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Travel Journal New Zealand 1998: Itinerary
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(The pictures on this page are set up as thumbnails. Please click on them to enlarge)
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More interesting links of New Zealand (other links than stated underneath!) |
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After quiet some preparations we headed for our holidays in New Zealand. More than 5 weeks altogether as we had to take into account that the flying to and from would at least take 4 days. Week 1: 3 oktober - 9 oktober 3 oktober - 6 oktober: The Netherlands - Hong Kong - Auckland As the flight normally would extend the 24 hours we decided to have a stopover in Hong Kong (see for more information about Hong Kong our travel journey of China). 7 oktober: Auckland Auckland is our first acquaintance with New Zealand. First we did the "historical walking tour" of Auckland. Along the route you will see the oldest buildings (mostly churches) of Auckland. We did a bypass to the Skytower, the highest tower of New Zealand. It has a tremendous view over Auckland so do not miss it. If you go early (we were already at 08.30 hours at the entrance) it is still rather quiet and there is no que. In the afternoon we took the bus to Kelly Tarlton’s underwater world. Here you can watch how life must have been in the artic a few hundreds of years ago. A "snowmobile" you will even take you along real pinquins. Also this tourist attraction hosts an underwater world where you can see sealife as it should be underneath the surface. We had great expectations about this in guides mentioned "must see" attraction, but came out rather disappointed. We would rather see those pinquins in a more natural environment. The underwater world was nice though. Parnell Village was our last target for today. It is an area full with wooden shops which are all in handicraft. A nice place just for strolling around. |
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8 oktober: Auckland – Rotorua Today we picked up our campervan at United Campers and drove off. And that isn’t easy as you suddenly have to drive on the left hand side. But we managed and arrived tired at our first stop, Rotorua. 9 oktober: Rotorua We woke up early (as usual the last few days because of the jetlag) and where at 08.00 hrs sharp at the entrance of Whakarewarewa Thermal Zone. See the Pohuto geiser erupt and watch the mudpools. And keep your nose tight! From this Thermal zone we went to the nearby Waiotapu Thermal Zone. Although the name gives the impression that it is somewhat alike Whakarewarewa Thermal Zone we can assure you that it looks completely different. It has many many pools – even huge ones - with the most ackward colours (yellow, red, green, blue etc.). It gave us a mystical feeling just to walk there. A MUST to see this park. (Top of page) |
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Week 2: 10 oktober - 17 oktober 10 oktober: Rotorua – Tongariro National Park It was raining cats and dogs when we got up this morning. Our target today is Tongariro National Park, but first we went to see Waimangu Volcanic Valley, which is along the route. A one-way walk of about 1,5 hours through an amazing place. Everywhere you look, you will see volcanic lakes and pools. Watch the amazing color of the Inferno crater. Finally you will end up at lake Rotomahana, which originate from an eruption of the Tarawera Vulcan in 1886. A small boat will take you around the lake and finally a bus will take you back to the entrance of the park where you started your walking tour.
We also stopped at the Huka Falls in Taupo. Just for a quick stop to stretch our legs. Not really worth a longer stay. We arrived late in the afternoon at Tongariro National Park. It was still raining and we were not able to see any of the three vulcano’s. 11 oktober: Tongariro National Park - Castlepoint It rained the whole night and the weather forecast for this area predicted more rain (and even snow) to come for the next few days. We decided not to stay here (we had planned two days here to do the Tongariro crossing which is hike of about 10 hrs) as due to the heavy rain we were not able to see a thing. We just picked a place on the map and drove off with our camper. It took us a whole day driving to arrive finally at Castlepoint. A tiny village at the east coast of the Northern Island. A real tourist spot in the weekend if and when the sunny is shining. Now it was deserted and we were alone on the campground. From our camper window we had a magnificent view over the beach, ocean and the lighthouse. |
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| 12 oktober: Castlepoint It is storming right now and we watch the huge breakers and seabirds from within the camper where it is cosy and warm. Around 11.00 hrs it lightens up and we go for a walk. A small path along the top of the hills brings us to Castle Rock. This rock can be climbed and must have a great view over the ocean and its surroundings but it was too slippery and therefore too dangerous to do so. The sun came out and within minutes it was hot. It took us a few minutes to get ride of all the layers of clothing we wore. Late in the afternoon we returned to our camper. As there was no shop in town (only a campshop which was rather empty during this off-season) and our fridge was almost empty as well, we had to do with eggs and bread as diner. The sunset tonight was really amazing. 13 oktober: Castlepoint - Wellington Today started off with sunshine but very soon it changed to heavy rainfalls and windgusts. We headed today for Wellington and stopped at Mt. Bruce National Wildlife Centre, dedicated to survival of endangered birds of New Zealand. Unfortunately it rained that heavy that we were already drenched after 5 minutes. The birds were more clever than us and hided in their shelters. Lets move on to Wellington we said and off we went, but that turned out to be a rather frightening event. To enter Wellington the way we did, we had to drive over a pass. It was a very winding narrow road up the mountain and the windgusts had free play there. Our camper (only made of board) catched a lot of wind and just made it to the top We nearly went backwards due to the hard wind on top of the mountain. Later we found out at that it was the heaviest storm in 3 years and that that specific road had been closed just minutes after us as it was too dangerous to drive. So before driving this road please listen to the weather conditions. We had listen to it, but did not know that road was that tricky. You do know now. Somehow we made it to our campground in Lower Hutt (12 km from the centre of Wellington). 14 oktober: Wellington It is a miracle: the sun is shining ! (and kept on shining the whole day) We take the bus to Wellington (no use to drive with a camper in Wellington) and get off at the Cablecar attraction. We hop on the cablecar, which will take us to the top of the hill which offers a fantastic view over Wellington. From here you can walk back to the city again via the Botanical Gardens. A really peaceful spot in the busy city and we did see the most astonishing plants. Wellington is a very nice and clean city with a nice harbour front. There you will find the Te Papa Museum. From the outside it does not look that promising, but inside it is really futuristic and educational. It shows how New Zealand came about, the Maori culture, the wildlife of New Zealand and much more. A museum worth spending some time. Also for kids there is lots to enjoy. |
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15 oktober: Wellington – Inter Islander – Kaikoura
We leave the Northern Island at 09.30 via the Inter Islander ferry. It will take about 3 hours with lovely views underway when the ferry passes the Marlborough Sounds. As we set foot on the South Island rain started again, interspersed with sunny period tough. The route along the coast is very pretty and we enjoyed it very much. 16 oktober: Kaikoura We get up very early for our whale watch tour (starting time 07.30) but it has been suspended due to heavy sea. We opted for the second tour at 12.30 hrs. In meantime we go for a hike of about 1,5 hours. It is called the Peninsula walkway and starts off at a sea lion colony. It is a very nice stroll with on your left hand side the coastline and on your right hand side huge cliffs. You will come across a colony of sea-gulls, see hundreds of sheep, rabbits and other bird species. On the way back you will walk on top of the cliffs. Hurrah, the tour of 12.30 will go on, but the sea will be rough and people have to prepare for seasickness. The boat takes about 30 minutes to get to the point where whales dive for food. It took some time but finally we saw one. Due to the fact the boat was lying still during spotting the whales, a lot of people got seasick (as predicted). Later on we saw 3 others whales. It was awesome.  The view at the start of the Peninsula Walkway(Top of page) Week 3: 17 oktober - 23 oktober 17 oktober: Kaikoura – Westport The sun awakes us early in the morning. We can now see for the first time the mountain range behind Kaikoura. It is still covered with snow. Today we will drive to the West Coast of the Southern Island via the Lewis Pass. The views along the route are amazing Near Westport (cape foulwind) we go see the sealcolony. They are sunbathing on the rocks along the shore. |
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18 oktober : Westpoint – Frans Jozef Glacier We drive along the shore to the south and stop at the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. The Pancake Rocks do indeed look like stapled pancakes. In Hokitika we stop for a lunch. The road we take shows a diversity of overgrowth: bushes, ferns, palmtrees, pinetrees. Around 14.00 we arrive in Frans Jozes Glacier. As the weather turns out to be really nice (sun!) despite the weatherforecast (rain) we go for a walk to this glacier. It takes about 35 minutes one way and brings you right up to the beginning (or end) of the Glacier. The Glacier itself is surrounded by a rainforest. 19 oktober: Frans Jozef Glacier No hiking of the Glacier, no helicopter flight because of heavy rain today. The walking tour we wanted to do, we had to end after only 100 metres. The small brook we had to cross, had changed into a wild river. Instead we did a hike around Lake Matheson. In the afternoon we go see a Helimax-movie over the Glaciers so that we know what we have missed.
20 oktober: Frans Jozef Glacier – Wanaka The rain is still falling (the westcoast has the most rainfull of New Zealand) and we decide to leave the West coast and drive more inlands. We have a quick stop at the Fox Glacier but where again drenched within 2 minutes. We drive to the village Haast, which is not much more than a garage, gas station, little supermarket and a restaurant where we have a short lunchbreak. Then we move on to Wanaka via the Haast Pass. An awesome pass with high mountains. Due to the enormous rainfall the last couple of days, the waterfalls were huge and running down from all sides of the road. Short walks are available along the route. (see also 22/10/01). Wanaka itself is surrounded by mountains belonging to Mount Aspiring National Park and situated along the beautiful lake Wanaka. 21 oktober: Wanaka We woke up very early as it has been very very cold last night. We opted for a hot shower and then to go for a long walk. The walking track is made by the locals and takes you to the top of Rocky Mountain (~ 775 meters). From here you will have a magnificent view of Wanaka and its surroundings. A.o. you can see Mount Aspiring (3045 m). The hike takes about 3 hours (2 hours up, en 1 hour down). 22 oktober: Wanaka It was cold again last night and when we opened our camperdoor we saw that it had been snowing in the mountains. They were all covered in snow. We decided to do some small walks along the Haast pass. Among other the Blue Pools track. These walks are very easy and therefore also very nice to do. We did not encounter any people when we did the walks. And with the blue sky and the white topped mountains it was an amazing day. |
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23 oktober: Wanaka – Queenstown Today we move on to Queenstown, only 117 km away from Wanaka. At 12.00 hours we entered the campground and it was freezing cold. The wind was blowing enormously and sometimes it even snowed. No weather to go up to gondola so we went to the Kiwi & Birdlife park. There we saw our first living Kiwi. The afternoon we strolled along some shops but we went back to the camper early as it was rather cold. (Top of page) Week 4: 24 oktober - 30 oktober 24 oktober: Queenstown It has been freezing last night (-3) and we were completely cold from top to toe. Dressed up in several warm layers of clothes we get out and first go for a walk in the Queenstown gardens. From there we take the gondola up to a viewing point over Queenstown and the Remarkables (a mountain range). A nice view is the reward. But we have to be back at 12.00 hrs at our camper as we are going for an excursion with Dart Riverjet Safari. Their bus brings you to the starting point of their riverjet excursion. Upon arrival we first had to dress up warmly as it was still very cold. We looked a bit like pinguins when we were finished. The jet boat goes upstream for about 45 minutes and along the way you will be pointed out to the remarkable surroundings etc. and you even stop for a short walk, just to stretch your legs. On its way back the jet boat ofcourse is speeding up to 75 km/hour and within no-time your back at the starting point. The layers of clothers were a real must but did not prevent me from getting soaked when the jet boat stopped to get along shore. This whole excursion will take about half day and is in our opinion worth the money. We know you have other jet boat companies but their rides last only a few minutes. And this one shows you also something of the beautiful vicinity of Queenstown. 25 oktober: Queenstown Today we go with Nomad Safaris to Skippers Canyon. The road to Skippers Canyon is very windy and narrow and sitting in the car you just look straight into the canyon. We even did find some gold in the Shotover River but unfortunately not enough to live from. 26 oktober: Queenstown – Te Anau Strange weather in New Zealand: this morning a warm breeze welcomed us when we opened the camperdoor. It was 17 Celsius! Already around 11.00 hrs we arrived in Te Anau as it is only 171 km away from Queenstown. We booked our excursion to the Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound and the caves and then strolled into the village itself to do some shopping. Along the shore of Lake Te Anau we walk to a wildlife park with rare birds, like the Takahe. In the neighborhood there is also the Ivon Wilson park, a nice park to watch for bird and to enjoy the peace. 27 oktober: Te Anau At 06.00 hrs we were awaken by birds singing their morning song. Today we will go to the Milford Sound. Trips ‘n’ Tramps picked us up at the entrance of the campground for our excursion. A lot of rainfall is predicted for today so we prepared for our raingear. Along the road to the Milford Sound we have some stops (a.o. Mirror Lakes and Knobs Flat) and even do a very nice stroll in the rainforest. This walk of about 20 minutes shows us a beautiful moss-grown forest. The walking track itself was difficult to access as due to heavy rainfall it was completely soaked but this also gave something mystical about the forest. We spotted a Bush Robin and a Rifleman. Trips ‘n’ Tramps organised a little picknick along the riverbanks before we went on the move again. A short stop at "the Chasm" (waterfalls) and then through a tunnel to the Milford Sound. And then, it was a miracle, the sun was shining bright and clear. And when we went on board of "The Wanderer" it was still sunny and warm. This is a real miracle as normally it rains here (about 8000 mm!!! a year). The cruise on "the Wanderer" is awesome as on both sides of the ship waterfalls can been seen. Due to the good weather we were even able to sail on the Tasman Sea. At 16.00 hours we onboarded our ship and drove back with Trimp ‘n’ Tramps. Our guide arranged for a helicopter ride for enthusiasts among us. When you have got the change (depending on the weather!) go for it. It is awesome. 28 oktober: Te Anau A bus brings us to Manapouri where a ferry takes us in 45 minutes to the Wilmot Pass. There again a bus is waiting for us to drive us to the our catamaran for a cruise of 3 hours in the Doubtful Sound. The Doubtful Sounds is somewhat different than the Milford Sound. The fjords are somewhat wider and less rough than those of the Milford Sound. Today we spotted "bottlenoose" dolphins. At 18.00 hours we were back again in our camper but had only little time to have diner as at 20.00 hours we would go to the glowworm caves. Again a boat takes you in about 35 minutes to the caves. There you will have to switch to smaller boats which can enter the caves. Glowworms are hanging along the walls and the roof of the cave. It looks spectacular. At 23.00 hours we finally are back in Te Anau and then have to walk for another 15 minutes to our camper. It is raining cats & dogs and completely soaked we arrive at our campgrounds. |
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 The rainforest at Milford Sound |
 View on Milford Sound |
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29 oktober : Te Anau – Papatowai This morning we deliberately stayed in bed somewhat longer after the tiring events of yesterday. At 09.30 hours we wanted to move on but our campervan refused to start. A mechanic was called but he either could not solve the problem and therefore our camper was towed away to a garage. We had to wait 1,5 hours before finally they managed to get our campervan started again. Later than planned we were able to move on again, but we were afraid to stop along the way as there was a little chance our camper would not start again. Via a part of the Southern Scenic Route (Tuatepere, Riverton, Invercargill) we arrive late at our campground. 30 oktober: Papatowai – Dunedin We move on along the Southern Scenic Highway. We stopped at the Purakaunui Falls, nice but not overwhelming though, and at Nugget Point. Here it was blowing so much that we did not dared to drive further. We stopped just before the way up to Nugget Point. In the course of the afternoon we arrived at Dunedin and decided to stay at a small campground at Portobello, which is situated on the otago peninsula itself. Here we found the best restaurant of New Zealand "Portobello, 1908 cafe". It is very small but the food is superb. (Top of page) Week 5: 31 oktober - 6 november 31 oktober: Dunedin This morning we got up early and wanted to go to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve but it was still to early for their first tour. So we drove to Hoopers Inlet and just watched the divers birds. At 10.15 hours we went back to the Reserve again and were taken to a protected beach to watch the penguins on their nests. You can come real close to them but will not disturb them in their habitat. Those folks do a real good job! In the afternoon we went to the Royal Albatross Colony, but because it is breeding season the observatory is closed. Nevertheless you can see them flying. They are huge bird. At the observatory you will see a movie about the Albatross. An amazing bird, we must say. 1 november: Dunedin This morning we did some shopping in Dunedin and upon returning drove to Southlight Wildlife reserve. This is a private road which you are allowed to enter after donating some money for the wildlife. At the end of the road there is a huge rock with tens of seals. At sunset Yellow eyed penguins will return to their nests and you can see them struggling to get ashore. Bring your binoculars with you when you go there. It is the only way to see it all. Most people left already after seeing the first penquin. We stayed until dark and we saw about 40 coming ashore. |
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 The Otaga Peninsula at Dunedin |
 Yellow Eyed Penguin |
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2 november: Dunedin – Mt Cook. We had still some ‘open’ days left in our programme and decided to go to Mt. Cook Village. Maybe we have the luck to see the highest mountain of New Zealand. The drive takes the whole day but the scenery is magnificent. The weather is still fine when we arrive at 16.30 hours in Mt. Cook and we decide to do a short hike, the Kea Point track. The track ends with a beautiful sight on The Footstool (a mountain range) which sometimes peaks out of the clouds. 3 november: Mt. Cook Village It is a little bit clouded when we get up but already very quickly the sun is trying to come out behind the clouds. We go for the Hooker Valley Track (about 3,5 hours walking). It brings you to a glacier lake. Unfortunately the sun does not succeed in its attempts to show up but nevertheless this was a good hike. 4 november: Mt. Cook Village – Christchurch We did not want to hurry today and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery around Mt. Cook. And then at 10.30 hours the sun is coming behind the clouds and the sky is turning blue. Maybe we will see Mt. Cook finally. Upon entering Mt. Cook Village we indeed saw the top of Mt. Cook and decided to do again the Kea Point track, because you never now. And then: there he was, Mt. Cook himself! The clouds had disappeared suddenly. We could have stayed there for million of year but finally at 15.00 hrs had to move on as else we would not make it to Christchurch today. Underway we make a quick stop at Lake Tekapo to see the Church of the Shepperd. At 20.00 hours finally we arrive in Christchurch. 5 november: Christchurch This morning we turn in the camper and go to our hotel. We leave our luggage there and go for a stroll in the city. We end up in the Botanical Gardens of Christchurch. It is so quiet and relaxed there, that we just wander around a bit. It is our last day in New Zealand and it has been a terrific holiday.
6 november: Going home At 09.30 we board our plane and say Goodbye to New Zealand (Top of page) |
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