Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
My trip (part-way) up the Franz Josef glacier was enjoyable (and cold and wet) - I'm not sure how well the pictures will turn out but I did try.
From the village I caught a ~10 hour bus trip to Nelson. It was classed as a "touring coach" so our comfort stops were typically at places worth photographing (like the pancake rocks or Hokitika's gray sand beach). Nelson is very sunny and enjoyable. I met up with my folks with minimal fuss and spent a week bouncing around the north end of the south island on their dime (thanks for the single Mom and Dad!). We visited Abel Tasman (hiking Torrent Bay to Marahau) and Queen Charlotte (mostly chilling at the Lochmara Lodge), spent a day at Tahuna Beach, saw the Nelson Saturday market and the "center" of New Zealand.
The day after they left for Christchurch I caught a flight to Wellington. I don't care how pretty the bay is by ferry - three hours is too long to spend on a boat. In my three days there I saw Te Papa (the national museum), the view from Mt. Katherine, the botanical gardens (via cable car even), and wandered about the CBD. The Wellington YHA (thanks for dropping off the new membership card Mom and Dad!) is so nice they're dryers even work! I only made it up through level four of Te Papa but I assure you - it is worth all the fuss.
My 36 hours in Napier were equally unfocused. The oldest prison in New Zealand has been converted into a backpackers so I stayed there. Not bad but definitely a comfort downgrade from the YHA -- lots of atmosphere though. The art deco is in full force as promised. Hawke's Bay is great for looking at (from the walkway) -- between the treacherous seas and the all rock beach swimming was out of the question. I do wish I'd had time for a wine tour but I don't think it would have been nearly so fun on my own.
I currently reside in Taupo - the skydiving capital of New Zealand. The first day I was here the wind was so strong I could barely walk along the lake. There's a nice walk following the river to the Huka falls and onward (I only walked to the falls in the interest of getting back before dark). The park at the start of the walk has a confidence course - in case you were wondering, balance and agility - good; upper body strength - not so much. If I were staying here any amount of time I would work on that...
From the village I caught a ~10 hour bus trip to Nelson. It was classed as a "touring coach" so our comfort stops were typically at places worth photographing (like the pancake rocks or Hokitika's gray sand beach). Nelson is very sunny and enjoyable. I met up with my folks with minimal fuss and spent a week bouncing around the north end of the south island on their dime (thanks for the single Mom and Dad!). We visited Abel Tasman (hiking Torrent Bay to Marahau) and Queen Charlotte (mostly chilling at the Lochmara Lodge), spent a day at Tahuna Beach, saw the Nelson Saturday market and the "center" of New Zealand.
The day after they left for Christchurch I caught a flight to Wellington. I don't care how pretty the bay is by ferry - three hours is too long to spend on a boat. In my three days there I saw Te Papa (the national museum), the view from Mt. Katherine, the botanical gardens (via cable car even), and wandered about the CBD. The Wellington YHA (thanks for dropping off the new membership card Mom and Dad!) is so nice they're dryers even work! I only made it up through level four of Te Papa but I assure you - it is worth all the fuss.
My 36 hours in Napier were equally unfocused. The oldest prison in New Zealand has been converted into a backpackers so I stayed there. Not bad but definitely a comfort downgrade from the YHA -- lots of atmosphere though. The art deco is in full force as promised. Hawke's Bay is great for looking at (from the walkway) -- between the treacherous seas and the all rock beach swimming was out of the question. I do wish I'd had time for a wine tour but I don't think it would have been nearly so fun on my own.
I currently reside in Taupo - the skydiving capital of New Zealand. The first day I was here the wind was so strong I could barely walk along the lake. There's a nice walk following the river to the Huka falls and onward (I only walked to the falls in the interest of getting back before dark). The park at the start of the walk has a confidence course - in case you were wondering, balance and agility - good; upper body strength - not so much. If I were staying here any amount of time I would work on that...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)