26/2-1/3 Christchurch

Christchurch 172° 38' E, 43° 32' S

Christchurch on NewZealand.com

With the organized tour we stayed in Bealey's hotel, quite a walk to the city centre. The first night in Christchurch we had our ‘last dinner together’, because one girl will leave a day earlier than the rest of the group. On Wednesday I have taken care of the other two nights I will spend in Christchurch and I’ve booked three nights in Oamaru, to the South. I’ve done some walking in the city that seems so English, like Cambridge or Oxford because of the old universiry buildings, the Cathedral, and the canals. But most of all it was a lazy day in the park to read and write in my diary. In the evening I had dinner with two people from the group and when we returned to the hotel almost everyone was sitting outside to have a drink (for their last night in New Zealand).

After the group left on the morning of February the 28th I moved to Cokers Backpackers, easy to walk to the city centre, but walking back I always needed the map to remember where I have to turn left.

On the first day that the group left it was quite weird that it seemed I heard familiar voices, and typical pink sweaters, because in other cities we always saw most other group members, mainly because we had a short time there and all went to the highlights, like in Auckland the Sky Tower and Devonport and in Wellington the Te Papa Museum.

But I have seen my tourleader twice (maybe Cathedral square is a place where you meet people), so we decided to have dinner together in an Indian restaurant. It was nice to have a conversation when she was in another role and was excited as well to travel on her own and to discuss our plans. I needed these days in Christchurch, after the group tour to think again what I want to do, before I leave. At least I wanted to see the penguins and do some hikes and cycle tours. But right now it was so much fun to walk in the city and decide what to do just when it pops in my head like a Bouncing Ball/ ‘Stuiterbal' in Dutch. So when I first had the idea to visit the Art Gallery I have changed my mind when I saw the bus to Lyttelton. So in the afternoon I have jumped on the bus to Lyttelton. I only knew it was close to the sea and that there was a museum about the Timeball.

Before I would climb the hill, I had a little picknick on a bench with a view over the big harbour (enormous ships). A German girl shared my bench and I had my first chips (fries). We walked together to the Timeball museum. It was a wee (little) museum like the woman there told us, about the way the exact time was announced. We felt like adventurers climbing the stairs of the towers with our binoculars. It was fun to see how the people lived there, reading the titles of the books full of adventures. Somehow I've read most of the books in the room of the little boy and hardly any books in the room of the little girl. But of course when I was young I always wanted to be an explorer. Unfortunately I was born some centuries too late.

At the hostel I spent a lot of time, rearranging my backpack. No idea how heavy it is, but I need to throw some stuff away, especially the booklets, brochures. I haven't bought that much, only jandals, a shirt and a thin pair of trousers. When I will return to Christchurch in two weeks I can do my shopping if I want.

26/2-1/3 Christchurch

26/2 Te Anau-Christchurch

It was a very long drive from Te Anau to Christchurch. We left at 6 o'clock in the morning and arrived just before 6 'o clock in the evening. I've slept a lot in the bus, but also saw a lot of mountains. Mt Cook, white with snow/ice was quite impressive and we made a group picture in front of it.

26/2 Te Anau-Christchurch

25/2 Te Anau, Doubtful Sound

Te Anau 167° 43' E, 45° 25' S

We've stayed in Te Anau Great Lakes Holiday Park, a kind of motel with facilities for backpackers and tents as well.


Te Anau at NewZealand.com

Fiordland

Fiordland



Today we started early to go to the Doubtful Sound with 8 people of the group. The other 12 went to the Milford Sound. I have chosen the Doubtful Sound because it was less touristic and a shorter drive by bus and a longer time on the boats.

First we have done a boat tour on Lake Manapouri and then a trip by bus. We've visited Manapouri Underground Powerstation. We've seen a lot of waterfalls, so we were lucky it has started to rain some days before ;)

Then we boarded another boat on the Doubtful Sounds, really great. We've seen dolphins and a seal. But I was a little nauseous after a while, because it was rough weather and we were heading to the ocean, so my legs felt a bit wobbly. I'm afraid pictures won't be able to show all the beauty properly, so I just inhaled the atmosphere. It has rained a lot, so my red jacket proved it was a good investment. In the afternoon when we returned to Te Anau the sun was shining. Perfect for the barbecue. It was fun to slice all the vegetables and fruit for the salads. 22 person can eat a lot, but unfortunately my 'seasickness' continued in the afternoon.


Doubtful Sound

25/2 Te Anau-Lake Manapouri-Doubtful Sound

My 'favourite' television show in New Zealand Pushing Daisies, I've seen it three times, so I've just a little idea what it is about, but at least it was intriguing. Perhaps this is the only show that I've seen more than once, except for the morning news/talk show.







And when I heard the song I was curious if I have the original (Birdhouse in your soul of They might be giants). And of course this song was one of the 4000! songs on my mp3-player.

24/2 Queenstown-Te Anau

It was a short drive to Te Anau in Fiordland, so we arrived in the afternoon. Together with 2 guys of the group we did a really nice hike, part of the Keppler Track. First we had to take the watertaxi to the other side of the lake. It was going really fast and we were prepared for a wet landing. Since Nelson I know what that means (walking the last metres through the water). At the beach we learnt how to dry our wet feet, by rubbing it with sand. And to remove it with some tissue paper later. At the shower at the hotel I discovered my very dirty feet, but no problem at all with the sand between my toes.

The hike was 3 hours and the first two hours were dry and in a forest, really beautiful green. Then it started to rain (the second time I wore my jacket in 4 weeks!) and there was no protection from trees anymore, so we really got wet, but my jacket is great. I just rolled up my trousers, because a wet pant is worse than wet legs. We had a nice dinner, again an Italian restaurant, but this time I didn't have a pizza (they weren't even on the menu).

24/2 Keppler Track (Te Anau)

23/2 Queenstown

Queenstown 168° 40' E, 45° 01' S

Today I've really enjoyed using my own strength. I've rented a mountainbike for 4 hours and did a tour around lake Wakatipu. It was great to see the mountains and smell the pine trees and sit along the lake. I just was so fed up with all the big attractions, just not my idea of fun and was curious about more simple activities. After my biketour I took the Skyline Gondola up the mountain, really high. Great views, but being on my own in a gondola was not so fun, a bit scary, although I've seen some sheep on my way up. At the top of the mountain I met some guys of the group and we made a lot of pictures and going down together was a lot easier for me than on my own ;)

In the evening we had a pizza with a little group and I just had to ask for a fork and knife to eat my pizza, instead of using my hands. Still some sense of 'civilisation'.



Queenstown Lakeview Holiday Park



Tourist Information Queenstown

23/2 Queenstown

22/2 Fox Glacier-Queenstown

After a night full of dreams about glow worms, I woke up early to do another hike around Lake Matheson. Together with half of the group we left at 7.15 and it was beautiful, quiet. On the island of reflection we were supposed to see the reflection of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in the Lake, but the lake was no perfect mirror (there were ducks swimming ;) so it was a bit blurry. But to our surprise 5 minutes later we found the perfect place to see it and make a lot of pictures (again).

We were just on time to see the sleepy faces of the young people traveling with the Magic bus, who are visiting this lake as well. Sometimes we just see too many other tourists.

22/2 Lake Matheson (Fox Glacier)

This is the 26th day of my holiday, so I've had 50% of my sabbatical. It feels like I'm here for much longer, everything seems so familiar. But I'm also so glad that after the end of the group tour (next Friday) I will have 2,5 more weeks on my own. I think I prefer to travel in my own pace and I'm looking forward to stay somewhere for a longer time, 3,4 days and get an idea of daily life of normal New Zealand people. I'm just afraid that the eleventh waterfall, lake or gorgeous mountain won't excite me as much as the first ten. So it's no problem to travel by public transport without the detours for picture stops, but just enjoy what I see.

I feel quite tired after a long day in the bus and I need to think really hard about all the stops today. Maybe the highlight was that the bus was okay, so no unnecessary stops, like yesterday and the day before ;). We just suffer from the sandflies and do some funny dances to scratch our legs and arms. Somehow they like to suck our blood from our feet, so my feet are really itchy.



One guy of the group has done a bungy jump, close to Queenstown. I even dared to look when he jumped and had a little dip in the water. His excitement was great to see, like he conquered some fear. But it really isn't contagious for me, I just can't see the fun of it.

22/2 Fox Glacier-Queenstown

21/2 Greymouth-Fox Glacier

We have left Greymouth at 8 o'clock and we had a breakfast stop in Hokitika. I have made a little walk in this town. I was still looking for a cap, that doesn't look that silly or like a real tourist. I haven't find the right cap, but I had a nice conversation with the lady of the shop. She recognized me as being Dutch (tall, blond, looking so healthy?) and because of my accent (the TH sound). Actually this was the first time that New Zealand people didn't think I was German ;) It was really nice to talk with her to get an idea of life in NZ, where so many people are immigrants and have roots in the UK and the Netherlands. Our bus driver from the South Island told us that people in the South Island are even more relaxed and friendly than on the North Island. He thought that at the North Island life is so busy, although we had the impression that life in New Zealand is so much more relaxed, compared to the Netherlands and many other European countries. It is just so much fun to talk with local people about their life and the place where they live. So I regretted it that we had to go further by bus. I've I told my travelmates that this conversation was the highlight of my day, I felt so enthusiastic about this country (again).

With our new bus, we drove another hour, but climbing upon a mountain, the gear didn't work properly, so we had to return to a village to wait for another bus ;) We just can laugh about it, feeling so relaxed and enjoyed our time in the village Fox Glacier. It was just a pity that when the new bus arrived we didn't have time for a 30 minute walk to the Franz Josef Glacier. Most people of the group have planned a helicopter flight to see the Fox Glacier and have a little walk, so we had to hurry to be on time. I'm just too much afraid of heights to fly in an helicopter and walk relaxed, so I have chosen to do a nice walk in the rainforest. Or actually I have done the walk twice, back and forth. The second time time I've seen many new things, like a river, a fish and interesting trees. It felt so peaceful, just a pity to hear the helicopters, flying over.

In the evening we had a buffet in our hotel and with some travel mates we did a walk in the rainforest. The same one where I have been earlier that day, but now in the dark. We had some flash lights to guide us in the dark, but the main attraction was to see the glow worms, just like a Christmas decoration in a tree. And it wasn't that scary at all. My eyes get used to the dark and it was quite easy to walk. We have also seen two possums. It is quite an ugly animal, and it is a real plague here. In the shops I have seen gloves and sweaters made of these possums (hairs, fur?).

21/2 Greymouth- Fox Glacier

20/2 Nelson-Greymouth

We left Nelson at 8 o' clock this morning, our usual time and actually I'm getting used to waking up before 7. After a coffee stop we went to Cape Foulwind where we have seen seals and signs with the direction to London and Paris. So now I realize how far from home I am. 16.000 kilometres. But my planes in 3,5 week will travel this in just 30 hours.

Unfortunately our bus had trouble and some smoke came from the back, so we had to stop. But were fortunate to strand at a nice place at the beach. I finally stood in the Tasman sea and the waves were sometimes a bit higher than I expected, but there was enough sun to dry my pants. The mechanics weren't able to fix the bus, so we had to wait for another bus to pick us up. Although the bus was broken, it served another purpose to give us some shadow. I think we stayed there for 4 hours, but actually we had enough fun in this unexpected stop. The other bus took us to the Pancake rocks of Punakaiki and we have a better view, because it was quiet there and the sun was low, just 20 Dutch people, taking a lot of pictures.

We've arrived really late at Revingtons Hotel in Greymouth. We had dinner there at 10 o'clock in the evening and actually I was too tired to enjoy my salad.

20/2 Nelson-Greymouth

19/2 Abel Tasman Park

Today we have done a hike in the Abel Tasman park, First we took the boat for more than two hours to Onetahuti (I just can't count how many boats I've been on ;) ) First I wanted to do the shorter walk of 2 hours, but I was glad I could swap places with a group member, who wasn't able to walk that much further. I was really happy to do the 4 hour walk, because the views from above were great, just like you imagine some paradise island to be. We ended at the beach of Torrent Bay and a fast boat would pick us up. Unfortunately the toilet was a bit further than expected (1,5 km return), so I had to hurry to catch this boat. I just ran on my walking shoes through the sea. It was almost funny to pour one litre of water from both shoes. This boat was really fast, so in 25 minutes we were back on the beach where we started (Kaiteriteri beach).

19/2 Abel Tasman Park

18/2 Interislander Wellington-Picton - Nelson

We had the morning in Wellington before we would go to the South Island. Since I have been in Wellington before and have seen all the bigger highlights I wanted to go to a little museum (colonial house), but actually this was closed. But when I was there and I saw a bench I just realized how much I've climbed, (without painful feet of legs !). The streets are very steep here and I've enjoyed the view over the city, seeing the tall buildings, looking not so tall, because they are in the valley.

From the hotel we took the shuttle to the harbour of Wellington. In the ocean we saw some pink jellyfishes.

It was a nice journey with the Interislander, and although it was quite sunny, it was chilly as well, a lot of wind, so I needed my sweater and jacket. Although the two islands are not that far from each other and a lot of the boat trip was in bays. I've really enjoyed the boat trip and I am looking forward to the boat trip in the Doubtful Sound, later this week. I just missed the dolphins, because I was on the toilet right then.

The first view on the South island was promising and it took some hours to drive from Picton to Nelson. I just loved the mountains. We've stayed in Kingsgate Hotel Beachcomber Nelson, a nice room and a outdoor swimming pool.

18/2 Interislander Wellington-Picton

17/2 Hastings-Wellington

It took us 4-5 hours today to travel from Hastings to Wellington. And I've seen a real Kiwi (bird), but actually I have my doubts if it was a real one, or a computer animated one, or one on batteries. It was in a dark place with UV light ???, where the kiwi didn't see us, but we were able to see it, together with dozens of old people who are using their flashlight on their camera, although it was prohibited, and who made a lot of noise. The kiwi isn't that charming as many human Kiwi's. It seems they have a lot of parties, festivals wherever we are and people think we are specially here for the festival.

We've passed the place with the longest name and I was impressed that the tourguide can pronounce it that easily, but of course I couldn't check if she said it properly ;)

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

It's nice to be back in Wellington and to remember how enthusiastic I was 2,5 hours ago when I arrived here. And now it's easy to find my way and sit in the park of the parliament to have a picknick. I have visited the other floor of the Te Papa museum. It just was too big to do this in one visit, 2,5 weeks ago. And I've watched a street artist, escaping from a straightjacket. It is so fun to sit on the ground and watch the show they are making, involving people from the audience.

We were staying just one night in
Comfort Hotel Wellington.

17/2 Hastings-Wellington

16/2 Napier (Art Deco festival)

Napier 176° 55' E, 39° 28' S



Instead of Napier, we are staying in Hastings. There is an Art Deco festival here, so all the hotels were booked. But the bus brought us for one day in Napier. It's a nice city with all Art Deco buildings and because of the festival people are dressed like in the 20's. We feel a bit out of fashion here, although I can look like a sailor in my white-blue striped shirt. There were a lot of old cars in the streets, so I was wondering how many of these cars of the 20's, 30's were left from that time, that still drive. People were really friendly and cheerful.

In the morning I have done my laundry and had a swim. I hope all motels/hotels will have a swimming pool, such a nice start of the morning.

15-16/2 Napier (Art Deco Festival)

15/2 Whakapapa village-Napier/Hastings

Today we went to Taupo again. The weather was too bad, so we weren't able to do the Tongariro crossing or a shorter hike. But later it cleared up, and the people who wanted to do a skydive got another chance, because the day before it was canceled. We sat there for 2 hours, watching the other people flying and jumping and it looked great (for people who aren't afraid of heights, like me ;)). Three people of our group took off in a little plane, but it was really frustrating for them that they couldn't jump, because there was too much wind. So they only had a free flight to ease their pain.

So we continued our way. First we went to Napier to collect some booklets. Then we went to our Motel, McGinty's Motor Lodge, in Hastings. In the evening we had dinner with the whole group in Napier and there was a lot to see at the street, funnily dressed people for the Art Deco festival.

Hastings 176° 51' E, 39° 37' S
Easternmost place where I have slept

Hawke's Bay

15/2 Whakapapa-Hastings

14/2 Rotorua-Whakapapa village

We left Rotorua this morning and visited some terrible smelling bubbly, muddy fields, with beautiful colours and a lot of steam. Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

And at 10.15 we saw busloads of people, watching a guy putting washingpowder in a geyser, so it will start to boil and erupt. It was nice to see, but almost hilarious to see all the people there, some are dressed in the same shirt. Our group decided we are individuals, so wearing the same shirt was silly.

Later we did a walk along the Huka Falls with its rapids.

The afternoon I've spent in Taupo, when most other people have been to the airport. Some people will go for a skydive (jump out of the plane) and others will watch, cheer and give moral support. I'm too afraid to jump and even to watch, so I have some time to check my email, write my weblog and run some errands.

14/2 Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland/Lady Knox geyser/Huka Falls

We stayed the night in Discovery Lodge, in Whakapapa Village really in the middle of nowhere, with a view on a big mountain. In the evening it rained, so a good test for my red raincoat.

13/2 Rotorua Whirinaki Rainforest

I haven't seen that much of Rotorua, only the big supermarket and we had dinner there the first night. It is possibly a nice place, but we did the walk in the Whirinaki rainforest and that was great. With a group of 10 people we were brought to the forest park and two Maori women walked with us, along trees, a waterfall, some hills. It was interesting to hear the stories and we had a great lunch. After that we drove for a while and then we stopped at a hot pool. Unfortunately the water in all the pools was 38 degrees, so you have to swim very slowly or not at all. So at the motel, I swam some more in our pool. We also had our own hot tub, but smelling the water was enough for me to choose for other pleasures of life at holiday.

13/2 Whirinaki Rainforest

12/2 Paihia-Rotorua

Rotorua 176° 15' E, 38° 09' S

Now I am in Rotorua, staying in the Alpin Motel. It took a whole day to come here and I'm glad that we don't have to be in the bus that long everyday. We didn't stop that much or I just can't remember what we have done and seen.In the evening we had a nice dinner, meat on hot stone plates. I'm really looking forward to the hike we will do in a rainforest. No idea what to expect and how hot and wet/humid it will be, so I am prepared for everything. Afterwards we will have a swim in some hot pool. The smell here isn't that nice, sulphur, like eggs, but it is fun to see the smoke just coming from the ground. Maybe not so funny for the people living here, when they discover some day a little geyser in their garden that wasn't there the day before.

12/2 Paihia-Rotorua

10-11/2 Auckland-Paihia/Russell (Bay of Islands)

Yesterday we left Auckland at 7.30 and we arrived here 18.00. Of course we had many stops on our way to Paihia, some walks like a waterfall, a big Kaui tree, the toilet of Hundertwasser and the museum about the treaty of Waitangi.

10/2 Auckland-Paihia

Right now I am in Paihia, in the Far North, 174° 40 E, 35° 16' S

The appartment/motel is just 2 minutes from the ocean. Although the people of the group are nice, it is sometimes also a bit hard to adapt to traveling with a group (20 people) and living this pace, sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow for me. I just had to giggle seeing that we got 27 minutes for a walk that was indicated to be 20 minutes. And of course we always have to wait for someone before we can leave. The guide offered a lot of options for excursions, but I decided to take it slowly. There will be plenty of time for me to be on a big boat, seeing dolphins or other big animals, living in the sea. It is hard for me that you have to decide this early what you want to do next week. So I just decide that today was early enough to decide what to do whatever I wanted to do today. And I have had a nice day. So I went by boat to Russell, a nice village on the other side and I've visited two museums there. In one museum was a replica of the Endeavour, the ship of James Cook and in the other museum a woman explained how books are printed and binded. And as always I enjoy sitting on a bench or on the grass, just thinking how lucky I feel to be here.

11/2 Paihia/Russell

5-10/2 Auckland

Auckland 174° 48' E, 37° 00' S
Auckland

February 5th



February 5th

It was a long bustrip (5 hours), but it was so easy again. I didn’t even miss listening to music, because I’ve put my headphone in my big backpack. There was so much to see, hills, ferns, sheep with long neck (Alpaca’s). And I had a nice chat with a Kiwi guy, who has ‘done’ Europe in three weeks ! So I feel blessed to have so much time in a smaller country instead of hurrying to see 7 different countries.

I'm staying in a hostel in a tower, Princeton Backpackers and I have a room for my own (a double bed, so it takes all the space). I'm sharing a kitchen and bathroom with a Japanese girl. She was all the time apologizing for her bad English, but it was just so nice to have a conversation and hear more about her experiences, living on the South Island. Besides a hostel it is also a house for 'foreign' students, actually living here.

Auckland is enormous, with tall buildings and I love to walk and choose my directions all the time, without a specific plan. I've visited a big department store (Smiths and Caughey) and it was a bit posh for my taste and quite empty. Being here for almost a week I know where to find the things when I need them, like clean clothes, sandals, toothpaste, etc.

Tomorrow is a special day, Waitangi Day but according to the guy from New Zealand I spoke in the bus to Auckland, it was nothing special and all shops and museums will be open. Anyway maybe this is a good time for a boat trip or just little walks and read my book in the park (there are so many parks).

It is nice that there are so many possibilities to check my email, organize my trip, making reservations for busses and hostels and even use skype to speak with my parents and brother and of course to write my weblog. It’s easy enough to book just one day ahead, so I have a good view if I would like to stay somewhere longer or continue my traveling, just depending on my present mood and interests.

February 6th Waitangi Day

I've just hopped on a bus to have a first impression of Auckland. This bus was for free and now I know it will be very easy to take a bus from my hostel to the hotel of the grouptour close to the bus station, so I can leave my backpack there on Friday, while I'm waiting for the group to arrive. There is enough to do and still I always enjoy just sitting in a park and write down my thoughts and read more information. I've just been to the Auckland Art Gallery, a mixture of modern and older art and there were some nice paintings, but unfortunately there were no postcards of the paintings I liked.

I still have no idea this is a public holiday. It's not crowded on the streets, but many shops are open, just as the museums. There were a lot of streetartists and I’ve enjoyed watching ‘Russian’ acrobats. Quite impressive what they can do and actually it seems a bit painful, standing on one hand with the colleague on top of you. They were dressed in the Soviet colours with the hammer and sickle. But they turned out to be Australians. And then there is always the joke of the rivalry between Ozzies and Kiwi’s.

I've walked a lot today, but also took the bus to go in a circle. And when I saw a nice park I left the bus and it turned out to be the big park, Auckland Domain where the Auckland Museum is located. The museum is enormous and it was 1,5 hour before closing time, so I skipped the stuffed animals. I've enjoyed the exhibition about Maori culture, the design furniture, the streets of Auckland in 1866 and all the furniture of different periods. There were also a lot of displays about the New Zealand activities in World War 1 and 2. I've read a lot about New Zealand, months before I left, but somehow there was a lot that I didn't know. For instance I hardly knew the name of any famous New Zealander, except Edmund Hillary.

February 7th

Today I have taken the boat to Devonport, just 15 minutes from the city centre of Auckland. It's a nice village with a lot of shops. It was nice to walk there and when I saw a nice bench on a hill I decided that this would be the place for me to have a picknick. I don't understand why people sit on a hot terrace where they don't have a nice view and are surrounded by other noisy people ;). So I got myself a lunch at the supermarket. Always nice to see supermarkets and choose something, like fruit or bread, scones etc. The bench up on the hill was a bit further than I thought, but there were so many benches on my way there, so I’ve used some of them, offering me a great view over the Bay and Auckland, so it wasn't that hard. I'm glad I wore my sporting shoes, they just fit perfectly, so at night it seems I have to peel off my second skin ;) Many people walk on flipflops or sandals here. Great for fresh feet, but not my thing. Actually the hill is called Mount Victoria, so it is a mountain, maybe a vulcanoe? I've had a great view 360 degrees and I just sat on every corner. I realized that I am perfectly capable in not thinking at all or just, exclaiming " Oh it is so beautiful'. I thought that this would be the great place to do some thinking about my life, my future or whatever. And without thinking that hard I had some interesting thoughts. Life is so nice here, but don't worry I will return to home one day (just 5,5 weeks).


February 8th

I'm now waiting in the lobby of the hotel. The group will arrive any minute now and it was nice that I got the key of the room. So now, after a shower I smell nicely again. And I washed my clothes, a lot easier than to do it by hand. I haven't done anything special this morning. After leaving my backpack in a locker at the bus station I've bought some purple flipflops. They weren't that expensive, but good enough for my use. I can't imagine walking on these flipflops in the city, like the other people do, but is nice when I sit in the park to give my feet some fresh air. So I've been to my favourite Albert Park again to find a place in the shade to read my book. It's about a neurotic guy who writes travel guides for businessmen who don't want to be bothered by local culture and just want their regular American restaurants. (The accidental tourist by Anne Tyler).

February 9th

Yesterday I've met the 20 people of the group I will travel with for the next three weeks. When I saw them entering the lobby of the hotel I was just overwhelmed. There were just so many of them and at first it was hard to remember all the names. But after a dinner with most of the group I think I now know all the names and the first details. Today I’ve spent the day with the girl I'm sharing the room with. First we’ve visited the sky tower, that is really high. If I remember correctly it’s the tallest building on the Southern hemisphere (328 metres, but I will check that in one of my many booklets ;)). Later we made a full circle with the bus for almost an hour to see to which place we want to go later. Because I'm in Auckland since Tuesday I know the way and some nice places, so I can play being guide. Quite funny because my feeling for directions is not that well, but now I feel like a local. We’ve had a picknick in my favourite park. After 5 days I consider that I'm entitled to give it that name, the Albert Park. By bus we went to the hip suburb Ponsonby, every guide writes about it, so we were curious what is so great about it. There are many shops, but of course there is another park and we went down hill, just wanting to find out what is down there. Then we went by boat to Devonport. I've been there on Thursday, but it is a nice place to visit again. We weren't in the mood to climb the hill for the fabulous view, but of course I’ve already enjoyed it earlier. We had a pizza in a Greek restaurant and sometimes it feels a bit weird to realize that we are in New Zealand. Right now we are in the hotel and the girls behind me, waiting for a computer, are talking Chinese. The hotel is Chinese. So another reason for feeling disoriented sometimes. Tomorrow we will leave at 7.30 to go to Paihia in the North. Holiday is fun, but also hard work, but I really enjoy everything here. Still more than 5 weeks left ;)

5-10/2 Auckland

3-5/2 Taupo

Taupo 176° 04' E, 38° 43' S
Lake Taupo


Instead of going to New Plymouth at the Westcoast, which will mean maybe 5 hours in the bus I prefered a shorter time in the bus, and to go more directly to Auckland. I still have to get used to the idea that I can do whatever I want, as long as I will be in Auckland on February the 8th to meet the group. I have chosen for Taupo because it seemed easy enough to come there by bus and some hostels to choose from and I’ve seen some nice pictures of the lake. But I have made a little mistake. I thought I had booked a bus to leave Palmerston North at 9.55 in the morning (a.m.), but actually it was the bus of 9.55 p.m., so I was 12 hours too early.






Fortunately it was quite easy to change my reservation for the next bus, one hour later. I'm glad because there were just two buses a day. I've enjoyed the bus trip, there is so much to see I just hope I will never get used to all the beauty in the landscape and that I will enjoy everything as much as I do now. I've seen the first real high mountain with snow and a really big lake. Taupo is on the North of this lake. Since I've arrived I just have done some shopping, so afterwards I will have my little picknick along the lake.

My hostel was Burke's Backpackers, a clean and comfortable room, but quite noisy.

On February the 4th I've had a lazy day in Taupo, so no bungy jumping, skydiving, jetboating etc. for me. I've organised my next days, booking a bus to Auckland and a hostel. In a rose garden I’ve read some brochures and my magazines. I've visited the Taupo Museum. I always like the museums with different subjects, so I saw a little shop, a lot of stones, a nice quiet garden and a house of the Maori. And I realized that there is another thing that makes my backpack a lot heavier after my holiday than before. I seem to pick up a lot of nice, beautiful or interesting stones, while I'm abroad ;). But my backpack was 12 kg when I started to travel, and actually this is not as much compared to what I’ve heard of many people I’ve met.

3/2-5/2 Taupo

1-3/2 Palmerston North

Palmerston North 175° 37' E, 40° 21' S
Palmerston North



I had to leave Wellington earlier than expected, because of the sevens event (Rugby) and I had booked for only 2 nights. I went to Palmerston North, 2,5 hours by bus. My first time to see more of New Zealand and it was promising, especially the ocean. In Palmerston North it was in the beginning a bit hard to find the right direction of the hostel, because my feeling for direction isn’t that well-developed. And maybe my backpack felt too heavy.

I've stayed in a nice little hostel, Pepper Tree Hostel in a dorm room with 6 people. I've slept fine, although it was quite warm, so I didn’t need my blanket. On Friday night I have been to a nice café together with a German girl from my dorm. And it seems like a quiet town. We spent the Saturday together just walking a lot in the city and even more talking. I’ve bought a watch with an alarm and you can see the time in two different places, so I don’t have to think what time it is at my parent’s in Finland (11 hours later), when I would like to call them. The Netherlands are exactly 12 hours later. We haven’t visited any cultural sights, just walking an talking. First we would have liked to hire some bikes, but the hostel that rent them doesn't exist anymore (not even the building). At the spot where the buildings was supposed to be, we had a nice conversation with a shop owner selling, renting costumes, like the people at the Sevens can wear. She has given us some inside information about the city, what would be nice to do and see. In a big supermarket I met the three Dutch girls again that were on the same plane from Auckland-Wellington, some days earlier, who were in Palmerston North for their studies.


We just walked to the park in the South of the city. There was a little train (for little and bigger children), so we had a nice view of the park and all the flowers. My feet weren't that painful, so I have good hope I will be able to make some longer hikes in the next weeks. We had dinner together, so nice to be able to cook your own meal. And I’ve booked my next bus and hostel in Taupo.

1-3/2 Palmerston North

30/1-1/2 Wellington

Wellington 174° 48' E, 41° 20' S

WellingtonNZ.com

In December I've booked this hostel for the first two nights. And I'm just glad I've done that on time. In December I didn't know how long I wanted to stay in Wellington. Maybe I was thinking that it is a very big city and I might prefer to start in a nice quiet town along the Tasman Sea, like Plimmerton or Paraparaumu. Further I had no idea in how many days I want to travel north to Auckland to meet the group on February the 8th. No idea of the distances and if it will be best to travel in pieces of 2 hours or stay somewhere more than 2 days.

But it turned out that booking in advance was necessary. After the first two nights it was impossible to get a room for the weekend, because of a major rugby event (Sevens).

I've seen a lot of people, dressed in rugby shirts (the players) and a lot of people dressed in costumes (the audience), like Mexicans, angels with wings, funny men in white suits who are hugging everyone they see, nurses, and even someone in a diaper. This seemed quite uncomfortable in the hot sun, all that plastic and no protection from the sun. My face has got some colour, so I have to wear my hat or find one, that is more Kiwi-style, not like Crocodile Dundee or an American tourist.


advertentie uit tijdschrift hier in voegen.


The atmosphere was quite relaxed in Wellington, people walking on flipflops or even bare feet, having a picknick in the park of the Parliament. A nice first impression of this country.

On Wednesday my first afternoon in Wellington I've walked a lot, but everything is quite close to each other and there are some nice benches along the bay and in the park of the parliament. I've visited the City gallery and arranged transport and accommodation in Palmerston North for Friday.

On Thursday I've seen Wellington from a big hill (going up by cable car, down by foot , walking in a beautiful Botanic garden. I'm glad hayfever season is over here. And I've done a short trip with a boat in the harbour of Wellington, so this gives a good impression of the city. A lot of tall modern buildings, and also some 19th century buildings, that look a bit like in the UK, only the weather is better. And because there is nothing I have to do, it doesn't matter where I end up, because every street is interesting to get an idea of Kiwi life.

My hostel is a former hotel and Queen Elisabeth has stayed here a long time ago (1953), but I suppose her room was bigger than mine, although I was really content with my single room with television and a shared bathroom. It's located next to the railwaystation. In the evening I have visited the Te Papa Museum. This is enormous and has different exhibitions, about the earth, eartquakes, animals, Maori history, Pacific islands and immigration.

30/1 - 1/2 Wellington