Kiwi Top 10

While biking the other day my mind wandered on to what my favorite moments in New Zealand were here is an approximate top 10 list and might be subject to change if I suddenly remember something else:

The view of the Ruapehu volcanic crater. After climbing 4000ft (1200m) and being buffeted by high winds near the top the view as you crest the crater edge is simply stunning.

Tongariro Crossing. Has to be the most amazing day walk I've done for the range of volcanic scenery in picture perfect weather.

Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. The idea of riding a 160km/ 100 mile bike race with thousands of others might not appeal to everyone but it really was an enjoyable challenge.

Picton to Wellington Ferry. The first time we did the journey in the light with perfect early morning weather in late winter afforded great views of the Marlborough Sounds, both islands and Wellington Harbour.

Curio Bay. On the windswept south coast near Invercargill this amazing petrified forest would have been stunning enough without the penguins that arrived in late afternoon and a very impressive rainbow brightening what had been a stormy day.

Camping at Mangaweka. We camped twice at a beautiful site right on the Rangitikei River with good company from our friends in the Palmerston North Hash House Harriers. Activities like white water rafting, tubing and zinging golf balls at the cliffs opposite the campsite added to the experience.

Climbing Mt Taranaki. This perfect cone volcano proved to be a challenging hike on Tim's birthday, particularly ascending snowy slopes without ice-axe and crampons. Amazing terrain on the way up and fabulous views from the summit made it a birthday to remember.

Dunedin Modern Art Museum reception. We went to a private reception here as part of a dental conference Tim was attending. Lots of excellent snacks and fine local wine with the opportunity to check out some impressive modern art at the same time.

Cape Farewell. The beautiful northern tip of the south island mixed a long sand spit with unique dunes, cliffs, caves and fossils. Great campground at Collingwood too, and a fine brewpub nearby.

Marlborough Sounds. We took a trip to these inlets at the northeast of the north island with our friend Dave on his boat. Fishing, diving, scallop collecting and a pub only accessible by boat made for a unique weekend.

On the Road Again

We managed to get our possessions and are now on the road. Follow the adventure at http://www.timtracyoz.blogspot.com/

Hopefully I'll also have time to finish blogging about NZ soon.

Still Trying to Catch Up

We are about to embark on our Australian adventure when we finally get our possessions out of quarantine (they are very strict on what you bring in here and we have to have our shipment inspected... mostly for mud on bikes, boots and tents). Meanwhile we are preparing our Chevy Silverado and camper for the trip (picture soon). Once we are on the move I will have time to type more.

In the end I will finish the New Zealand blog in time and link to the new Australian one.

Still Travelling

I am finally restored to the online world with a new computer. This is our last day in New Zealand and given a few minutes I'll update our recent travels .

Recent Inactivity

There has not been much on the website and blog recently as we have packed up our belongings and are traveling... plus a slight coffee laptop interface has rendered our laptop inoperative. For a quick update:

We left Wanganui on Feb 14th, spent a romantic night at the Flying Fox then headed north to Northland, the region beyond Auckland. Highlights included diving on the Poor Knights Islands and getting to the NW corner of the country, Cape Reinga.

On the 21st we picked up friends Jeff and Amy who were visiting for a week. We began in a fairly relaxed way by revisiting the Flying Fox and taking in a Super 14 Rugby game in Wellington... then managed a 4 day combo of partying Saturday night, half marathon Sunday (Jeff and Tim), climb up Ruapehu Monday (2800m, highest point in the north island) and Tongariro Crossing Tuesday. This is the classic day walk in the area, 17km with some serious climbing to see volcanic craters, lakes and spectacular mountains. We also diverted to take in the two main peaks Ngaruhoe (Mt Doom in the "Lord of the Rings" and Tongariro (see the website for earlier pictures of these two)).

Tracy and I are now embarking on a 3 day trip down the Wanganui River by canoe (kayak for the Americans) through some of the most isolated territory in the north island so don't expect an update for a few days! Then we sail for the south island for more adventures.

Ticketmaster

I just bought some tickets here through Ticketmaster. Exact same online system as the US, paid by my US Credit Card, but when it came to the massive charges you expect to get slapped with by the company in the US (service charges, transaction charges etc) there was just a reasonable $6 on a $156 bill. I'm sure that I'd have paid over $50 in the US for the same transaction. Capitalism at work I guess... but next time I buy tickets in the US I will be enquiring exactly what the extra $44 pays for.

Marlborough Sounds

Our weekend on a boat went well. The crossing to the South Island takes about 90 minutes and was a bit choppy but once you are in the sounds (a large number of inlets along the island's north coast) things calm down. We enjoyed diving (water is pretty cold here at 17C, 63F compared to our usual caribbean conditions, but we were well equipped) both to catch scallops on sandy sea floors and among rocks to find crayfish (lobsters), We also fished for the delicious blue cod and managed a night at a pub accessible only by track or sea. Tracy would like it noted that she caught a lot more keeper fish than Tim!

Weather got more settled for our final two days and the sea was very smooth (which suits me just fine!). Thanks to our friend Dave for taking us out!

Drought

Our "green and pleasant land" is currently looking awfully brown after only 16.5mm of rain (little over half an inch) in January, 90% of which fell in 1 stormy day. Like Scotland they usually expect the wet stuff to fall out of the sky so usage is not optimized and we are already having complete watering bans and emergency measures. There will certainly be some thin sheep around soon if the rain does not pick up.

Of course the warm dry weather has been great for those of us who don't depend on the land and have no stake in a wilting garden. It has also contributed to the limited number of blog entries and new pictures on the website! And the long range forecasts suggests warm dry conditions will continue, perfect for our travels. The weather has also been very warm and humid for the area, we're used to it but you notice the lack of air conditioning we all take for granted in the US.