Monday morning was a nice relaxed start from Claire and Robin's place and then a drive into Wellington to catch the ferry to Picton on the South Island. The journey was in glorious sunshine and we travelled across the strait and into Queen Charlotte Sound and on to Picton. All very pretty.

 

We had decided whilst in Wellington that we wanted to walk the Queen Charlotte Track (a 71km track that looked reasonably straight-forward and would take 3-5 days to walk). It had been recommended by a random German guy we gave a lift to back in Pahia and when we saw that there were places to eat along the track (so we wouldn't have to carry our own food), we thought it would be a good place to start our trekking in NZ. We camped for the first time in Picton, which was fine - apart from the cold in the early hours of the morning and the thinness of the rollmat I had bought to replace the punctured Thermarest.

 

The next morning we headed down to the Picton I-Site (part of an excellent, nationwide network of tourist information sites that will book anything and everything for you - accommodation, activities, etc.) and found out, to our delight, that the water taxi companies that took you to the start of the track would also pick up you main pack and take it on to your next night's stop! We signed up for that pretty quick and worked out where we would be stopping each night. The first (that afternoon) and second days would be pretty easy (3-4 hours only) and then two longer days of around 7 hours. We had a cooked breakfast in a nearby cafe to fortify us for the walk ahead, grabbed our stuff from the back of the car (to be abandoned in a nearby, free long-stay carpark - hopefully, safely!) and wandered down to the quayside.

 

A quick boat ride later (which included a quick visit from a friendly seal) we were deposited at the start of the track, Ship Cove. The boat headed off again and we were left hoping that our bag would be at the campsite when we arrived there that night! We moved quickly on the track as we only started walking at about 2pm and wanted to make sure we were at the campsite with plenty of daylight left to put the tent up in. It was a steep start and we were soon panting and sweating. We made it to our campsite by about 6 o'clock and, thankfully, our pack was there waiting for us - the system works!  We quickly put the tent up and then headed back down the track to a nearby pub for some really nice burgers and a well earned beer. The music there was amazing - Spanish language versions of all sorts of different songs with an added samba beat - from U2 to Franz Ferdinand! Very bizzare! We then had to walk back to our campsite in the pitch black (the moon was nowhere to be seen) and I kept hoping that the batteries in the torch would last the twenty minute journey! We came across a few possums in the dark - not sure who was more startled, them or us!

 

The next day we got up, packed the tent away and dropped the pack off at the nearby jetty, to be picked up by the water taxi later that morning. We then headed off on the track again for another 4 hours. This was very similar to the first day, so we hoped that the third and fourth days would be a bit more varied. We arrived by lunch time, so had a quick meal in a cafe on the water's edge and then watched as the day turned cloudier and darker. We were hoping that the rain would hold off and, luckily, it did. That night we had to eat in a nice restaurant as the cheaper cafe had already closed. Another dark walk back to the campsite was followed by a warmer night, but no less comfortable on the back!

 

Day three was clear and warm again, and, as this would be the longest day we headed off reasonably early. This day was the prettiest, with great views from high up over the sound. The weather was so warm, that we were greatful for the cover provided by the trees. It was along the track that we came across some jewellry that had been left for sale by the side of the track with an honesty box next to it - very trusting! Our last campsite was right by the coast and was easily the busiest of the three. Aftr two days of walking by ourselves we were suddenly bumping into people every half an hour or so along the track. That night saw a burger and a few games of pool in the nearby bar - not too much roughing it!

 

The final day would be another five or six hours, and we had to make sure we were at the end by 4.30pm to catch our ferry back to Picton, so we headed off around 9 and were straight away again climbing up to the top of the ridge we were following. This day was the hottest of the four and made it much more difficult. We were glad that the final hour or so was pretty much under cover, although we were bothered for a while by a couple of local kids who insisted on walking two feet in front of us and telling racist jokes. Nice. Luckily for us (if not for him), we came across another walker who we had seen earlier on the trip and he was a bit nicer to them than we had been and they started walking with him instead. We saw him later and he said that they we two adoptees out of a family of nine adopted kids! We reached the end - success! - only to find that there were no shops or cafes to be seen, so we had to slog another couple of k's up the road to find somewhere for a cool drink. Fortunately, the owner ferried us and a few other walkers back down the road to where we would be picked up by the ferry. A quick ferry ride later, we were back in Picton to be reunited with our pack and, most importantly, with our car still in one piece! After four nights camping we checked into a nearby cabin and then headed back into town for a celebratory meal and glass of wine.

 

Yesterday we drove down the road to Nelson (having to take the long way round to avoid a cycle races involving hundreds of people). We had a very productive day, booking our next few nights stay in the Abel Tasmen National Park (including some kayaking and more walking), Golden Bay and the Nelson Lakes region. We also copied our photos to disk, uploaded a load of photos to the blog and sent some e-mails. That evening we went into Nelson for some food and a new plan that whenever we camped we would be allowed to eat out, but whenever we stayed in a cabin or hostel that we would try and cook for ourselves - will let you know how we get on!

 

Today is a relaxing day. After doing some shopping we tried to go to a local market, but it was mainly jumble sale quality so headed to this internet cafe where we are now. This afternoon we hope to go to the cinema to watch Hot Fuzz, which is supposed to be funny.

 

So, six hours later we arrive in Rotoroa, all ready to test our new tent for the first time, but, then Rebecca comes out to meet us and says that they have a four person cabin and would we like to share for the same price as the tent space? Well, we had a quick look at the sky and decided that it might be for the best - and were we ever glad that we did! The weather was absolutely awful that afternoon and evening. The wind was so strong and the rain was pretty nasty too. We bunked down and wited for a couple of hours, catching up with Becca and Steve. It was great to see them again - the last time had been in Buenos Aires, some three months earlier. The rain paused long enough for us to dash into town to pick up some Indian takeaway and a nice bottle of wine or two to take back to the cabin.

 

Next day the weather was slightly better so we headed out of Rotorua to the Waitapu Thermal Wonderland. This is an area with loads of geo-thermal activity and the Lady Knox geyser. The geyser goes off every 10.15am - but requires a little prompting from an official who pours some soap flakes in to break the surface tension of the water and kick the geyser off. It would go off daily anyway, they just help it along for the benefit of the tourist timings! The park itself was more impressive, with loads of weird and wonderful bubbling pools, sulphur coloured rocks, and mineral terraces. It all looked very other-worldly.

 

That evening we had all booked to go to a Maori hangi - a meal cooked under the ground. Andy, our Kiwi truck driver from Oasis had cooked one for us back in Argentina and we were keen to see how this one would measure up. We took our bus out to the tribal village and were greated by some Maori warriers for a 'peace challenge' (having previously selected one of our coach to be our 'chief' for the evening to meet the challenge). It was a bit touristy - lots of people there - but well done, with some good traditional Maori chants and movements. We then moved inside (it was raining again!) for some Maori dancing and songs, including the famous Haka. After that, we had the hangi. Which was very nice, but not up to the one we cooked for ourselves in Argie! The evening was good, if a little polished and touristy - not too surprising really.

 

The next morning we headed in to Rotoroa and hung out at a nice cafe for a couple of hours and a nice spot of lunch, before saying goodbye to Becca and Steve again, having relieved them of their left-over food and New Zealand Lonely Planet! We drove the couple of hours down south to Taupo, stopping on the way at Haka falls. We didn't do much in Taupo - it's more a place for sky-diving or activities on the lake, neither of which we had time for. We did, however, have time to visit the natural, thermal pools at our holiday park. All very relaxing (apart from the signs telling you not to put your head under the water for fear of getting some nasty bug!).

 

We had a reasonably early start to make sure we got down to Wellington in plenty of time. This day the weather was much nicer and we arrived in Wellington ready for the weekend staying with an ex-colleague of Xana's (Claire), and her boyfriend (Robin), who have both emigrated from the UK. We found their place simply enough (a nice little house overlooking the bay across from Wellington). That night they cooked for us and we caught up over a few beers.

 

The next day the weather was back to being grey and wet, so we headed into Wellington. First stop was the huge national museum of Te Papa. It was so big we only visited the first floor and are saving the rest for our return to Wellington. We then went shopping to pick up a few pieces for our South Island trip on the Monday. Afterwards we took a drive around the harbour and out to the coast, getting a good view of the Wellington area. That night we visited a really nice restaurant called Cobar near Claire and Robin's place. The food was excellent and was helped along by a couple of bottles of NZ's finest wine (well, we thought it tasted good anyway!).

 

On Sunday we drove over the mountains (still raining) to Martinborough towards the east. Here the sun was soon shining and by lunch time there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We stopped off for a coffee and then a spot of lunch before deciding to walk out to some nearby wineries for a quick taste. A couple of glasses later (apart from poor Claire - our designated driver), we jumped back in the car and headed off to the nearby town of Greytown. There we browsed through a couple of antique shops, before grabbing another drink and a piece of cake, before the drive back to Wellington, another lovely homecooked meal and to prepare for our trip across Cook Strait the next day to the South Island.

Hi,

So, we managed to survive 12 hours sat on a plane without too much difficulty (12 hours is pretty standard for the bus journeys we've had in Brazil!), even if the seats had less leg room than we were used to on the buses! We sat back and watched a few films and had a couple of meals. It was a shame that our time and direction of flying meant that we that we flew with the night as it moved around the Earth, so we didn't get to see any great views as we left South America, flew over the Pacific and touched down in Auckland.

 

We took the shuttle bus into the city centre to our hostel, but couldn't check until until some five hours later (10am), so we chilled out in the common area and looked at all the info the hostel had on things to do in New Zealand. And got very scared! The sheer volume of folders, magazines, leaflets and posters on things to do, places to stay, etc. all over NZ was a little overwhelming after the do-it-youself approach in South America. We felt like two months would never be enough and that we would never be able to pick out the best things from the deluge of things to see and do. Still, I'm sure we would cope somehow...

 

After a quick doze, we checked into our rooms and went for a wander down K' Road - the 'alternative' street at the top of Auckland. All sorts interesting looking shops and eateries later, we walked down Queen Street into downtown Auckland. There we managed to pick up a few items we needed for the months ahead, including a tent! Bravely, or stupidly, we had decided a few months ago (in the heady camping days on the Oasis truck) to try and camp as much as possible in NZ to try and stay in some of the more out of the way places and do some of the longer walks. We made sure to get one that we could both actually lay down in, but wasn't too big or heavy. It remains to be seen how much we will actually use it...

 

That night we grabbed a quick meal, but didn't feel to bad, so hoped that we had escaped the worst of any jetlag.

 

Next day we took a walk out to a nearby suburb to pick up some walking trousers for Xana and then walked back the Domain (Auckland's big park) to the Skytower (the highest building in the southern hemisphere) for a journey to the top. From the viewing platform we could see great views all around Auckland and see people throw themselves off the thing! They would be transported some three hundred metres down to the landing spot after jumping from near the top. Xana seemed far too interested in what they were doing for my liking... Luckily we both made it to the bottom in the normal manner (a lift with a glass floor...). There are a lot of Asian people in Auckland (mainly Japanese and Korean), so that evening we grabbed some Korean food. Nice to have some Asian cuisine available (relatively) cheaply again. Still, NZ is not as cheap as I remembered it. Beer prices are about the same as the UK - and about the same as for a cheap meal!

 

Next day we took a taxi out to the airport to pick up our hire car - only to be told that it was waiting for us at the citgy centre branch, just round the corner from our hostel! Luckily they had another car that we could use, so we signed up and headed off - driving again for the first time in six months!

 

Our first stop was Whangarei - a largish town about two hours north of Auckland. Here we checked into a nice and friendly hostel with really good facilities, so we cooked our first meal for ages - pasta. Still, it made a change and would help keep our costs down a bit. We went into town aftewards to try and find an internet cafe, but no such luck, so we went for a quick drink instead. It was strange being able to order everything myself, without relying on a translater! The town was nothing exciting (lots of townies with souped up cars touring around), and we found that we hadn't completely escaped jetlag - one beer and we were ready for bed!

 

The next day we drove an hour up the coast to the Bay of Islands and our hostel in the small, tourist town of Pahia. That afternoon we went to Waitangi - the place where the first treaty was signed between the British and the Mauri. We got a guided tour of the area to find out about the history.

 

Up next was a trip north to Doubtless Bay, a large bay with lots of small beaches along it. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great, so we didn't spend too much time on the beaches themselves but took a look around, before driving south back to our hostel. Which wasn't the friendliest of places. The woman who ran it was really abrupt and there were signs everywhere telling people to be quiet, clean up after themselves (which would be fine) and other people if they were messy! The place before had been a lot friendler, so we are hoping that it will be that one that is the sign of things to come.

 

Today we spent the morning chilling out and then took a ferry across the bay to Russell, one of the first settlements in the area. We had planned to do a couple of walks around the area, but the weather was pretty wet, so we headed to the museum and then grabbed an icecream whilst sheltering from the rain. Well, as Xana says, it's never to cold for icecream!

 

Tomorrow we have a seven hour drive south to Rotorua, where we meet up with Rebecca and Stephen, an English couple we met on the Oasis truck. They've been travelling around NZ for the last month or so, so we'll be picking their brains for places to go and things to see!

 

 

We arrived in Santiago with no problems after a brief stop over in Sao Paulo. We checked into the hostel and then called it an early night.

 

Saturday was spent wandering into town and then relaxing in a nearby park. One of the best things about Santiago is it restaurant scene, so on Saturday night we headed to Bellavista barrio and checked out a few of the local restaurants. We were a bit early (around eight or eight thirty), so we decided to have a quick drink in a nearby bar first. The waiter told us that all the bottles of beer that they had were warm, so would we like a pitcher of beer instead. Thinking it would be the same size as a bottle, we said yes. A full pitcher then came out that looked it held about two litres of beer! All for two pound fifty! We bravely struggled through that and then went back to a really nice, cool restaurant for some sushi and a bottle of wine. There was a dj and the staff were, whilst incredibly cool, refreshingly nice and unpretienous.

 

With a sore head we woke up the next morning and decided to give the decidely crap breakfast (some hard rolls and do-it.yourself coffee or tea - one of the best things about Brazil is that you always get loads of fruit for breakfast at the hostels) a miss and strolled down to a nearby, Patagonia-themed cafe for an all you can eat buffet for an early lunch. Two hours later we took a walk into town, checked out a good museum on pre-Columbian South American art and then settled down for another afternoon sat relaxing in a nearby park. That night we went to another cafe which was nice enough (although they didn`t have Xana`s first two choices off the menu).

 

Today has been packing and then taking a trip up a funicular to the top of a nearby hill, where you get great views over Santiago. Or you would do if the smog wasn`t in the way. Or if Santiago was a particularly scenic city! Sadly, the attractions of Santiago are not to be found during the day (the restaurant-nightlife is great though).

 

Our flight is at eleven tonight, so we`re hanging around getting ready to travel to the airport in an hour or two. We then have thirteen hours before arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, although, thanks to the International Dateline, this means we land at 4am Wendesday morning, local time! Can`t wait to get there and see a whole new continent (if being very sad that our time in South America is now over).

 

 

...well our time in it anyway for we headed to the airport to fly to Santiago for our last couple of days in South America.

 

We arrived in Rio after our time in Ouro Preto at about midnight, grateful that that would be our last long distance bus journey. Whilst the bus in Brazil are more comfortable (and have more legroom) than UK buses, they still have nowhere near enough legroom for longshanks like us. We jumped in a taxi and headed to Edgar and Tales apartment in Copacabana.

 

Edgar´s sister (Raquel) is staying with them as well at the moment, so she, Tales, Xana and I headed into Rio the next day to pick up our tickets for Saturday´s bid, end-of-carnaval parade and to see if we could change our flights to New Zealand. We wanted to see if we could bring them forward a few days as we had done everything that we wanted to do in Brazil (that we would have time to, anyway) and thought we could use a few extra days in NZ. Unfortunately (if not surprisingly), there were no vacancies at such short notice, so we stuck to the original plan of arriving in NZ on the 7th. We picked up our tickets and then headed to a cafe that was set in a beautiful old building and had been used as a cafe since the 1900s or so. Xana also took the opportunity to have her hair done (see photo!).

 

The next day Raquel, Xana and I caught the boat to Niteroi to see the Museum of Contemporary Art. We caught a very fast boat over, but were puzzled as to why we couldn´t go outside to see the view. It was later that we found out that there was another, slower boat across with better views...oh well, next time. The museum was a fantastically designed building by Oscar Neiymeyer - shaped like a spaceship. The displays inside were nice, but nothing compared to the building itself! That night we went for a walk along the beach (Copacabana, naturally!) to walk the dog and try and walk off some of the large Brazilian helpings!

 

Saturday was planned to be any easy day as that night we would be going to the Sambadrome, so we went to the beach for a couple of hours (sipping caipirinhas on Copacabana beach is tough, you know) and then took a nap in the afternoon as preperation for a long night. On the way to the Sambadrome (a half mile or so long road with an F1 style grandstand down oneside) we picked up some Redbull in an attempt not to show ourselves up in front of thousands of samba mad Brazilians. We took the metro with no problems and picked up a couple of cushions on the way in. Good move - the grandstand is concrete steps with no seats and it had been sitting and baking in the sun all day, so it was still really hot to the touch - not ideal for a seat in temperatures still in the mid-twenties even past midnight! The first samba school parade started at about 9pm, but we were there for 7.30 to grab a good spot (the stands were absolutely packed later). There would be the top 6 schools performing and it took each about an hour to completely progress the full length of the Sambadrome. The parades were pretty amazin. The detail that goes into the floats and the customes is incredible. Each school spends hundreds of thousands of pounds on their parade. It feels like there are thousands of dancers in each parade as well. The song for each parade is repeated as they move (slowly) down the Sambadrome, but it wasn`t too bad. Live samba is a lot better than the recorded stuff we had heard in Ouro Preto (if still not really my thing!). There would be about half an hour gap between each school, which gave us all a chance to sit down and grab some food or drinks from the passing sellers. The most entertaining thing that happened was when one of the schools (whose theme was `photography` had a large model of a demon with a flash at the end of one arm. It was giving off sparks (deliberately), but they started getting stronger and then, suddenly, the arm caught fire! There were plenty of dancers on the float who had no idea to start with. People rushed in with fire extinguishers and hoses but to no avail (the water pressure in the hoses wouldn`t have put out a cigarette!) - the fire started to spread down the arm and the dancers began to jump off the float! By this time a proper fire engine had driven down the Sambadrome and had a proper hose to put the fire out, to much cheering and applause from the crowd!! Very dramatic. Two minutes later, everyone was back on the float and it drove off down the road, as if nothing had happened! Between each parade the cleaners would come in and sweep the road ready for the next one. One of the cleaners is the cleaner who is featured in a (I think) Nike advert, where he started dancing as he cleaned and became a celebrity. I just thought it was an advert, but it`s actually true. He does dance with the cleaners and later with some dancers. The final (and winning) parade came on at about 3.30am, so we were able to head out by just after 5. A long night and not necessarily one I would repeat to soon, but I`m definitely glad we did it.

 

The next day was a long lie in and I don`t think we managed to leave Edgar and Tales flat! We sorted out our accommodation and travel for the next days trip to Buzios, a small seaside town about three hours north of Rio that was `discovered` by Bridgit Bardot in the sixties and now has lots of boutique shops and nice restaurants.

 

We caught the bus down with no problems and checked into out little B+B and promptly booked a couple of massages to sort out our backs after so many bus journeys. That night we ate a nice seafood meal nearby.

 

The next day we spent on a couple of the many beaches on the peninsula. All very nice and relaxing. I had heard that day that the redundancy money from NU had come through, so we decided to treat ourselves to a really nice Thai meal in town. One of the best meals on our trip so far.

 

The following morning we had one last trip to the beach (probably our last beach time until Oz) and then caught the bus back to Rio and another two nights stay with Edgar and Tales. Our final full day in Brazil saw a failed attempt to get to the Maracana (you can`t just turn up for a tour - you have to book days ahead...) and then some final errands. That night took Edgar and Tales out for a thank you meal for their great hospitality to a nearby Lebanese restaurant. After a lovely (if stupidly big) meal and some belly dancing (watching, not participating...) we headed home and got ready for the next days flight to Santiago.