The birds here are pretty slow-witted. They hardly see you coming, and then before they know it, they're under you. Sadly it's birds of the feathered variety I'm talking about. I think I've accidentally but brutally killed at least three so far on the deserted rural roads of New Zealand. I try not to, but obviously I'm not about to make a self-endangering swerve when I'm negotiating tricky mountain passes and the nearest hospital/towtruck is hundreds of miles away. Sorry Tweety.
Another gripe I have about New Zealand is the complete absence of any kind of actual literature in the bookshops. I went through about six different bookshops in three different towns and couldn't find anything worth reading at all. You can get the latest Harry Potter; you can get 'How To Get Your Spirit In Touch With Princess Di'; you can get the memoirs of Shayne Sploonaroonga who kept wicket for West Auckland B in the early 70s; but God forbid you might want to read something serious. I hate to judge (cough splutter) because everyone I've met so far in NZ has been friendly enough.
Anyway, gripes over. After writing the previous entry in Kaikoura on Friday morning, I drove up to Picton, and it was very nice there but the heavens opened and I had to stay there for two nights just waiting for the weather to clear. I don't mind a bit of wind and rain, but when the visibility is down to ten metres or whatever then there isn't really much point in leaving the hostel, apart from going to the pub. I'm in no hurry anyway. After Picton I drove west along the North Coast to Nelson, and then south-west inland across to Greymouth, where I stayed two nights. The hostel there was extremely well-appointed and indeed rather eerie...all carved African statues and incense and soft music everywhere.
On Monday I climbed Mt Te Kinga, a modest scramble of 4,000 feet or so, and yesterday I spent the whole day driving down from Greymouth to Cromwell. Cromwell wasn't my destination of choice, but Wanaka and Queenstown were both absolutely jam-packed as it's ski season in that part of the world.
I did have a wander through Queenstown this morning, and finally found a bookshop which could sell me something worth reading ('Bleak House'). I also found a record shop which sold cheap old cassettes for me to play in my hire car! When I first got the car, the guy at the car hire place said I was allowed to pick three cassettes from the pile they had. I took three and then obviously I nicked another three when he wasn't looking. So far I've been making do with Barry White, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, the Beatles and a naff 80s compilation. After today's shopping trip I have now added A-ha, the Pointer Sisters, Hall & Oates, Bobby Brown and Peter Gabriel. Mint.
I'm now pitched up at the lakefront in Te Anau, which is not a bad place to be, all things considered.
So far New Zealand has mainly been just one big drive. But the scenery is such that just driving in itself is a pleasure. I would love to do justice to everything I've seen, but it's beyond my talents to do so in prose, and even more so in photographs. Nonetheless I have been busily snapping away on my cheap camera to the best of my abilities, and my meagre efforts are now available for your viewing pleasure. One of the photos is of Kawarau Gorge, in which there is a waterfall called Roaring Meg. Blackadder fans should feel free to make their own jokes about 'roaring and gorging' in their own time.
Til next time!
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| Franz Josef Glacier |
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| Lake Wakatipu (I think) |
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| Kawarau Gorge |
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| Lake Hawea |
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| Somewhere on the west coast of the South Island |
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| View from the top of Mount Te Kinga |
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| Somewhere on the road |
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| Picton harbour (South Island port for ferries to and from the North Island) |
