Journal: Pages 23-24
- NORTH ISLAND
- 1. Auckland
- 20. Pokeno - Matamata
- SOUTH ISLAND
- 2. Christchurch
- 3. Arthur's Pass
- 4. Hokitika
- 5. Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers
- 6. Haast (Haast River & Beach)
- 7. Wanaka (Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea)
- 8. Queenstown (Lake Wakaipu)
- 9. Te Anau (Lake Te Anau)
- 10. Milford Sound
- 11. Alexandra
- 12. Milton
- 13. Catlins Forest Park - Purakaunui Falls (Owaka)
- 14. Dunedin - Otago Peninsula
- 15. Oamaru (Moeraki Boulders)
- 16. Timaru - Tamuka
- 17. Geraldine
- 18. Peel Forest (Fern Walk, Big Tree)
- 19. Lake Coleridge - Mt Olympus (not reached)
- (a) Southern Scenic Route
- (b) Inland Scenic Route
THE NO-NONSENSE, NO-FRILLS ROADS OF NEW ZEALAND
The roads of NZ are constantly maintained -- as attested by the numerous work sites along the highways -- to keep up with their relentless use as well as the unforgiving weather. That said, the Kiwis are certainly not spending one extra dollar on their public works if they can help it. Most rural bridges remain old, wooden SINGLE-LANE structures that presume the civility of the drivers* to assure traffic flow. Some roads to key tourist attractions (e.g., those of Catlins Forest Park) are either unsealed or not resealed, though signs still stand. Signs that tell you how far you are from your impending destinations appear only at road junctions. Worst of all, there are NO barriers of any sort along some mountain and coastal highways, welcoming any unwary driver an one-way journey to the depths below.
*Give the New Zealanders credit for being the most polite, hospitable and good-natured folks a traveler can ever have the pleasure to meet.
Dunedin: "done-KNEE-din" (reminds me of Tolkien's "Dunedain")
29th November '02, Friday: East Coast, Inland Scenic Route
Moeraki Boulders, shaped as hatched dragon eggs
Brief Fern Walk within Peel Forest Park, just off the Inland Scenic Route near Geraldine