Sorry all, I kinda ended up neglecting the blog during my latter days in New Zealand, mostly through lack of a feasible internet connection. I promise I'll pick things up again now - especially now that I'm back in Fife with a lack of much better to do. All this alone time with the scanner is starting to get to me.
Anyways, for now - a video!
Been too long since my last blog update, huh? Again, I'm just gonna fire down one big mega-update and hopefully catch up on everything!
In Christchurch, I got a bit bored mostly. However, I managed to make myself happy with trips to the awesome camera shop, Photo & Video, who gave me a stupidly good trade-in price for my 24-120mm VR zoom lens. Since I've not really been using the lens much (slow max. apertures and soft soft images), I decided to bin it, initially favouring one of the now-obsolete (WHY NIKON, WHY?) 24-85mm AF-S zooms. In the end though, I opted for the brand-new Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G AF-S. It's been lovely, and the best thing is, you actually no longer really need light to take pictures!
One of the other good things about Christchurch was getting to meet up with Adam, a flickr contact of mine and fellow lover of Nikons and OMs! He was good enough to take me on a trip up the Clarence river, where I managed to catch my first ever fish, a nice big Trout. I ripped the arse out of my shorts and tore my lucky boxers after a failed attempt to negotiate a steep scree slope, but catching the fish made it more than worthwhile.
From Christchurch, I headed back over Arthur's Pass to the West Coast. The weather was beautiful the whole way over, right until about Arthur's Pass itself, at which point, the big clouds rolled in and opened up over everything. Otira Gorge was cool, but I suspect it would've been a lot cooler if I could've actually seen anything through the clouds and heavy heavy rain. Unfortunately the weather didn't really pick up much at all the whole time I was down on the West Coast.
I stayed a night in Hokitika, then headed on to Franz Josef, hoping to take a helicopter trip up to the glacier there. Unfortunately though, the weather was super-suckin' so they weren't flying. And of course, just my luck, the weather cleared up beautifully just on the day I'd decided I wasn't waiting any longer and had decided to hit the road.
I headed on through the Haast Pass, dodging the suicidal tourist snap photographers at the Gates of Haast rapids, and on to Wanaka. Deciding to dodge the armies of Leki-pole-armed Germans in the town of Wanaka, I opted instead to follow a back road around the lake to a nice wee unofficial campsite - sshh, don't tell the DoC!
From Wanaka, I followed the Clutha down through Central Otago, dodging a mini-tornado at Alexandra which flattened some poor person's jeep. Thankfully, the wagon and I made it through unscathed, settling for the night in Ranfurly. I had considered staying the night in St. Bathans, an interesting wee ghost town, and wished I had after finding what might well have been New Zealand's shittiest backpackers hostel in Ranfurly.
Despite Ranfurly not being up to much, my next day was far more successful. I made it down to the east coast at Palmerston, and headed out on a mission to spot some penguins. Although my initial penguin spot was terribly exciting to me, I was advised of a better location a couple of km up the coast at a place called Moeraki. I was able to get within a few feet of the penguins there, and I snapped away like a man possessed.
To be continued...
Well, after leaving Wellington, things have been a bit up and down, and are now firmly on a downer in Christchurch. I've been stuck here for about two weeks now, after really only intending to be here for a couple of days. It's flat, and the population seems to be mostly neo-nazi dickheads and foreign pensioners. Anyways, enough of that... time for a quick update on progress so far.
Started in Picton, headed into the Marlborough Sounds. Spent my first night in a place called Hopewell in possibly the best backpacker hostel ever. I rented a kayak for $10 and paddled around, and it was very much fun. I even took the F65 out with me and took some photos while I was out there. Next night involved some shady mountainous dirt roads on the way over to a place called Titirangi. The weather was crap when I arrived, and my passport fell out of the van on the way over (long and silly story), but the next morning, all was clear and sunny and I even managed a swim in the sea, something I really don't do often.
Next was Elaine Bay, a bit further over to the western side of the sounds. Cool spot with a wee pier and stingrays floating about in the water, and I got chatting to Simon, a Canadian fellow van traveller. All was great, except my legs got absolutely annihilated by sandflies. Carried on to the relative civilisation of Nelson, met up with Simon for a beer and only partially successful attempts to chat up some girls from the Kiwi Experience bus.
Headed up to Motueka, did Karaoke for only the third time in my life, waltzed with an old Maori alcoholic woman, and hung out in a very Phoenix-nights hotel/local pub. Headed on up through Takaka and its hippies on my way to Cape Farewell. Headed back down into Nelson, then back over to the West Coast. Was blown away by the delights of Westport, failed to find penguins on a beach in the middle of nowhere, and eventually ended up staying in Greymouth.
Drove over the Lewis Pass, which would've been pretty amazing if I could've seen any of it (the clouds were low, and it was raining). And then Christchurch. As I said earlier, flat, bland, and full of weirdoes.
Next move is a fishing trip up into the hills, back to Christchurch once more to sleep it off, then I'm gonna head over Arthur's Pass to the West Coast again, and hope the weather's not too crappy when I get there!
