Wow already 5 weeks in New Zealand and I still do not had time to write on the blog in one sentence ... you go from super good time and we visit an incredibly beautiful country! I'm really glad I chose NZ as a destination and I recommend everyone to think at least travel here someday! It's far but it is full of unique landscapes, good food, good wine, sheep and kiwi very friendly. The word kiwi means three things: the outcome that everyone knows, the night bird (one of the rarest in the world, endangered) and the inhabitant of New Zealand.
The months of October and November are still low season and is ideal for travel here, advantage of low season rates and it has ever need anything booked in advance ... the months from December to February are the best months, but there are too many toursits. Here is a summary of our trip so far. Cheers mates!
Our arrival in Auckland:
Aucland is the largest city in New Zealand, north of the North Island, cest where our plane landed 4 weeks ago. I do not have much to say about this city, I have neither loved nor hated it rained for 3 days. It's a big commercial city where a third of the inhabitants of NZ resident. It is also the city with the most large Polynesian population in the world (the Maori, the native New Zealand as in Hawaii). There is moreover a very high proportion of Asians, the city is like a big Chinatown. This town is nicknamed''The City of Sails''there is a very beautiful port with thousands of sailboats. Like Toronto, there is a kind of CN tower called the Sky Tower and you can bungee jump from the tower ... Ive already done the Bungee in Mexico but I reserve the Bungee jumping has Queestown, a jump of 134 meters, one of Bungee Jump largest in the world. New Zealand is like the extreme sports capital, has all the places we visit there are tricks of what to do extreme example Skydiving, white river rafting, jet boating etc.. They are intense Kiwis!
So after three days of rain we went to get our Wicked camper because in a suburb of Auckland, it was really anxious to roll up and see the country.
Our camp is because a small converted van, there are 2 PRELIMINARY benches and behind a bed, storage drawers for clothes and a small kitchen with a propane burner and sink (thats very small, but functional!) . We would live in this van for about 1 ½ months. If I picked the van nu (the Naked special) we had the first day free but I have not been able to do before a big daddy Kiwi 60. I'll try take me back to my Bungee jumping, it seems that there is a special for the Naked jumps haha. The Coromandels:
Here people drive on the left, haha we had fun was our first road trip of th day! Just leave the car to the grocery store was an adventure, cest Stephanie was driving and it always activates the wipers instead of the flashers!
After a while your brain gets used at the beginning we always think we are in the opposite direction and we're going to crash into the car which has sen ... at least the van is automatic shifter has not been of hand gauche.Apres ca few days becomes a habit and you think about rolling over on the left too ... stops and the lights almost ca nexist not always cest cest roundabouts really well why was not it in Quebec?
Our first destination was corommandels Peninsula, it was a march of 3
hours on the edge of the ocean cétait incredible! Since we are in New Zealand is almost always a trek (hiking) a day, sometimes two hours yesterday and we had a 5-hour Franz Joseph Glacier, jen hear about it later. We learned 2 things in this hike: we went to see beautiful scenery and the temperature can change in a snap. We left the big sun we came back from walking in a thunderstorm currents 
electric (there were no trees and it started to thunder loud enough right above us).
electric (there were no trees and it started to thunder loud enough right above us). The next day, people found themselves on the beach, digging it sest made our own little spa! A Whitianga volcanic soil and digging sand warm water (often boiling) out of the ground ... It Was Hot!
Jai su I quickly missed the naked back davoir special at the first fall we visited a 1 hour walk from our campsite. Leau was freezing! Our last stop of Coromandels: Tauranga and Mount Manganui ... an incredible view of
summit on the Bay of Plenty. I had the air of a good shepherd with the sheep that roam freely on the mountain by the way ... here there are 4.5 million inhabitants and 40 million sheep! Roturua and Tongariro National Park: We left
coast and white sand to move toward the volcanic center of the island. Roturua is a very popular tourist town alone, mostly for its hot springs and geysers. Cétait impressive, but it costs money to see one of two geysers in the region and cest toursits crowded, so jai most popular walking we did at Mount Rainbow after some 800 meters above sea level ... the view of Lake Taupo and of snowcapped volcanoes in the distance I liked more than the $ 40 spent to see the famous geyser (jai put pictures of the geyser on facebook). Tongariro National Park
The next photos are certainly among the most beautiful Travellers in New Zealand. The Tongariro National Park is the largest national park, with 3 beautiful snowcapped volcanoes. Cest notemment here that the film''The Lord of the Rings''was filmed. We were housed in a small village, Whakapapa (pronounced Fakapapa) at the foot of the 3 largest volcano, Mount Ruapehu summit covered by cloud has a altidude of 2797 meters.
The volcano erupts about every 10 years, and he erupted in 2007 therefore there was not really dangerous at this time, we then took a path of approx 2 hours to come together and find themselves exactly in the tracks that the lava left when the big eruption of 1996. We were warned to our campsite in case of eruption would sound an alarm in the city and lead us to a place, but it would be unlikely at this time. Moments after taking the pictures, just means an alarm in the village! It was made quite far but we could hear very clearly (like AC al'alarme bombing in the films of the 2nd World War). Haha, the face that has made this moment ... we s'aurait believed in a disaster movie. Stephanie pushed me back so I come down more quickly while I was watching the volcano ... arlame has finally stop and returned to the village we learned that this was only a fire alarm (they sound the alarm to warn firefighters of the village). Still I liked AC see some smoke out of the volcano!
The day after this episode, we made what will probably be one of the most beautiful hikes in our trip (and even our lives), the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a hike of 7 hours cruising the volcanoes Tongariro and .... (Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings, see pictures below, and no I have not seen Golum Alex;)). A climb of 2000 meters asshole and we were only a few meters of two active volcanoes
, it was possible to make an ascent of two volcanoes, but we were not equipped to do so (we would need crampons and ice picks). I think we beat a speed record, we managed to do the march supposedly in just 7 hours 5 hours! We even catches up people who had left an hour and a half before us. I think it would be ready for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010) ... at the top at 2000 meters, I found myself in the 2 feet of snow ... in Bermuda. This time there was no alarm to volcano! 
Wellington and the Marlborough Sounds:
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, and the trendy city of the country . The city is a mixture of politicians and artists tie flyes. Its also the richest city in NZ, here 1 in 20 people earning over $ 100,000 ... and as Montreal, it has the best nightlife in the country. Windy Welli as it is known (Windy City) is very similar to San Francisco ... a cable car, buses, electric Victorian houses, streets in 45 degree slopes and the bay of Wellington or hundreds of people take a ferry every day to visit the South Island. There is no bridge between the two islands of New Zealand, one must either take a ferry (3 hours in the Cook straigt, the cheapest option) or the plane ... or option the coolest take a plane and parachute between two islands to land on the South in Malboroug Sounds ... while your bags are flying an airplane. Cool no? We stayed one day in Wellington, we'll spend more time on our return to the North Island. It was still paid quite a trip Chow in the best Indian restaurant in the city, with a Naan bread will hmmm!
Arriving on the island of South Picton, a town of 4,000 inhabitants, it was soon eager to start the adventure. In the Marlborough Sounds, assuredly the most beautiful landscapes of NZ, there is a beautiful hike of 71 km, the Queen Charlotte Track. What makes it interesting, cest we can not make the drive down, take a Water Taxi ... cest means that walking is not very busy tourists. The day after our arrival in Picton, it was arranged with a company Water Taxi of us settle for that after the 71 km of the Marlborough Sounds, cest also a historic site or Captain James Cook set sail the ship Endeavour in 1770 ... he returned to this place 5 times the 
result, he loved this place from New Zealand and I understand why, cest heaven on earth! In addition, what was great is that we had made arrangements that our Water Taxi carried our luggage to our campsite, so we could travel light. The tourist comnpagnies are so well organized here, and always on time (and cheap!) ... The boat picked us up two days later, at and place where we had arranged for our departure by our friend Andy, a good mate this guy ... it's us who have to hurry, we walked about 20 km mountain in less than 4 ½ hours ! Kayaking Abel Tasman:
Abel Tasman is the sunniest region of New Zealand, this national park along the Tasman Sea is named after the first European to sail to Nova Zealand. White sand beaches, water infested with dolphins and seals NZ (and killer whales also but it just has it coming back) ... who could ask for better. Hiking Abel Tasman is one of the Great Walks of New Zealand, meaning you need to reserve our campsite on the website of the DOC (Department of Conservation) because there is a maximum of campers in the park per day . There are two ways to make the trek on foot or sea kayak ... we have chosen the kayak course!
Our original plan was 2 days of kayaks and had a day of walking again ... everything was really well organized, the kayak rental company brought our luggage to our campsites in
water taxi to and fro search our kayaks after the 2nd day. The first day was beautiful, blue skies and calm seas. It was fun approach our kayak seals and suddenly two little mischievous began to swim around it and jump out of water doing acrobatics and splashing us ... those two would have the summers of stars of Canada's Wonderland! We both laughed at the end of the day saw our bag in the middle of nowhere! but it was actually in the middle of a lake that, at low tide, was completely dry out ... the water taxi had left that morning and we had to go pick it up before the tide rises in the evening. So me and Stephanie found ca very funny to see our suitcase (not a backpacker packsac, but a large suitcase has wheels) like this in the sand somewhere unusual (that was in 10 minutes walk from the campsite), taking the bag along a black bird orange bill gets to us and yell louder ...
you do not realize it was in a place of nesting bird''and''wanted us décarpisse the bird as fast as possible. Stephanie, trying to scare al'oiseau, threw a tree branch near the bird but had not said its last word: he simply decided to give a flying assault ... our continued its long beak and piercing screams gave us was so startled that began to scream and run as fast as possible, leaving the bag behind us. Impossible thereafter to return to our case, the bird of misfortune has turned our pursuit of being approached a few feet, I almost eat a good peck in back of the head. It took cunning to be able to get hold of the bag, Stephanie created a diversion while I crawled on his belly ... and finally, the weird bird flew egg between its beak and then went to the table below ... to eat! I guess he felt he would lose the battle and decided to eat his egg, rather than having it stolen, but we only wanted one bag ... sorry our little bird! Westcoast and Glacier Country:
Beware of penguins on the next 5 km ... that is what we pencarte indicated in the beautiful rolling on Highway 6 to the Westcoast of the South Island. The road runs along the stunning Tasman Sea and is according to Lonely Planet in the top 10 most beautiful roads of the world. Number one: a state highway in the California Coast ... or we just drove there (already) 5 weeks. The two roads are alike when same lot, the Tasman Sea is rougher and it's wonderful to see the large waves crashing and unfurled on the rock ... but it does not roll more than 1 hour on the waterfront, while the road California runs for nearly five hours along the ocean. In New Zealand, there are roads more scenic''''I believe that the Westcoast, passing in the southern lakes and fiorlands we drove along the blue lakes bordered by incredible mountain peaks still covered in snow aus . I really look forward to visiting the Westcoast for here we find the 2 biggest glacier new zealand, Tai National Park also called Putin and Glacier Country, the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers are unique in the world, glaciers have never been so close to the ocean. Located in the middle of''Rainforest''has only a few kilometers from the sea, they offer a unique contrast and are jewels of nature. I knew it was possible to make excursions to glaciers by helicopter and I really wanted to know.
Arriving at Glacier, it was quickly appreçu that was good in a rainforest ... it rains! And when it rains, you can hardly see anything of glaciers and mountains around the ... Mount Cook, the ceiling of New Zealand to 3800 meters above sea level, in fair weather reigns among the mountains near the village of Fox Glacier and Franz, but bad weather and rain only allowed to see some trees and some glaciers (which look like large snow banks). So I have not made helihike, I was disappointed but at the price it costs, $ 400, I decided to keep my money for something else ... maybe a bungee jump of 134 meters, one of the world's highest, or during hand-gliding (paraplane I think in French), in Queenstown, the capital of extreme sports.
We still have 3 or 4 weeks in New Zealand, and I think the best is yet to come in Fiordland and Milford Sound, known as one of the most beautiful place in the world. I end with this beautiful picture of the Rob Roy Glacier, we could finally see the splendor dun glacier after a march of two hours in the forest, it was probably our most rewarding hike that day ... what a sight to get a tan before this monster of rock and ice, dune height of 2200 meters! avalanches were spectacular to watch (there were at 15-30 minutes) and the mountain parrots call Kia (very social, the only alpine parrots in the world, they also call clounes mountains and there remain only between 1000 to 5000) tried to take a mouthful of hair Stephanie ... it attracts all kinds Danimal (sheep, ducks, chickens) we think that it 'because his tuft of hair sealed off looks like a small animal fur.
Tuned
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