Monthly Archives: April 2010

NZ – Dunedin to Christchurch

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After two and half weeks away I was starting to get a bit ansie and found myself itching to get back to the worries and pleasures of my everyday world but before we could do that we had one last stop to make – Christchurch.


Christchurch is a lovely town/city on the east coast of the south island and I particularly found it’s charms alluring. Out of all the places we visited in NZ there are only two that I realistically could see myself living – Auckland and this little beauty.

We only had 24 hours in Christchurch so we didn’t get to do much but in our short time we:- we visited the art gallery, had a beer down by the river, dejoyed (opp. enjoyed) an Indian dinner, and took a drive out to Lytleton and past Governors Bay where we had the *best* hot chocolate ever (it was $8.50 so it should have been).

Our time in NZ was awesome. There’s no need to fly 24 hours across the world to Europe when you can get nature at it’s best just across the ditch.

Finally, I’d like to note that this whole trip was planned by my best buddy without a lick of input from yours truly. There wasn’t a single misstep in Michelle’s planning with every day being a highlight. So if you’re ever in the need of a trip planner, I’m sure Michelle will be happy to lend a hand for a handsome fee ;)

NZ – Te Anau to Dunedin

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After such a dismal encounter with mother nature in Te Anue, we were hoping the 350km distance separating Te Anau on the south island’s east coast and Dunedin on the west coast would give us some respite from the terrible weather. We weren’t so lucky.

The drive across country was long, straight and rather irritating when your car is constantly barraged with ice cold, sheets of rain but with my buddy in the passenger seat we entertained ourselves by playing games of trivial pursuit on the iPhone, keeping our spirits high.

We arrived mid afternoon in Dunedin, a larger town than most in NZ and it reminded us a bit of Hobart in Tasmania for some reason. We enjoyed the slow and deliberate drive around the winding peninsular to our cottage accommodation where we learnt that we had our very own private spa. This spa became a saviour for me, as I spent many hours in there reading books and magazines while drinking corona’s to while away the time that would have otherwise been spent out and about sight-seeing.

We were lucky enough to get a a couple of hours sun breaking through the clouds on our first afternoon there so we quickly jumped in the car and took a drive around the peninsular taking in breathtaking views of the coast, harbour and township. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way we got a flat tire. I used up all of my knowledge on automobiles to change the tyre over quickly and successfully. I think with such skill I should consider being a car mechanic as my next vocation.

The rain was back the next day so we lazily made our way back into town and toured all the local attractions – the train station, the cadbury chocolate factory, the McDonalds and the local Hoyts cinema where I saw the film – kick ass. It really did kick ass. A great movie – 10/10.

Check out more photos here.

NZ – Queenstown to Te Anau and Milford Sound

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After an exciting, adventurous two days in Queenstown it was time to move on to more a more serene location – the town of Te Anau was our stayover town on our way down to Milford Sound.

The weather took a turn for the worst as we left Queenstown and unfortunately it decided to stay this way for the rest of our time in NZ. Heavy squalls of rain and low hanging clouds were all we would see of NZ from now on which was such a shame as we have heard that Milford Sound is one of the world’s most beautiful locations.

Thankfully, when we arrived at our accommodation in Te Anau we were surprised with the most cosy cottage you could imagine. We were pampered with panoramic views of stunning countryside, free wired internet, sky tv, a wet floor bathroom and an ornate and soft comfy bed. With such comforts it was hard to muster the strength to venture out into the cold, damp, greyness to take the normally scenic drive to Milford Sound but venture we did.

The lonely planet describes the drive to Milford Sound as some of the most jaw-dropping you’ll ever see however our jaws weren’t dropping as we struggled to see more than 50 ft in front of us for the entire drive. Upon arriving we jumped on a boat for a 2 hour tour of the fjord. That’s right, Milford Sound is not a sound but a fjiord. The difference being – a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet where fjords are formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock.

Fortunately while out on the water we were able to see through the terrible weather and experience glimpses of Milford Sound’s awe inspiring beauty.

While the weather certainly dampened (pun intended) our experience of this wonderous natural beauty we still managed to have a great day and we figure because we just live across the ditch we can come back one day and try again.

NZ – Queenstown

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After our brief stopover in glacier country we headed down to the NZ’s most popular tourist destination – Queenstown.

It was a long drive but a beautiful one. Along the way we stopped by some wonderful waterfalls, and enjoyed wonderful vistas of mountains towering above lake filled valleys.

I visited Queenstown for a week of skiing back in 2001 and on returning this time, I found it just as I remembered it minus the snow.

Check some photos here.

I was really looking forward to visiting Queenstown as I was super keen to try out some adventure activities. Within an hour of unpacking the car I was down booking as many activities as I could in the 36 hours we had there. Unfortunately there was only two activities I could fit in – canyoning and white water rafting.

First up canyoning (aka canyoneering) at Routeburn. Canyoning is a sport in which participants walk, run, climb, jump and swim through river gorges.

I was a bit worried about going canyoning after remembering the tragic death of college students in 2008 due to sudden flash floods but that worry didn’t last long. I was interested in the thrill and I can tell you I wasn’t disappointed. Canyoning is one of the top 5 all time fun things I’ve done. My heart was racing with anxiety and excitement as I jumped into shallow 2 foot pools – narrowing missing tree trunk logs, winding down rock slides,
zip wiring across canyons, and abseiling down cliff faces.

I loved it. Would love to do it again. Check some photos here.

The next morning I got up early to do some white water rafting down the Shotover River. Being the only single person in the group of rafters I was unfortunate enough to be put in a raft with a group of 5 beautiful Irish girls. It was horrible. Apart from this mishap the rest of the experience was pleasant. Unfortunately as the river was very low (wrong season) the rapids weren’t as wild and woolly as I’d had hoped.

NZ – Franz Josef

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Our next stop – Franz Josef – the home of the Franz Josef glacier and not far from the Fox glacier.

We visited both and found them fascinating. After today’s trip to the glaciers and with the volcanic eruptions happening in the northern hemisphere we couldn’t help but remember our trip to Iceland.