Farewell Oceania

It was atop Avalanche Peak in New Zealand that I realised what the country was about; wilderness. It was a pretty steep hike up the mountain but the view at the top was totally wild. There is a lot of wilderness on the South Island, particularly in the South and West as this large chunk of the island is a World Heritage Site. For all intents and purposes it is one large tourist resort as the local population on the island must be outnumbered by the tourists that flock there to experience the outdoors and amazing scenery. It is really just an adventure playground. For sure there is all the adrenaline stuff in Queenstown but the real beauty to New Zealand is experienced off the beaten track in the middle of nature. Having enjoyed my hike up the mountain I decided that the bike was not the best way to see it. While it is not the worst way by any means one is on the same road as the many tourist cars and buses; the beaten-path so to speak. Instead it is possible to tramp for days on end seeing very few people. While civilisation will always beckon at some point, the whole beauty of nature is that the fresh air allows one to recharge one's batteries and clear one's head of all the many daily thoughts that ensnare fresh perspective. New Zealand is a real oasis in this respect.

If camping and tramping the mountain-sides for days on end is a bit of a stretch then the next best way to see the place is by air. If I had the means I would sit on the northern beaches of the South Island where the sunshine is more reliable. If the forecast were to be clear I would jump in a chopper and perhaps cover most of the scenery by air in a day. The South Island is particularly diverse in terms of its terrain with its large rainforests, ocean-side beaches, alpine passes, sounds and glaciers. It would make for spectacular viewing from the sky. Of course, the less severe and more modest way would be to hire a camper-van. One should stock it up with plenty of food and water such that one does not have to touch civilisation unless one needed or wanted to. Bring some company and strap the requisite number of kayaks and mountain-bikes to the van. With a good pair of hiking boots one can do what-ever one feels like and have the opportunity to explore the many lakes, mountains and trails while staying in the middle of nowhere for as long as desirable. If that gets a little tiresome then one can always pull up at a decent hotel within a day's drive for a little luxury.

New Zealand is a really cool place for anybody that likes the outdoors. I only saw a slice of the country in riding from Queenstown to Christchurch. I have left myself the whole East coast of the South Island and the whole of the North Island to explore the next time I get there. While it has some really nice big towns and cities it is not really a place for city-slickers as the overwhelming sense is that the country is quite small. I really enjoyed myself there but I could not help but think that my New Zealand and Australian experience was a little too easy. While I was craving such familiarity on my exit from India I do not think that I would ever make the move to a part of the world that will not provide that extra dimension over Ireland. For sure, the beaches and sunshine in Australia can be incredible and the mountains and outdoors in New Zealand are spectacular. However, the more I travel the more I realise that I have a lot of diverse interests and so it is more difference than sameness that appeals to me. Thus, as cool as Australia and New Zealand are and as easy as it would be to spend a fair chunk of time in either country, they don't have the extra 'je ne sais quoi' that I'm searching for. Still, it was great to finally see them ... if I had a penny for every time somebody told me that I should be living in Australia or New Zealand etc.

Thoughts of South America now play on my mind.

Wishing you plenty of fresh air and fresh thinking

Marco

Comments

[Patrick Santini]

The campervan sounds great (as does the chopper) but you'll have to add plenty of beer in it for your perfect recipe!