Driving Round the World: Furthest South

Christchurch Temporary Cathedral

Rebuilding is evident everywhere in Christchurch following the devastating earthquakes a few years ago. Many old building fronts are supported by scaffolding and some interesting new buildings have been constructed, not least the Temporary Cathedral. Damage to the old cathedral made it impossible to use and while deciding to do with the old building a startling new cathedral was constructed using lightweight aluminium reinforced cardboard tubes with multi layered polycarbonate covering. It is very sobering talking to people who lived there and the anxiety they experience about further earthquakes. One couple described how they had to have their house reconstructed twice.

Mount Sunday - Edoras in Lord of the Rings

South of Christchurch we headed back to the mountains stopping at the beautiful remote Mount Sunday, the location of Edoras in Lord of the Rings.

Mount Cook

Following the mountains further south we spent a fantastic clear day walking some of the tracks round Mount Cook - the highest peak in New Zealand. Flowing from the ice field round Mount Cook is the Tasman Glacier, which is retreating at around 6m per day - nearly 2kms per year, so the end of the glacier has retreated almost out of sight of the viewing location.
A week in an apartment in Wanaka gave us break from the van and we enjoyed the extra space and comfort.

Fogbow at campsite above Milford Sound

Leaving Wanaka we headed to Milford Sound, camping at the top of the valley before dropping down to the sound where we were treated to a perfect calm day with beautiful reflections. Inquisitive Kea started exploring our van at one of the car parks. These mountain parrots are renowned for their ability to pull off wiper blades and window seals, so after being entertained by them we made sure to move elsewhere before parking for a walk into the mountains where we were accompanied by the sound of avalanches as the temperature rose.

Milford Sound

Roaring Forties at Slope Point

After visiting Slope Point - the most southerly point of NZ South Island and experiencing the roaring 40's we took the ferry to Stewart Island. With a 4m cross swell running it was an exciting crossing.
Stewart Island to the south of South Island contains a small and quiet community focussed on fishing and tourism. Ulva Island, located in an inlet of Stewart Island is one of the few rodent and mammal free islands around, enabling local birdlife to prosper. In beautiful weather we were lucky to see both Kaka and the elusive saddleback, and on a walk round the village around midnight even a kiwi. This is the furthest south we have been so far.

Oban on Stewart Island

Back on the South Island we have made our way round the south east coast, which is relatively unvisited, but hosts a number of breeding colonies of the rare yellow eyed penguins as well as seals and sea lion, and some beautiful coastal scenery with cliffs, caves and sea arches.

Fossilised wood

Dunedin is one of the nicest cities of New Zealand having a lot of older buildings round the harbour and being surrounded by beautiful hilly countryside and coast.

Sea Arch at Tunnel Beach

Several days on the nearby Otago peninsula allowed us to appreciate the peace and beauty of this corner of New Zealand, but sadly it is the wrong time of year to see Royal Albatross at the nearby colony.

Tunnel Beach

The last week has been spent crossing back through the mountains to the west coast where we have been fortunate to see several rare Fjordland penguins. With the weather set to deteriorate we headed to the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers which flow down from the west of the Mount Cook icefield. The same story as on the east of the mountains, the glaciers are retreating, though not at such a rate.
A fantastic few weeks with such a variety, mountains, beautiful coasts and interesting and rare wildlife.