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When we landed in Signapore, we had to wait 4 hours, and Signapore airport offered us a free 2 hour trip by bus into Signapore. It felt a bit like a monkey-ride through a fake environment, but it was still better than endless airport shopping.
Finally we arived in Auckland, and after a long and tiresome flight, we went into the historical center to eat something, and we spend the rest of the day zombie-ing around.. tomorrow, our trip would really kick off!
The very next day we drove up to Hehei beach, our first official stop with our rental cars, a bit of a test to see if we could drive on the left side, and most of all, if we could handle the special braking system and automatic gear shifting.. well.. stories enough about this :)
Finally a chance to swim away all the fatigue from the flight.. everybody started becoming more relax and at ease already!
The first big walk of the group was organised in Tongariro National Park, the most beautifull one-day walk in the world, according to the tourist information centers. And it was really REALLY awesome. And Mount Doom was just the icing on the cake.
Lake Taupo is one of the biggest inner lakes of the Northern Island.
New Zealand gets a lot of it`s energy from the natural steam wells, and in the past, the natives used the steam to ook their meals. The hot and sometimes toxic fumes create a very strange almost prehistoric landscape and atmosphere..
Our first real lodge. The concept is simply brilliant and I really like this way of traveling. Amazing that this sort of thing doesn`t exist around our vicinity.
One of the geothermal facilities on the island.
Waimangu is another national park where the original fauna has mostly been preserved and protected. Some very amazing sights here!
Rotoroa reminds us on the English colonial era, and the mixture of style and culture with the natives.
After about 5 days of travelling, we flew into Nelson from Wellington airport. Some hidden surprises for Nat, our biggest LotR fan.
In New Zealand you find the weirdest of places. In this case, we backpacked at the one and only Old Mcdonnald`s Farm!
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After a well deserved rest, we started off on an 8 hour walk along the beaches of the Tasman Sea, in the Abel Tasman National park. The forrest and plant diversity was simply impressive, and some of the pictures I took are simply post-card material!
After Abel Tasman, we set out early in the morning, driving through the mist. When we came out of the mist, we got presented with the ever delightfull pancake rocks!
One of the famous glaciers around the world. We climbed it, learned about it`s demise, and were very impressed by this giant of ice.
/thumbs/Lake Matheson 01 Cascade.JPG "18 Lake Matheson (Mirror Lake)"){kind=small}
Lake Matheson, a.k.a. The Mirror Lake, where you can have the View of Views on a bright sunny day. Alas, there was not much bright sunlight when we were there, but it was worth it :)
After Frans Jozef, we started going east, crossing over the island, to the eastcoast.
We stayed at Buscott, which was much more than a simple bus stop. We were again camping out at a magical farm, just like it must have been in the old english days. The land owner also owned some windmills and a stew dam, and sold energy to the state. Apart from the regular sheep business that is of course. Quite impressive.
We set out to watch some Pinguin collonies, but apparently they all went fishin that afternoon? All? No, not all. Actually there was a single pinguin chick left in a cave, and I got his butt on my lens ;)
Nature has strange twists. The Mouraki Boulders are, just like the pancake rocks, one of the most puzzling features of the South Island.
The largest bird in the world, the albatros, has an important steakout on the rough terrain on the cliffs of the eastcoast. Amazing.
The steepest street in the world. And nice visitors, too :)
Lighthouses have a magical attraction on them. This one is no different.
The Catlins are the most southern part of the South Island of New Zealand. The sea is rough and temperatures were a few degrees down, but we got to see a wonderfull show on the beach!
Slope Point is the point closest to Antarctica.
Back up into the heart of the South Island. Queenstown is Adventure City. If you didn`t fell alive just yet, you`ll have all the rides of your life right here.
A 3 day walking trip into the mountain area around Queenstown, all the way to the Tasman Sea. Wooden lodges, little electricity, a fantastic experience.. cool :)
After all that energy burning on the Routeburn, it was time for a bit of well-deserved relaxing on the Millford Sound. I made some wonderfull shots here!
We tripped back to Queenstown to pick up our gear at the lodge and then set off for Mount Cook.
/thumbs/AJHB_AJHK_2004_02_16_C1031_9711.jpg "32 Bunji @ Hacket Bunji Kawarau Bridge (43m)"){kind=small}
But first I jumped a bit from a bridge because I am stupid :)
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