NZ Road Trip #8: Glowworm Caves & Fiordland

After spending some time in Queenstown, we moved on to our last stop: Fiordland (we did go back to Queenstown, to party two more days, though).

Even though the Fiords and Queenstown seem to be next to each other in a map, there's no road that directly connects both locations: you have to go all the way through Te Anau (aprox. 2 and a half or 3 hours) and from there to the Fiords its another 2 hours drive.

We spent the night in Te Anau, which is the last little town you'll come across with when driving to the Fiords. Since we arrived in Te Anau quite early, we decided to visit the Glowworm caves that evening. The excursion beginns with a boat trip across the Lake Te Anau. Then, once you arrive to the other side of the lake, you are divided into smaller groups to start discovering the caves. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed. But I managed to find some nice ones on the internet! (Thanks, google!).

Once deep inside the caves, you will be taken on a small boat into a hidden grotto where the only light you have is the one given by thousands of glowworms. The hungrier these little worms are, the more they glow! The glittering effect is memorable - you feel as if you were floating next to a thousand stars!

On the next day, we took the ride to the National Park. Since it was already May (that is, the beginning of the real winter was just around the corner), our boat trip around the Fiords is the coldest memory of our trip (you can see this from the pictures!). The boat takes you through the Fiords over until you reach the Tasman Sea, where the wind is the strongest - I don't remember the speed the captain mentioned on the microphone, but I do remember the feeling of having to hold myself to the cruise and sometimes letting it go to find out how it feels to lean against the wind (awesome!). This is what we got to see:

I can't believe this is the end of my posts about New Zealand... There are so many places I didn't manage to see - damn, 2 weeks - 1 country - two islands is really not enough! I'll find some other time to go, probably not far from now... since the whole asia-pacific region is the most attractive for me.

I remember that, when I was a kid, I used to have this huge map of the World hanging above my bed. I knew so many countries and capitals! Now I forgot most of them - I like to think that my brain is now full, and having pushed in all the finance stuff, there was no space left for countries and capitals (the unofficial version is that 3 years of live-fast, party-hard have their secondary brain effects). On that map, I had 2 needles (one on the Canary Islands and another one on Australia) and one red thread that connected these needles. I was 9 years old, and obsessed with visiting the other side of the World.

Getting to the point: I'm sure I'll go back soon. For a longer time. For whatever reason. And hopefully I'll come back with that beautiful english accent.

NZ Road Trip #7: Queenstown

Following the previous posts on my 3 weeks road trip from the north to the south of New Zealand, after leaving the awesome glaciers behind us, we moved on to the party town, Queenstown. We needed a break of so much nature and healthiness!

Queenstown is built on the Lake Wakatipu and is an ideal place to stay for adventure tourism as you can go skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping, mountain biking, skateboarding... which, by the way, we didn't do. I'm not a big adventurer, specially when it comes to cold climates. We were there for one main reason: partying (so what? we wanted to have a good healthy-unhealthy mix on our trip).

The town definitely the biggest party place I came across with in the country (although I was told that Dunedin is a strong competitor). Most of the people we knew were not locals, but it had a great ambience every night of the week - similar to a year-long Erasmus! During our stay (which was extended from 2 to 4 nights), the town was invaded with teens and twenty-ish people (mainly from the UK) on their working holiday (I guess that's why there so much nightlife). The famous place to go out is called World Bar, although we actually liked more the one next to it, which was a bit smaller and cozier (and had more people around the mid-late-twenties).

But young people and drinks is not everything this resort town in Otago offers to its not-so-adventurous visitors. When the weather is nice and the sky is clear, the Skyline Gondola is a great option. This lift is reputed to be the steepest in the Southern Hemisphere with an incline angle of 37.1º.

After rising 450m, you'll be rewarded with the best views in the region of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables mountain range and across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil and Walter Peaks.

After our (still-too-short) stay in Queenstown, we carried on to our last big stop of our trip: the Fiordland - the furthest south of the Globe I had ever been.

NZ Road Trip #6: Southern Island Glaciers

Franz Joseph Glacier from the Helicopter

It has been ages since I last wrote on the journal of the trip, but only because I was carefully searching the best way to describe the next chapter, which was definitely one of my favorites: the Glacier hike!

When we crossed over from Wellington to the Southern Island, we immediately noticed the cold breeze and you're imagination goes to fantasize about a totally different landscape from the one we had before: you substitute beaches for rocky cliffs and the volcanoes you once (tried) hiking for impressive high mountains covered by snow. Well yes, it's pretty much like that, but before we arrived the nearest of the heart of the island, we drove through quick changing landmarks that went from flat vineyards to rocky mountains through rivers and of course, miles and miles of deserted roads.

Vineyards in Marlborough region

On the road

It's a long way from Picton (where the ferry stopped to start our way to the south) to the glaciers, so we spent the night in Greymouth (not really worth mentioning - at least not in autumn/winter).

On the next day we finally arrived to Franz Joseph Glacier. Our initial thought was to take a helicopter ride for 45 minutes to overfly both glaciers and Mount Cook - we were short on time to drive up to Mount Cook and take a few days to hike and still wanted to get a glance of the highest mountain of the country! But once in the tour office, we saw a great offer: "10min heli-tour and glacier hiking for 3 hours" for only a fraction of the price we would pay for the heli-tour. That was our chance! We - the fittest people on NZ - were going to hike a glacier! We took a look at the people we were going to hike with and stood up with a self-convinced if-they-can-we-can attitude. Well this time we weren't wrong: we could! It was definitely worth every single NZD spent and every stiffness earned the next day.

At the beginning you start feeling insecure with the bulky hiking boots. In your mind you are standing on ice, which, you have learned, is slippery and should be avoided to stop on. And suddenly, wherever you're eyes reach: it's all ice. You get a stick - which, in my opinion, has as sole function to boost people's confidence. The walks start easy, for you to get used to your own steps and, specially, to learn to take decisive steps into the ice to get those nails deep in. We were a young group of people, which made the tour much more venturesome! We climbed up with cords, passed through ice caves, saw not-so-iced-lakes and could try glacier water from a small stream. The sensation is indescribable - you lose notion of time because every step is an adventure.

I would definitely do it again.

Franz Joseph Glacier

Franz Joseph Glacier

Wine List - #1

Maybe my recent trip to New Zealand has had some influence on my decision, or maybe today's weather just made me remember - Everytime someone asks me which my favorite wine is, I go back to the time I had the chance to taste the Sauvignon Blanc Babich from Marlborough (New Zealand).

It's smell floral and fruity - with notes of citrus and lime, cut grass and gooseberries - and has an intense taste that goes perfectly with grilled seafood or white fish.

Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region/Wineyard: Marlborough, South Island (New Zealand )

Best years: 2005 and 2007

Production: the grapes are pressed into stainless steel tanks. However, a small portion of the juice is fermented in old oak barriques

Average Price: aprox. 10-15 €

.... Cheers!

NZ Road Trip #5: Wellington

Its a while since I last wrote on my trip around New Zealand - I have to catch up before my alzheimer starts having short-term effects on good memories (I'm not sure if these issues as caused by the alcohol or by the overload of finance-related issues that bounce in my head - of course, I prefer thinking its the latter).

Wellington was probably the most trendy city I had seen in a long time. Unfortunately, we only stayed for 2 days, and didn't have time to check all of it, but for the time being, this is what impressed me most:

• The second hand shops - time or weather conditions don't seem to be an issue, there will always be trendy people with big sun glasses, a boho hat and some shopping bags. Only for this reason, I could already picture myself living in this city. The city has a huge second-hand market (specially for clothes). Shops vary in price and style - you can find from elegant charleston dresses for a special event up to H&M t-shirts from last season for half-price or even less. I had to join the trend and bought a nice 70s style silk dress (I swear - you can't resist the shopping!).

• People like wearing hats - yes, its a trend! Besides, if you don’t wear one, you feel uncomfortable. They mostly match them with their stockings and/or handbag (girls) or wearing nerd glasses and slim jeans (guys).

• Bars are awesome - Seriously, I wish I could find this type of bars in Switzerland: affordable, familiar and really stylish. Bars offer a considerable wine menu and I strongly recommend to try a local pinot gris if you like dry white wine.

• It's windy - If I had to name a flaw, it would be the sudden wind - those days, you can't expect having nice hair and the best alternative solution is probably to live under a hat.

I felt sorry for not staying longer in Wellington, but we still had a long way to go....!!

NZ Road Trip #4: Tongariro

An insight of the day we found out that Frodo and Sam were NOT as lazy as we thought - at least they made it!

The attempt of walking the 8 hours Tongariro Alpine Crossing (classified as one of World's top 10 one day walks by National Geographic) started at the information desk. As we got there (of course, not as early as we had planned) the first thing we were told that some showers were expected in the afternoon. But we felt strong and full of courage - we had our hiking boots and a simple raincoat we had bought, that fits in a surprisingly small bag.

Of course, we warned the information desk assistant that as good as we look like, we are not sporty people:

Us: "I know we are young and pretty, but please consider, we have absolutely NO physical condition and NO hiking experience" (we lied - me and my best friend HAD some hiking experience... but it was a nightmare and as we almost died we didn't want to consider it as "experience").

Assitant: "Oh no don't worry about that, it's a easy path"

Us: "Yes, uhm, but how steep is it?"

Assistant: "Well, the only difficult part is the beginning, which is pretty steep... but you can avoid it by starting on the other side of the walk (in Ketetahi Car Park)".

That sounds like a plan!

Here's a map of the 19.4km walk.

And just fyi - this actually was quite useful for our decisions- here's a picture of the different steeps and heights we were going to face that day (our tour started on the right side).

Anyway, now you must be wondering why anyone is willing to go through this suffering. Well, there are some good reasons I guess:

- It was the location of Mordor and the Plains of Gorgoroth (Lord of the Rings)

- You get to see a variety of natural scenes: volcanoes, geysers, lakes, forests...

- You meet other healthy/motivated people on your way...

Unfortunately, despite our good intentions, we did not lie about our physical condition and had to turn back after reaching the Ketetahi Hut. This is what we managed to see on our 4.5 hrs trip.

Recommendation: Be prepared. Practice some sport regularly before trying to do the Tongariro Crossing, even if the path is easy... half of the time (at least) you will be walking up the hill. Take 2L of water with you (per person) 'couse there's not such as a water fountain on the way. Take comfortable shoes and not too many coats and jackets (you'll start sweating after the first 45 min walking).

I'm sure that walking the complete path must be amazing... and I regret my laziness! I just hope to be fit enough next time!

NZ Road Trip #3: Rotorua

Next stop - Geothermal Paradise

With a huge hungover after trying out different shots at the hostel's bar, we hit the road on Sunday as early as we could to make our way to Rotorua.

We arrived just on time to leave our stuff at the hostel (this time, Base Rotorua) and take a look at what was surrounding us. When getting near to the city, the smell of the air is suspicious - it reminded us of rotten eggs. At the time we got nearer to the bubbling mud pools, we were so amazed that we (almost) forgot about the rotten eggs. The hostel was 2 min walk from a public geothermal park - Kuirau Park - which is still very active: the latest eruptions just took place around 7 years ago!

At sunset we decided to try out the Polynesian Spa, which offers several different hot spring pools. Its worth to pay the entry fee to enjoy the afternoon view over Lake Rotorua. I would have taken pictures, but it was too confi in the hot pools :)

The next day we headed south to another geothermal park called Waimangu (where I took the pictures above). This is a protected Scenic Reserve and Wilflife Refuge. We didn't want to go to some typical touristic attraction - and this was definitely the best alternative. Upon arrival, you get a map with some short clarifications to each number pointed out in the map. We barely met other people on our way which made us appreciate much more the sounds of nature. I know, this must sound quite weird - but I swear, the sound of bubbling mud and hot sulphuric water got me hypnotized....

NZ Road Trip #2: Auckland

The journey begins.

I met my friends in Auckland, for a big start. I was the last one arriving from Sydney, just on time to catch one of the last mini vans driving into the city. We had decided to stay in a centric hostel, since we were not planning to stay many days in Auckland - there are hundreds of hostels around Queenstreet (which is pretty much the center of all the happenings), with quite similar price ranges.

We decided to pick BASE Auckland - it's big, centric, with many facilities and is probably one of the best options to party. We stayed in one of the top floors and had an amazing view of the skyscrapers! The hostel has its own bar in which they offer specials every night: free pizza, drinks at 5 NZD (about 2.5 EUR), ladies night, games night...

Our first night out we tried finding some local bars and pubs. There were some nice places in Vulkan Lane, a small pedestrian street located perpendicular to Queenstreet. People start drinking quite early - so when we finished dinner, people were already heading to the clubs. The clubs we found were located near the Waterfront (some are a little picky about the dresscode, maybe because it was weekend...).

After our first big night out, we woke up the next day ready to walk around Waiheke Island, taste their wine, visit their beaches, and try out some of the famous hiking tours! However, when we got out of the hostel, it started raining. No, raining is not really the word... it was more like the Apocalypse! As a reasonable alternative, we decided it was probably the best day to learn something about New Zealand - geography, history and its flora and fauna - we went to the Auckland Museum. It's definitely worth a visit to learn about maori culture and about the many volcanoes that shaped New Zealand - Did you know that Auckland lies over 50 volcanoes and not all of them are extinct?

After some hours wandering around, the raining ceased and we decided to take a afternoon - evening shot from Auckland's skyline. Therefore, we took a short ferry that brought us to Devonport. It has one main road on which you can find several nice cafes and restaurants with local wine and beer as well as some good and cheap food!

Later on, when back to Auckland city itself, we gave a try to the hostel bar which ended up to be a very funny night, again. My only recommendation: don't waste your time on ordering gin tonics or vodka lemon, as cheap as it might seem, generally, the wine and beer is much more worth it!!!

NZ Road Trip #1: The Journey...

New Zealand

In order to remember this journey with as many details as possible - and taking into account my lack of long-term memory - I aim to describe our 2 weeks along the north and south island of New Zealand.

Trying to make it as practical as possible - with impressions, pictures and suggestions for those who have thought about taking the step sometime soon - yes, I specially mean you two australians ;) - or for those who just feel curious about the country itself and want to see some pictures!

Ours was a quite tight schedule as you can certainly imagine, we drove a long way to make it from north to south - however, it was completely worth it and I would definitely do it again.

First stop........ AUCKLAND !

Up, up and Away !!

Finally the time has come - holidays!

...as my boss says "there's no better way to escape and get distracted from routine than traveling for more than a whole day to get to the other side of the Globe". Even though exhausting, I'm sure I won't regret this trip one single second...

....... Australia and New Zealand.... here I go !!!!