Kia Ora... and finally to the bit of the trip that was the hardest to organise... 33 days and about 3000 miles. This is the current plan of where we're heading and some of the stuff we hope to do when we're there, but it will no doubt change a bit as we go:
Day 1 - Nov 16th - arrive in Auckland at 1430 and pick up our luxurious 4 berth campervan, aka 'home' for the next 30 days. First stop a supermarket, fill Campervan to the brim and head to Thames for the first nights camp.
Day 2 - Nov 17th - A short drive from Thames, up to Coromandel.. that's on the Coromandel Peninsula strangely enough. Might be a chill out sort of day whilst we find our feet and practice which side of the road to drive on. Probably overnight at Whitianga.
Day 3 - Nov 18th - Still on the Coromandel P, pop into Cathedral Cove and Hot water beach.. apparently you dig a hole on the beach, which is instantly filled with steaming hot water... and you sit in it. Nice. Overnight options at Waihi or Waihi Beach.
Day 4 - Nov 19th - heading down the coast towards Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.. might stay around there or drive inland to Rotorua.
Day 5 - Nov 20th - If we're not already there, drive to Rotorua, one of the worlds most concentrated geothermal areas.. in other words, crammed full of steaming geysers (much like Ramsgate any night of the week) and boiling mud pools. Apparently the air resembles rotten eggs... lovely.
Day 6 - Nov 21st - leave Rotorua and the smell behind (hopefully) and head south, stopping at Wai-O-Tapu to see Lady Knox (another geyser), maybe Waimagu and then onto Taupo (the skydiving capital of the country! Limber up for the walk of our lives tomorrow.
Day 7 - Nov 22nd - Tongariro Alpine Crossing, weather permitting. 18km with a 750m ascent, over laver flows (cold ones I hope), across crater floors (in-active I hope), around geothermal areas, past emerald lakes and to the top of Mount Ngauruhoe. Phew.... If there's a puff of wind or a spot of rain, then we stay put in Taupo for some gentle biking or rafting instead. (If you're interested, you can learn more about the walk here... http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/)
Day 8 - Nov 23rd - back up day to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing if the weather wasn't good yesterday. If we did the walk yesterday and we're walking with difficulty today, then probably a relaxing day around Lake Taupo, the country's largest lake.
Day 9 - Nov 24th - Long driving day, approx 233 miles south to Wellington, New Zealands Capital for those who didn't know. Check into campsite and off to New Zealands national museum, Te Papa, for a spot of culture.
Day 10 - Nov 25th - Back into Wellington in the morning, en-route to the Ferry Terminal for the 4 hour spectacular trip to South Island. Check out http://www.interislander.co.nz/ for some short video clips of the crossing if you want to pretend you're with us. Stay at Smiths Farm, just outside Picton... ready to head into Marlborough Sounds tomorrow.
Day 11 - Nov 26th - explore Marlborough Sounds, maybe some kayaking or biking. Probably the shortest travel day of all after that... 17 miles to Blenheim. Early night, ready for a long day tomorrow...
Day 12 - Nov 27th - Get picked up from the campsite and taken to meet our new mode of transport for the day.. a bike, complete with wine carrying panniers! Pick up map of some the best vineyards in the world and set off on a bit of a cycle tour :-)
Day 13 - Nov 28th - Still reading? Heading south again, this time to Kaikoura. Optional stops en-route to be confirmed.
Day 14 - Nov 29th - A day in Kaikoura for a spot of whale watching, seal spotting and maybe a swim with a dolphin... whilst trying to fish for dinner at the same time.
Day 15 - Nov 30th - Another long drive today, reportedly the most dramatic of the 3 Southern Alps crossings, over the flat Canterbury Plains and then climbing up to Arthurs Pass, 735m above sea level. Overnight just outside Arthurs Village.. at Jacksons Retreat.. if the weathers not good, they have little garages you can pull the campervan into!!
Day 16 - Dec 1st - After hanging up the advent calendar, head to the west coast and down to Franz Josef, countless stops en-route I expect.
Day 17 - Dec 2nd - Hopefully an organised walk on the Franz Josef Glacier today, complete with Pickaxe and crampons... well, maybe only the latter. Might also drive to the Fox Glacier if there's time.. staying back in Franz or at Fox.
Day 18 - Dec 3rd - Leaving the Glaciers behind (for now), a quick photo stop at Lake Matheson and then it's onto Wanaka, 177 miles away. Depending on when we arrive, there's some good walking, biking or even horse riding options.
Day 19 - Dec 4th - Leisurely start to the day, then a short drive to Queenstown, set against Lake Wakatipu with views over to the craggy heights of the Remarkables mountain range. Starting with a trip on the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak.. then a Luge down.. I quote from the guidebook "a twisting concrete track, negotiated on a wheeled plastic buggy with primative braking system." What could possibly go wrong...
Day 20 - Dec 5th - A light breakfast then at 11am board the Shotover Jet (http://www.shotoverjet.com/) - thanks C&P! Might need something more relaxing afterwards...
Day 21 - Dec 6th - Catch up with Wayne and Pam in Queenstown, who we had a great time travelling with in India back in October 2006. They taught us a very valuable lesson which we've tried to follow ever since, codenamed JFDI. We'll explain if you ask...
Day 22 - Dec 7th - Early departure from Queenstown, by luxury glass topped coach, heading out into Fiordland and the infamous Milford Sound. Board a small boat and cruise along the Sound, getting close to waterfalls plunging 100's of metres into the Fiord and hopefully a bit of wildlife spotting. Now for the best bit... weather permitting, wave goodbye to the coach as it starts it's 5 hour trip back to Queenstown and hop onto a 6 seater Cessnar instead for the 40 min flight back!
Day 23 - Dec 8th - Leave Queenstown behind and head east to Dunedin, otherwise known as 'The Edinburgh of the South', influenced by the countries oldest university and with thriving Scottish traditions... in other words, sounds like a nice place to chill.
Day 24 - Dec 9th - Explore Dunedin, optional activies to be confirmed...but the brewery tour could be on the shortlist.
Day 25 - Dec 10th - Short drive onto the Otago Peninsula, a 35km long wildlife haven running northeast from Dunedin. Stop off at Larnarch Castle (New Zealands only castle) and onto the worlds only onshore Royal Albatross colony, then Penguin Place... a chance to get up close to the little blue and rare yellow eyed penguins... oh and maybe sealions, whales and a host of other seabirds, waders and waterfowl.
Day 26 - Dec 11th - Leave Dunedin and start heading north along the coast to Oamaru, stopping off at the Moeraki Boulders.
Day 27 - Dec 12th - Early start, heading inland towards the Alps again and to Aoraki Mount Cook Village, 760m above sea level and at the foot of New Zealands highest mountain. Funds permitting at this stage, hoping to go airbourne again, this time by helicopter to land on the mountain. Fingers crossed! Drive on to Lake Tekapo for the night.
Day 28 - Dec 13th - Hang around Lake Tekapo for the photo ops with Mount Cook in the background. Could potentially stay here for the day, opportunities for some short walks, biking or horse trekking. Alternatively, set off in the afternoon to Akaroa, 188 miles away, on the coast just below Christchurch.
Day 29 - Dec 14th - If not already there, drive to Akaroa, a charming French influenced town on the shores of Akaroa harbour. Chill out.
Day 30 - Dec 15th - Still chilling in Akaroa for the day, before cleaning out 30 days of stuff from the Campervan and heading back to Christchurch. Is it going to be an emotional goodbye? Not sure... but whilst you're thinking about that, I'll be checking into a small boutique hotel.. with proper beds and everything..
Day 31 - Dec 16th - Explore Christchurch, not read that part of the book yet, so details of activities to follow, but thinking it will start by letting someone else make my breakfast, then my lunch and finishing up by going out for dinner.
Day 32 - Dec 17th - More of Christchurch, hopefully including catching up with Nigel and Anna, who I met on my first solo trip to Morocco, many years ago!
Day 33 - Dec 18th - Reaching the end of our New Zealand leg.. a bit of packing and re-packing.. then a flight to Melbourne at 15:25. Christmas shopping here we come...
Day 1 - Nov 16th - arrive in Auckland at 1430 and pick up our luxurious 4 berth campervan, aka 'home' for the next 30 days. First stop a supermarket, fill Campervan to the brim and head to Thames for the first nights camp.
Day 2 - Nov 17th - A short drive from Thames, up to Coromandel.. that's on the Coromandel Peninsula strangely enough. Might be a chill out sort of day whilst we find our feet and practice which side of the road to drive on. Probably overnight at Whitianga.
Day 3 - Nov 18th - Still on the Coromandel P, pop into Cathedral Cove and Hot water beach.. apparently you dig a hole on the beach, which is instantly filled with steaming hot water... and you sit in it. Nice. Overnight options at Waihi or Waihi Beach.
Day 4 - Nov 19th - heading down the coast towards Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.. might stay around there or drive inland to Rotorua.
Day 5 - Nov 20th - If we're not already there, drive to Rotorua, one of the worlds most concentrated geothermal areas.. in other words, crammed full of steaming geysers (much like Ramsgate any night of the week) and boiling mud pools. Apparently the air resembles rotten eggs... lovely.
Day 6 - Nov 21st - leave Rotorua and the smell behind (hopefully) and head south, stopping at Wai-O-Tapu to see Lady Knox (another geyser), maybe Waimagu and then onto Taupo (the skydiving capital of the country! Limber up for the walk of our lives tomorrow.
Day 7 - Nov 22nd - Tongariro Alpine Crossing, weather permitting. 18km with a 750m ascent, over laver flows (cold ones I hope), across crater floors (in-active I hope), around geothermal areas, past emerald lakes and to the top of Mount Ngauruhoe. Phew.... If there's a puff of wind or a spot of rain, then we stay put in Taupo for some gentle biking or rafting instead. (If you're interested, you can learn more about the walk here... http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/)
Day 8 - Nov 23rd - back up day to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing if the weather wasn't good yesterday. If we did the walk yesterday and we're walking with difficulty today, then probably a relaxing day around Lake Taupo, the country's largest lake.
Day 9 - Nov 24th - Long driving day, approx 233 miles south to Wellington, New Zealands Capital for those who didn't know. Check into campsite and off to New Zealands national museum, Te Papa, for a spot of culture.
Day 10 - Nov 25th - Back into Wellington in the morning, en-route to the Ferry Terminal for the 4 hour spectacular trip to South Island. Check out http://www.interislander.co.nz/ for some short video clips of the crossing if you want to pretend you're with us. Stay at Smiths Farm, just outside Picton... ready to head into Marlborough Sounds tomorrow.
Day 11 - Nov 26th - explore Marlborough Sounds, maybe some kayaking or biking. Probably the shortest travel day of all after that... 17 miles to Blenheim. Early night, ready for a long day tomorrow...
Day 12 - Nov 27th - Get picked up from the campsite and taken to meet our new mode of transport for the day.. a bike, complete with wine carrying panniers! Pick up map of some the best vineyards in the world and set off on a bit of a cycle tour :-)
Day 13 - Nov 28th - Still reading? Heading south again, this time to Kaikoura. Optional stops en-route to be confirmed.
Day 14 - Nov 29th - A day in Kaikoura for a spot of whale watching, seal spotting and maybe a swim with a dolphin... whilst trying to fish for dinner at the same time.
Day 15 - Nov 30th - Another long drive today, reportedly the most dramatic of the 3 Southern Alps crossings, over the flat Canterbury Plains and then climbing up to Arthurs Pass, 735m above sea level. Overnight just outside Arthurs Village.. at Jacksons Retreat.. if the weathers not good, they have little garages you can pull the campervan into!!
Day 16 - Dec 1st - After hanging up the advent calendar, head to the west coast and down to Franz Josef, countless stops en-route I expect.
Day 17 - Dec 2nd - Hopefully an organised walk on the Franz Josef Glacier today, complete with Pickaxe and crampons... well, maybe only the latter. Might also drive to the Fox Glacier if there's time.. staying back in Franz or at Fox.
Day 18 - Dec 3rd - Leaving the Glaciers behind (for now), a quick photo stop at Lake Matheson and then it's onto Wanaka, 177 miles away. Depending on when we arrive, there's some good walking, biking or even horse riding options.
Day 19 - Dec 4th - Leisurely start to the day, then a short drive to Queenstown, set against Lake Wakatipu with views over to the craggy heights of the Remarkables mountain range. Starting with a trip on the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak.. then a Luge down.. I quote from the guidebook "a twisting concrete track, negotiated on a wheeled plastic buggy with primative braking system." What could possibly go wrong...
Day 20 - Dec 5th - A light breakfast then at 11am board the Shotover Jet (http://www.shotoverjet.com/) - thanks C&P! Might need something more relaxing afterwards...
Day 21 - Dec 6th - Catch up with Wayne and Pam in Queenstown, who we had a great time travelling with in India back in October 2006. They taught us a very valuable lesson which we've tried to follow ever since, codenamed JFDI. We'll explain if you ask...
Day 22 - Dec 7th - Early departure from Queenstown, by luxury glass topped coach, heading out into Fiordland and the infamous Milford Sound. Board a small boat and cruise along the Sound, getting close to waterfalls plunging 100's of metres into the Fiord and hopefully a bit of wildlife spotting. Now for the best bit... weather permitting, wave goodbye to the coach as it starts it's 5 hour trip back to Queenstown and hop onto a 6 seater Cessnar instead for the 40 min flight back!
Day 23 - Dec 8th - Leave Queenstown behind and head east to Dunedin, otherwise known as 'The Edinburgh of the South', influenced by the countries oldest university and with thriving Scottish traditions... in other words, sounds like a nice place to chill.
Day 24 - Dec 9th - Explore Dunedin, optional activies to be confirmed...but the brewery tour could be on the shortlist.
Day 25 - Dec 10th - Short drive onto the Otago Peninsula, a 35km long wildlife haven running northeast from Dunedin. Stop off at Larnarch Castle (New Zealands only castle) and onto the worlds only onshore Royal Albatross colony, then Penguin Place... a chance to get up close to the little blue and rare yellow eyed penguins... oh and maybe sealions, whales and a host of other seabirds, waders and waterfowl.
Day 26 - Dec 11th - Leave Dunedin and start heading north along the coast to Oamaru, stopping off at the Moeraki Boulders.
Day 27 - Dec 12th - Early start, heading inland towards the Alps again and to Aoraki Mount Cook Village, 760m above sea level and at the foot of New Zealands highest mountain. Funds permitting at this stage, hoping to go airbourne again, this time by helicopter to land on the mountain. Fingers crossed! Drive on to Lake Tekapo for the night.
Day 28 - Dec 13th - Hang around Lake Tekapo for the photo ops with Mount Cook in the background. Could potentially stay here for the day, opportunities for some short walks, biking or horse trekking. Alternatively, set off in the afternoon to Akaroa, 188 miles away, on the coast just below Christchurch.
Day 29 - Dec 14th - If not already there, drive to Akaroa, a charming French influenced town on the shores of Akaroa harbour. Chill out.
Day 30 - Dec 15th - Still chilling in Akaroa for the day, before cleaning out 30 days of stuff from the Campervan and heading back to Christchurch. Is it going to be an emotional goodbye? Not sure... but whilst you're thinking about that, I'll be checking into a small boutique hotel.. with proper beds and everything..
Day 31 - Dec 16th - Explore Christchurch, not read that part of the book yet, so details of activities to follow, but thinking it will start by letting someone else make my breakfast, then my lunch and finishing up by going out for dinner.
Day 32 - Dec 17th - More of Christchurch, hopefully including catching up with Nigel and Anna, who I met on my first solo trip to Morocco, many years ago!
Day 33 - Dec 18th - Reaching the end of our New Zealand leg.. a bit of packing and re-packing.. then a flight to Melbourne at 15:25. Christmas shopping here we come...
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