New Zealand Miscelaneous

Extreme points of New Zealand

New Zealand dollar



Flag of New Zealand

The flag of New Zealand is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. The stars represent the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross, as seen from New Zealand.

16-17/3 Christchurch-Auckland-Hongkong-Amsterdam-Nijmegen

Christchurch Airport 172° 33' E, 43° 29' S

Air New Zealand

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

Hongkong Airport 114° 10' E, 22° 19' N

Airport AmsterdamSchiphol 4° 46' E, 52° 18' N

Nijmegen 5° 52' E, 51° 50' N


In the morning I've left the jailhouse hostel by bus. I've stayed some hours in the city centre of Christchurch to buy my last souvenirs, like a greenstone pendant. I was looking for the perfect shape for some days and finally found it.

The Maori fishhook was carved traditionally in jade or bone in a variety of styles. Matau, meaning hook, was later work suspended by a cord from the neck as a pendant. For the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Hei-matau represents strength, determination, peace, prosperity and good health and also provides safe journey over water.

Then I took a shuttlebus to the airport of Christchurch. I hoped that I could leave my backpack there and check in early, to guarantee good seats in the planes of Air New Zealand. Unfortunately I was just too early, so I had to come back in one hour. Meanwhile I've put stuff from my small backpack into my big backpack, because the lady behind the desk told me, it was still under 20 kg. So I was able to take the 2 kg of booklets of the tourist information. When I came back there was a longer queue, but I was happy to have twice a seat near the exit, so enough space for my legs. Unfortunately I had less time than expected for the Antarctic Centre, a walk of 5 minutes from the airport. A lady wanted to explain me all the possibilities there, but I just had one hour to see it. This was just enough time to see the feeding of the penguins, but my timing was excellent. It was quite expensive (30 dollar) for a short visit, but it is no problem, especially when I discovered the 40 dollars that were hidden in my passport (for special occasions). And the penguins were so cute. I never thought that it would mean so much to me, after I have seen some penguins before in Oamaru and in the Catlins. Now I was able to make a lot of pictures and movies (without flash). And I've stayed for a while in a room with snow, where it was -8 C. So I have had my little winter, because that't the only thing I've missed, being in sunny New Zealand.

16/3 Antarctic Centre Christchurch

The short flight from Christchurch was quite pleasant, having a great view over Mount Egmont. So I was happy that I have seen it, because I have missed it, not going to New Plymouth, because I have decided to have less traveling days in the beginning.

I've walked the interterminal walkway between the domestic airport and the international airport of Auckland . I'm sure I've done nicer walks, but it was nice to have some fresh air, before my long flights home and to breath New Zealand air for the last time. I have had some dinner outside, feeling a bit melancholic but also happy to go home again, after a great time in New Zealand, feeling really content with everything I've done.

I had to pay 25 dollars to leave the country, some tourist taxes. And someone in the queue asked me why I was looking so happy, smiling from ear to ear, and it was nice to tell her that going home can be nice, after such a great time. I've asked specially for a stamp in my passport, because I had only one when I entered New Zealand, almost 7 weeks before and living in the EU you just never get a stamp in your passport, traveling to other EU countries. So I had to go to a guy sitting in an office behind a desk and he was just very cooperative to give me my stamp.



My plane to Hongkong was delayed for almost two hours, but the green seats at the airport were quite comfortable, listening to some music and using my last coins for a phonecall to my mother and some typical Kiwi drink (Lemon and Paereo). It was quite hard to find the last 20 cents. I felt quite tired because it was long after midnight when we were called for boarding. I've had a seat at the emergency exit, with no one sitting in the two seats next to me, so easy enough to stretch my legs, but also quite close to the noisy galley/kitchen. And at 2.30 AM New Zealand time we got some dinner, I chose for the Chinese style. I've slept for some hours and in the morning I've watched a movie. Seeing the long list of movies Air New Zealand offered I hoped that on the KLM flight there would be some of these titles, because it felt like I shouldn't sleep that much on this flight, arriving in Amsterdam just before 5 P.M. so I can adapt easily to the Dutch time.

We were still delayed for 2 hours when we arrived in Hongkong. It took some time to get my boarding card, actually because I was there too early. At the pass control, I've remembered that I've bought some shower gel on the airport of Auckland (Manuka honey) and I was just hoping that it was less than the 100 ml that is allowed. The airport of Hongkong is really clean and spacious with a lot of expensive shops. I've bought a Mango smoothie to drink and as a bonus I got some time to use the internet computer and I've bought some magazines and a book, all paid with credit card. I only hoped that my idea of the value of the Hongkong dollar was realistic ;) I've stayed just less than 3 hours at the airport before my last plane left for Amsterdam. From Hongkong to Amsterdam I've seen the desert and some mountains, with and without snow. I'll need to check which other countries, besides China and Russia I've seen. Unfortunately the plane wasn't that modern as all the other planes I've traveled with, so there were just some bigger television screens with mr. Bean and some movies. I've done some little naps and have written in my diary and talked for a while with the French guy, sitting next to me. And then it isn't that hard to spend 12 hours in a plane. I just needed to stretch my legs every hour and had my little walks to the toilet.

It was a strange idea that I left New Zealand on Monday the 17th, just after midnight and have arrived the same day in Amsterdam, but it was a really long day and nice to be home again.

16-17/3 Christchurch-Auckland-Hongkong-Amsterdam-Nijmegen

13-16/3 Christchurch

Christchurch

The last three nights in New Zealand I've spent at Jailhouse hostel in Christchurch. A small cell in a former jail, with a bunkbed, really comfortable. The door was very heavy, but I got the key to unlock myself.

On Friday I've met Stefanie again (the German girl I've met on Sunday evening in the Jailhostel). It was really nice and we just talked all day. First we had some brunch, I've tried another fruitjuice with a lot of different fruit and a wrap with spinach and roast beef. Then we took the bus to New Brighton, the beach of the Pacific Ocean. So I finally had my dip in the Ocean. And yes it was really cold, the waves were high and the water was salty, so my hair was a real mess. But I suppose that's why they invented bandana's. I've tried to dig a little hole and it was an interesting thought that on the other side of the tunnel there would be some European country, just so hard to believe. After returning to the city centre of Christchurch we had our picknick in the Botanic garden. We just sat there for hours, talking and we had dinner at her hostel (a different one).

On Saturday I've walked to the city centre, perhaps 30 minutes. And I did some real shopping. I've been to the Kathmandu store (outdoor clothes) very often before, in other cities and also in Christchurch the first time. But now I allowed myself to buy stuff, because I don't have to travel anymore and to carry my backpack, just the trip to the airport and from the airport to Amsterdam back to home. And I've bought some shirts, a blouse and a pair of linnen trousers and some other practical equipment for a world traveler. So nice to use my creditcard ;). I've thrown away some of my old stuff, like a pair of trousers, that is getting shorter than it was before. Using the dry cleaner does that to my clothes. So I had enough space in my backpack for my new clothes. After the shopping I've been to the Art Gallery with modern art, and a lot of 18th, 19th century art. For example some cows from Paulus Potter (Dutch painter). And I've been to the Canterbury Museum with different exhibitions, like stuffed animals (a lot of penguins), information about the explorers to the Antarctic, vehicles, an historical street of Christchurch. Somehow it reminded me of all the other museums I've visited in New Zealand. It's funny how normal things on the street remind me of all the other places I've been, together with all the good memories.

And although New Zealand is quite a big country (8? times the size of the Netherlands, comparable with Japan and the United Kingdom), it is also a small world, where I meet people again I've met before in other places. Yesterday when we were sitting in the Botanical garden I 've seen the man I have spoken with in the Taieri Gorge Train, near Dunedin. And he remembered me as well. And today I saw the American couple I've met at the kayaking and hiking in Picton some days ago. So I was just thinking that when I would sit on a bench for some hours I will see all the people I've met here again in this park. In the afternoon I have met Stefanie again, but actually we planned this. We had some Lebanese food in the garden of the Arts Centre. At the hostel I packed my bag, just very curious how heavy it would be.

9/3 & 13-16/3 Christchurch

13/3 TranzCoastal Picton-Christchurch

In the morning I have walked for the last time in the High Street of Picton, the only shopping street. And I've spent an hour in the park near the ocean. It was nice to see the boats and the Interislander, the boat we took, more than 4 weeks ago , when we traveled from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island.


Tranzcoastal

The train journey was nice, having a seat on the left side (Ocean). I was able to make some pictures now. I've seen some seals on the rocks and I was almost shouting, to point them to other people. Sitting in the train for 5 hours is no problem at all, maybe I've closed my eyes sometimes, but there was just too much to see.

From the railwaystation I've walked to the jailhouse hostel, actually far too long with such a heavy backpack. So after some shopping for a decent meal I've just spent the evening in my cell to read some pages of my book 'Behind the scenes at the museum' of Kate Atkinson.

13/3 TranzCoastal Picton-Christchurch

10-13/3 Picton

Picton 174° 10' E, 41° 18' S

On Monday I took the train from Christchurch to Picton. It takes 5.15 hours and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I was sitting at the right, so a great view over the ocean. We have seen some dolphins and whales. There was an open carriage in the train, quite chilly, but great for making pictures, without getting your own reflection in the windows.

I've stayed three nights in Picton Lodge. Officially it was a 8 bed dorm, but the first night I had this room on my own. The second night I shared it with 3 other people and the last night just one other girl.

In Picton I’ve done a little mountainbiketour to explore the city/town, surrounded by mountains and ocean. For Tuesday I've booked a tour Kayaking and hiking in Marlborough Sound and Queen Charlotte Track.

Kayaking was easier and the kayak was more stable than I expected. I shared the kayak with an English guy who lives in New Zealand since two years. I let him do the steering (with the feet) and after some practising we were quite a good team. He just followed my paddling (left and right) and I wasn't panicking too much when we were heading to the coast too much. Maybe a lot easier than the rowing with Jan (my brother), who somehow thought he was the captain and can tell me how to row ;). We have seen a lot of animals, mainly birds.

After the kayaking the group divided in hikers and bikers. I've hiked a part of the Queen Charlotte track together with an Australian couple. The hike was lovely, with a great view over the Marlborough Sound and beautiful trees and mushrooms. And I hardly felt any pain in my feet, because I was distracted by the nice conversation we had. We were glad that we have chosen for the hike, because moutainbiking on this track was a lot harder on these narrow, steep paths. Officially the hike was 4 hours, but we did it in almost 3 hours and we took the watertaxi back to Picton.

Together with the Swiss girl I met in my hostel I have done a beautiful walk along the coast on Wednesday morning. From this height we had a perfect view over the Marlborough Sound, the harbour and Picton. And we had a good picknick in the park near the harbour. Life in Picton seems perfect. In the afternoon I've visited the Edwin Fox museum about one of the oldest ships. This ship has seen a lot of the world (for example Bomarsund in Aland) and Suomenlinna, Sveaborg in Finland, in the Crimean war and to bring convicted people to Australia and immigrants to New Zealand.



In the afternoon I have done some shopping, like a necklace with the Paua shell, and I've had some nice conversations with shop owners. No idea if my view is coloured right now (being on a very long holiday), but people here are really friendly and pleasant. Not in a hurry, so they seem to have enough time to explain things to me, and are curious about my opinion about their country. Later I have been sitting for a very long time in the park near the harbour, reading a magazine. It was lovely weather and I've just enjoyed the fresh air. I've spoken for a while with an Australian woman, who had been in the Netherlands, some year ago.

In the hostel I have made my best dinner on this trip ever, with spinach, apricots, ham, noodles, apple, avocado etc.



And in the evening I have done another mountainbiketour, for the last time in a small quiet place before I will return to the big city (Christchurch) or even more crowded Netherlands.

10-13/3 Picton

9/3 Dunedin-Christchurch

Another early wake up on Sunday morning. A taxi picked me up at 7 o' clock from the B&B. I took the intercity bus to Christchurch and the 6 hours in the bus weren't that long at all. In the bus I've read a magazine and listened to my music, but most of all I’ve been enjoying the views. We had two stops. First one at Oamaru (I've stayed there for 3 days a week ago) and the second for lunch in Timaru.

In Christchurch I took the bus to the Jailhouse hostel. The door of my cell/room is heavy, but I have the key, so I won't be locked in ;). Then I went back to the city centre, walking in Hagley Park and the Botanic garden. At the Art Centre I've bought some beads, like I've done in many cities where I've been. No idea if they will match to make one bigger necklace (all different colours blue), but they will be a nice souvenir of this sabbatical. And I had some Hungarian snack there, sitting in the nice inner garden. Walking back I made a mistake, my feeling for direction isn’t that good, so I ended up in Hagley Park North instead of South. This park is just enormous. And when I finally was in the right corner I just had to laugh, seeing the brook I had to cross, but fortunately there was a little bridge not that far.

After preparing some lunch (backpackersfood, like noodles with a salad) I had a nice conversation with two German girls. They were speaking German and I spoke English, because, although I do understand German quite well, speaking English is a lot easier for me.

Tomorrow another early start, when I will get a shuttle to the railwaystation to take the train to Picton. Maybe I will have time to read my book, because it seems so nice (Behind the sceens of the museum of Kate Atkinson). When I talk to myself, recapitulating my plans and what I need to do, I realize I do it 50% of the time in English. It seems so easy now to speak English all the time and I hardly ever worry that I sure will make a lot of mistakes. People seem to understand me ;) But yesterday it was nice just to listen to two Dutch people, speaking Dutch with each other.

9/3 Dunedin-Christchurch

7/3 Taieri Gorge Railway

Today I took the old train of the Taieri Gorge Railway (diesel). We left at 9.30 from the beautiful railwaystation of Dunedin. I had a great view from the left side of the train and a man told us over the intercom a lot about the area, that was quite versatile. A lot of mountains, different kind of trees, sometimes a house in the middle of nowhere, rivers, sheep, alpaca's, red deers, cows, the gorge, bridges over the water and such a beautiful colours.


Map of the Taieri Gorge Railway

I sat next to two Englishmen (70). One of them lived in New Zealand for 34 years and the other one was his childhood friend. It was really nice to talk with them and hear more about why the man, living in New Zealand for 34 years, loves this country so much. And I can certainly understand that, after being here for more than 5 weeks now.

At 12 o' clock we stopped in
Middlemarch, a small village of 250 people, but during this lunch time all the people from the train doubled the amount of people. I had my little picknick, looking over the mountains.

Other link to Middlemarch

7/3 Taieri Gorge Railway

Movie from YouTube. Someone has got a better camera or a steady hand than me to make a movie of the Taieri Gorge Railway.



I've listened a lot to music on my mp3-player and one of my favourite song this journey might be' Oh my God' of the Kaiser Chiefs. Especially the sentence

'Oh my God I can't believe it I've never been this far away from home'

.

All the time I am thinking, can I go any further from home. Perhaps Invercargill, yesterday was the furthest from home, being the southernmost city of New Zealand. I see a lot of signs with the directions to many big cities, like Frankfurt and London, so that seems closest to home. Today in Middlemarch I saw one, with the direction to the church, the swimming pool, but also to the Northpole and Southpole. Just a little more to walk.

6/3 Catlins Coaster

At 7 o'clock I was picked up from my B&B by the bus of Catlins Coaster for a scenic tour of the Catlins.
The Catlins (information on Wikipedia)

First we drove to Invercargill, following the highway and the other three people were sleeping in the bus, but I’ve enjoyed a conversation with the driver. In Invercargill we picked up the other people, so in total there were 10 people, from different countries (Germany, England, Japan, France, Spain and the Netherlands). From Invercargill we followed the Southern Scenic Route.



We returned in Dunedin at 8 o'clock in the evening and in between I have seen so many beautiful places, sceneries, views, animals. We did several short hikes to Waipapa Point, Slope Point (Southernmost point 169° 00' E, 46° 40' S), 5140 km from the Equator and 4803 km from the South Pole, falls like McLean Falls (and I was impressed again), the Pacific Ocean, the Petrified Forest at Curio Bay, a beach with sealions, a beach with dolphins, a lighthouse with views on seals at Nugget Point and a lot of other beautiful things.

I’m glad I’ve brought my two fleece sweaters and my jacket because near the Pacific it was quite chilly, but the sun gave it such a nice glow. In the end we sat for more than an hour to wait for the yellow-eyed penguins and it was so relaxing to watch over the ocean. Finally we’ve seen a yellow eyed penguin who was limping. In the bus back to Dunedin many people were sleeping and actually I think I’ve closed my eyes for a while as well, must be the fresh air and all the impressions. We stopped to hang a shoe on the fence, where many other shoes were hanging as well. Quite conveniently we’ve found a shoe before at McLeans Falls.

6/3 Catlins Coaster

4-9/3 Dunedin

Dunedin 170° 30' E, 45° 52' S Southernmost place where I have slept

More information about Dunedin on NewZealand.com

After a noisy night in a dorm in Penny's Backpackers (people entering the room with the lights on at 2 o'clock) I decided to find other accommodation. And because the hostel was fully booked for the weekend I had to find another place for the other nights as well. On the internet I've seen two nice bed & breakfasts in High Street and since this was quite close to the hostel I decided to go there myself and see if they have a room available, so I won’t be disappointed if it turned out to be not so nice as showed on the pictures. Highstreet is really steep, so I was quite relieved when I saw the first B&B. It seemed lovely from the outside and they had rooms available. Grandview Bed & Breakfast) is an old building from 1901.

The first two nights I had the family room the Grandview Room with the best view over the city, where you can see the ocean and Otago Peninsula. So all my climbing was really worth it. And yes this room is 5 times the price of the dorm in the hostel but actually it is really worth every cent. For (Dutch) people who are curious about the prices: a bed in a dorm is 20 dollar (10 euro). So for one time I will indulge myself this luxury. Especially because I haven't been that extravagant, just because my taste isn't extravagant, or I am just too afraid of heights to fly with a helicopter or to do a bungy jump.

This B&B is just what I always imagined in the books of Agatha Christie, where Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple stay for a while to enjoy some fresh English air. Sometimes this country feels so British, but with a better climate. Schoolchildren wear uniforms, girls have Scottish skirts. People are quite friendly and polite. But maybe it seems more American that they greet you (in the shops) "And how are you doing today". The answer ‘Fine’ is enough, but sometimes they are more curious when they hear your foreign accent.

For Thursday (March the 6th) I've booked a tour to the Catlins. The bus will pick me up at 7 o' clock. Nice to have a pickup, although walking to the Octagon, main square is a lot easier than walking back to the B&B. The owner of the B&B thought the height of the hill was over 300 metres and that we are on 2/3 of it. In the evening I’ve walked to the top of the hill to make some pictures. And then I will be on the same height as the highest point in the Netherlands (321 metres).So I'm glad that there was a bus near the hostel to bring me and my heavy backpack to the B&B. And for Friday (March the 7th) I’ve booked a trainticket for the Taieri Gorge Railway.

On Wednesday I've visited two museums: The Public Art Gallery and the Otago Museum. Normally I don't like to see stuffed animals, but the penguins were interesting, after I've seen the blue penguins earlier (alive). And there was an exhibition about bathing suits. In many museums I've seen a lot about the people of the Pacific islands and sometimes I hardly know where that island is. I might have been very close, flying over it, in the plane from Osaka to Auckland.

The last two nights I had the Colonial "Spa-view" Room. Before I entered the room I've asked the owner, if there was a bathroom as well on the first floor, like there was on the second floor. But I just didn’t have to share the bathroom anymore, because I had my own now, including a jacuzzi. I just felt like a princess, in a big bed with curtains and when I finally found the button for the bubbling it was quite nice. It will be hard to leave Dunedin and especially this great B&B. It's a good test for me to see if I prefer the luxury or the great view and actually I know the type of person I am ;) Can you guess?
On Saturday, after two days of organized tours I enjoyed planning my day as I wished. I’ve made a backup of my pictures on a DVD, because my memory cards were full and, although I have my pictures as well on my MP3-player I prefer to have an extra backup of the pictures of my precious memories. Today the weather improved, so my little backpack is full with my sweater and jacket. In the morning I've visited the Cadbury factory. There are no tours in the working factory in the weekend, so we got the shorter version, but it gave a good view of the chocolate process. And after smelling the chocolate and the waterfall of 1 tons of chocolate I wasn't that enthusiastic about eating the little samples we got. Sometimes it is just too much. But in the shop there were some interesting flavours of chocolate, it’s just a pity that a bar of 250 gram is quite heavy in my backpack, otherwise I would have bought some for my colleagues and friends. Besides some walking in the streets of Dunedin and going to the shops I’ve visited another museum, the Otago Settlers Museum. I liked the exhibition about the immigration of people from different European and Pacific countries and the means of transport.

4-9/3 Dunedin

1-4/3 Oamaru

Oamaru 170°58'E, 45°5'S

From Christchurch I took the bus to Oamaru. The road to Oamaru wasn't that inspiring, maybe I just missed the beautiful views on the mountains, as in other regions. But Oamaru is a nice town with a lot of old buildings, at the Pacific Ocean and it’s famous for its penguins.



You don't pronounce the first A in Oamaru. It has been raining a lot, but the shopping street has a roof over it, so you can walk from bus stop to hostel, without feeling the rain. The hostel is lovely, a building from 1867. A nice hostel, where I have stayed for three nights in a dorm (6 beds) , but there is a nice livingroom, where you can spend time reading your book and booklets and think about what to do next and of course talking with people from different countries And it’s nice to hear the stories from people who have traveled a lot more than me. It's great that I can do my own cooking here. In the afternoon I had my little walk in the old part of Oamaru, the Harbour & Tyne Historic Precinct.

On Sunday it has been rainy, but the Forrester Gallery was just two buildings from here, so no need for an umbrella yet. The gallery was nice, to see paintings of Oamaru in the last centuries. And I had such a pleasant conversation with the lady working there. In general other backpackers, I meet, are 5-10 years younger than me. And it just feels like I'm now doing finally what I wanted to do when I graduated from university, 10 years ago. But compared to this lady who will do her first long and far trip to Switzerland and Austria and who is 71, I'm really young. It was so nice to share some of my experiences traveling in this country and hear about other places that are worth visiting. Later I've visited the North Otagomuseum, with a lot of history, shops and stones. And there was a display about Janet Frame, a writer of books I've read and remember the places Oamaru and Dunedin from her books.

In the evening I went to see the yellow-eyed penguins, together with a German and Swedish girl. It is quite funny that I have met the German girl before in Taupo (on the North Island) and that the Swedish and German girl have met before somewhere else. Such a small world, full of backpackers. It was quite a long walk to see the penguins (we were outside for 3 hours), just when it’s getting darker. It was quite cold and windy and I was wearing the hood of my shirt and my jacket against the cold wind. But we did see a penguin close and two from a distance. And how they hop on the hill with both their legs on the same time.

On Monday I’ve enjoyed a hike of 3 hours in a beautiful area, a garden (with flowers of course) and Humpty Dumpty, and on a hill with some sheep and a great view over the city, the ocean and the surrounding hills. I haven't seen anyone for a while. Just hard to imagine that there was no one who wanted to enjoy this great area as well. There is no proper beach here, so I sat near the ocean for an hour at the old railway station. Later in the afternoon I've been swimming in the swimming pool, better than the cold ocean and it was funny to see, that “playing bomb”, splashing in the water is known all over the world.

Together with the German girl we went to see the blue penguins at the Oamaru Blue Penguins Colony. We had to pay 20 dollars (10 euro) and then we entered a kind of theatre, like we were watching a play. We had to wait 30 minutes and then the penguins came on stage. They were so cute and walked that funnily. They were just 30 cm's tall and we saw maybe 70 of them in little groups. I have packed a lot of useful things in my backpack, like gloves, binoculars, a warmer fleecesweater, but they were just on the wrong place at that moment (in my backpack in the hostel). And we didn't ask for a blanket, so we were really cold, but also very happy to see these penguins. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but to give you an impression how incredibly cute the blue penguins looked, I've found one nice picture on the internetsite.

1-4/3 Oamaru