Back to Nature

To give you an update on my journal.. Nothing! Almost a week has passed now and I have written it off as a stupid mistake on my behalf. I will buy a new one the next couple of days and start from now..
One thing I forgot to mention was on Wednesday I stopped to take a look at the Pupu Springs on my way to the Farewell Spit. They are NZ's largest natural spring which boast the clearest freshwater in the world. Beautiful!
Thursday I did finally get to Abel Tasman, but not before taking a detour to Wainui Waterfall, passing over a great little swingbridge and nearly killing myself when I slipped on the wet, mossy rocks near the actual waterfall. Fun, fun.. The 6 hour tramp in Abel Tasman was tiresome, but very visually and personally rewarding, with magnificent yellow-orange sandy beaches backing onto lush rainforest and great views over the entire park. I even saw a seal close-up at Separation Point, but I think I got a little close when it started growling at me.. I've never backtracked so quick in my life!
That night I made my way down to St Arnauds in the Nelson Lakes National Park, arriving just before 2200hr. Big day, a total of about 8 hours solid walking.. In the morning I was up early to go for another brisk walk in this park. Two hours later I was standing on top of Mt. Robert (about 1200m above sea level) in what becomes a ski field in the winter, looking over the brilliant blue Lake Rotoiti. It even started snowing while I was up there, and I was only wearing shorts! Brrr.. But again very visually and personally rewarding!
Later on, I took the scenic route down to Arthur's Pass where the weather was, exactly as last time, very wet and cold. Again the wood-fire was raging and I met a great British guy by the name of Scott, who seems to be at exactly the same stage of his trip (and life in general) as myself. Was again a great chilled environment, lovely to relax in.
In the morning, I shot off at about 0830hr towards Christchurch as a stop off on my way to Mt. Cook, where I hoped to do some tramping, as the last time I was there you couldn't even see the mountains due to rain and low-lying cloud. On the way, I passed by Peel Forest, which is one of the most important forest scenic reserves in NZ. There are trees over 1000 years old here, one of which is a Totara tree with a diameter of nearly 3 metres!
The weather was pretty much the same as last time in Mt. Cook when I arrived (even worse with a thunder storm passing over), but the forecast for Sunday was supposed to be much better. And that it was. I awoke in the morning and lo and behold.. clear skies! I set out at 0730hr, with a great German guy by the name of Timo, to the Hooker Valley which the mighty Mt. Cook totally dominates. As we entered the valley (after crossing two more swingbridges), the winds picked up and reached nearly gale force by the time we arrived at the end of the track at Hooker Lake. We had to hide in a crevice under a large boulder as shelter from the wind and hard-hitting rain/ice particles flying through the air. In the lake we found several small icebergs that had recently broken off from the glacier which feeds the lake. Stunning! And the views of Mt. Cook, although partially obstructed by cloud, were unbeatable! The cloud peeling away from the peak looked amazing!
Then it was back to Qtown, which is where I am at the moment.. No, not to stay, but as a stop on the way to Te Anau, leaving in a few hours. My first trip south into Fiordland, very exciting! I have a few loose ends to tie up here, such as getting Tana serviced and posting more fliers in hostels about my Magic Bus Ticket.
On Wednesday, my first proper tramping session begins.. The Milford Track.. It has been claimed that this is the finest walk in the world! And I am so excited for this one as it is one of the few things I really wanted to do here in Aotearoa. Four days, three nights, and a whole lot of waterfalls! Starting at the northern tip of Lake Te Anau, myself and several others work our way though the spectacular Fiordland National Park, 53.5km to a place called Sandfly Point (I wonder what's there?!) in Milford Sound. I've been told to expect at least one day of rain as this area receives 14 days of rain out of the 30 in November. Let's hope the Gods are feeling generous! I'm expecting to be out of mobile range for these 4 days, but who knows, maybe they've decided to put some towers around the park? I'll check that out when I get to Te Anau.
Wish me luck, and some good weather! Oh and Lee, as you suggested, I'll try not kill myself on the track!

I've added a couple of photos to my previous blog aswell.

Photos:
1. Pupu Springs, this picture doesn't do the place any justice, but you get the idea..
2. Watch your step!
3. The Wainui Waterfall (this is just before I slipped!)
4. Serenity in the Abel Tasman
5. Sunbaking anyone?
6. "I made it!" to the top - Abel Tasman
7. Looking over the valleys of Nelson Lakes National Park
8. "I made it!" to the top of Mt. Robert, that is Lake Rotoiti
9. Huh?
10. Sculpture made using metal beams salvaged from the WTC. Donated to the City of Christchurch in memory of the NZ firefighters who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks
11. Damn hippies!
12. Some interesting limestone formations I came across on the road from Arthur's Pass - Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area
13. Timo and I enjoying 'second breakfast' while sheltering from the harsh winds - Hooker Lake, Mt. Cook
14. Mt. Cook in all its glory. See what I mean about the cloud eminating from its peak?

Stupid, stupid!!

After writing my last blog entry on Monday night, I inadvertently left my backpack unzipped as I exited the internet cafe. It wasn't until the morning that I realised my journal (the one I had just brought up-to-date a few days earlier) was missing. I searched frantically thru my room in the hostel and then ran down the street, retracing my steps from last night. Unfortunately, my journal was nowhere to be seen.. After sticking up posters around town, giving my number to the Police Lost and Found, putting an ad in the newspaper, sending a message to all hostels in Nelson, etc. all I have been able to determine is that someone saw an elderly couple pick it up that night. I have now left Nelson, but have left my number with Alan from Trampers Rest in case he hears anything. I still hold some hope of having it returned, but 2 days on it's not looking good.. In that journal was everything from my last 7 weeks of travelling, the people I have met, the places I have been, etc.. Not to mention a card from Nic. I guess I'll just have to start afresh from now if it doesn't turn up.
I didn't get a chance to do Abel Tasman on Tuesday due to bad weather and the fact that I was putting all of my energy into trying to locate my journal. Today, I worked my way west from Nelson, up to a place called Takaka on the northern end of Abel Tasman. Later on this afternoon, I drove to the Farewell Spit, a 26km long sand formation extending from the shoreline into the sea. Most of this unusual scythe-shaped geological formation is a renowned bird sanctuary - the summer home of thousands of migratory waders from the Arctic tundra - limiting access to guided groups only. I attempted to walk the publicly accessable track around the base of the Spit, but torrential rain forced me to turn back. Tomorrow, the weather is looking a little better, so I will be doing the walk in Abel Tasman from this northern end (apparently it's a nicer walk anyway).

No pictures as of yet (this computer is ancient)...

Photos:
1. Looking quite wet at Farewell Spit
2. Hmmmm, just in case..

Haere Mai... Tana

Well I am now the proud owner of a 1990 Honda Civic. Her name.. Tana (named by the previous owners, the French couple, Anne and Julien). I did, however, have to make my way up to Picton (top of the South Island) to buy the car as the guys work up that way in a place called Punga Cove Resort on the Marlborough Sound. More about that later...
After I left you last, I spent another couple of days in Qtown mainly looking for cars, trying to sell my Magic Bus ticket, and hanging out with Andrea and Claire (Andrea's pal from back home). Tuesday was, as everyone knows, Halloween. I thought I'd get into the spirit by dressing up as... you guessed it... a cripple. A skydiving accident from a couple of weeks back.. Damn parachutes! It was great fun and made all that more believable by the fact that the three girls I was out with were dressed normally. But there were some great costumes out and about, some people had put a lot of thought and effort into it which was great to see, and what a laugh it was to watch the Siamese twin freaks with a total of 3 legs try rip it up on the dancefloor! Oh, and I had to have one last Fergburger aswell.
Wednesday I was up early to hitchhike as far as I could towards Picton, and worked my way up to Hokitika (on the West Coast), meeting some great people along the way. Don't freak out ma, the West Coast is a very friendly place (if I haven't said already), a very small country town oriented region, making it very safe for hitchhikers.. The next day the same again, with one guy named Kevin actually taking me about 170km (or 2 1/2 hours) out of his way to drop me at a busy intersection, one of the main routes for traffic travelling from Christchurch to Nelson/Picton, so I would have a better chance of being picked up. What a nice guy!
Well, I eventually made it to Picton Thursday night to meet Julien and Anne and look at the car. After having looked at quite a few (cheap) duds in Qtown, this one just felt right, so it wasn't too long before they were handing over the keys. They had no transport back to their work in Punga Cove, so I agreed to take them there, not realising it would take over 2 hours to get 65km (a very winding road up very hilly terrain)! But it was worth it.. This place was truly a paradise. Amazing views over the Marlborough Sound, and very, very secluded. I was able to score free accomodation in the staff quarters, spent some time in the spa, sat out on the beach for a night watching the clouds eclipse the moon, and even helped them out by working a shift in the restaurant's kitchen on Friday night! I used the extreme relaxedness of the place to focus almost entirely on my journal on Saturday, finally getting it up to date after so many weeks.. Phew! It's amazing what a load off my mind that was.
After this, I said goodbye to the guys and drove Tana down to Nelson yesterday. I found this great little backpackers called Trampers Rest: a very warm and welcoming host, Alan, has set his own house up with 9 beds in a few rooms, makes a cup of tea for each new guest as they arrive, lets them borrow his bikes, everyone watches movies together, etc. Sort of like one big family.. What a nice change from some of the military-style dormitory establishments that you can come across.
I gave Tana a good wash yesterday (she needed it after being driven on dirt roads for the past 4 weeks). Today, I made the journey to the exact geographic centre of NZ.. Funny how it seems to coincide exactly with the summit of a hill. Later, I made my way to the World of WearableArt Museum which showcases the wonderful, and often amusing world of art that can be worn as a garment. Everything from bras with former US Presidents' faces moulded on them, to dresses made entirely of golf tees. Very interesting..
Tomorrow, I'll be doing a bit of tramping in the Abel Tasman National Park. Hopefully the weather holds out..

Photos:
1. This is Tana (a little dirty)
2. Ouch.. Andrea and I @ Altitude Bar on Halloween
3. During one of my long walks between rides on Wednesday I came across this fantastic view
4. At Punga Cove Resort
5. View of the islands north of the South Island. Titirangi Bay
6. Getting ready for a hard-day's work
7. Julien and I
8. The helicopter that decided to land on the main lawns of the Resort
9. Good to see someone's thinking of the environment!
10. Strange forces are afoot at the Centre of NZ...
11. I suppose one more photo of sheep couldn't hurt. On the way to Picton

Let's do this!

Back in Qtown now. I am searching quite in depth for a car now.. I have decided to take the plunge and purchase a car to take me the rest of the way around this beautiful country. I have located one in Picton that is actually owned by a French couple I met in that great YHA in Punakaiki. I have to just try and find my way up there to check it out...
Well, continuing on from my last post, I made my way to Hanmer Springs on Wednesday. Within minutes of arriving, walking down the seemingly peaceful and safe streets, I was coerced into a moving vehicle full of strangers and whisked away to some unknown destination. Turns out that the vehicle was actually a four-seater bicycle (technically a quadcycle), and 'whisk' meant rode sluggishly down the road at about 10km/h. Great fun though..
And what a coincidence it was that I happened to bump into some people there I believe I had seen before.. Nic and Jode! They were up there admiring the views, the thermal springs and, of course, me. On Thursday, we did venture into the hotsprings, but not before I purchased some boardies (for some reason I didn't think I'd be doing any swimming over here..?) and a new pair of thongs (flip-flops for those uneducated folk among us). There are several different temperature pools in the complex, determined by the volume of cold water running through each spring, from 26 to 40 degrees C. It doesn't seem very natural here, however, with the pools having been moulded in cement and tiled. I thought we'd be chilling out in a swamp or lake-type setting, not a commercial swimming pool. A little disappointing, but still made for a relaxing day.
The next day, we parted ways again (briefly), both cars heading in the direction of Christchurch. We happened to both take a detour down the Inland Scenic Route and ended up in a place called Sefton! I had to find a park there somewhere, and was pointed in the direction of the local Domain where several pictures were taken. Moving on, we bumped into each other again in Sheffield (the girls' home town back in England) where more pictures were taken.
After all the pictures were taken and reminiscing done, I headed back to Christchurch and then onto a quaint little sea-side town called Akaroa, about 90km South East of the city. This town was one of the first French settlements in New Zealand, and they like to keep it that way with street names such as Rue Lavaud and houses such as the Langlois-Eteveneaux. I stayed in a place called Chez la Mer, with English translation: at the sea. The entire settlement is based, along with several other towns, around the edge of a volcanic crater which now forms a magnificent sound.
Yesterday morning, I did a bit of swimming with the dolphins at the mouth of this sound. Definitely not one of my most distinguished moments.. The dolphins were fantastic: more than 20 or so Hector's Dolphins came well within arms reach of us. However, my feelings of discomfort with being in the open sea, equipped with only snorkelling gear were far too great for me to bear, and I eventually climbed back into the boat to watch the others from the deck. This tells me one thing: I need to get out there more often! Was a great experience though, if only brief..
I stopped off at the massive Lake Tekapo before arriving at the Mount Cook township (Mt Cook being the highest peak in NZ) a good 6 hours after setting off from Akaroa. Most of the afternoon and night was plagued by high winds and rainfall, so no outdoor activities such as scenic walks were undertaken. I did manage to watch the New Zealand vs Great Britain Rugby League match being played in Christchurch on TV. And wouldn't you know it, on screen, among the crowd of 17,005, was Nic (even if she doesn't believe me)! This girl is stalking me! ;)
This morning, I made my way back to Queenstown to drop the car off. Luckily, the guy didn't notice the sheep stuck in the grill. Phew!! Some quite Lord-of-the-Ringsesque scenery around this area, which isn't surprising as some of the surrounding areas were used in the films.. Well, I'm back in the same room as I had before, and have met up (again) with Andrea as she is working as a cleaner in the same hostel.
Tonight, I think I will be trying to catch up on my travel diary again: I am still over 2 weeks behind..

Photos:
1. The offending vehicle
2. Nic, Jode and Nigel
3. One of the thermal pools - Ooooh so warm..
4. Look what I found, Ma
5. In the park in Sefton.. Steam train or tractor?
6. Aquaman
7. In amongst the dolphins, Akaroa
8. Attempting to stand in front of Lake Tekapo. My heels are actually off the rock in this pic, it was so windy..
9. I thought I needed to put a picture of sheep in here somewhere (the white specks).. On the way to Qtown
10. For Lee

12000ft and FALLING!

Saturday afternoon, I said my goodbyes to Nic and Jode, and hired my car from Qtown. A little silver AWD Toyota Starlet to take me on my first real (albeit short) solo tour around the South Island. And how good it feels to be free to go wherever I want, whenever I want.. So much so that I've contemplated selling the rest of my Magic Bus ticket and buying a car instead. Not sure if that's actually going to happen, but it's looking very appealing to me at the moment.
A short scenic drive later, I was in the lovely lakeside town of Wanaka. Another beautifully relaxed settlement, with magnificent views of the abutting Lake Wanaka and distant towering Alps.. It was here I met two North-Islanders, Jesse and Yannick, on their way back to work after a 3 month stint in the South. Sunday morning, the boys and I made our way to an eccentric alternate Universe known as Puzzling World. Pretty much a whole bunch of interactive optical illusions, holograms, and one big friggin' maze called the Labyrinth (1.5km of passages on two levels!). You can even slide uphill if you like in the Tilted House (a room tilted at an angle of fifteen degrees). Some very clever constructions here, and a lot of fun, even for such a mature and conservative citizen (correction: resident) as myself.
Later, we ventured along an admittedly moderate 4WD dirt track, in the boys' 2WD stationwagon, to a location known as Matukituki, just past the triplet mountain peaks named Treble Cone. The entire area, complete with grazing livestock, waterfalls and the extremely clean (and cold) Matukituki River is so very serene and unspoilt by humans.. It makes me wonder why areas such as this aren't more accessable to the general public! We climbed up part of a rockface to simply sit next to a 30m waterfall (and watch the young family below toast [well, smoke] marshmallows over a makeshift fire).
Onwards that evening to Haast, another small community; the first real town you pass after entering Westland. This place is apparently not large enough to warrant mobile coverage. In fact, I'm finding along most of the West Coast that coverage drops off whenever you are not within 2km of a substantial town. Several things, including this anomaly, make it very clear that they are quite happy living relaxed, country-town style lives over here in Westland. A lifestyle I respect, but not sure I could uphold for long.
I watched the sunset over the Tasman Sea that night.
Moving on quickly from this deserted town in the morning, I set out for Fox Glacier. On the way to the township, I stopped off at the glacier and walked about 2.5km up to the terminal face (I had to jump the fence to do so, as did many others). On my way back to the car, I put my hand in my pocket and.. Nothing! My car key had fallen out somewhere amongst the millions of crushed stones and rocks in front of the glacier! After about an hour of frantic searching, I was lucky enough to spot the white tag attached to the key, and my heart could then drop nicely back into my chest cavity. Lesson #2: Ensure keys are safely secured in a pocket or backpack before venturing near a glacier.
Due to a lack of mobile reception at Fox, I thought best to head 25km up the road to Franz again. Upon arrival I realised that Andrea, a Northern Irish gal I had shared a room with for that week in Christchurch, had just rocked up on the Magic Bus and was staying in the room just around the corner from mine. It was great catching up with her again.
And now the fun part.. This morning I was picked up at 1100hr and taken back down to Fox. We drove down a stony driveway, amongst cattle, to a little office in a shed. I signed a legal waiver, put on a red and black jumpsuit, and a tight body harness. I climbed into a lightweight propellor plane with my tandem master Mel, and we took off, heading for 12000ft above the Fox Glacier and the Southern Alps. That's right.. Skydiving!!! This time, anxiety did kick in around 8000ft, but only for a few moments until I was hanging completely out of the side of the plane, with the straps attached to Mel the only thing keeping me from falling. And then Mel wasn't even keeping me from falling... He had pushed out and we were in freefall.. A little longer than the bungy, this time at around 45 seconds before the cord was pulled. And boy did it not feel like 45 seconds. It was over in a flash. But the scenery from up there... You could see over the Alps, the plains, the forests, the weaving rivers, right out to the ocean. You think they look amazing from the ground, but just wait until they're coming up at you around 200km/h. Another unforgettable experience made possible only in New Zealand! Mel had a handycam strapped to his arm the entire way down, and the footage is just fantastic.. I've watched it a few times already, feels like I'm right back up there doing it every time.
I have now finally worked my way up to Reefton (remember that bike ride again?). A very small quiet town, but I believe an Australian mining company will change that with a goldmine due to open here around December this year. I also have a double bed all to myself (first time since I left) which is nice, I'm looking forward to that in a few minutes. Tomorrow, I head to a place called Hanmer Springs, a town built around a popular hot spring which was discovered in the late 1800s. This town also housed the South Island's leading rehabilitation centre for sufferers of drug addiction, until it was controversially closed in 2003. Sounds like a fun little group of people...

Lots of pics this time, sorry if it takes a while to load up.

I've now changed the way you post comments so that anyone can do it, even if you don't have a blog. Drop us a note if you like...

Photos:
1. My little runabout
2. The water really is that blue... Lake Hawea
3. People tell me I'm tall, but this is ridiculous! Me and Yannick in Puzzling World
4. I found this plaque quite touching
5. Me and that glacier (it looks a lot smaller in this pic than it actually is). Not the best place to lose a key. If you look closely at my left pocket, you'll see the offending key dangling perilously...
6. Andrea, a mug, and an empty beer handle
7. Matt (the other lucky contestant) and me before our jumps
8. From the plane
9. Dangling.. Just before we jumped
10. Can't quite reach!
11. Crazy Mel and his trusty sidekick
12. A one-way bridge complete with train tracks that disappear around the corner.. Is it safe to cross?
13. Sharp price rise since last week. En route to Reefton.