Driving on from Manapouri we soon arrived at Queenstown, where we caught a gondola (cable car) to the top of Mount Bruce. This afforded us with amazing views over the surrounding mountains, including the Remarkables where part of Lord of the Rings was filmed. Whilst watching the bungy-jumping, we headed off on a chair-lift to the top of the luge run. Now, this wasn't your tea-tray style luge, don't worry, just a plastic kart with steering and interesting brakes! We all went on the scenic run, which had a passing place so you could stop and take photos. This was windy and steep enough for us - heaven knows what the advanced run was like! It was absolutely brilliant though, and we all enjoyed Queenstown immensely.
We camped at Wanaka, which was reached over an extremely scenic mountain pass through the Cardrona valley and various other ski fields. Wanaka did have a ski-town-type feel to it, and seemed very full of pretentious young skiers with their silly hats!
The next day was one of our few rainy ones, with very poor visibility. This was quite annoying as it meant we didn't get to see Mount Cook or any of the other Alps that day. We were heading for the glaciers, and walked right up to the terminus of Fox Glacier - very impressive. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to walk to the terminus of Franz Josef Glacier, but we did climb to a lookout, which would have had amazing views if it wasn't for the rain. We carried on up to HariHari where we stayed the night.
The next day was our longest journey yet. We travelled through Arthur's Pass National Park, via the route of that name. It was glorious, with fresh snow, and as it was a Sunday, the place was teeming with kids playing, including skating on a frozen lake - amazing! The views were once again, breathtaking and seemed to go on forever. Arriving on the other side, near Christchurch, the original plan was to camp at nearby Rangiora. However, we had made such good time over the pass that we decided to press on to Kaikoura. As it was Alexander's birthday (for those of you who don't know, my brother) it meant he spent the entire day driving, but we made up for it by having one of the best meals of the holiday in a really posh restaurant. It consisted of seafood for us (steak for him) including the famous Kaikoura crayfish- mouthwatering.
One of the highlights of the holiday followed the next day, with a trip to watch the famous sperm whales. Before this, we headed off to the peninsula, which had beautiful misty views of the mountains through the rising sun, and we were able to watch a seal very close up (the bulk of the colony, some 20 seals, was clearly visible on rocks further out to sea). The rock formations were really interesting, and it was bustling with life - both people and wildlife! After a quick lunch we headed off onto the boat. I had been warned that it was a bit commercialised, but WhaleWatchKaikoura was very well done I thought, with comprehensive and mostly accurate presentations (never travel with scientists!). It wasn't soon before we had seen our first whale, and we watched it for quite some time, again extremely close to the boat. In the end we saw 3 different whales, one of them twice, as well as albatross and loads more seals. They then said did we want to see some dolphins? They weren't kidding - approximately 500 cavorting dusky dolphins were the spectacle that greeted us when we reached the top deck. They were all around the boat, coming really close, and being generally very silly and playful. We watched them for ages, and I could have watched them all day, but alas we ran out of time. We finished off the day with some shopping - the perfect day!
Reluctantly leaving the town behind, we headed off to Picton where we caught our ferry, which travelled through rain and the murk, affording us with dreary views of otherwise spectacular coastline. We landed in Wellington, where we were over halfway through our holiday already!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Buy the next issue of BBC Wildlife...
...I'm in the ask the experts section! Obviously asking a question, not an expert, but still really cool, especially as they have used my photo too.
Also....
I'm in the current issue of Private Eye! They wrote an appalling article about badger culling which was so unscientific I just had to respond. I missed the issue 1162 where my orginal letter was printed I think (must order back issue), along with a load of others - it obviously got a big response. Now someone has come back and disputed all of the anti-cull responses. I think they were trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek with putting MEnvSci after my name, probably saying that I thought I knew everything having a degree. I am a bit annoyed actually, but it is just like the Fox hunting debate all over again - you can't change either side's opinion. So I must be content to let it go. I know he is wrong, but what can you do? At least I know 95% of the country think the way I do, not that that's very scientific or anything!
Also....
I'm in the current issue of Private Eye! They wrote an appalling article about badger culling which was so unscientific I just had to respond. I missed the issue 1162 where my orginal letter was printed I think (must order back issue), along with a load of others - it obviously got a big response. Now someone has come back and disputed all of the anti-cull responses. I think they were trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek with putting MEnvSci after my name, probably saying that I thought I knew everything having a degree. I am a bit annoyed actually, but it is just like the Fox hunting debate all over again - you can't change either side's opinion. So I must be content to let it go. I know he is wrong, but what can you do? At least I know 95% of the country think the way I do, not that that's very scientific or anything!
More photos
Matai falls, curio Bay, Hector's dolphin, Dunedin sunset, Underwater observatory, Mollymawks, icicles on the Routeburn track.
Photos so far
Mirror lakes, Lake Te Anau panorama, Akaroa harbour panorama, Mollymawk, swimming with dolphins!, Purakaunui falls, spotted shag sunset, yellow-eyed penguins!
The next installment: Rainforests, penguins and fjords
Next up was the Catlins, a region of remote coastline and rainforest, teeming with wildlife and dramatic scenery.
First up was Purakaunui falls, which was very beautiful and the first of many waterfalls to come! We had great fun playing around with the shutter speed on my camera, and captured the almost perfect shot. After a short walk to another falls (the Matai falls), where we were amazed at the biodiversity and structural diversity of these gorgeous rainforests, we stopped for lunch before moving onto Lake Wilkie, a small tranquil lake in the depths of the forest. We were introduced to the first of many native birds, which were extremely curious - fantails, silvereye, bellbirds and tui. A couple of scenic lookouts later we arrived at the Curio Bay campground, surrounded on all sides by wild coastline. We tagged along behind a tour party for a guided walk of the bay, with excellent views of the world's rarest penguins the yellow-eyed, and of a fossilised forest.
The next day we headed through Invercargill up to Te Anau, which would be the starting point for our trip down the Milford Road to Milford Sound. It was a gloomy day and we did think there might be snow on the road, which would have meant it would have been closed. But the next day dawned bright and clear for our exploration of the Fiordland National Park. The mountains were certainly dramatic with all that snow, whilst the road was clear and not so hard going as we had thought, seeing as though we had to carry snow chains (which were never used).
Our first stop was a gentle stroll around Lake Mistletoe, moving onto another small waterfall before the beautiful Mirror Lakes, with fantastic reflections of the mountains. The road followed the Eglington River valley until we turned off for the start of the walk from the Divide to Key Summit. The walk was hard going, very steep in places but exceptionally beautiful and part of the Routeburn track. We did not have enough time for the full summit walk, but contented ourselves with a walk above the snow line and snow-ball fights on the way back down!!
Next up was the Homer Tunnel - a roughly hewn tunnel, very narrow in places and with dramatic icicles lit up in our headlights periodically. Our last stop before our campsite was the Chasm, with dramatic rock formations where the river rushed through. At our campsite we were told that there would be no power, as the generator was on the blink. At the same time, a large bird was mysteriously spotted which turned out to be the world's only alpine parrot, the Kea! We were very pleased to see this, and thought it was very cute and many photos were taken. However, it turned out to be the only one we would see.
The morning dawned for our trip on the Milford Sound, and we were blessed with blue skies. We had fabulous views of the alpine scenery, with highlights being the Bowen Falls, Fairy Falls, and a seal on Seal Rock - aptly named in the singular not the plural! We stopped off at the Underwater Observatory, which was amazing. We were able to see delicate corals, mussels, anemones and a mindboggling array of fish, all living in the top few meters of the cold waters of the Sound.
Once we had finished our trip, we drove back along the Milford Road to reach Manapouri for our stop at the campground. Tomorrow we would move onto Queenstown and Wanaka.
First up was Purakaunui falls, which was very beautiful and the first of many waterfalls to come! We had great fun playing around with the shutter speed on my camera, and captured the almost perfect shot. After a short walk to another falls (the Matai falls), where we were amazed at the biodiversity and structural diversity of these gorgeous rainforests, we stopped for lunch before moving onto Lake Wilkie, a small tranquil lake in the depths of the forest. We were introduced to the first of many native birds, which were extremely curious - fantails, silvereye, bellbirds and tui. A couple of scenic lookouts later we arrived at the Curio Bay campground, surrounded on all sides by wild coastline. We tagged along behind a tour party for a guided walk of the bay, with excellent views of the world's rarest penguins the yellow-eyed, and of a fossilised forest.
The next day we headed through Invercargill up to Te Anau, which would be the starting point for our trip down the Milford Road to Milford Sound. It was a gloomy day and we did think there might be snow on the road, which would have meant it would have been closed. But the next day dawned bright and clear for our exploration of the Fiordland National Park. The mountains were certainly dramatic with all that snow, whilst the road was clear and not so hard going as we had thought, seeing as though we had to carry snow chains (which were never used).
Our first stop was a gentle stroll around Lake Mistletoe, moving onto another small waterfall before the beautiful Mirror Lakes, with fantastic reflections of the mountains. The road followed the Eglington River valley until we turned off for the start of the walk from the Divide to Key Summit. The walk was hard going, very steep in places but exceptionally beautiful and part of the Routeburn track. We did not have enough time for the full summit walk, but contented ourselves with a walk above the snow line and snow-ball fights on the way back down!!
Next up was the Homer Tunnel - a roughly hewn tunnel, very narrow in places and with dramatic icicles lit up in our headlights periodically. Our last stop before our campsite was the Chasm, with dramatic rock formations where the river rushed through. At our campsite we were told that there would be no power, as the generator was on the blink. At the same time, a large bird was mysteriously spotted which turned out to be the world's only alpine parrot, the Kea! We were very pleased to see this, and thought it was very cute and many photos were taken. However, it turned out to be the only one we would see.
The morning dawned for our trip on the Milford Sound, and we were blessed with blue skies. We had fabulous views of the alpine scenery, with highlights being the Bowen Falls, Fairy Falls, and a seal on Seal Rock - aptly named in the singular not the plural! We stopped off at the Underwater Observatory, which was amazing. We were able to see delicate corals, mussels, anemones and a mindboggling array of fish, all living in the top few meters of the cold waters of the Sound.
Once we had finished our trip, we drove back along the Milford Road to reach Manapouri for our stop at the campground. Tomorrow we would move onto Queenstown and Wanaka.
Friday, July 28, 2006
I am back!
Here is volume one of my travels in NZ!
We had an absolutely brilliant time, saw loads of wildlife and amazing scenery.
The flights there weren't too bad, but we were so knackered when we got off in Christchurch that we weren't much company when my half-sister came round for the evening. We had a cabin for the night, but were a bit taken aback by the cold. It was 30 degrees in Singapore but -2 in Christchurch!
We picked up the motorhome the next day, which was humungous but had ample storage for all the stuff we had brought. We spent the rest of the day stocking up in supplies and walking around Christchurch in the gloom with Eleanor. That evening we went round to Eleanors' boyfriend's parents for dinner, but again weren't much company, the jet lag still a factor!
The next day we went to the beautiful French colonial town of Akaroa, which was sited in a gorgeous location. It was here that we would hopefully swim with the Hector's dolphins, which are tiny and an endemic species. Us girls got kitted up and once on the boat we soon found interesting wildlife in the form of several Mollymawks, which are a species of albatross and were very curious indeed. We also saw a blue penguin and a seal, but so far no dolphins. With the waters a bit choppier outside the harbour, Mum started to feel cold and very ill, but was just about hanging on. Eventually, after about an hour and a half we found three dolphins who immediately swum up to the boat. Because we had to wait to see if the dolphins were sufficiently interested in us, we had to wait to swim. By this stage Mum had decided not to do it, and with the cold and only three dolphins, Steph decided not to go in. I, however, was determined to do it, and was quite surprised how warm it actually was (read: not freezing). I couldn't see anything under the water, but apparently they were swimming all around me. I could see glimpses of dorsal fins, so that was enough for me.
Moving on from Christchurch, we headed off to Oamaru to see little blue penguins in the evening! They are so cute, but you will have to take my word for it as photography was not allowed.
The next day we dropped Eleanor off in Dunedin 'International Airport' (very small indeed!) before heading off to see the fur seals, a spotted shag colony and even a Royal Albatross!
We then moved on down for a tour of the Catlins, which I will detail in my next update!
We had an absolutely brilliant time, saw loads of wildlife and amazing scenery.
The flights there weren't too bad, but we were so knackered when we got off in Christchurch that we weren't much company when my half-sister came round for the evening. We had a cabin for the night, but were a bit taken aback by the cold. It was 30 degrees in Singapore but -2 in Christchurch!
We picked up the motorhome the next day, which was humungous but had ample storage for all the stuff we had brought. We spent the rest of the day stocking up in supplies and walking around Christchurch in the gloom with Eleanor. That evening we went round to Eleanors' boyfriend's parents for dinner, but again weren't much company, the jet lag still a factor!
The next day we went to the beautiful French colonial town of Akaroa, which was sited in a gorgeous location. It was here that we would hopefully swim with the Hector's dolphins, which are tiny and an endemic species. Us girls got kitted up and once on the boat we soon found interesting wildlife in the form of several Mollymawks, which are a species of albatross and were very curious indeed. We also saw a blue penguin and a seal, but so far no dolphins. With the waters a bit choppier outside the harbour, Mum started to feel cold and very ill, but was just about hanging on. Eventually, after about an hour and a half we found three dolphins who immediately swum up to the boat. Because we had to wait to see if the dolphins were sufficiently interested in us, we had to wait to swim. By this stage Mum had decided not to do it, and with the cold and only three dolphins, Steph decided not to go in. I, however, was determined to do it, and was quite surprised how warm it actually was (read: not freezing). I couldn't see anything under the water, but apparently they were swimming all around me. I could see glimpses of dorsal fins, so that was enough for me.
Moving on from Christchurch, we headed off to Oamaru to see little blue penguins in the evening! They are so cute, but you will have to take my word for it as photography was not allowed.
The next day we dropped Eleanor off in Dunedin 'International Airport' (very small indeed!) before heading off to see the fur seals, a spotted shag colony and even a Royal Albatross!
We then moved on down for a tour of the Catlins, which I will detail in my next update!
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