The End (But Not The End) Of All Things...

Well, what an adventure… Sure, me and Sian didn’t undertake most of the activities including kayaking and surfing (although I did jump out of a plane), but we’re more than happy enough being somewhere we’ve never been before and soaking up the scenery on offer. And it’s almost an understatement to say that New Zealand has a lot. It’s not just the adventure capital of the world - it’s probably the most beautiful country too. Its stunning, breathtaking and otherworldly landscape certainly raises the bar on epic, and, to once again quote our chief experience officer Mark – whom I’m now thrilled to call a friend – “it’s Ireland on steroids.” There’s simply no other way to sum up this country.

A Jam-Packed Week Deserves A Jam-Packed Post

Another reason to do a whistle-stop blog post is that I’m currently on my last night in New Zealand with access to some decent Wi-Fi. Tomorrow we head to Fiji where I expect we’ll experience similar issues to most of New Zealand, and I don’t want to end up with such a backblog of posts again.

This Isn’t Flying - This Is Falling… With Style

Stomach is already skydiving

Ever since I watched the first Power Rangers movie in 1995, I’ve always wanted to skydive. Okay, I know how weird that might sound, but hear me out. The film opens with the six power rangers leaping from an aeroplane (not in their costumes but given the colour-coordination of their jumpsuits, they may as well have been), and it was this scene that inspired me to want to do the same.

Misty Mountain

Take that, Snowdon

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and that less is more, so from here on in, my blog posts will be much shorter. That’s not to suggest I think all my posts up until now have been too long. I’ve simply wanted to share with you my experiences in their entirety as much as possible, but the reality is that, while travelling the world, both time and Wi-Fi are limited. But that’s not a bad thing. That said, pictures don’t do much justice for the scenery. Sure, you’ll think the pictures below - as well as those I’ve already shared - are stunning, but I just can’t stress how they are no patch on seeing the real thing, as they lack the grandeur, the majesty, the striking colours, the depth, and the sheer scope of the landscape. It’s a lesson learned for having not invested in a proper camera before going away, I guess, but then I suppose this is where the writing comes in.

HAWAII 2.0

I’ll start this by saying that the journey from Picton to Abel Tasman National Park can only be described as insanely stunning. Massive mountain ranges and lakes dominate the landscape, but then they do so pretty much everywhere on the South Island. On arrival at the National Park, we caught a water taxi to another floating hostel as the sun fell, but this boat is much more modest in size compared to the Rockboat in the Bay of Islands. 

End Of The North Island

Wellington at night

As we made our way towards the South Island, we stopped over in New Zealand’s capital Wellington, though in all honesty there’s really not much to write about here. The Wi-Fi was decent, which made a nice change considering most of the businesses here seem to hold their Wi-Fi connections hostage so that they can profit from tourists, making it damn-near impossible to keep in touch with family and friends, but also in keeping this blog updated. Please sort this out, New Zealand! It’s your one flaw!

Mount Doom

Misty Mountain?

A journey through several miles of dense morning fog and deep into what seemed like the real Middle-Earth – actually named Tongariro National Park – includes endless mind-blowing scenery, summed up by our tour guide in the most appropriate, nail-on-the-head fashion: “the British countryside on steroids”. I couldn’t have put it better myself. Though of course I should be able to, being a writer and all, so shame on me.

Caves And Volcanoes

Waitomo - home to glow worm caves and possibly Hobbits

I’ll cut to the chase here: we visited two caves in Waitomo where we saw glow worms. If you don’t know what they are, then the name is a bit of a give-away. But they’re actually larvae that cling to the cave ceilings, and are bio-luminescent so as to attract prey. It’s only their livers that are glowing though, but in the pitch black of a cave, it makes no difference. As we cruised up and down a cave river in total darkness, we may as well have been looking at a constellation of stars overhead. It was quite otherworldly. 

Tropic Thunder

A tropical storm rolls in...

Perhaps one of the strangest elements about New Zealand’s countryside is its constant shifting from British-like plantations and forests, to sudden bursts of tropical environments. Thus far, Raglan remains one of the most tropical overnight stays. 

A Rocky Start...

The view from our (moving) room...

After Auckland, we visited the small coastal town of Paihia, mainland to the infamous Bay of Islands, for two nights. On the way we visited a waterfall far bigger than we expected. The short walk starts at the precipice, which you cross via a tiny metal bridge with no railings... And if that wasn't treacherous enough, the rainfall from a recent cyclone had evidently caused the rapid river below to swell, leaving no more than a couple of inches between the bridge and the water. 

Auckland: Head Straight For The Water...

Whether it's the Tower or the sea, the views are far better than from the streets.

New Zealand’s infamous seaside city has lots on offer from dolphin and whale watching to day trips to local islands such as Waiheke, Rangitoto and Motutapu. The city itself boasts the iconic Sky Tower, from the top of which you can enjoy stunning views of the metropolitan area by night, and by day, distant views of the bay and the oceanic horizon. And whilst we didn’t venture up the tower during sunlight, I’d have been surprised to see anything worthwhile in terms of a good view before the water starts, though they would have undoubtedly been better than those at street level...

An Elephants-Never-Forgettable Experience

Sian and her new friend

As mentioned in my last post, during our time in Bangkok, we ventured out into Thailand’s beautiful countryside to spend a day at the Elephant Day Care Centre on the River Kwai. It won't surprise you to hear me to tell you how hot it was (it was hot), but it was very, very hot out in the open mountains next to the River Kwai. In fact, so much so, that Sian nearly fainted from over-heating. It probably didn't help that we were boiling rice for twenty-seven elephants, though. Yes, you read that right. 

If Hell Is Really That Hot, Then It Must Be Bangkok…

Thanks to very poor WiFi availability here in New Zealand, this post is coming to you a little late seeing as we left Bangkok some nine days ago for Auckland. It’s safe to say that the best way to start this post is to address just how nightmarishly-hot Bangkok – and undoubtedly the rest of Thailand, though we didn’t venture too far from the city. Okay, we drove a good four hours out to an Elephant Day Care centre on the River Kwai but more on that in the next post. 

Take Note, Cineworld...

I realise I've talked only about movies on this blog so far, but as always seems to be the case, I've got a bit of a backlog with my reviews. This doesn't mean I'm slow at putting up reviews, though - it probably just means I watch way too many movies! That, and I'm only a few days into my trip, and I don't want to talk about Bangkok too much just yet. I want to save that post for when we're about to leave for New Zealand later this week, as a lot can happen between now and then.