Hey everyone! After traveling and sleeping in a tent for about a month we got kind of homesick and went wwoofing for some time. First in Punakaiki, then back to our foursquare-family in Karamea and then back on the track - the longest, wildest and most isolated we've done! Here's a map of our recent travels.
A walk along the beach at low tide, right in front of the house of Bruce and Rae, a lovely couple we stayed with in Punakaiki.
After getting some fresh mussels from the rocks we learned how to prepare them.
The next day we did a bike tour to the so called pancake rocks!
They're famous, because at high tide the water splashes up really high and over the years has formed some blowholes, where water hisses through like steam from a kettle.
25 km back to Bruce's house, quite hard with the wind and bluffs (not in this picture, though!)
Beautiful sunset right in front of their house again! At high tide, there is no beach!!!
Cape Foulwind on our way up to Karamea.
As the tide was coming in, there were some spectacular waves crashing onto the rocks.
It happened to be Valentine's day, so Lina got really lucky: We went to a cafe for the first (and last) time in New Zealand. It was perfect! The muffins, the coffee, the view and the music =)
In the evening (having caught nine different rides in a day) we got back to Karamea and the happy squeak we heard, when Juliette saw us walking up the driveway, just filled our heart with joy! Back home again =)
And back to painting the house (though they didn't really want us to ;)
Super-stylish outfits !!!
The night we arrived their eldest sun Matt, who lives in Christchurch called and said, that he was gonna play at a seven rugby tournament this weekend, so the parents decided to drive over and offered us to come with them and do some hiking on Arthur's pass. We had actually always wanted to do that, but skipped it, because we were running out of time. So it was like a little present!
On the road to Christchurch...
...amazing scenery!
!!! For some reasons we can't make the pictures bigger from here on,
but just click on them to see them enlarged!!! ;)
A new bridge through a gorge, before the road had been zig-zagging up the mountain on the right side.
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We lost our camera on the track to Avalanche Peak, which was totally in clouds, but when we got up there a french couple took two pictures of us with their phone and emailed them immediately (as they had internet up there =)
It even cleared up, so that we had the most awesome views of mountain ranges, glaciers and snow fields through retreating clouds.
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Back in Karamea we visited uncle Ed in his milk shed (500 cows in a herd milked in this circle within 1,5 hrs by one man!)....
...spent awesome days at te beach...
...bodysurfing, playing soccer and cards, reading....
... and having barbecues while fishing with a torpedo line.
For Example at uncle Ed's birthday =) This is our very first selfmade carrot cake.
... and having barbecues while fishing with a torpedo line.
For Example at uncle Ed's birthday =) This is our very first selfmade carrot cake.
A four wheel drive advertisment.
And one of the huge snappers we caught on the torpedo.
After a week we departed again with a heavy heart, but charged batteries ;) and set off to the longest tramp we've done in New Zealand. The Leslie-Karamea track that passes two saddles, follows two different rivers and connects the east and west coast on the top of the South Island.
After a week we departed again with a heavy heart, but charged batteries ;) and set off to the longest tramp we've done in New Zealand. The Leslie-Karamea track that passes two saddles, follows two different rivers and connects the east and west coast on the top of the South Island.
On the first day we climbed up steep parts, crossed a lot of creeks...
...and some swing bridges before we slept in a tiny two bunk shelter after having a camp fire to warm up.
The next day we climbed the first saddle and reached the top just half an hour before the clouds came in (they were moving really fast)
The first view into the Kahurangi valley.
A beautiful gorge where the Karamea river is still very small, just coming down from the saddle.
This night we camped on some sandy river flats with this amazing view. At night it was still warm at the fire and the sky was so clear that we discovered the southern hemisphere stars and made up a lot of funny star pictures.
The third day: a sunny clear morning, still a bit fresh in the bush.
Tramping along the river most of the day, spotting a lot of trout (Forellen) in the clear water.
Day 4: Crossing many creeks and streams. The stick is really handy to avoid slipping (should have done that earlier).
Tramping along the river most of the day, spotting a lot of trout (Forellen) in the clear water.
Day 4: Crossing many creeks and streams. The stick is really handy to avoid slipping (should have done that earlier).
In the hut we read that walking along the riverbed (not the track) should be really nice...
...but you had to ford the river in every bend (Kurve) and as we were totally unexperienced, it got quite dangerous sometimes, when the current was strong and the water up to our waist.
We're thankful that we didn't fall into the river with all our gear. Somebody was definately watching for us. In this way we got to see beautiful views of the surrounding mountains that would have been hidden from the official track (bush).
We're thankful that we didn't fall into the river with all our gear. Somebody was definately watching for us. In this way we got to see beautiful views of the surrounding mountains that would have been hidden from the official track (bush).
Just before leaving the Karamea river and heading up the Leslie (to the right). The two rivers meet and go down the valley you look into.
Our awesome camping spot on the Leslie Flats the 5th morning. Looks quite nice but was definately spoiled by thousands of sandflies that kept biting us.
Our lunch break after climbing up the first 500m of the second saddle.
Another superb view of the valley we just came from.
Surprising: having reached the top of the saddle your were surrounded by snow grass...
...and then the mountains appeared all around us! WOW!
We definetely know where we're going (just because everyone keeps taking pictures of track signs and this is our first one).
After making a detour we arrived at this ancient overhanging shelter (blackened from the many camp fires). We had to make our own bread for the next day so we made tortillas.
Having breakfast with a robin (little tame bird next to the water bottle) on the last day.
Passing by another shelter with a cool swing.
6 days of tramping, super fit, ready for anything!
A long way down from the carpark - into the clouds.
Before crossing the Cook Strait again back to the North Island, we visited some friends and had a lovely time in Richmond, Renwick and Picton again =) Thank you everyone!
Before crossing the Cook Strait again back to the North Island, we visited some friends and had a lovely time in Richmond, Renwick and Picton again =) Thank you everyone!
