You keep what you kill

Cyclone Gabrielle was closing in fast and by now it was clear that it was going to hit from the East. So we decided to move our asses as far West as possible, which meant New Plymouth. I was lucky and managed to snatch up a beautiful flat on ABB for three days where we…

Because WordPress sucks, I had to split this up. Here’s part 1 about Palmy, if you care. Arapuke Forest Park That’s still not all! We also explored the nearby Arapuke Forest Park and did an improvised loop track, combining the Sledge Track, Arapuke Road, and Back Track Loop. Also well worth the effort, there were…

It’s a bit hard to top the post-Zealandia emotional high that I get from seeing so many birds, especially parrots. Because we have the same mindset – destroy what destroys you. 🙂 Anyway, we were headed to Palmerston North that day, a town that we’ve never visited before. Our loss for sure since it’s super…

So, very late arrival and thus late departure the next morning. Kinda sorta. First things first, a very delicious breakfast at Neo Cafe on Willis. Pistachio Pancakes for the win! After dragging our fat and well-fed carcasses back to the hotel, we managed to find our car in the garage, checked out and took off…

In Reefton, we took refuge at the Dawson’s Hotel, which was friendly, clean, and comfortable. Just what we needed. Dinner at the pub/hotel was ok, too – pleasantly surprised to find so many veggie options on the menu. Breakfast was another round of our MRE, leftovers from the hikes that did not happen – and…

I’d never do that. After spending three wonderful days around Staveley and not finding any traces of Walter White in Methven, we drove up to Arthur’s Pass. Finding accommodation was a bit tricky, because there’s not much to begin with and it was all booked. „Luckily“ one motel has reserved two rooms for email /…

My legs were still a tiny little bit wobbly after the Te Kiekie run on the day before, but that didn’t stop us from heading over to the beautiful Rakaia Gorge and explore the Rakaia Gorge Track. Another real highlight, even though the weather had turned again with clouds, wind, and of course frequent patches…

Yes, I looked at the map, the profile, the data etc. before. Still, somehow my mind was so hooked on „we’re in the Canterbury plains/foothills, this can’t be serious“ that the facts had a hard time getting through. But let’s start at the beginning. Wonderful day, mostly sunny, few clouds, windy, not too hot, so…

Paradigm shifts are rare. I think. I’m a very stupid person, you know, I’m not qualified to appreciate art and don’t have a degree in postmodernism either. What a fucking loser! I mean, no tattoos, no muscles, no art degree. Fuck me. Well, back to paradigm shifts … I mean you can read Mr Kuhn’s…

So, Kaikoura then … truly last minute, so not too easy to find good accommodation. We stayed at the Hapuku carriages, ca. 10k North of Kaikoura. This certainly qualifies as quirky, it’s an old rail carriage that now serves as a double room with ensuite. All the details have been retained, even the cups are…