we have now arrived at the holiday part of our Work & Holiday and have already traveled around the South Island of New Zealand.
At first, the adjustment was not easy for us. We missed Pukenui and the people too much! After leaving the great parking spot in Raglan, we drove to the east of the North Island! In Tauranga, we enjoyed the beautiful beach and went hiking for the first time! Well, if you can call it hiking.
It took less than 45 minutes to reach the top of Mount Maunganui ^^ For many Kiwis, it seems to be a daily training route as they ran up the mountain :D
After a rainy Christmas Eve in Gisborne, we met up with friends from the farm and spent my birthday together :)
My first summer birthday!
A few days later, we took the ferry to the South Island! We had a smooth crossing and the sun came out occasionally. We drove for a total of 3 hours and after about half of the time, we could already see the South Island in the distance!
It was quite windy, but we still spent the whole journey outside on the deck. This journey reminded me of my ferry crossing from Lombok to Bali :)
Before going to Abel Tasman, we drove to the northern tip of the South Island to Cape Farewell. I found a hiking trail that initially seemed to be a real hiking trail. At some point, we were standing in the middle of a pasture with cows and sheep ^^ I didn't have a big problem with the sheep, but crossing a group of cows that were standing in the middle of the path was a bit unsettling. I once read an article about cows attacking tourists in the Alps. It's probably really rare, but after remembering that, I decided to make a strategic retreat :D After a detour, we finally reached the beautiful coast and were even able to observe seals!
They say 'the grass is greener on the other side' and yes, it really is!!!
We had to cancel the kayak tour in Abel Tasman because there was wind in the afternoon. So we took a walk in a part of the national park instead!
On our way to the west coast, we stopped for a day at Lake Rotoiti, where we climbed Mount Robert. The path didn't look too far on the map. And actually it wasn't, but it was quite steep and we struggled a bit with our fitness ^^ Well, it's not surprising since we hardly moved on our farm :D
We were glad that we did it and fortunately, you never know what will happen beforehand!
We spent the next 4 days at a really nice campsite on the north of the west coast. Even though it was holiday season and many families with (loud ^^) children spent their holidays there, we liked it very much. There were freshly baked cakes, muffins, and cookies every day. So if you ever want to try the best brownie in the world, you have to come to New Zealand - I promise the journey is worth it :P
The campsite was right by the sea, and we could hear the sound of the sea day and night (especially during high tide)!
The west coast is sparsely populated, which has the advantage that you can see a lot of stars at night. Especially the Milky Way!!
On our way along the west coast towards Franz Josef Glacier, we drove along some great coasts and viewpoints.
Pancake rocks - they really look like pancakes :DI'm sorry you can't see it in the picture, but that was the home of a whole colony of seals :)
Most people I know booked a helicopter flight to the glacier and went glacier trekking at Franz Josef Glacier. However, we decided to take the trail to the viewpoint.
It was a really great route through the rainforest. The ferns are a typical symbol of New Zealand. No wonder you can see them everywhere!
The Franz Josef Glacier extends for 10 kilometers, overcomes 2,500 meters in altitude, and ends as one of the few glaciers in the world in the rainforest. Rainforest and glacier? It doesn't really fit together, but New Zealand makes it possible :) The west coast has up to 300 rainy days a year, which naturally promotes the flourishing of the tropical rainforest. However, we were lucky and had nice dry weather all day :)
First view of Mount Cook and the Fox Glacier
We then drove through the mountains via the Haast Pass to Cromwell. There, we were greeted with a magnificent view of Lake Wanaka and Lake Hãwea! The next job was waiting for us in Cromwell! Well, again :D In Abel Tasman, we stopped at a cherry stand and couldn't believe that 1.0 kg of cherries should cost $19.00 (about €11.00). Shortly after, we applied at a cherry farm and once we got the job, we had free access to cherries :P After finding out that the first farm was a real challenge, we fortunately found another cherry farm where we worked for 9 days.
The people were very friendly and the cherries were super delicious and crunchy :P
We had stomach aches every day because we ate too many cherries, but as soon as a new day dawned, we forgot about the pain from the previous day and stuffed ourselves again :D
The area around Cromwell is really beautiful, and we went on two great hikes. First, we went up Mount Isthmus.
The path took quite a while, and stupidly we started walking in the midday sun :D
When we reached the top, the sky naturally became overcast - as always ^^ but we still had a great view!
We started the second hike at 1 o'clock in the morning. We wanted to be on Roy's Peak for the sunrise and on the way up, we saw the Milky Way and the moonrise! I never thought about it, but a moonrise is just as beautiful as a sunrise :) Even though we set off at night to escape the crowds, we were definitely not the only ones. But it's understandable that so many others also undertake this hike because the view is really unique!
After the harvest season was over, we moved south again and took a boat tour in Fiordland.
I've never been to Norway, but that's exactly how I imagine it!
It just shows how incredibly diverse New Zealand is.
New Zealand's highest mountain definitely could not be missing from our tour - Mount Cook. However, with its 3,724 meters in altitude, it was not one of our hiking destinations :D
The mountain is beautifully situated. From Lake Pūkaki, you have a unique view of the summit on a clear day.
We got a little insight into Mount Cook National Park on the Hooker Valley Track, and the landscape reminded me a lot of Canada or Peru!
Tasman Glacier
I couldn't decide if the west or the east coast is more beautiful!
We not only saw particularly beautiful landscapes but also a few quite rare animals!
The 'yellow-eyed penguins' are only found in New Zealand and are thus the rarest penguins in the world!
less than 50 meters away - a small seal family :)
Curio Bay is known for Hector's dolphins. With a bit of luck, you can observe them up close while swimming.
Curio Bay - sleeping by the sea :) The water was quite cold, but with my wetsuit, I could endure it for a while and was lucky enough to get very close to the dolphins! The dolphins are gray and black spotted, and the dorsal fin is rounded. In addition to the Hector's dolphin, there is also the Maui dolphin, which looks exactly like the Hector's dolphin but only occurs on the west coast of the North Island. Both dolphin species are among the smallest dolphins in the world. Unfortunately, the Maui dolphin is critically endangered, and the remaining population is estimated to be less than 100.
In the next few days, we will cross back to the North Island and continue our journey, most likely with work again. But working has always been a great experience so far, and I'm excited to see what I will harvest next :P
