En om het af te leren nog een foto van de zeehond die we gisteren ontdekten aan de kust bij Foulwind Bay (of zoiets).
donderdag 19 november 2009
Seal in New Zealand
En om het af te leren nog een foto van de zeehond die we gisteren ontdekten aan de kust bij Foulwind Bay (of zoiets).
On the ferry from Picton to Wellington
When we arrived at the coast of the north island of New Zealand I made this picture of one of the capes near Wellington.
The road from Murchison to Picton
On our way to Picton we saw lots of beautiful orange flowers along the road.
I made a picture of those flowers.
On the left you see vinyards.
This is in the neighbourhood of the city of Blenheim and there are lots of vinyards there.
Arrived at the North Island
Today is Friday 20th. November 2009.
We started this morning in Murchison, on the southern island.
We woke up at eight and an hour later we hit the road to Picton.
On the way to Picton nothing special happened. We crossed lots of one lane bridges (we allways seem to have to give right of way to the other side; it's the same in chosing a qeue in the supermarket, allways in the wrong lane) but, since there is not much traffic (we saw this morning even three cars and a bus in one row and this is a mircale) we could drive through almost every time we arrived at a bridge.
Those New Zealanders are not the most stupid people on earth. When you need a bridge, why build one with two lanes if one lane is enough?
The New Zealanders drink very much (I found out and I feel at home here; but alas no Ketel I)
We were on a campground and there were baskets for garbage (caarbits):
- one for rubbish (non recyclable stuff)
- one for paper
- one for plastic (bottles)
- one for carton
- one for metal (for cola tins, etc.) ....................................................
- and four for glass (beerbottles).
And the basket for carton was full of beercartons (they don't use crates for beer, only cartons).
Our trip to Picton was uneventfull and we could drive rather fast although now and than we had lots of wind.
When we arrived at Picton we bought ourselves the boatticket and one half hour later we were on the boat to Wellington.
Because there was (still) much wind we were mostly on one of the covered decks (the sundeck was to cold) and that was it.
In Wellington we had our first trafficjam (Friday evening around 18.00 hours did probably the trick) but soon enough we found a camping where I am right now, hammering away.
Ankie did some laundry and for a change (we do this every afternoon) we had:
- Port Salut (or something like that),
- blue cheese which is called: "Blue Vein" (Sharp with a bite)
- smoked (New Zealand) salmon,
everything on toast.
And this together with some drinks (of course).
So, this is it for today.
I have to correct something.
The New Zealander doesn't say "Cloudy" but (better than I wrote somewehere before) :
"Cliewdy". So you understand a little about the language here.
Greetings from Wellington and till the next time.
We started this morning in Murchison, on the southern island.
We woke up at eight and an hour later we hit the road to Picton.
On the way to Picton nothing special happened. We crossed lots of one lane bridges (we allways seem to have to give right of way to the other side; it's the same in chosing a qeue in the supermarket, allways in the wrong lane) but, since there is not much traffic (we saw this morning even three cars and a bus in one row and this is a mircale) we could drive through almost every time we arrived at a bridge.
Those New Zealanders are not the most stupid people on earth. When you need a bridge, why build one with two lanes if one lane is enough?
The New Zealanders drink very much (I found out and I feel at home here; but alas no Ketel I)
We were on a campground and there were baskets for garbage (caarbits):
- one for rubbish (non recyclable stuff)
- one for paper
- one for plastic (bottles)
- one for carton
- one for metal (for cola tins, etc.) ....................................................
- and four for glass (beerbottles).
And the basket for carton was full of beercartons (they don't use crates for beer, only cartons).
Our trip to Picton was uneventfull and we could drive rather fast although now and than we had lots of wind.
When we arrived at Picton we bought ourselves the boatticket and one half hour later we were on the boat to Wellington.
Because there was (still) much wind we were mostly on one of the covered decks (the sundeck was to cold) and that was it.
In Wellington we had our first trafficjam (Friday evening around 18.00 hours did probably the trick) but soon enough we found a camping where I am right now, hammering away.
Ankie did some laundry and for a change (we do this every afternoon) we had:
- Port Salut (or something like that),
- blue cheese which is called: "Blue Vein" (Sharp with a bite)
- smoked (New Zealand) salmon,
everything on toast.
And this together with some drinks (of course).
So, this is it for today.
I have to correct something.
The New Zealander doesn't say "Cloudy" but (better than I wrote somewehere before) :
"Cliewdy". So you understand a little about the language here.
Greetings from Wellington and till the next time.
woensdag 18 november 2009
Beautiful views
Driving along the east coast of the souther island we saw lots of mountains.
The "Southern Alps" are beautiful.
So, this is it for today.
"Maybe tomorrow, maybe tonight,
It's a wonderfull feeling,
To see you back on my site"
(vrij naar een popnummer van 30 of 40
jaar geleden).
Weka
Since most animals in New Zealand are protected (except possums and rabbits as far as I know) you can see often signs on the side of the road to be carafull when driving.
We also saw lots of Possums, dead on the road.
The "Weka" a New Zealand wild chicken
On the west coast of the southern island you can often see the "Weka" (Most birds in New Zealand are called after the sound they make).
The Weka is a chickenlike bird which is not afraid of people at all. You can almost touch them.
Another seal at Cape Foulwind
After we filmed the first seal Ankie sat in the sun (the sun was shining later on the day) and I went to look for more seals. After some climbing on the rocky coast (I am a well known climber as most of you might know) I found another seal.
I was able to get very near this seal (about three meters distance only) and it ignored me (if I were the seal I would have done the same) and I made some ten small videos.
It is still different from the seals in Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam.
Cape Foulwind (maybe somebody farted?)
Ankie went looking for more gold but she couldn't find more so we both left for Cape Foulwind. First we had our lunch in a restaurant with a deck, from which we could look over the bay of Cape Foulwind. Was really nice and the chowder was very good.
After we finished lunch we hiked to the cape and, guess what, we saw a seal. So I made this little video.
Old goldmineshaft
To get the gold, the people at that time had to dig holes in the ground to reach the goldore. So they made lots of shafts in the hills around the coast. This is a picture of an old shaft; look at the rusted rails on which the trolleys, full of ore (coming out of the mine) were pushed to some sort of crushingmachine.
When they were emptied, the men had to push the empty trolley back, into the mine again (if they don't do that they run out of empty trolleys, ain't it?)
There is light on the end of the shaft, because they dug the whole mountain behind it, away.
Sorry, this is not a very exciting picture, but not all of my photos can be spectacular.
GOLD !!!!!
The whole westcoast of the southern island is well known for its goldmines. Our guide tells us that at the time they found gold in New Zealand it was one large pandimonium (the guide says that Klondike was nothing compared to what happened here on the south island around 1870).So we vesited an ancient goldmine and guess what, Ankie found a nuggett of about EUR 500,-!
I left her there for looking for more gold and I went off to Cape Foulwind. The name has probably to do with ships that run aground on this rocky coast.
Punakaiki Pancake rocks
This morning, November 19th. we left Greymouth and it rained (a little). We set for Murchison, in the middle of the southern island.
After an hour or so we reached Punakaiki, which is famous for its "pancake rocks" (see picture) and its blowholes (the guide told us).
The pancake rocks are special.
The blowholes we didn't see.
But all in all it was a nice stop apart from the drizzsle now and than.
Hokitaki
A picture of the centre of the big city of Hokitaki on the west coast of the southern island of New Zealand.
In the background you can see the "Southern Alps".
Hokitaki is famous for its New Zealand Jade.
Practically half of the shops in this town sell jade jewellery of typical New Zealand style (Maori style).
Franz Josef Glacier
The F J glacier again, but from a totally different angle and without clieds and with lots of sun and still very cold and uninviting (that's something else, don't you think?)
Franz Josef Glacier
The Franz Josef Glacier from another angle and..................look, no clouds (clieds).
Franz Josef Glacier
The Frans Josef Glacier lies moreless next to teh Fox Glacier. They are both:
- cold
- made of ice (pressed snow)
- of the same colour.
The diffrence between teh both glaciers is that the Fox glacier has lots of clouds (clieds; see the pictures) and the Franz Josef glacier has no clouds at all.
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