THE THREE ALPHA TRAVEL

Takaka is a very beautiful hippie (mostly) village on the Golden Bay area of NZ. We stay at Barefoot Backpackers run by a Scottish lady and her partner; really good people. The next day we say goodbye to Stefania and drive with Nils back to Westport. Tinka is there waiting for us and we all decide to drive to Greymouth. I did not see much of the Golden Bay but I have the feeling it is very nice. Even nicer than the Gold Coast in Australia maybe… Especially Takaka strikes me as a village similar to Byron Bay but less touristic and spoiled. If I ever go back to New Zealand again I promise to start my trip from Takaka! In Westport we have our last dinner together. Steaks and wine!

Being here works perfect for me as I can now take the Tranzalpine train to Christchurch. The route is thoughtfully called one of “the greatest train rides of the world”. It takes me about five hours (with a bit of a delay) and passes from Arthur’s Pass, a magnificent section of the Southern Alps. Once in Christchurch I have three days to relax and basically hang out until I go back to Oz. Consumption habits kick in and I buy a second hand Lonely Planet book on “Southeast Asia On A Shoestring”. It makes me start thinking about the rest of my destinations. Yummy!!!

See you back in Australia then, ciao!

… time might have been on my side as I said in the previous post, but I do not let it

Here I am then since the night of 17th, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Today as the first day in any new city, I went for a big walk. Christchurch is the most English town in New Zealand they say and it is true. A big botanical garden, a Arts Museums and Arts school, many cafes, bars and pubs and a lot of nightlife. Very nice indeed but it gives the sensation of a “fixed” setup. Anyway, yesterday I was checking the Global Gossip webpage and I found Alex, an Austrian who with I will share a car and we will be off tomorrow to see the rest of NZ.

He seems like a nice guy, he likes Lord of the Rings (just like me) and he is a hiking freak. This last one is particularly good. It means a lot of nature seeing, walking and photographing – the main reason I came here for. I also have to convert my two-week stay in something longer term. I am willing to go up to four weeks depending on the speed of our travel. In any case, if I see that it is not going my way (which I am not sure which is it so far), I will just split. I am really happy that this is solved. I would not like to pay for buses…

So… more news in the posts to come, tomorrow I will have to go and buy a sleeping bag and maybe share the costs of a tent and other camping equipment (a stove, some cups, knives, forks etc.). I will just keep the sleeping bag though, can’t afford a lot more weight on me

Christchurch City Tram