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Kia ora!
Where do we start? So much has happened since our last update! We are certainly in the land of activity, scenery and millions of white fluffy sheep.
We told you that we were off to the Opera House in Sydney for a night of classical music. Well it was.......fantastic! Couldn't believe the amount of variation in the people there, we weren't the only travellers! Mind you, all of us were sat in the cheap seats cos the orchestra had their backs to us! We recognised a few songs (or whatever you call them) mainly from the tunes on Nokia phones (Vivaldi, Mozart, Eddie Elgar and Tchykovski) or from TV. The sound was great but the most entertaining bit was the lead violinist who was a real eccentric (looked like Van Gunther the autopsy man) and kept leaping out of his chair at the big loud bits. You can tell we know what we're talking about can't you!
Left Australia after a fantastic 5 and 1/2 months, something that'll be remembered forever. It has great places but time to move on and find out what New Zealand has to offer.
Stayed in Christchurch for three days when we arrived and explored the city on Anzac day (equivalent to Rememberance Sunday). Lovely city, quite English with river running through it and gondolas punting up and down under low bridges and tramways throughout the city centre. Thought we'd pay our tribute by spending a little bit of time in the Coyote Bar on Oxford Terrace by drinking a bottle of New Zealand chardonnay. 4 bottles later we staggered out and headed home via the public toilet (see picture), good job i went first! Some things don't change eh! Went for a scenic drive into the mountains the next day to clear our heads and saw our first sheep, lakes and mountain range.Â
Now the traditional first-night syndrome has worn off we thought we'd go and see what this country has to offer. We certainly haven't been let down! Drove a few hours inland towards the Alpine range to a place called Lake Tekapo. Our first sight of the area was as we drove over a mountain range to the east of the lake and the turquoise-blue colour of the water with snow capped mountains in the background was unbelievable. Even the sun managed to creep out. Even better than we'd imagined. The water is so blue due to a rock sediment on the bed that causes the light to refract and you end up with a milky blue coloured lake, but when you're close up it's as clear as a bell, and drinkable (as we tested!) Had a wander around from our campsite on the edge of the lake to the little village and got some great photos. James decided to head back to the van and take a trip up the side of the lake on an unsealed dirt track to get some better views. This is why having a campervan is well handy, as you can just go off the beaten track without having to walk miles! Certainly felt the cold, we've gone from mid-twenties to below 10 degrees but to be in a place like this it makes it even better. Next morning we got up early as it was too cold in the van, and walked up Mount John to an Observatory. Only about a 3kms but a climb of 700m, talk about warming the muscles up, certainly got us both puffing! On certain nights of the year they get orions and auroras from the antarctic skies, this is when the magnetic field and the atmosphere cause the sky to turn green and red (we had a bit of a lesson from an astro-photographer in the cafe at the observatory). Saw some excellent pictures he'd taken from March this year when the last one was visible. Also had a great view of Lake Tekapo from higher up.
Back on the road, we headed towards Mount Cook, the highest peak in Australasia (3754m) and the one Edmund Hilary (famous NZ mountaineer) practised on before he climbed Everest. Stopped for lunch (cheese sandies and soup in the van) overlooking Lake Pukaki with Mount Cook in the distance, we could just about see the peak in breaks of the cloud. Certainly made lunch interesting, it'll take something special to beat that lunchbreak! The only downside was the 7 coachloads of Japanese and Koreans, we thought there were a lot in Oz but there must be a special discount on at the moment cos they're everywhere here too. Not sure if there are more yips than sheep, certainly know what tastes better though, imagine a yip and mint sauce...nah! Carried on to Mount Cook village and admired the view even more, it's amazing how close you can get to the lower slopes. From the village its only about 15-20kms before you start seriously climbing, that's why it's such a difficult climb for mountaineers as its so steep and there are many avalanches during the warmer months. Camped just outside the village that night, lovely views when we opened the boot of the van in the morning. That day we walked the Hooker Valley track (6hrs). En-route to the Hooker Glacier we passed swing-bridges, fantastic views of snowcapped mountains and even managed to spot a couple of ice falls, which luckily enough James managed to get a photo of. James has got quite a talent in photography, he's definitely got an artistic side, he must take after his sister, Lisa. After about 3 hours we arrived at the base of the Hooker Valley Glacier, complete with icebergs floating in the freezing water. We got chatting to an English Bill Oddie lookalike on the banks of the glacier and he gave us a lesson on the formation of glaciers and icebergs. He said that if you went into the water for 2 minutes you'd die from hypothermia, best we stay out then! Still had to put our hands in just to see for ourselves though, believe us it's cold! Unbelievable to think 10 days ago we were sitting on Manly beach in 80 degrees and now we're wrapped up for chilly 6 degrees weather. One thing we have noticed here is how clear and fresh the air is, sounds funny but you can feel the difference. Also the sky is the bluist we've ever seen it, so clear but then again theres practically no ozone layer here so that's gotta make a difference! Even managed to catch the sun on our walk, was strange to be walking in a t-shirt but being surrounded by snowy mountains and glaciers! Fantastic experience and a lot more to come.
Headed out of the mountains south to Dunedin (twin city to Edinburgh). Typical city, not a lot there but it's a famous place to spot rare yellow-eyed penguins and royal albatross. So we drove around the Otago peninsula to the viewing area but unfortunately they decided to be unsociable so the only penguin we had was a chocolate one, but tasted very nice! Spotted a couple of albatross, for you golfers out there it's the only time James will ever experience one! It's also home of the famous Speights brewery 'Pride of the South'! So a tour of the working brewery was a must. Really good and even better we got to pour our own samples of the 6 beers they brew, so obviously made the most of that. Didn't like them much but it didn't stop us, we'd got the bus into town specially so were going to make the most of it whatever they tasted like! The other famous sight there is Baldwin Street, the worlds steepest street officially named in the Guinness book of world records 2007. Got ourselves a certificate for walking/running/walking to the top and back down again, it's definitely the steepest street, much more so than we expected. It's hardest walking down, we're just glad we didn't take the van up it! Talking of our van we've named it Karl, couldn't wait any longer for suggestions from you lot so named it after our guide from Uluru & Kings Canyon cos his saying was 'lets cruise' and our van is an Ezy cruizer with a sexy lady painted on the side and red curtains and interior lights, a right little pimp mobile!
Arrived in Te Anau (Te-ah-now) today on the South-west side of the island. This is where the trekking really starts as we make our way up the west coast. It's true what people say about NZ, the scenery, the people and adventure activities are probably the best in the world. So far so good.
That's it for now,
love the travellers
xxxxxx Â
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