Where did we go, what did we do?
Good question, I might add, as it seems almost impossible to remember all we've done ourself when so much happens in a short time. The pictures help, though... (Getting old and senile here)
We spent easter in the city of Dunedin and also explored the fabulous Otago peninsula where we saw wild sealions among other things! Just right there at the beach! There is also a picture where Raine tries to be one =) A major part of this time was stuffing oursef with as much chocolate as possible, as it was easter. Driving further south along the coast we saw the very rare yellow eyed penguine. They are about 40 cm tall and you cant get very close, so the pictures are not that great, but they were out in the wild, all around at the beaches at dusk. Just like the ones in Antarctica but smaller. Soo cute! Felt quite unreal actually.
The most southern point of the mainland, where you are about as close to Antarctica as the equator was a memorable place, very windy with a small lighthouse ( love those) in a dramatic setting. You could lean against the wind in a 45 degree angle without falling!
Super duper tourist attraction Milford sound in the Fjordlands was for me as I had expected a major letdown, not my scene at all, but Raine did a cruise at the sound and apparently liked it even though it was raining crazy. The waterfalls are impressive, must admit. I was happy when we got to Queenstown, suddenly we had the sun out again and the city was just beautiful next to a stunning lake with snowtopped mountains at the back. Wanaka at a lake with the same name was equally nice, both places where you can do any extreme activity you could think of. We concentrated on the scenery cos next up was glacier land and the two glaciers of Franz Josef and Fox. We both ended up doing a full day hike up Franz Josef, which for both was one of the highlights of the tour. We saw grottos of clear blue ice and walked up and down the icy cravades of the glaciere for many hours. Hard work I tell you, but so worth it!
The Nelson region up north was set in a lovely countryside where for the first time we saw something else than sheep growing on the fields... Appletrees, grapes, rasp- and boysenberries everywhere, it was like being in a garden. Had a picnic lunch in a winery and enjoyed the warm weather. The city of Nelson itself is quite an artsy one, and besides enoying civilisation again in the form of shops and cafes I even visited an art gallery. Good for the soul!
Next up was what I had been waiting for almost the most, the wine region of Marlborough, that is the biggest in New Zealand. 30 years ago the area was waistland, the soil so dry you couldn't grow anything there, not even grass for the sheep. Then they realised the climate AND the soil is just perfect for cold climate grapes and the rest is history. Now the wine for both the local and the export markets together with a substential tourism industry has changed the once poor countryside to a fastly developing very wealthy area, and every hectar of the best land is covered with grapes. Now this is a time span even I can relate to! The approach to wine making is quite different from that in Europe, if something can be done more efficiantely it will, cos there are no traditions to hold on to. The unbelievably fruity taste of the Sauvignon Blanc only from this small area is apparently a result of dry soil, warm days and cold nights. The difference in temperature between day and night is key, and as a result the wines from this area have a very different taste from those even just from Nelson. We visited many many wineries and tasted many many many wines...!
It was now almost time to return our camper van, just had time to see Kaikoura at the east coast and saw some more seals and some more very beautiful coastline. Kaikoura is a major seafood town, and I tried some lobster for the first time in my life. The last two days we've spent in Christchurch again, and after doing a bit of flight changing (were supposed to fly out from Nelson but this is better) we'll fly via Auckland straight to the kingdom of Tonga tomorrow!
Life in a campervan
So the time in the 2 x 6 metal tube is over. What was it like? Did we kill each other? Did we kill anyone at all? I knew I'd get you interested!
No, we didn't kill each other although we had our scuffles. And yes, we knew how to drive on the left side of the road so we didn't kill anyone on the way.
And yes, we had a great time. The camper gave us the freedom to choose our daily rythm and directions. We were not tied up to pre designed routes or schedules and I guess the freedom of doing what we wanted was the best. Now, why didn't we just hire a car and sleep in the hostels and such? One reason was that we've never tried to live in a camper before. It also gave us the possibility to do wild camping i.e. stop in the wilderness and spend a night in whatever beautiful place we passed by. We didn't do as much wild camping as one might do during the summer but there were times when we were happy to be able to take a break when we felt like it.
Now, the camper we chose was a small one. It wasn't the bare van type many backpackers drive but it wasn't a big one either. Such a small camper is agile and easy to drive and the interior is big enough to house two adults. The main difference between a camper and normal van type is the greater hight of the camper and the better design of space. The vans we have seen are usually fully packed with stuff and every time they need to change from car to kitchen or from car to beds they seem to turn every inch of the van upside down. With a camper van the car and the kitchen and the living room is always there for you. When we needed to set the beds we simply took the table board and placed it as the bed basin. Well, quite not that simple but the way I see it the camper was much more easier to live with. We of course also had the outdoors around us and when ever the weather allowed we expanded our 2 x 6 box to a luxury five star picnic dream.
The cooking part was always a bit of a hassle. There was really space for only one person to do the cooking so we usually took turns to make the dinner. We did end up cooking quite a lot ourselves and as we could carry quite a lot of food with us we ended having almost gourmet meals. Or how does it sound when our normal salad dinner included: lettuce, silverbeat, spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, chick peas, avocado and free range eggs. All this was topped with sour cream, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sometimes the salad was served with nachos and always with local wine.
Now that our life in the camper is left behind I can say that it was a good experience and offered a lot of good memories.
Sunny day in Queenstown
It's been a bit cold weather lately but today we've been enjoying the sun and the unbelievable sights of Queenstown. As you can see from the pictures we've taken, this place is something close to heaven. The snow peaks of most of the mountains are only a few days old as the cold front from Tasmania pushed wet and cold winds and resulted in a nice snow cover on the mountain tops.
After traveling for a few months in a warm climate (and yes Viki, the nights in Newham were warm compared to the ones we're experiencing in NZ at the moment) the cold weather is freezing even my thoughts. The cold seems to penetrate all the way to the bones and I feel like freezing in place unless i wear all the clothes I'm carrying with me. You might say that +5 degrees is not so bad but if you add up the strong winds you'll understand my point. I shouldn't be complaining though. The places we've seen have been so amazing that the cold is easy to forget. We also have a heater in the van so the breeze can be avoided during the night by camping at powered sites in camping grounds.
I've added a couple of new pictures which include atleast a few shots of sea lions and multiple waterfalls from Milford sounds. We've been travelling the south island down from Dunedin and all the way around the southern parts. There are a few pictures fron the most southern point of the South Island of NZ but I have to say that the quality of all the pictures from that point are not the best. The reason for this was the strong gusts of wind at the coast. I actually had to lean forward against the wind to not being knocked over by the wind. Try taking sharp pictures there?! Oh well. The sunset there was amazing. We also visited Milford Sounds for a day to take the cruise in there to see the fiords and the great waterfalls. Usually there are only two permanent waterfalls but now there were hundreds of waterfalls all over the Milford Sounds.
South Island NZ in a van
Yes, we really did it, hired a camper van for a month! Crazy idea, none of us has ever before set a foot inside one... Is it gonna be fun or will we kill each other from lack of space? Time will tell, but it IS a very good way to see this country, freedom to drive where-ever whenever and camp just where we want to. Some nights we've tried wildcamping, but mostly we try to park in holiday parks to get electricity, heating and shower facilities. Its not much bigger than a normal van, but higher, you can easily stand straight inside. It has a mini-kitchen with all you can need and actually seems to work all right! (The van can be found in many pictures)
Spent this day in the city of Dunedin, second largest in the south island and had a minor catastrophie when trying to shop for easter eggs. As the Easter Bunnie is the one bringing the chocolates (this is to be taken seriously!) we of course have to snoop behind each others backs attempting to buy the best ones. And OF COURSE we would do that in the same shop at the same time, almost colliding in the aisle, hands full of eggs... There went that suprise, but we now know there's gonna be LOTS of chocolate this easter =)
So, after Christchurch we've been to the coastal town of Akaroa, where we went on a dolphin watching tour and saw seals, birds, one penguine and lots of wild dolphins (see pictures)! I also found myself a doctor for a minor problem that should be OK now. We stopped in a few towns on our way to lakes Pukaki and Tekapo in the middle of the island. The non-real blue colour of theese lakes is amazing, again see pictures. Here Raine also did that skydive of his. On the way to Dunedin we stopped on the coast in Moeraki, which was a beautiful fishing village that a little bit reminded us of the finnish arcipelago, but was somehow exotic anyway. Lovely place, could easily spend a week there.
It's all so beatiful here, we cant stop beeing amazed. The amount of natural wonders in such a small country is unbelievable. So far we've had great weather (if cold at times), so we're waiting for the rain to start as we are soon heading further south...
Have a great easter and eat lots of chocolate =) !
Skydiving at 12,000 feet!
At the moment I'm on an internet cafe in Dunedin and I'm trying to upload some of the pictures I've taken so far. I want to leave most of the stories for Carina to tell but as the title says I'd love to share the few moments of the adrenaline rush with you.
So, there I was on the shore of Lake Pukaki, looking in wonder at the snow peaks of Mt Cook. The crystal blue lake in front of me and the deep blue sky over me making the perfect day up in the mountain valley. I went to see the tourist info on the shore of the lake and noted the skydiving brochure in front of me. Now, for those who doesn't know I'm scared of hights! I know, I've been on many of the high buildings around the world but every time I'm leaning on the edge of an high building I have this tickling feeling on my toes and my muscles turn to jelly.
I've got also another thing to share with you. All my life I've dreamed of flying. This time I don't mean the method of sitting in a tin can for hours to get from point A to B. I mean the actual feeling of drifting in the wind like a feather. I've wanted to feel the breeze on my skin and be able to drift in the passing air. In my sleep time dreams I floated away from our balcony and landed safely to the closeby clifs. Sometimes I was lifted from the ground and I was able to catch the wind and just drift away until another dream catched me while sleeping. Flying have always been one of my dreams.
Anyway, there I was, on the lake shore and suddendly I had a booking for the skydive from a close by airstrip. The airfield was a really small one. Just one short runway for a really small plane although they we're building an extension for the airfield at that time. The skydive office consisted of two people. The pilot/office personel and the skydive master. Usually they have someone to take pictures of the jump but as that person was absent I was allowed to take my own camera with me. Well, I saved some 150$ but I wasn't able to take any pictures while free falling.
There's not so many things for me to know before doing a tandem jump. I got fitted into that super sexy jump suit and was given the basic introduction to the different phases of the jump. That said and done I was already sitting in the plane. The plane was the smallest one I've ever seen. There was one seat for the pilot and some empty space on the floor for me and the jump master. There was no fanfares or anything but only few needed words between the pilot and the jump master and we were already taxing on the runway. Without an effort the plane was in the air and already heading upwards with a roar of the powerful engine.
Soon the ground was far below us and the mountains were getting closer. The lake Pukaki was glowing bright blue underneath and the snow peaks of the mountains were already below us. We continued upwards and turned back towards the valley where I was told to exit the plane - 12,000 feet above the ground. While on the plane I had time to take some pictures and enjoy the ride but when the pilot told us we have three minutes for the jump the reality hit me hard. Three minutes and then I'll voluntarily jump out of perfectly good and steadily flying airplane. Why would anyone want to jump into nothing with a bag of ropes and some peace of cloth?! Are you insane?!
One minute. My heart was beating faster and I was trying to remember the instructions for the exit.
"Let's go!" The pilot opened the door and I was almost stunned by the force of the air forcing it's way into the cabin. I was pulling myself towards the opening and my legs were already over the edge and finding a holding on the landing gear. The jump master was behind me and when he got his feet out I felt the plane turning steeply upwards. One... I was pushed forward. Two... I felt the plane turn sideways and I was taken back into the cabin. The plane turned more to the side. Three! The plane did a sharp turn upwards and to the side and I was already feeling the lift, the sensation when you're falling really fast.
The world was below me.
I was turning upside down.
Falling!
Suddenly my heart was beating again after pausing for a heartbeat or two. I got the signal to raise my arms. We were turned to face the rapidly closing mountain peaks. The speed and the rush of adrenaline was trembling through my body. I was screaming for the pure feeling of pleasure, speed and the mortality! I was flying like in my dreams, falling through the air and having the sensations I had longed for all my life. Five seconds.
Ten seconds. I don't have the words to describe my feelings.
Fourty seconds. I felt there was no end to the fall. I was screaming, I think.
Fourty five seconds and I felt someting was happening behind me. I felt a small tug but the rushing air and the blood running through my vains was too much for me to hear the thud of the opening parashute. I felt the slight drag and then another tug and the speed was slowing. The freefall was over and my feet were pointing towards the ground. I was almost at the level of the mountain peaks and the ground was far below me. Too far for me to understand being afraid. I was gently guided to look around. The jump master was turning us around and I saw the lakes, the mountains, Mt Cook was over there on the north and the valley was opening all around us. I remembered my camera and was trying to take some pictures but I didn't know which way to shoot. There's no way of taking a picture that would give any justice for what I was feeling or seeing.
The ground was getting closer and I could see some movement underneath. The airfield was seen clearly now and the small hut, the skydiving office. Carina was looking at me from the terace of that small building and I waved at her. At this point I was told the instructions for the landing. Not too soon I guess but the instructions were easy. The ground was getting closer and for me it seemed I was about to hit the ground too fast. Just when we were about to crash and get killed the jump master pulled the strings and we landed softly to the ground. My legs touched the ground and with few clicks I was released from the harnes and was left standing alone on the spot. I was alive and Carina was walking to me and I was walking to her. I was so happy. The feelings I had at that moment is something out of this world. I'm sure the grin on my face will never fade.
This my friends was my first skydive ever and the place was Mt Cook.
New country - New opportunities - New Zealand!
Where did all the time go? I know I've been in Australia a few months but where did that time go? I remember having a blast - everyday. I tried surfing, sailing and sun bathing on the east coast. I enjoyed the cafes and the urban life of Melbourne and Adelaide. I was voluntering on a farm (dog boarding kennel) for a few weeks. Every beat of my heart was pure love and joy for Australia. I loved the east coast and Mel but I'm sure I am going to miss Viki and Barry the most.
Now, we've been a few days in Christhchurch and I have had the opportunity to relax and try to adjust my feelings to a new place. We arrived to NZ in the middle of the night and tried to sleep in the dorm the best we could. I say "the best we could" because some simple minded nolife had left the damn windows open in the room. It was around 9 C outside and it wasn't much better inside. So, the first part of the night went closing the windows, trying to sleep and then notice that there are open windows elsewhere that needed to be closed. This is something I'll never figre out. Why? Why on earth would someone like to keep all the windows open when it's 9 degrees outside?! Anyway, for the second night we were better prepared and it was actually quite warm and I had a good 10 hours of sleep. We even managed to fix our flights (we needed to re-issue a few flights in NZ) and see parts of the city the few first days.
What I used to say back in Finland was that we might have to travel on budget and therefore we wont have the money to hire a car in NZ. But when there is a need there are the means! After some fierce searching we managed to find a camper van which should be suitable for our budget. So, for the next 24 days we're living, sleeping and travelling in a 2 x 6 meter space. Starting from monday morning we are set loose on wheels. Fear NZ!
