TravelStream™ news feed for member becky_stalley on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/becky_stalley en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 30 Sep 2008 06:30:12 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222770060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222770060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222770060/tpod.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 06:30:12 -0400 Becky and Mike's round the world trip - first stop Brazil! The adventure begins...

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Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

We got up early and set off at about 09:00 to go to the Te Papa museum. However, it wasn't to open until 10:00 so we went to Starbucks for a coffee. When we got to the museum, we were spoilt for choice with all the exhibitions. There were a few exhibitions on each of the five floors and ideally needed a day or two to see everything. We saw an interesting exhibition on how New Zealand was formed and the forces that have created New Zealand. There were sections on earthquakes and volcanoes and how certain animals had become extinct. Another exhibition was about how New Zealand had been transformed from bush and forest to farmland by the burning of forests by European settlers. After the museum, we grabbed some lunch at a cafe and then started our long journey back. Eight and a half hours later, including a stop at KFC, we finally got home!
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Wellington, North Island, New Zealand

We visited the Chocolate factory this morning, where we got to taste a macademia white chocolate bark and ginger chocolate. We were able to see how they make chocolate through big, glass windows. We then visited St Clair winery and had one more tasting before we were to head to Picton to get our ferry back to Wellington. The wine was lovely and we bought two more bottles to add to our collection!
We then drove to Picton. There was a delay at the ferry terminal and we were told to come in half an hour, so we had a stroll around the small town centre.
When we arrived in Wellington at about 17:00, we drove to a backpackers and checked in. We then walked into the town centre and went to a Malaysian restaurant for dinner. It was pouring with rain, cold and windy, no wonder they call it Windy Wellington!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222762200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222762200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222762200/tpod.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:19:15 -0400 Becky and Mike's round the world trip - first stop Brazil! The adventure begins...

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Renwick, South Island, New Zealand

After packing up the tent, we drove to the B&B in Renwick. The guy gave us the keys and we got the bikes out of the shed and set off on our wine tour. We stopped firstly at a winery called Mahi, then went to Forrest Estate. They had some nice tables outside and we were able to do our wine tasting, while having our lunch outside in the midday sun. Again, the weather was beautiful. Our next winery was Framingham. The woman who was doing our tasting told us that they had just shipped off some wine to Buckingham Palace. She met the Queen on a visit to England and she was really interested in her business on the vineyard. Also, one of Gordon Ramsey's pub sells Framingham Sauvignon Blanc. We then went to Nautilus, where we enjoyed a cheese platter, while sitting outside in the afternoon sun. Then we visited Wairu River, Huia and lastly, The Wine Cellar. Overall, we got a very good day's wine tasting and ended up buyig six bottles to take home with us. Besides the most common wines they make here, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, we also got to try a few Reislings, Pinot Gris' and Chardonnays. It's much more of a white wine producing region, with Pinot Noir pretty much being the only red. There is the odd merlot occassionally. At Huia, we got to try lovely sparkling white wine.
At about 16:30, we took the scenic cycle route back to the B&B, passing through vast areas of vineyard, with the pretty mountains and countryside in the background.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222760940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222760940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222760940/tpod.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:10:21 -0400 Becky and Mike's round the world trip - first stop Brazil! The adventure begins...

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Blenheim, South Island, New Zealand

We headed straight to the tourist information to find out what options were on offer for us today. After consulting and boat and a plane trip to look at whales, we settled for the plane trip. We headed to the airport and after a brief intro and safety talk, Mike and I boarded the four seater plane, with our pilot/guide. Mike sat in the front with the pilot and I sat in the back. We wore ear muffs, which not only protect our ears against the noise of the plane but also enable us to hear the pilot through his microphone. I was slightly apprehensive about being in such a small plane but once we took off, I enjoyed the scenic flight.
As the whales spend between 45-90 minutes hunting deep in the waters, there was no guarantee that we would see one as the flight is only 30 minutes. When the whales do come up to the surface, they spend about eight minutes there so you can get a good look at them. A boat tour from earlier this morning had a mark on the whales and so the pilot circled the area for about 10 minutes and then we saw a whale spraying water from its nose! We got a bit closer and were able to take photos. It was a sperm whale, which is the 3rd largest species of whale in the world and the largest with teeth. The pilot told us that it was about 19 metres long, so it's a big mammal! The whale spent a good few minutes on the surface so we got a good look. It then prepared itself to go deep into the water again for another hunting session. We took pictures as the whale dived into the water, with its tail the last to be seen. These whales live on a diet of squid and jellyfish and there's about four of them, all male, in this area. The water is too cold for the smaller females so they tend to be found in warmer waters such as Australia. The males go to them for mating and then come back. Kaikoura is unique in the fact that it has whales so close to the shore but this is because it has very deep and rich waters, which attracts the sealife and therefore plenty of food for the whales. The pilot then took us to an area, where a pod of about 400 dolphins were swimming and flipping through the water. It was amazing to see such a vast amount of dolphins all at once! On the flight back, we also saw some seals. It turned out to be a successful trip and worth the $145 each.
We drove to the end of the main street, to the seal colony, where a couple of seals were sunning themselves on the rocks and others swimming nearby. We then took a short walk up to the cliffpoint, where we had a view of the Kaikoura shoreline and mountains beside it. It was a pretty sight, with the snow capped mountains against the bright green grass and then the beach beside it.
We stopped at a nearby seafood barbecue stall and had some fresh garlic scallops and grilled fish. It was like an outdoor restaurant and we were able to enjoy our food at a table on the beach. We stocked up on fuel and groceries and made one last stop at the beach, before getting on our way.
We the two and a half hour windy but extremely beautiful drive to Renwick. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon and a perfect drive through green rolling hills - it was like teletubby land!
When we arrived in Renwick we checked with tourist information for a local campsite as there didn't appear to be any in the guide book but unfortunately the nearest campsite was in Blenheim. We wanted to do the Renwick cycle route around the wineries tomorrow so ideally needed to stay in Renwick at least for tomorrow night, to avoid driving. The woman at the tourist information was very helpful and suggested a B&B that offers free bike hire if you stay there. Bike hire usually costs from $30 per person and so that plus the cost of a campsite equals the cost of the B&B ($100). We ventured up the road to the B&B and were warmly greeted by the woman who lives there. She was very welcoming and keen to let us stay tomorrow night despite them departing for a holiday early the next morning. She said she could trust us to lock up, turn off the fridge and leave the key in a box. Also they usually only let people hire bikes if they book for two nights but because they didn't have any other bookings they were happy to us use them.
After that was sorted, we drove to Blenheim and checked into a campsite. It was a lovely, sunny evening and after setting up camp just by the river, we sat with a glass of wine and watched the ducks and ducklings swimming and walking around.
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Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

After packing up, we took the 15 minute drive to the gondola. Unfortunately they were carrying out some maintenance so it was unexpectedly closed. We were told it could be an hour before it's operating again. As there was nothing else around the area, we decided to give it a miss and get on with our day. We went back into town and I showed Mike the Arts Centre and then we went to the museum and saw an exhibition about Antartic Survivors. After lunch, we got on the road and drove to Hanmer Springs, which is about a 90 minute drive. We visited the famous thermal springs, where we spent the afternoon soaking in the different thermal and sulphur pools. The sun continued to shine and it was such a beautiful setting, with the scenery around us. After a couple of hours in the pools my palms were wrinkly and we decided to get moving again. We arrived in Kaikoura at about 20:00.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222752720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222752720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222752720/tpod.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:44:07 -0400 Becky and Mike's round the world trip - first stop Brazil! The adventure begins...

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Christchurch, New Zealand

Mike got in touch with his friend, who lives in Christchurch, and arranged to meet him to go rock climbing. I was keen to explore the city so opted out of climbing. I started with the tram tour of the city, firstly stopping at the Arts Centre for a coffee. Christchurch is like a mini Cambridge, with its Edwardian style punts, historic buildings, cathedral, art galleries and boutiques, cafes etc. After my caffeine fix, I went and had a look at the arty shops in the Arts Centre. There was everything from Maori art to possum and merino products to wood and wool products. I ended up in the Fudge Cottage, which was heaven! The small, poky shop was rammed with all sorts of yummy fudge and sweets. I got to try some of their homemade fudge, which they make on the premises, following a recipe from Cornwall, England. I came away with a block of hokey pokey (honeycomb) fudge and a fudge heart for Mike. I continued to walk within the grounds of the Arts Centre, which has a few cafes and a wine bar dotted around the square enclosure. The gothic revival buidlings, incuding one with a clock tower surround the square and grounds.
I then headed just up the road to the nearby museum. I went to an exhibition called 'Da Vinci Machines' and then visited the Botanic Gardens next door. It was a beautiful, warm day, almost like summer and the gardens carried a summer, floral scent. The gardens seemed to go on forever and is the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon. I then followed the tram track down to Hagley Park, where I met Mike. We both walked along the tram track to New Regent Street, which has Spanish inspired architecture and then along through the Cathedral Junction. We then walked back up to the Arts Centre and sat in a pub garden (Dux de Lux) and had an early evening drink, making the most of the last hour of sunshine. We then went to a restaurant called Two Fat Indians and had a yummy curry.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222751520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222751520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/becky_stalley/1/1222751520/tpod.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:22:11 -0400 Becky and Mike's round the world trip - first stop Brazil! The adventure begins...

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Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand

Another early start as we got ourselves ready and packed up, ready for what is supposed to be the most exciting jet boat ride in the world! It was a 15 minute drive out of Queenstown to Shotover Jet's base, just by the river. We put our raincoats and lifejackets on and boarded the boat. I was slightly nervous and excited about what I was about to endure!
It was certainly a hairy ride as the driver skimmed passed sticking out, craggy rocks, with only what looked like an inch or two between the rocks and the boat! It was exhilerating and I loved it, my face beaming the whole time! Mike and I unboarded the boat all smiles. We got a couple of photos and even a t-shirt and then set off. We stopped off at a bridge nearby, where the bungy rides take place. We got to see two people bravely take the plunge from the viewing platform - not sure if I could be that brave!
We then drove to Arrowtown, which is a historic village, full of old fashioned shops, cafes, a bakery, post office etc. It's very quaint and worth a look. We stopped at a chocolate shop and tried a hot chocolate and some chocolate - it was delicious! After that, it was time to get moving. We had a long drive to Christchurch ahead of us. Again, the scenery was amazing and makes driving a pleasure to be surrounded in such beauty. We stopped for a picnic and then continued, stopping at Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. Pukaki was stunning - dazzling turquoise blue water, with snowy Mount Cook in the background. Such a gorgeous view. Tekapo was also nice, with a quaint church sitting beside it but the water wasn't quite as dazzling blue.
We made it to Christchurch by about 19:00. Both exhausted, we got an early night ready for exploring tomorrow.
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Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

The wind did not let up all night and I barely slept. We opened our tent to pouring rain, and we had to pack up the tent in it. It was such a dull, wet and miserable morning but I guess I can't complain - we've had good weather most of the time. We drove straight to Queenstown, which was quite a hilly drive through some more mountain ranges. We booked a room at a YHA - we weren't keen to camp in this wet weather! As we had to wait until 14:30 to check into our room, we went into the town centre for lunch. After lunch, it was still pouring with rain and bitterly cold too. With limited options, we went to the cinema and saw Wall-E. We then headed back to the hostel and sorted ourselves out.
For dinner, we went to Fergburger, a small gourmet burger place, which is similar to GBK. I had a blue cheese burger and Mike had an egg and cheese burger and they were delicious!
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Wanaka, New Zealand

After visiting tourist information and getting a coffee, we went to an area called Hospital Flat, to do some rock climbing. I attempted on climb but it was quite difficult so I belayed Mike for a few climbs. We had a picnic and luckily the weather stayed dry for the day. We drove to a nearby campsite, which was situated right on the lake (wanaka), called Glendhu Bay. It was a gorgeous setting and we arrived just before the sun went down. By this point a strong wind had started to pick up but I'd had this brainwave to cook outside! We had to surround the cooker in anything we could find to stop the wind from blowing the gas out! It was getting colder and colder and by the time we sat down to eat, I was freezing! Our food quickly went cold as well. When we went to bed, the wind had got even worse and was fiercely blowing our tent.
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Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand

This morning we went to nearby Lake Matheson and took the short walk to the viewpoint. It was a picturesque lake. We then visited Fox Glacier, which is just a few minutes drive from Franz Josef. It was a 20 minute walk until we reached the base of the glacier and see the terminal face. It was another amazing glacier!
We got back in the car and continued our journey to Wanaka, stopping at another lake for lunch. Unfortunately, we were attacked by midges and so couldn't really enjoy our lunch. We quickly ate our food and got back in the car.
It was a beautiful drive to Wanaka, truly stunning. We stopped briefly at Haast Beach, which was deserted except for a woman, her child and her dog. We drove through the Southern Alps, surrounded in huge mountain ranges, snow capped mountains and creeks.
We reached the huge Lake Wanaka and drove around the left hand side, stopping now and then to take photos. We drove past Lake Hawea, an equally impressive lake. We set up camp at a campsite, which is set back from the lake. As it's ski season, it was packed!
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