Bumming around the world since 1996: New Zealand

Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts

09 January 2010

6 Dec 2009-16 Jan 2010: New Zealand

Wellington
I flew from the UK and landed into Auckland airport knowing I was home....I got greeted very warmly by the immigration officer! Once I was in Wellington I also knew I was home as on day 1 I felt my first earthquake!

Mum and Dad were in good spirits and the first week was spent catching up with friends in Wellington and getting over jet lag (which wasn't too bad). I did have to wait 3 days before I saw the sunshine...and it wasn't exactly very warm either! But home is home!

Waitomo
I hired a car for most of my stay in NZ - much easier and lots more freedom with a car. My first trip was to Waitomo Caves where I did a 5-hr tubing and abseiling trip into the caves. Absolutely fantastic experience (as long as you aren't claustophobic) and as there were only 2 of us we got to do far more than most trips. The water in the caves was actually slightly warmer than I imagined, but we were still in a full wetsuit.

Raglan

The next port of call was a quaint little town called Raglan (east coast of the North Island). I was there for one thing only...surfing. I was staying at the Karioi Lodge just by Mana Bay (where the left break is the most consistent in the southern hemisphere). The weather was generally sunny and I had 6 days of surfing. Very exhausting but so much fun and lots of people to talk to at the lodge. The waves were not as big or rough as Croyde Bay (Devon), but consistently good. I would definitely go back there for more surfing as it is such a nice spot.

Xmas week
I went back down to Wellington for Xmas week (but it was one hell of a drive...8hrs solid). My brother Jason and his wife Caroline had also arrived from the UK so half the Lind family were together.

Xmas day was typically NZ style...get up, unwrap pressies, have a hot lunch, afternoon snooze, and then a light dinner. Lots of champers, chocolates and rich food! But we would have it no other way!

Whakatane
Jason, Caroline and I stayed in Wellington for a few more days before heading up to Whakatane (near to Tauranga). It was a long day....8hrs driving....but the hire car was top of the range and was so comfortable to drive (and very easy to put the speed on). We also managed to get up there in time for the sunset which was very beautiful.

Thornton Holiday Park was packed full with people, but we weren't camping, we had a cabin. This is very typical way New Zealanders spend their holidays...and we were only a few minutes walk from the beach which was long and largely undeveloped. Lots of people were there to fish...but we were there for for some R&R and fun.

One day we headed to Rotorua where we did a white water rafting trip down Kaituna Falls. It is a 7m waterfall which the raft (and hopefully everyone) rafts down. The trip was very well organised, very professional and a lot of fun. We then went to Polynesian Spa for a well earned rest in very, very hot spring water!

The rest of the time in Whakatane was spent relaxing, checking out Whakatane, going to Ohope Beach (beautiful), and just not doing much. We ended up in Whakatane for New Year's Eve and I can't say it was kicking off like it would in London, but enough that we had a good time.

Picton
On 2 January 2010, I flew down to Nelson and Jason and Caroline flew back to the UK via Phuket. I then had 7 days of R&R which involved walking, canoeing, reading and not doing very much. I was staying at Portage Hotel (backpacker part) so I would usually start the day with a latte on the balcony and then decide what I was going to do for the rest of the day. The weather was fab, so I also working hard on my tan.

Wellington
And so my 6-week trip was coming to an end...the last week was spent in Wellington saying goodbye to friends and family and generally trying to savour the last few days of freedom!

The trip was everything I hoped it would be and it was so good catching up with friends and particularly family. I was also lucky with the weather so the whole trip was something that I will remember for a long while (well...at least until my next trip to Austria skiing in March!).

More photos....

02 January 2007

Dec/Jan 2007 - New Years at Marlborough Sounds

28 December 2006 - 2 January 2007

What a wonderful way to spend 5 days...chilling out in the Marlborough Sounds. I had organised a 5-day trip to Lochmara Bay in Marlborough Sounds and invited two friends and my mother along with me. Basically a girls-only break in the sunshine with lots of alcohol and good food! We were staying at a place called Lochmara Lodge which is about 20mins boat ride from Picton (top of the South Island). Luckily the ferry journey from Wellington was in good conditions and sunshine (as was the water taxi ride from Picton to the lodge).

The very first things we did was take a walk around the lodge...they have about 40 hammocks strewn around the massive property and you just need to figure out which has the best sunshine and breeze (or not). It was sometimes the hardest decision of the day as to which hammock to snooze in!

By the time we had a look around and familiarised ourselves with area, it was time to open the first bottle of wine (of 14) that we had bought with us. They don't sell food and alcohol here so we had to bring all our food and drink with us (other than for the evening meal which we ordered every night). After a few bottles of wine and a very tasty dinner, it was time for (what would become our ritual), evening spa. I think our 'arrrhs' and 'oohs' were heard all over the lodge as the spa has a balcony looking over the water and the water was very warm! I think we lasted 20mins before we became overheated and had to beat a hasty retreat back to the lodge. By the time we had showered and dressed, I think we were very much ready for bed.

The next day we sat in the sun, read, went kayaking, snoozed in hammocks, went for walks, ate, drank and just lazed about. Not a very active day, but we were only just starting to unwind. The weather was fantastic but there were times when the sun was hidden by the clouds and it got a bit chilly. This also happened at night when the sun set and the wind came up. But with the open fire and nightly spa we didn't feel the cold too much.

The third day was definitely more active with Deirdre, Cheryl and myself going out for a 6hr walk from Anikawa back to the lodge along the Queen Charlotte Track. We got dropped off by the boat and then spent the day walking back. We had lots of sun and the track was pretty flat and easy...except for a steep climb up to a 450m lookout point. From here we had 360 views of the Marlborough Sounds...worth every bead of sweat (though Deirdre thinks otherwise)!

That night was New Year's Eve so out came more bottles of wine mixed with games of patanque, laughter, good conversation and a skinny dip by the very adventurous lodge staff! A great way to see in the new year.

No hangover the next day so Cheryl and myself spent the morning kayaking and then we all spent the day doing absolutely nothing other than reading. playing games, chatting, and snoozing in the very comfortable hammocks. Bliss. That night we had lamb shank for dinner and then polished off the last bottles of wine. With the spa thrown in as well, we were pretty knackered from the night before and I think we all had a good nights sleep before our departure the next morning.

After all the relaxation, food and rest, we were ready to face the world again. That was before we realised we would be sailing back into Wellington with 5 knot weather! By the time we had docked, I think half the people on the ferry were throwing up or at least feeling there were about to! We also had 11 degree cold southerlies blowing so the holiday felt like a dim memory by the time we all got home.

But I think we can all say we had a great time unwinding, relaxing and gathering the necessary energy to tackle the new year.