South Island

PICTURES

Hi people,

Finally I have some time to give you an update on the last couple of weeks! I have arrived back in Christchurch yesterday with Merel- she flew back to Australia for her last 3 weeks before going back to NL. I will stay another 12days or so in NZ and then fly to San Francisco.

Merel and me met up again in Taupo three weeks ago. We spent a couple of relaxing days there swimming in beautifull water of lake Taupo and its rivers. After that Merel walked the Tongariro Crossing and I travelled to Wellington. We met up a day later and spent two very nice days there. Then we took the boat [ferry] to the South Island.

We arrived in Picton where we saw a lot of sealife, just in the harbor. Hundreds of seastars, fish and even some rays. One day we walked about 28km on the Queen Charlotte Track in the beautifull area around Picton (Malborough Sounds, a sort of ford-landscape).

After that we travelled by bus to Christchurch where we picked up our rental car. We drove immediately to Akaroa, a small place on Banks Pininsula. this is a volcanic pininsula where the crater of the main volcano actually erupted to form a bay of the sea. We swam with Dolphins there!! Amazing, swimming circles with these animals while they look at you.. really seeming to play and investigate you! We also collected (huge) mussels there and cooked them in a nice paella! It was great. We stayed on a farm/hostell... good beginning of our roadtrip!

After that we drove a whole day trough amazing landscapes to go pick up Myrte in Nelson. Myrte is a friend of Merel, travelling Australia and New Zealand aswell. After picing her up we drove to the far north, Farewel Spit and later Abel Tasman National Park. We did a whole day of Seakayaking there and saw heaps of seals and pinguins! We swam at amazing little beaches. In the afternoon we walked for another 3,5hours through the park. It was great. Just check the pictures!

After that we drove to the westcoast and down, to a place called Frans Jozef. There is a glacier there we were going to climb. What an insaine trip! All day climbing up the glacier trough cracks in the beautifull blue ice! Surreal!

Then we travelled South to Te Anau [after visiting Fox Glaciar down the road] where we had a nice afternoon break with Cheese and Wine [Valentine day and Merel and me 4 months together].

The next day we did a boat tour in the Milford Sound: a proper "fjord". Again, amazing. Pictures dont do justice. One of the cool things was that the boat dipped it's front into a waterfall [yes, we were standing on the front deck and got a nice shower].

After Te Anau we drove to Wanaka [great lake views and mountain air] and later Queenstown. Here we spent two days relaxing [reading, eating, drinking, going out, short strolls in the park and town]. We needed that after so much hectic travelling!

After Queenstown we drove south furter, to the South Coast where we saw amazing landscapes and pinguins.

We seem to have saved the best for last: On the way back North to Christchurch we visited the Mount Cook National Park. I can only say check the pictures of the blue lakes and the snowy peaks and crazy glaciers... it was simply magnificent!

The last night we dropped of Myrte in Akaroa, where we started our trip, so she could
swim with Dolphins aswell. The next day Merel and I dropped off the car in Christchurch and you know the rest.

It was an amazing trip, but I am happy that I am now on my way [slowly] to the Netherlands again. What a travels I have don so far! It has been what I wished for and more.. but I miss you all now so.. i'll be back soon.

But first a little bit more NZ and some North America too.

Check back soon!

PICTURES

Bas.