Alpine parrots and flying penguins

So this blog post is bird themed. It’s about time since, after all, there are no indigenous land mammals in NZ. If you like ferns, birds, and one-way bridges, you would love it here.

After our kayaking adventure, we traversed the west coast of the south island towards some glaciers. We visited Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, and then were stranded in Haast (pop. 7.5). Their “24 hour” gas pump (sorry, petrol station) was out of commission, forcing us to wait until morning to gas up and continue over the Haast Pass en route to Queenstown.

Queenstown offers an enormous amount of adventure for those adrenaline junkies with deep deep pockets. We, on the other hand, found our thrill on the gondola, where sheep frolic on the steep steep steep hills below. It was slightly nerve-wrecking.

Milford Sound was beautiful, but cold and wet (it also snowed). Although the low clouds prevented us from seeing all there was to see, there were many notable moments. For instance, Emily and a wild kea (the only alpine parrot in the world) sang a duet. Numerous others hopped on our car and side mirrors, hoping for snacks and startling us. Also, we literally drove through a mountain in a frightening one-way tunnel, where the traffic light changes every 15 minutes but only from 9am to 6pm. We drove through at about 8pm.

Next stop: Invercargill. Elapsed time: 17 minutes. It really wasn’t that exciting, and unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to make it to Stewart Island. Plus, we were itching to see penguins.

Enter, the Catlins. We saw penguins. It was grand. And not just any penguins, but the worlds rarest: the yellow-eyed penguin. And we were blessed to see them (from our hidden location- these penguins are shy) waddling and hopping ashore after a day spent out at sea. Special special special. As an added bonus, we no longer have to tell people we spotted the elusive flying penguin (aka magpie).



We are currently in Christchurch after visiting Dunedin and avoiding the fact that our NZ road trip is nearly over.

Words of advice from Constable #3876, “A lot of sheep get out. Please drive carefully.”

10,000 one-way bridges later (aka Julie eats steak)

So, yet again we’ve been carried away by all the adventures that NZ has to offer, and have let the blog fall to the wayside. Since we last left you, Emily has been called a “pome” (prisoner of mother England) and Julie has fed some cows. But here we are, on the road to Milford Sound. We are now on the South Island (we last left you waaay up on the North Island), and finding we have a lot to pack into a very short amount of time. There are plenty of good reasons for this- there’s too much to see! Some major highlights included spending a few days with the Palmers. Alison, Ted and Fiona opened their home to us, and on their farm we went horseback riding until we fell off, “shifted” cows with horses, moved sheep with dogs, ate much appreciated homemade meals complete with NZ kumara, and had an insider’s tour of Hastings, Napier and a 1500 cow dairy farm (yes, this was exciting for us. Especially Julie. Those of you who know her will no doubt understand. Insert eye roll now). Oh, and there was ice cream. And a Guy Fawkes bonfire.
Well-rested and well-fed, we headed south to Wellington and on towards the South Island on the ferry (where we attempted to write a blog post, but were preoccupied with pretty scenery, seasickness, and trying to convince staff (successfully) to let us make toast).

Side note: WE ARE CURRENTLY IN FIORDLAND, and passing impressive, moody-looking snowcapped mountains. That is all.

One major highlight that we will elaborate on is our time spent in Abel Tasman National Park. We arrived in horrible weather, but after a “good” night’s sleep at Old McDonald’s Farm (eee aye eee aye ohh) and a slathering of sunscreen (still not too effective), we set out KAYAKING. Words cannot describe how much fun it was (see picture), and we had a blast kayaking 15 km up the coast (including the “mad mile”) with our guide Darryl (Dez) and guide-in-training Joe (a Londoner-turned-kiwi), and although for a short time we were split up to help the weaklings of the tour (apparently us relatively inexperienced Canadians are strong paddlers), the brownies, coffee (read: juice), and seals made up for it (can you find the seal (technically a sealion) in the photo???). Interestingly, Emily’s jokes are almost bad enough for her to be a NZ kayak guide. Also (Erik, you will like this) we were likened to an old married couple (what’s new), and had intense conversations about the versatility and overall greatness of HP sauce (much to Julie’s chagrin). Here’s a little gem from Dez: Why are pirates pirates? They just ARRRRR



Here’s some highlights from the North Island:

-Being ID’d for a buying a bag of ice in Tauranga. No lie.
-Boiling mud, erupting geisers, a living Maori village (tasty highlight: corn on the cob cooked in a thermal mineral pool), a wild wallaby sighting, a kiwi encounter and a sulphurous stench (that permeates every pore of everything you own and stays with you until Taupo) in the geothermal and volcanic hotspot that is Rotorua.
Name of that Maori village? Whak…..
-A foot soak in hot Kerosene Creek (Thanks Mrs Einfeldt!), a magnum icecream bar at Huka Falls, and dinner with some ducks in Acacia Bay in Taupo.
-A hike or two through a lava flow zone of an active volcano and a drive around the amazing Tongariro National Park (where there is a serious lack of the definitive NZ fern forest. Twas refreshing).
- A visit to the windy city that is Wellington (but honestly, what city hasn’t been windy?), including the parliament buildings and Te Papa Museum where Emily drooled over a colossal squid.



The trip is drawing to an end quickly. Still to be seen: a penguin.

Sleeper vans and windy vistas

Since we last left you, we’ve done a lot. Let’s do a quick recap.

Tuesday (October 27^th)

We picked up our sleeper van, braved the wind at One Tree Hill in Auckland (where we sighted our first real live sheep), and met a donkey on the beach at the Goat Island Marine Reserve. We also had our first experience at Pak ‘n Save.

Wednesday (October 28^th)

Pretty much, we did the Bay of Islands. We got up close and personal with Hole in the Rock, dropped off on a remote island (it felt like we were on the island in LOST), although the cruise failed to deliver on its promise of dolphins.

Thursday (October 29^th)

WE DROVE ON THE BEACH!!!!!!! Oh. We also went to Cape Reinga (which was windy, but breathtaking. It felt like you were standing at the edge of the world). On the way up to the Cape, we made some notable stops including: Doubtless Bay (which was named after an entry in Captain Cook’s log, in which he stated it was “doubtless, a bay”. Lonely Planet says to that, “No shit cap’n. It’s a bloody big bay at that.”), Matai Bay on the Karikari peninsula (which was beautiful), and 90 Mile Beach (WHICH WE DROVE ON!!!! And would never exist in Canada due to liability and reckless drivers).

Friday (October 30^th)

We woke up to the sound of crashing waves and the gorgeous beach that is Ahipara (where Julie played with a random dog and a piece of bamboo and nearly lost her beloved Roots hat to the Tasman Sea). We attempted to pick up some things in Kaitai, but due to a power outage in the “town” we were out of luck. On our way back down south we drove through Waipoua Kauri Forest (which has the most ridiculously twisty roads) to see Tane Mahuta (girth: 13-m, height: 52-m) and Te Matu Ngahere (giant Kauri trees). That night we stayed in Sheep World (the first time we decided to pay for accommodation; we needed laundry). No word of a lie. It’s a real place. And it is awesome.

Saturday (HALLOWEEN)

After a lazy morning at Sheep World, we drove up the Coromandel Peninsula (in other words we weaved past a long distance biker race on a rather mountainous route). We hit up the Cathedral Cove (you know, that iconic limestone arch) and climbed up to yet another “Pa” site where we found no evidence of a Pa… Again. (a Pa, by the way, is apparently an ancient Maori fortress on top of a volcanic (everything here is volcanic) hill). P.S. Hahei beach is pretty.

Sunday (November 1^st)

We woke up to gulls screaming outside our van. It was GREAT. But we quickly forgot our worries when we dug ourselves a hole on Hot Water beach (although, after several failed attempts to find actual hot water (and when we say hot, we mean HOT (like 60°C)), we commandeered someone else’s natural beach hot tub (aka “hole”). How is the water hot at Hot Water beach you ask? The answer is: volcanic activity (Emily’s go-to answer for any Kiwi related question. Example: what came first, the kiwi fruit or the kiwi bird? Answer: volcanic activity. Works everytime). It was pretty cool (not to mention entertaining as hoards of people attempted to fight against the tide (and sand) to keep their holes intact).

We now find ourselves in Tauranga. This evening we hiked up Mt. Mauganui (a windy, volcanic, sheep-infested hill on the edge of the ocean. Essentially, quintessential New Zealand). Yup. That’s pretty much it (but not really, because we left a lot out… Didn’t want to overwhelm you all with our adventures).

All in all, we’re loving the freedom that our campervan gives us (which, by the way, has a lovely message to the world, “If it swells, ride it”. It’s surfer themed obviously. With a wave and a surfer and everything).