Crossing the Cook Straight

As Monday arrived we headed to Wellington to have a look around the town and find out where we would get the boat from the following afternoon. After spending a rather long period looking for parking with more than a maximum 30 minutes we eventually settled for a campsite on the waterfront next to the ferry port as it worked out worthwhile since parking was so expensive.

Having heard that Te Papa museum was a good place to go to find out about New Zealand and Maori history we headed there not sure what to expect, but the fact it was free made the decision an easy one. The most interesting part of the museum was definitely the animal section which had not only the bones from many different animal species ranging from Whales to Kiwis but also a preserved gigantic squid which had been caught as by-catch during a fishing expedition in 2007. There was also an interesting section which gave an historical view of earthquakes, even as recent as the Christchurch earthquakes from earlier this year. 

One of the wildlife displays from Te Papa Museum, Wellington

In the afternoon we headed for the cable cars which took us to an incredible view over Wellington and its surrounding areas. After a brief visit to the botanical gardens we headed back in to town to find somewhere to have a drink (and maybe watch the cricket!). Finding an Irish bar, Soph headed off for a spot of shopping whilst I was drawn to the cricket until Tom and Caroline (the couple from the Skydive) bumped into me.

Before long, the four of us had had dinner in a little Asian restaurant where I was forced to eat noodle soup with chop sticks before returning to the Irish pub where we had originally found the cricket on TV. By 11pm we decided it was time to head back to the van and call it a night.

Following a brief run around Wellington Harbour we grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the New Zealand parliament buildings; the Beehive and Parliament House. Unfortunately we arrived 5 minutes after the tour had departed and unfortunately weren’t allowed to join in late, typical. Thus, we settled for a DVD describing the political history of NZ instead.

At 1pm we departed for the South Island on our 3 hour ferry journey through the picturesque mountainous coastline of both islands before arriving in Picton. Deciding that we would head south towards Kaikoura for whale watching the next day, we set off on our 150km journey. Along the way, we noticed a young girl who had got a flat tyre in one of the less busy areas along the road (not that any roads in NZ are busy). After deliberating whether or not to stop, we drove past, before promptly changing our minds as we came to her rescue. Strangely, although she had a flat tyre, there were 4 tyres that had been taken from another car sitting in the back of her car, however, as these did not fit hers, I had to lift them out and eventually get to the spare tyre.

The view along the Cook Straight crossing from the North to the South Island

After the short delay to make ensure our karma was high, we headed for Kaikoura where we unfortunately ended up in one of the more grotty campsites around.

As Wednesday arrived we got up early to book on the whale watching tour. Before the tour we headed to a seal colony and were surprised to also see lots of dusky dolphins playing in the sea too.

Arriving at the Kaikoura Whale Watching HQ we were given a brief explanation about Sperm whales and their history. An important question about their name being answered as at one time they were hunted for their Wax (which was stored in their heads) which fisherman thought looked like sperm, thus their name was thought up. We were also told that we were likely to only see one whale; considering we had paid a lot of money for this experience, we were slightly underwhelmed leading up to our departure by boat.

Heading about 15km out to sea, using a hydrophone, they picked up the noises the whales were making and in turn calculate the direction they were in. After a few minutes we eventually arrived to see a whale on the surface taking in huge breaths of air (they do this for 10 minutes before diving for about 45). The shear size of the creature was incredible, it was unbelievable to think that an animal could be so big, and living in the sea! After a while it eventually dived down deep into the ocean which was again, and awesome sight! After a while, there was another whale spotted by another boat so we headed out to see it, and luckily we did! Again, we waited for a short while before seeing this incredible creature dive! Once we had seen the whales we were also lucky enough to see hundreds of the dusky dolphins, this time much closer up right next to the boat!

The money shot as the Whale descends for it's 45-60 minute feed, Kaikoura

In the evening we headed North to Blenheim as our plan was to head to the North-West tip to Abel Tasman the next day. After a night at a free campsite we headed out from Blenheim through to Nelson and decided to stop have a bathe on the beach. Although the sun was shining and the beach was beautiful, we did find ourselves lying next to one of the more annoying couples in New Zealand. Maybe harsh, but they were incredibly flirtatious, brought on more by the whiny, high-pitched voice of the kiwi girl, although a quick dip in the sea soon rid us of this annoying situation.

After a couple of hours at the beach, we headed to Marahau (southern tip of Abel Tasman National Park) to our campsite for the night. After a brief visit to the info-site we decided that the next morning we would opt for a 15km walk rather than hiring kayaks since we would see the same things, but save ourselves $65 each!!

Waking up the next morning, I had forgotten that we had to pay for showers…so far none of the other campsites had charged extra, so this was going to be an experience not to forget. Dropping money into the shower a countdown began…6 Minutes! Now, I thought a 6 minute shower was fairly reasonable, however once you experience that, you soon realise it’s not. Quickly lathering up and nearly washed a beep suddenly came on…1 minute to go. At this point, you feel as thought your world is ending, and suddenly…it’s all over, no more water, no more heat, certainly the lowest point I had felt for a while, especially as there was a cool wind blowing through a window in the cubicle.

Ready and washed (just about) we headed into the national park choosing a walk which should have taken 5 hours. Since the weather was so warm and it was such a clear day, the views along the way were made more incredible. Mountains on one side, the sea on the other, and various plants and animals surrounding us really highlighted this beautiful area. Stopping at a couple of beaches and bays along the way, we eventually returned just over 3 hours later (not the 5 which we had originally been told). We then spent the afternoon heading South towards Mahinapua Creek to another free campsite situated next to a beautiful, picturesque lake.

Just one of the gorgeous views along the walk, Abel Tasman

Soph Posing for the camera, Abel Tasman

The next morning we had decided to give ourselves a bit of a day off, especially as we had travelled over 1,200 km over the previous 6 days. With only about 100km to travel to our next stop - Franz Joseph Glacier - we stopped in one of the towns just north to book our glacier walk for the next day. Arriving at our campsite, we set off on finding something to eat in the town, as well as obviously catching up with the cricket.

Waking up the next day, and we had our glacier walked arranged for a 9am start. Arriving at the glacier at about 10, geared up with our winter coats and crampons at the ready we headed along our ascent. Now, looking at the glacier, it doesn’t appear so significant at the bottom, as the first section of our walk consisted of going up a rocky section. However, the remainder of the walk was incredible! Having stood for thousands of years, the glacier has gradually retreated, but what remains really is impressive.

Before entering the icy pass we attached our crampons and then headed out behind our Australian instructor. Our group was quite multi-national too, with a few English, a few Dutch, a Canadian guy and an Austrian girl! Once on the ice, it was interesting to firstly learn how to walk, and having perfected that we could then begin our ascent as our instructor used his pick axe to carve stairs along the glacier. The ascent along the glacier really was impressive. Making our way through icy crevices and sliding between extremely narrow iced walls made for an unforgettable experience! At some points the passes were maybe only a foot wide, and since there was a group in front of us, we often had to wait in these conditions not too dissimilar to a freezer, yeh we were chilly. As the walk came to an end, our group was waiting…again, and decided to keep both ourselves and our instructor entertained as each of us took a go at getting each other active. Ranging from a penguin waddle to an ostrich dance, I chose my D-I-S-C-O chant whilst Soph deployed the Mexican wave.

After eventually returning to the bottom of the glacier we headed back to base where we returned our winter coats and trousers and headed back to the campsite. On our arrival we bumped into Tom and Caroline again! In the evening we headed to the campsite bar where we met up with the people from the glacier walk who were part of the Kiwi Experience (a coach party which moves around the North and South islands dropping people off in various places along the way.

Me and Soph between the glacier walls, Franz Joseph