Trying a different 'diary' style - mixing it up a little. So...
Mount Cook - 16 Jan
Driving to Mount Cook we passed the most incredible lake of bright blue water. The lake and stream at the bottom of the mountains were a pale grey colour which was a stark contrast to the lake so close by. We went for a walk around the base of the mountain (it was too windy to go higher/further). For dinner we made another group meal and ate it on the grass outside surrounded by mountains.
Rangitata - 17 Jan
Here I did some grade 5 white water rafting for the first time. The water we rafted on was glacial water that had melted just 12 hours before from nearby mountains. Another cool fact is that the area we rafted through was one of the film locations for Lords of the Rings (apparently you can see a couple of the rafts on the river in the background if you know the right second to pause - I've been told the spot so I'll be checking it out when I get home). The team/raft I was in was pretty successful in navigating through the rapids which felt great at the time however another team that capsized were absolutely buzzing at the end - think they had an even better time lol. The rafting guides were great fun and back at the wooden lodge we relaxed with a BBQ and movies.
Christchurch - 18 Jan
The city is still undergoing major, major works since the earthquake of 2011 however there are tons of artsy projects around town that add a lot of character to what is otherwise a ginormous building operation. We also stumbled upon a few free shows in town. There were a couple of gymnasts on stage down a side street set up with food stalls and bunting - someone I was with even recognised the performers from the Royal Variety Show. There were also two singers in the park who were really, really good. Loads of people were gathered listening to them with a picnic / ice lollies under the shade of the trees. After dinner we passed back past the stage area and there was a cabaret performance with jugglers, arial artists and fire eaters. I stayed the night in a converted jailhouse which was ace - full of character and I quite enjoyed the heavy doors and bars on the window haha.
Kaikoura - 19 Jan
Here I had a lazy day by the beach. I visited a seal colony, walked along the sea front and read under a tree.
Picton - 20 Jan
Picton is where you catch the ferry from the south island to the north island. The accommodation was really cute, kinda had the feel of a grandma's house. Me and a couple of the girls took some bikes out and cycled a path that ran along a hillside track.
Wellington - 21 Jan
Gorgeous meal at Rasa on the very cool Cuba Street where Elijah Wood and the other hobbits ate. I had serving bowl sized portion of laksa that was delicious. In the morning Rosie, my fab travel buddy, and I ran along the coast line through town to Oriental Bay which was a surprisingly lovely beach just minutes from the main hubbub of the capital. We decided to go up Mount Victoria to the look out point which took 30 mins to climb and just 10 to descend, then continued our run back along the coast. I'm really, really pleased to have got the chance to explore Wellington further as it has so much more to offer than what I originally saw.
Rotorua - 22 Jan
This is the first time I've taken any transport in New Zealand apart from the hop on hop off tour bus I've been travelling with and, not that I'm led by my stomach at all (!), I was totally bowled over (doesn't take much to make me happy haha). The six hour bus journey cost only £5, we had free wifi, plug sockets and complimentary water, tea, coffee, sweets, choc chip cookies and ice cream! I've loved my Stray tour bus and have had such good experiences with the friends I've made on it but this Mana Bus is also a great way to travel the long distances around NZ. Whilst on the bus we passed (for a second time) through a town called Bulls which is very cute/funny. In Bulls pretty much everything is named with a nod to the town name e.g. the police station has the placard 'const-a-bull' above the door, the information centre 'inform-a-bull' and so on. The whole town is in on it and it's fun to walk about and check out all the silly and inventive shop signs. Rotorua is where Rosie and I stayed before picking up the final leg of our tour with the Stray bus - a few days around the east of the north island. We were lucky enough to have stayed in Rotorua on a night when the night market was running. It was nearly all food stalls and within 10 minutes we'd been given so many free samples I was reconsidering if I'd need any dinner (I managed to squeeze it in!). We stayed above an Irish pub which actually felt quite homely - the free cups of tea helped.
Gisborne - 23 Jan
Our new Stray guide took us to Poverty Bay which is the first place in NZ visited by Captain Cook. Afterwards we picked up a takeaway roast dinner and sat on a quiet, big stretch of beach and ate our roast. We stayed the night in a house by the beach and had a campfire on the sand and toasted marshmallows. The stars in Gisborne are incredible! We even got a really good sighting of the Milky Way. Gisborne is known as the most easterly city in the world therefore first to welcome the sunrise. The beach we stayed next to was easterly facing so we rose early and sat on the beach to be amongst the first to see the sun rise on 24 Jan 2015.
Te Araroa - 24 Jan
Before leaving Gisborne I went for my very first surf lesson. I say lesson but the usual instructor was taking part in a competition so a Swedish guy from our accommodation took me and another girl from my trip out to the beach for a couple of hours, stuck with us initially and gave us a few pointers before leaving us to our own devices which was actually great - the instructions were nice and simple and we had loads and loads of space to go with our instincts. There are so few people in this part and I loved the relaxed feel of the experience. As for surfing I really enjoyed it. I caught a few really good waves and although I didn't get all the way to standing up I enjoyed the sensation of paddling, waiting for a wave then the powerful rush of the water pulling you into shore. I'll definitely look to do more surfing on this trip. After surfing we visited more beaches on our way to Te Araroa and a really nice church that combined Christian and Maori styles. We stayed the night at a camp site where a napped on the beach before a meat heavy BBQ - hard life!
Te Kaha - 25 Jan
Started the day with a trip to the most easterly lighthouse followed by a look around the studio of a Maori carving school that was also full of art work before going to a macadamia nut farm for ice cream with a view of the sea. Then it was off to our accommodation for the evening and wow! Such a warm welcome from the owner of the accommodation. Another beach front location, this time with a beautiful garden with steps down to the shore and a hot tub with views out to sea. We had a beautiful dinner prepared by the owner of kingfish caught freshly that day plus a side of some smoked kingfish that had been smoked on site. Before leaving, three of us woke at 6am to start the day with some body boarding and swimming in the sea as the sun came up.
Auckland - 26 Jan
Drove to Auckland via Rotorua where we had a few hours to wonder the lake and sunbathe in beautiful, flower-filled Government Gardens between busses. This was the third time Rosie and I had spent time in Rotorua and I enjoyed it more and more each time. By coincidence we arrived back in Auckland on Auckland Anniversary Day where there was a free festival by the marina. We were a bit late to gain entry but there was still a good buzz about the place so we sat and listened from under some trees nearby. And that concluded my trip to NZ!
General ramblings:
Here are some things that potentially everyone else knew about New Zealand but interested me...
Ozone - there isn't one over here. Just like Oz there is a hole in the ozone layer above meaning the sun is harsh. Weather forecasts here give 'burn time' i.e. how many minutes in the sun without sunscreen you're likely to withstand before burning - one forecast said 6 minute burn time so you really can't even just nip to the shops without factor on.
Change - despite price tags such as $14.99 or a food bill of say $17.24 the smallest coin here is 10 cents so they round off to $15 or $17.20 which feels kinda strange.
Population - minuscule! About 4.5 million people across a land mass the same as the UK and less than 1 million of those residents live on the south island. As a Brit, cities here seem so tiny.
Animals/vegetation/culture - apparently every four legged creature found in New Zealand has been introduced, hence I guess why there is a lot of interest in the native birds here. And in huge areas of bush/forest they are trying to eradicate non native plants and trees to get New Zealand back to its natural state pre European settlers which goes to demonstrate the passion that New Zealanders have for their country which also extends to the embracing of Maori culture and language.
In summary I've really enjoyed NZ. Some bits are incredibly beautiful. I've also enjoyed the benefits of having the (largely) same group of people with me to share the activities and experiences with along the way. For any Stray travellers reading this I want to extend a massive thank you for being pivotal to the great memories I now have of New Zealand. You've all been amazing.
Looking forward now to my Aussie road trip.
