New Zealand - Around the South Island in 7 days

I have 3 weeks to explore New Zealand … it took just 3 hours to work out this was going to be nowhere near enough time!

I gained a travelling companion in the form of Sam for the first week of the trip; we had 7 days to tour the South Island and get as much of a feel for the place as possible! It was a challenge but one we were up to! From Melbourne we flew to Christchurch – the views as we came across the Island gave an amazing taste of what was to come!

Sand Art in New Brighton

Christchurch itself is a shell of its former self, coming in to the city is very strange. You travel along roads where everything looks fine and turn a corner and a whole street is rubble. You can see the beauty of the city but it is going to take a long time for it to get to its feet again. We stayed in New Brighton just outside of the centre of the City as most of the central hostels seemed to be closed still. The seaside suburb matches the rest of the area with a ghost town feeling, but we managed to find a sand artist working on the beach and a great café to sit outside and have homemade lasagne whilst listening to a local singer. The perfect place to 

plan our route!

On Sunday morning we were up at the crack of dawn and picked up by one the nicest taxi drivers I’ve met who filled us in on the rebuilding work going on in the city & pointed out the level of destruction which at first is often not that evident if you don’t know what the place looked like before.

At 8.15am we clambered aboard the Trans Alpine Express, several guidebooks have described New Zealand’s train network to be more about the journey than getting to your destination and with views like the one we had crossing Arthur’s Pass  a) you can see what they mean and b) it beats the District Line any day so stuff getting anywhere quickly! The train winds its way through the mountains with views that are a little overwhelming! We attempted to head out on to the open air viewing decks but since everyone else had had the same idea sitting in our carriage with breakfast and a coffee gave us a better view!

The train rolls in to Greymouth at lunch time, I’m not sure I’d do the return day trip, as a lot of people seemed to be, as it’s a pretty tight turnaround at both Arthurs Pass and Greymouth! Instead we set up camp in the sleepy YHA and had a quick look round the town centre. On a Sunday the attractions seemed to consist of a café, supermarket and a tour of the local brewery (although as it’s under redevelopment at the moment that’s just a DVD and you pour as much beer as you can in 5 mins) - not much use to a gin and lemonade girl! The journey was definitely better that the destination!

Helicopter nos 3

On Monday morning it was time for another early start and another mode of transport. This time the Atomic Shuttle bus took us down to Franz Josef Glacier.  Again the views as we travelled down were stunning! And the weather was on our side, the cloud that had settled in the evening on Sunday and disappeared replaced by brilliant sunshine showing off the mountains to their best. But no time for us to hang around so after to checking into our hostel and booking ourselves on an afternoon trip we headed to the Kiwi sanctuary! As kiwi’s are both rare and nocturnal it proves rather difficult to spot them in the wild so instead we had to make do with the conservation centre which is helping with the breeding programme. These small snuffly animals dig for food with their beaks and are one of the only birds to have nostrils in their beaks hence them sounding like they permanently need a dose of Vics.

The Sanctuary has a huge amount of work to do as the kiwi is yet another of New Zealand’s native animals being affected by the introduced predators. There seems to have been a bit of a “I swallowed a fly” mentality going on with early settlers who added a host of new mammals to deal with the problems of the last one they added all of which seem to have decided the kiwi is quite a tasty dinner option! Stoats, cats & hedgehogs have all had an effect of the population and the removal of these predators and the support given to breeding pairs is vital if numbers are going to increase.

Have crampons,
will ice climb

After some lunch we headed to our afternoon activity a heli-hike up the Franz Josef Glacier. There are a variety of options to see the glacier and our primary reason for taking a helicopter up to the higher end of the glacier was to see the lakes that form up there unfortunately it turns out they all dried up several years ago! But never fear we’d had yet another ride in a helicopter and had also got to the higher reaches where the more exciting stuff is! Armed with crampons and a very cheery guide we headed out across the ice! The Glacier is retreating at the moment and formations change on a regular basis. We managed to see two beautiful ice caves, the top layers of ice are white with lots of dirt mixed in but when you get into the cave the impurities have gone and you are left with brilliant blue ice. Depending on the stage it’s at you can also get purple ice! The scale of the glacier is pretty immense and trying to stay focused on where you were going proved difficult when there was so much to look at! Our journey back down was a little hair raising when I small avalanche occurred further up the ice flow near where another group had been. A few heat stopping moments were had until contact had been re-established! The helicopter flight back down to the bottom is a bit of a rollercoaster as you are swept along the mountain top! We ended the day with a well-deserved trip to the glacial hot pools set amongst rainforest the 3 pools are at 40C, 38C & 36C and are incredibly relaxing!  

Lord of the Rings Country

Tuesday was a travel day with us heading down the road to Queenstown the adrenaline capital of New Zealand, if not the world. You can throw yourself off of things, out of things, round and round in things and down things here and pretty much every combination of the above and more! The pretty lake front town is edged by the mountain ranges used throughout Lord of the Rings and has a bustling hub. Thankfully not entirely over run by the 18 year old numpty thrill seekers (technical term!!) it’s a great place to spend a few days and to base yourself if you want to head out to Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound. We managed to fit in a bit of exploring the local bars in to our schedule and ended up in the Boiler Room listening to some great music and confusing the locals by drinking copious amounts of Pimms!

Milford Sound

Wednesday was another early start when we jumped on the BBQ Bus (I highly recommend them!) out towards Fiordland. The small group meant that we didn’t feel as herded as you do on other tours. The area is spectacular & attracts busloads of tourists so it can feel a little crowded at times. Our lunch stop at Gunns Camp took us off the beaten track and away from the huge buses; this is the bit where the tour gets its name in the form of a BBQ lunch! In the afternoon we went through the frankly eerie Homer Tunnel (it only got lights in it in the last 10 years!) and on to Milford Sound to join up with the other tour groups on a boat tour. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side so there was a misty cloud covering and drizzle throughout although that didn’t matter when we were taken into a couple of the Waterfalls that drop off the edge of the surrounding cliffs!

On Thursday we took a flight to Christchurch and picked up a car to head up the coast to Kaikoura. Driving a car in New Zealand is not the best idea, there’s too much to look at and on numerous occasions you end up veering off the road looking at yet another stunning view, let someone else do the driving whose been here before, it allows you to take photos and do the “oo’s and ahh’s” that should accompany any road trip round the islands.

Dolphins from a bucket

Kaikoura is the place to see Whales and Dolphins although be warned you will probably have to get up at the crack of dawn to catch them! We headed out with a moderate to high seas warning and a high chance of seasickness – “ha!” I thought “I’ve never been seasick before!” It turns out there really is a first time for everything and my first time seems to be just as I’m about to have the experience of a lifetime! I persevered and managed to sort of flail around with dolphins more than swim but it is quite a special moment. They seem totally unbothered by the large group of ungraceful swimmers that have joined them and as your guide says your job is to entertain the dolphins not the other way round! If you’re not feeling like you may lose what little breakfast you forced down at 5am the best way to attract the dolphins is to dive and circle in the water around them and make loud noises into your snorkel! It makes for good entertainment on the boat as well!

After a couple of hours we headed back to shore with me looking slightly green and recuperated outside one of the café’s on  the main street and then had a therapeutic walk round the few shops there. Be warned, if you are anything like me and like pretty shiny things you will end up spending a fortune here! We managed to fit in a couple of hours horse riding through the foothills to finish our time in Kaikoura. Its been a while since I rode & you forget the amount of muscles involved in sitting upright!

Getting up early has its benefits!

In the afternoon we started the journey back towards Christchurch to beat the worst of the weather coming in! Our finally early start saw us up for a flight to Wellington on the North Island, in the middle of the WEATHER BOMB (dun dun dun!!) News and weather reports seemed to be enjoying dramatically introducing the low pressure that caused winds to whip up and rain to come at you from pretty much every angle possible! It made our short flight across the Tasman a little hair raising (I think nervous flyer Sam would describe this slightly different and with a few more expletives!) It made to a dramatic end to our whistle stop tour of the South Island! 

So the moral of this story is that if you are short on time you can do the best of the South Island in a week! It’s great fun if you approach it in the right way and if the weather is on your side. If you have the time though, don’t rush it. The place is stunning and there is so much to do you could easily lose months to exploring the place!

One other tip - remind yourself of the Lord of the Rings score before you go for the perfect soundtrack in your head otherwise you’ll be frustratingly humming the first few bars over and over again! 

Next time – the North Island in 10 days!

Fraser Island to the Great Barrier Reef

Having spent a week in Sydney and hopped my way quickly up the coast I ended up in Paradise!

The view as we arrived at
 Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island which is exactly what it sounds like! An Island completely made of sand blown in from as far away from the South Pole, caught in the coast line of Australia until it builds up and clears the water line. It’s also one of the very few sand islands which supports plant life which leads to a luscious landscape.

Thanks to the joys of discount voucher websites we were staying in the relative luxury of the KingfisherBay Resort rather than having to rough it camping out in the bush. After meeting the resident March Fly I was even more grateful for our plush room! Fraser Island is reached by ferry from Hervey Bay where you join the hundreds of 4x4’s that trek to the Island every day.  The weather was stunning and made for quite a welcome to the Island! Our first day on Fraser was spent relaxing by the pool because frankly this sightseeing malarkey is pretty hard work so 
I needed a rest!

On our second day we had booked in to take a tour of the Island on a 4x4 bus. These monster trucks allow you to explore the sights with less chance of you rolling & getting buried in the sand! They are also quite an experience! The tracks are incredibly uneven and give you a roller-coaster ride as you are thrown about. We had a couple of moments where we were on the verge of having to get pulled out but our expert driver got us through. While I can imagine it’s a lot of fun to drive yourself the prospect of having to dig and push a 4x4 every 50 feet isn’t exactly relaxing!

After stopping at one of the sand blows that create the Island (huge sand lakes that allow the sand to cover the forests and build up the layers that keep the island there and able to support the forests.) we headed on to 75 Mile Beach which is neither 75 miles long (more like 73) or a beach really! Its primary use is as a highway and a runway! It’s a slightly surreal experience tanking up the beach at 80kmh passing other vehicles while a small plane takes off and lands in the gaps!

Our first stop on the beach was Eli Creek where you can jump in at the top of the creek and get swept along back to the beach. Interestingly a couple had decided that rather than any of the many picturesque spots Fraser has to offer they would get married on the beach so in effect on the highway and if nothing else in the large car park for Eli Creek!

As I seem to be making a habit of this I went up in the light aircraft that takes off from the beach and crosses the coast to see some of the lakes that litter the island. I think I’m definitely a helicopter girl! I wasn’t so keen on getting buffeted around and chasing a Landover down the beach to land was also a little unnerving! I have now completed the number one and two scenic flights in Australia. Apparently the 12 Apostles helicopter is number 1 and the Fraser Island plane is number 2. I think I would have to agree with that order! I’m considering trying to complete the top ten!

The Maheno - Sans the 900
 people standing behind me!

We then carried on up the highway/beach/runway to the Pinnacles (an area of exposed sand where you can see the layers that make up the Island. We then doubled back and stopped at the wreck of the Maheno a ship from the 30’s that ran aground whilst being towed for scrap. The only problem with Fraser Island is the number of people tramping round getting in all your photos! It has the feel of a deserted island paradise until you spot the 200 people who are standing behind you, all taking the same photo as you! As our driver said, the way to ward of a Dingo is say DINGO really loudly, not because it will scare them away but the 200 people charging up behind you to take a picture will!

This was particularly evident at Lake Mackenzie where it proved a little difficult to get a spot to enjoy the crystal clear waters that are supposed to have the power to make you 10 years younger! We finished the day with a bumpy ride back to the hotel for dinner! I’d love to explore the Island more in a smaller group all be it with either some 4x4 training under my belt or an experienced guide! There seemed to be a lot of people bundling off in to the bush thinking they were going for a nice drive down the A12!

In the evening on the Saturday we joined a night walk with our very enthusiastic guide Jay who showed us round the nightlife that inhabits the resort. A Sugar Glider, Trap Door spiders, Wolf spiders (whose eyes reflect light and look like they belong to something the size of a wolf!) and Stingrays all provided an amazing night time show. Although my wildlife curse struck again when we didn’t see any Dingo’s! The evening was topped of with a huge fireball meteor streaking across the sky. The bonus of staying at an eco-resort meaning very little light pollution and a stunning nights sky, the smudge of the Milky Way clearly visible!

Sunday morning and we got out early to join a Kayak safari along the Island coast to another Mangrove Creek which supports a complex eco system of plants and wildlife – none of which wanted to come out and play! I’m told they always see turtles and snakes in the water so clearly my curse struck again!

After a last hour soaking by the pool we reluctantly climbed aboard the afternoon ferry to return to the mainland and I struck out on my own again up the East Coast on the overnight Greyhound! Unfortunately I seemed to pick up the Gap Year students who had spent the summer working to get their second Working Holiday Visa and were a little bit over excited at the prospect of a 14 hour coach ride! I’m not entirely sure I understood their enthusiasm but we made it to the end of the journey without me going postal on them so everything’s fine!

I had arrived in the Whitsundays, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and they are a stunning set of Islands! I caught the early ferry to Long Island a slightly dilapidated Honeymooners paradise and went off to explore my new surroundings. I decided to take the leisurely 5.9km walk which turned into a mammoth 3 ½ hour tramp across the island! Although I did stumble across the other resort on the island, now deserted as the owners went in to receiver ship. It’s a slightly odd place. Left pretty much intact and as it was when up market holiday makers swam in the pools & relaxed on the verandas of the cabins. This is all ready for any potential buyers coming to visit but makes for a slightly eerie walk through if you are on your own!

My second day in the Whitsundays was the day of my trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We headed out early to meet the huge catamaran that took us to the reef pontoon that Cruise Whitsundays have moored out Knuckle Reef about a 2 hour sail from the mainland. I got talked into doing a scuba dive and another helicopter ride! The staff were great and with 80 of us on board neither the board or the pontoon felt that busy. I’m not sure the same could be said if the boat was at capacity of 300.

Scuba diving was out of this world! We went out in groups of 4, 2 to an instructor who guided us round the reef. Unfortunately the current was fairly strong and we had someone in the group who was having some difficulty getting used to the breathing technique they wouldn’t let me swim on my own I had to remain hand in hand with the instructor.  The reef really was gorgeous and everything you see on the telly! The diversity of the reef and animal life calling it home blew me away and I had to keep reminding myself that swimming around with my mouth open the whole time was not going to be a good idea! When I realised we were heading back to the pontoon I couldn’t believe our hour was already up! I jumped straight back in the water as soon as I could with snorkel and mask to see the reef from above.

After lunch it was time for my helicopter flight. I’d been disappointed earlier in the day when I was told I might not be able to go up because I was travelling on my own! But when I went to check in I discovered that not only was I going up but they’d upgraded me for free to the 20 minute flight instead of the 10 minute flight. It meant that I got to see more of the reef including the heart shape reef that makes it on to postcards and posters around the world. It’s much smaller than you imagine but the blues and greens of the sea are unbelievable and none of my photos will do them justice! As we headed back to the pontoon we saw a couple of logger head turtles and stingrays gliding through the water. Although apparently my wildlife curse had struck again as our pilot pointed out they usually saw a lot more!

After another swim and a glass bottom boat ride we headed back to the mainland. I spent the evening in the beach bar watching the sun set – the colours were stunning! It proved to be a little hard to connect with people as the resort was so couple and family orientated but I managed to getting chatting to a couple of people.

In the morning it was time to say goodbye to the picturesque Whitsundays and start the journey back to Melbourne for my last few days in Australia! I have thoroughly enjoyed the 5 weeks I’ve spent down under.  I love the mix of old and new that you get in all the cities on the East coast. It’s probably a lot to do with the fact that I spent the most time there but Melbourne really stood out for me. The thriving arts scene means it’s just my kind of place and the communities within the thriving suburbs are really interesting. Whereas Sydney had a few nice spots there was too much big city grime mixed in with it, Melbourne’s nice bits outweigh the grotty stuff. The close proximity to places like Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road so you can easily escape the big city also make it a winner for me.