My top ten places to visit in New Zealand South Island for people that like to use their legs

the road to Glenorchy

I went for a clinic appointment today.

The nurse, who knows me quite well, was interested to find out how my trip to New Zealand had gone.

And even more interested to know which places I would recommend for a three week tour. She is off there soon.

Now I spent most of my time down under  in South Island ( some six months or more in total) over three visits. But I have also driven from the south to the north, so have been to some of the top sights in both islands.

If I had my time again, and I only had three weeks, then I would stick to South Island, for it is there that I find the spectacular scenery that I so love. The roads are quieter, and the hiking is lush and green, as the climate is wetter and cooler.

So for you, JA, and anyone else who is interested, here is a list of my top 10 places to visit.

Others may disagree; this is just my personal list of favourites.

• Queenstown

Queenstown beach

 take a climb up Queenstown Hill.

the view from Queenstown Hill and the basket of dreams

and if you are feeling really energetic, take the cable car up and climb all or some of the route to the summit of Ben Lomond.

•  from Queesntown dont miss one of the world's most scenic drives to Glenorchy at the top of Lake Wakitipu. From there a trip up the Dart River is a chance to get to the heart of Lord of the Rings Scenery

Glenorchy

Dart River at Paradise

• Doubftful Sound

Doubtful Sound

Swim or kayak with dolphins and catch your own fish for tea with Deepcove charters 

doubtful dolphins

Doubtful Sound is much less accessible and therefore much quieter than Milford Sound.

If you can't get to Doubtful then please go to Milford. It is also a truly wonderful place.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Hollyford track

Hollyford track

• Hike the Hollyford Track or the Milford or the Routeburn. You will need to book with a guided trip but the landscape is worth the pain, and even the rain.

• Mount Cook and the Hooker Valley track passing Lake Pukaki enroute.

Lake Pukaki

Hooker Valley track

Hooker Valley track

• and not far from there the Rob Roy Glacier Track

Rob Roy glacier track

Rob Roy glacier track

Rob Roy glacier track

then head over to the West Coast for some more spectacualr coastline and glaciers, passing through Wanaka on the way.

Wanaka

• the glaciers Franz Josef or Fox

Franz Josef glacier

Franz Josef from a helicopter

hike along the West Coast

Abel Tasman

• Abel Tasman for a very different hiking experience along a coastal path in warmer waters ans sunnier climes

abel tasman

And I nearly forgot Stewart Island on the very south coast. The birdlife there is second to none as they have islands with no predators. You can get there by ferry or plane.

Stewart Island flights

go kiwi hunting on Ulva Island, and listen to the birdsong

 I love the song of the bellbird

we saw a Kiwi in broad daylight on Ulva Island

the robins are very friendly

Ulva Island

flying to Stewart Island

So I didn't quite get that all in a logical order, but you will be able to sort that out.

If not, I am happy to come along as your guide and photographer.

Queenstown sunset

crystal clear waters on the Routeburn track

Christmas in Paradise with dolphins and kiwis

Last light, Doubtful Sound © Caroline Fraser

As you know, I am working in New Zealand for a few months, in order to do some photography and get paid enough to stay here for longer than the average 2 week holiday.

I am not one to sit in a plane for 36 hours twice within two weeks.

But my lovely family are doing just that, in order to spend Christmas in Paradise with me.



The road to Paradise was sunny and busy with people carrying selfie sticks.

people in Paradise

But if you looked the other way it still looked like paradise to me.

Paradise and the Dart River © Caroline Fraser

The waters of the river were cool and crystal clear.

Dart river water

But I don't want to rub in the beauty of this place.

Other Half is waiting for some words from yours truly.



I hesitate to write this next part for I have just discovered that he ( my other half)  has only 3 months left on his life insurance policy, and I will be a much richer widow if he pops off before his next birthday.

We discussed together a few ways that I could hasten his demise ( in jest, of course).

I will name a few;

• heart attack climbing Ben Lomond. .............FAILED ....... it was me that nearly had the heart attack due to extreme heat.

• falling off a cliff on the road to Paradise......FAILED........ people with selfie sticks would have heard the screams

the road to Paradise

Nice place to die though.

everybody loves a selfie

• death by helicopter ride over the mountains.............FAILED

• death by great white shark.......... not attempted, but a fairly gruesome way to go. And what if he was only maimed?

shark cage divers

death by sand fly attack...........quite possible..........probably both of us........which is not the point....

death by chocolate..... not allowed.....




So we carried on with our adventures and it seems to be the wildlife that is taking most of our attention right now.

We have found albatrosses at Doubtful Sound and Stewart Island

albatross

Seagulls of the friendly variety

Crayfish of the most delicious kind;


lunch

lunch

A stray octopus;

not lunch

octopus

Blue cod;

dinner

blue cod

OH wants you to know that he caught 5 fish..........they were used as bait...... pacific perch not considered fit for lunch or dinner

bait for fishing

he is now complaining that you can't see his fish properly..........


So here he is....

OH caught a fish

And most exciting of all we had a baby dolphin along with many others, also on Doubtful Sound, swimming alongside our boat.




everybody say 'ahhhhhhh"

baby dolphin

and for the grand finale



THE NEW ZEALAND KIWI!

kiwi on Ulva Island

rarely seen in daylight, or even at all.


OH nearly tripped over it on Ulva Island having been out for 3 hours in the dark the night before on a guided 'find the kiwi at great expense' tour and come back with a photo in which there may have been a kiwi, but neither you nor I could really tell.


We have a few days left of exploring this paradise together, and then it will be back to work and there will be time for a different kind of photography.....the kind where I am allowed to stand in one place for more than 2 minutes before the next hill or mountain has to be climbed.

dancing dolphins and killer congers - a fishy tale from Doubtful Sound

A drizzly morning on Doubtful Sound

I am getting behind.

I haven't told you about the dolphins on Doubtful Sound.

It was an exhilarating 24 hours out with the great guys from Deep Cove Charters on my overnight cruise.

'Yes' it was beautiful.

'Yes' it was just as good as Milford Sound

and 'yes' I would do it again tomorrow if I could.

BUT

there were moments when I thought I was in an action adventure movie along the lines of Jurassic Park


We were just 5 guests, due to luck and it being the end of the season.

It all started innocently with a cruise past the lushly forested rocks and a delicious lobster lunch.

We looked for penguins, but they were out fishing.

We admired the podocarps ( tree ferns)


We looked for dolphins…….

We found five.

They swam under the boat a few times and then played around in a show that might have been at Sea World. Just for the joy of it. Not a free fish or trainer in sight.

sorry; I didn't have a telephoto lens handy……...

All delightful.

Much better than Sea World, and the rocks that looked like fake rocks were actually real, whereas at Sea World the fake rocks look like fake rocks.

real rocks 

Everyone elated.

Time for a little fishing to catch some supper.

Pop a rod into the water , and within 3 minutes the first fish came up, followed by several more in rapid succession.

Fern gets the first catch

the first 3 

Soon we had enough for tea.


next stop the lobster pots to pick up tomorrow's lunch.


They were full of lobsters.

bringing in the lobsters

We popped them in a box too.

Everybody happy.


On we sailed.

We passed a few waterfalls. Those of you who know me will know that I am not a big fan of photographing waterfalls. I just don't see the attraction. Even if they are 1000m high like the one we saw, a photo will never do it justice. But I felt obliged to point my camera at a couple out of politeness to the group.

one of the many

Time for some more lobster pots.


This time a small problem.

Conger eels.

Large, strong and with teeth that can bite a hand off.

conger eels

The difficulty for our captain was to remove the lobsters without getting eaten by the conger.


If it was me  I would have let the whole lot go.

But no.

We had a dramatic few minutes while he tried to maim the eels sufficiently to get the lobsters out and then tip the eels back into the briny.


Tense moments. Everybody very quiet.


Mission accomplished. On to the next pot.


Another conger. Same problem.

different solution

This time the conger won the first round.

It jumped out of the lobster pot and landed down by our feet.

I screamed. Everyone else moved back very fast. Fern climbed up a nearby ladder. I followed her.


What followed was not pleasant and I will spare you the details, but lets just say that the captain won round two.

During this episode one of the lobsters made a move …..


I was still up a ladder so was really not bothered.

'it's behind you'

He was marched back into his box.


Everybody very relieved, and a bit shocked after all the excitement.



Time for a cup of tea and a game of scrabble to calm us down.

By which time the penguin was back from fishing and normal order was restored.

if you look carefully you will see a penguin