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Sun 11 Feb
Well, I hear the scenery on the ferry crossing was nice but I didn't manage to see it as I was curled up on a recliner seat catching up on some sleep! Must remember to stay awake for the ferry ride back. Our new Stray bus was horribly hot and sweaty.... then the gear box fell out (or something like that!). Good job that DC used to be a mechanic and managed to fix it with a penknife, yeay for DC. We drove most of the day, arriving at Old MacDonald's Farm in Abel Tasman National Park in the late afternoon. Quite basic huts but lovely, peaceful surroundings. After fish and chips from the caravan cafe I retired to bed at 10pm.
Mon 12 Feb
Hooray, a day of rest! Well, two nights in the same place which means we don't have to check out at some unearthly hour for another long bus ride. We were going to go for a walk in the National Park but were tempted into going on a sailing trip for the day. Our small inflatable boat was towed to the catamaran by a tractor, just as I was getting out a huge wave came over the side of the dinghy and soaked me - great start to the day! There were two boats, we ended up on one with a family and just a few other Stray people. We were warned that a camera crew would be accompanying us but as the family were on our boat, they could get more cheesy shots with them (imagine kids marvelling at seals and the couple chinking champagne glasses) so the crew spent most of the time on our boat. Apparently it was for something called Destination New Zealand and will be used for flights arriving in New Zealand and NZ promotion in Australia so look out for our ugly mugs! Nice coastal scenery but the weather wasn't great which made it quite cold on the boat. We stopped off at a beach for lunch - there were hundreds of names carved into the rocks which were the names of boats that had visited and traded there in the past. We saw some seals and a few penguins, and a rock called Split Apple Rock - one mad person even swam to the rock for a photo bbbbrrrrrrrrr!
Tues 13 Feb
We set off at 8am for the drive to Barrytown (also known as Baz Vegas by Stray), a little hamlet with a pub/hostel and not much else! It was another long drive but we had some nice stops on the way to see a gorge, Tauranga Bay to see a seal colony, Irimahuwhero to see the views over the Te Miko cliffs and the Pancake Rocks, columns of rocks that look like pancakes stacked on top of each other. DC also announced that there was going to be a fancy dress party at the pub tonight - men had to dress as women and women as men - great! He dropped us off at a second hand store where you could fill a bag with whatever you wanted for $3. Imagine their surprise when about 20 backpackers piled in all trying on the second hand suits, pyjamas, dresses, handbags etc! Ed bought himself a nice dress and a handbag (complimented by some beads and a wig from another shop) & I bought a delightful shirt, tie and baseball cap. When we arrived at the hostel/pub and saw the sign 'Welcome - Leave your dignity at the door' above the door we knew it was going to be a night to remember! I am pleased to say that we kept our dignity, although we did look a bit silly in our costumes. It was amazing to see how much effort everyone had made - even Mr Guha, a 75 year old on the bus! The night ended with a 'dance off' on the bar for a $30 bar tab - luckily we still have money so were not desperate enough to join in (you'll know what I mean when you see the photos!).
Wed 14 Feb
Ed went bone carving whilst I spent the morning relaxing in the gardens of the pub then in the early afternoon we set off for Franz Josef. The town was built just to support the tourism that has built up around the glaciers. When we arrived it was easy to see why - beautiful snowcapped mountains and the glacier just behind the town. We had a fairly quiet night in preparation for the glacier hike tomorrow.
Thurs 15 Feb
Another early start for the glacier hike. We walked to the hike company's (www.franzjosefglacier.com) office where we received a brief safety talk and were then kitted out with our waterproof jackets, boots, socks, ice talonz (ice spikes for our boots), mittens and gloves. It was then a short bus ride to the rainforest, then a 45 minute walk to the bottom of the glacier. We were split up into groups of about 10, and had one guide per group. The glacier is the only one in the world to decend into rainforest, and the steepest and fastest flowing commercially guided glacier in the world too. First of all we climbed up some ice stairs, most of which were already cut but the guides cut more steps where they thought they were needed. It felt very strange to be walking on ice and I didn't quite trust my ice talonz! The scenery was stunning - the white glacier with the greenery of the rainforest in the background, we could also see waterfalls at the start of the walk, as well as Mount Cook (3754m) in the background. The ice was quite dirty at the beginning but got cleaner and whiter the further up we got. The weather was beautiful as we were climbing up. During the walk we had to squeeze through crevasses, my trousers got really wet when we did that and my hands were freezing cold! We learnt to do the 'Franz shuffle' in really tight bits where we couldn't walk through but had to shuffle. I managed to fall over when I got one of my talonz stuck on my other foot, I wasn't hurt though and came out better than the other few people who fell over and grazed theirs legs. We also had to squeeze through an ice cave which was so blue in colour it was amazing. My fear of heights almost got the better of me when we were 'franz shuffling' over a ledge, the drop below wasn't huge (about 10 feet maybe) but I just kept thinking 'what if I fall and a great big hole on the ice opens up' - how silly! I did manage to lose my sunglasses - they fell off my head when I was peering down a big crevace. Maybe in millions of years to come when the glaciers have all melted they will be found and displayed in a museum (as of course by then everyone will have bionic eyes that adjust to the light around so they will be a real thing of the past!). I thought the descent was harder than the climb but again that is probably because I don't like heights, still didn't trust my talonz and kept thinking I was going to slip. However I made it down ok in the end! It was a fantastic day and I would highly recommend it to anyone that gets the chance.
Fri 16 Feb
Ouch my legs hurt! We drove to Makarora, with stops at Lake Matherson (beautiful clear lake with mountains in the background reflecting perfectly on the lake), Ship Creek at Tauparikaka where we had a walk along a boardwalk and then I walked along the beach. I found a green stone which I am hoping is greenstone (jade) which is occasionally found on the beaches in the area. We drove along the Haast Highway, stopped at the Haast Gates, a bridge over some rapids before arriving at the hostel. Nice eight bed wooden cabins, only four of us in our cabin so no long queues for the toilet or shower! A few people went for a swim in the pool but as it wasn't heated I wasn't brave enough. We had dinner then sat around chatting with a few beers before going to the bar at 9.30pm for the karoake. One of the girls, Jo, talked few of us into getting up so I did actually sing 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' but then we left the others to it until the Stray grand finale where we all got up to sing 'The Final Countdown'! After the bar closed we went outside and sat around the campfire for a while, had a stargazing session and one of the locals showed me a comet.
Sat 17 Jan
It ended up being quite a late night but I had to be up at 8.30am for jetboating (www.wilkinriverjets.co.nz). Imagine our surprise when we saw the driver of the boat was the man we'd tried to wake up at the side of the campfire at 4.30am! Wow - jetboating is so much fun (& certainly blows the hangover cobwebs away!). Imagine a jet boat speeding through the water, but the water is only a couple of inches deep in places, and doing 360 degree spins - guaranteed to get you laughing and very wet! The scenery in Mount Aspiring National Park was also stunning, and you can only get there by a long walk, boat or helicopter so the four of us on the boat were quite privileged to get the views we did. We were an hour late back to the bus so we were pleased when DC didn't make us sing our National Anthem (the rule when you are late back to the bus). We then set off for the drive back to Queenstown, stopping off at Lake Wanaka, Puzzleworld (a lot more fun than we thought it would be) and the original AJ Hackett bungy jumping site at Kawarua Bridge (www.ajhackett.co.nz). I have never been tempted by a bungy but seeing the adrenaline pumping through everyone who was jumping almost made me sign up for it. However I was worried that I'd be the annoying person stood on the ledge for an hour so I decided not to. Ten or so people from the bus did though so we spent a couple of hours watching them jump off the bridge. A couple of them looked slightly put out when they were asked to take their bungy straps off as someone was being given a priority jump, well at least until they saw it was a stag do and the groom and a stripper were doing a naked bungy!! We arrived in Queenstown, booked into the hostel then went for a walk around the town. It is very touristy but has magnificent mountain scenery just behind the town - The Remarkables which featured in Lord of the Rings. Another Stray night out, including teapot cocktails at the World Bar.
Sun 18 Feb
No early check out so we had a bit of a sleep in for a change. We then had a walk around Queenstown, down to the pier and lakeside. Lorene, Tom, Ed & I then went on the gondola (cable car) up the hill, fabulous views over Queenstown. Once we were up there the fun began - luging! I've never heard of it before but it's a bit like go-karting, a bit like sledging down a track and it is great fun. We had a go on the scenic route then went on the more adventurous route. We of course followed the guidelines and did not have any group races....... but I did win two out of five circuits! We got the gondola back down, met some of the others on the lakeside where we had a few beers and a pizza. We said our goodbyes to a few people who were leaving the bus then went to bed.
Mon 19 Feb
We drove from Queenstown to Te Anau where we booked the Milford Sound boat cuise and had some lunch. It looked like a really nice place so it was a shame we couldn;'t stay longer. We then continued the drive with a stop off at the Mirror Lakes, and yes, they did have a near perfect reflection of the mountains behind! We arrived in Milford Sound and got on the boat (with hundreds of Japanese tourists) then set off on the two hour cruise. The scenery is what I think of as typically beautiful New Zealand - water, mountains, a bit of snow (wrong time of year for lots of snow). It was quite blowy up on deck so after I'd spent an hour or so up there and got my quota of photos I went to warm up inside. After the cruise we drove to Tuatapere to Shooters Backpackers for a sausage dinner. Poor DC had been driving all day and then nasty Ed stole his dinner (not on purpose though I must point out)!!
Tues 20 Feb
We had an early start for a visit to a local farm! First of all we had a lift on the back of the trailers being pulled by some quad bikes type vehicles, then we watched the sheep dogs rounding up the sheep. We then went into the sheep pen and a couple of people had a go at separating the woolly sheep from the sheared sheep (maybe a bit harder than it sounds when they have a dog jumping behind then), then watched some sheep shearing then very exciting, had a go at shearing ourselves (whilst donning some very attractive blue overalls, think 'Prisoner Cell Block H'!). It was good fun but was completed with sausage sandwiches and cups of tea for breakfast once we'd finished our hard mornings work! We then drove to a town called Invercarvill, dropped some people off there then headed to Bluff for the boat across to Stewart Island. The crossing wasn't too bad considering that we were told that the swell can reach five metres. Stewart Island (www.stewartisland.co.nz) is the third largest island in New Zealand and is 24 km off the South Island. New Zealanders seem to either love or hate the place, some said go there as it is so peaceful and full of nature, others said it's boring and there is nothing to do! For the record, I had a great time! I spent the afternoon doing the Yakabout tour with DC, Rich and Flora. Unfortunatey a few more people were signed up but pulled out and they missed a fantastic afternoon. We set off on the 20 metre 'luxury catamaran' and were surprised to find it was just the four od us, one other woman and the two crew members. We cruised to a remote bay then jumped into our wetsuits (complete with hoods and shoes so I knew it was going to be cold) then jumped into kayaks. I joined Rich, he was at the back steering, I was at the front...... and we were useless at it! DC & Flora steamed ahead leaving us floundering in the open water, it was great fun though but we won't be entering the Olympics or anything! We kayaked up an inlet where the guide pointed out some of the local plants and the huge amounts of sea kelp, then we kayaked back to the boat. We then donned our full wetsuit gear and took the motorised dinghy to the shore where we put our fins and masks on then it was into the water fr some snorkelling. I have NEVER felt water so cold I am sure! After five mins I started to warm up and was actually able to put my face into the water for more than a few seconds. It was very different to the snorkelling I have done previously on this trip. Beacuse of the huge amounts of seaweed and sea kelp it was almost like swimming through a garden! The guide kept diving down and finding things for us to look at including a sea horse, a starfish, a paua shell and a sea egg. He explained that the sea egg (roe) is a Maori delicacy and cracked it open to try, it looked foul so I let Rich try it first then I had a tiny little bit and confirmed that it is one of the most disgusting things ever! We then got back on the boat and warmed up with hot showers and a cup of tea. It was great to hear how much Rich & DC enjoyed the snorkelling (neither had been before). We set back off to the harbour and were then invited to have a go at fishing off the back of the boat. I wasn't too bothered but once I'd caught my first fish wthin a matter of minutes (my first fish ever may I point out) I was hooked. I caught four blue cod which along with the fish the others caught was skinned and filleted for us, which we then took back to the hostel and cooked for dinner. It was a fabulous dinner and I can't believe how much I enjoyed fishing! Met up with Ed later to hear about his walk around the island, we all then went to the local pub for a few beers.
Wed 21 Feb
I went to bed wishing we had a bit longer on Stewart Island but when I woke to see the miserable weather I was quite pleased that we were leaving as I don't think there'd be much to do there in bad weather. We got wet walking down to catch the 7.45am ferry back to Bluff and were then quite surprised by the relatively smooth crossing. Despite the rain we all piled off the bus for the mandatory photo at the Bluff signpost which is the most southern point of the South Island and the gateway to State Highway One. We stopped off at a sealion colony and were amazed that these huge creatures hardly moved despite us walking around amongst them, then went to a petrified forest which is made up of fossils that were originally trees. We then drove straight to Dunedin, a big University town with Scottish roots. Time for a quick shower then we went straight out to the Speights Brewery (www.speights.co.nz) for a tour and oligatory tasting session. I was pleased to hear that one of the original brewers was from Wakefield and another from Burton. At the end of the tour we were left at the pumps to help ourselves, luckily for them we only had about half an hour so not long enough to drink them dry! We then had a night out in Dunedin, finished off with Lorene and I taking some silly photos when we got back to the hotel at about 3am, I will grow up one day honestly!
Thurs 22 Feb
We set off from Dunedin but not before having a walk up Baldwin Street, the steepest street in New Zealand. It was named the steepest street in the world in the Guinness Book of Records until they realised it isn't! Never mind, I am sure the 'steepest street' souvenir shop at the bottom still manages a roaring trade. We then drove back to Queenstown for another couple of days there. We checked into the Base Hostel and refused to sleep in the room we were given as it was such a mess (don't they know we're 'flashpackers'...... well, probably not as we were at Base!). We then got another room which luckily was shared with mostly people from the bus. We had another night out in Queenstown which again turned into a very late night and a couple of us eventually made it to bed at about 9am!
Fri 23 Feb
Ed got up and went for a walk up a big hill (he was sensible and went to bed early), I got up at about midday then went to the lakeside with Lisa and Vicky and just chilled out for a few hours. Later we all just hung out in the room and were in bed by 10.30pm, the youngsters who had moved into our room no doubt thought we were tired out old fogies!
Sat 24 Feb
Set off for the drive to Christchurch, stops on the way at Lake Pukaki (lovely blue lake with Mount Cook in the background), Lake Tekapo to have a look at the lovely little church, Church of the Good Shepherd, and a random memorial to collie dogs! We didn't arrive in Christchurch until about 5pm which unfortunately didn't leave us much time to explore so we went out for a Mexican meal, a few drinks and a few of us went to The Bog (Irish bar) where there was a good band playing.
Sun 25 Feb
We set off at 8am for the drive to Kaikoura, arriving at about 12.30pm. We checked into the Alephi Backpackers, grabbed some lunch then walked to the Whale Station for our whale watching boat trip (www.whalewatch.co.nz). We cruised around for about half an hour then one of the crew spotted a sperm whale, considering we could only see 10% of it, it was absolutely massive (apparently the equivalent size of four elephants). They are the largest toothed whales and the world's largest predator. It floated alongside the boat for about five minutes then flipped it tail up as it dove back down into the sea. We found another sperm whale after about ten minutes, the first one was called Little Nick, the second one Tiaki (they see them so regularly that they can recognise them and have given them all names). We then saw a huge pod of dusky dolphins, one of the most acrobatic dolphins, they were jumping out of the water, doing back flips and all sorts! Then one of the crew announced that they had some 'exciting news', orca (killer whales of the 'Free Willy' variety) had been spotted in the area so we went straight off to try and find them. After about five minutes they'd located them, they were amazing to see, swimming right next to the boat for half an hour or so. Apparently they only spot them once or twice a month so we were really lucky to see them. There is a huge underwater canyon (1600m deep, 5000m wide) which is what attracts the whales and other wildlife to this spot in particular. After dinner we went to the bar across the road for a few pints of 'Sheepshaggers' and then a whisky chaser which DC bought for us as it was the last night of the tour and we were such a fabulous group! It was three mad weeks on the Stray bus, too much time on the bus, some terrible buses, bad organisation by Stray meaning a couple of people had to leave the bus as it was overbooked, too much alcohol and too many late nights but it was also fantastic fun and we met some great people. DC was a great driver and if you ever read this DC I hope you'll look us up when you come to the UK.
Mon 26 Feb
I got up at 4.45am (leaving Ed fast asleep in the dorm) in time to pack and walk to the Dolphin Encounter office in time for my second go at swimming with dolphins. We checked in, were fitted out with wetsuits and then had a short bus ride to the harbour. By the time we got on the boat the sun was rising, giving a fabulous orange glow over the horizon. About tenof us headed out on the smallest, fastest boat (causing one person to get very seasick!) and it took about 30 minutes to locate a pod of about 30 dusky dolphins. We got into the water and I am sure it was even colder than Stewart Island! We were told to keep our faces & masks underwater and it was amazing, up on top of the water it sometimes looked as though there were no dolphins but then you looked underwater and there could be up to five dolphins swimming right past or underneath you. Other times they swam around us and jumped up out of the water right in front of us. We were told to make lots of noise underwater as this attracts them so I probably sounded a bit deranged shouting and singing but it did seem to work! I took an underwater camera and just hope that I managed to get some decent photos as the experience was amazing. After a couple of hours it was time to head back to shore, on the way back we had the challenge of getting out of our wet swimsuits into some warm clothes on a small deck with no changing area! Our reward was some hot chocolate and ginger biscuits which went down a treat! We were collected by DC and the gang then drove to the ferry terminal at Picton. Unfortunately this was where we had to say our last goodbyes to DC as he was staying on the South Island. We didn't quite know what to do after three weeks or so of DC ferrying us around, showing us where to go and generally doing (almost) everthing for us! We managed to catch the ferry back to the North Island though, sunbathing on the top deck until it got too windy and I am pleased to confirm that the scenery was stunning! We also managed to cadge a lift from another Stray driver when we arrived on the North Island, then said our final goodbyes to the few people staying on the bus.
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