New Zealand to Australia

As I fly from Christchurch to Sydney I'm treated to a real-life slide show of the wonderfully beautiful and diverse landscapes I've seen in the last few weeks: the Southern Alps zig-zagging their way across the land, the atmospheric mist-ridden Marlborough Sounds and the luminous green valleys of the North Island. A single snow-capped peak majestically rises through a mass of clouds. On so many occasions I've been left speechless by the stunning landscapes. New Zealand is full of natural beauty and breathtaking scenery, a place where nature is the dominant force.

(Photo - Lake Tekapo)

Kaikoura, New Zealand

Today is perfect for whale watching. The skies are clear and the sea is calm. I'm lucky. As we cruise out I watch the depth gauge plummet from 90 metres to over 700 in a few seconds as we enter the canyon.

It's a successful day. I see a Humpback and a couple of Sperm whales. On the way back to shore a couple of Hector's dolphins porpoise by the boat. These are the smallest dolphins in the world and are very rare. It's the first time the crew have seen them in months so I feel doubly lucky.

www.seashepherd.org

Kaikoura, New Zealand

It's almost three hours to Kaikoura, a sleepy town on the coast famous for its marine wildlife. The town is stunning, backed by steeply rising snow-capped mountains. It used to be a quiet fishing town until Whale-watching trips began in 1987.

Kaikoura has an abundant marine life due to the deep underwater canyon near its coastline. At 1600 metres I'm told it could be the deepest canyon in the southern hemisphere. Warm and cold currents converge churning up nutrients from the ocean floor. Sperm whales are all year residents but other migratory whales sometimes make an appearance, as well as Orcas, dolphins and seals.

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

Views on the TranzAlpine route

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

Leaning out of the train to take this photo

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

It's raining when I arrive into Greymouth, just how I remember it a few weeks ago. Strangely enough someone tells me it's the first day it's rained in three or four weeks. Although it seems familiar, I have seen so much since I was last here, it also feels like a distant memory.

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

After Arthur's Pass we travel for 15 minutes through an 8.5km tunnel to Otira and from there through the fertile green valleys of the west coast to Greymouth. Along the way we pass several neglected mining towns.

Arthurs Pass, TranzAlpine, New Zealand

Arthurs Pass is much smaller than I expected. Looking out from from the platform where we stop for five minutes I can see a handful of houses nestled between some high green peaks. I had imagined it to be blanketed in deep snow.

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

An hour after leaving Christchurch and travelling through the flat, grassy Canterbury Plains, the train begins its climb through the Southern Alps. From Springfield the train travels through countless tunnels and viaducts, cutting through gorges and rivers all the way to Arthurs Pass.

TranzAlpine, New Zealand

I love travelling on trains so have been looking forward to the TranzAlpine. Rated as one of the ten best train journeys in the world, the TranzAlpine traverses the Southern Alps from coast to coast. I'm doing it in a day which means leaving Christchurch at 8.15am and arriving in Greymouth at 12.45. The train departs Greymouth at 1.45 and arrives back in Christchurch at 6.05.

International Antarctic Centre, Christchurch

Since my visit to Antarctica last year I have been fascinated by all things related to the Great White Continent.

The International Antarctic Centre is the home of the US, Italian and New Zealand Antarctic Programmes. Although South America is closer to Antarctica at 1000 km, New Zealand is the second closest at 3832 km and the place from where 70% of researchers and scientists depart. At the centre I take an audio guide narrated by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest. The centre has an Antarctic simulated storm that takes place every hour in a snow and ice chamber. The room temperature starts at -5 degrees Celsius and builds up a wind chill factor of -18 degrees Celsius with the storm 'peaking' at 40 km per hour.

I'm reminded of what an extraordinary place Antarctica is - the coldest, driest, windiest and highest place on earth. The coldest temperature ever recorded was minus 89 degrees Celsius at the Russian base Vostok. It also holds 90% of the world's ice providing 70% of the world's freshwater. If the ice sheet melted completely, the sea would rise 60 metres flooding many coastal cities.

Christchurch, New Zealand

The Arts Centre is an impressive complex of educational buildings, shops, cafes, a cinema and theatre. At the weekends it hosts a small craft market. It feels strange to be in a western market after visiting so many indigenous markets in South and Central America.

Christchurch, New Zealand

I wander down to Cathedral Square and visit Christchurch Cathedral that, according to my guide, has an impressive rose window. After struggling to find it I notice it's lying behind heavy scaffolding.

I climb the 130-odd steps to the bell tower for views of Christchurch but I'm disappointed. The views aren't that impressive or is it Christchurch that isn't? Walking into the chapel I notice a prayer board where people have posted hand-written prayers, mostly wishing for loved one to recover from illness. I'm in tears immediately and need to leave the church.

Christchurch, New Zealand

Leaving Lake Tekapo the bus travels through the flat Canterbury Plains. My last stop is Christchurch, the most English of New Zealand's cities. When I arrive I hear it's the only place in the country where it's raining.

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Ice crystals

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

After a quick drink at the Observatory on the summit I walk the long way back via the lake front. By the time I arrive at the shore the fog has returned blanketing everything in a white veil.

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lake Tekapo is a deep sapphire blue but takes on a more turquoise tinge in the summer months. This is due to 'rock flour' sediment in the water. When the lake was gouged out by a stony-bottomed glacier, the grinding action produced fine particles that ended up being suspended in the glacial melt water, which refracts the sunlight giving it the brilliant colour.

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

By midday the fog has dissipated a little so I decide to walk up Mount John, as I'll run out of time otherwise. I manage to completely miss the starting point of the track and walk for ten minutes around the lake before I know that I've taken a wrong turn.

Back at the starting point which I had walked past (still not sure how I missed it) it's an hours trudge through pine forest up a winding track to the summit. I'm relieved it's a far easier walk that the Queenstown Hill Time Walk. Although the cloud lingers over the lake, the summit is completely clear which looks a little strange. Slowly the cloud clears to reveal deep blue skies and a gleaming sapphire-coloured Lake Tekapo.

(Photo - a layer of cloud hangs below the summit of Mount John)

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Lakefront Backpackers is the noisiest hostel I've stayed in - paper thin walls and squeaky beds, but at least it's warm. I had planned to walk up Mount John today but when I look out of the window everything is shrouded in thick fog. Stepping outside all is white and visibility is down to a few metres. There's no point walking up the hill so I walk back to the Church of the Good Shepherd as there isn't a lot else to do in Tekapo.