A loop of New Zealand's South Island
What a trip!
From the time I was old enough to wonder about riding further than the next dirt trail or mud pit, I have wanted to ride a motorbike in New Zealand. Trips across the US and even a tour of Europe came and went, but NZ (pronounced "unzud") was always a bit too far away... until now! It was just a short hop across the Tasman Sea!
First and foremost this was a riding trip, but with the Mrs and I both toting cameras (she had our Canon A710IS and used it constantly from the back seat of the bike) over 8 days and about 4gb, we were bound to end up with a few decent shots. Bear with the snapshots as I give you the tour, and I promise at least one or two photos with some merit besides gorgeous NZ scenery.
Day 1: Christchurch
Welcome to Christchurch, the biggest city on the South Island. We didn't have a lot of time to really take it in, riding, not city-walking was the aim of this trip. But we did spend an afternoon walking around, just a little bit.
This unexpected sight set the tone for the trip... all of sudden, we were in Venice!
...scenery can change just like that in NZ. You can be in a rainforest one minute, and in the hills of an alpine forest the next.
The b&b we stayed in was gorgeous, featuring a very old and very ornate central wooden staircase that several rich folks have offered to buy. Tough light, but you get the idea.
There were more rose bushes than we could count as well.
From the time I was old enough to wonder about riding further than the next dirt trail or mud pit, I have wanted to ride a motorbike in New Zealand. Trips across the US and even a tour of Europe came and went, but NZ (pronounced "unzud") was always a bit too far away... until now! It was just a short hop across the Tasman Sea!
First and foremost this was a riding trip, but with the Mrs and I both toting cameras (she had our Canon A710IS and used it constantly from the back seat of the bike) over 8 days and about 4gb, we were bound to end up with a few decent shots. Bear with the snapshots as I give you the tour, and I promise at least one or two photos with some merit besides gorgeous NZ scenery.
Day 1: Christchurch
Welcome to Christchurch, the biggest city on the South Island. We didn't have a lot of time to really take it in, riding, not city-walking was the aim of this trip. But we did spend an afternoon walking around, just a little bit.
This unexpected sight set the tone for the trip... all of sudden, we were in Venice!
...scenery can change just like that in NZ. You can be in a rainforest one minute, and in the hills of an alpine forest the next.
The b&b we stayed in was gorgeous, featuring a very old and very ornate central wooden staircase that several rich folks have offered to buy. Tough light, but you get the idea.
There were more rose bushes than we could count as well.
Erik
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Nice colour.
Heading out of Christchurch, after battling through a little bit of sprawl, it didn't take long to reach the open country, for our first brush with the most numerous of NZ inhabitants...
The view from the cockpit
Instead of hugging the coast all the way to Kaikoura, we decided to go a bit inland and see if we could make it to the beginning of the Southern Alps, place called Hamner Springs (we turned back to the coast just short, as it turned out to be a suprisingly chilly day, but got a flavor nonetheless). The rolling hills and tussock grass, like this quickly gave way to some real hills in the distance.
A rogue sheep decided he wanted to race
We wound over the hills and ended up back at the coast for a proper look at the South Pacific Ocean. The South Island is known for dramatic and rocky coastlines with big surf. Definitely not the sand and sun of Queensland!
Your fearless author
We arrived at Kaikoura and spotted our lodging, but it was early enough to keep going out to the tip of the peninsula where there is a very nice walkway and seal colony.
MrsIt stalking a fur seal
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After a cloudy start the day before, we woke up to a perfect day. The mountains that were hidden in the mist the day before were now showing off
After lots more gorgeous coastline, we headed inland to the Marlborough valley, New Zealands largest wine producing region. The lush green and rocky coast gave way to a slightly more arid and smoothly rolling countryside.
We rolled into Picton to round the corner for the west along the many sounds in the fingered northeastern corner coastline of the south island. Picton is the destination of the ferries from the North Island, so although small, it's a pretty hoppin' little port town.
And then a riding treat - the Queen Charlotte Road, also known as the Grove Track. A solid 30km of some of the most picturesque tightly winding road I've ever had the chance to ride.
My eyes are pretty knackered from processing these all weekend - I'll pick it up tomorrow
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How far is the travel from Oz to New Zealand? It definitely looks like a fun place to visit!
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It's just a short hop over the Tasman Sea from Brisbane, 3 hours.
Sorry I haven't finished this yet... been busy with the LPS at the moment. The best is yet to come, I'll get to it soon.
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And yeah, I know I'm slacking, but I finished off the LPS judging last night, so hopefully tonight after work I can get back into it.
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We left Nelson very excited to see the west coast today. Essentially cut off from the majority of the island by the Southern Alps, it's a wild and beautiful region. I was told by one of our innkeepers that the entire region is home to only 30,000 (or the number of students at a typical state college in the US) - in a place at least as big, as, perhaps, the state of Maine.
But we had some things to see on the way...
We joked that the first part of the trip was like being back at home, and that any minute we'd see the Vermont/Massachusetts border. Rolling hills, streams, and a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Soon after we descending into the Buller river/gorge region, and things started to change. Still mountainous, but the greenery became more tropical. The river was the kind of glacial turquoise blue that was beginning to be the norm around this island. And roads were carved directly into the mountains.
The mountains started to flatten out just a little bit, and bang, there we were at Cape Foulwind, a tiny little coastal town out on the northern tip of the west coast.
Which way do we go?
We continued on down the coast and were treated to some more treats (despite the increasing clouds...) Like this little cove near Punakaiki
Hello down there!
Not a great photo, shot from the back of the bike over my helmet, but really gives you an idea of what the riding was like along this beautiful shoreline. Did I mention the increasing clouds making it so white and flatly lit?...
Well, it couldn't last in total perfection, could it? Rain gear on, tuck in behind the bike's excellent wind screen and fairing and blast through the downpour to our next stop (luckily, we had made all the suggested stops for the day anyway).
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(Looks almost like home in the norwegian highlands, sheep everywhere.. :P )
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Today was one that I was looking forward to for the entire trip. We only had about 150km to ride, but along the way, the chance to stop and see 2 glaciers. I might be a bit off here, but I think there are only two places in the world where glaciers come down from snow-capped peaks into a rainforest - New Zealand and Argentina.
But first we had to make ourselves out of the metropolis of Hokitika. It was crazy, there was traffic everywhere...
Wait, I think that's a tumbleweed over there
We're really in the jungle now.
We made it to the little township of Franz Jozef glacier well before lunch. After a quick stop at the visitor center to check the walking tracks (they often close because of the ever-changing nature of the glacier) we headed a short way down an unsealed access road and got our first glimpse of the ice.
But to get to the glacier, we first had to hike through the jungle. I'm not exaggerating, it really is the jungle. It's (pretty) hot, very steamy, and very very green.
And across a rather "springy" suspension bridge (MrsIt wasn't really a big fan)
I wish I had taken more time to get a few of these photos, but the urge to get to the glacier and enjoy the hike won out. The water in this river was like a turquoise tinged milk. They call it "glacial flour".
Low lying misty clouds look really magical, but when they're pretty thin and the sun is rather blaring above them - it's REALLY hard to get well exposed photos. Where's my 1DmkXXXIV with 17 stops of dynamic range? Ah well, squint a bit and imagine you're there.
Glaciers are dangerous (and yes, it's fully raining by now).
quick grab with the pocket cam before we scurried back under the rainforest canopy.
I didn't need to go to New Zealand to get a shot like this, but whatever, still one of my favorite shots of the trip:
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After a thoroughly awesome tramp to the Franz Jozef glacier, we hopped back on the bike and zoomed down to Fox Glacier, the next town south.
The path carved by this glacier is a little steeper on the sides, so there was less rainforest to walk through. Instead, the scenery was more moon-like
More danger, remember, this is a moving river of ice!
Maybe not a rainforest, but still covered in green
Jagged ice rising up ahead.
What an awesome day.
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Let's just set the scene for today. 5 minutes from our lodge that morning was one of the most photographed views in New Zealand - the reflection of Mt Cook and Mt Tasman in Lake Atheson...
Gray, windy, ripply water... oh well. We have a long ride ahead of us down the rest of the west coast, then turning inland for the Otago valley and lakes region.
...
that's where a photo would go if our cameras were waterproof. It poured. All morning and afternoon. Poured. Rain, hard.
But it was still a beautiful ride. The rest of the rainforest coast was green as ever, and we were treated to more stunning glacial rivers, rapids and ravines as we crossed the bottom end of the Southern Alps to enter the Otago valley. Waterfalls, you name it, we saw it. Another day of emerging from a rainforest and within minutes being in the Austrian alps. Just mindboggling.
Through the mist, we began to see some big beautiful turqoise lakes. Lake Hawea was just beautiful, even in the rain.
The mountains here just fall into these amazing blue lakes. These photos really do it no justice, at all. We arrived wet and cold in Wanaka, but we did get a few minutes of gaps in the rain to gaze at both lakes Hawea and Wanaka towards the end.
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Tickled Pixels
Tickled Pixels Blog: "A walk in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm"
When we first got our itinerary from the tour guide, I wondered why the distance between our lodging these two days was only 75 or so kilometers apart. Before we even left Wanaka this morning, I knew why, because we were in utopia/heaven/valhalla/whatever-you-subscribe-to. I've now claimed this to several people and I will claim it again, I could throw away a decade of going to school and work here as a ski instructor/beach bum without any regrets. It's just that beautiful.
Again, photos do it no justice because (a) it's just too beautiful and (b) I definitely left any semblance of photo skills at home on this trip.
Sunrise over Wanaka (as you can see, the weather made a complete reversal from pouring rain to crystal clear blue skies - and today it would stay like this
Yes, that's a snowcapped peak back there. In winter nearly all these peaks are accessible for heli or backcountry skiing. And on a sidenote, this region is famous for having seasons, 4 of them, with fall foliage!
This one gives you a bit of an idea at the amazing shade of bright blue that all these lakes seem to have.
Anyone for some water-skiing?
We waved goodby to Wanaka and headed south for Queenstown via the Crown Range road, the highest sealed and regularly driven road in New Zealand. The view from the lookout
And this was perhaps the saddest thing we saw on the whole trip - why? why would someone do this?
I like twisty roads
At the bottom of the Crown Range road we were just a short distance away from Queenstown, which gave us lots of time to go east instead of west and have a look at the Kuwarau river/gorge, and the famous Kuwarau gorge bridge.
If you've ever wondered how you finish a bungee jump (I have) you have to aim for this tiny little boat.
Fun to watch, but we opted out of this activity.
Time to turn around and head back for Queenstown. We made another slight detour from the main road so we could pass through Arrowtown, a slightly smaller town just northwest of Queenstown. This area (and much of the west) is famous for gold rush towns. Arrowtown is a bit of a tourist place that feeds on history. There were some nice historic houses there (small little things) and some relics/signs near the river. Don't get me wrong, great little shops and many beautiful options for a snack (we chose a bakery and had a traditional anzac lunch of meat pies mmmmmm), nice lunch stop but no photo juices were flowing.
Another stop on the way was a quick jaunt up the auto road to Coronet peak, a ski area by winter and downhill mountain bike park in summer.
We rode the rest of the way to Queenstown, parked the bike, stowed the camera and just enjoyed a very nice afternoon and evening strolling around the lakeshore town of Queenstown. It's a very vibrant city and common starting point for many adventurers. There are many multi-day treks around the area and the city is full of backpacker accomodations and gear stores. Not that the place is a "base camp", the marina also holds a good collection of yachts, including one of New Zealands retired America's Cup vessels (I love those boats). No visit to New Zealand south would be complete without a stop here.
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After our leisurely pace yesterday, we had some serious distance to cover today. It was time to say farewell to the west and start the trip back towards Christchurch. We had read and been told that today we'd be heading through some warmer and drier regions. In typical New Zealand, this was not at all subtle. From the lush green hills of the lakes region, we went over a small mountain pass and arrived on the surface of Mars.
The road in some parts stretched out straight as a runway for tens of kilometers.
But then after peaking over yet another of these martian ridges, there in distance, we were once again looking at the Southern Alps - this time the two highest peaks, covered in snow and crowned in glaciers. We turned off the main road and took the 50km detour (one-way) up the one and only access road to Mt Cook/Aoraki National Park.
What is there really to say?
The hills are alive...
I'd love to come back here for a week with climbing and trekking gear. Someday.
The long hot kilometers across the plains had added up and it was with much pleasure that we arrived at scenic Lake Tekapo. How 'bout a swim?
Perhaps one of the most refreshing swims of my life (yes, the water is freezing, remember where it comes from). And so the sun goes down on our last big sight-seeing day.
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Today was mostly a transit day back to Christchurch for a last sleep in NZ before catching a plane back to Oz the next morning. As we headed northeast, things began to get a little greener again and the hills rolled a little bit higher. We made a couple little stops and had a nice little picnic lunch by a river but spent most of our time reminiscing about the amazing sights we had seen. Not that this portion of the ride didn't have nice views, but we were pretty spoiled at this point. It also didn't help that the wind had a vendetta against us, at times I was leaned over to about 45 degrees on straight roads to compensate for the blowing, and the mercury was rising. The wind, which at first was strong, and highly annoying to a bike rider, was at least somewhat cooling. After lunch, it began to feel more like a fan-forced oven. As we entered the greater Christchurch metro region, the increased traffic and intersections made everything rather unpleasant. It wasn't the nicest last 50 kilometers for our trip, but we made it back to the same lovely bed&breakfast to enjoy our final evening.
Thanks NZ, we had an amazing trip!
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I love this pic. It says a lot:
The geography and climate down there look... absolutely stunning. Giant moving rivers of ice next to steaming jungles. That's something out of a scifi novel.
Welcome home! For better or worse. And thanks for taking us with you two, of course.
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
One can almost imagine the Shrike coming after one?
Canon EOS 30D, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, Tokina 12-24 f/4. Sigma 1.4 TC, Feisol 3401 Tripod + Feisol ballhead, Metz 58 AF-1 C, ebay triggers.
I'll pass it on to MrsIt, it was obviously all her doing from the back seat. She tried for days to get a good mirror shot but the way the mirrors are mounted on low the bike we rented made it much harder for her than the bike we used to have bike home (handlebar mounted = higher).
The road back from Mt Cook really gave her a chance try though. When I dumped the files onto the puter, I think I had about 35 of them from those 50km alone, the mountain was a constant sight ahead/behind.
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Glad you got to go to New Zealand Doc, it is a beautiful country to visit.
I lived in Auckland for about 9 months as a teenager.
Never seen so many sheep and green landscapes in all my life.
I think sheep are like 10 per head of populations or something like that in New Zealand.
I hope you get to visit Tasmania while you are here in Australia,
many folks say it is like New Zealand.
Glad you got to forfil your life long dream Doc
Thanks for sharing ...... Skippy
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Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"
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:skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
They left me at the moving glaciers .... :cry
I need to save up 2k to fly there.
www.tednghiem.com
you won't regret it!
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I hope to visit Tas too. Time to save up a bit (cash and time off) and start planning the next trip!
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I hope your trip was a memorable one for all the right reasons and that you come back soon! If you do there are enough kiwis on this site to itinerise you well into the 'not so known' beauty spots. (I have a few having worked on helicopters for 20 plus years).
Great shots and thanks for sharing.
http://chrismckayphotography.com
Helicopters eh? I still have yet to go for a ride in one, but always wanted to. You must have some fantastic stories!
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