2011 in photos

We’re on the cusp of entering a New Year. Before we go forward though, I’d like to take a bit of time to have a look back at 2011. I’ve decided to do that in photo form, with photos to represent every month of the year that’s gone. Let’s go!

January

The year started with us working at a small campsite in the Tongariro National Park on New Zealand’s north island. The work wasn’t too stressful, and we got a lot of spare time for wanderings, including some epic walking, and even a bit of DIY caving. Above shot is Mount Ngauruhoe in the Tongariro National Park.

February

In February, still in the Tongaririo National Park, we ramped up the search for Gollum, as part of an on going quest to find Middle Earth in New Zealand. Above is Mount Ruapehu against Mangawhero Falls.

March

In March we ended our job at the Tongariro Holiday Park and moved to managing a hostel in Rotorua. But in between we took a tour of the west coast of New Zealand’s north island, where the highlight was scaling Mount Taranaki. My favourite day hike in New Zealand! Above is the path up Mount Taranaki, below is me at the summit!

April

By April we were firmly ensconced in a role running a hostel in Rotorua. Here we got to do all sorts of awesome things, including rafting a 7 metre waterfall, rolling down a hill in a giant ball, flying down a mountain in a kart luging and soaking up the local geothermal waters. Awesome times. Above is Sulphur Point at Lake Rotorua.

May

The hostel gig didn’t last quite as long as planned due to a misunderstanding over pay. So in May we hit the road in earnest, and eagerly took in New Zealand’s East Cape, continued our Middle Earth adventures with a trip to Hobbiton and then headed south via some Art Deco and the Wairapapa Coast to the inter island ferry and New Zealand’s south island. Above is Tolaga Bay beach on New Zealand’s East Cape

June

June was absolutely jam packed with adventure as we explored New Zealand’s quite frankly stunning south island. From glaciers to sounds, from beaches to mountains, this island has absolutely everything a lover of spectacular landscapes could want to see. Above is the Queen Charlotte sound at the northern end of the south island.

July

Our wanderings on the south island continued in July, as we took in the east coast of the south island. Here we found France in New Zealand, a whale crazy town full of seals, and stumbled across the locations of some of New Zealand’s most scenic toilets. 

It also saw our return to the North island where our journeys took us to transsexual aliens, incredible waterfalls, 4000 year old trees and the entrance to the afterlife. A busy month! Above is Akaroa Pier on the Banks Peninsula

August

After the hectic travelling of the previous couple of months we decided some down time was in order. We found a stunning campsite located on Muriwai beach, where we took a lot of long walks, admired the local cormorant colony, and watched countless incredible sunsets.

We also spent time preparing Bernie, our campervan, for sale. And sadly, at the end of August, we bade her farewell, and headed out of New Zealand. Above is the surf watch station on Muriwai Beach and below is us saying goodbye to Bernie as her new owners move in. Sniff.

September

September brought a return to Europe, which started with a couple of months in Germany. In this time we did some exploring of the local area, I learnt all about weeing in space, and we managed to fit in a trip to Luxembourg. Above is the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg

October

October saw us working out our plans going forward, which involved the purchase of a new potential campervan for European exploration, and the planning of a move to France. It wasn’t all hard work though – we did manage to fit in some partying and take in a friends wedding!

Above is the wedding bus, below is what I get up to when I’m not taking pictures of scenery.

November

November was another big month, with a move to France being the main adventure. I even managed to change gender. We were busy getting to grips with the new lifestyle (and unpacking!), but managed to find time to do some exploring, including taking in our local Venice. Above is an old stone house in the town of Montbron.

December

And finally, to December. Still in France, still getting used to life in a new country. We’ve sampled a lot of local food, inherited some chickens, and spent some time getting to grips with the local castles. We also distinctly didn’t go to the Seychelles, but made up for it with some local carol singing. Now that’s how to see in a Christmas! Above is the Chateau Lastours ruin.

So that’s that for 2011. Here’s to 2012, and all the adventures that that is going to bring! Have a great one, and of course, thanks to you for all your support so far! Have a fabulous 2012!

My five favourite day hikes in New Zealand

After a year in Australia, I summarised my three favourite day hikes in that wondrous country.

It seems only fair therefore to give New Zealand a similar treatment, particularly since hiking (or tramping, as it is known locally), is major highlight of any visit to New Zealand.

All the hikes in this section are possible in a day for a reasonably fit person. If you’re not a regular hiker, I’d highly recommend giving my guide to preparing for a day hike post a read through, it’ll help you prepare properly for any trip you undertake.

Hiking is an amazingly fun sport with tremendous reward, but as with any outdoor activity, there is an element of risk – preparation is the key to success!

Worrying uncle role aside, let me now talk about five of my favourite day hikes in New Zealand (because three just isn’t going to be enough to cover it!)

Mount Cook

Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest mountain, towering above it’s spiny brethren in the southern alps. Climbing to the top of it is not the sort of thing one tackles as a day jaunt – this is serious mountain climbing country which has been tackled by world famous climbers such Edmund Hillary.

However, you can get some epically rewarding day hiking achieved around the base of this mountain, starting from the Mount Cook village.

One walk that stood out for me in this area was the walk to the lake at the foot of one of Mount Cook’s glaciers, a three – five hour return walk that crosses snow covered boulder fields and a number of glacially fed startlingly blue rivers. The walk isn’t particularly tough, other than being potentially slippy due to snow and ice, but the views are absolutely mind blowing, as Mount Cook looms over you, with snow coated mountains all around. Enthralling stuff.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

No summation of day hikes in New Zealand would be complete without mention of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – the walk which most people just refer to as “the Crossing”. This is a 20km, 6-8 hour one way hike across the remains of Mount Tongariro, a volcano which, before it blew its top, was easily New Zealand’s highest mountain.

These days the mountain is a couple of thousand metres lower than Mount Cook, but the walk, across craters, around smoking volcano cones (this area is still very much active), and past lakes whose colours have to be seen to be believed, really is a must do.

Unfortunately, this is one day hike that is on the must do list of pretty much everyone who comes to New Zealand – so don’t expect to be hiking alone. On busy days upwards of 1000 people will be tackling the hike, so it can feel like more of a commute than a walk with nature.

You can avoid the crowds by visiting either earlier in the season (around October time) or much later on. Alternatively, try taking the Mount Ngauruhoe side route instead. This is a seriously challenging climb, and not for the faint hearted, requiring you to scale a gigantic pile of loose ash to the summit.

The views from here are breathtaking though, and you will be guaranteed to be sharing them with fewer people. Just don’t take too long – the hike is one way, and the buses at the end won’t wait forever.

Mount Taranaki

If I had to pick one hike in New Zealand that was my absolute favourite, the walk up Mount Taranaki would be it. Way out on the west coast of New Zealand’s north island, this incredible volcano rises vertically from sea level and flat, rolling fields, to an eye watering 2.5km in height.

This is actually a pretty dangerous walk, and nearly seventy people have lost their lives tackling this summit. For this reason, it is imperative that you check the weather conditions with the DOC office at the start of the track, and register your intentions with them in the booklet.

It may only be a 6-8 hour walk, but being right on the coast, the weather conditions here can change incredibly quickly.

We were lucky to have perfect conditions for our climb, with only a tiny bit of snow up in the crater itself. The views of the North island, right across to Mount Tongariro and Ruapehu, some 180km distant, have to be seen to be believed - when you’re not desperately trying to climb on to the ground that is. This is a walk which is not for vertigo sufferers.

If you get the chance, and the right weather conditions, I cannot recommend this hike enough.

Key Summit

Back on the south island again, the Key Summit track is a wonderful walk which shouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours. It follows the last part of the world famous multi-day Routeburn track in the Fiordland National Park, branching off to ascend the Key Summit.

The walk, although largely up, isn’t particularly strenuous, and is worth doing either on your way in to or out of Milford Sound. The reward, of views across the Fiordland National Park, is entirely worth it., with spikey mountain peaks, glacially carved valleys and rolling forests in all directions.

A small taste of what the Routeburn track may hold in store, if you have more time and the urge to tramp for multiple days.

Rob Roy Glacier Track

Last on my list of my five favourite walks in New Zealand is the Rob Roy glacier track in the Mount Aspiring National Park – a 50km drive from the town of Wanaka on the South Island.

This area is renowned across New Zealand for being home to a huge number of ski fields. When we visited though the snow hadn’t quite set in, so tramping around was still possible. Lots of ski fields mean lots of mountains, and the walk up to the Rob Roy glacier is an absolutely astounding walk.

Taking 3-4 hours, this is a moderately strenuous walk which works it’s way up through the tree line in the Mount Aspiring National Park, before bursting you out into a tundra filled valley, where a spectacular glacially coated rock face towers above you. This is a tremendously challenging place to take decent photographs given the scale on offer, but I assure you, if you do this walk, you will not be disappointed by the view.

And that is that for my five favourite day hikes in New Zealand! Got a favourite hike in New Zealand, or somewhere else in the world? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Top five scenic drives of New Zealand

The best way to see New Zealand is on a road trip. You can take your time, enjoy the scenery, and stop off wherever you like to breathe it all in, all whilst listening to your favourite tunes.

If you’ve got a campervan, all the better – there are loads of incredible places to spend the night immersed in the beauty of nature. In good weather, a tent is a great alternative.

I’ve already shared with you my favourite sights on the north and south islands of this fabulous country – now I’m going to tell you my favourite ways to get between these sights.

The drives I’ve selected are best enjoyed over at least a couple of days, although you could in theory do some of them in a shorter time. But then, you’d probably miss out on a number of awesome attractions on the way. Without further ado, and spanning the north and south islands, here are my five favourite scenic drives of New Zealand.

The Lost World Highway

The Lost World highway is New Zealand’s oldest touring route, and stretches for 155km from the central plateau of the north island, across to the west coast and the mighty mountain of Taranaki.

The route winds its way across some seriously crinkly landscape, through gorges, tunnels and dense forest. On the way you will have the chance to take in the north islands highest waterfall, a town which has formed it’s own republic, and the remarkable Tangarakau Gorge.

The route isn’t too far, and could be done in three or four hours, but with all the places you’ll want to visit on the way, I’d recommend giving this one a couple of days with a nights stop over in the middle.

The backcountry campground, if you’re camping, offers one of the best views of any campsite in New Zealand, with views of both the Tongariro National Park in the centre of the north island, and across to Mount Taranaki on the west coast.

East Cape

The East Cape region of New Zealand’s North land made it into my top five destinations on the north island, and with good reason. The scenery here is just epic, from endless driftwood coated beaches to lush forest and more.

Here you will find New Zealand’s most easterly mainland point, incredible Maori sculptures, black sand beaches, the longest wharf in the southern hemisphere and endlessly curvy roads to wind your way through. The scenery is truly mind blowing – more people need to experience it!

The East Cape is likely to take you a few days to truly explore – I’d recommend setting aside at least three days. There are a variety of accommodation options en route, from cozy guesthouses and hostels to remote and gorgeous campsites. Something for every taste and budget!

West Coast of the south island

The drive down the west coast of New Zealand’s south island is one of my favourite drives in the world. The best parts of this drive stretch from Greymouth down to Haast, although adding on a trip through Arthurs Pass National Park at one end and Haast Pass at the other end is entirely worth it.

The trip is incredible largely due to the presence of the southern alps – the mountain range which runs down the entire length of the south island, and has multiple peaks over 3000m. These snow capped beasts are awe inspiring in their splendour, and offer countless opportunities for gawking.

You’ll find eerily blue glacial rivers, eerily blue actual glaciers, and no other end of delights including surf pounded beaches, geological marvels, and, well, pies made from possum. If you only do one drive in New Zealand, make it this one.

Into Milford Sound

Milford Sound is without doubt one of New Zealand’s must see attractions, and it easily made my list of top five things to see on the south island. Whilst the sound itself is tremendously impressive (it’s hard to argue with a mile of vertical mountain coming out of the sea), the 121km drive in from Te Anau is no less so.

There are a multitude of attractions on this drive, which takes you across the southern alps through a variety of incredible landscapes, from lakes to wide open plains to forest and mountains.

Particular favourites include the roaring water filled Chasm, the engineering achievement that is the Homer Tunnel, the awesome reflections in the mirror lakes, and of course, the ever present towering majesty of the southern alps themselves.

There are ten campsites with limited facilities on the way into Milford, which are excellent places to base yourself if you have time for exploration beyond the mandatory cruise on Milford Sound itself. I can recommend taking more time to explore this area, with a hike up to Key Summit being a particular favourite.

The Catlins

Tucked away down on the south eastern corner of New Zealand’s south island, the Catlins are less about rugged towering beauty and more about stunning waterfalls, tree filled vistas and epic coastal views.

They are home to a number of quite wonderful sights, including New Zealand’s most southerly mainland point, a massively spectacular blowhole, fossilised forests, sea lion colonies, incredible cliff top views and many more waterfalls than you can shake a stick at.

There is so much beauty to behold in the Catlins that you are going to want more than a day to explore it all, and driving through will give you the chance to take the many many stops that you are going to want to take. I’d recommend a couple of days at least to take it all in.

That’s that for my five favourite drives of New Zealand! If you’ve got a drive in New Zealand that you absolutely love, please share it in the comments below!

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Five must do’s on New Zealand’s south island

Having run down my five must do’s on the North island of New Zealand, it only seems fair to address the south island as well.

We spent two months touring the south island in the late Autumn of this year, going from the very top to the very bottom and pretty much as many places in between as possible, and left just as the island was encased in the grip of a seriously frosty Antarctic blast. Lucky us!

The south island differs greatly from the north island. It is less densely populated for starters, and is home to the quite phenomenal southern alps, a mountain range which runs down the entire island and boasts a number of seriously spectacular peaks – dwarfing anything that the north island has to offer.

It is also home to stunning beaches, rainforests, glaciers, and New Zealand’s largest national park. Lots therefore to see and do on any trip! Here are five of my most favourite destinations from that two month trip that no visit to the south island should be without!

Karamea

Tucked away at the top corner of the south island’s west coast is the tiny town of Karamea, which could best be described as laid back. Its relative isolation, off the usual beaten track, makes this place a haven for a bit of relaxation and exploration of the local area. Except, I should mention, in whitebait season, when by all accounts the whole place goes crazy.

The area surrounding Karamea is well worth taking the time to explore, if for the Oparara Basin alone.

High up in the mountains that surround Karamea, in the Kahurangi National Park, the Oparara Basin is a serious geological marvel, home to a number of hugely impressive rock arches. The highlight of these is the Oparara Arch itself, Australasia's longest limestone arch, which comes in at a colossal two hundred metres in length. Visit, and feel dwarfed.

Beyond the Oparara basin there is plentiful exploration to be had. One of New Zealand’s great walks, the Heaphy Track, ends just north of Karamea, and is probably the main reason people end up here. This track can be walked as part of a multi day hike, or can be explored in part as a shorter day trip. The beaches alone make this a worthy venture.

Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers

No visit to the south island would be complete without taking in one (or both) of these glaciers, which are both easily accessible and handily next to each other. Particularly remarkable for their proximity to the ocean, you can get very close to both of these glaciers for free just by taking a short walk from their respective car parks.

Alternatively, there are a whole range of companies that will take you on guided glacier walks or, for the truly decadent amongst you, aerial sightseeing tours by either helicopter or plane.

However you choose to experience the glaciers you cannot fail to be impressed by their immensity and the impact they have had on their surroundings.

Milford Sound

Way down at the south of the west coast (the west coast being a major highlight of the south island!), is the Fiordland national park, the largest of New Zealand’s fourteen national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Area. 

The park is home to a world of exploration, from mist laden fiords to snow dusted mountain tops. Wildlife abounds, as does vegetation, and this is one place in New Zealand (of many!) that you could spend some quality time getting properly lost in nature.

The highlight for many visitors, myself included, is the quite frankly incredible Milford Sound, a water inlet carved out by the movement of glaciers a few thousand years ago. The peaks that this glacial activity left behind are quite stunning, with the favourite being Mitre Peak – a dagger like outcrop that goes from sea level to over a mile in height in jaw dropping fashion. It truly has to be seen to be believed.

Aoraki Mount Cook

The southern alps are, for me, one of New Zealand’s most impressive natural features, and no part of it is more impressive than Aoraki, or Mount Cook, the highest of the lot.

Reaching nearly four thousand metres, this mountain is visible from, well, quite a lot of places really, including the famous mirror lake on the west coast.

To really get an idea of the spectacle of the mountain though, you’re going to want to get up close and personal, so a trip to the Mount Cook village, deep in the alps, is going to be on the cards.

From the village and surrounds there are a plethora of walking options available which will grant you incredible views of the mountain, as well as surrounding features such as New Zealand’s longest glacier and iceberg strewn lakes. It’s spell binding stuff – just bring some warm clothes because this place is high and cold!

Banks Peninsula

Over to the east coast now, and the oddity that is the Banks Peninsula. This was formed by a massive volcanic eruption, resulting in an entirely round blob of land, jutting out into the sea next to the city of Christchurch. 

This place has a really laid back vibe and countless opportunities for exploration – from hiking up the local peak of Mount Herbert (home to a wonderfully scenic toilet, and views across much of the south island), to exploring the French influenced town of Akaroa. As with much of New Zealand, you could easily spend many days exploring the variety of attractions on offer!

Those were my five favourite things to do on the south island of New Zealand! Got a favourite that you think I missed out? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget you can watch a slideshow of all the images in the post just by clicking on any one of them!

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My top ten photos of New Zealand

Now that I’m coming to the end of my year long stay in New Zealand, I reckon it’s time to look back at my time here and share with you some of my highlights. I’ve got a number of posts in the pipeline, but first, I just wanted to share with you some of my favourite shots from my trip.

I love taking shots of landscapes, and New Zealand happens to have gorgeous landscapes by the bucket load. I’ve done my best to provide a nice balanced set of shots, (and limit the number of sunset photos I subject you to!).

I’m not going to lie, choosing ten shots from a year of travelling was pretty tough, and I have many more that I love, but here I’ve tried to put across a selection that shows at least some of the awesomeness that New Zealand has on offer.

Here, therefore, in no real order, are ten of my favourite photos from my year here. For those of you interested, I shoot with a Canon 400D and either a 10-22mm, a 50mm prime, or a 17-85mm IS.

Note – click on any picture in this post for a lightbox slideshow of all of them :) 

Lake Tekapo in the centre of the south island, with the mighty southern alps in the background. This incredible mountain range runs the whole length of the south island, and is dominated by Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain.

This rock sits in Cathedral Cove, up on the Coromandel Peninsula on the north island. The weather on our trip here wasn’t great, but the scenery was stunning nonetheless. Film buffs may recognise this from the movie Prince Caspian.

Ah, Rotorua. Famous for smelling entirely like rotten eggs. The smell comes from the huge amount of volcanic activity that occurs in the area, with bubbling mud pools such as the one pictured being a part of that. If you’re in the area, then I can highly recommend heading to the Wai-O-Tapu thermal valley for amazing geothermal sights like this one. 

It wouldn’t be a round up of New Zealand scenery without a shot of Mount Ngauruhoe in the Tongariro National Park – made famous as Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. This shot is taken from the foothills of Mount Ruapehu, the north island’s highest mountain, looking across to Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. 

While we’re on the subject of famous mountains, here is a shot of New Zealand’s most photographed mountain. The massive Mitre Peak in the centre of the frame reaches just over a mile into the skies of Milford Sound on the south island, and is at number one of the Kiwi list of 100 things to see in New Zealand. 

Picking a sunset shot to feature in this list was hard! New Zealand has some pretty staggering sunsets, but this one, of a rainbow, taken in the Tongariro National Park, ranks up there as one of my favourites. It just looked like the sky had caught fire.

Sand dunes may not be the first thing that spring to mind when thinking of New Zealand. Photographed are the sand dunes of Farewell Spit, a stretch of sand dune that reaches 25km out of the tip of the south islands northernmost point. The wind was blowing the sand ferociously across the dunes, creating the patterns you can see in the photo.

 Like sunsets, beaches feature prominently in my collection of photos from New Zealand. There are literally thousands of incredible beaches all around New Zealand’s coastline, from the pure white sand of the far north to the black dunes of the Taranaki coastline, and every shade in between. This photo shows the incredible beach at Tolaga Bay on the north islands spectacular east cape. 

Waterfalls are as ubiquitous in New Zealand as gorgeous sunsets and endless beaches. This one is up on the back of Mount Ruahpehu near Ohakune, a town famous predominantly for its giant carrot statue.

And finally, the last picture in today’s series (not counting my sly addition of a panoramic of the Tongariro National Park at the end) is of the Franz Josef Glacier, one of two incredibly popular glaciers that nearly every visitor to New Zealand will drop in at on their way round the south island. And with good reason, as you can see from this photo.

And that is it for today. Many photos didn’t make today’s post, but fear not, there are many ways to see more photos from my travels including the sites Facebook Page, my Flickr Stream, or at my 500px account. Enjoy!