New Zealand - South Island

The South Island of New Zealand is incredibly beautiful.  I had a fantastic time exploring its beauty while also developing some really great friendships along the way.

The first stop on the South Island for me was Kaiteriteri and the Abel Tasman National Park.  Kaiteriteri is supposed to be one of the best beaches on the South Island, mainly due to the coral colour of its sand.  The sand gets its coral colour from the weathering of ancient granite rocks, releasing crystals of quartz and mica, which are washed down to the sea, and finely ground into glittering gold particles of sand (http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/kaiteriteri.html).  It is also relatively close to the Abel Tasman National Park.

The beach at Kaiteriteri

 I can't remember the name of these birds, but they were beautiful!

 One of the beaches in the Abel Tasman National Park - notice the beautiful coral coloured sand?

 Check out this rock formation.  Can you see what this resembles? A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! (Remember the theme song anyone? Teenage mutant ninja turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, heros in a half shell, TURTLE POWER!)

 Kayakers checking out the seal colony

Interesting rock formations - caves!

Split Rock

The next stop was Lake Mahinapua where all we really did was have a party - a bin bag party.  I didn't invest a penny into my costume (a bumble bee).  I simply cut a few slits into my black bin bag and wore a yellow shirt underneath - minimal effort.  I had more fun though helping others put together their awesome bin bag costumes. 

Here's a group shot of our Kiwi Bus at the Lake Mahinapua bin bag party:

After a fun night, we headed to Franz Josef, where I particpated on a full day glacier hike. 

The Franz Josef is a 12km long glacier located in the Westland National Park. It's considered unique because it descends from the Southern Alps to less than 300m above sea level amidst the temperate rainforest. It is only one of three in the world that do so.

What an incredible experience from start to finish to hike on a glacier.  It was so cool to watch our guide cut the path ahead of us as the glacier changes so quickly. The path that was cut the day prior is no longer useful the following day due to changes in the ice.

Here are some photos from this super memorable day:

Checkin' out the deep crevices.

Hiking up the glacier

View of Franz Josef from the base

The sign at the barrier to the glacier - yeah, we crossed it! But, that's because we had paid big money for our guides. Safety is first...or a nearby 2nd at least.

Here's a pic of Wendy walking through one of the crevices! What a cool experience.

Walking down a carved out path. It sure was steep!

Going through a super slippery ice tunnel - thank you guides for installing ropes, otherwise we'd be stuck.

Hiking up our "glacier stairs". The steps were so steep - I wish I had longer legs!

After the full day glacier hike, I was so sore - for at least 3 days.  Talk about feeling the good hurt! 

The next stop on my itinerary was Queenstown. While in Queenstown, I took a day trip to Milford Sound - one of the most beautiful areas in the South Island. We experienced a wide variety of weather that day - pouring rain, wind and beautiful sunny skies. Milford Sound comes alive though when it rains.  There are hundreds of waterfalls as you sail through the fiords out to the Tasman Sea. We witnessed double rainbows and a full on rainbow where we saw both ends. Simply beautiful.

 If it wasn't for Becky, Gordon and Kelly on the boat, I would have been sick as a dog due to the swaying of the boat. But, we laughed sooooo much that the feelings of nausea disappeared.  I think that's the cure for sea sickness - laugher! 

If you're in New Zealand and exploring the South Island, be sure to check out Milford Sound!

Now onto Queenstown - what a great place! I spent a week here hanging out with my friends from the Kiwi bus.  We had a great time shopping around, spending time at the park & beach, eating and laughing.  I also did the Nevis Swing with Becky - the world's biggest swing - and I did my first ever Bungy jump at the Ledge Bungy. Here are some photos from my favourite city in New Zealand - Queenstown!

That's me bungy jumping in Queenstown! I will never bungy jump again...EVER.  Jumping off the edge was absolutely terrifying.  Plus, since I did that jump, there was an incident in Victoria Falls at their bungy jumping site - the cord snapped!!! Click here to read the news article and see the video clip yourself.  It's amazing the girl survived!

 Not sure why this pic won't rotate...but this is Becky and I before we drop.

 LOL! My expression! Once again, not sure why this pic won't rotate!

The beach & park in downtown Queenstown.

Fergburger...absolute deliciousness.  Whenever I go to Whistler, we always make a stop at Splitz Grill for what is probably the best burger in BC.  Well, the Fergburger kicks Splitz Grill to the curb.  Words cannot describe how good this burger was. You will just have to experience it for yourself.



There were a few more stops on my itinerary on the South Island including Christchurch.  It was disheartening to see the devestation from the earthquake and how so many people's lives are left in limbo.  They've done a great job at picking up the pieces, but it seems as soon as they have obtained solid footing, another earthquake makes its presence and they are back at square one. It's a very tough situation for them right now - keep the people of Christchurch and other earthquake striken areas, in your prayers. They need all the help & resources they can get.

Lastly, here are a few other pics from across the South Island:



New Zealand - North Island

Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I last posted.  I'm now back at home in Vancouver and just celebrated Christmas with my family this past week and am getting ready for a low key New Years Eve tonight.

Alright, so back to this travel blogging business!  My 2nd to last stop before coming back to Canada was New Zealand. I had been here before in 2006 but only had just enough time to explore around the North Island.  This time I planned on revisiting some of the North Island but mainly focusing on the even more beautiful South Island.

When I arrived in New Zealand, I stayed with my uncle, aunt and cousins in Auckland for a few days.  Aside from being fed some delicious food, it also gave me some time to try to adapt to the cooler New Zealand weather.  When I say "cool", I mean 20C.  Sure, this might seem warm to some of you, especially my fellow Canadians who were preparing for the winter season, but I had just come from warm & sunny Australia and I was freezing cold.  I wore as many layers as possible and still, I would feel a chill from the breeze outdoors that would make me shiver. Brr!

The day prior to leaving on my Kiwi Experience adventure, I came down with my first bout of a stomach related illness.  Let's just say I spent about 12 hours with my head glued to the porcelin bowel and my innards hurt with every movement from the constant vomitting.  Looking on the bright side, it only lasted for a day.  While I still felt nausea for a few days afterwards, the vomitting had completely subsided and I felt good enough to embark on my Kiwi Experience adventure and participate in all the activities. I just didn't eat much!

Our first stop on the Kiwi Experience was the Coromandel Peninsula which is renowned for its secluded beaches and untouched native forest. Along the peninsula, there was a beautiful coastal hike that leads to Cathedral Cove.  At the Cove, I was surrounded by white sand, crystal clear water and the archway from which the cove gets its name.  After our nice walk to the Cove, we headed to Hot Water Beach at 4pm (when the tide was out), so that we could dig our own pool in the sand and have it filled with hot water generated from the geothermic activity below.  Boy, was that water piping hot!! We had to be sure to mix it with some sea water to cool it down otherwise we'd burn ourselves.

Here are some photos:

 The beginning of the walk at Cathedral Cove

 Coastal Cove walk

 Here's the view once you arrive at Cathedral Cove

 Cathedral Cove

 Hot Water Beach

Digging a hot water pool at Hot Water Beach

Hot Water Beach is a popular area during low tide...look at all the diggers

After Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, I went on a short hike called Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway. Here are some photos from the scenic hike:

The next stop on the North Island was Rotorua (aka Sulpher City). Rotorua got its nickname of Sulpher City from the amount of geothermic activity that is actively happening in the city.  Plus, the town stinks of sulpher!  In Rotorua, you will see steam coming from under the streets through storm drains, you'll see boiling mud pools and you might catch the occassional geyser.  There are also hot springs which you can relax in that are free (just requires a nice walk to get there).

The last time I was in Rotorua, I went to the Tamaki Maori Village for an awesome cultural show plus hangi (a method where they cook the food under the ground....delicious) and went to the Wai-O-Tapu thermal reserves (amazing!!!!).  My biggest regret though, was not going to the Polynesian Spa which time and time again has been rated one of the WORLD's top 10 spa's.  This time, while everyone else went to the Tamaki Maori Village, I went to the spa for a few hours of uninterrupted bliss.

I started off by relaxing in the thermal hot pools which overlook Lake Rotorua. As recommended, I started in the coolest pool (36C) and worked my way up to the hottest pool (42C).  By the time I was done, my fingers and toes had wrinkled, my skin smelled of sulpher (but ohhh was it smooth as ever), and I found it difficult to breathe with all the steam in my face. I was ready for my spa treatment - a Rotorua Mud Body Polish/Aix combo which finished off with an organic coconut oil full body massage - heaven on earth!  This was the best spa treatment I've ever had. If you are planning a trip to New Zealand and you like going to the spa and treating yourself every now and again, GO to the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua. 

One of the thermal Lake Pools that overlook Lake Rotorua at the spa :)

While in Rotorua, I also checked out Te Puia, which is a New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Centre.  This is a great place to learn about the Maori culture, check out some of the local crafts and witness geotheric activity including active geyers.  Here are some photos:

 Finished product

 Wood carving

 Boiling mud

 Geothermic activity - so cool (actually, it's quite warm - LOL)

Active geyer

On the North Island, I also went to Waitomo (glow worm caves), Taupo, River Valley and Wellington.  Waitomo - there is nothing there except the glow worm caves. I saw them in 2006 and just went for a nice hike instead this time around.  Taupo - beautiful lake and a great place to relax, but not much else to do except for skydiving.  One of the cheapest spots in the world to skydive!  River Valley - I don't want to talk about it.  The photo below will captures my sentiment:

 

 

The only good thing about River Valley is that we left it and on our way out, we went on this walk called the Tawhai Falls Walk in which Mount Doom (for those of you who watched Lord of the Rings) was clearly visible. Note: The real name of the mountain is Mount Ngauruhoe.  Here are some pics:

 

As for Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, it was so cold, windy and rainy when I was there, so I basically hibernated indoors or under the bus shelter with my friends Wendy & Becky to tap into the free city wi-fi. 

Well, that about sums it up for the North Island! Next post - South Island.