New Zealand: part 3 - from North to South
Today we made the mistake of driving to Waitomo. It's a very long drive again and everything you can visit in the area comes with an entrance fee... We're too tired for a walk today so it's just "statue"visits 😁 This is Sir Colin Meads, a famous New-Zealand Rugby player.
And in Otorohanga we found this giant Kiwi. She could do with a paint job, but while we're eager to see the real live bird, this one will do for now 😃
We came here to see the famous Waitomo caves to enjoy the light of the glowworms. It was a treat for the girls. To give you an idea of prices in New-Zealand: a 15 minute tour in these caves costs 160$. A kayak for 2 people for one hour 350$ ...
Luckily this short spectacle was really beautiful and they had a good souvenir! We weren't allowed to take any pictures, but they made a wonderful drawing after the visit 😍
So funny, because up 'till now, we saw more Alpaca's than sheep!
13/02/2020 Well, it's time to leave the North Island. We head down to Wellington and try to animate the 5 hour drive with some visits along the way. However, apart form Taihape, the village where they throw Gumboots (no joke!), there's not so much to see 😂
We also passed a city named: "Bulls" and there are a few statues here and there of, you'll never guess: bulls! However it's only publicity for the meat they love so much in their hamburgers!
Arriving in Wellington was such a wonderful surprise! Contrary to some negative remarks on the city, we found it a very exciting place. Beautiful old buildings and artwork were enveloped in this modern city.
The harbour area is a breeding spot of artist and you find trendy restaurants everywhere.
So cool, school girls in uniform preparing their canoe!!!
The sail club:
And the ever so classy hotel room! 😂
14/02/2020 We have two hours to kill before taking the boat to the South Island. We decided not to go the museum (it's free btw!!!) as the weather was gorgeous, so we enjoyed the botanical garden. What a splendid park in the centre of town! The flowers have an overwhelming smell and the view from up there is amazing!
You actually can get lost here!
Louise loves ducks but is afraid of pigeons !!! 😁
Time to cross over!
It's coooooold !!!
Do you see all the timber waiting to be transported?! It's sad to drive through New-Zealand as there are sooooooooo much deforestation
When you arrive in the fjords of the South Island it's just amazing! Incredibly pretty!
Not many boats and plenty of fish!!!
And then we're there in Picton.
On the way to our cabin in Abel Tasman Park, we cross the Marlborough vineyards.
And we make a quick stop in Nelson. While noticing all restaurants full of red hearths and tables for two, we realise it's Valentines day! 😏
It's quite a cute village centre and worth a stop, at least for the restaurants 😋 For us it's still a while before we get to the cabin at 8 pm. It's still light!
This AirB&B is actually just a caravan 😆 Small, but very good concept! We did have to tape all the air-vents down as soon as it became dark because thousands of mosquitos flew in! So if you travel, always have a roll of ducktape with you! 😂
15/02/2020 We didn't want to drive too far again but in the end we decided to go and visit Golden Bay, the summum of Abel Tasman Park. The drive up there takes you through fruit and hop cultures as well as over amazing lookouts, some with miniwalks.
The first stop was the Wainui Falls track, which is truly beautiful. The longer walks must be even more special, but you should stay about 3 to 5 days in this region to be able to do those walks.
We thought we saw our first Kiwi bird but it's not the real thing! This one was very curious! And for us we just called it the "almost-kiwi" 😊
Perfect picnic spot, if there wouldn't be so many mosquitos!
Back again over the scary suspension bridge!
Almost everywhere you see these white-headed cows! Looking a lot like ghost cows to me!
The coastal drive up here is amazing!
The first sail boat we see on anchor!
A random road trespasser!
And then we tried to pull over as I thought I saw a pinguin!!! Euh, we call it again the "almost-pinguin"!
As we drove two hours to get here, we decided to add a visit of the Te Waikoropupû springs. This is one of the largest cold water springs in the world (that's what they say about everything here though ... 😉). It's one of the purest waters, scientifically measured.
All very nice, but we sometimes wonder if we are made to drive so far for these minitours prepared for tourists... Surely we've been spoiled in the last 1,5 years ... we find that often the best surprises are the "uncharted" walks... The drives here are ever so pretty, but really challenging when you're carsick! Only 3000 km more to go!!!
See you soon for the rough West-Coast!!
Comments