Queenstown and Fjordland

Queenstown is the adrenalin capital of New Zealand, with bungy jumping, sky diving, jet boating and all manner of variations available to hordes of British backpackers. We were more than happy just chilling out by the lake and watching the Brits do what they do abroad. It was a hot day, so that suited us just perfectly!

The following day we drove down to Te Anau, the gateway to Milford Sound. We spent a grey but amazing day in the Fjords, saw seals and got a bit snap-happy with the camera! In a brave attempt to get the ultimate waterfall shot, I got soaked to the bone as our Milford Cruise boat stuck its bow straight under the falls...with just one British idiot (me) on deck! Nikky had wisely moved inside for a complimentary cup of tea!

Thoroughly soaked, but a great day in amongst some of the most spectacular scenery we've ever seen!

We are back in Wanaka for New Years tomorrow. Our home from home! Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for all the comments so far! We will enter 2010 a day earlier than you so we might just have to celebrate twice!

Love Jan and Nikky. x

An Upside-Down Christmas

Merry Christmas! Vrolijke Kerstdagen! Frohe Weihnachten! Feliz Natal!

We left the beach in Golden Bay and started working our way down south. Overnight at the Nelson Lakes we were surprised to find Mr Van Bommel's doppelganger camping next to us! A good look-a-like but unfortunately nothing like the real thing.

The next day, after fighting off hundreds of vicious little sand flies, we hit the West Coast. Living up to its wild reputation, we were battered by the wind and covered in sea spray as we drove down the coast road. The road goes from Westport to Haast and is the same distance as Auckland to Wellington on the North Island. The beauty of having six weeks in New Zealand is that we can take our time and so we didn't need to rush down the road.
We stopped for lunch on rugged, drift-wood covered beaches, went to see the famous Pancake Rocks and gradually worked our way down towards the glaciers.

At the Franz Joseph glacier we found an amazing campsite, just outside of town with spectacular views of the glacier and surrounding mountains. The sun came out and we could see the snow, but unlike you all in England we could sit outside in our T-shirts and shorts, drinking beer and keep up our suntans!

By this time the rest of the Kerridges were in Wanaka on the otherside of the mountains, so we jumped in the camper for a long drive to meet them. The road led us away from the coast at Haast and through the Haast Pass with its stunning rivers and waterfalls, to Lake Wanaka. We met up with the rest of the clan on the shores of the lake and after swimming in the icy-cold water, had a BBQ.

Wanaka is probably our favourite place so far in New Zealand. The huge lake is surrounded by mountains, with snow-capped peaks in the distance. The town itself has a really nice vibe and lots of cafes and bars to go people watching.

On Christmas Eve, rather than the usual day's skiing, we hired bikes and cycled around the lake. Nikky, who was was adamant to prove that she could cycle the fastest, led the way and soon disappeared into the distance. Once we had all caught up, we caught our breath had a picnic at the lake. Back at the campsite, we managed to dig out some lesser-creased and stained clothes from our backpacks, polished off a bottle of local bubbly and made our way to a nice seafood restaurant in town.

I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas and festive days! It's Christmas Day here now, another beautiful day in New Zealand and we're looking forward to another BBQ by the lake tonight. Tomorrow the family heads to Christchurch to fly home and go skiing. We will certainly miss them and it will be back to pasta and cheap wine for us!

We are heading to Queenstown tomorrow and then on to Milford Sound. We will be back in Wanaka for New Year's Eve. So if we don't manage to update this blog before then, it's Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us!

South Island - Sunshine, Off Roading and Kayaking

We arrived on the South Island on Monday. The strong winds of the previous few days had cleared and we had a beautiful crossing through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton. Our first stop (being Kerridges) was the Saint Claire winery. We have been drinking their wine for years in the Summertown Wine Bar, so to sit in amongst their vines drinking a bottle of their Sauvignon in the sun was a very surreal experience. Of course, we couldn't leave without replenishing our wine racks, so we headed up along the coast laden down with clinking wine bottles!

Along the winding road between Picton and Nelson we had stunning views of the Sounds and stumbled upon a perfect campsite right on the shore. We had a BBQ and campfire and lightened the load of wine a little!

Next day was Nelson, the place with the most amount of sunshine in New Zealand. Which Nikky loved! The town was nicer than many of the others we have been to. About two hours drive further up the coast, we found an amazing campsite on the beach in Golden Bay with a great cafe/restaurant that we have been to three times in two days! (Thanks Dad!)

We decided to stay here for a while and explore the area. We are near to the town of Takaka, an old hippy community with brightly painted shop fronts selling organic food and floaty clothes! The girls love shopping here!

Yesterday we took a drive into the Abel Tasman national park, discovered by one of Nikky's dutch ancestors! What looked like a relatively normal road on the map turned out to be the best driver EVER!

Ignoring the "Not suitable for Caravans" sign, Kerridge senior led the way onto a dirt track that twisted and winded its way through the mountainous national park. The road was so narrow at times that the campers barely fitted through and we occasionaly lost sight of the car in front as the dust was whipped up around us. Ignoring more warning signs about landslides and narrow lanes, we ended up crossing two rivers (see photos...but don't tell the hire company!) before ending up inside the park in a nice little bay. We all breathed a sigh of relief that we had made it! Realising we had to take the same road all the way back, we refrained from wine at lunch this time!

This morning, we said goodbye to the Kerridge Seniors (+Sis) for a week as they head south ahead of us. Taking advantage of the sunny morning, we rented a double kayak for a few hours and paddled into the national park. The water was crystal clear and we stopped on a little beach until the kayak owner came paddling out behind us to warn us that a storm was breweing offshore and we needed to come back in!

We will probably leave here tomorrow morning, but aren't sure exactly where to. We are heading south slowly and enjoying this amazing country, so wherever we end up will no doubt be awesome!

Wine, Wind and Waves

Lake Taupo was stunning. From our campsite we had a view across the Lake with the snow-capped peaks in the background. Glorious weather, almost too hot! Luckily the lake was freezing cold, so cooling off was easy.

Heading off from Taupo, we headed east to Napier. An area famed for its wine, cheese, olives and fruit. Nikky took the wheel again and drove us all the way there! The drive was fun, but when we got there, it was a little disappointing. In terms of scenery, it doesn't come close to French vineyards and the world-famous Art Deco town didn't do much for us. But we still had a very nice evening camping by the beach and spent the following morning in town, browsing the boutiques and coffee shops.

In the meantime, the Kerridges (Seniors and Sister) had made their way down to Taupo and we were all itching to meet up! So we decided to make the journey back to the lake for a family reunion! Meeting up at on the shores of Taupo was a surreal feeling, but great fun and smiles all round! Best of all....we went out for our first restaurant meal in New Zealand! Quite a treat for our shrunken backpacker stomachs!

On the road the next day, Kerridges senior led the way, followed by the young ones in the Cruizer! Heading south towards Wellington, we took a few detours and stumbled across a factory called 'Kerridge'! What are the chances? Check out the pictures in the gallery!

That evening we had take-away pizzas while parked on the beach, watching the sunset, listening to the wind howl outside. The weather turned for the worse, with gale force winds and showers. But not enough to drown our spirits!

We are in Wellington now, having spent the day in the Te Papa museum and exploring New Zealand's capital city. Tonight is our last night on the North Island and hopefully the wind will ease for our ferry across to the South Island tomorrow! Watch this space!

The long and winding road....

The sun arrived! We woke up in Auckland on a beautiful sunny morning at 6.30am and swung open the door of our awesome camper to let the sea air rush in. With our feet sticking out of the bottom of our blanket, we said good morning to all the passing joggers and watched the swimmers and kayakers out in the bay. What an energetic bunch these Kiwis are!

After a good breakfast and nice cuppa, we set off on the first leg of our New Zealand road trip: Auckland to Coromandel. The drive took a little longer than expected as we kept stopping off for photos along the way! Arriving in Coromandel, we headed for a campsite in a place called Shelly Beach where we parked the van right on the beach again! A lovely evening spent watching the sun set and drinking nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc!

Moving further east across the peninsula, we parked up at Hahei beach. Again, we could hear, see and smell the sea from our van! We walked to Cathedral Cove, an hour away, and both managed to get sunburnt (that didn't even happen in Brazil!). The cove has a massive cave, beautiful white sand and stunning rock formations (see gallery!). Unfortunately the water was freezing! It took me 12 hours to muster up the courage to go for a swim...when I dived in and jumped back out (very quickly) before breakfast the next morning!

The next day was a long drive down to Rotorua, the geothermal capital of New Zealand. It was a four hour drive and Nikky took the wheel for a time while I sat back and enjoyed the ride! I also desperately needed to be in charge of the jukebox as Nikky's music choices were terrible!

We smelt Rotorua before we saw it. The whole place smells of rotten eggs because of the sulphur from the hot springs. We tried to blame each other, but it soon became apparent the smell was coming from OUTSIDE the van...not inside!

We spent the evening floating in hot pools, enjoying the last bit of sunshine. They don't call them 'hot' pools for nothing! Some of them are 42 degrees warm, all naturally heated by the thermal spring water that comes from deep underground.

Heading further south the next day, we headed in the direction of the biggest lake on the north island, Lake Taupo. On the way, we visited a thermal reserve with it's spouting geyser, bubbling mud pools, hissing fountains and, of course, that awful smell again! Another stop down the road was a massive waterfall and big white-water rapids....there is something to see around every corner, so making progress to Taupo slow.

Tonight we are having a BBQ overlooking the lake and the snow-capped mountains in our campsite. We will probably be here for a few days as we let my parents and sister (who just landed in Auckland!) catch up a bit. Next stop Wine in Hawkes Bay!

New Zealand!

Finally...43 hours later, we have arrived in New Zealand!

Thanks again to Aerolinas Argentina for making our journey such a pleasure.

It's raining and cold! But our camper is great, it's got a heater and a fridge so we can stay warm and drink cold wine! We are currently at a campsite just north of Auckland and will head off to Coromandel tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will improve so we can get outdoors and enjoy the scenery!

Next update after Coromandel, hopefully with some sunny photos!

Oh...and Nikky's thumb is NOT broken! Paid $110 Dollars (NZ) for a 2minute check by a doctor who advised to do nothing and let it heal over time. 

Our swanky 4 star hotel

- Posted from my iPhone

Stuck in Buenos Aires!

Hello from Argentina! We weren't expecting to leave the airport here, but our flight was delayed by 7hrs. The airline put us up in a hotel and we got some extra stamps in our passports, so all is not lost!

We are going back to the airport now and hopefully catch a flight to Auckland!


- Posted from my iPhone