New Zealand – Page 3 – Steffi & Gerry: Trip around the World

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.

Skydiving in Wanaka

We’ve been informed that our 11:30 skydive jump had to be rescheduled, so we went up to Queenstown Hill first and enjoyed the view.

Back in the skydive office, we decided to take the offer to being transferred to Skydive Wanaka, which was our next destination anyway for this day.

Once again, being thrown out of a flying plane was an awesome feeling. Woohoo!!!

(Note: title picture is just a sample from skydivewanaka.com – we rejected the photo package (low-res DVD) at $179… )

Mountain Biking near Queenstown

We got two full-suspension mountain bikes (Giant) with adjustable saddle pole (bikers know why this is a good thing). We avoided the crowd at the bike park along Queenstown Hill and pedaled a few kilometers outside of town to the “7 Mile Riding Area”. It was definitely worth the ride. 26 tracks, 20 km trails (some with a great flow), scenic points and not many bikers. No lifts, no restaurants, just pure biking. Wonderful. But we have to admit feeling completely exhausted in the evening.

Queenstown

It’s a rainy day, but we didn’t care. Just drove directly to Queenstown to our campground and planned the upcoming days. Queenstown is the Mekka for extreme sports tourists. Bungee, Skydiving, Canyoning, Mountain Biking… you name it. We reserved two fullys (Mountain Bikes) for the next day and booked a Skydiving-Jump.

Less extreme but still nice was our site at the campground at a creek, including a duck family.