New Zealand - A dream comes true (Part 2)

North island - Maori culture, volcanic activities and sandy beaches

My previous post covers our itinerary in the South island of New Zealand where we sent 2 weeks. Unfortunately, we only had one week left to spend in the North island. And no need to say that choosing our itinerary was difficult. We were fortunate to have some friends in Wellington who recommended the east side of the north island and we were not disappointed. We did not have enough time to reach the top of the island where you can find the best beaches. We decided to slow down to explore the countryside and we happened to find the Karangahake gorges. This site used to be a gold mining site. It is in fact an outdoor museum set in a peaceful setting surrounding by natural beauty. Simply stunning!

The map below shows our main stop overs.

Photo diary


The pass just outside Wellington



Napier - The Art Deco town



Waimangu volcanic valley - can you spot the steam at the top of the mountain



Geyser in Rotorua

A Maori ceremony

 

A Maori ceremony



Karangahake gorges: historic mining site

Once again, I am pleased to say that as far as ecotourism is concerned, New Zealand is such an inspiring country. All sites are extremely well looked after. The staff working in the tourism industry seem to be very proud of their country and keen to protect it. Educating the public is important. To give you an example, in the space of 3 weeks, we have only noticed 1 plastic bag in a river. Everywhere else was amazingly clean. Very inspiring indeed!

In my next post, I will be sharing our top 10 best photos of our trip. Enjoy!

New Zealand - A dream comes true (Part 1)

New Zealand has always been a dream destination for me. "The land of the long white cloud", as it was called by the Maori when they first discovered it, offers amazing landscapes, beautiful mountains, forests, lakes and gorgeous beaches. Although tourism is an important income for the country, I felt that New Zealanders are very proud of their land and wish to protect it the best they can through ecotourism initiatives. 

Some people might comment on the fact that this was far from being a green holiday. And I agree. My aim is to pursue my travels in the most environmentally friendly way possible when options are available. In this case, I will probably visit New Zealand once in my life and 2010 was the right time for me to fulfil that dream.

Our itinerary

We spent 18 days travelling across both south and north islands. Obviously, we had to select the areas to visit as several months would have been needed to visit the whole country.

Our method of transport and accommodation was a campervan. We did manage to get a good deal but we ended up with a pretty old vehicle. It did survive the trip (just!).

Although this method of transport involves a lot of driving, it is a fantastic way to discover a country which has so much to offer. Being able to park up and spend the night wherever we fancied was amazing.

View from our campervan, in a DOC campsite

The advantage of having a campervan is that you can stay in a campsite or freedom camp where allowed. Some areas are against freedom camping particularly around Wanaka and Queenstown. So you need to check the signs. We have stayed in both basic campsites which offer toilet facilities and fresh water only (no hot water and no showers) and modern campsites which offer a whole range of facilities.  

We decided to spend 2 weeks in the South island and 1 week in the North island. Below is our itinerary.

South island - A chance to re-connect with nature



         

Photo diary

Lake Wanaka

Lake Wakatipu

Milford Sound

Climbing Fox Glacier



A scenic route between Queenstown and Wanaka

Blenheim - The wine region

Whales watching in Kaikoura - Magical!

In my next post, I will share our itinerary for the north island. Feel free to ask me any questions if you are planning a trip yourself. It really is a beautiful country, just like I had imagined it (and much more!).

Through the lens: Angkor Wat, Cambodia

A magical place which can be visited on foot (beware it is a huge area), with a bike or by hiring a tuk-tuk driver. 

                               Waiting for that beautiful sunset...

Through the lens - Sisteron, South East of France



Sisteron, South East of France - Stunning place to go swimming!



10 tips to survive a long haul flight

Should we learn from nature? Does he complain? 

I have started a list of items which I think will help us get through our next long flight. We are flying to New Zealand and the duration of the flight is going to be 24 hours (touching down for 1 hour only after 12 hours).

We are going to take off in the evening which is probably good since it will give us a chance (hopefully) to get some sleep during the first few hours of the trip. But after that, how do you keep yourself occupied?

Our list so far:

1. Books: I am planning to take a variety of books (Serious one for the beginning of the flight when the concentration level is still high and not so serious one for the end). I will also have a guidebook for New Zealand. This time will be perfect to plan our itinerary.

2. Games: Still wondering what to bring with us. Booklets of games like Sudoku are really good and do not take much room.

3. Music / short films: The IPod will be charged but will not last for the whole flight. We will probably have to save it for the end when the journey feels never ending.

4. Snacks: I found that we tend to eat a lot of unhealthy food while travelling. A mixture of healthy and not so healthy snacks should keep us going.

5. Work tasks: It is not good to take work with you on holiday but I am tempted just this once.

6. Exercises: We must remember to get up on a regular basis to get our legs moving. Apart from walking up and down the aisles, the options are limited.

7. Sleep: I have purchased ear plugs, eye mask and a neck pillow. I am hoping to get a bit of sleep but it depends which seats we will be allocated. We will aim to arrive early at the airport to get a chance to choose our seats. The seats near the emergency exists are always a good option particularly for tall people, as long as they are not close to the toilet.

8. Writing: This is going to be a test for me. I have launched my blog this year and I need to start writing more regularly. So I am hoping I will get some inspiration once in the air.

9. Getting to know fellow travellers: You can meet really interesting people while travelling. And when you can't sleep, you can chat to people gathered around the drinks trolley.

10. Relaxation: When do you get the chance to do nothing at all. I am the type of person that finds it hard to stay still. So, I am hoping I will be able to relax and enjoy doing nothing for a little while.

What do you do on a long haul flight to make your journey enjoyable? I would love to hear your ideas and recommendations.

Christmas traditions from the Provence, South of France

13 Christmas desserts, no less!



French people do have a bit of a sweet tooth. For Christmas, the main meal is serve on the evening of 24th before going to midnight mass. And in the South East of France, in a region called La Provence, an old tradition exists whereby 13 desserts are served on Christmas eve in reference to Jesus and the 12 apostles sitting at the last supper.

They are not 13 individual desserts as such. The list includes dried fruit, frest fruit, sweets etc...

So, here is a list:

• Les 4 mendiants (the 4 beggars):

         - Hazelnuts or walnuts

         - Dry figs
         - Almonds

         - Raisins

• La pompe a huile (the olive oil pump): Flat yeast bread made with olive oil such fougasse.
• les 2 nougats: White and Black nougats
• Dattes (sometimes stuffed with marzipan)
• Calisson d'Aix en Provence ( a sweet made with marzipan)
• Quince fruit paste
• Fresh white grapes
• Christmas melon
• Fresh oranges

This list may vary slightly from one region to another.

Do you have any Christmas traditions in your country? Which one do you still follow?  

Through the lens: La Drome, South of France

Teyssieres, Drome region - this is where I grew up