If it's March, it must be New Zealand. In four weeks I did a counter-clockwise tour
of both the North and South Islands. New Zealand packs an amazing variety of scenery into
its relatively small space. It's also comparatively sparsely populated: I kept reminding
myself that the country's population of four million or so people is equivalent to the
population of greater Toronto.
I spent several days in Auckland, NZ's largest city and the home of one third of its people.
Auckland is a vibrant, multicultural city and has the greatest number of Polynesians
of any city in the world. From there I took a bus south, staying for a weekend with friends
in the university city of Hamilton, and then down to the capital city of Wellington on the
southern tip of the North Island where I had to wait a couple of days for a ferry to take
me to the South Island. Despite being the seat of government (the ridiculous looking
Parliament building is appropriately nicknamed the "Beehive", an indication of New Zealanders'
willingness to put government in its place?) Wellington is an interesting city rising up
steeply on hills back from its harbour and likes to believe that it is more sophisticated
than the more commercialized Auckland.
Then it was on to a ten day tour of the South Island, from which almost all of the pictures
below come. The South Island is more rural and scenic with the Southern Alps range
running down its West "Wet" coast.
Auckland
A view of downtown Auckland from one of the extinct volcanoes on which the city sits.
Note the cows at the lower right.
The lone tree on the hill is a little sickly after a Maori protestor took a chain-saw to it.
Wellington
Notice the red trolley just emerging from the tunnel.
Kiwi Experience Bus
A shot of the bus that I spent ten days on and some of my fellow backpackers.
Dumb Sheep
Yes, sheep are everywhere in NZ.
Eat, eat, eat.
Run!
Soccer on the Beach
Deer
These deer are raised primarily for their antlers from which, ahem, aphrodisiacs are made,
mainly for the Asian market.
The Critters of "Bushman's Lodge"
All of these animals were introduced to New Zealand and now run wild, with catastrophic
results for native birds. (Prior to the arrival of the Maori, the only mammals
in NZ were bats.) The possum was introduced to NZ from Australia to start a fur trade. Its
introduction was all too successful: there are now more possums than sheep in NZ...
A possum.
The Legend of "Ol' George"
We spent a couple of hours at this gold claim that had been taken over from an old fellow
named George, according to the current proprietor. Obviously there wasn't much gold
left since most of his business came from giving tours of the site.
We learn about the tools of the trade.
Ol' George's wheelbarrow, and empty fuel cylinders.
Another tall story?
Bridge Piers
These piers are all that remains of the bridge. I like the geometry of this shot.
Mountain Pastoral
A Last View of the West Coast
Waterfall
Wildflowers and Bumblebee
Meadow, River, Mountains
Sunset at Wilderness
Glacier Walk
Glacier Moraine
Mts. Cook and Tasman
These two shots show Mts. Cook and Tasman reflected in Lake Matheson,
on one of the few clear days that the West coast sees.
Boot Fence
Our bus driver, Bells, disposes of his old boots on the fence.
Queenstown and Paragliders
Queenstown bills itself as the "Adventure Capital of the World." It's home to the world's
first commercial bungy jump and some of the
highest.
If you want to bungy jump over 400 feet, this is the place to do it. Krazy Kiwis.
Apart from the businesses trying to extract money from adrenaline junkies, Queenstown's
spectacular setting makes a great background for more sedate activities, like taking photos.
Note the green bungy-jumping platform at the lower right. Imagine jumping off it at
night...
A good view of the "Remarkables" mountain range and Lake Wakatipu.
Glacial Lake
For a while I bought the story that the bright blue colour of the lake was from the
dye that they put in it so they could spot leaks in the dams. Sounds plausible--doesn't it?
Sheepdog Memorial
Punk Horses
These horses were at a farm outside of Queenstown where I went on a horse-back ride.
Nice dreads!
Bachelor Seals
Lazy bums, just lying around all day! No wonder they can't get a date.
Notice the red trolley just emerging from the tunnel.
A shot of the bus that I spent ten days on and some of my fellow backpackers.
These piers are all that remains of the bridge. I like the geometry of this shot.
Our bus driver, Bells, disposes of his old boots on the fence.
