Adventure, Kiwi Style!

Kia Ora (hello in Maori)

Dear reader, I hope that your week has been good. I know that mine certainly has and will go down as ones I’ve ever had. At the moment, I’m sitting on the interisland ferry from Picton to Wellington and have a bit of time to update everyone on the last few days.

Day 1

As you know, on Thursday I arrived into Christchurch to begin a small tour of the south Island.  Before you ask, no, I didn’t go into the city to observe the devastating damage caused by the series of earthquakes that began last year.  It just didn’t feel right to visit so I could gawk at all the destruction, rather like people who slow down to look at car accidents. Instead, I picked up my Jucy campervan and headed on to Nelson.  Speaking of the campervan, I immediately nicknamed it the 'Incredible Hulk' because of its shockingly green appearance.

Along the way, I stopped at the Maripui hot springs for a wonderful soak in pools heated by volcanic activity deep below. Absolutely heavenly and much needed after such a hectic time in my first 10 days. The only unsettling thing was the water which was jet-black. I soon learned that it was a form of algae present in the hot spring waters that gave it this color. The algae is black in appearance and rather slimy, but I was assured that it completely harmless and actually quite good for your skin. Still, be aware of this if you head to the springs so it doesn’t come as a shock.

Afterward, I made my way along the Lewis pass between the East and West coast toward Nelson. I can’t adequately describe to you with words the rugged beauty of the landscape in the South Island, so I’ll let the photos do the talking for me. 

Needless to say, it was a very pleasant drive and driving on the left side of the ride was only slightly unsettlingJ I made it into Nelson just before nightfall and made my way to Kevin’s hostel, Accents on the river. It was a fantastic reunion and soon it was like no time at all had passed since we last saw each other, as it should be with good friends. He also introduced me to a German girl, Stiba, staying at the hostel and we all headed out for a night on Nelson!

Which it turns out, is not exactly a rocking city on a Thursday evening in the off season. We first stopped in a pub that was a converted church to enjoy a pint. Yes, whilst sitting there I felt like I would be soon going down below for such a sacrilegious act, but the pint of boysenberry cider was heavenly. So conflicted! We soon headed off to another pub and chatted the night away listening to a Pink Floyd cover band. In truth, it was loads of fun, but a bit surreal and over too quickly. In the end, I bid them both good night and they headed off to their hostel and I went to my campervan. As it turns out, the Jucy campervan is quite comfy and I slept very well after my first day of adventure on the South Island.

Day 2

Upon waking up, I met up with Kevin at his hostel and he said his goodbyes to everyone. Then we were off to the Nelson airport, to pick up our mate Sunil. In case you didn’t know, the Nelson airport is absolutely tiny. It is so small that they have no security screening or baggage claim. In fact, we walked around to the front of the airport and the flight’s luggage was brought in via a trailer towed by a golf cart. After getting Sunil's luggage, we left the airport and made our way to Richmond for a lovely lunch at Espresso Café followed a quick shopping trip at Countdown, one the country’s leading grocery stores.  Afterward we drove on to the Te Nikau Retreat, located in the Punakaiki rainforest near Pancake Rocks. It is an amazing and absolutely gorgeous place to say the least. Situated just a few minutes walk to the beautiful beaches of the west, it offers the comforts of home, but maintains a rustic feel. 

I really can’t say enough good things about this place, from the fresh bread made daily on the premises to the glow-worm tours at night, it is well worth the trip. So, if you’re looking to get away in the next month and want to relax in absolutely beautiful place, ring Paul up at 03 731 1111 and ask for the Johnnie specialJ Paul happens to be the day manager and is just an all around great guy from Queensland Australia.

After settling in and having our dinner, Paul brought us out to visit the local pub for couple of pints. The pub was quieter than any pub I’ve ever been in. In fact, we happened to be the only patrons the entire night and that was actually quite nice. We felt like VIPs that had rented out the entire pub for a private party! We finished up the night by returning to our rainforest home and playing card games into the wee hours of morning. All in all, a great day!

Day 3

Because Kevin is working on finishing his book, Sunil and took this day to head out and do some exploring on our own. The first place we stopped was Pancake Rocks and as odd as the name sounds, it is quite appropriate. You see, it is basically a bunch of monumental rock outcroppings on the beach, but the rocks are composed of multiple layers like a stack of pancakes! It’s hard to visualize so have a look at the photos below for yourself and see what you think. 

After viewing this magnificent creation, we made our way to Greymouth. In case you didn’t know, Greymouth is a small town on the west coast of the South Island that happens to sit on the foot of a river. Now I could be wrong, but I believe it is called that because of the color of the stone at the mouth of the river. To be honest, it was a rather quiet city and there wasn’t much to see or do. We looked around briefly and then made our way back to our accommodations for dinner.  

After whipping up one of my famous stews, we dined like kings and then made our way again to the local pub to watch the Reds, from Queensland Australia, play the Crusaders, from Christchurch New Zealand. On this night, it was a lot more crowded as the locals piled in to watch the match. Soon after placing our order, the bargirl came around asking if we’d like to place $2 on the outcome of the game. Having learned a bit about the Crusaders difficult struggle to succeed after the quake in Christchurch, I was impressed at their quality of play. To be honest though, Rugby is a complicated game and I’m still learning all the ins and outs. As such, it was difficult understanding some of the things that happened during the game. Still, I greatly enjoyed watching it and see why it’s so popular.  Sadly, the Crusaders did not win and their fairy tale story came to an end that night. However, being from Queensland, Paul had bet on the Reds and managed to win the betting pool. Amazingly enough, his prediction was off by only one point!!! It goes without saying that after such a display of his amazing clairvoyance, we were all badgering him for the winning lottery numbersJ After that, the night ended and we all made our way to our beds after the ride home.

Day 4

Waking up was a languid affair and took some doing. The bed was comfy and toasty warm, but I had to get up because Sunil and I were leaving for Wellington. After a quick breakfast and a long shower, we said our goodbyes to Kevin and our new friend Paul and we were on the road again!!! We quickly made our way to the seal sanctuary just below Westport. There weren’t many seals present, but their pups were so cute with those big eyes that make your heart melt. All sappy stuff aside, the seal sanctuary is a must see if you are in the area.

After enjoying nature’s wildlife in its raw form, Sunil and I continued our journey to Picton to catch the ferry. On the way, we stopped at a stunning lake nestled in the foothills of the mountains. Set off by the snowcapped peaks, the purity and beauty was even more arresting.

We made it Picton by 5pm which gave us a little time to explore the city. Unfortunately, being Sunday, most of the shops were closed and there really wasn’t much to see. We got onto the ferry in a timely manner. It was quite dark by then and we weren’t able to see anything, so the majority of the journey was spent writing this posting. When we arrived in Wellington, I dropped Sunil off at his hostel as he wanted to explore the city a bit and had booked a return flight for the following evening. As for me, I drove on to Palmerston North and found a quiet area to freedom camp. In case you didn’t know, freedom camping is when you go camping without the benefit of a campground. It’s very popular in New Zealand and a popular way to explore that saves on accommodation costs.

Day 5

I woke up quite early to rainfall pattering down on the campervan roof. After answering nature’s call, I soon hopped back into the driver’s seat and began the drive to Auckland. Other than the rain and lots of sheep, it was an uneventful ride. As beautiful as the countryside is, I was quite happy to be back in civilization and that dear reader, is where my first Kiwi adventure endsJ Best wishes and good luck on your own adventure!