New Zealand Trip 2011

Top 20 New Zealand photos from our trip

2012-02-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favourite shots from our trip to New Zealand.

Enjoy.

Tolaga Bay: home of New Zealand’s longest wharf

Early morning on the beach at Herbertville

Great reflections and mood; Herbertville

Akitio: Log on the beach

West Coast of South Island NZ

Farewell Split: the weather flows North here

Flower blossoms in Abel Tasman

Glowworms amass for a great photo op

Castlepoint Lightouse: a majestic looming tower

Castlepoint: The postcard!

Moeraki Boulders: Solitude in the early morning

Moeraki Boulders: The flow of the sea, the still of the harboured water

Tolaga Bay Wharf: 660 metres stretching into the Pacific Ocean

Kererū: New Zealand pigeon eating blossoms

The low tide's art work

Freedom flight at Castlepoint New Zealand

Gliding on the warm breezes: Castlepoint, NZ

Shellfish cluster, Farewell Spit, NZ

The rain forest canopy: Karamea, NZ

West Coast Highway heading towards Franz Josef, NZ

Day 39 - The voyage home

2011-10-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

We opted for a day in Auckland before heading home. So off we shot for the waterfront where all the action was. We will be missing... Kiwi meat pies

.... Rugby everywhere

... A little Middle Earth

... and all the friends we met along the way.

We will always carry a warm reflection of New Zealand in our hearts.

The only question left to answer is when will we be back!

We saw beautiful things, had wonderful adventures and made some exquisite friends. Our trip was successful in every regard and we would not have changed a single thing except having more time in the land of the long white cloud and the ability to share the trip with my wife Correen and my son Elliot.

39 days and 8991 kilometres later


Her last NZ ice cream

Almost time to go...

So long Auckland, so long New Zealand

Day 38 - Sunny Hamilton Zoo

2011-10-18T19:06:00.000-06:00

Today the sun was shining and we were off to find some gifts to take home. We went into the CBD of Hamilton and parked at a mall. We walked around spending our money on some nice gifts, a massage for me and more ice cream for Tegan. There were a number of galleries we visited with some interesting ideas, but the prices were pretty high so we moved on.

We considered a waterpark, but settled on the Hamilton Zoo and it was a very pleasant experience. Our favourite animals were the Cockatoos, the Rhinos and the Kakariki; a small green parakeet.

Tegan even found her name etched into some living bamboo stalks.

So with the zoo completed, we made our way for our final destination: Auckland.

Finding a hotel was a little difficult, but after a couple of hours we snagged one and went out shopping for some wine to bring home. A night in watching TV and organizing our bags for the trip home was in order. We would be on our way home tomorrow and we were both happy and sad with that news.

Day 37- Taranaki Surfing a Bust!

2011-10-17T19:04:00.000-06:00

This morning was a nice bright sunny day, but it didn't last too long. Mount Taranaki was clear and visible but the closer we got to the mountain the more the clouds encased the mountain in white puffy masses. I wanted to get some photos of the mountain and headed down a side road in search of a better photograph. I stopped along a the road that allowed an unobstructed view of the mountains and behold what I thought was the summit turned out to a secondary false summit to the right of the actual summit. It was a neat experience to see the clouds hide and then reveal what I once mistook to be the summit.

When we reached New Plymouth, the skies were pouring down and the thoughts of surfing on this day passed. We instead browsed shops, looking for gifts and visiting a museum as we explored the streets in the rain. We departed New Plymouth hoping for better weather in Hamilton.

On the way we snagged a photo of this Kiwi Bird in All Blacks dress.

Some meat pies for dinner and some more driving in the rain. Hamilton was no better off, especially the holiday park we selected... it was situated on the wrong side of the tracks if you know what I mean. A stroll down some streets in search for some beer turned up empty and left the feeling that the holiday park was the safest location for us. We watched a movie and then went to sleep hoping that rain we end and tomorrow would be a better day.

Day 36 - E noho rā South Island

2011-10-16T20:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning and we are leaving the South Island today. In our not so haste-full departure, we left a good stock of craft beers in the room and Tegan's poi balls. With the both of us in tears at the ferry queue; we left the South Island a little less enthused about the remainder of our trip.

I still had my sea legs and felt noxious on the drive up the coast. The ferry ride across the Strait was not to be a good one either. I suggested we watch a movie for this trip and sitting low in the hull of the ship was a good solution for my current condition. It wasn't until Tegan asked to go get some food at the end of the film did I get a kick in the gut by ferry crashing into the large waves. The scene through the windows on the front of the ferry was either all water or all sky. Eating wasn't even a consideration of mine, but Tegan was hungry.

Back on land in Wellington and we set off North, not knowing how far to travel today before stopping to find a hotel with SkyTV for the other semi-final game. New Zealand play Australia tonight and this was the game most feared but the Kiwis. A win and the All Blacks face France for the final. It was a must win game and I had to be watching it in a pub or in a hotel room.

We were suppose to have a visit to Kapiti Island, but decided to head north to try a bit of surfing in Taranaki. The weather was suppose to hold out for us, so on we went trying to get as much distance on the day as possible.

We kept going and Mount Taranaki loomed before us in the twilight. I had to get some photos and then we quickly set off in search of a hotel room in Hawera. The first decent one would do and it was quickly to the office to get a key, our milk and TV powered up so to watch the game in comfort.

The game result came to the relief of millions of Kiwis and the All Blacks secured their spot in the final. Only France now stood in the way of the ultimate prize. Too bad we wouldn't be in New Zealand to watch the final, maybe that was a mis-planned choice. But I wanted to be back home for my son Elliot's birthday. Just as important.

Day 35 - Deep Sea Fishing Kaikoura

2011-10-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

This morning I had my alarm set for 5am and woke to photograph the sunrise. I setup my tripod, camera and intervolometer to record a successions of photos while I went back to sleep. When I woke, the camera had recorded many shots of the wakening sun including the photo below.

I had Tegan get up and we drove into town, it was now 7:30am. We swung into a a park to use the washroom facilities and freshen up a little. We made our way to the iSite and inquired into the dolphin swim. We were then told that Tegan was too young to participate in the swim. So, we decided to look into the deep sea fishing charters. We managed to secure a booking for the afternoon on a 3 hour fishing tour. We went back down the road to a farmers market that was setting up when we had passed by earlier and we got Tegan a cute wool hat and some poi balls for her.

Then we strolled the main street grabbed some sushi and then went on the hunt for our hotel room for the night. The Semi-finals were starting this evening and I needed my SkyTV. We drove around seeing a half dozen places before returning to the first hotel we stopped at and checked in. We got rested up a bit, dressed into our warm and waterproof gear and then went down to the wharf where our fishing boat and crew waited.

Joining us on the trip was a group of 5 others; along with the crew of 2. The little boat shot out of the harbour and we darted about the sea collecting rock lobster traps and restocking them with fresh bait. The day was overcast, but no rain and the seas were a little choppy but I managed to suppress sickness with my horizon watching routine.

Tegan was a rock and wasn't phased by any of the sloshing around or the handling of the fish and sorry octopus that found its way into one of the metal traps. It was given an timely death and Tegan watched as its guts were ripped out and tossed overboard.

When given the rods we able to land perch with every cast. With 3 hooks on the line, we were disappointed if we had less than 3 on the line. It was fun and Tegan enjoyed seeing the fish as they landed onto the deck.

The gulls and albatross floated in waiting of discarded bait or small fish thought to be returning to the sea for a second chance, only to be gobbled up right in front of of eyes.

Although we didn't get a good photo of the dolphins, they did come and check us out and it was a nice treat to see them so close to the boat. You can see its dorsal fin in the photo to the right.

Tegan had a try at reeling in the fishing line, but tired of it quickly. It was a bit of a chore to get the line in, but when the fish were on show, Tegan was pleased as punch.

Although we didn't catch anything but perch, some people on-board managed to reel in Blue Cod and a couple of small sharks.

The trip was hard on one of the passengers and the waves got bigger and the rain began to fall as we neared the end of our trip. It was almost all I could do to keep from getting sea sick myself as there was people being sick to our right and left. Not so pleasant.

When we landed on shore, we were pretty cold and we fetched our van and got the heater running before heading to the wharf to collect our small share for supper. I was happy to be back on land.

When we got back to the hotel room, I prepared a few fillets of perch for our supper and then we watched the game that crushed my heart. Poor Wales lost to France and the disappointment was felt in many a rugby fan in New Zealand and abroad. Tomorrow we depart the South Island for the last leg of our journey.

Day 34 - Collingwood and the Farewell Spit

2011-10-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

Our morning consisted of breakfast, packing up and Tegan getting penpal addresses. We debated further where our destination was for the day and then drove off headed North towards the Farewell Spit, thinking this would be a nice flat drive up and back down. Unfortunately a notoriously steep hill stood in the way of this. There was an elevation gain of over 800m and then an 800m elevation drop to reach the lands beyond. However, it was very worth it.

The little town of Takaka was among the most charming of our trip. We strolled up and down the sidewalks searching for more gifts to take home. In front of the Golden Bay Gallery was a stretch of rugby jerseys hanging on a line and the artists who created these jerseys hailed from the Collingwood Area School.

The neat thing about this was that Tegan goes to a school in Calgary named Collingwood. So, the town and school now became a point of interest for us.

After lunch and ice cream, we headed to Collingwood and managed to locate the school easy enough. We had a light stroll around the grounds, got some photos and play time in, then off again.

The slogan of the Golden Bay is "It's just a hill, get over it!" and I think it is very fitting. Every tourist should visit this part of New Zealand for the scenery, art & crafts and wildlife.

We reached the Farewell Spit, parked, packed a little snack and made our way towards the access to the shore that leads to the dunes.

The tide was high on our way out to the Farewell Spit and you can't help but walk on a walkway of shells leading you towards the sandy dunes. As we rounded the bay, I decided it would be neat to get a better viewpoint up on the dunes for photos etc.

Once up on the top the sand looked sandier on the other side and we descended down the dunes and walked our way across the Spit. I told Tegan she could slide down the dunes on her bum and she had a another 2-3 goes at it.

The scenery her is stunning and the photos we took should prove it.

We walked along the beach alone and then did some bushwhacking back to a road that got us back to the bay we were originally walking in on.

Now the tide was out and with the receded water the sea floor was left to explore. We got to play we some tiny crabs we carefully spotted. They were heavily camouflaged with wet sand and only the slightest movement set us off on there location.

On our way back we stopped into the Waikoropupu Springs, one of the largest fresh water springs in the Southern Hemisphere. It is quite an impressive sight with the emerald coloured water and green plant life growing beneath the water.

Now our plan was to make our way to the other side of the island and Kaikoura for a dolphin swim the next day. Ambitious we were as it was 4pm already and we had more than one obstacle between us and the other coast.

By 7pm we were in Nelson and there was some sort of Art Festival on in the city. We were hunting for a Sushi place, but couldn't find it. I felt under dressed for the Friday night crowd at the local pubs so walked over to a Indian restaurant and had some curry and butter chicken. It was now nearing 9pm and I had Tegan get into her PJs for a long all night drive towards Kaikoura. I am not sure what I missed on that drive... I am sure it was pretty as there were many winding hills to maneuver around in the dark. But by the time we got Blenheim it was nearing midnight and I was happy to be on a familiar highway down the coast. When I started to get tired I decided to search out the next rest area and pull over for a sleep. We were now only 1 hour from Kaikoura and the next day of adventure!

What a day.

Day 33 - Considering the Abel Tasman

2011-10-13T23:32:00.000-06:00

It sure is nice to wake up in a nice comfy bed with clean sheets. Breakfast was ordered and served in bed, while we watched some telly before gathering our things up and heading into town. We were on the hunt for some gifts for Mom and Elliot while we cycled through some loads of laundry. It was a spectacular day out and really made the area feel uniquely special. We loaded up on some trinkets and groceries and then headed towards the Abel Tasman and The Barn Backpackers.

We stopped and had a viewing of the famous Split Apple Rock. Kayaks is the way to go to really see this feature. There was a guy and girl getting acquainted with fishing from the shore and I watched him lose his bait on every casting attempt he made, it was quite humourous to watch.

Just before The Barn is a little takeaway that has some of the most delicious burgers, loaded high with juicy toppings. Tegan struggled just to get her teeth into the monstrous burger. Deep fried pineapple was a favourite of hers from here as well!

The Barn was one of the Spaceships' Space Stations and the cost was very cheap for the nights stay. Tegan made some playmates while here and the little ducklings, quail and goat were bonus features. The goat was chained up to a little shed and the shed was a portable home for the goat as it dragged the plywood shelter around the field.

I worked on some blog entries in the afternoon while the internet was good and Tegan played with her friends. I determined that tomorrow we would not do a hike into Abel Tasman and instead head north to Farewell Spit for some photos.

Day 32 - Do you want milk with that room

2011-10-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

Today our plan is to head north from Karamea and view some natural arches in Oparara which is located in Kahurangi National Park. The road to Oparara begins about 5kms north of Karamea and as we were driving on it this day, the road was freshly graded... really freshly graded. 1/2 of the road was graded with the other half that was not grated separated by a continuous mound of gravel.

It was about 10 mins on this narrow road that we came upon the grader, that was actually sitting half in a muddy ditch and half on the road. I asked if the driver needed any assistance, but he said he was fine and had a radio if he had to use it. He suggested that we squeeze by him and squeezing by was challenging enough, given that there was debris on the road and a soft wet ditch on the other side. We safely got by, but could have pictured the worst case scenario of a major traffic jam on this road in the middle of nowhere.

We arrived at the first parking lot that has many of the tracks heading into Oparara. We parked and got ready for a nice short tramp into the rain forest to view the first arch called Moria Gate Arch, a little Lord of the Rings lore exists here. This was unlike the other forests we had seen in New Zealand. It really felt like we were in a jungle.

We only had to walk for about 15 mins before coming to a hole in the limestone, descending down under the massive slab of limestone, walking out to the river and realizing that the formation above you was formed from the water eroding the rock you walked through.

It was quite impressive!

We explored the arch and the eroded features of the limestone, including stalagmites growing from the ceiling.

Moria Arch was impressive...

wish I had gotten some better shots however.

Next we were off to Oparara Arch, the track to it leads away from the same parking lot but travels in an opposite direction to Moria Arch.

It took about 20 minutes to reach the arch and there is a natural bridge high above the entrance to the arch and it is equally impressive to see.

The Oparara arch is 200 metres in length, 49 metres wide and 37 metres high!

We stopped back at the parking lot to have lunch and feed the weka some of our pretzels. They were really curious here and came right up to you. Likely from others feeding them so I thought why not. The only problem with the place was the sandflies! They were fierce here and were bugging us terribly to the point we were racing to get out of here. It was hot and the sandflies were settling nicely into our campervan since we had the windows open. We packed up and drove a long time with the windows down attempting to get the sandflies out our our van.

From here we drove all the way to Abel Tasman, stopping for dinner at a pub in Murchison. It was a little wet in the mountains and there is one crazy windy stretch after Murchison that must be handled carefully. It was a tad slippery and the campervan liked to lock up on one of the front wheels for extra excitement. We drove all the way to The Barn backpackers, but it was late and I thought it would be better to sleep in a hotel for the night, so we could wash out sheets the next day and not worry about the sandfly attack planned for the evening. So, our first motel was a nice luxory unit in Motueka with sky tv and all the furnishings. Tegan relished the idea of having a TV and we watched a few shows before calling it a night. Oh ya, the milk! When you get a room in New Zealand you given a choice of milk for coffee or milk for cereal. I didn't know what the lady was talking about at first, but we selected our cereal milk and viewed our room. We also we told to just pay the owners in the morning... very trusting... but they had all my info anyway.

Day 31 - The push to Karamea

2011-10-11T22:28:00.000-06:00

We managed to get out of Hokitika fairly early this morning and on our way to Karamea and a the remote western part of the South Island.

We past some gold mining operations on the way up to Greymouth. I had originally planed on driving up to Arthur's Pass, taking the scenic train ride down to Greymouth and back, but I didn't think it was worth it any longer and the brewery tour at Monteith's was closed due to a rebuilding project, so off we went yet again.

The Pancake rocks were our next stop at Punakaiki. We got out and enjoyed a walk in the damp weather. This geological feature was quite impressive and it only saddened Tegan a little to learn that there weren't any actually pancakes to be had here.

Again in the campervan, we headed North passing Westport and eventually arriving in Karamea mid afternoon. I was originally planning to camp at a DOC site, but I thought it would be best to seek out a campsite for Tegan. We stayed in a cabin this time and it wasn't much... I think you are suppose to bring your own linens if you stay in cabins... or at least at this one. It wasn't much more comfortable than the campervan. Tegan got to run around with some kids there and I got an education on the Whitebait harvesting. Whitebait is a small fish much like a minnow that is caught in nets as they swim with the tides. The fish is then mixed with eggs and eaten in an omelet or as a fritter. Certain fishing locations are passed on to younger generations and this campsite along with most in the area were filled with whitebaiters.

Day 30 - Skydiving in Franz Josef, New Zealand

2011-10-10T20:00:00.000-06:00

Sun is shining "check"

Wind is calm "check"

Ready to jump out of plane "check"

Today we woke up to a perfect day. The sun was bright in the sky and the clouds were minimal. We had our quick breakfast and then proceeded down the road to the Skydive Franz. There was Tegan and I plus a guy from Wales jumping today and the weather at the moment was looking excellent.

Yesterday we signed up for a long anticipated skydiving outing. In New Zealand, Tegan my 7 year old daughter can go tandem skydiving! Today we were getting weighed up and then tossed into a van for a trip to the airfield. There we got suited up and instructed on how to tandem skydive. Tegan was matched up with Bigfoot and I had Leigh. Bigfoot is the senior instructor at Skydive Franz and I was confident and so was Tegan that she was in good hands. I had Leigh and I outweighed her by a bunch, but when it got to the part of getting my out of the plane, she handled it like I was a sack of laundry.

Tegan and I were enjoying the flight up and the scenery was nothing short of spectacular. Views of Mount Cook and the Glaciers on one side and the Tasman Sea on the other. I cannot comment on the other places to jump in New Zealand, but I picked this spot just for those features. Today we were jumping from 12,000 feet and it actually takes about 10-15 minutes for the little plane to climb up that high.

Then it was time to jump, clipping into our tandem partners and double checking the attachments prior to opening the door. Tegan was the first to go and a count of three and she quickly fell out of sight. Then it was our turn and Leigh swung me around like a rag doll, feet dangling over the edge of the plane, nothing below but the ground. A count of three, rocking on each count and out we went. I panicked, my body tightened and I trembled for as much as 5 seconds... then I relaxed a little more... there really was nothing I could do about the situation.

The noise of the freefall was tremendous and it lasted about 50 seconds. It wasn't until the shute opened that I could see Tegan, She was a great distance below us. The Parachute ride down was the best part for me. It was now quiet and relaxing and you were able to absorb more at a rational rate of descent. Leigh and I were the first to land and we came in for a bum landing. I raised my legs and we slid along the grass gently to a stop.

Tegan and Bigfoot had difficulty landing in their drop zone and ended up landing in a pasture about 100m away. Apparently the wind had shifted and created a huge challenge for the skydivers just to get near the landing site.

When Tegan finally made her way to where we had landed, I asked her what she thought of the jump and for the first time this trip, she was silent.

She came around in a few minutes and started to describe how she felt. She did enjoy it and would do it again she says.

We got the changed out of our jumpsuits and were shuttled back to town. We had to hang around for a few hours in order to grab the DVD of Tegan's first skydive. After a 2 hour wait, we made our way North towards Hokitika. Hokitika is greenstone central of New Zealand and there are numerous shops displaying greenstone artwork among other shops.

We walked around town a bit, went to the grocery store and then searched out a place to stay. We settled at the Shining Star Beachfront Accommodation. It fit our needs, I made a gouda stuffed chicken for dinner while Tegan checked out the small game farm there. I socialized with the patrons (Germans and Aussies this time) while cooking. Supper turned out great and after clean up, we strolled to the office to grab a movie for Tegan to watch tonight. We wanted to go to the dell across the highway that has a display of glowworms in the trees, but it began raining hard and we weren't able to. A night in the camper is all that we got.

Day 29 - Hoping for some fine weather in Franz Josef

2011-10-09T22:00:00.000-06:00

Woke up to a stunning day and an amazing view of Lake Wanaka and the mountains all around. Wow!

We heard that there was one of Rugby Canada's Beardos staying at our campsite, but never had the pleasure of meeting him. I can only guess who it would have been, having heard that teams had to vacate from New Zealand after dropping from the tournament.

After breakfast, our first order of business is to stop at Puzzling World NZ. Tegan and I had great fun exploring the many optical illusions presented at this place. The maze outside was a little overwhelming and we opted for the exit since it usually takes around 2 hours to complete! The wall of faces I thought was most amazing with the concave heads following your movements around the room. Having all of these famous dead people watching your every move is creepy!

Our destination today was Franz Josef. The drive through the mountains to the coast was another especially pretty drive. But the real excitement started as we left Haast with the West Coast Highway offering some obstacles, no other road we had seen so far, during our drive. The special features of this road are the one lane bridges. There was even a one lane bridge that had railway tracks running straight where we were driving on, I imagine the train receives the right of way. The day was brilliantly beautiful, blue skies with wisps of high white clouds and the only thing that worried us was the forecast for rain the next day. Come on, we are skydiving tomorrow... well, are hoping we are anyway.

I though Franz Josef would be larger in size, but it is a small village with 2 streets dotted with accommodations, restaurants and bars. We booked our flight for the next day for our first skydiving adventure. We only had to hope that the weather would work out for us.

We stayed at the Rainforest Retreat, they had a special offer through Spaceships. This place had it all. Rooms, tree-houses, campsites, bar, etc... We had a pizza in town and then I set Tegan up with a movie and went to watch the quarter final games. This place was pretty happening, not sure if it was like this all the time or if it was just because of the RWC. Tegan finished a couple of movies and then wandered into the bar and hung out with me for the remainder of the game. The games were really great to watch and New Zealand came out on top, so the Kiwis celebrated into the night while Tegan and I walked to our campervan in the rain, ready to welcome the new day and hopefully some sunshine.

Day 28 - Wanaka for rugby quarter finals

2011-10-08T22:30:00.000-06:00

Woke up this morning and started the wood stove for some waking-up warmth. The little mouse that was visiting our cabin all night was scurrying in and out under the door as I prepared to make some pancakes. The clouds were already breaking up and we were looking forward to the drive to Wanaka and the quarter final games of the evening. I didn't know exactly how we were going to fill the day, but we were headed towards Queenstown and that drive was oh so picturesque!

Queenstown to me looks like a larger and busier Banff. We didn't stop off and explore the town, but continued up to Glenorchy. I read heaps about this drive and the destination and it didn't let us down. The colour of the deep blue water silhouetted by the snow capped peaks was stunning. We made some sandwiches visited some shops and then headed towards Wanaka via Queenstown.


Testing the outdoor plumbing

We did a quick stop off in Arrowtown and just to stretch our legs and visit the historic Chinese settlement and the ruins.

This is traveling in style!

We should've stopped here to have lunch instead of making sandwiches, there were plenty of quaint little eateries and shops to visit. I really like the feel of this little town. A must visit when we travel back to New Zealand.

The rest of the ride to Wanaka was just as scenic and picturesque as the morning drive. We got a campervan site and then walked the main street to check out the many restaurants and scope out a place to watch the quarter finals. We ended up at a pretentious little spot that offered over priced meals and drinks, we settled on ordering a cold cut plate with cheeses... bad idea, the cheeses weren't appealing to Tegan and I had a hard time stomaching the cheese choices. I was hoping for a better selection of cold cuts, but was left with salami and ham. We both were sick of ham about halfway through this portion since we had ham sandwiches for lunch.

We stuck it out for both games... We had hoped the Irish would have won, since they were the Cinderella team after upsetting Australia, Wales however were the better team. France and England wasn't that exciting to watch. A quick walk back to the campervan and off to sleep.

Day 27 – Milford Sound mistake

2011-10-07T21:30:00.000-06:00

We decided to stay at the backpackers one more day and travel to Milford Sound just to see what this location has to offer. There was a little rain falling when I woke this morning and the cabin was a little chilly. I should have had a fire ready to go this morning, but opted to use up the firewood the previous evening; keeping us nice and toasty. The morning view from the porch of the cabin was stunning, panoramic views of mountains, Lake Manapouri was blanketed with low lying cloud and pastures were receiving breaks of sunshine. All around the morning fog was burning off and presenting a magnificent day to explore.

Weka

The trip to Milford Sound was highlighted by the waterfalls and the long descending tunnel carved through the mountain. Our only mistake was not getting there in time for the 2:30pm cruise and finding out that there was absolutely nothing to do in Milford Sound other than the cruise, flight or the café where I bought Tegan an ice cream treat. We did see our first Kea and Weka, although we didn’t stop to photograph the Kea when we had the opportunity, we saw it at a rest area on the way to the Sound.

When we returned to the backpackers the owner asked what we thought and we were just ho hum about the experience but could understand if you didn’t live near mountains, the experience would be heightened. For us, it was just a drive and frankly a wasted trip. We should have just went and seen Doubtful Sound from Te Anau instead. But, it wasn’t on my itinerary as something to do, so we didn’t consider it. We had a nice supper and Tegan watched another movie.

Day 26 – Kayaking Stewarts Island

2011-10-06T21:00:00.000-06:00

Tegan was up until after 11pm the night before and a little reluctant to wake up this morning. We missed the ferry boat to Tuva Island, but we decided kayaking was the activity for today. We strolled down to the boat shed at a bay about 500 metres from our backpackers. The day was perfect, sunny and warm with only a pinch of wind.

The water looked fantastic, but there was no one there, so we back tracked a bit and had some luck with a lady and her cell phone. She managed to have better luck than I with reaching the number for the kayaking tour and we were quickly back down to the bay and out in the water. We had a sensational time paddling around the inlet and although we didn’t see any penguins, Tegan was able to view the seabed with a giant viewing glass as well as holding a large seven legged seastar. Our trip lasted 2 ½ hours and by the end my arms were pretty worn out.

We headed back to the backpackers, grabbed our bags and then headed towards the ferry. Allie was there and entertained Tegan with a game of chess/checkers on a giant chessboard while I went and booked the ferry ride and grabbed a pink cupcake treat for the both of them. It was time to say goodbye and board our ferry.

The ride back was nearly as smooth as glass and it was nice to actually be able to check out the scenery as we travelled. I spotted something jumping in the water and went to investigate outside on the deck of the ferry. I thought it was a fish, but learned that it was probably a yellow eyed penguin. It jumped continuously across the top of the water jumping about 5-6’ horizontally out of the water and submersing only to appear again 1-2 seconds later. Penguins spend their nights on the shore and during the day they swim great lengths, up to 100 kms just to feed on fish.

We walked around Invercargill a little, doing some shopping and then we hopped into our campervan and made way for Te Anau. We never made it to Te Anau this day, I got tired and decided to locate some lodging quick, but it didn’t work out that well for us, so we kept going towards Manapouri. Then prior to reaching a randomly chosen campground, we found a charming little backpackers and got a neat little cabin with a wood stove to stay in. We made our supper and Tegan watched a movie while I slept.

Day 25 - One of the coolest things geology has given us!

2011-10-05T20:00:00.000-06:00

6am and I awoke to a nice warm morning under an overcast sky. I parked straight into our campsite the night before, so I tried to push the van around so I wouldn’t have to throw it in reverse and sound the beacon. I ended up pushing the van into a divot and had to throw it into reverse for 5 seconds and then off I was towards the Moerakai boulder car park. Tegan was asleep and I left her in the bed while I drove and parked, then got my camera gear ready and strolled down the beach to photograph the boulders with the sunrise. The sunrise never came, it only got brighter; but I got some sensational long exposure shots of the boulders and I had the entire beach to myself.

I went and got Tegan after an hour had passed and dragged her out to see the boulders. She was reluctant at first but after seeing them, she really warmed up to them. We photographed for another hour and then the winds shifted and it cooled dramatically. While I was photographing some last shots, I noticed a pair of dolphins swimming in the waves not 100 metres from us. I tried to photograph them as best I could, missing a couple of cool shots but the memory of seeing them gliding under the waves and then jumping high into the air is still quite vivid for me.

Tegan and I actually had the whole beach to ourselves again for an additional hour and then a group of about 20 showed up for their viewing of the incredible boulders. I wish I could wake up at dawn every morning as I had this one, even without the sun shining it was a very special day and I shared it with my daughter alone.

We were all done here and one the road at just after 8am and heading towards Dunedin. Dunedin was a short hour drive away and we grabbed breakfast from a little coffee shop in the heart of the city. I took Tegan to the Cadbury factory and we did the tour together. We enjoyed it a lot, but kept thinking that Mom and Elliot are the sweet crazy people in our family and they likely would have had an even better time than us. Not to worry, we bought lots of chocolate to bring home.

With the tour over it was time to head to Bluff, we had a ferry to catch to Stewart Island. It was now 1pm and Bluff was about 3 hours or more away… ferry leaves at 5pm, time to move it!

We did move it and made it to the terminal at 4:15pm. The ferry service is just for passengers and luggage. The cool weather had come all across the southland and the wind as well. The ferry crossing was quite fun for Tegan and I had to keep focus on the horizon just to feel ok with the trip. The boat was pitching and yawing all over the Favreaux Straight and slamming into every 5th wave it seemed. The crossing only takes an hour and I wouldn’t have wanted another 10 minutes of what we were served.

We went straight to the backpackers and got our room, socialized with a few of the patrons and then went to the tavern to have a meal. I had the blue cod and it was delicious, Tegan had the seafood chowder and we shared an order of what can only be called Poutine. Apparently they had a Canadian working in the kitchen and this was her contribution. Tegan got to play at the pool table for a couple of games and then we headed back to the backpackers. Allie is a girl from the UK and she and Tegan were playing cards together and enjoying each other’s company very much; along with the other guests watching their antics. Allie organized an outing to go find Kiwis and Tegan was pumped to go, so I joined them as well. We basically stumbled along in the dark going down paths that ended at private property signs or beaches. An hour spent out looking and no result so we headed back, watched one episode of Flight of the Conchords and then went to bed.

Day 24 – Christchurch deconstructing

2011-10-04T20:00:00.000-06:00

Our first order of business after having breakfast was to search out the Spaceships HQ in Christchurch and exchange some DVDs for Tegan. Following the GPS we arrived at what used to be their HQ, but now was a red flagged building after the earthquake. Come one Spaceships, the earthquake happened 6 months ago and besides the address you had listed; the street name was incorrectly spelt!

We were approaching the CBD from the north and you noticed the destruction on smaller buildings in the outlying areas. Cracks on walls, roofs half falling in or buildings being dismantled for a later rebuilding project were only a few of the very noticeable scenes around this part of Christchurch.

Learning the address to the new location we were off and off to an area well south of Christchurch and it took about 30 minutes just to drive there. We eventually arrived and exchanged our movies and then went on to find a laundromat to wash some clothes. It cost us $16 to do 2 loads of wash. The typical holiday parks charge about $3 a load and usually that would mean $12 for the same amount.

Getting to the laundromat was another ordeal. The GPS had us cutting across town but the streets are all closed off due to the damage from the earthquake. Streets would just end and we did a number of U-turns prior to bypassing the fenced off areas. There was this one building in the CBD that much have been 20-30 storeys, the look of the building was that it had shifted and parts of it were out of alignment. I can’t imagine there would be a fix for the building only an eventual demolish and rebuild.

We had been killing time in Christchurch so that Tegan could have a go at Clip n’ Climb. This is a climbing facility that houses a more amusement type take on rock climbing without the need for a person to belay the climber; instead relying on a device to belay the climber automatically. I was really interested in this place and thought it would be fantastic, but it sort of let us down; not providing the thrill or enjoyment we thought it would.

Large fern on hillside made from white bails of hay

We headed south until we reached our campsite at Moeraki. I made Tegan some rice while waiting for 100 photos to be uploaded to my gallery. If the rice took 10 minutes to make, then I could have made 24 pouches of rice prior to all the photos reaching my gallery. I figure there were 10 MBs maximum of photos and it took over 4 hours! Ouch.

Alarm's set for 6am. Night.

Day 23 – Worthless $7 WiFi

2011-10-03T22:47:00.000-06:00

Today started at 5am and I quietly drove out of the holiday park bound for Wellington and the Interislander ferry. It was a super quiet ride into the city and as I parked in queue for the ferry, Tegan awoke from slumber asking, “Where are we? The ferry ride was pretty smooth and we were treated to a traditional Maori performance from some performance group that happened to be on the ferry crossing. I regretfully purchased some time on the ferry’s WiFi service only to get nothing in return. What a joke!

The weather was singled out as our adversary as we sought sunny weather on the South Island. Our original itinerary had us heading to the Abel Tasman, but you could not even see any mountains as it was so sopped in.

On the way South we came across quite a site as a group of likely hundreds of thousands of birds kept flying in a rotational pattern about 300 metres off the shoreline. It was amazing to see.

So the weather forecast for Christchurch looked promising so we headed there. The campground we chose was just north of Christchurch, a bit of a dive, but it worked. We didn’t find the sun, but had high hopes for the next day.

Day 22 – Last match for Canada

2011-10-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

This morning we had breakfast and then started to get ready for the game. I applied face paint to Tegan’s face, a giant red maple leaf with a black background. She wore the same clothes and wig from the last game and we boarded the shuttle for Wellington at about 12:30 for our 3 o'clock game. The atmosphere was great at the game. There were tons of Canadian supporters and even more All Black supporters. It was really neat sitting inside the “Cake Tin” watching an All Blacks game. Sure wish it was more than a once in a lifetime event.

The haka was fantastic to see live and a little Kiwi boy was imitating the haka moves next to us, as the real haka happened on the pitch.

The Canadian boys managed the best they could against “The Mighty” and it was reflected in the final score. After the game we cheered on the boys as they rounded the field, then Tegan and I bolted to other side of the stadium so she could try to get some autographs from the circling players. I think we got into position for the last three quarters of the team that was left circling the pitch and Tegan probably got about 15 Canadian players and about 4 of The All Blacks.

We probably p’d off a few of our companions on the shuttle as they had just sent out a search party when we arrived at the bus. When we got back to the campsite, I made supper for us and then it was off to bed. We had to get an early start to the next day with our ferry ride to the South Island.

Day 21 – Luminous caves and Te Papa Museum

2011-10-01T21:00:00.000-06:00

“Pancakes” was Tegan’s call this morning even though we couldn’t find any mix at the store. So we went out for breakfast in town and it was delicious. Martinborough is a very trendy place with most of the shops and food places catering to those that would pop $40 down on a good bottle of wine from the many wineries in the area. I meant to stop into some of the wineries, but never really had a chance and from the prices at the grocery store I was amazed at how expensive the wine was coming from this region. In Hawke’s Bay there was plenty of cheap wine for sale there and I even saw a wine sale being advertised at a winery there; think they were going for $7/bottle! I didn’t see a single bottle below $30 at the grocery store in Martinborough.

I am going to have to do some research and then grab some wines to take home. So, our first order of business was calling the owners of a glow worm cave in the countryside around Martinborough. We reached the previous owner who passed on a phone number for the current owner. I called and explained I was a Canadian and here with my daughter and we would like to some out and see the glow worms on their property. Well, it wasn’t a problem and we were told to come on out. When we arrived at the property Tegan was very interested in the young lamb they had in the cage and it was tough convincing her to go with me instead of staying there with the lamb and the other girls.

We were guided down to the pastures where the caves are located and told specifically how to get to the location. We also we told that the caves had been closed to the public for the last 2 years due to graffiti and the amount of traffic it was generating. Also the fact that it was lambing and calving season generally there would have been no chance of seeing the cave, but for some reason they allowed us.

The entrance of the cave was down a gentle slope to a stream that actually runs right through the limestone and created the cave that houses the glow worms. The cave itself was only about 200 metres and exits into the pasture on the other side of the hill. The water at the entrance was knee deep and cool and Tegan was carried in front of me as I had my camera gear slung on my back. When we shut off our lamps we were treated to an awesome display from the glow worms. I took several long exposure shots including one that was some 24 minutes in length. We saw up close one of the glow worms and it looked to me to be like a earwig longer and smaller with a glowing tail piece.

We must have spent the better part of 2 hours at the cave site and then went back to household to visit the lamb, calves and horse they had there. I made a call to Wellington to arrange a meet up with Rob; the guy I met at the game in Whangarei. We made plans for us to meet him and his kids at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington. The drive over to Wellington from Martinborough is not that much fun, unless you had a motorcycle or exotic car. It is windy and pretty dangerous; luckily it was also lined with guard rails, something that is typically rare in New Zealand to find. The trip takes about 1 1/2 hours just to get into Wellywood, but finding parking before the France – Tonga match was another story. We had to park some distance away from Te Papa and we while we waited for Rob to show we watched a busker on the wharf performing an act on a unicycle.

The Te Papa Museum is a New Zealand treasure. Rebecca, Jake and Tegan explored the various displays on the 6 floors. The earthquake house was really cool and so was a multimedia wall you could decorate with images and videos of yourself or other pre-recorded files. It was about 20 metres x 2 metres and you use wii type remotes to alter the display. There seemed to be a room in the museum covering just about any topic. It was something to see and it was free.

Rob had tickets to the game so he and his kids departed and Tegan and I explored the waterfront and eventually found the giant jolly jumper for Tegan to play on. I am not asking; but I bet she would like one for the backyard!

We rode back to Martinborough and caught the tail end of game 2 of the night and the final game at the pub. Tonga beat France and that put Canada out of third spot; bad news, we now have to qualify for the next world cup. Tegan was given a two small rugby balls from a lady at the pub and she traded those in for a RWC 2011 ball. We left the pub and went back to our site at the holiday park, brushed our teeth and went to bed.

Day 20 – The halfway point

2011-09-30T19:30:00.000-06:00

Today marks the halfway point of our New Zealand trip with about 4000 kilometres on the ol’ campervan. We had a good jump on the day and hit the road nice and early. We stopped in Masterdon for some cash and look around a dollar store for some glow sticks for light painting. We snagged some items including some Pokemon cards for Tegan, she swore she needed another activity to keep her busy and this was it. With the river valley comes flat roads and they were relatively straight; a welcome change. The Martinborough holiday park wasn’t too grand with its offerings, but adequate and clean. It lacked a TV room and a playground and that was about all.

We headed straight for Cape Palliser and the Puangirua Pinnacles. The hike was nice and short only about an hour to get up the pinnacles and then an hour to get down. This was one of the places used as a shooting location for Lord of the Rings; Tegan didn’t recall the location even with me trying to refresh her memory. On the trip up Tegan accidentally broke the screen on her rugged camera. Good thing I got a replacement warranty for her camera; it will be heading back for fix or replacement once we get back to Canada.

Next stop was to go see a fur seal colony located just past the lighthouse on Cape Palliser; only we found them just before the lighthouse among a rocky outcrop. I was stopping to photograph something entirely different and Tegan was off around a boulder getting acquainted with the seals there. She got barked at by a couple of seals when she got too close. I began shooting photos of the seals and couldn’t believe how close you could get to them if you were cautious. I got some fantastic shots and those baby seal eyes are crazy cute when they glance up at you.

On the way back we saw some experienced surfers riding the waves on the coast and the sight of the south island with its snowy peaks could be seen across the Cook Strait. We stopped and grabbed some groceries for a supper of potatoes, green beans and barbeque lamb chops. It was delicious although Tegan didn’t enjoy the taste of the lamb. Tegan made friends with a little girl from France named Agathe. They were extremely fun to watch and extremely rough with each other as they played full tackle-grapple-rugby around the campground as it neared dark. I cleaned up our mess from diner and then it was off to bed.

Day 19 – Diesel and dust

2011-09-29T19:30:00.000-06:00

This morning started with the rumble of a diesel engine, only our campervan runs on petrol. A big truck had pulled onto an adjacent street and then they began loading a tree harvesting machine. Well, this wouldn’t do and we started our petrol engine and drove off in search of the sign for the longest place name in the world. Following our GPS we gently rolled down a dirt road and then past a house, a farmer and his dogs and then into a courtyard that had no connecting road so we had to backtrack to the farmer. I excused myself for driving through his property and told him we were on the hunt for the longest place name. He told me that the hill is located at the back of his property, but that there was now a sign erected near the place we had left this morning. So, backtracking again, we went to see the sign and learn the story of the Mauri chief.

Our next destination yielded some wonderful photos in the early morning fog and light. Tegan didn’t feel like walking around, so I got more time to explore with my camera. When I returned, I got her something to eat and by the time we got to the next beach she was back to herself and eager to explore. Unfortunately, getting to the next beach wasn’t as easy as we would have liked. Our trusty GPS let us down once again, leading down what eventually turned into a logging road of sorts. We crossed a knee deep stream with the van on the way up and realized this was not looking like a road we wanted to travel so we turned around at the first opportunity and crossed the stream yet again. Only this time it dislodged a plastic inner fender on the driver’s wheel and I had to get out and pry it out of wheel well with my tripod. We decided to skip the current beach destination and opt for the one further on.

Akitio was then next location and we had a brief stop here, snapped some photos and started on a road towards Castlepoint that quickly turned into a dirt road. Then we came to an intersection and had a choice to make, along the beach or back towards the main road. I likely made the wrong choice of heading back towards the main road, but we will never know. Traveling down the windy dirt roads ate up heaps of time, so I really think we should have tried the road along the ocean.

Once on the main road, the GPS told us it was about 200 kms to Castlepoint, yet it is only about 30-40 kms direct on the map. As we were making our way I then saw a sign that said 70kms to Castlepoint when we had 120kms to go with our current route so we took the shorter route. The road was dirt and the turns were windy; I felt like we were in a rally car race and could imagine this being one of the stages of the New Zealand Rally. Eventually the road turned into pavement and we were nearing the famous Castlepoint.

The weather and view didn't let us down one bit! This was a stunning destination. It was low tide and we were able to voyage out and around the sandy beach. The walk to the lighthouse was a nice easy path and after taking in some of the vistas we descended to the rocks below and watched the waves crash into the walls of the cliffs and congregate into a narrow passage then blow out in a large and loud spray of salt water.

We stayed on the beach for over an hour surveying the surroundings, until we decided to go back and have a snack before supper. We decided on another batch of guacamole and grabbed some chips from the store for dipping. There was a cute little jack russell terrier that became our companion at the campground. Everywhere we went, Holly went too. Tegan liked having her as a buddy, since there was no kids at this park.

Supper was being served at 6pm at the local tavern; Tegan had butter chicken and I had bangers and mash, a couple of beers for me and a L&P for Tegan and away we went back to the campsite. Tegan played at the park for a little bit and then we went to sleep, eager to have an early day for our trip to Martinborough for our 3 night stay there.

Day 18 – Ocean Fun & Sun

2011-09-28T20:00:00.000-06:00

We left the campground this morning at 10:30 and made way for Te Mata peak. It was impressive, but I could’ve missed the view as once we were up there, I shot a couple pics and then left. The next stop was Cape Kidnappers and once out there, understood that this was a tourist trap as well. Thankfully the tours weren’t running yet as it was high tide. Again uninterested in this spot we moved onto Ocean Beach and this was a treat. The stunning scenery and perfect beach setting makes this our best beach of the trip so far. We could have spent the entire day there, but after 1 ½ hours we opted to test our luck with the next beach.

Apparently this spring a big storm swept through this part of the island and destroyed a lot of roads and property. We didn’t see much home destruction, but roads were clearly damaged and being repaired. The next ocean front destination brought us to a rocky shore that offered more for fisherman than for tourists. I got 2 photos and went on our way.

The next stop brought us to a small village and a campground that looked a little deserted if not for someone mowing the lawn. The shore was rocky and featured many shells for Tegan to gather.

Unfortunately we made our way to the next stop and realized I had likely left my tripod on the last beach. The tripod was worth more than the gas so off we fled to seek the forgotten item. Thankfully after the 40 minute return ride, the tripod was still there, a little wet from the incoming tide, but exactly as I had left it.

This latest escapade told us we were all out of adventure for the day, so we made way for our holiday park in Porangahau. This community looks like a nice stop for tourists including craft shops and day outings in nearly every direction. I would like to revisit this spot on another trip to New Zealand. We drove past the intended holiday park stop and went to the beach only to find a Freedom campsite on the beach, so we stayed there instead. We learned that you can stay at most any rest area that has toilets in a vehicle like ours or if you have a larger campervan with on-board toilet, you can stay at any rest stops that don’t have toilet facilities, unless otherwise noted.

The spot we chose in the freedom campground required 3 tries just to get onto the knoll we selected. Tegan thought I was a little crazy for trying this.

This evening under a veil of stars we strolled out to the beach to photograph the stars and lighthouse. On our way back to the campervan we came across a hedgehog stunned by our bright flashlights and standing motionless on the path at our feet. I was unsure if we could pick it up or not and decided to not in case it would try to bite. After what seemed to be 2-3 minutes the hedgehog scurried off into the dune grass.

Tegan really got excited after seeing the hedgehog and her energy rose so we tried our hand at light-painting. I would say that our first attempt at coloring a photo with light was successful, Tegan and I are both eager to have another remote location to try this creative photo play again.

Happy Birthday to my daughter Celeina!

Day 17 – Canada take on Japan

2011-09-27T20:00:00.000-06:00

Wow! It is Canada’s third game already! This morning we get ready for the bash against Japan. I would say that this is our equal in rugby and our true rival when challenged at the RWC. Our morning began with breakfast and a bit of playing in the park for Tegan. Tegan has met a boy and a girl originally from Australia, currently living at the holiday park while their parents settle in New Zealand. We had 2 things to do today besides the game. First we had to meet up with friends from the old boys tournament who had taken photos of the game and the other was to go into town and find the face painting that was being provided for free. We got the photos and moved on to the face painting, only we did not locate the area where they were doing this. So, I decided we would locate some safety pins and needle and thread and construct an outfit for Tegan out of the Canadian bandanas we brought. After some fitting and sewing I had created a skirt and shirt out of the bandanas and Tegan was given a red and white wig from our friends from the rugby game. A little tattoo work and some face paint along with the costume we created and voila, we had Tegan outfitted for the game.

The campground and bus were not as full as the last game with France. On the bus, we were the only Canadians heading to the game. Traveling with us were some South Africans and some Brits. Once at the stadium, there were many Canadian and Japanese fans and some of the costumes were very creative. The game was entertaining, but I didn’t see that Canadian team on the field we had seen in the previous 2 games. Unfortunately, that is how the game unfolded as well and Japan took advantage of our condition and moved ahead of Canada and stayed there until the last minutes when a penalty kick for the tie left the game at just that, a draw. This is the second world cup in a row that we have drawn even with Japan’s side.

Later after the game we drove across town to hang out with the Lillywhites. We went out to a pub and had some food, watch the last game of the night and then we headed back to our campground.

Day 16 – Irish Dance in NZ

2011-09-26T19:30:00.000-06:00

Today we slept a little more in the morning and I worked on updating the blog while Tegan played with a couple of kids here at the holiday park. We tried to setup some play dates with friends but it didn’t pan out for us. We actually went for a little drive around Napier prior to the start of the Irish dance class Tegan was invited to at 4:30pm. We grabbed some ice cream and then we drove up to a lookout and had a great view of the port and the surrounding bay. It is a beautiful area they have here.

We located the class and Tegan was invited in with open arms. She got to dance with 2 other girls at the end of the first class and then dance with a girl and 2 boys for the second class. After a summer off and an extended vacation here, she is really rusty. We will have to work on all of her dances prior to her competition in November.

Tegan had brought a stuffed bear that has a Canada shirt on it plus some maple sugar candies for the kids and a bottle of maple syrup for Helen the instructor. We thank Helen and her students for the opportunity to participate in her class. It really meant so much to Tegan for her to do this.

After dance class we went back to the holiday park for dinner and then bed. Big day tomorrow!