Posts from the ‘New Zealand’ Category
Milford Sound in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park
It seems a trip to New Zealand’s South Island is incomplete without a trip into the Fiordland National Park and a stop at one or both of Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound, These are some of the most popular destinations in New Zealand and on the South Island.
From Queenstown, I sided with Real Journeys for a daytrip out to Milford Sound which involved the following modes of transport: morning coach on the only access, Milford Road (SH94), from Queenstown to Milford Sound; a boat into the fiord proper; and a mid-afternoon return to Queenstown by plane.
Much of the scenery reminds me of my home province: coastal British Columbia. To speak of my birthtown Vancouver, Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound are also examples of glacial fiords. But what are fiords? Fjords (spelled also as “fiords”) are long, narrow inlets with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. The origin of the word is late-17th century Norwegian, from the Old Norse “fjǫrthr”.
Long deep channels of blue, steep channel walls, and looming peaks are all witnessed in Milford Sound, which of course isn’t a sound, but a fiord.
I made these photos on 25 July 2012; this post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein (cmp.ly/0).
Dunedin’s Baldwin Street: steepest in the world
In Dunedin, New Zealand, I made my way from the area around the University of Otago to North Road and Baldwin Street, where The Guinness Book of Records declared the latter street as “the steepest (street) in the world” in 1997. With this claim to fame, the street is touted as a place to visit in Dunedin. As I’ve spent significant time in San Francisco, I had to take the challenge and find out whether the ascent grade approaches or exceeds my experience in San Francisco.
The signage states:
Initially, Baldwin Street slopes gently from the valley floor, then climbs steeply to its intersection with Buchanan Street at the top.
Over the 161.2 metre length of the top section, it climbs a vertical height of 47.22 metres, which is an average gradient of 1 in 3.41 (29.3%).
On its steepest section, the gradient is 1 in 2.86 (35.0%).
Every year, during Dunedin’s Festival, large number of athletes, including family groups, take part in social and competitive foot races to the top of the street and return. These races are known as the BALDWIN STREET GUTBUSTER.
The street is named for William Baldwin, who carried out the original subdivision. Baldwin was a member of the Otago Provincial Council, and founder of the “Otago Guardian” newspaper in 1873.
The conclusion is generally the same among those who visit; I’ll say with absolute certainty that walking, let alone running, up a grade steeper than 30 percent is tough slogging.
To reach Baldwin Street, the walk from the centre of town is leisurely and not difficult. A quicker alternative is the number 9 bus northbound (City to Normanby) from The Octagon in Dunedin’s CBD.
The photos above were made on 28 July 2012. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Food tally, 3rd-quarter 2012
After spending the month of June in Hong Kong, I visited Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia between July and September in continuation of the year 2012 around-the-world. I kept at finding a lot of food, and it still hasn’t stopped me from wanting more.
Come, look, salivate, and wish for the noms …
I made all of the photos above with a 4th-generation iPod Touch. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress (fotoeins.com).
To check out more delicious consumption in the first half of 2012:
• Food tally, 1st-quarter
• Food tally, 2nd-quarter
• Hong Kong, the food score in June (2012)
Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein (cmp.ly/0).
The Grand Traverse over New Zealand’s Southern Alps
The majestic mountain spine along New Zealand’s South Island is also known as “The Southern Alps”; the Maori Ngai Tahu name for these mountains is “ka tiritiri o te moana”. For many locations on the South Island, it’s difficult to ignore the sight of looming towers of rock and snow.
Between visits to the Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier, I had been contemplating whether or not I should have a look from above. It would be so good, so beautiful, but it seemed costly by comparison to other expenses.
What to do, what to do … it sounds stupid writing it out now, but a unique opportunity had presented itself, and I knew I’d have deep regrets if I didn’t take it.
I bit the proverbial bullet and hopped onto a plane with Air Safaris for a 50-minute tour of the Alps which included aerial views of various glaciers, Mount Tasman, and Aoraki / Mount Cook. “The Grand Traverse” began and ended at the Franz Josef Aerodrome (landing strip) which is shown as an airplane symbol in the map below. The red line traces the approximate (counterclockwise) flight path for The Grand Traverse.
The remaining symbols/pins refer to my other visits:
• The slow approach to Franz Josef Glacier : blue and magenta pins in the map above
• The slow forest walk to Fox Glacier : red and cyan pins in the map above
• Lake Matheson and the southern Alps at sunset : yellow pin in the map above
I made the photos above on 21 July 2012; the NZ Topographic Map has been very helpful in identifying a number of geographic features. This post is published originally on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein (cmp.ly/0).
Lake Matheson & the southern Alps at sunset
Rewards go to the patient, especially those on daytime walks through the temperate rainforest to the Franz Josef Glacier and the Fox Glacier.
After all, this area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After my visit to Fox Glacier earlier in the day, I arranged for a short 10-minute shuttle from Fox Glacier town to Lake Matheson before sunset. Even in winter’s low-season, I was surprised by how few people were around to enjoy the view.
The sequence of photos above span a period of just over one hour in time. Appearing in most of the photos are the two grand snow-frosted peaks: Mount Tasman (Horokoau) on the left and Aoraki (Mount Cook) on the right.
I asked the question if one could really “hear” a sunset. I tried to find an answer in this post.
The yellow thumbtack in the map below marks the location of Lake Matheson nearby. The other pins indicate my walks to each of the two glaciers.
Zooming out on the map below, the lowlands are separated from the Southern Alps by a “diagonal line” which is the active Alpine Fault line with the Australian tectonic plate to the northwest and the Pacific tectonic plate to the southeast. The Alpine Fault runs about 600 kilometres along the centre of the South Island between Marlborough and Milford Sound.
I made the photos above on 22 July 2012. This post is published originally on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.
