On January 10th we left Blenheim...
The drive to Kaikoura was spectacular. We were surrounded by rolling hills of brown
grasslands until suddenly we saw aqua blue ocean in the horizon! The colour was such a contrast to the
grasslands that it was almost surreal.
Once along the coast, the terrain was very rugged and dramatic. We stopped at a place called “the Store” for
lunch, which overlooked the ocean. The
food, the ambiance, everything, was really great!
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| Ocean view from "The Store" |
When we arrived at our holiday park, we quickly set up the
tents. It was very hot at that point but
we could see the clouds rolling on in so we got to the sea for a quick walk
along the cliffs. When the rain hit, we
picked up some take-out and raced back to the holiday park kitchen to eat. The kids swam in the pool and then we all
congregated in the little hot tub before showering and getting ready for bed.
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| Tent #1 |
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| Tent #2 (our recent purchase...) |
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| Walking up to the cliffs |
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| Views from the cliff - we walked on these rocks at low tide the next day! |
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| Views of the ocean, with the clouds/rain rolling in |
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| NZ's natural beauty... |
Early in the morning on January 11, Whale Watching was on the agenda!! We saw
three sperm whales, a load of dusty dolphins, fur seals and a variety of birds
(albatross, petrels and pesky seagulls).
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| Whale watching.... |
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| More whale watching... |
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| Diving back down deeeeeep.... |
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| A dusky dolphin - they are so FUN!! |
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| More dusky dolphins - we saw people 'swimming' with them! |
After a quick coffee/snack we got things organized for an
afternoon at the beach where we had a picnic and swim in the ocean.
We walked along the rocks in search of seals and creatures
in the little pools of water.
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| Sea creatures on the rocks! |
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| The search team... |
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| A happy fur seal basking in the sun |
We grilled meat, made a salad, cooked up some rice and had a
feast (the Dysons found fresh crayfish/NZ’s lobster as well). We drank our last bottle of Neudorf Pinot
Noir to end our exciting road trip together.
The Dads and boys played another game of Yuka, seeing the boys win
again! Good
times – good times…
The morning of January 12, we woke to hear rain (around 4am). Thankfully it didn't last so we were able to take the somewhat damp tents down while it was dry. We left the
campsite, after saying our goodbyes, got coffee and hit the road! Our drive out west was slow but of course
beautiful filled with gorgeous vegetation (palms, firs, flax – all lush,
green). We stopped for lunch in Hanmer
Springs and on another day would’ve made a great overnight stop. There was a lot to do with the kids for a day
(pool, minigolf, walks…) and little cafes and shops lined the main street. However, we simply ate our lunch in the hot
sun then got back on the highway and carried on west. Without anymore major stops, we got to Westport
around 4:30. The weather by then had
changed to grey and smelled suspiciously “like rain”. Our little holiday park was tired, dated and
very basic. Up until then, we’d had
really great holiday parks – I can’t say the same about this one. However… it was only for one night. My only regret is not taking a picture of our
sad little bunkhouse or of the cute cat that made its home on our front
porch. We didn’t sleep well as the
gale-force winds and heavy rains came in the night…
January 13, 2012
We left the campsite and made our way to the pancake rocks
and blowholes at Punakaiki! The weather
was cold, wet and more or less miserable for doing much of anything but we
still managed to see the layered limestone rocks and the fabulous views of the
very angry ocean! The waves crashed in
to shore, into big rocks – it was really quite dramatic to see. Even though we didn’t see the blowholes in
their glory at high tide, the weather was lively enough to give us an idea of
how amazing it can be there. The kids
really enjoyed it. Jake took lots of
photos and despite the cold and wet, we managed to also get to the cavern to
take a look inside.
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| Our walk to the blow holes |
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| Layered limestone |
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| The "pancake rocks / blow holes" |
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| More "pancake rocks / blow holes" |
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| Water seeping in -- still low tide unfortunately! |
After a hot drink and snack, we hopped back in the car and
carried on to Fox Glacier via Greymouth and Franz Josef. It was a miserable drive for John as it was
really raining hard. There were many
waterfalls along the roadside and many single lane bridges – of course the
traffic is so light in NZ that single lane bridges don’t slow you down a
bit. We arrived in pouring rain, got
our room (which was awesome, especially when you compare it to what we stayed
in at Westport), ate dinner, watched half of Harry
Potter (4th movie), then went to bed relatively early, looking
forward to our next day.
January 14, 2012
Initially, we were a little depressed by the morning
weather. However, it quickly started to
clear up so we hustled to Fox Glacier and were able to see the glacier and its
beautiful surroundings. The sheer
vertical drop of the cliffs on one side of the glacier’s valley is mind
blowing.
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| Sofia in front of Fox Glacier |
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| Vertical drop of Fox Glacier Valley... |
We wanted to get to Franz Josef Glacier before any bad
weather came back so we made our way there.
This glacier and its valley were vastly different to Fox Glacier. There weren’t the same dramatic cliffs to see,
but the valley was longer and we were able to get a little closer to this
glacier.
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| Walk through Franz Josef Glacier Valley |
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| Waterfalls in Franz Josef Glacier Valley |
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| Franz Josef Glacier |
We’d hoped that we could get to Lake Matheson but when we
arrived, it was pouring with rain again, so it had to wait until morning. We woke to the sound of pouring rain, but by the time we’d
had breakfast and packed the car, it was clearing! So, we raced to Lake Matheson and were able
to walk to the view point at the end of this beautiful lake, get some pictures
and get back to the car before it started to rain again.
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| Walking into Lake Matheson |
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| Lake Matheson |
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| Mount Cook & Mount Tasmen |
Our drive from Fox Glacier to Wanaka was nothing short of
fabulous, taking us through the tropical rain forest to the wide open drylands
of Otago. We enjoyed views at the Gates of
Haast Bridge of the rocky rapids that rumbled through. The drive into Wanaka was spectacular with
views of the deep blue Lake Wanaka, waterfalls and the mountains of Mount
Aspiring National Park in the distance. The rain had cleared and the sun continued to
pop in and out of clouds. I feel so at home here in this little lakeside
town. The mountains are rather rugged
and full of jagged tops, the lake is spectacular… although very different from Waterton
Lakes, I can’t help but think of home.
It is now very late in the evening on January 15... We have two full days here before we get to Queenstown. More pictures and stories to follow -
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