It turns out i was quite wrong about the species of whale hanging around the shelf. Sperm whales can be found here all year round whilst the humpback tends to swan in for the winter, orcas (killer whales), dolphins and many species of shark are also common to the waters of Kaikoura due to its massive depths close off shore and the complex currents that bring rich nutrients to the waters.

The whale watching was excellent. Not the spectacular jumping that some might expect. More surface feeding and breathing. We managed to get close to 4 large sperm whales and saw two of the classic tale flips, not bad for only 2 hours on the water. Impressive and beautiful.

After a quick one night stop in Christchurch I'm slowly starting the journey up to the north island. The TranzCoastal train runs all the way up to Picton in the Marlborough Sounds for ferries across to Wellington the capital.

I however am stopping halfway at Kaikoura, world famous for its whale watching. Although out of season for Sperm whales, other species are common all year round. I'm taking a boat into the Pacific later this afternoon in the hope of glimpsing these magnificent mammals. Then its back on the train and up to Picton in the morning.

After 24 hours of much needed rest I’ve booked a bus back to the transport hub of Christchurch for tomorrow.

The walk was superb but physically demanding. Due to hut availability I had a short walk on days 1 and 4 with two days of 30km in the middle. This is a full 10 hours of walking and really pushed me at times. The Routeburn track, known as one of the “Great Walks”, is 38km of ever changing scenery through Mount Aspiring National Park. My first nights stay was on the Routeburn flats, very close to the start. Past glacial activity has partially filled the valleys with loose rock creating flat plains of rivers and flowers at altitude. The walk then ascends through beech forest and tussock clearings before zigzagging through sub-alpine mountains and reflective lakes, a 2 hour detour up to conical point gave great views over the Alps and out to the Tasman Sea before dropping down to the Mackenzie huts. Where ironically there was no room for me. I cooled off in the icy lake under the same name and continued down to the Howden huts. I’m making it all sound very short. It wasn’t. I stayed my second night there ready for the next big day.

The Caples track starts where the Routeburn finishes and is quickly testing with an almost vertical and endless accent through beech forest (nothing to do with beeches, just the name of the terrain), over rivers (no leeches here!!), and through a beautiful valley to the last hut. Again I'm making it all sound very short, and again, it wasn’t. By this point I was shattered, the only thing keeping me going was the endless joy of filling my water bottle with the ice cold water from the many crystal clear springs and streams, each with a slightly different flavour due to the quantities of snowmelt and mineral content. A short 7km walk took me back to Lake Wakatipu, from there a boat back to Glenorchy, and then a bus back to Queenstown. Here are a few pics from this epic walk.

The summit of Conical Hill.



Icy Lake MacKenzie.



A view on the ascent to Harris Saddle.



At the base of the 174m Earland falls on the way down to Howden huts.

Apologies for the lack of posts but a busy schedule, no cash and bad Internet facilities have made it impossible.

I ended up bussing it to the small lake side town of Wanaka. After a good nights sleep i set off to climb Mt Roy. Its a 1700m peak that gives spectacular panoramic views over the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately on the day i climbed it a large rain cloud engulfed the summit, and comically hung there all day whilst the remainder of the sky stayed relatively clear. Although disappointed the views on the accent and decent below the cloud line made the walk worthwhile. A 4km stretch round part of lake Wanaka (the second biggest in NZ) finished it off nicely and conveniently returned me back to 'town'.

The following morning I took a bus to Queenstown, the capital of outdoor activities. It is here that is home to the invention of adrenalin pumping activities such as Bungee Jumping down gorges and free fall swinging at 150kmph across canyons. Every possible way to ensure your feet don't remain firmly on the floor has been catered for, and there really isn't a more picturesque place to do it.

My priority however was to sort out a walking route incoporating one of the so called Great Walks. I set off tomorrow on the famous Routeburn track (supposedly one of the best walk in the world) and after a few nights in mountain huts along the way, immediately join the Caples Track. I'll stay one night on that route before finishing and returning to Queenstown on the 28th. At over 60km its a fair old trek but 4 days should be enough. In the mean time I'm off to stock up on carbohydrates and every mountaineers saving grace, muesli bars.

My Card arrived a day early and so i managed to hitch a lift down to Fox Glacier on Wednesday evening. Although there was no accommodation in town the owners of the hostel kindly let me sleep in the movie lounge for 10 bucks. Not bad considering the en-suite sea of bean bags and 48" TV.

Ive been up on the glacier today for a full day exploring ice caves and having my toes trodden on by people with crampons. Very enjoyable.

Im moving on tomorrow down to Wanaka, famous for its lakes and walking. Hopefully i can get a free ride again but i'll have to wait and see.

Yesterday proved too rainy to attempt any walking and so i had a quick explore of some local gold mine tunnels instead, i got about 200m in with my head torch but the rainwater seeping in was making it rather difficult so i turned back. All the rivers were torrents that day and although i wasn't there to see it, rain water forced part of the glacier the size of a house crashing down into the valley.

Today i have done a walk to 'Roberts Point', a hell of a slog through rain forest, over Indiana Jones style swing bridges and up to an outcrop overlooking the glacier, you can see it on the left hand side of the photo. It gave fantastic views onto the alien landscape of icy crevices.

Apparently my credit card should arrive on Thursday so I'm hoping to make a move that evening down to Fox Glacier 25km south of here.

I spent today walking to the Franz Joseph Glacier, although not the best of weather the experience was still incredible. Over the next few days i plan to do some lengthly walks in the surrounding hills which should provide better views of this fascinating natural creation. Franz Joseph and its local cousins descend 1000m below other glaciers at the same latitude. This is due to the massive snowfall that that mountains acquire due to rapidly rising moisture laden winds from the Tasman sea. They are also the fastest moving rivers of ice in the world, at times advancing as much as 6m in a day, 10 times faster than anywhere else. Some Photos.

A cheeky Kea comes for a closer look on Avalanche peek - Arthur's Pass



At the summit of Avalanche Peak - Arthur's Pass



Franz Joseph glacier from afar - Franz Joseph

Lost, Found, and six thieving parrots – The story so far.

Due to an absent wake up call i missed my train and had to rebook for the next day.
The train departed Christchurch and began the transalpine journey over to Greymouth. I decided to split my ticket over 2 days to allow an overnight stop at the Alpine village of Arthur's Pass – population less than 100. The journey to this small town at an altitude of 850m first takes you over the Canterbury Plains with their beautiful milky blue rivers and dramatic gorges before then beginning the ascent into the Southern Alps.

I checked into a Mountain Lodge, threw on my boots, grabbed some info and headed for the hills. I was going to climb Avalanche Peak. A 1900m meter mountain above the snow line with 360 degree panoramic views over the awesome surrounding scenery. The climb is very steep, 1000m accent over 2-3 hours, and then a short ridge walk to the summit. It was hard work but worth every step.

I had been warned about the behavior of a bird known as a Kea, a large alpine parrot sometimes known as the 'Clown of the mountain' due to its crazy and intelligent behavior. They have no fear of people and will quite happily steal food, hats, anything they can lay their claws on, from your person. There were about 6 at the summit and after pecking my boots and opening the zip on my bag, amongst other things, i decided it would be fun to take a few snaps. As i began to take a photo one of them promptly flew off with my camera case in its beak and headed into the mountains. The bastard.

I got back to the lodge and rested.

The following morning i re boarded the train to head for Greymouth. You immediately enter a mountain tunnel that descends for 10 miles before bursting out into the lush green rain forest of the west coast. A bizarre transformation. After arriving i realized it was possible to get a bus straight to a place called Franz Joseph Glacier, this was actually my intended destination due to Greymouths lack of, well, anything. I hopped aboard and began the 4 hour journey down to the town that sits at the bottom of a massive glacier, the details of which i go into another time. We quickly stopped at a town called Hokitika for a coffee and kept going. It would turn out to be a very inconvenient coffee indeed.

I arrived at Franz Joseph to realize i had left my wallet with attached cash cards and coat at the last stop, the first time i had worn it in 4 months. Being reasonably organized, honest, i immediately canceled both cards and checked into my hostel that thankfully i had already booked and paid for earlier that day. 20 mins later the police ring. They have my jacket and wallet and its on the next bus to Franz Joseph. Fantastic. Apart from the fact that you cant un-cancel cards. No matter how much you plead.

The repercussions are such that Im stuck here with little money, no banks and no way of knowing when i can leave. Apparently a card will be here in 3-10 days but this is a major set back. To be honest its a pretty good place to be stuck. There are plenty of walks around edges of the glacier to keep me busy, and i can always work for free accommodation. However the intended full day guided ice walk into the glacier caves and crevices will have to wait until i get my card. It also means Im probably unable to get the refund on my $100 missed train. So all in all its basically been a bad day.

However New Zealand i am absolutely loving, the scenery and activities are right up my ally and I know already that my time here is going to be some of the best so far.

I deserve a pint of beer, a priority cost out of the little money i have left until....?

I have arrived in Christchurch. A charming small city with a lot of character. There are more churches than policemen, more trams than trucks and more public chess boards than public phone boxes. It has incredible botanic gardens and a lot more besides, but...

Eager to get moving i have spent the majority of the day looking into the best way to get around the country. The most popular method is a bus network marketed as "Magic Bus - The choice for every independent traveler". Apart from this being a contradiction in terms, I have major issues with any vehicle that is referred to as being 'Magic'. The last thing you want when you're on a bridge 150m above a gorge is a driver who thinks he's in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Its also VERY expensive. The prices jacked up to include unnecessary accommodation advice and girls in low cut tops trying to get you to jump out of a plane.

Plan B - I'll take the TranzAlpine train tomorrow morning to Greymouth on the west of the south island, and work my way down from there to the glaciers, mountains etc. The train journey is supposidly one of the most impressive in the world, and cuts straight through the heart of Tolkien scenery.... Then I'll find some girls in low cut tops to make me jump out of a plane.

After exhausting most of the free stuff to see and do around Sydney I'm off to the airport today to fly to Christchurch NZ South Island. As fun as its been in Australia, I'm really looking forward to throwing on my walking boots and getting into some of their national parks. My flight is this evening and should get into Christchurch around 1am. The perfect time to start looking for somewhere to stay.

Ive just come back from the opera house after a great concert. Koyaanisqatsi from Godfrey Reggio's awesome and breathing series of films the Qatsi Trilogy. Philip Glass and his ensemble provided live accompaniment to projections of his second film (Koyaanisquasi). I highly recommend these to anyone.

Ive had a pretty good explore so far, mainly visiting the museums and galleries, all of which are excellent. Tomorrow is that the start of the Sydney festival so there should be plenty around to do. Good Night

Im going to see Philip Glass at the Sydney Opera House tonight....eeeeeeeeee :-)

Here are a few photos.

A quick pit stop to look at the storm ahead "Sod it, lets keep going" said I - Frasier Island



Mackenzie in lake Mackenzie - Fraiser Island



The highly fashionable jelly proof stinger suit - Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays



"Whats that Skippy? You've found the person that stole my pasta last night and now he's having it with a few schooners in the old mine shaft. The little ripper"

As i slowly began to fall asleep on the beach i noticed the tide getting ever closer, it was only a matter of time before my bed became the sea bed, and so i upped i went hunting for a new spot. Whilst walking past the bus station i ran into two Israeli girls who I had been on a boat with in the Whitsundays. They informed that there was a bus to Sydney that evening. And so covered in sand,half asleep, and with no booking, the driver kindly let me take it. All 14 hours of it.

So a few days ahead of planned here i am. It appears I have timed my visit quite well as the Sydney festival begins on the 8th with events going on all over the city. Including an evening of dramatizations of the works of William Burroughs set to the music of Australia's own Tom Waits. An almost perfect combination.

I'm too tired to do a lot of exploring at the moment so my planned period of 'doing nothing' has been shifted to here this evening.

Robin

It was bound to happen at some point - Ive arrived in Byron Bay, and as lovely as it looks, there isnt a single bed anywhere in town. This means im facing a night under the stars on its local stretch of beach. Whats worse is that bus bookings are made 24hrs in advance and so it may possibly be 2 nights of making sand castles before i can move on. Apparently if i wanted to stay here during Dec or Jan i should have booked some time in October. Something I wasn't aware due to the fact that i don't walk round with a copy of the "Lonely Planet Guide Book" glued to my face.

Although there is no law preventing you from staying on the beach for as long as you like, it is illegal to actually sleep there. My current list of prepared excuses should the wardens show is as follows.

"I wasn't asleep, im meditating, and now you've screwed it up"

"Im not asleep, Im moon bathing, could you pass the moon cream?"

"ZZzzzz... " (and refuse to wake up)


Im off to book a bus out of here and to quite literally - make my bed.

I have just briefly stopped in Brisbane for a few days in an attempt to break up the massive 2679km journey from Cairns to Sydney. Its a pleasant little city with a great south bank and some impressive botanical gardens. This mornings walkabout consisting of a visit to their excellent museum and adjacent art gallery.

The dorm room I have is shared with 31 others which makes sleeping a little tricky due to the orchestra of snores. My bunk being in close proximity to what appears to be the brass section, Holst's 'Mars' being the chosen rendition. A slight lack of facilities has also become apparent when this morning a found myself in a seven deep queue for the teaspoon.

3 hours south of is Byron Bay where i will head tomorrow to relax, read and recharge before heading to Sydney, but right now I'm off for another episode of Feeding vs. Finance