Visit New Zealand - Day Six

I meet the Magic Bus outside my hostel at 8 am and sit next with Vanessa, Wags and Trigg. We stop off at Hokitika (left), which (it being a Sunday) is completely dead – it actually looks like a ghost town! We wander to the supermarket then have a look at some traditional greenstone art at the town’s carving centre.

Our next stop is at Ross, an old gold mining town featuring a church which is allegedly New Zealand’s oldest building, an old miner’s shack and the old town jail, a replica of the largest nugget of gold ever found in NZ (the Roddy Nugget), and some village stocks! You can even ‘pan for gold’ in some plastic tubs if you really want to, for $6.


We arrive at Franz Josef town (above) with enough time to have some lunch and a relax before going on a half-day hike up the Franz Josef Glacier. The glacier was named after the Austrian emperor in 1865, but the Maori name for it is "Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere" — which translates to "the tears of the avalanche girl". The legend is that Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Tawe, to climb with her. An avalanche swept Tawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears froze to form the glacier.

The half-day hike gives you about two hours on the ice and is graded as 'moderately difficult'. At the Glacier Guides HQ, I buddy up with Wags and Trigg and we kit ourselves in plastic trousers, raincoat, wool socks, hiking boots, gloves and hat before being driven towards the glacier. I feel like a prize fool, but at least everyone else looks silly too. From the car park we walk through regenerating rainforest and continue along the glacier valley (right) with our guide calling stops to explain the features of the glacier and its surroundings. We have to wade through the river and scramble up a rockface using a rickety ladder and a rope which is a bit scary, but the valley itself is beautiful with cascading waterfalls along the sides.

When we reach the terminal face (left) we all strap on our Ice-Talonz and begin to make our way up the glacier, using a steep and slippery 40 metre staircase that has been cut into the ice. The view from here is amazing enough, but we go further, crossing ravines, crawling through ice tunnels and squeezing through stunning blue ice crevices. Truly beautiful, and I only manage to slip and fall over once (thankfully in a safe location).

Back at my hostel (right) I have a long hot shower to soothe my aching legs and blistered feet, before meeting Wags and Trigg for dinner and drinks at the Blue Ice Cafe, where you get a handle of beer free with any pizza. The boys are impressed with my skills at chugging ales and stouts, but after four or so handles I'm rather tiddly and embarrass myself by revealing how blonde I really am (a saga involving washing my clothes, which I won't go into here). Before I get any more wrecked I retreat to bed - sleep is well-deserved after the afternoon's excursion!

Visit New Zealand - Day Five

Today I make my own way to Christchurch railway station to catch the TranzAlpine train (left) across the island, a journey known as 'The Great New Zealand Rail Adventure'. Crossing the huge and fertile patchwork farmlands of the Canterbury Plains, we pass through Sheffield, which has a hotel next to a brook called “Porter Heights” (‘small world’ example #3)! I manage to cross an item off the "50 things to eat before you die" list by trying an Australian style meat pie from the onboard cafe.

We stop at Springfield station for some photo opportunities and a local high school orchestra serenade us. The train then winds its way over viaducts, through spectacular gorges and river valleys, before tracking slowly across the country's greatest mountain range, the Southern Alps. We stop at Arthur’s Pass, a tiny hamlet named after the pass that cuts through the mountains. The train then follows rivers and skirts around Lake Brunner (Moana), before descending through lush beech forest to the Tasman Sea and the town of Greymouth.



After checking in to my hostel (the Kainga-Ra), I join an independent afternoon tour along the West Coast up to Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks (above). The rocks are named for the layering of the limestone, which is apparently unique and scientists still don't know what caused it. Walkways wind through the rock formations, with views down to surge and whirl pools, and blowholes through which the sea bursts during high tides.

I enjoy a cold beer while basking in the sun before our guide takes us a little further north to the Truman Track (right). The track begins in virgin native bush; untouched rainforest of ferns, nikau palms, and rimu. Near the end, we pass through typical West Coast flax before emerging into a sandy cove featuring cliffs, caves, and a stunning waterfall. It's truly beautiful. We have chance to wander around and I even pick up some pieces of greenstone jade.

I arrive back at my hostel (left) too late to join the Monteith's bewery tour, so have a simple tea and relax in the TV room quietly watching Lord of the Rings (it seemed appropriate!) with some other girls until bedtime.

Visit New Zealand - Day Four

I chat to some medical reps from Australia at breakfast at my hotel and discover that one has a son who lives in Sheffield (‘small world’ example #2). I have another meeting at the conference for most of today, where I randomly bump into a junior doctor from the hospital in Sheffield! I had no idea he or the rest of the research team were here - nice of my boss to tell me! He invites me out to dinner with the rest of the gang. Yay! After the conference, I do a bit more shopping and sightsee around New Regent Street (left).

Later I get dressed up and meet the others at their hotel bar where we chat and have a few beers. Following a bit of a hunt for a likely restaurant we finally settle on eating at Tandoori Palace on Cathedral Square; it’s very average Indian food but they forget to charge us for drinks so at least it’s very cheap!

Most people retreat to their hotels after dinner, but Anand, Sammy and I decide to venture to Christchurch Casino (right). I have no idea what I'm doing so watch Anand play a few hands of blackjack. He then gives me $10 and encourages me to have a go. I'm a natural and by midnight, I’ve proceeded increase my money ten-fold! I can't believe I've won $100! Knowing I have to be up early, I split my winnings with the lads and go back to my hotel - my last night before the real adventure begins.