East of Christchurch lies the Banks Peninsula and the bay of Lyttelton. I was a guest there on a farm run by a Swiss family who emigrated many decades ago, and I was given an introduction to the secrets of sheep shearing. Agriculture is still the backbone of the New Zealand economy. There are 20 times more sheep than inhabitants in the country. That’s why sheep shearing is such an important activity.
Rugby is New Zealand’s national sport, led by the national team, the ‘All Blacks’. In a tradition spanning over 80 years in the sport, there is an annual match between the teams from Christchurch Boys High School and St. Martin’s College, both from Christchurch. On the sidelines, students—whose affiliation is clearly recognisable by their school uniforms—loudly cheer on their teams. On one stand, an entire group even performs the Haka, a Maori ritual dance that found its way into sports and is also performed by the All Blacks to intimidate their opponents before a match.
As the operator of Manapouri Motors, he knows everyone living around Lake Manapouri, a spot in the southernmost tip of New Zealand, in Fiordland. He’s an expert in both cars and boats and runs a garage too. This petrol station is also where you need to hire boats for the short river crossing to the start of the Circuit Track hiking trail.
Big jumps at Treble Cone. It’s one of the most popular ski resorts in the Southern Alps, and Terry Cronin delves deep into the breathtaking landscape of Lake Wanaka, the Matukituki Valley and Mt. Aspiring National Park. Snowboarders are very welcome here, finding a perfect playground and legendary powder snow. In winter, the pretty town of Wanaka fills with people working for the season or just looking to have fun. And there’s plenty of that here… Living and staying in Wanaka for a winter made me feel like part of a big family. Queenstown is the party town, but Wanaka is the quieter place where it’s worth lingering. Many thanks, friends, for the great time with you!
Dreams of white powder snow for perfect turns or fascinating jumps at Treble Cone above the Matukituki Valley. In winter, young people like Tery meet in Wanaka or Queenstown to live the fascination of snowboarding!
The rainforest areas around Lake Waikaremoana are some of the few remaining contiguous primeval forests in New Zealand. A multi-day hike around the lake offers all facets of the wild “Land of the Mist”, as the Te Urewera National Park surrounding the lake in the east of New Zealand’s North Island is known. Further reports and pictures can be found in the New Zealand gallery or the New Zealand category.
After abseiling over 100 m, my guide and I take a short break in the first section of the cave, where sunlight still penetrates the thick fog and an underground river rages from the depths of the cave beneath the surrounding boulders.
Last Comments