Can you fall off the southernmost point of New Zealand?

Hallo,

the answer is..... naja... probably yes, but you would only be hurt, not dead :-) Although the wind and cliffs would finish you off, once in the water ;-)

I visited the southernmost point of the South Island of New Zealand. It was cold, rainy, windy and rough.
Most of my visit of the south Coast I was not so lucky with the weather...but I tried to mollify myself with the thought that storm and rain is probaly more authentic than sunshine. Probably most of the year it is like this. So I think I got the "real south coast" feeling. :-)

I am now on my way to the center of the South Island again...hopefully to get a glimpse of "Mount Cook" & Co.

I hope you are fine! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best regards, Renate

Still good weather....

Hallo,

Here I am to report my days in Te Anau, Wanaka, Mount Aspiring National Park and Milford Sound.

I had good luck with the weather. A fact that is paramount for the mountains and milford sound. I spent my birthday in the Mount Aspiring National Park, eating chocolate and admiring glaciers.

After that I again was lucky with blue sky when visiting Milford Sound. An incredible valley leading to the the impressive Sound.

But what I am wondering is... are there any people left in Germany at the moment? Because I think half of the german population is now here ein New Zealand. Wherever you go and turn.. you only hear german. Or Chinese for that matter...the chinese posing the other 50% of the tourists here...

By the way...meanwhile I think I am addicted to Cider and Muffins.

Still annoying is the accomodation situation.. everywhere you turn, all rooms and beds are booked. So it is pretty hard to get a bed each night. I wonder when will be the first night I have to spend in the car.... :-( So enjoy your bed every night :-)

If you want to look at some pictures: Mount Aspiring NP, Milford Sound.

Regards, Renate

Getting serious with trekking...

Hallo,

in the last days I started to do the trekking I was talking about :-). I was so very lucky with the weather I still cannot believe it. But I am sure there will be different times as well. :-)

I flew into Queenstown and had nice weather right away. So I immediately started with the "Ben Lomond" Trek and then the Routburn Trek. On both I was joined by many others...very popular treks. The scenary was great. Although I found myself comparing the mountains with the alps. Maybe the valleys are a bit larger here and less populated...but you could find similar views also in the alps at home. The big difference though is: here you cannot find any huts with "Radler" or "Speckbrot". You have to carry everything for yourself. :-)

I had to buy new mountain boots as my old ones desintegrated in Australia already, before my trekking even started :-( And now I have a lot of blisters on my feet, as feared. Thus I am forced to take a short "medical recovery break" before I can start again. But the weather is supposed to be rainy the next 2-3 days anyway :-)

I have uploaded a few pictures from my first two treks.

I am sending you my regards! :-)

Renate

Can you fall off the northern tip ????

The anser is....yes! :-)

You defenitely can fall off the most northern tip of New Zealand. It is a steep cliff :-)

But it is awesome and wonderful, wild and incredible beautiful!

We were lucky with the weather this time, driving north to the most northern point of New Zealand. The sun was "with us" :-)

And it made the scenery wonderful!

We also visited "90 mile beach" although we could neither check if it really is 90 miles long nor dared to drive on it, having the local advice "Whatever you do...don't drive on the 90 mile sand beach" in one ear and the warning sings before our eyes. So we chickened out ... considering the camper van we were driving. :-) 

From the one german guy who said he would dare to... we never heard of again ;-). But we also did not exchange any conctact details...so we'll never know :-)

Sandboarding on the "Big Sand Dunes" gave Rainers camera the rest and reduced it to "something-scratchy-all-over" :-) But we have some nice videos :-)

These were, unfortunately, the last days for Rainer and he had to leave today to go back home. :-(

I will continue to the South Island tomorrow and hope for good weather.

As usual....here some pictures for you!:-)

Take care!

Bye!

Renate

Coromandel Peninsula

Hallo,

after our rainy days we finally found more sun on the Coromandel Peninsula.
We enjoyed the sun and the dry weather and visited a lot of beaches and spectacular landscape.
We even had bright blue days in the mountains for some day tracks.
The "pinnacles" were a real highlight of our time on the Coromandel.

Also here for you the pictures to endulge :)....

Best regards! :-)
Renate & Rainer

Caught in the rain on the Central North Island

Hallo!

During our first weeks here together in New Zealand (Rainer arrived for his holidays :-) ) we went south on the North Island to  visit the central plateau. Unfortunately we got caught more than less in a bad weather front and had very much rain and cloudy days.

When looking at the tourist "must do" here on the central North Island we would like to create our own "must do" list instead:

• drive the most scenic road when it is cloudy and rainy
• stop at THE amazing, spectacular lookout in heavy rain with no view
• get lost in the "forgotten valley" being the only tourist in the damp and rainy campground
• look at postcards of what "you are supposed to see here in good weather"
• reserve a much sought-afer bed in the huts for the Tongariro Circuit Treck only to not do it, because of the severe weather warnings
• walking tracks in your bathing suit because you know you will get totally wet anyway
• frequently drink coffee indoors escaping rain
• ask people at the info center for the weather forecast (although you already know it) only to hear them say "rainy and cloudy" crushing your last hope
• drink a bottle of wine every day or at least some cider and/or beer to cheer up :-)
• keep your good  mood at any point in time ;-) 

So instead of the standard "must do" we adhered to our own "must do" list :) But we wanted to go "off the beaten track" anyway ;) Who wants to do standard tourist things ;)

Have a look at the pictures to take part. :-)

Best regards, Renate