27/02/12-02/03/12
My last bus ride in New Zealand took me to Auckland, where I was going to be staying with some family relatives till the end of my stay in NZ. I hadn’t planned on arriving so early in Auckland but that’s the way things go. After dropping off my stuff I was whisked straight up to the top of One Tree Hill (now minus the tree) to get an excellent overview of the city. The Auckland region is filled with volcanic cones, there are over 40 of them scattered around. From the top you could get 360 degree views of the surroundings. After we heading south to another one called Mount Wellington before we heading to the local McDonalds to meet another of my relations.
On my first full day we headed west to the black sand beach of Muriwai. There out on the bare rocks is a large Gannet colony where chicks are currently being raised before they make their epic journey across the ocean to Australia before returning several years later to have their own offspring. After a walk along the beach we headed inland to the Waitakere ranges to see some of the impressive kauri trees which have amazing girth sizes, the biggest one of which at this park measures nearly 7 metres. One of the largest in New Zealand takes 12 people holding hands to circle its truck! Later on the way home we followed the road around the coast near the city centre pass places such as St Heliers Bay.
A morning ferry ride across the harbour took me to the little village town of Devonport nestled between the cones of two volcanoes. One of these on the edge of the coast is called North Head and has been continually used as a defensive position to defend the port. There is still evidence of this left in the form of old mutation tunnels and concrete emplacements scattered across the cone. I was quite surprised to find these kind of defences existed in New Zealand which has seen threats from Russia, Germany and Japan in the modern era. Also in Devonport is the Navy museum which we paid a quick visit to in the afternoon.
A day to myself as I was dropped off in the morning at the Domain, the site of the Auckland war memorial museum. It contains material on a variety of pacific nations including a large collection of Maori objects as well as national history elements. It also functions as the cities war memorial with the top floor containing names of those killed in conflicts around the war. In the afternoon I ventured through the Parnell area of the city to look at some of the old architecture of the buildings including the old wooden cathedral which is now dwarfed by its modern replacement.
Another nice day as I once again jumped on a ferry this time to be taken to Rangitoto Island which is the result of an old volcanic eruption out at the edge of the harbour. The shape of the cone can be seen throughout the city lying off the shore. The main activity on the island is to take in the view from the summit so immediately after docking I began the climb up to the top diverting off at one point to look at some lava caves along the way. After a steady climb as the island is egg shaped I got an amazing view at the summit looking back at the city centre and the Auckland region. It was a fine clear day so it couldn’t have been more prefect. Later I walked to the adjoining Motatapu Island which is joined by a causeway. The different in the two islands is absolute, were as Rangitoto is littered with black volcanic rock and trees, Motatapu is completely covered with green grass and livestock. On my way back to the ferry I was hoping to check out a Second World War mine control centre on Rangitoto but after following the path by the coast to it I discovered the pathway off to the site was closed.
03/03/12-08/03/12
Today was the day that the weathermen predicted that New Zealand would be hit by a mega ‘weather bomb’ bringing with it serve rain and strong gusts. The weather front had made its way across the Tasman weather causing the east coast of Australia to be effected by floods. With this prediction I decided to spend the day in the city centre, in the morning I headed to the city library to do some travel booking. In the afternoon I crossed the street to the art gallery to have a look around especially to see the famous Maori portrait paintings it housed. Of course like all good storm warnings when I left the gallery it was to bright clear skies with only faint gusts of warm. With the good weather I took the time to do some sightseeing popping into the Skytower, the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere and down to the quay side where they were busy preparing to host the Great Ocean Race crews who were due in the next weekend.
Sunday resulted in me going to the morning service at my host’s local Baptist church, which in fact was housed in a warehouse. It was the first time I had attended a Sunday service probably since my days in the Cubs when we used to go fortnightly so it was a fresh experience for me. The service to me seemed very American in its form, with modern hymns performed by guitars and keyboards accompanied by an overhead projector displaying the lyrics. This was a different service as well as it mainly involved the introduction of new person’s to the church involving at one point a chat show style Q&A session. As a new face I was picked out at the beginning to introduce myself, but this did result in a melted chocolate bar. I was surprised that no hymns I recognised were sang but without an organ I guess they can’t be reproduced on a guitar, now simple chord hymns are the norm. With everything now days churches have to move with the times especially if they are going to attract the younger generation were everything is received in a visual format. Watching people passionately singing and saying prayers, being very animated and connected you might think would have a positive effect, but for me it just highlighted my lack of religious faith, it only further dispelled any belief I might have had in an almighty God. I guess that’s just one of the side-effects you experience when you travel aboard especially to some of the poorest countries in the world, life is what it is, and you have to make the best of what it throws at you.
Another day, another ferry as this time I was on my way to Waiheke Island which is a comparable length to the Isle of Wight back home. On disembarking at the port I turned round to look back where I had come from to find that the entrance to the harbour perfectly framed the city centre. I choose to do a coastal walk which went around the north coast of the island taking in some isolated bays and rocky outcrops. It truly was a coastal walk, I don’t think one part was level for even one metre, but it was a welcome challenge after several days having not done a proper walk. It took me to the beaches next to the first town on the island, I think it was the first shell beach I had seen in New Zealand, shells of all variety littered the yellow sand. After I headed south to walk along another beach before venturing along the town’s main road back in the direction of the port. On the way back I decided to take a walk through a nature reserve but this turned out to be a nightmare due to the swarms of cricket like animals that lived in the bushes that ran either side of the path. Every bush I passed resulted in a swarm of insects jumping out and attaching themselves either to my face or hair. After several minutes of this I had had enough and ran the rest of the distance to the end of the track cursing as I went. Luckily no one met me coming the other way; I must have been a picture fleeing between the bushes!
Auckland is surrounded by two oceans, the Tasman and the Pacific, today I did a coast to coast walk which took me from one to the other finishing up at the harbour next to the city centre. The walk was around 16km long; on route I passed around One Tree Hill leaving the summit as I had already been to the top. Instead I waited till I hit Mount Eden to do a summit walk; Mount Eden is the highest volcanic cone in the region at just over 300m. The views from the top were spectacular providing all round 360 degree sights of the whole region. After I moved on to the Domain where I stopped off to have lunch watching the local school kids playing cricket on the greens before moving on to the city centre. That evening I was invited round to my host’s son’s house to meet his family and my distant relatives. His youngest son invited me out to play football down at his church so after borrowing a pair of trainers and a sports shirt I was soon joining in the 5 aside matches inside their sports hall – best to say that I think I will stick to playing hockey!
After several trips by myself today my hosts took me down south of Auckland to visit Duder Park on the east coast. The park is situated on a peninsula that sticks out to give great views of the surrounding islands and coastline. Next we continue north following the coast before stopping off near to a place called Maraetai (‘My-right-eye’ – An easy name to remember). After a quick walk and ice cream we continued on to Pine Harbour where you can catch a ferry to the city centre and is the area of some luxury properties.
My last full day in New Zealand and of course it had to be rainy, after being so luckily with the weather throughout my journey it’s a shame it didn’t last for one more day. That afternoon I took my hosts out for lunch to thank them for letting me stay while they treated me to a spider drink – ice cream and coke in a glass (one to look out for in the future!). That evening the weather cleared up with the clouds parting to reveal a full moon and more fixing for my trip the Southern Cross star consolation which can only be seen in the southern hemisphere and is on the flag of New Zealand. What can I say, New Zealand has been amazing, definitely my best travel experience so far. Everything from the scenery to the people stunned me time and time again, just went you think you have seen the best that New Zealand can offer you move on to another incredible location. I definitely have taken it to heart, hopefully the health and safety culture we suffer back home wouldn’t take hold, a truly liveable place.
16/03/2012
Hobbiton & Hamilton
25/02/12-26/02/12
Unless you’ve seen the Lord of the Rings films you probably would never make the journey to the little town of Matamata. Once known for the quality of the race horses bred there Matamata is now more famous for being the home of Hobbiton, the film set for the Shire-folk it is just a short journey out of town. After the original films were shot the set was dismantled due to confidentiality reasons but you could still tour it though the decorative hobbit holes where blank board fronts. Luckily for me a new set of films based on The Hobbit are being shot which meant that the whole set had been reconstructed back to its former glory and this time it is for permanent. When visiting it really is like being transported into another world, the set isn’t separated into parts but covers a whole area. All around you there are hobbit holes and gardens, each fully decorated with props and plants. The attention to detail is amazing when you think that for the most part none of this will eventually be seen on screen, if indeed it is only for a few seconds. After my visit I still had a little while to wait for my bus to nearby Hamilton so I went for a quick walk around town. I eventually arrived in Hamilton that evening to discover that an opening match of the Super Rugby season was being held that night at the local stadium so after a rushed dinner, I scrabbled down to the pitch to watch the game. Like most early season games it was a scrappy match which saw the local ‘Chiefs’ team narrowly lose.
I had one full day in Hamilton so in the morning I went to the local museum which included an exhibition entitled ‘Never a dull day’ about the history of the city. In the afternoon I spent a few pleasant hours wondering the Hamilton gardens which are located just on the edge of town. Their summer events program was in full swing so a variety of different artists and shows were on throughout the day. The most interesting part was the historic show gardens that represented certain historic periods such as a Tudor garden. After I followed the local river along its course back to the city centre.
Unless you’ve seen the Lord of the Rings films you probably would never make the journey to the little town of Matamata. Once known for the quality of the race horses bred there Matamata is now more famous for being the home of Hobbiton, the film set for the Shire-folk it is just a short journey out of town. After the original films were shot the set was dismantled due to confidentiality reasons but you could still tour it though the decorative hobbit holes where blank board fronts. Luckily for me a new set of films based on The Hobbit are being shot which meant that the whole set had been reconstructed back to its former glory and this time it is for permanent. When visiting it really is like being transported into another world, the set isn’t separated into parts but covers a whole area. All around you there are hobbit holes and gardens, each fully decorated with props and plants. The attention to detail is amazing when you think that for the most part none of this will eventually be seen on screen, if indeed it is only for a few seconds. After my visit I still had a little while to wait for my bus to nearby Hamilton so I went for a quick walk around town. I eventually arrived in Hamilton that evening to discover that an opening match of the Super Rugby season was being held that night at the local stadium so after a rushed dinner, I scrabbled down to the pitch to watch the game. Like most early season games it was a scrappy match which saw the local ‘Chiefs’ team narrowly lose.
I had one full day in Hamilton so in the morning I went to the local museum which included an exhibition entitled ‘Never a dull day’ about the history of the city. In the afternoon I spent a few pleasant hours wondering the Hamilton gardens which are located just on the edge of town. Their summer events program was in full swing so a variety of different artists and shows were on throughout the day. The most interesting part was the historic show gardens that represented certain historic periods such as a Tudor garden. After I followed the local river along its course back to the city centre.
06/03/2012
Rotorua
21/02/12-24/02/12
The morning begun with a short bus ride to my next destination Rotorua, or ‘Rotovegas’ as it is known to the locals due to the mass tourist industry that has sprung up there. The drive up had been along the thermal highway, this whole area of New Zealand is on top of a very thin area of the earth’s crust meaning that over hundreds of years there has been mass volcanic activity just occurring below your feet. The evidence of this can be seen in the plumes of hot stream that escapes through holes in the ground, from all sides of our journey up white steam streams through bushes and trees. After checking in at my hostel I made my way to the lake front through the Government Gardens. One thing you quickly notice as you walk around is the eggy smell in the air due to the sulphur gas escaping from earth’s core. Thermal activity is everywhere to be seen, from bubbling pools and mud steam bellows out continually. I followed the gardens round the lake till I hit a little bit of park land to find that the rugby world cup or the Web Ellis trophy is there on display as part of a nationwide tour, eagerly I have my photo taken next to it. Moving on I took a quick look around a Maori village with a meeting house and European style church before heading to Kuirau Park which is a large area of thermal activity just on the other side of the town, I stopped off to dip my feet in a free hot pool.
The north island had been experiencing one of its worst summers weather-wise for a while, no more would this be evident than over the next two days as heavy drizzle (similar to what we get back home) settled over Rotorua. Not that it mattered for my morning activity as I was picked up to be driven to Hell’s Gate, the base of my white water rafting company. My mornings rafting was to be down the local Kaituna River which includes dropping down three waterfalls, the highest of which is a 7 metre fall. Due to the bad weather a lot of people had cancelled so in the end there was only three of us on our raft including our guide, not that this was a bad thing because it meant we could mess around more in the rapids as there was less people to look after, a VIP tour! After suiting up we drove a short way to the start of our run before boarding our raft and setting out. After a crash course in the commands we would obey we were soon flowing on through the rapids. The big waterfall was halfway through our run, that day the drop was only 6 metres due to the water level but even so our raft was only 4.5 metres long. We stop off to prepare ourselves and hope that we would submerge the right way up at the bottom before casting ourselves adrift to tackle it. Somehow despite not getting myself probably into the raft as we fell we emerged unscathed at the bottom of the drop. Later on I jumped out of the raft to feel how strong the flow of water was under us before holding on to the side as we descended over some drops. It was a great experience overall but hard work as well. I had bought a combo ticket so after arriving back at base and waiting for a low in the rain I popped next door to visit Hell’s Gate, a very thermal area with various bubbling pools and featuring a ‘hot’ waterfall. While there I also got to have a go at Maori wood craving.
With the drizzle continuing for a second day I headed out to a nature park near to the town that features a forest full of redwood trees, these massive trees stretch straight up into the sky. I did a circuit walk before heading back due to the rain. That evening some Kiwi’s (the human kind) who were staying at my hostel took me out for the evening to a local historic pub called The Pig and Whistle to show me how Kiwi’s party to the live music of a band.
I awoke to find that the sun once again filled the sky so with an afternoon bus to catch I once again headed to the area round by the Government Gardens to walk some tracks I had missed before. I moved on to a little town near to Hamilton called Matamata to stay for the evening, with no hostels in the area I had to spend the night in a room above a pub. The next day I was to be transported to a different world.
The morning begun with a short bus ride to my next destination Rotorua, or ‘Rotovegas’ as it is known to the locals due to the mass tourist industry that has sprung up there. The drive up had been along the thermal highway, this whole area of New Zealand is on top of a very thin area of the earth’s crust meaning that over hundreds of years there has been mass volcanic activity just occurring below your feet. The evidence of this can be seen in the plumes of hot stream that escapes through holes in the ground, from all sides of our journey up white steam streams through bushes and trees. After checking in at my hostel I made my way to the lake front through the Government Gardens. One thing you quickly notice as you walk around is the eggy smell in the air due to the sulphur gas escaping from earth’s core. Thermal activity is everywhere to be seen, from bubbling pools and mud steam bellows out continually. I followed the gardens round the lake till I hit a little bit of park land to find that the rugby world cup or the Web Ellis trophy is there on display as part of a nationwide tour, eagerly I have my photo taken next to it. Moving on I took a quick look around a Maori village with a meeting house and European style church before heading to Kuirau Park which is a large area of thermal activity just on the other side of the town, I stopped off to dip my feet in a free hot pool.
The north island had been experiencing one of its worst summers weather-wise for a while, no more would this be evident than over the next two days as heavy drizzle (similar to what we get back home) settled over Rotorua. Not that it mattered for my morning activity as I was picked up to be driven to Hell’s Gate, the base of my white water rafting company. My mornings rafting was to be down the local Kaituna River which includes dropping down three waterfalls, the highest of which is a 7 metre fall. Due to the bad weather a lot of people had cancelled so in the end there was only three of us on our raft including our guide, not that this was a bad thing because it meant we could mess around more in the rapids as there was less people to look after, a VIP tour! After suiting up we drove a short way to the start of our run before boarding our raft and setting out. After a crash course in the commands we would obey we were soon flowing on through the rapids. The big waterfall was halfway through our run, that day the drop was only 6 metres due to the water level but even so our raft was only 4.5 metres long. We stop off to prepare ourselves and hope that we would submerge the right way up at the bottom before casting ourselves adrift to tackle it. Somehow despite not getting myself probably into the raft as we fell we emerged unscathed at the bottom of the drop. Later on I jumped out of the raft to feel how strong the flow of water was under us before holding on to the side as we descended over some drops. It was a great experience overall but hard work as well. I had bought a combo ticket so after arriving back at base and waiting for a low in the rain I popped next door to visit Hell’s Gate, a very thermal area with various bubbling pools and featuring a ‘hot’ waterfall. While there I also got to have a go at Maori wood craving.
With the drizzle continuing for a second day I headed out to a nature park near to the town that features a forest full of redwood trees, these massive trees stretch straight up into the sky. I did a circuit walk before heading back due to the rain. That evening some Kiwi’s (the human kind) who were staying at my hostel took me out for the evening to a local historic pub called The Pig and Whistle to show me how Kiwi’s party to the live music of a band.
I awoke to find that the sun once again filled the sky so with an afternoon bus to catch I once again headed to the area round by the Government Gardens to walk some tracks I had missed before. I moved on to a little town near to Hamilton called Matamata to stay for the evening, with no hostels in the area I had to spend the night in a room above a pub. The next day I was to be transported to a different world.
Taupo
19/02/12-20/02/12
With the sun shining I did a good day’s hike first up to the Huka Falls, an area where the local river is squeezed through a canyon until the water pours into a pool at the end. If you want to grab a better photo of the falls you can go on a boat cruise which will take you directly to the pool at the end, as the boats engines struggles against the massive flow of water. After I continued along the path by the side of the river up to the Aratiatia Dam where four times a day the control are opened, flooding the river downstream. The rocks that are clearly visible at the bottom of the dam are soon submersed under water as the quantity of flow is dramatically increased.
The next day I choose to walk along the side of the lake up to a point called 5 Mile Bay. Just as I made the decision to turn around I noticed that on the brambles by the side of the track that there were ripe blackberries to be picked, so grabbing my plastic container out of my bag I precede to pick berries – the first time I had ever had the opportunity to do it in February! I spent the afternoon in the library doing researching into Fiji, planning my island get away.
With the sun shining I did a good day’s hike first up to the Huka Falls, an area where the local river is squeezed through a canyon until the water pours into a pool at the end. If you want to grab a better photo of the falls you can go on a boat cruise which will take you directly to the pool at the end, as the boats engines struggles against the massive flow of water. After I continued along the path by the side of the river up to the Aratiatia Dam where four times a day the control are opened, flooding the river downstream. The rocks that are clearly visible at the bottom of the dam are soon submersed under water as the quantity of flow is dramatically increased.
The next day I choose to walk along the side of the lake up to a point called 5 Mile Bay. Just as I made the decision to turn around I noticed that on the brambles by the side of the track that there were ripe blackberries to be picked, so grabbing my plastic container out of my bag I precede to pick berries – the first time I had ever had the opportunity to do it in February! I spent the afternoon in the library doing researching into Fiji, planning my island get away.
National Park
16/02/12-18/02/12
I had an early start as I made my way up through the middle of the north island to National Park Village, which was to be my base so I could tackle one of the most famous one day hikes in the world the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. After traveling for most of the day on arriving I just did a quick hike to nearby waterfalls located deep in the bush. On my return a thunder storm crept over forcing me to make a dash back along the trail to find some shelter to avoid the downpour of rain.
Luckily the next day the rain had passed so we were given the ok from the shuttle bus company to go ahead and tackle the crossing. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is actually a section of a longer circular multi day great walk through the national park. As it starts and finishes in different places you need transport to ferry you to one end and pick you up from the other. As its name suggests the 20km walk crosses the shelf between the middle of two volcanoes, one of which was used as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films. The walk starts at the bottom of a volcanic valley before you make a 1000m assent up to the shelf; the climb to my surprise was actually quite steady. After arriving at the shelf you have another shorter climb before you hit the peak for the track. You can climb to the summits of the two volcanoes if you want to, my plan had been to climb to the top of Mount Doom but unfortunately due to yesterday’s rain there was low cloud cover which meant that it was too unsafe to even attempt to try climbing them – if you can’t see the top then steer clear! After reaching the peak for the track you are greeted by the sight of three lakes in the next valley below, filled with bright green blue water. Passing these the track leaves the volcanic landscape behind as you start to make your decent surrounded by alpine plants, the sight of white alpine flowers filling your sight. The last part of the track runs through an area of rainforest before you reach the end of the 20km hike. The variety of landscapes you witness on the crossing is stunning; my only wish was that we didn’t have the low cloud cover. Having escaped the rain for most of the day that evening we have another more violent thunder storm.
With the crossing complete it was time to move one once again this time up to the largest fresh water lake on the north island, Taupo. I had to wait until the afternoon for my bus which promptly got a flat tire after only 20 minutes of driving. Luckily a passing shuttle bus offer to take us so we would make our connections on time. With most of the day gone I only did a quick walk around Taupo that evening stopping off to watch punters take a shot at getting a hole in one on the floating golf course on the lake.
I had an early start as I made my way up through the middle of the north island to National Park Village, which was to be my base so I could tackle one of the most famous one day hikes in the world the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. After traveling for most of the day on arriving I just did a quick hike to nearby waterfalls located deep in the bush. On my return a thunder storm crept over forcing me to make a dash back along the trail to find some shelter to avoid the downpour of rain.
Luckily the next day the rain had passed so we were given the ok from the shuttle bus company to go ahead and tackle the crossing. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is actually a section of a longer circular multi day great walk through the national park. As it starts and finishes in different places you need transport to ferry you to one end and pick you up from the other. As its name suggests the 20km walk crosses the shelf between the middle of two volcanoes, one of which was used as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films. The walk starts at the bottom of a volcanic valley before you make a 1000m assent up to the shelf; the climb to my surprise was actually quite steady. After arriving at the shelf you have another shorter climb before you hit the peak for the track. You can climb to the summits of the two volcanoes if you want to, my plan had been to climb to the top of Mount Doom but unfortunately due to yesterday’s rain there was low cloud cover which meant that it was too unsafe to even attempt to try climbing them – if you can’t see the top then steer clear! After reaching the peak for the track you are greeted by the sight of three lakes in the next valley below, filled with bright green blue water. Passing these the track leaves the volcanic landscape behind as you start to make your decent surrounded by alpine plants, the sight of white alpine flowers filling your sight. The last part of the track runs through an area of rainforest before you reach the end of the 20km hike. The variety of landscapes you witness on the crossing is stunning; my only wish was that we didn’t have the low cloud cover. Having escaped the rain for most of the day that evening we have another more violent thunder storm.
With the crossing complete it was time to move one once again this time up to the largest fresh water lake on the north island, Taupo. I had to wait until the afternoon for my bus which promptly got a flat tire after only 20 minutes of driving. Luckily a passing shuttle bus offer to take us so we would make our connections on time. With most of the day gone I only did a quick walk around Taupo that evening stopping off to watch punters take a shot at getting a hole in one on the floating golf course on the lake.
Wellington
12/02/12-15/02/12
A busy travel day as I first had to make my way to Picton so I could catch my ferry over to the north island. I was jumping on the early afternoon Interislander ferry, the first part of the journey saw the ferry flanked on both sides by pretty green hills as we made our way to the open sea. Luckily unlike my experience of the crossing to Stewart Island the sea was at least calm today so I spent most of my time on the sun deck taking in the views. It took around 3 hours to make the jump across before we were safety pulling into Wellington harbour, the most southern capital city in the world. After a quick shuttle bus to the train station and a brief walk I was checked into my hostel, I had three full days to explore the city. It felt strange to be back in a built up place again after so many weeks spent in small towns. One of the first things I noticed was the amount of Polynesian people around; there existence was not to be seen in the south island.
On my first full day I decided to first jump on the cable car to the top of the botanical gardens. Wellington is surrounded by hills so as soon as you leave the city centre the streets quickly become steep! This isn’t the only cable car in the city; local residents who live up in the mountains often have their own private ones to get them from the street below to their front door. From the cable car station I ventured through the gardens following a declining route which led to the water front near to the harbour. On route to the water front I passed by the parliament building with the iconic ‘beehive’ structure which to me looked like the top of a darlek. I followed the path next to the waterfront until I came across the local museum which I popped into to learn about the history of the city.
The next day was dedicated to one place, Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. The building on the water front is huge containing items related to the natural world, Maori culture and national history. One of my personal favourites was the giant squid they had on display, the only one in the world on public display. In total I spent just over 6 hours wondering round before I was all museumed out for the day.
On my last full day the weather had turned nasty so in the morning I jumped on a bus to the Weta Cave. Weta are the driving force behind most of Peter Jackson’s work, the movies they have worked on included the Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Tintin to name a few. At their studios at the edge of Wellington they provide weapons, miniatures and special effort work for varies films. I am a massive fan of their work, especially their use of miniatures. Though you are not allowed into the actual studios due to confidential reasons on films their working on, the Cave contains a shop and mini museum you can visit on the site. On display are varies props from all the movies they have worked on, they also screen a short film to give you a behind the scenes look at the daily running of the studios. After my visit I took a quick look round some of the local warehouses to discover sets for the fore coming Hobbit film where being constructed in plain view. In the afternoon, I used my bus ticket to avoid the walk up Mount Victoria to get to the lookout platforms at the top which give excellent views of the whole of the city.
A busy travel day as I first had to make my way to Picton so I could catch my ferry over to the north island. I was jumping on the early afternoon Interislander ferry, the first part of the journey saw the ferry flanked on both sides by pretty green hills as we made our way to the open sea. Luckily unlike my experience of the crossing to Stewart Island the sea was at least calm today so I spent most of my time on the sun deck taking in the views. It took around 3 hours to make the jump across before we were safety pulling into Wellington harbour, the most southern capital city in the world. After a quick shuttle bus to the train station and a brief walk I was checked into my hostel, I had three full days to explore the city. It felt strange to be back in a built up place again after so many weeks spent in small towns. One of the first things I noticed was the amount of Polynesian people around; there existence was not to be seen in the south island.
On my first full day I decided to first jump on the cable car to the top of the botanical gardens. Wellington is surrounded by hills so as soon as you leave the city centre the streets quickly become steep! This isn’t the only cable car in the city; local residents who live up in the mountains often have their own private ones to get them from the street below to their front door. From the cable car station I ventured through the gardens following a declining route which led to the water front near to the harbour. On route to the water front I passed by the parliament building with the iconic ‘beehive’ structure which to me looked like the top of a darlek. I followed the path next to the waterfront until I came across the local museum which I popped into to learn about the history of the city.
The next day was dedicated to one place, Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. The building on the water front is huge containing items related to the natural world, Maori culture and national history. One of my personal favourites was the giant squid they had on display, the only one in the world on public display. In total I spent just over 6 hours wondering round before I was all museumed out for the day.
On my last full day the weather had turned nasty so in the morning I jumped on a bus to the Weta Cave. Weta are the driving force behind most of Peter Jackson’s work, the movies they have worked on included the Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Tintin to name a few. At their studios at the edge of Wellington they provide weapons, miniatures and special effort work for varies films. I am a massive fan of their work, especially their use of miniatures. Though you are not allowed into the actual studios due to confidential reasons on films their working on, the Cave contains a shop and mini museum you can visit on the site. On display are varies props from all the movies they have worked on, they also screen a short film to give you a behind the scenes look at the daily running of the studios. After my visit I took a quick look round some of the local warehouses to discover sets for the fore coming Hobbit film where being constructed in plain view. In the afternoon, I used my bus ticket to avoid the walk up Mount Victoria to get to the lookout platforms at the top which give excellent views of the whole of the city.
Nelson
09/02/12-11/02/12
I had a full day in Nelson so I first headed up one of the local hills to get a view of the city and the coast. After I climbed another hill to go to the centre of New Zealand, maybe not quite the centre of the country but the place where all surveys take their reference from. In the afternoon I ventured along the bike path that runs alongside the coast line before returning through a Japanese garden to round off my day.
The next day I jump on a local shuttle bus to go and do a one day walk on one of New Zealand’s great walks that runs through Abel Tasman national park. I walked from the start of the track to the first hut at Anchorage bay before returning, passing through native bush as well as several golden (or to the locals rust) coloured beaches. This had to be one of the busiest walks I had been on with people passing by in both directions throughout the day. The track is very assessable with you having the option to jump on water taxis and kayaks to start and jump off where you want.
On my last full day on the south island, I returned to Nelson in preparation for my journey across the Cook Straights the next day. This time I had booked a hostel near the port area of Nelson to get a different perspective of the town. While there I took a walk along by the beach which follows the coastline, a relaxing day to round off my time in the beautiful south.
I had a full day in Nelson so I first headed up one of the local hills to get a view of the city and the coast. After I climbed another hill to go to the centre of New Zealand, maybe not quite the centre of the country but the place where all surveys take their reference from. In the afternoon I ventured along the bike path that runs alongside the coast line before returning through a Japanese garden to round off my day.
The next day I jump on a local shuttle bus to go and do a one day walk on one of New Zealand’s great walks that runs through Abel Tasman national park. I walked from the start of the track to the first hut at Anchorage bay before returning, passing through native bush as well as several golden (or to the locals rust) coloured beaches. This had to be one of the busiest walks I had been on with people passing by in both directions throughout the day. The track is very assessable with you having the option to jump on water taxis and kayaks to start and jump off where you want.
On my last full day on the south island, I returned to Nelson in preparation for my journey across the Cook Straights the next day. This time I had booked a hostel near the port area of Nelson to get a different perspective of the town. While there I took a walk along by the beach which follows the coastline, a relaxing day to round off my time in the beautiful south.
West Coast
05/02/12-08/02/12
On my first full day I had booked to do my glacier walk on the ice so after a quick breakfast in the morning I popped down to the guide office to check-in. On arriving I was given my gear for the days walk including waterproof trousers, rain jacket, hat, gloves, boots and crampons. All geared up I jumped in the bus as we were driven to the car park near to the base of the glacier, from there it was only a short walk to the glacier front. The group was first split up to form two separate groups, one for those who were fit and confident on their feet the other for those who wanted to take things more slowly. Of course I joined the first group which was then split again into two so the guides had a small number of people to look after. Having made conservation with Ben the guide who would be leading the first group I naturally joined him so I was the first person on the ice. Once the groups were sorted we had to attach our crampons to our boots, these are basically a series of small spikes on a metal frame that dig into the ice to give you grip. They take a while to get use to because at first your brain continually tells you that you’re slipping but of course if you do slip the crampons only become more secure to the ice as the spikes are driven further in. You can mostly walk normally with them on you except you can’t bend your foot and you have to keep your feet straight so they plant correctly on the ice, sideways is a big no go! On the walk you make your way up to a certain level of the glacier by way of steps cut into the ice, through crevasses and at one point through an ice tunnel. The going is quite easy and the climb proceeds at a steady pace as you stop and start as a path is made through the ice. The most surprising thing for me was how hot it was as a steady warm breeze rolled down the glacier like a hair dryer. Lunch was eaten on the glacier and after we did my most favourite part as our guide took as free walking, cutting a path as we went along. As we made our way back down we were constantly hearing bits of falling ice around us, each sounding like a freight train. In total we spent over 6 hours on the ice, I was glad to get the crampons off at the end as my feet were very tried. In the evening I popped down to the hot pools to sit back and relax while my body cooked in temperatures up to 40 degrees.
I had another full day in Franz Josef so I decided to explore some of the local walks. The first one was quite interesting, after following a short path up the local mountain I emerged at the entrance to the Tatare tunnels. These tunnels where carved out by miners at the start of the last century and head deep into the rock face, they are free to explore. Before I could venture in I had to wait for a party of 17 Americans to come out first! Left by myself and with just two torches for light I slowly made my way into the dark, having to stop every so often as the tunnel floor was covered with freezing water. One of the main reason people make the effort to explore these tunnels is to see glow worms, after walking about 100 metres I turned off my torches and was instantly surrounded by the eerie green light from the glow worms trying to attract their lunch. The hungrier they are the more they glow, it was a special sight. I did several more walks after but in the end I had to head back to the hostel to seek shelter as rain washed the rest of the afternoon away.
The next day I was on the move again as I hop on a bus to Greymouth, the main town along the west coast. I arrived to excellent weather and after arriving at my hostel I instantly jumped on one of the free bikes and rode down to the sea front. From the end of the pier I was able to get a view of the whole Southern Alps including my first view of Mount Cook. After I headed down to the beach to try my luck at gem hunting, trying to find the famous green jade that is so iconic of Maori weapons and jewellery, though my search was unsuccessful. In the evening I headed down to the pier once again to watch the sunset and was greeted by the sight of a pod of dolphins playing with local surfers.
Another day another bus as this time I was heading to Nelson near to the top of the south island. It was a long journey but we had an interesting stop-off at the pancake rocks, a series of rocks sticking out of the sea which look like a stack of fat pancakes piled by top of each other. I arrived in Nelson in the evening so just relaxed that night.
On my first full day I had booked to do my glacier walk on the ice so after a quick breakfast in the morning I popped down to the guide office to check-in. On arriving I was given my gear for the days walk including waterproof trousers, rain jacket, hat, gloves, boots and crampons. All geared up I jumped in the bus as we were driven to the car park near to the base of the glacier, from there it was only a short walk to the glacier front. The group was first split up to form two separate groups, one for those who were fit and confident on their feet the other for those who wanted to take things more slowly. Of course I joined the first group which was then split again into two so the guides had a small number of people to look after. Having made conservation with Ben the guide who would be leading the first group I naturally joined him so I was the first person on the ice. Once the groups were sorted we had to attach our crampons to our boots, these are basically a series of small spikes on a metal frame that dig into the ice to give you grip. They take a while to get use to because at first your brain continually tells you that you’re slipping but of course if you do slip the crampons only become more secure to the ice as the spikes are driven further in. You can mostly walk normally with them on you except you can’t bend your foot and you have to keep your feet straight so they plant correctly on the ice, sideways is a big no go! On the walk you make your way up to a certain level of the glacier by way of steps cut into the ice, through crevasses and at one point through an ice tunnel. The going is quite easy and the climb proceeds at a steady pace as you stop and start as a path is made through the ice. The most surprising thing for me was how hot it was as a steady warm breeze rolled down the glacier like a hair dryer. Lunch was eaten on the glacier and after we did my most favourite part as our guide took as free walking, cutting a path as we went along. As we made our way back down we were constantly hearing bits of falling ice around us, each sounding like a freight train. In total we spent over 6 hours on the ice, I was glad to get the crampons off at the end as my feet were very tried. In the evening I popped down to the hot pools to sit back and relax while my body cooked in temperatures up to 40 degrees.
I had another full day in Franz Josef so I decided to explore some of the local walks. The first one was quite interesting, after following a short path up the local mountain I emerged at the entrance to the Tatare tunnels. These tunnels where carved out by miners at the start of the last century and head deep into the rock face, they are free to explore. Before I could venture in I had to wait for a party of 17 Americans to come out first! Left by myself and with just two torches for light I slowly made my way into the dark, having to stop every so often as the tunnel floor was covered with freezing water. One of the main reason people make the effort to explore these tunnels is to see glow worms, after walking about 100 metres I turned off my torches and was instantly surrounded by the eerie green light from the glow worms trying to attract their lunch. The hungrier they are the more they glow, it was a special sight. I did several more walks after but in the end I had to head back to the hostel to seek shelter as rain washed the rest of the afternoon away.
The next day I was on the move again as I hop on a bus to Greymouth, the main town along the west coast. I arrived to excellent weather and after arriving at my hostel I instantly jumped on one of the free bikes and rode down to the sea front. From the end of the pier I was able to get a view of the whole Southern Alps including my first view of Mount Cook. After I headed down to the beach to try my luck at gem hunting, trying to find the famous green jade that is so iconic of Maori weapons and jewellery, though my search was unsuccessful. In the evening I headed down to the pier once again to watch the sunset and was greeted by the sight of a pod of dolphins playing with local surfers.
Another day another bus as this time I was heading to Nelson near to the top of the south island. It was a long journey but we had an interesting stop-off at the pancake rocks, a series of rocks sticking out of the sea which look like a stack of fat pancakes piled by top of each other. I arrived in Nelson in the evening so just relaxed that night.
Wanaka
02/02/12-04/02/12
Only a short bus ride as I was just moving on to Wanaka which is only around an hour away from Queenstown. I arrived to find that the weather was pleasant once again so with only a short time to explore the surroundings I did an afternoon hike around the bay to Beacon Point passing a variety of mountain ranges before I continued a short way in the direction of Arthurs Town.
The next day I hiked up to the top of Mount Iron to get some good views of the surrounding area. In the afternoon I walked along the other side of the bay to see the town nestled at the end of the bay.
Another long travel day as I left Central Otago behind and made my way further north by way of the West Coast. On route we passed through scenic Haust and then followed the road next to the coast as the rainforest grew around us. Finally in the late afternoon we emerged into glacier country and my jump off point of Franz Josef.
Only a short bus ride as I was just moving on to Wanaka which is only around an hour away from Queenstown. I arrived to find that the weather was pleasant once again so with only a short time to explore the surroundings I did an afternoon hike around the bay to Beacon Point passing a variety of mountain ranges before I continued a short way in the direction of Arthurs Town.
The next day I hiked up to the top of Mount Iron to get some good views of the surrounding area. In the afternoon I walked along the other side of the bay to see the town nestled at the end of the bay.
Another long travel day as I left Central Otago behind and made my way further north by way of the West Coast. On route we passed through scenic Haust and then followed the road next to the coast as the rainforest grew around us. Finally in the late afternoon we emerged into glacier country and my jump off point of Franz Josef.
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