We leave the beach to the massif of the mount Aoraki (or mount Cook), the highest summit in New-Zealand. Cold snow and black and steep rock took the place of the softness of the blond sand, swept the waters of the Pacific ocean. It' not a matter of climbing this peak which requires good mountainering skills but dreaming and completing the kaleidoscope of end-of-the-world pictures that takes shape within our skulls. A path leads us from a lake to another one and finally ends on a viewpoint. Bewildering panorama on the rocky massif.
Yesterday, we wanted to jump into the waves and swim with the seals and today, we dream of wearing a harness, a pair of crampons and step on these pristine snows.
And, what about tomorrow?
RTW-New Zealand
Monday 19 November 2007
The snows of the mount Cook
By dorian on Monday 19 November 2007, 02:38
Sunday 18 November 2007
Penguins and seals on the East coast
By dorian on Sunday 18 November 2007, 02:33
We start our way northwards of the South island. A first leap leads us at Dunedin which, more than its train station, has a peculiar street : Baldwin street. This street is listed nor in the World Heritage list but in the Guiness book as "the steepest street in the world". It's better to have good tyres or a healthy heart as you decide to climb it by car or on foot.
Our long day within the car will be interrupted by these coastal landscapes where earth and sea meet under the astounded motorists' eyes. This scenery is definitely more relaxing than a tasteless motorway rest area.
Pinnacle Rock offers a batch of strangenesses with its ball-like round stones. Rocks we can climb to take an eccentric photo such as the Rhodes colossus.
The end of the road ends in Oamaru tonight. Something unexpected in our program. And it's often these unplanned moments which leave the best traces in the memories. Penguins cross the ochre-sanded beach and go to fish. One or two hours later, they bring back some fresh food to their offsprings who were waiting, hidden in the bushes. A little bit further, some seals discontently roar as we arrive. They wriggle to go further and reach their element : the water.
At dusk, to complete the delights of the animal kingdom, we are witnesses to the return of the blue penguins. By groups, they shake themselves and waddle to their nest. There will be more than 200. And the "beware penguins crossing" roadsign is not here to entertain the tourists. One of them does a great honour by crossing the road in front of us.
Saturday 17 November 2007
Adrenalin rush in Queenstown
By dorian on Saturday 17 November 2007, 02:24
Save a wad of money, take out a good insurance, pray and come to experiment some adrenalin-pumping moments in the world capital city of the thrilling activities. The city of Queenstown is built on a foothill which fades into the azure waters of the Wakatipu lake. All around, a few snow-capped peaks break through the blue horizon. A cable-car (the Gondola) drops us off at the top of the hill where we have great time driving a luge and rushing down the concrete slopes of the circuit. The multi-hued paraglidings ornate the sky while an America's cup boat draws a fleeting line on the waters of the lake. Near the top of the Gondola, a bunch of crazy people leaps into the void, hanging at a rope. Others go a little bit further to enjoy the thrills of the skydiving, jumping out of a plane at 4000m high. The rivers offer different sensations with the Shotover jet which grazes the walls of a canyon with a breathtaking speed before carrying on a 360° turn. But for the ones who look for more reasonable sensations, the paths in the surroundings of Queenstown offer great moments of relaxation.
As for us, we'll just do a few laps sitting in a luge, a thrilling cruise in the Shotover and the bunjee jump we did a few days before and which we keep a great memory from.
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