Well after my 11 hr flight from hell I got to Santiago. I left jono who treated me to wines and lunch and more wines at the airport. He has spoilt me to death and I need to go to Peru to detox from my chilled out week in Aukland.
The wine tour was great. This old boy picked me up and I was the only one on the bus. He takes me to all teh amrloborugh wine companies and I have a little sip. I made sure I had breakfast.
He also tells me about the social aspects of his life and how he and his wife do these bus tours while in their 70's. It also explained why he hits everything that moves, or for that matter doesn't, in his car. I am teh pissed one, he's suppossed to be sober. He really is a lovely guy and looks after me all day making sure I am able to send the bottles of wine i have bought.
Cludy bay all out of stock of their famous one as limited supply. I did get to meet however the Kiwi wine conosour version of jamie oliver and not a "pukka" in sight. Was a very charmign young guy who takes you through the wines. He has a few catch phrases himself but is called james and classed as jamie oliver as he doesn't give you and pretentious bullshit. No but I bet he can chat the panties off of any woman.
After that I get dropped back at the camp site and go for a big burger and vhips to try and sober myslef up. That works so I do teh 3 hr drive to kaikoura to watch the wales.
I find the holiday camp eventually and bed down for the night!
I drive to the taxi ferry in the morning and that takes me all around the beaches of the national park. People get off and do tramps along teh way but I was staying on as pushed for time. The beaches and tramps look awsome you can go for an hour, 3 or 6 or even stay the night after doing some kiaking.
It was again very beautiful and a 3 hr freezing cold trip, although we saw lots of shags (they are birds), more seals (i am sealed out now) and some dolphins. I did get a bit wet. There were two guys who were wotrking on the islands. One was teh kiaking master who teased me about getting a kiwi husband if I want to stay and the opther, well I am not sur ewhat he does except be sarcastic.
After that I got back and headed off for nelson stopping at a glass blwoing factory on the way. It was very beautifull but expensive and we saw teh glass being shaped and formed. An expensive tour considering they make these anyway. I bought a small piece as a souvenire and then went off again.
Thsi time to see the WOWA museum. Meuseum of wearable art. Well it was inetersting. Loved the bra with the magnifying glass and coveered with newpaper cuttings of men who lear at breasts. Wil get me one of those i think. That should emabarrass a few guys and make me feel vinictified in the process.
Next door was a classic car show room. Now that was WOW. I would noe like an austin heally plese. They also made it a bit like the settings and earas the cars were from eg. 50's chevy with a 50's styled waitress, gangster cars with bullets etc. Oh and tehy had a couple of old ducatiis.
After that I finally reach blenhim which looks like a ghost town and book myself up for a wine tour teh next day as cludy bay (favourite wine is in the region.
Next mornign after a fitfull sleep I got woken at 7.30 with are you awake yet? Yep. We had breakfast and I said I was going to head further by myself. Truth be told I prefer certain travelling on my own as I am not dictated to where I can gop beacuse of prior arrangements. So I took myself off along teh coastal road, which is a long windy stratch of road looking over the rugged west coast. The bit from Greymouth to Picton was fantastic.
I stopped at the pankacke rocks at Punakiki to look at the blow holes. These were fantastic and really prietty. Just after seeing the blow holes the californian guy shows up so I say hello and then its off again.
After that I tookmyself to cape foulkwind (love the name) to see a seal colony and the lighthouse. The light house wasn't much to look at but the seals were great. It started raining again to I headed off to westport around that quickly and off to motueka via murchison. I get to moutika quiet late. The campsites great but expensive so I book myself on a boat trip round the tasman abel region for the next day.
Yet again i tried to book a scneic flight butno avail because of the weather. I also thought I should make a move to franz joseph as decided not to do the snow boarding as I would spend a good 3 days learning, any less wouldn't be worth it so I will leave that for a proper snow boarding holiday and head for the glaciers. Problem being the hasst pass is shut beacuse of snow and they won't know until 2. There is no other way there either.
So i go and do puzzel world. Itr's this place where everything is based on puzzels. You get a room with holograms in. Then there's this really really weird room where there are hundreds of faces all in rows. They are of famous people looking at you from different angles. For example there are 4 eisntiens across and 4 down (16 total) they all look at you from various angles. The ones on the top face down and the ones below face up etc. You walk to about a foot away from them and cover one eye with your hand. As you move round the faces follow you. Its brilliant but weird.
Next room was done at an angle so water would travle up hill, a ball would go up hioll and a stammer lift would also go up stairs....without an enguine. That room made me feel sick.
Next I did an outside maze that was 3 dimensions and bridges and towers. You are supposed to find 4 towers in sequence then you way out. Well I did the 4 towers quick then couldn't find my way out. After 2 hrs I was getting frustraited your suppossed to do it in 1.5 hrs. Okay I cheated! I had to see if the haast pass was clear.
I went fgor a hot choclate, bumped into john made my exscuses and went to find out about the pass. Yes its open but snow chains are needed. Yeah.... no john I can leave....no....snow chains yuck.
Well it was scary but only a little bit where the snow had built up. No one else used snow chains so I didn't bother. So i did the pass then the heavens opened. All the way to fox glacier which i reached in pitch blackness in sheet rain at 7.30pm.
At this point i am going down with a cold so treated myself to a nice warm room and a good meal. Roast pork yummy. I watched outback jack another reality tv show where this outback aussie (who is quite cute but i think a bit thick) get to choose or fall in love with one of 12 women. It's an elimination process. God all these blond american bimbos with colegen implants are mad about him. He goes on individual dates and snogs each one telling them they are special and they fall for it. God dumb blondes or what. Well the brunette had the balls to sneak into his room the night before. Anyway just as he's going to eliminate one they are all given a choice of 2 weeks all expenses paid in the grabnd hotel in perth. If they want facials or what ever they can have it for two weeks. They are out of the competition. Nopt one of them gave in as they thought they could have a real romance with jack back in the outback. What baloney has TV gone mad.
Not much to report. It was a nice drive although the weather was cold and it started snowing. I stopped at one of the winneries and did their tour. Got shown the cave where they store all the wines and was patronised by a fasciscious callifornian old guy that worked their. Not impressed with him.
I stopped at a gold mine and did the gold mining tour which i planned to do earlier when i drove through but it was closed. This time it was open and i thought the tour would be pants. It actually turned out very good. A gunuine kiwi gold panner (he still does it now) told us all baout the properties of gold how its formed, the kind of rocks used to find it what golds used in etc. Very inetresting. Then we went and saw one of the rock crushing machines improited from britain (slough). finally we had a go at gold panning and i found 8 small flecks which i put in a vile of water (makes them look bigger). I did have a little bit of help from the tour guide.
We had a chat afterwards and he said I was very barve doing all this travelling thing. I am a bit waery of anyone who says I am ballsy or barve doing this as they again tend to want to get into your pants but this guy seemed genuine so we said goodby and I drove to wanaka.
Not impressed by the camp site but loved the town. Really beautiful almost like an alpine viallage. Had some food and basically went to bed.
Camper van park is really good. So I book up a whole host of activities for the next 3 days.
DAY 1 - WHITE WATER RAFTING
in the morning I am picked up early to go with the white water rafting group down the carona river. No one has told me that I will be riding with a school party.
Clyde the guy who picks me up on the bus tells me that it's actualy 57 15 year boys on a rugby tour of new zealand with their parents/teachers. Oh shit it really is going to be an adrenline ride.
Well the boys eventually arrive. We have to get changed into our wet suits, socks and boots then dash up in the cold to get jackets. life jackets and gloves. Oh and helmet and paddle.
We then get ona really damp smelling bus to the karona river and then have to walk down a steep sloap to the boats. The boys are not badly behaved I just get a shove onece and that's it.
You should have seen it when they were int the water. The guides let them do anything. They were splashing, tipping, jumping out the boat and throwing their mates plus the guides in. It was chaos but brilliant to watch. I was in the teachers boat whith a guide that managed to steer us away from the mahem. Don't get me wrong we still got picked on and soaked but not to their extent!
They were probably letting off steam as they hadn't done very well against the kwiwi's in their matches. In fact there were a lot of injuries including one boy with a broken vertibrate.
well I said goodbye to the teachers and wished them luck. The boys before hand had done a helicopter flight over the region. I decided to forget that as doing franz joseph.
DAY 1 - SHOOTOVER JET BOAT (DOES 360 DEGREES)
I have a walk around queenstown on a really prietty but cold day. It's a beautiful town with a steam boat restaurant that goes out daily. i get the bus around two and go to teh same place they do the white water rafting.
We are given rain coats and lifejackets and have our pictures taken. The guide said to me sit at the back and at one side you get the best of the ride. I do that as I am first in the boat but this woman shouts for me to move as she is with a group of 4 and they all want to sit together. There's no please or thank you but i move anyway. Ended up sitting in the wet seat anyhow. The bars they get you to hold on to are heated. Not much but enough not to make your hands feel like frost bite.
Well we take off going one side of the river. It's a fsat flashy red boat that has to fiull up with petrol every trip and there's abouy 15 people on the boat. it was great we gop off one way down the gorge. The boat company own the rights to the river and have just got it for another 25 years. They go for about 25 mins and go up and down the canyon right by the rocks. So much so you think they are going to hit them. Then they do 360 degrees turn. It was great fun and well worth it.
After that I go back and do laundry and have dinner trying to get out for the rugby. A very nice person takes all my laundry out while wet and dumps it on the side when I have put it in the dryer. I then figure its goignt o take me ages to wait for a dryer so go hunting for one thoroughly pissed of. Can't find another dryer so when their load stops I do it to them. Well it was done to me so sod it.
Eventually i am ready to go to the rugby after every little thing seeming to go wrong, does. I go to the red rocks pub as I have been told that's good and to get their early so I order a platter of potato wedges and stuff and a pitcher of beer and start doing my written journal till the match starts. I didn't realise that wasn't for antoher 2 hours. So I am quietly getting drunk while watching another rugby game.
Eventually the match starts. A guy who was originally from greymouth but moved to perth starts talking to me. Seems friendly enough so we watch the match together and get more beer. I should say its the wallaby's v allblacks. Anyway the kiwi now aussie guy is called john, shaven head and a miner working for 6th months of the year and up for the snowboarding. I tell him that I am doing the llord of the rings tomorrow and he says if teh weather is bad he may do that or if not catch up with me later. We swap mobiles and off i go.
DAY 2 - LORD OF THE RINGS TOUR (GLENORCHY)
Next day i get picked up early in a 4whell driver nomads safari of teh rings range rover. In the back is a couple with a two year old girl from england. They are quite nice to talk to and the kid is cute. Then they pick up john the guiy i met in the pub before and off we go. They explain that teh film locations are dotted around all of NZ and we are going to glenorchy where they filmed the king going across the river. I can't remeber the hero's name, the one who is true air to the kingdom of condaw...maybe getting mixed up with mac beth here, will correct later.
Anyhow the little girl then starts screaming and i mean the pitch that just screws with your head and she won't stop. Well they have got nothing to keep her occupied and she's strapped in a seat where she can't see out the window - what do you expect. Anyhow a box of raiusins cures that...thank you raisins, food wonder of the world. The couple are really embarrasssed about their kids tantrum, hey its not her fault she just wanted to be envolved.
The tour guide is a pilot who does trips to teh milford sound. We had 4 stops, one for the toilet, one for tea and one to actually see a film location. The guide spent more time asking about us and talking about his experiences travlling than actually any lord of the rings stuff.
The tea and cake were good though and he was a nice guy but if i had the same guide book he was reading to us from and a 4 wheel drive car I could have done as good a job.
After that i arrange to meet john for some dinner. He picks me up in his car at the camper site and takes me to the loaded hog. We have a bottle of wine but are too late for food. So I say lets go get a kebab so we do that and sit and eat it in his car. Then I get asked want to come back for a coffee.
Okay this is my rant. I am so used to being just chatty with people in the hostels I forgot the rule of the single travelling female, especialy if you are older or the guys are older (john is 40 nearly), they just want to get into your pants. Being friendly means that you have this word tatooed on your forehead that your not aware of but 36 - 50 year olds thinks it means (and pardon my language) but basically "fuck me now" haven't they herad of the male female platonic friendship thing or do they just know getting into your trousers. Then i realise I had forgotton i was on my own at the bar and yes I did get picked up. doing the dorm shares and chatting to some genuinely nice blokes you forget what some are like.
I make my exscuses and it clear that I am not interested and we agree to travel parts of teh west coast as friends. We can discuss routes tomorrow. To be honest I don't really want to travel with him any part as don't want the restrictions of having to compromise or work to someone elses schedule.
DAY 3 - PARAGLIDING
Next morning i get picked up for paragliding off coronet peak. I don't actually know what parragliding is except it's tandem and involves a parachute. Well hey I can do that done it before sort of.
We are on a bus trip from the camp site up to coronet peak. There's an austrailian guy doing it as well. We pick up teh other instructor and head off to the peak.
Next we have to go up in the ski lift while carlos (another instructor who is from spain and his english is appaulign but has learnt while he has been over here), gets the shoot ready and follows us up. Funny I found it harder to get off a ski lift without skiis then with but I manage it. Then we have to climb up some steps one of the instructors have carved in the snow then walk across what i would call teh summit. I can't describe the views I felt like a real explorer. Like the guy in the film I watched in sydney who did the mountain in peru (without breaking a leg).
Well we walk across the summit and two shoots are layed quite a way apart. I am going with carlos. He tells me what ever happens to keep running no matter watch if i fall, or if we take off i keep running. Then i look. I now know what paragliding is...i have to run off the edge of a mountain with a guy strapped to my back. Shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well we harness up and I do it. I am so busy runnign in snow that goes up to my kness as my legs dissapear that I nearly stumble so does carlos but nope I am still running even when the shoot has caught the wind and we are off over the mountains. It was absolutely freezing but such a wonderful sight. Clear blue sky, mountains with snow that we are over trying to catch thermasl. I hear the other instructor on the radio say that carlos nearly stumbled but i was running so fast he didn't have a choice i took him with me. The flight was only 15mins but well worth it,. Best thing i had done in NZ.
DAY 3 - HACKET BUNJY JUMP
Later that afternoon i met the bus to do the bunjy. There was an english couple, an architect and his grilfrined. They were doing the big 3 package. I was just doing teh hacket bunjy. He's already done one before but it was her turn. There was aguy from south america as well and his friend had been winding him up.
Well we get there and get weighed. Yep 67 with loads of clothes on and walkign boots. I have to go on the light bunjy so I am the first to go. Following this oither girl from another tour. She does it and then they put the ropes round me. They edge me out and I look down. Come on you can do it, after 5. I look down and say I don't think i can. There are two guys ina life raft at the bottom who catch you and unrope you and you walk back up. they look like dots. They can't down from 5. 5...4..3..2...1... yep and i am still standing there. Saying i don't think i can do it...they are of course you can... i am like i know i cant do it. They try to make me go again..... 5...4...3...2..1... thios time my hands are outsreatched and one guy gently pulls my finger tips, as soon as i feel him doing this I am ohhh shit and pull back!
I can't do it so they unharness me and I go off feeling like shit for being the only one who didn't. The other couple went, and the south american guy! Whats wrong I could do a paraanes from 5,000m and a tandem sky dive from 14,000 but a bunjy at 47m i can't do! Bugger!
Anyhow after that they took me for beers and a girl from melbourne was in the bar who started talking to us. She was great and a REAL adrenline junky. Ice walking, flying fox the lot. I felt worse but the beer helped. Then I realised I was meeting john and didn't fancy that on my own so I went and got him and we all had a few beers and finally some food together. The english coupel were a great laugh.
After that john walked me back to the camp site which it didn't dawn on me why. Then realisation came and i had to make it clear again its a no go. Next morning was up early and ghot the hell out of there to go to wanaka.
I get up and the morning is cold and grotty so I drive around clyde taking photos of dunstan this etc. Then I go back to cromwell and decide to take the road to mount cook. I drive past lake dunstan and lots of morino sheep. They have especially soft wool and are really popular here. The wool is also exported.
Then After driving for what feels like hours I get to lydnhams pass. Not a bad bad drive. Really prietty Roads. Only thing is all of a sudden you hit snow. Then a bit more then lots. I am going through this windy road that's quite steep, going up and down and there is snow everywhere. I am a little panicked as don't want to have to use snow chains and have nevre driven in snow.
Anyhow its not a long road so I do that then get to the first town. It's 4pm I was nearly out of petrol and its a long drive to queenstown so I better head back. Off I go through the pass and get to one of the top 10 carravan parks at queenstown. Stopping on the way at the gold mine and gold jetboating area in the gorge which was shut so i had to move on.
Got up early for a bus journey into milford sound then you can get a boat cruise for about an hr. The bus journey was interesting and very informative. That's where I learn't all about the possums and that each skin is worth$15 and some tourists go and hunt them for a laugh then go and watch them being skinned and see how they prepare them. Possum products though are astronomical in price.
Our guide goes whith her boyfriend and just shoots them for fun, they sometimes do deer. Basically over here you can shoot anything that moves. She gets excited when a possum is run over in a car. They also do trout fishing which is a big thing here.
We stopped at several places. We couldn't have a snow fight as the ground was too icy. There were a nice grouyp of aussies on the tour with us as well. From melbourne. We also stopped at a place called the chasam with a bus load of tourists from other places who the tour guide told us not to talk to. She didn't want us picking up strays. There are some lovely walks here which i would love to do in the summer but cant now as a lot are closed. You can go on a three day tramp over milford sound in the summer and you just take food on your back and stay in different lodges which only supply the bed. Sounds really beautiful and great fun.
We got to the boat after going through the divide. This is basically one big tunnel that just goes down. Its quite steap and only room for one car at a time but goes on for quite a way so I am glad i didn't drive it.
At the other end after about half an hour you get to the harbour. You can dive in milford sound although dry suit gear its possible. The salt water and fresh don't mix so you have to go down about 5 metres of murky fresh water then its beautifully clear although dark in colour. They have a lot of black coral there.
the boat trip was good although cold. You could see the mountains either side of the fjords and lots of littl ewaterfalls running off them because it had just rained. Also there are a couple of big permanent waterfalls such as barron falls which are all gushing out water. They have had a bit of a drought this year so the waterfalls are a bit more pathetic than usual.
We also saw seals basking on the rocks and went out to sea for a liuttle bit. It was so choppy that the austrailian group got absolutely soaked by a couple of big waves.
After the boat trip I fell asleep on the bus for most of the way then went to a place called bileys for dinner as it had started to poor down with rain and i couldn't be bothered to cook. Had an enormouse meal of lamb shanks which I couldn't finish then headed off for an early night.
I started off with the brewery tour of speights XXX Beer. The guide was a good laugh. They don't export it now and have been bought up by stella and teh other big brewng companies. Seeng the process was interesting but the beer tasting after wards was excellent.
After that I went on another train journey. I bumped into the father and son who were on the brewery tour and the french girl I had met on Nature's Wonders tour at the otago pennsular.
There were some greta sights of the gorge and via ducts that you wouldn't believe but the scenery wasn't quite as breathtaking as the transalpine. Not far off though!
Not as friendlier people on this trip so on the way back had a carriage to myself although joe the tour guide who is in his 50's and on a cholesteral diet was great to talk to.
After that I headed down on highway one in the camper to invacargil.Invacargil is not much to see so I basically locked my door shut and went to sleep. Yes teh only camp sight in town is that kind of place folks. Lets just add it acts as a truck stop as well, with pub!
Next day was up early and off agian. I was heading on the coastal road to te anu along teh scenic highway. It was a beautiful drive and I stopped at lost of places along the way.
First port of call was bluff. They don't call it the kiwi lands end for nothing. Industrial type of area and fishing village at the same time. Famous for its bluff oysters. I can't have those as react badly. Or wont chance it in case i do.
After looking out to stewart island I headed off. Should have done stewart island as its suppossed to be so beautiful. Wil lsave that till next time.
Stopped at riverton which was another beautiful coatsal village. Very quaint and known as the kiwi riviera because of its beaches. Not wrong there it was lovely.
Monkey island, beautful beach with lots of drift wood. Local kiwi was collecting it and telling me it keeps him fit at 70 years plus. Then off again stopping at teautepere. Not much there but a good cup of coffee. Bought gas then went off again stopping at one coastal town after another. Stopped at a suspension bridge and went along this very narrow windy gravel track to a lake in the south fjord lands called hauroko something. It was a beautiful trail and never eneding. At first through grass land then forest. Next you got to the end of the trailk where they had cars parked with boat trailers and a set of trees. Beyond the trees was a vast lake with sandy beaches and snow caped mountains in the background. it was beautiful. Got to te anu about 6ish and booked some trips up. Nice camp site in a beautiful lake side location.
Can't say much about the evenings as its shower, cooking and bed. Same every night but I may change the order of things to make it more fun! Very different from the backpackers or bus tours.
After the cadbury's factory I drove to the Otago penisula. It's a lovely scenic route, the same way you go to the launach castle then beyond. The most priety windy roads ever.
I took a few tournings off the road to go nearer the caost which was lovely although hair razing at first in the camper. For a start i am not sure if the cam,pers are allowed down these tracks as they are narrow gravel paths. The hills are a bit of work in the camper as its like driving a 10 ton lorry up a 75%grade slope but I coped. The weather wasn't great as was raining. Should have done this yesterday.
Anyhow I found a beautiful bay at the end of this road and you had to walk through some dunes to get there. It was a lovely sandy beach inbetween the cliffs. Quite large but I was the only one there so that was great.
I also drove along alans road which is another gravel track that follows the estury.
After that I stopped at portebello and had thebest boisenberry ( i think they are like logan berry's) and apple fruit juice. That hit the spot but not as much as the roast lamb dinner with roast potatoes, veg and most improtant mint jelly. Wow! Well it was a sunday and I needed comfort food as cold.
After that i went on from portebello to the aquarium and marine station where they do research into the marine life of teh penisula. Great for kids just follow the yellow crab trail painted on teh path.
The aquarium wasn't much but interesting to see how much the marine life is differnt from oz.ots of cray fish, star fish, cod, kelp, mussells and that kind of thing.
After that it was onwards to the albatros centre. I was too late for the tour and the guy said go through and have a look. So i just followed some people they stopped at the gate and teh tour guide ( i didn't realise that at the time) did a head count realised she had one extra to which i owned up on, so I had to go back down. I think I did see an albatross flying though. Not that you can see much just a huge wing span.
After that I went to nature's wonder. It is now bleak and very cold. Natures wonders is a private company run by a farmer who wons this part/end of the peninsula. He sheep farms but had an idea to get these little 4x4 buggies from canada which are used to go over snow, and use them on his farm over mud tracks.
Great idea and a little bit of an adrenline rush going down these steep narrow hills. Great fun though. He takes you to the point where you are suppossed tyo be able to see dunedin on a clear day. Not today.
After that you go past the seals on the rocks, keeping warm. They are a couple of hundred yards away but the nearest I have seen wild seals. Then they take you to this hide. In the hide on the right you see the baby seals through tiny wired windows. They are so cute. Lots of fleas though and teh males smell. They leave their scent like dogs aparenlty. There were about six baby ones on the other side of this window, less than a meter away. It was so amazing and cute.
After that we saw the cormorents sheltering on the cliffs then on the way to watch the yellow eyed penguins the car broke down. A coil snapped. So the guide sent us off to the penguin hide while he phoned for another pick up.
Well we had some binoculars but my video camera has an excleent zoon although it goes really wabberly ehn i zoom in. Maybe that's just me.
Anyhow we looked in the bush and didn't see any penguins as we were told their might be. So we watched the beach for a few minutes. Then one came, then the other. About 3 all staggered. They were easy to spot as the beach was filled of sea gulls all facing the sea. Then you would see these funny long black shapes with flashes of white going in the other direction but moving differently. They were so funny to watch their little waddles as they headed inland after their evening feed. The yellow penguins are very rare and only found on the south coast (theotago peninsula basically).
Well after 15 mins we saw about 10-14 of these funny creatures. As thebus had broken down we got to see a few more as we were running 10 mins late. I met two nice ladies from dunedin on a day trip and a nice french girl who sat up front of the little car and sheltered me from the rain. She is doing the same train trip with me from dunedin tomorrow.
Well we got back and I drove back to dunedin on the most windy coastal road ever in the pouring rain. Got back and was absolutely nackered. Had done about 600k by this point.
Continue reading "Otago Peninsula"Next day I had a hang over. Just a dehyreated one. It took an hr to wear off. Johnny very kindly drove me towards the airport to pick up the camper van then was goign to the artic centre.
I spent an hr going through red tape and maps at the backpackers/manui/britz camper van place. Got shown how to put snow chains on which is a legal requirement to have them in the car just in case.
Finally I was ready to head out. The camper is the size of a ford transit. It has a sink and basic cooker (two rings and a grill). Their is a table and the two sides fold down into a double bed with a small bed up to for dwarfs or small children. Their's plenty of cuboard space but it's very green when you close the curtains. A bit clostraphobic but my lttle abode until the 1st september.
So I took off heading towards Dunedin. Ther roads are single lanes and have 100kph speed limit. They have overtaking lanes so traffic doesn't build up. Lets face is their is hardly anyone on the roads any how.
First stop was ahsburton where i did a horrific shop then realised how do i get all this in small cubboards and a tiny fridge.
I finally got to dunedin after having to stop for petrol and ask directions to a camper park. It wasn't a bad campsite and not many around. It was freezing cold but I made myself dinner. Had candles and a bottle of wine and made a salad with green beens and alfalfa sprouts and even had napkins on the tabel (just to note havn't done it since. I had terrikaki slamon which I had marinade for supper. Also forgot there is onbly two rings on the stove oops.
Also discovered the camper is freezing at night and I only have a small electric heater which I dare not use as I have a really heavy sleep.
I also had the get the man who owns the camp to help me with the electrics which didn't work. So he showed me how and everything was fine.
Overslept the following morning and played on the internet and had a nice cooked breakfast.
After that I drove off (forgetting one glass left on the top which then bounced and broke and also correctly shutting the cupboard door so all teh contents went everywhere. That was a stop and pick up.
I went the scenic route to launach castle which a couple found in the 60's while driving down the same road. Itr was derilict and up for sale so they bought it and renovated it themselves ion return for some help from the locals. In return they opened the ballroom up and had the first launach castle ball in years.
It was smashing to see what they had done to this castle in the middle of now where.
It was a beautiful coastla road journey stopping off along the way in many different parts and beautiful bays.
After that I walked round the town. Went into the station which is a hallmark in itself and back to the camper park after driving along the bay road looking onto this beautiful long beach.
Next day I was booked on the cadbury's chocolate tour. Morro is the popular bar like a mars bar but crunchie is their biggest seller. The factory wasn't in operation but I got to see a cholcolate waterfall and get some free chocolate.
The waterfall was great. From one of the towers it realeases a tone of chocoalate which falls into a container below. I was like a big kid. If only I could have stood underneath it!
This I did before Akora.
I overslept without realising. I had in my head the bus left at 7.45 to the train station. It was actually 7.25. I had to order a cab and leg it down there. I didn't get much sleep partly because of the wine and secondly because the germans were so loud trying to be quiet that their whispering was deafening. If that makes sense.
Anyway I managed to cath the train. Thank god as it was the priettiest scenery I have ever seen. Mountains caped with snow either side and the train passes in between. On the way you see lots of farm land and animals. At this point I hadn't seen many sheep. The light was a low warm winetrs lght great for photos.
The journey was 4 hrs there with a couple of stops and then a 15 min break and 4 hrs back. Arthurs pass was prietty. Nothing there just the station, you take a photo and go. There was a plot of land that looked derilict. A couple fell n love with the hotel there and thought they could do it up and make it into a working hotel. They didn't read the small print and ended up uying the whole twon which they now rent houses out or you can use them as summer houses. Lets say it's very remote.
There's not much to say about greymouth expecpt when I was there it was grey. I bought a maori jad neclace which has all sorts of superstission about it. Your not suppossed to buy one for yourself, it has to be a present. The guy in the shop said that's unless you really wanted one which I have done for years. Me being supersticous hope that he was right and not just trying to sell me something.
Continue reading "Transalpine"Hi, Nick here (alex's friend & blog Ed.) . I just received a sackload of pictures to put up (yay) so here is the url
http://www.cight.com/alexblog/gallery/
enjoy...
Ps some may not be right, and they need sorting chronologically, but that's cos I am in a hurry putting them up, sorry will fix when I have time, only I promised to get them up this weekend, and I'm supposed to be elsewhere just now.