Monthly Archives: March 2012

As the last days of our amazing journey are approaching inevitably, we are still surrounded by spectacular views and rich nature. After the experience at the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers we did not expect too much from a visit to Mount Cook but were taught differently. Apart from fantastic wide-open skies and snow-powdered mountains we were rewarded by close-up glacier views and lakes coloured in all shades of blue and turquoise.

We spent two great days with our friend Benoit whom we had met in Indonesia a couple of months ago and then proceeded gradually to Christchurch, putting in a stop at Arthur’s Pass. There we enjoyed passing through the Cavestream Scenic Reserve, a half-hour walk/wade and climb through an icy underworld stream.

In Christchurch we advertised and eventually sold our dear campervan in a very competitive environment. The city is still in the aftershock of the earthquake which happened roughly a year ago. Many people have left and many businesses are closed, as is all of the city centre, which makes it feel like a ghost town. Taking it easy the last days, we are looking forward to a quick stop in Bangkok and finally to going home to our families and friends!

The more south we get the wetter and colder it becomes, which makes driving and living in the campervan a bit less pleasant. In Fiordland unfortunately, rain and fog hid the mountains, glaciers and deep fiords of the Milford Sound and the National Park, so we continued towards Riverton. We passed the Windswept Trees which are totally skewed due to the constant heavy seawind, and had to cook our meal in the pouring rain.

For a couple of days, Kate helped on a sheep farm and in the house and garden of a NZ family in Riverton, picking baskets of mushrooms and cooking monkfish. She was lucky to catch a glimpse at the sheep shearing which goes at a rate of up to one sheep per minute!

Later on, we camped out at the Otago Peninsula off Dunedin, where we fished our own meal, watching sea lions and small penguins. Before our final stop in Christchurch we will venture inland to the mountains again.