March 2002
Picton. A nice little town in the nothern part of the south island of New Zealand.
Hanmer Springs Thermal Reserve. Here the pools are heated naturally from volcanic underground water sources. Some of the dozen of different pools to choose from holds 42 degrees celcius. Absolutely fantastic and very relaxing! The pools are open 360 days of the year! Imagine relaxing in the pools during wintertime with snow surrounding the pools and steam rizing from the the water. Magic!
Left: My rental car - Toyata Echo 1.3! And also the hotel suite for the whole journey in New Zealand! Here I have parked for the night near Lake Takepo, west from Christchurch. Right: Nugget Point Light House on the east coast just before Duneden. Nice area with a rich wild life; sea lions, dolphins, whales, penguins and different other kinds of birds.
Left: Here I'm at the Light House at Nugget Point. Right: Cliffs at Nugget Point.
Left: Nugget Point. Right: A beach somewhere along the east coast. After passing Duneden I think.
Left: Bowden Street in Duneden is noted in the Guiness Book of World Records as the WORLDS steepest street! I went both up and down the street with my small rental Echo, and I have to say: it was STEEP! Right: This was a nice little stream on my hike to Key Summit (about 1000 m.a.s.) before Milford Sound.
Left: The Chasm before Milford Sound. The Chasm is actually not the river but the sculptures that the river has made in the limestones under the bridge from where the picture is taken. Right: This is one of the many waterfalls going into the fiord outside Milford Sound.
Left: This is taken from the parkinglot from where I walked to the Chasm. Mystical atmosphere... Right: View to Lake Marian from Key Summit.
Left: Here's me in Milford Sound. Milford Sound is a tiny place in the Fiordlands National Park in the south west of the southern island of New Zealand, where there are only about 50 people living throughout the year. The settlement is founded on tourism and some sea research. It is a beautiful place, reminding about Norwegian nature and fiords. Right: There are 50 million sheep in New Zealand, here some are crossing the road. :)
Queenstown. A nice but very touristy town. Population: about 12000. In the winter this is one of the best skiing resorts in New Zealand.
Left: This picture is taken from the top of the mountain up from Queenstown. Right: Stuart, Midge, Beth and Angelina are four lovely people I was very lucky to meet and spend a day with in Queenstown. They are all Australian and were travelling around both the north and the south island of New Zealand. I had an absolutely excellent time together with them! :)
This is Warariki Beach at Cape Farewell, the most nothern part of the southern island.