Lake Wanaka

We are currently staying in Wanaka in Central Otago. We are a bit tired from all the driving and mountain climbing, so we decided to just chill out in this area for a while. We don't exactly know what we are going to do next. We may head to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, but we have to make it back to this area by December 8th for our next WWOOFing experience. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

Mt. Aspiring National Park

Traveling through Haast's Pass, we entered Mt. Aspiring National Park. We stopped for a short hike and got to walk across this long suspension bridge. A little way down the trail we noticed people had stacked rocks all over the place. We stopped ourselves and added to the community of rock towers.

Gillespie Beach

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen...mostly because of the backdrop. Pictured is Mount Cook from Gillespie Beach at dusk. Sarah and I camped here one night because there was a free Department of Conservation campsite. I think it was free because there were sandflies everywhere!!! Sandflies are small little bugs that land on you and suck your blood. They are worse than mosquitoes because it hurts when they bite you. Afterward, you are left with a bite that is very itchy. Ugh. Fortunately, they go away after the sun sets, but they aren't much fun at dinner time. I am happy we are no longer on the West Coast because we don't have to deal with the little buggers anymore.

Lake Matheson

Lake Matheson is a lake created by the Fox Glacier many years ago. Tanin from the surrounding vegetation gives the lake a brilliant reflective quality. Snow-covered Mt. Cook can be seen in the distance.

Franz Josef Glacier

The Franz Josef Glacier's enormity can never be captured with a camera. The hike to the glacier itself was amazing with huge chunks of ice floating down the river the whole way. They are quite loud when they hit rocks. We actually had to take our shoes off at one point to cross a stream. The water was freezing, yet refreshing. As we were putting our shoes back on, a huge block of ice got caught on a rock and began to divert water straight towards us. We had to pick everything up and quickly get out of the way!

If you look carefully at the bottom picture, you can see people in front of the cave from which the river flows. It may give you a better idea of how big the glacier is. If you REALLY look carefully, you can see groups of people actually walking on the glacier. (Look above the huge block of ice Sarah is standing next to on the dirtier part of the glacier.)

Punakaiki National Park

Before we headed back into the Southern Alps, we took a side trip to Punakaiki National Park on the West Coast. The top picture features the Pancake Rocks. The second picture was taken from a trail along the Pororari River. The bottom picture is of an inquisitive and bold South Island Robin who joined us during part of our hike.

It's Not All Beautiful Mountains and Rivers

To save money and get more of a taste of what local Kiwi culture is really like, Sarah and I are WWOOFers. WWOOF stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms. In exchange for work, we get free food and a place to stay. We spent four days in Kumara Junction on the West Coast, and it never really stopped raining from Saturday to Tuesday... So, we moved fire wood in the rain for two days. Pictured here shows that the rain finally caught up with our efforts: our host's Suburu got stuck in the mud. All in all, it was a good experience, the people were nice, and we had a dry place to stay until the rain stopped.

Otira Gorge

Rock slides are everywhere in Arthur's Pass National Park. Road engineers had to design creative structures to avoid road wash-outs. This picture was taken in the pouring rain. Sarah and I coordinated the effort to get this shot. She jumped out of the car with a jacket and held it over the camera just long enough for me to get the shot. Unfortunately, as I tried to jump back in the car, the jacket got wrapped around my head and I fell into the car and let go of the door. The door swung open due to the wind and drenched Sarah. I was completely blind and confused. After Sarah got back into the car, we both had a good laugh and were just happy the stupid shot actually came out.

Bealey Valley Track

On Friday, Sarah and I hiked the Bealey Valley Track in Arthur's Pass National Park. The track itself eventually ends at the river and hikers must then rock-hop up the river to eventually reach the glacier seen in the top picture. The second picture shows the view descending the track back toward the road a few miles away. This was an awesome hike!

The Southern Alps

This was taken near the start of the Bealey Valley Track in Arthur's Pass National Park.

Devil's Punchbowl Falls

We camped two nights in Arthur's Pass Village. This scene was just a short five minute walk from where we slept. ...of course, there seemed to be waterfalls everywhere you looked in this park due to all of the ice and glaciers at the tops of the surrounding mountains.

Amazing.

So is New Zealand the most amazing place on Earth? Yes. Yes it is. These pictures were taken right before entering Arthur's Pass National Park. Clearly, the scenery was too much for Sarah, who had to lay down near the river...

On the Road...Finally!!!

We finally made it to the South Island after 10 months of living in New Zealand. The scenery has not disappointed. This was taken on SH73 heading west to Arthur's Pass National Park. Unfortunately, the picture is a little grainy because I forgot the ISO was set to 1600 from when I was taking pictures inside dark cathedrals...oops.

Christchurch's Churches

Pictured here are the Cathedrals of Christchurch, New Zealand. At the top is the Catholic Cathedral and below is the Anglican Cathedral. The Anglican is at the very center of the town and has a large square with markets and street performers. Apparently the Catholics weren't too happy about the Anglican church being the center of attention and built a Cathedral to rival its grandeur. Either way, it is quite impressive to find such large, elaborate churches in a town with only 750,000 people.

We're Outta Here!!!

Sarah and I have completed our programs at the University of Auckland. We now have Post-Graduate Diplomas in Science. We are leaving Auckland tomorrow to spend some time on New Zealand's South Island.

Pictured is the University of Auckland's Clock Tower, an electric bus (which is free to ride), and Sarah walking away from the university...forever!