Round the World

Nelson
After a pleasant 3 weeks on the North Island, we headed off to the South Island to enjoy yet more coastline and lazy days on the beach. NZ weather continued to be kind to us and we even managed a few more dips, this time in the Tasman sea.

The ferry (that dropped us off) at Picton Harbour.

We made Nelson our base for a week, and rented a lovely little cottage, minus all the faux leopard print accessories (sadly, for Andyb had become quite attached).
Our cottage at Glenduan, near Nelson.

Glenduan Beach, 2 mins from the cottage

Sunset at Glenduan beach

Reflection at Glenduan beach

The closest beach to go for a dip was just past the centre of Nelson. We took the kids (with their buckets and spades) for a couple of days of fun in the sun. Kenny collected some specimens from the sea and ate them for tea (Andyb politely declined) and Mags spat them out as they tasted mouldy. Kenny ate them, and was fine (after 2 days in intensive care).

Lisa & Andyb's footprints, after a dip in the sea at Tahunanui Beach, near Nelson

We all spent a day in Abel Tasman National Park - one of the most scenic places we have seen in the whole of NZ. Mags & Kenny chose to while away the day on a water taxi, exploring the coves and wildlife of the park, whilst the misers chose a one way fare, and a 6 hour, 22 km walk back to the beginning of the park. Because it was Autumn, the place was less crowded, and we even managed to have a beach to ourselves whilst we went for a dip in the sea.

Lisa & Andyb's beach

Split Apple Rock, Abel Tasman

The West Coast
We had to endure the eyesore that is the west coast, in order to get to Franz Josef. The 3 of us had to view this for endless hours from the car window. Kenny was spared the sight as he mostly read his book!

The west coast, around Paparoa National Park

Franz Josef Glacier
The Bruntons are becoming rather partial to glaciers! At Franz Josef, we were also lucky not to need a guide to get up close. Whilst you thought glaciers were formed due to metres of snowfall compacting to make ice that accumulates to such an extent that it flows downhill under it's own weight, THIS glacier was actually formed from the tears of Hinehukatere. She loved the mountains, and enticed her lover, Tawe to join her on them. He tried, but sadly fell to his death. She cried (probably due to guilt) so much her tears formed the glaciers. The Maori call them "Ka Riomata o Hinehukatere" or "the tears of the avalanche girl". A much more satisfying explanation than all that boring scientific stuff. We hope she receives a cut of the profits the locals make from the glacier; which is alot judging by all the helicopter flights and guided walks we witnessed!

Lisa at Franz Josef glacier

Franz Josef glacier

Lisa and a rainbow near Franz Josef glacier

Mount Cook
Next stop was Mount Cook. This is quite an isolated place, but VERY busy! We couldn't even find accommodation for all of us in the same place. The weather held up and we had a fine walk up the red tarns track, which offered great views of the glacial U shaped valley below, as well as towering Mount Cook.

Lake Paringa, just a toilet stop on our way to Mount Cook, we might have stayed longer to eat lunch, but instead we became lunch for a posse of sandflies and thus, we had to make a quick exit.

Mount Cook U shaped valley

....and Mount Cook in the distance

Akaroa on Banks Peninsula
We dropped the kids off in Christchurch for their last few days before buggering off to Singapore. We wanted to go and see the hector dolphins at Akaroa. These are the one of the rarest, and the smallest dolphins in the world. They are very cute. Andyb attempted to swim with them (Lisab expertly captured the moment when the dolphins swam near, blink and you miss it!) Although the swim wasn't overly successful (most days the dolphins will hang around for a while with the humans) we saw about 50 of them following a fishing trawler, catching an easy breakfast, as they eat all the smaller fish that escape the nets. It was a great sight, Lisab wasn't expert enough to capture the moment - and footage is all a bit of a blur. Hence, David Attenborough hasn't made the call (yet).

After a night in Christchurch to say a sad farewell to Mags & Kenny (we had enjoyed their company for 4 weeks) we set off for Oamaru to see some penguins. It was weird to have no snoring in the back of the car, and the Nissan Bluebird fell silently empty without them (our luggage was also rolling around in the boot - minus Mag's twenty odd pairs of shoes that she had packed for EVERY eventuality - all those shoes, yet one day she managed to climb out of the car in her slippers - having forgotten to change them when she went out). In the early evening, the yellow eyed penguins make their way back to shore, after a day's fishing. We got some good views of them returning home, and saw a few pairs in their (love) nests. Later on in the evening, we went to see the little blue penguins come home to their burrows, after it goes dark. The centre offers a grandstand for viewing, with special sodium lights that allow us to see the penguins, but the penguins still believe it is dark, as they can't visualise orange or red colours. It was good to see them waddle ashore in rafts of about 15. Some even waited behind for their friends to return before setting off together up the path to their dens. We have no photo's of little blues, as photograhpy wasn't allowed (sudden sounds scare them).

Yellow eyed penguin

Two yellow eyed penguins

Otago Peninsula

Moreaki Boulders where Lisab made Andyb get up at 6:30 and drive 45mins to take this photo

We stopped off on the Otago peninsula, mainly to view the Royal Albatrosses. This is the only mainland nesting site (of any albatross) in the world. We were very lucky to see 3 chicks, and 2 adult birds making a fly past the hide, (where we were situated), showing off their 3 metre wingspan at close quarters.

Taiaroa head at sunset

Royal Albatross chick weighing in at 6.1kg and only 3 months old!

Wildlife around every corner in NZ.

Milford Sound

Andrew dragged Lisa (kicking and screaming) to the dump that is Milford Sounds. Think somebody taking you to see Haslingden rubbish tip (hee hee). We were in awe at the sights as we cruised the fjords. Andrew wasn't in awe of the pesky sandflies that bit him, and Lisa wasn't in awe at the biting wind that cut through her clothes (which included windproof soft shell, gloves, hat and pashmina scarf!) We have been travelling for over 6 months, taking many a photo, and have just realised that our camera has the facility to take black and white pictures - so we took advantage. Expect many more.

On the Milford road, we took time out from driving towards Queenstown, to walk a short part of the Routeburn track to Key Summit. Lisa moaned all the way up, cause she wasn't really in the mood for a walk, and Andyb hadn't even brought her any pic n mix. She was pacified by the splendid views at the top though.

View from the top of Key Summit after a relatively easy (so says Andyb) 45mins walk

Queenstown
Queenstown is the "adrenaline capital of the world" apparently, but we had a quiet time, walking and enjoying the autumnal colours. We think we have travelled NZ at a great time - we've had fantastic weather, enjoyed quieter places, and the trees are spectacular at this time of year.

Glenorchy (LOTR territory)

Just to prove, it's not always blue sky in NZ

(Yet) another B/W photo, this time of the church of the good shepherd at Lake Tekapo

Although we weren't brave or cash loaded enough to try out the adventure sports on offer, there were some young fools that gave them a whirl. We went to watch some of them at Kawarau Bridge (the home of the original bungy jump in 1988) get a dunking. You have to tilt your head to watch, as we can't work out how to rotate the video.

Auckland
Our first taste of New Zealand didn't disappoint, it being breakfast in a swanky cafe in Auckland. After 5 months in South America, we weren't quite ready for such sophistication. Andyb wasn't used to the change in language either; replying "Si, gracias" when the waitress asked if the eggs & bacon (on rye with a hollandaise jus) were for him.

As we eagerly awaited the arrival of Mags & Kenny, we took a couple of days to explore the beaches and islands, close to the city. Piha & Karekare are two of the most beautiful, remote, and unpopulated beaches that we have had the fortune of visiting. The latter was the location for the film, "The Piano". Having a hire car was already proving a big bonus! We took a ferry to the Island of Tiritiri Matangi which is an open sanctuary for endangered birdlife, and saw and heard birds such as the (squawking) Tui, bellbird, fantail, to name a few.

Now with Mags & Kenny in tow, highlights of Auckland included finding a "Tony & Guy" hair franchise, so we could all get a decent haircut (except for Kenny who thought we were bloody puddled for spending forty quid instead of four at the barbers uptown), the sky tower (328 metres high makes it the highest structure in NZ and gives great, panoramic views of the city), and the suburbs (particularly Mount Eden where we stayed, where Andy & Lisab declared they could live - if they could afford it).

Lisab running away from Andyb at Karekare Beach

A reflection of the Sky Tower, Auckland.

Coromandel Peninsula
We spent a few days visiting (yet more) beaches - including the hot water beach - where at certain times of the day (1 1/2 hours either side of low tide) you can hire a spade and dig a hole in the beach,which then fills up with hot spring water that lurks underneath the sand - APPARENTLY - we couldn't be faffed, it was too hot. The kids stayed behind, whilst the Bruntons took a (not very) energetic walk to Cathedral Cove - yet another gorgeous beach - yada, yada, yada.

Mags & Kenny after hearing ANOTHER story about travels in South America.

Napier
We pitched up in Napier in good time to see England whoop the Kiwis at cricket, in the third test, to win the series 2-1. We had perfect cricket weather (hot & sunny), whilst we enjoyed 2 days at the test, listening to the Barmy Army's tunes & were even spotted on t.v. (looking well by all accounts - must be the new hair do's) by Andrew's dad, Stuart. Bet Lynch was good enough to rent out her house for the week (who knew they produced faux leopard print toilet roll?) and we had a jolly time exploring the Art Deco buildings of Napier.

Strauss batting.

Monty.

Strauss again - well he did bat for a full day, eventually reaching 173!

New Zealand acknowledge The Barmy Army.

England crowd the bat with just one wicket needed for victory, even Monty was in the slips which brought a loud cheer from the following England fans.


Our cottage (centre) we rented in Napier.

The Tobacco Factory, Napier.

Art Deco, Napier.

We left the kids with a babysitter whilst we trekked the "best day walk in New Zealand" - The Tongariro crossing (though we would quibble with that judgement - but it was pleasant enough).

Mt Ngauruhoe.

The Emerald Lakes.

The Bruntons at Mount Ngauruhoe whilst on the Tongariro crossing.

The Longest place name in the world (read for yourself), it roughly translates to "the hill where Tamatea, circumnavigator of the lands, played the flute for his brother"

This Sea Lion at Cape Palliser took objection to Lisa's camera skills.

Wellington
Before setting sail for the South Island, we whiled away a few days in the capital. Lisab didn't think it was all that compared to Auckland, and whilst the cities are pleasant enough, there is no beating the beauty of the coastline. The main higlight being the NZ National Museum - Te Papa - worth a visit for an afternoon. The lowlight being the hundreds of very loud NZ school kids that ran, derranged, through the corridors of the YHA at 6am. We are calling for an outright ban of all kids in Youth Hostels.

We decided to air on the side of caution and skip breakfast, as we'd been told horror stories about chucking up due to the plane's violent turns. However, we all managed to survive the 35 minute trip in the SMALLEST aircraft known to man, to view the famous Nazca lines.

We were joined by Fiona and Lindsay on the flight (our friends from the Inca trail!)

The Hands.

Alien landing strips?

The Monkey. Well most of it!

The Spaceman?

The Hummingbird.

The Dog. Well most of it!

The Hummingbird again.

Cuzco
Cuzco is possibly the most beautiful South American city that we have been to. The mix of colonial buildings with inca ruins makes for an impressive site, indeed most of the more modern buildings have been built upon inca foundations. The city is awash with religious buildings (both pre and post columbian) interspersed with upmarket hotels and eateries. It is also the most commercial city that we have been to; with every local eager to make money out of the "gringos".

Plaza de Armas, Cuzco.

An Inca wall in Cuzco.

Further out from the city is the more impressive "sacred valley" with some of the best preserved inca sites outside of Machu Picchu. We saw the sites of (amongst others) Sacsayhuaman (which appears to be pronouned "sexy woman" - talking about Lisa again), once thought to be a fortress, but now believed to be an astronomical site and royal temple.

The stone to the left of Andrew weighed in at around 130 tonnes!

The Sacred Valley.

Terraces and Inca ruins at Pisac.

Anyone for a bacon butty? Pigs head for sale at Pisac market.

The Brunton's at Pisac.

Why the long face?

The sacred mountain at Ollantaytambo.

Close up of the mountain. Can you make out the face of the mountain god complete with crown?

The Inca Trail
The 4 day trek to Machu Picchu began with an early morning call at 5:45am, to catch the minibus to Km82 at Pisacucho (the beginning of the walk). The first day was a "test day" as we only walked around 4 hours and thought it was easy despite the altitude and the backpacks (we were the hardcore who didn't require an extra porter!) The crew of porters certainly make the trail more comfortable. We went with SAS and they thought of everything; from bowls of hot water to wash with at the end of a day's walk, to waking us up with a cup of coca tea each morning. The food was also something else - 3 courses at dinner AND tea (which was actually too much on the days where you hadn't exerted yourself), plus "happy hour" which entailed cups of chocolate, tea, coffee and popcorn, plus biscuits. It was comparable to the B-Meister's cooking skills (even the veggie food was fabulous). We also happened upon a good bunch of people to walk the trail with - once Lisa had overcome the shock of being the oldest member!

The start of the Inca trail.

The group and the porters.

The second day was slightly harder, walking for around 10 hours in total, and overcoming "dead woman's pass" the most difficult section of the walk. Andyb raced up, whilst Lisab decided on a leisurely stroll to the top!

Lisa on her way up dead woman's pass.

The Brunton's at the top of dead woman's pass.

And everybody else made it too!

Flora on the trail.

Winya-Wayna, one of the Inca sites on the way to Machu Picchu.

Another group shot whilst on the trail.

We were slightly disappointed on the last day to walk through the sun gate and see fog as opposed to Machu Picchu! (well, it is rainy season). However, because we are such fit types, we decided to walk up Waynapichhu (the big mountain you see behind the typical postcard shots of Mahu Picchu) and were chuffed to get great views from there instead.

Machu Picchu

Inca doorway.

Inca window.

We made a whistle stop tour of the Colca Canyon, as time was running out in South America. The main reason for the visit was to see the condors. Unfortunately, in wet season, it was unlikely that we would get up close to them, but we wanted to try anyway. Whilst it was nice to see the towns along the way, it would have been better to get straight to the canyon and to spend longer there. Our tour didn't include any trekking in the bottom of the canyon, which perhaps was a mistake. We were fortunate however to see the floor of the canyon from the viewpoints up above (something tour groups a couple of days earlier didn't manage due to the fog). On the second day, we saw what we came for (albeit for a very brief moment and quite far away) - the condors made an appearance! The highlight however, was the buzzard eagle that darted past our heads in search of a catch. The lowlight was the incessant voice (amplified by a microphone in an 18 capacity van) of the guide. We got told invaluable snippets of information, such as how the Gloria milk company had recently acquired the concrete factory - how we giggled at concrete flavoured milk.....

The Colca Canyon. You can just make out the Rio Colca, if you look hard enough.

The Colca Valley.

This rodent is related to the Chinchilla, but we forget the name. The locals are known to feed them banana skins which immobilise the poor little things due to indigeston, they are then easier to pick up for the pot!

This plant called the Yareta grows only 1mm a year and, because of it's compactedness, is rock hard to touch. We reckon due to the size of this one it could be at least a few hundred years old.

Agriculture in the Colca Valley. Mainly potato's, the Peruivans grow around 3000 different types!

The Condor.