New photos are finally up! We posted a big batch covering the last couple weeks, from Wellington all the way down to the Franz Josef Glacier area.
To view the photos in chronological order (they upload out of order sometimes in the photostream), click on the "South Pacific Travels" button on the right side of the Flickr page. You'll find everything we've done so far down here, with newer photos towards the bottom.
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
So here's a cool bit of NZ history. Apparently in the 1800s red deer were introduced from England for sport, along with all kinds of other animals like mountain goats and wild sheep, etc. Turns out the climate and habitat suited them so well that within a couple of years the deer numbered in the millions. Once the Europeans noticed they were destroying the native flora they decided to take some action towards limiting their numbers. This consisted of professional hunters setting themselves up in the more remote areas of the country, notably the West Coast and the South West, and attempting to hunt the deer to extinction. Business really picked up with the advent of airplane and helicopter hunting, allowing hunters to keep up with entire groups as they fled over the rough, mountainous terrain and pick them off one by one. Kind of a sad story, but seeing as the deer weren't meant to be there in the first place I guess it was for the best.
By the mid 1900s more than 2 million had been killed, hauled out of the wilderness, and butchered for meat. Around 1970 their numbers were so low that the prices for venison skyrocketed. That's when some bright entrepreneur decided it would be better to haul LIVE deer out of the wilderness to breed in captivity, ensuring a constant supply of venison. So what do the Kiwis do? They go out and fly around in helicopters till they find a deer, then the pilot maneuvers real close in and follows it within a few feet as it runs, until the hunter LEAPS FROM THE HELICOPTER ONTO THE ANIMALS BACK AND WRESTLES IT TO THE GROUND! Then they truss up its feet, string it to the helicopter, and lift it right out of the woods and land it in some nice, green, fenced pastures. Pretty crazy. I thought the guy who told us about it was making it up, until we watched a video of people actually doing it.. I think this has got our American cowboys beat. (This method didn't last for terribly long, as it was of course very hard on the hunters, and with the help of tranquilizer darts and net guns they now bring down the deer BEFORE grabbing hold of it.)
In the mid 90's a couple of Kiwi experts in the field even helped American conservation groups to round up American bison and moose with the same net-and-lift methods, in order to relocate them onto protected reserves. I imagine if someone had tried jumping onto the back of the bison and wrestling it to the ground, his trampled remains would've deterred the technique from gaining popularity in the States.
On our recent bus rides we've passed a few venison farms, and there's something pretty strange about going by a field filled with a couple hundred deer, just standing around in broad daylight like cows. Kelly says if that's the only thing she sees in this country she'll still be impressed. :)
Today we arrived in Franz Josef Glacier, after a couple of days in Greymouth. We're really in the wilds of New Zealand now, and the mountains are growing with every hour we drive south. The coast is beautiful but dangerous, with strong currents and rocky shores. On our way south from Nelson to Greymouth we stopped at a fur seal colony on Cape Foulwind (so named by Captain Cook for the strong winds which blew him off course) to attempt photos of the handful of seals basking on the rocks. Then we wandered among the pancake rocks and blowholes of Punakaiki. It was pretty awesome looking, and the sound of the ocean as it flows into and out of the natural rock formations is thunderous. Unfortunately my camera batteries were about dead, so I only got a handful of pictures.
Tomorrow we're going on a half-day guided kayak tour of Lake Mapourika, which is at the base of the Alps. It's a "black water" lake, darkened by the tannins leached into the water as it runs from the glacier down through the rainforest and into the valley, and known for its mirror-like reflections of the mountains. We'll also paddle up the river that feeds into it, getting a look at the temperate rainforest on either side. We're both pretty psyched about it.
Pictures soon, I promise!
By the mid 1900s more than 2 million had been killed, hauled out of the wilderness, and butchered for meat. Around 1970 their numbers were so low that the prices for venison skyrocketed. That's when some bright entrepreneur decided it would be better to haul LIVE deer out of the wilderness to breed in captivity, ensuring a constant supply of venison. So what do the Kiwis do? They go out and fly around in helicopters till they find a deer, then the pilot maneuvers real close in and follows it within a few feet as it runs, until the hunter LEAPS FROM THE HELICOPTER ONTO THE ANIMALS BACK AND WRESTLES IT TO THE GROUND! Then they truss up its feet, string it to the helicopter, and lift it right out of the woods and land it in some nice, green, fenced pastures. Pretty crazy. I thought the guy who told us about it was making it up, until we watched a video of people actually doing it.. I think this has got our American cowboys beat. (This method didn't last for terribly long, as it was of course very hard on the hunters, and with the help of tranquilizer darts and net guns they now bring down the deer BEFORE grabbing hold of it.)
In the mid 90's a couple of Kiwi experts in the field even helped American conservation groups to round up American bison and moose with the same net-and-lift methods, in order to relocate them onto protected reserves. I imagine if someone had tried jumping onto the back of the bison and wrestling it to the ground, his trampled remains would've deterred the technique from gaining popularity in the States.
On our recent bus rides we've passed a few venison farms, and there's something pretty strange about going by a field filled with a couple hundred deer, just standing around in broad daylight like cows. Kelly says if that's the only thing she sees in this country she'll still be impressed. :)
Today we arrived in Franz Josef Glacier, after a couple of days in Greymouth. We're really in the wilds of New Zealand now, and the mountains are growing with every hour we drive south. The coast is beautiful but dangerous, with strong currents and rocky shores. On our way south from Nelson to Greymouth we stopped at a fur seal colony on Cape Foulwind (so named by Captain Cook for the strong winds which blew him off course) to attempt photos of the handful of seals basking on the rocks. Then we wandered among the pancake rocks and blowholes of Punakaiki. It was pretty awesome looking, and the sound of the ocean as it flows into and out of the natural rock formations is thunderous. Unfortunately my camera batteries were about dead, so I only got a handful of pictures.
Tomorrow we're going on a half-day guided kayak tour of Lake Mapourika, which is at the base of the Alps. It's a "black water" lake, darkened by the tannins leached into the water as it runs from the glacier down through the rainforest and into the valley, and known for its mirror-like reflections of the mountains. We'll also paddle up the river that feeds into it, getting a look at the temperate rainforest on either side. We're both pretty psyched about it.
Pictures soon, I promise!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
In the North of the South
So Nelson is supposed to be the sunniest region in the country, averaging something like 2400 hours of sunlight annually. But you wouldn't know that from our last few days here. Yesterday we set out for Abel Tasman National Park first thing in the (cloudy, misty) morning. Our bus driver was this slightly crazy guy named Renee who talked non-stop for the entire hour and 45 minute ride. His topics ranged from climate to geology to agriculture to city planning and beyond. Apparently Nelson was planned as a "utopian society" back in the day, and the concepts used in this plan were taken from the Iriquois Indians' way of life. Also, of the more than 3000 varieties of apple, over 800 are grown in the Nelson area. And in harvest, each crate of apples must contain 3568 apples. When we set out he told us to concentrate on blue skies and use our bright smiles to bring some sunshine to the day. Bus drivers like him make the trip almost more entertaining than the destination.
When we got to Kaiteriteri, where we would embark on the water taxi portion of our journey, we did find a small hole in the clouds and a bit of optimistic sunlight peeking through. Unfortunately by the time we had traveled up the coast a bit to Anchorage Bay and the starting point for our hike, clouds had once again blotted out every bit of sky and we were treated to a light mist. Over the next four hours of hiking and walking it was NOT raining or misting for probably about 10 minutes. But walking through the dense jungley woods, with all the ferns and birdsong and flowing, dripping water made it feel like a rainforest. Every so often we would come upon a view of the meandering coastline with its many natural bays and coves. The sand of this area is golden quartz (hence the name Golden Bay), and the water is bright aqua. It was really gorgeous, and despite the weather we had a really good hike. I even spotted some sort of quail just of the trail at one point, though he scurried off into the undergrowth before I could get my camera out (I think the flapping of my large green transparent poncho may have had something to do with that).
We keep bumping into people many times over at different stages of our journey. In Picton we dormed with two girls whom we'd seen at the car market in Auckland; here in Nelson we recognize three people at our current hostel from the hostel we stayed at in Wellington; and just yesterday who should sit down on the bus next to us but this girl Laura whom we befriended briefly in Picton! I suppose some amount of over-lapping is inevitable on such a popular travel route. It'll be interesting to see just whom we keep crossing paths with as we continue on our way.
Today we'll re-provision and maybe wander a bit of Nelson, and then tomorrow we're heading down the coast to Greymouth. Along the way we'll stop at the seal colony at Cape Foulwind and the pancake rocks and blowholes at Punakaikai. And then after Greymouth it's on to Franz Joseph Glacier!
Should be an interesting few days.
We'll let you know all about it. :)
When we got to Kaiteriteri, where we would embark on the water taxi portion of our journey, we did find a small hole in the clouds and a bit of optimistic sunlight peeking through. Unfortunately by the time we had traveled up the coast a bit to Anchorage Bay and the starting point for our hike, clouds had once again blotted out every bit of sky and we were treated to a light mist. Over the next four hours of hiking and walking it was NOT raining or misting for probably about 10 minutes. But walking through the dense jungley woods, with all the ferns and birdsong and flowing, dripping water made it feel like a rainforest. Every so often we would come upon a view of the meandering coastline with its many natural bays and coves. The sand of this area is golden quartz (hence the name Golden Bay), and the water is bright aqua. It was really gorgeous, and despite the weather we had a really good hike. I even spotted some sort of quail just of the trail at one point, though he scurried off into the undergrowth before I could get my camera out (I think the flapping of my large green transparent poncho may have had something to do with that).
We keep bumping into people many times over at different stages of our journey. In Picton we dormed with two girls whom we'd seen at the car market in Auckland; here in Nelson we recognize three people at our current hostel from the hostel we stayed at in Wellington; and just yesterday who should sit down on the bus next to us but this girl Laura whom we befriended briefly in Picton! I suppose some amount of over-lapping is inevitable on such a popular travel route. It'll be interesting to see just whom we keep crossing paths with as we continue on our way.
Today we'll re-provision and maybe wander a bit of Nelson, and then tomorrow we're heading down the coast to Greymouth. Along the way we'll stop at the seal colony at Cape Foulwind and the pancake rocks and blowholes at Punakaikai. And then after Greymouth it's on to Franz Joseph Glacier!
Should be an interesting few days.
We'll let you know all about it. :)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Center of New Zealand
We're in Nelson! It's a small city on the north coast of the South Island. We've found it to be a really cute town, with the personality of the houses somewhere between Charleston and New Orleans. We're staying at this crazy hostel called Paradiso, which was actually someone's mansion at one point. As our bus driver told it to us, the owner of the hostel is a German guy who ran a bus circuit up and down the west coast of NZ for several years with great success, until his business was eclipsed by companies like Kiwi Experience and Magic Bus, which offer circuits of the whole country. At that point he sold off all his buses but one, bought this mansion in Nelson, and converted it into a big, rambling hostel complex with his last remaining bus parked in the middle of the yard and furnished as a hang-out space. It's a pretty interesting place, but out "camp site" is kind of a joke.. It's really a dirt strip behind a hedge on the corner of the property which we share with about 7 other tents. But whatever, we don't need much space.
Today we were around town in the morning taking care of the necessary errands etc, and then in the afternoon we hiked up to the The Center of New Zealand! They actually measured the middle-point based on the farthes north, south, east, and west points of the country, and stuck a little monument on a hill to let everyone know. It was a short but quite steep climb up one of the hills bordering the city, and from the top we had some good views of the surrounding mountains (the beginnings of the Alps), the large natural bay Nelson sits on, and Abel Tasman National Park farther on up the coast of the bay. I took a couple of pictures, but it was pretty overcast and a bit drizzly, so they didn't come out very well.
Tomorrow we'll be heading up to Abel Tasman by bus and water taxi to do a bit of a hike. We'll be dropped off about 12 km along the Coastal Track at a beach accessible only by foot or boat, and from there we'll hike back down the southernmost segment of the track to the carpark at the entrance. I think we're both excited to start some real hiking, so that further along in our adventures we can tackle some of the more challenging, multiple-day treks. The land around here is beautiful, and will be a good place for us to get started.
Sorry no pictures this time, as our hostel's not set up to read my cameras' memory card. Will post as soon as possible!
Today we were around town in the morning taking care of the necessary errands etc, and then in the afternoon we hiked up to the The Center of New Zealand! They actually measured the middle-point based on the farthes north, south, east, and west points of the country, and stuck a little monument on a hill to let everyone know. It was a short but quite steep climb up one of the hills bordering the city, and from the top we had some good views of the surrounding mountains (the beginnings of the Alps), the large natural bay Nelson sits on, and Abel Tasman National Park farther on up the coast of the bay. I took a couple of pictures, but it was pretty overcast and a bit drizzly, so they didn't come out very well.
Tomorrow we'll be heading up to Abel Tasman by bus and water taxi to do a bit of a hike. We'll be dropped off about 12 km along the Coastal Track at a beach accessible only by foot or boat, and from there we'll hike back down the southernmost segment of the track to the carpark at the entrance. I think we're both excited to start some real hiking, so that further along in our adventures we can tackle some of the more challenging, multiple-day treks. The land around here is beautiful, and will be a good place for us to get started.
Sorry no pictures this time, as our hostel's not set up to read my cameras' memory card. Will post as soon as possible!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
South Island!
This is just a short note to say that after a few days in Wellington, we have sailed to the South Island. Wellington was very cute, and we both look forward to a possible return for further explorations. We took the cable car up to the Botanical Gardens (see our flickr photos), which was absolutely beautiful!
We have found throughout our travels so far that a lot of the things/clothes we brought are just excess baggage. So, we've packed them up and put them in storage. along with our computer!! So, be patient, we will update as we are able, but we will be at the mercy of very small, dial-up, internet sources...god help us. But, we are 100% backpacking now, everything on our backs, walking the country.
We have found throughout our travels so far that a lot of the things/clothes we brought are just excess baggage. So, we've packed them up and put them in storage. along with our computer!! So, be patient, we will update as we are able, but we will be at the mercy of very small, dial-up, internet sources...god help us. But, we are 100% backpacking now, everything on our backs, walking the country.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Back on track...
So our revisit of Auckland has been a bit longer than we both wished, but we have now sold our trusty little van to two super cool German girls. We also met a lot of interesting characters during the course of our time at the car market. My personal favorites were three girls from Israel fresh out of the army (two were from Jerusalem, and one from Ramat Gan) and traveling to Australia this week after spending 3 months in NZ. They sold their car right before we sold ours, so it was a great day for all. We exchanged information and promised to keep up and allow couch surfing in the future back in our respective homes! I fully intend to take them up on the offer someday!
Now that we can leave Auckland, we have found that the train that runs daily from Auckland to Wellington is booked full through next week!! Ugh! But lucky for us it’s just as cheap to fly (and takes 2 hours vs 12). So, on Thursday we’ll jump on a plane and head to Wellington for at least three days while we sort out some business and see the town. I feel better about this knowing that we have our passes to come back and tour the rest of the north island as in-depth as we’d like within the next year (and the more you guys come to visit, the more of a reason we have to further explore)!
It feels like things are finally starting to move in the direction we had both wished from the get go. Yes, we made some rookie mistakes, but we are recovering and learning so much along the way. I feel that all this experience and knowledge will be invaluable in the long run, especially with all our future travel wishes and plans.
Now that we can leave Auckland, we have found that the train that runs daily from Auckland to Wellington is booked full through next week!! Ugh! But lucky for us it’s just as cheap to fly (and takes 2 hours vs 12). So, on Thursday we’ll jump on a plane and head to Wellington for at least three days while we sort out some business and see the town. I feel better about this knowing that we have our passes to come back and tour the rest of the north island as in-depth as we’d like within the next year (and the more you guys come to visit, the more of a reason we have to further explore)!
It feels like things are finally starting to move in the direction we had both wished from the get go. Yes, we made some rookie mistakes, but we are recovering and learning so much along the way. I feel that all this experience and knowledge will be invaluable in the long run, especially with all our future travel wishes and plans.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Auckland Farmers Market
Yesterday we went to the Auckland farmers market, which was a small but tasty affair. Our breakfast consisted of the most amazing pita bread I've ever eaten, plus some decent garlic tahini and some huge, super ripe blueberries. The pita were hot and thick and soft, not like the hard flat cardboard affairs you find in American supermarkets. I probably could've eaten them all day. 
Seriously, the best pita ever.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Auckland. Take Two.
So, after a week of camping it out along the north eastern coast of New Zealand, we have decided to refocus and change the way that we are traveling so that we can make it a bit more sustainable, without sacrificing any of the experiences we desire. Traveling by our own van is pretty easy in the most basic of ways - we want to go somewhere...we just hop in and go. However, it is expensive, stressful (mostly because I am a nervous passenger and therefore make Rebecca a not-so-happy driver and i cant honestly figure out how to relax!), and its rather...isolating. It seems it could be very easy to live in this tiny Mistubishi bubble, where 99% of interaction would be between just the two of us. As much as we love one another, we both need a little more social stimulation from the world around us. Having spent, as of today, a month together on the road with very little time apart, we are doing really well with it. But of course it's trying to travel, spending THIS much time with anyone, no matter how much you like them! We have met some really great people along the way (including a guy from Asheville), but we are not spending time in places where our peers and fellow travelers are spending time.
Our solution has been an easy decision for us. We did some further research and have found many great options for "backpacker" travel in this country without the financial responsibility or stress of owning a vehicle. There is an option for everyone, every age, every interests/lifestyle, and travel time frame. Not to mention New Zealand has built The Great Walkway, which allows you to literally walk from top to bottom. We have purchased bus passes that allow for us to travel from top to bottom, side to side, stopping where we want, for however long we decide to stay. We have 12 months to complete the entire loop of the tour we chose. So, here we are, back in Auckland for a few days, asking why we did not figure this out sooner. Our van is officially parked back at the same lot from which we purchased, looking for a quick and easy sale. When it's done we'll be taking the train from Auckland to Wellington, spending a few days, then passing through the Cook Straight to start our South Island adventures! We are both rather anxious and excited to be moving on to the South Island. The more we both hear and learn, the more it seems we may make the South Island our home for the remainder of our stay. Where ever we may land, I feel confident we can and will make the best of it!
Our solution has been an easy decision for us. We did some further research and have found many great options for "backpacker" travel in this country without the financial responsibility or stress of owning a vehicle. There is an option for everyone, every age, every interests/lifestyle, and travel time frame. Not to mention New Zealand has built The Great Walkway, which allows you to literally walk from top to bottom. We have purchased bus passes that allow for us to travel from top to bottom, side to side, stopping where we want, for however long we decide to stay. We have 12 months to complete the entire loop of the tour we chose. So, here we are, back in Auckland for a few days, asking why we did not figure this out sooner. Our van is officially parked back at the same lot from which we purchased, looking for a quick and easy sale. When it's done we'll be taking the train from Auckland to Wellington, spending a few days, then passing through the Cook Straight to start our South Island adventures! We are both rather anxious and excited to be moving on to the South Island. The more we both hear and learn, the more it seems we may make the South Island our home for the remainder of our stay. Where ever we may land, I feel confident we can and will make the best of it!
Monday, February 1, 2010
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