New Zealand Adventure - Page 4 of 6 -

Page 4 of 6

September 27, 2017

Hiking in paradise

One of the nice things of sleeping in a bunk bed is that you can jump out of it when the alarm goes. That’s what I do again this morning and when I look outside I see that it’s a bright day. I decide that I won’t work today, but enjoy the nice weather and will go for a hike. After I’ve taken a shower, had breakfast and updated the blog, I go to the grocery store to get food to make a lunch package for during the hike.

A bit fed up I drive back to the hostel. I’ve probably mentioned it before, but New Zealand is really expensive, especially on the South Island. Gas and groceries cost a lot more than back home. I don’t like to think too much about money, but here you have no choice. Back at the hostel I meet with the friend I had planned to hike with, but he injured himself last night with going out, so I go alone.

I want to go to Glenorchy, to a place they call Paradise. It’s a beautiful drive next to the lake and mountains to get there. After about an hour I arrive. The weather is perfect, blue sky with a few clouds. I make myself a lunch as my Kiwi friend Chelsea taught me: buns with cheese, salad and fresh chicken and an apple cider. Especially outdoors, surrounded with mountains, it tastes very good. Then I drive a bit further to Routeburn Track. A multi-day hiking route of which I plan to do the first part. It starts with a path going uphill, more challenging than the hike of a couple of days ago. Already close to the start I meet a friendly couple from Australia. It’s nice to hear their accent, reminds me of some Australian friends back home. We talk while we hike and spend the rest of the day together. We take many pictures and hiking together is actually a lot easier. I think that’s my favorite part of traveling alone, you’ll meet so many nice people along your way. The hike is beautiful, following a river and passing many swing bridges and waterfalls. We also meet a really friendly couple from America and hang out with them for a while at the first hut at the half of our hike where we rest.

After a couple of hours hiking, at the end of the afternoon we’re back at the cars and say goodbye. I drive back to Queenstown, but suddenly start feeling sick. A headache and feeling queasy. I drive quickly back to the hostel and go straight to bed. It was a great day, but all I want to do now is sleep and rest for a while.

September 26, 2017

Awake at night

Last night I went to bed very early and well prepared with an eye mask and earplugs, but still I wake up in the middle of the night when the panda returns. It’s not just him, but also the fact that the beds are too small for a tall guy like me and that I’m not used to sleeping with more people in a room that makes sleeping here challenging. I’m glad I slept at least a couple of hours and that I can lay on the couch in the living room. I take my blanket and pillow and lay on the couch and put some nice music on. Outside there is lightning and thunder and rain. I actually enjoy this moment, it’s relaxing and peaceful. Chances are that I’ll be a bit tired during the day, but then there will be coffee again and I’ll be fine. Even though it’s a really nice place to stay here, I think that the short nights will determine my decision to start traveling again by the end of the week. There are still a few places here in the South that I like to visit and then I’ll slowly travel up North again.

The hostel is on a hill at the outside of town and has a really beautiful view of downtown and the lake. Especially tonight with the lightning it’s lovely to just look out of the window for a while. Just when I walk to the freezer for a midnight snack, the lighting hits again and the whole town goes dark for a couple of seconds. Then the lights turn on again and I can make a bowl of ice cream and cookies. I like nights like this. I call my grandma in America for a while and we have some good conversations about traveling and life as we usually do. Then I try to sleep again on the couch in which I to my surprise succeed and I wake up a couple of hours later when the first people go to the kitchen for breakfast. I also have breakfast myself and then get my sporting clothes from the car, because I want to check out the gym in town.

The gym is at an industrial area and is located in an old garage, pretty cool. It feels great to work out again, though I can feel that I’ve gone a few weeks without. There are not many people around, just somewhere between five or ten are also training. I work out for about an hour and then run back to the hostel. There some people are heading to a second-hand store and I join them. It’s nice to go to those stores, because you never know what you’ll find. I get myself a nice small backpack for day trip hikes, something I forgot to bring on this journey. We go to a few more stores and then return to the hostel. Time to work for a bit again.

Around dinner time we get the idea with some people to go to town and have pizza somewhere (read: I introduce them to Monday Pizzaday). We go to a nice bar called London where they have good pizza’s en nice beers. Later some more people from the hostel join us for drinks and we have a good time. I don’t make it too late though, because I have to watch my budget a bit and I’m also a bit tired from the short nights of sleep. All with all, it’s a nice day again and I enjoy staying here for a while.

September 25, 2017

A nice workday

I wake up at 3.00AM. Not because I’m not tired, but because there is a giant panda bear snoring in the bed below mine. Actually it’s a very friendly little Asian guy, but he makes so much noise. I try to get back to sleep but I can’t, so I go to the living room to lay on a couch. There are a Dutch guy and an American girl in the living room, just back from going out. We talk for a while and then they go to bed. I can’t fall asleep anymore and listen to some music.

As a nice surprise the clock is put one hour forward this night, so in a blink of a second it’s 04.00am and then 05.00am. Almost a decent time to get up. I do my workout, have a shower and make myself a good breakfast. A little later more people come in the living room, getting ready for work. Most people here are staying for a long time and therefore are also working. So far since yesterday I’ve met people from America, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Canada and some French speaking people of which I don’t know exactly where they’re from. It’s a nice international group and people are very friendly. One guy makes me some delicious coffee and we hang out in the living room for a while. Then people go to their work and I go to Starbucks to do some work myself as well.

Sitting in a nice spot in the living room

Queenstown is really a small town, not a city at all. It’s just a couple of streets next to a big lake and feels like a backpackers town. Most of the people on the street look like tourists and backpackers. I’m happy to see the Starbucks at only eight minutes walking from the hostel and I expect to find myself spending quite some time here in the coming days. I work for a couple of hours and then take a break to have lunch and walk downtown. Except for tourist shops, bars and restaurants and extreme sports there is not so much to do here actually, so I walk back to the hostel and continue working there until dinner time. Then I feel like I’ve done enough work for today.

I hang out with the people in the hostel for a while. The guy that manages this place is also a very good musician and he plays his guitar in the living room. I make myself some pasta again, that’s the one of the nice things of making Italian food: there is always enough for at least two days. I go to bed early to make sure I’ll get some sleep tonight.

September 24, 2017

Going to Queenstown

It is funny how in the evening you can think you’re tired of traveling and done with it and then wake up the next morning and be full of energy again and think ‘let’s go on a new adventure!’. That was last night and this morning. I think it’s part of the journey, sometimes you’re just tired and want to be home and at other moments you embrace the adventure again and continue traveling.

I guess I needed some sleep, because this morning I wake up by my alarm clock at 7.30. Normally I’m awake before the alarm goes of, but I’m glad it’s still early. It’s a bright day again and I do a short drive to the first town to post the stories on my blog. There is a nice fireplace, so I also take the opportunity to read again. I’m not quite sure yet what I’ll do today. On one hand I want to stay in nature, on the other hand do I also need to do some work and have a shower, so it might be good to drive to Queenstown and stay there for a couple of days.

I decide to book a hostel in Queenstown for a week. Even if I don’t stay there for a full week it’s nice to have a place to stay with internet and a shower. I can use it as a base to work and travel from. At least it gives some peace of mind to know where I’ll be sleeping for a few days.

I drive to Queenstown, but make one small stop at Arrowstown, which used to be a gold miner town. It’s now a really touristic place with shops and restaurants, but still nice to see. Then I drive to the hostel I booked, but there is no parking place as they said online and I have to walk a long end to get there. When I finally arrive, the guy at the reception is very unfriendly and the room is much smaller than on the pictures, so I quickly decide that this is not the place I want to stay for a week. The guy says I still have to pay for the first night and I promise him a bad review in return.

For a moment I think about just leaving Queenstown and continue traveling, but then I make up my mind to give it one more chance. I go back online and find another hostel a bit out of the city centre. It’s called Hippo Lodge and is only about a five minute drive. A really friendly guy welcomes me and shows me around. It’s the exact opposite experience I just had and feel very welcome here. There is a living room with couches, a kitchen and the rooms are nice and clean. I decide to book a room in this house. I’m very happy that I found this place after all, this feels like a home where I could stay for a while.

Since I haven’t eaten so healthy lately, I decide to cook a good meal tonight. I go the grocery store and get all the ingredients for a nice spaghetti. I also get breakfast for about a week, since there is a fridge here and I’m probably staying for at least a couple of days. Last but not least, I also get myself some ice cream. I think it’s good to take good care of yourself from time to time and it also often helps with making some new friends.

Back at the hostel I cook myself some delicious Italian dinner and after that hang out with the other people here. There is an x-box in the living room, so I game for a while with some guys and then feel that I’m getting tired and go to my room. This hostel feels like a home with many international people in it and I’m glad I’m staying at one place for a while, taking a vacation of the vacation.

September 23, 2017

Mt. Cook

This morning I wake up happy, realising that I don’t hear any rain on the roof. I open the curtains and see that the sky is brighter than yesterday. It is still a bit cloudy, but already much better than the days before. I can actually see the mountains around the lake now and I’m very happy. I get the dressed quickly and go outside to take some pictures. Every minute the sky gets brighter and the view prettier. After a couple of grey and rainy days I’m so thankful that it’s finally beautiful better today. You just appreciate it much more after having missed it for a while.

I have breakfast at the lake side and then decide to stay there for a while and read a book next to the water. It’s very peaceful and the view is amazing. Then I drive to Mt. Cook which is only about an hour from where I am staying. Although the sky is still cloudy, around Mount Cook there’s only blue sky. I arrive around midday at Hooker Valley and set out to take a hike of three hours. I hike often faster than most people do, so I’m aiming for two hours. The hike is beautiful and I take a lot of pictures. In a little over an hour I arrive at a large mountain lake which is the destination of the hike. I take a break and sit on a rock next to the water and enjoy the amazing view. The lake is surrounded by mountain peaks and it’s very quiet up there.

Then I start the way back. Instead of following the path I take a more adventurous route over the rocks next to the river. It’s a bit scary, but also exciting. After about half an hour of jumping and climbing from rock to rock, I’m back at the hiking path. I still have a lot of energy so I decide to run back. Some people are laughing and putting their thumbs up, I feel amazing by running through the mountains. In just a little over two hours I arrive back at the parking place where I need to rest for a moment. I plan on not driving too much today, but can’t find an affordable and nice camping place nearby, so I drive for another hour or two. Just before sunset I park at a camping in a nature area. It’s beautiful, but after running today I could actually use a shower, I think I’ll go a to a bit more luxurious camping place with hot showers tomorrow, but this is also part of the adventure of course. I’m thankful that today at one of the the highlights of the trip, Mt. Cook, the weather was perfect and that it was such a good day.

September 22, 2017

Walking in Lord of the Rings country

I had hoped to have a beautiful view of the alps this morning with sunrise, but it’s gray and raining outside when I wake up. I decide to start driving, since there is not so much else to do here.

I drive to the first small town and stop at a coffee place, called The Shack. A friendly woman takes my order and brings me a nice cappuccino and a muffin. Inside the coffee place is music playing softly and some local people come in an drink coffee at another table. I haven’t found good coffee so much yet here in New Zealand, but the cappuccino here this morning is delicious, perhaps the best I’ve had so far. I brought a book with me and start reading. What a nice start of the day.

After staying for a while in the Shack, I drive to a place called Edoras in Lord of the Rings. It’s Mount Sunday, a really familiar landscape. The drive there is pretty heavy, since it’s more than half an hour on gravel roads, but it’s a good practice for my driving skills. Unfortunately it’s still raining when I arrive, but I don’t let that stop me from hiking the small mountain. It’s a beautiful walk where I have to cross a few small rivers and then have to walk uphill. It is so enormous wide here. Fields stretched out until the mountains. This is the landscape I expected to see in New Zealand and I love it.

Church of the Good Shephard - Lake Tekapo

After almost two hours walking I arrive back at the car and start driving again. Sadly it keeps raining the whole day and I drive until it gets dark. The weather here is typical Dutch the last week, lots of rain and grey skies. I don’t mind it too much, but I do hope it’ll get better soon, because that would allow for more and longer hikes and better pictures.

September 21, 2017

Arthur’s Pass

As the other days I wake up around 6.30 when it’s starting to get light. I’m very happy with the day rhytm I’m in now. Waking up when it gets light and getting ready to go to bed when it gets dark. It gives me the feeling that I get most out of the days. The cafe by the camping is still closed so early in the morning, so I decide to start driving and get a cup of coffee somewhere else.

I drive to Westport, a small harbor town and have a walk at the beach. Then I drive a little further to Cape Foulwind where I take a hike next to the ocean. The weather is gray again and I’m not quite sure what I think of that. On one hand it would be better for pictures and hiking if it was bright weather and on the other hands does this gray weather also suit the New Zealand nature. The ocean is pretty wild and the waves are high, I can imagine why surfers come to this area. Though with this weather, no one is out there. After quite a walk I get back to the car and drive further to Greymouth. I can imagine why they call it gray as there are many clouds here again. Fortunately there is also a coffee place and I take some time to write my blog. Also here is where I can make the choice between following the coast or going inland again via Arthur’s pass. I’m not sure yet and take a look at the list of places I want to visit and write them all down on a map I brought with me.

After about half an hour of searching on Google Maps and writing down all the places I’m left with a map full of locations to visit. The other day I was wondering if I hadn’t traveled too fast so far, but now I can see my timing is good. There is so much left to see and I’m glad that I’m already at the South Island. I hope the weather will get better in the coming days, because I’m heading to some really beautiful places.

I’m glad I chose to go inland through Arthur’s pass. It’s a beautiful ride through the mountains. The nice thing is that you drive really close to the mountains so you can see them very good, they’re right next to you. Many of them are covered with snow. At Arthur’s pass village I stop and take a hike to a big waterfall. I expect it to be cold up here in the mountains, so I cloth myself in some layers: a shirt, a vest and a jacket. But already after ten minutes hiking I find out that it’s way too warm and in the end I’m only keeping the shirt on. I’m blown away by the quality of Marino wool, that just one shirt can keep you so warm. The waterfall is pretty and it’s a nice walk there.

When I’m back at the car I drive to a camping place not far from Arthur’s pass. It’s a field surrounded by mountains, very beautiful. I see another car from the same rental company, another Spaceship as they are called. When I walk to the cooking area, there are two girls from Canada having dinner and drinking beers. I join them and make some food for myself. We talk all night and watch a movie on my iPad and then head to our spaceships. That’s the nice thing of traveling alone, it’s much easier to meet new people. Tomorrow I’ll continue my journey through the mountains.

September 20, 2017

Golden beaches

This morning I wake up with a phone call from a client and I’m glad I’m still nearby Nelson. I have breakfast and drive back to the Starbucks where I work for a while. I plan on staying in this area one more day before I continue traveling further again.

After finishing some work I go back to the outdoor store where I was yesterday and get some gloves and another warm shirt. For a moment I feel a bit bad about spending so much money on clothes, but then again I know it can get very cold here in the mountains and it’s quite necessary to have warm clothes. I decide to continue my journey and follow the coast for a while. In the Lonely Planet I read about a good fish and chips restaurant and I drive there for a lunch break. It’s a beautiful bright day and I can eat the fish and chips outside, very nice. Then I walk at one of the beaches and I understand why the book calls them golden beaches, they’re very beautiful indeed.

Instead of following the coast as I planned, I decide to head South. I pass the Abel Tasman park, since I don’t feel for a hike of three to five days. The road south is very beautiful as the mountains get bigger and bigger. I keep driving until the sun disappears behind the mountains and find a camping called Berlins cafe. There is a small bar with a fireplace and a leather couch and comfortable chairs. I’m the only guest and the camping owner is a very friendly man who gives me a warm welcome. I enjoy a cold beer with him and then sit by the fireplace with a book. After a long day of driving, this is a perfect place to stop and stay for the night.

September 19, 2017

Everything looks brighter in the morning

When I wake up in the morning it’s still early, but it’s getting light and there is a blue sky. Everything looks a lot better than last night. I actually see how beautiful the area is where I am now and feel a lot better than yesterday. It’s nice how things can look so different in a bright morning than in a dark rainy night.

I enjoy a nice shower and make myself breakfast. Out of curiosity I google if there is a Starbucks somewhere and it happens that there is one in the next town, about 1,5 hours driving. I put on some music from my favourite movie (Elizabethtown) and drive slower than I usually do. I enjoy the scenery and am happy to be on the road again. The mountains are higher here and are covered by pine trees. It makes me think of Colorado and gives me a home feeling. Then I realize that that’s the main difference between my journeys in the United Stated and here in New Zealand. In America I feel like home and this is all uncommon ground and therefore a different adventure.

During the beautiful drive I see mountains covered with snow in the far distance for the first time and think about how beautiful this part of the trip will be. After about 1,5 hours I arrive in a small city called Nelson. The streets look very beautiful and cozy and there are many stores. Then I see what I came for: the local Starbucks. I walk inside and they’re playing nice old jazz music, Frank Sinatra and so and I’m happy to have coffee and wifi. I’ll stay here for a while to catch up with e-mail and some work.

I end up working for a couple of hours and then go shopping for a warm vest, because I expect it to get colder in the mountains. I find a nice outdoor store with awesome clothes for the cold. A friend back home had recommended me to get a shirt of Marino Wool and I try one here. They’re super comfortable and really warm.

I’m happy with some warm clothes and drive to a free camping place not far from Nelson. I pick up a pizza on my way there, dinner for five bucks is always nice. Again I sleep somewhere in the middle of nature, lovely.

September 18, 2017

Going to the South Island

Before I go to bed I open door of my camper to look outside. It’s super cold outside, but the view is totally worth it. I haven’t seen so many stars in years. The whole sky is filled with millions of stars, a lovely view. When you live in a city, you can sometimes easily forget that there are so many stars in the sky.

When I wake up in the morning, it’s raining. I decide to stay inside for a while and watch a movie. Then it gets dry for a moment and I go outside for a hike. It’s just after only a couple of minutes that it starts to rain again. I don’t mind and am happy with my waterproof jacket that I bought a couple of months the ago. The nice thing about the rain is that I’m quite certain I’m the only one in the woods and that makes the morning walk even more special. I walk to Rivendell where they recorded the elf kingdom in the first movie of the Lord of the Rings. After visiting Hobbiton two days ago I decided to visit more places of the movies and that actually brings me to really beautiful nature. Next to Rivendell is a big swing bridge over the river, also nice to walk on. Then I walk back to my camper to have breakfast.

Last night I thought I would stay here for two days, but it keeps raining and the park ranger tells me it will rain in the whole country and that it’s a good day for driving. I continue my road trip to Wellington. The big windy city is nice, but after being in nature for almost a week it’s not really appealing to me. I drive to the warf to see when the ferries to South Island depart. I first go to Interislander, but that one is fully booked and the next available boat would be at eight o’clock tonight. I don’t want to do the cross over in the dark, because you cannot see anything then and I drive to Bluebridge. As happens more often, I’m very lucky and their next ferry leaves in half an hour and has a place available for me and my car. I buy a ticket and drive my car on the ferry. I had not expected to go the South Island so soon in this adventure, but it’s a nice surprise. I’ve heard so many stories about the beautiful nature on the South Island, so I’m very excited.

Traveling by ferry is quite a bit less comfortable than I hoped for. The waves are high and the boat moves all around. I’m not feeling so well and go outside for a while. The fresh air helps and when I get back inside I sleep for a moment. I think the waves make you sleepy, because many people are sleeping in their seats. When I open my eyes again we’re slowly moving into some of the first bays of the South Island. We still have quite a while to go before we’re there, but there are no waves anymore. I feel better again. The first view of the South Island is very pretty, many hills covered with trees.

By the time we arrive at the South Island it’s almost getting dark and I’m pretty tired from the boat ride, the bad weather and everything. I decide not to drive too far and stop when I see a motel. I ask if they have a room available, but they don’t. Though, for ten dollars I can park there and use the kitchen and bathroom and toilet. For a few bucks more I can also use their fast internet and so all my needs for today are covered. This evening I’m really tired of traveling and wish for a moment I was back home in my own bed. Those days are part of traveling as well, you just miss being comfortable sometimes. I decide to watch a movie and relax. I hope tomorrow will be a better day again.