Category: South Island (Page 1 of 2)

Akaroa

May 20, 2017 / Jenny Jordan / 0 Comments

An Unexpected Visit

Akaroa was an entirely unintentional foray. After waking up slightly damp after Cayley’s roof leaked in a storm, we were unable to go “onward” past Arthur’s pass because the self containment sticker was still in the postal system – and due any day back in Christchurch. So leaving the angry squall nestled in the mountains behind us, we headed back to the sunshine that glistened over the Canterbury plains. Akaroa had been on the periphery of our planning, as somewhere ‘nice’ to go, but not “nice enough” to make it onto our must do itinerary. It made up for the rather dismal start we’d had thus far in Cayley and set us up for the rest of the trip.

Making good use of our waterproofs exploring the rock pools!

The Southern Scenic Route

February 10, 2017 / Ian / 0 Comments

The Road Less Travelled: The Southern Scenic Route

This part of New Zealand is often missed off the itineraries of travellers, especially those who are pushed for time. The route runs from Queenstown, through Te Anau and onto Dunedin via Invercargill and Balclutha. Lured by the prospects of photogenic lighthouses, wind torn trees, penguins, and waterfalls we set aside a few days to explore this area. Continue reading

Fiordland

February 7, 2017 / Jenny Jordan / 0 Comments

Entering Another World

On visiting any of the sounds you would be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into a Jurassic park style world. The cliffs here run straight into the water, continuing some hundred of metres below sea level. The water is dark, stained by the tannins carried in the water that runs off the trees on the hillsides. Bizarrely, this run off also means that the water is far less salty than imagined, forming a freshwater layer on top of the sea water. The dark water filters much of the sunlight, allowing deep water species to live much closer to the surface than usual. Continue reading

Whale Watching – Air Kaikoura

January 15, 2017 / Ian / 0 Comments

Take to the Skies

Having already been on several wildlife cruises in New Zealand already, we opted to take to the air in our search to see a whale. We booked a forty minute scenic plane ride with Air Kaikoura. On booking in, we were informed that it was a good day – there were several whales about, with the last trip seeing three! We boarded our plane with some other guests and got ready to start spotting from above! We all had headphones so we could listen to the pilot, in addition to the radio chatter.
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Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura

January 14, 2017 / Jenny Jordan / 1 Comment

Encounter Kaikoura

This was one of the highlights of the trip so far, which we booked with Encounter Kaikoura. Despite being utterly amazing, it came with some significant seasickness drawbacks! Booking on the early 5.30am tour was perfect for us at it meant we could also make it to church “later” in the day. We arrived bleary eyed at ten past five ready to get suited up and were provided with a long john wetsuit, additional wetsuit jacket, neoprene hood, fins, face mask and snorkel. We chose to wear a rashy underneath in addition to our swimsuits. After a short video briefing we headed onto a bus for a short drive round the coast to the harbour, where we hopped on board our boat.

After reading plenty of reviews we had purchased some seasickness tablets and taken them ahead of time. Although the weather was fine, the sea was choppy and had a large swell. The dolphins in Kaikoura are completely wild, and aren’t enticed in any way, which means the first part of the trip is spent looking for them. We passed a small pod of dolphins, but continued on as our guides decided they weren’t in a playful mood. A few minutes later another group was spotted, and after donning our hoods and masks we were ushered into the water. Continue reading

Half way point on Mueller Hut hike — Mount Cook reflects in Sealy Tarns

Aoraki/Mt.Cook – Mueller Hut Overnight Hike

January 12, 2017 / Jenny Jordan / 0 Comments

Back Country Huts

New Zealand’s back country is filled with huts used by trampers (hikers), mountaineers and climbers throughout the year. Ran by the Department of Conservation (DOC), each hut varies in its provision, with some little more than some bunks and a platform to cook on, with others offering larger kitchens with gas and water. Mueller Hut is one of the most accessible huts in New Zealand’s back country, being just 3-4 hours walk from the car park at the bottom of the mountain. In summer months it is also staffed by a volunteer warden. This makes it an ideal “first time” Hut for many adventurers!

We were going to do this as a long day hike, but we managed to grab some last minute cancelled spots, so after a mad dash over from Tekapo we started up at around four in the afternoon. If you can get a spot overnight then do – the sunset and stars are worth it. If you can’t and the weather is good go for a day hike anyway, the views are stunning. When the weather is really poor, it probably isn’t worth it as you won’t see anything!

White Horse Hill Campsite

The Mueller walk starts by following the Key Point and Sealy Tarns route up the mountain. The tracks set off from the White Horse Hill Campsite, or if you wish, you can start at the visitor centre in town, but this adds a significant chunk of time onto your journey! Continue reading