Crikey, I'm just not sure where I'm going to be for the last three weeks or so in NZ. Life was much more simple with my own transport! Anyway road up, I spent the easter weekend working my way across the Mackenzie country, the Canterbury high country and then the Canterbury plains. That means I am now back in Christchurch trying to decide what the best course of action is from here. I'm staying with my local friend tonight and will be off again tomorrow, but where to is the question.
There are two basic options. Option 1 is to head north to the top end of the island and then over then next three weeks, work my way back up to Auckland. That gives me the opportunity to see some stuff I didn't see on my way down here.
Option 2 is to stay down here and then fly up to Auckland from either CHCH or Q'town. This would allow me to spend more time in the mountains and probably head of for another tramp.
There's not much in it in terms of cost, so just a day of contemplation and planning ahead then . . .
March 29, 2005
March 24, 2005
Bunnies
Just a very quick note to say happy easter to everyone. Get scoffing chocolate and kick back for a couple of days!
March 22, 2005
Gettin' on
Just an update to let you know that I didn't head off to Wanaka in the end, I decided to stay in Queenstown for an extra couple of days. However I am off today, heading for Tekapo. It's a really quiet spot with not much more than fabulous landscape and a lake which really is blue. Just going to chill out there and have a couple of days ambling around the countryside.
There is one other thing which I feel I should mention. The idea of me taking heli rides may seem extravagant, but they are just another way to get around down here. Having said that, they are far more fun than a bus! The heli ride out of Skippers Canyon cost me the princely sum of just under 20 quid. Not that extravagant really.
Anyway, probably be out of internet range for a few days, so I'll be back when I can.
There is one other thing which I feel I should mention. The idea of me taking heli rides may seem extravagant, but they are just another way to get around down here. Having said that, they are far more fun than a bus! The heli ride out of Skippers Canyon cost me the princely sum of just under 20 quid. Not that extravagant really.
Anyway, probably be out of internet range for a few days, so I'll be back when I can.
March 20, 2005
More biking
No, not another motorbike. Today I went and mountain biked down into Skippers Canyon, which is just outside Queenstown. The road down into the canyon is one of the most notoriously dodgy in NZ, so off road biking is probably the safest option if you want to see it anyway.
Despite heavy rain last night and this morning, by the time I set off, the sun was shining and it was beautifully warm. The biking was good, since if you are reasonably competent the guides just tell you where to stop and wait for everyone else to catch up and give you advice regarding any approaching opportunities for leaping off a precipice. For the bikies, the track we rode down was nice winding single track with a few drop offs thrown in for those who chose to do them - almost all downhill. In fact it was an old pack horse track from the days of the gold rush. The Shotover river which runs through the canyon is the second richest gold river in the world. The only trouble was that I could have carried on with the biking for far longer.
To top it off, I got helicoptered out along the canyon, which was just fantastic. The biking guide told the pilot that it was the first time I had been in a helicopter, because he said that we would get a more fun ride like that. I don't know what it would have been like otherwise, but it was certainly good fun, with the pilot making sure that I was aware of exactly what a good pilot can achieve in a helicopter! All in all, a pretty good day.
I have also blagged a lift to Wanaka from some Kiwi's I met in a pub last night, so I'll be relocating my tent tomorrow and looking for new things to do.
Take care everyone, I'll be back before too long.
Despite heavy rain last night and this morning, by the time I set off, the sun was shining and it was beautifully warm. The biking was good, since if you are reasonably competent the guides just tell you where to stop and wait for everyone else to catch up and give you advice regarding any approaching opportunities for leaping off a precipice. For the bikies, the track we rode down was nice winding single track with a few drop offs thrown in for those who chose to do them - almost all downhill. In fact it was an old pack horse track from the days of the gold rush. The Shotover river which runs through the canyon is the second richest gold river in the world. The only trouble was that I could have carried on with the biking for far longer.
To top it off, I got helicoptered out along the canyon, which was just fantastic. The biking guide told the pilot that it was the first time I had been in a helicopter, because he said that we would get a more fun ride like that. I don't know what it would have been like otherwise, but it was certainly good fun, with the pilot making sure that I was aware of exactly what a good pilot can achieve in a helicopter! All in all, a pretty good day.
I have also blagged a lift to Wanaka from some Kiwi's I met in a pub last night, so I'll be relocating my tent tomorrow and looking for new things to do.
Take care everyone, I'll be back before too long.
March 18, 2005
Big scenery and sore feet
Back in Queenstown after the little stroll. I'm quite tired and my feet are complaining bitterly about all this abuse they keep getting, but the walk was excellent.
I camped for the two nights on the Routeburn walk since the huts for that walk are stupidly expensive, but I'm glad I did. The campsite on the first night was just stunning. I've got a photo which I'll try to get posted soon, so I'm not going to bore you with a feeble description. The walk itself is fairly easy going and takes you from one valley, up over a saddle between the mountains, along the side of another valley and then down to a lake, the site of the second night's stop. The views from the saddle are absolutely awesome. I know the photos will never do it justice.
On the third day the walk heads back above the bush line before dropping you down again to the junction with the Greenstone and Caples tracks. It is only a couple of hours from there to the end of the Routeburn, so I headed off along the Greenstone track as planned. This track was far less travelled and follows the Greenstone valley all the way to Lake Wakatipu (where Queenstown and Glenorchy are). All the time you are walking either in the bush or along the wide open valley floor. It's a gorgeous unspoiled area with enormous views. The swing (suspension) bridges along this track are much smaller as well, usually only suitable for one person at a time, and they can be a tad unnerving!
At the end of the track, myself and the other trampers were met by a boat which took us back across the lake since there's not sensible road route to the area.
So over five days you get beech forests, alpine scenery, rain forest, bright blue lakes, bright green rivers and the most superb views - not bad really. Fortunately there were lots of very friendly and very nice people doing the walks, which meant that the evenings went by quickly and chance meetings on the tramp were a pleasure. In case you were wondering who else does this kind of thing, there were people ranging from a group of 18 year old Belgian lads through to a 72 year old Kiwi guy and a whole range of ages and nationalities in between.
Given that this will probably be the last big tamp I do in NZ, I'm glad it was so good. The sun shone most of the time and despite being on the border of one of the wettest areas of the world, there was not a drop of rain. All in all, excellent. Having said that, I'm glad not to be carrying all that gear anymore . . .
I camped for the two nights on the Routeburn walk since the huts for that walk are stupidly expensive, but I'm glad I did. The campsite on the first night was just stunning. I've got a photo which I'll try to get posted soon, so I'm not going to bore you with a feeble description. The walk itself is fairly easy going and takes you from one valley, up over a saddle between the mountains, along the side of another valley and then down to a lake, the site of the second night's stop. The views from the saddle are absolutely awesome. I know the photos will never do it justice.
On the third day the walk heads back above the bush line before dropping you down again to the junction with the Greenstone and Caples tracks. It is only a couple of hours from there to the end of the Routeburn, so I headed off along the Greenstone track as planned. This track was far less travelled and follows the Greenstone valley all the way to Lake Wakatipu (where Queenstown and Glenorchy are). All the time you are walking either in the bush or along the wide open valley floor. It's a gorgeous unspoiled area with enormous views. The swing (suspension) bridges along this track are much smaller as well, usually only suitable for one person at a time, and they can be a tad unnerving!
At the end of the track, myself and the other trampers were met by a boat which took us back across the lake since there's not sensible road route to the area.
So over five days you get beech forests, alpine scenery, rain forest, bright blue lakes, bright green rivers and the most superb views - not bad really. Fortunately there were lots of very friendly and very nice people doing the walks, which meant that the evenings went by quickly and chance meetings on the tramp were a pleasure. In case you were wondering who else does this kind of thing, there were people ranging from a group of 18 year old Belgian lads through to a 72 year old Kiwi guy and a whole range of ages and nationalities in between.
Given that this will probably be the last big tamp I do in NZ, I'm glad it was so good. The sun shone most of the time and despite being on the border of one of the wettest areas of the world, there was not a drop of rain. All in all, excellent. Having said that, I'm glad not to be carrying all that gear anymore . . .
March 12, 2005
Queenstown again
Well the birthday was good. As predicted, the evening was spent in a pub watching the rugby and meeting strangers, not a bad way to spend your birthday really.
Queenstown is as mad as ever. Having seen far more of the south island now, I can appreciate just how busy this town is compared to the rest of the place. You know you're in Queenstown because there are tandem paragliders all over the sky, bi-planes doing aerobatics (with paying passangers of course), bungy jumpers at the top of the hill which over looks the town and jet boats flying around on the lake. I should also tell you about the highest bungy in NZ, which you can watch from the lake side. This might sound more than a bit bonkers, but it's true; the big one is now the parabungy. What happens is that people go out parascending off the back of a speed boat, strapped to an "instructor". When the parachute has reached about 180m, the instructor releases the victim, who then falls towards the lake attached to a bungy rope which is in turn attached to the parachute! It looks completely ridiculous, but is probably great fun - don't think I'm going to try it though. Maybe if I come back to NZ one day! If that doesn't appeal to you, there are loads of other activities. How about river boarding? The idea is that you slip on a wet suit and a climbing helmet and then throw yourself down a river full of serious rapids with nothing more than a body board for help. This place is quite, quite insane.
There's also a bunch of Canadian pro mountain bikers staying on the campsite. They're in NZ for 2 1/2 months making an extreme mountain biking TV program and they look like they're pretty serious mentalists. They were practicing a few stunts around the campsite yesterday on their Santa Cruz Hecklers and V10's (pricey bikes for those not familiar). Seem nice enough and the I reckon the resulting program will be mighty entertaining.
Yesterday was a chilled out day in town, looking through the logistics involved in doing a couple of tramps up at the far end of the lake. My plan is to link two tramps together for another long jaunt through the wildernesses. This time I am going to do the Routeburn walk, which heads over towards Milford Sound and then come back in this direction on the Greenstone track. The Routeburn will be busy, since it is one of the most popular tramps in NZ, but the Greenstone should be quite quiet. The big advantage of walking back in this direction is that the road journey from the far end of the Routeburn back to Queenstown is about 350km, and I have to come back since I can't carry all my stuff and will have to leave some here in storage.
So that should fill up the next five days or so and I will head off tomorrow, giving me one more day in Queenstown before the serious tramping starts again. Just time to rest and pamper my feet and get the supplies in.
Have a lovely week everyone and I'll be back with tramping stories in a few days.
Queenstown is as mad as ever. Having seen far more of the south island now, I can appreciate just how busy this town is compared to the rest of the place. You know you're in Queenstown because there are tandem paragliders all over the sky, bi-planes doing aerobatics (with paying passangers of course), bungy jumpers at the top of the hill which over looks the town and jet boats flying around on the lake. I should also tell you about the highest bungy in NZ, which you can watch from the lake side. This might sound more than a bit bonkers, but it's true; the big one is now the parabungy. What happens is that people go out parascending off the back of a speed boat, strapped to an "instructor". When the parachute has reached about 180m, the instructor releases the victim, who then falls towards the lake attached to a bungy rope which is in turn attached to the parachute! It looks completely ridiculous, but is probably great fun - don't think I'm going to try it though. Maybe if I come back to NZ one day! If that doesn't appeal to you, there are loads of other activities. How about river boarding? The idea is that you slip on a wet suit and a climbing helmet and then throw yourself down a river full of serious rapids with nothing more than a body board for help. This place is quite, quite insane.
There's also a bunch of Canadian pro mountain bikers staying on the campsite. They're in NZ for 2 1/2 months making an extreme mountain biking TV program and they look like they're pretty serious mentalists. They were practicing a few stunts around the campsite yesterday on their Santa Cruz Hecklers and V10's (pricey bikes for those not familiar). Seem nice enough and the I reckon the resulting program will be mighty entertaining.
Yesterday was a chilled out day in town, looking through the logistics involved in doing a couple of tramps up at the far end of the lake. My plan is to link two tramps together for another long jaunt through the wildernesses. This time I am going to do the Routeburn walk, which heads over towards Milford Sound and then come back in this direction on the Greenstone track. The Routeburn will be busy, since it is one of the most popular tramps in NZ, but the Greenstone should be quite quiet. The big advantage of walking back in this direction is that the road journey from the far end of the Routeburn back to Queenstown is about 350km, and I have to come back since I can't carry all my stuff and will have to leave some here in storage.
So that should fill up the next five days or so and I will head off tomorrow, giving me one more day in Queenstown before the serious tramping starts again. Just time to rest and pamper my feet and get the supplies in.
Have a lovely week everyone and I'll be back with tramping stories in a few days.
March 11, 2005
Cake?
It's back to Queenstown today, for one good reason - it's my birthday and this is a good place to spend it! It's a busy place with lots of people and loads of choices of places to spend the evening. I plan on watching the super 12 rugby games, having a couple of beers and meeting up with some random people who don't know me yet!
Twizel yesterday was nice. It's a sleepy little town, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but it's surrounded by spectacular scenery. For those LOTR fans, it's where the battle of the Pelennor Fields and the infamous ride of the Rohirrim were filmed, so if you know the films, you'll know roughly what the landscape is like.
I was slightly surprised when the lady at the campsite suggested that I was brave to be camping, but understood it this morning when I opened my tent to look out on a frosty campsite! Fortunately my camping gear is good and my sleeping bag is toasty, so I didn't get cold during the night. It was a suprise though, considering that I was walking around in shorts and jandals only yesterday afternoon, but Twizel is a long way above sea level, so I suppose a bit of a chill in the night air is only to be expected.
I ended up getting the bus to Queenstown, but given that it's cheap and has a film to watch to fill up the three hours travel time, I reckon it wasn't too bad a choice. It was nice to be coming back to somewhere I've been before and know where everything is located. It can be a little wearing sometimes when you are constantly arriving in new places and having to go out and find everything all over again. I should point out that I'm not complaining though! The town hasn't changed much except that now the summer season is over, they're digging up the roads everywhere and blasting the dangerous cliffs on the road in. It's starting to look more wintery already way down here in the south. The mountains surrounding Queenstown have got a light dusting of fresh snow on their peaks and it all looks rather spectacular. I plan to spend a couple of days chilling out and doing some short walks that I didn't get round to last time I was here and then I may head off to do the Routeburn walk. The Routeburn is another of the "great walks" and everyone I've met who has done it says it's gorgeous. Of course, I'll let you know how plans progress.
Many thanks to everyone who sent me birthday emails and a special thanks to the Castle Camps Forbes clan, who called me this morning. It was great to speak to you all and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon.
So take good care everyone, I'll be back on the blog in a couple of days.
Twizel yesterday was nice. It's a sleepy little town, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but it's surrounded by spectacular scenery. For those LOTR fans, it's where the battle of the Pelennor Fields and the infamous ride of the Rohirrim were filmed, so if you know the films, you'll know roughly what the landscape is like.
I was slightly surprised when the lady at the campsite suggested that I was brave to be camping, but understood it this morning when I opened my tent to look out on a frosty campsite! Fortunately my camping gear is good and my sleeping bag is toasty, so I didn't get cold during the night. It was a suprise though, considering that I was walking around in shorts and jandals only yesterday afternoon, but Twizel is a long way above sea level, so I suppose a bit of a chill in the night air is only to be expected.
I ended up getting the bus to Queenstown, but given that it's cheap and has a film to watch to fill up the three hours travel time, I reckon it wasn't too bad a choice. It was nice to be coming back to somewhere I've been before and know where everything is located. It can be a little wearing sometimes when you are constantly arriving in new places and having to go out and find everything all over again. I should point out that I'm not complaining though! The town hasn't changed much except that now the summer season is over, they're digging up the roads everywhere and blasting the dangerous cliffs on the road in. It's starting to look more wintery already way down here in the south. The mountains surrounding Queenstown have got a light dusting of fresh snow on their peaks and it all looks rather spectacular. I plan to spend a couple of days chilling out and doing some short walks that I didn't get round to last time I was here and then I may head off to do the Routeburn walk. The Routeburn is another of the "great walks" and everyone I've met who has done it says it's gorgeous. Of course, I'll let you know how plans progress.
Many thanks to everyone who sent me birthday emails and a special thanks to the Castle Camps Forbes clan, who called me this morning. It was great to speak to you all and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon.
So take good care everyone, I'll be back on the blog in a couple of days.
March 09, 2005
Back packing
So here I am, after nearly five months as an independent traveller I am now a real life backpacker! Andy and Sarah very kindly dropped me off in Twizel this morning before heading off back towards CHCH, so I've pitched up my tent and have various options of moving on from here tomorrow. I reckon that talking someone into giving me a lift down towards Queenstown or Wanaka will be favourite, closely followed by hitching and then taking a bus. Hitching is still a popular way of getting around NZ and I've seen and spoken to plenty of people who are doing it.
The weather at Mt. Cook wasn't exactly wonderful, but we managed a really nice walk yesterday before the rain came in and then in the late afternoon the cloud cleared and we had fabulous views of the big mountain, still covered in snow and looking very impressive. The mountains around Mt. Cook are littered with glaciers and seeing these huge lumps of blue ice filling the high valleys is really quite bizarre.
Not sure what I'm going to do in Twizel yet, but it seems like a nice place. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the rolling mackenzie high country, which is barren but gorgeous.
How are things back in the UK? Has it been snowing anymore or does it feel like spring is on it's way?
I'm off to explore this little town and see what there is to do for a day . . .
The weather at Mt. Cook wasn't exactly wonderful, but we managed a really nice walk yesterday before the rain came in and then in the late afternoon the cloud cleared and we had fabulous views of the big mountain, still covered in snow and looking very impressive. The mountains around Mt. Cook are littered with glaciers and seeing these huge lumps of blue ice filling the high valleys is really quite bizarre.
Not sure what I'm going to do in Twizel yet, but it seems like a nice place. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the rolling mackenzie high country, which is barren but gorgeous.
How are things back in the UK? Has it been snowing anymore or does it feel like spring is on it's way?
I'm off to explore this little town and see what there is to do for a day . . .
Cookin'
I've headed off from Christchurch (CHCH) in the company of Andy and Sarah. I had a good time in CHCH with the people I was staying with, nights at the local pub and such like. The lodger, called Ely (pronounced Eli) even took me for a tour of the area, showing me the good beaches and posh areas.
Now we're staying at Mount Cook village youth hostel. As you may know, Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in NZ and it has it's own little microclimate. At the moment, the microclimate is cold and wet, but we had a nice walk this morning, with views of lots of glaciers. I'll give you more chat and photos now, but I just wanted to give you a quick update. Hope you're all on top form. Be good.
Now we're staying at Mount Cook village youth hostel. As you may know, Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in NZ and it has it's own little microclimate. At the moment, the microclimate is cold and wet, but we had a nice walk this morning, with views of lots of glaciers. I'll give you more chat and photos now, but I just wanted to give you a quick update. Hope you're all on top form. Be good.
March 04, 2005
Shanks' Pony
Well, left my bike in the centre of Christchurch with a for sale note on it yesterday lunchtime and this afternoon I am bereft of bike. Sold it by the way, not lost it. Having bought it for about 800 pounds, I've just sold it for about 400 pounds with a dodgy engine and ridden it for 12400 Kms in four months. I reckon I've done ok, it's much cheaper than any other form of transport apart from hitching.
So now I need to find another way to get about. I hear there are camper van rental companies who need people to get their vans back to Auckland for the next influx of people (the British Lions fans). I may be able to get a camper van for nothing if I take it back! We'll see . . .
So now I need to find another way to get about. I hear there are camper van rental companies who need people to get their vans back to Auckland for the next influx of people (the British Lions fans). I may be able to get a camper van for nothing if I take it back! We'll see . . .
March 02, 2005
Bugger!
Keep on reading and you'll find out the reason for today's title. I think that the last time I wrote I was in Blenheim, up in the Marlborough wine world. Well since then I have travelled down the beautiful east coast and I am now in Christchurch. I stopped off in Kaikoura on the way through for a couple of nights, which is a small town now famous for it's ocean trips. From Kaikoura you can go out whale watching, swimming with seals or swimming with dolphins, as well as the ususal fishing trips, surfing etc etc. I stopped off partially because the trusty steed had started to play up, it was getting difficult to start from cold. So after having the compression checked, I gulped and headed straight for the one big city in the south.
As is turns out, the compression has suddenly dropped on three of the four cylinders on the steed. For those who don't know, this is not a good thing and potentially expensive. Since I am coming home next month (!) it's not worth me spending money on it. Fortunately a chap I met on the interislander ferry in January had given me his address in Christchurch and told me if I needed a place to crash for a few days, to come and see him. So I took him up on his offer and descended on him at his place of work yesterday, before popping round to a couple of local Kawasaki specialists for second opinions on the bike.
Gordon, the excellent Kiwi guy who is now putting me up, has been a diamond. We went out last night for a bit of food and then popped to his local for a quick beer. He instantly gave me a bed for as many nights as I need it and supplied me with a key to the door and told me to make myself at home. Sometimes Kiwi hospitality and trust is quite overwhelming!
Anyway, it looks like I'll have to try to find a buyer for the bike earlier than anticipated, but I should be able to keep travelling on it for a while. In some ways the timing is convenient, since I had planned to be in Christchurch next week to meet up with Andy and Sarah anyway. But there you have it, not an exciting few days, more of a pain in the proverbial. Of course, I'll let you know what happens and I'm sure that one way or another, I'll be off again in a few days. More to see and do as always. Take care everyone and see you in April.
As is turns out, the compression has suddenly dropped on three of the four cylinders on the steed. For those who don't know, this is not a good thing and potentially expensive. Since I am coming home next month (!) it's not worth me spending money on it. Fortunately a chap I met on the interislander ferry in January had given me his address in Christchurch and told me if I needed a place to crash for a few days, to come and see him. So I took him up on his offer and descended on him at his place of work yesterday, before popping round to a couple of local Kawasaki specialists for second opinions on the bike.
Gordon, the excellent Kiwi guy who is now putting me up, has been a diamond. We went out last night for a bit of food and then popped to his local for a quick beer. He instantly gave me a bed for as many nights as I need it and supplied me with a key to the door and told me to make myself at home. Sometimes Kiwi hospitality and trust is quite overwhelming!
Anyway, it looks like I'll have to try to find a buyer for the bike earlier than anticipated, but I should be able to keep travelling on it for a while. In some ways the timing is convenient, since I had planned to be in Christchurch next week to meet up with Andy and Sarah anyway. But there you have it, not an exciting few days, more of a pain in the proverbial. Of course, I'll let you know what happens and I'm sure that one way or another, I'll be off again in a few days. More to see and do as always. Take care everyone and see you in April.
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