After the Franz Josef comes the Fox glacier which (as we’d been told) is a much better glacier experience. You can actually get quite close to it; however, your reaction to the following picture is probably “Big deal”, except that what you are looking at is probably at least a hundred feet high and about a kilometer wide. They won’t let you go right up to it without a guide, as bits fall off all the time and squashed visitors are bad for tourism.

We stayed overnight there (Fox Glacier Campervan Park) before continuing on our southerly track. The next day was a horror with heavy to torrential rain while we were driving and then when we finally gave up it just rained harder still, complete with one mighty, very close, thunderclap. We parked in a remote campsite (Pleasant Flat) and didn’t get out of the van for 16 hours and it was very cold – good job we brought some warm clothing.

The next day (29^th) dawned with clear sky and we had a wonderful drive down here to Wanaka with several sight-seeing walks on the way. The Gates of Haast was an impressive gorge with thundering water that doesn’t quite come across in a photo.

The Blue Pools turned out to be green but the walk was pleasant and crossing the suspension bridge was exciting.

The road going to Wanaka passes by Lake Wanaka

and Lake Hawea

which are long North/South lakes with no sail boats (too shallow I think) but plenty power.

After stocking up on supplies in Wanaka we were directed to Outlet Camp (on Outlet Road) in the most fabulous location on the lower part of the huge blue Wanaka Lake, surrounded by mountains. It was a little noisy for us, as it’s absolutely teeming with power boaters and sea-dooers. We took a walk for a couple of hours along the Clutha River that flows (quite quickly) out of the lake and watched a jet boat run the rapids. Apparently, along with bungee jumping (spelt bungy here), the jet boat is a New Zealand invention. The river is the colour of jade and the walk was very pleasant, apart from dodging the hordes of mountain bikers on the path.
After a lunch by the lake we headed off South again through Cromwell, stopping to take a picture or two as we traveled down the Kawaura River valley lined with vineyards past the spot where the sequence “Pillars of the Kings” on the River Anduin was filmed for Lord of the Rings.

Arrowtown turned out to be our final destination that night with yet another location (Born of Gold Holiday Park) promising Internet access that didn’t work, with nobody having a clue what to do about it. - a familiar New Zealand theme. The next morning we took a walk along the river where more scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed. We’re not sure of the exact locations – there are no commemorative plaques – but here’s a likely spot for the ‘Ford of Bruinen’.
Later that day we drove on through Queenstown and over-nighted in a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite at 12 Mile Delta with the worst facilities toilet-wise so far. I won’t go into the grisly details here but if anyone really wants to know they can email us. And strangely enough it costs more than all the other excellently serviced DOC sites we had stayed at before. But as per usual the surroundings were breathtaking and it is in the vicinity of another LOTR site – ‘Ithilien’.

Now it’s New year’s Eve and we took in a few of the sights of Queenstown and met up again with Jane and John Forrest and their son James at John’s brother’s place outside Queenstown where we had lunch in the (rare but very welcome) sunshine with John’s sister-in-law Shirley. Queenstown is a beautiful town (filled to capacity on New Year’s Eve) on the shores of Lake Wakatipu which exhibits a seiche phenomena due to changes in atmospheric pressure. The level goes up and down every 5 secs by 10 cm. The Maori believe it is caused by the beating heart of a long vanquished giant. The following is a steam driven lake cruise boat

Here's Carol with Jane Forest on the prom in Queenstown.

Then it was on the road again and tonight, where Internet is promised, we are in Te Anau ready to make the trip up to Milford Sound. While taking a walk by the lake after supper, we met a very interesting fellow by the name of Richard McKay who is also at the Lakeview Campsite visiting family here in Te Anau. His mission is to play his violin in every town in New Zealand and he is willing to play for anyone who would like to hear him. Here he is entertaining us with his expert playing:

Just a little later came the New Year here in NZ, with a great firework display across the bay.

Progress to date:

The following was written yesterday but due to failure of Internet access at the camp site, it couldn't be uploaded.

It’s now Christmas Day in New Zealand but when we got up this morning the sun was shining, the temperature around 18 degC and it just didn’t seem very Christmassy. I remarked as much to a couple on the camp-site who it turns out came from Reading, 38 years ago and were the patriarch and matriarch of a collection of sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and myriad grandchildren who were all camping together in a tent/caravan city for a big Christmas get-together.

It was another pleasant place to camp with limited facilities and an honour box for payment. After we guzzled away gleefully from the water supply we found a notice warning us that the water was probably OK but you it would be better to boil it first – ugh! However, we’re still alive. We took the opportunity for a short walk through some primeval forest.

The camp-site was on Lake Manihapua where we stayed on our way down from Gentle Annie, via some food shopping in Greymouth, Hokitika and another visit to the Punakaiki pancake rocks and blowholes which did not really co-operate, but here’s a short movie of some of the sights.

Our destination was Franz Josef (maybe the guy visited here before he got shot) and the first of two glaciers we plan to visit. We are in a regular campervan park with power and showers and Internet access and we plan to go out for Christmas dinner this evening.

Current progress:

The wildlife park was a standout experience. It’s not a zoo and it’s not one of those places you drive through but the animals are in very open environments with water being used to keep most of them from attacking the patrons. We got to see two Kiwis which are becoming very rare. They are nocturnal and very shy. To make them available to the general public they have them in a building where night and day are reversed, so the light levels are very low and until they fed them, they didn’t even come out of their hiding places. Introduction of alien species (weasels, stoats, opossums, dogs and cats) into New Zealand has decimated their numbers and many other species too. The entire park is devoted to endangered animals from all over the world including lions, tigers, giraffes, white rhinos, wild dogs, cheetahs, spider monkeys. For all those pussycat lovers here’s a cute fella.

The weather did not improve for the mountainous trip to Arakoa for the dolphin encounter. That didn’t diminish the experience. The dolphins they have in the bay there are called Hector’s Dolphins and are the smallest in the world at just over a metre long and only live off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island and like most native species here, are endangered. They put you in a very buoyant wet-suit and over the side you go into quite cold water. You then swim around in a group (seven of us) and make silly noises to attract the dolphins. I saw about half a dozen under water as they flash past you or come straight at you and then dive until you can’t see them below you. By the end we were all pretty cold and the hot chocolate followed by hot showers were wonderfully welcome. This link to the World Wildlife Fund will tell you more about these beautiful creatures: http://www.wwf.org.nz/index.php/new_zealand_conservation/species/hectors_dolphin/

After a final night with the incredibly hospitable Forrest’s and promises to meet up with them in Queenstown over the Christmas break, we headed out for the West coast through the Southern Alps, via Arthur’s Pass and more stunning scenery.

For our overnight stay we chose a parking area with washrooms in a little place called Dillmanstown, just a few kilometers from the West coast. Turns out it was intended for overnight campervan parking and all they ask for is a donation, so we obliged.

The next day (Friday the 21^st in NZ) we hit the coast and via Greymouth and Westport, visited the pancake rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki. It absolutely poured with rain while we walking round the trail so we gave up and headed up the coast road looking for better weather and somewhere to stay for the night. We found a place close to the ocean and fairly inexpensive, Mokihinui, where we got to see a fabulous sunset on the beach.

The next day, off we set again heading North on the coast road of the South island until we basically got to the end of the road at Kohaihai (the South Western tip of the Kahurangi National Park), where we took the opportunity to go hiking for a couple of hours.

However, the West coast’s notorious vicious teensy sandflies make living outside basically unbearable. We had a persistent visitor at our campsite there, it’s a flightless bird called a Weka and clearly gets fed by tourists.

We met a young guy from Switzerland on our walk who’d hiked from way up in the North and the next day gave him a ride South, as we started our journey back down the West coast. He’s been here several times plus most of South America – Europeans sure get the vacation time.

Right now it’s two days before Christmas and we’re staying in just about the nicest place so far. It’s called Gentle Annie Point and we’re on a beautifully landscaped campsite next to a river as it goes into the sea and I’m typing this sat in their café with indoor ferns and goldfish pond, plus free Internet.

Latest progress:

The Ferry ride from the North Island to the South is not cheap (367 NZ$) for a 2½ hour journey, but is a great experience with spectacular (that word gets used a lot when describing New Zealand) views of Wellington and surroundings as you leave the North and equally spectacular views of the entrance towards the port of Picton in the South. The first picture is one side of the entrance into the South Island.

And this second one is the other side.

This is not a small ferry, there was an actual train on-board complete with containers.

We had lunch overlooking the harbour as our ferry headed back the other way.

From the arrival point we headed off down the East coast towards Kaikoura which is a hugely popular resort for Kiwis and tourists alike. On the way we passed a seal colony where we got quite up close and personal.

We stayed in a camp-site in Kaikura, making friends with a young couple from the UK who had given up their jobs to take a tour down under. They did the ‘swimming with dolphins’ thing and said it was fantastic – I must do it – Carol, needless to say, will not.

The next day we moved on again and ended up by the beach in a tiny place called Amberley Beach where we stayed at a remote camp-site where it cost 5 bucks on the honour system with minimum facilities, but it was fine for us.

I started the next morning with a swim in the Pacific – it’s even colder here in the South - the St. Lawrence in June cold – and then on to Christchurch to meet and stay with friends of our brother-in-law Tim. Jane and John and their twins Kirsten and James made us very welcome and we got to sleep in a real bed for the night. During the day we visited the botanical gardens as Carol wanted to see a Rose garden.

Today we are off to Orana Wildlife Park to use a couple of free tickets, since the weather has deteriorated to cold and raining. Tomorrow promises better weather and I have booked a place for a dolphin encounter in Akoroa, about 80 kms from Christchurch.

Current Progress:

From Parakai we headed South through Auckland and Hamilton and on to a camp site at Waitomo, known for its glowworm caves. We could not stay there without visiting the caves where we traveled in total darkness in an inflatable raft under a cave roof covered in a mass of glowing points of light, a bit like a lumpy Milky Way. By the end of the trip we could see our hands and other people, just by the light of the glowworms. No pics of those I’m afraid, too hard to photograph under those circumstances. However, here’s a pic from another cave we visited.

From there we went back to the West Coast and stayed in Mokau and had their much touted whitebait fritters for supper – vastly overrated. The beaches there have purply black sand – volcanic origins.

Next day we shopped for food in New Plymouth and headed through Stratford for Egmont National park and the slopes of Mount Taranaki, New Zealand’s ‘most climbed mountain’. We spent a stormy night, howling wind and rain, at Dawson’s Falls in the car park with other campers. However, the following day was a peach. The top of the mountain is still snow covered so there was no climbing that, but we walked down to the base of the waterfall which is quite stunning.

On the following morning we did a two hour climbing trip to see pools carved out from the volcanic rock – somewhat sensuous looking, don’t you think?

From Mount Taranaki we moved on to Foxton Beach for one night and then today we are on the outskirts of Wellington, ready to board the ferry tomorrow morning to take us to New Zealand’s South Island.

P.S. I've figured out how to get the time-zone right so now the postings will have the correct date and time. Up until now they've been GMT. which is a day behind.

Well we went to Cape Reinga anyway at the very northernmost point of New Zealand. The last 20km were on a dirt/gravel/mud road with the usual Kiwi hairpin bends and steep ups and downs, but it was worth it. Photos don’t really do justice to this magnificent place where the Maori believe their spirits leave the islands.

Before going up (and after coming back down) we stayed at a wonderful little camp site on an inlet from the ocean at Houhora Heads.

We are eating well. Fresh fish is in abundance in supermarkets, however, we are having to learn all the unrecognizable names. They do have salmon and snapper, but why just eat what you can get anywhere?
Talking of eating fish, we had fish and chips from a takeout last night that were really inexpensive, $3 NZ (~$2.25 CAN) for a piece of fish and the best we’ve had yet. This was close to were we stayed in yet another camp-site – ‘freedom’ camping where you park overnight anywhere you like is discouraged on the West coast – at Opononi.
Last night we were in Parakai, famous for its hot springs. On the way there from Opononi we stopped to look at the oldest Kauri tree here which is believed to be around 2000 years old. You may get some idea of the size of it from the people at its base.

If you would like to receive an email every time the blog is updated, just click on the link in the top right of the web page.

Two days later and the weather has turned bad. Horrendous thunderstorm this morning and torrential rain. We were hoping to head to the Northern tip today but were advised to wait until things improve.

Yesterday we were in Kerikeri where we stopped overnight in our first official camp site with electrical hookup, laundry, showers etc. We had a problem with the campervan – the ‘house’ battery was shot but fortunately Britz (the rental company) has a service centre there and they replaced the offending item. Now I can run my laptop without needing a.c. hookup.

Last night we stayed in a rest area on the beach in a tiny place called Cooper’s Beach. But the sea is angry looking and not so idyllic, however, it is quite mild. We’re off again today to buy gas for our new barbeque and find the elusive Internet.

By the way, if you click on the slideshow you will be taken to a full-size version. Also, if you scroll down to the map of New Zealand you can see our progress starting as a red-line going North from Auckland.

Here and traveling

Internet access here is not like Canada/US – the hotel was supposed to have it at a price but it failed to work and nobody knew why. So the blog will not get updated as often as I would have liked.

Friday 30th November
Arrived safely in NZ at dawn (~ 6 am - see pic.) after many, many hours of travel which actually weren’t so bad. Finally checked into the hotel at 1 pm and basically crashed for a while to catch up on sleep. Toured Auckland for two days while adjusting for jet lag. – by the way this is not a quiet city at night on the weekend – it’s some city, very Asian in cuisine (very good), and seems like a cross between New York and Vancouver. For those less enamoured by the sailing life I apologize for the number of boat oriented pics but Auckland does have the most boats per capita of anywhere.

Sunday 2nd December
We picked up the campervan on Sunday morning (for those in the UK/North America) we are one day ahead of you – mind-bending and had a delicious lunch with my cousin and his wife who lives just North of Auckland. Haven’t seen him since I was 8 years old. His brother and wife (who live in the UK) were also there visiting and we caught up on news from them.

That afternoon we stocked up on food and parked near a river (living in a van down by the river for those who remember Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live) in a place called Warkworth. Next day we were off to ‘Sheepworld’ to watch sheepdogs in action and sheep-shearing.

Monday 3rd December
Last night we parked next to a beach in the most beautiful place – wish we owned real estate there. We woke up to the sound of the Pacific surf (I swam in it – not warm) and the first really nice weather we’ve seen so far. Today we are moving on again and just stopped in Paihia to get more stuff and access the Internet. We are heading to the Northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand.