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Fly & drive New Zealand

Volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, geysers and fjords

New Zealand - Snow-covered volcano in Tongariro Nationaal Park

From Auckland by way of North Island, along the Bay of Islands, the volcanic area around Rotorua and Taupo, Napier and Wellington. Crossing Cook Strait to Picton and farther over South Island by way of Hanmer Springs, Hokitika, Franz Josef- and Fox Glaciers, Lake Matheson, Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford Sound in Fiordland, Catlins, Dunedin and eventually Christchurch.

Travelogue & photos: Corry & Henny Schoenmakers

After a stop-over in Kuala Lumpur we arrive in Auckland at 12:30 PM. A taxi takes us to our hotel in the center of town, opposite the Sky Tower. Before we enter the city center, we drive through neat streets with little houses and pretty gardens. It looks somewhat British.

New Zealand - Auckland, Maoris in the Auckland Museum

The weather is beautiful, so we go out and explore the city. We just wander around, along the harbor, where we sit down on a bench and watch the ships. We walk to the Parnell district, which has beautiful old buildings and courtyards. The little art shops also look attractive.

In the Auckland Museum we find out a lot about this country. The history of the Maoris and the white colonists is extensively told. But it also has a lot of information about volcanoes, flowers and wildlife.

Bay of Islands

Waioua Forest 2,000 years old trees

At 9:30 AM the next morning our rental car is delivered at the hotel: our trip is about to begin. We drive from Auckland to the Bay of Islands on the north-west tip of North Island.

New Zealand - Matakohe

In Matakohe we visit the Kauri museum, which shows the massive wood logging that took place in the first half of the twentieth century and the circumstances in which the pioneers and their families had to survive.

A wonderful road along the Kauri coast takes us through the Waioua Forest, which has 2,000 years old trees. A nice trail leads to the large Tana Mahuta Kauri Tree. Suddenly it starts to rain. This morning the sun shone. Maybe there is some truth in the saying that you can experience four seasons in one day in this country.

New Zealand - Flagstaff Hill, traditional Maori greeting

In Pahia we walk to the harbor and find out that there is a ferry to take us to Russell. We stroll along beautiful Victorian buildings to Flagstaff Hill. On this hill you have a great view of the islands in the Bay of Islands.

On this historic site the Maori and the British fought many battles. There is a memorial and the national flag. Next to it sits a Maori. When we take pictures, he suggests to take one of the two of us. "I'll introduce myself first," he says and greets Henny with a hongi. This is a traditional Maori greeting with noses touching.

New Zealand - Russel, church and cemetary

Russell has many historic buildings. The church and adjoining cemetary are worth a visit. Everything looks like it did in the era of the first immigrants, around 1830.

Waitomo

Glow worms spread a blueish light in the caves

Our destination today is Waitomo, an area south of Auckland. It's a long drive, so we leave at 7:30 AM. The weather is great.

New Zealand - Whangarei Falls

In Whangarei we drive to the Whangarei Falls. At the parking lot a trail begins that leads through the forest to the waterfall. There's a bridge where children climb a tree and then jump in the river.

In Otorohanga we watch the kiwi, a ratite that sleeps 20 hours a day. We have to be very quiet to see it in the dark. The kiwi is New Zealand's national bird. When New Zealanders are called "kiwis" it refers to this bird, not to the fruit of the same name. I think I would have come up with something else.

We arrive on time at the Abseil Breakfast Inn, a wooden building on a hill in Waitomo. All rooms have themes and ours is the Cave Room. The ceiling is covered with black transparent fabric. On the bed are light- and dark-brown pillows and a large animal (made of fabric) that looks like a marmot.

Because it's still early, we visit the Waitomo Caves; it turns out there's a guided tour to see the glow worms. We descend with a small group. We look up in surprise and see lots of blueish lights. These little worms give light because of a chemical reaction in their rear ends. They hang from poisonous threads in dark, humid spaces. Small insects are attracted by the light and get stuck in the threads and voilà, worm breakfast.

We get in a boat and sail farther into the cave to see the glow worms from closer up.

Volcanic Rotorua and Taupo

Steam, boiling geysers and bubbling mud

New Zealand - Roturua, volcanic activity

We smell the sulphur from far away when we drive to Roturua. Roturua lies at the center of an area that is warmed by volcanic activity, which causes steam, boiling geysers and bubbling mud. The earth is constantly moving here. We find the geyser park immediately.

We walk for a while and see a performance by Maoris. In the evening there's a traditional hangi: a concert with a meal (or a meal with a concert). We join and enjoy a fun performance and excellent buffet.

New Zealand - Roturua, steam spouting geyser

Our hotel is near the geyser park and from our bed we can see the steam spouting geysers.

On the way to Taupo we visit the impressive geyser Lady Knox. With a little help, some detergent, she is made to erupt at exactly 10 AM. It is part of the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. We want to explore it extensively and choose the longest tour.

The weather is nice and sunny. The thermal sources have different colors. The soil contains all kinds of minerals like sulphur, manganese, iron oxide and the likes. The so-called "champagne pool" has an orange rim. It is odd, but looks very pretty.

We leave for the Huka Falls in Wairakei Park. A jetboat goes all the way to the foot of the waterfall. The people on board, youngsters, are having a great time.

We continue on to Taupo. We see the crater lake of the same name from afar against a background of snow-covered mountains.

New Zealand - Roturua, champagne pool

We spend an extra day in Taupo and drive to Tongariro National Park, the second oldest national park in the world. It has three mighty volcanoes and one of them, Ruapehu, became active again after 50 years in September 1995.

We drive along the wonderful, deep-blue Lake Taupo and approach the snow-covered volcanoes. We take a hiking trail for a two-hours walk to Huka Falls.

New Zealand - Tongariri National Park

After a cappuccino we drive as far as possible to the top of Ruapehu. During the winter it is a ski resort. The volcano's peak disappears in fog, so we don't take the chair lift farther up.

Napier and Wellington

Rebuilt in Art Deco style after the earthquake

New Zealand - Napier, old-timer

A beautiful, winding road takes us to Napier early in the morning. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and afterwards rebuilt in Art Deco style. Everything looks clean and fresh, also the beach and adjoining parks with fountains.

The next day we make the long trip to Wellington on the southern edge of North Island. It's a quiet and pretty route. On the way we see vineyards.

New Zealand - View on the way

When we arrive in Wellington, we leave our suitcases in the hotel and visit the Te Papa Museum. Every imaginable means is used to give you an impression of the country. Afterwards, we feel we completely understand New Zealand's past, present and future.

The Te Papa Museum has virtual volcanic eruptions. You stand in a little house and all of a sudden everything begins to shake. I guess this is what an earthquake feels like.

We stay in the museum until it closes and then go into town to have dinner. It's cooler here. Tomorrow morning we'll take the ferry to South Island.

Picton

Amazing fjords and beautiful views

We have to be at the ferry dock at 10 AM for the crossing to Picton. But first we return our car. It's rather cool on the boat, but warm enough to stay outside on the deck. The sun shines.

New Zealand - Queen Charlotte Track, view

The sea is calm and during the last hour of the crossing, we sail through the Marlborough Sounds (fjords), it's like a great cruise. In Picton we have to get a new rental car for our trip on South Island.

We are staying in a nice motel with a sunny terrace, near stores and Picton's harbor. We install ourselves on the terrace with a cup of coffee and a beer. Later we'll go and explore the surroundings.

We walk a part of the Queen Charlotte Track. It is 67 kilometers long, but a couple of hours walking is enough for us. On the way we enjoy the beautiful blue sounds and view-throughs. We hear wonderful bird songs. When we sit down by the water we get a better looks at the birds through our binoculars.

Hanmer Springs

Thermal baths with snow-covered Alps in the background

Our destination for today is Hanmer Springs. We leave early and on the way we see enormous white plains with a pink glow. This is caused by salt crystals.

In Kaikoura you can board a boat to watch whales, but I don't feel comfortable in a fast boat on the sea, so we park our car at the end of the South Bay Parade. There are supposedly many seals here. We don't see any and decide to take the Shoreline Walk.

On the high rocks we have a great view of the coastline and the sea. Every now and then we have to climb over a fence to continue. The sun shines as usual in a clear blue sky. Far below us we see people look at something. We descend and walk back on the beach. It is incredibly beautiful and quiet, we only hear the murmuring of the sea.

New Zealand - Seal

It's low tide, so we can walk on rocks that stick out of the water. A seal is sleeping on a rock. Quietly I approach it. You can't get too close, because they sometimes bite.

I take a wonderful picture. But then the seal begins to bark, so we leave him alone.

We continue on our way to Hanmer Springs. We have arrived in the southern version of the Alps. The route is beautiful.

The thermal baths in Hanmer are laid out beautifully with the snow-covered Alps in the background. There are nine different baths with temperatures between 28 to 40 degrees centigrade. It's a wonderful feeling to lie in one of the baths. While we're there, it gets dark and it's very romantic to watch the starry sky from a bath.

Hokitika

Shantytown is a living open-air museum

The weather is wonderful again, in the afternoon it will be 26 degrees centigrade. The road to Hokitika offers varying and beautiful views. We drive by way of the Lewiss Pass to Reefton and again the views are stunning when we cross South Island from the east to the west coast.

In Greymouth we visit a greenstone house in which the treatment of these unusual stones is demonstrated. They are used in beautiful jewelry. We just can't pass up the opportunity to buy some of this jade. The Maori use it to make sculptures.

We also stop in Shantytown, a living open-air museum. It has old-fashioned stores, an old school building with benches from the 1950s, a church and there is a group of children in historic costumes who are making a strip of iron with which they then play; there's an old hospital, a pharmacy, etc.

New Zealand - Hokitika, steam-tram

There is an old steam tram on which you can take a ride into the rainforest. You can also try your luck by looking for gold with a sieve in a container full of rocks.

We continue on through the always green land where nobody seems to be in a hurry. We spend the night in a nice chalet on the beach with a view of the Tasman Sea. On our terrace we watch the sun go down. Opposite the chalet is a cave with glow worms. In the evening we take a flashlight and walk into the cave.

The Alps are mirrored in the water

Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson

New Zealand - Franz Josef Glacier

We drive south along the west coast and are curious about the glaciers we'll see here. The sky gets cloudy and there is wind. I want to visit the famous Lake Matheson immediately, but our hostess tells us it's better to wait until tomorrow, when the weather will be better.

Instead we visit the Franz Josef Glacier. We're not the only ones. Part of the road is cordoned off because of a landslide. We walk around the fence and carefully climb the rocks. We see a group of people wearing special shoes with ice spurs climb the glacier. You feel very small in this big world of rocks.

New Zealand - Franz Josef Glacier

At the foot of the glacier is a deep hole from which water flows - after a short distance the stream becomes a waterfall.

And now on to Fox Glacier. Here on the west coast, there is over 5 meters of precipitation. Heavy snowfall on the peaks of the Alps causes a constant downward pressure on the steep slope. This turns the snow into ice and the ice pushes everything away on its way down.

New Zealand - Lake Matheson

We get up early to visit Lake Matheson. It's not a clear day, but the wind has died down. We still walk the trail around the lake. The views are stunning, as is the reflection of the Alps in the lake. We can't see the snow-covered peaks, but it's still worth it.

Queenstown

An interesting city with many young people

New Zealand - Haast pass

Today our destination is Queenstown. The route is wonderful with beautiful mountains and views. We drive inland via the Haast mountain pass and along Lake Wanaka.

Just before Queenstown is the hamlet of Arrowtown. It looks like an open-air museum. The village has been reconstructed to convey the atmosphere of the golddiggers era in the early 20th century.

New Zealand - Queenstown, jetboat on Lake Wakatipu

Queenstown is an interesting city with lots of young people. There are all kinds of sporty entertainment for the thrill-seeker. It's nice to spend time in the harbor on Lake Wakatipu. The fast jetboats leave here. The steamer MS Earnslaw blasts its horn loudly when it leaves.

We watch bungee jumping from the Kawarau Bridge over the Shotover river. The idea is to jump down 43 meters and then stay there, dangling from a thick rubber cord. There goes one! He is experienced: it's a graceful jump and he reaches the water with his head. Everyone cheers.

New Zealand - Bridge over Shotover river

Now there's a girl, she has waved at her family a couple of times and told herself: now I'm gonna do it. There is a countdown, but after every step forward, she takes a step back. I don't blame her. Eventually she doesn't jump. The next one jumps, but is also scared. Everyone screams.

A boat with divers is waiting and the hero is pulled on board.

Fiordland

Te Anau and Milford Sound

New Zealand - Fiordland, Mirror Lakes

We arrive on time in Te Anau by the lake of the same name. We walk around the lake and a little of the 60 kilometers long Kepler Track. The sun burns on our backs and we can't withstand the temptation to lie down in the sun at the waterside.

We get up early because we drive to Milford Sound today. The closer we get there, the darker the sky becomes. And yes: it begins to rain and not a little.

New Zealand - Fiordland, rainbow at Te Anau Downs

We stop at Mirror Lakes. There is a sign with the name in mirror image, so when you look at the water, the name appears in readable form.

When we pass Te Anau Downs, we see two large rainbows with sharp colors. It's beautiful, but doesn't bode well. We don't feel like taking a walk. As far as the dark clouds allow us to see, it should be great and impressive when the sun shines.

New Zealand - Fiordland, dozens of waterfalls

We arrive at a tunnel and to our left and right we see waterfalls against silver-grey rocks. When we leave the tunnel again, we are overwhelmed: dozens of waterfalls over steep, high rocks.

We arrive at the harbor of Milford Sound and take the heroic decision to put on our rainwear and take a boat trip. After all, we don't get to visit here every day. The rain has stopped, but there's still a strong wind.

New Zealand - Fiordland, Milford Sound

On the boat we find a sheltered spot on the upper deck. The dark mountains make it impossible to see where the high rocks around the fjord end. We pass a large waterfall and some rocks with seals on them. We sail to the end of the fjord.

As luck would have it, the sun begins to shine immediately after we arrive in Te Anau.

Catlins

A petrified forest on Curie Bay beach

New Zealand - Fiordland, sunrise in Te Anau

I take a picture of sunrise in Te Anau. We still have a long drive ahead of us. Our destination today is the Catlins in the farthest southeast part of South Island, a region that isn't visited very often.

The landscape changes. Temperatures won't rise over 17 degrees centigrade today, but the sun is shining. At Fortrose we take a gravel road to Catlins Bay.

New Zealand - Curie Bay, petrified forest

Near the lighthouse is the wrack of a ship that went down in the 18th century. It was the worst shipping disaster in New Zealand ever. There is a very strong wind and the tide is high. We can hardly open our cardoors because of the wind. We can't see the wreck, nor the seals that are supposed to be here.

On the beach at Curie Bay is a 150 million years old petrified forest. It's weird that you can just walk over it. In our country it would have been fenced off to preserve it for future generations. The dolphins we were promised are apparently on vacation or just don't like the strong wind.

New Zealand - Sheep

We drive to Ann and Donald Mckenzie's farmhouse, a nice place to stay in the middle of nowhere. The farmhouse has been in the family for 150 years. Donald is a sheep farmer and owns 5,000 sheep.

He gives us a tour of the sheep meadows, along the beach, the lake and the spot where the sheep are sheared. There are large bags of sheep's wool. An average sheepshearer can shear 40 sheep in an hour.

Dunedin and Christchurch

The point of departure for many Antarctic expeditions

New Zealand - Coastline Catlins

We drive north along the east coast of South Island to Dunedin and make a stop at Owaka to visit the Purakauni Falls. They are beautiful and many travel books have images of them. The air is full of bird songs, but we don't see any birds. Maybe they're just playing a CD behind the shrubs?

At Nuggets Coast we look for penguins and sea lions. There is an observation hut from which you can watch without being seen. And indeed, we see a dapper penguin. In the backgrond, three sluggish sea lions lie on the rocks. The males can weigh over 500 kilograms.

New Zealand - Dunedin, cathedral

On to Dunedin. The route is pretty but the temperatures won't get higher than 13 degrees centigrade today. We take a walk to the cathedral in Dunedin and look at some shops.

During the last leg to Christchurch we stop for coffee in Moeraki and have a look at the large, mysterious, round boulders on the beach.

Christchurch is the point of departure for many Antarctic expeditions. In the Antarctic Centre near the airport we are introduced to this icecold region to the south of New Zealand. We get galoshes and a warm polar coat before we enter a space in which Antarctica is copied. There is snow and it's cold. There is an igloo and there are tents and sleds that were used in recent expeditions.

New Zealand - Christchurch, penguins in the Antarctic Centre

Then it is announced a heavy snowstorm is on its way and that you have to brace yourselves or find shelter. Then it gets even colder and the storm begins. It's very realistic, complete with lighting effects. It lasts only 5 minutes, but it gives a good impression.

New Zealand - Christchurch, square

A little farther we see real penguins, which are kept here for research. It's feeding time. They are small animals, but they look nice. You can also take a look at them underwater.

Outside, on the terrace, we warm ourselves in the sun with a cappuccino. We drive back to Christchurch and explore the town center. It's a bit like Paris. People on the square in front of the cathedral are telling stories, there are performances by magicians and guitar-players. People are watching them and the atmosphere is relaxed.

The shopping center is modern. Everything is remarkably clean and looks friendly. We spend time lazying in the sun and shopping. Tomorrow we have to get up early to be at the airport at 5 AM.

New Zealand - Christchurch, shopping cneter

We look back on a great trip in a very relaxed country with many public bathrooms, clear traffic signs and a friendly and helpful population. The natural beauty is indescribable.

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