Arthur's Pass, Nelson and Kaikoura

We left Mark again and planned to meet him in Christchurch once he was finished on the farm. We were getting short on time and knew we needed to be in Christchurch in a week or so.

The journey

We set out for Arthur's pass which is a road through the Southern Alps taking you from the east coast popping out at Greymouth on the west.

This national park takes you through the heart of the alps and through the backbone of the South Island.

When we get there the light is against us so we park up for the night by the side of the road and try to get some sleep.

The next day we wake up to the mountains all around us and set off its a beautiful drive pretty flat the first bit then you head up through the pass and over the alps. You come down a steep road and drive under a bridge and your almost at the west coast. Its raining hard so we are not going to do the walks as there are weather warnings (if it rains on the ground it snows at the top).

We stopped at the small town of Arthur's Pass for breakfast and to dry off a bit then we were off to the west coast once again on our way to Nelson for some knife making.

They west coast was still as wild, raw and beautiful as I remember and we make our way from Greymouth to Westport to spend the night for the last time at the little pub we liked so much last time. The owner is happy to see us and welcomes us like long lost friends.

A few pints and games of pool and we settle in for the night ready for an early start to Able Tasmin in the morning.

Back to Motueka and the freedom campsite we stayed at last time. Last time we were here it was hard to get out of the campsite and you needed a running start and a bit of luck to make it out in Norman. But this is the first time we have been back since the cyclone a few months ago and its a completely different place.

What was once steep and bumpy is smooth and shorter, the trees lay flat on the ground twisted and torn from the roots. The top entrance is a muddy area clearly been used for large diggers in the last few days. When we head down to the camp it has halfed in size now you cant get to the back of the campsite from the flooding damage that remains.

The river still flows peacefully next to you and the campers are still in good spirits ready to share travel stories with us and play music in the dark. We met one guy last time we were here with no actually stuff just a tarp and his instruments its a proper hippy camp.

Morning comes and we are ready to make knifes we need to be in Nelson for 8am so its an early rise to get there in time.

We make it to Nelson and are welcomed by a really excited puppy Chris brought him back from the bathroom with him.

We head over to meet they knife guys and get introduced to our other knife makers for the day and get started.

You get handed a piece of steel and are pointed towards the furnace. You draw out your design and then get hammering. Hammering is hard work the guy makes it look easy but trust me its not. My arms are killing I'm using muscles I didnt know were there.

Halfway through and the puppy reappears happy that he brought us a present a dead possum, that he spits at our feet as he wags his tail all pleased with himself. For the rest of the day the poor pup was banished from the workshop. Poor wee guy.

Lunch is pizza and laughs at who has broke their knife already and how impressed everyone is with how well they are looking. Turns out if you leave your steel in the fire too long it melts and you loose your knife I  was pretty lucky but one guy broke his just before lunch and it was panic stations to get caught up with the group.

Knifes almost made we put the handles on and finished the last of the design and polishing they look very professional and I am pleased with my work.

A night in Nelson and a motel bed for the night is a nice treat we eat dinner and chill out while planning our journey to Christchurch via Kaikoura.

The Kaikoura road is recently open after the last earthquake well sort of. Constant land slides close the road week to week and eveytime it rains you can expect it will be closed.

Its a nice drive down the coast though apart from the road works. It is lined with seals playing in the surf of the waves. We stop in Kaikoura for a view of the sea its a small beach town famous for whale boat trips all year round.

Our last night of freedom has arrived. We park up in a quite little area and decide we need to clean out Norman. Its a big job and even with just two of us the van is full of stuff. A few hours later we are done he looks like a new van and we have ditched half our stuff.

Then that's it off to Christchurch to work and live for a bit in a hostel. We make the drive to Christchurch settle in to our room in the hostel and try to adjust to life after the van.

McKenzie Region New Zealand

We said cheerio to Mark and set of for McKenzie country. The home of Mount Cook New Zealand's largest mountain, Tasmin Glacier, turquoise lakes and other large mountain ranges.

The Journey

We took the drive from Marks and headed west towards the mountains. Stopping at Twizel for supplies we decided to keep going as there was not much to see.

We decided to camp at Lake Tekapo and entered the dark zone. The dark zone is a natural protected star gazing site in New Zealand, hardly anyone lives here but the people that do use special lights in their homes to reduce light pollution and you can see some of the best stars in the world because of it.

First the lake, the blue is something else and I still dont have a picture that does it justice but when the light hits the water the minerals from the glacier turn a vivid aqua colour that I have seen no where else.

We took in Lake Tekapo and decided to head for the observatory and our camp for the night. We camped on the side of Lake Alexandria, about 100 caravans lined the campsite but no one was there but us all night it was a bit eerie but we had some ducks for company.

Blanket ready we unfolded the camping chairs wrapped ourselfs in blankets and with tea in hand settled in for the stars to come out and give us a show.

They were good but I have seen better in other parts of New Zealand it was a clear night but the moon was quite bright so didnt get to see the purples of the milkyway.

Next morning we woke to rain our plans for walks and adventure didnt seem likely but we had come all this way we were going to see Mount Cook.

Not far from where we were about 90mins drive is Mount Cook Village surrounded by mountain ranges as far as the eye can see you are officially in the heart of the Southern Alps.

So with the weather against us we decided to head back to Mark's before we took on Aurthur's pass and the next leg of our journey.

The Catlins and Southland New Zealand

Well its back to just the three of us Chris, me and Norman are about to set off for the Catlins.

A quick stop off in Invercargill for supplies and we are on our way.

The journey

Described as a rugged sparsley populated area with a scenic coast and dense rainforest. The Catlins are home to many endangered animals such as the yellow eyed penguins, fur seals and sealions. Its exposed on the coast meaning it is known for wild weather and good waves.

So it sounded right up our street and a chance to get up close to sealions. We headed for Fortrose and explored some of the bays and back roads of the Catlin coast. The roads are bumpy and dirt track and my hands are buzzing when I pull over from all the vibrations.

We searched so many beaches for sealions and penguins. Its the wrong time of year for penguins so think we are out of luck but we are determined to find sealions let the hunt continue!

We head for Slope Point the Southern tip of the South Island no sealions here but lots of sheep they give us a wide berth as we cross their field and get our photos.

Next waterfalls something New Zealand is not short of is waterfalls. We took the climb to the falls only 40mins walk and had some lunch.

Still having no luck with the sealions we headed for Surat Bay rummor has it they might be there. We walked along the beach for a while and saw nothing then in the distance we see the sand moving. could it be?

Sealions everywhere there must have been about 15 or so. Males massive cooling off burried in the sand. The smaller females sunning themself by the water and one sitting up giving us a bit of a show. I didnt appreciate just how big they are until I was next to one.

We bunk for the night in a small campground near Kaka Point. The locals this time are cats and cheeky cats at that, who want not only my dinner but a space in my bed for cuddles.

Washed, fed and rested we are ready for our next leg of the journey. The Catlins is small so after a few days we have seen all we wanted to and are heading back to civilisation in the form of Dunedin. The Scotland of New Zealand named and designed after Edinburgh itself!

We arrived a Mosgiel a town on the outskirts of Dunedin and stayed at a horse racing track. We were the only ones there apart from one other van and managed to park under the stands and get some power. Its the little things you find on  the road like power or hot water that make you smile. So we plugged in a watched the first whole film we had seen in months. My laptop is really old and only holds power for 45mins so this was a treat.

Next morning at 5.30am a fitness class started above our heads in the hall so we made a break for it to the other side of the field and went back to sleep.

We planned to do a few days in Dunedin and enjoy the city we spent the day on the peninsula and drove to the top to get a look at the Royal Albertross a coastal road takes you up the peninsula curving slowly through little fishing villages.

There is a castle but we gave it a miss instead opting to see the city before heading to our accomodation for some relaxation and a real bed sleeping in the van is great but sometimes a hot shower and a comfy bed is needed.

Having spent a few days here it was time to get moving we had missed our travel buddy Mark and it was time to catch up and see how life on the farm was treating him. There's not much to see on the east cost between Dunedin and Timaru so we took the long drive to Marks in record time.

Mark is on a dairy farm which means 4am milking and lots of dirt and cold mornings better him than me.

We arrived at the farm just as it was getting dark, Mark has a really nice place here his own house with garden, bedroom and separate living room. After months cramped up in Norman it was like a palace.

We planned to stay for a few days and sort ourselfs out we are nearly at the end of our road trip and really should be looking for a job. Mark said we could stay as long as we wanted to we ended up there for a few days just catching up. He has one bedroom so we slept in Norman in the garden but it was comfy and warm.

We got a call back from a hostel job we applied for and were told we start in a few weeks that didnt leave much time we better get moving. We needed to be in Christchurch for the start of April and still had a few places to see.

So the next morning it was time to say goodbye to Mark and set off for Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo that's right star gazing was up next.

Stewart Island

We leave Manpouri and Fiorland behind as we start our convoy to Invercargill a quick stop at the museum and the Isite to book our ferry and we were all set.

The Journey

We head off for Bluff where we will spend the night and get our ferry the next morning. Bluff is famous for oysters I have still never tried one. However its also famous for Paua which are just on the rocks ready to pick. We missed the tide but the guys next to us had some so I get to try them for the first time. They taste good but look wierd.

This would be our first multiday trek and I didnt know what to expect other than sore legs and cool views in the bush. So we tried to pack light. This is not as easy as it sounds when you realise you have to carry a tent, mats, sleeping bags, food, water and thats just your survival stuff.

We tried our best and still managed to find space for fishing gear! Ready to go we jumped on the ferry its choppy but fun and pretty quick.

Welcome to Stewart Island we are now officially at the closest point to Antarticta and its surprisingly warm.

Before we even check into our hostel we are fishing off the pier with Sam who is a pretty good fisherman, compared to me and Chris he is practically professional. I get to use a hand line for the first time and we pick mussels off the pier for bait. The water here is so clear you can see the bottom. I spend more time looking at the water than fishing the more you look the more you see. So many giant star fish.

Suddenly all the fish disapear I dont notice them leave just that the seas looks empty now. The explination swims up to us under the pier in all his glory, a shark!

A local tells me he is a baby seven gill shark (hes still 2meters long thats some baby) Its the first time I have seen a shark up close.

We check into our hostel and before we know it are back for some night fishing the locals tell us we can catch Blue Mokie at night and we hear all the tales of giant mokie that have been wrestled in the moonlight.

The locals are right there are lots of giant blue mokie we just didnt catch any we saw loads and even fed them some bait but they are a clever fish much to clever for me ha ha.

Its a dark night and there is a firey light in the distance and I think I know what it about to happen I have seen this phenomenon before. We settle in to watch a huge orange moon rise like the sun from the horizon its so bright the whole harbour is now light up.

Next morning we get up early double check we have everything we need and set off on our three day adventure into the wild bush of Stewart Island.

Day 1
Spirits are high we are joking and laughing as we walk into the bush our packs dont feel too heavy and its hot very hot. We make it into the bush and start to climb so many birds and insects to see along the way. We only have about 5 hours walking today so its not too bad.

We make camp for the night and set up our tents and sleeping bags its time to try our dry pack rations. Mmm just add water to them and wait 10 mins aparently then you have venison rissotto (you have something I dont know that I could tell you it was venison rissotto)

Looking to explore the camp area we headed to the sea for some fishing Sam being the little ninja he is goes ahead to find a better spot over the rocks Chris and Mandy put the finishing touches to her bow staff/walking stick and I am just taking in the view as I dip my feet in the water.

Sam is victorious and brings back some interesting looking fish, two tiny bait fish and a baracuda. You cant eat baracuda here they have worms but he got stuck on Sams line so we took a look inside.

Off to the camp to cook up the bait fish it was more of a gimick than a meal but worth the night on the beach.

The boys go exploring and Mandy and I sit in camp and chat. We are joined by a Kia beautiful and close the Kia is a cheeky forest parrot that steals your stuff you can build little piles of stones and step back. They are naturally curious so will go to the pile and unpick it to see what you might have burried.

Day 2
Today is the most challenging walking day we have 8 hours of mountains, boggy ground, mud, rocks and trees between us and our camp for tonight.

Quick bite of porridge and we are on our way. My bag feels heavier today so does my legs after yesterday. Climbing through the bush there is so much to see so we stop to play with the birds take photos and have a cracker and cheese lunch on a log to rest. Reading the map I dont think we have come that far but the guys are sure we are almost half way. I'm not sure the map looks like you climb one hill then head to a deep valley before climbing the biggest hill of the day. They all celebrate having conqured the biggest hill of the day but I am not so sure.

We start to go down and down and down some more we are not over the biggest hill yet! We are in the valley, it is next. Steps lead you to the top of the hill so many steps. At the top is an old logging railway and settlement. Finally we have taken on the biggest hill. We head down towards the ocean and tonights camp. We are sleeping on the beach tonight.

Tired and hot we set up our tents and relax. Mandy decides to take a swim in the sea and is chased by a sealion which we all find pretty funny.

That night we are asleep in our tent and war breaks out! Fighting, snuffling and squeeking its a Kiwi war. Kiwi birds are New Zealands national bird. They are nocturnal, shy, brown birds with long beaks. They are hard to see in the wild and by the time I looked out I could see nothing just hear them fighting in the bushes and running around. Stewart Island has the highest population of Kiwi anywhere in New Zealand.

Day 3

Our final day a cold beer and the thought of not having to carry my backpack anymore is waiting for me at the finish line.

Its a shorter day only 4 hours walking so should be ok. We head along the beach before we go back into the forest and round the bays on the way to the finish line. We made it I feel great about what I have achieved and we all celebrate the last few days. One problem we still have 6km to walk back to town not quite over yet. Every km is a hill 500m  up 500m down. Where is the cold beer I'm ready now.

We made it! We get a good meal and a cold beer after the dry ration packs and walking its a welcome change.

Our last night on the island and Sam and Mandy head out kiwi hunting in the rugby ground they see them and can tick of see wild kiwis from the list.

The next day we went to Ulva Island, a bird sancturay island just 10mins away by boat. This is a protected place and the home to some species of bird and plants that have died out on the mainland. We walk through the forest and play with the birds Kia, Yellow Heads (super rare), Fantails, and little birds that if you kick the dirt they will follow you looking for food. Off to the beaches for Waka who will come right up to your hand if you hold it out.

Then back to the boat and Stewart Island for some last minute fishing off the pier and to catch our ferry back to the mainland and Bluff.


This is where Sam and Mandy leave us its been fun having some company but its back to Chris, Norman and me as we look next to the Catlins and Southland.

Wanaka, Queenstown and Fiordland

So we had conquered the west coast now it was time to head in land to Wanaka. The drive to Wanaka, wow! I'm not what you would call a natural driver never in my life have I said oh lets just go for a drive when i knew I would be the driver. But even I was enjoying this one.

The Journey

The road twists and turns through mountains past huge lakes all the way to Wanaka. Every corner is a photo opportunity. There are loads of lookout points to get those famous New Zealand shots of lake Wanaka and plenty to get out and see if you like waterfalls.

We arrived in Wanaka making good time so decided to check out the town and plan our activities for tomorrow. We saw the tree in the lake, great views of the mountains and jumped in a kayak to explore Lake Wanaka itself. There is a little island not far from shore so we jumped out and took a look around.

Wanaka is home to some really awesome walks but when we got there a weather warning of gales and rain stopped us in our tracks so never managed to get out and see any of the tracks. Maybe next time.

After a few days in Wanaka it was time to head for Queentown party capital of the South! Queenstown is a pretty small place and 1000's of backpackers fill every corner. Getting accomodation can be a challenge all year round and you suddenly find yourself in a busy place. A bit of a culture shock after having spent the last few weeks in the deserted west coast.

Winter brings the skiers to Queenstown in their 1000's and in the Summer there is no better place to party so everyone comes for the beer, atmosphere and sun.

The road to Queestown from Wanaka is challenging especially in Norman the Piza Ranges stand between us and a party in Queenstown. Norman huffs and puffs up the huge hills in first gear sometimes eek, but we make it to the top. What goes up must come down.... and it does you start to come down the Piza Ranges steeply with  sharp corners and warning signs to check your breaks at the bottom. We made it my breaks smell a bit burnt but we made it.

We decided to camp outside of the city centre the first night because with big tourisim come big prices!

It was worth it we did a cool walk, starting in the forrest, going round the lake and finishing in this little secluded bay at sunset. New Zealand is a bird paradise, they are protected and have no natural predators so the're pretty friendly and have big voices. We saw Fantails dancing and a Tui meeting (there must have been 6 Tui just singing to each other on the same branch)

Next day we were trying to adjust to the sudden cold, it was so sunny and warm on the coast but now in the mountains its cold until the sun comes up even in the summer.

So having seen some of the nature Queenstown has to offer it was time to party it would be a shame not to since we are here. We park up in the campsite in town I feel the sting in my pocket as I pay for the most expensive camping night of the whole journey.

But it is soon soothed by a beer and some laughs. We hit the town around 7pm and its a Tuesday but the town is still filled with life and drunk backpackers. There is some really cool bars we find the rum bar and try some really nice pineapple rum then off to the whiskey bar for some cocktails followed by a trip to a few bars along the street. We find our last bar of the night live music good atmosphere and we decided to do some open mic ha ha the rum is kicking in then.

We left the bar and headed back to Norman with a quick stop to Ferg Burger it is a Queenstown special and I have heard so much about it from other travellers I am keen to try it. You can queue for hours to get one during the day. But its now about 4.30am and no one is here so jackpot Ill try a Ferg after all when I am here.

Next morning a bit worse for ware I get up and make friends with our neighbours. I have finally found someone with a van older than Norman! 1988 we have a winner (Norman was 1990).

Then we are off again I am kind of poepled out now so time to retreat to the most remote parts of New Zealand Fiordland here we come.

We left Queenstown got stuck in traffic for the first 10km with road works and I knew I wanted out of civilisation for a bit.

Then peace, long roads of nothing but me, Chris, Norman and the mountains. Perfect! We arrived in Te Anau and knew that we had lots of stuff to do here so headed for the Isite to get booked up for activities.

First activity was in Te Anau itself, the glow worms. We jumped in a boat taking us across Lake Te Anau New Zealand's 2nd largest lake after the huge Lake Taupo in the North Island. Most of the lake is surrounded by Fiordland National Park and the views are amazing.

After about 40mins we have arrived at the cave. We get off the boat and walk to the briefing centre where they tell us all about the caves, worms and saftey stuff. Did you know that Glow worms only live for 48hrs after they change from larve to fully grown?

Then we head down to see our little glow in the dark buddies. You walk through caves and see the water rushing though still carving them deeper everyday. From there everyone is told its time for silence as we head deeper to the worms. A little row boat takes you from there its dark and you bump off the walls of the cave but then. Lights thousands of tint lights all around you its pretty cool.

We get time to explore the island while the 2nd group goes in to the cave and then its back to the boat and off to shore.

We have booked Milford Sound for tomorrow and we are really excited but its still 2hrs away and our boat leaves at 8.30 so we're heading up today to spend the night. The tour guide tells us its a dangerous road where drivers have to give it their full attention and its reccomeded you get the bus. But I am determined to drive this road its a must see all on its own never mind the Sound when you get there. Yes even in Norman we drove the notorious Milford Road.

We set off and its a really nice drive the first hour is quite flat and smooth, we took it slow and easy in no rush and wanting to take it all in.

The flats soon gave way to massive hills and sharp corners as we got closer. We stopped for a photo and just admired how big everything was. There is a reason its called one of their most scenic drives.

Then we were at the Homer Tunnel. Man has conquered the mountain! The Homer Tunnel is built through a mountain and is kind like the gateway to Milford Sound. Its steep and dark but a really random thing to drive through. You come down steeply and get the first views of Milford.

We stop off at various points and waterfalls along the way and then we make it to Milford. Its a really nice camp again abit pricey but you do get to spend the night in Milford Sound it doesnt get much more remote that this. The sandflys are a pain but here is the wettest place in New Zealand they are everywhere and hungry!

The next morning we head to the pier to catch our boat to Milford Sound. Its raining pretty hard and that is the best way to enjoy this part of the country the wetter the better!

There are only 4 or so permanent waterfalls in the Milford Sound but when it rains they become thousands our boat takes us under one and we get blasted by the force of the falls. Then we all get to taste some of the water.

Dolphins apear to jump around in the waves of the boat, we see seals on the rocks playing and lots of birds. We get off the boat and into some kayaks to get up close and personal with the Sound for about an hour everything about this place is huge and you feel really small in your kayak against the mountains and waterfalls.

We've seen above the water but what's below to answer that question we head to the underwater observatory to see all the fish and plants under the water its really neat.

Then its back to land and time to take the journey to Manapouri and explore Doubtful Sound.

Its an ongoing debate which is better Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound? Well we planned to find out and do both. Our friends Sam and Mandy joined us for this one a full day out on Doubtful.

It starts with a boat across Lake Manapouri the water is calm and its early so everyone settles in for a cup of tea and bacon roll at the window. Its quite windy on the top deck but that makes it more fun. Then we leave the boat and jump on buses to take us to our next boat, Doubtful Sound is not the easiest to get to.

We drive along New Zealand's most expensive road (where it is can only be reached by boat so getting here with building materials sounds pricey) From there we drive the steepest commercial road in the country I smile when I think how Norman would cope here not well I think. Aparently if a truck meets another car on this hill they have to reverse to the bottom becuase its so steep they need a clean running start to make it to the top.

Then the second boat of the day take us out to the Doubtful Sound its impressive much bigger than Milford but the mountains don't feel as high. We explore all the sound has to offer in the boat taking in waterfalls, seals, dolphins and then out to the open sea. We come back through the heart of the sound and the boat stops all engines are cut as we experience the "Sound of Silence" a minutes silence in the sound is worth it you just kind of breath it all in and feel a million miles from anything.

Then we head back to shore all pretty exhausted after our boat day out. Sam and Mandy have decided to tag along with us for a while as we head to Stewart Island we cant be that bad company after all.