The cheapest flights from NZ were to San Paulo via Santiago.  If we can get our bags checked out at Santiago then we won’t use the San Paulo leg.  We have to ask the nicely at the airport though.  So it will be interesting to see which country our next post is uploaded from.  The freedom eh!

It is difficult to find the words to describe how much we have enjoyed our stay here in NZ, it has had everything we ever wanted and more – the landscape, the people and the outdoor experience – has to be one of the best countries in the world.  Hopefully we will return one day.

Please don’t worry if you don’t see a post here for a week or more, it will take us a wee while to get acquainted with a new continent, culture etc.  As soon as we have some news to report we will upload.  Not sure what the mobile situation will be, but for now we will revert back to our global sim and we’ll have our mobile switched on at all times.

I studied Spanish as a core module at uni but cannot remember jack shit and Sam is relying on me to be able to converse.  Interesting times ahead.  The iPhone has a translator , we’ll be sound!

Guys, if you happen upon this post, we wish you the very very best for the rest of your travels and thank you so much for the experiences and memories you have given us.  We hope our paths cross again soon.

A 17km crossing passes (roughly speaking) over the volcanic terrain of the multi-cratered active volcano Mt Tongariro, passing near to the immediately neighbouring Mt Ngauruhoe.

It was just Danny, Janneke and myself on this occasion as Sam had a bad cold and wanted to rest.  The walk was hard but beautiful especially the volcanic landscape, visible volcanic activity and views of the surrounding countryside below.

We decided to complete the track in the opposite direction which made it somewhat harder, actually much much harder, as 70% was uphill and steep at that.  By the end it felt like we had walked 50km, but worth every step.

On a somewhat similar subject, I have just finished Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer and found it to be an exceptional read.  The story is nearly as old as the mountain itself and still rather controversial, especially here in NZ, but puts some interesting facts forward to support the claim that George Mallory did actually make it to the summit of Everest before Sir Edmund Hillary.  A great insight into this amazingly determined individual!

As most of you know, in a previous life I had a terrible fear of flying, to the point where I almost refused to get on a plane even for an hour jaunt from England to Ireland.  Thankfully, after a few sessions of Hypnosis I am relieved of that anxiety.  Never in a million years did I ever believe I would be able to jump from a plane and free fall from such a height.

It is worth all the hype, the 45 seconds of high-speed free fall was the most thrilling experience we have ever felt and are ever likely to feel again. It almost didn’t happen.  When we had the introduction and seen the video, I said I wasn’t doing it and that was that.  No way hosey!  Not because I was nervous at that particular point but I knew I would be when they opened the door hatch and would probably refuse to jump.  But after some persuasion from Sam I signed up and, once we handed over our cash, there was no turning back.

Surprisingly, I never felt that nervous.  I was last to board which meant I was first to jump – all I needed – and as the plane took off the tension did build a little.  Sam kept asking how I was, but I was still surprisingly calm.  I kept a watchful eye on the pressure gauge and as the needle rose my anal contractions followed.  Then a green light came on and it all happened in a flash – door opened, I shuffled an inch or two to the left until my legs were dangling, head back and we were off.  A 3–4 second period of sensory overload, no idea where you are, but then it all kicks into place and you can’t believe what you are seeing – flying like a bird.  Wow. Awesome. Incredible. 45 seconds feels like half an hour.  When they pull the parachute you glide for further 3–4 mins; take in the views while your body deals with the adrenalin rush/overload.  Before long you are touching solid ground again – some 5 mins in total.  What an experience!

Not until we were enjoying a refreshing drink did Sam tell me that she secretly arranged for me to jump first!  I feel betrayed!

Not only has this trip been the best decision we have ever made, it has changed our lives forever and probably in ways we will never know.  We see and act differently without knowing.  I suppose this is the ‘enrichment’ everybody keeps talking about.  I would never have done this jump 12–months ago that’s for sure!  This was a real high for us both and we savoured every minute. 

Wait until you see the video, I’m like a lunatic in the air while Sam is as quite as a mouse.  We’d do it again tomorrow.  Oh, and we have the t-shirts .

We did both. We hired a sea kayak on the first day for a half day and explored a section of the coastline, nothing to strenuous just drifting from island to island.  We were lucky enough to spot a colony of seals, two in fact, and it was great being able to get up close with the kayak.  They weren’t at all scared, just played among themselves – a magical experience.

On the second day we went for a walk along the famous Able Tasman Coast Track which stretches 51km.  We only lasted an hour or so before the heavens opened and we had to retreat.  None of us wanted a strenuous walk so when the rain came it was a welcome excuse to head back.

For us, the national park is stunningly beautiful and well worth a visit.  Its most striking feature are the golden sand beaches, they are incredible.  Sadly, we have no pictures that do them justice.  When you stand on a cliff edge and look across a bay it is truly beautiful – hard to take good (or any) pictures in the rain.  We also spotted a bird native to this area of NZ, the name escapes me but I’m sure you bird lovers will be able to remind us – not a particularly beautiful looking bird at that!

A relaxing couple of days!

As you can see from the photos, every day brings a new scene or area to explore, keeping us busy and contented always.  We have been surprised that so many travellers feel satisfied having toured for only four weeks, we could have spent three months in the south island alone and not discovered or explored enough.  I think the no. of posts uploaded is a true reflection of how much we are enjoying our time here – some 25 I believe!

My favourite pictures are of Danny and I jumping in the lake – we only did this for the photos – and the water was ice ice cold.  I didn’t see my testicles again for at least a few days!  Sam’s favourite is of us driving through a river.  The water level was deceiving and Danny convinced me that it would be a great camping spot the other side. Instead of walking over and having a look we drove – my heart was in my mouth when the rocks at the bottom were pounding the underneath, I immediately thought the sump and our $2000 deposit were a goner – Danny nearly pissed himself laughing. 

Wouldn’t you know it, when we got to the other side it was crap and we turned straight back to do it all over again.  If you look closely you’ll see Sam holding her hands to her face, but on this occasion she was the one that said we should go for it, so I did and thankfully we had no major problems other than a few new irritating noises.

Wow, wow, wow – the best activity we’ve done in NZ and possibly on our trip so far.  We took a guided walk and an ice climbing activity on the glacier.  Simply incredible.  We have done a fare bit of walking in NZ (we needed it) but walking on ice with crampons was a whole new experience and one we’d love to do again.

The ice climbing was the highlight but also the most strenuous.  A total of 8 hours inc. 2–3 hours climbing and 6 walking.  Danny (bless him) was the star of the show climbing to the top of each glacier wall with ease whereas I struggled at the end as the muscles in my arms gave way.  It’s easy at the start but once you’re vertical you have to pull your own weight with picks.  Sam and Janneke also faired pretty well and climbed to the top but only two of the 4 walls.  Although we were climbing pretty high we all felt as ease at the summit – just don’t look down!

The views on the glacier were incredible, which you see below, mountains and waterfalls in the background.  It was a little surreal given that we were walking on ice in temperatures over 30 degrees.  By the end we all had tired legs and sores from the hard walking boots provided but we still mustered the energy to open a bottle or two of wine to celebrate our achievement.  The memories of this experience will live with us for a lifetime!

Slightly exaggerated by the Lonely Planet but still an awesome scenic drive making you want to be stop every 10 minutes.  We only took a few pictures as we were trying to make some ground but they gives you a flavour of how beautiful the West Coast and the surroundings are.

Arrowtown sprang up in the 1860s following the discovery of gold in the Arrow River and since became one of the richest rivers in the world.  Mass mining has long since stopped (for a very good reason) but the area still makes plenty of money from from tourists wishing to try their luck.  The town has retained around 60 of its original wooden and stone buildings and makes for a pleasant stopover for lunch or a browse through the shops.  We spent a good few hours panning and had a great laugh debating how we were going to spend our fortune.  The lady at the information centre wet her pants when we said we won’t be coming back for our $20 pan deposit.  Of course we did, with our tails between our legs and she laughed even more.

There is gold there and plenty of it, but not in big enough flakes to be worth any money; you can see the grains or silt glistening in the water.  There are so many metals in the water it’s hard to tell which is gold.  It sounds easy but it’s damn hard work.  For us it’s back to reality!

The drive there was also very beautiful.

While Danny and I went Riverboarding (previous post) Janneke and Sam signed up for a a kayaking trip but was cancelled at the last minute due to the weather and they ended up walking for several hours around the town, the lake and up a mountain and took these fantastic photos.  At the end they treated themselves to coffee and cream cakes – nice!

We could easily have stayed a week and done an array of activities like bungy, skydive, shotover jet boat, quad biking, rafting etc. but they were all well over priced and well outside of our diminishing funds.  It is easy to see why tourists flock to this great area.

 The Autumn colours in NZ are amazing.