Globicyclette

in New Zealand

Hello traveller friends!

This diary will be somewhat special: during the month of May, Globicyclette was on holiday! Our stay in New Zealand has been an interruption in our customary routine of pedalling: Olivier’s parents, Marie-Odile and Jacques, who had never thought that it would be possible, were missing their son. So they proposed to come and meet us in the land of the Kiwis, to our greatest joy! However, all our eloquence failed to convince them to bring two recumbent bikes (they are not crazy, they had read the Bolivian diary before coming!...).

So it is in a rented camping-car that the whole family set off to discover this fabulous country. And what about Heidi and Phileas? Do not panic, they have not been left behind: they too have visited New Zealand, but hung on the back of their new girlfriend, "Zezette" the camping-car.

Well, we admit, we regularly cracked and unhooked our bikes for a few days of pedalling alone, while the parents visited other sites... But it is impossible to deny that we spent almost the entire month in the incredible warmth and comfort of the camping-car, and pampered by parents who catch up on a year of separation!

So our activities in New Zealand are not really part of the adventure travels of Globicyclette, and there will be no diary. Well, writers also are entitled to a holiday!
But in order not to leave you with empty-handed, there is still the usual story (in French) for children: it is here!

And lastly, for the most curious of you (or those who are planning a visit to the country): A quick list of the beautiful places we have visited on four, or on two wheels.

 

 

 

 

The South Island:

  • The magnificent forests in the region of Queenstown, with the flamboyant colours of autumn (aaah, autumn in New Zealand, beautiful but cold, grateful thanks to the heating in the camping-car!).

  • The majestic and immense fjords in the south of the island: a ferry ride in the famous Milford Sound, huge waterfalls and cliffs covered with jungle.
  • Walks in the damp and lush primeval forest: tree-ferns, lianas and cries of wild birds... (Or cries of "Aaah, stop it, Olivier!" when he teased his beloved Mum).
  • The glaciers in the centre of the island (Fox and Franz Joseph), where one can touch the seracs, with Mount Cook dominating the horizon.

  • The incredible sedimentary geological formations of "Pancake Rocks" (Amanda did not understand why she ended up alone after her third conference on the formation of sedimentary rocks).

  • The colonies of sea lions that reminded us of Crozet Island...
  • The vast deserted white beaches in the north of the island, at Cape Farewell: almost paradise, even if it's too cold for swimming!
  •   Our hikes in the Abel Tasman natural park: jungle and deserted beaches, far from any habitation, in the purest "Robinson Crusoe" style.
    We promised ourselves, we will come back and visit them... by Kayak!
  • The wild creeks of "Queen Charlotte Sounds", in the northeast of the island: three memorable days on our bikes on the hiking trails of the Queen Charlotte Track! (You should have seen the surprise on the faces of hikers who saw us push Phileas and Heidi up the rocky trails!).

 

 

The North Island:

  • Our first live kiwis! In a park for the conservation of wild birds.... with lots of other birds having weird and funny names (see stories for children )
  • The centre of the island: the most beautiful hike that we have ever done! The "Tongariro Alpine Crossing", on the "Mountain of Destiny" where the "Lord of the Rings" was shot! You will notice that Olivier still has his ring: he tried to throw it, but was unable to remove it...
 
  • Our hikes in the Abel Tasman natural park: jungle and deserted beaches, far from any habitation, in the purest "Robinson Crusoe" style. We promised ourselves, we will come back and visit them... by Kayak!
  • Also in the centre: the magical region of Rotorua, with its craters, its geysers, and glug-glugging pools of incredible colours (that Marie-Odile and Amanda, despite all their efforts, failed to throw Olivier in). Like a compendium of Iceland and Bolivia put together!
  • A small glimpse of Maori culture. We particularly liked the grimacing masks with eyes of pearl... (And we are still alive, even after the time when Jacques, the father of Olivier, claimed in a boutique of the "All Blacks" that the French were the best!)
 

 

 

The small details of everyday life ... 

Eating...

Good eating? Good, perhaps, healthy... hum! The Kiwis’ gastronomy very American, with pizzas, chips, coca-cola, sweet loafs of bread, sweet barbecue sauce, sweet soups, sweet salad sauce, sweet mayonnaise, and muffins... also sweet but very tasty!

 

 

 

And that’s all! Well, that’s not much of a story, but we will leave you to dream over our beautiful photos...

We are sorry for this little interlude in our stories, but patience, the next diary on China will soon be on your screens!