A cloudy look at Mount Cook

One of the swinging bridges over the raging river.
Me and our cloudy rainy view
The troopers I tramped with, taking a shot of the cloud in front of Mount Cook.


From Lake Tekapo we decided to take a day trip to climb and see NZs largest mountain, Mount Cook, yet another place named after James Cook who discovered most of the Pacific Islands!
It was supposed to be a mostly sunny clear day but it started with me waking up at 6:30am to hear a torrential downpour and then to continue on all day raining. My friends and I were hoping it would change once we got up to the mountain but after waiting around all morning, teaching our Brit friend Ben all about PB and banana sandwiches and watching him eat one we decided it wasn't going to clear so we gave up entertaining ourselves and ventured out. It wasn't too bad just mostly sprinkling but we couldn't even see the cloud covered Mount Cook. We tramped for 3 1/2 hours with the last hour raining quite hard. Came back to the lodge for a well earned coffee with Baileys and to sit by the fireplace and dry out a bit! I have been very lucky, this is the first time the weather has really affected my day and the views so I guess I can't complain. We blamed it on Kelli who has had bad weather and no views on every major hike she's been on, poor girl but she's toa trooper, she's a Canadian who grew up on the Alaska border. I have met more Canadians in the last week here, it's been great. One night there was 10 of us sitting around and 8 were Canadians!

Another Favorite Town! Lake Tekapo

A view of Lake Tekapo, I practically had to lay on the wet ground to get this shot but it was worth it!

After climbing straight uphill on Mount John for an hour or so, I got this shot of Lake Tekapo

Moeraki Boulders between Dunedin and Omarua.
The first church in NZ

I think I have developed an attraction to small towns by lakes....this lake was actually very stunning. First the color is the most amazing blue, it's created from 'Rock Flour', which is washed off the glacier rocks by the rain and then goes into the lake turning the water this turquoise blue. As I was walking along the shore side I felt like I was at the ocean as large waves where literally crashing into the shore constantly, it was so strange I really had to think about where I was as this lake is also very large and you can't see the far side. It probably helped being that it was a very blustery rainy day out.
This is a very small town and it has the first church in NZ here. It's a tiny stone bu idling that seats 40 people and has a 2 1/2 year waiting list to get married there. I guess if you had to wait that long you'd really be sure you want to get married so that could be a good thing! I was so impressed by the view of the lake out the big glass window that I had to take a picture totally not seeing the 'please respect our church/no cameras' sign that I also blindly captured in my photo! The people I was with quickly told me no pictures and I felt ashamed then only to see the little old man working there grinning at the horrified look on my face. He laughed and said that was mainly because when they get too many people inside it's too hard and holds things up. He was so sweet I had to make a donation!

Critters everywhere!

A sheep who was curiously watching us as we walked back up the hill from the beach.

Hooker seals taking a break from their wrestling. I took this from a ledge just above the beach, safe spot but very close to them. They didn't pay us much attention.

Little yellow eyed penguin heading past us to his/her nest.

Another cute one who waddled along, looked like a little old man.

I arrived in Dunedin after Queenstown and decided to go on a Wildlife Tour as I really wanted to see the yellow eyed penguins. After touring around and looking at all types of birds including the Albatross (it's amazing how many NZ has especially after being in SE Asia and hardly seeing any!) we headed to a farmers property alongside the ocean where the tour company had special access to and built an area just for the penguins to nest.
Here we hiked down the steep hills to first see the yellow eyed penguins who were so adorable! We watched them keeping a distance of about 15 feet or more and I couldn't stop laughing at one little one who was frantically trying to get out of the ocean. As he glided in on his tummy he would try to quickly get up and then waddle as fast as he could to get out of the water before another wave came crashing in forcing him to fall flat on his belly again. Poor little guy did this about 3 times before he got safely up onto the beach. Then it's the season for them to find their mates and we watched them flirting and calling each other and saying hello by standing feet together with their heads looking up in the air. Not sure why they think this is a way to attract someone it looks as though they are ignoring the other with their nose in the air but hey whatever works I guess!
Then we wandered further down the beach to find the Hooker Seals, they are larger than the Fur Seals and all of them where males who were on 'holidays' as they don't take any part of rearing their babies. They leave the mothers and babies alone until it's time to mate again. They just sat on the beach and were constantly fighting and picking on each other, some life huh?!
Further down the beach we saw more penguins coming out of the ocean and going up to their nests in the bushes or meeting a 'mate'.
Then up the humongous hill and down the other side (no one told us there was going to be hiking straight up some of the steepest hills I've seen here!) to see the Fur Seals who were just coming in with their baby pups. We watched them romp around and play and make all kinds of noise, no wonder the males leave..... It was too dark to take pictures of them as we were up above on a cliff and watching them below.
They are very environmentally aware and take special care not allowing us to get too close to the animals which is good. The farmer has been very co-operative in working with this company and allowing them to build a fenced in area for the penguins to nest so other animals like the seals can't get to them.

Amazing Milford Sound and Homer Tunnel

Spent a day going to Milford Sound from Queenstown. Along the way we had a few stops including Mirror Lakes with even more mirror images of mountains in the lakes that were just stunning and then we went thru Homer Tunnel. This is a famous tunnel that is 1.5 kms long and took them 20 years to build. Apparently in Canada we don't know what tunnels really are as my friend from Germany thought nothing of this tunnel as we were going through it and I was just in awe!

We got to Milford Sound and took a 2 hour boat tour through the sound, past 3 large waterfalls, lazy seals and lots of amazing cliff/mountain sides. The scenery was so dramatic and amazing it's no wonder this is one of NZ's top spots to come and see!

Queenstown- The Place to Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Me and Mr Rees, the founder of Queenstown and his pet sheep?!
Semra and I in the Minus 5 ice bar, she's the bad influence!
View across the lake from Queenstown
Eating my Fergburger!

What a change from my little Wanaka town! Queenstown is a beautiful hustle bustle energy packed city with lots to do. They claim to be the adventure capital of NZ but I find this whole country is packed full of adventures of every sort possible! They are also know for their pubs and the famous Fergburger, which is an absolutely huge burger of all types, I tried the Lil Bambi one. Sounds mean but they actually raise deer here to eat so I thought I would give it a try. In fact NZ used to be known for sheep farming but now cattle farming is the most popular and then sheep and deer.
We also had to go and try the 'Teapot' drinks at Old World Bar. These are basically a large cocktail served in a teapot and they give you little shot glasses to pour into and then drink out of. Then we had to check out the Minus 5 Bar, it's an ice bar that is around -7 or -8 degrees and all made out of ice. They give you warm jackets and gloves and you are only allowed to stay in for 1/2 hour and drink your drinks out of glasses made of ice and sit on ice benches and look at ice sculptures, very cool!
Then we had to check out a popular spot called Winnies which had a rooftop that opened up to the sky so when it got too hot they would pop it open, let the wind gust thru the place and shut it down again. Here I was lucky to catch up with a friend, Krista, whom I had met in Cambodia, amazing where you run into your traveling friends! Then off to an Irish Pub for some more drinks and dancing! I love the diversity in this city, what a great place wish I could have stayed longer!

Fun observation- NZ has $1 and $2 coins as well. I accidentally asked a lady when I was doing my laundry if the washing machines took Loonies or Twoonies. She burst out laughing and asked me what I was talking about and then I realized what I had said!
Also the Kiwis are so into their outdoors they have patio seating with heaters or fireplaces year round!!

My Favorite Town - Wanaka!

The Ames Illusion Room, tiny me and big Semra
Now I'm Big!
The Roman bathroom
Morning mist
View to View point on Lake Matheson with Mount Cook in the back.
Left Franz Joseph and drove past Fox Glacier. There are only 3 glaciers in the world that are attached to a rain forest, Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier are two and the other one is in South America. Next stop was at Lake Matheson and we tramped up to the View to View point and got lucky again as it was another sunny day and took pictures with reflections in the lake with west side of Mount Cook in the distant background.

Then I headed down to an often missed little town called Wanaka. Along my travels so many people had told me to stop here and I am so glad I did! What a great little 'chill out' town, I went to a cool place called Puzzle World where they had different Illusion rooms and a Giant confusing Maze. They also have a giant leaning Tower of Wanaka with a backwards clock that they stated on January 1st, 2000. They also had Paradiso Cinema where I watched the movie - Changeling with Angelina Jolie while sitting in a decorated room with comfy couches and an old car and you got giant cookies at intermission. They still use a projector to show their movies.
I also rented a bike and followed the paths along the lake and through the yellow freshly fallen leaves, it was so beautiful and smelled just like home in the fall! I have only gone thru 2 seasons in the last 6 months, Fall, Summer and Fall again!

More Tramping- Franz Joseph National Park

Yes another windy bad hair day.....
'Heaps' of Ice!
Thru some tight spots
Up up up we go
An official NZ 'tramper' now
Arrived into Franz Joseph National Park and it was raining so I headed up to some amazing hot pools and managed to spend 3 hours soaking in the heat! They had 3 pools with different degrees- 40, 38 and 36. Spent about 7 minutes in the 40 degree pool then just over an hour in the 38 degree one (and managed a little nap somehow) and then visited in the 36 degree one quite comfortably. It was beautiful, outdoors and in the midst of the rain forest.

The next day I went on a Glacier Hike, they equipped us with all the proper clothing thankfully which included clamp ons, boots and wind proof jackets. We lucked out and got a mostly sunny day. Started off with a 45 minute tramp to the glacier thru some rain forest along a river until we got to the base. Then strapped on the clamp ons and headed up the glacier as our guide cut out steps for us with her ice pick. Went up and down some pretty steep and narrow areas but the views were incredible and the ice itself was the most amazing blue color in parts. Met 2 ladies from Minnesota, the oldest who just turned 73, she tried backing out part way up but our guide was incredible with her and kept her going along side her and she proudly finished the 4 hour trip. Ended the day with some hot soup and another soak in our hostel hot tub!

Beaches, Pancakes, Breweries and a Stag party!

Praying for gold!
During the stag party we got a little hungry and had to 'drive thru' the drive thru to get some McD Burgers!
Truman Track
Pancake rocks
Cape Foulwind coastline
Leaving Nelson we headed down the coast and stopped off on a few small 'tramps' along the way. The first stop was Cape Foulwind which was an incredible beach with crashing waves and seals with their pups romping on the rocks below. Next stop was Truman Track, more crashing waves and incredible views after a 15 minute tramp down hill and finally the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes with Hokey Pokey ice cream! Here they had even bigger crashing waves and amazing rock views. The rocks themselves looked like actual stacked pancakes and were huge. It was simply amazing and again the views were incredible!

That night my Turkish/German friend, Semra, and I went off to the Monteith's Brewery Tour in Greymouth. Not that I am a big beer fan but there isn't much else to do in this town and I've been on a few wine tours but never a beer tour. Very interesting and we got to do some taste testing at the end and found a Shandy flavoured one I didn't mind too much! We ended off at the Royal Hotel for a buffet dinner and then some how got involved with the gang at 'Ellie May's' Stag party. Danced and partied into the wee hours of the night so Greymouth ended up not being quite so boring as everyone else had told us!

Up early the next morning after a couple of hours sleep and stopped into Ross Goldfields where there has been major gold discoveries and tried my luck. Sadly I only found about a dozen flakes and a couple of tiny pieces of jade.

South Island - Nelson / Abel Tasman National Park

Paddle paddle paddle
Setting out for our kayaking day on the Abel Tasman

Got up early and was relieved to not have fallen out of the top bunk in my dorm so it's a good day so far! Headed to the south island via a ferry. This was the 'gourmet' of ferries, it was an incredible ship with a bar, movie theatres and lounger chairs which I enjoyed using as we passed the most beautiful scenery.
Once on the south island our Magic Bus picked us up and we stopped off at a winery to do some wine tasting. Not sure about this place, good wine but they said only 3 countries they couldn't ship to and one being Canada. When I asked why the lady told me apparently there is a drinking problem in Canada and our government won't allow personal shipping of alcohol into the country unless you have a signed note from a DA stating that you are of sound mind and body! I think maybe she drinks too much wine herself to make up that story!
Spent a few nights in Nelson and went out to the Abel Tasman National Park for a day of kayaking. Chilly weather but with spray skirts and jackets we were plenty warm and had a great day of kayaking, seal watching, a beach picnic and some beach combing.

Trains and Cable Cars

Civic center, looks like the ball is unsuspended but there are wires
New Zealand's Silver Fern, it was huge about 6 feet across
Roses in the Botanical Garden
View from the train ride as we are leaving the National Park
Cable car that I took up to the Botanical Gardens
The train bridge looking back.
Some of my new friends I made on a street in Wellington
Street corner in Wellington
Sadly leaving the National Park I decided to try the train ride from there to Wellington. It was like a "Magic" train compared to Thailand's sleeper trains. Clean, comfortable and lots of room to move around. You could go from car to car and there was an outdoor viewing platform that I spent alot of time on making new friends, waving at people in the towns and on the highways as we passed them and taking amazing shots of the scenery and animals as we blew past it. It was an amazing journey I am so happy I took. It took 5 1/2 hours to get to Wellington with a few stops in small towns but the time just flew by.

Wellington is a beautiful city that is compared to San Francisco and I can see why. It's very trendy and has lots of funky things to see including the Te Papa Museum which is 6 floors of history, culture, world science, stories of immigrants and the land and lots of interactive things to do. It also had a special exhibition showing a giant squid that was caught by a fishing boat about a year ago. It's one of the largest known ones ever seen.
I also took the Cable Car, which is very small in camparison with San Francisco's, but fun none the less up to the Botanical Gardens where they still had an amazing section of various Rose Bushes growing then walked thru the city past the Parliament Buildings which were made in the shape of a Beehive and thru the civic centre.

Going Tramping

View from close to the bottom of the trail
My tramping buddies- Mia and Gina, sisters from America. We all suffered together right til the bitter end!
On the edge, one of them.
Rugged terrain
Beautiful site, almost as nice as our Rockies
I found snow!

Red crater, amazing color

The Emerald Lakes, a group of 3 water filled explosion craters

You can see the trail coming down the mountain on the right that we followed down and we were only part way down when I took this picture!

I had to walk through some snow! It was so exciting after missing winter in Canada, I even made a snowball and threw it!


It's called 'Hiking' in Canada, 'Trekking' in Asia and 'Tramping' in NZ! I learnt this as I started a hike on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in the National Park. A guy casually asked me if I had done much tramping in NZ and he looked so serious I took a wild guess and said you mean hiking right?!

I spent a couple of days in the most peaceful National Park I have ever been to, it's probably like Banff was a hundred years ago, it was beautiful. After talking to many people I decided to do some tramping. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is considered one of NZs top hikes. It's 19.4 kms long over spectacular volcanic terrain and the highest point is 1886m. We started our tramp about 8am with some clouds but then it cleared to a beautiful sunny day which started melting their bit of snow they had gotten 2 nights earlier. We hiked up and down and around past craters, cliff sides, sulphur lakes and over rocky terrain and even down some soft volcanic dirt. Had picnics on rocks by the lakes and overlooking amazing valleys and got lots of great photos! It was the most amazing time! Until the last 3 kms.....hiking in rental boots to boot!

This was the longest and steepest hike I had ever done and the last 3 kms just about killed me, in fact I got past the pain and started to feel nothing at one time! We also had moments of unstoppable laughter at literally nothing but it sure took the thoughts off of our wobbly legs. I was never so thankful to see the end of a trail about 4pm, and collapsed once I got in the bus only to have to get off in 30 minutes and feel like I got put into some 100 year old persons body! I could hardly get off the bus let alone walk and was so embarassed but then looked at everyone else and they were all hobbling along the same!
None the less, 3 days later and still feeling the pain I can say it was totally worth it to see what we saw, go where we went and to say I conquered the Crossing! YAY!!