Almost to the end...
And so I have arrived finally in this oasis of civilization that is known as Christchurch. This is the final stop on my journey through New Zealand before returning to my homeland of beer and hockey that is known as Canuckia.
After leaving Napier and heading to Wellinginton, I spent the day checking out the museum for the afternoon before catching my ferry ride to the South Island. This is the last view I had of the North Island from the ferry.
By the time I had arrived, it was late at night. But I decided to press on and drive for about an hour along steep and tightly windy roads until I found a spot I could camp for the night. Upon waking the next morning, this view was revealed to me from the place I had decided to rest.
Also, I could see the tiny town of Havelock from there.
Pressing on, I finally reached the geographical center of New Zealand in the town of Nelson. I spent a couple nights there preparing for my 2 day hike through the Abel Tasman National Park.
And so, I began my hike through Abel Tasman after parking my van at the entrance in the small village of Marahau. The days couldn't have been better, nary a cloud in the sky, and a nice cool breeze off the Tasman sea that the walk overlooked as it climbed up into the hills and mountains.
I had a nice lunch on the first day on Tinlin beach with a good view from a secluded tunnel that faced out to the ocean.
Finally, I reached my camping destination of Anchorage Point. The first thing I did was take a swim.
The next day was another few hours of walking through this gorgeous national park and I found a nice little waterfall to rest by while having a snack.
Also, I managed to take a shot of some birds, the name of them is unknown to me, that were about a mile away. I was glad my camera could get a decent shot from where I was.
Finally, I finished the second day of hiking and hopped onto a watertaxi back to Marahau to pick up my van. The taxi took only 15min what took me 8 hours to hike - which was about 25km (17miles) through rugged terrain. But all in all, it was an amazing hike.
That night I arrived in Westport. I managed to find a place that would let me park my van for $10 for the night and I could use the shower and toilets they had as well. After 2 days of hiking, I was in that shower for almost an hour!
The next morning, I checked out a seal colony which I mostly camcordered. I might post that when I get back to Canada.
After the seal colony, I drove to the Franz Josef Glacier, arriving just before supper time. Found a place to stay for the night and checked out the town. Definitely a tourist resort as prices for a simple dinner were exorbiant to say the least! I opted to have some of my rations of baked beans and trail mix. Cheap yet wholesome!
The next morning, I did the 2 hour hike to and from the glacier.
To appreciate the enormity of it, this next picture, I was a quarter mile from the face of the glacier. Its face was massive! From my best estimate, the face of it alone was several hundred feet high.
Hopping into my van after that nice hike, I drove to Wanaka. The day quickly turned to sunshine as I drove through the Haast pass down into the valley. The views were gorgeous, snow-capped peaks and tall hills on either side.
But then I was attacked by a herd of cows.
After negotiating safe passage, I finally arrived in Wanaka.. and boy was I surprised! I think Wanaka is the most absolutely gorgeous place to visit in New Zealand. And that's saying something.
Just some of the photos I managed to snap. I stay in this fabulous little hostel where I took most of the pictures from... I didn't have to drive out of the small town for the views!
And of course... ducks stalking me!
After Wanaka, I spent a night in Queenstown, the next day checking out some LoTR sights. Here's one that I recognized instantly from the scene where Samwise is swimming after Frodo.
Finally, I managed to arrive in Christchurch, my final destination. I spent 2 days selling my van, finally managing to do so. I met some great people at the car market where I sold it, other backpackers and such and had a great time chatting and playing at the free pool table. But I was glad to sell the van to not stress over it and to manage to enjoy these last few days in Christchurch.
My home for the last little while:
I walked about Christchurch and saw the sights as it were:
Spent a nice lunch yesterday in this park.
Eyed up by ducks once more.
And caught a family just as they were waking up.
And now, I await my flight back to Auckland that will be a couple days from now and then a couple days after that, I am back in Canada to continue my plans of world conquest. MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAaaaa....
After leaving Napier and heading to Wellinginton, I spent the day checking out the museum for the afternoon before catching my ferry ride to the South Island. This is the last view I had of the North Island from the ferry.
By the time I had arrived, it was late at night. But I decided to press on and drive for about an hour along steep and tightly windy roads until I found a spot I could camp for the night. Upon waking the next morning, this view was revealed to me from the place I had decided to rest.
Also, I could see the tiny town of Havelock from there.
Pressing on, I finally reached the geographical center of New Zealand in the town of Nelson. I spent a couple nights there preparing for my 2 day hike through the Abel Tasman National Park.
And so, I began my hike through Abel Tasman after parking my van at the entrance in the small village of Marahau. The days couldn't have been better, nary a cloud in the sky, and a nice cool breeze off the Tasman sea that the walk overlooked as it climbed up into the hills and mountains.
I had a nice lunch on the first day on Tinlin beach with a good view from a secluded tunnel that faced out to the ocean.
Finally, I reached my camping destination of Anchorage Point. The first thing I did was take a swim.
The next day was another few hours of walking through this gorgeous national park and I found a nice little waterfall to rest by while having a snack.
Also, I managed to take a shot of some birds, the name of them is unknown to me, that were about a mile away. I was glad my camera could get a decent shot from where I was.
Finally, I finished the second day of hiking and hopped onto a watertaxi back to Marahau to pick up my van. The taxi took only 15min what took me 8 hours to hike - which was about 25km (17miles) through rugged terrain. But all in all, it was an amazing hike.
That night I arrived in Westport. I managed to find a place that would let me park my van for $10 for the night and I could use the shower and toilets they had as well. After 2 days of hiking, I was in that shower for almost an hour!
The next morning, I checked out a seal colony which I mostly camcordered. I might post that when I get back to Canada.
After the seal colony, I drove to the Franz Josef Glacier, arriving just before supper time. Found a place to stay for the night and checked out the town. Definitely a tourist resort as prices for a simple dinner were exorbiant to say the least! I opted to have some of my rations of baked beans and trail mix. Cheap yet wholesome!
The next morning, I did the 2 hour hike to and from the glacier.
To appreciate the enormity of it, this next picture, I was a quarter mile from the face of the glacier. Its face was massive! From my best estimate, the face of it alone was several hundred feet high.
Hopping into my van after that nice hike, I drove to Wanaka. The day quickly turned to sunshine as I drove through the Haast pass down into the valley. The views were gorgeous, snow-capped peaks and tall hills on either side.
But then I was attacked by a herd of cows.
After negotiating safe passage, I finally arrived in Wanaka.. and boy was I surprised! I think Wanaka is the most absolutely gorgeous place to visit in New Zealand. And that's saying something.
Just some of the photos I managed to snap. I stay in this fabulous little hostel where I took most of the pictures from... I didn't have to drive out of the small town for the views!
And of course... ducks stalking me!
After Wanaka, I spent a night in Queenstown, the next day checking out some LoTR sights. Here's one that I recognized instantly from the scene where Samwise is swimming after Frodo.
Finally, I managed to arrive in Christchurch, my final destination. I spent 2 days selling my van, finally managing to do so. I met some great people at the car market where I sold it, other backpackers and such and had a great time chatting and playing at the free pool table. But I was glad to sell the van to not stress over it and to manage to enjoy these last few days in Christchurch.
My home for the last little while:
I walked about Christchurch and saw the sights as it were:
Spent a nice lunch yesterday in this park.
Eyed up by ducks once more.
And caught a family just as they were waking up.
And now, I await my flight back to Auckland that will be a couple days from now and then a couple days after that, I am back in Canada to continue my plans of world conquest. MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAaaaa....