Category Archives: New Zealand

Last March I went on a trip around the top of the South island in New Zealand. I visited the mighty Franz Joseph glacier on a day trip. Geared with crampons we climbed into the helicopter to be flown to the ice mass. Franz Joseph is ever changing. Our guide…

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Land meets water in Te Anau, a small town in New Zealand and gateway to Milford Sound. Although Milford Sound is magical, this lake should not be forgotten. It’s a good place to go for a stroll along the water’s edge, through the bush.

My initial meeting with Franz was as a little human looking up at the awesomeness of the glacier from a viewpoint in the glacier valley. That same day I had a booked a glacier explorer, so in the afternoon I hauled my ass into a suit and then a helicopter.…

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I’d read about it. I’d heard about it. I didn’t know much about it, other than that I wanted to do it. The Queen Charlotte track is a multiple day walk through the beautiful Marlborough sounds in the top of the South Island. I had the ambitious plan of walking…

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Ever since I saw the glacier at the end of the Hooker Valley track in Mt Cook, I’ve been meaning to go to Franz Joseph. I wanted to walk on a glacier and see the thing up close. It took me a while, but in my last trip through New…

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This photo is mostly out of focus. Still, I love it. It looks like a patchwork quilt or something. It’s a dreamy image. Because of the blur I keep wondering what is out there.

I felt a bit uneasy walking into Steven and Robyn’s backyard. I arrived on a long driveway surrounded by meadows. I hesitated briefly before I continued. Was this the right place? Robyn hurried to introduce herself. She found an old shirt for me and gave me gloves and safety glasses.…

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I spent quite a bit of time outdoors in the last two weeks. There have only been a couple of days that I haven’t been out and about, exploring forests, mountains or coastal areas. There is something calming about being out there. It’s just you and your thoughts, or perhaps some…

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I’ve been away for a while. On a two week holiday really. It was great not to have to do anything. It was great not to have much internet or even Phone reception. Just enough to keep up to speed on what’s happening. But now I’ve got some catching up…

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I could hear the sea as I came out of my campervan. It was early. I had booked a whalewatch for 7.15. Unfortunately I found out they let people check in until 7.45AM, so I could have slept in a bit. At least I got a good glimpse of the…

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