NZ/AUS EPIC HOLIDAY - Days 18-23

Day 18 - 15th Feb - To the South Island!

So today it was time to leave the crowded, that is to say crowded by New Zealand's sparsely populated standards, pleasant rolling green hills of the north island and greet the alpine trampers playground that is the south island. To do this we would have to board the inter-island ferry at Wellington and be transported across the Cook Strait and through the extremely picturesque Marlborough Sounds to a small port town called Picton. I found the concept of boarding a ship quite interesting, after all it was the first time in many years that I was boarding a ship as a passenger not a crewmember. Obviously an inter-island ferry doesn't have the grandeur of a cruise ship but it was still oddly familiar. Gone also were the endless parades of haggard old couples in tuxedos or the incessant seemingly endless games of bingo. I was also thankful that at no point during the crossing was I expected to don any musical instruments and perform anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Have I mentioned recently that I would like to violently rearrange the esteemed Webber's face with a brick? After arriving in Picton we boarded our bus and were off towards the town of Nelson.

The south island is utterly dominated by a huge spine of mountains that runs the entire length of the land. Right from our arrival in Picton we could see the start of this seemingly endless chain of peaks stretching off into the distance. We drove for a few hours before arriving at Nelson, which proved to be yet another scenic town and checked into our hostel in the mid-late afternoon. Other that a few card games and a couple of pints it proved to be an uneventful night but then I had plans and an early start tomorrow.


Day 19 - 16th Feb - Abel Tasman National Park

After rising early to greet my transportation I was carted off, along with a modest few others, to the Abel Tasman National Park, an attractive coastal reserve that is apparently blessed, along with Nelson, with the most sunshine in the country. It seems that the sunshine was having an off day when I arrived though. Although not pouring down it was nevertheless grey and cloudy and light showers came and went throughout the day.

I had signed up for a two day tour that was to start with a hike and end in a kayak trip. Today was the hiking part. I was dropped at the small town of Kaiteriteri, a small place right on the edge of the national park. They thoughtfully provided me with a tent as the huts were full and, after taking me on a short water taxi ride, sent me on my merry way. I tramped along the coast enjoying the scenery, though the weather did impair my visibility somewhat, and ambulated at a leisurely pace around the meandering coastline until I reached the campsite.

It had only taken around six hours to get this far and I was biding my time along the way so when I arrived at the campsite I felt like walking some more. First though I decided to set up the tent before anything else. After fighting with it for sometime I gave up and wandered around the campsite, puzzling over what the hell I was going to do. I approached someone else who had also apparently been issued with a tent by the same people and asked them if theirs had been supplied with instructions. An uproar of sniggering, chuckling and guffawing erupted from the half-dozen or so of other campers in the area. "what you can't even put up a tent without instructions?!" snickered the young American woman that I asked. I felt quite the proper imbecile, like a guy who had turned up for an expedition to Antarctica in shorts and asked ''should I bring a sweater in case it gets chilly?''

Two of the campers took pity on me and helped me set the tent up. It took about 36 seconds and was so easy that it required about as much planning and effort as unscrewing a bottle-top. Utterly ashamed and emasculated I awkwardly thanked the two ladies and slinked away with my tail between my legs.

I felt like going on another walk since I had plenty of time but the rain was starting again so I hid in my tent. I lay inside and did some reading whilst listening to the rain hammering upon my miniature domicile. I've always enjoyed camping and there is something strangely satisfying about being nestled in a small tent, sheltered against the elements by what is essentially just a modestly sized tarpaulin with a zipper on the front. Of course it was hardly a desperate battle against mother nature, just a rain shower on a cold evening but I was warm and snug and therefore happy. I read some more and emerged after the rain abated to watch the light drain from the sky before retiring for the night.

had trouble getting it up

Day 20 - 17th Feb - Abel Tasman National Park

I was up early to pack the tent and to get ready for my return trip to Kaiteriteri. The clouds parted and disappeared and would remain gone for the rest of the day. The hot sunlight made the beach light up with a tropical glow and Abel Tasman National Park was transformed in minutes. By the time we were off in our kayaks it was almost starting to remind me of the Caribbean. Our streamlined sea-kayaks sliced through the water with such ease that we managed to cover quite a distance with relatively little effort.

We continued along the coast, paddling past truly beautiful beaches and coves, even spotting some baby seals on a small island. We stopped for lunch on a deserted beach and then we headed further out to sea in order to catch some wind and take part in an activity that was, quite frankly, an act of genius on the part of our guide. We took our four kayaks, each a double kayal with two people in each, and held them side by side to form a kind of makeshift raft. The four people on the inside two kayaks were holding all four together by gripping the ones on either side. Then the four people in the two outer kayaks held up a massive sail constructed by tying a large tarpaulin onto to paddles that we used as masts. The occupants in the rear of the outer kayaks held up the masts and the outer-front two, which included me, held the bottom corners of the sail.

Using this method we managed to cruise effortlessly for quite a distance, making it back to land in short order. Once we were closer to land we paddled the rest of the way back to Kaiteriteri. In total we had apparently traveled more than 18 kilometres, which was mostly paddling other than our 2-3 kilometres of sailing.

After returning to Nelson I hiked up to a scenic lookout to catch the sunset. Sadly there weren't enough clouds in the sky to create a truly impressive sunset but it was a good view of the town from up on high.

our guide holding up the 'mast'

sailing along on our makeshift raft

Day 21 - 18th Feb - Nelson

I took some time to explore Nelson, since I didn't have time to do that upon first arrival. I had also checked into a different hostel from the one I stayed in before my trip to Abel Tasman. This new hostel was cheaper, yet much nicer, more centrally located and was overlooking a very scenic park next to a church in the centre of town. Satisfied with my new hostel I had a wander around Nelson and also took time to outfit myself with supplies for my upcoming venture into the southern alps.


Day 22 - 19th Feb - Nelson

Another relatively uneventful day. I simply took a few walks around the countryside outside town and got some fresh air.


Day 23 - 20th Feb - Nelson to West Port

I met the Kiwi Experience bus outside my hostel in the morning. Apparently the company is so overbooked that they had to resort to putting out two buses at the same time. I got on one of these buses and we were off down the west coast of the south island to a small town called West Port. I seemed like yet another tiny little backwater town with very little to do. The two busloads of backpackers unloaded into two separate hostels and we were informed that there was to be a pub crawl later on that night.

I have to admit I wasn't all that enthusiastic about going on a pub crawl in such a tiny place. Firstly there only seemed to be a few places to even drink and secondly I really was struggling to adhere strictly to my daily budget. Since canyoning and kayaking and god knows what else was taking a toll on my wallet I had to hold back for the evening. I spent some time reading before being invited to join in a few card games and to sample some free beers by some American girls who were heading around New Zealand as a group in their own car and I returned to my dorm later wondering if I was destined to be awoken by my roommates.

I didn't even get a chance to fall asleep in the first place before my inebriated roommates returned to the dorm room. Surprised as I was that people could have such a good time in such a dreary little town, I was somewhat perturbed when four out of the five of my roommates started having sex within seconds of making it into the room. I'm never quite sure what to say or do when this happens. It would probably be quite audacious to request to be able to join in and, on the other hand, making some kind of smartarse acerbic remark would just piss everyone off so I just waited for everyone to finish, which didn't take very long at all I might add.

In the morning I heard the two blokes involved telling the third, who was utterly fast asleep at the time, about how it was just as well he was asleep at the time. I chimed in that I was a light sleeper and they had a laugh, saying that they hoped they didn't wake me up. I reassured them that I was already awake and already having trouble sleeping and we didn't dwell on it any longer. I wanted to add something along the lines of "besides, what's a few short minutes more of distraction when I'm trying to sleep?" but I didn't think that would win me any friends so I kept my mouth shut.

Tomorrow I'm really heading away from all civilisation for about a week to get some serious back country hiking done. I suspect that out there I'm less likely to be kept awake by fleeting, drunken intercourse.

NZ/AUS EPIC HOLIDAY - Days 9-11

Day 9 - 6th Feb - Mercury Bay to Rotorua

We boarded the bus early in the morning and headed south towards the town of Rotorua but as usual we stopped several times along the way including a brief respite from driving in a scenic area with some abandoned mine shafts. These proved fun to explore but it wasn't too long before we were on our merry way, hoping to get to Rotorua at a timely pace as we had much to do once we got there.

After settling into the hostel we made our way up the nearby cable-car to ride on the luge tracks at the top (quick lesson for the uninitiated, a luge is basically a wheeled sled that runs down a concrete track). If that sounds familiar it's because the exact same thing is possible in Queenstown on the south island. It's the same company that installed and now runs the cable-car system and even the luges are exactly the same. What differs from the Queenstown setup is that the scenery is less awe inspiring but the luge ride more than makes up for it. These tracks are FAR more intense than their south island counterparts. I don't know how fast I was going at one point on the advanced track but I managed to get airborne, albeit only for a second. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if I had learned that people regularly suffer horrible deaths on the advanced track, certainly screwing up you high speed turns could easily end with a bone-crunching (or worse) accident.

I would have ridden the luge all day if I could but we had another pressing engagement. I had signed up for a Maori cultural evening that promised an entertaining and authentic re-enactment of life in a Maori village, including a massive banquet which was, much to my delight, an all you can eat affair.

We arrived at around seven in the evening to be received at the gates of the village by Maori warriors and their chief. After the initial ceremony we were led into the heart of their village where we were introduced to various aspects of their ways of life, including music, song, dance as well as weapons and warfare. Many people might know the 'Haka', a war dance made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team but that's just one example. There are many singing and dancing ceremonies performed by Maori and they're designed to convey many emotions and intentions. We got to witness many of these before we were taken into the dining hall for the feast!

The food was an assortment of roasted meats and vegetables which would be no stranger to someone who enjoys a good roast meal but what made this particular culinary experience unique was that it was all prepared using a traditional Maori earth oven. These underground cooking chambers are cut out of the ground and covered with rocks to keep the heat in. This alternative method of preparation really changed the flavour of the food, bringing out the taste in the meats in a way I haven't encountered before.

The fact that this was an all you can eat scenario was not exactly favourable for my diet but was nevertheless appreciated by me. After downing the equivalent of several Christmas dinners I retired to my hostel feeling like I had just ingested a couch.

I promised myself I would try to curb my excessive spending starting tomorrow!

the Maori meeting us at their gates

Day 10 - 7th Feb - Rotorua to Taupo

The thought occurs that I'm barrelling down through New Zealand at quite an expeditious rate without taking much time in any one place to really explore. After all the flexible nature of my bus pass and the abundance of good hostels does allow me to change my travel dates on a whim. My main reason for my somewhat hasty descent down south through the country is due to my eagerness to get to the good hiking spots. After all I've already spent ample quantities of cash on dolphin watching, canyoning, luges, Maori feasts and the list of activities doesn't show any sign of abating anytime soon. Therefore, the sooner I get hiking the better! Since most of the hiking is located on the expansive alpine scenery of the south island I'm anticipating spending more time down there. Before that however there is still one place on the north island that is famous for it's walking trails and that attracts thousands of amblers per year: Tongariro national park. But I'm still getting ahead of myself, we're not quite there yet.

I got the bus to Taupo today with the intention of staying a couple of nights.
Other than traveling down to from Rotorua to Taupo, which only took about an hour, I didn't really do much today. In keeping with my aforementioned money saving intentions I just lounged around the hostel on the balconies, reading my Lonely Planet guide to hiking in New Zealand.

Taupo turned out to be a very scenic lakeside town with a nice range of places to stay. I picked my hostel and moved my stuff in before heading out to explore the place a bit. In the distance I could see the mountains that make up the area of Tongariro national park, the place where I would hope to get some hiking done quite soon.

Time now I think for a pint or two!


Day 11 - 8th Feb - Taupo

I had hoped to head down to Tongariro national park and start the northern circuit which takes hikers on a four day trip around the park and over some of the highest peaks on the north island. However the weather forecast predicted some dismal weather in the area starting the day after tomorrow and since I didn't fancy spending half of my hiking time in rain and gale force winds I reluctantly had to opt for the Tongariro alpine crossing. The alpine crossing is apparently one of the most spectacular one day treks in New Zealand and it attracts hordes of walkers much of the year round. I guess I would have to go for that one instead.

I was still a little disappointed though. The alpine crossing is part of the four day northern circuit and it's this section that apparently contains the most spectacular scenery. So although I'm not missing anything by taking the shorter hike, I have to admit I was looking forward to getting away from the crowds. Apparently the northern circuit is relatively quiet and if you time it right you can even get to the crossing before the throngs of one day trampers pour over the landscape.

So tomorrow I'm taking the one day crossing and hopefully the amazing scenery will make up for the lack of solitude I was hoping to gain. After tomorrow the weather in the area will take a turn for the worse and I'll be heading further south on the Kiwi Experience bus once again.

I later took a quick late afternoon stroll around Taupo and had to exercise some willpower in order to skip the bungy jump that was offered over the local river. I took a scenic walk instead along the river for a few hours before returning home in the evening.

No bungy jumping for me today!