New Zealand - South Island

MARCH 15 – APRIL 11, 2015

SOUTH ISLAND NEW ZEALAND

Theo and I drove our car onto the Inter Islander Ferry for the three hour trip to the South Island. We were both very ill. Theo had the same virus as me with fever and sore throat. I was on antibiotics and feeling a bit better, but Theo wanted to “get over it naturally”, therefore he was not taking any medication to help himself out. I was exhausted and let it be.  We both slept for most of the ferry ride.

PICTON

Picton is the gateway to the South Island. During the summer, there are eight ferries per day bringing people and vehicles over from the North. I could imagine how busy and fun it would be here if the weather was warm. The middle of March is autumn in New Zealand, and Picton was quiet. This is a place that completely transforms during the cooler months.  When we arrived in town, we saw outdoor cafes and people lazing in the sun enjoying drinks, coffee and pastries. We decided to do as the locals do and took a table…very nice.

 There are some lovely walks here. The obvious ones are the Marlborough Sounds and Queen Charlotte tracks. If you love to hike, New Zealand is probably one of the best places in the world to do it, but make sure you research details about the track you are going to tackle. A five hour tramp here is considered a “short walk” and some of the more challenging tracks (and the most beautiful) can last days or even weeks! Theo and I wanted to walk the Tirohanga Track while in Picton. It is a two-hour loop and has exquisite views, but we needed to rest instead and hopefully beat this virus that was wreaking havoc on our trip. We drove to a B&B and slept. We can’t do it all I guess.

NELSON

The drive to Nelson included a VERY winding road up a mountain. Theo was driving, but eventually he got tired and said that he needed to close his eyes for a bit. He wanted to pull over and sleep, but I insisted that I could drive on while he rested. I am not accustomed to having the steering wheel on the right side of the car or traveling on the left side of the road. To make the situation more challenging, I was driving up a mountain on a very squiggly course with crazy Kiwi race car drivers on my tail. I would have preferred to be at the helm of a sailboat in the middle of the ocean any day! I was beginning to feel very comfortable behind the wheel, but suddenly Theo woke up and was saying (very loudly) “Pull over! You are scaring me! I can’t sleep while you drive! You are going to hit the cliff!” Oh my gosh…I was NOT. I was truly getting the hang of it, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and he never asked me to drive again after that…I think he was being unreasonable and snotty…whatever.

The Nelson area is a very popular with travelers. There are gorgeous bays (make sure to see Golden Bay if you are here), lakes, and three national parks. If you love cycling, this is the place for it because one of New Zealand’s most popular cycling trails is here. The 69km coastal route from Nelson to Kaiteriteri can be done in a couple of days and there are plenty of sights along the way, including yummy stops for food and wine. Theo and I want to return in November and ride this trail.

The town center of Nelson is charming with brick- lined streets paved with cobblestone. Certain areas had a European feel, especially when we would go to one of the many bakeries and coffee bars. Speaking of coffee, Kiwis are very serious about their java!  I think their coffee rivals the coffee in Italy...it is that good! When I left Los Angeles, I had quit drinking coffee and was a tea girl, but I fell off the caffeine wagon when I landed at Auckland airport in February. Before even exiting the terminal, I made a beeline to the nearest barista for a steaming flat white… I love coffee.

LESSON:

If Theo gets sleepy while driving, just let him pull over and take a nap.

QUOTE:

KIWI TERMS:

-Flat White = Café Latte

-Short black = Espresso

-Long black = Double espresso

-Fluffy = Steamed milk with marshmallows

-Pack a wobbly = to become angry, get snotty

- Spit the dummy = to act unreasonably

-Dummy = Pacifier

MOTUEKA

Motueka is a small town that sits twenty minutes outside of Able Tasman National Park. Hiking Abel Tasman was the main activity I was really, really looking forward to when we first began thinking about our trip to the South Island.  Abel Tasman is a very long track and many people choose to camp or stay in huts along the way. We decided to stay at the Holiday Park in Motueka for the evenings, and then hike various points of the Abel Tasman track over the next three days. Well…that was the “plan” anyway.

When we arrived at our cabin, Theo was a wreck. He was very sick and his throat hurt so badly that he could barely swallow. We found a doctor that could see him in the late afternoon, so we rested during the day until the appointment. She checked Theo out and gave him a ten day supply of antibiotics… the same ones that I was taking. My doctor (the comedian) had given me enough pills for seven days, so she gave me more. This turned out to be very good decision on her part. We were in no condition to attempt the Abel Tasman hike, so it would have to wait. I will not mention how sick we were anymore in this blog. It is boring and, frankly, neither one of us cares to remember it anyway.

A few days later, we began the first day of our three day hiking adventure. The track was very raw and peaceful. We walked for three hours from Marahau to Apple Tree Bay and were feeling pretty good. The second day we drove to Kaiteriteri to board the 9 o’clock sea shuttle to Awaroa Bay to do the next section of the track. From there we walked to the Awaroa Lodge for a quick lunch and coffee before starting the hike. We walked three hours to Medlands Beach. The sea shuttle was there, waiting to take us back to our car in Kaiteriteri. The next morning was day three of our hike. We took the sea shuttle again…this time to Medlands Beach. The track from Medlands Beach to Anchorage Bay is the loveliest stretch of coastline on the Abel Tasman track. If you visit here and only have one day to hike, this would be the part I recommend doing.  I simply do not have words for how beautiful this experience has been. Just do it!

The following morning we checked out of our cabin in Motueka. We had intended to spend three nights there, but in the end we stayed about one week. Since we did not have a set schedule or hotel bookings for the South Island, we did not feel pressured to rush anywhere…thank goodness. We had accomplished our goal, which was to hike Abel Tasman and we were happy.

Split apple rock

Our view during the hike towards Anchorage Bay on the Abel Tasman track...

LESSON:

-Make sure you have the correct size and type of shoes for hiking…my toenails became black and blue because my shoes were too small… I cannot believe I did that.

KIWI TERMS:

Holiday Park = A place that has spaces for camper vans to park and stay the night… they are very convenient for families with small children.  A community kitchen, showers and toilet are included in the price and they also have a few free standing cabins that can be booked as well.

Anklebiter =  a small child, toddler

Road snail = A camper van traveling on the road

Loopy = A tourist driving around the south island in a circular direction.

Tiki Tour = To go on a journey with no destination in mind (for example:” Let’s take a tiki tour around the south island.”

PUNAKAIKI

 We arrived in Punakaiki late in the afternoon and we were tired of being on the road. We wanted to see the Pancake Rocks in the morning, so I opened my Lonley Planet book to find a place to spend the night. The retreat I had chosen turned out to be more of a backpacker hostel, but they gave us an adorable little cabin in the middle of the forest. I really liked it, but Theo was not thrilled. He kept mentioning the I-sites throughout New Zealand and what a wonderful job Jackie had done organizing our North Island accommodations. Anyway, aside from the mosquitos, the cold and being a bit isolated, it was quaint.

Punakaiki is VERY small and we found one tavern open for dinner. That is it…one tavern! Theo and I were very grateful for it because we were tired and hungry. Once inside we realized it was extremely busy. I think the entire town was there…  Go tavern people!

Theo did not sleep well in our little cabin in the forest, so we woke up late. I heard him moving about and I pretended to be asleep (like I do every morning) until he started making coffee. We heard a noise near our window and saw a large brown bird there. She kept walking past and rubbing against the door. Obviously, she was asking for some breakfast. Once we got a better look, we realized that she was a Weka. They are flightless birds that are found exclusively in this part of the south island.

We checked out of our cute cabin and drove to a famous tourist stop called Pancake Rocks. We walked for 15 minutes on a beautifully maintained trail. The limestone here is formed into what looks like huge stacks of thick pancakes. There are also some impressive blowholes, and since it was high tide, the Tasman Sea was putting on a powerful show.

The friendly Weka outside our cabin door

Pancake Rocks

The crazy Tasman Sea

LESSONS:

-The weathering process that causes the limestone to layer like pancakes is called stylobedding.

-Do not feed the wildlife…they will become dependent on the treats.

KIWI TERMS:

Bush = forest

Going bush = getting away from it all

FRANZ JOSEPH

  We came to Franz Joseph to see the glacier. It is a leisurely two hour walk to reach there and it only gets steep for a little while at the very end. It was very busy with tourists for this time of the year.  If you visit here and go to the glacier, I recommend starting your walk very early in the morning… before the helicopter tours begin. The hike is so pretty and relaxing, but there are MANY helicopters constantly buzzing overhead. The noise makes the experience less enjoyable.

Images at the Franz Josef Glacier

We also visited the Wildlife Center while in Franz Joseph. We were lucky enough to see three kiwi chicks. They were asleep, but we didn’t care. The kiwi are very interesting to me because they have so many weird characteristics. They are more like a mammal than a bird. They are flightless, nocturnal and do not have good eyesight.  When we watched the adults in the Wildlife Center, they repeatedly walked back and forth digging in the dirt for food with their long beaks…very single-minded.  They have an amazing sense of smell and their nostrils are on the tip of their beak. There used to be millions of kiwi in New Zealand, but now the population is down to 70,000 and here is why…

A three week old kiwi chick

In the 1830’s, rabbits were introduced to New Zealand for sport, food and fur trading. The rabbits bred very quickly (as rabbits do) and they plagued the country by destroying the vegetation. So what did man do? He introduced stoats to New Zealand to control the rabbit population. The problem is that stoats do not prey solely on rabbits…they will kill anything they can eat.  Stoats look like ferrets, but are smaller. They are a voracious predator to many of the native animals in New Zealand, especially birds. The stoat population is out of control because they breed very, very quickly. When a female stoat is born, she is impregnated before she even leaves the nest! The introduction of stoats is commonly referred to as one of the worst mistakes ever made in New Zealand.

 Possum fur was very valuable for trading back in the day, so they were introduced to New Zealand as well. Like the stoat, the population is now out of control and they are a huge problem.  If you visit New Zealand and have a car, the locals will encourage you to swerve to run over a possum on the road. We saw many possum pancakes during our tour of the islands.

Because of these predators a kiwi chick has a 5% chance of survival in the wild. That is why the Wildlife Centers are so important. They recover the kiwi eggs from the nest, and after they hatch, they raise the chick until it weighs one kilogram. Then they re-release it into the wild. At this size, they have a fighting chance when attacked. 

To watch a stoat in action, click here: Stoat hypnotizing rabbit video 

LESSON:

New Zealanders are NOT called Kiwis after the kiwi bird. New Zealand (to this day) has a famous brand of shoe polish named Kiwi that the soldiers in Australia used during WWII. The first use for the term “Kiwi” was in 1917, and it referred to Australian servicemen who had “kiwied up”. In other words, they had highly polished boots because they used the New Zealand Kiwi brand shoe polish!

QUOTE:

“A good stoat is a dead stoat” – New Zealanders

KIWI TERMS:

Possum pancake = a possum that has been squished flat into the road by a car.

Suck the kumura = to die, kick the bucket

Kumura = New Zealand sweet potatoe

QUEENSTOWN

Theo and I loved Queenstown and quickly decided that it was our favorite place along our tour so far. There was a good vibe there. Many shops, restaurants and talented street musicians surrounded a stunning lake and everything kept going late into the evenings. This is not a sleepy place and we were in the mood for that kind of atmosphere!

Queenstown is famous for quite a few things and one of them is a hamburger joint called Fergburger.  There is a long line wrapped around this place almost all of the time…even into the very early hours of the morning. We couldn’t understand what the big deal was about, but we felt a bit obligated to try a burger while we were in town! A local told us not to stand in the long queue at Fergburger.  He suggested that we call and order our food in advance, pick it up for take away, and then eat it by the lake…a very simple and logical idea. Of course we didn’t do it and while we were eating, many of the tourists in line were pointing at our burgers and watching us eat….it was awkward.

The famous Fergburger

We spent our days walking around town, eating great food, enjoying the lovely gardens and lake views. Queenstown has so much to do and we were never bored. Theo has always enjoyed high adrenaline sports, but I am not a fan. I don’t like the sensation of falling or the prospect of seriously injuring myself, but I have always been curious about paragliding. It looks so peaceful from the ground.  We decided to do it and we are so happy that we did. It was incredibly relaxing… just as I had imagined. I felt like a bird soaring above Queenstown…try it!

Beautiful Queenstown...getting ready for paragliding

We did it...Phew!!!

LESSON:

-Do not stand in the queue at Fergburger

-Eat your Fergburger after paragliding, not before.

KIWI TERMS:

Queue = Line

Scoff = Eat

Skull = Drink fast (usually beer)

Biscuits = Cookies

Pudding = Dessert

Lolly = Candy

TE ANAU

Te Anau is the gateway to the Fiorland National Park and it is also the polar opposite of Queenstown. When we drove into town, we found a peaceful little village surrounded by a large lake and rugged mountains. We kept up our routine of hiking, eating and sleeping by walking part of the Kepler track. This track is very wild and a pleasant place to tramp. The ground was soft, like walking on a carpet, due to layers upon layers of dirt, mud and leaves. We continued on to the Moturau Hut and then returned back the same way we came. .. three hours total. We were physically tired… Te Anau ended up being a great place to relax for a few days.

If you visit here, we recommend the Redcliff Café for a meal. It was the best in New Zealand and I wrote a stellar review on Trip Advisor before we even left the table!

The Kepler Track

DOUBTFUL SOUND

Fiodrland is the home of Milford and Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is three times larger and ten times the area of Milford Sound. It is also not as easily accessible, therefore, much more peaceful and remote.  With that in mind, we decided to skip Milford this time around and go straight to Doubtful for an overnight cruise on the Fiodrland Navigator.

Our accommodation for one night in Doubtful Sound...we will never forget it.

 We took an hour boat ride to an awaiting bus that would drive us a further 45 minutes to our ship. While we were standing around to board the bus, we were swarmed by sandflies. These tenacious, hungry little shitheads seem to reside in the most beautiful areas of southern New Zealand, especially Fiordland. If you remain stationary for just two seconds they descend on you. My body was fully covered; I had a scarf on my face, a hat and sunglasses on. I covered myself the best I could from head to toe, but they still got me… even on my eye.  I looked like Quasimodo for two weeks. Their bites are very painful, last a long time and I have yet to find a repellent that works. I don’t like to complain, but I really hate them.  Theo and I squished as many as we could against the inside of the bus window during our ride. They made quite a mess.

Our time on the Fiordland Navigator in Doubtful Sound was another major highlight of our tour. We saw crazy, beautiful wilderness with jagged cliffs and mountains that spewed waterfalls. We even saw Fiordland Crested Penguins, which were rare for that time of the year.  My favorite experience took place early in the morning. The ship stopped in a truly magical location, and as we were floating there, the engines, generators and lights were turned off. Those few moments we heard just the sounds of nature at work. The scenery was surreal…misty and mysterious. The memory will always feel like a dream to me and I am so grateful to have been a part of it….sandflies and all.

Images of Doubtful Sound

After the rain

Misty and mysterious

Only the sounds of nature at work.

LESSONS:

- A fiord is a narrow, deep inlet of sea (in this case the Tasman Sea) with steep cliffs gouged out by a glacier. From above, the inlets look like long, crooked fingers.

-Doubtful Sound was named Doubtful Harbor in 1770 by Captain Cook. He did not enter the inlet, because he was uncertain (doubtful) whether it was navigable under sail.

KIWI TERM:

-Whinge = Complain

STEWART AND ULVA ISLANDS

 We drove to Bluff (famous for its oysters) and from there took a very bouncy one hour ferry ride to Stewart Island. This is what is called “the end of the road”. We could not travel any further south than this! The weather was blistery and cold when we arrived, but we just bundled up and got on with it. Our hotel room was very cozy, and when we stepped out onto the balcony, we were immediately visited by some curious Kakas (parrots). These islands are free of predators; therefore they have the largest bird population of the entire country.

Theo has to touch everything!

 Ulva Island is a bird sanctuary, so we dusted off our binoculars and took a short water taxi ride over. Theo and I had decided to take a four hour organized tour and we are glad we did.  It would have been very difficult to spot the flying critters without an experienced set of eyes and ears. Aside from the elusive kiwi, our guide helped us hear and see every bird that exists in the country!  Ulva Island was very, very fun and a reminder of what New Zealand used to be like.

That same evening, we had intended to go exploring and see if we could spot the nocturnal kiwi bird. Unfortunately, the winds blew up to 40 knots by supper time, so… no wild kiwi sightings for us. Maybe there will be a next time!

A camouflaged Kakariki

My favorite bird....the animated Fantail

Sunrise on Stewart Island

A sleepy Theo, just after sunrise, waiting for the ferry from Stewart Island to Bluff.

DUNEDIN, LAKE TEKAPO, AKAROA and KAIKOURA (SOUTH ISLAND)

These are the rest of towns and cities that Theo and I visited on our Tiki Tour of the south island. New Zealand is very diverse and we have special memories of everywhere we went. Here are the highlights.

DUNEDIN - Famous for its peninsula, Albatross colonies and penguins. There is a stellar Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings by the Old Railway Station.

The rare yellow-eyed penguin...this is a young one

An adult yellow-eyed penguin

LAKE TEKAPO – The water of Lake Tekapo is turquoise. We walked to the summit of St John which has impressive views of the lake and mountains. On Easter Sunday we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd.

Easter Sunday at the Church of the Good Shepherd

Lake Tekapo as seen from the Mt John Observatory

Curious cows along our drive

AKAROA - The stunning drive along Summit Road is a must do here and the one hour walk along the coast as well. Hector’s dolphins are in the Banks Peninsula and can only be seen in New Zealand.

KAIKOURA – This area has a lot of wildlife and is known for its whales, dolphins and seals. The  Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway is one of the best things to do here . Starting from town, it is a three hour loop that heads out towards Point Kean and this is where the fur seal colonies are. From there, continue to walk along the cliffs to South Bay and then back to town. If you get hungry along the way, around the second hour of the walk, there is a roadside hut called Kaikoura Seafood BBQ. Here you will find three hardworking women serving up extremely fresh, local fish. Their crayfish is half the price compared to the restaurants in town…don’t try it anywhere else! Along our drive out, we stopped at the Ohau Stream to see the seal pups.

Seal pups playing at the Ohau Stream