Lake Tekapo, Geraldine, and Christchurch
It’s only a short drive from Omarama to Lake Tekapo. Friends of us who were bikepacking had rented a posh house there so we could spontaneously jump on their bandwagon and sneak in. Noice! Beautiful views of the lake and the mountains from the balcony. One evening we had clouds slowly creeping and flowing over…
Omarama, not Banarama
The time had come to leave Wanaka and slowly start heading back towards CHC. We spent a couple of days in small town Omarama, a good “hub” to explore the region. Fortunately, Omarama has a good choice of motels, we like NZ motels! Yes, we really do! We kicked things off with a lovely day…
A week in Wanaka, part II
After climbing Isthmus peak, we switched to bikes. The wonderful Lake Dunstan trail was on the menu, and it turned out to be a tasty dish indeed. We had bike rental and track transport booked with Wanaka Bike Tours and started the trail in Clive to finish in Cromwell, then were picked up again and…
A week in Wanaka, part I
Wanaka was next on our list. We’d been there before a couple of times, but it’s been a while and we wanted to come back and spend more time. Good choice. Wanaka has changed a lot in the last 10-ish years or so, becoming a bit more queenstown-ish, growing a lot. But still small and…
Roxburgh et al.
Roxburgh is most likely not on the “Top 10 Must See” map for most tourist guides. We spent a few days here a couple of years ago and liked it very much. And there’s orchards everywhere, so fantastic produce left, right, and center. And blackcurrants. I love blackcurrants. Blackcurrants are the best. Real-fruit blackcurrant ice…
Everybody loves sandflies
Well, maybe not everybody. Maybe not even most people. Maybe most people actually hate them. 😀 We headed from Christchurch straight down to Te Anau on New Year’s Eve, stopping for breakfast at Cafe Verde in Geraldine and fantastic fresh fruits and produce from the orchards around Cromwell. Te Anau was packed, only a few…
New Zealand, again
After long deliberations we had decided not to cancel our trip to NZ. It was a tough decision for me, still not sure whether it was the right choice. Have to buy a flat to get out of the dirty rental this year and I might come to regret spending the money on vacation. But…
Rucksack orgasm
Saturday morning started with a shock. I was up early to capture Mt Ruapehu in sunrise and was attacked by one of NZ’s most dangerous animals on our terrace: This is a carnivorous snail and it can catch and devour its prey in seconds – don’t let the harmless appearance fool you! Sunrise was nice…
Ohakune, we love you
Decision time, again. Too many decision times on this vacation for my taste, but what can you do? At least I’m good at making decisions. My body is fat and untrained and ugly and white, I don’t have any tattoos or piercings, I don’t know how to shoot a gun, I’ve never beaten a woman,…
And Taranaki sunset def rule ok
The only good thing about “weather events” like this storm is that there’s a good chance of dramatic sunsets, and the Taranaki coast is of course just the right spot for watching it. So I tore myself away from the horrible news and we went off to enjoy 45 minutes of the best nature has…