So like I said from my last post, we got LOADSA SNOW on our last week...so much that we were closed on the Wednesday (suspiciously) and on the Saturday (not so suspiciously, the weather was crazy). Left for a pretty fun last final week up there.....
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| Tom taking me back up the mountain on the Friday...checking out "make-out point" as he likes to call it! |
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| Cheesey taking me off the mountain on the Saturday morning, you really couldn't tell where the road stopped and the edge of the mountain started. |
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| Fun things to do on a wet closed day off. We also did blind folded wall climbs. |
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| Heading up the mountain for the last time, we had such a big dump over night that we pretty much had a 3m summit |
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| I know, why did we close! |
So that'll be the last picture that I put on my blog of Mt Hutt, I am aware that there probably was a few too many! Aint I good to you all! So apart from missing out on a cheap heliski, a chance to help the Patrolers cause some late night explosions, and a helicopter ride up the mountain on the last day to work (that one really p'd me off, apparently we can't text if we can't make it to work, but its perfectly fine the other way round when they need us!!!) I pretty much did everything up that mountain. After an awesome last day in fresh, ungroomed powder, I did about an hours work, before grabbing my things off the mountain and heading off with the rest of the staff. Homeless and Jobless yet again....time to get on it I suppose!
Methven was pretty much dead from the next day, and it got quieter and quieter as time went on. Spent most of the next week carrying on my job/house hunt. I had a couple of interviews in Christchurch, including giving punting a go down the River Avon. I'd like to say it was fun times, but it got boring pretty quick.
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| Heading down to Christchurch with Mel and Rachel with yet another New Zealand Traffic Jam! |
Tom and I got so bored that on the Friday we hitch-hiked our way down to Queenstown. We were gonna leave at about 8ish in the morning, but Thursday night's antics kinda held us up, and we ended up leaving at about 11......we got pretty far down, and even after going off route and checking out Mt Cook, we still got down as far as Omarama before calling it a night and heading back the next day. Still sick as to get out of Methven.
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| A kiwi doing what Kiwis do best! |
Back in Methven:
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| Don't mess with a drunk little Liz! |
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| Methven Rodeo |
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| Southampton boys doing what Southampton boys do best.....Getting over yet another Southampton defeat on an all-day bender! RODEO STYLEY |
I did get offered a job in Hanmer Springs. So I left Methven the following Wednesday, and headed slightly further north.
After Arriving in Hanmer on the Wednesday, I got offered a job in Bay of Islands on the Thursday morning, so I quit my bar job before I even started it. And just made the most of my time in Hanmer.
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| The top of Conical Hill |
Mountain biking on the Friday:
After checking out of my hostel I camped for a night!
On the Saturday a group of us aimed to head to Castle Hill for bouldering and camping, but the weather was terrible, so we headed to Christchurch for our BBQ on the beach, then headed to Castle Hill the following day.
The following day (last Monday) I started my long adventure to the north...north of the North Island. I spoke to Taylor (my new boss) to see if I minded if I took my time getting up to the Bay of Islands, to which he encouraged me. I got myself a rough plan of what I wanted to see and started my hitch-hike.
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| About 9km out of Hanmer |
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| Spring Junction.... |
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| ..About an hour away from Hanmer |
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| Maruia Falls |
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| A random stop with a Polish couple |
After getting 5 rides I ended up in my first destination: Motueka. I booked myself into Hat Trick Hostel for two nights and booked myself on the
Aqua Taxi to do the Abel Tasman!
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| Setting off last Tuesday morning |
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| I stared my walk from Bark Bay |
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| Oh, and I walked all my walk either bare-footed or in my flip-floops |
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| Torrent Bay |
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| Where Anke and I had lunch on Torrent Bay |
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| Cleopatras Pool |
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| Not even half way done, and only 3 hours left to make it to Marahau....I still made my on personal stops, and back on time! |
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| Anchorage |
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| Coming to the end. |
Abel Tasman is seriously one of my favourite parts in the world. I could've put so many more photos on this page (but I feel like I already have loads). I will be going back, 1 day was way too rushed. Next time I will take camping stuff and spend several days doing the whole thing. If anyone was to ask what my 10 favourite landscapes were from my travels I would bring up Abel Tasman for sure. The weather definitely helped. Loads of hidden little (amazing, beautiful) beaches and hideaways.
I had a night out in Motueka with Anke, before getting up the next morning, and carrying on my journey. I got a ride from Anke (a German) to Nelson. Then Ross picked me up and took me from Nelson to Picton so that I could get the
Blueridge Ferry form the South Island to the North Island through Cook Strait. Windy as!
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| Picton |
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| Auf wiedersehen South Island... |
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| ...And hello North Island |
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| Wellington |
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| Is it wrong that I took a photo of these...probably...but this girl was a miserable bitch, so what of it, now they're on the internet |
Wellington's a pretty cool city, I could set up there (I won't, but I could), I managed to convince Alex (another German) to head to
Mighty Mighty with me to check out some local bands, and it ended up being a pretty sweet night, with some awesome local bands, and awesome locals! First night in North Island = Great Success! I then did all the touristy things for a day...(thanks to Kate for all your help and advice, it was good to meet up with you (a friend of my cousin Kate)).
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| For Russ, if he ever reads this!?! |
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| 600ml of Iced coffee costed about $3.05...2 litres cost $3.50 = challenge accepted...and passed! |
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| Up Mt Victoira |
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| Wellington's awesome, it has a St. Mary's, and this... |
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| Colossal Squid |
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| ..And my previous home |
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| My home to be.. |
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| And for Rosie, if she ever reads this! |
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| Tokelau dancers for Tokelau Language Week |
After another night out in Wellington, I carried on my journey north, getting the
Intercity bus from Wellington to Rotorua, stopping off briefly at Taupo on route
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| Room at Curtis Jacks, thanks to Alex's recommendations |
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| The Thermal Pools! |
Saturday, time to tick something off of the bucket list. Grade 5 white water rafting down Kaituna River with
Kaitiaki Adventures.
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| Lake Rotorua |
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| It looked cool, it spelt out "ROTOURA" with really cool effects on the "O" but I obviously wasn't in the best picture position |
Another random all-nigher with the hostel crew, ended up woth me having a Maccy Ds brekkie, and deciding to start hitch-hiking further north. I went back to my hostel, grabbed my things, checked out, and by complete fluke got to a stop just in time for a random
Intercity bus driver asking if I wanted to go up to Auckland, so I just jumped on his bus...and several hours later.....Auckland:
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| Albert Park |
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| Yes to Iced Coffee...it's been so long! |
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| New Zealand 1 - Australia 0 |
I never really planned to stay in Auckland, so I texteed Taylor to tell him I'd be up later that day, and jumped on a bus to Paihia....thnak you to MIchelle for keeping me company all of that ride! I arrived in Paihia on Sunday evening for Taylor to come pick me up and take me back to my new home. Taylor and his wife, Ruby, have started a Kayaking tour company (just under a year ago) that give a boat cruise followed by a Kayak tour (and under) Haruru Falls. Please check out
http://kayakcruises.co.nz/site/. I haven't been out on a tour yet, but today we started maintenance on the boat for the season, aiming to work on it all tomorrow, and Thursday morning, to be up and ready for tours again on Thursday evening, but I was out on the boat today to take the boat through the river and into the dry dock. But more on all of this in my next post. But pictures below were taken yesterday....in my new home for summer:
Oh, just one more thing, I did catch my first ever fish today:
And that's been my last 4 weeks. I will put more on Paihia in my next post!
