Category: New Zealand
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Franz Josef: the full Monty
Here is a photo of the entire Franz Josef Glacier. I made the gruelling hike up to Alex Knob to take this photo. The round trip is over seven hours, and you gain 1000 metres of elevation. I hauled the 4×5 camera up with me. Once again, the hike is classified as moderate. It would…
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Glaciers == Fun && Glaciers == Danger
Yesterday, I went on a full-day guided trek through the Franz Josef Glacier, and today I saw two people injured by the same glacier. One was injured quite severely. Luckily, no one was killed! On other notes, a good night’s rest staved off any hint of a cold. As a bonus, I have no allergy…
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Glaciers!
You know you are in some real mountains when they have glaciers. Yesterday evening I hiked up a valley to Rob Roy Mountain, which has a glacier. Nearby Mt Aspiring also hosts a glacier. I have learned that when the Dept of Conservation description of a trail says “moderate” difficulty, it actually means “difficult” (or…
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Middle Earth
The area around Queenstown should be renamed Middle Earth. Those locations were used heavily in the filming of The Lord of the Rings. The photo above shows the location used for Isengard (the tower of the wizard who turned evil). I have bought a book detailing the locations used in the films. I will be…
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Dart River Jet Boat
The jet boat ride up the Dart River was fun, although I have some bruised ribs which are still a little tender. We did six 360 degree spins. It was on the second that I was pressed into the metal bar at the side of my seat abruptly and forcefully, which was absorbed by a…
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Hayfever and Black Flies
Just so you don’t start to think that everything is rosy in New Zealand, I have encountered two serious problems: Hayfever, and Black Flies. From the moment I arrived in Christchurch, my allergies went berserk. I was constantly sneezing and stuffed up, and my throat and roof-of-mouth itched unbearably. I had brought a good supply…
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Glowworms
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the glowworm cave. This is understandable, though, since you’d either need a flash (and you would not see the “glow” anymore), or a long exposure on a tripod. I can highly recommend the Te Anau Glowworm tour! In the main glowworm chamber, it is almost like seeing constellations of…
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Four Days on Water
Milford Sound is the most popular, and possibly most “dramatic” of the fiords. However, it is also fairly short, and can be seen in two hour cruise. The most exciting part was when the skipper put the nose into a waterfall, so everyone could get wet from the spray. I have booked four days in…
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South-East Coast
I’ve covered a lot of territory since the last post! From Christchurch, I headed towards Mt. Cook, which is not only the highest peak in NZ, it is the highest in “Australasia”. It was in the news in the last few days, because two Japanese climbers died while descending. The chunk of rock they had…
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Sea Kayaking
I went sea kayaking at Kaikoura, yesterday. It was fun, and a lot of work! The purpose was to paddle out to the seal colony. If the seals are hungry, you might be able to watch them catching and eating octopii. However, when we were there, the seals were just sunning themselves on the rocks.…
Michael Chmilar's Travels 