3 Go Global

Monkey Far From Home

Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Invercargill was described as a town seeming with souped up cars racing along the strip as there was nothing else to do. Sounds like fun. Yes there were quite a few boy racers but the town also had many green spaces. The park there was beautiful and we spent a lazy afternoon feeding the many ducks, eating ice cream, wandering around the rose garden looking for “Blue Moon”, which they didn’t have () and playing in the kids park. There is a huge paddling pool and play things we had never seen before – it was excellent. We slid side by side on a skateboard thing attached to a U shaped bar (O was very upset she could not get the hang of it and her old Mum could), a big wheel that you could walk around that tilted and moved and the park also had a swing that you could push a wheelchair in. It has to be the best park we have been in so far and yes we all acted like we were 10 years old again!

Bluff, about 20kms away looks like it is the southernmost point of NZ. But as the island tilts slightly apparently it is not quite – it’s a bone of contention among the locals anyway. It only felt right to pay homage to the famous signpost with the song (is it Kaiser Chiefs?) “I’ve never been this far away from home” in my head. The ocean goes on as far as you can see but you don’t feel like you are near the end of the world. I suppose being surrounded by campervans helps!

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

The Top 10 Holiday Park has to be one of the nicest we have stayed in so far. The facilities are spotless and it is beautifully landscaped. They do their own coach/boat tour to Milford Sound so rather than drive the 2 ½ hours there and back I wanted to enjoy it so settled for their option. The minibus held about 12 of us, mostly Brits although there was one family there from Russia I think and the Mum had a radiant smile, as the sun kept catching her gold top teeth. I wonder if they beep in airport security.

The drive was amazing. We were lucky in some respects with the weather as it was a clear blue sky but that meant that not all the waterfalls had water. We saw Kea birds (devil parrots), mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, mirror lakes, farms, you know the usual stuff for NZ. The farms around here are so big they check their stock by helicopter – who knew you’d need a pilot’s licence! It was spectacular. The road to Milford was built during the depression, the govt wanted to keep the workforce busy and they were paid by wheelbarrow load of rock that was carted away. The conditions were so hard it made me feel a bit pathetic for finding the tent cold last night. You really can’t put it into words how incredible the scenery is here, how green it all seems and then you pass the corner and it is solid rockface that in the rain comes alive with waterfalls and water running down, up and sideways with the breezes. There is no earth on the rockface so trees attach themselves with roots to each other and grow upwards with the lowest trees taking all the pressure. You see lots of V shaped gaps in the rockface where the pressure has been too much and trees have collapsed bringing down whole lines from top to bottom.

The boat trip was 3 hours along the sound (that is not a sound but a fjord) and we had a bbq lunch included. I am sure you have all seen photos of the tiny boats against the majestic mountains. The waterfalls were stunning and we went very close to one. To feel the power of the water up close was great, it was just a shame I did not remember the underwater camera! I felt very small against the backdrops and apart from the helicopters and planes buzzing overhead it was amazingly quiet. The tour also included a stop off at the underwater research centre. You get to go down to see black coral, starfish and watch the marine life. The rainwater lies on top of the fjords and seawater is underneath so the ecosystem is unique. I wasn’t sure who was watching who with the fish as they seemed to be really interested in all of us – maybe the gold teeth were too dazzling. Before we knew it we were back on the bus for the long journey home. A lucky couple in our party flew back so it was nice to catch up with them back at the park and see what the view was like from above.

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Another beautiful blue day but it was nice to not have to pack up the tent today. It was cold last night but as soon as the sun broke over the mountains it was lovely and warm. After finding out all the prices for everything adrenaline filled (tres cher) we settled on a leisurely boat ride around the lake on the steam powered TSS Earnslaw. You get to see all the inner workings of the boat (it uses a tonne of coal an hour) as well as enjoying the scenery. The funnel tooting is a well known sound in the town and we laughed at all the seagulls who ride on the lifeboats searching for crumbs, they really have no fear.

The sport of Frisbee golf is not yet widely known but Queenstown gardens have got in on the act quickly and marked out a course with targets, beginning plates and pars over 18 holes. We took the Frisbee and the 3 of us took in turns with the throws. We were pants much to the delight of passers by but the course is great, passing through the forest and close to the lake the scenery could not have been better. It is moments like these that the trip is all about, something out of the ordinary that you just happen to chance on and end up having a great time.

I have been asked what NZ is like. It is roughly the size of the UK but with half the population of London and ¾ of that is based in the North Island. You can imagine then when you come to the South Island how much space there is (apart from all the camper vanning tourists!). Add to the mix the spectacular, jaw dropping scenery and you are nearly there. People smile at you all the time, at work in the supermarket or just driving in their cars. I don’t know if it is just because I am a tourist but there is a distinct lack of stress, of rushing like there is at home. I love the country and the gentile people who are based here, the rudest have been the tourists. It feels like a young country that it is still finding it’s identity, one that if you moved here you could contribute to making a difference, be part of an evolving culture. Does that mean I would up sticks and move here – maybe if I was younger or again maybe when I’m older – for now England is my home. I’m reminded of that now, I’m watching Coronation St in the TV room (only place with plugs). It’s so funny to hear the accents and it’s over a year old but it’s great to hear something from home that is uniquely British.

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

What a day. I’m happily exhausted. We started off at the brilliant Puzzling World in Wanaka. A 2 storey maze complete with bridges, dead ends and towers got us all running around for an hour. Josh won by finding all 4 towers in the right order and the exit first. The average time for doing the maze is one and a half hours and walking around 3 to 5 kms. It really felt like it but everyone young and old are laughing so much it was an hour well spent. The “museum” also has some great illusion rooms, a roman toilet and tables where you can sit with lots of different puzzles to keep you happy. Josh was in his element as he got to flex his cranial muscle again and I just felt stupid, totally caught out by what appeared to be a simple puzzle and a piece of string. I had to ask the staff after half an hour as it had definitely got the better of me!

Just by chance we had heard in the internet place last night about the local cinema – Cinema Paradiso. It sounded so unique we caught the afternoon showing of Alvin & The Chipmunks (the kids choice). The cinema has to be the coolest in the world. It is a room filled with home sofas and chairs and a Morris Minor convertible that you can sit in. There’s a pile of huge cushions that you can spread out and just crash on the floor if that’s what floats your boat. They serve homemade cookies (fresh from the oven) and ice cream during the interval and it was just how a cinema should be. If are ever in Wanaka please support the cinema!

We were on a high after the film (from the cinema not the film) so imagine how we felt after the drive to Queenstown. For those of you who have done the trip you will know what I mean. You drive up through the hills and Queenstown appears before you in the valley below. It is an awe inspiring view and you have to stop just to take it in, Queenstown is impossibly beautiful and I couldn’t wait to go and explore…………..

The Top 10 park was nearly full and really overpriced so we tried our luck at a Kiwi Holiday Park – it’s like mass camping – there are rows and rows of campervans and tents and certainly a much younger party crowd. I’m sure it will be fine for a couple of nights but it’s not a scenic or family feel as Top 10 parks. As the weather was fab we pitched the tent (that sounds so professional now – like I know what I’m doing with all the poles) and off we went to the gondola.

The gondola – it sounds so relaxing doesn’t it – with sweeping views of Queenstown on a beautiful clear day. The climb in the pods up the mountain was steep to say the least. You can’t help but think of James Bond and Jaws on the climb up but we all arrived in one piece – Josh a little bit shakier. The surprise was the infamous AJ Hackett bungy jumping platform on the way up, it looked deathly stuck out so far with nothing underneath, my hat goes off to those who can pluck up the courage to do it.

The views were amazing, mountains lakes and valleys, Queenstown has it all. The viewing platform was a bit scary, it wasn’t very even and the concrete tiles felt loose. Trepidation got the better of both kids after a few minutes and I had to do all the photo taking, hanging onto the railing as normal. Just to add to the thrills (Queenstown is the adventure capital after all) there is a luge ride there too. You get to it by a chairlift (more height) and then it’s a fun ride to the bottom – wahey it was great fun! The kids went again on the advanced track and came down with tales of one poor girl who had bleeding teeth and a big crash. We saw her later and apart from wounded pride she was fine. Back to the tent late and we all fell asleep exhausted………..

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

The tent can definitely withstand a rainfall – it pelted it down last night and we dry, safe and warm – worried that the roof might collapse at any moment – maybe a little bit.

It is not raining this morning so a quick getaway to the glaciers it is. I don’t quite know what I expected, a bit of ice, lots of tourists maybe? The actual view is incredible. A wall of ice, blue and grey formed between 2 mountains like a frozen descending river. It just seems to halt at the bottom. The pictures don’t really do it justice but the first glacier, Franz Josef was something pretty special. The kids were not as impressed as I but we did walk up the river a bot towards the terminal face. The walk afterwards was shut due to flooding so we didn’t actually get to touch the ancient ice but had great views of waterfalls and Josh also tried out his dam building skills on the way. I kept thinking Lord Of The Rings scenery along the way.

A short car journey to the Fox glacier and another amazing sight. It had started to rain so we just had some photo opps and then back in the car for long journey to Wanaka. We passed over the Haast pass which is meant to be beautiful but with the mist and the rain we didn’t see too much of it.

Wanaka Top 10 park was fukk to the brim and no cabins were available so it was time to put up the tent in the rain. The kids had to lift up the cover while I put everything up underneath – fun for the first 10 seconds but we got the tent up in record time and decided a trip out for something to eat was in order. Wanaka is a pretty town based on a lake with a mountain back drop. The town itself is small and very tourist orientated but we found a nice pizzeria and enjoyed having someone to wait on us for a change. By the time we had finished the sun had come out and the ducks at the lake looked like they needed feeding so off with the bread it was. Everyone came out as soon as the sun did and within 5 mins we were surrounded by kids, ducks, grandparents and seagulls. Kids were already swimming out to the platform on the lake and boats appeared out of nowhere, it was like there had been no rain at all

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Grey in the name grey is the colour. Everything form the sand to the colour of the Tasman sea is shades of grey. The rain might have something to do with it. We pitched the tent in record time and can happily say that it does not leak. We have started watching a movie at night all snuggled up in our sleeping bags with our little torch. We saw “Bee Movie” last night – is it me or was that just pants?

Luckily the tent had dried out by the morning. We have done the wine tour so this time it was the turn of the brewery – Monteith’s. It’s a very small brewery and the tour was quick but we got to taste the different malt grains and see round everything. The bar had some lovely tasting and Josh got to pull his first pint although he was very annoyed he could not drink it. It’s scary he could so easily pass for 18 as he towers over everyone already, when I say “2 children” for entry to everything I get some looks and then I have to joke about his age. I am sure a lot of the time people don’t believe me. Today a very nice man asked if all 3 of us were siblings travelling around. I am positive this is not because I look young but because the kids look beyond their years and this was also someone who wanted to sell stuff. Di – he was from South Africa and also loves Drakensburg!

Oh and I found out on the tour why the town was so quiet – there was a race meeting on which is a huge town event and everyone went. Apparently it’s a huge excuse for a party but explains the deserted town.

We are in Franz Josef tonight ready to go to the glacier tomorrow. It’s raining again and we had to drive to get washed at the loo block tonight as I didn’t want to get wet. Apparently rainfall is about 7m per annum so to be expected. There is a snorer in the next tent. I have no idea what the etiquette is – do you bang on the tent wall or just shine a torch over and yell shut up in various foreign languages? My ear plugs are in the car which is just too far away in the rain to make a mad dash, maybe we can use the force…………..

Whale Tail

Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

We have been here for a couple of nights. We are hoping to go whale watching but the weather and especially the wind has so far defeated us. The sound of the sea was so fierce last night it was quite exciting being in the tent. You’ll be pleased to hear that the ropes all held and we were not blown away! We have met some interesting people on the site and have kept ourselves busy waiting by visiting the local wild seal colonies and practising with my new camera. Yes at last I managed to order from duty free (so the international warranty is valid) and they delivered to the camp site – excellent service and a new birthday present for me to play with. It is so nice to be able to take some decent photos again.

The seals were a surprise on the drive in to Kaikoura. There are road warning signs (seals for next 4km) but you just don’t expect to come across so many of them just on the side of the road. We stopped to have a picnic and watch them – amazing. I think we were lucky as the weather was not very good the first day, when we returned the next day in the bright sunshine there were not so many there at all.

I really do love NZ. There are a couple of guys who have just made it across the Tasman sea in kayaks – landing in NZ. If it was the UK there would be the usual media circus and people on the quay to come and see but in a radio interview the local NZ Mayor said there was a bouncy castle and a pig on a spit – brilliant! I think a bouncy castle should be a requirement for all events like this, I certainly would have more fun!
Third time lucky with Whale Watch and our trip actually happened! It was an early start, more early than it should have been as both Josh and I managed to set our alarms for 5 instead of 6 so I got to see the sun rise. The boat had Hamilton engines on it (catamaran) and was very fast. The guides were excellent and funny and about half the boat threw up in the swells. Josh did not feel queasy so we could all relax and enjoy it, I was so excited O kept telling me to stop it. We saw a couple of sperm whales, dusky dolphins (who played with the boat) and some pilot whales with their cubs. The trip was about 3 hours and was fantastic, we all loved it. Seeing a whale with the blow hole and then dive to show the tail – amazing. Kaikoura is unique in that it has a deep underwater canyon (about 1200m) a few miles offshore so whales use it when they migrate and some live there permanently along with giant squid! Was the trip invasive? Yes I would have to say just a bit, at some point the boat “gave chase” to a surfaced whale but they didn’t seem in the least bit aggravated or stressed. As long as there are operators who do respect the whales such as Whale Watch I would recommend it. The dolphins were incredible and seemed to love swimming with the boat and jumping around it. We nearly fell over the front watching them.

The afternoon was the long journey from Kaikoura on the East coast to Greymouth on the west. The sun was beating down and we passed through the most incredible scenery yet. Lewis Pass and Arthur’s Pass are well known here but to try and describe them – impossible. There were mountains, forests, turquoise rivers, fields and backdrops straight out of Lord of the Rings. Every corner you turned there was something new for your jaw to drop just that little bit further – absolutely mind blowing. We arrived in Greymouth to drizzle and a surprisingly empty town………………it looks a bit ghostly actually. There were more people in the holiday camp than the town. We cooked pasta and after serving mine up O managed to throw mine on the floor. Luckily this did not affect the bottle of local beer and 2 American guys who had just come out of the “bush” and were cooking a feast offered a couple of bbq chicken kebabs.

We picked a good day to travel to Wellington – a 5 hour journey. It started to rain in the morning and did not stop all day. What a different place the country is with no sunshine, feels like I could be at Butlins Bognor Regis. The time in the car went quickly, driving up mountains and through forests in the rain was enough to keep you on your toes and for once I was glad we were not in a camper van. The holiday park in Wellington was deserted and we treated ourselves to a standard cabin (basically bunk beds and a table in a room). Caught up on internet, washing all the mundane things and in the evening went to NZ’s best takeaway (1997) but was really impressed. They had 3 different salts to put on your chips which threw me, I had to get the girl behind the till to repeat herself about 3 times. Also watched a film before bed – a rare treat and it was a comedy about Elvis impersonators – rather fitting for his birthday.

January 9^th – Welly Boots For Wellington

Grey day again when I peaked through the curtains. We decided that we actually prefer being in the tent as it was a lot cosier than the Prisoner Cell Block H décor of the dorm room. I hope the weather comes back soon.

Wellington is a small capital and not as pretty as Auckland. It is based on a series of steep hills and flat land has always been scarce. We took the cable car up to the botanic gardens to get a view of the city and in 15 minutes the sun had also come out. Little known fact – Wellington has over 400 private cable cars. The cable car museum had a great film on this and for those who visit the city you must see it. One couple had one put in for their dog who could no longer walk up the steps! We spent the rest of the day trying to spot them wherever we went, Josh has decided he wants to live here so he can get his own cable car. Many people walk around in business attire and I was made to remember a working life of my own not so long ago. It just seems like a lifetime ago.

The fantastic Te Papa museum was our call in the afternoon. Lots of exhibits and buttons to press for the kids, it was really well set out and again def. worth a visit. We left with what I thought would be loads of time to catch the ferry but it took us over an hour to go 2kms and we were one of the last to check in for the famous Interislander. You can so easily forget that Wellington is the capital city as it just feels too small! I am actually writing this onboard – the views of the South Island have just come into focus – uninhabited steep green cliffs and lots of birds. I wonder how different it will be from the North Island?

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

A quick morning visit to Hastings the next town to look at cameras, mine is completely broken and we are down to our last one between us which is not brilliant at taking photos. Found one but unless you buy a camera from duty free it is not covered by the international warranty so that was the end of that. It’s so hard when you are living on a very strict baggage allowance to look round the shops and not buy anything. Even getting presents that will not cost a fortune to send is a challenge. We have bought patches from most places we have been to and also collected the little bags of sand but apart from that have been very controlled. Poor O is beside herself looking at the latest fashions but she is getting excited about going back to the UK and shopping “for real”.

I really wanted to visit a vineyard while we were in the Hawkes Bay area but there are so many it is hard to know what to do so we dropped in at the tourist office and decided on a tour of Church’s Vineyard. Our map reading skills let us down and we just missed one tour but it did give us a chance to have a snack in the fabulous restaurant and catch up on some postcard writing. The tour itself was very good and we saw the old and new machinery, the old concrete wine cellars and the smell was amazing. Little know fact – vineyards use about half “contracted” growers grapes, I don’t know why but I thought they always owned the vineyards. The science of putting the wines together was really interesting and of course I had to taste some very lovely wines to see what they were talking about. Again if we were only on holiday here I could have so easily bought a few bottles, they just slipped down so nicely. It was very hard to stop but I was driving so Josh made me spit them out. Looking forward to the wine region in Australia though.

We had rented a 4 person go-cart at the holiday park in the evening so the kids drove me round and we had fun looking at all the tents including a Harry Potter one with a very strange set up. It looked like a Bedouin tent, like one from the Quidditch World Cup. Some of the tents are huge – like 4 rooms and very impressive.

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Usually I have mixed feelings about today. Don’t get me wrong I love other people’s birthdays but as mine is just after Christmas, the weather is usually pants, no-one has any money after the holidays and feels like celebrating even less it’s not as fun as a summer birthday. Imagine then waking up in summer, to the sunshine coming through the tent, the birds singing and being on holiday – what a great feeling! I think I will have to come back next year too. I had already told the kids not to get me anything as the holiday itself was a huge present. O had made me a card and promised to make all the food for the day so I could relax – bliss. By the time we had got up and had breakfast (outside in the sunshine!) and packed up it was quite late. We stayed in the area and explored the dam and volcanic centre. The simulated earthquake was fun and seeing films on the volcanic eruptions of Mount R in 95/96. There is actually a ski resort on the volcano and seeing the slopes with grey snow (volcanic ash) was quite bizarre.

A couple of hours drive through the forest and we arrived in Napier. The town is like an art deco picture postcard – lots of colourful pastel houses and palm tree lined avenues on a turquoise water bay. The English Riviera that could be. The sun is so hot we were grateful to get a tent site at the holiday camp with a shady tree. Our doodle tent has been quite a hit with kids and they all come up to have a look, dragging parents behind them after 5 minutes. When the kids start to plead for pens so they can do the same for their tent I just look away and change the subject! It has started a lot of conversations though. Camping life is fun. You have to be very organised with your stuff and without all the things to do at the holiday camps the kids would get very bored quickly but we are really enjoying it. The scenery is amazing, next to lakes, in forests or with very open views. The people, a mixture of tourists and natives are all so friendly and if you are missing something or having trouble with anything you can guarantee someone will help. The best bit is walking around in your pyjamas and no-one gives a second glance – how cool is that. I love the open cooking areas and waking up to the sound of so many birds (no longer stiff now I have my self inflating mat) and feeling the sun glow through the tent warming my old bones.

We had a walk around the town and along the grey stone beach. A restaurant we passed advertised eating free on your birthday but the call of sausages and O having promised to cook was too much to resist………………