NEW ZEALAND - South Island

CHRISTCHURCH > KAIKOURA > NELSON & ABEL TASMAN

I had a great flight over to New Zealand and was able to sleep the entire journey - I don't even remember the take off! I was rudely awoken after we had landed in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. Christchurch seemed to have a very english style and is also know as the "Garden City" due to its well established gardens where Caitlin and I speant much of our time in watching the Punting boats along the Avon river, reading our books in the grass and feeding the ducks.
On 4th September earlier this year Christchurch was struck by mamouth earthquake - which reached 7.1 on the richter scale!! It seemed to me that the city had recovered pretty well but taking a closer look you can still see much of the damage that had been done, for example, red no-enrty warning signs on unsafe buildings and churchs that were missing their steeples.

While we were in Christchurch we met met up with friends, Chris and Orla, who we had first met in Vietnam and then also in Cambodia and Thailand too! They had been in New Zealand for nearly 2 mounths already and it was great heariong about their adventures and looking at their photos to see what was in stall for us.


To travel around New Zealand we bought a bus ticket to take us around the South Island and up and across the North Island allowing us to hop-on and hop-ff when and where we liked along the way. Our first stop was Kaikoura a small seaside town with craft shops and cafes. The name 'Kaikoura' in Mauri, the native language, means 'meal of cray fish', which is one of the many examples of the plentyful sealife in the area. It was quite cold while we were there so we only made a short trip out that afternoon we arrived to go and visit one of the seal colonies, before going back to the lodge spending the rest of the day in the hot tub!



Nelson is often reffered to an "The Sunshine Capital" as it officially receives the most hours of sunshine anywhere in New Zealand. Caitlin and I were dubious of this as we don't always seem to have the best of luck when it comes to weather! But to our ppleasent surprise we were both greated buy the glorious sun which was perfect for the BBQ dinner :)


The following morning we went over to Abel Tasman National Park. On arrival we caught the water taxi further up the coastline with an aim to walk back to where we started, 12km down the costal track on land in time to catch a lift back to the hostel. Along the way we got spectacular views over Anchorage Bay and the Astrolable Islands out at sea. It was a beautiful day out on our own, discovering the scenic lookouts above the sculpted granite cliffs, clear streams, native bush and forest fringed golden beaches which made the most ideal picnic spots!



GREYMOUTH > FRANZ JOSPH > WANAKA

We had a long journey getting from Nelson to Greymouth. Although we did make some stops along the way to grab some food and stretch our legs the most memorable stop was infact unintentional... when the bus broke down! It was late afternoon and we were fortunate that it was still warm outside. The whole bus load pilled out of the vehicle and hopped the fence into the meadow opposite to relax in the buttercups. After a while some began to get restless as there was still no news on the 'broken bus' situation. So to pass time Andreas, a bus passenger from Sweeden, got up to shake things up and attempted to teach us all Salsa in the long grass!!
Finally we arrived in Greymouth and were dropped off in town where caitlin and I, along with most of the others on the bus, went to the Moneth's Brewery - one of New Zealands oldest brewing companies. We got a tour inside and taught how they make the beer and also a change to have a taste of the many beers and ciders they produce, my favorite was the crushed apple cider :) Greymouth is a very industrial town and the commercial centre of the region but apart from the brewery there didn't seem much else to do...

...So we wasted no time and set off to our next destination, Franz Joseph. Again it was another long distance to cover but we stoped in a small town called Hokitika to go panning for gold. I did manage to find some but I think its ratteling around in a pot at the bottom of my handbag now! For lunch I tried out Possom Pie, it had been a while since I tried out something weird to add to my list, it tasted quite similar to chicken - brown chicken that you find close to the bones in drumsticks. In New Zealand, however, it is illeagal for possom to be sold so instead we were asked for exactly a $4 donation for the pie!

Franz Joseph is located in the westland National Park and is home to the Franz Joseph Glacier (which is just 6km from the seacoast - a situation found nowhere else in the world). We had 2 days to spend in Franz Joseph. The first we went to relax at the outdoor hot pools, recouperating from the last few days of non-stop travel and also preparing for what we were to put ourselves through the next day... glacier hiking!

Caitlin and I signed up for a whole day hiking our on the glacier, so we were up early to meet the group and get kitted out with waterproofs, boots and crampons. First we had to walk for about an hour up the valley before we reached to glacier then we had a bit of a climb to get on top of it. From the bottom of the glacier it presents itself as an optical illusion, it looks relativly small and I found myself doubting the difficutly of the hike. what i didn't realise is that the guides that took us out have to take a different route each day and the glacier is constantly moving and changes overnight, so we were cutting steps and making the paths as we went. We were so lucky with the weather too as the day before it had been raining. This was great for us as the rain washes off the top layer of dirt that lies on the ice. The ice was stunning and incedibly blue. When the clouds cleared from the valley at lunch to give us a blue sky too the scenery was outstanding and so unique.

I was an amazing day out on the glacier, definitly one of my best days in New Zealand!

We got dropped of at Wanaka in the afternoon. After getting some lunch we took it down to the alpine lake to sit by the water over looking the snow capped mountains in the Aspiring National Park. It was a nice lazy afternoon :) That evening we planned to go to the cinema, recommened to us by Chris and Orla. The only film that was on was Harry Potter, which I wasn't too keen about, but Caitlin insisted as she has the hots for Ron Wesely (I don't understand why either!) The cinema itself was definitly worth the ticket price; before the film started we watched a set of funny home made video adverts for the attractions in and around Wanaka and instead of rows of chairs they had put in comfy armchairs and sofas, even a convertable car to sit and watch the film in! The best part of the 'cinema experience' was the half way interval when the kitchen put out hot home made cookies for everyone!

In the morning Caitlin and I went for a walk around town and up to Pluzzling World, another one of Chris and Orla's recommendations! It was a wacky place with a hall of challenging illusions and loads of interactive things to get involved with. They also had a tricky maze to master outside which we spent hours getting lost in!


QUEENSTOWN > DUNEDIN > TEKAPO

Later that day after finding our way out of the maze we got the bus over to Queenstown. That evening we met up with everybody on the bus to go out to celebrate with Ruben, who we had met in Nelson, for his the 26th birthday. It was a fun night with lots of drinking and lots of dancing but I did feel quite fragile when I woke up the next day!

That afternoon Caitlin, I and our room mates, Ally, James and Rob went down to the Ferg Burger Restaurant. Everyone who we had met along the way of our travels,who had already been to New Zealand,said that when we got to Queenstown we MUST try a Ferg Burgers, they're famous in the backpacker world! We put our orders in, I opted for 'Souther Swine' beeg burger including bacon, red onions and avocado. When we got the burgers and saw the size of them I was actually quite nervous about how I was surposed to finish the thing, they were enormous > as big as your head!

On our last day in Queenstown Caitlin, Ally and I joined James and Rob in their car to drive up to Milford Sound. After a long 4 hour drive, passing the time with 20 questions, we arrived and joined a cruise to take us deep into the Fjord and out on the open sea. It was a shame it was very wet and very windy, unfortunately we did not get to see the spectacular views we had heard about. Dreading the return 4 hour drive back I thought sleep was the best way to pass the time.

We had a short stop over in Dunedin, which means "Edinburgh of the South" due to the settlers who left the city with strong Scottish influences. With only the afternoon to spare in Dunedin Caitlin and I walked across town to visit Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world! It was a fair climb and a drinking fountain has even been put in at the top! Later than evening I cooked Caitlin and I some famous New Zealand lamb and veggies for dinner before buying places in the poker game organised by Ria and Steve. Quite pleased when I ended up coming 3rd out of the 9 players :)

Tekapo was our last stop on our trip around the South Island. We had a picturesque ride up to the small settling by the lake and again made some nice stop along the way. At this stop, Pegasus Bay, we practiced our balance on the near perfect round boulders. (from left to right: Ria, Caitlin, me, Steve.)

That evening we celebrated the end of the South Island ride with a huge BBQ in front of Lake Tekapo (see below). We all helped prepare the salads, marinade the chicken, make the burgers etc. and had a feast ready for 37 of us and it was delicious! It was a really nice way to remember the good times we had together and the beautiful island we had exploring for the last couple of weeks.

HO! HO! HO! From New Zealand =)

I HOPE THIS SAYS IT ALL...

Hiding in the flowers at McKenzie Valley.

Hiking the Frans Joseph Glacier

Snow capped mountains at Lake Wanaka

The steepest street in the world! Baldwin Street, Dunedin.

Soaking up the sun at Abel Tasmen National Park.

Stunning glacial waters at Lake Tekapo.

FIJI

Our plan was to go to Fiji to chill out and slow down our pace for a couple of weeks, this was our "Holiday away from Holiday!". Luckily we made it to the airport in good timing as we nearly missed the plane, it was changed to leave an hour earlier than we had though - apparently due to daylight saving hours... more like daylight robbery if we had missed it!

Fiji itself is made up of 322 islands, the three main islands being Viti Levu, Vanua Leva & Taveuni. Originally these three islands were know as "The Cannibal Isles" and although Fiji has preserved a lot of it's traditional customs, fortunately, cannibalism is not continued here!

FEEJEE EXPERIENCE

For the first part of our 'holiday' Caitlin and i got on the Feejee Experience hop-on hop-off bus bus to take us around Viti Levu. The first stop of the day was at Malomalo Village where we observed the traditional buildings and layouts and told about 'Fiji Time' and the fact that EVERYBODY in Fiji is ALWAYS late! So for example, if village meetings/ ceremonies were meant to start at 10am the drums to call villagers would start at 8am to make sure the people arrived on time! We were also taught more about cancannibalismm and tribe wars and that when a tribe lost a war, for example over land, the members of the losing tribe with a low status would either be cooked and eaten or buried ALIVE in hope that they would help hold up the houses built above them... I don't know whats worse!?

After the village visit and the cannibalism talk everyone was surprisingly hungry! So we went down to the beach for a big BBQ, before heading south on the island to the Coral Coast for our over night stop we diverted inland to go sand boarding on the Sigatowa sand dunes. Getting to the top of the dunes they were much higher and much steeper than they appeared at the bottom!

The following day was probably my favourite day on the mainland. We got up, out and into the rural. All the group got squashed into the back of a truck and left the glamorous coastline behind us and entered the local part of the island to go trekking. We crossed grasslands and ventured into the rain forest, passing wild banana and pineapple trees and crossed bogs and rivers as we went. However not having the correct footwear, only flip flops, we ended up doing the trek bare foot and got absolutely filthy!! After 2 hours we finally reached the Qaranigio Waterfall and were aloud to cool down and clean up in the pools :)

The next morning we were granted a lie in to let our limbs recover. When we set off again we were on our way to the small village of Wainibuk where the group of us on the bus got taken to meet the chief of the village and welcomed into his home to join him in a Kava Ceremony. The Kava drink is made from dried Kava root mixed with water, when it is ready it looks like muddy puddle water - and tastes like it too! It is traditional to drink the Kava from a coconut shell (ask for 'low tide' for half a cup and 'high tide' for a full cup) and you have to finish the drink all in one go.

From the chiefs house and the Kava Ceremony we went to visit the village primary school. The school enrolls 120 pupils aged 5 to 13. The group of us were given a warm and extremely loud welcome by all the children and I was show around the school and classrooms by a little girl called Mary, who was actually quite bossy! Before we left we were invited to watch a performance of singing and dancing from all the kids. They were all so energetic and enthusiastic, such a memorable experience.

On our way out we found ourselves driving through the sugar cane and cattle country to lunch where we had the chance to participate in the Indo-Fijian culture. We were taught how to make our own Roti, Indian flat bread, to go with the curry lunch - yum yum! Our last stop on the Feejee Experience bus was a visit to Sabeto mud & hot pools - located at the base of The Sleeping Giant Mountains in the Sebato Valley. These were no luxury spa, the pools are left in their natural state, so we got down and dirty covering ourselves from head to toe! It's silly how the rich and famous will pay hundreds of pounds for this kind of treatment!

Being on the Feejee Experience bus was such a brilliant experience, I think in the short amount of time we really got a taste of the Fijian culture & people.

YASAWA ISLAND HOPPING

For the second half of our 'holiday' we got a ferry pass to go beyond the main island and go to some of the smaller islands off the North West coast in the Yasawa Island group. We spent a week hopping between some of the island visiting Waya Lai Lai, White Sand and Bay of Plenty (plenty of what we did not find out!)

I am sorry to say that there is not much to write for this part of the blog, we spent all our days sunbathing on the sands or swimming in the sea... LIFE'S A BEACH!