thezorbster
10th January 2008, 01:31 PM
Just returned from a beautiful camping holiday and just wanted to say "I love it here!". We initially planned to do the West coast and probably stop at Wanaka but we just kept on going......
After an initial stunning blue sky day at Westport (fantastic seal colony) the weather turned to that stuff the west is renowned for - and lots of it! We managed to glimpse Franz Josef glacier whilst struggling to erect our tent in the most torrential rain but decided amidst more rain the next day to leave the area behind and headed for Wanaka through the Haast pass. Have to say the pass was absolutely stunning - made more so by the rain, as around every corner was a new waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking. Little'un kept asking if I was crying (she knows me so well) as I was just gasping at the beauty of it. Unfortunately it was too wet to stop en route but by the time we reached Wanaka it was dry again luckily. Spent Christmas there - Christmas day was spent at Puzzling World so definitely a different Xmas this year! We then headed to Queenstown for 3 nights and did some great touristy stuff. Had the most brilliant whitewater rafting trip with 'Family Adventures'. It was only grade 1-2 rapids but with a 5 yr old in tow that was all we wanted and she absolutely loved it. All she wanted to do was leap into the freezing water and be rescued by the guide. We did some rock jumping into the swirling rapids too. The drive up Skippers Canyon to the start of the trip was an adventure in itself - a real back country road in Lord of the Rings territory - stunning!
After Queenstown we headed down to Te Anau and decided to do Doubtful Sound. Another torrential rain day but again, this completely changed the scenery and the waterfalls and rivers which aren't always there were just amazing. During the trip we were all encouraged to go and stand on deck, the engines were then turned off on the boat and everyone just stood in silence, taking in the amazing scenery and no noise apart that of nature - a really inspiring moment! Also did the glow worm caves at Te Anau which again were great - sitting in a boat in the pitch black in absolute silence with nothing but thousands over glowworms over your head was magical. Also drove the Milfors Sound road which took us most of the day as we stopped so many times for little walks etc. Saw some Keas there - very entertaining (as long as they are not being entertaining on your car!).
Then decided to carry on down to Invercargill and Dunedin to drive the Southern Scenic route which was beautiful. Took in much wildlife along the way - fur seals, hectors dolphins, albatross and sea lions (from which we had to run away down the beach at high speed in a true David Attenborough moment). Saw some beatiful places along the way and I thought the Southern Otago coast was stunning. At Dunedin we had a mad panic as we realised we had completely miscalculated the number of days we had left of our holiday so we had to cancel a night and start a hasty return trip back up north. We returned via Wanaka and the West coast again but this time we had perfect blue sky weather. Stopped at various places through the Haast pass and went on the bounciest swingbridge yet encountered - OH had a bit of a rope clutching, pant filling moment half way across! Then visited Fox glacier and the next morning had the most stunning views of Aoraki. There is a lake called Lake Matheson which has fantastic reflections of the mountains if you get there early enough in the morning. Unfortunately we didn't but it was still a beautiful walk and somewhere I will return to and make sure we get up early!
Well those are just the highlights really - sorry it's a bit long but it was just so beautiful and I wanted to share it!
(Edited to say photos will follow)
After an initial stunning blue sky day at Westport (fantastic seal colony) the weather turned to that stuff the west is renowned for - and lots of it! We managed to glimpse Franz Josef glacier whilst struggling to erect our tent in the most torrential rain but decided amidst more rain the next day to leave the area behind and headed for Wanaka through the Haast pass. Have to say the pass was absolutely stunning - made more so by the rain, as around every corner was a new waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking. Little'un kept asking if I was crying (she knows me so well) as I was just gasping at the beauty of it. Unfortunately it was too wet to stop en route but by the time we reached Wanaka it was dry again luckily. Spent Christmas there - Christmas day was spent at Puzzling World so definitely a different Xmas this year! We then headed to Queenstown for 3 nights and did some great touristy stuff. Had the most brilliant whitewater rafting trip with 'Family Adventures'. It was only grade 1-2 rapids but with a 5 yr old in tow that was all we wanted and she absolutely loved it. All she wanted to do was leap into the freezing water and be rescued by the guide. We did some rock jumping into the swirling rapids too. The drive up Skippers Canyon to the start of the trip was an adventure in itself - a real back country road in Lord of the Rings territory - stunning!
After Queenstown we headed down to Te Anau and decided to do Doubtful Sound. Another torrential rain day but again, this completely changed the scenery and the waterfalls and rivers which aren't always there were just amazing. During the trip we were all encouraged to go and stand on deck, the engines were then turned off on the boat and everyone just stood in silence, taking in the amazing scenery and no noise apart that of nature - a really inspiring moment! Also did the glow worm caves at Te Anau which again were great - sitting in a boat in the pitch black in absolute silence with nothing but thousands over glowworms over your head was magical. Also drove the Milfors Sound road which took us most of the day as we stopped so many times for little walks etc. Saw some Keas there - very entertaining (as long as they are not being entertaining on your car!).
Then decided to carry on down to Invercargill and Dunedin to drive the Southern Scenic route which was beautiful. Took in much wildlife along the way - fur seals, hectors dolphins, albatross and sea lions (from which we had to run away down the beach at high speed in a true David Attenborough moment). Saw some beatiful places along the way and I thought the Southern Otago coast was stunning. At Dunedin we had a mad panic as we realised we had completely miscalculated the number of days we had left of our holiday so we had to cancel a night and start a hasty return trip back up north. We returned via Wanaka and the West coast again but this time we had perfect blue sky weather. Stopped at various places through the Haast pass and went on the bounciest swingbridge yet encountered - OH had a bit of a rope clutching, pant filling moment half way across! Then visited Fox glacier and the next morning had the most stunning views of Aoraki. There is a lake called Lake Matheson which has fantastic reflections of the mountains if you get there early enough in the morning. Unfortunately we didn't but it was still a beautiful walk and somewhere I will return to and make sure we get up early!
Well those are just the highlights really - sorry it's a bit long but it was just so beautiful and I wanted to share it!
(Edited to say photos will follow)