Goodbye Mum and Dad!

 So much has happened in the past week I don't even know where to start! I think by the end of my last post we were in Franz Josef, just about to head down to Queenstown on the most beautiful drive of my life. We drove from mountains with glaciers, down alongside the pebble beaches which were covered in drift wood (Mum's heaven), through the Haast pass and past a few clear, blue lakes then finally were blessed with a fantastic view down to Queenstown (shown at the top). Along the way we stooped for a very nice coffee overlooking the lake in Wanaka (a place I will definitely be returning to) and we took a look in a few sweet little shops in the historic Arrowtown.
Our accommodation in Queenstown was quite a step up from the YHAs; we were staying at Nugget Point Boutique which had the most amazing views over the Shotover river (shown below), a very swish bathroom with a jacuzzi bath and free use of the spa facilities. We decided it was much too appealing after the long day of driving so we stayed there for a very nice meal and dip in the hot tub and sauna.

I was quickly reminded why I had loved Queenstown so much on my previous visit. After a morning wandering around the town and eating a rather good lunch, at Vudu Cafe on the waterfront, we hopped on the bus for white water rafting. 
The first task was putting on the thick wetsuits, jackets, boots and buoyancy aids. A bus then took us down skippers creek road; a pretty scary, narrow route down into the valley, right along the cliff edge.

The rafting itself was great fun; whizzing down rapids and even jumping out from time to time to cool down in the water. My favourite part was the last couple of minutes; after a long dark tunnel we reached the most extreme of the rapids where we were told to turn sideways so we wouldn't hit our noses. We hit the rapid at a strange angle meaning we were thrown sideways so that Dad and 2 others fell out. (this is pictured at the top).
All this rafting worked up quite an appetite so we went to Queenstown's famous Fergburger restaurant for a huge, but very good burger. 
After another night at Nugget Point then patisseries by the lake front we head South for Manapouri.

Manapouri is a small place where we were staying in a cute, cosy little bach. The weather there wasn't so chipper so we had a slow morning then went into Te Anau for a coffee before a short walk along part of the Kepler track (another of the great walks). That evening we snuggled up inside, as the temperatures had dropped to around 4C, and started a tricky puzzle. (such party animals!)

  The main reason for staying in Manapouri was to visit Doubtful Sound; a stunning area which is actually a fiord, not a sound.

In order to reach the sound you have to take a boat trip then a coach journey meaning it is very remote; there was only one other boat out there. The scenery there was absolutely breathtaking. Steep sided mountains rose out of the deep blue water (fresh on top and salt below) with clouds pouring over their peaks and through the valleys but also sun leading to awesome rainbows. A bonus was the large pod of dolphins which played along side the boat, flipping and jumping high out the water.

On the way back, as part of the coach trip, we wound our way down a long tunnel underground to the hydroelectric power station (pictured to the left); here Dad was in storyboard heaven. We finally arrived back to our little bach around 3.30, very cold but having had a fantastic day, with hundreds of photos to show it.

 On Tuesday we had a long drive up from Manapouri to Lake Tekapo, over the Lindis pass and through yet more amazing scenery. We were blessed with perfect blue skies for the drive up meaning that when we stopped in Twizel to check details for a our helicopter flight the next day they said they had a slot at 5pm that day. We decided to make the most of the amazing weather and go for it.

 We drove up the side of Lake Pukaki admiring the views of Mount Cook as we went then with in the hour we were in the helicopter, headsets on, ready to fly over Mount Cook (the highest mountain in New Zealand). The flight was breathtaking. It was a physical geographers paradise, flying over glaciers, glacial rivers, towering mountains, exceedingly blue lakes with icebergs in them, a tectonic boundary and many amazing rock formations. 

A few minutes in we stopped off on a snow field so take in the view of Mount Cook and take countless photographs; just in case we hadn't got enough from the helicopter. The 45 minute flight flew by (excuse the pun); I could barely concentrate on what the pilot was saying as I gawped at the breath taking views whilst we zipped between the peaks and along the valleys. It was a truely memorable experience and the best birthday present I could have asked for.
The flight all seemed very surreal by 8pm as we sat in the retro bach eating our chilli con carne then went through the mammoth task of sorting through the photos. This next bach was just North of Lake Tekapo and fitted out in retro 1970s decor; again very cosy.

We had a nice relaxing day on Wednesday, went for a stroll by Lake Tekapo and a coffee but the 30C was too much for us brits so we spent the afternoon in the shade. After trying to finish off the last of the food with our pork we watched yet another great sunset before watching the King's speech.
Next morning we drove to Christchurch where we were staying in a nice 'motel' with a lovely bathroom (2 showers)!
It was 32C so we took it slow and went for a stroll into town through the Botanical gardens.

The gardens were lovely but Christchurch's centre still bares the scar of the earthquake in 2011, making it like one large building site.

As it was our last evening together we went out for a Japanese meal; we were able to sit at the teppanyaki table, it was great fun watching our food be cooked and the chef set the table on fire for us. It was my first taste of Japanese food, other than sushi, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Today my parents left me in Christchurch so I am now a lone traveller again. I was going to meet up with two of my French friends in Queenstown but unfortunately their car broke down so they've returned to Wellington, so now I'm planning my month ahead.

I've had the most amazing time travelling with my parents over the past few weeks; thank you so much for so many fantastic experiences.

It was a shame Tom couldn't join us, I look forward to being reunited in just over 5 months.

Onwards to the next stage of my adventure!

Travelling the wild West

 It seems like ages since I last wrote although it's not even a week ago; we've visited so many places and seen so many sights since then!
We started in Wellington and took the ferry across to Picton where we picked up the car and drove via the Abel Tasman to the West coast; so far we've travelled down to Franz Josef.
Wellington put on a real show for Mum and Dad, living up to it's name of 'Windy Wellington'; after the first day of sun, gale force winds and rain lashed against the windows of our YHA room. On arrival we drove up to the top of Mount Victoria, where we took the view across the city. I showed Mum and Dad around the university before going for a walk along the water front, followed by an Indian meal. Mum and Dad spent the Friday bobbing in and out of Te Papa, Wellington's famous museum, whilst I went up to the university. We then met in the evening for a yummy Thai meal. (Below is a photo of my home in Wellington).

On Saturday we set off from a slightly sunnier Wellington, and luckily a lot calmer, for our 3 hour ferry crossing to Picton in the South Island. We spent the day driving across to Motueka, just east of the Abel Tasman. Stopped off in Nelson to stock up on food; had to cram shopping bags into every last space in the car; you'd think we were off to Antarctica!
We spent the evening relaxing in the hostel; hopes of a stroll to the beach dashed by the lashing rain.

 Next morning the weather had improved considerably meaning we were able to catch a boat from Marahau to Anchorage, a bay on the Abel Tasman. From here we walked back along the Abel Tasman track, via multiple golden beaches and numerous beautiful viewing spots. From Marahau we then took a winding route through the soaring, bush covered mountains to Golden Bay hostel in Takaka; here we discovered a huge Countdown supermarket, rendering our big shop in Nelson a little pointless. 

 On Monday morning we set off in the sun for our 5 hour drive over to Hokitika on the West coast. We drove through stunning scenery, between mountains, along side the gushing Buller river then past the wild ocean on the West coast. We stopped off by a beach with huge, crashing waves for lunch then continued down the coast to the Pancake rocks and blow holes at Punakaiki. These rocks were amazing, with distinct, horizontal layers of limestone jutting out the ocean and funnelling the powerful waves to explode through the rocks. We were lucky as we happened to arrive at high tide when the blow holes are most impressive. After taking many photos and videos of the rocks and the water erupting from between them we got back on the road and drove to Hokitika, via Greymouth for yet more food.

When we got to our hostel in Hokitika we were met by a glum looking woman who informed us that she had accidentally given away our room so we would have to stay in the owners' house down the road with her. It wasn't the best of nights as we sat awkwardly eating our stir fry whilst she gnawed on her chicken in a very cluttered house. I guess at least it was memorable.
The next morning we were glad to get back on the road and move on to the hostel in Franz Josef. Unfortunately it was pouring with rain so the glacier wasn't very visible. We walked up to the end of the Franz Josef glacier anyway and the cloud lifted for a while so we got to see the blue ice. We just timed it wrong so on the way back we got soaked to the skin! It was nice to dry off in front of the fire in the cosy hostel with a good mug of Milo.

We were lucky on Wednesday morning; we woke up to clear blue skies so we drove across to Lake Matheson where the mountains are reflected in the water. Unfortunately it wasn't quite mirror like when we were there due to a slight breeze but it was beautiful none the less. After a relaxed coffee looking up at the snow capped mountains walked up to the end of Fox glacier just before the clouds came across and the rain started again. 

It was amazing gazing up at the huge mass of ice and seeing the crevasses and caves in it. markers showing where the ice used to come up to were  quite amazing; can't deny global warming when you see how far the glacier has retreated in just 50 years! We couldn't actually walk on to the glacier as it was too dangerous; we could see where land slips had happened on the walk up and whilst taking photos we saw a huge block of ice roll down into the valley.
It's been a wonderful week and we've seen such a range of scenery in such a small area and short time. I still can't believe how diverse New Zealand is.
Can't wait to explore the rest of the South Island with Mum and Dad and then my French friends.

Watts reunited (minus Tom)

 Happy New Year! Mum, Dad and I have just arrived in an extremely wet and windy Wellington after a fabulous week with the Howes. So much has happened since my last post; Christmas, Mum and Dad arrived, Auckland, Rotorua, the Tongariro crossing and now Wellington. 

Had a lovely Christmas despite the rain; managed plenty of delicious meals and even a walk on the beach; a strange experience on Christmas. Many large family groups (mainly Maoris, Pacific Islanders and Asians) had gathered along the beach for their Christmas BBQ and swim. The Howes were so kind to me and made it a memorable day.

 On Boxing day Karen, Andrew and I packed up some turkey sandwiches and went across to the West Coast for the day. After a short detour and a winding road we made it to Karekare beach; a black sand beach where ‘The Piano’ was filmed; just behind here was a brilliant waterfall.

The 27^th was a very exciting day as Mum and Dad finally joined me in New Zealand! Spent the morning tracking their plane on the internet and making a sign (just in case they didn’t recognise me). Once we had met them at the airport we had to make sure they stayed awake in order to get used to New Zealand time. We took a trip up Mount Eden to see a view across Auckland then after having some fresh fruit at the Howes’ we went for a stroll and a drink along the water  front.

 On Saturday morning we went for a longer walk along by the sea, on the volcanic rocks, with a stop for some very yummy ice cream at Tekapuna beach. After a lunch of home made pizza we head across to the west coast where the gannet colony lives.  I spent the evening prodding Dad to keep him awake as he fought against jet lag whilst we had a good laugh at some old home videos.

 Sunday was our last day in Auckland. Given that the forecast was for stormy weather we went to the Domain, Auckland’s main museum, in the morning; the volcano exhibition scared us slightly as it showed how vulnerable Auckland is; we wondered why we were going to go and walk on an active volcano in a couple of days time! Once we left the domain the weather had brightened up so we went for a stroll along Auckland’s waterfront and had a lunch of some very fresh fish which we just finished in time to go and change ready for our next meal. That evening we went up the Sky Tower to the revolving restaurant where our delicious food was accompanied by amazing 360 degree views of Auckland and a fabulous sunset. We had a slight worry about our navigational skills for the Tongariro crossing as we couldn’t even manage to find the car in the car park!
 On the 30^th we arrived in a rather wet Rotorua where we were staying in the YHA hostel. After dropping off our bags we went for a stroll in the rain to see the lake front and some steam and plopping mud. After our tuna and pasta in the hostel (a slightly different setting from the night before) Karen, Mum and I went to the Polynesian spa to sit back in the hot pools which ranged from 37-42C; rather warm but so relaxing.

 We packed in a lot on New Year’s eve. We started with a lovely walk through the giant red wood forest then went to Wai-o-tapu to see the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am before seeing all the amazing colours at the Thermal Park in the sun. Drove down to Taupo where we stocked up at an exceedingly busy Pak N Save and sat by the lake front to eat our lunch. Then on to National park where the cute little batch we were staying in for 2 nights was. We brought in the New Year tucked up in bed ready for our early start in order to walk the Tongariro Crossing; one of the great walks across an active volcano.

  The Tongariro crossing was fabulous. We were blessed with beautiful blue skies for the first half of our walk then just cloud in the afternoon. We completed all 19.4km of it in around 7 hours and celebrated with champagne and a very nice meal out at 'The Station' when we got back.

 The Walk was a geologist and volcanoligist's paradise. Volcanic rocks littered the ground and the path wound its way around past lava flows and steam; this along with many warning signs reminded us how active the ground beneath our feet was.
Some parts of the route were very steep and once we got to the top it was exceedingly windy making the narrow path a little precarious, but it was definitely worth it for the views.  
 We looked down on emerald lakes and volcanic features such as the fissure above and it was just breathtaking. At 1pm we celebrated the British New year with a round of Auld Land Syne and a photo with the Union Jack.
It was a fabulous walk and made me feel slightly more confident and excited about doing the Routeburn in Janurary.

This was the sweet little bach we stayed in in National Park.
On the morning of the 2nd we went our separate ways; Mum, Dad and I went down to a very wet and windy Wellington and the Howes returned home to Auckland.
I've had a fantastic time with the Howes, it's been really lovely to see the and share both christmas and some other wonderful adventures with them.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas?

 Merry Christmas for tomorrow! I'm now at the Howes, about to experience my first Summer Christmas. The vegetables are chopped and the Turkey's in the oven ready for our Christmas dinner tonight.
It still doesn't quite feel like Christmas as I've spent the past week at the beach, seeking shade from the sun; but it's getting there.
I've just spent the past week travelling around the Coromandel on my own, mostly in Hahei but with one night in Tairua and one in Thames. (At the top is a picture from Mount Paku, looking down on Tairua, Pauanui and Ocean Beach.)

 I was blessed with fabulous weather all week meaning that I could go down to the beach for a swim and to read my book every day. I spent one day on Cathedral cove again, one snorkelling in gemstone bay where there were some huge Snapper and pretty spotty and stripy fish (I must admit I'm not an expert on fish identification!). On the Wednesday I hitch hiked, along with another guy to make sure it was safe, to hot  water beach where we shared our hole with two very sweet kids.

 I cycled across to Cooks Beach on Friday and up to Shakespeare's Cliff (named by Cook because of it's resemblance to the cliffs in Dover.); I regretted choosing to cycle it half way up the very steep climb. All in all the cycling went very well and I was able to stop off for some plums on the road side on the way back. Only slight issue was when my chain came off and got stuck, but after a fair bit of yanking I was back on the road again.

To the right is the view from the top of Shakespeare's cliff. I was very lucky with my hostel's through out the week, they were all very friendly and well kept; especially the one in Thames, Gateway backpackers. The free BBQ was a nice surprise and it was lovely to sit back in the evening and watch a film in their TV lounge with the very friendly owner.

After a fantastic week of lone travelling I returned to civilisation by taking a bus to Auckland where I was met by Karen. It's nice to be back with the Howes for christmas. On that first night, after a monkfish curry, we went out to Auckland to see the Christmas lights on one very brightly lit street.
Yesterday Karen and I had a wonderful and sunny day on Waiheke Island. We took the ferry across at about 8.05am then wandered  to the nearby town for a very tasty blueberry and lemon scone before walking around 6.5km to Palm Beach. From here we just managed to catch a bus to the beautiful Stoneyridge vineyard for the most fantastic lunch and wine tasting. The photo above is of my lamb with garlic and kumara; the perfect Christmas present.
After taking a very crowded bus and ferry back we went out for a Thai meal along with Andrew and George then met up with their friends.
Travelling alone was a great experience and I enjoyed it for the week but it's nice to be back with people I know again. Looking forward to Christmas celebrations over the next couple of days; particularly the arrival of my parents on the 27th!

Merry Christmas from down under!!

Last week wwoofing

I actually wrote this on Monday but didn't have any internet so here it is now :)
 I’m now truly a lone traveller. Having said goodbye to Saskia, Jelte, Max and Fernando (new Spanish wwoofer) I’m now spending a week on the East coast of the Coromandel peninsula; currently in Taiarua then on to Hahei this afternoon.

After a fun week with Marieke, Chris and the children Saskia picked me up from the school prize giving, where I had played the violin along with Samara and Chris, and took me back to Manaia. One of the German Maxes had left and the other one, along with Fernando, had moved into the other bach so I had a bach to myself. 

 After being very excited to finish the painting in Hamilton I was informed that my job for the next few days would be to sand, clean and paint the bach I was staying in! Time went quickly though as I painted along side Saskia with Christmas songs playing in the background.
It's a very different pace of life at Saskia and Jelte's; every morning we all sit out on the veranda with a big bowl of porridge, fresh fruit salad and yoghurt followed by one of Jelte's amazing cappuccinos from his special coffee maker; having to drink instant again at the hostel is like drinking burnt water after these.

 We had many stops for drinks and cake through out the day then lovely relaxed evenings out on the veranda as it was very warm all last week. 
On Thursday evening we had another pizza night, again using their fantastic pizza oven; other than getting eaten by flies it was a perfect evening. Crispy pizza, smooth wine, a brilliant sunset and lovely company.

 On my last couple of days in Manaia we went down to the beach after work for a swim to cool off. The first time we went just down the road to a nice little bay where the surface water was really warm, pretty chilly underneath though!
On Saturday we took wine and nibbles to a lovely hidden beach about 30 minutes North of Jelte and Saskia's place. We swam for a while then relaxed on the sand before heading to Coromandel town for very good fish and chips on the water front.
Once back at the house we had one of Jelte's special desserts; hokey pokey (honeycomb) ice cream with coffee and Frangelico liqueur, yum.

Sunday was my final day with Saskia and Jelte; I had a hostel booked that night in Tairua and they kindly said they'd drive me there so we all made a day of it. 
After croissants for breakfast then finishing cleaning the bach we made our way to New Chums beach; one of the top 20 beaches in the world. To get there you have to walk across a white beach, through a creek then along a little track which opened up to paradise. Golden sands stretched out along side turquoise-blue water with Pohutukawa trees and palms along the back. After much swimming and relaxing we head back to the car where we had left our lunch then drove along to another little beach for my final meal before being dropped off at the hostel.
 I had the most fantastic time wwoofing with both Jelte and Saskia and their family; I leanrt so much from them and had many experiences that I'll never forget.

Family life in Hamilton

 Since my last post I have moved to Hamilton where I'm staying with Saskia and Jelte's daughter, Marieke's family as she needed some help with painting and general housework. This means that since last Wednesday I've been having fun playing with the 3 children; Samara (8), Zachary (6), Kaia (4) and the chocolate Labrador Mila (2).
Before leaving on Tuesday the Two Germans went fishing with Jelte and caught some Snappers which we ate as a starter at dinner. As afternoon tea Saskia and I made some cinnamon swirls which were quickly polished off. For dinner, after the very fresh fish, we had home made pizza made in their pizza oven (shown in the photos); so tasty!

On Wednesday we set off early so that we could drop the boys off at the farm and Saskia could get her hair cut on the way to Hamilton. Finally arrived at around 5pm and I met the family and helped make the side to go with the BBQ.
On Thursday Marieke and Chris had to work and the kids were at school and kindergarden so I was left to clean the house with the company of Mila the dog, it made me laugh when she only responded to my commands when said in a Kiwi accent. 
On Thursdays they have violin lessons at their Grandma's so we all went round and I played some games with the children before family dinner.
We started preparing the house for the mammoth task of painting the window and french door frames on Friday. After making many paper aeroplanes the kids went to school so we sanded and painted all the frames. Time seemed to run away from us so before we knew it we were off picking the kids up again. Was given a true taste of British summer in the form of Pimms to go with my Lasagne then once the kids were in bed we sat back and watched the film 'Interns' whilst munching on chocolate.

Saturday was a long day of much painting with a few breaks for some tasty food such as ANZAC cookies which Samara had made. By the time we'd finished painting for the day we were all too tired to cook so got an Indian takeaway.
It was Marieke and Chris' wedding anniversary on Sunday so Chris' Mum took the children and I for a day out. First stop was Raglan where I helped Kaia painting her mug then we went for a coffee followed by lunch under a classic New Zealand Pohutukawa tree. They took me for a tour of the area before heading back for the santa parade. Another surreal Christmas experience where the kids were loaded up with sugar meaning they were extremely hyper when we returned home. Luckily they reached their sugar low by the time I was babysitting in the evening.
Had another intense day of painting on Monday after going in to school to play the violin along with the school; first time I'd picked up a violin in nearly a year and I was playing in front of 350 kids (all with bare feet); felt nice to play again though.
In the evening I made chicken Cacciatore which we ate on the floor in front of the Christmas tree as an advent treat.
I finally finished the painting today so baked a banana cake and am now having a relaxing afternoon before going back to Saskia and Jelte's tomorrow.

It's been great fun having children around for the week; also helps to make it feel more christmassy. Brings back memories of when I was younger.

The start of WWOOFing

 As I keep telling everyone I'm having a fantastic time here WWOOFing on the Coromandel; wwoofing is where you work for food and accommodation. I'm currently staying with a lovely Dutch couple, Saskia and Jelte, who moved to New Zealand 25 years ago and have since built themselves the most amazing house in the perfect setting. From the lounge window is a view right across the tree covered hills down to the sea; makes for some spectacular sunsets.

 This is the bach which two Germans (both called Max, also both wwoofing) and I are staying in, about 1 minutes walk down the drive from the main house. I get to stay in the double bed with netting as I'm the only girl :)
Below is the kitchen which is a round room full of mod cons such as a boiling water tap; no need to put the kettle on! They also have a great surround sound system controlled from either of their ipads, a robot vacuum cleaner that hoovers by itself and countless other clever little ideas.

 We eat 3 meals together each day whilst hearing some interesting stories from Jelte and Saskia; every morning is porridge and fruit except Sunday when they put on a spread of croissants and fresh little bread rolls accompanied by a cappuccino from their rather professional coffee machine. 
I've mostly been working in the native bush land around their house, weeding and pulling out the bracken which is taking over. Today I got to ride around on the back of the quad bike or sit on top of the pile of bracken on the trailer whilst we moved it around the bush; this was great fun, I felt quite royal being towed along :)

 The two Maxs spent the first week working at the Farm in Thames where Saskia and Jelte's son now lives. They've just finished building a bathroom in the outhouse there. On Friday I went along to have a look then went out for a sushi lunch with Saskia and her daughter, who lives in Hamilton, before picking up a car and returning home for a spot of weeding and fresh fish and chips for dinner. 
Evenings are always very relaxing here with candles around the lounge and music playing on the surround sound. One evening Saskia showed me her wonderful rock collection, a geologists heaven. She's collected some amazing rocks from right across New Zealand, some which I was able to identify for her after my recent petrology course.

 We were allowed the weekend off work as the Germans had been working more than 4 hours a day throughout the week. Saskia and Jelte lent us a car, so on Saturday we head to the classic tourist spots, hot water beach and Cathedral cove. We managed to arrive at hot water beach just in time so we could dig our hole in a spot with some good hotsprings so it was the perfect temperature. A couple from London kept trying to dig themselves a pool but finding it too hot so we let them join us in ours. Was a nice relaxing yet very surreal experience until the tide came in and our hole got swallowed up. 
We then moved on to Cathedral Cove, made famous in the second Narnia movie, where we lay out in the sun for a while before cooling off in the sea, exploring the caves and jumping off the rocks. Took in a few good views on the way home where we were greeted by a lovely meal from Saskia. 

 After our big breakfast on Sunday the two Max's and I went for a walk (or should I say scramble) up castle rock. Once we got to the top of the extremely steep path, which I practically had to run up as my legs are much shorter than the Germans', we were greeted by the most fantastic 360 degree view, some of which is shown to the left. After heading down we cooled of in Waiau waterfall where we saw a cool halo like rainbow around the intense sun. Went for a walk around yet another Kauri grove then stopped off at a honey shop for Max to buy some of New Zealand's famous Manuka honey. Here the woman told us about a 'nice little track' to a waterfall. We set of along this 'track' and soon found ourselves wading through the river and beating our way through the bush attaining countless cuts on my legs from the grass. It was all worth it though when we reaches the waterfall. It had two falls with a jacuzzi like pool (but colder) at the top of the second one. Jumping off the top of the waterfall (after much depth checking) was excellent. 
Finally we head home where we cooked ourselves a meal as Saskia and Jelte were at their grandchildren's violin recital. Made a flowery salad and bolognese which we ate with the spectacular back drop of the sunset pictured to the left.

As you can probably see I'm loving it here on the Coromandel with lovely people and awesome surroundings, looking forward to what the next couple of weeks here have in store!