Wednesday February 11 – Monday February 16 Since the flight back to the Netherlands was on Mon, I had quite a few days left in Christchurch. I stayed in the Vagabond Backpackers very nearby the Cathedral Square, the center of the city. Unfortunately, the weather during these days was not that good. It was most …
Saturday February 7 – Tuesday February 10 On Sat, I left Hamner Springs, but not before I went to the second hand bookshop. Yesterday, I bought 2 books for $2 each, but I don't like them. Now, I wanted to buy a book by Tami Hoag for $10, the shop offered me a straight swap …
Tuesday February 3 – Friday February 6 On Tuesday morning I did everything in a slow pace. It was a nice and hot day again, and I'm all but in a hurry. Actually, it's the opposite, otherwise I'm way too early in Christchurch. I did my shopping in the Four Square in Havelock, not knowing …
Saturday January 31 – Monday February 2 On Sat, I literally finished my tour around the south island. I'm in Picton again. Or, actually in Waikawa, 5 kilometers east of Picton. I'll stay 2 days on the campsite before I head to Christchurch, probably with a big detour to see parts of the island I …
Wednesday January 28 – Friday January 30 On Wednesday and Thursday I visited Kaikoura. The drive from Woodend to Gore Bay, about halfway to Kaikoura was not very scenic, but the second part was beautiful. The road was just next to the Pacific Ocean, with huge cliffs and rocks everywhere (except for on the road …
Monday January 26 – Tuesday January 27 I left Tekapo in the morning, but before that I had a cup of coffee at the lake and did I visit the statue of a collie dog. The drive of Monday wasn't that interesting. The flat grasslands and the black-and-white cows make it look like the Netherlands. …
Friday January 23 – Sunday January 25 On Fri, I almost crossed the country. I did a long drive all the way to Mt. Cook, nearly at the west coast but only reachable from the east coast and from Queenstown. I stopped at several points, like old Maori rock art and the Clay Cliffs. The …
Tuesday January 20 – Thursday January 22 The weather on Tuesday wasn't that bad. Most part of the day it was dry, but it isn't summer weather. I finished the Southern Scenic Route and ended up in Dunedin. The route was beautiful again, especially the part just before Dunedin and at Nugget Point. At the …
Saturday January 17 – Monday January 19 The sign indicating the begin of the Southern Scenic Route was just in front of the campsite entrance, so that road was not hard to find. After visiting the supermarket and the cafe for a cup of coffee, I headed off south, hoping to escape from the rain. …
Tuesday January 13 – Friday January 16 On Tuesday morning, I started one of New Zealand's Great Walks: The Kepler Track. At about 8 in the morning I parked my car at the DOC long term parking and started walking with all my gear and food for the next 4 days in the rented backpack. …