South Island Diary Update
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
1
21
27
Trip End
Apr 04, 2007
Havelock North,
New Zealand
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Monday 12th February
We drove from Nelson down along the west coast of South Island to Punakaiki where we took our first cabin, a cheap but comfortable accommodation alternative. Cabin-dwellers share the camping facilities with the caravaners and campers but have a roof over their heads and sometimes a kettle and toaster as well as a bed! We visited the main attraction in the area - Pancake Rocks, so called because of the layer formation of the rocks that line the shore. There are blowholes there too but the wind and tide were not right for them to be spouting water.
Tuesday 13th February
We made our way south along the highway and then turned off it just past Greymouth to drive to the east of South Island via Arthur's Pass, a trans-alpine route with spectacular views. We arrived in Christchurch on the east coast and once again found a cabin in a holiday park as accommodation.
Wednesday 14th February
Valentine's Day, and we had a "romantic" picnic on the shores of the Pacific - AD's first view of it J En route to Dunedin we also stopped at Moeraki to see the Moeraki Boulders - almost perfect spheres which were formed hundreds of millions of years ago and which line the beach along one spot. Then on to Waitata just north of Dunedin where we received hospitality from Amanda and Dion - the brother of a good friend of ours in Oxford. We were not expecting the rural setting, assortment of animals and views of Blueskin Bay.
Thursday 15th February
We spent the day on the Otago Peninsula, famous for its albatrosses and penguin colonies. Unfortunately you have to pay for the privilege of seeing either so we didn't do the various tours on offer, although I was lucky enough to see an albatross flying overhead. We explored the roads around the peninsula and identified several species of water birds.
Friday 16th February
We had a long drive to do and decided to take a route around the south of the island so that we could visit the Catlin Coast and a couple of its attractions. First stop was Nugget Point, so called because of the rocks which jut up out of the water opposite the lighthouse at the point, and which support a colony of fur seals. We were hoping to see the local sea lions too but we were disappointed. Then on to Matai Falls - the most beautiful I've seen in New Zealand. Then the rest of the road trip to Te Anau, beautifully set on the banks of Lake Te Anau and a good place to base yourself for a trip to Milford Sound.
Saturday 17th February
We were lucky enough to have perfect weather in a place where it rains two days out of three on average. Actually a fiord rather than a sound, Milford is part of Fiordland on the south west corner of South Island. The drive was almost as spectacular as the fiord. We got tickets for a two-and-a-half hour cruise which took us all the way out to sea past gigantic rock formations and waterfalls, and we were lucky enough to be followed by a pod of dolphins for a while. The drive back to Te Anau was broken up with stops to take in the stunning scenery.
Sunday 18th February
We had heard how over-commercialised Queenstown is and so we decided not to stay there although it was worth stopping en route to check the town out. Then on to Wanaka in the mountains where we found a holiday camp on the shores of the lake at Glendhu Cove from where Mount Aspiring can be seen in the distance and is reflected in the still waters in the evening and the early morning.
Monday 19th February
Out of the mountains and back to the west coast where we drove past Fox Glacier, stopping briefly at a viewing point. Then on to the town of Franz Joseph where the only accommodation available was camping sites, although we set our tent up in a spot with views of the mountains and the start of the Franz Joseph Glacier.
Tuesday 20th February
We spent the morning walking far over the glacial valley right up to the glacier. It's awe-inspiring enormity can only be appreciated by seeing it for yourself, and that only becomes clear as you get closer and closer to the ice, eventually reaching it and looking up at it towering over you. We touched the face of the glacier and took one step onto its (unstable) surface before walking back over the uneven, stream-ridden terrain. That afternoon we drove to Ross, a small town up the coast which had been recommended to us by a kiwi at a pub earlier on in the week. We stayed in the historic Empire Hotel which had a real sense of history - again in one of their cabins.
Wednesday 21st February
We drove up the coast as far as Hokitika and then took another cross-island route via Lewis Pass on to Hanmer Springs where there is a geothermal spring which feeds many pools in a modern complex. On the way we managed to find Sylvia Flats, small geothermal pools at the edge of a river which have not been developed. The sand flies put an end to any notion we might have had about bathing there though! We did take a "stinky bath" - as AD put it - in the pools in Hanmer, where they have several pools all with different concentrations of minerals and at different temperatures.
Thursday 22nd February
We drove on to Kaikoura on the north east coast of the island, which is famous for whale-watching, swimming with dolphins and other marine-life based activities. It turns out that the whales are rarely visible from the shore and we were not prepared to pay the extortionate rates for a cruise or a flight to spy them, especially having seen so many in South Africa. We walked along the shore of the peninsula and had our picnic there and satisfied ourselves with seeing the birds, seals and fish which were accessible from the shore.
Friday 23rd February
We made our way back to Picton where we had started our South Island adventures, and took the Interislander ferry back to Wellington. Then we made the long journey on to Havelock North to stay with a kiwi friend, Rose, who I met years ago on the Net and who has been based in England for the last couple of years. It has been a thrill to finally get to see the place she calls home J
Saturday 24th February
Rose took us on a "tiki tour" of the locality, including a farmer's market, the beach and the nearest town - Hastings.
Sunday 25th February
We spent the morning exploring the nearby town of Napier, which was largely destroyed in New Zealand's greatest natural disaster - the earthquake of 1931. Due to the style in fashion at the time, the town was rebuilt in the Art Deco style and it is the greatest concentration of Art Deco buildings anywhere in the world. We went to the harbour for a delicious lunch before returning home via Hastings for an unmissable home-made ice cream at Rush Munro's which has been in its original spot since the 1950's. I tried the local fruit specialities of boysenberry and feijoa.
And that brings me up to date! Today Rose is taking us to Rotorua, famous for its geothermal activity, including geysers. We'll spend two nights there and on Wednesday we'll return to Auckland for our last night in New Zealand. Then on to Fiji!
I will try to get online once more before we leave Auckland, because I doubt very much that I will have any Net access while we're in Fiji.
Thanks as always to the people who have been in touch - it's always good to hear from you.
