parts of New Zealand got a weather warning for a cyclone approaching. The issue with cyclones is they're unpredictable and can change course very quickly. Auckland was one of the areas predicted to be affected by strong winds and there was even talk of the harbour bridge closing. This meant the university campus was sent home at lunchtime. We worked on however checking and clearing the roofs and scaffolds of loose materials, and securing materials down with heavy things on top and ratchets in case there were strong winds. Luckily come evening the cyclone hit the east coast around the Bay of Plenty area and skimmed Auckland heading south meaning we just got a bit of rain instead of strong winds, so hopefully the site will still be in one piece.
With Friday being a bank holiday, this gave me a day off so I decided to head out of Auckland for the long weekend, going down to Hamilton. I had the option to work however we get paid for the bank holiday anyway, and working basically gave you time owed so there wasn't really much of an incentive to work. Leaving Auckland about lunchtime so I could have a much needed lie in, I caught the mana bus down which is like the New Zealand equivalent of megabus. The road down to Hamilton was busy however so it took quite a while to arrive, arriving about an hour and a half late. Upon arrival I checked into the hostel, before using the little remaining daylight to go and explore Lake Rotoroa, going there via the high street. It was a nice walk round the lake, tieing it in with the sunset. Some of the boardwalks were flooded however as Hamilton fared worse than Auckland during the cyclone. The city itself was dead come evening though as nothing was open being a bank holiday, so I just relaxed in the hostel in the evening.
With it being easter weekend, many services were not open and public transport was extremely limited. This meant it was difficult getting places although Saturday there were a few buses still running to a few places. I was originally planning to go to Raglan on the Saturday and climb Mount Karioi although this was unrealistic in terms of getting back to Hamilton, and the unpredictable weather also put me off having a beach day in Raglan itself which is popular with surfers. I instead looked up popular hikes round the Hamilton area and as with many things in New Zealand you could only get to many of them by car or an expensive private shuttle. The only realistic option I found was catching a bus to Huntly north of Hamilton to explore the Hakarimata Scenic Reserve.
After breakfast I took the bus north to Huntly and followed the Hakarimata walkway south to Ngaruawahia. This walk was described as 7.5 hours, although I only had 6 hours to do it to catch the last bus. Primarily in woodland, the walk showcased many native New Zealand plants in particular the Kauri tree. There was also the occasional clearing in the trees to get views over the Waikato river and surrounding areas. The weather however wasn't great although with the walk being in woodland I was relatively sheltered.
After a few hours I eventually made it to the Hakarimata summit which gave me views of the area. There was a wooden tower you could go up to get better views although it was a little cloudy. I also had lunch up here before heading down the summit track to this old dam which included a few waterfalls. It was very slippery going down however and part of the path had even collapsed. When reaching Ngaruawahia I found out the path down was actually closed because of this although I had no information of this the other end. Arriving about an hour before the bus, I had a bit of spare time so I followed the Waikato river round for a bit before heading back to Hamilton. I spent the evening relaxing at the hostel, watching one of the many films they had available to use.
Sunday was a complete shutdown of services, with only a limited bus service and most shops closed. I therefore decided to spend the day in Hamilton itself. Hamilton is the largest inland city in New Zealand with about 3% of the entire population living there. One of its most popular attractions is the gardens which is free to enter, so I decided to go there. The gardens were split into sections with each area showcasing how a garden looks in different time periods and cultures. It was nice place to walk around, and the surrounding area had nice little walks. It however started raining again come afternoon, so I visited the Waikato museum which was interesting before heading back to the hostel because of the weather. I then just watched a couple of films throughout the evening before going to bed.
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Auckland Week 5
It was another busy week at the university, not helped by the ridiculous amount of rain throughout the week which was apparently the remains of Cyclone Debbie which badly hit Australia a few days prior. This meant the building had flooded a lot. There was a lot of demolition work throughout the week which required a fair bit of lifting, as well as tidying up the main building. A fair few problems came up throughout the week due to the water issues, but they were fixed. Also no one communicates so things don't go to plan half the time, but it's funny to watch.
Come the weekend I decided to visit the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which is located to the west of Auckland. To make the most of time there I decided to stay the night in the village of Piha. Piha is a famous surf spot in New Zealand, so much so that it even has its own TV show called Piha Rescue filmed there due to the high number of issues. The waves and currents are particularly strong here which attracts a high number of surfers. Piha itself and the surrounding areas are popular with hikers for its distinctive ironsand beaches and dramatic coastline.
Leaving relatively early, I was stuck on a rail replacement bus as there were engineering works. This took me to within 20km or so of Piha. From here I hitchhiked the rest of the way in. The thing with Piha is there's only one road in and out which makes hitchhiking particularly easy, and with no bus there except for expensive tour buses it was that or walk. I made it to Piha in good time, and with 2 days to explore, I headed south towards the neighboring village or Karekare via the coast. The terrain in the park was very undulating although following the clifftop coastline there were plenty of stunning views of both the beaches and heavily wooded areas inland.
When arriving in Karekare there was the Karekare races on which is an annual horse racing event on the beach primarily aimed for families. This meant it was particularly busy. I stayed and watched for a bit and had lunch here before continuing south along the coast along the beach which took me beneath the cliffs before heading inland through grassland past lakes. I then headed up where I got some more pretty special views before arriving back into Karekare effectively completing a loop. I then headed inland to visit the Karekare falls, a waterfall about 10 minute walk from the road. This meant it was busy although it was a pretty site.
After leaving the waterfall I left Karekare and headed back along the clifftops to Piha, heading down to the beach to watch the sunset which was impressive. I then headed to my accommodation for the night which was slightly inland from the beach, and it was a brilliant place to stay with an array of facilities. The owner even did a fire for us! I had one of my best nights sleep for a while.
On Sunday first stop was Kitekite falls, a less accessible waterfall which being a bigger walk to get to meant I had the waterfall to myself. It was another special site. I then headed through the woodland further climbing up and around back to the coast north of Piha. Here I headed to this headland where I got views north towards Anawhata. I then headed down to beach level where I followed the beach back to Piha. One of Piha most distinctive features is the Lion Rock which is a massive rock sitting on the beach which you could climb up. The views up top were once again amazing.
I then continued south along the beach to the Tasman lookout which once again presented brilliant views, heading back down the other side to see the keyhole and blowhole which are a set of features showcased by the waves. I then headed back round into Piha where I relaxed for a bit on the beach before heading back to Auckland, hitchhiking to the end of the road before getting the rail replacement bus back. I didn't arrive back until dark but it was a really good weekend! For dinner I treated myself to a dominoes before having an early night!
Come the weekend I decided to visit the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which is located to the west of Auckland. To make the most of time there I decided to stay the night in the village of Piha. Piha is a famous surf spot in New Zealand, so much so that it even has its own TV show called Piha Rescue filmed there due to the high number of issues. The waves and currents are particularly strong here which attracts a high number of surfers. Piha itself and the surrounding areas are popular with hikers for its distinctive ironsand beaches and dramatic coastline.
Leaving relatively early, I was stuck on a rail replacement bus as there were engineering works. This took me to within 20km or so of Piha. From here I hitchhiked the rest of the way in. The thing with Piha is there's only one road in and out which makes hitchhiking particularly easy, and with no bus there except for expensive tour buses it was that or walk. I made it to Piha in good time, and with 2 days to explore, I headed south towards the neighboring village or Karekare via the coast. The terrain in the park was very undulating although following the clifftop coastline there were plenty of stunning views of both the beaches and heavily wooded areas inland.
When arriving in Karekare there was the Karekare races on which is an annual horse racing event on the beach primarily aimed for families. This meant it was particularly busy. I stayed and watched for a bit and had lunch here before continuing south along the coast along the beach which took me beneath the cliffs before heading inland through grassland past lakes. I then headed up where I got some more pretty special views before arriving back into Karekare effectively completing a loop. I then headed inland to visit the Karekare falls, a waterfall about 10 minute walk from the road. This meant it was busy although it was a pretty site.
After leaving the waterfall I left Karekare and headed back along the clifftops to Piha, heading down to the beach to watch the sunset which was impressive. I then headed to my accommodation for the night which was slightly inland from the beach, and it was a brilliant place to stay with an array of facilities. The owner even did a fire for us! I had one of my best nights sleep for a while.
On Sunday first stop was Kitekite falls, a less accessible waterfall which being a bigger walk to get to meant I had the waterfall to myself. It was another special site. I then headed through the woodland further climbing up and around back to the coast north of Piha. Here I headed to this headland where I got views north towards Anawhata. I then headed down to beach level where I followed the beach back to Piha. One of Piha most distinctive features is the Lion Rock which is a massive rock sitting on the beach which you could climb up. The views up top were once again amazing.
I then continued south along the beach to the Tasman lookout which once again presented brilliant views, heading back down the other side to see the keyhole and blowhole which are a set of features showcased by the waves. I then headed back round into Piha where I relaxed for a bit on the beach before heading back to Auckland, hitchhiking to the end of the road before getting the rail replacement bus back. I didn't arrive back until dark but it was a really good weekend! For dinner I treated myself to a dominoes before having an early night!
Sunday, 2 April 2017
Auckland Week 4
After a nice and relaxing weekend it was back to work at the university on Monday. It was another busy week, and I spent a fair bit of the time in the building they were just refurbishing which had to be finished that week. This required me to do a lot of tidying up, and moving things about while they did things like lay the carpet and paint the walls. There was a fair bit to do in the main building too however which flooded once again due to the rain over the weekend and during the week, the building still not properly watertight. It was a very busy week although we were bought beers on Friday to thank us for our hard work which went down well.
Come Saturday I decided to go and visit Motutapu Island for the day, which sits next to Rangitito Island about 25 minute boat from the CBD. I visited Rangitito Island when I last came to Auckland, and due to there being just 1 ferry a week to Motutapu Island I caught a ferry to Rangitoto and walked to Motutapu. Rangitoto Island is the youngest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, formed by a series of dramatic explosions from the sea about 600 years ago. It was last and largest of the volcanoes to formed in Auckland at 260m above sea level. At the time of these eruptions Maori tribes were living on the adjacent Motutapu Island and witnessed the eruptions. Nowadays Rangitoto boasts a fascinating landscape of rugged lava crops, lush native bush, and sandy coves. Motutapu Island in comparison has a history dating back to the Jurassic period and is one the oldest islands in Hauraki Gulf. The island is home to the Reid Homestead farm, with many scenic walking tracks and secluded beaches.
As I fell asleep so early the night before I woke up early which meant I caught the 7.30am ferry across to Rangitoto, which coincided with sunrise which was pretty special. It also gave me the cheaper early bird fare which was a bonus. When arriving on Rangitoto I headed eastwards along the Islington Bay Road flanked in all directions with lava crops. When I visited last time I headed westwards and looped round the island before going up to the summit, and back down the other side to the ferry terminal. Heading eastwards was all new to me. En route to the the bridge connecting Rangitoto to Motutapu I took a detour to Wreck Bay and Boulder Bay which followed a path across the lava field on some very rugged terrain to the northern coastline. This area is famous for its many shipwrecks, although as I arrived at high tide only a few of the 16 wrecks were visible.
Heading back to the road the same way across the lava fields, I soon made it to Motutapu Island. The terrain and landscape changed dramatically to rolling grassy hills, with little tree cover. Motutapu Island had many walking tracks, and with 5pm the last ferry leaving Rangitoto I had to make sure I kept an eye on the time. I basically followed the coastline of the island in a clockwise direction, taking detours to many of the bays en route which was just empty. With the island being so undulating there were often brilliant views of some of the other islands in Hauraki Gulf in all directions. I didn't bump into another person until the islands campsite on the southern shore which itself had probably the pick of the beaches. It was brilliant pretty much having the island to myself, although I did cover a lot of distance, not arriving back to the ferry terminal on Rangitoto until about half 4!
At the ferry terminal there were a fair few people, and there was also a natural pool which I had to paddle to feet in which was refreshing. I arrived back on the mainland by about half 5, stopping via Devonport en route. I spent the evening relaxing in the hostel although I did go out for a few beers in my hostel bar as well as another cheap meal which they offer which works out cheaper than trying to cook myself which I've done the whole week.
Come Sunday I had a lie in, although the clocks did go back an hour so I set an alarm to listen to the Saints game before going back to bed after. I had a far more relaxing day looking round a few of the shops, before heading out to Victoria Park and Silo Park at the recently developed Wynyard Quarter which despite staying in such close proximity to I haven't really explored properly. It just happened to be dog day which meant there were dogs everywhere! I had lunch here and just chilled out for the afternoon as it was a nice day, before heading back to the hostel. Come evening I just relaxed and sorted everything out for work next week.
Come Saturday I decided to go and visit Motutapu Island for the day, which sits next to Rangitito Island about 25 minute boat from the CBD. I visited Rangitito Island when I last came to Auckland, and due to there being just 1 ferry a week to Motutapu Island I caught a ferry to Rangitoto and walked to Motutapu. Rangitoto Island is the youngest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, formed by a series of dramatic explosions from the sea about 600 years ago. It was last and largest of the volcanoes to formed in Auckland at 260m above sea level. At the time of these eruptions Maori tribes were living on the adjacent Motutapu Island and witnessed the eruptions. Nowadays Rangitoto boasts a fascinating landscape of rugged lava crops, lush native bush, and sandy coves. Motutapu Island in comparison has a history dating back to the Jurassic period and is one the oldest islands in Hauraki Gulf. The island is home to the Reid Homestead farm, with many scenic walking tracks and secluded beaches.
As I fell asleep so early the night before I woke up early which meant I caught the 7.30am ferry across to Rangitoto, which coincided with sunrise which was pretty special. It also gave me the cheaper early bird fare which was a bonus. When arriving on Rangitoto I headed eastwards along the Islington Bay Road flanked in all directions with lava crops. When I visited last time I headed westwards and looped round the island before going up to the summit, and back down the other side to the ferry terminal. Heading eastwards was all new to me. En route to the the bridge connecting Rangitoto to Motutapu I took a detour to Wreck Bay and Boulder Bay which followed a path across the lava field on some very rugged terrain to the northern coastline. This area is famous for its many shipwrecks, although as I arrived at high tide only a few of the 16 wrecks were visible.
Heading back to the road the same way across the lava fields, I soon made it to Motutapu Island. The terrain and landscape changed dramatically to rolling grassy hills, with little tree cover. Motutapu Island had many walking tracks, and with 5pm the last ferry leaving Rangitoto I had to make sure I kept an eye on the time. I basically followed the coastline of the island in a clockwise direction, taking detours to many of the bays en route which was just empty. With the island being so undulating there were often brilliant views of some of the other islands in Hauraki Gulf in all directions. I didn't bump into another person until the islands campsite on the southern shore which itself had probably the pick of the beaches. It was brilliant pretty much having the island to myself, although I did cover a lot of distance, not arriving back to the ferry terminal on Rangitoto until about half 4!
At the ferry terminal there were a fair few people, and there was also a natural pool which I had to paddle to feet in which was refreshing. I arrived back on the mainland by about half 5, stopping via Devonport en route. I spent the evening relaxing in the hostel although I did go out for a few beers in my hostel bar as well as another cheap meal which they offer which works out cheaper than trying to cook myself which I've done the whole week.
Come Sunday I had a lie in, although the clocks did go back an hour so I set an alarm to listen to the Saints game before going back to bed after. I had a far more relaxing day looking round a few of the shops, before heading out to Victoria Park and Silo Park at the recently developed Wynyard Quarter which despite staying in such close proximity to I haven't really explored properly. It just happened to be dog day which meant there were dogs everywhere! I had lunch here and just chilled out for the afternoon as it was a nice day, before heading back to the hostel. Come evening I just relaxed and sorted everything out for work next week.
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