HOORAY for the sun!!!!!!!
This is the view from the ferry which delivered me from the cold and windy north island to the beautiful sunshiny south island:
Now THAT's better!
With our hearts and minds lifted, my new chums and I celebrated with a wine tasting session in the vineyards of Marlborough:
vine.
...Following which, we had to push-start the bus:
We also have a dramatic change of landscape............!!!
Okay so it's rather similar to the north island, only a bit more vertical...
...speaking of which, well done those of you who spotted the deliberate (ahem) mistake in my last blog: indeed you cannot travel vertically from Mile End to Kensington. Clearly I am vertically challenged in more ways than one.
Moving on....
Abel Tasman
Next stop was Abel Tasman National Park. Look how pwiddy it is!
Indeed it seemed the perfect setting in which to throw some shapes on the beach:
Stuart was absolutely delighted to discover a lookout point named after him!
We later hitched a ride on a catamaran. It's true what they say: travelling is all about sleeping around:
...before heading back to our luxury scenic accommodation:
A very cold night's sleep, then back onto the bus to see what lay further south along the country's west coast. By this stage, the scenery had changed into something altogether more dramatic....
Our next stop was also pretty dramatic, but for very different reasons...
Barrytown (population 42)
Something strange and sinister happens to people who stay in Barrytown.
None of us had any recollection of what happened that night. We found these photos on my camera the following morning, and could only assume we had been abducted by aliens who took over our minds and forced us to cross-dress. I think the green-faced thing above may have been one of them.
The photo evidence also turned up something equally disturbing - Stuart, languishing in the arms of the local slut!
Franz Josef
My, how I had been looking forward to Franz Josef. With its mighty glacier - one of only two in the world that go down to sea level and are surrounded by rainforest - it's an unforgettable experience to hike up the ice, pick axe in hand and the wind to your back. Along with Tongariro and Rotorua, it was in my top three 'must-see' places in New Zealand:
This is the view from the ferry which delivered me from the cold and windy north island to the beautiful sunshiny south island:
Now THAT's better!
With our hearts and minds lifted, my new chums and I celebrated with a wine tasting session in the vineyards of Marlborough:
vine.
wine.
...Following which, we had to push-start the bus:
(whine.)
We also have a dramatic change of landscape............!!!
Okay so it's rather similar to the north island, only a bit more vertical...
...speaking of which, well done those of you who spotted the deliberate (ahem) mistake in my last blog: indeed you cannot travel vertically from Mile End to Kensington. Clearly I am vertically challenged in more ways than one.
Moving on....
Abel Tasman
Next stop was Abel Tasman National Park. Look how pwiddy it is!
....and do a bit of a hike through the rainforest:
...during which, the views were generally of postcard standard:
We later hitched a ride on a catamaran. It's true what they say: travelling is all about sleeping around:
...but we caught a few sights too, including PacMan:
....and this sweet little island + kayakers combo:
...before heading back to our luxury scenic accommodation:
A very cold night's sleep, then back onto the bus to see what lay further south along the country's west coast. By this stage, the scenery had changed into something altogether more dramatic....
Our next stop was also pretty dramatic, but for very different reasons...
Barrytown (population 42)
Something strange and sinister happens to people who stay in Barrytown.
None of us had any recollection of what happened that night. We found these photos on my camera the following morning, and could only assume we had been abducted by aliens who took over our minds and forced us to cross-dress. I think the green-faced thing above may have been one of them.
The photo evidence also turned up something equally disturbing - Stuart, languishing in the arms of the local slut!
I can't believe he slept with this whore!
Franz Josef
My, how I had been looking forward to Franz Josef. With its mighty glacier - one of only two in the world that go down to sea level and are surrounded by rainforest - it's an unforgettable experience to hike up the ice, pick axe in hand and the wind to your back. Along with Tongariro and Rotorua, it was in my top three 'must-see' places in New Zealand:
Grand!
....Unfortunately, I had to steal these pictures from Google images, because I didn't get to climb the glacier. Too many freezing cold nights and alien abductions had taken their toll, and I was bedridden...
Groan...
I am now thinking of possibly changing the name of this blog to 'Been there, didn't do that'...
Abel Tasman - Franz Josef verdict: Abel Tasman was simply delightful.
Barrytown.... I think it's best we never speak of Barrytown again.
As for the Franz Josef experience... for me, it was rather more like Josef Fritzl experience, seeing as I spent all my time shut away in a dark room.
Barrytown.... I think it's best we never speak of Barrytown again.
As for the Franz Josef experience... for me, it was rather more like Josef Fritzl experience, seeing as I spent all my time shut away in a dark room.
