South Island New Zealand Part II: 'Calimero's Mission of a Fairytale'

Kio ora koutou

I was about halfway through my visit to the South Island. That's why I had filled that day with various visits. That morning I had taken some time to wake up and have a hearty breakfast. That way I could start again. Again I had an equally clear sunny day, as if the weather gods had heard me. Wow, it was beautiful there (again). Mountain ranges came towards me, they didn't seem far because of that incredible air condition! My first stop was at ' Franz Josef Glacier Walk '. After walking for a while I found myself at the foot of those immense mountain peaks covered in snow and my eyes focused on the glacier with its ice-blue color where behind me a beautiful waterfall crashed down. Fabulous, isn't it! I literally and figuratively fall from one wonder to the next magical wonder here. Before everything was closed again (so before 3 pm), I took a pit stop in 'Franz Josef Town' to have lunch and drink a coffee. Hehe, I'm starting to get it.

Then Calimero took us to 'Gillespies Beach'. Another 'It's worth the drive' drive. Again she was right! Calimero had to drive for more than twenty minutes on a gravel road through the rainforest to cross the lagoon and park there. Et voilà, there she was; the sea with its endless black beach full of shells and pebbles. This was a place where I could relax all alone with the view and the sound of the sea.

Calimero didn't mind eating up the miles. So we quickly drove on to 'Fox Glacier Viewpoint'! There was a lookout on the ice blue color of the glacier that was clearly visible despite the distance. I ended the afternoon with a ' Lake Matheson Circuit Track' . This wonderful track was around the lake with a stop here and there, one of which was very special: 'Reflection Island Lookout'! If you arrive on a clear day without wind, this spectacle of the wonderful nature is reflected on the lake. And it was, but it was not clear enough to see 'Mount Cook' & 'Mount Tasman'. Hehe, what a day I had again!

Hopla, early in the morning we were 'on the road' again to a new destination. Our great track towards Wanaka was not yet completely finished. It was a must to stop often to take many pictures. This was not for nothing one of the world's most beautiful routes. After a few hours we arrived in 'Wanaka'. On Saturdays there is often a cozy atmosphere in NZ. Because of the different types of competitions that are organized or their famous 'farm markets'. As for me: I went for that coffee and a late lunch again. After nature it was nice to stroll around in a city full of movement.

In 'Tarras' is Sanne's Airbnb. Sanne is a Dutch woman who is married to a Kiwi. So nice to speak Dutch for once! Because I wanted to stretch my legs, she advised me to walk to the church. Hehe, I didn't make it. To my right was a large meadow full of bulls. When they saw me, they all started following me. When I stopped, they all looked in my direction. If I went right, they did too. If I went left, they did too. If I stopped, they did too and all those eyes were on me. Hehe, I was scared and thought it was funny at the same time. So I walked back. Sanne's husband told me that they were just 'happy cows'. Sanne had invited me to eat with them. Yum, I had feasted and enjoyed that cozy evening with this super sweet couple!

Of course I had to say goodbye to this cool couple! Sanne had recommended a less touristy walk. Normally I would do the 'Roys Peak Track'. Instead I did the ' Grandview Mountain Track ' of eighteen kilometers where I had just as many beautiful views. The sun was shining brightly, and it was quite intense. Climbing, climbing and climbing through the beautiful valleys. 'Gandalf and Frodo' from the movie 'Lord of the Rings' could trot past here at any moment. Fantastic fantasy trekking! After nine kilometers of climbing I was at the top of the 'Grandview Mountain' which is at an altitude of 1398 meters! I was treated to a mighty view of the Southern Alps, the 'Wanaka' and 'Hawae' lake. Wow, dazzlingly beautiful. I didn't stay that long, the wind felt cold and I still had to descend that heavy climb. Hehe, with a satisfied feeling I drove on to Queenstown! Yes, another city trip. Queenstown is located in the 'Lake District' surrounded by The Remarkables, a mountain range on the South Island. I don't have to describe what I saw, right? By now you've read it, right?!

I enjoyed the 'city life' there, nice Thai food and took some time the next day to chill and blog at the 'Wakatipu' lake. Calimero set course for 'Te Anau' in the late afternoon. This is the base where most tourists stay to visit the 'Doubtful Sounds' or the 'Milford Sounds'.

At half past six in the morning I was already in the car to take the ferry. I chose the ' Doubtful Sounds cruise ', because it is less popular and the deepest and the second longest Fjords. A visit to this 'Sound of Silence' is not to be missed though.

Before we reached the fjord, we first had to conquer 'Manapouri' lake and 'Wilmot Pass'. During the journey through 'Wilmot Pass' we stopped at 'Helena Falls'. This waterfall is named after the first woman who landed here. Wow, every waterfall is different but this one had an extra because of its name! And further on we got an amazing view over the 'Doubtful Sounds'. After the winding bus ride I was allowed to enter the boat in the small harbour 'Deep Cove'. 'Let the show begin'! He slowly took us through the insanely mysterious misty hills that were covered with an equally mystical green wilderness with here and there a fabulous waterfall that fell from the rock. He sailed us deep into the fjords, until we reached the sea, where we could enjoy the spectacle of swimming seals. Wohow, the sea was rough... The boat pounded on the waves! Blissful! There were only a few of us present, it almost seemed like a private tour.

Suddenly we stopped sailing and the captain turned off the engine! This to listen to the sound of nature. The magical moment overwhelmed me, tears rolled down my cheeks while I impeccably enjoyed only the sound of nature. Where does this fairy tale end, I wondered?! On the return trip there was light snow that then changed into drizzling rain. Despite this bleak cold weather the entire trip remained magical. Frozen and speechless I drove to 'Te Anau Town' after that enchanting boat trip to get Thai food. I arrived early in my room to take a long hot shower and nestle under the blanket! Mmmm, and not much later I fell asleep like a log.

The trip ended along the West Coast and started towards the East Coast to 'The Catlins'! My goal was to first stop for a nice lunch in ' Riverton ', where I stayed the next two nights. Calimero decided to stop at the carpark of the ' Mores Coastal Loop Track '! This was a short walk through a National Park that ended up on the hills of the coast. What a fabulous apple blue sea green color the sea always had! A gust of rain made me return to the car and drive to my accommodation. In the Airbnb I settled down with my laptop and a nice cup of tea. Fate had decided to rest and I did so with full pleasure.

'Bluff', apart from the walk I did along the coast there was not much to see in this godforsaken desolate village. So I stopped in Invercargill. Not a pretty city and just as uninteresting as Bluff. The next morning there was a lot on the schedule. I transformed Calimero and myself into 'Speedy Gonzalez'! Haha, from jut to year (we sometimes say)! We had seven stops ahead of us before we arrived in Dunedin!

Stop 1 'Waipapa Point': a short walk took me to the lighthouse and along the coast where I could spot seals and sea lions. Nice trip, unfortunately no marine life to be seen.

Stop 2 'Slope Point': this is the southernmost point of the island. This point is located on a cliff where the ocean waves crash against the rocks. At the parking lot a group of trees stood out because of their spectacular direction indication. Not a hair in the wind but wind in the trees, unbelievable. Stop 3 'Curio Bay': because my time was limited, I only stopped to take a picture of the bay. However, this is a remarkable place with a fossil forest dating back to the dinosaur era.

Stop 4 'McLean Falls': I listened to the native birds as I walked through the Southern forest to the magnificent waterfall. It was surrounded on both sides by dark green mossy rocks as it cascaded down a naturally constructed staircase.

Stop 5 'The Lost Gypsy Gallery': in this whimsical caravan by Blair Sommerville I could experience a theatre game by means of all kinds of art-automata. Difficult to explain but when I pressed a button a mini-train started to drive around. Outside I turned a lever and an iron whale started to swim, great!

And so many more enjoyable things to experience in that gallery. Fantastic, how that man had made those nice things.

Stop 6 'Surrat Bay': this is a quiet, peaceful beach. I walked through the dunes to this desolate beautiful bay. There should be a lot of marine life to spot, but here too I had no luck. Looking at the sky here is often an apocalyptic sight. I could stare at it for hours, but I didn't have the time.

Stop 7 'Nugget Point': this was walking on a steep headland with a lighthouse on the tip surrounded by rocky islands. Beautiful and as icing on the cake I got a rainbow. Wow, this was a full day.

On Saturday I was pampered by Maxine and her husband from the Airbnb. They took me in their jeep to have a look at the 'farm market' of Dunedin. There I bought apricots, plums and the best and most beautiful radishes ever. In my car I keep all kinds of 'snabbel' for on the road, including radishes. Afterwards Maxine treated me to a delicious coffee in a nice place! Ooo, I had a nice morning with this sweet couple.

After our coffee we went to explore Dunedin. I visited the old railway station and just in time I picked up lunch . If you want to have lunch, keep in mind that most businesses in New Zealand close between 2:30 and 4:00 pm. Afterwards I went down to Calimero to visit the Albatross colony. Every time I drove I had to think of Stephanie with her sentence: 'Its worth the drive'. Driving in NZ is like driving through a gigantic nature documentary. So I meandered through the bends along the dry hilly landscape, lush nature reserves, small picturesque villages and bays with colorful fishermen's houses on stilts. In the pictorial domain I was able to spot a few albatrosses. Wow, I didn't know their wingspan could be more than two meters. I walked down to the small bay to see some seals. Two were sleeping, or were they dead because there was little movement in them, the sloths. That same evening Maxine was alone, her husband had gone fishing for two days. So we enjoyed a nice 'girls night' movie night.

Sunday we gave each other a warm farewell hug, because I had to continue my journey. This time she went out to ' Lake Tekapo'. I had to visit this. Here you can admire the most beautiful starry sky and Milky Way. When I drove into the Canterbury region, my mouth fell open in amazement. I said loudly (again): 'Not normal waaauuuuw'! Unbelievable, but my eyes looked straight out at the world's most beautiful glacier lake 'Pukaki', with a vast mountain landscape in the background. Nature madness, again! Calimero was forced to park himself to observe this fairytale lake with its icy blue water. BREATHTAKING this was!

When I had recovered a bit, I went to Mount Cook Alpine Salmon Shop to buy fresh sashimi and ate it in this fitting setting. There followed an enchanting ' Lake Tekapo Peninsula Walk' . This beautiful circuit runs along the peninsula and looks out over the island of Motuariki. With an amazing view of the equally beautiful Lake Tekapo and its surrounding mountains. While waiting for the starry sky, I got a pizza to eat at Lake Tekapo at ' The Church Of The Good Shephard '. Was this boring?! No, I was experiencing my own fairy tale. Because it was such a clear evening, it was only pitch dark after nine o'clock. On the icy ground I had laid down on a towel in my sleeping bag. Here I was again staring at that magical twinkling light show.

Three quarters of an hour later I just kept driving because I still had to drive for more than an hour through the pitch-black evening to the Airbnb. Hehe, that was quite an exciting ride. Everything looked black in my left, right and rear-view mirrors. So dark, luckily there were reflective poles everywhere along the road. Hehe, I had arrived safely! I took another shower to warm up and got under the sheets early.

During our next trip to Christchurch I considered myself lucky. Sometimes I can't grasp all that I had experienced. In any case I remain grateful for everything that came my way in this magical adventure!

In Christchurch we drove into the parking lot in the middle of the city. It was lovely to stroll there in that relaxed atmosphere. Even in this hip colorful city, I didn't know where to look first. There was beautiful street art to spot everywhere. Unbelievable how this young city is full of it. Going for lunch in 'New Regent Street' was a must. This is a narrow historical street from the 30s with brightly colored buildings. Towards the evening I took a seat on a terrace in the sun before I left for my Airbnb.

The end of my visit to the South Island was near. So Calimero headed to our last destination in Kaikoura! Guess what?! 'It was worth the drive!'

Once again we had an incredibly beautiful ride behind us. Arriving in Kaikoura was just as special! The sea had (again) a clear apple blue sea green color with black beaches. This was a special sight because behind the sea those massive mountains with their snow-capped peaks stand. Hihi, time to walk again. Not much later I entered the ' Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway '. This tour on the coast was filled with white limestone rock formations that stuck out everywhere, a too beautiful blue sea and surrounded by an abundant green nature. And as a crowning achievement I got to deal with a seal colony. Actually I first heard a strange unknown screeching sound before I saw them. And suddenly I saw a little one searching for her or his mother. Oooo, that was so cute! Then you realize again how small you are next to these beautiful creatures that were lazing around or swimming. Blissful, my last day on the South Island.

Hehe, and so it was the end and the moment had arrived to make the most beautiful crossing from Picton to Wellington again. This time the weather was so clear, that I saw that crazy beautiful nature coming towards me. MAGICAL! Anyway, after this beautiful cruise I still had a few hours and an overnight stay ahead of me before I arrived at my final destination in 'Coromandel'. And again, it was worth the drive!

Dear readers, all good fairy tales must come to an end! This too! Calimero, what an amazing travel partner you were?! You just drove 7618 kilometers in thirty-seven days! CRAZY you 💖!

New Zealand, what an amazing journey?! You blew me away in every way with your 'nature madness'! And I haven't even mentioned the beautiful vegetation, the amazing birds sitting in the middle of the road and and and... Wow!!! Wow!!! Wow!!! What an amazing journey 🙏💖! TOPPER NZ!

I am excitedly ready for a new adventure!

JAPAN, HERE I COME!

The end of a beautiful fairytail and a new ahead sweet readers!

Ka Kite an ō (See you soon)!

Love and kisses, Helena 💖 🦩