A very wet Te Anau & Milford Sound

Saturday 16th May 2009

I leave Queenstown and I'm still thinking about the Bungy jump, the thought of doing another one is appealing but I reckon I'd be just as frightened. As I leave its chucking it down with ran, I arrive in Te Anau 3hrs later and its still chucking it down. So far I've been lucky enough with the weather but this is the worse I've seen it. Te Anau is a village by any standards but its that cloudy and wet you can't see from one end of the village to the other...and I'm planning on going to see Milford Sound!!! I've been told its just as good to see the place in the wet as it is when things are fine as there are no end of water falls, I'll just have to go and see for myself. The journey down to Milford from Te Anau is meant to be one of the most scenic road trips but with the weather the way it is hard to believe it. Even when I arrive in Milford it hasn't let up but once we get out on the water its like it doesn't matter anymore. Sure enough there are no end of water falls coming down from all the surrounding hills and the majority of them are all snow capped. The two hour journey doesn't seem all that bad after all.

Bungy time....!!! Queenstown

Thursday 14th May 2009

Before going on to Queenstown I make a stop in a place called Wanaka...this place has now surpassed Napier in what I reckon is one of the nicest towns. Lakes & snow capped mountains everywhere...its a definite must see!
As for Queenstown well its must be New Zealand's ultimate party town. Its got the feel of a European Ski resort and just like them there are no end of pubs. Along with all this its the place to do your Bungy, Skydive, Shotover Jet, River Surffing...the list goes on, they are adrenalin junkys over here. Two of these I really wanted to do, the Shotover Jet & the Nevis Bungy jump. Now I was all that bothered about doing a bungy until I met a few others who had done on and all they could say was it was the craziest thing they ever did. They said if you only ever do one then you have to do the Nevis jump...134meters high and 8.5 seconds of fall...it sounds terrifying. Anyway I convinced myself to do it and the night before it I could hardly sleep The thought of walking out on to the edge and just free falling was actually causing my feet to tingle. So the next morning I get up we take the 40minute bus journey out to the site. When we arrive the bus driver points out where we will be jumping from and to be honest it looks worse then I thought...the nerves were not good let me tell you that. Anyway I don't think I need to say a lot more about it other than watch the clip of me below. Keep an eye on my left hand...all I wanted to do is hold onto something as I walked out and as a result I nearly grabbed the bungy steward by his nuts! I never experienced anything so frightening in my life....

You got to do this, and if you do make sure it's the Nevis one or something that is as high as it...much much much more fun. I still get a buz just looking back at the video clip.
As for the Shotover Jet, well after doing the bungy this just felt low key...still fun though especially when they do the 360 spin!

Franz Josef Glacier

Tuesday 12th May 2009

Leaving Nelson I make the super long journey to the Franz Josef Glacier taking a couple of stops on the way in Wesport & The Pancake rocks. I book onto one of the full day trips up the Franz Josef. It's a fair old climb up and certainly cold when the wind starts to blow.The guides seem to be well used to the cold, dressed in short sleeve tops and some are even in shorts. Its a fair contrast to how they tell us to dress, 3-4 layers + water proof jacket & trousers...they are crazy.

Picton, Nelson, Abel Tasman

Friday 8th May 2009

I arrive into Picton after doing what must be one of the most scenic ferry crossings. In Picton I manage to meetup with a former work colleague and his wife who are also over here travelling. He and his wife lived in New Zealand for almost two years so it was great to catch up and get some travel tips. My first real stop in the South Island is the Abel Tasman which is a National Park on the North-West corner. Its well know for its trekking, or as the Kiwi's call it tramping, it also has a seal colony and generally gets a few visiting dolphins. Although the forecast is not great we end up having a few fine days and with the clear sky's you can see the snow capped mountains in the distance.The beaches around this neck of the woods are second to none, everything just seems to be super clean. One thing you really notice in New Zealand is how clean the water is in the lakes & rivers...they've got that ice blue colour about them.

The Seege in Nelson!

Thursday 8th May 2009

The trip down to Napier I am sure is nice but with all the rain I could see next to nothing. As for Napier well its probably one of the nicest towns I've been in in New Zealand so far. The town itself is pretty cool with all its art deco features but around the outskirts there are no end of winery's and orchards which look fantastic. On the morning that I am leaving there seems to be no end of police cars around the city centre and as I drive to Wellington more & more police cars seem to be making their way there. Its only later listening to the radio that I find out what has been going on. Two police officers went to do a drugs search and one of the guys in the house opened fire and killed one of the police officers. There ended up been a seege for over 50hrs, it was all over the news for the next few days, mad stuff.

Activity central, Rotorua

Tuesday 5th May 2009

From Corremandel I venture South to Rotorua which seems to be the activity centre of the North Island. Zorbing, The Luge, Skydiving, Thermal Springs, Traditional Maori Culture even a display of sheep shearing & milking cows...! There are no end of things you could do here, that's providing you've got the money & sheep shearing & milking cows is your thing? Saying that I did go to see the sheep shearing...you can take the man from the bog but ya can't take...I remember in Auckland thinking about how cold the van might get at night, well on my last night in Rotorua we have some frost and I can't remember the number of times I woke up cold. My feet & nose must have been close to falling off. Time to invest in a sleeping bag, might even have to get some thermals...well, we'll see how goes. Tapau is the next stop but not for long, my main reason for going here is to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. I make a short stop in Taupo to see the Hakka falls and later that evening I travel south to Tongariro. Listing to the radio on the way the forecast is not looking good for the the next few days. When I arrive in the camp site I find out the company who do the tours for the crossing have canceled for the next three days due to the weather...sh*t! With my days limited I decide the following morning to travel East to see Napier before going to Wellington to catch my ferry to the South Island. I'll have to see if I can do the Alpine Crossing on my return journey to Auckland.

Corremandel Peninsula

Saturday May 2nd 2009

My first destination is a place called Corremandel. On the day I am setting off its poring with rain so things don't look too promising but once I get off the main highway the fantastic sights compensate. The hills & the farms are like the stuff you see in post cards, things are looking up.I arrive in Corremandel about 5.00pm so there isn't much time to do a lot other than get a camp site and set the van up for the night. The following morning I set off on a trip across the Corremandel Peninsula to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach...the sun is out at last. It seems every corner you take on the road is a photo opportunity, there are no end of scenic look outs...its early days yet so I end up stopping in have a peek at most, not sure how long I'll continue doing that! Well NZ has so far lived up to my expectations, you have to see the place to see what all the hype is all about...certainly worth it so far.