Auckland to Australia

On the Great Barrier Reef

2009-12-02T01:54:00.000-08:00

We made it out to the reef yesterday morning and have loved just about every minute so far. In fact, we're loving it out here so much that we have decided to stay out on the live-aboard ship, Ocean Quest, for an additional night. It's been so cool living and sleeping right on the Great Barrier Reef and getting to dive more than I thought was physically possible.

Yesterday morning we left the van at the dive shop and got carted over to the huge marina in Cairns. The smaller boat, Reef Quest, loaded everyone on and left around 8:30 for the outer reef. It takes about 90 minutes to get all the way out to our diving destination at which land can just barely be seen on the horizon. The first dive we did yesterday was a little stressful, for me anyway. When we anchored at the dive site on Saxon Reef, the crew kept commenting about a ridiculously strong current. They announced this to the divers with a warning that if you screw up your navigation, you will be popping back up miles from the boat. Instantly I was freaked about that idea. Then they go on to talk about all of the deadly things and what to look out for, which didn't lessen my anxiety any further.

When we did jump in, it was struggle to move anywhere against the strong current. Erich, Mr aqua-lung and swim team captain, just cruised on ahead while I struggled (and sucked down loads of air) trying to keep up. We approached a coral head and Erich motioned for me to come have a look. When I got to where he was, I was right over a Giant Moray Eel (up to 220cm long) which was, in fact, giant. It was a good 10 inches in diameter, and like all eels, looked mean as could be. I kicked upwards to get some distance between us, and once again began fighting the current.

We continued on another minute or two and then came to the (awful) Titan Triggerfish. We had been warned about these guys on deck and what to do it you crossed their path. Apparently they nest on the reef this time of year and the couple does what's needed to protect the eggs. These guys are not little, they are about 2 feet long with about a 1 inch mouth and big teeth. When you get anywhere near the nest, they charge right at you, hoping to take a chunk of flesh and get you away from the nest. Of course I got charged at, but remembered the divemaster saying to roll on your back and kick towards them as they approach with your fins. This worked really well, as it retreated, and we moved as quickly as possible away from them.

Next we saw two massive sea turtles, one munching on the reef and just hanging out down there. Unfortunately, my air was about gone at this point and we had to return to the boat. It was a fast trip back with the current pushing us along.

Back on the smaller boat, we enjoyed lunch up on the sunny deck and waited for them to move to the next dive site. This area was much better, and I felt much more relaxed without the crazy current to worry about. The dive was along a coral wall which was just gorgeous. Like much of the reef here, it is full of colorful coral, tons of bright fish, and nudibranch. We didn't encounter anything threatening and it made me remember why diving is so great.

Once we returned to the boat, we had to pull alongside the large live-aboard ship, Ocean Quest, and transfer over for the rest of our time. The boat is huge and spacious with three levels and super organized. Our room is really nice, with three massive windows overlooking the reef, a private bath and tons of storage space. It was certainly not the cramped musty interior I had expected. After we were told about the boat and shown to our rooms (complete with apple muffins), we headed out to the sun deck to get briefed on the next dive.

This spot was another beautiful reef, but so much more relaxed to get into the water on the bigger boat. The small boat had a bit of a frenzied feel to it, with people everywhere and fighting to get in the water as fast as possible. Here, everyone has an assigned seat with their tank, weights etc and takes their time getting ready to jump in the water. On this dive we got to see a glimpse of a white-tipped reef shark before it swam away over the reef. I thought sharks would certainly hang around more, but once you see them, they pretty much want to get away from you.

On the boat we got ready for dinner and watched the sunset colors off the back deck. The dining room here is sit-down and you have to wear clothes to eat (no bikinis or topless guys) with amazing food. I couldn't get over the dinner last night with marinated chicken breast with carmelized onions, roasted squash, potatoes, salad, green beans and bread. I was so stuffed but we still had one more dive to do that day, the night dive.

This was a totally new experience for me and one I can't say I was not nervous about. Erich had done a few night dives already, but since I hadn't I was required to go with one of the on-board guides. This turned out to be a really good idea since it just made it so much easier and enjoyable. All we had to do was follow her (she had a yellow glow-stick on her tank) and we knew we wouldn't get lost or disoriented. We each got a torch (flashlight in American english) which was cinched onto our right wrist. When we jumped in I was very uncomfortable for about the first 5 minutes trying to acclimate, and then it was amazing.

We didn't see any of the massive sharks I had expected, but did see a turtle swimming around and quite a few insomniac fish. The guide took a nudibranch off the coral and released it into her light. It was really cool to watch it swim back to the coral with it's fluttering wing-like sides floating in the dark. The whole dive really felt as close as I will ever get to going up into outer space. You could really imagine how an astronaut would feel, weightless in the dark and breathing precious artificial air. Since the water is pretty warm here (about 80-81) it feels like body temperature in the wetsuit, which adds to the sense of space. It was a really cool dive once I felt comfortable down there in the dark.

When we got back on board after the 30 minutes, they were serving ice cream, cake and pudding for dessert. The food just never stops around here. We went up to the lounge on the third level where the large plasma was on and they have a small bar with a few kinds of beer and wine. We relaxed on the couches there with a beer and copied all of the dive information into our log books. After being in the sun and water all day, we were exhausted and headed to bed around 10. After all, the next dive brief was scheduled for 6:15am.

Sleeping on a boat was a new and weird experience for me. Initially it felt relaxing, but through the night I kept waking up when a little swell would roll through and change the rythem of the boat. It was definitely much better than the sweaty van, so I'm not complaining, I just wasn't as used to it as Erich, who slept soundly through the night from all his boat experience.

I was awake before the wake-up knock on the door at 5:45am (to ensure I could get a sip of coffee in me) and then we headed out to the sun deck. The dive was great and it was interesting to see what the fish were up to in the early morning. There was a lot of cleaning going on by the hard-working wrasse (cleaner fish) busy giving everyone a scrub before they start their big fishy day. There was some feeding as well on the reef and everything seemed very active. We were back on the boat by 7:15 for breakfast, which was huge like every other meal.

While we ate breakfast, they moved the boat from the "Reef Encounter" site we were on over to "Blue Lagoon" for the next series of dives. This dive featured (obviously) a blue sandy lagoon with the reef wall extending from there in either direction. On the first dive at 9:00am we headed right along the wall and saw tons of bright fish and the famous nemo fish hanging out in the anemones. We surfaced and had the second dive at 11am. This time we went left and again had a great dive.

12:30 was lunch (I kind of like being on a schedule like this) which was extensive. Following lunch is the longest break of the day from about 1:30 till 3:15 when we hung out and read on the sun deck. Everyone on that leg of the boat was really cool, a handful of Americans, a group of Koreans, some Germans (?) and one girl from Indo. During the post lunch break they swapped out divers when they joined with the smaller boat, as they did for us the day before. The Koreans all left and a bunch of new divers (or maybe snorkelers but we we can't figure out why anyone would live out here just to snorkel) got on for the night.

They decided against moving the boat for the late afternoon/night dive as the winds were a bit unusual coming out of the north, and we have to stay on the leeward side of the reef (south) in case the mooring breaks. Otherwise, if it did break the wind would push us right onto the reef before they could react. Because of this, Oli the supervisor offered to take us out further up on the reef so we could do a new dive site. We agreed, although I was leery of being taken out in the ocean and left there.

They got the dinghy ready and we geared up and jumped in. It was just the two of us on that run and we went up reef and had to roll out of the boat backwards which I have not done before. Once we were in, the dinghy took off and we were told to follow the reef on the right side back to the boat, going with the current. At first it seemed like just a big coral flat, but we soon realized that there was plenty to see over there. We saw a green turtle when we dropped down, and then started heading towards the boat. There was the weirdest fish fight that broke out when some bigger fish went after a parrot fish and debris from the bottom of the reef was getting stirred up as the fish tried to escape. The big fish won, and had the parrot fish half in his mouth with just the 5 inches or so of the back tail hanging out. It was going to eat it for dinner, but then saw us coming and decided to drop it and take off. I guess it thought we were bigger fish coming to snag his meal. I felt badly seeing this ripped up dead parrot fish laying on the reef, and then wondered if a bloody fish fight would attract sharks. We did see sharks, but not until a bit later. A small white-tipped reef shark circled us for a minute and then slowly swam away. Later, there was a large gray reef shark laying on the sand at the bottom for a nap when we came along and it decided to move. This one was significantly larger, but wanted nothing to do with us.

Further along, we spotted a huge spiny lobster hiding in a small cave in the reef. Next there was a massive Giant Clam with purple and blue lips. These things are so huge I literally could have just about laid sideways inside it's shell. It was easily 5 feet across and rose about 3 feet off the sandy bottom. There were two big holes in the top fleshy part which we tried to peek into, but it closed them up when we got too close. There were some bright cleaner fish that tried to help Erich tidy up his fins. They just started picking at them thinking it was a big black fish.

We made it back to the boat just fine, although we had to pop up once or twice to navigate. We're having a break now before dinner, and then it will be time for another night dive!

On the Reef, Part 2

After another good meal on the boat, it was off to the night dive right away. We were briefed for the dive and I chose to go with a guide again. It is obviously very easy to get lost down there in the dark but with the guide (which does cost an extra $15) all you have to do is follow behind them and you are almost guaranteed to get back to the boat. This time I opted for the smaller light and we jumped in. This dive was trickier than the night before due to the increased depth on the reef. Once you dive to a certain depth, every following dive that day must be shallower. So by the fifth dive of the day, you have to make sure you stay above 12 meters (36 feet) in order to avoid getting blackballed to dive the next dive.

We saw a cool Ornate Spiny Lobster tucked into a little overhang on the wall and Erich saw some shrimp with glowing red eyes. At one point I did get really disoriented trying to keep my depth above the requirement. It's very hard to visually reference anything in the dark, so you have to look at your depth gauge constantly. Erich said it was just like flying in the dark. Back on the boat, it was time for dessert and to fill in our dive logs from all of the diving that day.

At night it was hard for me to sleep since they seemed to be working on the engine, or maybe warming it up, at around 2:15am. Erich somehow slept right through it, but it was loud. We had some little wind swell come through in the morning which made the boat rock more than it had been as well.

In the morning, they pushed back the dive time by 20 minutes or so in order to move the boat to a new location (hence the engine noise the night before.) We got in the water around 6:45 and the dive site was really nice. There was so much to see on all three of the dives we did at that reef today; sea turtles, shrimp, lobster, nudibranch, huge fish, little schools of fish, cleaner fish, cod, unicorn fish and on and on. The conditions were good and it was a great way to end our three days on the boat. They kick you out of your rooms around 12:30 so they can clean, and we headed down to lunch and out on the deck to play cards.

The same small boat that had dropped us off had to come pick us up and take us the hour and a half back to Cairns. They switched over a lot of the crew as well, and many of the passengers had swapped out today and yesterday as well. There was a nice couple from Poland, two cougars from Atlanta (who must have been recently divorced and subsequently bitter), and a whole bunch of Swiss, Brits and Euros.

With all of the dives on our trip, both here and in New Zealand, I've more than doubled my dive count and bottom time. All you do out there is dive and end up getting in 12 dives in the three days. They have a tight schedule, but essentially it's dive, eat, dive, dive eat, dive, eat, dive, eat. The nice thing was that they kept the number of divers small, we only had around 30 people on board not counting the crew, so it wasn't like some of the huge companies that pack on 100+ people and take them out to an over-dived, dead spot on the reef. We were really happily surprised with the whole experience.

It was a great way to (basically) end our trip and certainly one of the main goals of the Australian portion. Ever since my elementary school report on coral reefs, I have always wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef, and it feels like a huge dream has been accomplished. I don't think it was ever a question of if I would do it, more just of when, and it feels good to have experienced the reef in such an intimate way and for several consecutive days and nights. I certainly could have stayed on board one more night and day, but we had to get back to the mainland.

From here it's back to Cairns, back down to Brisbane and then eventually back to reality. We are not looking forward to making the tough transition after our charmed life of traveling in this area of the world. What an experience. It has certainly been the trip of a lifetime.

Whitsundays + Townsville

2009-11-29T04:33:00.000-08:00

Since Marybeth didn't have any tips from her trip for us further north, we were on our own to figure out what we wanted to do next. We had decided to visit the group of islands off Airlie Beach called the Whitsundays, which are 74 different islands, most being national park. Unfortunately, we still had over an hour and half to drive north from our campsite at the beach, so by the time we arrived in Airlie it was almost 8:30, and most boats leave around 8am.

We visited the i-site center in town in a panic and they informed us of one boat that leaves at 10:30 that still had a few spaces open. We figured if we didn't go on this trip, BIG FURY, we wouldn't get to see the islands at all. A bit skeptical having done little research and knowing nothing about the company, we booked the beach and snorkel trip for the day.

It actually turned out to be a great day out cruising the islands and snorkeling. The boat was small and only held 35 people, which was ideal since it's no fun snorkeling with tons of people. It was more like a raft, with a quad engine on the back, and supposedly gets out to the islands faster than any other boat out there. Which was good due to the later start.

We got to see many of the islands as we went past and then arrived at the largest, called Whitsunday Island, around noon. The beach was a blinding white with bright turquoise waters. The sand is 98% silica which creates the dazzling white effect on the island. The guide went up to the picnic area in the shade of the trees to prep lunch while we found a nice spot on the beach.

The very bizarre thing about this part of Australia is the "stinger suits." Once you get north of Agnes Water, you are in box jellyfish country from October thru April. Now box jellyfish are not your average jelly or your average sting. They are the most venomous creature alive in the world today. One little sting and you are in agony, dying within 2-3 minutes. These guys are so incredibly lethal that the people here have gone to great lengths to figure out how to avoid them. One option is the "stinger nets" on many beaches up this way which enclose an entire section of water at the beach in netting to keep the stingers out. The other way to avoid certain death is by wearing a (very dorky) stinger suit, which is essentially just a lycra jumpsuit. Pantyhose are another effective option, but since the development of the suits, most people opt for those.

So the scene at the beach was quite odd with people zipping up into their suits just to cool off in the warm tropical waters. It looked like something out of an old sci-fi movie where no one could touch the ocean waters anymore. The good part is that they keep you from getting sunburnt too. Erich refused to wear one as he did have a longsleve wet-suit too and long boardshorts on as well and thought they were ridiculous. Of course I wore one, but still got stung by something on my upper lip, but luckily nothing dangerous.

The lunch was great, all sorts of sandwiches, salads, prawns etc. and we enjoyed all the food the owner makes everyday for the boat. After that, Erich and I walked to the very end of the beach to check out a coral reef there that we had read about. It was unreal. This area is by far the most amazing snorkeling either of us have ever done. There is just so much life and color and variety out on the reef, with giant clams, cleaning wrasse, schools of fish, fluorescent coral heads... it was unbelievable to just float and watch the intricate world below. We only had about a half hour before we had to get back down the beach to board the boat with the rest of the group to head out to our intended snorkeling spot.

We cruised out to Border Island, on the leeward side, so it was nice and calm and glassy. Everyone jumped in and swam 5 or 10 minutes over to the shallower reef and again, it was stunning. The forty minutes flew by and we saw such a huge array of fish and coral. On the way back, they served "afternoon tea" which was basically doughnuts, and passed through some narrow channels of islands different from the way out.

We had great weather the whole day and were happy we had made it in time to get out in the water on the Great Barrier Reef. We got some dinner at the marina area and watched the sunset, then it was back on the road. We needed to get a couple hours of driving in, up to the Townsville area, so we would not have such a long trek the following day. Luckily we didn't hit any Kangaroos which were along the roadways throughout the drive, and made it to Bowling Green Bay National Park to spend the night.

The area was on Alligator Creek, which was not encouraging, but we didn't see anything too deadly when we pulled into a picnic spot, so we popped the top, threw the surfboards out the side and got ready for bed. In the morning, wild brush turkeys picked at the front bumper for dead bugs, and a few kangaroos chewed on grass next to the van. The night before we had seen a lemur up in the trees, but it was dark so we didn't get a good look. Tonight we actually saw the biggest bat I have ever seen (or even heard of) in my life. It was easily 4 feet across and when it was hanging upside down, it nearly pulled the whole branch off the tree.

But nothing was more startling than the trip to the bathroom that morning in the park. I was just using the toilet for a minute, and all was clear when I walked into the stall. However, when I turned to get some toilet paper, a HUGE brown and hairy spider was sitting ON the back of the toilet seat with me! It looked like he was getting ready to take a big bite and of course I freaked and ran right out of there. I'm normally not all that squeamish about spiders but this one was easily 5 inches across and looked like a flattened tarantula. I knew this would happen eventually, practically expecting it, since everyone has a spider in the bathroom story from these parts of the world. Erich didn't even bat an eye when I ran out completely frantic. He just gave me the car keys, said it was fine, and went in to his side of the bathrooms. (I did some research later, and this spider is actually one of the few things in the country that is not incredibly lethal, in fact it is non-toxic but does hurt when they bite if annoyed.)

We cruised into Townsville for the morning before we had to drive the rest of the way up to Cairns. It was before 8am, so the temperatures had not reached their usual scorching highs for the day, so we decided to hike up Castle Hill, a landmark near town. It was all stairs, but a good workout, just incredibly hot even that early in the day. The top had some fabulous lookouts over the city and up and down the coastline. It was a nice spot to get oriented with the town.

Following the hike we were drenched in sweat (as we are most of the time here) with faces flushed bright red, and needed to get into the water to cool off. We headed to the northern tip of town to the beach and rock pool. This little beach section has a stinger net so we could safely jump in the water and cool down which felt great. The rock pool was right next to that and is an artificial pool with saltwater that is filtered and stinger proofed for people to swim. We felt much better and were ready for the rest of the day.

The next stop was the massive aquarium in town called Reef HQ. This may seem very counterintuitive to go to an aquarium when you are on the brink of the Great Barrier Reef and are a certified diver. However, we did not have enough time to actually go out and dive all day, and we wanted to learn more about the reef and fish before the next couple days of diving from Cairns. The aquarium was huge and featured a massive coral reef tank, probably 18 feet high, and a large predator tank with sharks and rays. We got a tour from one of the volunteer guides that happened to be starting shortly after we arrived. Maybe not the best topic before going diving, it was titled DEADLY CREATURES OF THE REEF. I realized that I had so much more to worry about than just sharks on dive trips! There are deadly sea-snakes, lion fish, stone fish, conch that stab you with a poisonous dart, and of course the infamous box jelly. Basically I learned, wear a wet-suit or stinger suit and do not touch anything, ever.

We really did learn a lot about the coral and kinds of fish on the reef and enjoyed our time there. We saw a short movie about the reef and checked out the interactive zone. It was nearing 1:30 and we had to get moving to be in Cairns by tomorrow morning.

The drive was long (about 4.5 hours) and uneventful, the major highway is inland about 10-20km so there aren't too many ocean views. We arrived at the holiday park in Cairns for the night and it has a friendly relaxed feel and seems like everyone is pretty quiet. We leave early in the morning to head out to the reef for an overnight dive trip which hopefully will be as good as the snorkeling!

Northbound

2009-11-29T04:26:00.000-08:00

After our night in the holiday park, we were on our way back to the beach at Noosa Heads to get in one more surf session before hitting the road. Unfortunately, the swell had come down a little bit over the night, but was still surf-able. To help us get some more waves, we rented a 7'6" board similar to the one back in San Diego and traded off between that and the Flyer. The longer board clearly was more fun and much easier to get waves, but on either board we enjoyed the warm azure waters and the sunny skies. After our couple hours of rental time was over, we dried out on the beach before walking into the little town just a block over from the water.

It happened to be our 3-year anniversary (at least in Australian time, in San Diego it was one day short) and since we had no idea where we would be that evening, decided to celebrate with a nice lunch. We sat outside at a cute euro-inspired sidewalk cafe and watched the tourists, surfers and the trendy elite walk past. Erich was happy with the fish and chips and I loved the snapper saffron risotto. We could have sat there all afternoon, but after awhile we had to motivate to keep moving north.

Australia is really big. I mean really really big. All of the European countries can fit within the island, with plenty of extra room to spare. We have to cover 1650km by Thursday of next week to make our flight, while trying to enjoy ourselves and see some sights at the same time. Noosa was just barely north of Brisbane, so we had to make up some distance for the last few days.

We drove and drove for the afternoon, but at one point passed a seriously bad accident. It was terrible and we heard later that at least one person dies every week on this roadway. The guy said it's because people get comfortable on the straight and easy road and they just fall asleep. This may also be partially due to the fact that is is light at 4:45 every morning and nobody can get any rest, or Erich's theory is that they purposely throw themselves and the car off embankments to escape the desolate and boring scenery. Either way, we were daunted by the accident and since it was dark after around 6:15, we pulled into a rest stop / picnic area for the night. It didn't seem that close to the highway, but the trucks kept moving all night and were really loud. I survived with earplugs, eye-mask and tylenol pm, while poor Erich was awake the entire night and was subsequently exhausted by morning.

Trying to bring him back to life with sips of my coffee, we managed to get back on the road and continue. We kept wanting to stop for the day at a nice beach or National Park, but every time we looked at the map we had barely even budged on the massive continent. Our one stop was to pick up some food at the Woolworth's grocery store, which for some weird reason they put inside a massive shopping center. With the temperatures outside, the place was packed with people walking around window shopping to get into the air conditioning. For some reason you can't buy beer in the grocery stores here, so we booked it (with the shopping cart) through the entire mall to the liquor shop on the other side, barely missing the entire Singapore navy who seems to be in port, just to grab a six-pack.

We also had to get some lunch and Erich was overjoyed that Rockhampton is the beef capital of Australia. They had giant size bulls at various points around town, just in case you missed that part in your guide book. We got a recommendation from the local i-site and went to the happening "Hog's Breath" near the mall with the grocery store. The place started out dead, but filled up quickly and had a biker bar theme but with the ever-present American 80's music playing. Erich got the Aussie burger, which kind of wasn't even a burger at all. It was a thick piece of steak between the bun, which he ended up eating with a fork and knife claiming it was one of the best pieces of steak he'd ever had. I struggled to find even one item on the menu with no beef, and out of the two choices, chose a wrap.

After our lunch break, we pushed on through the staggering heat (thankfully we have good ac) and lifeless landscape to reach Cape Hillsborough National Park. We had considered going way out of the way to Eungella National Park, where the platypus live and you have a chance to see them in the wild (if you are lucky), but decided this park would be a better spot for the late afternoon and evening.

The campsites are right on the beach and it is quiet except for some of the strangest and loudest bird (?) noises we have ever heard. They say there are crocs here so we are keeping an eye out for them. The van is still 100 degrees, but does cool off with the night air fairly quickly.

Noosa Heads

2009-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

We got another good tip from Marybeth about stopping off in Noosa Heads, a trendy town and National Park. It was gorgeous and tropical and the surf looked really fun when we arrived at the National Park. It's a right point break, but really nice since it is so spread out, you can have your own little spot to yourself. It would have been better if we had bigger boards, but was fun anyway. The water is about 75, and clear and aqua, reminding us a lot of Hawaii.

There was a big rush in the morning (and seemingly all day) to get a parking spot, as there isn't much room, so we left the van there after surfing to go for a hike in the park. The coastal track had great views looking out towards the ocean at the various bays and points we came across. At one point, we looked up to see a koala bear just hanging out up in a tree over the trail sleeping the afternoon away.

ERICH SAYS:

The trail continued around the headland of the park and out to the windier Eastern beaches. As the next section of trail crossed the soft sand beach and the sun was searing at the Australian high noon of 10AM (remember sunrise is before 5AM) we decided to take the shortcut back to the slightly cooler coastal track we had come in on.

Arriving back at the van we did some organization the best we could in the lessened camper space than we had in New Zealand and hung out for a bit by the beach until the urge for ice cream was felt and a change of scenery.

The lazy beach day continued into the early evening with only a break to find the night's campsite. We decided there would be no other choice but to stay in one of the local Holiday Parks and the Noosa information center pointed us in the direction of the closest. Although the park is full to the brim with campers (estimated over 100) and is booked solid everyday of the year according to the park attendant (this is still off-season despite the crowds apparently) the campsite was relatively quiet, aside from some punk kids yelling out their car window, until of course the sun broke over the Eastern horizon at 430am and the birds started losing it. This time Sara was prepared with her ear plugs to pop in once the commotion began.

Overall the night was less restless than the night before as we added some padding to the bed set up with the comforter laying underneath us. The bed is like a bad convertible couch with metal bars running across it in three different spots. We believe there may have been a Koala fight in the trees over the car, but since there aren't supposed to be in Koala's in town, it probably was a mango hitting the car roof and one of the wild turkeys or local cats screeching about. Even our neighboring Euro campers managed to keep quiet last night despite their constant need to play techno.

Brisbane

2009-11-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

We were sad to leave New Zealand after falling so in love with the country during our time there. The people are so exceptionally friendly, the spaces are uncrowded and the scenery is fabulous. We are lucky we got to spend as much time there as we did, but easily could have stayed longer.

Onward to Brisbane for our next stop. We didn't realize we had to get an Australian visa, and then the surfboards caused a bit of a panic with their weight, but everything got sorted out. Brisbane is a huge city and reminded me very much of a hot and tropical Boston. Skyscrapers towered over old stone churches and the suburbs stretched on for quite a ways. We stayed at a pretty nice hotel downtown where we could walk to see the older buildings and get some dinner. The people at the hotel were nice enough to let us store two enormous bags of winter clothes and 4/3 wet-suits and booties there so we would be able to make the weight limit on the flight back to Brisbane. Our plan is to drive up to Cairns and then fly back down from there.

I really hadn't considered how incredibly tropical this area of Australia is. It is really really hot and humid and the water is just like Hawaii, warm and crystal turquoise colored. I guess we were still in winter mode with all our New Zealand items, but quickly realized we would need no more than shorts and t-shirts at any time of the day.

We picked up our new camper van from Kea which we would drive north. After being so totally spoiled in the Wilderness Camper we had just had, this one is certainly a bit of a disappointment. It's much, much smaller, about the size of a VW Bus, but the good thing is that it's much easier to drive and an automatic. However, there is barely any storage space at all, and you have to pop the top to comfortably camp, which is pretty conspicuous if you want to freedom camp. There is no inverter, so therefore no electricity like the last van unless you are plugged in at a fancy holiday park. No toilet, bathroom or indoor shower either. There is a little shower out the back which works well for post-surfing. In hindsight, getting the camper van here may not have been the best idea. It is so much more urban and extremely developed with high-rises and endless neighborhoods, that it is not very easy to find a quiet secluded spot like in New Zealand.

Nonetheless, we got onto the M1 which felt like a super-highway with it's 6 lanes across compared to what we had gotten used to, and headed north. Taking Marybeth's advice (thanks MB!), we decided to go an check out the Australia Zoo, popularized and developed by the late Steve Irwin. The place was amazing and so much more interactive than the zoos we are used to in the US. We fed an elephant several pieces of fruit, which she snatched with her trunk from our hands. Her trunk was like hairy sandpaper, not the leathery feel I thought it would have at all. Next we were able to pet the snoozing koala bear, which was so soft. There were lots in the trees, all sleeping. Apparently that's what they o for 20 hours a day because of their low-energy eucalyptus diet.

After getting a snack and checking out many of the crocs, we saw the wombats and red pandas, and then into the venomous snake house. This was an a very cool display with lots of information, but did not encourage us to go hiking around the bush here with so many lethal snakes all over. But the best part of the zoo was the way the kangaroos are set-up. It's just like a huge open park and you get to go in and feed them, or pet them as Erich did. He was like a kangaroo whisperer in there, they would come up to him and one put it's paw in his hand and just left it there, sort of holding his hand. Others just loved to be pet while laying on their sides. I was pretty jumpy around them, they are just such foreign and weird animals like nothing I have ever seen. Completely fascinating to look at, but I wasn't sure how much they could be trusted until I watched Erich with them. They fed from our hands although with all the food these guys get during the day, they were less than thrilled by the time we got there at 4:45pm.

The zoo closed at 5pm, so we barely got to see the Dingos, Emus and Kimodo Dragon before having to leave. It was such a great place, but a little sad too as Steve's pictures are up all over and there is a memorial for him there too.

We drove up the coast, delusional in thinking that it would be simple to find a park or beach to spend the night. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything as the entire coast line is so incredibly developed. Imagine driving from downtown San Diego north and thinking you are going to find a quiet little covert spot to sleep for the night near the beach. Doesn't happen (at least not legally). Finally we ended up in a tiny park area, just out back of a little asian market and luckily no one said anything to us.

The time zone here is pretty bizarre. It's like they really messed up when figuring out what time it should be here. It is literally, I am not exaggerating, daybreak at 4:45am. Now when the sun rises is also when the crazy tropical birds start to go nuts, so we got a good loud wake-up call around then. The the even weirder part is that people just get up then and go about their day like that's normal! And then it is totally dark by 7pm, with the sunset about 6:30pm.

Bay of Islands and Kauri Coast

2009-11-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

We woke up on the beach and peeked out the windows hoping to get in another surf session before moving on for the day. Unfortunately, the swell had dropped considerably, and there wasn't much left to ride. In lieu of waves, we cooked up some eggs and sat outside in the grass enjoying the morning ocean scene. After we cleaned up, we left Sandy Bay to head north to the Bay of Islands.

We arrived in the touristy, but cute, town of Paihia, right on the Bay. It was a gorgeous view, although overcast, of the blue waters and as the name clearly states, the bay full of islands. Sailboats were out in abundance, cruising past islands on their way towards the ocean. We walked around town poking into the small shops that lined the main street, and some really good gelato.

The Waitangi Treaty grounds we visited next we interesting, but disappointing at the same time. We had heard they were a must-do sight here, but they didn't provide much historical information at all. The signs and graphics were limited to the same information over and over and the majority was about the house that was restored on the property. The 20-minute movie we watched at the beginning was all told from a Maori perspective and they actually called the Europeans the "white goblins." To me, this isn't even history, it's just a skewed and one-sided viewpoint of what actually happened. I wanted to know why the Maori were still fighting each other, instead of teaming up to fight the Europeans? What changed after the Treaty was signed? What happened with the tribunal that came along much later and why was there a need for this? NONE of these questions were answered or even mentioned in the video, much less the entire complex. When we left, I felt like I had learned nothing new from my guide book, and had hoped for a much more detailed recount of the events that led up to, and followed, the signing of the treaty.

The Kauri trees we saw next were unreal. They were massive and easily the size of our giant Sequoia trees in California. Unlike the Sequoias, which are more open and spread out with space in between, these trees are packed into a dense, lush rain forest environment, with so many plants crowding for light. The biggest tree was impressive, but we also enjoyed the (rainy) hike through Trounson Forest. This area had many more Kauri trees, including the famous "four sisters." This tree had a twin truck, which happened to grow up against a Kauri with a twin truck as well. The two merged, and now the tree looks like one massive base with four trunks emerging. It's sad to think these are the last remains of the giant Kauri trees, but we're lucky we even got to see these, as they could have all been completely wiped out.

ERICH SAYS:

One of the highlights of our guide books in this area was the Waitangi Treaty House which is where the Maori and British formed an agreement over on-going disputes. Although we were slapped with a hefty entrance fee of $20/adult to see this "sight," we have had many burning questions as to how the Maori assimilated into the British culture to become New Zealand.

The visit was very historically informative, but we still don't quite understand what those Maori tribes that wanted nothing to do with signing the treaty did over the coming years to deal with the impending takeover of their lands and way of life.

The most interesting part of the treaty grounds had to be the meeting house and its ornate Maori carvings covering every inch of the ceiling and walls.

Our next destination was the Kauri Coast on the West side of the Northland District peninsula. It started to rain not long after departing the Bay of Islands Area and the visibility started to get low. Mostly the area was rolling sheep paddocks so there probably was not too much to miss from the roadway.

The West side is very much a rain forest in these parts, and the level of moisture that was coming out of they sky was an obvious fact of where the plants obtained all their water. In the Waipoua Forest there are the Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) Kauri tree which is said to be the oldest (estimated at 2000 years) and largest tree in the world. After driving the windy road thru the forest we finally reach the tree and it was massive. The Kauri trees are just one of those tree species that make you speechless when you stand next to them and are in complete awe of their sheer girth (of 45 feet around).

Of course like all great things in nature, the Kauri tree were nearly wiped to extinction by the early settlers of New Zealand and many other Europeans, Americans, and Australians. The Kauri tree is so tall it is perfect for use as ship masts so it was heavily sought after in the 1800's.

On down the road we went to another section of the forest that contained many more Kauri trees along the well-maintained hike in the woods. None of these were quite as big and old as the first we had seen, but many were well past 1500 years and just as amazing to look at.

The rest of the evening was spent heading South again towards Auckland as we had many kilometers to cover to make up for the previous days of heading North. We pulled back in to one of our favorite campsites at Wenderholm regional park just before the closed the gates at 9pm.

Tonight is our final night in New Zealand and we could not ask for a nicer campsite next to the ocean with huge Pohutakawa (NZ Christmas trees) towering overhead.

Poor Knights Islands

2009-11-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening, while driving up the northern coast towards the Bay of Islands, we took a smaller coastal road to check out some of the beaches along the way. We passed by the tiny town of Tutukaka, and knew this is where many dive companies were based. We figured we'd just pop in and have a look around, ask them about the diving, and get the prices for the boat trips. We hadn't really planned to go diving, but we had heard about this location from several Kiwis as well as in the States before we left. We were persuaded by the good conditions and figured we should take advantage of the opportunity, and luckily they still had some openings available for the following day's dive.

My biggest hesitation about the dive trip was the water temperature. I learned to dive in Hawaii and the last place we dove in Key West had a water temperature of 88 degrees. Here, it's only around 62 degrees. This requires a cumbersome 7mm wet-suit farmer john sort of pant-suit as well as a jacket and hood over top of that. I had also requested a shark skin under-layer which helped add some warmth. When you have to wear this much neoprene, you are more buoyant and therefore have to wear much more weight to keep yourself submerged. It all sounded much less inviting that our usual tropical dives.

Aside from the cold water, the Poor Knights sounded like a diver's dream. They will tell you an endless amount of times that the infamous Jacques Cousteau rated these islands as one of his top 5 dive sites in the world. Even today they are still rated among the best of the best diving areas worldwide and were just on the cover of a top dives book. What makes them so famous are several things. First, they touch the tropical current coming down from Australia (think the turtles in that current from Finding Nemo) which adds a few degrees of warmth, but also brings in tropical fish that would not normally be here and are no where else in New Zealand waters. It is also where the Pacific and the Tasman Sea meet, which creates more nutrients in the water and allows more life to flourish there. It is also has been a marine reserve since the early 80s, which lets fish to survive longer and grow bigger. And lastly, there are sheer cliffs all around the islands that plummet 100s of feet down into the water and provide lots of nooks and surfaces for things to grow, hide and feed.

We started our boat trip out at around 9am, after checking in and getting all of our gear sorted out at 8:15. The conditions were great, as promised, mostly sunny skies and very light winds. The dive company, Perfect Day, was impeccably organized and OCD which was great since there is quite a bit of equipment and people to deal with on these dive boats. We each got our own waterproof bag for our gear, complete with a name tag and where you were from on each, and these were stored under the bench seats around the large boat. We also all got custom lunches (meat or veggie) in neat little brown paper bags with our names written on them. There were two levels on the boat, plus the bow, so it allowed plenty of room for people to spread out and take in the views as we motored out to the islands.

The first dive was at spot called Rikoriko Cave which was exciting since I have never gone diving in a cave before. The company gave you the option to have a dive guide in a small group, and having never dove in the cold water and in a cave, we figured we'd take them up on the offer. We were in a group of 6 people with our dive guide who looked exactly like Kate Bosworth, but without the different colored eyes. She made us all do a buoyancy test one-on-one with her to make sure our weights were okay (mine were 20 lbs instead of the 8 lbs I had on in Key West!) and we were ready to dive. I wish they had warmer booties (or even gloves) since the only part of me that became numb were my toes.

Once we went under, it was overwhelming how much there was to take in. The cliff and cave walls added a new plane to the usual top and bottom of diving, and within the water were thousands and thousands of these little clear, sort or rainbow--ish organisms floating all over the place. Some were bigger, maybe 7 inches long, while others were teeny tiny and they looked like something you would see under a high-tech microscope. The walls were a kaleidoscope of colors, with fluorescent moss-like growth on the walls, to technicolor nudibranches, to bright blue anemones and on and on. You could literally just stop and stare at this wall from about 1 foot away forever and see so many small and intricate things. If you turned your back to the wall, schools of fish danced along and rainbow colored fish came around to see who was in their territory. Once in the cave, the light dimmed and there were more fans growing on the wall and even bigger nudibranches to see. Since the dive was around 65 feet, our air only lasted about 40 minutes or so and then it was back to the boat. The one tricky thing about diving here is that everything is in metrics and your air gauge is in BAR not PSI. It took some time to get used to that.

After each dive, we were greeted on the back of the boat and someone would take your fins and mask for you and set them with the rest of your stuff. Then they would immediately ask if they could make you a hot beverage, like coffee, tea or cocoa, or if you would like some hot soup. Then while you peeled off your layers of wet-suit one of the crew would go in the kitchen area and make just what you wanted and have a steaming mug back to you when you were trying to warm up. It was pretty unbelievable for a dive operation to offer that level of service.

On the surface interval, the sun was shining brightly and it was nice and warm so we lazed on the bow of the boat and ate our lunches. Then they started up the boat and drove it into the world's largest sea-cave, which we had just dove into, and it was pretty amazing. It was massive inside, so much space that another few boats could have easily joined us in there.

The next dive was at the Maomao Arch, which was that actual spot that Jacques Cousteau had rated one of his favorite dives. You drop down off the boat in front of the arch and then have to pass through a swim through tunnel under a huge boulder to enter into the narrow corridor under the archway. Walls on either side of the rock arch drop down from the surface and create this neat passageway where the fish tend to relax from predators. We saw an enormous scorpion fish hanging out on the bottom, at least 4 feet long, and tons of those rainbow fish and cleaner fish and a school of fish with two white dots but I forget the name. The walls were also covered in millions of colors.

The captain of our boat, Sam, was a really nice guy and had helped us decipher the surf report the day before and give us some info on the local breaks. He was a great captain, always briefing us on the dives and sharing bits of history about the ancient Maori who used to live on the islands. Apparently, a chief on the other side of the North Island had it out for the chief on the Poor Knights. He waited until he was away, and then took his warriors over and slaughtered every single person on the island. When the other chief returned and saw what happened, they claimed the islands as Hapu, or sacred/cursed, and never came back. They left the entire village as-is and to this day it is a protected sanctuary and you are not allowed on land without a special permit.

Anyway, Sam had said that he heard the surf looked really fun over at a local break, so once the dive boat had cruised back into the marina around 4:30, we decided to drive the 10km up the road and paddle out. Some of the guys on the boat that we met had talked about renting a board and surfing too, so we ended up bringing over their 8" board in the van as well. There were so many nice people on the dive boat, and from all over the world. Two guys were local Kiwis, two from Australia, two from the US, one from England, a lady from Norway, a guy from France, a girl from Germany, a Dutch guy and on and on. The Kiwis were really fun, and the guys from the States were cool, although one was actually originally from South Africa. These two, Eric and Grant, were the ones that came surfing with us.

We pulled up to Sandy Bay with only a few guys out, and light off-shores. The waves were only about waist-to-chest, but you couldn't have asked for a better setting. Islands sat offshore, including the Poor Knights, and the long golden beach stretched the length of the bay. Green grassy rolling hills were visible from the water as far as you could see. We had a great time playing around and even the boat captain, Sam, came out a little later as well.

The guys were going out for pizza and beer in town, so we decided since we had already sorted out a place to freedom camp, we would join them. We got to the place and they were closing, as most local restaurants tend to do right at 8pm. We begged them to make just one more pizza, not knowing if the other guys had been there yet or not, and they agreed. We sat out on the deck overlooking the marina when the rest of the group showed up. Unable to coax the chef into making any more pizza that night, they had to go next door where we met up with them afterwards.

On the deck we heard another American couple prepping their two girls for a few weeks at sea on a sailboat they were taking out in just two days. The girls struggled to wrap their heads around what exactly they would be doing at sea for this period of time, and the parents tried to explain they would learn a lot about sailing and see lots of neat things. Erich was about ready to go over and ask if he could come along too it sounded so nice.

We met the guys at the bar after the pizza where they played 80s music on full blast (complete with videos) the entire time. The french guy was there too, from Toulouse, and happened to be an Army paratrooper in New Zealand just to learn english for one month. You'd think they would have sent him to England to accomplish this, but he lucked out and gets to go to school in Auckland and stay with a family there. The South African was a pilot for Southwest so Erich was interested in hearing about that.

After our big night out, we drove back to the beach where we had surfed and parked right up against the sand where we could listen to the waves all night. It's amazing to us there are so many places here where you are able to temporarily have ocean-front property for free.

Northlands (and Sheep World!)

2009-11-21T14:26:00.001-08:00

Last night, while making a a run to the park toilets before bed, I happened to spot an amazing New Zealand Christmas Tree while waiting for Erich. It was the most perfect climbing tree, so I got up about 15 feet and when Erich came out, called him up into the tree too. The limbs were at a perfect angle to recline and look up at the infinite amount of starts gleaming overhead. The branches blocked a few spots, but still, we saw shooting starts and the upside-down Orion's Belt. It was right on the water and it was so quiet in the park, all we could hear was the breeze through the trees and the lapping of the tiny waves on the beach. After awhile, I got too chilly, and we climbed back down and into the heated van for the night.

In the morning, we decided to do a brief hike up the mountain to a lookout over the bay. It was a gorgeous hike, with vines and palm trees and fern trees, looking so tropical yet I was wearing pants and my down vest. At the top, there was a fabulous view of the bay and the clear turquoise waters. Off the coast, dozens of islands dotted the horizon. Back at the start of the trail, we checked out the historical victorian-style house and gardens at the base of the cliffs that has been moved slightly twice, but was built there in the early 1900s.

Back on the road near Warkworth, we passed by one of our stops for the day at the Honey Center. It was neat to see the thousands of bees buzzing around behind the glass bee hive, and they had tastings of at least 30 kinds of honey. All of them were good, but it's interesting when you taste honey like that, back to back, you can really tell the difference with the subtle flavors, sort of like wine tasting.

We needed to get going at that point in order to make the 11am show up the road. When you think of an attraction called "Sheep World," most people probably wouldn't be too upset about missing it. But for me, this was a huge highlight of the Northlands area and I was giddy to go see the sheep shearing and watch the dogs herd. Erich was nice enough to go along with the whole thing, seeing how excited I was about the place and the show and demo they do twice a day.

Surprisingly enough, the show was not that crowded. The employee joked when I was the fifth person in the barn that they were going to have a busy day. Our host, Ross, started by introducing the dogs, one spastic border collie named Dog who could not sit still for even a second, and another New Zealand working dog (a mix of a collie, lab and fox hound) named Sam. Ross is a real hard-core New Zealand farmer. Older now, he has been shearing sheep for 45 years, while most guys only last about 10 due to the exhausting strain on the back and neck. He worked full-time as a shearer and in one year could shear 80,000 sheep. His best time was 30 seconds, although he claims the record is only 14 seconds for a full grown sheep. They have to work so quickly because they get paid per sheep. Back when he was working, the rate was $0.95 per sheep, and now it's up to $1.75.

The demo began with all ten of the audience walking outside and then Dog taking off like a bullet to bring the sheep into the pen. Ross had a shepard's whistle on his neck and by blowing it different ways could steer Dog in different directions or tell him to hold-off or speed up. Dog herds the sheep by nipping or staring at them, while the other work, Sam, has to bark to get the sheep moving but will not nip.

Once all the sheep were in the barn, he explained why they have colored spray paint markings on their heads, markings on the ears and about docking the tails, and then started the sheep shearing demo. I was so excited I was able to get up on the platform and try my hand at shearing the sheep with the clippers, it was actually much harder than I though since you had to avoid the wrinkles in their skin so you wouldn't cut them. I even got to keep my stinky little pile of wool that I had shorn.

After the sheep was sheared, Ross, who I now think of as the Sheep Whisperer, put this sheep to sleep just by rubbing a pressure point behind his left ear. He said he's had vets come from all over to watch and learn how he does this, and supposedly his success rate is 95%. The sheep just slept on the stage while he went on with the show.

Next was the cutest part, when seven baby lambs came sprinting into the barn and we all got massive bottles with warm sheep's milk to feed them. They were feisty little guys, all running to find the nearest bottle and start sucking like crazy. Mine was especially energetic and sloshed me with sheep's milk and then downed the whole bottle in half the time of the other lambs. Erich's certainly had the softest head and they all just reminded us so much of Coco!

Next it was out to the petting area, where we were randomly chosen to feed the calves their half-gallon size bottle of milk. These guys were huge, and they were drooling and one reached out it's enormous tongue and slurped Erich's hand, wanting more food. We continued on to see the alpacas, birds, and pigs but just missed the eel feeding. (These eels live in rivers and ponds and are common all over New Zealand, but really they just look like super long and skinny fish.) There was an eco-walk, a short trail that featured some bird calls and signage which was nice.

Once it began a light drizzle, we headed into the Black Sheep Cafe for lunch, and can you believe what Erich ordered? After our nice time bottle-feeding babies, he orders the LAMB sandwich. But did say is was very good.

After so much farm fun, we had seen all the animals and got back in the camper to continue north. We drove up through the big city of Whangarei and on towards the Tutukaka coast. The area is beautiful with small islands along the coast and blue clear waters. We are camped on a quiet bay with a perfect view of the ocean and soft sand beach. Tomorrow we will get up early and be on our way out to the famous Poor Knights Islands for some (very cold) diving.

Raglan

2009-11-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

The longest left in the world. At least on a really really good day. But while we were at Raglan for two days, it was just about your average left point break.

We woke up to our neighbor's squeaky van door in our "eco-camp" (which really mean they just don't have any facilities) this morning up on the hill over the ocean. They seemed to be in a rush to get out of there, probably down to the surf, while we took our time waking up to coffee and yogurt. We drove down the steep driveway to Manu Bay, one of the best surf breaks in the Raglan area.

Now Manu Bay is not your average kicked-back local wave. There is quite the scene in that little parking lot with just some showers and toilets. There are guys out there with their super zoom lens expensive cameras taking photos, the Volcom rep is in his painted Volcom van, there are guys video taping this wave, the little blond surfer groupie girls checking out the the guy surfers, and some just hanging around with beers (at 9:30am actually) watching the wave. It seems as though everyone is a rasta, with at least 1 in 3 guys in Raglan having a big long head of dreadlocks.

There was no question that it looked like a really good wave out there this morning. Calm, glassy conditions and a peeling left off the rocky peak were so appealing we jumped into our wet-suits and booties (although the later was more for the rocks, as the water was hovering at 60 degrees) and headed out for a surf. At first I thought it would be no big deal to hop off the little boulders and into the white-water. But once I stood down by the waves, on the sketchy volcanic rocks, and saw another surfer struggle to get out, I decided I should just head for the boat ramp. Although this was a longer paddle to the peak, I'd get there without getting my hair wet, or getting my board beat up on the rocks.

When we'd watched the wave from the camper, there were only about 10 people out and there was a nice zippy shoulder coming through that a lot of guys were missing since they were out at the peak. I scoped out the spot, but when we got out there, things had changed. Now, the number of people had tripled and the rising tide had drown out any fast shoulder I had seen. It was frustrating to try and get waves out there, and felt a lot like a cool gray day out surfing at Swami's (only a left) back home. After awhile, the wind had picked up and the crowds had not lessened, so we paddled back towards the boat ramp and called it a day.

We went into the little odd town of Raglan for some chai and a late breakfast and sat at a cute cafe and watched the hippie crowd pass by the windows. After we ate, we decided to drive a ways down the road to see Te Toto Reserve, which is actually a gorge right on the ocean. Apparently, this is the spot where Maoris pushed off other Maori slaves, including women and children, to their death hundreds of feet below. It had a gruesome past, but all we saw was a wooden viewing deck that hung out over the gorge and looked out to the ocean. It was not quite as dramatic as the Pali Lookout in Oahu (where King Kamehameha pushed off hundreds of men in battle) but impressive nonetheless.

On the way back towards town, we checked the beach break in Raglan, but the conditions had worsened with the wind picking up and the swell on it's way out. Figuring we didn't need to stick around for the surf that was going to be smaller over the weekend, we headed north towards our last area to visit on the trip, the Northlands.

We did have to make one small detour, however. I had just drank the very last bit of the Starbucks coffee that I brought and that certainly qualified as an emergency. Erich, as always accommodating and so understanding of my neuroses and caffeine addiction, agreed to drive out of the way to the city of Hamilton where they happened to have one of the few Starbucks in New Zealand. We finally located the store in the heart of the downtown, but had some fun checking out the urban lifestyle here as well. We passed a cinema where "New Moon" had just opened, but we missed the start of the movie by ten minutes. Erich was certainly not overly excited to watch the teenage vampire cult movie, so he was off the hook and it was decided I would go see it when we did not have places to get to before dark. So, Jerilyn, you will have to go see it again, or I'll just get to go in Boston when it is snowy and cold.

We pushed on to the north, passing New Zealand's brownest lake and smelliest highway section (there must have been a slaughterhouse) through the massive city of Auckland with it's high-rises and traffic, to the Northlands. This is the peninsula, which they claim is a tropical paradise (even though the water is only 62) is supposedly gorgeous with miles of beaches and off-shore islands. We've enjoyed the scenery so far, and have decided to camp in a very nice spot, Wenderholm Regional Park, on the ocean. It's an open park like setting, with plenty of room to spread out from the few neighbors around.

Turangi to Raglan

2009-11-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

It rained off and on all last night and in the morning there were still gray clouds and showers lingering. We lazed around the camper, relaxing with the rain slowing our pace, and once it seemed to just be a misty drizzle, left the marina area where we camped for the river. We thought since we still had the pole and had to buy the flies, we might as well try our luck fly-fishing again. Unfortunately, after barely a half hour on the river, the rain came back with a vengeance and forced us to call it quits.

The downpour lasted most of the morning, with the gray clouds seemingly stretching on forever. On our way out from the river we stopped by the Turangi National Trout Center, since it was hyped up in all of our guide books, to see if we could watch someone who really knows how to fly-fish. The visitor's center was closed for construction, but we did see the hatchery and where they raise the trout for a pond where they teach children to fish. They also keep this stock of trout in case anything should happen to deplete the rivers and lake. The baby fish just looked like little tadpoles and scattered when we came near the tanks to take a closer look.

With the rain still falling, we decided to turn in our rod and head out of town to our next stop, the infamous surf town of Raglan. The drive took a few hours, but on "major" roads by New Zealand standards (still only one lane) and we stopped for a nice lunch at a roadside cafe. It was modern and open with all exposed wood and magazines strewn around for people while sipping their coffee.

We did drive right past Waitomo Caves, which is supposedly a huge attraction here, but it sounded like to even see the caves at all, you would have to sign up for one of the many pricey tours. Some of these sounded short, like the glow-worm boat cruise, while others lasted 8 hours, full of repelling and wading and swimming and spelunking. They also offer the unique "black water rafting" where you hop in your inner-tube with headlamps and raft down the pitch black underwater river, complete with some small waterfalls. We figured if we wanted to backtrack the hour or so to see them if the weather was bad, we could.

The town of Raglan is probably the hippest little surf town we have visited so far with art galleries, cafes and small bars, and of course, a lot of surf shops. We drove around and checked the world-famous breaks, even though we had read the surf report in the morning that stated things were blown-out and messy. It was still a little messy and a good 5-7 feet, so we watched and checked out the paddle-out spot and saw the after work crowd scramble to get out in the water. We had to find a "real" campsite, called a holiday park in New Zealand, as there was no freedom camping allowed and no Department of Conservation sites which is our first choice. This little eco-camp, as they call themselves, is $30 to park in a gravel lot with some toilets nearby. Since they didn't even have laundry, we drove into town and did the wash in Raglan before going out for fish 'n chips which Erich had been craving all day.

We'll see how it looks in the morning with the weather and the winds, and hopefully this front will be done passing through tonight. Today is the first officially bad weather day we've even had here with the gray rains, usually it seems to clear up mid-morning.

Tongariro + Turangi

2009-11-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

We slept in a great spot next to a gurgling stream in Tongariro National Park and slept in because of the quiet. In the morning some clouds were rolling through but no rain, so we got ready to head into town and ask about fly-fishing. We stopped at the i-site but unfortunately, there seemed to be no fishing guides available in the entire area, and she had tried to call five of them. So instead we bought a hiking fold-out map of the National Park and went across the street for breakfast.

The cafe was nice with high ceilings, wood paneling and trendy ambient music playing on the stereo. Erich was quite looking forward to a "toastie" which they serve in some cafes which is basically a piece of toast with an omelette sort of thing on top. They didn't seem to sell them, so he settled for an egg, bacon and sun-dried tomato panini instead.

After breakfast, Erich wanted to check out the local mountain biking shop to rent a bike for the afternoon (see below.) Once I heard the trail would certainly have big mud puddles all along it, I opted for a day hike instead while he went to ride. The forest walk within the National Park was beautiful, with signage along the trail with information about the huge, old, native trees growing within. I didn't pass one other hiker the entire trail which was nice and gave the woods a serene feel with only the streams and river making any noise.

When Erich got back to the camper, we drove up to Turangi to see about fly-fishing up there. You would think in the FLY-FISHING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD as they call themselves this would not be a hard feat. In the first shop we visited we talked to a grumpy old man with glasses who told us that we couldn't fish in the evening due to the cooler temps and the weather might be bad in the morning so we should just wait until then. We walked across the pedestrian walkway to the other fishing shop where two of the sweetest older ladies told us everything we wanted to know about fishing in the area. They also told us to go to the thermal pools up the road, a good spot to park the van for the night, and hooked us up with a fly pole and five flies, nylon and a permit. We were glad we had gone in to talk to them and headed out of town following the little maps they had given us.

We peeked into the thermal pools, but they seemed to be more of a local venue and I'm just not crazy about the rotten egg sulfur smell that seems to surround many of these places. The pools were connected to the thermal river and there were signs around stating not to put your head in the water to prevent ameobic menegitus. The certainly made our decision and we left feeling glad we had already gotten our thermal pool fix down in Hanmer Springs.

Continuing a few kilometers down the road, we pulled into the dead-end culdesac on the lake where we planned to sleep for the night. The women in the fishing shop indicated there was decent fishing here, so we pulled out our step-by-step paper she had given us with how to tie the nylon to the rod and then the fly to the nylon. I love learning new knots and this one was simple, so we were ready to go fish! It seemed after about a half an hour that fly-fishing, or maybe even fishing in general, is really like a picnic (complete with beer) by a river or lake where you sort of throw a line around in the water too. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing at all, but had fun laughing at each other trying to figure it out. Needless to say, we did not catch any trout. However, it does seem to take quite a bit of focus, trying to get that little feathery thing to look like a fly bobbing around on the surface, so it was pretty fun to think you might actually catch something. Erich got distracted by some sort of dramatic duck fight (I was using the bathroom at the time) and let the fly sink to the bottom of the lake. When he tried to pull it out, it had gotten entangled in something on the bottom and broke the nylon, loosing one of our glow in the dark flies for evening fishing. Luckily we had bought three similar to that one, and two for the morning, so we could keep fishing.

The camping spot is nice and seems like it will get quiet as soon as the New Zealand fire department finishes whatever drills they are doing next to the lake. Out the window, we can see the vents steaming on the hillside from all of the thermal activity around the area. Hopefully the rain will hold off in the morning so we can try our trout luck on the river once more before we have to return the poles and head west to the beach.

ERICH SAYS:

As Sara mentioned I rented a mountain bike today. As all things backwards in the southern hemisphere (like the way your toilet water swirls when you flush) the bike brake levers and shifters were on opposite sides. This of course made it interesting to stop quickly with the rear brakes when I was grabbing a handful of lever to come to a quick stop to find I was stopping the front wheel and practically hurling myself over the handlebars. Luckily there was a fair amount of play in the brakes so this was not too huge of an issue, and the mud seemed to keep things a bit on the slower side. The trail was not anything too New Zealand extreme as we would have had to put the bike in the van and traveled up the road to the "42nd Traverse" which is supposedly NZ's #1 mountain bike ride, but it requires about 8 hours and 20+ miles with over 3000' of elevation change so that didn't seem like it was going to happen today. As Sara said, she jumped off the bike idea since it was "pissing" a fine mist (New Zealand term for raining) and the thought of a muddy ride. I figured it would be nice to get a quick ride in whatever the trail conditions and then I could get it out of my system of mountain biking in NZ.

The trail meandered thru some amazing old growth beech forest and an experimental planting area where the pervious NZ conservation department prior to the current one tried to determine what they could get to re-grow successfully to re-plant many of the cut down forest around the country. I never could figure out exactly what this massive tree was that was around every 100 yards or so. The trunk was the size of large truck and must have been hundreds of feet high. I was definitely well into the woods with no one around minus one Department of Conservation agent I saw checking possum and stoat traps. The downhill portion of the trail was a muddy disaster. Since this was practically rain forest, mud bogs went right through the middle of the trail and the bike would literally sink in to the wheel hubs, slinging me to a screeching halt. I didn't even know bikes could slug into this much mud and still ride, but somehow the bike and I labored on and eventually the slowest downhill ride of my life (slower than even riding uphill) ended and I got back to the van where Sara was waiting after her hike.

We were so close to catching a trout this evening. Sara finally perfected the motion of the fly after spending 20 minutes while I casted carefully studying the water bugs bouncing off the water. I told her we should record her new found master technique and deliver it to the New Zealand National Trout Center which is located here in Turangi as a central museum for the whole country. We are not quite sure how no one has ever fully figured out this secret technique, but now we can make it public since Sara is willing to pass on the knowledge to fellow trout fishermen and women.

I expect the only reason we don't have a 20 pound trout on the grill right now is because they just were not here due to the fine "pissing" and apparent cold weather that Mr. Grumpy in his fly shop says drives the fish away. I think its always cold here so what the heck does that really matter in the trout capital of the world?

Wrapping this up, the first fly was only lost because some demonic duck was attacking another defenseless duck who was squacking to have the other one stop, but the bully just would not quit. I was looking for rocks on the ground to throw at the pain in the duck and apparently the fly sunk deep enough to find the only piece of wood within striking distance of our fishing grounds. Growing up on the most tree and stick infested lake in America I am fairly highly skilled at dislodging hooks from rotten logs, but the failure was in the 8 pound tess line attached to the fly and quickly broke as I tried to flip the lure loose. There was absolutely no way to avoid our first fly casualty and the lake probably need it more than we did anyway since it would have just been one less trout in the water if we still had it available to us in our trout fishing arsenal. Fish and chips shack here we come!

Ferry Crossing

2009-11-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Today was a long travel day to get back over to the North Island. This morning was gorgeous and sunny, although a bit breezy, so we walked nearby the campground to Monkey Bay. It's a very short trail to a small protected bay with blue waters, limestone cliffs and bull kelp. Since the water was way too cold to swim, and there was no surf, we headed out of the campsite to get in one more wine tasting before the ferry.

When we arrived at Saint Claire's vineyards for the wine tasting, we sat at a sunny wooden table outside in the rose garden next to the grapes. They had four wines for tasting indoors and afterwards we enjoyed a freshly made bagel with locally caught smoked salmon, and a crisp cold glass of chardonnay. Erich loved the green-lipped mussels which were really good.

Too much time spent lingering in the garden over good food and wine meant we had to hurry to the ferry terminal in time for the 1:10 trip across the Cook Strait. Luckily we had fairly calm seas and clear skies to look around from the sun deck on top of the boat.

Once we arrived in Wellington, it was a scramble to get out of the city before rush-hour traffic (which really isn't much anyway, but you never know) and head back up north for the last week of our trip. We had hoped to try out fly-fishing before heading over to the west coast to check out the surf.

So what's it like living in this cushy camper for over three weeks now? I've lived out of plain old vans before, but this in no van. This is a high-end Wilderness Fiat camper and really, the best one we've seen since we've been here. Some are so tiny with only a little bed in the back, and some are massive RVs that take up the whole road and cannot make it into remote campsites, while others are just poorly designed so the passenger cannot get through to the back of the van without going around to the side door. Our camper is just under 18 feet long, and just over 6 feet wide which is a managable size for most roads and parking lots.

Basically, it's like living in a New York apartment as I always tell Erich. There are no modern day neccessities missing, and essentially, we have everything, plus more views, than we've got back home. There is a decent size bathroom (although we employ a strict no pooping rule unless it's an absolute emergency) with a hot shower and small sink. The kitchen is about the size of my college studio, with a four burner gas stove, oven and sink, complete with all the pots and pans, bowls, teapots, wine glasses, french presses, cheese grater, vegie peelers, measuring cups etc that you could ever need. Not to mention the vent and lights over the stove. And what's on the menu, you ask? Well, tonight was spinach and ricotta ravioli with a creamy tomato roasted mushroom sauce and pulled roast chicken breast with a side salad of spinach, cucumber, red pepper and avocado. Served with a crisp clean 2007 Mt Riley Sauvingon Blanc from the vineyard in Marlbourough. Last night was organic veggie curry with brown basmati rice and a local cloudy wheat micro-brew. And of course, the fish is always fresh and local. It's great that you can basically cook anything you want in this thing.

Moving into the back of the camper, there is a living/dining space with a 3-sided couch and pillows around the removable table where we eat a lot of our meals. Now this part is even better than home; fabulous surround sound speakers that connect to the stereo/ipod hookup (thanks mrs. stacie, we are rocking out to your tunes!) and the 22" flat screen tv and dvd player. At night, this space converts into the queen size bed we sleep in, complete with fluffy comforter and fleece blankets. The ceiling has three screened vents, and the windows are screened which is nice. In the back, there is a grill and lawn chairs and table for hanging outside of the camper. So, yeah, we could easily live in this thing for another few months no problem. Especially when we get to park on the beach and listen to the waves, or next to a raging river, or pull into a quiet field surrounded by mountains.

For tonight, it's a quiet campsite in Tongariro National Park in the woods, next to a stream. The cloud cover is keeping things warm and, unlike the south island, there are no black flies!

Kaikoura and Blenheim

2009-11-15T13:47:00.001-08:00

The weather today was gorgeous, and was the warmest day we'd felt in while. Blue skies with some white puffy clouds, and a hot sun warmed us up and felt like summer. In the mountains it had been nice in the sunshine, but always pretty cold in the shade or when the wind blew.

We headed out of our little roadside camp on toward the town of Kaikoura. The town is famous for it's whale-watching cruises since a pod of Sperm Whales lives there year round. In summer you can also see Orcas and in winter there are Humpbacks. The town used to be based around whaling, but since 1924 it's just been a fishing town. We had no idea the area would be so incredibly stunning. It was like New Zealand and Hawaii, all in technicolor. The water was glowing turquoise and looked like photos we've all seen of Tahiti. The pastures were the greenest of greens and the snow-capped mountains stark against the blue sky. It looked like a tropical paradise meets Colorado and we were impressed.

We pulled into the "South Bay" parking lot in order to do the walk around the peninsula that sticks out from Kaikoura. The walk follows the water and goes up a steep hill to the top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The whole time you're walking in the green grounds of cows and sheep, they seem to have the best views, but it was a popular trail with many people. Once we reached the yellow lighthouse at the end of the cliffs, we headed down to the water and walked back to the car along the ocean.

We passed nesting grounds of hundreds of sea birds, and saw dozens and dozens of the New Zealand fur seals. They are actually very threatening as Erich found out. He had rounded a slight corner in the rocks and was looking down as you had to walk on the rock and over tidepools. He didn't see the seal laying to his right and it popped up and started making a weird hissing sound and showing his teeth when he saw Erich. For the rest of the walk, we were paranoid about getting too close to these guys. In the crystal clear water we could see shells and bull seaweed along the way.

Sweaty and tired from the long walk, we drove into town for some fish and chips and veggie burger takeaway and sat at an ocean overlook for lunch. The fish was really good, and of course very fresh. We did not realize that the drive north to Blenheim was actually two hours, we were guessing about 45 minutes. We were so pleasantly surprised with Kaikoura that we had lost track of time and now would barely make it in time for the vineyard wine tastings that we had planned.

The Marlbourough Wine Trail is one of the must-dos in the South Island according to our book and everyone we had talked to about it. In the most concentrated section of the wine region here, within only 3 miles there are over 25 vineyards. This area is where most of the New Zealand white wines come from, although they do make Pinot Noir as well.

We got there just before they were closing, so we raced into a winery called Mt Rimel for the tasting. The place had a very chic modern feel to it, and the wine was actually very good. We were a little disappointed that everywhere else had closed for the day, but if we are up for it in the morning we might go back to some before taking our ferry back over to the North Island.

After searching out a grocery store, we only had to go about 10 minutes to the beach camping area we had decided on for the night. The beach is beautiful, although the waves are completely flat, and it's nice to sleep on the ocean for our last night on the South Island.

Hanmer Springs

2009-11-15T13:46:00.002-08:00

After a brief hike around Cave Springs in Arthur's Pass, we started driving back to the main road and then north to Hanmer Springs. The cave was very cool, with a stream running right into the large mouth of a limestone grotto. People were allowed to go through the entire cave, in cold waist-deep waters, and would have to climb up several small waterfalls in the pitch blackness other than their headlamps. Although we had our wetsuits and briefly considered it, after my last caving experience, we decided to pass. There was also some bouldering in this area but because of lambing season you were required to get a permit.

On the road to Hanmer Springs, we stopped at the Yummy Food Cafe so Erich could try a meat pie which he was excited about. After watching "Sweeny Todd," I was less excited about this idea. Nonetheless, he ordered his mince pie and said it was quite good.

We arrived in Hanmer in time to join the white-water rafting trip we had wanted to try. The river was more mellow, only being a class 2, which was perfect for me. We watched a couple people bungie jumping off the massive river bridge (no, thank you) as this location called Thrillseekers Canyon offered many trips and potential ways to hurt or kill yourself. We stuck to the rafting and met up with the group of three little kids from Australia, their dad, and our guide. We put on our thick wetsuits and booties and dragged the raft down the hill to the river. The wind was gusting through the canyon, so we went much faster than usual according to the guide. I had imagined the raft just goes straight down the river, facing forward most of the time, but that's not really the case. There was lots of spinning action and going backwards, and some paddling through sections to help the guide steer.

The rapids were really fun, but nothing overwhelming or dramatic. The scariest part of the trip in my opinion was the guide constantly trying to get people into the water, either by having them jump off the rocks on the side of the canyon (which the kids did) or by pushing Erich into the freezing cold river. I clung on to the ropes for dear life as I did not want to take a dip on the cool windy day and be freezing for the rest of the ride.

Once we pulled up onto the rocky riverside at the end of our float, apparently you get a two-for-one sort of deal as the jet-boat is what takes you back to where we started. I had never even heard of a jet-boat before this trip, although the guide said we do have them back in the States. It basically works the same way as a jet-ski, pulling up water and shooting it out the back so it can get very fast without a propeller. This allows them to drive the thing in ridiculously shallow water, like some spots of the river, get extremely close to canyon walls and do full 360s in the middle of the river.

The guides loaded the raft onto the back of the jet-boat and we all hopped in. The jet-boat ride was nothing short of insane and I can see why we don't have them in the US. The driver would aim directly at rocks and canyon walls, going 100 Km/hr and then swerve out of the way at the last second. At one point he headed right for a rocky overhang and at the last second tilted the boat so we were less than 6 inches from the rock. If Erich had stuck his hand out the side it would have been gone. The spins required you held onto the bars in front of the seat as the boat whipped around, spraying the entire side of the canyon with water. Erich had actually wanted to go jet-boating, so lucky for him I got suckered into it even though I had not wanted to voluntarily sign up for the experience.

Following our afternoon on the river, we stripped out of our damp wetsuits and headed over to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools, which is what made the area so popular. The pools are all spring fed, at different temperatures, some with chlorine and some just pure spring water. The place was packed, as it is a three-day weekend here in the Canterbury region. The Kiwis actually just had a 4-day weekend when we arrived here, so we were surprised to learn there was already another holiday.

We decided to spend just a little bit more and get our own private thermal pool, complete with a private shower and drinking water. This was well worth it judging by the masses in the public pools on such a busy weekend, and we loved our hot soak for an hour in the tub. Plus we got to take a real shower, not just a 2 second camper van shower, which was heavenly.

Feeling relaxed and toasty from the soak, we walked to a nearby restaurant for some dinner. We had decided on an Indian place since the curries are so good here (from the British influence), but they were desperately understaffed on such a crowded weekend and we got tired of the wait and went next door to Robbies instead. They had fresh caught salmon, from the rivers right around here, and it was cooked perfectly. It had a bit of a different flavor from our salmon, but delicious all the same. The vegetables here seemed to all be on steroids, as we've noticed in the grocery stores, and the capers on the fish were the size of olives. The asparagus was about the size of a carrot, and the leeks in the grocery are so huge we cannot even fit them in the fridge. The best part is that everything is so fresh and grown locally.

After dinner we struggled to find a place to camp. The holiday parks were extremely full from the long weekend and all of the rest stops or dirt roads had signs posted that overnight parking was not allowed. This seemed to becoming the norm for places that were really popular with tourists, especially on the South Island. At one point we pulled off the main road to look at our map, and there was a tap on the window. It scared me since it was pitch black outside, but when Erich rolled down the window, it turned out it was just the milk truck driver who had stopped to see if we needed help or directions. It was unusual to us to have this young, clean-cut, nice looking guy who was just out driving the milk truck from the dairy, stop and make sure we were okay. These things just don't really happen to us back home, but it seems to be the way of life here.

We finally gave up looking and pulled into a small grassy picnic area just off the main road. It wasn't one of our five-star scenic camping spots, but it was fine and quiet for the night. The wind was whipping through the huge oak tree we parked under, and aside from that, it was just sheep sleeping in their paddocks on the other side of the camper.

Arthur's Pass

2009-11-15T13:46:00.001-08:00

Today was a big hiking day at Arthur's Pass National Park. Although the park is clearly a way for people to get from the East side of the island to the West, complete with the Alpine Railway and telephone lines down the valley, it is also a gorgeous park once you get off the main road. It doesn't seem like too many other tourists are here like we kept seeing around the glaciers and the Fiordlands. Mostly it looks like locals and climbers predominantly use this park, and most others are just passing through.

The hikes we had chosen from our guidebooks started with the Devil's Punchbowl Falls hike which was a steep uphill climb, mostly on wooden steps, to the dramatic falls coming straight off the cliff. We feel as though we have seen just about every variation of waterfall here on our trip, almost one hike a day is to a falls, but even still, they are amazing to see and we never get tired of them.

Next we drove up valley to the Dobson Nature Walk. We got a kick out of the signage stating that Arthur's Pass was named after a white explorer (Arthur Dobson), yet a Maori guide led him through the pass and told him where to go! In general, many of the Maori people here seem a bit angry. At first we took some offense to getting scowling looks and even flipped off by one Maori woman while driving. But the more time we spend here, the more we've come to understand why they would be annoyed at white people. Imagine you have your own Garden of Eden, where everything is in balance and nature and people are in harmony. Then Abel Tasman comes along, and before you know it, all of your seals and whales are about extinct, there are rabbits, then stoats and then possums running around everywhere, ruining the ecosystem while killing off Kiwi birds, and on top of it, all of your sacred places have been "discovered" and named after white guys. So, in a way, I've come to feel a little badly for these people here, who were once so at home.

But back to the Dobson Nature Walk, we had a nice little tour around the valley and saw the Giant Mountain Buttercups (the biggest buttercup in the world) and even found a couple of boulders to play around on while we were there. The alpine wildflowers in this area are supposedly the best in the park.

After a little lunch, we set out on the Bealey Spur hike which was supposed to have outstanding views. They really were impressive, with the towering snowy peaks of Arthur's Pass and deep river valleys all around us. The hike went through a dense Beech forest with a carpet of lush green moss until it popped out on a ridge along a deep river canyon. Eventually we crossed trough a bog (or Tarn as they say) on boardwalks and continued up through a Tussock field to the Bealy Hut, a few hours after we started. We were happy to relax at the top for a snack and take in the views before heading back down to the camper.

We were tired after the hike, and joked about the comment in the guide book that this hike was appropriate for families and children! I'm not sure how many American kids have hiked 6 miles up steep tracks along sheer drop-offs recently, but I couldn't imagine this statement in the US. It has been interesting to see the variety of people on these hikes here. It seems as though everyone is really into hiking and backpacking and it's just been a part of their lives since they were little. Today Erich asked me if there was a Dunkin' Donuts at the top once we had passed three very round ladies, but really, it was great to see so many different people out and hiking.

Tonight we are sleeping on a gorgeous glassy mountain lake and are so close that if you look out the back windows you feel as if you're in a boat actually out on the water. Some locals are here in their campers as well, but everyone is quiet and seemingly happy to be away for their long weekend as Monday is a local holiday here.

Catlins to Arthur's Pass

2009-11-15T13:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning there were heavy rain showers moving through the area and very gusty icy cold winds. It was unusual that it would rain for about 15 minutes, then be nice and sunny for 15 minutes (although still windy) off and on for pretty much the whole day. I immediately wrote off surfing once I felt the outdoor temperatures which are common in the mornings before things have had a chance to warm up. Erich, however, thought it would be great to paddle out, about half a mile from the penguin nesting grounds I might add, for a little surf, alone. Even the local Kiwis camped at the site weren't out in the water. Sea lions loafed on the rocky coast, although the surf break was in front of a river mouth and a sandy beach. It didn't look too big, maybe head-high, but when he paddled out a big set rolled in and it was apparent just how big it really was out there. And barreling and heavy, too.

He managed to get a few short rides in the half hour or forty minutes he was out there, and when he came back in, his face and hands were beet red. He tried to claim it wasn't so cold, but we all know that is just not true.

After he thawed out with some hot cocoa in the camper, we headed out for a little hike to Puranukai Falls, which was terraced and in a quite mossy wood. We considered doing another hike along the river, but part of the road to get there was closed and we decided if we wanted to see Dunedin, we should get going. The drive was long and mostly farmfields, and we arrived at Dunedin late afternoon to drive out on the Otago Penninsula to the Royal Albatross Colony. These birds are said to have a 10ft wingspan and are very rare. Unfortunately, once we got out there, the center was closed and we did not see any out on the windy sea bluffs. A bit disappointed, but still enjoying the scenic drive, we passed by Larnach Castle (which was also closed for touring), the only castle in New Zealand built by an eccentric Scottsman.

On the drive north from Dunedin, we stopped off at the Moeraki Boulders, a short walk up the beach. I wasn't expecting much at this stop, just some round boulders that are a tourist attraction, but when we got out to them, they were really impressive. They are perfect spheres, but some were broken open. Inside you could see different rock, such as iron and quartz, but just a hollow center in the middle. They looked like some sort of alien pods, and some had veins and texture on the exterior. They are partly submerged by the ocean, and apparently, that's where they came from some 60 million years ago.

After stopping off to sleep at a roadside recreation reserve, we drove into the town of Ashburton on the way up to Arthur's Pass National Park. The town was very cute and we decided to stop and have breakfast at one of the little coffee shops. We also stopped at Ashton, a crafts village, where I FINALLY found some yarn. We've seen thousands and thousands of sheep, and at least a hundred alpaca, but there seems to be no yarn for sale anywhere! This store wasn't bad, but many of the wools were imported from Australia.

Continuing on through Darfield, we headed onto Arthur's Pass, which takes you to the opposite side of the island through Arthur's Pass National Park. We had decided to skip Christchurch as big cities and camper vans have not gone together all that well in the past. The van seems to increase in size once we get onto the narrow city streets with lots of other traffic, rotaries and pedestrians.

Once near Arthur's Pass, we happened to see Castle Hill, one of the premier bouldering areas in New Zealand. There were so many limestone boulders strewn across the grassy hillside, that we had to grab our climbing shoes and go check it out. We spent the sunny afternoon wandering around the conservation doing what problems we could. Since neither of us had climbed in at least a year, everything felt pretty hard, but we managed quite a few fun pocketed problems before becoming too tired to continue trying. There were endless boulders there but we only saw about a dozen climbers all day.

Further into the park, we found an empty mountain meadow to park the camper for the night. Mountains surround the van with the river off in the distance. It is cooler up at this altitude, and the peaks are still cover with snow. We couldn't ask for a better spot to camp out for the night.

ERICH SAYS:

Surfing with Penguins: Yes, I did choose to paddle out in what was probably the coldest, most off shore wind blown, fur seal (editors note--Fur Seals weigh upwards of 300 pounds or more where as San Diego seals are more like the Toy Poodle of the seal world weighing in the 100 pound range....fur seals have tusks), and the resident crested penguin colony, in a location farther South than any other continent in Australasia reaches. But come on mate, the locals were having a go at it and the A-frames at Sunset the night before were some of the best looking waves we have seen since living in Hawaii. Go figure the locals who were surfing until about 930pm the night before were sleeping in after our 40 knot pounding rain all night and had not hit the water by 10am still. Since the sun was poking its head in and out all morning I had to give it a go as we brought booties and how cold could it really be, even if the penguins call this their Northern home.

Sara obviously looked at me like I was insane, but it was not the cold water that concerned me, more of the toothy friends that swim these chillier waters and the 25 knot gusts of wind that were wrapping around the outside of the point giving us off shores in the valley, but creating a mess of soup style ocean just a quarter mile out to sea. You never know what kind of currents and rips those winds can develop and I really did not want to see the Kiwi rescue plan in action while Penguins and Fur Seals swam by me in the opposite direction as I was ripped out to Australia or Antarctica which was the direction the wind seemed to be going.

So in good old Kiwi "just have a go at it kayak hell fashion" I donned the wetsuit, jogged over the sheep turds (which were grazing by our camper in the AM outside their pens for some reason), past the shivering kiwis who even they thought it was still too cold, and into the penguin filled abyss.

As Sara stated, what seemed like head high A-frame barrels quickly turned into head and a half high sand bar meat grinders on the sets as I was duck diving the first few waves paddling for the horizon to prevent the ice cream headache repeated underwater head dips create. I dropped on a couple medium sized rights and found the wind was really whipping under the board preventing a clean speed line down the face and kicked out without much fan fare, of course, minus all kiwi camper/surfer eyes which were now eager to see if it was worth paddling out themselves. I finally realized the lefts had a steeper drop but quickly shoulder up into a soft lip so I took 2 or 3 or those and decided that the 40 minute mark was when my hands were now lobster claws and could no longer stay cupped to paddle. Luckily, no Antartica sightings, fur seal growling contests, penguin swatting, or big tooth sharky monsters appeared. The only reall scare was the burly sand bar that must have went from 15' to 3' instantly creating some HEAVY peaks. Of course the minute I hit the beach one of the kiwis decided to paddle out which would have been nice to have a friend in the water to make it a little less scary, but then again, we always complain about crowded surf so I guess to surf by ourselves we just have to endure the cold and penguins at the wave will be ours to enjoy.

Albatross/Penguin viewing:

New Zealand maps and guides have this funny need to tell you where and when you are about to pass some species of bird colony. Apparently since New Zealand "had" no mammals (Editors note: until the Europeans introduced the rabbit, possum, and stoat successively to kill the other once over populated) the bird population and variety easily evolved to be one of the greatest in the world. Due to this, many bird tourists and naturalist come to New Zealand for bird watching and it seems to be big business.

Now "big business" is the key here. 99.9% of things the Kiwis do is probably 1000 times better than we do as Americans, but this one thing with the birds, it gets really annoying. If you want to see someone get really annoyed, or down right mad, come on a trip to New Zealand with Sara after she has hiked an hour or drove miles out of her way to see one of these so called "bird sanctuaries."

What certain enterprising New Zealander's who happen to have land which has been gifted, purchased, inherited, or however they have obtained in which resident Albatross, penguin, egret, or other rare species decides to call home is charge a small fee for the viewing and protection of said birds. Now this is all fine and well since we know Euro Billy Bob and half of Tokyo would be stomping all over the nests of these birds so they could take their perfect home videos and these "sanctuaries" would protect the birds and the small fees that were collected would go towards scientific studies and further protection of the species.

This all sounds just great, good idea, very helpful to the world of birds, but the average charge to get see what is always quoted "as the only spot on Earth to see these birds" is usually $25-$30 U.S. dollars per person!

Sara's point of view, you don't own the birds so why the heck should I have to pay to go see them! Unfortunately these birds are calling the private landowners "land" home, so they figured out a way to seem helpful to the bird world and make a quick buck (or in my estimate by the buses piling in at each bird reserve $100s of thousands).

FYI.....the Albatross is not flying along the cliffs, you will have to pay $28/person to view them in the specially made boxes conveniently located on the opposite side of the hill from the car park viewing area.

Besides, just go surfing on the southern tip of the south island and you will see all the penguins you could ever dream of.

Catlins

2009-11-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke to cloudy skies, but no rain, and the flowing river out our camper van window. We decided to move on to our next stop, The Catlins. There is no national park there, but many waterfalls, lakes, blowholes and beaches to visit.

Instead of taking the more direct inland route, our guidebooks recommended the tourist scenic route along the coast. This way was probably much nicer than the farm-field treadmill that the inland route would have followed, although we got our fill of sheep and cows this way as well.

We made a few stops along the way, the first being the Clifden Swing-bridge, which was built in 1899 and is now closed to traffic. It was an impressive achievement with 28 cables holding up the bridge over the river. Right nearby, we visited the limestone cave network that begins in a farmer's sheep field. The cave entrance is just barely visible behind small trees and set way into the ground. We crept into the cave, and it was small and wet and dark and seemed to go on forever. There were reflective markers placed throughout the cave so you knew which way to go, but at one point I turned off my headlamp and it was so black you could not see an inch in front of you. Once I noticed some spiders on the walls and stared to feel a little claustrophobic, I was ready to get out of there. We exited in the same sheep-field, just up the road from where we parked.

Heading back down the road, we passed small towns and farms until we came to the southern coast. There was a little surf break we checked out, but decided to keep on going. Through the big city of Invercargill, we headed on to Slope Point, the most southern point on the South Island. It did feel a bit like we were at the edge of the world, with a big cliff drop-off to the windswept sea and nothing further. Past this point, we arrived at the Curio Bay Petrified Forest where trees had turned to fossils over 170 million years ago. They were strewn about the oceanfront, in petrified form, and were cool to see. However, the wind was gusting at least 35-mph, so it didn't make for a great spot to stick around.

Further down the road, we hiked out to McLean Falls which was a beautiful hike and falls at the end. The river was brown from hillside run-off, but the falls were nice anyway. We also hiked around Lake Wilkie which had some signage on the stages of the forest and information about the lake.

Looking for our next campsite, we checked out Florence Hill Overlook and the beach and islands below were stunning with the windy waves marching in. We decided to camp at the end of the dirt road, where there was a small campground, just past Purakaunui Falls at the beach. When we got there at about sunset, we saw a handful of surfers out in the water, and a gorgeous a-frame peak peeling in, sheltered from the wind. We were disappointed we did not have more daylight to get out there, but hope for good conditions in the morning. I'm not totally convinced, as I was standing there in my warmest down jacket and penguins live on this beach, but I figure I could handle the cold water for a little while at least. It seems to be a popular spot with locals as they are out in the water and have their dogs and tents here. The campsite is great with a view out the windows of the dramatic sea-cliffs that drop straight into the ocean, and the surf-break off to the south.

Fiordlands

2009-11-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

We slept in a bit this morning, not wanting to get out from under the warm blankets and face the onslaught of blackflies tapping at our windows. I counted 85 of them hounding us along the glass windows trying to sneak into the van. Once we did get up and eat breakfast, we headed back up the road to the Routeburn Track parking area for a hike.

We chose to head up the Key Summit Track which forks off the Routeburn track after about an hour and goes uphill to the summit. The entire area surrounding us was all part of Fiordlands National park and the trail was well maintained and a solid walk upwards. We passed a tiered waterfall on the way before ascending above many of the big trees and began to see the mountain peaks nearby. Once we reached the top, we had a perfect 360 degree view of all the ranges around the Key Summit. Snow-capped peaks seemed to shoot up out of the river valley below, often in vertical cliffs of granite. We ate some lunch at the top for a rest while taking in the amazing alpine scenery. There was a short nature walk that looped around the summit, and then we headed back down into the woods towards the van.

Driving up the road a few minutes, we parked in Hollyford to do the short hike up river to Marion Falls. The falls were more of a section of rapids and we found a big boulder and sat in the sun for a bit right on the river rushing by us. The sun is so warm, yet the wind is a frigid temperature, and in the shade is pretty darn cold. The hike had wooden decking that stuck out and over the river to give a better view of the falls.

Returning back towards the town of Te Anau, away from Milford, we were able to get in some laundry (which we desperately needed to do) and grocery shopping. It was tough to find any water in town to fill up the camper, and eventually we ended up just pulling into one of the bigger Holiday Parks and taking some.

We headed south of Te Anau on the scenic route of highway 95, which we'll follow for the next day or so around the southern tip of the island. Stopping at Rainbow Beach (or Reach on some maps) we did a quick sunset hike before finding a place to camp. The walk started with an extremely long swing-bridge across the green deep river, and into a quiet old growth forest. At the top of the first little rise, a New Zealand Falcon, or Pekeakea, swooped in low and just missed us by inches. A second later we approached a sign that warned of nesting Falcons dive-bombing people and taking the hats off their heads. Luckily, we avoided the bird for the rest of the trail. The river was gorgeous lit by the setting sun, and we hiked through the dense woods until we thought it would be too dark to get back to the camper. Of course we always forget that the sun doesn't even think about setting here until at least 8:30, so we probably had more time than we thought.

Back in the camper, we drove a few miles down the "highway" to a gravel road that led down to the riverside. We were happy to see not one No Camping sign so we got as level as we could on the banks of the river and settled in for the night.

Milford Sound

2009-11-08T19:17:00.001-08:00

Today we are already halfway through our New Zealand experience and also the farthest south we have been. Actually, this is the most south we've have ever been. The day started in our secret little camping spot in the woods on Lake Te Anau, and was a bit overhwhelming when we made it into town to plan the day. There were so many options and not enough time (and especially money) for them all. We had initially thought of going into Milford Sound tomorrow, but since it was clear and sunny and gorgeous out, we figured we really should take advantage of this day to go. Milford Sound is one of the rainiest places in the entire world and gets an average of seven meters (23 FEET) of rain per year and we were told to expect to see it in either rain or drizzle.

The best way to see the sound is by boat since the road basically stops at the edge. So, since the day was perfect, we booked our "nature cruise" and headed down the road for about two and a half hours to the sound. The drive into the area was unreal with enormous snow-capped and steep pyramid shaped peaks surrounding us and crystal clear rivers running alongside the road. There were loads of tour buses out and essentially this is the number one tourist attraction on the South Island, maybe in all of New Zealand. Hence why we were hesitant to even come to this spot at all, but once we did, we realized what all the hype was about.

The town of Milford is nothing more than a little lodge and airstrip with the docks not far away for the boat tours. We lucked out and boarded a brand new ship with the "Real Journies" tour company, much smaller and more able to get close the the edges of the sound. Turns out Milford Sound should actually be called Milford Fiord, as the Glaciers had carved away the mountains. (A sound is when a river carves away at the mountains.) The boat was immaculate and uncrowded with two levels and a nature tour guide over the loud speaker.

Inside the sound was probably the highlight of our trip, if not the most amazing thing we've seen, and we could easily see why it is dubbed as the eighth wonder of the world. It's impossible to describe the grand scale of the scenery, granite walls ascending vertically out of the water for thousands of feet. Waterfalls were everywhere alongside the edge of the sound, and the boat actually put the bow under a couple of them! The fiord walls go straight down for another 300 meters so there was nothing blocking the boat from getting right up against the walls of the fiord. It was unbelievable to learn that they get SO much rainfall here that a layer of water about 15 feet deep on top of the sound is actually freshwater, with the salty ocean water layer under that. It confuses the marine life and makes for some interesting unique differences.

Along the two and a half hour trip, we saw countless waterfalls and geological features, such as the fault line between New Zealand and Australia, but also plenty of wildlife as well. Bottlenose dolphins cruised along with the boat (although this is the farthest south they will go and they weigh more here to stay warm) but didn't get too close as they had babies with them. We finally got to see those elusive penguins we'd been searching for this trip, several Crested Penguins were up on some rocks by the water. As opposed to the dolphins, this is as far north as they will live before it gets too warm. On the way back into the sound, we passed a massive boulder with 15 or so New Zealand fur seals sunning themselves, and not the least bit bothered by the boat within ten feet of them. Unfortunately, this is why they were almost totally wiped out in the 1700s from the fur traders.

Back at the dock after the trip, we felt lucky to see the sound on such a clear and beautiful day with no clouds blocking the mountain peaks. We avoided the mass of people streaming from the other big boats onto their buses, and headed for the Chasm, back up the road a bit. It was an impressive series of waterfalls where the river had carved the rock walls into a chasm with holes, basins and arches in the rock. On the drive out of Milford, we passed once again through the long, dark Homer tunnel and checked out some campsites for the night. We found a great spot (albeit swarming with black flies like most of the area) with a panoramic view of the Fiordland mountains and the river flowing along behind the site.

Queenstown

2009-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Today we spent most of our day in the "Adventure Capital of the World" known as Queenstown. After spending the night on the lakeside, we continued our drive south to Wanaka. We stopped in to the visitors center and went into an outdoor gear shop. The girl working at the counter happened to be from Ventura, CA but had been living here for four years. Apparently, it isn't all the hard to get a New Zealand visa and then a passport if you have a "partner" who is a Kiwi. All you have to do is open a joint bank account, no marriage required, and you're in. We had thought they were far more restrictive. She sounded really homesick and was anxious to go back to visit her family in Ventura next summer.

Continuing on, we drove along the beautiful deep green of the Shotover river and past half a dozen vineyards into the town of Queenstown. It's located right on a clear blue lake that is so big it almost feels like the town is on the ocean, yet surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The downtown area was full of activity with people out shopping, sitting in the outdoor cafes and walking around town. We finally found a parking spot suitable for the enormous camper van and set out to get some lunch and information about the area. Unfortunately, we had just missed the last white water rafting trip by about ten minutes, and although we had tried to book the trip for the following morning, they ended up not having enough people to fill up the boat. Erich was fine with jumping on the class 4 and 5 river rapids, but after our kayaking experience, I felt far more comfortable with the class 2 and 3 river that we had hoped to join.

That said, we walked around town and sat at the outdoor patio of the Red Rock Bar and Grill and enjoyed some burgers (one veggie) and people watching. The town is really young, with adrenaline junkies all over booking their next bungy jump or just hanging out with some friends and beers. There were also a huge number of Asian tourists, all arriving on tour buses, and several stores even catered to them with bi-lingual salespeople.

We took a nice walk through the Queenstown Botanical Gardens which was gorgeous. There were flower beds tucked in between huge old pines, little stone bridges crossing creeks and ponds, and croquet and tennis courts in the center. The most unusual part was a version of frisbee golf that wound it's way through the park and garden. There were small metal stands with a chain link sort of basket on top. Each "hole" was numbered an had a starting (or tee off) spot where all the players began tossing their frisbees toward the basket things. It looked pretty fun but it seemed like you had to bring your own frisbees and scorecard!

After walking along the water and beach and past the quaint little shops and restaurants, we hiked up the hill on the edge of town to the start of the gondola. You get your own little gondola to enjoy up 1200 ft to a fabulous view of the entire Queenstown area.

ERICH SAYS:

The views from the top of mountain were outstanding. You could see all of Queenstown, the lake, and the Remarkable Mountains as well as many other peaks around us from the viewing deck.

Like any good kiwi venture there has to be some element of adventure. There was a luge track running down the top portion of the gondola area, The Ledge, the highest bungy jumping stop in the world, and various other forms of throwing yourself off the side of a mountain like the "Flying Swing" or paragliding. Anything for a quick rush of adrenaline (and while you hang upside down 3000 feet up, dollars can fall out of your pockets).

I was tempted at the bungy jumping, but decided the $170 price tag was not really worth the trouble so we chose to do the short hike that ran from the top of another short ski lift stye ride that moved the luge track enthusiasts to the top of their run. This smaller ski lift only ran another 500' or so up the mountain, but it produced even better views than were had already as you got away from the handful of tourists that were milling about the observation deck and gift shop at the end of the gondola ride below.

The trail wound through some of most dense pine forest we have ever seen. It was clear and sunny on the outside and nearly dark walking around inside the tree line. These pine trees must have stood almost 200' tall and completely filtered out the light below. Apparently these are starting to be invasive as they grow so quickly and shade out the native forests below. The highlight of the trail was a view up to the Ben Lamond peak and start of the Lamond trail. Another gold miners trail that hikes out into the mountains and to a hut some 8 hours or so away.

We departed our "ultimate" gondola experience for an "extreme" walk down the hill back to the campervan. It was an adrenaline rush for sure as we had to cross a 2-lane road with no crosswalk! We did not even get charged for it. We drove back down to the town center and stopped into the white water rafting shop to see if there were now enough signed up for trip, but unfortunately it was not full and we figured there were plenty more rafting experiences down the road.

Off to Te Anau we went, about a 2 hours drive away. The scenery change was amazing as we drove by the Remarkable Mountains and lake heading South into the foothills and a more pastoral farmland and rolling foothills. The area starting to become more of rolling grassland and tussock which is common on the leeward side of mountain ranges, but even this "flat" land was far from flat and as we drove into the setting sun over the next two hours you could see the undulating hills one after the other go on for ever.

This area seemed to have had a more recent "lambing" as there were hundreds and hundreds of tiny baby lambs hugging close to their mother or springing about the fields. Coco would have been in heaven either playing with the lambs, barking at them, or sitting and staring trying to figure out why the all looked like her.

We finally reach the Te Anau town area at the last light of the day. Somewhat frustrating was the search for an area to park the campervan as it was dark and once you're near the largest tourist destinations they attempt to control the parking of motor homes and vans everywhere. Luckily we knew if we kept looking we would find a nice spot off the road above the lake with the Fjordland's mountain ranges off in the background.

Fox Glacier Area

2009-11-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

This morning on Mapourika Lake was crystal clear after last night's rain. The water was still and glassy and steaming from the cold air. In it, we could see the perfect reflection of the Southern Alps, including Mt Tasman and Mt Cook. Getting out of the campground early, we hoped to make it the 30 minutes over to the Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson before the clouds came in and the wind picked up.

Lake Matheson is a "mirror lake," and when the sky is clear and the lake glassy ( a rare combination we were told) you can see the reflection of the mountain range near Fox Glacier. We had perfect conditions for the hour and a half hike around Matheson Lake, viewing the mountains across the water with calm winds and clear skies. By the end of the hike, some clouds had started to move in and the wind was picking up, so we were glad we got there when we did.

The Lake Matheson Cafe was right off the end of the track, with a cute outdoor patio area with tables on little bridges crossing over the small creek outdoors. We sat outside and watched the clouds roll in, eventually blocking both Mt Cook and Mt Tasman, and enjoyed a chai with some eggs and breakfast. The whole place was so entirely modern and trendy, absolutely nothing like what you would see at one of our national parks. In Yosemite, there is a brown and tan dreary cafeteria with overpriced bland food and only government issued tables and chairs inside a generic looking building. Here, in Westlands National Park, there is jazzy music playing on outdoor speakers, adorable little cafe tables and chairs, plus excellent reasonably priced food, and internet access complete with modern artwork for sale from local artists on the walls.

After our wonderful breakfast, we headed out for hike number two, up the Fox Glacier access trail. We hiked up a river bed, with pure blue glacial pools along the way, past several waterfalls, and to the terminal of the Fox Glacier. It was (obviously) similar to the Franz Joseph glacier which we had seen the day before, but less active, with less water and rocks falling off the top. It was a gorgeous setting and a nice hike.

Back in the car, we drove south along the coast. We got sidetracked by hike number three, through an amazing rainforest, complete with swingbridges, down to the oceans where peguins supposedly breed and live from June to December. It took about forty minutes each way to do the hike, but we figured it was a worthy rest stop. The hike was great, and the beach was stunning with turquoise blue water and huge shore pound slamming into the beach. There were rocks offshore as well, but no matter how hard we looked we could not find the penguins! We left thinking that they must be around the corner of the beach and only accessable at low tide. Because the tide was so high and the waves so intense, we were never going to be able to get around to the other side of the headland. The hike was worth it anyway and to see such a gorgeous empty beach, but we are still on the search for some penguins.

Back in the car, headed south on route 6, we stopped briefly at the Knights Lookout with a cool ocean view before heading inland to Haast and the famous Haast Pass. The road here parallels and then enters Mt Aspiring National Park and along the way we saw incredible falls and traveled along the flowing green Haast River. On one stop however, we got out of the car to find hundreds of black flies swarming us instantly and making a beeline straight for the inside of the van. Apparently this area is famous for its aggressive black flies, and we found that out quickly.

We stopped for hike number four to the Blue Pools. This hike was fairly short and traveled down to the trout filled Blue River and over multiple swing-bridges to see the pools after which the trail was named. There were crystal clear green/blue pools and flowing rivers through massive rocks all viewed from the swing-bridges above.

Although it was 7pm at this point, the sun does not set down here until around 8:30 and it stays fairly light until at least 9:15. We took our time finding a campsite and ended up on the banks of the Wanaka Lake. The spot is amazing with a huge lake in between snow capped peaks on all sides. Yellow wildflowers are blooming all around the area now, and the sunset over the mountain peaks went from vivid gold to orange to red. The only negative is that we fought a small war with the black flies again and hopefully we are winning. The van is partially coated in Deet on the outside, all cracks are closed or covered and we have killed most of them on the inside. With any luck, they won't be around the further south we go.

Franz Joseph Glacier

2009-11-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

After the rain cleared up this morning, we got on the road around 8 to drive to the Franz Joseph Glacier area in Westland National Park. It was only an hour of beautiful scenery until we arrived at the little village.

We stopped into the visitor's center to get a map of the hikes and town, and learned that this area rains more than almost any other place in the world. Luckily it was only cloudy but not raining. We drove to the trailhead right near the town and hiked the 45 minutes out to the glacier terminal. Along the way we passed 5 or 6 tall and skinny waterfalls, pouring snowmelt off of cliffs high above us. The actual glacier itself was pretty amazing, with blue icy patches and gray gravel areas. This glacier is among the most active in the world and can grow or recede up to one meter per day. Although the movement is a reaction from snow that fell (or did not fall) five years prior, the glacier actually appears very active. Chunks of ice and rocks fell every few seconds and waterfalls were growing in ice channels along it's edge. There are numerous barriers around the edge of the glacier (you can only get within about 50 feet) but every year people go into the ice caves and are injured or killed. After the hike out to the glacier, we hiked up Sentinel Rock to see the view from a higher angle.

Following a quick lunch, we drove down to Okarito on the beach. Only 12 people still actually live there, but it used to be a bustling town of 1500 people during the peak of the gold rush. There is a huge bird sanctuary there on the lagoon where the White Heron breed. We chose to do a hike there while it was nice and sunny, as a storm was predicted to move in later in the evening. The hike went up through a fern-tree filled rainforest to the Okarito Trig Lookout which gave an amazing view of the beach, lagoon and mountains. We continued on the old Pack Track (used for the gold miners to reach the rivers) for about another hour before returning back to the wide open beach where we started.

Back in the little village, we checked out a thermal pool area, where they use glacial waters to heat and create hot tubs in three temperatures. We didn't end up staying, but got our first taste of Kiwi nightlife instead. The local Pub and Restaurant, Monsoon, was in full swing with backpackers and "The Bangles" playing on the stereo. It was a weird mix of people, all ages, all nationalities in this little tourist area, but entertaining nonetheless. We ate the most unusual nachos there as well, there was some sort of asian chili sauce on top which took a minute to get used to, but was actually quite good.

We've lucked out with a nice quiet spot on the lake and settled in before the storm moves in for this evening. We could not see any of the really big peaks today (like Mt Cook) as the clouds hung over the mountaintops for the day, even though it was sunny only 10 minutes away. Hopefully these rains will pass through and give us a view tomorrow when we head down to the Fox Glacier.

West Coast Drive

2009-11-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Today was a long driving day. We woke to sunny nice weather with clouds on the horizon, and relaxed in the sun before packing up for the road. We headed through Richmond and continued on south through the middle of the island, angling towards the west coast. It started to rain, and then pour, which made it easier to sit in the car for most of the day. After passing dozens and dozens of farm fields and mountains, driving along a deep river valley, we stopped for lunch at a nice rest area right on the emerald green flowing river. After another hour or two, we reached the dramatic west coast of the South Island.

The drive was certainly comparable to driving up the 1 in California around Big Sur. Huge jagged boulders and small islands dotted the coastline. The mountains were covered with tall fern trees, palms and other Dr Seuss looking plants. From the car, it looked like it should be hot and humid, like the landscape of the Big Island of Hawaii. However, once we did stop for a break, the wind was crisp and it felt more like it was in the high 50s instead of a tropical paradise. The surf was huge and messy, windy and sharky (from what we read). There were signs for penguin crossings since the rare blue penguin nests along this stretch of coast. We never were able to see one, no matter how many time Erich called almost every bird we saw a Blue Penguin.

As we headed down the coast, we came to Paparoa National Park and the Pancake Rocks. We were not expecting much at this extremely touristy stop, but were pleasantly surprised by how cool the rock formations looked. The short path winds along the windy ocean cliff with overlooks down into blowholes, surge pools where the ocean splashes in under a rock arch, and views of the famous pancake rocks. The rocks look just as they sound, with layer upon layer of thin blackish limestone rock piled up out of the sea. The vegetation was once again lush and tropical looking full of palms and ferns. Hundreds of sea bird circle the rock and made their homes on the rocks and and boulders out in over the water.

We did not get to stop for too long as we hoped to make it close to Westland National Park for the next day. Continuing through Greymouth, which was actually very gray and drizzling even thought their city tagline is "full of color," we found a

store called the Warehouse, which is similar to a Wal-Mart with a Costco look, and finally got the Lord of the Rings DVDs which I have still not seen. We figured since we've been passing so many filming locations (all noted on the map) that I should actually watch the movie!

Moving on to Hokutika, an old gold mining town on the water, we went out to Sunset Point to watch the sunset of course and to make some dinner. The beach was empty aside from a few fisherman, with big wind waves, and strewn with driftwood. We had decided to wait until dark so we would be able to go to the GlowWorm Grotto, a free dell where all of the glow worms light up after dusk. We had headlamps to walk the short trail up, and then we were surrounded by tiny blue lights on three sides. It looked almost as if someone had hung up light blue Christmas lights all over the walls. Some would move a bit, but they pretty much just stayed in place and lit up the walls of the cave.

It was worth the wait till dark to see them, but then we did have about a half hour drive down to a rest area where we stayed the night in Ferguson Bush Scenic Reserve.

100% Pure New Zealand

2009-11-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Today we woke to crystal clear blue skies up at the Farewell Spit . We had camped at the nature preserve entrance, so it was nice to walk out onto the deserted beach with coffee in hand and watch the sun on it's way up. The air was much warmer than expected and all of the birds were up and about chirping and squawking away. It was a beautiful site, and once again surprising to have miles of beach to ourselves.

After breakfast, we made our way back south to the town of Marahau, which is the gateway to the southern end of Abel Tasman National Park. We made it to Kuau Kayaks just in time for the safety briefing, which in hindsight, the fact that it took close to an hour should have raised some concern. We went through the drills for capsizing the boat, for deploying safety flares, what to do it you lose a paddle, what to do it you find yourself getting sucked out to Australia... and on and on. Finally, we hopped in the van with the kayak trailer and were taken to the launch area. The tides here have a 13-15 foot swing throughout the day, so even though it was flooded with water, they warned us that when we came back it would be a huge sandy beach.

We set out in our red double sea kayak, complete with a rudder, and paddled towards the National Park. This park has no roads for vehicles, so the only way to view the park is on foot (via the coastal track or smaller trails) or by boat. Kayaking was the perfect way to see the gorgeous shoreline of the park without having to do the 3-4 day hike through. We enjoyed ourselves, paddling around huge rocks sticking out of the water and looking down into the crystal clear aqua blue. We stopped at an empty beach (as most of them were) for a lunch break and went through a massive sea arch and saw a smaller cave.

Back in the kayak, we noticed the wind had increased steadily throughout the day and we were approaching the "Mad Mile" which is a treacherous, windy area to pass, with a very strong current. Right off shore from that point is Adele Island, known to have seals and native birds. We thought we would turn around and cross the 300-400 meter channel to get over to the island for a look. Turns out the channel was not the easy cakewalk we had predicted. The winds were easily 20 knots and the waves were crashing all around our little vessel. The paddles were getting caught up in the swells and it was hard to steer at all through the mess of water. We finally made it across to the island. At this point, being in the bow of the boat, and seeing the nose dunk way under the frigid water several times, I was having a complete meltdown, apparently claiming (I was told this later) that I was going to set off the flare from the island to get the water taxi to come and pick us up.

Somehow, Erich managed to talk me back into the boat and attempt to cross the windblown and current filled channel once again to get back to land. I couldn't say I was excited about the idea, but was without many options. The problem with capsizing in the channel is that you are so far from the beach, that it seemed you would just get sucked out to sea. Luckily, we never had to find out, as we zig-zagged our way back across the channel and made it to the other side. At that point it was still windy, but not nearly as threatening, and we arrived back at the beach in time for our 4pm pick-up.

Safely back in the van, we made our way as fast as possible south to Montueka to get to the garage and meet with the mechanic about fixing our inverter in the camper. We got there before he closed and he had gotten the part overnighted to him from the van company and was able to finish the replacement.

Still feeling a little dazed from our victory at sea, we headed only 15 kilometers south to a little reserve on the beach where we could stay the night. The larger town of Nelson is visible across the bay, but this area is quiet with only a handful of campers here with us. We finally had a moment to relax and play some cards and watch the sunset before we got settled in for the night.

ERICH SAYS:

As any good story of a day's events gets re-told there is bound to be two different versions when more than one person is involved. The day started out fairly well when Sara rousted me out of bed at the standard 630am she has been keeping our schedule on. Normally I am the first out of bed back home and find a hard time to sleep in much past 8am, but whatever reason this trip has me dragging and her coffee/chai tea making at 630am/ pulling open all the drapes to let the sunrise in keeps me from sleeping much longer. Somehow today I managed to sleep until 7 while Sara combed the beach in the bird reserve we had slept the night.

We quickly went about our morning routine, making toast, smothering it with creamed honey, then peanut butter, and then Nutella, or whatever random British turned Kiwi style food we can find being sold on the roadside while sipping the morning caffeine, Sara with Starbuck's of course, and me with some Chai green tea just for the heck of it since those Kiwi's love their "biscis" and "tea."

Anyway, the morning moved on and we departed camp back for Tanaka where we could call the Kayak rental company on the other side of Tanaka Hill (mountain for most of us). Luckily for us the rental place had another "saftey briefing" happening at 1030am so all we had to do was go back over the mountain and down to the other side of Abel Tasman National Park to begin our kayak journey.

Sara has recounted most of the basic pre-kayak events. Please realize both Sara and I have had fairly extensive kayak experience in the open ocean when living in Hawaii and back in San Diego. We even just this past Labor Day went out to the Channel Islands National Park and ocean paddled around Santa Cruz Island. Basically, we have dealt with a lot of different conditions of ocean paddling and being surfers, tend to understand the nuances of the ocean quite well.

So I kayak journey began like many others, watching a bunch of blundering tourists who have little to no experience in the ocean flail around trying to get there kayaks entered into the ocean without getting drenched. We pushed ourselves off and quickly went ahead of the small pack aiming for the far shoreline where many more interesting things were to be seen.

About mid-way during the initial paddle we noticed the wind starting to pick up a fair amount. This was in the forecast from the kayak rental guides so it seemed not that out of the ordinary and almost a positive as this would give us a wonderful downwind to speed our return back to the starting point.

The journey continued in and out of small protected coves with golden sand beaches, arches, caves, and amazing rock formations with tiny trees growing out of them. As we made each turn to the North around subsequent corners we began to get an increasing wind blast swirling off the mountain passes and funneling down the coast. It was somewhat alarming in the back of our minds, but considering the saftey briefing covering the nuances of how to release an emergency flare what was there really to worry about. Besides, Billy Bob from Kansas, or at least his European equivalent was out here chumming the waters so what was there to worry about.

As Sara mentioned, we ate a nice lunch on an aptly named beach called "Stillwater Bay." Still it was, because the second we turned the next corner the hurricane let loose. We pushed further in the lee of the shallow water along the very edge of the beach with the plan of turning south just before the "MAD MILE" since this was really the only area of concern according to the guides and maps we had in our kayak. The plan (or my plan anyway since I was controlling the steering) was to point downwind with the waves and growing surf and quickly sail out to the Seal laden island reserve that sits so majestically just out of reach off shore. All was going to plan until we hit about mid channel and the "MAD MILE" found a way to send the full fetch of its waves into the small needle threading inlet. The direction of the wind could not have been more perfect to produce a 4' seas in what was just flat and calm open water only an hour before.

The problem with the safety briefing was the amount of time they spent explaining to people how to right the kayak once they turned upside down in in the freezing cold water, but don't worry, no one ever tips these things. Now considering the current conditions of disappearing between swells in the perfect storm that developed over sunny Abel Tasman National Park we found ourselves in the middle of the channel fight a hellacious stern current an overtaking waves. I found it quite exhilarating while Sara seem ready to light the flare off and any given moment. We did manage to beach ourselves on the island where Sara was out of the kayak before the bow even hit the sand. It only took about 20 minutes of convincing her that if we paddle really fast the seas will never be able to catch us. I figured King Neptune still owed me one so what did we have to lose. Of course this was quite the reasoning I gave Sara and mostly only pointed to the European version of Billy Bob floating forlorningly toward Australia but somehow seemingingly not realizing in what a dire situation the really were in. The amazing part is that if this was America, Uncle Sam would have long ago launched the Coast Guard helos for rescue and an army of lawyers would be standing on the beach waiting to sue for each and every one of us.

Off the island beach we went, but smartly pointing the bow into the waves (and Sara thought of this, thank you 14 years of Merchant Marine and Navy experience) so although we were paddling North into the wind, the wind was so strong it was actually blowing us backwards towards home. A few bow waves over the starboard beam aside and my arm and Sara's entire being including her ego being soaked, we made it to the other-side where Euro Billy Bob was sunning enjoying the calmness that was on the beach.

Back at base-camp the guide ask how the trip was, we told him just perfect aside from a bit of wind, and the fatal mistake of pushing out towards the island through the channel, and I said this fully expecting them to agree of how surprisingly rough today actually was. Sadly for my ego, apparently the Kiwis found this to be a rather normal day and losing a couple kayaks was no big deal as long as it was all done in fun, huh, mate! Now I know why Zorbing rolling down a sheep filled hill inside a large plastic ball) is considered to be an acceptable adventure sport in this country considering the risks these guys don't mind taking when dropping a few dozen clueless tourists out into the unsuspectingly ruthless offshore waters of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Even for two very well seasoned ocean athletes.

Abel Tasman National Park Area

2009-11-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up to overcast skies, but no rain so we hiked into the Pu Pu Springs after breakfast. The trails were immaculate raised boardwalks with chicken wire nailed to the surface to keep it from getting slick. The paths wandered around a new growth forest and then into an old growth area, while seeing the various springs along the way. The Pu Pu Spring itself is one of the largest in the world, and by far the clearest according to the signage. It pumps up enough water to fill 4 bathtubs every second, which is 14,000 liters. It's massive and fills the entire river. The other smaller springs contribute as well, but nothing as major.

By the time we made our way over to Abel Tasman National Park, the rain had started to pour so we only got in a quick stop to the Abel Tasman Memorial. He is credited with discovering New Zealand (even though the Maori were there and killed four of his men) as a sailor with the East Indies Trading Co. from the Netherlands. The memorial was in a gorgeous spot, perched precariously up on a cliff looking out over Golden Bay.

We figured with the rain it would be a good time to get some laundry done at the local Holiday Park campground. There was a cute cafe nearby in the town of Pohara called Totally Roasted where we went for lunch. Erich got the biggest burger either of us had ever seen, and I loved the pumpkin soup. It was a great spot to sit outside and relax.

Once we had finished, the sun was peeking through the clouds and the rain had stopped. We drove into the edge of the park where we started our hike out to Taupo Point. The trail follows the beach along huge green mountainsides, and can only be done at low tide. The tide swings here are so dramatic that 20 ft sailboats will be laying on their side in completely dry sand one hour, and floating in deep water later on that day. When we did the hike, the tide was low, so we could walk right along the rocky water's edge out to the point. The granite formations were neat along the beach and the water was crystal clear blue. However, when we put our feet in at the end of the hike, it was painfully cold despite the fact that the sun was out in full and making the hike very warm.

Back out towards Pohara, we stopped at a local bar for a MAC'S beer which we now love. We picked up some "Great White" at the grocery a few days ago and it was so good. It is brewed in Wellington, and we couldn't pass up trying one of the other brews on tap. The bartender at the little holiday town cafe looked like he had just come straight off the rugby field and we laughed at how excited he was to be pouring us a beer.

At that point we still had a little time left before sunset and decided to wing it and drive up and out towards the sand spit of Farewell Point which curves up and around the northern side of the South Island. Originally we had planned on saving this part of the trip for the next day if time permitted, but after studying the map it seemed like we could make it quite easily before sunset. The area along the drive quickly became much less populated except for horses and tractors in the roadway, and we enjoyed the drive over the scores of rivers and along the coast. We arrived at Wharariki beach in time to do the short hike across the sheep grazing fields down the wind swept sand dunes out to see the small islands along the coastline of the South Island's northwest farthest corner, just offshore with arches and sea caves dotting their faces. The beach was pristine and although very windy, it was spectacular. The sand dunes leading down to the beach were massive windswept hills. Today's high wind demonstrated how they were formed as the sand around our feet was floating about like an angry sea. Each footstep just formed would instantly disappear by thousands of fresh sand grains filling into the freshly former depression. Supposedly the sand spit that stretches on to the North from Wharariki beach continues to grow farther and farther out into the sea as sand marches eastward along the South Island's West Coast.

We drove the short distance across the spit to an open park area right on the waters of Golden Bay. This area is a huge preserve of sand dunes and deserted beaches for wading birds of all kinds. When we saw the end of sunset here, there were dozens of different bird calls and the full moon rising over the point.

Wellington to Takaka (South Island)

2009-11-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

Today was a big long travel day to get us and the enormous van down to the south island. We woke up early in our pathetic camp (which was just a parking lot) and drove to the ferry station in Wellington. The ferry was huge, with ten levels to choose from. We sat up top on the sun deck since it was such a nice day and we had a great view. The ferry takes about three hours to cross the Cook Straight between the North and South islands and has amazing scenery along the way. Once the ferry gets closer to Picton, it enters the Marlborough Sound which is made up of drown river valleys and only the mountain tops remain above sea level. The ferry twists and turns through narrow straights making it's way to the little town of Picton.

From the ferry we could see the 9th oldest sailing vessel built in the world, housed under the roof of the maritime museum on the water. We turned out of the ferry terminal up the steep and windy Queen Charlotte Road which wound along the Marlbourough Sound offering fabulous views of turquoise waters and green mountain sides. We stopped for lunch at one of the lookouts along the way and took in the scenery.

Continuing on through the town of Nelson, we stopped at Seifried Vineyards for a wine tasting. This vineyard happened to be the largest and oldest in an area famous for it's white wines. Everything was delicious, and we enjoyed our little rest stop.

Onward to Abel Tasman National Park on the west coast, we noticed a lot more camper vans and quickly realized the South Island was not the deserted icy wonderland we'd expected. It was sunny and relatively warm, with campers driving around looking for a spot to themselves. After a long search, we ended up just north of the town of Takaka, which we liked very much, at the Pu Pu Springs trailhead.

The South Island is stunning with the huge mountain peaks and so many national parks. Once we get further away from the northern areas, it seems like it will become more remote.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

Today we woke up to a clear beautiful day on the beach where we slept, at the end of Ahu Ahu Road. The surf had come down a bit to a more manageable size and was clean and glassy. There were some intimidating rocks strewn about the line-up, but there was a nice spot with nothing but a fun left peeling through. We expected a big Saturday morning surf rush, but it was just us and one other guy at that peak, although up the beach a ways there were about three guys out. The water was blue and inviting, but even with my warmest wetsuit and booties on, it was chilly. It felt like a San Diego sunny winter day out in the water, and we surfed until the tide got too high.

Back in the van for a hot shower (nice!) we packed up and headed inland to Taranaki National Park, but this time going in on a different side of the mountain. We drove through the cute town of Stratford where we stopped and had lunch at a little cafe. You'd think the food here would be pretty much the same, but I've only seen a few brands I've recognized and the rest seems extremely European. They love pumpkin everything (which was great for Halloween today as we are a day later than the US) along with Kumara which is like a sweet potato. Curries and fish 'n chips are everywhere, as to be expected from the Brits.

After lunch we drove up the windy road to Dawson Falls Visitor Center. Located in the midst of an enchanted looking forest, we got a map and started out on our hike. We walked through the mossy wonderland to reach Wilkies Pools which were sculpted by running water over the lava rock. The series of pools and falls were gorgeous with the volcano looming over us in the background. We continued our loop up a ridge trail and linked up with the Dawson Falls Track. We passed a dozen smaller waterfalls on the way, one that ran entirely through the trail, and eventually came up to the 60 ft Dawson Falls. Even though it was Saturday and again we expected crowds at one of the top sights in the National Park, we had the entire falls to ourselves for a little break.

On the way out, the mud was so deep in some spots it came up over my gortex hiking shoes (which I am SO glad I have on this trip!) and filled them with mud. All of the snow is starting to melt off the top of the peak and saturate the trails along the bottom. The temperature has been pretty nice over on this side of the island, in general. Not as warm as what we are used to in San Diego, but comfortable anyway. As we move on down to the South Island (where there are Penguins!) I know I will be freezing and am enjoying the warmth while we have it.

A four and a half hour drive put us way down in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand where we will take the ferry across tomorrow. Driving through the small towns to get here, and at the grocery store this evening, we've seen loads of people in costumes and out trick-or-treating. I didn't think the holiday would even be acknowledged here, but I guess it's a big party night.

Welllington is obviously very urban and I can't say I'm excited about sleeping in the parking lot near the ferry station since our boat leaves so early in the morning. It is the first night we have not had a fabulous panoramic view to ourselves, but it will be nice to get on the South Island before it's too late in the day tomorrow.

Mt Taranaki Area

2009-10-30T15:53:00.001-07:00

After the drive of several hours yesterday, we were happy to have the entire day to explore the Taranaki Area on the west coast of North Island. The massive snow-capped volcano is visable from most of the encompassing circular road. We woke up at the beach and headed out early to check some local surf spots. Kumera Patch was a first choice, but wasn't really breaking right and was totally deserted.

We continued on down the Surf Highway 45 to Stent Road, which is famous for the point break at the end. We arrived to a completely empty parking area and not a soul in the water. It looked pretty big, and after six other locals pulled up and drove on, we knew we probably shouldn't chance the paddle out. Continuing south for 10 minutes further, we turned off to visit the Egmont Lighthouse at the end of the road. While the lighthouse was cool, the real highlight was that a couple of surfers were tow-in surfing (when you use a jet-ski to get into really big waves) at the end of the road, and only then could we tell how massive the waves were out there. No wonder no one wanted to get in the water at the other spots. Without the scale of a person, we had no idea the waves were triple-overhead.

With the surfing idea ruled out, we went on to Egmont National Park which contains Mt Taranaki. The drive in wove up and up a narrow mountain road until we reached the North Egmont Visitors Center. It took awhile to decide on a trail as they do not give you any of the hiking distance information. You simply get the amount of time it would take an average person to walk that particular track, or trail. We thought the four hour Maketawa Hut loop sounded like the best option and packed up all our gear and headed out.

The trail crossed over many small wooden bridges and entered a world where you expected to see fairies and elves and goblins around every twist and turn of the track. It looked like it should be a tropical rainforest with moss and lichen dangling off of every limb, but there was actually still snow on the ground in most places, and it was pretty chilly. So chilly you could see your breath. As we hiked up and up through the Dr Seuss landscape of strange plants, we rose above the treeline and saw Mt Tranaki towering in front of us, it's peak misted with clouds. We hiked on to the Maketawa Hut which sleeps 16 people, had four rooms, a huge fireplace, sink and toilet for backpackers. Up the ridgeline we climbed, with less trees and more snow with every step. At the end of our hike we reached the summit track which looked very long and steep all the way up to the 8,512 ft summit, and turned to finish the loop trail back down to the camper.

After a beautiful hike, we headed for Fitzroy beach to check the surf once again. Erich ended up going out in the cold bombing surf, while I enjoyed the sun and watched people get long barrels from the sand. We drove south of town and found a spot to park for the night at the end of Ahu Ahu Road, right on a stream and the black volcanic sand beach.

Plan B (or C?) West to Mount Taranaki

2009-10-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Through the night we woke up to crazy winds and pelting rain storms, but by the time the sun came up, the sky had cleared and the lake was glassy as our campsite was hidden behind a point protecting us from the wind. We headed south into the town of Turangi with the plan of getting a fly fishing guide and trying to learn since it is widely known as the fly fishing capital of the world. Once we reached town we found an i-site, which are stops around New Zealand full of maps and information. The guides were reasonable and taught complete novices, but when we went to book the three hours, we were told by the guide that it was unfortunately too windy for fly fishing. I know nothing about fly fishing but was surprised to hear that this was a glassy water sport.

Our next idea was to hike what is commonly called New Zealand's best one day tramp (or hike as we say) in the National Park of Tongariro which hikes over the saddle of volcanoes and craters to reach a huge vista. The drastic weather once again foiled our plan and we were let down to hear that it was SNOWING (ugh) and unsuitable for any hiking until at least two days from now when the weather was expected to clear.

Our next plan was to drive west to the area of New Zealand's second largest volcano, Mt Taranaki, and escape the windy cold area of Lake Taupo and the Tongariro National Park where we had been. We decided to take the scenic route called "Forgotten World Highway" and it certainly lived up to it's name. It was truly a gorgeous scenic drive of green hillsides and river valleys, allowing us to see more sheep in a day than we have seen in our entire lives 100 times over. The sheep had just had their lambs in September, so it was actually very cute to see all the babies running around the bright green landscape. We stopped to hike out to Mt Damper falls, which at 85 meters is the highest waterfall on the North Island of NZ. It was cool to see the water cascading down the amphitheater of rock into the river gorge below. Yet again, an amazing sight with nearly no one around for miles.

After passing through the tiny slit of Moki tunnel on the "Forgotten Highway," and passing about 10 million more sheep, we made it to New Plymouth just past Mt. Taranaki. The town was cute and we went straight to the local Fitzroy beach to see some massive surf rolling in from the south. It was just before sunset, so we continued south to find a spot to sleep. Avoiding campgrounds and RV parks (or 'holiday parks' as they say) like the plague, we finally settled on a quiet strip of grass along the beach in Tataraimaka Historical Preserve. The van is once again right up against the rocky beach and waves, although the surf is messy and huge, we have a perfect view out the window over the ocean.

Rotorua to Taupo

2009-10-28T13:54:00.001-07:00

After waking up on the North Shore of Lake Roturua and making some coffee, we got the van packed up and headed south along the East coast of the lake. The road twisted and turned around the shore of the water until we reached the artist studio and home of Jeanette Blackburn. Our Kiwi camping neighbors had told us about her work and we decided to stop by. Their house is on a quiet street outside of downtown Rotorua with a massive flawless garden and the cutest little Coco-like poodle running around. Her work was pretty amazing and she was extremely friendly and welcoming into her home. Had we brought some money to burn I definitely would have bought a painting, one of which was commissioned for a New Zealand postage stamp and another went the Queen. She did not specify which Queen she was referring to, but it sounded important.

We drove on into the town of Rotorua which I cannot say that I loved. It smelled entirely like rotten eggs from all of the sulphur and hot springs, and I was not overly anxious to sit in a hot tub full of the stinky hot water. It is said the waters cure joint pains like arthritis, and smooth and clarify the skin, but I was skeptical. It reminded me of my dad's story about how in the old days people drank radioactive water thinking it would cure them of all ailments. However, we did really enjoy touring the Government Gardens, with a croquet match going on, and seeing some of the bathhouses from the early 1900s.

Ready to get out of the town, we drove south to Wai-O-Tapu which is called a "thermal wonderland." This region is full of geysers and springs and boiling lakes and bubbling mud-pools and this spot seemed to have it all. We saw sulphur caves, boiling craters, neon lime green lakes, and the champagne pool which is colorful, steaming and bubbling. Of course everything reeked of toxic gases, but the 90 minute walk around the area was amazing.

On to the south, we came to Lake Taupo which is enormous and surrounded by huge mountain peaks, some still with snow. The town was cute and friendly with little water front cafes and bars. We drove down the Eastern side of the lake until we found a nice place to camp, right on the water with another group of black swans hanging around the van. We got a quick hike in up to a viewpoint and headed back to the water's edge for sunset. The tires of he camper are only a feet from the water's edge with no one else around.

Sailor's Grave to Rotorua

2009-10-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a little shower followed by gorgeous clear sunny skies at the beach called Sailor's Grave. The waves were too small to surf, so we ended up hiking up a little perfectly maintained trail to a lookout over the beach and the neighboring Otara Bay. The forest was wet and lush with lots of Kauri trees and Fern trees and felt like a pre-historic place. We didn't see a single person on the entire hike. After returning to the beach, we walked south along the gorgeous coast, with islands offshore and tiny little peeling waves on the inside. The water is crystal clear and turquoise, but once you put your feet in, it is very actually very cold.

After our walk and breakfast, we got back in the van to check out Hot Water Beach where you can dig in the sand to make your own hot tub. The water under the sand when the tide is low is extremely warm. Being without a shovel, we checked out the small surf and continued on south to the cute surf town of Whangamata. Again the water was crystal clear and aqua blue, but unfortunately there were no surfable waves coming into the bay. We had a nice walk around the beach and the tiny town, visited some of the local surf shops, and continued the drive south.

The drives have mostly been picturesque rolling green hills dotted with cows and sheep and pigs and the occasional farmhouse. The country up here almost feels as if you combined the tropical vegetation and turquoise waters of Hawaii with the rolling farms and cool temperatures of Ireland. And everywhere there are very few people so you really feel as if you have the place to yourself.

After a windy drive down a gorge road, we got into Rotorua in the late afternoon. The lake is big and windy but beautiful. It smells a bit like sulfur and minerals from all of the geothermal activity going on around here. We found a perfect camping spot right on the water of north shore of the lake, and set out for a walk before dark.

We met some local Kiwis who were full of tips and suggestions on places to go and what to see, and told us about the Hamurana Springs walk that we should really check out. It was an unbelievable stroll though a massive grove of redwood trees that would rival anything up in Northern California, along a rolling river with black swans with red beaks floating around. The river had some spots in it which were neon-blue where the sand was exposed on the bottom, while some areas had seaweed type plants and giant trout swimming. When we made up to the end of the trail, you could see where the river started coming out of the ground. The spring pumps out 1,000,000 gallons of water an hour and creates the entire river. When you looked down into the massive hole, you couldn't see the bottom, just blue water pumping up out of the bottom, 50 feet down in the ground.

We cooked up some curry in the camper and crashed out with the lake waves putting us right to sleep.

New Zealand is Beautiful!

2009-10-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

We've finally made it to NZ after a surprisingly nice flight on Quantas. We're getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road, Erich is actually doing really well! We only drove on the wrong side once :) but people are so nice they didn't really seem to mind.

Last night we parked and slept at this gorgeous deserted pristine beach and could hear the waves all night. Too bad the swell was too small to surf since there were four breaks right there. Turns out the spot was called Sailor's Grave, which maybe would have been intimidating if we had known that last night, but it worked out okay! There was a grave right across the stream from where we slept so no wonder we had the place entirely to ourselves.

My wi-fi is almost timed out, but we hope to upload some pics soon!

Welcome to Boston

2009-10-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

Well, Mochi and Coco we tried to keep you guys in sunny SoCal by the beach, but too bad for you, you're getting shipped to Abu dabi, oh, I meant Boston. For two miserable, cold, frosty months, you get to hang out inside with grammy and grampy and poor old Indy. Hopefully you will get walked and fed and pet at some point while we're away. We'll be on our trip, driving around the countryside in our camper van, exploring first New Zealand and then Australia. But we promise to update this blog so you can see what you're missing!