New Zealand - The Land of the Long White Cloud!

Aotearoa – the land of the long white cloud, which we commonly know as New Zealand, is a spectacular country in the southwest Pacific Ocean. A group of two main islands – the North and South islands, New Zealand is the place to be!

If you are want to enjoy and relax in the lap of nature, New Zealand is the perfect place for you!

We were in Christchurch after a long but pleasant journey of 18 hours. Christchurch is the official port for all Antarctica missions and our experience at its International Antarctica Centre got us as close to Antarctica as we could imagine in this lifetime! We were given special, cold Antarctica suits, gumboots, etc. before entering the cold chamber…slowly the temperature started dipping and at -8 degrees Celsius, even my bones started to shiver! I had to take cover inside as a snow-storm ensued and before we thought we would freeze like a mummy, blissfully, it came to an end! Never before, have I ever enjoyed any torture voluntarily and with so much fun! Next, we saw a parade of Penguins summersaulting into the water outside…too surreal!

Soon, we started for our next stop – Akaroa Cruise – to see those rare lovely bubbly Hector’s Dolphins! Our boat was small but very well kept and as it went into the sea along a mesmerizing volcanic coastline with a skyline, it left me breathless! I spotted a small lovely dog called Murphy and soon was told by our guide that Murphy can hear the Dolphins even before they are spotted by us. Soon we found out that this was true as Murphy became a bit restless and lo behold, we had company… Hector’s dolphins were on both sides of our boat…1, 2…a total of 6 of them all dancing to the tune of the waves and enjoying themselves. The pictures I took captured their spirit forever! Along the coastline, as we were returning back to the shore, we saw seals that appeared to be lying motionless in thought, slithering sea lions and the sky dotted with albatrosses returning home.

Another day and another adventure cruise at Doubtful Sound where we were taken to the middle of Fiordland National Park via Lake Manapouri. Nature was in its pristine avatar…even the ship’s engine was stopped for us to listen to the sounds of the waterfalls and native bird songs. Here, we spotted Bottlenose Dolphins and it almost seemed as if the place had never been touched by human endeavours!

Next, we hopped on to a once in a lifetime train journey aboard the TransAlpine rail from Christchurch to Greymouth via the ice-fed Waimakariri river, snow covered southern alps and a never-ending forest. The open coach allows one to feel the cold and view the alps in all their glory! The train even swept past heavy snow on the track and the five-hour journey etched an indelible imprint on my memory.

The Franz Josef Glacier with a beautiful rainbow and Coronet Peak at Queenstown with snow skiing were just unforgettable! Our road journey to Mt. Cook was quite a fright as it snowed heavily and we almost skidded having had no past experience in snow driving. Should have chained the tyres! As we sped through a snow storm and reached Christchurch just in time to catch our return flight to New Delhi, I found my spirit all pepped up with refreshing ‘new zeal’, ready to face the world again!