It's been a long time since my last update- i guess i have just been having too much of a good time. And the fact that all the hostels in NewZealand charge a hefty fee for using the internet. I am writing this update from my hostel in Sydney where someone has left enough credit on the internet for me to fill in the details of the last few weeks travel.After the adventures in the cave we headed to Rotorua for a relaxing bath in the natural thermal mud baths. Whatever about relaxing, it was smelly. This small town is surrounded by thermal mud holes that reach a really nice temperature but also emit a noxious sulphurous smell. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, the place can smell pretty nasty. We knew we had arrived quite a few miles before hitting city limits. Apparently the mud is good for the skin so we gave it a shot. 20minutes in the mudbath (i couldn't take anymore) followed by 20mins in the spa pool was great. The only problem was that weeks later anytime we opened our rucksacks the noxious sulphur smell would hit us hard. In the end several items of clothing had to be dumped. Despite several washes the smell that has made Rotorua famous had become engrained in our clothes.
From there we made our way down to Wellington which is at the southern tip of the north island and is the country' s captial city. A nice city on the coast, we spent a few days relaxing before heading to the South Island. The South island is reputed to be more spectacular than the north and it did not disappoint. The easiest way to get from one to the other is the interislander ferry across the Cook Straits. This Strait is supposed to be one of the worst ferry crossings in the world on a bad day but we were lucky and had fantastic weather. It is a beautiful journey with great scenery. As we approached Picton Port, the sun was setting and the colours were wonderful. Picton is a small town that survives on the tourist hiking and kayaking in the surrounding Marlborough Sounds. We did an afternoon of kayaking around the many small inlets, what a great day. Although initially after 15mins in the kayak i had had enough as my arms were aching and had thought about abondoning ship (well kayak!!) when a few useful hints from our guide transformed it completely.
By this stage we had lost Emma as she had gone from Wellington on to Christchurch to meet up with her friend. They were going to do a weeks driving further south. We must have been good company in the north island because we were invited to join them on the roadtrip. We met up with them at Franz Josef glacier. New Zealand has two glaciers, Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Both are usually accessible to the public but the day we were visiting, the access path to Fox was closed due to bad weather. We managed to see Franz Josef. Usually one can get close to the glacier face but due to that bad weather the path was blocked. I have already been up close and personal to Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina so i wasn't too disappointed!!!
The rest of our roadtrip brought us down to Milford Sound, one of the highlights and must sees when in New Zealand- well it would have been if the weather was good. Technically it should be called a Fiord because of how it was formed and its main attraction are the fabulous views. On a great day, the Mitre peak is visible and if the water is calm the mountain ranges are reflected in the water. Many famous pictures of this have been taken.There is very little else in Milford Sound- two hostels and a cafe. The day we arrived was miserable; cold and wet like a winters day at home. We had booked a cruise on the Sound for the following day and had slightly better weather. But despite the bad weather the trip was wonderful and the views were great. However, i don't think the photographs will portray much of the beauty.
Our next stop was Te Anu, a small town further south where Emmas friend was participating in the Kepler Challenge- a 60km mountain run- not for the fainthearted!! While Ricardo prepared for and took part in this challenge the rest of us enjoyed the surroundings (while the challenge went along a great mountain trail, it would be about 59km 200m too long for me!!). The weather was fantastic and we managed to get some sun. From there it was onto Queenstown, the hotspot for all sorts of extreme sports- there are more than 350 companies offering every sort of extreme activity. I wasn't persuaded to bungee jump, to skydive nor to zorb down a hill- Waitomo caves was enough adrenalin for me. The girls did go for the skydive though, 12,000ft out of a plane!!
At this point we said goodbye to Ricardo who returned to Christchurch. We continued on further south. I think the remainder of this trip was the highlight for me. We visited the Caitlins which is the coastal area running from the bottom up along the East Coast to Dunedin. The best part is that it is home to all sorts of wildlife that are so accessible and easy to see. We stayed Curio Bay, in a hostel by the sea. From the living room window we could see Porpoise Dolphins swimming and playing only metres from the beach. On our second day there we took a surfing lesson and were swimming only 20m away from the dolphins. Coupled with the fact i managed to stand up on the board several times, it was an amazing experience. A further 500m down the road from this hostel was an area of petrified forest, fossilised forest. It can be difficult to spot unless you know what to look for- rock formations that look like tree stumps and trunks. But scientific research has shown that the types of tree that formed the petrified forest are the same species as that found in Southern America; which is one piece of evidence proving that New Zealand, Australia and South America were once joined together in a massive continent called 'Gwondanaland' . This piece of land also acts as an access point for yellow eyed penguins to come ashore and return to their nests in the scrubland that surrounds that petrified forest. We managed to spot a couple of these endangered species.
We continued on up along the coast, spending a weekend in Dunedin. The area and coastline around Dunedin is packed full of more wildlife. There is a fantastic visitors centre for spotting Albatrosses- these birds have huge wingspans and you really appreciate it when you see a regular sized seagull flying beside it. Sandfly beach is a prime location to see Elephant seals, seals and sealions co exist. When you walk the length of the beach, stepping over the seals as they bask in the sun, you reach a wooden hut, strategically placed to allow viewing of the yellow eyed penguins that nest there without disturbing them. It was great as we watched several of the penguins return from an afternoon fishing and make their way up the rocky cliff to their nests. The highlight of Dunedin for me, was watching the smaller blue headed penguins return to their nests in the evening. Of all a sudden there is a ripple on the surface of the water that would disappear almost as soon as it had appeared. But several seconds later it a further ripple could be seen nearer the shore. This was the penguins making their approach to the beach. Then all of a sudden, a crowd of penguins (not sure what the technical name for a group of penguins is, will have to look that one up) would emerge from the surf. The blue headed penguins are only 25cm tall, they are tiny. But to see them waddle up the beach together, looking like mini Charlie Chaplins, was hillarious. The beach is cordoned off from the public so as not to disturb their return to the nests. It is amazing to watch as they know exactly what route to take. What is more amazing is that some of them will waddle several hundreds of metres up through scrublands to reach their nests. There are about 150 blue headed penguins nesting there but we only managed to see about 50 return as the fading light forced us to call it a day.
Our final part of the raodtrip brought us up to Christchurch. On the way we stopped at the Moreaka Boulders- stone boulders sitting on the beach that are bigger than humans, have a rotund shape and topography that would remind you of a tortoise shell. Interestingly, there are similar rocks at the same latitude in Chile, further evidence that Gwondanoland previously existed.
Our tour of New Zealand ended in Christchurch and it ended with a bit of excitement as our rental car got stolen. It was parked outside the hostel and on the morning when we were due to return it, it wasn't there. Instead of visiting the Antarctic museum that i had wanted to see, i spent the afternoon in the police station filling out an incident report form. Luckily we had insurance to cover theft and were not out of pocket; in fact we think we saved a bit of money as the car had only a quarter tank of petrol and we would have had to return it full!!!
New Zealand was fantastic and i can't believe this part of the trip is over. Lorraine has headed home to Ireland for Christmas and i am spending my final 6 weeks in Australia. While i have a few days in Sydney i am heading to Perth for Christmas with relations. I am sure by the time i write the next blog, the new year will be well in full swing. So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
