After living in Aucklnad for 7 years, I thought it was time I visited the lower half of the country, New Zealand's south island. I enjoy driving and although the ferry crossing for a car was expensive, the convinience of having a car won over the price. I took the ferry from Wellington to Picton on the 2nd of Feb, to return to Wellington on the 2nd of March. The return fare was $260.

Just my car (lily) and me : )

Feb 1
Arrived in Wellington from Paekakariki. Went to see a seal colony at Cape Palliser.

Feb 2: Wellington via ferry to Picton. Drive Picton to Kaikoura. Acommodation at Cray Lodge (friendly and comfortable with decent facilities)

Feb 3: Kaikoura
From where I sit I can see the mountains and the ocean. The mountains that stand solid; bearing the winds, the weather; changing slowly. And the ocean, wave upon wave beating onto the shore, inhaling and exhaling, the sound of rhythmical waves breaking on the gravel, constantly changing.
I have fallen in love with this beautiful township of Kaikoura. So I'm spending an extra night here.
Kaikoura (Kai-kou-ra) in Maori means 'to eat crayfish'. But I'm not a great fan of sea-food, so I won't indulge in this delicacy. Kaikoura is more popular as a whale-watching base. Today I went on a whale-watching trip, costing me $110. Yes, to me that's expensive, but I thought: 'what the hey, I'm here and the weather is fine'. I didn't want to lose this chance.
I got to Kaikoura last night. Yesterday I caught the ferry from Wellington, 2.30pm check-in for the 2.5 hour trip to Picton. I had a late lunch, but was still hungry, and I was feeling pretty queasy for the first half of the crossing. I felt much better after a short nap, and I went out onto the deck as the weather cleared up and the lanscape was beautiful. I met a kind Spanish boy and we swapped stories for the rest of the journey. Once we landed at Picton, I started my drive towards Kaikoura without pause. From Picton the township of Blenheim was only 20 mins away on SH1, and I stopped briefly to check my bearings. At this point I misjudged that I had enough petrol to reach my destination. Past Blenheim I stopped at a salt production factory, surprised how crude the initial product was. I also met some shy black-faced sheep.

Feb 4: Kaikoura->Christchurch->Banks Penisula->Akaroa
Drive to Akaroa offers fantastic views of the bay, but the winding road must be driven with caution. Camped at Akaroa where I met Chris.

Feb 6: Lake Tekapo->Mt Cook->Twizel
Amid the lovely bird calls, I woke up early morning to watch the sun rise meaning I also had to endure the cold. (The photos show it was well worth it)
On the way to Mt cook ranges is another beautiful and even larger lake, Pukaki. As you near the mount ranges it is totally spectacular, the sheer size of it is awsome. I stopped at the Tasman glacier stop and started the short walk to the Blue Lakes. The mountain breeze was fresh, and invigorating, and sometimes had a sweet perfume. As it turned out I wondered if the blue lakes were named for their mood rather than the colour, and as I wandered on to see the less obvious and smaller lakes, I also wandered off the track..into another adventure. Anyway, the 20min walk became a 5hour hike up 'towards the snow capped mounts (at the time I didn't know it was the Tasman glacier track). I continued til I came to a deep and wide glacier carved valley and while I couldn't deem myself to climb down the banks to the continuation of the track, I watched two mountaineers with their backpacks and ice picks carry on regardless. Walking back, as I ran out of water I enjoyed a some sweet and juicy mountain flower berries.
I made it back feeling pretty worn out, and drove past magnificent lake Pukaki to the night stop at the Tuataniwha camp site near Twizel. I made arrangements to meet Amanda for the next day.

Sat Feb 7: Twizel->Omaru->Kakanui->Omaru
Omaru was a quiant seaside town, with antique buildings and a now worn down port. Visited the Whitewall art gallery. Met Amanda at Kakanu beach then she took me to see the Elephant rocks. We dined out in the town at a hotel restaurent and walked off with both of us forgetting to pay!! We later returned coz she suddenly remembered; the waiters had been convinced we had done a dine and dash. We went to the opening function of the Whitewall art gallery. Later we beared the rain to see a couple of blue penguins return from the sea (and a chick going out to meet them) after dusk.
I stayed at Amanda's house that night and was touched by her hospitality. We got along well and I found it interesting to talk to her and her outlook on life.

Feb 8: Omaru -> Dunedin
In the morning Amanda and I visited the Omaru botanical gardens, as quaint as the town. Then I headed south again, stopping at the beach to check out the Moeraki boulders. These are pretty amazing spherical boulders scattered over the beach at the town Moeraki.
Back on the road, there were several signs for cheese factories and I decided to visit one. It was the weekend and they didn't provide tours, though the factory shop was open.
When I finally made it to Dunedin, I was quite tired. I had been craving for a kebab and while searching for a good kebab outlet I familiarised myself with the shopping street of Dunedin. I decided to get in touch with Chathuri, and with her parents. They invited me to stay at their home for the night which i accepted graciously.

Feb10: Dunedin->Balclutha->Owaka->Punawea
Auntie drove us the scenic route to the Lanarch castle. Its an ideal route to view the beautiful scenary of the Otago Peninsula. We didn't visit the castle or its grounds. Back in town i later visited the Dunedin Art gallery which showcased some of the Tate museum collection titled: Pre-raphelite dream. I loved some of the paintings of the preraphelite group. I bought my first art catalogue book.
Left Dunedin to head further south. I passed into the Catlin region, and made a stop at Nugget point, to walk up to the light house. It was a beautiful evening and a beautiful place. The cliffs were rugged. Some seal colonies with pups make their home here. They were playing in the seaweed.

I made my way to the Pounawea scenic reserve as the sun was setting to set up my tent under the trees listening to melodic bird songs.

Feb11: Pounawea->Owaka->Papatowai->Curio bay
Woke up to the bird melodies and went for the Pounawea nature walk in the reserve and loved it. At low tide, the return is alond the banks of the river, i just made it. At Owaka i stopped for an email check. I then made my way to Jacks Blowhole and discovered a free campsite beside the road and the Catlins lake on the way where i stopped for my lunch. Jacks vlowhole was pretty cool even at the low tide time when i saw it and i bet it'd be awsome at high tide. Here i met the playful puppies that follow me on the way back to the car. Played with them on the beach and gave them water. wish i could've 'borrowed' them for my trip, but they had other loyalities.
The next attraction was the Purakaunui Falls, which i rate as OK (in comparison) to Matai falls which is beautiful. Next was lake Wilke, which was a pleasent walk. I found myself bumpind into the same people who must have had a similar travel plan through the catlins region as i did. I'm sure we all had the same reference map.
Last but not least was McLean Falls, the fairest them all.
Very impressive. And the ferny forest was so wonderful.
By the time i got to Curio bay it was raining. I was penguins there but i wasn't interested in seeing the petrified forest remails. Anyway it's forbidden to climb down to that area when the penguins are around. I got to the camp site at porpoise bay just in time before the 'reception' shop was closing. It was too wet, i was tired and lazy so i spent the night in the car.

Feb 12: Curio bay->Tokanui->Invercargill->Tuatapere
The morning sky was patchy and cold blistery winds made it a bit hostile. I saw dophins!!

It was so incredible. I was very happy but also melancholic. I couldn't bring myself to venture to swim in the water. The water itself was not tooo cold, but the wind was.
At Invercargill i found that i will be going to Melbourne!! Happy again, i walked the streets with a smile and contemplating my next big journey.
On the way to Tuatapere i stopped to view monkey island. If timed to match low tide, its possible to walk to the island, something i'd have to on a hopeful future visit. It's incredibly windy in exposed places that I had to drive at an angle to keep going in a straight road!
At the Tuatapere campsite I met delightful Eyal and after being tempted with Tim Tams we played cards into the night.

Feb13: Tuatapere->Lake Hauroko->Lake Manapouri->Te Anau
I stopped by Lake Hauroko and ventured into the beech forest walk near the lake. I didn't meet anyone else on this walk. It was interesting to see the change in the vegetation nearer to the lake as opposed to further inland. Closer to the lake bank I found an attractive group of mushrooms. The red colour was probably an obvious warning sign to anyone to not eat it but of course I just HAD to have a bite! It was a nice mushroomy taste. Later when I reached Te Anau and visited the DOC (department of conservation) visitors centre there I looked up the mushroom type to find out that it is one of the most poisonous types of mushrooms. Not to be eaten!! I figured that my antidote must have been the concoction of wild berries I ate following the mushrooms. I recommend doing neither. Anyway as on my return walk back to the car I felt a strange sense of feeling I was in the set of the Lord of the Rings movie, and that there were elves walking all around me...Well I made it back to the car and didn't suffer from any other unusualities.
I stopped at Lake Manapuri for a leg streatch then headed to Te Anau. At the Te Anau Doc centre I collected the hut passes for the Routeburn track. The weather forecast didn't seem too promising but i decided to go regardless considering the fact it rains here most of the time than not. I spent the night at Lake View Holiday Park.

Sat Feb 14th : Te Anau-> The Divide. Start of the Routeburn track
That morning I discovered quite by chance that the rear left tyre of my car was flat. At first I was quite worried. I wasn’t sure what to do or what it meant. I didn’t have the confidence to replace the tire with the spare tyre and I knew it wasn’t wise to drive with the spare tyre into the heart of the Milford wilderness. I wondered how the tyre could have been punctured? Had I been driving for long oblivious to the fact there was a flat tyre?; Was it why the car was skidding more on the dirt road on the previous day returning from Lake Hauroko? I slowly came to appreciate the fact of my accidental discovery. I was still in town and it was Saturday morning so a garage should still be open. I walked to town and was told one of the petrol stations in town also had a garage. I went there and after explaining my dilemma asked if it could be repaired that day. They said they should be able to do it soon, they weren’t overwhelmed with work, and so I drove in with the flat tyre. A few hours later the problem was solved and for a very reasonable cost. I was soo relieved.
So I set off to the start of the Routeburn track from the Milford end, called The Divide. It was in the afternoon and I arrived at the The Divide around half past two. At this point, I would part with Lily for a day for the first time since the start of my trip. I first walked along the track for about an hour with my new booklet of ferns, familiarizing with the forest’s undergrowth. Then I returned to the car had dinner, got my backpack and headed off to my stop for the night, the Howden Hut. On the way it started to rain and I decided I didn’t enjoy carrying the backpack on such journeys. It wasn’t for me. I prefer having a day pack. Apart from the weight of it, I had to dismount it to get to my camera, and putting the pack on was a hassle. Maybe I should get a camera case. One of my best memories of the track was that evening on the way to the Hut, when the sun shone through and a faint rainbow appeared in the mountain valleys..
The time to reach the Howden Hut was somewhere between 1.5-2 hours, and the track was reasonable. There were already many lodgers there and later on the Hut warden gave us a warm welcome. I was so happy, to have chosen to do the trip and be doing it and to be there surrounded by beautiful wilderness.

Sun Feb 15th Routeburn Track: Howden Hut-> Lake McKenzie ->half way to Harris Saddle -> Howden Hut -> Holford Valley
I woke up fairly early next day to the realization it was going to be a gorgeous day. Leaving my back pack at the Hut and the essentials in my day pack, I set off to Lake McKenzie. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day and my heart was fully content with the magnificent views. The mountain ranges and valley, birds singing, sun shining, blue skies with not a cloud, lush ferns and waterfalls. As I walked further and climbed higher into the mountains, the scenery changed from lush green surroundings to snow capped and more rugged mountain tops. I reached Lake McKenzie in time for lunch. The lake was emerald green in colour, so beautiful. I sat nearby for over an hour, writing, sunbathing, and watching Kias playing nearby. The only other people that I saw during that time were a couple of people that were out the lake on a raft who I later found were sampling the lake water. I moved on and reached about halfway to the next Hut, Harris Saddle.

It was getting late and I knew I had to return to the car, so I reluctantly turned around. On the way back I had to refill my water bottle a couple of times, with running stream water.

I got back to Howden hut, bid goodbye to the friendly warden and climbed back down to the carpark to reunite with Lily.
I started driving again, towards Milford Sounds, chasing the setting sun. I admired the colours of the mountains basking on the golden rosy glow of the sun. It was by chance that I first spied my eyes on the rata flowers..I imagined southern rata. I was so excited I almost cried!! I had not expected to see them, though I was hoping to. In the next few days to come, during my time in the south western part of the island I was delighted with more red beauties.

It was getting dark and although my plan was to reach Milford Sounds by nightfall, I had to stop earlier, at Holford Valley as I was too tired. So another night in the car and I fell asleep watching a beautiful star studded sky. It had been the best and most beautiful day yet of my trip and I was happy and peaceful.

Mon Feb 16th
Holford Valley->Milford Sounds-> Te Anau
I woke up with the sun and the sound of cars passing. I still began my day with muesli and washed my face by a cold river. I drove along the Milford track towards the Sounds, through the valleys and the mountains closed in on the road. I stopped before the Homer Tunnel to explore some of the ice covered surfaces of the mountain bases. Through the dark tunnel and along a winding road sloping downhill led the way to the west coast.
Traffic began to increase and as I reached the Milford Sounds I was greeted with the sounds of helicopters. The weather too was beginning to change swiftly to be cloudy. Before long I realized with some horror how sand fly infested the area was! Unlike the other varieties that I’d encountered that normally hovered around the legs, these clever creatures aimed for the face and ears. And they followed you around very loyally. I managed to capture a picture of the famous Mitre Peak seconds before the clouds rolled in and it started to drizzle. I went for a very short walk near the carpark and close to the coast. The sound of helicopters taking off and landing constantly made me feel like the whole atmosphere was too exploited and commercialized. An unfortunate side effect of packaged tourism for the masses.
I didn’t spend too much time there. The rain started and I decided to head back to Te Anau. I arrived back by early afternoon, spending the night at the Great Views Holiday Park which had great new facilities.

Tuesday 17th Feb
I'm in Queenstown. Through my tent door the snow-capped and aptly named 'Remarkables' mountain range thrills my eyes.

Wed Feb 18th
Queenstown -> Wanaka
I went for a stroll in town which is fairly small. It started raining again and I filled Lily up with petrol and headed Northwards towards Wanaka. On the way I stopped by the Wanaka Puzzle World. I had fun getting lost in their maze and the illusion rooms were fun too. Here I bought a Rubik’s ring puzzle, which I got hooked on for the next couple of days and I found it hard to put down until I could solve it. When I arrived at Wanaka, it was very windy and I hastily put up tent at Lakeview Holiday park. Here I met a curious German kid, who’s family was on a road trip similar to mine and I kept met them twice more along the way once at Fox Glacier town and then at Hokitika..
I’d need to return to Wanaka and spend more time there and appreciate the town and the lake in better weather.

Thurs Feb 19th
Wanaka ->past Lake Hawea -> Makaroa -> Haast via Haast pass
Tried to do a walk around Lake Wanaka and I started, but decided I felt lazy in the rain and wind. So into the car I got and decided to drive and get somewhere a bit more pleasant. I stopped at a lookout point overlooking Lake Hawea. I sat in the car through the gusty wind and rain, waiting for it to pass, watching the mountains across the shore of the lake, feeling a bit blue. Eventually I decided I had to move, so back on the road, I made my way through Haast Pass. At this point I could appreciate all the wetness, for the beautiful lush, green forests and the serene waterfalls. Still it was too wet for me to want to get out of the car! So I drove on. Through the clouds I could catch a teasing glimpse of Mt Aspiring. When I got to Haast I found all budget accommodation booked out. Refilling petrol and on the way to the next town North along west coast I realized I was simply too tired to drive far. I pulled over and drove to a beach front reserve area called Ship Creek. By now I was used to nights in the car, except feeling embarrassed and knowing I wasn’t supposed to ‘camp’ there. But still by now I was convinced that staying one night at a camping ground and the next night in the car was the best budget way for me.

Fri Feb 20th
Ship Creek -> Lake Maoreka -> Lake Paringa -> Fox Glacier
I woke feeling refreshed and in a good mood. A walk beside the Ship Creek Bay shore in the reserve track was beautiful leading on to views of a sampy area and another glimpse of Mt Aspiring in the morning sun before clouds returned.
Driving north again, I stopped by Lake Maoreka, which offered magnificient reflections on that calm morning. Nearby were ‘camping’ spots which I reckon would make a great night resting point. Then I drove onwards and up to the Fox Glacier. An hour of easy walking over a stony path led to the front of the glacier. The landscape was pretty awesome, but not novel to me since my walk at Mt Cook.
I made a quick stop at the town’s information centre, then decided to try out a short 20 min forest walk beside the main road just a short walk south of the town. Naturally the short walk turned into getting lost in the forest. I loved the trees, the moss, ..the forest, and toyed with the idea of living there. The sun shone through every now and then. I followed a less tracked path, passing and crossing creeks, until I could no longer find trace of the track, and fear of actually being lost beckoned me to turn back.
That afternoon I visited to Lake Matherson, and walked the track around the lake. I was pretty content despite not seeing the famed reflection of Mt Cook on the lake’s waters: too cloudy and uncalm water. I returned to town and tentatively made a booking for a guided glacier walk for the following morning. The camping site I stayed that night must have been full, and I could find a good place to put up tent. The ground was marshy, and it was soo windy making it really hard to assemble the tent.

Sat Feb 21st
Fox Glacier -> Hokitika -> Lake Mahinapua
The rain started to pelt down pretty hard in the morning. Turning up for the guided glacier walk, they gave us the right gear to head out into the glacier and in such weather. The walk was supposed to lead up to the glacier front and include a short walk on the glacier ice. Through the heavy rain they took us up to the glacier front at which point the guide decided it was unsafe to walk on the glacier.
We waded our way through the flooded rocky path back to the car park and they brought us back to the town. Despite the disappointment, I was glad for having taken the tour, for I learnt the kind of gear necessary to be trekking in wet weather, the goodness of wool socks, how to cross shallow but fast moving currents of water,…. And finally, for me to admire the leadership skills of our guide. And they refunded us partly. I met the German family with the kid at the Glacier Guide shop.
My next stop was Hokitika. I wanted to see glass blowing but they were closed on the weekend. I had dinner watching the setting sun, next to the beach, in the car. I met the German family again, and the lady came over for a short chat. The beach wasn’t very impressive, and I decided to camp elsewhere. On the way to Hokitika, I had driven past a lake, Lake Mahinapua, and decided to go there for the night.

Sun 22nd Feb

Mon 23rd Feb

Tues 24th Feb

Wed Feb 25th : The perfect day
Motueka -> Moss Rd Southern Exposure -> Anchorage beach
How long can even the sweetest memory last? I know I was so happy…A feeling beyond words..even trying to explain it wouldn’t do it justice.. A great memory, a great day in my life…
day to evening

I drove upto the Southern Exposure base at Moss Road from where we got briefed about the kayaking trip. I left the car parked at their carpark while embarking on the 3 day exploration. I also left the bulk of my backpack at the headquaters as this was not going to fit in the kayak to arrive at the kayaking destination by a 'water taxi'. From the headquaters we loaded the kayaks on to trailer vans and headed to the beach at Kaiteriteri beach. The kayaks were doubles and I ended up pairing off with our kayaking guide Matt.

We pushed off from the low tide water and the kayaking began. Matt was not in a particularly good mood explaining he's hungover and kept complaining most of the way. One of the girls in our group of kayakers got sea sick, and this displeased Matt even more. As we kayaked further, he got into a better mood, more positive. I fancied thinking I had something to do with this mood improvement coz I helped out with his duties making his task of managing a group of carefree tourists more do-able. For morning tea we stopped at the 'Apple Tree Bay', facing d'Urville's channel. Matt brough out the tea kit and it was pleasent. We continued and not too long afterwards we made a stopped at Observation beach for lunch. This is a great spot for going for a swim and some of the guys did. I wanted to swim too but felt a little shy. We had a great lunch.

Then it was back on the kayaks through more choppy water of the so called 'mad mile'! This time I was paired with another guy, Dave, who shared an interest in photography and also had a beutiful Pentax model SLR camera. It was hard work rowing but a great workout and very enjoyable challenge. However we didn't quite make it all the way to Anchorage as we were supposed to and instead stopped at Te Pukatea Bay as we were running out of time for some who needed to catch the water taxi. From here we walked to Anchorage through the bush. When we reached the grounds of the Anchorage hut I had the first sight of Jamal the hut warden who was up a tree pruning branches (or something!). We reached the beach where the water taxi was to take some of them home.

After some of the party had parted, I dropped my backpack and stuff at the hut. Anchorage was a beautiful with golden sand and it was a gorgeous day with cloudless sky and plenty of sun. The ocean looked blue green, calm and very inviting. After basking in the sun, it was just bliss to step on coll soft sand, for the bare feet to slightly sink into the softest and most dlightful sand. There were about 20 people at the beach going on about their own business and enjoying themselves. At a farther end of the beach with fewer people, I stripped into my swimming gear left it in a pile near a log with my glasses and waded into the sea. The water was cold, but I had a swim and marinated myself in the salt. There was plenty of sun when I came out of water to bask in its warmth and dry off.

Walking back to the hut, I met a girl called Zoey as she sat with Dave making crayon drawings with a bottle of Vodka next to her. I had a go at drawing a log and was inspired to take up crayon drawing from watching her draw.

Thurs Feb 26th : Anchorage -> Bark Bay
Watching the sunrise at Bark Bay. I had to get up early and this beautiful sunrise made up for missing out sunrise at Anchorage because of clouds.

Fri Feb 27th : Bark Bay -> Nelson