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North Island III

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North Island II

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North Island I

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Upside down: to the sunny north!

Ferry destination Wellington is the first city Marnix and I really like. It's got some nice old buildings, hipster beer cafes with beanbags and the shops all have sale (Marnix got merino underpants! 🐑). The museum Te Papa was highly recommended by a lot of people we met and they didn't lie: an awesome five levels with everything from the beginning of New Zealand to the strange animals, the Maori culture and an earthquake house to an exhibit by Peter Jackson (LOTR) about New Zealand's part in WW I. 

Then we drove off to the North to reach the Tongeriro Alpine Crossing in time for the next day. That morning we did something stupid... I guess we shouldn't try to be smart before 6:30 am. We wanted to leave our campground but the gate was locked. So we decided to go around the gate via the wet grass. Within 3 seconds we were stuck! And we couldn't get out... After wrecking a towel we called the owners of the campground. The wife came out of the house in a bathrobe yelling the number of the gate lock and went back in. If we only asked this beforehand... We still didn't get out. So after a few minutes I called again. This time the husband came and I had to explain why he needed to tow us out... We were so embarrassed, worried and also crammed for time cause we wanted to do our big alpine hike today. A car, a big truck and a broken rope later we had to call somebody. Luckily not our rental agency but a local with a toad truck. It took 150 bucks but we were out of the ditch! Only now it was 8:15. We raced to the national park but it was already past 9:30, which was the time of the final transfer to the beginning of the alpine route. But then pigs flew and hell froze over because in the parking lot I saw the shuttle! They were late and we got in quickly! Hihaaa! 

 And so after what seems a half day already we were still able to hike the Tongeriro Alpine Crossing! Our legs had had some training, so we marched to the top in good pace! We climbed up a big crater, passing swamps, big black lava rivers and beautiful geothermal turquoise waters. From the summit we saw mount doom! So glad we made it! I agree this is the best one day hike ever! 

The next day we saw more geothermal wonders at Wai-O-Tapu: the champagne pool (bubbles!), the frying pan (a plain of sinter) and the neon green lake where our campervan Kermit was born ;-). Next up were the Redwoods, a grove of impressive tall red pine trees! 

Thanks to Anne (Marnix' niece) we went on the Kaituna river to do some wild water rafting. We never did this before, so we were a bit scared, especially because we would go down the highest waterfall you can do by raft: a 7 metre fall! It was exhilarating! We went completely under water with our raft and almost tipped over. Although I'm the best swimmer Marnix was even more into it standing on top of the raft at the end.. As if that wasn't enough excitement, our next stop was the Shire. Yes you read correctly, to the Hobbit town where Frodo and Bilbo Baggins live. It was still exactly like the movie and we even had an ale in the Hobbit-pub! 

 We planned to fill the last days of our trip with some much needed beach time. We camped right next to Waihi beach and had a morning swim in the ocean instead of a shower. A bit chilly. Much warmer was our 'swim' in the afternoon at hot water beach. When it's low tide you bring your shovel and dig your personal hot spa on top of a geothermal spot. Although the Germans excel at digging holes (as we have seen in Scheveningen) us Dutchies rule when it comes to regulating the waterworks. Our "tub" was nice and hot and we got a good supply of fresh hot water. We saw a lot of envious Germans... 😎 

Much recommended Cathedral Cove was next on our list. And after a 40 minute hike we were indeed rewarded with a beautiful cove shaped like a cathedral. One side was busy with tourists, the other side you could only reach by going up to your thighs in the water. Therefore it was blissfully empty and perfect for us! We had a short (cold!) swim and we made some rock land art. Then the rain came... and it didn't stop. Not at all. So we drove off for Auckland! 

Compared to Wellington Auckland is more of a regular city. Nice harbour, LOTS of coffee houses and good (souvenir) shopping. As one of the first European settlements Auckland has got a bit more history though. Lots of feminism as well, the first pilot to fly solo from London to Auckland was a female, Jean Batten (26 years old, 1936). New Zealand also got female voting rights first in the world (maybe America was second? 😉). In the art gallery we saw beautiful portraits of Maori chiefs and their families. The way they decorated themselves with jade and face tattoos is impressive. When we got out it rained again. So for our last night: off to the first drinking hole "Queens Ferry" where sailers went to get wasted after months of sailing with captain Cook. The bar has even got a cellar downstairs were they kept the drunk to sober up! We tried to imagine living in that time... and then we're glad we didn't haha. And that was it! 

 Now winter is coming... Or actually, winter, we're coming! 

– Jacqueline

Pictures  

North Island I North Island II North Island III

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South Island III

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South Island II

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South Island I

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On the Road Again

If you view our visit to Melbourne as an 'amuse', and the Milford Track as the starter of our trip, the main course is sure to follow... Going from Queenstown to Auckland in 16 days by campervan! After picking up "Kermit" (see the pictures), it was time to make our way to the North. Our next major destination was Franz Josef Glacier, and the spectacular road took us up and down several mountains, beautiful lookout points and a quick stop in Unesco nature reserve Haast, where we saw some amazing flora near the shore.

Nature is boss

Unfortunately, the weather at both Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers didn't allow us to go visit them by helicopter, so we decided to drive on to Hokitika, an "artist town", that we'd call a suburb in Europe, except it's not attached to a city... They did have a lovely competition going on at their beach though, with sculptures made from things that had washed ashore in recent times. A worthy adversary to the sandcastles in Scheveningen in our opinion! We pulled up to a café in the middle of nowhere that offers camping with access to toilets for $5 a person, with access to their menu of burgers and beer just one minute away. Add a nice German couple and some glowworms, and a nice evening is guaranteed. If only they could get rid of the mosquitoes...

The next day featured a big drive to Nelson, split in two by a stop at Cape Foulwind to view a seal colony. In the words of the average American: OMG THEY'RE SOOO CUTE!!! ♥️❤️💖

Rules

Nelson is a place of extremes. It's one of a few places where you can 'freecamp' within city limits, but it also has a strict alcohol ban featuring a $200 instant fine. So we parked our ride in the middle of town and went straight to "The Free House", New Zealand's best pub according to someone on Foursquare. He knows what he's talking about. A church with great beers, friendly staff and the possibility to let the Indian place across the road deliver you food at your table. What else could you want?

We started our morning with a city stroll in pyjamas to the next parking lot that featured a 'superloo'. The $2 for the shower was money well spent and the coffee from the market hit the spot. Next stop: Abel Tasman national park for a day of kayaking. We spotted seals, birds and even a stingray! Back on shore we had a rendezvous with my cousin Anne, who happened to be in the neighbourhood! We finished the day with a round of my favourite game and planned to take a swim the next morning. Unfortunately, low tide meant that after a 300 metre walk into the sea, only our ankles had disappeared under water. So, after a fun stroll, we got back on tour, destination Nelson, where we practiced falling down without hitting the ground. In other words, we had our first paragliding experience! It's an amazing feeling to 'ride the thermals'. Our instructor's furthest flight ever was a 160 km!

To relieve our excitement, we went to the Smiths Farm. At this farm camping, you get up close to the goats, sheep and cows, although I had the feeling they were more interested in my wine than the food in my hand... There's also a nice place to spot glowworms best the farm, so amazing!

Wine (cont.)

Visiting Marlborough means exploring the wine country. So we rented us a few bikes and helmets (ugh) and started our 14 km tour. We can confirm the Sav Blanc and Pinot Noir are great, but we were also surprised by Rieslings, Chardonnays and a delicious Gewürztraminer. Needless to say, we returned to our campsite in a good mood, where we were happily surprised to see our German friends again! Unfortunately, Jacqueline's favourite German word (Treppenwitz) turned out to be completely unknown...

We started our last full day on the South Island with a dolphin tour in the Queen Charlotte Sound. Unfortunately we didn't get to swim with these amazing animals, but we did see several Hector's Dolphins, which only live here.

After some pies at New Zealand's finest bakery (De Bakkerij) we made our way to a nice, secluded campsite. Finally time to write a blogpost! Having a campervan gives a lot of freedom, but driving also means there's much less time to write these blogposts and prices the pictures that go with them. That's why we're a bit behind. We'll try to catch up, and if we don't make it while we're here, there's always the 31 hours of flying back...

– Marnix

Pictures

South Island I: The black picture is not black... South Island II: Let us know how many seals you spot in the first picture. South Island III: The sheep liked my wine more than the food I had with me...

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Milford Track III

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Milford Track II

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Milford Track I

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Step by step

By step, by step, by step, by step, by step, by step, by step, by step, by step, by step, 113.759 steps / 5.997 active calories (according to Marnix’s Apple Watch). That’s the Milford Track! The world’s greatest tramp! The Milford track is a 4-day track trough New Zealand’s Fiordland, an epic journey along Clinton River, up Mackinnon pass and then down next to the Roaring burn cascades and finally following the Arthur River to Milford Sound. On day five you get rewarded with a scenic cruise trough the Fiord to open water and back.

What to pack for this journey when every gram on your back counts? Only two walking outfits, pyjamas, flipflops, toothbrush, sunscreen, insect repellent (sandflies!!), your boots and a raincoat. AND RAINPANTS! It rains about 10 meters per year in Milford, so prepare to get wet!

Day 1: A first taste 

Not a lot of tramping, the first hut is only 2 km away. But we did do a nature loop and learned all about the local tree and plant species. For example eating delicious peppery leaves, but getting a numb tongue in the process. Also we learned a bit more about the Kiwi-accent, beech tree is spoken as bitch tree…

Day 2: LOTR forest 

Our first stretch was 16 km. And what a fine day we got, sunshine all day long in a fairytale forest! Or should I say a Lord of the Rings forest? ;-) Steep mountains all around us, alternated with beech forest and even swamps. The swamp was splendid, with diverse mosses, red flesh-eating flowers and orchids in the bud ready to bloom within just a few days. And lot’s of robin birds to accompany us. One even stepped on our boots! Near the end we passed a big open prairie caused by avalanches, what a view of the valley. I won’t even try to describe it in a 1000 words, see the pictures!

Day 3: UP UP UP - RAIN RAIN RAIN - DOWN DOWN DOWN – RAIN CLOUDS… SUN! 

The main course, up Mackinnon pass! It was raining cats and dogs! Marnix put on his newly bought rain trousers, I put on my “water-resistant” Fjällraven pants… OMG, except for an ocean I never saw so much water! We saw countless waterfalls and overflowing creeks – which we often had to walk trough. We went up and zigzagged past the tree line into the open. In the open the rain luckily changed from pouring to ‘normal’ rain. And what beautiful alpine flowers we saw! White, yellow, red, pink and purple, magical! When we finally reached the hut at the top of the mountain, I was wet trough an trough. My boots were little swimming pools and my thermos a swimsuit I could wring out. I took off everything I could replace with dry clothes in my pack. Marnix was sweet and offered his rain trousers to me. Thank you! After trying to dry in the hut for quite some time we started the descent. And then finally the clouds started to lift up and we got to see the valley we’ve been hiking in for the first time! What a view! Our slightly longer wait was rewarded! Downhill was the hardest part, but also the most gorgeous. We passed lots of alpine flowers, the cascading roaring burn, and downhill more lush forest. The sun even broke trough and when we reached the hut at five we were actually walking in only a T-shirt. We really did see 4 seasons in one day!

Day 4: Walking a marathon (together) 

The last stretch is 21 km to Milford Sound. Remarkably enough our legs were up for the task! Again it felt like walking trough a Lord of the Rings set, passing the beautiful Mackay falls, lake Ada, and the final stretch along Arthur River on flat land. We got to the finish by singing all the songs we knew by heart, which meant a lot of Dutch songs actually. Opzij opzij opzij, Het is een nacht, Dromen zijn bedrog, Ik ben vandaag zo vrolijk… And then we finally reached Sandfly Point! We did it! Whoohoo! A small shuttle boat picked us up and took us to the Mitre Peaks village. The boat ride to Mitre Peak was magical. The fiord overwhelmed our eyes with impressive mountains and glaciers sandwiched between blue water and skies. Seeing the fiords with a bright blue sky and bright sun in the background and with a glacier in view is amazing. Then we were arrived to civilisation and a hot bath! Oh… and the news that Federer won the Australian Open. Almost as big an achievement as us walking the Milford Track! :-p

Day 5: The rewarding Milford Sound! 

More rain… But no more walking! In the morning we boarded the scenic cruise and just enjoyed the cloudy view. The rain changed into drizzle and we decided to go up to the roof and enjoy the full view of the sound. We saw glorious mountains, aerodynamic sea birds, seals and more rainfalls. Then the rain was switched for wind… I’ve always liked the beach look for my hair, but the fiord look isn’t for me I guess. I looked like cousin It! Then we went back, and… that was it! Back to Queenstown and to be continued…

xxx Jacqueline

Pictures:

Milford Track 1 Milford Track 2 Milford Track 3

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A Small Detour

Travelling to Melbourne involves very few dinners. We left at 12:40 for Hong Kong, which meant having breakfast at home, and some lunch on the plane. Arrival at HK Airport was around 6:00, which meant having some breakfast in the airport, and some lunch on the plane. We arrived in Melbourne at 11:30 and at the hostel at 00:30, which meant we got up, and had some breakfast!

We knew that our time in Melbourne would be limited, and a lot of it would be spent at a single destination, so we went for a guided tour with Dave at 10:30 in the morning. He showed us the best parts of the city, including amazing street art. He even pointed out the tallest structure in Melbourne: the library! Apparently it has more stories than any other building...

A legendary night out

In the evening it was finally time for our main dish in Melbourne – The Australian Open. After spotting some Interface carpet in the Hisense Arena and witnessing Murray's exit on the screen, we made our way to the main stadium to see Federer - Nishikori. Going in I thought the odds would be 50-50, but it turned out they were much closer than that. Kei got of to a lightning start and was leading 4-0 in no time, with Federer looking like a mortal 35-year-old. After that, Roger won 16 of 24 games, losing the first and winning the second and third sets. A terrible game in the fourth meant we were headed for a one-set-shootout. Our man was victorious and his face was that of a young gun who has just won his very first big match. It was amazing to be a part of this match, the whole stadium in support of the legend. What a thrill! Other learnings from this night: Coco Vandeweghe hits a heavy, heavy ball, and Jim Courier is a really nice guy...

History repeating

The next day we had tickets for the day session. We started the day off with a nice walk down memory lane, seeing Haarhuis and Eltingh demolish Michael Chang and Todd Martin. Next up: Serena! It was impressive to see the effort she puts into every shot she hits, even though I don't understand why she has to play with a piano on her back... She struggled her way beyond Strycova, and the stadium was getting so hot we had to get out for a bit. Next up: Dominic Thiem vs. David Goffin. Although Goffin has the stature of his namesake from the bible, he was firing aces left, right and center. Thiem seemed to be a little too ambitious for his own sake, hitting winners and errors all over the place. As any tennis player will know, that meant Goffin ran away with it, in four sets this time. We had just enough time to see Hingis and Paes move on, and watch legendary player Navratilova hit for a bit.

The Australian Open is also called The Happy Slam, and it lives up to its nickname. Smiles all around, a very relaxed atmosphere and good weather make for a fantastic experience. If you get the chance, go for it!

Hipster koalas

We had two more days in Melbourne with no tennis, the first of which we spent in Fitzroy. Apparently, this neighbourhood is the third most hipster area in the world, and it shows. If you want gluten, move along to another part of town. Coffee is in great supply however, as are the rooftop bars. We visited Naked for Satan, which is much more low-key than you would think...

Our last day in Australia was spent at Healesville Sanctuary, as I had not yet been up close and personal with the local wildlife (insert aaahhhs). After getting my fix of wallabies, kangaroos and koala's (insert ooohhhhs, we felt ready to embark on the next part of our trip: New Zealand!

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G'Day Australia

Jacqueline & Marnix

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Big City Life

After our time in the Japanese Alps we headed for the most famous peak in all of Japan: Mount Fuji! When we arrived, we rented bikes and did a 20 kilometre tour around nearby Lake Kawaguchiko! Once again, the weather was in our favour, as 'Fuji-san' was in full view for the first time in weeks. Riding around the lake we encountered infinite photo opportunities. Somehow there are different, but equally great views year-round. During a break in a park we even saw an eagle up close. Flowers, trees and a beautiful lake make for amazing scenery, and the relaxed bike ride was a nice change from all the sweaty hiking.

From here to... Tokyo

What a change after a week in the mountains... there is no end to the high-rises in Japan's capital. We immediately went to Akihabara, the centre of Japan's nerd culture. We go into full-on culture shock, with shops full of gadgets and electronic parts and an endless supply of manga and movie products. From wigs to dolls and from collectible cards to action figures, if you can't find your fancy here you'll never find it. And then there are the 'maid cafes', where you pay for the right to chat to girls in cosplay costumes. It was surprising to us that the patrons (guys ranging from 21 to 55) spent most of the time on their phones...

The next morning we went to the Tsukiji fish market, supposedly the number one experience in all of Tokyo. I have to say, it's not really my kind of thing. Too many weird creatures and too many people. The sushi a hundred metres down the road however... Jacqueline's friend Jacqueline wasn't wrong when she said all sushi after this would be disappointing! We spent the rest of the day exploring the high-end shops in Ginza and the "shady" bar district Golden-gai in Shinjuku. The bars here are positively tiny, and some of the owners don't want foreign tourists in their establishment. We didn't know which bar to visit, until we heard Dutch emanating from a room up some stairs. This turned out to be a group of Dutch people who emigrated to Japan. They gave us helpful tips and told us a little more about what it's like to live in Japan. Another great night in Japan!

A working holiday?

Wednesday brought another highlight, having lunch with my Japanese colleagues from Interface! Of course we went for sushi, which was almost as good as the day before... It was great to speak with more 'locals', we could finally ask some of our most burning questions about Japanese culture, such as what you do with your chopsticks after you finish your meal? I also enjoyed seeing some Asian carpet tiles. I love the naming of the Freestyle Collection and its colours! We want to especially thank Shoko for her help with information and advice throughout our trip.

In the afternoon we visited the Kawaii Monster Cafe, which translates to cute monster cafe. Well, the "cute" was literally painted on the walls! I'm still pondering whether we need this in Utrecht... Speaking of things we need in Utrecht, we also visited another cat cafe, and this time, the kitties were awake! After we got our fix, we went to the famous Shibuya crossing, where I found a great bookstore, with an integrated bar on the top floor. We enjoyed a nice dram as a reward for finding the perfect souvenir.

We spent our last day in Japan on Odaiba, a quarter that consists of man-made islands and planned development. The Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) was amazing, we even got to meet Asimo, Honda's advanced robot. After doing our very last shopping at Diver City (get it?) the sun had set. We contemplated our recent experiences while looking at the magnificent Tokyo skyline...

— Marnix