New Zealand

Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 May

From Dunedin we needed to make the 440 kilometre journey to Te Anau, gateway to the famous Milford Sound, another destination on our ´must see´ list.

Spreading the journey along New Zealand´s famous Southern Scenic Route with a convenient overnight stop at Invercargill gave us the best opportunity to see some of the sights along the way despite our limited timescale.

First stop was the rugged coast of Nugget Point and a gentle but picturesque walk to the lighthouse, from which vantage point all manner of sea birds, seals and occasionally penguins can be seen.

No penguins in sight today, but a number of Fur Seals lazed on the rocks below.

Many of the attractions along this first leg of the Southern Scenic Route require more time to explore than we had available to us, and so we made a conscious decision not to deviate from the main road itself. Thus we didn't stop again until we reached the short but enjoyable walk through lush forest which leads to the impressive Purakaunui Falls

By now the afternoon was wearing on, and darkness had fallen by the time we reached Invercargill, a sizeable city around two-thirds of the way through our journey. Once checked into our hostel, we headed into the city in search of entertainment. Tonight was special for New Zealand rugby fans; the highly anticipated 'Super-14' final between the Crusaders (Christchurch) and the Hurricanes (Wellington).
A fairly lengthy search led us to a decent pub called the 'Frog and Firkin', where the match was being shown on a giant screen. We settled down with a pint to witness the spectacle of... a grey screen! The whole match was totally fog-bound with virtually zero visibility, but -bizzarely- the officials let play continue and eventually the Crusaders emerged victorious.

Heading out from Invercargill on Sunday morning, we stopped first at Riverton Rocks for a stroll on the beach.

and then on to the adjoining Mores Reserve for a gently climbing walk through ancient forest to sweeping views over Stewart Island, Riverton Bay and Riverton itself

Further along the route, a signpost to Monkey Island proved irresistable to our curiosity. Alas, the reality wasn't quite as exotic as we'd hoped;

Apparently, the island is named after the 'monkey-winches' which hauled supply boats ashore here.

After a brief lunch stop at a hotel in sleepy Tuatapere we visited the nearby Clifden Suspension Bridge which crosses the Waiau River and has the longest span of any suspension bridge in New Zealand.

'Are you Jake or Elwood?'

And so, after our two days on the Southern Scenic Route, we rolled into Te Anau, a resort gradually closing down at the end of the tourist season. In fact, we'd made it with just two days to spare to ensure a trip along the famous and unmissable Milford Sound. For today, we were content to take in the beauty of Lake Te Anau just across the way from our accommodation here.

Wednesday 24 - Friday 26 May

From the peace and serenity of Mount Cook we headed for the hustle and bustle of another city, this time Dunedin.
Our hostel called Hogwartz(!) and located just on the edge of the city centre provided us with a very comfortable double-room. Better still, we were located within five minutes' walk of South Island's most famous and revered brewery, Speights. Inevitably we wasted no time in booking an evening brewery tour...

Founded in 1876, Speights Brewery has a colourful history which includes seeing off at least a dozen other breweries in Dunedin, and demands for prohibition.

The tour itself was interesting and informative, covering everything from the first recorded references to brewing (by the ancient Egyptians), to Captain Cook's introduction of brewing to New Zealand, and the evolution of the Speights Brewery itself.

The dying art of the cooper

Pre-war copper brewing vessels are still used today

Naturally, the highlight of the evening was the chance to sample each of Speight's various products... Cheers!

Thursday 25

Another rest and 'catch-up' day today, getting mundane stuff like laundry and shopping out of the way (it's not all adventure, this travelling lark). Time to give the city beyond the brewery a more thorough investigation.

As its name might suggest, Dunedin has a heavy Scottish influence and was named in a tribute to Edinburgh by early Scottish settlers. The heritage is still obvious today through the abundance of shops selling kilts, tartan and other Scottish paraphernalia; even Haggis is available here.

Whereas many cities are laid out around a central square, Dunedin has a pleasantly landscaped octagon at its centre, surrounded by fashionable bars restaurants and cafes. The exhaustive shopping streets lead away in each direction.

Apparently, Dunedin's aesthetically pleasing railway station is the most photographed building in New Zealand, but when we saw it, it seemed to be covered in scaffolding and green netting. Oh well.

A long afternoon's blogging was rounded off with further refreshment at Speights Ale House (next to the brewery).

Friday 26 May

Not far from Dunedin lies Taiaroa Head, home to the only mainland breeding colony of albatrosses in the world. Going to see these rare birds seemed like a good way to spend a Friday morning, but we hadn´t anticipated the lengthy car journey (no petrol stations on the way!) to the tip of the Otago Peninsular. With winter well underway the morning was cloudy, grey and rainy but after an entertaining and informative talk about the lifecycle of the albatross we climbed the wet and windswept hill to the colony. Alas, the only obvious albatross was a solitary chick nestled on a path on the hillside (too far away to take a decent picture) but our patience was rewarded by a brief flypast; apologies for the picture quality!

Beneath the Albatross Colony lies Taiaroa Head´s other unique claim to fame - the world´s only functional Armstrong Disappearing Gun, based at the sea defence of Fort Taiaroa. This six-inch gun, installed in 1889, lies in a bunker and can be loaded and aimed underground before being raised, fired, and then retracted into the hillside - effectively ´disappearing´.

The Armstrong Disappearing Gun

Driving back from the Albatross Colony we spotted a sign for 'Penguin Place', where you have the opportunity to view rare Yellow-Eyed Penguins. Although it was four o'clock by now, we stopped on the off-chance that we might still be able to take a tour; and luckily, the next tour was at 4.15

Penguin Place itself is a hillside leading to a grassy plain by the seashore, with a warren of camouflaged tunnels offering various vantage points for penguin-spotting. Our guide was incredibly enthusiastic, speedily leading us from hide to hide as various penguins emerged from the sea and comically waddled inland.

All in all we had a fantastic day at Taiaroa Head and would recommend these activities to anyone; even though the weather wasn't great it didn't dampen our experience.

Sunday 21 - Wednesday 24 May (morning)

Heading west from Lake Tekapo, we made a brief lunchtime stop at the Visitor Centre at Lake Pukaki. Within seconds of stepping out of the car, two coachloads of tourists appeared and promptly disembarked, swamping the place! We beat a hasty retreat; scenic though the lake was, the real reason we'd stopped was to see if we could catch a glimpse of the distant Mount Cook. Sadly, today it was shrouded in mist.

Driving alongside Lake Pukaki heading for Mount Cook

We continued north-west along the side of the lake toward Mount Cook village, and in the course of the two-hour journey the skies darkened and the heavens opened delivering torrential rain. The world seemed to have been painted dark grey by the time we arrived at our accommodation, the excellent Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Lodge, and we feared that our time here would be a washout. Mount Cook Village was preparing to close down for a brief break before the Winter season; our lodge and the few shops and bars were virtually deserted. After a brief exploration and a bite to eat we retired to our room for the night, falling asleep to the sound of rain lashing the village.

Monday 22 May

We awoke to see bright morning light streaming through the curtains. But when we opened them...

... the snow was even less expected! We watched in wonder as the first fine snowflakes gradually grew to the size of feathers and began to settle on the previously wet ground. We thought it best to wait until lunchtime before venturing out in the hope that the snow would stop. It didn't, and by midday the village was covered by a thick white blanket. We threw on our winter woollies and headed to the nearby Tourist Info Centre where we were advised that it would be okay to take the Hooker Valley trail, a four-hour return walk which follows the Hooker River to the Hooker Glacier terminal lake.

The newly fallen snow had turned our surroundings almost monochrome, and the silence was slightly eerie but any misgivings were soon dispelled by the unfolding beauty of the black-and-white landscape.

The path took us over two suspended 'swing' bridges, but shortly after the second one, about 90 minutes into the walk, the path ended at a stream crossed by stepping stones; hopping out to the middle of the stream, no onward footprints or discernible clues as to where to head next could be seen. Darkening skies were closing in again, and so we decided to return rather than to risk pressing on in search of the lake.

Tuesday 23 May

The snow remained but the sun came out, once again bringing colour to the wintry landscape. One creature we were keen to see during our time in New Zealand was a particularly mischievious breed of parrot called a Kea. Highly inquisitive, these birds take great amusement from removing windscreen wiper blades and window trims from cars and are capable of undoing zips and buttons in search of food. They also have a distinctive and infectious giggle!

So this morning we set out on the Kea Point track,

a two-hour walk which follows the landscape created by the Mueller Glacier and leads to a viewing deck which looks out upon Mount Sefton, the Hooker Valley, and the majestic Mount Cook itself.

The clear sunlit day brought our snow-silenced surroundings back into sharp focus, allowing us to fully appreciate the beauty of the walk.

Taking our time, we eventually reached the viewing deck and there before us stood Mount Cook. Well almost. The upper reaches were once again obscured by cloud. This time, we were determined to get at least one decent photo and were prepared to wait. In order to kill a bit of time, we warmed ourselves up by painstakingly kicking all of the compacted snow and ice off the large wooden platform, thus making it slip-free for other users (we're so kind :o) )

Thankfully, all our efforts were rewarded and the clouds on Mount Cook lifted just enough to reveal the summit:

Our luck was not sufficient to afford us a close-up view of the elusive Keas, but we heard the little blighters giggling all around us, just teasing us to try and spot them...

Wednesday 24 May

And all too soon our time in Mount Cook was over. This had been the most enjoyable few days imagineable; our accommodation was excellent, the scenery breathtaking, the walks invigorating; all this and the unexpected bonus of snow!

We left feeling both sad to be moving on but excited too at what our New Zealand adventure might have to offer us next.

19 (afternoon) - 21 May

Did I happen to mention that New Zealand is beautiful already? Even on the brink of winter with dark skies, almost bare trees and snow-pregnant clouds it is impossible not to be filled with awe and admiration for the place on an hourly basis.

Lake Tekapo is a must-see on anyone's South Island itinerary, it is one of the most photographed lakes in New Zealand and also home to the legendary Church of the Good Shepherd.

We arrived at our hostel in mid-afternoon; a pleasant enough place, it had once been home to workers for the local electricity company. The walk from the hostel to the lake was less than ten minutes, and having settled in we made our way down to the lake shore to take in our first proper views (we'd had tantalising glimpses from the car).

We weren't disappointed:

Even in the afternoon's fading light, the vivid blue colouration of the lake, caused by the suspension of tiny rock particles in the water, stood out.

The other aspect that hit us immediately was the utter tranquility of this place, especially after the relative bustle of Christchurch. Apart from the muted sound of the occasional passing tourist coach, all was peaceful.
We drank in the views until the sun set,

at which point we noticed that Lake Tekapo and the village are pretty much unlit at night. And we hadn't brought our torch out with us. Oops.

Saturday 20 May

Time to get walking again - all in the name of viewing more spectacular scenery of course. Atop a hill to the west of Lake Tekapo called Mount John sits an observatory, and our morning's walk was to take us from the village, up to the observatory and then back down a winding track on the far side of the hill to run alongside the lake all the way back to the village again.

This was a typical crisp and misty autumn morning, with seasonally colured trees standing out against the pale background of the sky.

The gentle climb up through the mist was pleasant but unspectacular; where were the promised landscapes? Well, as we gained height the mist suddenly lifted in our immediate vicinity and - voila! A new panorama of snow-capped mountins...

Here too, was our first experience of snow underfoot for a very long time. Suitably excited by our first decent New Zealand walking experience, we set out on a smaller but no less scenic walk in the afternoon. The Lake George Scott loop rises gently from the village through a small larch forest then onto a narrow path along a ridge before opening out to give views over the Lake George Scott hydroelectric station and canal.

About halfway in to this short walk we spotted a bench and decided to stop for a snack and a slurp of water, and to take in the surrounding views. Well pleased with our day's exertions we continued the walk back to the village and into the warmth of the local bar where we quickly divested our winter togs.

Some time later... we were leaving and I realised that I couldn't fine my new and beloved woolly winter hat. Of course, I reasoned, I must have left it on the bar when we came in. Nope. In fact, I didn't have a clue where it was and as such I was inconsoleable at the thought of having to buy a replacement.

Sensing my distress, Sharon suggested that we do the George Scott Loop again in the morning. I was utterly convinced that my highly desireable hat was gone for good, but to humour her I agreed.

Sunday 21 May - early morning

We checked out of the hostel shortly after first light, and headed for the start of the George Scott Loop track. Knowing that I'm obviously not the sort of fool who would lose a hat while out walking, I wasn't optimistic.

We sped through the walk, racing through the larch trees and positively sprinting along the narrow ridge path until...
YAY! I spied my poor lonely woolly hat still resting on the bench where I had left it the day before. Sharon was so pleased for me that she completely forgot to berate me for being so stupid and careless in the first place.

Happily reunited with hat, we left beautiful Lake Tekapo behind

and began our journey to a place where my hat was to become indispensable - Mount Cook.

Christchurch, Monday 15 - Friday 19 May

Monday

We arose at 04:30 this morning to be checked-in at Sydney Airport for the 08:20 flight to Christchurch. The flight was pleasant enough and in seemingly no time at all we were landing in country number 8 on our itinerary, New Zealand.

Another dose of deja-vu here; New Zealand is as scrupulous as Australia as regards what can and can't be brought into the country. We watched in horror/fascination as fellow travellers were forced to unpack their belongings, but this revealed bags and bags full of potential 'contraband' food items in some cases. We (honestly) declared that we were not carrying any food and were thankfully spared the ignominy of having our hastily packed backpacks disembowelled for all to see. I smugly thought we were safely through Immigration until an officer asked to inspect my shoes; they were filthy - we'd done a lot of walking in Oz - and so I had to hand them over to be washed!

We picked up our shiny 4x4 (a Toyota Rav4) outside the airport, and headed to our hostel in downtown Christchurch. Having stayed in some relatively grotty hostels over the last 5 months, this one (The Old Countryhouse) was a breath of fresh air.

Heading out in the evening, we decided to try out our first New Zealand hostelry, an English-style pub called 'The Bard on Avon'. Expectations were decidedly low after Australia, and so we were pleasantly surprised to find great beer, terrific pub-grub, a roaring fire and, oddly, a 'Skegness is so Bracing' poster on the wall!

Central Christchurch

Tuesday

At once comfortable with our surroundings, and still feeling pretty campervan/jet-lagged we opted for a day of relaxation today. In town,we booked tickets for the next day's TranzAlpine train journey and, feeling the cold, splashed out on some new winter coats. Then after my cheapest ($5 NZ) and fastest haircut ever - about 5 minutes , I headed off to find an internet cafe in order to do some much needed catching-up on this blog, whilst Sharon returned to the hostel to chill out.
Not fancying a walk back into town this evening, we grabbed a meal from a nearby Chinese takeaway; and here we discovered for the first time that New Zealanders are generally VERY generous with their food portions!

Wednesday

Arriving on New Zealand's South Island, you are unable to avoid the sight of surrounding snow-capped mountains; in fact, wherever you are in the country you tend to be confronted by perfect Christmas card-worthy vistas. The whole place is staggeringly beautiful. Thus, the 8-hour return journey from Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur's Pass took our breath away - sometimes literally, since the small open-air viewing platform on the train was subject to vicious freezing winds. But here's a taster of what we saw:

Thinking we'd escaped the tribulations of years of commuting on the UK's hopeless railways, we were amused when one of the locomotives failed on the TranzAlpine train and was replaced by a unit hastily borrowed from a coal train. This hiccup aside, we had a fantastic day. As I write this though, the TranzAlpine company is looking for a buyer to run this very special train service.

Thursday

Bearing in mind that we are here at the very end of Autumn, the weather has been terrific; crisp, clear, cold sunny days. What better way to spend a day then, than go for a walk on the volcano that overlooks Christchurch. And if there's a cable-car (the Christchurch Gondola) to take you up there...

After the obligatory breakfast at the top, we took a quick one-hour walk heading north-westerly on the crater rim. After this warm-up, we headed back in the opposite direction for a three-and-a-half hour walk in the sunshine, taking in views of Christchurch, Littleton Harbour and the Banks Peninsular and disturbing the odd hill-dwelling cow.

Feeling virtuous after our day's walking, we ate out this evening at one of the many varied eateries along Oxford Terrace most of which are worth a look if you fancy relaxing the purse strings a bit.

Friday

Time to leave lovely Christchurch for our next destination, Lake Tekapo, but not before spending the morning taking a tram-ride around the city to take in one or two sites of interest: