Monday, November 29, 2004
49 days in a van...
With an extra 10,000km under her belt, Pukie has been sold to a group of german girls to do it all again. With a few days to kill before I head to Brisbane I am enjoying the luxuries of daily showers, varied meals, and the company of others in the hostel.
Yet another country has rendered me dumbstruck on this trip. I was bamboozled by the spectacle put on by nature in what could be referred to as one of her global showrooms. There is so much crammed into two relatively small islands, that literally around every corner a new wonder lies. On top of this I was able to surf at a new beach every day en route to the next destination.
Swimming in the morning on driftwood-strewn beaches stretching to the horizon, and walking on a twenty three kilometre-long glacier an hour later, seemed almost unremarkable until you stopped to think about it. The South Island had me wide-eyed and exclaiming aloud from inside the van. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents with the number of people suddenly pulling up to stare in disbelief at snow-capped peaks looming behind blue and green lakes and peeping out from the narrow passageways of high mountain passes. The changeability of the scenery is breathtaking; within one hour of rain, the solid rock walls around the fjord in Milford Sound were transformed into thousands of waterfalls tumbling into the snow-filled gorges below.
The pictures, as always, do my experiences more justice. This set include my travelling mascot ED, an Ecstatic Buddha (EB just isn't a name) who sat on Pukie's dashboard for the whole trip, and was suitably impressed by what he saw...
PS: My trip would have been merely mundane, had I not met those fantastic hogans Ronan and Katie, seen here trying to find a cheaper way home.
With an extra 10,000km under her belt, Pukie has been sold to a group of german girls to do it all again. With a few days to kill before I head to Brisbane I am enjoying the luxuries of daily showers, varied meals, and the company of others in the hostel.
Yet another country has rendered me dumbstruck on this trip. I was bamboozled by the spectacle put on by nature in what could be referred to as one of her global showrooms. There is so much crammed into two relatively small islands, that literally around every corner a new wonder lies. On top of this I was able to surf at a new beach every day en route to the next destination.
Swimming in the morning on driftwood-strewn beaches stretching to the horizon, and walking on a twenty three kilometre-long glacier an hour later, seemed almost unremarkable until you stopped to think about it. The South Island had me wide-eyed and exclaiming aloud from inside the van. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents with the number of people suddenly pulling up to stare in disbelief at snow-capped peaks looming behind blue and green lakes and peeping out from the narrow passageways of high mountain passes. The changeability of the scenery is breathtaking; within one hour of rain, the solid rock walls around the fjord in Milford Sound were transformed into thousands of waterfalls tumbling into the snow-filled gorges below.
The pictures, as always, do my experiences more justice. This set include my travelling mascot ED, an Ecstatic Buddha (EB just isn't a name) who sat on Pukie's dashboard for the whole trip, and was suitably impressed by what he saw...
PS: My trip would have been merely mundane, had I not met those fantastic hogans Ronan and Katie, seen here trying to find a cheaper way home.
# posted by JJ : 1:43 a.m.
Monday, November 01, 2004
South Island - WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!
Those of you sitting at work may want to look awaaaaay... Now - Surfing in azure waters with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, waking up by running into wild waves of the south pacific every morning, standing in awe of glacial lakes beneath Mount Cook, dodging giant fur seals among giant sand dunes watching giant Antartic swells beat against giant cliffs... and I haven't hit the west coast yet!!
I - am - having - fun...
Those of you sitting at work may want to look awaaaaay... Now - Surfing in azure waters with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, waking up by running into wild waves of the south pacific every morning, standing in awe of glacial lakes beneath Mount Cook, dodging giant fur seals among giant sand dunes watching giant Antartic swells beat against giant cliffs... and I haven't hit the west coast yet!!
I - am - having - fun...
# posted by JJ : 1:27 a.m.
