4/03/10
We arrived in Picton just after 07:00 and the first thing we did was find a rest stop so we could have a few more hours sleep! The sun was just coming up and we were right by a lake, the view was amazing but we couldn't keep our eyes open! A few hours later I woke up boiling to death so I went and lay on the grass by the lake. When Simon woke up we decided to head down to see the glaciers. We drove to Blenheim then west across the country on SH63 until it joined SH6 at Kawatiri and then it was the SH6 all the way to Franz Joseph. On the way we drove through 'wine country' and heaps of vineyards, I have to say that the South Island is very beautiful and much more picturesque than the north. We decided to camp for the night just outside Franz Joseph near lake Ianthe. It's definitely colder here, we needed jumpers on for the first time in months!
5/03/10
Woke up FREEZING! Last night I really thought I was going to freeze to death in the van, I know, I'm never happy, one minute I'm boiling the next I'm freezing!! After putting nearly every item of clothing on we set off for Franz Joseph glacier. It feels really weird wearing trousers and jumpers, the air is really cold and fresh and I love it, it reinds me of home! We entered into the town of Franz Joseph, it's a quaint little hiking town with a few cafes and shops, we went to the info centre to get a map and then we were off to the glacier! We had to walk a little way before we could actually see it but when we turned the corner there it was, this massive slope of ice leading down to an old riverbed which was where the glacier used to be years ago. It wasn't what I'd pictured in my mind but it was impressive nonetheless. We walked as close as we could to it, it was beautiful to look at, parts of it were really blue and you could see where it went up over the top of the mountain. We clambered down to the stream and Simon picked up a big chunk of ice so we even touched the glacier kind of! We walked around for a bit and took some pics and then headed down the road about 26km's to the Fox glacier. Due to the time of day a mist had descended and partially covered the glacier so we decided not to walk to it but to have a look from one of the viewpoints. Again it was stunning and I'm really glad we made the journey to see them, it's something I will never forget. We decided to continue our journey and head across the Transalpine road SH73 to Christchurch. This is the same journey you can make by train and it's one of the most remote, beautiful alpine routes you can take. We got to Christchurch around 19:30, we headed a bit further south to Lyttelton to camp for the night. We found a pretty little carpark(!) near the port and parked up. When the bloke came to lock the toilets we thought we were gonna get kicked out but he just said we'd picked a great place to camp! We've had a busy few days and I have to say that after my little moan earlier I've changed my mind about NZ, the South Island, although it's still vast areas of nothingness, the nothingness that is here is very very pretty! The landscapes and views are mindblowing, it's nothing I've ever seen before, mountains, hills, forests, lakes, rivers, glaciers, it's all awesome!
6/03/10
Went into Christchurch city centre today for a look around. We went to Cathedral Square, it's all very pretty round here, there are people milling about on the church steps and in the square, there's someone shouting about God to anyone who'll listen, there's two people playing the bagpipes in another corner and there's loads of different stalls selling snacks and food. We walked down to the River Avon and hired a rowing boat for $10 for half an hour. Simon rowed and I steered, we only got stuck once so that was good for me! There were ducks everywhere, absolutely loads of them but they were well trained and oved out of the way before we hit them! It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Christchurch is my favourite place in NZ so far, it's a city but only a small one so it doesn't have the big city vibe, it's small and quaint and pretty with nice shops and little stalls selling food dotted all around the place and down by the river is really beautiful, I can now understand why people emigrate to this country. We decided to head to a sports complex so we could have a swim and more importantly so I could have a shower! We found the hot tub just as I was getting ready to leave the pool so we delayed the shower for 20 mins and relaxed in the warmth! I finally dragged myself out and went to wash my hair while Simon stayed in the hot tub for as long as he could! When we were in Christchurch earlier we bought tickets at the Court Theatre to see 'Scared Scriptless' tonight at 22:00. We headed back into town and got some good seats, the show was absolutely brilliant! It was five comedians and MC and it was all unscripted with audience participation, it was hilarious and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone heading to Christchurch. That night we camped at New Brighton just outside the city by the beach. Brilliant day.
7/03/10
Today I'm off to see Chrissy who used to work on MAU with me and who emigrated just over a year ago. Me and Simon went back into the city and had a look around a couple of bookshops then I left him mooching about and I walked up to Chrissy's house which is about 15mins away. It was brilliant to see her and we had a right good chat and a couple of drinks, it felt very surreal seeing someone from back home all the way over here! I left Chrissy's and headed back to the van. We left Christchurch for the last time and got on the SH1 to Kaikoura which is about 180km north. We pulled up and headed to the thai restaurant for a green curry then parked by the sea for the night.
8/03/10
The sea here is mental! This morning there's debris all over the road like there was a massive storm or something but there wasn't, the sea is just that rough! We're planning on catching the 19:00 ferry back to Wellington tonight so we're gonna have a little look about, go see the seal colony and then head north on SH1 to Picton.
The seals are sooooo cute! Big, but cute and they STINK! There's only about six of them here and they're all asleep in the sun, lying on loads of giant kelp. We drove a little farther up the road and pulled into the breeding zone where there were loads of seal pups just playing in the rock pools, it was brilliant to see them in their natural habitat, they were having a lot of fun! We had to drag ourselves away because we had to drive 160km's to Picton. It was lucky we left when we did, we only just made the ferry on time! We've really enjoyed our time on the South Island, like I said before, the scenery and landscapes are just mindblowing, I've taken pictures and I hope I've done it justice, I knew and was expecting NZ to be beautiful and when we first arrived I was a little dissapointed as it was so bleak but after travelling around I've seen some amazing views and the country is stunning. I'd definitely come back one day and I'd recommend the South Island to anyone!
We got on the ferry and went outside at the front to get a good view. It was lovely leaving the port as we had to sail past all these hills with mountains in the distance to actually get out to sea. It got quite cold quite quick so we went and found a cosy spot to sit inside. We got to Wellington around 22:30ish so we headed into the city (getting lost on the way of course!) to get dinner. We drove just outside the city to the Petone beach front and parked up for the night. I'm sad to leave the South Island so soon but we changed our plans for the better and now we're off on the next adventure!