January 2019 – Page 2 – Steffi & Gerry: Trip around the World

Looking for Hobbits

A quick stop for a short walk at Pelorus Bridge between Nelson and Havelock. Main reason: the scenery is part of the “barrel scene” in “The Hobbit 2” movie. Need to watch it again!

Peter Jackson and the dwarves
Yep, same location!
If we only had it since beginning!

We arrived early at Smith’s Farm, which is also a campground. But so far the most personal one. Muffins as welcome gifts, food for the animals which you can feed and tips for Picton. And the recommendation to look for glowworms in the evening, which we had to skip due to uncertain weather conditions.

Cape Farewell / Wharariki Beach

A short walk to Wharariki Beach in the morning was a pleasant start for this day. The Archway Islands look amazing in the wild ocean, a significant contrast to the seal laying at the beach.

Just a five-minutes-drive away you reach Cape Farewell, the northernmost point of the South Island. Stone arch, seals, and in the distance Farewell Spit, a massive sand bank. Again a scenery almost out of this world.

Cape Farewell – Farewell Spit in the distance (the sandy thing)

But we had to take care of the strong wind blowing over the cliffs – and of the sheep poo. To get a nice picture of a typical New Zealand sheep Gerry had to sing a Peach Weber song: “Bäääähsame, bäääähsame mucho” – and it worked!

A rather long drive to the Cable Bay near Nelson to set up our camp at a farm. This time no kangaroos, but dogs and chicken freely wandering between the camper vans. We liked it!

ChickenFactory office – Gerry and his secretaries

Abel Tasman Tramping

Time to use our legs again. We started with an easy walk to the Wainui Falls. Tipp: go early or late, on our return the parking lot was very busy.

Close to the falls is the starting point for a few hikes. Actually, we wanted to do an easy hike along the coast to Taupo Point but the track is flooded during high tides. And somehow, we missed the alternative way, so at the end we walked up to Gibbs Hill (405 m.a.s.l.). Sigh! At least we got a good view over the bay at different tide heights.

Much easier was the last short walk to the Te Waikoropupu Springs, a sacred place with some of the purest water in the world.

Oh yeah, the Kiwis say “tramping” instead of “hiking”. We camped in Pakawau at an old-fashioned campground (the host used a magnifying glass to find our booking).

Abel Tasman Kayaking

One guide, seven guests, four kayaks and a wonderful weather. Perfect conditions for a kayak trip in the “heart” of Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand’s smallest, but one of the most frequented national parks. A water taxi took us from Marahau to Onetahuti Beach where we were instructed on how to steer a kayak. From there we paddled northwards and made a first stop to visit “Cleopatra’s Pool” – incl. a natural slide. What a great start!

Kayaking is fun
Cleopatra’s Pool
Steffi after her slide

On a marvelous beach we had veggie sandwiches for lunch, but our guide also dived for mussels and cooked them. Tasty!

Mussel cooking
FRESH seafood
Enjoying seafood

On Tonga Island we saw a seal and a nice starfish. Before ending our trip we stopped our kayaks at a natural source of fresh water – within the salty sea! Well, it is a hose in the sea water close to the coast which transports water from the hills. Kayak paddlers can fill up their water supplies for longer trips without leaving the boat.

Nelson

Another rather long drive from the Pancake Rocks, but well doable in less than 4 hours. Though, New Zealand’s streets can be really narrow, curvy and steep – allow enough time for your drive – relax and enjoy!

In Nelson, we booked a kayak trip for the next day, refilled our gas and strolled through the town.

Pancake Rocks

It was a rather long drive till today’s destination, but not at all boring. Rainforest almost reaching the sea, wild coasts and narrow streets, luckily by good weather.

The Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki are a must-see attraction. Layers of limestone, a massive blowhole and a great view on the wild coast. Oh, and our campground just a few hundred meters away.

West Coast – Franz Josef Glacier

A light rain woke us up, accordingly, our motivation to drive to Franz Josef Glacier and to do a small hike was not so high. Gray clouds everywhere. But with our arrival there a small blue hole appeared – right above the glacier. What a nice gift! Like Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier is melting away with alerting speed.

Next stop was Hokitika Gorge, also worth the detour. Blue water, green rainforest, idyllic suspension bridge – what do you want more?

Westcoast – Fox Glacier

We crossed the Southern Alps and drove along the west coast of New Zealand. Rainforests next to alpine mountains. Main goal for today was Fox Glacier. After a fatal accident and due to enormous retreats it is not possible anymore to access the glacier by foot. Only option would be a popular heli ride, but that’s over $450 and definitely not a very “green” option. The retreat of Fox Glacier is terrifying, not sure if our next generation will see anything at all from a glacier which once calved into the sea.

Before going to Franz Josef we did a nice walk around Lake Matheson.

Isthmus Peak / Blue Pools

Half-time! Wonderful, even relative hot weather. Time for a hike, especially in the Wanaka scenery. We got up early and hiked up till Isthmus Peak, a 5-hour-hike, 2.5 hours uphill to 1385m.a.s.l. Definitely worth the sweat, the scenery is magnificent, a 360° panorama with views on both Lake Wanaka and Lake Hāwea which makes scenic flights unnecessary.

View from Isthmus Peak Track on Lake Wanaka

Next stop was at the Blue Pools in Mount Aspiring National Park.

After a 10-minutes-walk to the pools we regretted not having our swimming outfits with us. On the way back to the parking lot we decided to use the chance for a jump into the fresh water, so we returned fully equipped. The water is really crystal-clear, and you might imagine, reeeally cold!

But too late to backtrack, especially considering our plan to use a “primitive” campground (no water, no power) for this night. Not a bad choice, the trade-off of comfort got payed back by much more wilderness feeling and a low price.