Friday 27 January 2012

North bound from Invercargill

Me at the top of the highest highway in new zealand.  No wonder I look grumpy - and even after all this cycling I am still human, I am afraid I did get off and push some of the way - Christof tried to disown me.
 We cycled from Invercargil North to Queenstown, a beautiful ride the end part of which was along an amazing lake with hills all around.  From there we took the road to Arrowtown, and old gold town with a tiny and very cute high street.  Then up over the hills to Wanaka, and the road was so steep!  It was fantastic though, we crawled up for about 3 km, and then suddenly it was as though we were back at the bottom again as we entered a lovely agricultural valley surrounded by even bigger mountains.  Then another 3km of very steep uphill to the very top.  Then with anticipation and excitement we crossed the pass and started our descent.  The excitement very quickly turned to disappointment and exhaustion!  The head wind was so strong we had to pedal hard - all the way down!  Our route got even better and more and more scenic as we crossed the lakes around Wanaka (another day with headwind) and then three blissful days cycling with nothing but mountains and forest all around.  The road is twisty and curves around the hills so that you never know what is around the next corner: the sea, a lake, a braided river, a snow capped mountain, a forested hill - whatever it is seems to be so beautiful it takes your breath away.




My mobile home for so many months now!



Proof that New Zealand seems to be the windiest place ever.





Friday 13 January 2012

Cycling: Dunedin to Invercargill

After Dunedin, the roads became much quieter, and cycling was a real pleasure.  I was greatly entertained to go through Brighton.  The landscape was farmland with small towns - where agricultural supplies shops where just as common as a chemists or banks.  People too seemed to get friendlier as we travelled south.  We had some really beautiful days biking, rolling terrain, golden landscapes with so much greenery - and all the farms seemed so productive, but a lot less 'industrial' compared to those on the Canterbury plains near Christchurch.  Invercargill, we reached after an amazing day of 110km (we had tailwinds the whole way) but we rolled up in the rain.  We enjoyed a day looking around the museum - lots of pictures and the bike from the film of the Worlds Fastest Indian; and as seems fairly normal for New Zealand a super public park.

More Hiking Pictures: Hollyford Track










Thursday 12 January 2012

Christmas in New Zealand



 I have had such a fabulous few weeks, Naomi came out to stay with me all the way from Aberdeen. We then headed off into the fiordland wilderness to hike the Routeburn Track which was an amazing three day walk over some fabulous hills.  The views were fantastic as all around were some of the craggiest mountains i have ever seen.  we had beautiful weather and it really was simply stunning. The hike its self was very easy although we had the biggest rucksacks ever as we went straight from there by bus to Milford Sound and then on for more hiking, so we had enough food to last us twelve days without a grocery store.
Along the Routeburn we had some great camping spots with meadows and rivers and mountains rising up steeply on all sides.  We looked down on a lake in the valley bottom elegantly and unevenly shaped and a glorious rich turquoise blue.
The last day of the hike we were walking through lush forest with beech trees which are nothing like the European beech. The trees were short and stunted, ancient and gnarled, covered with thick green hair or moss. It was amazing and so unlike anything in Britain.  We spent Christmas in Milford Sound which was nice and good to relax. On boxing day we kayaked in the sound which was great, the mountains rise up straight from the water and in a kayak you seem so small. We saw seals up close too, then the wind picked up ad we went back under sail.
The following  day we took the bus out and started hiking the Hollyford trail a long hike through lush forest; again a totally different from anywhere European. the forest canopy was quite low, and instead of trees there were ferns as tall as trees. The birds were super too and one morning we stopped to listen to a regular symphony but with invisible birds. After several days hiking through the forest along the hollyford river which we got brief but stunning glimpses of, we reached the sea. the waves were super and came crashing down on rocky coves with sandy stretches. There were more seals here, and even closer and more impressive. New Zealand seals are different, and look so much more like selkies than a British seal they have feet!  The Hollyford trail proved harder going than expected so we then caught a boat back two huts and then enjoyed the walk at a more leisurely pace. We even spent one afternoon on the beach, although in true jenny fashion the minute I started to get undressed the deserted beach suddenly had a helicopter full of people appear.
We had some super bus journeys too: rolling hills, tons of Lupins, great views, golden meadows, huge lakes, snow caped mountains, delicious!
The last few days I was lucky enough to have with Naomi were spent on a train journey to Picton, north of the south island, from and returning to Christchurch. It is a really scenic route right along the coast and the views were grand.  We passed rolling hills and blue ocean and pink salt pans and turquoise rives. Picton was nice very cute and had a super bakery and a second hand bookshop.

New Zealand is much harder to find internet access so please forgive the long gaps between posting.