More Mountains and Glaciers!

Hi All,

We have been moving faster since leaving Wanaka and have been really enjoying the trip back to the North. The rain was pouring when we left Wanaka and it did not let up all day! Luckily we arrived at a lovely hostel in the Fox Glacier township, it had a huge TV room with over 200 DVDs available to rent. Amongst others we watcher Touching the Void - if anyone has seen it they will know it is not the best thing to watch when you are planning to go walking on glaciers! In true West Coast style (they get 5m of rain a year! - London gets 0.6m!) it poured all night and was still pouring in the morning so we stayed in bed watching rubbish UK TV (why would you buy and import 'Tenants from Hell?' A quick let up allowed us to go down and view the impressive glacier and some very impressive waterfalls. A pleasant afternoon was spent chatting with others in the hostel - including a guy who had cycled from Auckland! We spent the evening watching the All Blacks get beaten in the rugby! But, alas, it was South Africa that dealt the blow not England!

We awoke to glorious weather on Sunday and walked around Lake Matheson - famous for its views of Mount Cook (we are on the otherside of it!) and went back to the glacier as we could get closer thanks to receding rivers. We then drove 25km north to Franz Josef Glacier and booked ourselves on a full day hike for the next day.

Our glacier hike on Franz Josef glacier was truely remarkable and one of the best things we have done in New Zealand. Our guide, Bruce (from Bury St.Edmunds - for those that don't know that's 25mins from Soham!), led the way cutting steps with his axe as we climbed up the face of the glacier, giving us a good geography lesson along the way. Once at the top we began "free guiding" along less formed paths, squeezing (literally squeezing!) through crevasses and climbing over ice walls. It was all fantastic and great views were in abundance throughout the day. Ruff in particular enjoyed the day and didn't need crampons like the rest of us thanks to his four sturdy legs!

On Tuesday we set off across Arthurs Pass to get back to Christchurch. A beautifully scenic road, the highlight of which (so far) was stopping at a scenic lookout, only to be surrounded by 10 or more Keas! Keas are rare alpine parrots found only in New Zealand. They are one of the most intelligent birds in the world and their intelligence matches that of the most sophisticated monkeys! They were incredibly tame and great at posing for photos. Although we had to watch out as they tried to demolish our car!

We are currently staying in another lovely hostel in Arthurs Pass village after a day of beautiful walks and more Kea photography (they are awesome birds - they really really are!) and tomorrow will finish driving across the pass and arrive back in Christchurch before heading on Friday for Picton and the ferry back to the North Island! We have certainly enjoyed the South, but the warmth of the North and the trip to Australia are beckoning!

Bye for now

Love

Laura, Niall & Ruff

Queenstown & Wanaka

Hi all,

In the past week we have spent some quality time exploring the Queenstown-Wanaka region of New Zealand. Both are well known as year round resorts with plenty of adventure activites (bungy jumping, sky diving) and winter skiing on offer. It is quite evident that one could spend a fortune in these places, but we shunned this aspect of the towns and headed for the hills and the multitude of walks on offer - Ruff was especially pleased!

First up was the Queenstown Hill walk - a 3 hour round trek ascending 600 metres to a lovely vantage point with views over Lake Wakatipu (upon whose shores Queenstown resides), The Remarkables and other mountain ranges. The day prior to this had seen plenty of snow fall which made the climb a bit trickier but added significantly to the marvellous views.

The following day we set out on a more ambitious trek - a 1000 metre ascent of Ben Lomond saddle. The peak itself was off limits as, at 1700 metres, too much snow lay in our way. The day started out cloudy but cleared as we approached our destination giving magnificent alpine views in every single direction. As a reward for our efforts we allowed ourselves to dine out at one of Queenstown's many restaurants. A couple of beers, some wine, steak and lamb were devoured leaving us with a very satisfied feeling after a cracking day.

A little rest after the sharp ascent through deep snow!

From Queenstown we headed north to Wanaka. It is smaller than Queenstown and attracts a different crowd to Queenstown. Where the latter is besieged by English and Irish holidaymakers, Wanaka is home to a great many French who prefer the skiing and quieter atmosphere.

Once again we set our targets high and decided upon a trek up Mt Roy - a 1570 metre peak that would require 1100 metres+ of ascent (in just over 6 kilometers of distance). We hoped intently that the views would be worth it! In the end we need not have worried. Although the ascent was relentless the views were sublime. Not only did it feel great to reach the summit but we were witness to sun halos and iridescent clouds - quite the spectacle!

Laura and Ruff had to forge ahead to the summit as Niall had a sudden attack of nerves! But we were not going 1100m up to miss the last 10!

Asides from all the walking we have been to the cinema in Wanaka (big room with lots of comfy sofas making it a novel, but enjoyable experience). We watched Iron Man which isn't much to write home about but it did certainly allow for a good few chuckles. We also managed to watch the last few sets of the Federer v Nadal Wimbledon final - a cracker of a match that reminded us of the summer you must all be experiencing back home!

Bye for now,

Niall, Laura and Ruff

Fjordland

Hi Everyone,

The travel pace has slowed a little since the last place a we have stayed the last four nights at Te Anau - the gateway to Fjordland. We drove through yet more rain on the trip from oh so sunny Invercargill and arrived at our campsite to find that we had a cabin upgrade :-) which meant we had a TV, dining table and kitchen facilities all to ourselves! Not so luxuriously we had to go outside to the bathroom facilities - not pleasent in torrential downpours and gales!

We popped into the not too lively Te Anau town centre on Sunday afternoon and were soon suckered into paying for a coach/kayak trip on Milford Sound. So, we set our alarms on Monday morning to ensure we made the 7.45am minibus (painful when the sun doesnt rise till 8.15am and it is FREEZING!) It was nice not to drive the potentially icy, snowy road and to sit back and relax for once - especially as the Milford Road is reputed to be one of the most scenic in the world! Scenic it was! Particularly lovely were the aptly named Mirror Lakes which our drive made a photostop for.

As we arrived at the Sound any morning cloud there was, disappeared to reveal glorious blue skies - very luck for a place that gets 8m of rain a year! Changing into kayak gear was decidly chilly (Ruff wimped out at this point but did enjoying watching the Sound from the shore and chasing Keas), but once we were paddling we soon warmed up with the sun on our faces! The kayaking was glorious with stunning scenery and the odd seal to spot. Simply stunning. The day ended with the lovely return trip and plenty of photo stops with glorious waterfalls and towering peaks to be seen.

The next day we decided to head back out on the Milford Road as the road had been very driveable. We decided to tackle two walks - Key Summit (part of the Routeburn Great Walk) and Marian Lake. The first walk proved a tough one with a 400m ascent and snow and ice to contend with. We were, however, rewarded with marvellous views. The second wakl began with a stunning white water river. The walk was through difficult terrain but the forest was lovely - beautifully green with moss growing on all the trees. We didnt quite make it to the lake but he walk was lovely all the same and the weather was quickly clouding over. In view of the clouds we decided to head back to the Sound to see it in different weather. It was still beautiful but very different - moody and mysterious.

On Wednesday we awoke to torrential rain and thus abandoned our plan to walk part of the Keplar Track. In our 13th week we feel pretty chuffed to have only had to abandon our plan once - and tired from our previous days exertions we were happy enough to have a lazy day. On leaving today the weather was worsening and the Milford Road conditions becoming too difficult for our inexperience, once again our timing has been perfect. We hope there is no one doing our trip a few days behind us - they will be having a miserable time!

We have just arrived in Queenstown (a hugely popular ski/adventure resort) and it is certainly bustling and crowded - so a very different experience once again and we will update you shortly on the adventures we have had!

Laura, Niall & Ruff

Part Two: Penguins & Sea-Lions

Hi Again - If you are reading this first then please pause, scroll down and read the blog "Rugby Lows and Mountain Highs" first!

On Wednesday morning we drove from Mount Cook back to the East Coast to Oamaru and the Yellow Eyed Penguin Colony (the rarest penguins in the world) once again we were not disappointed and saw numerous ridiculously cute birds waddling in from the sea and up the cliffs to their beds. We were lucky to see four at very close quarters - but unfortunately the light was far too dim to take any good pictures.

On Thursday morning Niall was determined to get up early and head back to the penguins to try and get some good photos. Luckily the sun is rising quite late at the moment so we didn't have to be too early (8am). As we arrived the penguins were just waking up from their nights rest. We saw them waddling to and fro at incredibly close quarters. The highlight was watching a penguin couple building a nest (quite early as they don't lay eggs until August).
Once all the penguins were off for their days fishing we went back to the hostel for some breakfast before once again hitting the road for Dunedin.

Dunedin has Scottish heritage and Dunedin is actually the Gaelic for Edinburgh. As we arrived it was pretty Scottish in feel - pouring with rain and dull and gray! We set out anyway to explore the city which was pleasant enough. Niall went off to the Otago Museum where they have a simulated tropical forest with butterflies that he wanted to photograph (yes photographs again!) Laura meanwhile felt that a visit to Cadburys World was far more worthwhile - particularly due to the promise of plenty of free samples. A good time was had by all and we finished the day in very British style with beer and a Chinese takeaway.

We awoke to yet more rain on Friday morning as we planned to drive through the Catlins on the very south of the South Island. Many interesting stop offs are promised in the guide books the first of which was Nugget Point. An incredibly rugged, um, point! With a nineteenth century lighthouse, interesting rocks and big waves!

Next stop off was Cannibal Bay and the chance to see Sea-Lions. As we walked out the beach looked disappointingly empty but at the end was a solitary female sea-lion! Very exciting. She was pretty chilled out and undeterred by Niall edging closer and closer for a photo. A short walk to the next beach promised more sea-lion possibilities. This time we were really lucky! As we walked through the dunes we came across a big, fat, male sea-lion (we did not want to get too close and had to sprint past!) And also a very cute youngster having a good scratch against the rough grass. Down on the beach there were three sea-lions and they put on an exciting show as two males had a little scrap over a female (the larger of the two was the clear victor!) Niall then got a little too close and had to run for it when he reared up, growled and lunged! - See photo!
We had hoped to look around Cathedral Caves further along the coast but rough seas meant they were closed and we went, instead to McLean Falls. This was a really spectacular waterfall set in ancient forest. A really lovely place. We then moved on to Curio Bay (our home for the night) we stopped off at the very unimpressive Niagara Falls (a Kiwi joke) before arriving at our cottage. We couldn't believe our luck to be the sole occupiers of the cottage, positioned just off the beach with spectacular views and with Blue Penguin nests underneath!!! (We didn't see any though :-( ) so a cosy night was had as the wind roared, the rain poured and the waves crashed.

A pleasant but windy walk along the beach was had this morning. Some impressive waves were seen and impressive rainbows before heading off to Invercargill via a petrified forest (we couldn't see much due to high tide). Now in Invercargill the weather is still dreary and there is not too much to do, but tomorrow we head to Te Anau and the delights of Milford Sound.

Laura, Niall and Ruff!

Part One: Rugby Lows and Mountain Highs

Hi All,

We have had such an eventful week that we have split the blog update into two.

We left Kaikoura for Christchurch. We were pleasently surprised by the city - deciding it was our favourite so far although the British influence is incredibly strong! We had a pleasant meander around the Art Gallery, Art Centre, Canterbury Museum and Botanical Gardens - how cultured we are!

On Saturday evening we were off to the AMI stadium to see England take on the All Blacks. We knew a win was unlikely but were unprepared for quite how dismal England were. The whole experience was, however, a delight. The atmosphere in the stadium was superb and the match was even preceded by a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain - and of course the Haka!

Once again we had excellent hosts, staying with the Cooke family in the country on the outskirts of the city. They fed us, watered us and kicked their son Jason out of his room so that we could kip in it! Marvellous.

From there we made our way to Mount Cook village. With snow forecast we were slightly anxious but we arrived to decent weather and immediately undertook a walk to the Tasman Glacier Lake where we were rewarded with views of an iceberg strewn lake in front of the glacier - we were a little surprised by how dirty the ice was though. The forecast snow fell overnight and we awoke to picture perfect views. Eager not to miss the clear skies we set of at 8am for our first walk to Kea Point where we saw an almost cloudless Mount Cook before heading back to the hostel in heavy snow and fog for breakfast. Later we walked to Hooker Valley. A marvellously picturesque walk where we again experienced both clear skies and snow (changeable mountain weather was in evidence). The snow was only about two inches deep so didn't cause us the kind of problems experienced in Tongariro! We finished off the day with a steep 400m climb up to Red Tarns. As we reached the viewing point the clouds parted and we saw Mount Cook in all its glory as the sun began to set. The perfect end to the day.

Sounds & Whales

Hi All!


We have literally just stepped off the Whale Watch boat in Kaikoura, having seen no less than five sperm whales (unfortunately we failed to see any humpbacks or dolphins) and a fair few albatross! The whales were pretty impressive, although pretty stoic - they are deep sea whales and come up for air for about ten minutes in every hour. We were only able to see the tops of their bodies, but their dive down, with accompanying sight of tail fin was quite impressive.

We have been in Kaikoura for a couple of days - arriving in horrendous weather on Tuesday. We had planned to whale watch yesterday but high winds led to its cancellation. The weather was otherwise fine so we walked the famous Kaikoura peninsula which had an abundance of seals! Hundreds and hundreds! We were not supposed to get closer than ten metres but they were all over our path so we had no choice! This lead to a few hairy moments when they growled quite menacingly (Ruff scared them off for us though). The walk was great though and was yet another close and personal encounter to our furry friends. Kaikoura is a stunning town, set around a huge bay with snowy mountains as a backdrop and we can see it all from our hostel which is right on the waterfront! A spot that a hostel in the UK could never afford.


We left Motueka last Friday and headed back to Picton (our point of arrival on the South Island) to do the Queen Charlotte track. A 3-5 day, 71km walk that is a little different to others we have done due to the presence of B&Bs, hotels and homestays, rather than the rather spartan, chilly and dark DOC huts. Another benefit was that your main pack is transferred by water taxi from one destination to the next:



Day One: Ship Cove - Furneaux Lodge: 14km
We had an early start on Saturday to catch our 9am water taxi, and a very pleasent surprise awaited us at the harbour when a pod of dolphins swam around to the delight of the early rising Picton dwellers. It is apparently very rare to see them right in the harbour so we were very lucky. We had a very pleasent journey of an hour or so to Ship Cove, wheer we disembarked to find ourselves facing a very nasty, steep climb. It being the equivalent of mid-December we had layered up with thermals and fleeces. Ten minutes in we were stripping off! The weather was ridiculously warm (21 celcius) and the sharp climb was making us just a little sweaty! The walk soon calmed down into gentler ascents and descents. We saw the rare New Zealand Giant Pigeon and a few more Weka. With only a short walk to complete and plenty of time we found a scenic spot for lunch enjoyed a 45minute break (we even had apple cake from our packing days). We arrived at Furneaux Lodge at 3pm to some disappointment. The lodge itself was set in the most delightful surroundings and was pretty pricey (but with a backpackers area). Alas the backpackers rooms (still the most expensive yet in NZ) were pretty poor, so we spent much of the vening in the bar where we were treated to quite some humiliation by the All Blacks. Hopefully it was not a glimpse of what is to come on Saturday. At least we are winning the cricket!

Day Two: Fureneaux Lodge - Noelines homestay: 13km

With such a short day ahead of us we started with a detour to see a pretty little waterfall. The walk itself was great - through dense, almost rainforest like bush, with giant beech trees and huge canopies of ferns. Back on the main track the walking was easy with little ascent or descent. Once again we were lucky with wildlife and saw a pod of dusky dolphins feeding just offshore. The weather was unbelievable at 21degrees - the hottest June day since 1991! We were walking in t-shirts and vest tops! We arrived at Noeline's by 3pm. Noeline was 77 and owns a homestay meaning we stayed in her house. It was a very pleasant experience. We were greeted with tea and scones and the conversation was plentiful!

Day Three: Noeline's - Debretts: 24km

A much longer day ahead of us meant an early start on a slightly gloomier and chillier day. We began the walk with a 400m climb, unfortunately we were up and down all day, but the views were stunning, with Queen Charlotte Sound to our left and Keneperu Sound to our right. Abel Tasman lacked views and Queen Charlotte more than made up for it and Laura certainly preferred it as a walk, with stunning views all around us. We completed the walk in good time and made it to Debretts for 4pm. Here we had really hit gold! We had a whole apartment to ourselves for just $70! And what views the apartment had from it's balcony. We could easily have spent a week there had it been summer, alas we were just spending the night.

We had decided to finish the walk early having completed 51 of the 71km. The rest of the wlak promised to be fairly similar and with poor weather forecast we decided it was better to head to Kaikoura before dark. So, after a leisurely lay in we caught a water taxi at 12pm to arrive back in Picton, for a scenic, yet rainy drive to Kaikoura. Christchurch awaits us with its punting (a bit too close to home methinks!), Christs College (again a bit familiar) and rugby humiliation!

Bye for now

Laura, Niall & Ruff xx

Goodbye Motueka - Massive thanks to the Sutherlands

Hi all,

It has been a fair while since the last update but, seeing as we are now leaving Motueka, we thought we would provide you all with an update of what we have being getting up to and what lies ahead.

After finishing work at the packhouse we got back to exploring the local area. We visited Kahurangi National Park with the desire to summit Mount Arthur (1800m) but, despite a fantastic weather forecast, the clouds set in and the temperature dropped as we reached 1600m forcing us to turn back. Prior to this the views from Flora Saddle (950m) up to Mount Arthur hut (1400m) were beautiful so at least we did get to see some of the mountain and valley scenery. Doing the walk, one can understand why the weather is so fantastic around Motueka as all rain is simply deposited on the mountains to the west.

After our failed summit bid of Mount Arthur we set off to Takaka hill for a shortish 10km walk through lovely karst scenery. Takaka hill is home to New Zealand's largest cave systems and after completing the walk we decided to check this out for ourselves with a visit to Harwood's hole - a 180m deep, 50m wide tomo leading down into vast cave sytems below - quite a sight!

Asides from walking we have visited Nelson (pretty town but very quiet Sundays) and Laura has been busy making Apple crumbles and cakes that Ruff has spent his time gorging on. Niall has continued in his bid to photograph as many Kingfishers as possible. :)

Tomorrow our stay in Motueka comes to an end. We cannot thank John, Sharon and Raewyn enough for their generosity in allowing us to stay at their pad in Motueka. It has been a great 5 weeks and, when back in Luxembourg at Christmas, we hope to be able to thank them properly.

Our plans from here take us East to Picton and the Queen Charlotte trek that winds its way through Marlborough Sounds. The walk will take us 4 days and cover 58km. From there we head South to Kaikoura for whale watching; to Christchurch for the Rugby (Eng v NZ 21st June); to Mount Cook for more treks; Oamaru for penguins; Dunedin for access to the Catlins before rounding the south tip of the South Island so as to begin winding our way back north via Invercargill, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier, Hokitika and Arthur's Pass. Deep Breath - Phew.

The map at the top of the blog shows you where we have been (in brown) and where we intend to go (in green). We haven't decided on our itinerary for the return leg on the North Island just yet so it has not yet been added. It looks a bit small and basic for now so when we have the time we will find a better map and better photo editing software!!

Bye for now and keep and eye out for further blog updates,

Ruff (+Niall & Laura)