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Archive for September, 2004

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Picton and Abel Tasman National Park

Monday, September 27th, 2004

I arrived at the Wellington train station nice and early for the 09:05 shuttle bus to the Interislander ferry docks for my trip to Picton on the South Island. It was around 09:15 that I started to get a bit worried about being at the docks in time for the 09:30 sailing. Thankfully, a woman showed up a few minutes later and informed us that while the 09:30 Interislander had been cancelled, our tickets would be taken on the faster (a 2:15 trip rather than 3:30) Lynx ferry, leaving at the same time.

This, of course, meant that we had to hurry over to the nearby Lynx ferry terminal, but it all worked out okay in the end. The boat sailed away from the dock right on time, and out into the Cook Strait. It was supposedly a fairly calm day, but this didn’t help about 10% of the passengers who got seasick anyway. Fortunately I wasn’t among them.

The crossing of the strait wasn’t particularly exciting. The 120 vehicle, 760 passenger ferry was well equipped with the sorts of things you expect to find on such boats (video arcades, cafes, small shops) though it was a bit short on outdoor viewing decks. This was a shame really, as the crowds made it hard to enjoy and get photos of our passage through Queen Charlotte Sound as we approached our destination.

All the same, just over two hours later I was on dry land again, in the town of Picton and ready to start exploring the South Island.
[read on]

Volcanism, Farmland, Forest and Coastaline: The South and East of NZ’s North Island

Monday, September 20th, 2004

Waking up in Auckland once again, I was well rested for the two or three hour drive down to Rotorua (and further on to points east and south.)

Since New Zealand lies on border between the Australasian and Pacific tectonic plates, there’s plenty of geological activity here, ranging from mountainbuilding, to earthquakes, to volcanoes, to hot springs end geysers. Rotorua is the spot in New Zealand with the highest concentration of geothermal activity of this last type, and though I’d been there before many years ago, I was looking forward to returning.

I headed out from the Darragh’s place into ominous looking weather. It wasn’t raining yet, but despite the spectacular changability of New Zealand skies, it seemed certain that it would before too long.
[read on]

The Northland: Touring New Zealand’s Top End

Sunday, September 12th, 2004
After taking my leave of the wonderful Darragh family (thanks to them yet again for their kind hospitality) I went to pick up my rental car, which turned out to be a 1995 Toyota Starlet. It isn't pretty, but it runs ... [Continue reading this entry]

A Warm Welcome to Auckland (and New Zealand)

Tuesday, September 7th, 2004
Only one week in New Zealand, and already I’m wondering if 5.5 will be enough. I think that this time I can dispense with the location of and general information about my current location. I’m sure the basics about New ... [Continue reading this entry]

A Quick-ish Visit to Fiji

Friday, September 3rd, 2004
This entry begins not with my arrival in Fiji, but with the few hours remaining before my departure from the Cook Islands... In this time, I managed to head to town, try some of the renowned local ice cream (one scoop ... [Continue reading this entry]