Up the West Coast and into Wellington

Freedom camping is alive and well in New Zealand.  As long as you are self contained (you can take care of your waste) you can camp on almost any public place.  This allows for some spectacularly isolated campsites.  Here we found a secluded spot beside a river bed and explored it in the morning when we stumbled across this rock.

This is me making a friend for the other Inukshuks in the riverbed. I pointed out a sign that said waterfall ahead. Even though we were in a hurry to find a campsite, we stopped. We found thousands of baby Inukshuks, and a few that were bigger. -Emma

We have came across many road signs but this one made us laugh...and drive a little slower.  Alas no little fellows on this stretch.

New Zealand is called The Land of the Long White Cloud.  It could easily be named The Land of Flowing Waterfalls.  So many stunning waterfalls around every corner.  Emma is exploring the river bed that lies downstream from Franz Joseph Glacier.

Towards Westport on the west coast of the South Island, we came across the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.  Over time caves and canyons have been shaped by persistent waves.  At high tide the incoming waves cause huge spouts of mist from crevices in the rocks. The rocks are called pancake rocks because they look like stacks of pancakes. 

After travelling for a couple of months in SE Asia, we've been a bit blown away by the prices in both Australia and New Zealand. Thankfully New Zealand has some incredible places where we've been able to camp for free, which is promoted as "Freedom Camping". Here I'm jumping for joy at the gorgeous beach we're camped at near Westport, and it didn't even have any sand flies.  We had a great meal of chicken with a curry sauce and a bottle of Pinot Noir made by Lynn with grapes nurtured and cared for by Gary. 

I was hoping for my last west coast sunset at this camping spot. I was disappointed that the beach faced north, but in the end the reflections off the clouds made it truly spectacular (this photo is basically facing east).

Wellington is New Zealand's capital and has lots going for it, from a massive natural harbour where we arrived on our ferry from the South Island, to a fantastic museum, Te Papa (the museum of New Zealand), and excellent nightlife. Our evening there included a free circus performance, sitting on the grass by the harbour with a nice locally made pale ale... very civilized!

This photo was taken at the top of the historic tram ride, where we found a great playground, and as usual some new best friends.