Three weeks in NZ
New Zealand has it ALL – (including but not limited to:) beautiful landscapes, scenic drives, wine regions, sheep, volcanoes, thermal hot pools, everything an adrenaline junkie could ever dream of, more sheep, glaciers, pretty coast towns, a decent rugby team (or so we’ve heard), feijolas (that’s a fruit, quite yummy), more sheep, and the friendliest people you’ll ever come across. Lars and I spent three weeks in this fabulous place, exploring their autumn in a camper van. We started in Christchurch on the south island, did a little loop there, took the ferry over to the north island and did a little loop there too, all the way up to the northern peak, Cape Reinga. Quite a drive according to some, but having just arrived from Australia we didn’t think too much of it... Renting a camper van is a great way to experience this country, as you don’t have to put in that much driving in order to see a lot of very different stuff (see list above). NZ is a very, very diverse country. For one thing, it’s the only country in the world where you can experience all of the different climate zones, or so I read in the book of useless information. Did you also know that Charlie Chaplin once came in third in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike competition? How funny is that? Anyhow…
Our first port of call after we landed was the outdoors shops where we geared up in merino wool undergarments. (Not a big fan of product placement, but if you’re cold, buy some Icebreakers!) Here in Christchurch we stumbled across a charismatic ‘Canamerikiwi’ (a cross between a Canadian, an American and a New Zealander…). He showed us some true kiwi (-american-canadian) hospitality by inviting us home for a double date. He put together a very impressive meal, our first home cooked dinner in a while... (not counting the various gourmet meals Lars has put together at outdoor bbq places in Australia, of course.) We had a great time, and felt ready to face the wilderness, equipped with sleeping bags and the fashion know-how for tramping. That’s New Zealander speak for trekking. They are very keen on this here in NZ, and no wonder with the landscapes they have to tramp around in. Your gear is of course very important – in this picture Lars is sporting the right attire for this activity, shorts over merino wool long johns. No, he does not look like a geek. This is very fashionable. No, really. It is. And very sexy. Clearly.
Now, camping in New Zealand turned out to be quite different from camping in Australia, where, for one thing, our main nightly concern had been keeping cool… This was not a problem in NZ… Some nights the temperature was below zero, and the car was thus cool enough… Another thing is that New Zealand does not support ‘freedom camping’ as Australia does. The Aussies have kindly set up free rest areas all around their country, complete with bbqs and toilets. Not one time did we pay for staying at campgrounds in dear Aussie land. Parking in holiday parks almost every night does feel a bit less adventurous, but it’s the law, and on the plus-side you don’t have to hunt every day for somewhere to have a shower. (In Australia we managed this feat mostly at beaches where the Aussies provide free sweet water showers, albeit cold ones). We also had a better van in Australia, but that’s another story.
So what did we do, except driving around, trying to remember to keep an eye on the road and not getting lost in the scenery? Well, a little bit of tramping at Lake Tekapo, one of NZ’s dazzling blue lakes flanked by dramatic snow covered mountains. We tried to go skydiving in Lake Wanaka, Rotorua and Taupo, but the weather gods was against it every time. We did not, I repeat, we did NOT chicken out! We went on wine tours in both Marlborough and Martinborough, both very nice regions, with some fantastic wines. We bathed in hot pools and walked over ‘the Craters of the Moon’. We saw the glaciers on the south island (Lars has seen his fair share of glaciers already so he pretended not to be impressed, but it was magnificent, really). We went on a sheep show together with about a thousand Japanese tourists. And we had very, VERY nice encounters with the NZ people, like for example when we had almost reached the very top of NZ, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. We were a bit lost. When we found our bearings again it was dark and we couldn’t find a good holiday park, so we stopped at a pub/motel and asked for a room instead. And this is new Zealanders for you – we did not get a room but got to park our van in the back and use the facilities of the motel for free. Even though they were actually running a motel business. Too kind! Or as they say here: Sweet as! (That actually means sweet as sugar or honey or something like that. In the beginning I thought everyone – including the boarder police – was commenting on my behind, but no, no such luck). We went to the bar to thank our new friend by buying a couple of beers, and got caught up in a dart tournament. This was another example of kiwi hospitality – after the games a feast was uncovered. All the players had brought with them a little something from home, which they all shared after the competition. They insisted that we, the only non-dart-related guests, took part as well. It was a lovely evening. I especially liked the chocolate cake with pink sprinkles on, baked by a huge, tattooed Maori man, cute as a pie. Think rugby player. Think All Blacks. They can bake, I tell you.
The last stop on our NZ tour was Auckland. Here we met up with four lovely kiwis we had met in the wine region a week earlier. They welcomed us into their home and treated us to a superb classic kiwi dinner. We had wonderful lamb with veggies, followed by a beautiful Pavlova – that’s a meringue cake topped with cream and fresh fruits, yum! It’s a bit like Swedish marang swish (Eton Mess in England), but lighter and nicer on the eyes, too. A glorious last night in NZ – one of the friendliest and most beautiful countries we have ever experienced.
Lou
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Ok, some add pics:
