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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

Auckland Week 3

Come Saturday I was exhausted and I hadn't even done a full weeks work. I think it was just down to adjusting to the early starts which required me to set a 6am alarm each morning. It was nice to have a lie in though and after waking up thought I would take the day off to go and visit the Victorian village of Devonport, just a 12 minute boat ride across the harbour from Auckland's CBD. There are ferries every half hour to here and the area is popular with tourists and locals for its beaches and relaxing surroundings away from the city centre.

After catching the ferry across the harbour I admired the impressive view back of the city skyline, walking along the promenade lined with old buildings. I then headed up the high street and up to the summit of Mount Victoria, one of the many dormant volcanoes round the Auckland area. The views were great in all directions seeing many of the islands in Hauraki Gulf, the city skyline, and harbour bridge very clearly with it being a sunny day. When decending from the hill I headed over to North Head, another dormant volcano which was originally used by the military for coastal defence. The area had an array of old bunkers and tunnels which I explored, as well as some coastal walking trails which took me to the secluded and sandy Cheltenham Beach. The views on top of North Head itself were also as equally impressive.

After having lunch up the top, I headed down to the esplanade via the navy base which had a few ships on view. I then caught the ferry back to the city, where I just went back to the hostel and relaxed. Come Sunday I just had a relaxing day, although I moved hostels in the process, moving from the city centre to somewhere more out of town, in close proximity to Newmarket and Karangahape Road. I thought I would try somewhere different as the hostel I was in prior was effectively a party hostel which meant it was noisy.

Monday I was back to work at the university campus. It was a busy week which involved a lot of clearing people's mess up, and a fair bit of lifting and moving things about. A couple of people left the team and we gained a couple throughout the week. It appears the turnover rate is relatively high, although I'm probably going to stay as long as they'll have me as it's pretty easy money.

Come the weekend I decided I would visit Waiheke Island on the Saturday as the forecast was pretty grim on the Sunday. Waiheke Island is located about a 35 minute boat ride from Auckland CBD in the Hauraki Gulf, with a population of about 9000 people, and was last year voted last year by lonely planet as the fifth best region in the world. With sandy beaches, rugged terrain, and a climate warmer than Auckland city itself, the island is particularly famous for its vineyards and wine production. After a small lie in compared to when I have been getting up, I caught the ferry across, buying an all day bus pass as means of getting round the island.

When arriving I caught the bus straight over to Rocky Bay and the Wkakanewha Regional Park. This rugged beach had plenty of hiking opportunities and after following the coastline to a couple of the beaches headed inland and up through the woods to these small waterfalls. It was very humid inside the dense woodland, and after a couple of hours I ended up back on the bus to my next stop in Onetangi Beach, a 1.87km beach which was surprisingly quiet. From here I went to Oneroa Beach by bus which had some interesting rock formations and I followed this round, before walking across the island to the southern shores and inland up this hill where I got great views across the gulf. I then headed through woodland and down to Church Bay where I followed the coastline round, ending up on a cliff top path back to the ferry terminal. I didn't end up leaving the island until sunset!

The bus service on the island only serves the residential western half of the island, so I could potentially return plus a bike to explore the eastern more remote half as there was a lot to see and I only saw a small amount the island. When arriving back to Auckland I was hungry so I ended up getting a pizza before heading back to my hostel in darkness where I relaxed when returning. Come Sunday I once again moved hostels, this time back into the city. I wanted to stay at the hostel I was at but it was fully booked. To pass the time whilst transferring I went and got a few things for lunch at the supermarket and lay down on Auckland Domain for a couple of hours on the grass. It started to rain by afternoon however so I headed into the city to check into the hostel where I just chilled out for the rest of the day.

Auckland

Friday was the day I finally said goodbye to South America, and what a trip it has been. I visited 7 countries over more than 4 months going to some places I never thought I would get the chance to visit. It's hard to sum up my highlights because there were so many, but I know I've met a lot of people who actually like me and they made the trip what it was. My flight out of Rio was around about lunchtime and I got to the airport in good time, catching a taxi which passed many of landmarks of Rio I had seen over my time there. When arriving at the airport I had lots of time to spare which just gave me time to relax.

To get to New Zealand required me to take a short flight to Buenos Aires, lay over there for 8 hours, and then take a particularly long flight through the night to Auckland. The first flight was pretty smooth despite departing a little late, although this just decreased my lay over time in BA which was a good thing. I even got a free sandwich on board the flight. The layover in BA was painful however, with just a few shops and wifi to keep me entertained. I did treat myself to a pizza for dinner though. In the end I managed to board the plane half asleep which departed at about midnight.

The flight to Auckland took longer than expected as we were apparently flying against the wind, although there was a decent entertainment system with plenty of films and games to keep me amused. Being by the window too also meant I got a pretty decent sleep during the flight. There were two meals provided on the flight which included some beef and potato thing for dinner, and an omelette thing for breakfast. With the flight crossing the date line, I arrived in Auckland on the Sunday morning as I effectively lost a day. Getting out the airport took a while however as there were massive queues, although once I got my stamp I had no checks and pretty much just walked out the airport.

Arriving in the morning meant I had time to kill, as I couldn't check into the hostel until 2. I therefore just walked down the harbour to see the iconic skyline, although it was very busy as some big race event was happening. Auckland itself is the largest city in New Zealand with about 1.4 million people living in the district, which is about 1 in 3 people of the entire population. With large numbers of Pacific and Asian immigrants, the city is very multicultural and diverse. Famous landmarks include the sky tower and harbour bridge, and the city itself is often referred to as the city of sails as it lies between two harbours. Within the harbours lie many islands, which contain some of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the country. The city also lies on a volcanic field with about 50 volcanoes in the city. Many of these volcanoes aren't actually extinct, although there hasn't been an eruption since Rangitito Island was formed about 600 years ago.

I eventually managed to check into my hostel, and after dinner it wasn't long before I absolutely passed out with the long flight catching up with me! This did however mean I woke up at 3am with my body clock being 8 hours out of sync. The next three days nothing exciting really happened other than sorting things out which I needed to work in the country. The main thing I needed was an ird number which without one means you get taxed 45%. Applying for this required my national insurance card number which I didn't have which caused problems but it was sorted eventually. I also bought a cheap phone so I could be contactable throughout New Zealand with respect to work opportunities. Luckily the hostel had a person who was employed to help people find work so I got everything sorted eventually, including help writing a cv. By Wednesday I had everything sorted (except a wait for my ird number to arrive) to apply for jobs.

Come Thursday I thought it was about time to explore some other parts of city, after becoming extremely familiar with the centre over the previous few days. I therefore decided to visit Mount Eden which is the tallest of the volcanoes in Auckland, and also within an hour walk of the city centre. When getting to the top there were brilliant views in all directions of the skyline, both harbours and surrounding suburbs. There was also an impressive view or the 50m deep crater at the top which you could walk around. Decending down the other side I then headed to One Tree Hill, another of the volcanoes. The views here were as equally impressive. I then headed back to the city via Newmarket which I now know is the place to go shopping, and then across Auckland Domain which I visited when I came here 3 years ago. It was a pretty substantial walk in the end all done in flip flops! 

On Friday I went out exploring again, this time heading over to the Auckland harbour bridge which I now know you cannot walk over. I was planning to go across to the other side of the harbour, but instead continued round the harbour to Ponsonby. This area had lots of restaurants and bars which seemed more high end and gourmet. It was a nice area to walk round. I then headed towards Karangahape Road which was more deprived but it seems like an alternative place for nightlife away from the city centre, and only being about a mile from the centre. I then headed back to the hostel and continued applying for jobs as I had heard absolutely nothing from the jobs I had applied for other than one text message saying the job was already taken.

With no luck in the jobs department I again headed out on the Saturday exploring, this time heading east along the harbour edge to check out some of the beaches. I passed Orakei beach which was home to the sea life centre, then Mission Beach which had a lot of affordable restaurants and fish and chip shops which is good to know. I then continued to Kohimarama Beach and St Heliers Bay which is as far as I walked before heading back. On the way back I went to Orakei domain which had some nice views over the harbour before heading back to the hostel.

On Sunday I actually got an opportunity for this job interview working as a bike taxi driver although when they explained what was involved I thought no. You effectively had to pay $200 to hire a bike per day and work whenever you want and then set your own prices to people and hope you make profit, which I thought too risky. Regardless I continued applying for jobs for Sunday, moving to a new hostel for a change of scenery in the process. Come Monday I went back to job search at the hostel I was originally staying at who referred me to another company.

On Tuesday a job which sounded suitable finally rang me for an interview, and I headed out to their office in Henderson about 40 minutes from the city that very morning. When arriving it was more a matter of when can you start than an interview. The company called tradestaff is effectively based all over the country and they give you contracts doing general labour work for clients all over the place. I did have to fill in various health and safety forms and even take a drug test which all went smoothly. I was then given a contract to start the very next day, along with things like steel capped boots and other safety clothing for the job.

Wednesday I was up bright and early to start the job, which was about a 20 minute train ride, then a 10 minute walk away to arrive by 7. After getting a health and safety training session I was ready to start. The job is on a university campus and they are attaching two existing buildings and renovating them to create a new 'hub' for the students. Set over three floors and massive area there were a lot of people on site. With the majority of people skilled trades people, I am part of a team of six who cleans up people's  mess, moves things about, lifts things onto site, basically all the little things. I have however got to put up with a Spurs and a Villa fan in my team. By Friday when I was finished I was told by the client to come back Monday which was a good thing, so I should finally be making money for the time being.

Rio de Janeiro

Friday was our last ever day on Amber, although I accidentally woke up at the wrong hostel the other side of town getting woken up by the tour guide of Gus which was embarrassing. This meant I got ripped to shreds by my group when arriving back at my hostel with about 5 minutes to spare in the morning. With a relatively short drive we headed along the stunning coastline before getting into the built up outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. We arrived by lunchtime and were greeted by dragoman crew, and I fulfilled my duty of back locker for the last time. There were a few goodbyes here as well as some people were either flying home or doing carnival independently which was emotional after being together so long.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world. The stunning Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf) Mountain rises up out of Guanabara Bay and the sandy beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana cut beautiful curves in the shoreline, all under the watchful gaze of the iconic Art Deco statue of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The afternoon was free to relax in the hotel and I took advantage of the very good air con and equally good wifi, sorting out a few things which needed doing. 

Come evening we had a meeting where we were briefed about the options for carnival, as well as meeting a few new people. The carnival package offered by dragoman is effectively a separate trip, although there were 12 of us from Amber doing it as well as a few members of Gus and Cameron, and also some people travelling with dragoman out of Rio. We were split into 4 groups with my group basically being Amber people, and after our brief we went out for dinner at this buffet place which was nice. After dinner we caught the metro to the Lapa district where I got my first experience of a Bloco, basically a street party, which was set beneath the imposing Lapa arches. With about 3000 people it was quite a good atmosphere and I stayed until about 11 before heading back to bed.

Saturday was when carnival really got started, heading out in the morning to the biggest bloco of the week. After a brilliant breakfast which included sausage, chicken nuggets, and bacon as part of a buffet, I caught the metro with a couple of others which was an absolute experience. Literally the whole train was rocking with people singing and drinking and it was only half 9 in the  morning. The train even had a power cut en route which meant we were evacuated and had to get on an even busier train behind. I've never been on such a crowded train before.

When arriving at the bloco set on Copacabana beach it was relatively quiet, although I disembarked the train early which meant instead of following the parade from behind, the parade was effectively coming towards me. It didn't take long to be swallowed up in a crowd of people, and with an estimated 1000000 people who attended it's hard to describe the sheer size of it. Copacabana beach has 6 lanes of traffic and the beach is pretty wide. Within 10 minutes of being swallowed into the parade the whole width was solid to the point you couldn't move. It was a great party however although when leaving it was very hard work getting through the crowds. 

It took me about 3 blocks in from the beach before I could actually breath again, and I went for a late lunch at a local restaurant with the person I was with. We then headed back to Copacabana which had eased down a bit but was still very busy, heading onto the actual beach for a few more beers. We stayed here until dark at which point there was considerably less people but still a great atmosphere. After leaving we headed back to the hotel and had a relatively early night as it was quite an intense days partying!

Sunday was a big day being EFL Cup Final day. Having contacted a Saints fan prior I was informed the best place to watch the game was an English pub in the Ipanema district. After breakfast I caught the metro there, taking a walk round the lagoon and along the beach to tie it in with the football. After a few beers down the beach I headed to the pub where there were 6 Southampton fans, as well as 3 members of my truck who came down to support us too. With it being the England Rugby match before too the majority of the pub were behind Southampton. It was a great atmosphere although the final result wasn't so good, but it was a good afternoon with some proper Saints fans.

After the game I headed to a bloco which was happening in the Ipanema district with a couple of the Saints fans and danced with the locals for a few hours which was a laugh. I didn't arrive back at the hotel until late, literally getting back just in time for our evenings visit at the sambadrome. The sambadrome is a highlight of the carnival, where local samba schools dress up in colourful outfits accompanied by impressive floats, dancing and singing along to local music. We were set at the end of the runway in sector 13 which is known for being popular with locals and having a good atmosphere. It was a great evening with lots and singing and dancing, and a very late night leaving in daylight! 

Monday in the context of carnival was a far more chilled out day, sleeping in until lunchtime after not getting to bed until 8am the night before! When getting up I went for lunch at this buffet place with my roommate and we then went for a walk along this walk Rio route to see the Maracana. En route we saw the Selaron steps which are there famous colourful mosaic steps. There was however a bloco on the steps which meant it was busy. We also passed the jazz event near the Rio Scenarium as well as getting views of the Lapa arches and sambadrome in daylight. When arriving at the Maracana there was a bloco outfit although it was full of gay people. It was a solid walk in the end though arriving back at the hotel in dark, where I literally passed out with tiredness.

Tuesday was another free day, so I took a day to myself and walked to Botofogo Beach near the hotel which presented brilliant views of the sugarloaf. I then decided to continue walking round to Copacabana beach and then Ipanema Beach which made a solid walk, finishing with lunch at burger king! There were some great views en route including more views of the statue and beaches. I then decided to head back on myself and go up sugarloaf mountain which was near Botofogo. To get up top required two cable car journeys up to the 400m peak, which is literally like a massive rock sticking out the ground! The views up top were stunning, with the many hills, islands, and beaches round Rio visible, as well as a great view of the statue. Just breathtaking.

When heading down I caught a taxi back to the hotel and relaxed for a couple hours before my trip to the gay ball in the evening. There are various balls during carnival and dragoman offers this option as it's basically the last party of carnival. My outfit for the gay ball however was a tutu and unicorn horns! Me and my roommate prior headed back to the Rio Scenarium area which had the jazz event and we sat here and had a burger for dinner while listening to the music. We then found a bloco in the Lapa area and had a few beers here before meeting some of the others from dragoman who were attending, effectively our last night together. The gay ball is basically what it says with quite a few gays and trannies inside, although it had quite a lot of tourists like us too. With alcohol included in the ticket price too it was an interesting night although quite a laugh! We didn't end up leaving until quite late!

Wednesday was when I finally said goodbye to dragoman and many of the people who I've been travelling with, although it was exciting in terms of starting my next stage of travel alone. I also had a further two nights in Copacabana before flying out too, and after leaving the dragoman hotel in the Flamengo district, arrived at my next hotel by lunchtime. Come afternoon I met one of my old friends who was on Gus at one stage and we went out for lunch and sat on the beach all afternoon which was a nice and relaxing afternoon. I then spent the evening at the hotel before getting some much needed sleep after the night before! 

Thursday was my last full day in Rio, and the one thing I still kind of needed to do was the Christ the Redeemer statue. Dragoman offered this as an option for $90 which I thought was ridiculous and I managed to do it self guided including transport for less than $30. Catching the local bus after breakfast, I got to the train station and caught the train up to the top. It was a very hot day however with some of the signs saying it was 38 degrees! When getting to the top it was a matter of climbing these steps before the statue finally came into view and was stunning, my 3rd modern wonder of the world I've now visited. The views surrounding it were as equally stunning with 360 views including that of the sugarloaf and the beaches!

After leaving the statue I headed back to the hotel, although my bus took ages as it went via the like Gavea and Leblon districts before actually arriving at Copacabana. I spent the afternoon relaxing in my hotel, before experiencing almighty thunderstorm in the evening. I then met one of my old friends once again for dinner at a local restaurant which was nice, passing out at my hotel when returning ready for my long flight to Auckland the next day.

Brotas and Paraty

Saturday was an early start with a long drive towards the coast over the coming days, via the small town of Brotas. With it taking 2 days to get there we had a long drive day on the first day to allow us a more relaxing day after. Come evening we ended up camping in a service station car park on concrete which was interesting, being joined by the Tucan truck. I however accidentally stayed up all night drinking inside the service station.

Sunday was a much shorter day in terms of driving, although it was confusing knowing what time of day it was in the morning. We basically crossed the state border the day before which meant the clocks went forward an hour, but it turned out that that evening was daylight saving so they went back again. This meant confusion in waking up. En route to Brotas we stopped at a service station for lunch which sold lots of local Brazilian snacks. We arrived in Brotas by early afternoon which gave me time to relax by the pool, although it was ridiculously humid. Gus and Cameron didn't arrive until early evening, and after dinner which was chicken and rice we had a few drinks. It's nice because we're now paralleling all the way to Rio.

Come morning there was the option to go tubing or rafting, although I just decided to have a relaxing day after failing to make it to bed the previous night, instead sleeping under a tree with my inflatable crocodile in the morning. Lunch was pumpkin soup, and after lunch I just sat by the pool until dinner, where we also had a punch made. Dinner was lasagne which was really good, and after dinner we met the other trucks for drinks.

Tuesday was an early start for a relatively long drive to our next stop in Paraty. As I accidentally didn't make it my tent again, sleeping outside by the pool this time, I spent much of the morning asleep on the truck. En route to Paraty we stopped at Ubatuba for lunch and a swim on the sandy beach before arriving in our beachside hostel by late afternoon. Located on the Brazilian Emerald Coast, Paraty is part of a dazzlingly-beautiful strip of land sandwiched between the verdant green hills and the sparkling waters of the Atlantic. Tropical islands, deserted beaches and picturesque coves with excellent swimming and diving make it the perfect place to relax. Come evening we had a pizza buffet at our hostel before having an early night to catch up on sleep. I however slept so well I fell off the top bunk in the night and cut my right leg open which bloody hurt.

Wednesday was the day of the infamous Paraty booze cruise, a dragoman trip which my guide has never attended without someone getting injured which would also never pass UK health and safety apparently. We still attended however,  leaving at 10. With free drinks on board it was an early start on the booze. The boat trip itself took us round local islands and beaches where we were able to swim and go on local beaches. It was very scenic and a right laugh and no one was injured which was good. After the cruise I continued into the town, pub crawling round the cobbled streets and having dinner at subway. After dinner we continued joining the locals on the square before heading to the beach to go stargazing.

Come morning I somehow woke up on the beach to an amazing sunrise, and probably also zika virus being exposed to the mosquitos all night. After the sunrise I found my way back to the hostel and slept for the morning. Come lunchtime I headed into the historical centre of Paraty walking round the cobbled streets grabbing some lunch at a local restaurant. I then spent much of the afternoon relaxing on the beach. Come evening we met our group for a farewell dinner to say goodbye, and I won the awards for most impressive fart of the trip, worst Spanish speaker, and the most likely to be attacked by an animal. We then met the other trucks for a few drinks to say goodbye to them.

Bonito

After leaving the Pantanal we soon arrived into our next stop in Bonito. The small town of Bonito in the southern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul is perfectly located in a beautiful and unique area. The area's main attractions are the crystal clear rivers, springs and the stunning caves, not to mention the abundant wildlife, which includes monkeys, alligators, anacondas, over 30 varieties of fish and tremendous birdlife. Unsurprisingly, the town is often described as the "eco-tourism capital of Brazil". With 3 nights here we had lots of time to explore and I spent the evening by the pool, eating dinner at the hostel. Prior to us arriving there were 5 trucks here but it was just the other dragoman trucks when we arrived on their last night, so we just partied.

Thursday was an opportunity so see the abundance of fish life on a river snorkeling trip down the Rio Sucuri. I however somehow didn't make it to my room the night before and woke up in the hammock. After breakfast we took the short drive to the river where we had to put on a wetsuit for the activity. After a short walk through the jungle we arrived at this crystal clear river full of fish and we able to snorkel downstream, just letting the river flow take us. There were lots of fish and river plant life, although I didn't see an anaconda.

After the snorkeling we returned to the centre where a buffet lunch was provided, before returning to the hostel via town. In town I purchased a new pair of havaianas and accidentally brought an inflatable crocodile. I then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hammock. Come evening I went out for dinner where I shared this platter with someone, with the meats being caiman, capybara, and piranha, and an array of side dishes. It was really good. We then went out in town, checking out a few of the local bars before finally ending up at another hostel for a party. It was actually a really good night out although a slightly late one.

Come morning I woke up in the hammock again and after little sleep just decided to go out for the day. Surrounding Bonito there are many caves and swimming holes so I basically hired a bike and cycled out to this river which was effectively a municipal pool. When arriving there were lots of people there and I went swimming with all the fish of which there were loads! They even jumped out water when you put some bait on a stick. After relaxing here for a bit I had lunch which was just burger and chips.

After the river I cycled to this ecological museum with a cave tour. The museum had lots of stuffed animals and retro artefacts, and after having a nap in the hammock went on a tour of the nearby cave. It was full of stalactites and bats and the formations were very interesting. I even had a translater as the tour was in Portuguese. I then cycled back into town and returned to the hostel by dinner so it was quite a long day. I just had dinner at the hostel and had an early night as I was tired.

Pantanal

Sunday was an early start which wasn't great with little sleep. I did put my tent down prior and slept on the truck as we couldn't be bothered to lie down in the tent just to wake up again so soon. I managed to sleep much of the morning. The day itself was just a long drive day and where we leave the other trucks again for a while. We were initially meant to camp although we managed to get a good deal on a hotel in Maracaju so stayed there instead. It was a very muggy day however and wet at times, quite uncomfortable. We arrived at Maracaju by evening, the clocks going back an hour just to confuse things even more. Dinner in the evening was a bacon chowder, and after dinner I sat down and watched a local game with some local Ituapu fans. I was however surprised after a while to notice Guly do Prado was one of their players and he scored a bullet header for Ituapu to win 1-0 which created some scenes. I then had an early night to catch up on some sleep.

Monday was only a short drive day to a fantastic opportunity to stay in a ranch in the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a vast wetland that covers much of inland central and southern Brazil - it is formed of a huge gently-sloping depression surrounded by rolling highlands, so the water from thousands of small rivers runs off from the highlands to collect in the basin before draining out into the Paraguay River. The Pantanal is predominantly an agricultural area, dotted with cattle ranches known locally as "Fazenda". Many of the Fazendas have opened up for eco- tourism in recent years and offer safaris and tours of the area. The wildlife here is staggering, and there is probably nowhere else in South America where you'll be able to see as many indigenous species. There are over 250 different species of birds that have been recorded here, including parakeets, macaws, owls, kingfishers, ibis, storks, kites and hawks, hummingbirds and more, and there are prolific numbers of caiman, anacondas, iguanas, two species of anteaters, ocelots, jaguars, tapirs, giant river otters and thousands of marsh deer. One of the easier animals to spot is the capybara, a giant guinea-pig-type rodent that grows up to 60 kgs and lives in large herds in the swamps.

We arrived at the ranch by lunchtime and had lunch waiting for us upon arrival. With the ranch being over 50km from proper civilisation as well we were even able to open the roof seats as we had to get there off road. Lunch was a buffet with various dishes including meats, rice, and salads. After lunch we were given time to relax as the heat and humidity was top intense to do activities during the day. I just relaxed by the pool, and after afternoon tea I decided to go horse riding which isn't something I would normally do but I thought why not. We went out for a couple of hours round the ranch, through many wet and boggy fields spotting an array of wildlife en route including caiman and capybara, and a lot of bird life. We got back during sunset which was pretty special.

When arriving back dinner was ready which was another big buffet like with lunch. I also got an addiction for starfruit as there was a tree full of them next to the pool. After dinner we had the chance to go out on a night safari to spot some nocturnal wildlife. We spotted some feral pigs, foxes, and owls, although the highlight was the stream which was absolutely teaming with caiman. You could see there eyes out the water in the dark, and when shining the light you could see their whole body. We also saw loads of capybara. The night sky was also as equally impressive with the milky way very clear. When arriving back I just had a few beers by the pool before going to bed.

Tuesday was an early start as I signed up for the boat trip which went at 7am. After breakfast which included various savouries, fruits, and cereals, we took a short walk to the river, passing a large group of macaws and capuchin monkeys en route. When getting into our canoe like boats we went downstream, spitting various forms of birdlife. We also saw more monkeys. The highlight however was seeing a wild anaconda which swam past us with its head out the water. It wasn't ridiculously big but it's head was about the size of my hand to put it into perspective.

After the boat trip we were given the day to relax due to the heat and humidity which was already unbearable by 9. I had a nap in the morning as the room had good air con, and after lunch which was another buffet with an array of dishes relaxed by the pool for the afternoon. Our afternoon activity was a daytime safari, where we spotted a lot more birdlife, as well as stopping at the stream where we chucked dead fish in to get caiman to come. So many came and they were soon by our truck fighting which was impressive.

We then continued to a small lake where we went piranha fishing. Using a wooden pole and with a line and hook attached, we spent a while fishing. You could feel the piranhas tugging the hook with their teeth but they were good at taking the bait and leaving the hook empty. It took me a while but I caught one eventually, even if I did have a few caiman a bit close for comfort. On the way back we stopped at the stream and fed the caiman again, and also saw some coaties as well. When arriving back we had a bit of time to relax before dinner which was a Brazilian bbq beef, chicken, pork belly, with various sides. There was a lot of meat. After dinner we sat by the pool and played games before bed.

Wednesday was our last morning on the ranch, and I was up early again this time to go for a bush walk. There was only 2 of us however as everyone else couldn't be bothered. Our guide took us out through the wetlands and we spotted an abundance of birdlife, as well as some rodent things and anteaters. It was very humid however even at such an early time. When returning I relaxed in the room for the air con, before our final lunch which was once again a massive buffet. We departed straight after lunch for the shortish drive to our next stop in Bonito.

Foz do Iguaçu

Wednesday was simply a drive day, with an intended stop for the night in Yapeyú. Yapeyú is very famous amongst Argentines for being the birthplace of their national hero General Jose de San Martin, one of the liberators of South America from Spanish colonial rule. We couldn't camp here however as the campsite had shut down and the house we were going to visit the next morning to learn about San Martin was having renovation work done. We instead drove a bit further north, stopping for the night at a water park which included a few slides and a large pool which was fun! Dinner in the evening was a risotto and we all had an early night after our 5am departure from Buenos Aires. I even slept outside again for the first time in a while.

Thursday was another drive day with the border into Brazil to negotiate as well towards our destination of Foz do Iguaçu for the next three nights. Foz do Iguaçu (meaning "Mouth of the Iguazu River") is the Brazilian town nestled against the double-border with Argentina and Paraguay. The town is of course most famous as the base for exploring the incredible Iguazu Falls. En route we stopped for lunch nearby the Jesuit ruins which a few people had a guided tour round. I instead explored the nearby market and helped make lunch which was a potato salad. By the time we negotiated the border and the fact the clocks went forward an hour, we arrived in Foz by late afternoon, going to the supermarket and atms before going to our campsite. 

After setting up my tent in the pouring rain, we had a short time to relax before going out to this dance show in the evening. The show included dances from 8 countries in Latin America culminating with the Brazilian dances. It was a really fun and energetic show and the fact we had an all you can eat buffet to accompany the show made it even better. Unlike the Argentinians who bbq their meat in big joints, the Brazilian way of cooking meat involves putting large hunks on a skewer and cooking it by rotating the skewer, before serving you the hunk. I ate a lot of meat, although there was also many other cuisines to eat, as well as some amazing desserts. I could barely walk as I had eaten so much after leaving.

Friday was a day trip to visit the waterfall, on the Argentinian side. Iguazu Falls, located on the Iguazu River between Argentina and Brazil, is the world's largest waterfall system and one of the most spectacular natural sights in the world! The name "Iguazu" originates from the native Guarani words "y" (meaning "big") and "uasu" (meaning "water") - the Guarani legend says that the falls were created when a deity wanted to marry a beautiful mortal woman, but when she tried to escape away from him in a canoe with another man the deity sliced the river in two, condeming the water and the lovers to fall for eternity. Getting there involved recrossing the border and the clocks going back an hour despite only a short drive.

The Argentinian side has miles of trails and walkways through the forests to various viewpoints of the waterfall system. With falls of between 60m to 82m,  the system has 275 waterfalls over a width of 2.7km so it's big. The first place I went to was "Garganta del Diablo (meaning "Devil's Throat"), the largest and most powerful section of the waterfall system. Millons of gallons of water thunder down violently to the bottom of the huge ravine, forming the most incredible display of power, rainbows, and spray! Getting here involved catching a train to a 1km walkway which we followed out to see the section. About 60% of the water decends to this one point in a u like shape and it was so powerful with spray and water flow that we couldn't see the bottom! I got quite wet.

On the way back from the Devil's Throat we saw a camon, and after catching the train back to the central area of the park we had lunch where we were joined by a lot of Coatis. They seemed cute at first but they were actually absolute pests jumping on tables and fighting with each other to steal our food. After lunch there were a couple of walkways to follow to various viewpoints, an upper walkway and a lower walkway. We got to see many smaller waterfalls here as well as some impressive aerial and panoramic views of the whole system. I did however start to rain by the end, although I was wet anyway.

We left the waterfalls by 4, where we recrossed the border into Brazil, with the clocks going forward an hour. When getting back the rain was torrential, so while everyone ran for cover I went for a swim in the pool which was refreshing. Come evening it was our drivers birthday which meant reason to celebrate so we had a bbq. Gus and Cameron also arrived as well as well as the Tucan truck which meant there were a lot of people to celebrate. The bbq was amazing, especially the pork belly. There was a lot of food. We then partied into the night, and it was nice to meet some new people as Gus is practically all new passengers, and Cameron are passengers who have only paralleled with us since Buenos Aires.

Come morning I was woken up in the hammock and was told we were leaving in 5 minutes which was embarrassing. I don't think I got that much sleep. Saturday was a day trip to the Brazilian side of falls. This side wasn't as extensive in terms of walkways, but offered great panoramic views as well as another view of the Devil's Throat from the other side which was just as impressive. I didn't spend as long at the Brazilian side and after visiting all the viewpoints caught a taxi back to the hostel. There were various options for the afternoon including a visit the Ituapi Dam, the 2nd largest dam in the world, and a trip to Paraguay and Cuidad del Este the other side of the river. Where we were was basically a border with three countries split by the river.

I decided to go back to the hostel and watch the football which was worthwhile, next stop Wembley. I also ordered a takeaway which were these weird sandwich things made with cassava bread. Come afternoon I had a sleep in the hammock. After my nap I went to my tent and nearly trod on a snake. When telling someone I was told it was a coral snake which is one of the most venomous in South America. Dinner was pasta with salad and various other accompaniments. There was once again a lot of food. As Gus and Cameron were at the dance show the hostel was quiet until a bunch of rowdy Brazilian locals arrived followed by the trucks returning which equalled party. It was another late night.

Buenos Aires

Friday was a ridiculously early start, leaving Puerto Madryn at half 4 in the morning to cover as much ground as possible to get to Buenos Aires as early as possible the following day. The issue our truck keeps getting the alternative itineraries due to there being two trucks and some of the accommodation not being big enough to accommodate everyone was once. On the next leg a third truck called Cameron which has come from Cartagena via the Andes route has caught up with us so we now have three trucks together. The Pantanal later in the trip can't handle that many people which means we are leaving Buenos Aires a day earlier than planned, following the same schedule until Foz, where we are then leapfrogging Bonito and going straight to the Pantanal which requires bush camp en route, before driving back on ourselves to Bonito before following the original itinerary to Rio. This has caused a little controversy with certain members of our truck although it's probably a good thing in terms of numbers.

We made really good progress on Friday, stopping en route at a supermarket en route for food supplies, covering over 1000km by the end of the day, with Gus about 400km behind as we effectively drove until 9 arriving in darkness!  Dinner in the evening was spaghetti bolognese, and we then had an early night in our very overgrown camp on the side of the road in long grass.

Saturday was a little bit of a later start being within 300km of Buenos Aires, and arrived in the city by lunchtime. At the mouth of the River Plate estuary (where the Uruguay and Paraná rivers flow out into the Atlantic Ocean) lies the fabulous city of Buenos Aires, the cosmopolitan capital of Argentina. It's a buzzing, energetic city that often feels more European than Latin American, so much so that it's often referred to as "the Paris of the South". We are now staying 4 nights here which gave us 3 full days as well as the afternoon on Saturday. After settling into the hotel I went into the centro district and looked round the shops, buying some new shoes and some trousers. I also saw the impressive obelisk for the sign with the big BA hedge in front of it.

Come evening I somehow agreed to go for a tango lesson which was actually really fun. It's a very simple dance although the footwork is complicated as you have to synchronise with your partner. It wasn't helped either by the heavy to girl to guy ratio which meant I had to do a lot more dancing than everyone else. After the lesson we went to a steak restaurant where I had this ridiculously big steak with chips, although I demolished it. After dinner we went to a local milonga for a night of Tango with the locals which was basically like a big ball with all inclusive drinks. I got told by someone I was worst dancer ever though. After a late departure from the milonga I caught a taxi into the palermo district and went to a club and it was very late night.

Come morning I woke up late, although I was out the hotel by lunchtime and walked out to the Puerto Madero district via the famous Plaza del Mayo. Puerto Madero is the dockland area famous for its high end restaurants. It was a pleasant walk before working my way round to the San Telmo market which takes place every Sunday. Primarily selling handicrafts and antiques, it was full of the very interesting products. I then continued into the La Boca district known most commonly as the home of Boca Juniors fc, and despite being the neighbourhood with the poorest residents and crime record, has a very colourful vibrant vibe. It is also the birthplace of Tango. I didn't go alone however just to be safe, although down the brightly coloured streets it was full of colours and cafes and felt safe.

We stayed here for a drink before catching a taxi back to the San Telmo market, walking back from there to the hotel. I then relaxed before heading out in the evening to the english pub called the Gibraltar bar for dinner where I had the fish and chips. From there I found I headed into the centro district and after looking round the shopping centre went to a nice cafe down one of the streets and had a couple of beers outside before going to bed.

Monday I actually made it to breakfast which was really good, lots of sugar treats, fruit, and breads. I then headed out the opposite direction, passing the Congress building en route to the Recoleta district often described as the Mayfair of the Buenos Aires with its high end establishments. Here was also home to the Recoleta Cemetery which has many high profile Argentinians placed in these massive tombs. The site was a maze of pathways and it was almost big enough to get lost! I then headed out through the Malba district with its gardens and sculptures, eventually getting back to the Palermo district this time in daylight! I had lunch here at plaza Italia.

After lunch I caught the underground out to the Nunez district which was nightmare as I couldn't work out how to buy a ticket, and no one understood me to help me. In the end I just had to jump the barriers and leg it onto the train. When arriving in the Nunez district I headed out to see River Plates football stadium which was pretty impressive. Boca Juniors ground the day before was set in the street whereas River Plates was more of a modern stadium. From here I caught the public overground train which was very basic and graffiti covered back to the central train station. En route back to the hotel I stopped at plaza San Martin, walking back via the centro district to the hotel.

Once at the hotel I had a few beers and come evening I had some empanadas for dinner before heading out to Buenos Aires biggest Monday night, La Bomba de Tiempo. This is a famous drumming show and it was heaving with people, taking place in some old warehouse with a big stage. After the show we followed the drums out the venue and round the streets to a nightclub venue where we partied into the night.

Tuesday was our final full day in Buenos Aires, although I took a far more relaxing approach to the day if going to the police station all morning counts. Someone basically lost their phone the night before so I kindly went with them to get a police report which helps with insurance claims. After a long time in the station we went out for lunch where I had pizza. I then had a nap in the afternoon before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant where I had lasagne. I passed a big protest en route though which was interesting! I then had an early night.

Bush Camps and Puerto Madryn

Monday was an early start to start our drive up to Buenos Aires over the next few days. The drive itself was a long day driving through flat desolate grassland which little much to see other than the occasional guanaco or rhea en route. We stopped en route in Gabernador Gregores again for lunch which was hotdogs, as well as using the supermarket to buy supplies for the next few days. We didn't arrive to our campsite near Jaramillo until about 8 in the end, where dinner was cooked by me and my team as I had put myself forward as head chef. I then had an early night after a stunning sunset.

The desolate cold plains of Patagonia surrounding the tiny town of Jaramillo are a world away from how this area was in the Jurassic era. Around that time the landscape was covered with dense evergreen confierous forests. This changed at the start of the Cretaceous era when volcanic eruptions and the birth of the Andes coincided to reduce he amount of rain and cover much of the forestry with ash and lava, petrifying large amounts of the forest. This ecological legacy has been left behind in Jaramillo, with many examples of fossilised trees and cones lying strewn about the landscape. We were however refused entry to the site so it was completely pointless driving out our way to get there.

After leaving we drove back towards the Atlantic coast and stopped on the beach for lunch which was a salad with crackers. I even went for a paddle for the first time in the Atlantic on the trip. We then continued north along the coast, stopping en route in a large town for more cooking supplies, before making one last push towards our campsite for the night in the small town of Camerones. We didn't arrive until 8 again, although the town was very nice with a little beach with a small jetty, and another great sunset. Dinner in the evening was fajitas. We then sat down the beach and had a fire before going to bed.

Wednesday was a shorter drive day and included a visit to see a Magellanic penguin colony. Camarones is home to around 25,000 of the penguins that nest here on the windy, remote and rocky coast. Between September and April, the penguins come to these sites to incubate their eggs and prepare their offspring for migration - each couple stand in front of their nests protecting the eggs from birds and other predators, and occasionally one adult goes to the sea for food. It was a pretty amazing site as we were able to walk along this walkway and be right close the penguins, of which there were loads. We could even see some sea lions in the distance.

After the penguins we drove back to Camerones and continued driving north, stopping at a service station for lunch where we had a pasta salad. After leaving we also went via the small town of Gaiman for afternoon tea which is famous for its Welsh heritage, also home to an abundance of Welsh tea houses. It was a nice little town with plenty of Welsh names and dragons dotted round the place. It was then one final push to Puerto Madryn for 2 nights camping there, arriving in good time. Dinner in the evening was jacket potatoes with mince and various toppings. We then had another campfire which went on relatively late before going to bed.

Thursday was a free day to explore Puerto Madryn, a port town on the South Atlantic coast of Argentina. The original settlers here were Welsh, founding the port and colonising the Chubut River valley - these original settlers came here in 1865 as they felt like their Welsh customs and traditions were being eroded back at home and that they should emigrate to better preserve them. A distinct Patagonian dialect of the Welsh language has been spoken in the region for over four generations, but although it is now quite rare and you are unlikely to hear anyone speaking it, there are three bilingual Welsh-Spanishs schools in Patagonia, and it is thought that 5,000-10,000 people speak Welsh as a first language and a further 25,000 as a second language.

We had the option here to take a day trip to the Valdés Peninsula, a beautiful rocky outcrop known for its incredible wildlife including Magellanic Penguins, guanaco, sea lions, and even orcas of you're lucky. I decided against this however as it also included 400km of driving, and Puerto Madryn itself had a nice sandy beach with temperatures as high as 31 degrees so it seemed like the perfect place to relax after so much hiking and time sitting in the truck. I instead had a lie in and walked into town for lunch which was about a half hour walk. It was a nice day just relaxing on the beach which was busy. There was even a massive cruise ship docked which I think was European as it had a eu flag on the side.

After exploring the town I headed back to our campsite, stopping off en route at the site of the settlement where the Welsh first migrated. I also tried to visit this ecological site famous for its dinosaur fossils although it was shut. When arriving back at camp there was a thunderstorm although it didn't come to much. Dinner in the evening was this chicken and rice dish, although a lot of people didn't turn up as they stayed in town which meant there was a lot of food leftover. I then had an early night as we had a very early start in the morning.

Los Glaciares National Park

Thursday was another drive day with our last border crossing between Chile and Argentina. We had a relatively late start though as there wasn't too much distance to cover. The talk over breakfast however was about the state of the toilets as someone had obviously not made it to toilet in time and had left an incredibly large amount of liquid poo all over the toilet, floor, wall, and even the ceiling! We got to the border in little over an hour and even got through the border in about an hour which was very good compared to some previous efforts. The drive however after was on a gravel road so it was very bumpy, although it was compensated by amazing scenery. We stopped for a very windy lunch near one of our previous stops in El Calafate, having pasta, before continuing onto our final destination of El Chalten, arriving late afternoon in the pouring rain.

El Chaltén is small remote Patagonian town nestled under the shadow of the iconic Mt. Fitz Roy. The town itself has an interesting origin - the area was disputed between Argentina and Chile for a number of years, so the Argentinians thought they would settle the argument by hastily building the town of El Chaltén in 1985 to claim the territory! The name of Chaltén comes from the Tehuelche word for 'smoky mountain', so called as the early morning clouds gathering around Fitz Roy look remarkably like volcanic smoke. However, the town has grown immensely in recent years and decades, becoming a major centre for adventure tourism in Argentina. It is a fantastic base from which to explore the northern sections of the incredible Los Glaciares National Park. I had a pretty chilled out evening, attempting to get WiFi without success at dinner where I had a beef thing, before conceding and relaxing at the hostel with a couple of beers and games of pool before bed.

Come morning I had no real plans despite the abundance of hiking in the area, and just ended up having a lazy morning, even getting my first significant go at wifi for a very long time. For breakfast a few of us went out to this waffle place, although it was closed upon arrival so we went elsewhere for a drink before returning where I had a waffle with ham, cheese, tomato, and basil which was really good. It was afternoon by the time I ended up having breakfast though as everywhere opened so late, although I did pop down to national park visitor centre to pick up a map of the park.

Los Glaciares National Park is the largest protected area in Argentina, covering a huge area of Argentinian Patagonia along the southern tail of the Andes range. The National Park is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in all of South America. This is classic picture-book Patagonia, and wherever you turn you're surrounded by wide open skies, magnificent mountains, incredible glaciers, glistening lakes and thick verdant forest. By far the best way to explore is to get out on foot. As well as the phenomenal needle-like Cerro Torre, the iconic mountain of Fitz Roy looms over El Chaltén, an impossibly-picturesque and steep mountain (which is also the logo for the 'Patagonia' clothing brand!) which can be viewed from many angles on treks in the area.

Not feeling like a serious hike, I went out for a short hike up to a couple of viewpoints to firstly see a view of Lake Viedma, which also had a brilliant view of Fitzroy, as well as going to a viewpoint with a view of the town as well as a another view of Fitzroy. We sat up here for a while although it was very windy after a while. After heading back down and through the town back to the hostel, I went for another short hike alone to see a waterfall which was about a 45 minute walk away. It was a nice little walk along the river and the waterfall was pretty impressive yet busy. When returning I relaxed, and for dinner just bought some empanadas and spent the evening in the hostel before having an early night.

Saturday was the day with the best weather forecast so I decided that was the day to hike up to Lago de los tres which sits at the base of Mount Fitzroy. After getting a few bits from the bakery, I set off with a few others to do the hike. We couldn't go as a big group however as it is a legal requirement to have a guide if you're in a tour group in Argentina, and seeing as the majority of my group wanted to do the hikes we had to leave at scattered times. The hike itself started at the end of the road of my hostel, and immediately started going up through woodland until we were presented with views of the creel below.

A bit further down the route we reached a viewpoint where we could see Fitzroy although it was a little cloudy. The route from there was pretty flat crossing small creeks and going through sections of open land, and occasionally woodland until we reached the final section was effectively had 400m height gain over 1km. The path was very steep but at the top we reached the lake and got a great view of Fitzroy and the surrounding mountains. There were at few different viewpoints although it was very exposed and windy up there. We had lunch up here too, sheltering behind a rock to get out the wind!

After lunch we headed back down the same way, with the path being very wet and slippery going down until levelling out again. The views and scenery was just as good going back, and we got back to the hostel by like half 5 in the end.  Come evening it was a big occasion in the Argentinian football calendar with it being Boca Juniors v River Plate, the superclasico, so after a few beers and dinner I went to a local bar to watch the game. It was full of River Plate fans, and the place erupted when they scored, it was a really good atmosphere and River Plate won 2 0. We then continued drinking before going to the mistico disco which was actually really good. It was a late night in the end.

I had a nice lie in on Sunday after the previous nights antics, although I still went for hike, this time to Laguna Torre. I didn't until like 11 though, going to bakery en route for food. The hike started near the hostel and went up into this valley with views of the Cerro Torre, the needle like mountain. It was pretty cloudy though and very moist in the air. When arriving at the lake, I followed it round to get a view of this glacier which was impressive, with a few icebergs even floating in the lake as I walked round. The skies were very overcast though. I spent a while getting different views before heading back the same route to El Chaltén. When arriving back I just relaxed before getting some empanadas and even some decent fruit for dinner. I then had an early night ready for the start of a 3000km drive to BA starting from tomorrow!

Torres del Paine National Park

We left Ushuaia at 6 ready for a long day which included a border crossing and ferry crossing which obviously didn't go very well last time. I didn't get any sleep however the night before and entered the truck slightly pissed which wasn't my finest moment but the advantage was I passed out and the morning went quickly. We crossed the border easily, and before heading to the ferry crossing went to Bahia Inituil which we were meant to wild camp at previously to see the penguins. This area is home to the only colony of King penguins outside Antarctica. It was a pretty impressive site even if my head was hurting a little bit. We also had lunch here which was a vegetable bake with a homemade salsa and an aubergine risotto on the side.

After the penguins we drove to the ferry crossing which was surprisingly straight forward as we were the last vehicle on when arriving, then the ferry left straight away, and then we were the first vehicle off! As we did so well and were expecting to arrive here late, we continued driving, stopping just outside Punta Arenas where we finally had our first proper bush camp, by that I mean somewhere without facilities and simply in the middle of nowhere. We camped by a lake although it was very windy which made pitching tents a challenge. Dinner in the evening was a vegetable stir fry and after dinner I had a very early night.

Due to our excellent progress the previous day we didn't leave until 9, as we were only a couple of hours drive off Puerto Natales where we had to pick up our guides for our visit to Torres del Paine National Park. We arrived in Puerto Natales at about lunchtime where we were given free time to explore until 3. I went for lunch at a local restaurant where I had the club sandwich, and took advantage of the last wifi opportunity in quite a while. After picking up our guides we continued into the national park, stopping at a couple of viewpoints en route to see some of the mountains and lakes. We arrived in our base camp by about 5, which was very crowded with tents!

The Torres del Paine National Park contains what is undoubtedly some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. Rising up high above the Patagonian steppe are the three impressive granite towers that give the park its name, surrounded by high plateaus and towering mountain peaks, the most famous of which are Los Cuernos and Paine Grande. The park is a magical natural wonderland full of deep lakes, sparkling glaciers and cascading waterfalls, and it is also an important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including guanacos, pumas, flamingos and condors. After pitching our tents, mine being in the middle of the path as it was sheltered, we relaxed before dinner. Dinner was tomato soup, followed this vegetable mash thing with salad. All meals here are cooked by local guides. I then had an early night.

Sunday was the first of 4 free days in the national park. There were two options of things to do here, the w walk package and the basic package, which was decided when booking the trip due to permits. I'm on the basic package. The first day however was everyone together before the 6 people doing the w walk leave us on the second to fourth day. The first day of the w walk effectively goes up to a lookout of the famous three granite mountains, before returning the same way to base camp. Breakfast in the morning was eggs and even a very small amount of bacon! We then set off at 8 to hike up to the viewpoint.

 The walk itself was effectively an uphill walk with 800m height gain, with an estimated time of 4.5 hours each way, a 22km round trip. It started relatively flat with brilliant views of the snowcapped mountains, before ascending up a rocky track surrounded by grassland. On the way up we got views of the lakes and rolling hills behind us, and later got the completely contrasting view of the granite snowcapped mountains in front. We eventually decended to this creek, before heading uphill through woodland and over various bridges along a very rocky path. The path then opened out and the final section was very steep and rocky, finishing with an amazing view point of the three granite peaks, despite it being cloudy.

I was first up by quite a way and stayed for a while before heading down as it was quite cold up top. We passed all my group at various points going down and rocketed down the hill the same way which was actually quite steep. We arrived back at base camp at half 12 which was a lot earlier than expected. To put in perspective the next person didn't arrive back until 2, and then the majority of people arrived back between 4 and 5 which meant I really had paced it out a bit. I did however have a nap in the sun in the afternoon and went for an additional hike to the lake. Come evening dinner was soup, followed by stewed steak and rice. We were also briefed of options for the upcoming days which are pretty flexible. I then had another early night.

The next day was a more relaxed day in terms of hiking, and we said bye to the w walkers after a late breakfast. After breakfast we had a free day, although we had the option to do a short hike about half hour drive away in the truck known for an abundance of wildlife. The walk was about 6km in total with the truck dropping us off and picking us up at another location. The walk itself was pretty straight forward but very windy, walking through farmland over rolling grassland hills. We saw lots of Guanaco and even condors, and I even saw an armadillo. There was also a nice viewpoint to see the snowcapped mountains in the distance. The walk itself was about 2 hours in the end which was a nice amount of time.

After the walk I had my packed lunch on the truck on the way back to the campsite, before having the rest of the afternoon to relax before dinner. Dinner in the evening was pasta with a bolognese sauce, preceded by soup once again. I was hungry and ended up having 3 bowls full. The evening was then relatively relaxing and I stayed up for a bit playing cards, before going to bed in a tent all to myself as my tent buddy had left me to do the w walk.

The following day the general plan was to do a walk to the Las Cuenas refugio to see the lake with a 10am departure. I however had a more ambitious plan to do the same hike but continue to the Italiano campground and then up through the French valley to the Britainico viewpoint. That was effectively an undulating 46km hike with 800m height gain in the valley and an estimated time of 19 hours, but I was confident I could do it quicker. What I did have however was someone else was willing to go with me who got back to base camp with me at half 12 on the first day so I wasn't alone. I did have to sign off the trip however as dragoman insurance wouldn't cover us doing something so stupid.

We were therefore given breakfast the previous night, as well as all the leftover dinner from the previous night for lunch, as well as snacks, setting off at 6am. The initial part of the hike was pretty fresh and we made good progress with some amazing views of the lake and surrounding hills. We got to Los Cuernos in good time, but then the path got interesting as it was effectively a stream, but it soon became better and we caught up with the w walkers within 3.5 hours who was in effect a day ahead of us. They thought we were mad.

After tanking on in front we got into the Italiano campground, and began our accent up the French valley, with stunning views of the nearby glacier where I witnessed an avalanche. They're very common here due to the plate boundary. The hike itself up the valley was pretty steady crossing many creeks and going through woodland, occasionally presenting us with an amazing view. The final section was pretty steep but the viewpoint gave us breathtaking views of the valley we had climbed through, and the surrounding mountains. We also had lunch up here, yesterday's pasta.

Turning back in good time we headed back down the same way, passing the w walkers again, before reaching the campground in a similar time to our ascent. It was a little slippery going down. We then followed the same path back along the lake, meeting another member of the truck who had also done a long walk minus the hill leaving later than us, to walk back to camp together. We got back just after 5 which was pretty good time. Dinner in the evening was chicken and rice preceded by soup, and after dinner I just once again played cards before bed.

Wednesday was our final day in the national park, and after breakfast we had the option to go out in the truck for the day to see various viewpoints and locations a bit further out in the national park, as well as tieing it in to pick up the w walkers at the ferry terminal in the afternoon. Setting off at 9 we stopped at a few viewpoints to see some of the lakes and views of the mountains, en route to do a short hike to go to a viewpoint to see the grey glacier. The hike was only about 4km and went through woods to a shingle beach which we walked along before climbing to the viewpoint where despite it being a little overcast we saw the glacier and some icebergs.

When returning to the truck we had lunch, before driving to a couple more viewpoints en route to see the largest waterfall in the park. It was about a 2km hike so easy to get to and despite not being big in terms of the height, the water discharge was just staggering. There were various points to see the waterfall. Our final stop was to pick up the w walkers, and we sat in the cafe while waiting. When everyone was back we drove back to the campsite on what turned out to be a full on yet relaxing day. Dinner in the evening was some sausage, chips, vegetable, and lentil thing all mixed together which was weird but nice.