Return to Queenstown

Previously on New Zealand Travels...
After surviving a night in a campsite with yellow eyed penguins and the disappointment of not seeing a kiwi we thought we were safe. We enjoyed the

Milford sound cruise blissfully unaware of the approaching danger. Then while relaxing on the bus back to Queenstown we find ourselves stranded in the wilderness. And now for the conclusion...
As you may have already guessed we were in fact at the start of a tramping track and had arranged the drop off ourselves. We couldn't do the Routeburn because the huts and campsites were fully booked. This wasn't a problem for the Dutch guy who hadn't booked a thing and was planning to pay at the huts. He didn't even have a tent but did have six days of food. He strode off along the track before we'd even got our bags on our backs. I asked Marielle how she knew he was Dutch. "I can tell by his accent and he's not German because Germans are organised and book everything in advanced." With the fate of the (probably Dutch) guy in the balance we finally got moving onto the greenstone track. We had a detour up a small mountain to drink wine and eat strawberries. This was the summer solstice and we were intent on celebrating it in style. We put up our tent on the campsite and failed at making a fire as the wood was wet. We still jumped over it because certain traditions must be observed.
The Greenstone is a two day tramping track following a river through a spectacular valley with snow capped mountains in view. The weather was glorious and we did some river swimming. It is also very isolated as almost everyone is one the Routeburn. We met a ranger at one of the huts and he had only three trampers staying the previous night. We also finally managed to make a successful fire with dry driftwood. We started it with lichens we found on the moor. "I've found the purpose of Lichens". Marielle is into lichens so this was a big moment for her.



Where we swam in the river.

Now the interesting part of this trek is we hadn't actually planned how to get to Queenstown from the finish. We were considering camping an extra night and then hitching from Glenorchy the next day. Fortunately at the car park we found a Swiss man with a car. "We Europeans should look after each other," so hurray for being European. He was kind enough to take us to our hostel in Queenstown.
We celebrated Christmas in Queenstown with a big hostel Christmas meal and a jump in the lake. We also met up with Andrew and Emily again to share our tales and experience Queenstown's overrated night life. Ok so it does have lots of drunk people on nights out which apparently is a good thing I'm told. Plus we finally had a place in New Zealand with reasonably priced beer. The first place had good beer at 5 dollars and was perfect apart from feeling the need to play some ridiculously loud music. So we were forced to leave and go to Rhino bar whose house beer is the most disgusting beer I've ever paid for. Then we went to a cowboy themed bar which apparently is amazing but Marielle didn't get let in because she didn't have ID. We could have walked 5 minutes to the hostel to get it but since we are all blatantly over 18 I don't see why we should and it was a good time for going to bed anyway.
While in Queenstown we had the pleasure of staying in adventure lodge which had free hire bikes which are actually really high quality. It also had the perfect kitchen for making carrot cake. We were planning to leave after 2 nights but then Marielle's German friend who she met in Australia was arriving in town so we had to stay longer. Every hostel was fully booked for new year so we moved to an overpriced holiday park which despite charging us 25 dollars each per night just to pitch a tent still felt the need to charge for showers. Top 10 holiday parks are basically greedy corporate scoundrels. We did at least get to meet the lovely Katrin. We had a walk next to the lake with wine and swimming in the full heat of summer. We then departed and were out Queenstown just in time before it got really ridiculous at new year.
So Queenstown is basically crowded and full of drunk people. But it is a good place to met old friends as everyone goes through here and is in very beautiful surroundings. It would have been a great place to fly into New Zealand and be immersed in Beautiful scenery from day one. The real attraction is of course the tramping tramps where you can spend a few days in splendid isolation away from stress and pressure of the modern world.

Tramping in the deep south

We had only one night in Queenstown to prepare for the adventures ahead of us in the deep south. I desperately needed a raincoat that is actually waterproof and fortunately mac pac had a Christmas sale on and I got a fabulous red raincoat which is tear resistant as well. I also took the opportunity to get a base layer. Marielle was talked into buying some gaiters which surprised me because normally she is very careful and precise with her spending. While in Queenstown we met up with Andrew and Emily who I shared a room with in Auckland. We first met up in the cafe with the finest hot chocolate in town. Then later for a drink in a random bar. Andrew offered to look after our bags while we went on our southern circuit because he is awesome like that. It turned out the hostel could look after them and wasn't charging for the service so all good. Since we were doing some tramping we were taking only the essentials. I practically only had one set of clothes so it's a good job the great outdoors doesn't have a problem with me smelling bad.
So for our trip south we were in a much smaller bus and with less people. First stop was Dunedin and the speights brewery tour. The highlight of this was where we got 30 minutes to sample the beer. It's fun being a lightweight. I also got to run down the steepest street in the world. Don't worry, Marielle recorded it so you'll get to see it eventually.
The next day had us travelling to Invercargill. One of stops was at lake Wilkie where the distant roar of the sea provides the backdrop for the cacophony of birdsong in the lush forest. The lake is over centuries shrinking and being reclaimed by the forest. This is a fascinating and sensitive ecological phenomenon. We also got to see some sea lions on a beach and taste a spicy leaf off a tree which we then used in our evening meal.
The final stop was our campsite at curio bay which was near some yellow eyed penguins. There is a yellow line you are forbidden to cross to avoid disturbing them. So there we were lying in our tent when we heard a rustling sound. "I think the penguin is stealing our food." This is a camping first for me. We brought all our plastic bags in the tent and all was well.
On the morrow we had a surfing lesson on the beach. The surf school assures you that 99% of their students stand and sure enough the conditions were good and I stood while riding a wave. We are the 99%! We were sharing our surfing bay with a pod of dolphins. We took some time out to gaze upon these playful creatures. They swam straight past us and one even touched Marielle's hand. 
In Invercargill we left even more of our stuff before going to Stewart island. This included my razor and phone charger (anything to save weight).  We took the ferry, booked some huts and  we were off on our first tramp. We left our tent at the island hostel.  At this point were storing luggage in 3 separate hostels which felt like a cool statistic.
We had been told to expect torrential rain on Stewart island but the weather was actually warm and sunny. We hauled our backpacks to the first hut along a pleasant coastal path. At night we joined a group at the hut on a kiwi search but to no avail. The next day was an inland route that has been used by the Maori back in the day as they moved with the seasons. Once again we had a look for kiwis at dusk without success. We did however find some mussels on the beach and once again we enjoyed the rich bounty of the sea. We also played the one sentences story game and made quite an impression on the other trampers with our bizarre tale. The third day involved some beautiful beaches and Marielle even found some kiwi footprints in the mud.
When we got back to Oban (the  settlement on the island) we had a night camping in the garden of the hostel. A young local salmon farm worker by the name of Mitch wandered in with a big box of beer. We joined him for some friendly banter and one thing led to another and before we knew it he was taking everyone on a kiwi spotting tour. This took us to every green open space in the area with torches covering all angles. Once again we were disappointed.
So now I realise that despite not being in the deep south that long we still did a huge amount of stuff. So this blog will have to be split in two. But first I'll lead up to an exciting cliffhanger for your reading pleasure. So after Invercargill we went to Milford Sound which isn't a sound but is actually a fiord. A sound is a valley made by a river that has been reclaimed by the sea. A fiord is the same but made by a glacier and is therefore bigger and more impressive.  Milford sound is the most visually stunning part of New Zealand. It has huge rocky walls that reach up into the sky. Then there's all the waterfalls some of which don't reach the sea because they are swept into the air by the strong wind. The water from this area is very pure and the mountains are popular with base jumpers. After our cruise out onto the fiord we were back on the bus towards Queenstown. However, on our long journey back the bus stopped and left us and a guy Marielle assumed was Dutch in the middle of nowhere...

Down the wild west coast...

In Kaiteriteri we finally rejoined the kiwi bus. Had a bus driver who was new to the job and was filled with enthusiasm. I got to be an additional guide on the microphone and I naturally excelled at this. We decided to stop in Westport so we could hire a car to explore Karamea. Before we got the car we had a couple of spare days. There isn't much to do in Westport without a car but fortunately Marielle got talking to a German called Sven. "So you have a car and don't know what to do tomorrow? Well there's this place you can see the seals..." I mentioned seal clubbing and Marielle just ran with the idea so much I almost believed we were actually going to club some seals to death. Sven was probably too scarred to say no. Anyway we had a lovely day out and no seals were harmed although one got a bit annoyed when we got too close and did a grow which terrified me and Sven.
Now for the fun stuff.  The area around Karamea has some caves where we found heaps of glow-worms, a cave spider and an unidentified life form. It looked like a white ball of slime clinging to the wall. There was also a place of the map called Durins gate. It turns out this isn't a LOTR filming location but is a beautiful limestone arch over a river. We still had fun shouting Mellon in the hope a secret door in the rock would open. I'm not entirely sure what the rules are regarding wild camping so obviously we had to wake up super early in the morning before anyone could arrive. While in the area we had a look at the Heapy track and got a full blast of west coast rain. After our wet day we checked out the start of the old ghost road. This has some old abandoned mining huts which we couldn't find and bridge that was destroyed in an earthquake nearly 100 years ago. The weather had picked up again so we had a swim in the river. There was no sign of human habitation in the area other than a destroyed bridge and the path we were on. It is not everyday you can gaze upon such a wilderness. On our way back we encountered a fun looking trail called wonderland. It took us through a dense mix of streams, ferns and trees. We thought it would be a nice diversion on the way back (which it was) but it turned out to be way longer than we expected and we had to rush back. We dropped the car off with ten minutes to spare!
We took the bus down the coast. On a stop at Punakaki we bumped into Sven again who simply happened to be going the same way in his car and was totally not stalking us. I also bumped into two of the Israelis who I played taki with back in Rotoroua. While in New Zealand I have made the ground breaking discovery that you can eat kiwi fruit whole. Now Marielle was sceptical at first but soon saw the light. Now while on the bus a German guy was pondering how to eat a kiwi fruit on the bus. I was only too happy to help and even demonstrated to lessen his skepticism. Sure enough he saw how easy it was and there I go. Changing one life at a time.
We were stopping off in Greymouth purely because it had free kayaks. And true to it's word there were kayaks and a lake to paddle in plus free bikes. We also had a white wine that was not fit for drinking and could only be used for cooking. So obviously we made a lamb risotto which was so good a Chinese girl in the kitchen took a picture.
On out last full day in Greymouth we tagged along with a German called Robin who gave us a lift to Arthur's Pass. It was about time I went up a mountain. We had some amazing views until the cloud came in. We got raining on constantly during our descent. Robin was actually driving to Franz Josef after Arthur's Pass so we were dropped off at a roundabout to try hitch hiking for the first time. It actually went well and soon we were picked up by a a Taiwanese group who were on a two week holiday. They seemed really happy just because they were on holiday and were full of smiles and enthusiasm. They hadn't picked up hitch hikers before so it was a first time for everyone.
Our next stop on the Kiwi bus was the Franz Josef glacier. We had a full day to walk up to the foot of the glacier with all the other tourists. Franz Josef has been in retreat for a long time now and climate change is speeding up that process. It may be gone completely in 20 years. It is a good opportunity to observe how plants reclaim the barren land and over the course of centuries transform it into lush temperate rainforest.
Our next journey on the bus had stops at beautiful waterfalls and scenic views. I could have happily spent a day at any of them. Eventually we arrived in the alpine resort of Wanaka. We had a swim in the glacial lake before departing to Queenstown the next day.
So I'll stop there for now. Next up will be our adventures in the deep south which I haven't got round to writing up yet. Merry Christmas everyone.

Takaka

So you'll probably notice I keep throwing the name Marielle around in this entry. I think as you read you'll get an idea of what she's like and it's always better to show rather than tell.
So Marielle and myself decided to go to Takaka as it sounded worth visiting and the hostel has free use of bicycles. Being our first day and not knowing the area we just cycled to the nearest beach. We could see a few black shapes on the horizon but couldn't see any details and so thought nothing of it. Then a local woman told us they were three stranded sperm whales and we'd be able to see them when the tide was out. After an interlude of cycling and honesty box shopping we were back on the same beach wondering what to do. We decided to leave and return in a few hours when I decided to take a picture before we went. As my phone has no zoom I went into the water to get slightly closer and found it wasn't deep at all. I started walking out further to get a closer picture and I realised I'd be able to get right up to them as the tide was going out. At some point Marielle who was waiting for me on the beach to take a picture decided to follow me. So how to describe such an experience? Well of course it is tragic that three beautiful mammals should meet this end but it was a truly fascinating experience. The whales feel like rubber but you can tell they are real animals because there is blood running from the wounds. They also were covered in scratches that had healed over time. I guess living in the ocean can be tough. The real interesting part is the mouth. They have teeth on the top but not the bottom. They can just swallow animals such as octopus whole so there's no need for chewing. Also of note is the eyes which are small and hard to spot. Everything about whales is on a bigger scale but there's no need for eyes to get bigger if they already see everything like ours. We had some speculation on what their final moments were like before leaving. By this point the beach was full of locals who had all been sharing the news with each other. We told Seymore back at the hostel mainly because he knows everything and could fill us in on the facts. Did you know a dead whale is an environmental hazard because whales are full of oil? Well we do now.
The following day we didn't have any big plans but Seymore had organised a day trip with some guys in the hostel and said we should totally join. We were in the back of the second car with Seymore in the front passenger seat telling us everything there is to know about plants, weather, wind turbines, anything of importance. He is a better tour guide than any guide I've ever had. He led us through a delightfully warm swamp and a beach with sand that was perfect for joyfully running over. There were weirdly shaped limestone rocks which Marielle took some good photos of. While we were at the beach Marielle and I filled a plastic bag with muscles to eat later but no baby muscles. Were not monsters! Overall a superb day. You really do see more with Seymore.
The rest of our time was spent cycling to the best attractions in the area which were whatever Seymore had recommend. We have explored caves, examined lichens (she's into lichens), swam in a streams and listened to a tui that sounded like a plasma rifle (pew pew). The hostel owner Joules directed us to a lovely forest walk past a small hydraulic power station which was awesome. Joules is aptly named as she is full of energy like us.
Now all I need to mention is a fellow who travels under the name of Eli. Now Eli talks in such a compelling way that you don't realise how weird he is as he tells you about all the highlander/vampire/dinosaur erotica that has been published. Oh and he does a a perfect impression of agent smith from the matrix. There were bouts of hysterical laughter interspersed with awkward moments.
It is worth mentioning that we now have a tent and sleeping bags and are currently camping in Kaiteriteri waiting to rejoin the kiwi experience bus. I think that's everything.
Oh wait I forgot to mention that the kiwi birds can kill each other with kung fu kicks. They are being decimated by possums and stoats yet still they feel the need to kung fu kick kick each other to the death. They really are as stupid as they look.

Wellington and South

As I arrived in Wellington I once again had the disorienting experience of being plonked straight into the centre of a bustling city. As luck would have it there was a fireworks display in the harbour on my second night. I had slept through bonfire night in Taupo due to being exhausted from an entirely uneventful previous night. I figured the top of Mt Victoria park would be a fine place to view the display and I was not wrong. A good number of locals had also come to this panoramic viewing area and we got a fabulous display interspersed with fireworks set of by residents. I also visited the museum which tells you everything you need to know about the natural and human history of New Zealand.
Now you may have noticed in my last blog I rather matter of factly reclalled falling of a mountain bike. This hurt me slightly and wasn't a problem until the yank of the parachute opening during my skydive made it worse. A trip to the doctors confirmed that I had fractured a rib. There isn't much to do but allow it to heal and refrain from extreme activities.
On my last day in Wellington I went on a walk down to the coast to see some seals. There are operators offering to take you there in an off road vehicle for 100 dollars but I was far too adventurous/tight to take this option. At one point the wind was so strong I could barely walk against it but of course this wasn't going to stop me. I got to my destination and found two well camouflaged seals basking in the sun. On my return I was picked up by Kate who is a friend of the family. She was kind enough to treat me to a delightful meal at a Mexican after walking the dog. We got on very well and will meet again when I come back through Wellington.
I am now loitering in the Sunny town of Motueka. This is near the Abel Tasman national park which has stunning white sandy beaches making it feel like a tropical paradise although it is more warm than hot. I had a walk along the coastal track which involved some wading through the sea at points. I am staying at Edens edge lodge (the area has an apple theme going) which has a fantastic view of the surrounding hillside. With it's perfect weather and sweeping views it doesn't take much to make me stay here longer.

Auckland to Wellington

I wrote this on my phone and was unable to upload any photos. However, I have provided links to enhance your reading experience.


My original plan for New Zealand had been to work in Auckland for a few months before traveling at the height of summer. However while Auckland is a perfectly agreeable city it is not what I travelled to the other side of the world for. It was time to get of the city and see the land of the long white cloud while finding some waterfalls to immerse myself in along the way. The first place the kiwi experience tour bus took myself and fellow travellers to was hot water beach. Hear you can dig a hole in the sand and bathe in water heated by the molten rock which most of our planet consists of. Our tour guide/driver made it sound as if the exact location of the hot water on the beach required specialist local knowledge. In reality you simply need to look for the part of the beach full of people digging holes and the vising water vapour.




The following day involved an exciting trip to the waitomo caves. I had naturally picked the most exciting tour which involved an abseil in followed by a zipline and a few hours floating in an inflatable ring. Our party of nine descended with no difficulty and were amazed by the plentiful glowworms which inhabit this subterranean world. They have the appearance of small green LED lights and live on insects that have the misfortune of wandering into the cave systems. I also saw some glow worms in an old mine shaft and on a night walk, they get around. As we entered the 8 degrees C water there was much high pitched squealing from all of us. I figured I was going to freeze to death so may as well enjoy myself while I could. Anyway we all made it out without dying of cold or disturbing any balrogs. There was even a nice strong flowing waterfall to go through.




The next destination was Rotorua which I had decided to spend some extra time at, mainly to stay at somewhere other than Base Rotorua. I had picked A hostel called Funky Green Voyager which was as delightful as it's name is weird. The rooms are richly decorated with posters and paintings. Plus their no wearing shoes inside policy really makes it feel like home. Before settling down for the night I had a trip to a Maori village. Here we were taught some Maori words and attempted to do the haka. The highlight was a feast prepared in a hangi. The hangi method of cooking involves heating rocks in a fire then using the white hot rocks to oven cook food in a pit. Our hosts were quite insistent that we could have as many helpings as we liked. This is why it truly was the highlight. Feeling invigorated by this meal I spent the night at the hostel playing taki. For those of you who don't know taki is the mental Israeli version of uno.


My time in Rotorua was spent admiring the stunning geological activity and exploring the nearby forest. In the process I managed to fall off a mountain bike. On my last day I decided to try and find a hot water spring up rainbow mountain (yes that's real). After breakfast and second breakfast I set off on a 30km bike ride in torrential rain. The weather in New Zealand is remarkably changeable so I was confident it would clear. It didn't. I arrived at the bottom of rainbow mountain soaked and later than expected. I decided to head back but not without swimming in a warm lake while taking care not to let a drop of water near my mouth.
On the long ride back the weather actually did clear and I had some pleasant views.




Now it is very easy to put your name on a skydiving sign up sheet. Going up in a small plane to partake in said sky dive is very different. I giggling nervously on the way up while making the most of viewing lake Taupo from the air. You might imagine it takes some great feat of courage to make the jump but in reality your skydiving partner (who actually knows what to do) just sits you on the edge of the plane and then throws you out. I paid close attention to the banana position you should put your body in for the initial leap. For the rest of the fall popular culture had taught me well. So initially I made a kind of AAAHHH sound but soon I was completely loving the experience while being oblivious to the obvious danger. After crashing through a cloud I felt the yank of the parachute and I felt sick. I spent the gentle part of our decent focusing very hard on not throwing up. Now the skydiving people had a video package on offer which involve pre and post dive interviews along with a music video of the dive itself. Anyway there was no way in hell I was paying the extra 100 and something dollars for that. Besides I have already been interviewed this year and they didn't have the song I wanted. So instead I ask you to picture in your mind me falling from 15000 metres to the tune of robot rock.

Auckland

In Sydney I was hyper organised to make the most of my limited time there. I've been in Auckland a week and my first few days consisted of simply running sorting out my bank account and working out what to do. My first day of actually seeing Auckland was on a free bus tour run by stay bus. Did you know stay tour guides are contractually obligated to talk about trees? Well the most important plant in New Zealand is the silver fern. For a start it is their national emblem. More importantly you can use it as an arrow to point the direction you've travelled in if lost on a hike. The silver side reflects moonlight and so can be used at night. Originally they were used to direct Maori warriors back home after a raid on another tribe. The directions of the ferns would be changed on their way back to confuse any pursuers.


The day also included a BBQ on the beach. The weather was all warm and sunny until we actually started the BBQ at which point it immediately switched to wind and rain. Once again I've also done a Saturday park run, this time at Cornwell park. This isn't your run of the mill park. It has sheep and a volcanic crater next to the top of one tree hill. One tree hill use to have a single tree at the top but that was cut down by Maori activists, I don't know the full details but the upshot is there isn't a tree there anymore. It does however have sweeping panoramic views of Auckland which is a plus. Also of note is Mt Eden which also has sweeping panoramic views and a delightful volcanic crater.
Auckland is built on top a group of volcanoes some of which the guidebook assures me are still active. My other activity of note was a cycle ride round Auckland. This involved going past parks beaches and mud flats. Due to the aforementioned volcanoes there were plenty of climbs and thrilling descents. The highlight for me was a cycleway barred to pedestrians. I thought I'd check this out and found myself on a long continuous climb. However I realised that this would mean an exciting roller coaster of a descent when I turned around. Sure enough I went back at full speed with nothing to stop me. It wasn't exactly a bungee jump but still thrilling for a bicycle ride. I am pretty sure the cycle way was built with this express purpose in mind. Other activities in Auckland include a night of free beer at the hostel bar and a quiz night. I've actually made a few friends in Auckland. Overall a very pleasant city but ultimately I came to New Zealand for sweeping wilderness which is why I'm heading south on Wednesday towards Wellington where I intend to live for a few months.