the world is a crumb: New Zealand

5.4.07

New Zealand - South Island

I arrived Christchurch after a 3 hours flight and my hc host picked me up from the airport. I felt quite cold as it was already 11pm. The temperatures were 10 degrees colder than in Sydney. But after some days I got in used to it. I explored Christchurch 3 days and took a bus to Queenstown were I met Florian and Bine. But the temperatures goes down sometimes to 5 degrees and than my sleeping bag (limit of 9 degree) was to thin. I brought a New Zealand sleeping bag which is 4 times bigger and produced for alpine outdoors. But it keeps me warm ;) From Queenstown we went along the westcoast in direction Nelson. Anyway we walked into the Routeburn Track (20km return) than Copland Track (17km one way) slept in a hut (with warm geothermal pools), looked the glaciers, pancake rocks and kayaked in the Okarito Lagoon. I’m sleeping already 3 weeks in the tent and I got in used to it. Never trust NZ weather. I had everything - snow, rain storm, hail, sun :) I like to travel with Bine and Flo – great travel companions. Just sometimes they are a bit too crazy about tramping but at least they kick my ass and I walk a bit more even if I don’t like it very much ;) Ohh!! there was a terrible thing – I lost my credit cards in Nelson in an Internet Café. After 3 hours in a supermarket I realized it and searched everywhere in the bags, the car, on the street in all places we went before and luckily somebody found it in the Internet Café. This was a shock and you just realize how important can be such a simple plastic card. After some rainy day(s) in Nelson and in driving around in the Marlborough Sounds we finally took the ferry from Picton to the North Island.