New Zealand, Sydney and back to UK

February 25, 2006 19:21

Kayaking in Fjordland

Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, which are actually both fjords, but were mistakenly named Sounds by the early European settlers, are one of the top natural tourist attractions on the South Island. After checking out the various sightseeing options of the usual boat trips etc, we decided (in our wisdom) that the best way to see both Sounds would be to take a kayaking trip. We booked to go for a day’s kayaking on Milford Sound, and then another two days on Doubtful Sound.

So, on our first day, after it had rained most of the night and the rain was still battering the roof of the camper van when the alarm went off at 5.30am, we were not particularly thrilled at the prospect of getting up to go kayaking. However, we made our way to Milford Sound, hopeful that ‘it might clear up’! Despite the weather the scenery on the way there was awesome, and as we didn’t have time to stop we made plans to break our return journey in the evening with a few photo stops at the various viewpoints along the way.

We arrived at Milford Sound and got kitted out, only to be told by our guides that the forecast was for lots more rain and wind during the day. However, they also stressed that the Sounds are much more impressive in the wet weather than the dry, and although we wouldn’t be able to get picture postcard photos, we would see 100’s more waterfalls, and much more dramatic scenery than if we’d had a gorgeous sunny day. Suitably encouraged, and keen to escape the persistent sandflies that hadn’t been discouraged by the rain, we soon got on the water and paddled out from the edge of the sound. (Giles and I didn’t realise until later that because we had said that we had some paddling experience, we were given the heaviest kayak with all the safety kit in – which made for very tired arms later in the day!)

We were soon introduced to one of Milford Sound’s largest permanent waterfalls. We could hear the noise of it, and it looked huge, even though we were sitting a kilometre away from it. We had no need to get any closer as we soon found several falls crashing into the sound as we paddled up the other side. These were just some of the falls that had been created from several days of rain, which wouldn’t usually exist. The scenery proved to be awesome, just as we’d hoped, and perhaps more so because we were so low on the water. And even though we were unable to see Mitre Peak in its full glory because of the low cloud, we still felt the presence of the peaks stretching up around us. Our guide kept us entertained with lots of Maori tales, which for a while helped to take our minds off just how cold we were getting.

However, the weather seemed determined to drive us off the Sound, and we soon came to experience how strong the wind can be when it comes straight off the coast and is tunnelled into a valley. We were paddling hard into the wind but getting nowhere, so our guide decided we should make use of the wind and construct a sail which would help us to cruise back into the shore for some lunch. After 10 minutes unravelling the sail and giving everyone instructions on how to use it, the inevitable happened - the wind dropped. Anyway, we finally made it back into the shore just before we all turned blue from the cold. Unfortunately, it was decided to cut the day short because the weather was too unreliable and everyone was just too cold to get back on the water. So we got back into warm dry clothes and back in the van and headed back to Te Anau, ever hopeful that the weather would improve for our trip to Doubtful Sound the following day. The ‘photo stops’ that we had planned on the way into Milford went to pot as we were both so cold that neither of us were willing to get back out of the van while it was still raining! The cameras were sadly under-utilised that day – hence lack of pics on this post.

When we got back to Te Anau we had a chat with our guides and we were warned that the forecast for the following day was even worse. We were told to get up and be ready at the usual time but that there was every chance that they might have to cancel the trip once they had checked the forecast the next morning. So, early to bed and early up again, and we were hopeful because the rain had stopped in Te Anau, but… unfortunately the forecast for the day was bad, and so the trip was cancelled. We were very disappointed as we were particularly looking forward to seeing Doubtful Sound, but hey, at least it gives us an excuse to come back one day!

East Coast

After our cancelled kayaking trip we said goodbye to Te Anau and drove across the country to the East Coast. We spent a morning in Dunedin, visiting the Cadbury’s factory and wandering around the shops. Then we headed for the Otago Peninsula to see some wildlife. We arrived late afternoon and wandered around the coast looking for the albatross that were supposed to be there. During the early evening we went on a tour of a penguin sanctuary, which involved walking through covered trenches which had been dug out to allow visitors to see the penguins without disturbing them. They were Yellow-Eyed Penguins, which are peculiar to New Zealand, and are generally much smaller than other species. Visiting during the evening meant that we were able to watch all the penguins coming in from having spent the day out a sea, and coming back to feed their young. The pups that we saw were about 6 weeks old, and incredibly noisy! It was an amazing experience as we were able to get up really close to the birds without them being aware of our presence at all, although there was one in particular who appeared to be posing for us right outside one of the hides.

Driving north from the Otago Peninsula we stopped at the Moeraki boulders, which are said to be a geological phenomenon as they were not washed up on to the beach but instead have been left behind as the sea cliffs have been eroded around them, and geologists have not been able to explain the reasons why. Perfectly rounded and only appearing in this area, they are very mysterious, and the Maoris have attached great spiritual importance to them. There is a sign on the path leading away from the beach that asks visitors not to stand on the boulders – unfortunately we saw this a bit too late!

The beginning of the end…

Then it was time to try to sell Maisie on to her new owners. We arrived in Christchurch and spent half a day clearing all our rubbish out of the van and making her shine as much as poss! Then… we camped out in the Backpackers Car Market for what seemed like an age, but actually was only three days. It does have to be one of the most depressing places on the planet though. There were other backpackers there who had been trying to sell their vans for 5 or 6 days, and we were determined not to stay there that long. So we employed an ‘enthusiastic’ sales ethic – and eventually managed to convince a very nice Austrian couple that she was the best thing since sliced bread. We were very sad to wave goodbye to Maisie, but also very happy not to have to sit in the car market any longer, and that afternoon we celebrated by booking a trip to the Banks Peninsula for later in the week.

Footnote: travelling in the camper van was absolutely the best way to see New Zealand and we would recommend it to anyone who is looking to make the most of a trip around the islands. It meant complete independence, no timetables to keep to, being able to avoid the crowds, cheaper accommodation, and lots more fun.

We spent the next day taking in the sights in Christchurch, visiting art galleries, browsing craft market stalls, and watching buskers in Cathedral Square. We spent ages watching this guy, known as ‘The Wizard’ lecturing on why he thought the world map should be turned upside down!

The following day we headed out to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula. The area has a very French feel to it, due to the French that settled here after the English beat them to the colonisation of the island. One of the highlights of our visit to the peninsula was the experience of swimming with the New Zealand dolphins. These dolphins are much smaller than most, and are only generally seen in the waters off the east coast of the South Island. Kitted out in full wetsuits and snorkelling gear, we were all warned that the water would be very cold and that we should get moving as soon as we were in so as to keep warm. That advice we were happy to follow. The other piece of advice that we were given was to sing into the water, as apparently the dolphins are attracted to the noise! People were generally more hesitant about following that advice but soon got into the swing of it when we realised that it actually worked – and there were some very odd noises coming from the water! We were soon surrounded by dolphins, but as the water is very murky due to the minerals in it (apparently the dolphins are only brave enough to approach us because it is so murky and they know they cannot be seen) we were only able to see them when they were about 3 feet from us. Giles and I soon realised that the people that were still on the boat could see more than we could from the water so we got out and took the opportunity to get a few pics.

After we’d got back and warmed up we spent the rest of the day having lunch by the harbour and making the most of the gorgeous sunshine!

Back in Christchurch we spent our last day visiting the arts centre, doing souvenir shopping and soaking up the festival atmosphere that came from the musicians, jugglers, comedians and allsorts that were in town for the annual Buskers Festival.

Sydney

We arrived in Sydney on Sunday evening and spent Monday sightseeing in the city. We managed to take in views of the bridge, the Opera House, the Rocks and Darling Harbour before we could no longer handle the heat and headed back to the air conditioning of our room!

While in Sydney we also had chance to see some fantastic art in both the NSW gallery as well as some of the smaller galleries around the Rocks. We were also there for Australia Day so we were able to watch the boat races and various other events that were going on around the harbour.

The highlight of the week was definitely our trip to Sydney Opera House to see Nigel Kennedy and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The performance was awesome, and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, a perfect end to our stay in the Southern Hemisphere!

Back in the UK

After a never-ending flight home we crashed back down to earth with a bump. We took a few days to get over the jet lag and to get used to the colder temperatures and less hours of daylight. However, after completely disrupting our friends house for a few days with our washing etc hanging everywhere, we managed to get ourselves sorted and get back on the road again to head north for a month in Scotland. Plan is to get a month of Scottish winter before we try to get back to reality.