Alas, I had but one day in Christchurch, so I spent it walking around the city center. The weather here is positively balmy after the deep freeze of Queenstown and I stripped down from four layers of clothing to two. Even the flowers are still in bloom here – these pink roses hanging over blue rosemary blooms were so fragrant as I walked by that I just had to lean over and take a good long whiff. I had heard that Christchurch is the most British of New Zealand’s towns. After my walking tour I have to agree. City tours are conducted aboard the trolleys that run on rails down the center of the downtown streets, advertisements are posted on tall round cylinders on major street corners, and red phone booths scream England, as does the stone architecture with its crenelated towers and copper clad spires. Even the river that runs through the center of town is named the Avon.

Blooming roses in Christchurch

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New Zealand’s TranzAlpine Express is reputed to be one of the world’s greatest train rides, crossing beech forests, alpine tussock, glacial rivers, peaceful lakes, and the snow-capped Southern Alps on its 223.8 kilometer (134 mile) journey between Greymouth on the west coast and Christchurch on the east coast. Although I made few advance reservations for my six month sojourn, the TranzAlpine Express was an exception – I have had my ticket for nearly three months because everything I read warned that the seats sell out quickly, thus the schedule for my travel around New Zealand has revolved around making this train on May 30th.

TranzAlpine Express rolls into the station in Greymouth

Boarding the TranzAlpine Express

The bus from Franz Josef deposited me at the steps of the Greymouth rail station 30 minutes before the 1:45 PM boarding time. I had just enough time to check in, get my seat assignment, hand over my luggage, and buy some snacks before our departure. Right on time, the big yellow diesel locomotive rolled into the station and stopped with a screech. I was in the ‘L’ car, far behind the locomotive, sandwiched between the observation deck and the dining car. My friend, Leah, recently told me she would like to see more of ‘me’ in my photos, so I asked a fellow passenger to take a photo of me as I boarded the train. I settled into my “airline style reclining seat,” prepared to see stunning scenery from my panoramic window, and snapped Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s put this into perspective. New Zealand has a total population of 4.5 million people, 45 million sheep, and between 80 and 90 million possum. The possum is not indigenous to New Zealand. It was originally imported from Australia by the British when they discovered there were no fur-bearing animals in the country. They probably rubbed their hands together in glee, dreaming of all the money they would make from selling the pelts of the furry little varmints. Well, the possum fur business was never successful but the possum population thrived. Possum are now so prevalent that they are a danger to the forests in New Zealand, as it is estimated that they strip and eat upwards of two million tons of foliage a day. Everywhere I went I heard and read about possum. Every bus driver expounded on possum. One driver insisted there was a point system for running over the critters – ten points for an easy hit, 20 points if he has to swerve, and 30 points if he has to back up to finish the job. The government pays trappers for every pelt. Everywhere there are signs posted, telling people to kill possum in order to save New Zealand’s forests. This gives Aussies a start when they visit, as the possum is a protected species in their country.

Skinning a possum

Yesterday’s bus trip between Franz Josef and Greymouth brought home how serious these folks are about eradicating the possum population. We made a rest stop at the Bushman’s Cafe and Bar, way out in the middle of nowhere on the northern reaches of the west coast, where they are best known for their Wildfoods Festival each March. We stepped down from the bus, where the owner of the cafe was skinning a couple of possum he had trapped. He said in his younger days he could skin one in about 45 seconds flat – lovely. I wandered around the rustic cafe, reading the various Read the rest of this entry »

The town of Franz Josef, like Queenstown, has a love affair with adventure sports. For $350 you can take a flight in a single-engine Cessna to view both the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, landing on the glacier for a bit of ice hiking in the middle of the flight. You can also do this in a helicopter for slightly less money. Or, if flying is not your thing, for around $225 you can strap talons (metal spikes) onto your shoes and do a half or all-day hike on the glacier, following a most-excellent guide who will carve steps in the ice with a pick axe so you can clamber up the sheer faces of the glacier. You can skydive over the glacier, kayak down the icy rapids spawned by the glacier, or go rock climbing on the walls of the glacier-carved valleys. And on and on, ad infinitum. None of this was for me. Instead, I decided to avail myself of the many hiking trails that the Department of Conservation maintains in and around the glacier.

The previous night I had taken a short trail to the top of Sentinel Hill for a distant view of the glacier, as well as a second ‘End of the Forest’ trail that took me to the edge of the river valley leading to the foot of the glacier. Although the information sign at the trail head indicated that this was also the access to the ‘Foot of the Glacier Trail,’ when I reached the river bank my way was barred by a fence with a sign, warning that only experienced hikers or persons with guides should proceed further. I asked the shuttle driver about this and he explained that the trail had been washed out by flooding in places, but that it was perfectly fine to climb through the fence and hike to the glacier. So I did.

Twin waterfalls on the way to the foot of the Franz Josef glacier

I have seen glaciers before. In Canada I visited the glacier at Jasper National Park, where we were driven onto the ice floe by the bus load and allowed to walk around within a small roped-off area – a hundred people at time slipping and sliding into each other in the freezing cold. But I have never experienced Read the rest of this entry »

I was waiting for the shuttle bus when I decided I’d better use the bathroom before beginning the three hour hike to the foot of the glacier, so I stepped inside the shuttle booking office and asked to use their restroom. The clerk directed me to the public toilets across the street. They were pay toilets – 50 cents – but I didn’t mind. During my travels I’ve learned that pay toilets are always cleanest.

Exce-LOO pay toilet in Franz Josef

Auto flushing toilet and spit shined interior

I chose a stall that showed an unoccupied green light and inserted my 50-cent piece. The green metal door slid open with a whisper to reveal an immaculate ceramic tiled room with stainless steel stool and hand-washing unit. I was impressed. I stepped inside. Immediately, a voice came over the speaker with instructions: “Welcome to EXCE-Loo.” (‘Loo’ being British slang for toilet, mind you). “Please press the button to close the door. Your maximum usage time will be ten minutes.” Read the rest of this entry »

New Zealand takes my breath away. Each place I visit is more beautiful than the last. Yesterday morning I left Queenstown on the InterCity bus, bound for the South Island’s remote west coast town of Franz Josef to hike its amazing glacier. The west coast is the last frontier of New Zealand. Although there is an airport at Franz Josef it provides only flightseeing over the glacier or charter service, so the only access to this part of the country is by car or bus.

Let me digress for a moment to say that the bus service in New Zealand is nothing short of spectacular. I have purchased a 20-hour FlexiPass that combines bus service from three companies (InterCity, Newmans and Northland). With a day’s notice I can phone toll-free to reserve a seat on any scheduled bus and the hours required to reach the destination are automatically deducted from my pass. When I run out of hours I can phone them up to “top off the pass,” using my credit card to add more hours. It can even be used on the ferry running between Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island. The cost for 20 hours was $214 New Zealand (about $160 US) and with the exception of my flight from Auckland to Queenstown, I have used it to get to all my destinations.

Hop on-hop off buses in New Zealand

Riding the bus here is nothing like taking a bus in the US. The coaches have comfortable reclining seats, footrests, and huge expanses of sparkling clean windows that are perfect for viewing the spectacular vistas revealed around every corner. Incredibly, the bus drivers (keep in mind that these are regularly scheduled inter-city buses – not tour buses) provide a running commentary along the way, entertaining the passengers with bits of history, local gossip, and explanations for what is passing by our windows. Regular stops are made at Read the rest of this entry »

The good news is that I went to Milford Sound yesterday. The bad news is that it rained all day.

Located on New Zealand’s rugged west coast in an region named, appropriately, Fiordland, Milford Sound is a long, narrow fiord where sheer granite cliffs rise vertically from the ocean. The Sound was once described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World.’ Maori legend attributes the creation of the fiords to a ‘titanic mason,’ Tute Rakiwhanoa, who hued out the steep sided valleys with keen edged adzes. This explanation seems to fit, as the sheer breadth of geological events that created this gash in the landscape is barely comprehensible. Geologists tell us that this otherworldly scenery was created by glaciers that advanced and then retreated, taking the underlying rock with them, allowing the Tasman Sea to intrude 16 kilometers into the land.

The bad news is that the bus trip required 13 hours along torturous, curving roads and I forgot to take my motion sickness medicine. The good news is that the trip incorporated numerous stops into its route.

Endangered Takahe birds at Te Anau Conservation Park

At our halfway mark we stopped for coffee in the small town of Te Anau (Tee AH nee yew) and purchased our lunches, as this town is the last outpost of civilization before reaching Milford Sound. On our way out of Te Anau we made a brief stop at a Department of Conservation park that is responsible for protecting New Zealand’s endangered birds. Among these endangered species is the Takahe, thought for many years to be extinct until only a few pairs were spotted. Since that time DOC has been breeding the Takahe in captivity, from pairs that were injured and nursed back to health. These pretty birds, with their iridescent blue feathers and red beaks strutted around their cages for us, totally unconcerned with the fact they were on display as our cameras clicked. Read the rest of this entry »

Today was an exploring day. I began by taking a ride on the ski gondola that climbs to the top of the hill behind the town of Queensland and ended with a walk around the shores of Lake Wakatipu. The gondola is not for those who are faint of heart as it ascends steeply and fairly rapidly with minimal clearance between the gondola car and the rock face of the mountain, but the views from the top are breathtaking, as these photos will attest.

Riding the gondola, high over Queenstown

View from the top of the gondola ride

View from the top of the gondola ride

In between the gondola ride and my lakeside stroll I wandered up and down the steep streets of town in search of historical buildings, but other than a couple of old stone churches I found little else of a historical nature. Queenstown has an interesting past steeped in gold mining lore. Sadly, nearly all traces of this early history have been wiped out by modern development and redevelopment. However the town is undeniably picturesque – I was not disappointed with the scenery I discovered during my five-hour walk. Read the rest of this entry »

I awoke from my mid-flight snooze when the plane began its descent toward Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand. We were flying over the red, brown and gold Southern Alps, their craggy peaks covered in fresh snow. The valleys between the peaks held a chain of lakes in their cupped palms. Formed of runoff from the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers to the west, their waters are an almost otherworldly pastel aqua hue.

Just beyond the airport, the Remarkable Mountains lurk

I was so focused on the astonishing color of these lakes directly that I had not been paying attention to our descent, so when I looked up I was startled to see just how close we were to the mountains. Queenstown sits on the shores of an alpine lake that lies at the very foot of the Southern Alps and landing here is somewhat tricky. The pilot threaded the plane in and around several mountain valleys as he made his approach to the runway. We flew so close to the mountains that the wingtips seemed to barely clear the valley walls. Although I couldn’t get to my camera as we were landing, I did manage to snap this photo as I disembarked from the airplane. The mountains are aptly named – The Remarkable Mountains.

Queenstown is beautiful. It took my breath away – not only for its beauty, but also for the temperature. Just when I had acclimated to the colder temps of the North Island I stepped into the arctic conditions of the far South Island. The high here yesterday was 15 degrees celsius, which is about 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The backpacker lodge where I am staying advertised heated rooms – one of the reasons I chose them – however they do not turn on the heat until about 4 in the afternoon and it’s turned off again around 10 AM. So, after checking in, my first stop was the local Salvation Army store, where I bought a coat, scarf, hat, and long woolen socks. Read the rest of this entry »