The Last Day … May 12, 2013

 

The weather was not kind to us today … the rain this morning was so bad I was worried about my flight back up to Auckland. Luckily we’re all good and I’m sitting waiting to board – hope it’s not too bumpy.

So this morning after passing on the things we didn’t need to some of the people we met here we made our way out to our last touristy activity. It wasn’t exactly the greatest weather to go to a wildlife park but we paid for a cheap ticket online a couple of days ago and were both really looking forward to seeing some Kiwi finally. They have an inside house and because they are nocturnal and for the public to actually see them their lighting has been switched and we can watch them!!! I think we would have been happy to just sit in there for a couple of hours to get our money’s worth.

So we turned up and were the only ones in the car park, and the lady that checked us in told us we might be unlucky but were welcome to walk around in the rain if we liked!! We went to the visitors centre first to get out of the rain and met some of the keepers and volunteers. They said the best way to the see animals on a day like this was to follow the feeding route. A few minutes later and because we were the only tourists in the park we were invited to join them in their van and travel round the park with them!!!

Our first stop was the bird aviary where we saw blue ducks and some very naughty Kea. They are quite cheeky in the wild to and have been known to mess with people’s campervans and take food. These were no different and at one point I think he was trying to land on my head! We then went on to the ruffed lemur where to get out of the rain we were invited inside the enclosure to feed them!! It was a little mental and totally unexpected but we were allowed to go inside with them and the keeper to ask as many questions as we could think of and hand banana over to these cute fluffy Lemurs. We walked out not really knowing what had just happened!!

Next and leaving no time to process we headed to the Tigers where again we were invited inside to watch them being fed. They do Tiger encounters here so it was set up for that but we got it all for free. They are crazy big when your 2 meters away from them and these were the smaller type of tiger. We then headed to the giraffes where we were handed a branch and allowed to feed them over the fence … at one point if I hadn’t been holding on to the branch for dear life I could have reached out and petted one like a horse.

After some lions and spider monkeys we finally went to see the kiwi who should have been just waking up to begin hunting for the night. It was possible that we wouldn’t see anything but we got lucky again and saw both of them. They took a little while to come out but once they did they were running everywhere … we even saw the possible beginning of a baby kiwi which the keepers said was a rare sight haha!!It was the most amazing and unexpected experience on the whole trip and we walked out so happy that we decided to go rather than skip it that morning.

After a quick wiz round town dropping bags off and getting some petrol we arrived to give our Hector back to Escape. It was a sad moment taking all our things out and leaving him empty again. And now here I am waiting for my flight back to Auckland for my last few weeks in NZ. It’s been a great trip and something I would love to do again somewhere else … time to start planning my US road trip (I may need more than a month this time though).

A Long Weekend In Christchurch (P2) May 10, 2013

YAY blue sky!!! The weather prediction worked out and we were off out to Akaroa this morning. It’s sunny but as we found out it’s also rather windy and we got blown around a bit driving out. Once we crossed the ridge though it died off and we were able to enjoy Akaroa with a walk around in the sun. They really have done the French thing with road names and French food on most menus in the cafés. We explored all of the little trinket shops and enjoyed some sea food chowder before heading back. Not much done today but it was nice to sleep in this morning and take our time.

Up again and let’s see how much we can fit into the day. We started off at the International Arctic Centre which we bought on grab one for a fraction of the real price. It was actually quite cool … we went in an artic experience first. We had to put on a warm coat and some snow shoes and entered a room where they had the temp down to 8 degrees. They then simulated a typical day on a base camp in the South Pole with high winds and a temperature drop down to -18 degrees. I hid in the igloo they had built before going for a slide down the ice slide … yes I’m a child .

Next we went back outside and went on a ride on a Haglund which is one of the vehicles they use out on the snow. They had a track made up which took us over some pretty big bumps and having sat at the back we were thrown around quite a bit. We even turned into a boat at one point as we went through a water way making the wheels turn into paddles. When we got back inside we went through to the penguins and watched them being fed. After missing them in every place that sai d it might be possible to see them it was good to finally see real penguins … even though they were in an enclosure. We checked out a couple more areas including a 4D movie before we drove into the city.

We booked a one hour tour in an open top bus … but having arrived early we had a walk around the botanical gardens first. The bus tour was awesome, our guide had so much information about what had gone on in the city since the quakes and told us some really interesting facts. We were able to see heaps of landmarks, mainly the churches and old building which had the hardest time in the quake. I can’t wait to come back in a few years time to see what they do with the place!

For our final night we are at the same holiday park … tomorrow we have an animal park booked and my flight home (Auckland). We may have a slight bit of sorting out tomorrow to fit everything back into one bag. They have a table here in the lounge for things people don’t need or want any more – with the amount of cheap pasta and random things we have it might be better just to open the van and let people descend haha. It’s nice to pass some things on to people we have met here though … what with the quake there are a lot of people living out of places like this permanently, nothing will go to waste.

Last day tomorrow ….

A Long Weekend In Christchurch (P1) May 9, 2013

Soooooooo today was a little disappointing … we woke up to rain and a mist so thick we couldn’t see the mountains. After such a nice day yesterday it’s a real shame to wake up to such rubbish weather, I really wanted to go on the walk as well. As we come to the end there is a lot both of us are thinking about and decisions that are sitting heavily in our minds so this morning instead of a beautiful walk we had a beautiful lie in .

When we finally got going we headed out of Mount Cook towards Lake Tekapo where we made a quick stop at the house Kathrin had been living. It’s quite a cute town and we spent quite a while sitting in front of a fire in the restaurant that Kathrin’s host parents own. I’m so glad we came this way a little yesterday otherwise I really wouldn’t have seen much of the place at all!! We worked out our plan and after checking out the famous dog statue we decided to just drive straight through to Christchurch. There wasn’t much left and we were quite happy to see all that Christchurch has and just chill for a few days. We are now in a caravan park where we will stay till Monday when it all ends.

Up and ready for a day exploring the city centre … after the earthquake here a couple of years ago it was interesting to see what had been done and what had disappeared. We could get pretty close to the cathedral but it’s so sad to see how badly it’s been damaged. We also walked around a re-start mall which is built from containers … its really unique and may not be around for long as they are building the city centre again. We had the best lunch from a wood fire pizza oven as well, all built inside a container which was crazy.

We checked out some things to do over the next couple of days before getting some yummy stuff for a girls night in!! Tomorrow we plan to do Akaroa, a French style town … bit weird in New Zealand but we’ll see.

Lake Hopping May 8, 2013

The start of our last Wednesday travelling and the start of a new month … the month where everything happens!! Last night must have been the coldest night we have spent out here … we even woke up to frost and a frozen windscreen!! Tonight I think it might be time to break out the layers and we also have a huge fluffy blanket we’ve been keeping in reserve yay.

 Anyway we were off again this morning out of the van park and on the road to Mount Cook. Our first stop was a set of dams along Lake Benmore, a couple of which we could drive over and stop for some great pictures. The trees down this way also lend themselves to autumn changes and all the leaves were yellow which looked beautiful against the dark blue of the water. The trees here have mainly been evergreens and native bush which generally stays one colour … it was nice to see some reds and yellows.

Next we stopped off at Lake Ohau for a lake side lunch spot. The cold never really went away today but the sun was out and the sky was pretty much clear so we were happy. This was a day for lakes so we stopped again at Lake Pukaki before going for a trek up to the top for a great view of the area and to see something called a kettle hole. It was basically somewhere where there had been ice and once melted it had left quite a crater. We also got a little worried about the sheep as they seemed to have covered our entire path for the way back. They weren’t small sheep either … they had huge horns and looked at us funny

We escaped though and shot down to Lake Tekapo. This is where Kathrin has been living for the last few months so we left the actual town for tomorrow so we can see her family. There is an observatory on a hill called Mount John and it has a stunning 360 degree lookout from the top. I can only imagine how many stars you must see from up there at night!

We are now in Mount Cook and its FREEZING!!! We cooked some dinner and are now in the van covered in layers and blankets hoping that our phones and computers won’t die overnight. Tomorrow I am going to do a walk Kathrin has already done into the Hooker Valley … what with all the snow on the mountains at the moment it should be awesome!!

Weird Art And Photo Perfect Weather

We had a lie in this morning before setting off for a full day of driving. From where we slept last night Oamaru was really close and although we have to do a little backtracking today we wanted to see the town first. We went into the city centre where a lot of old Victorian buildings remain, it was quite cool to walk around some of the old warehouses which have now been made into a show place for a variety of artists. We had quite a fun time poking around in the little shops and looking at the crazy things people think of and design.

Oamaru is also known for its penguins but once again we are here at the wrong time of the day and missed out … I think I might just have to wait until I visit Auckland Zoo. We also checked out an art show building of sorts called Steampunk … let’s just say it was rather weird and I’m not sure either of us walked out knowing quite what we had been looking at. We left and made a brief stop back in at the Moeraki boulders … it was low tide and there were heaps more on show!! We messed about with photos again and had some fun with one that had a big hole in it

We backtracked by a bit and went a different way back again over Danses Pass which we had heard was a great drive. We managed to time it perfectly and had the best lighting over the surrounding hills and valleys. It was a great drive and we finished with ‘The Elephant Rocks’ which were another great natural feature. They were huge rocks in the middle of a paddock which just seemed to have come out of nowhere.

We are now in a campervan park on the way towards Mount Cook where we should reach tomorrow. Hope this nice weather sticks for the rest of our time!!

Exploring Dunedin (2 Days) May 7, 2013

Today was a chill day … Kathrin had a 6 hour train ride booked for 9 so I dropped her off and made my way to the Otago Museum for the morning. It wasn’t very big so it didn’t take me look to have a look around. There are quite a few things to do here but wanting to do them together tomorrow I had to leave a lot of it instead of doing it twice. I chilled out for the day taking in Dunedin and using some needed internet to catch up with things.

Once I picked Kathrin up from the station we were able to get along to see the steepest road in the world. We went to the shop first for our certificate before walking up (wrong way round I know but it was Sunday and they were about to shut). The view from the top was pretty cool but I can only imagine what it does to the cars of people who live up there! We also checked out another lookout over the city during sunset and had a look round the botanical gardens before making our way back for some dinner. One week tomorrow and I’m all done … it will be over in a flash!!

This morning we were off early and drove out to the only castle in New Zealand … Larnach Castle. It was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be, more like a nice house than a castle and we managed to arrive so early the whole place was covered in mist. We had a walk round the castle first hoping that it would lift but when we got to the top for a lookout from the tower it had stuck around sadly. The inside was nice though and it was interesting how well restored it was … apparently the family that owns it now has only owned it a short time and before that it had been left to ruin.

We had a look round the gardens although the supposed awesome view was hidden from us before we made our way back into town. 12.30 and we were in the Cadbury chocolate factory!! It was awesome and I could only imagine how fat I would get working somewhere like that. We learnt a lot about how some of the iconic NZ chocolates are made as well as getting some for free . Next was the Chinese Gardens which was a little strange considering it was in the middle of town so although shut off inside a courtyard with a pond and beautiful flowers you could still hear the outside. We had fun though and it was nice to sit down for a while with our free tea and fortune cookies. And then we were off saying goodbye to Dunedin.

We were looking for our next cheap DOC site but managed to miss it and ended up at the Moeraki Boulders as the sun was coming down and the tide was coming in. It was amazing though and we had fun trying to avoid the larger waves as they chased us up the beach. They are the craziest natural features I have ever seen, completely round and dotted up the coast line. There were fewer than I expected and being high tide I guess some of them where hidden but we managed to get some photos with the ones at the top of the beach.

We are now in another DOC site that was slightly easier to find trying to work out our next moves for tomorrow as we try and fit in as much as possible … my flight is booked for next Monday back up to Auckland and it’s going to arrive so quick!!

On The Way To Dunedin

 

Last night was one of the worst nights I have ever camped out/slept in a van. The evening was fine and being on a DOC ground it was hard to think of things to do in the dark without power for our inside light. We ended up reading and writing blogs before going to sleep early. At around 11 I woke up again to the van being shaken by the wind, hardly enough to tip it over but at times really making it move!! There was no way to sleep so I got up for a walk to see how bad it was out of the van … to be honest I got back in a lot happier and more worried for the other huge campervans and tents around us. Then the rain started … I’m not sure either of us slept much at all.

In the morning though we were up again and the sky was much clearer like the storm had washed everything away. We got on our way and first stopped at Jack’s blowhole. It was a bit of a walk again over farmland and at the end were walking away from the coast. 200 meters in land we found it … a 55 meter deep hole in the ground. Apparently it was created when the roof to a large undersea cave collapsed – it was pretty impressive and well worth the walk out there.

We then popped into Owaka where we found Teapot land (which I liked) and Doll world (which I didn’t). Teapot land was a crazy garden full of old teapots … normally during summer they have their ‘nice’ teapots out and there is a shop where you can buy some. For winter though they have the older ones out but it still looked cool in a weird sort of way … Doll world was just freaky.

We then went out to Nugget Point stopping at Roaring Bay where they have yellow eyed penguins although we couldn’t spot any sadly. We continued out and were rewarded with great weather while we walked out to the Tokata Lighthouse. This overlooked the ‘nuggets’ which were pretty cool … we could also hear some seals but were unable to see them this time. That pretty much finished the Catlins off so we drove on up to Dunedin.

We are now in a campervan park and I think we’re going to stay here for a couple of days. We stopped off in the town earlier to have a look around. It’s quite different to other towns with its old buildings and student atmosphere … we even managed to arrive in town to a full on protest about the government. Lots of things to fit in over the next couple of days before our last week starts …