New Zealand: Part IV

Last post on New Zealand! Click on part 1, part 2 and part 3 to see my previous posts.

Five Signs You Don't Want to Leave New Zealand:

1. You contemplate purposefully missing your connecting flight and believe you can figure it out later.
2. You feel sad when the amount of time left in your trip is less than the amount of time passed.
3. You research temporary working visa options to extend your stay.
4. You spend your free time practising the Kiwi accent.



5. You stop at every real estate office to look at the listings posted in the window.

After Franz Josef, we took a short detour to Lake Matheson.



The views during this 5 km hike have got to be some of the most beautiful in the world. When the water is calm, you just can't beat the reflection of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in the lake.



Plus, the view along the path can be quite nice too. This mushroom reminded me of something out of Alice in Wonderland.




Our next destination, Wanaka, was added on to our trip at the recommendation of other travellers. Wanaka has similar views to Queenstown, but is much lower key...at least outside of ski season.

The YHA Wanaka was a great place to unwind. One of the nicest shared spaces and a well-stocked, clean kitchen. They have a nightly movie, making it a great spot to watch the Royal Wedding live.

On the first night our arrival, we visited Relishes Cafe. The place has a really nice vibe, with a large stone fireplace and simplistic decor.

For starter, we order the Warm goats cheese and sweet garlic fondue with char-grilled ciabatta, Kalamata olive and sundried tomato tapenade. Aside from running out of bread before running out of fondue and tepenade, the dish tasted good.

For the main, I order Prawns Fra Diavolo, chilli marinated prawns tossed with a garlic tomato sauce over steamed broccoli and spaghetti. Broccoli probably wouldn't be my first choice of vegetable to put with the dish. But, I was particularly impressed with the generous portion of shrimp. So often, I find restaurants skimp on shrimp. I think I counted 12 large shrimp.

R got a lamb dish. He really enjoyed the lamb and sauce, but was less enthusiastic about the rice pilaf.

The service was mixed. I felt like the server was annoyed with us. It started when we walked in and waited at the door for someone to seat us. When no one noticed us (the restaurant was practically empty), we figured we should just seat ourselves. Then, we were told that we couldn't sit at the table we had sat at because the spot was reserved and that we could only sit at a table with shared seating. All of that would be fine, but I would rather be told that before sitting down (or if that's not possible, put a reserved sign on the table).  It kind of felt like a punishment to be sent to be removed from the tables at the front to the shared tables at the back, when it really doesn't have to be.

The online reviews are mainly positive, so maybe it was just an one-off situation.

Although the air starts to get a bit chillier the further south you go. We had beautiful weather throughout our trip. We decided to take advantage of the weather by walking to and hiking up Mt. Iron. There are other, longer hikes in the area (if you're looking for a full day or multi-day hike.  Mt. Iron provides nice views of Wanaka, the lakes and mountains as you ascend.



The view is so beautiful, photos just don't do it justice.

As an added bonus, the mountain is right by Puzzling World, which would be fun for kids or for adults who don't feel discouraged by their inability to solve any puzzles.



Do you ever have a moment that is so perfect that you feel compelled to remember every detail? Sitting by Lake Wanaka with the warm sun would have to be one of those moments.



The next day, we left for the nearby Queenstown. Everyone who has been to New Zealand speaks highly of Queenstown. Between the beautiful scenery, nightlife, restaurants, extreme sports and winter skiing, many travellers spend a good deal of time there.

R decided that he couldn't go to NZ without risking his life in some way. For me, driving on the left side of the road was enough. But, R decided to take bungee to a new level with the Canyon Swing. The swing starts on a platform on the edge of a cliff 109m/360ft above the Shotover River. Each jumper picks a jump style and rather than a traditional up and down bungee, the harness is connected to the centre of the canyon, resulting in a swing at the end of the drop.



Check out the  multimedia video I took, below.  R is the first jumper in the video. For some crazy reason, R really felt that hanging upside down while waiting for someone else to release the cord would be the least scary. Keep an eye out for the small swinging figures that appear at the bottom of the canyon.



It was quite amusing to watch people after their jumps. You can see them just shaking from the adrenaline. One guy, apparently thinking ahead, brought a litre of milk with him to drink after his jump. Poor guy, the employees toyed with him for 2 minutes as he waited for them to let go of the strap preventing the chair he was in from tumbling backwards. Yeah - that sounds weird -- he was waiting to fall backwards in a chair.

The next day, we took a daytrip to Milford Sound. Located in Fjordland National Park, a 3 hour cruise will take you through the sound with views of spectacular fjords and waterfalls.

We had the option to drive our own rental vehicle, but opted to take a coach there. Really glad we went that route too because some of the roads can be a bit intimidating and it would be pretty exhausting to drive the distance (about 3 hours each way) in one day. Another option would be to fly to the sound or depart by vehicle from Te Anau, which is about half way between Queenstown and Milford Sound.

Again, we had beautiful weather, which is not the norm. It was so clear that we even had a good view of Mitre Peak, which is often hidden by clouds and fog.

What you don't see in this picture is the sandflies that are relentless at Milford Sound, as you wait for the boat to depart. They are particularly attracted to dark colours, so bring bug spray and light coloured clothing.

Here's a map of our route on the last leg of the trip:


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Last step was a quick flight with Jetstar, from Queenstown to Auckland. We were very glad that we had booked this flight because the drive back would be around 20 hours and the gas would be more expensive than the flight. This is an important note -- gas is very expensive in New Zealand....around $2.20NZ/litre. After conversion, that's about $1.80CDN/litre, a good 50-60 cents more per litre than prices at home.  It adds up.

Next up....Australia!

New Zealand: Part III

Time for part 3 of my trip report. Click on part 1 and part 2 to read about earlier parts of our trip to New Zealand.

Last post left off in the central-east region of the North Island, Hawke's Bay. We departed the Hawke's Bay area early in the morning to catch the Interisland Ferry to the South Island. It was cheaper to book the ferry through our car rental company and there are many ways to get a reduced price, so I'd suggest looking around for discounts rather than booking for full price.

We were a bit panicked as we neared Wellington, knowing that we had a good 30 minutes of driving to get to the ferry when we were supposed to be there in 10 minutes in order to be one hour in advance, as instructed. Picture me freaking out as we're heading through the foggy mountains you must pass to head south to Wellington.

Of course, in true New Zealander style, the gate agent you must pass in order to load the boat didn't seem at all phased by our tardiness.



After the ferry, it was a quick drive to our hostel, Sequoia Lodge in Picton. Good thing too because it was getting dark and their free chocolate pudding with ice cream should not be missed.

If I had to make any modifications to our itinerary (other than extend it all together), I would change this next part of the trip. After a full day of travel to Picton (keep in mind that we were travelling in the fall and it gets dark around 5:30-6:00pm), we left early the next day for Nelson (2.5 hour drive). We dropped off our stuff at the next hostel, Tasman Bay Backpackers (a sister hostel to Sequoia Lodge) and drove on to Marahou, next to Abel Tasman, a well-known national park.

People often go to Abel Tasman to canoe, hike or camp (among other activities). Our main goal was to go canoeing. But, by the time we got to Marahou, our options were pretty limited since companies renting canoes also require a 1 hour safety lesson. So, we were limited to a short hike and lengthy boat ride.


This is the Split Apple Rock, the most photographed site in Abel Tasman.


What we should have done was spend as least 2 nights in Nelson, so that we could get to Marahou early in the morning to take advantage of the canoe + hiking options available. Or, if you have the equipment, camping would be nice too.


All in all, I thought Abel Tasman was nice, but, quite similar in appearance to what you'd find in Canada.






The next day was another travel day (about 7 hours to Franz Josef). We stopped in Hokitika for meat pie and to look at jade. Don't quote me on this, but I think the restaurant was called Clocktower Cafe. R got a venison pie and I got beef.

After a brief stop, we continued on to Franz Josef, located in the central-west part of the island. This area is known for glaciers -- there are two: Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier.

Both Franz Josef and the nearby (30 minute drive) Fox are fairly similar and we debated which one is better. Franz Josef is steeper and probably the more crowded of the two. I think our decision came down to accommodation. The YHA in Franz Josef seemed nice and had space.

Next decision (just ask Giz how torturous it can be to wait for R or I to make a decision)... how we were going to see the glacier? Half day hike, full day hike, helihike, longer helicopter tour? (Did I mention that my new favourite expression is : "First-world problem")

We decided to take a Helihike with Franz Josef Glacier Guides. This entails a helicopter ride up the glacier followed by a hike around the glacier.


The pictures just don't do it justice. Despite large amounts of rain (2-3 metres/ year) being common to this region, we had beautiful weather for our hike.





After a quick lesson about how to put on clampons, we spent the next couple of hours walking around, being careful to follow in the footsteps of our guide.



Here is the guide, soaking wet, after proving that he could squeeze through a crevasse (the other guide had to come and help pull him out). Apparently, as long as you don't freak out, exhale to reduce your chest circumference and let your body heat melt the ice, you can get through tight holes in the ice. Yeah...I'll take his word for it.





Here's some video footage of our helihike:



Here is a map of the route:


View Larger Map

New Zealand: Part II

We're back in Canada. Now that I'm adjusted to the time difference, the trip is starting to feel like a distant memory, so I better get on with posting about it.

If you haven't read my first post about New Zealand, fill your boots.

After leaving Rotorua, we took a brief detour into Taupo, home of the largest lake in New Zealand.


Taupo has similar geothermal activity to Rotorua and is a popular tourist location. That little dot amidst the falls is a jetboat that will make quick twists and turns around the falls, a popular extreme activity in New Zealand.

After the detour, we drove to the Hawke's Bay area. This area wasn't originally on our list, but advice from a friend convinced me to add it to our route. The region is one of ten wine regions in New Zealand.



We stayed at Paradise Palms B&B, which is owned by lovely hosts, Geoff and Marion. The rooms are simple (and the price reflects that), but the common space is nice and the continental breakfasts were better than I expected (with a variety of cereal, fruit, yogurt, jams, etc.). During their continental breakfasts, we were introduced to feijoas, a fruit that can be found all over New Zealand. To me, it tasted like a more acidic kiwi, but the flavour can vary depending on its ripeness. Marion makes a great preserved feijoas and vanilla.


The day after arriving, we grabbed a winery map and made as much of a dent as possible. We started at Black Barn Vinyards.


Their estate was so lovely, I really regretted not making a reservation for lunch in their Bistro. Tip: Make reservations in advance if you're there on a long weekend or during the summer.


Our next stop was the nearby Te Mata winery. There, we found this sign for Sustainable Winegrowing NZ, an organization that promotes sustainable winegrowing in NZ.




Just down the road, we caught sight of Te Mata Cheese Company. Everything looked up and running and their trees were full of fruit, but a sign on the door indicated that they were forced to close their doors just a couple of days earlier.




It was actually pretty sad to see all of the ripe fruit and a sign on the door insinuating they left with little notice and were not happy about it.

After contemplating picking a bunch of fruit from their tree (I didn't), we continued on to a nearby winery, Craggy Range.


They charge for a flight of wine, but will deduct that cost if you choose to buy a bottle. Since R was driving, the 6 (or was it 7) "healthy" tasting glasses pretty much assured that I was drunk before noon.


You only live once, right?

We continued on to Abbey Cellars, which was a personal favourite. We bought a bottle of their Malbec, which, at $32, is more than what we usually spend on wine. But it was soooo good. It's the only bottle that we bought that we've saved and brought home with us. Knowing my tendency to hoard items that I really like, to avoid the sadness associated with the items being gone, it'll likely spend quite a while on our wine rack before I find an occasion worthy of it.



Next, we went to Alpha Domus. R really liked the more rustic, unpretentiousness of this place.





Here's a picture of one of the things I love about New Zealand, sheep in the grapevines. Of course, it's really challenging to get a picture of anything except for sheep butt (once they see you, they bolt).


By the time we had visited all of the above locations, along with a trip to the lovely food and wine room at Seleni, we were really on a mission to find food.

We were really sad to see that the Chook and Filly was closed. Still disappointed about that, the menu looks good.

Next, we tried Mission Estate, the first winery built in Hawke's Bay. But, by this point I was over-hungry and hungover and didn't think it would be worth paying for such a fancy meal. Their grounds are lovely, though. It would be very cool to attend one of the concerts held on their grounds. Check out this link, for a list of the major recording artists that have performed here.


In the end, we decided to go back to the port at Napier for lunch at the Thirsty Whale.

We spent the rest of the day, walking along the port and by the beach area before recuperating back at the B&B.





With a bit of a heavy heart to be leaving the region, we departed early the next morning to make the four hour drive to the Interisland Ferry.

South Island, here we come...


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