Our time in New Zealand is almost up. We have been here for 3 and a half weeks now but it only feels like yesterday that we stepped off the plane from Brazil. This country really does offer everything for the traveller and we have done our utmost to cram it all in to our short trip. From skydiving to paragliding to aerobatic flying, this last week has been a bit tamer on the adrenaline front, but no less enjoyable!!
Christchurch – an adrenalin relapse!!
The journey from Queenstown to Christchurch up the east coast of the South Island was a long one, but, as we keep saying, the landscapes are a pleasure to drive through. We arrived late and quickly scanned the Lonely Planet for things to do in the area. Would it be a day of museums or the Adrenalin Forest? Hmmmm....
We got up the next day and headed out of town into the forests of Spencerville. We arrived to find an intimidating set of obstacle courses that started a few metres above the ground and continued high up into the canopy.
There were 6 courses in total. We were told to start on level 2 as we obviously looked in good physical condition!! We had envisaged a nice, fun day out walking along tight ropes and gliding down flying foxes, but got a lot more than we bargained for.
After a quick safety briefing and a lesson in how to use our equipment, our “instructor” headed back to his office and let us loose without supervision. It indeed started easy but quickly got progressively harder, and higher.
The 5th trail, called Adrenalin, was about 20 metres up in the trees. Some of the obstacles were easy, some were tough. By that time we were both quite knackered and Gem was all adrenalined out!! We were relieved to finally get to the end and Gem bowed out, an admirable effort indeed.
Gem scaling new heights!!
Ells wanted to tackle the final course, Adrenalin Max, but soon regretted it. Within minutes he was tight rope walking across a piece of wire at 25 metres above the ground. There were all sorts of other crazy challenges along the way, including the tarzan swing in the video below. But with a lot of support from the ground, he eventually made it back to terra firma.
For some reason after this, we both had a craving for McDonalds. After a quick shower we headed out and gorged on fast food.
Blenheim and the Marlborough wine region
The next day we shot up to Blenheim almost at the top of the South Island. We arranged a wine tour for the next day then headed out to find something to do. And we were duly rewarded when we drove past what looked like a disused factory, but a big sign outside saying “Indoor Karting” was exactly what we needed.
We got strapped into our little buggies and were given some shrewd advice – “accelerate through the corners, don’t use the brake!!” – then off we went. The track was pretty small but we had great fun. We crashed and skidded and crashed some more, until our time was up. A definite thumbs up – anyone up for a race when we get back?!!
The wine tour kicked off around 11.30am the next day. Our guide was an old guy called Terry who’d probably seen the bottom of many a Pinot Noir in his time!! He was extremely knowledgeable about the wine industry but also the history of the local area. We went to 3 wineries – Wither Hills, Grove Mill and Allan Scott – before lunch. They were all fantastic.
Ells on the bottle...again
After lunch we went to the famous Cloudy Bay winery (a request from us basically to make Gem’s sister, Katy, jealous!!) and Bouldevines. They were again gorgeous wines (we think we know a thing or two now after doing wine tours in 3 different countries!!), then headed to a liquor tasting and, Gem’s favourite, a chocolate tasting. The chocolate was incredible so we bought some to feast on in the van. It was a great day, shared with a group of Australians, who actually can’t drink as much as you think they can!!
Us outside Cloudy Bay winery, using the signpost to stand up straight
Back to the North Island – is it going to get any warmer....please?
Unfortunately the answer is no, so we really are quite looking forward to the Malaysian heat in a few days!! But anyway, the ferry over to the North Island was much calmer than before. We arrived in Wellington at lunch time and headed to the Te Papa National Museum.
It was a fantastic visit, with some awesome, easy to understand displays about the country’s tectonic activity and the weather (Gem loved it!!), but the main event was the Colossal Quid that was caught by Kiwi fisherman off the coast of Antarctica. It was ridiculously big, around 4.5m long, but after a few months on display it wasn’t looking too fresh!!
That evening we spent the night at our friend’s place. He totally came through on his offer of a roast dinner and it was amazing. We ate beef, drank wine and played with their cats, then slept in a proper bed for a change. We had a lie-in until about 10am the next morning!! Not sure whether that was the wine’s fault or the bed’s!!
Our 1st roast dinner in over 5 months!!!
Ells with the cat that looked like Lynx
Rotorua....stinks
We shot off after saying goodbye to the kitties for another long drive north, to a town called Rotorua. Now, there’s not much to say about Rotorua apart from the fact that it stinks!! It is a world famous site for its geothermal activity and the result is that the air is full of sulphur and it smells like rotten eggs...everywhere.
Our 1st trip the next day was to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. This is the only area in the world where its geothermal activity can be pinpointed to an exact day. On 10 June 1886 a volcanic eruption created this awesome geothermal ecosystem. We walked through the area, past the Frying Pan Lake, a huge bubbling and steaming lake formed in a crater and past countless hot springs spewing out boiling hot water. What a weird and eerie place, but a really interesting insight into how the Earth works (Gabs, we know you’re thinking “geeks”, but you’d love it here too!!).
Frying Pan Lake
Hot springs and weird coloured rocks
The afternoon was a lot less intense on the grey matter. The one good thing to come from this terrible stench is that, with bubbling hot water coming from the ground, this can be harnessed for spa bathing. Well, you know, it’s been tough on the road for the past few weeks so a nice dip in the hot pools here is exactly what we deserve!!
The Lake Spa Retreat has 4 huge outdoor baths overlooking Lake Rotorua. They vary from 36oC to 42oC. We went for the 38oC bath to start with slowly making our way up to the 42oC one. But it was just too much, so we ended up staying in the 38oC one for the majority of the time. It was extremely relaxing (Mum, you’d love it here!!). Gem did so much she booked herself in for a facial the next morning (well, this travelling malarkey plays havoc with your pores!!).
The facial was very enjoyable. After a quick dip back in the hot pools, Gem went for a 1 hour relaxing facial with all sorts of scrubs, exfoliants and refreshers. The accompanying head and hand massage were a bonus but it has nothing on Rachel’s facial back in Wellington!!
Bye Bye Maui
The drive back to Auckland was short and sweet, which is where we said goodbye to our trusty campervan.
The last dinner in the camper
Now, we can’t leave before saying a quick something about our campervan, Maui Spirit 2!! There’s a lot to be said for campervanning, maybe that it’s for older people (sorry Uncle Dave!!), but it’s simply made our trip around New Zealand. It has offered us the freedom to see the country from the front seat rather than from the window of a bus.
Ells and the Spirit 2
And we have met so many like-minded people on our way, either stopping at a rest stop for a cup of tea or stopping at a lookout for those irresistible photos – things you just can’t do in a bus. But the most important thing is the WAVE!!! It may sound sad but it makes our day when we get waves from fellow campervanners!!
We will miss our little camper and also New Zealand, which has been one of the most amazing places we have been to and a place we will definitely return to in the future.
Love Ells and Gem xx
