Queenstown

21st June 2006

Well I made it over the pass. It was icy and I took it slowly but it was not as high as I expected. The next day the pass was closed to towing vehicles so I am glad I made the trip when I did. I stayed in Wanaka for a couple of days. Well worth a visit. I can recommend Cinema Paradiso. This is a small cinema with a variety of different types of seats. There is even a yellow VW to sit in( although the seats of the car are apparently uncomfortable). There is a half time so the audience can fill up on coffee and homemade cookies. A great experience - bring back the small time cinema. It was packed even at the matinee showing. What did I see - well that wasn't much to talk about 'The Da Vinci Code'. The cinema was more interesting than the movie!

Now in Queenstown. The hotel is right by the lake and my room has a beautiful view. That is probably the best to say about it. I will learn not to book in a panic again. I am sure I could have done better. Still it is only a room and from tomorrow I will be on the slopes. I will be celebrating tomorrow - half century - amazing.

A few photos put on in 2015!!  I did a few trips from Queenstown.  One of them was on a fast boat and we traveled through the Lord of the Rings scenery.

Seals on rocks somewhere near Queenstown

View near my hotel

On the boat trip

Winter Festival 2006

West Coast

16th June 2006

Lonely Planet were right, the West Coast is a lovely drive so far. The bit between Westport and Greymouth is truely spectacular. I thought it was better than the Gt Ocean Road. The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes were well worth the visit and I took loads of photos. Not sure when I will be able to put them on to here.   Reading this in June 2015 and realise I never got around to putting the photos on so here goes.

Glacier

The Wanaka tree

 I am now at the Franz Josef Glacier and it is pouring with rain. There has been thunder, lightening and hail. I think I should have made my way south today as snow is forecast for tonight. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the Haast Pass is open and I can get across with chains. Having waited in Greymouth for a couple of days, I was told that I could get chains in Queenstown!!

I took a look at both the glaciers at Franz Josef and Fox but having seen what Alaska has to offer, I was not struck. The lakes are beautiful and I have been lucky to managed a couple of walks between heavy downpours.

I am looking forward to the winter festival in Queenstown, that is if I make it across the Southern Alps. Until the next update......

Auckland to South Island

Monday 12th June 2006

I hope to upload some photos on to the site but writing will have to do for now. I arrived in Auckland after a mad dash in Sydney to catch my flight.

A view in Devonport


The best thing about the Nth Island I found was my novice tramp around Mt Ruapehu with John (Howard's brother), I had arrived in NZ with my summer clothing having spent the time in Australia and will be in Ecuador. John and his friend Helen made sure I was kitted out correctly for the tramp - thanks to Visa of course. John told me it was an 'easy' tramp and I am sure the word 'flat' came in to it. I found that a New Zealander's idea of easy and flat differed greatly to the English one. The photos will show all.







Would you call this 'flat' !!!! On the second to last it does look flat but that water is a waterfall we climbed down the side of. The pic before was before we had to climb down one side of the ridge and then up the snow covered one in the background.

Red the dragon after a hard half hour chopping wood. (Yeh, okay, John did the hard work really)



After four days of tramping up and down steep lave ridges in the snow, I lost all the weight I had put on chilling out in Queensland. It was a great experience and I am looking forward to doing another one in early July. I was lucky with the weather as it was sunny everyday. Only my feet got wet fording the streams.

After the tramp, I hired a car and travelled to the Bay of Islands staying 3 days in Pahia. I went out to see the dolphins but there was no opportunity to swim with them as the pod had a baby with them. NZ's marine law forbids swimming with babies. Apparently the baby gets distracted from feeding by playing with humans and can die of hypothermia as it loses weight quickly. The next day I did the 90 mile beach tour and was lucky enough to see a giant petral being released in the wild. I did not get my camera out quickly enough though so no evidence. That was all the wild life I saw but the scenery was magnificent.


At the Treaty of Waitangi grounds


90 Mile Beach a lesson for car drivers!






I drove the whole of the day to Cormandel Town and then down to Roturua. Did all the tourist things - visiting geysers, thermal springs and mud pools.





Also went to Kiwi experience where I found all about how eggs are being taken from the wild to be hatched then returned to the wild when they are old enough to defend themselves. This means kiwis have a 60% chance of survival rather then the 5% they have at the moment. Stoats and dogs being two of the big killers. Very cute to have the chance to see these mammal like birds.

Then a slow drive down the west coast and stayed at Napier, the art deco capital. I took the art deco tour which was very interesting especially as I do not usually like having to listen to tour guides. If you are into art deco, Napier is the place to be.




The Silky Oaks chocolate factory was well worth a visit. It is situated just off Highway 50 in Taradale about 10 minutes from Napier. A chocoholic's dream place. I sampled the Chocolate Extreme. Thick chocolate just like in Spain together with a chilli. There is a shop and Museum and you are given a chocolate on visiting each one. I thought I was chocolated out until dinner in Napier when I sampled the chocolate puddle pudding at a nearby jazz restaurant - to die for.

After Napier I drove down to Wellington and spent the Queen's birthday long weekend with Howard and Robin who showed me around Wellington. Robin treated me to the Lord of the Ring's exhibtion and I will probably take the tour in the South Island. Amazing that Peter Jackson only took 3 years to complete those films with all the work involved.

I took the ferry over to the Sth Island on Wednesday and stopped over at Nelson.

an interesting sculpture in Nelson

I plan to travel down the West Coast until 19th June when I will stop in Queenstown for 2 weeks at Thomas's Hotel.

Now in Westport, rained in after a heavy storm last night. Snow has closed roads south of here and I guess I will have to learn how to use snow chains for later on my journey.