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Photos from New Zealand
December 26, 2006 | by Heidi | Filed under
I've spent the past two weeks exploring the north island of New Zealand in a small camper van. It is a Toyota Hiace to be exact, and comes equipped with a steering wheel on the right side, dual burner propane stove, dorm-sized refrigerator and freezer and enough room for me to stand without having to hunch over. I thought I'd post a few of my favorite photos from the early part of the trip.
Sheep are everywhere and not just on farms or in fields, you see them in side yards and on lawns in some residential areas too. They were surprisingly evasive and camera shy, bolting anytime I came within 100 feet of them despite the fact that I had no shears in hand.
The area surrounding Napier (famous for the Hawkes Bay wine region) had miles and miles of fruit-bearing orchards - apples and a wide range of stone fruits seemed favored. Growing up my dad would tell me about the orchards carpeting the area we lived (an hour south of San Francisco). The orchards were eventually replaced by what is now known as Silicon Valley. The area around Napier as well as many others we travelled through resemble California as I imagine it 40, 60, 80 years ago.
You find roadside fruit stands selling fruit and local produce everywhere you go. The avocados in the Northland region (the very top of the north island) rival the best California avocados. They were everywhere and reasonably priced - these were on the expensive side ($1.90 NZ), but maybe you were paying a premium for the pretty pink room the lived in and the wicker basket?
Big sink of emerald-accented mussels at the Auckland fish market.
Kiwi's call the Northland the winterless North - amusing to us as we watched spear fishermen head for the water in inch-thick wetsuits. This whole region was once covered with dense jungle and Kauri forests before much of it was cleared for lumber and farmland. The coastal areas, vibrant blue shell-lined bays, and isolated beaches add yet another dimension to the landscape. This shot is a wall of jungle reaching skyward from the edge of our campground. A theatre of birds entertained from the canopy with exotic calls late into the night.
A camouflaged trailer parked at forest's edge near a popular tourist attraction. You see all sorts of funny and funky custom campers and camper vans around New Zealand.
Taking a few photos of the massive kauri trees. Later that night we went on a midnight forest hike and spotted a couple kiwi birds in the wild.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. Thank you for your immense generosity in relation to the Menu for Hope fundraiser, we were able to raise over $58,000 dollars for the UN World Food Programme because of your support.
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Your Comments
fanny said:Hi Heidi,
I'm so *happy* you shared these beautiful pictures and writing about NZ as I'm going to study over there next february!
Have lovely xmas holidays,
- fanny
How about a picture of your crazy cute little camper van? It sounds awesome.
New Zealand is great!!!
Sounds like fun! Next time, I can go as your luggage!! LOL!!
As they say, there are more sheep than people over that side. One can also experience shearing in some farms, if you're interested.
Thanks for sharing your lovely photos of NZ. There's more to explore in South Island. The country is truly picturesque.
Be safe. :)
Looks like an awesome break - my mates just got back to Oz after a holiday break in NZ as well and they have some awesome photos (though this is the first I've seen of those amazing mussels)!
I went to the South Island several yrs ago and found it to be as awesome as your North Island adventure... thanks for sharing your pics
Ditto for a picture of your camper! I am not into camping (my idea of camping is staying at the nearest Holiday Inn) but i do enjoy other people's camping adventures. Keep us posted on pictures!!!.
Ok, I'll try to pull some of the campervan shots off the various cameras in the next few days - I'll post a link when they are up. It was great. It'll be hard to go back to tent camping.
Happy holidays, -h
Kia ora, Heidi, you're making me nostalgic for my home country. Hope the weather is being kind for you. It's been pretty "unseasonal" according to my rellies there. Mind you, Christmas Day here in Melbourne, Australia was a pathetic 16C - after mid 30s earlier in the week when I was visiting the markets.
Avacados are only expensive at certain times of the year. Our Sunday market is selling them at .50cents each this month. Great to hear you had a nice time Heidi. Sorry we weren't in Auckland to show you around.
Hello from Sydney :) Great Photos Heidi!! Feel like packing my bags and heading there, I have heard it is truly unspoilt and beautiful!!
New Zealand's North Island is one of the special places on earth. We spent some time near Rotorua, which was lovely. I remember buying kiwi fruit from roadside stands -- a bag of perhaps two dozen for (at the time) $2! I learned to eat them with the skin in, the way everyone we met in NZ ate them. Enjoy the rest of your trip, and thanks for posting these beautiful photos.
I really enjoyed the photo's. Makes me want load up and go there! Thanks for sharing.! Have a safe and fun trip, there, and on your way back home. Judy
Hi Heidi
My wife and I have been thinking about moving to New Zealand, but are having trouble deciding. It seems like a beautiful place to live, but we have concerns. One is that there seems to be a bit of social (and even racial) tension due to the extremely large number of immigrants. What do you think from your experience there?
I still remember all of the orchards. They were 2 blocks from our house in Santa Clara. Now, they are all car dealerships. Progress.
Great photos. How do you manage to keep posting while travelling in a camper van? I have been on the road a lot lately and it's all i can do to update my blog when I get home.
What are you cooking?
iam really happy to see the newzeaaland...
thankyou..
Wow. Those avocados and mussles have me salivating. I'll take some of both. Have a great time.
Hello from Mauritius, enjoyed your pics. Beautiful country isn't it? Seems quite a nice place to live, have been documenting myself quite a lot since a few months coz am thinking of moving over there to live, maybe next year. Anyway wish you a Happy New Year and enjoy yourself......
What beautiful photos. Very inspiring!
A mix of random shots from the trip, with a few of the camper van in there - notice on one there is the phone number for the Maui rentals: http://www.flickr.com/photos/heidiswanson/sets/72157594443915320/
Typically when I travel I bring a small laptop with me so I can hop onto any available wi-fi network (finding those networks tends to be an adventure in itself)....one of the holiday parks we stayed at had a wi-fi network so I could upload pictures or post or email from the van if I wanted to.
Doug, have you traveled to New Zealand? It is hard to say what it would be like to live here. In terms of racial tensions and immigration I suspect every community and city is different and it can be hard to get a sense of it when you are traveling quickly through a large number of towns the way we have been on this trip. If I were you I'd spend as much time as you can afford in the city you are thinking of moving to before deciding to pull the trigger or not. Maybe some of the kiwi readers of this site will chime in with some insight....
What beautiful photographs! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. What a beautiful country.
Gorgeous photos... Thanks for letting is travel with you through your photographs!
Hi there...
Came accross your website a while ago and have been getting your weekly emails...I have a great passion in food and cooking...although not professionally trrained...I am an architect, I have recently managed to do a couple of catering gigs doing canapes...what an adrenaline rush!..I was just wondering if I could ask you what sort of camera you are using for your photos as I am considering buying a new one. Also....I am compiling my ideas/ recipes and was wondering if you had any tips on how to start writing a cook book!...Thanks!
Lovely photos! They are breathtaking!
Lovely photos!Hope you had a great time.Wishing you and all the others a very happy and prosperous new year!
congrats on the menu for hope!
I hope you are enjoying your trip. I have no doubt. Wonderful pictures of this beautiful country. I cannot wait to be back there, not long to wait!
This comment is for your last post -- cranberry jam. I couldn't figure out how to post a new comment (perhaps because it was from the archives?) so please excuse the misplaced comment but I made your jam this weekend and it was wonderful. I'd love to know, if you have the information, how long you would process the jam in 1/2 pint or pint jars if you were to process it? I'm alway weary to attempt canning without specific information for fear of poisoning my friends!
-S.
www.cookbookcatchall.blogspot.com
I have never been to New Zealand but I have always wanted to visit there. Fabulous pictures!
Hey Heidi,
Hope you are on your way to recovery from your visit to NZ. I would like to chime in about the "moving to NZ" post. As you know, originally from SF we moved to NZ 5 years ago exactally. We are a pretty libral American family of Euro decent who chose NZ because it seems like one of the last places on earth where things are normal. I have many opinions on many topics but regarding racial issues I would say that it varies quite a bit. City vs. rural living for example. We have experienced some racial or even cultral problems while here that are more in line with 1960's mentality of immigration. I think the Asian population is growing quickly in Auckland and Wellington and so there are more heated racist ideas there but I can't say from first hand experience. Still, compared to the US or France or Germany - it is all very minor.
Kat said:Hi Heidi, Doug,
as a kiwi I would like to contribute to this thread - I agree with Hadley that it really does depend where, and that in comparison to many other countries it is hardly an issue. Am currently living in one of Germany's biggest cities, and am finding that it takes time to get used to the difference. I would take Heidi's advice and check out where you would like to live - and as Hadley pointed out, Auckland and Wellington are growing rapidly with immigrants, and yes it does create racial tension - but it's all relative.
With your concerns, I would recommend the south island, as it also doesn't have quite the same big city mentality. Depends where you would like to live for which reasons, but Christchurch and Dunedin are very nice, as is Wanaka (as opposed to Queenstown very tourism-oriented). Myself, I come from Nelson, which is small but large enough to have a lot to offer, and is very laid back.
Hope this helps!
goooood pics., u can get a nice photos than this when u come to india
It's really fantastic, mind blowing photographs Haldi. I wish i could ever visit that place.........
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