Land of the Kiwis-New Zealand Pt 1!
Well after a long blog break (took a while to recover from the return trip!), it’s time to finally update the last stop on my Down Under tour. This was to the long awaited country of New Zealand, land of glaciers, coastlines, and volcanoes and Kiwis! During these travels, we split the accommodations between a tent, AirBnB and single rooms in hostels. Our primary means of transportation was a rental car with hatchback which worked out great for all our gear and food and giving us the mobility to get into areas with less frequent transportation.
Flying in over the South Island, one could see that it was a very geographically tumultuous country. It was pretty exciting knowing that we would soon be down there among the mountains and lakes.
We landed in Christchurch (on South Island), stocked up on supplies and started heading South. One of the first stops was Akaroa, a former French settlement that was later converted to British. It was very typical of the beautiful scenery that you would see on the East coast of the South Island.
Apparently this British Akaroa seagull did not approve of my taking his picture, perhaps he knew that I was French?
From Akaroa, we went further south and came along Lake Tekapo. This beautiful aquamarine like provided some nice hiking trails and very relaxing views. It was especially cool that this cloud sat trapped in the valley the whole first day that we were there.
The next stop on our South Island tour was my favorite stop and that was Mt Cook national park. I loved camping below these majestic mountains and glaciers and occasionally hearing the glaciers calving.
Since it was such a beautiful location and a clear night, I decided to go out and do some nighttime photography. I initially shot some stars but that didn't work out to my satisfaction. Then the moon rose and drained the stars of all their brilliance. I was still able to capture the moon starting to shine on this mountain range which was pretty phenomenal to watch.
It was very sad when we had to leave the beauty of Mt Cook National Park but there was much more to see of the South Island!
That covers the first half of our trip in New Zealand. In the second blog post coming up very soon (I promise!), I'll talk about the trip up the West Coast of the South Island and then wrapping up in the North Island! Happy Travels!
Flying in over the South Island, one could see that it was a very geographically tumultuous country. It was pretty exciting knowing that we would soon be down there among the mountains and lakes.
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| NZ South Island upon arrival |
We landed in Christchurch (on South Island), stocked up on supplies and started heading South. One of the first stops was Akaroa, a former French settlement that was later converted to British. It was very typical of the beautiful scenery that you would see on the East coast of the South Island.
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| The harbor of Akaroa, a former French settlement |
Apparently this British Akaroa seagull did not approve of my taking his picture, perhaps he knew that I was French?
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| An angry seagull wants food for his picture being taken! |
From Akaroa, we went further south and came along Lake Tekapo. This beautiful aquamarine like provided some nice hiking trails and very relaxing views. It was especially cool that this cloud sat trapped in the valley the whole first day that we were there.
 |
| A cloud trapped in a valley above Lake Tekapo in the South Island, NZ |
The next stop on our South Island tour was my favorite stop and that was Mt Cook national park. I loved camping below these majestic mountains and glaciers and occasionally hearing the glaciers calving.
 |
| Glaciers and Mt Cook (mountain in the right rear) in a beautiful setting |
Since it was such a beautiful location and a clear night, I decided to go out and do some nighttime photography. I initially shot some stars but that didn't work out to my satisfaction. Then the moon rose and drained the stars of all their brilliance. I was still able to capture the moon starting to shine on this mountain range which was pretty phenomenal to watch.
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| The moonrise captured on a mountain range in Mt Cook National Park |
It was very sad when we had to leave the beauty of Mt Cook National Park but there was much more to see of the South Island!
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| Mt Cook National Park as seen in the mirror leaving the park |
That covers the first half of our trip in New Zealand. In the second blog post coming up very soon (I promise!), I'll talk about the trip up the West Coast of the South Island and then wrapping up in the North Island! Happy Travels!
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