TravelStream™ news feed for member ajbatty on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ajbatty en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:42:30 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227663180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227663180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227663180/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:42:30 -0500 Round the world trip

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Papatowai, South Island, New Zealand

We weren't due to check out of our hotel room until 11 and so we decided to have a rare lie-in and enjoy every last minute of the luxury. Besides, the weather had returned to being pretty awful and all we'd planned for the day was to drive south towards Dunedin and the Catlins Coast.
Sad to leave then, we packed up our stuff again and reloaded the van shortly after 11, setting off out of town on the SH6 south along the lakeshore and past our jumpsite of the previous day. It was strange to go from our massive apartment back to the confines of the van and sadly not the best day for campervanning - as strong gusts and gales knocked us back and forth and rain poured down.
We ate lunch (last night's leftovers!) by Lake Wakatipu, then continued on past Lumsden to Gore where we restocked on food. The countryside was fairly plain and unappealing (particularly in the gloomy weather) and the towns generally offered little more than farming supplies - we were clearly getting well off the usual tourist trail.
At Balclutha, we turned south into the Catlins, driving on for around 40km to Papatowai and finally stopping for the night at Florence Hill Lookout - a dramatic and windswept headland which looked down over a broad, sandy, deserted beach and the heavy surf below. the van was already cold and got colder quickly once we'd stopped as we were battered by powerful gusts off the sea and lashed with rain and hail-stones. We decided the best thing to do would be to take refuge in bed and so settled in straight after dinner and well before nightfall - managing to pass a fairly warm night with the help of several pairs of socks and our towels doubling-up as extra blankets!
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Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

We passed the night in the carpark undisturbed (despite the warning signs) and so were up for around 8:30 for the short walk along the lakeshore to the cruise-ship terminal. Breakfast was included in our package and so we filled our stomachs (and out bag!) with food before moving up to the top deck for a view of the scenery.
The weather was better than it had been the day before, but heavy cloud still remained as we motored out and along the southern edge of the sound towards the Tasman Sea. Milford Sound is basically a huge, deep, flooded valley with sides made up of near-vertical cliff-faces to which trees cling and down which tumble huge waterfalls. With so much rain the day before, the falls were pretty spectacular and (apparently) far greater in number than after a few days' dry weather. The way the cliffs extend deep below the surface too was illustrated at one fall when the boat (a large cruise catermeran) approached to within a few feet - close enough to drench those stood at the front of the boat.
As we passed down the Sound, the weather began to improve and we managed to see some patches of blue sky between the clouds which still hung around the mountains; draped around their sides in ribbons like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Despite this, the wind as we neared the open sea was enough to create waves which tossed the ship around violently as we turned to return along the north wall and back into the shelter of the fjord. We passed Sutherland Falls and then a large rock covered with seals basking in the sun (all squabbling noisily over sitting space) before arriving at Milford Deep - an underwater observatory where we disembarked.
We were welcomed to the centre by the improbably figure of a tall, hirsute marine-biologist who was Brasilian but, for some reason, was called Igor and spoke like Borat. He showed us down a spiral staircase into an underwater chamber some 8-9 metres below the surface, from which we could look out and see various fish and corals. Apparently, the strange shape of the fjord and high rainfall create a layer of fresh-water several metres thick which sits on top of the sea-water, blocking out the light and therby replicating conditions 50m below the sea in much shallower waters. Nevertheless, for those used to the artificial 'Sea-Life Centre'-style aquarium where sharks and turtles drift past on queue, the murky waters and obscure flora and fauna were slightly underwhelming for all but the keenest naturalist. That is, apart from the extremely irritating middle-aged woman in our group who fawned noisily over even the slightest mollusc; flirtatiously pestering Igor for names and information. Fortunately and pleasingly though, she was eventually shot down after exclaiming; "Oooh! And what's that?!..." only to be informed that she had uncovered that rarest of deep-sea creatures - a bubble!
After around an hour at the observatory, we were taken back to port by a second ship (passing the impressive Lady Bowen Falls on the way), then set off on the long drive back towards Queenstown. On the way we side-tracked up the Hollyford spur road for lunch and a shortish walk up to Humboldt Falls (apparently the highest near a road in Australasia), and pulled over by the road to look at Mirror Lakes and Te Anau Downs (amongst other viewpoints). All in all, a more stately pace saw us back near Queenstown and parked up in a lay-by near the skydive airstrip by around 6:30. We ate dinner and settled in for a warm, humid night and mental preparation for our second attempt at a skydive the next morning.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227574320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227574320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227574320/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:15:50 -0500 Round the world trip

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Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

Our skydive had been rebooked for 10:30 and so we were pleased to wake to clear-ish skies and sunshine. By the time we'd driven back into town and parked up though, the cloud was building again and so we were fairly doubtful whether the jump would go ahead.
This doubt remained throughout the morning as we bought some Canterbury clothes for Frankie in town then boarded the bus and headed out to the airstrip again. Indeed it increased during the hour or so we waited there as the changeable weather caused the jumps to go on hold, resume, then be suspended again. Such was our resignation, in fact, that nerves did not prove so much of a problem as during our last attempt. It was only when we were kitted out in jump-suits, harnesses, headgear and goggles and were sat between our instructors' legs as the small propeller plane bumped its way along the grassy runway that we began to worry. By this point though, it was impossible to tell if the concern was about our impending jump or rather the apparently delicate little plane and flimsy-looking perspex jump door which my feet were pressed up against.
Too late to turn back though (and determined to finally get the jump done after so much waiting around), we spiralled gradually upwards and were able (at least slightly) to enjoy the spectacular views of the mountains and lake below. Unfortunately, as we climbed, a large rain-cloud also came into view and we were informed by our instructors that we'd have to abort the 15,000ft jump we'd booked. We were presented with the choice of either jumping from around 9000ft or returning and trying again later. By now though, we were so close and had waited so long that we were determine to jump from whatever height and so agreed to go rather than remain in the plane (as the other couple who were with use decided).
Once this was settled, we were clipped fully to our instructors for the first time and only now did it really feel like we were actually going to jump - it was not that the nerves kicked in! Fortunately, as we sat waiting for the red and green lights to illuminate and signal us to go, the pilot managed to gain more height in a gap in the cloud. So it was that we were actually at around 11,000ft when the perspex door slid open, we were shunted towards it and left to hang perilously over the edge (studiously adopting the shape of a banana, as instructed!) then finally pushed out and free of the plane.
The first few seconds of freefall were terrifying and stunning at the same time - an instant realisation (as you tumbled carelessly through the air) that you'd just jumped out of a plane and were now hurtling downwards at about 150mph. Almost immediately though (probably coinciding with the instructor releasing a drogue to stabilise the fall and stop the tumbling), these feelings were replaced by elation and amazement at the achievement, the sensation (more akin to flying than anything) and the view. Another, more unfortunate, sensation was of being pebbledashed as we had the unique experience of passing rain on the way down - something which felt like a more extreme version of skiing under an active snow-making machine. We were through this in seconds though, and free to enjoy the view once more until - all too soon and suddenly - the parachute was released and we came to an abrupt and silent halt.
40 seconds or so of deafening and exhilerating freefall were then followed by around 5 minutes of peaceful and calm drifting; punctuated only by a few stomach-churning spins and some brief instructions on how to land (a topic not addressed until this point!) In fact, we had loads of time to take in the scenery (and even to wave at each other) and I was surprised to find that, even now that we were dangling hundreds of feet over fields and dropping perceptibly towards them, my usual fear of heights did not return when I looked straight down. Before long though, we were swooping over and towards the drop-zone and both managed a gentle and (although I say it myself) graceful landing on our feet )in contrast to some of our predecessors who'd come to rest after an ignominious slide across the field on their bottoms). I landed first and so was able to watch Frankie come in and jog over straight afterwards to congratulate her on a memorable choice of birthday present!
After removing our gear and heading back to town (after an hour or so's wait) our decision to jump was proved wise; as the weather closed in completely and made ours the last jump of the day. Having not quite reached 12,000ft, we were also refunded to the value of a 9,000ft jump - giving us a pleasant and unaccustomed sense of being flushed with cash for the rest of the afternoon.
We spent our time shopping and looking for a hotel (Frankie had decided to treat us as part of my birthday present) and so we toured and patronised an impressive sweet-shop and booked ourselves (after much touring and inspection of rooms) into a palatial 'one bedroom apartment' in Peppers Hotel on the lakefront. The room was amazing - huge, with a king-size bed, a living room with a fire, satellite TV and sofas, a showroom-perfect kitchen and even a washer and drier. The most impressive feature, though, were the massive windows which filled two whole sides of the living space and looked out onto a balcony and the lake beyond.
We showered, changed, put on our washing and then set out into town. By this time, the rain which had been falling steadily all afternoon had stopped and so we could see a little more of the pretty lake as we made our way to The Cow for our first meal out in New Zealand.
Dinner was huge and excellent - a massive pizza accompanied by a garlic bread bigger than a family-sized loaf - freshly baked only moments before. We stuffed ourselves completely, then left to find somewhere for another drink with our bagged-up left-overs in hand. Settling for a quiet bar in the Wharf, we had a cocktail in front of the first before heading back to the hotel; by this time hardly able to believe that our day had begun in such dramatic fashion!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227352860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227352860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227352860/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:36:59 -0500 Round the world trip

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Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand

Waking before my alarm, I found myself much more nervous about the prospect of the skydive than I'd ever been about an exam - my body trying to convince me of the stupidity of throwing it out of a plane by making my heart race and my mouth dry.
Nevertheless, trying to put thoughts of impending doom out of our minds, we rose and checked out of the campsite to park up nearby and walk into town. Unfortunately, after stepping into the skydive office all ready to go, we were told that the trip had been put back due to the weather, which was dry and cloudy but apparently too changeable to be safe.
Told to check back in an hour then, we left deflated and were forced to wander the town and explore. Queenstown was by far the biggest town we'd seen since Nelson or even Wellington but even so it wasn't easy to drag out our stroll to fill an hour, especially since many shops weren't yet open so early on a Saturday morning. The weather didn't show much sign of change either and so, upon returning to the skydive office, we were slightly taken aback to be told that the trip was set to go.
Already mentally prepared for a Starbucks rather than freefall then, we hurriedly filled in forms, listened to a briefing and watched a video then piled into the back of a mini-van to be driven to the airstrip about twenty minutes out of town.
Sadly, by the time we arrived, the trip had already pretty much been cancelled due to strong wind and so we returned after only a few minutes there; the only notable part of the whole experience being an encounter with an English girl who was sat next to us on the bus. During small-talk about travelling experiences, she explained she'd spend last Christmas away and, when asked where, revealed that she'd been in the middle of rowing across the Atlantic! It turned out she also planned to tackle the Indian Ocean and thereby become part of the first female crew to do so. Most amazing to me though, was that, with such exploits under her belt, one expected to see a tall, strongly-built girl in excellent shape. Instead, we were presented with a fairly short, dumpy girl who looked more like she'd sink a rowing boat than cross an ocean in one! Whether she'd gone on a Rikki Hatton-style Guinness-and-pie binge since the crossing or not though, if anything her appearance made her exploits even more impressive.
Back in Queenstown, we ate lunch in town and, once we'd checked back to find the trips cancelled for the whole day, decided to move on and see Milford Sound instead of hanging around. We therefore rebooked the skydive for Monday morning, booked ourselves onto a cruise the next morning and set off for Milford.
The drive was supposed to take around 5 hours but, somehow, we managed it in a surprisingly rapid 3 1/2, despite taking the last 30 or so kilometres very slowly due to our being caught in one of Fjordland's trademark rainstorms.With heavy rain and low cloud most of the way, we couldn't see much except the amazing spectacle (at the cliff-face next to the Homer Tunnel) of a massive wall of rock stretching up into the clouds and absolutely covered in cascading water.
On the far side of the tunnel the rain was lighter and allowed us a glimpse of the Sound itself - peaks partially shrouded in strange clouds which draped around and over the rock monolith of Mitre Peak. By the time we reached Milford itself it was around 6:30 and so, ignorning the 'No Camping' signs, we parked up in the main DOC carpark and ate dinner. As we did so, we attracted the attention on several Keas - strange, large, alpine parrots which hopped around and even onto the van; the scratching and wobbling feeling like a scene from Jurassic Park. Once we'd finished though, they lost interest and scuttled off, leaving only swarms of midges - most of which mercifully remained outside the van.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227266040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227266040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227266040/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:21:04 -0500 Round the world trip

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Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

We'd set aside Friday as a travelling day - eeding to cover some distance across the Southern Alps to reach Queenstown, where we planned to splash out on a campsite for the night in preparation for the skydive we'd booked for ourselves the next day.
Nevertheless, we intended to do a few things to break up the drive - the first being a beach walk to hopefully see some penguins. Unfortunately we managed to drive straight past this and so moved onto numbers 2 and 3 - Thunder Creek Falls and Fantail Falls - which were just a couple of minutes walk from the roadside.
The daunting-sounding Haast Pass over the Alps actually turned out to be a fairly gentle drive and we were surprised how quickly and easily we were able to reach the noticably drier grasslands of Otago on the far side of the mountains. Passing between two large lakes, we soon arrived in Wanaka, where we stopped for lunch by the lake.
After rejecting a brewery tour we'd planned for being a bit pricey, we opted for a free climb up Mount Iron which stood behing the town. The weather was strange - windy and mainly cloudy but still warm - and so the steep climb was hard work but certainly worth it for the views; the hill was right in the middle of a large flat plain but overlooked the mountains all around and the two lakes we'd passed.
Once down again (the whole thing took only about an hour and a half), we set off on the ninety minute final leg to Queenstown. We arrived around half five and, after consulting the i-Site, drove up the hill to a campsite. The place proved by far the priciest we'd so far experienced (and annoyingly they also charged for laundry and even showers!) but it was nice to be clean, freshen our clothes and plug in to some power for the van. We'd planned to go out in Queenstown the following night and so settled in for an early rise - full of trepidation for our skydive at 9:30 the next morning.
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Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand

Wednesday morning was fairly overcast but we woke refreshed from a lie-in, dressed and were ready to go only to realise it was only five-past nine. We'd intended to delay our alarm but forgotten - thereby perhaps experiencing the placebo effect!
Our first stop on the drive south was Okarito - a tiny and pretty hamlet set on the edge of a logoon at the end of a 15km side-road. We'd read that the lagoon was very picturesque and often reflected the nearby mountains but sadly, with the tide out and cloud hiding the views, there wasn't much tos ee. Nevertheless, having allowed ourselves a couple of days in which to see the nearby glaciers, we felt we could enjoy a more relaxed pace than usual and so stopped for a break and drink before moving on to Franz Josef.
The small town sits close to the foot of the glacier of the same name which, together with its neighbour the Fox glacier, are among the fastest moving and lowest in the world. We stopped briefly to see an old chusch which had nearly toppled into the river after a flood (encountering a publication surely worthy of an appearance on Have I Got News For You - 'Anglican Action' magazine), then continued to a carpark nearer the glacier. We parked up, walked a few minutes to a spot which was as near the face as the Department of Conservation (DOC) would allow, returned for lunch then undertook two other short walks to a viewpoint at Sentinel Roack (an erratic, for all geology fans) and a kettle lake (melted ice) called Peter's Pool. Throughout though, the weather remained stubbornly overcast and seemed to be deteriorating by the time we'd finished our walks so we decided against seeing Fox glacier on the same day. Instead, we set off for the 30 minute drive south to Fox at about 4 and, once there, spent some time exploiting our Fijian knowledge to gain free internet access in a local cafe. Afterwards, we crossed the road to sample the local beer (Monteith's - not bad, not great) and get a coffee before turning west along a side road for Gillespie Beach in search of a place to stop for the night. We intended to visit Lake Matheson first thing the following morning and so ended up in a small lay-by on the quiet dirt road to the coast only five or so minutes away. As we arrived, the cloud began to lift - giving some fine glimplses of the peaks around Mount Cook as the sun disappeared.

We were up early the next day, aiming to beat the crowds and get the best of the weather to see Lake Matheson. Despite arriving at 8:15 though, we found the carpark already full and had to wrestle our way to the first viewpoint past a coach-load of Chinese tourists.
The views were incredible though - a cold, clear morning showing off the snowy peak of Mount Cook mirrored perfectly in the still, glassy waters of the lake; beating even some of the postcards we'd seen with the famous view. Although we later discovered we'd accidentally (and infuriatingly) reduced the quality on our photos, we decided the views were so perfect that we'd not feel we'd cheated even if we ended up buying a professional print later to hang on the wall.
The path around the lake allowed us some tranquillity after we'd outpaced the coach party and so we were able to stop and enjoy the place quietly for a while before returning to Fox and driving to the glacier face. It had certainly paid to get up early as, even now (9:30ish) the clouds were building as we walked the ten minutes to a viewpoint. The DOC had forbidden closer access to the glacier face and roped off the path, but a large number of old/fat people beyond encouraged us to approach a little closer and therby get more of a sense of the glacier's scale.
After this, we ate lunch then did another walk; taking around 45 minutes to climb up the far side ot the valley, passing over an old swingbridge and eventually reaching Chalet Lookout, which gave a good view of the glacier from a higher vantage point. Once back at the van, we returned to milk some more free internet before refuelling and setting off south in search of a base for the night.
Bruce's Bay and Lake Paringa proving unattractive and inaccessible respectively, we eventually ended up in a lay-by overlooking Lake Moeraki. After several hops up and down the shore in search of a suitable site to rig up our solar shower, I eventually managed a cool and fairly refreshing rinse on the steep lake-bank - avoiding (I hope) being seen by anything other than the ducks!
We moved along to a more scenic lay-by nearby with mountain and lake views, cooked and then passed a surprisingly peaceful night, despite being only yards from the main highway (indeed we didn't hear a car all night).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227057420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227057420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1227057420/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:36:57 -0500 Round the world trip

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Hokitika, South Island, New Zealand

Compelling ourselves to dismantle the bed and set out exploring despite another drizzly morning, we drove first to Punakaiki - little more than a carpark and visitor centre on the main SH6 south. The drive along the coast was wet, beleak and wild, but showed off some dramatic coastline and pounding surf.
Punakaiki is notable only for Pancake Rocks - a cluster of strange outcrops accessible from the main road by a short path through the bush. The rocks take their name from their layered structure but more impressive was the way they are undermined and attacked by the sea; occasional larger waves resulting in enough pressure to force jets of water upwards like giant foundtains to above the level of the cliff-tops (themselves a good 30 feet above the sea). Although we only saw relatively small spurts having arrived near low tide, the show was still worth a look.
Less successful was our venture along the nearby Punakaiki Cavern Track which we undertook, torch in hand, in search of the glowworms which apparently live there. All we managed though, was to stumble around for a while in the damp and dark, stooped to avoid the rocky roof and unable to tell which way to go.
The weather had brightened suddenly and conveniently for our viewing of Pancake Rocks and continued to brighten along the coastline as we passed through Barrytown (worth a picture of the sign I thought!) and on to Greymouth, where we refuelled and restocked before continuing towards Arthur's Pass. Having had lunch in an unappealing lay-by, we turned inland up SH73 and drove a good distance on relatively gentle inclines and quiet roads before reaching the very steep top section of the pass; our little van struggling valiantly up to a height of 912m, often in second gear. Once again, we were fortunatel with the weather - low cloud seeming to disperse as we neared the top and village to reveal glimpses of the dramatic alpine peaks above.
We called briefly in the visitor centre for (what turned out to be) some fairly useless advice on local walks, then reparked and set off up the side of the valley on a track to Bridal Veil Falls. The track rose fairly gently to a viewpoint looking up at the falls and then appeared to continue towards them. Aiming and expecting to reach the base, we continued, only to discover that the path led along the hillside and away from the falls; eventually depositing us higher up the main road.
Irritated then, we retraced our steps to climb the many thigh-burning flights of wooden stairs towards the Devil's Punchbowl (another, more dramatic waterfall). This path annoyed us further by climbing sharply and apparently pointlessly, only to drop and climb again, but eventually led us to a viewing platform near the base of the huge and very impressive falls.
With lots of recent rain and strong gusts of wind, the falls were particularly dramatic and frequently covered us in a fine mist of freezing water. Before leaving, we clambered under the platform for an even better view of the main fall and the smaller drops beneath it.
Once back at the van, we set off back towards the west coast again, this time the challenge being to hold the van back as it sought to career off down the mountain. Back at SH6, we turned south and began to look for somewhere to camp along the coast, but didn't have much luck until Ross - a small, sleepy, ex-gold mining town - where a side track led down to the beach.
By this point it was gone seven thirty and we were ready for a good meal after some strenuous walking. Unfortunately our plans were put on hold when, attempting to manouevre the van into a suitably scenic position side-on to beach views, we found ourselves with our wheels spinning and the van sinking gradually into the sand! We struggled in vain for a good half hour - a combination of digging, wedging driftwood, revving and pushing failing to dislodge our mired near-left wheel. Just as we were considering hiking back into town in search of a tow though, a saviour appeared in the shape of Leo - a wiry Australian and his half-German, half-English wife who pulled up in another campervan. With only minimal diggin and Frankie, Leo and wife pushing, we were free in under a minute - much to our relief!
To celebrate, we were kindly invited to share a beer and so enjoyed a friendly (if chilly) chat on the beautiful beach; learning that he was ex-Australian navy and now a wind turbine engineer, she was a newly qualified marine biologist and that both were keen hang-gliders and scuba-divers. Despite not being able to boast such impressive adventure credentials, both seemed very impressed with our round-the-world plan and even went so far as to describe us as inspiring (as well as complimenting our teamwork). Apart from the free beer, roadside assistance and pleasant chat then, the encounter was valuable in reminding us to savour our experiences - something that can be easy to forget as the regularity of travel and exploration lapses almost into routine. Feeling refreshed then (and chuffed with realising how well our 'teamwork' was going to date), we finally managed to cook dinner and settle in for a chilly but cosy night by the sea.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1226970120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1226970120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ajbatty/1/1226970120/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:16:03 -0500 Round the world trip

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Westport, South Island, New Zealand

Sadly, our flycatching efforts did not succeed in wiping our their entire contingent and so we were woken first on my birthday morning by the whine of a survivor. Looking outside, the weather didn't look too promising either - a wild, windy, drizzly morning seemingly presented as a reminder of November back home.
Nevertheless, we dressed and set out, driving the short distance to the carpark for Wharariki Beach. Donning waterproods, we battled through blustery conditions up the hill and through rolling green sheep country until we reached the dunes and beach about fifteen minutes away. Here, the landscape opened out to reveal a vast beach dotted with strange rocky islands, pounding waves breaking ashore and sand driven across the ground by the stron wind. The whole place had a sense of amazing isolation and we were the only humans present.
We weren't alone though, as one of the rocky outcrops ahead was topped by several small silhouettes - shapes which turned out to be seals resting on the grassy tops. We walked as close as the swell would let us, then turned along the shore at which point, miraculously, the clouds parted and left blue sky and warm sun. With clear skies and heavy seas, we were able to enjoy the amazing rock arches and pillars at their best.
Continuing up the beach, we turned up slightly to explore a small cave, only to find it inhabited by a large, slumbering shape. As we carried on along, another vace revealed another seal - also sheltering from the wind and waves. We were able to approach both to within a few yards, but kept our distance in case they suddenly woke up!
We'd been headed for the end of the beach to find a return path but this seemed non-existent despite much searching. We gave up just in time and made it back around the roacky islands on the beach just as the tide was rising to block our path; escaping with only a wet pair of boots for Frankie, who decided in a panic to run, Baywatch-style, through a deep pool instead of keeping to the sand!
Once back at the van, we drove back to the campsite to sneak a final shower (we were supposedly checked out by now but were covered in sand) then headed back south to Takaka, over the mountain pass to Richmond, then on past Murchison to Westport. This drive took all afternoon and passed through some fairly unpleasant weather, but also involved passing down the impressive Buller Gorge and, at one point, under a precarious overhang that had been cut out by the flooding river.
From Westport, we joined the main SH6 West coast road south and then stopped for the night at a free campsite by the bay at Charleston. We ate a rather unsuccessful meal (never try 'lamb flap' - the name should have told us all we needed to know!) but then enjoed a bottle of wine and a cosy night under an extra blanket watching a film (Butterfly Effect 2 - entertaining but pretty average).
As birthdays go, this was about as memorable as they come if only for the morning at the beach; rain stopping, clouds parting and the place and (so it felt) the world to ourselves.
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Takaka, South Island, New Zealand

Getting up early for our walk, we were pleased to see the drizzle which was forecast had not materialised. In fact, we had broken cloud and sunshine as we drove back down to Marahau, parked up, applied insect repellent to deter the sandflies (I managed to squirt most in my eye) and set off across boardwalks on the coastal trail.
The track was gentle compared to our recent hike at Tongariro and was very quiet. Indeed, in stark contrast to Tongariro, we had the place pretty much to ourselves and so were able to see several native birds alond the way without them being scared off by other walkers. The path wound around the coastline; sometimes dipping almost to sea-level and then rising again to give some good views over the sheltered bays and sandy beaches.
We walked for two hours until we reached Stillwell Bay - exactly halfway along the path to the hut which marked the ned of Day 1 of the main trail (which people generally take five days to walk in full). The bay was tiny and, with the tide rising, was getting smaller by the minute but we stopped for a while and had a paddle in the clear sea, sat on the golden beach and wished we'd brought our towels for a swim. The bay even had a small waterfall for Frankie, but before long we were left with nowhere to stand and so turned back to retract our steps to the van.
We were bakc at Marahau for around 1 and ate lunch there by the beach before turning back inland to SH60. By now the weather was beginning to close in and, as we wound our way up the painfully steep and seemingly-neverending hill towards Takaka, the cloud drew in and covered most of the tops.
The road down was almost as tricky; much like the one from the opening sequence of the Italian Job - switching back and forth across the mountainside between steep hairpin bends. Nevertheless, clutch still mercifully intact, we finally reached the bottom and the relief of some straight roads across the coastal plain to Takaka town.
There we were advised how to reach several local attraction and so drove first through Pohara to call at the Abel Tasman Monument marking the spot where Eurpoeans first landed in New Zealand at Golden Bay. Next, we drove on to Wanui and walked the thirty or so minutes from the carpark up the valley to the impressive Wanui Falls. The swingbridge on the way was particularly memorable - basically a wobbly, bouncy tightrope across a gorge with rocks and river 50 fett below.
When we set off, low cloud had turned to heavy drizzle but, by the time we returned, the sky was brightening for our drive north. We'd planned to camp up near Farewell Spit and made good time along the narrow road to Puponga which felt very much like heading to the edge of civilisation (the only road out of the Golden Bay area was the tricky mountain pass we'd crossed, and we were now two hours from the bottom of it!). By the time we arrived, the sun had reemerged but this was only a brief appearance before it set - leaving cold air and a chill wind which made us appreciate our first hot shower since Tongariro and a power socket to plug in our heater. We spent the night chasing sandflies around the van (Frankie 'the Frog' bagging 13 dead!) and then settled in, hoping we'd managed to kill them all off.
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Motueka, South Island, New Zealand

Woken intermittently by rumbling lorries, we finally got up just before 7 to be ready to check-in for the ferry around half-past.
The morning was our first so far which was completely overcast and so, as the boat pulled out of Wellington, the hills behing the town were shrouded in low cloud and drizzle. As a result, we based ourselves inside until almost at the South Island, when the ship manouvered up the fairly narrow Tory Channel and towards Picton. Miraculously, the weather here (only a few mile away) was clear and sunny and so we were treated to some excellent (if windy) views of Queen Charlotte Sound as we approached the port.
Once ashore, we avoided the main road towards Blenheim and turned up along the coast on Queen Charlotte Drive - a spectacular but torturous back-road which wound its way west to Havelock, giving great views of the incredibly blue water and green peninsulars. Having stopped at a particularly scenic lookout for lunch, we continued to the main road and then on to Nelson.
Nelson was a surprisingly big but unremarkable town set on a vast, flat estuary. However it was surrounded almost conpletely by vineyards and olive trees which, as we left and turned northwest towards Motueka and up into rolling hills, gave it a very Mediterranean feel. We'd decided to try wine-tasting at a local vineyard and, after an initial failure at the imaginatively named 'Grape Escape,' happened across a small, family vineyard (Rimu Grove) run by a friendly Californian who had come as a backpacker and ended up moving in. The wine was good but a little beyond our means, so we moved on, grateful not to have been put under any pressure to fork out (our host probably understood from experience our limited capacity for financial extravagance!)
After this, we stopped only to refill with water before reaching the area where we planned to camp for the night - the villages of Kaiteriteri and Marahau on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park. The former was a nice beach town where we'd thought we might rent a sea-kayak before realising how expensive they were and that neither of us were good enough at kayaking to make a 20km paddle at sea an enyoable prospect. Moving on, the road wound tightly along the coast providing few promising camping spots. We turned up a side road hoping for more luck only to happen across signs for Split Apple Rock. We'd heard this was worth seeing and so we followed them, parked up and walked the five minute trail down to the beach.
This was well worth it and revealed a massive round boulder split almost exactly in half and deposited - as perfectly as if placed there deliberately - on a plinth of rocks just off the beach. It was nearly 6 now and we had the beach to ourselves so we walked along for a bit before turning back up to the van.
A drive into Marahau revealed even les sites for camping (it was banned completely there), so we returned to the road to the rock and parked up on an empty lot which seemed to be something to do with recycling collections, but which we had to oursleves for the night. We cookoed dinner and settled in, hoping that the perfect starry sky would hold for some fine weather for our walk in the national park the next day.
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