Monthly Archives: March 2012

On Wednesday, March 7, I was behind the steering wheel for the best part of eight hours, as we went from Golden Bay to Franz Josef with only a short break in Greymouth. There were a lot of winding roads up and down … Continue reading →

It took around three and a half hours to drive from Kaikoura to Nelson, a place with the ugliest church tower I’ve ever seen. Silvia and I treated ourselves to a delicious steak dinner in town. On Tuesday, March 6, we … Continue reading →

The next day, the ferries were operating as usual, but the whale watching boats weren’t taking the risk. I expected to have another quiet day but then I got a new roommate, Silvia, 23, from Switzerland. I took her to … Continue reading →

On Friday, March 2, after two weeks and 1,742km (1,082 miles), it was time to leave the north island. Getting Sunny Greg and myself onto the ferry was more straightforward than I had feared, and as I accidentally left my coat … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, February 28, the top of Mount Ruapehu was covered in cloud, which made my decision about doing the Tongariro Crossing a no-brainer. There would have been no point as I wouldn’t have been able to see anything, and … Continue reading →

I got a good view of the snow-capped Mount Ruapehu, and the volcano next to it, Mount Ngauruhoe, during my flight over Taupo. I got to see them from the other side as I drove to National Park, a tiny village in Tongariro National Park. … Continue reading →

I went to Taupo because I heard it was the skydiving capital of New Zealand. I thought I would get a great view of the snow-capped mountains and Lake Taupo, which is apparently the size of Singapore and the country’s largest lake. … Continue reading →

After my caving experience, I drove for two hours 20 minutes to Rotorua, which is apparently New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. It is known for its hot springs, explosive geysers, bubbling mud pools and smell of rotten eggs caused by clouds … Continue reading →

On Friday, February 24, I spent four hours driving to Waitomo, but I arrived slightly too late for the last caves tour of the day. As I’d joined the YHA in Whitianga, it made sense to stay at the YHA … Continue reading →