Between the west coast of New Zealand’s south island and the rest of the isle there is a very large chain of mountains known as the southern alps. Getting through these mountains is only possible in a few places, via passes which have been hewn out of the mountains by the glaciers of the past. […]
Archives for June 2011
Glacier Country in Photos
Ah Geography. I remember it well. Teachers with funky patches over their tweed jackets, rambling on about rocks and weather and the importance of using the correct map colouring-in implement. I knew that one day, all that important geography stuff would come in useful. And I am pleased to report, that that day has finally […]
Pancake Rocks and Possum Pie
The west coast of New Zealand’s south island is somewhat less inhabited than many other parts of these two isles, which has led to its locals having a somewhat more, shall we say, frontier approach to life. This is no bad thing. Surviving off the land is a noble effort. And in the case of […]
Arches and whitebait on the west coast
For regular readers, don’t panic, despite the title, there is a lighthouse featured later on in the post. However, today’s lighthouse tale is more of a side jaunt and less the main attraction – the cress as it were on the meat of today’s post sandwich. Because in this post I really want to talk […]
The sand and lighthouses of Golden Bay
Right at the tip of New Zealand’s South island sits the Golden Bay region: a remote and laid back area which is home to the quite remarkable Farewell Spit, a 26km long spit of sand that once stretched all the way across to the North Island. These days higher sea levels mean that such a […]
The Abel Tasman National Park
Situated near the top end of New Zealand’s south island, the Abel Tasman national park is home to stunning golden sand beaches, rugged cliffs, native bush and a whole bunch of seals who could do with a breath mint or three. It’s a hugely popular summer time destination for Kiwis and tourists alike, with many […]
Picton to Nelson with Queen Charlotte
Picton is the first place you come to on New Zealand’s south island, having been wowed by the rather awesome ferry crossing from Wellington. More on that ferry crossing, including some photos of our mill pond like crossing, can be found as part of a guest blog I did for Denise over at NZ Escapes, […]
Rivendell and beyond
You may think, having read some of my posts on exploring the world of Tolkien as it has been realised in New Zealand, that the filming locations from the three Lord of the Rings films are treated as sacred, almost hallowed ground. You probably imagine that domes have been carefully placed over the sites in […]
Dimholt: Walking the roads of the dead
The ongoing quest to see as many parts of the Lord of the Rings scenery as possible has continued, with a trip to the Cape Palliser pinnacles, where Aragorn, Gimli and Leglolas spent some time wandering in order to awaken the army of the dead in Return of the King. Cape Palliser is near the […]
Highlights of the Wairarapa
You know those friends of yours who come back from some “life changing” trip, and bore you to tears for ages on end with the joy of travel and how incredibly awesome the whole thing was, slide show and all? (Yes, I appreciate a travel blog is a very similar thing. Bear with me.) Well, […]
Art Deco on the East Coast
You know when you play Bioshock, and the whole game has this weird 1930’s feel complete with odd writing and funny hats? Well, walking around Napier or Hastings on New Zealand’s East Coast is very much like that gaming experience, only with less on the ghoulish child front and more on the arty, pretty front. […]