Christchurch, last stop in New Zealand

Christchurch... It's the largest city in the South Island - second largest city in New Zealand (after Auckland). The Avon river runs through the middle of town and is simply lovely. Lots of houses used to built looking onto the river, most of which were damaged beyond repair in the earthquake (Feb. 2011 and June 2011). The city is deciding how to use this land, and hopefully it becomes more of a green space along the rivers edge.

The Canterbury museum is free http://www.canterburymuseum.com/ and has several displays of Maori art and other cultures that affected the colonization of New Zealand! It also has a little exhibit of Paua shells :)

The February earthquake measured 6.3 and killed 185 people, the photo of the white chairs is an art piece to commemorate those lost in the quake. It's called "185 empty chairs". The triangle building is a temporary cathedral being built to be used while reconstruction of the Christchurch cathedral occurs. The first photo is an example of the "box stores" that have been put up in the CBD made out of shipping containers. It's pretty cool - as many of the shops and cafes are multi level and different colours. There is a debate going on if these containers should be replaced with permanent structures.

Mt. Cook

Mt. Cook is one of the places I REALLY wanted to visit on my journey through New Zealand. The biggest reason being I was unable to walk the "Hilary Track" on the west coast of the North island and I wanted to make up for it by visiting the "Sir Edmund Hilary Alpine Center" which is in Mt. Cook!

Well the alpine center is the least impressive thing about Mt. Cook and really Mt. Cook should be on the top of anyone's list of things to do and places to see while in New Zealand's South Island. It's a shame that it is so hard to access. Twizel is next nearest town - 45min drive away - and the nearest bus stop with any of the bus companies. Luckily, a local has realized this and runs an informative shuttle back and forth twice a day! http://www.cookconnect.co.nz

Twizel was established as a temporary town that housed hydroelectric construction workers. The town was supposed to be dismantled once the project was completed but people who had lived there the entire time (20+ years) didn't want to move... Now the town is growing as people are buying vacation homes close to Mt. Cook and fresh water rivers and lakes that are great for fishing! http://www.mtcooknz.com/mackenzie/twizel/

Mt. Cook is the tallest peak in New Zealand at 3,754m. 10m less than it measured on Dec 13th 1991 before a massive rock slide. The area is still in a slight "uplift" mode / not being too technical here! So the mountain is actually gaining 2mm of height per year. Mt. Cook park is part of a world heritage site which helps protect the area. :)

The Maori name for Mt. Cook, Aoraki, means "cloud piercer" and that is what Mt. Cook does - as clouds form around the other peaks, Aoraki often pierces through the clouds!

When people first drive into the town they mistake the first mountain they see as Mt. Cook (and it is impressive) - but you need to get closer to get a good view of Aoraki!

I did this wonderful hike of the Hooker Valley but was in a rush to get back in time for my tour of the glacier so I turned around, from what I can gather, about 10min before the end of the track! BIG MISTAKE! The view I got of the glacier from the tour, is from on top of the lateral moraine, if I had walked 10 more minutes I would have had an up close and personal experience! I was really upset with myself when I figured this out. But the good side of this story is that, had I completed the hike to the base of the glacier, I think I would have been disappointed with the view provided on the tour!

After the day was completed I was still really happy with what I saw in Mt. Cook

Te Anau / Milford Sound NZ

Te Anau is pretty much the closest town to the "sounds" in what as known as fiordland. It's also where people go to start some of the "great walks" (Kepler Track & Milford Track to name two) in New Zealand and that is why Te Anau makes it on the list for places to come back to!

Milford sound is 16km long with an average depth of 330m! It receives 6.5m of rain annually! The sound is lined with cliffs on both sides. The cruise boats take you out to the Tasman sea (west coast of NZ) and when you turn around you can easily miss where the sound actually forms. Absolutely spectacular!

Fox Glacier, NZ

There are two main glaciers that people come to see on the west coast of New Zealand: Franz Josef and Fox. I read reviews of both and if traveling by car I would have visited both but limited by the bus schedule I had to pick one so Fox was the winner. Since I had never seen a glacier before, I figured even if it wasn't the best choice I wouldn't know!

The town of Fox Glacier is definitely in existence because of the glacier. There is little else to see and do in the town. There are lots of hotels, hostels and restaurants but basically people come here to see the glacier and walk around Lake Matheson. This part of the country is known for the massive amounts of rain it gets daily... So I was blessed with one clear day that I took in fully by walking the many trails up and around the glacier. Unfortunately, the next morning when I biked to Lake Matheson the rain had come and the mountains were not visible through the clouds and there was no magnificent reflection to be seen :(

I am happy that I decided to walk the trails further away from the glacier first. I got a full view of the valley and could really take in the full expanse of the glacier. I continued to walk as close as I could get to the base (without paying the $115 dollars to cross the barrier). This close to the glacier you see only a little of what you can see further away. All of the views do bring about a state of awe and make you feel tiny in comparison. It's sad to think that all masses of ice like this one will soon melt away. I met one couple from Nelson, NZ that had visited the glacier 40 years ago and they pointed out how far the glacier has already receded.

Queenstown, Adrenaline capital of New Zealand

All I've heard about Queenstown is that it's the adrenaline capital of New Zealand and, well though I like my activities I'm not up for bungee jumping or sky diving or paragliding - sorry to disappoint! Because I wasn't planning on doing any of these things, I wasn't planning on coming to Queenstown at all. But I'm glad I did. It's a beautiful small town, built in a valley on a lovely lake with stunning mountains on all sides!

But touristy it is! And so a tourist I became. I rode up the gondola to the top of one of the mountains and rode a little luge down the track. And I got on the double decker red bus, brought from London, to tour the surrounding areas. I tasted the local wine and cheese and walked through the Queens gardens.

Kaikoura, New Zealand

I wanted to take the train while visiting New Zealand, and since the route from Picton to Kaikoura runs along HWY 1 along the South Pacific Ocean, I figured this would be a nice leg of the journey to travel by train.

The train is lovely and I really should travel this way more often. The seats are more comfortable the isles are wider, there is a viewing cart with no walls to take pictures as there is a canteen/bar on board. Unfortunately in New Zealand the rail system is pretty limited so this is the only section I will be able I travel.

Kaikoura! What a great town. First of all the name means "meal of crayfish"! So, does it get any better than that? Yes, it does! Fishing, dolphin swimming, kayaking, stand up Paddleboarding, whale watching, walking to see seal colonies... Lots to do. The view is always gorgeous. I would definitely come to Kaikoura again and for longer than 2 days next time.

Picton & The Queen Charlotte Track

I took the ferry from Wellington to Picton. Some people choose to fly but I don't understand why because it is a beautiful boat ride. The Interislander boat also has a lot to offer passengers:
- bar with flat screen TV (where I was able to watch my first netball game)
- restaurant
- movie theatre
- lounges
- jungle gym for kids
- room with cribs
- viewing decks
The trip can be rough when going through the Cook Straight but my trip was great with lots of opportunities to take good pictures while traveling trough the sounds.

I stayed at a great hostel where i was able to store some stuff before i headed out onto my hike. http://www.sequoialodge.co.nz/

The next morning I got a water taxi that drove me and a couple from the US to the beginning of the Queen Charlotte Track. Depending on how much you want to walk people take 3-5days to walk the entire track. http://www.qctrack.co.nz/

I walked 15km on day one and stayed at a really nice lodge "Furneaux Lodge" where they had nice backpacker cabins but no cooking facilities so I had to eat at their expensive restaurant. Staying here reminded me of my summers in Muskoka.

On day two I walked 12.7km and stayed at my first "homestay" which is basically when someone rents out rooms in their house. This woman, Noeline, has been hosting backpackers for over 30 years!

On day three it was raining so I was happy that I had planned on getting the water taxi back to Picton. Once back in Picton I met up with Sounds Connection for my half day wine tour! There were seven of us which was a nice size group. We visited four wineries:
- Drylands
- Giesen
- Bancott Estate
- Cloudy Bay
The first three wineries provided us with multiple tastings. Giesen even had a side room with a big table set up for us with at least 8 different wines sampled. Cloudy bay only provided 2 complimentary tastings and then you had to buy other ones which I think all of us did.