We set off to Denmark in the late morning. The GPS reassured us that the destination was on an unpaved road which is always a good sign when you’re in a foreign country for the first time. We were planning on doing some wild camping, a first for Hendrik and I. A good few hours into the ride we realized we forgot our pillows. A GPS search lead us to an Ikea near Hannover where we bought pillows and had a late lunch/early dinner, people go crazy for their meatballs, Hendrik included. When we crossed the Danish boarder we had to drastically reduce our speed and watched the dark clouds filled with water roll above us. It was going to rain, the question was when.
I had found a park on the internet where people are allowed to camp for free and progressively the GPS lead us through narrower and smaller roads until we reached a muddy unpaved road surrounded by a farm field. Hendrik who has always jumped to the opportunity to drive off road didn’t hesitate for a second and the wheels were pushing through the mud when I said, “won’t we get stuck?” We didn’t, but the road was a bumpy mess but shortly we entered a wooded area with a small parking lot. The continuing road was forbidden for cars so I suggested we set the tent up in a small clearing surrounded by trees steps away from the parking lot. We were able to set the tent up in the quickly dimming light right before it got too dark to do so comfortably.
The night was not pleasant, and I was far too paranoid waiting for the rain and thinking about road pirates to dose off into a long deep sleep. I kept hearing “footsteps” and waves of wind as it passed through the treetops forcing water to fall on our tent tricking me into thinking it was raining.

In the heart of the deep dark forest

I called the airport the first thing in the morning to see if we could go for a flight, and we went back on the plane.  Even though we did a B-line to the falls we were able to get another good look at Kakadu since the falls were at the furthest point of the flight tour.  The weather was much better today and we were able to see Jim Jim and Twin Falls in all their beauty.  The flight is a definite must in Kakadu during the Australian summer months since there is no access to most sites.  The flight was the highlight of Kakadu for all of us.

Jim Jim Falls

Twin Falls

After the flight we drove down to Cooinda, had lunch, and went on the Yellow Water River Cruise.  There are 2 entrances for this cruise one for the summer and one for winter, because of the varying water levels during these two seasons.  On the cruise we were really able to see the sheer amount of water.  When we went by the second dock only the handrails were peeking through the water.  This cruse is very different in the summer and winter.  During the winter the main attraction are crocodiles, which we unfortunately did not see. Now the river was too wide and the water was spread out.  Since crocs like to be near dry land they go to the edges of the river, and therefore, they can be seen during the winter since the river is much narrower and they have to be near water to survive.  The flooded landscape, though, is very beautiful and to see the difference between the seasons (since it was obvious to see where the river was in dry season) was the most fascinating for me.

The flooded land and railings

There were also many different and interesting birds such as king fishers, darters, sea eagles, and jacanas or as most people like to call them, Jesus birds, since they seem to be able to walk on water.  We also saw a Jabiru’s nest which was huge, but no Jabiru.

A Darter drying its wings

After the cruise we noticed that large green ants had tried to take over our car but luckily it was bigger than they were so we quickly got in hoping they wouldn’t get inside and drove off.  We drove south through the park towards the other exit and those ants clung onto anything they could find.  Many found refuge from the wind in the side mirrors.  We stopped at the Bukbukluk Lookout and after just getting out of the car it started to rain.  My dad turned back, but Hendrik and I decided to go to the lookout since it was only a short distance from the car park.  Just as we reached the lookout it began to properly pour and we were soaked in no time.  The rain felt nice in the humid weather since it was warm and at least we got to physically experience the wet season.  Of course, there was nothing to see at the lookout because of the storm.  When we came back to the car, it had stopped raining and some of the ants were still there crawling on our car.

Ants on our car

All throughout the park were huge termite mounds which were really impressive because of their size and the number of them in Kakadu.  Close to the exit of the park I took a picture with one.

Then we drove back to Darwin.  It was a very quiet drive on a straight road and we hardly passed another car.  That evening we saw the most spectacular sunset in the abandoned wilderness from the road.

Rain it did.  We woke up to pitter patter in the morning and we didn’t see sun for the next 24 hours.  We weren’t happy about the precipitation but Franz Josef Glacier Guides gave us socks, boots, pants, hat, gloves, raincoat, and we were off – off on a 1.5 hour steep difficult hike.  We were divided into three groups for fast athletic people, medium pace and slow.  Hendrik and I chose to go into the slow group but soon realized that we were the fastest group.  Since we were the last group to head out we had to cover the same ground as the rest of the groups in the same amount of time, so I pretty much had to jog to keep up with my short legs.  We hiked trough the woods all the while the rain pelted down.  At one point the terrain was so steep there were ropes tied to the trees so there was something we could grab on to.  The rain had made it a muddy slide so it was one thing going down but I feared going back up the rest of the day.  I was exhausted after the hike, and we had just made it to the base of the glacier.  I wish they would have forewarned us about the hike because I had no idea it was going to be so tough.

I was pretending to enjoy the hike

There we put on spikes called crampons onto our shoes and we were off hiking up the glacier.  The first part of the glacier wasn’t too nice since the ice is mixed with lots of mud and rocks so it hardly looks like a glacier.  The higher we hiked the prettier it got, even in the rain.  Some of the ice was so incredibly blue that I’ve never seen ice like that in real life only in pictures.  In some parts, it was pretty magnificent and stunning but I’m still not sure the effort was worth it.  I would definitely splurge on a helicopter if I had to do it again.  Being cold and wet while hiking strenuously was not my idea of a good time. They also offered a ½ day tour which is useless because you don’t even get to the pretty part of the glacier but just stay on the muddy part, and a ¾ day which we wanted to do but it wasn’t being offered this day.

We did not stop for lunch and had to eat while hiking.  Even though it was raining, I would have appreciated a break.  Our guide was very nice and cheery, and I had no idea how she managed to do this every single day.  She not only had to hike the route every day but carve paths out for us in the ice with a giant pick.  She didn’t even mind the rain and said that it rains two out of every three days so statistically we had a good chance of rain.  The guide found nooks and crevices for us to take pictures in which were extremely claustrophobic but also surreal, to be completely surrounded by huge walls of ice.  The whole time Hendrik was worried about his camera since he had a new EOS camera and it wasn’t waterproof.  We did our best to keep it covered, but there was only so much we could do in the pouring rain especially since we wanted to take pictures.  I told him that it survived acid rain so it should survive regular rain.

Posing with the pick

There were a few scary points along the way.  Occasionally there were holes in the ice and if you would fall in there would be no help.  It would be almost impossible to rescue someone because of the flowing water and shifting ice.  We saw how quickly something can disappear when the other guide who was being trained accidentally dropped his pick, which is really huge, into one of those holes.  It vanished instantly though he poked and scoped the hole for a while with no success.  This is why it was necessary to go with a guide because if you are not familiar with the glacier and its patterns it is very dangerous.  On the way back Hendrik and I were a bit behind the group, only about 20 paces, but since we didn’t know the path the group had taken we didn’t know how to catch up because to us there did not seem like there was a path.  I slipped and fell down a short wall.  At least there weren’t any holes at the bottom, and I wasn’t hurt, but it was just scary to feel so out of the element.  Our guide immediately came and helped us to the rest of the group, and I stayed at the front for the rest of the time.

Us in a crevice

That night, it was wonderful that our campsite had a spa since I was in pain.  Spas seemed to be really popular in New Zealand and almost every single campsite had a spa.  I debated which visit to the glacier I had enjoyed more and couldn’t decide but what I did know is that I was in less pain after tequila night.

View from the glacier

Throughout the night, I woke up numerous times to pelting rain and by morning it was still going. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take a “rain day” because we had a schedule to keep. Solemnly we headed down the Southern Route and when we reached our first scenic stop – Waipapa Point, the rain had miraculously stopped. It was a beach where fur seals came to rest, but our expectations were not too high since we had been unlucky to see many animals on our trip. We were pleasantly surprised to see quite a few fur seals, and I had never seen the animal so up close and personal before.

By the next stop, Curio Bay, it was partly sunny.  It was a petrified forest and it was not only interesting for the fossilized wood but also for the many penguins which lived on it.

Right next to Curio Bay was Porpoise Bay, where ironically there weren’t any porpoises but the bay was famous for Hector’s Dolphins which came to play there. They didn’t come to close but we were able to spot their fins occasionally popping out of the water. We did see another seal there to which we got a bit too close, and he chased us away barking. It was pretty scary to see an angry seal.

One angry fur seal

Again ironically, we stopped by a waterfall in Niagara and had lunch there as well. Unfortunately we could not go to the Cathedral cave since it was only opened in low tide and we came by too late. Our last stop was Jake’s Blowhole, and I don’t know who Jake is but I concluded he couldn’t have been very important.

"Niagara Falls"

It was quite a hike to get to the hole through sheep pastures where we had to avoid sheep droppings with every step. The hole was deep but very unspectacular and not worth the hike. I think there would have to be a hurricane, tornado, or tidal wave to make the hole blow the 50 promised meters, and in that weather I wasn’t going to hike to it.

I thought this could be a set for a horror movie.

The scenery was pretty nice and we got a few close-up snaps of sheep, which is a necessity for a NZ tourist. Then we were off to Dunedin.

Awwww

We woke up to rain the next day in Taupo.  Taupo itself is a very unimpressive town and actually everything in it is rather unimpressive after visiting White Island and the Thermal Wonderland.  It would have been better to first do Taupo and then the others for the build up but that’s not how they are positioned on the map.  We first went to Huka Falls, which would have probably been a million times better in the sun since the water was such a gorgeous color of turquoise, but it was still pretty.  Without the color, the falls would be pretty ordinary.

Huka Falls

Next we went to the Wairakei geothermal power plant lookout.  This is probably the most interesting thing in Taupo, and from the lookout you can see all of its massive pipes stretch far and wide.  Then we also went to the dam but we didn’t know when it was opened so we were there when it was closed so it was rather unimpressive, but I’m sure if we had gone there during opening times it would have been pretty spectacular.

Wairakei Geothermal Power Station

The last stop in Taupo was the Craters of the Moon which is definitely Taupo’s advertised highlight.  We saw in brochure that it used to be free to enter but now they charge $5 which I think is reasonable.  It wasn’t nearly as awe inspiring as Wai-O-Tapu or White Island but it had its charm and even though we weren’t too impressed it ended up being a rather photogenic place.

Craters of the Moon

We were done with Taupo before noon and we had planned to stay the whole day but there just wasn’t enough to do.  We decided to drive south since the Tongariro crossing was planned for the next day and that was south and there was another thermal walk in Tokaanu, which is at the opposite end of Lake Taupo.  No one really wanted to do another thermal walk but I really liked the thermal region and we had nothing better to do.  After a bit of trouble we found it.  I loved it and thought it was way better than Craters of the Moon.  It was full of boiling pools and in the mist of the rain they looked spectacular and I couldn’t take enough pictures.

Tokannu Thermal Area

In Turangi we stopped by a café called The Mustard Seed which was adorable and had really great desserts.  It helped lighten the mood a bit from the rain but then we went to the info center across the street to ask about the Tongariro crossing, the lady said that rain was forecast for the next two days at least.  No one was set on doing the hike in the rain so we decided to go to Napier instead.

Tokannu Thermal Area

The road to Napier would have been amazing if there weren’t so many low overhanging clouds, so we didn’t get too much from that either.  As we crossed the mountains the sky cleared and the sun shown and when we reached Napier there wasn’t a trace of rain.  We stayed at the Top 10 which was great since they had trampolines, a jumping pillow, and a swimming pool.  We were set.  When we went to get dinner though the whole town was dead and only one restaurant, Singapore Restaurant, was open so we didn’t have to make too many decisions and went there for dinner.

We were picked up at our campsite in the morning by a huge 4wd green bus and were brought to the ferry which then took us to Fraser Island. It was overcast so we knew it would either be raining shortly or the clouds would break and the sun would shine though, of course we were hoping for the latter. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and there is only one very short paved road there so, therefore, you need a 4wd to get around it. The main highway of the island is actually the beach which runs along the whole east coast of the island.

Our bus

We first stopped at the Yidney Rainforest which is the only rainforest on the Island which had not been logged since it was the last one which was supposed to be logged. Logging started in 1863, being initiated by American Jack Piggott and ended in 1991. In 1992 the island became a world heritage site. The rainforest is home to some spectacular plants and trees which our tour guide, Kirk, was excited to talk about. He loved the Island and it seemed that he knew everything about it. He was one of the best tour guides I’ve had on a tour, and he talked non-stop for two days which was impressive. We had a nice walk through a part of the rainforest, but we got eaten by mosquitoes which wasn’t too fun. We were told over and over again to “only leave footprints and only take pictures,” so I didn’t think killing mosquitoes really fell into that motto, but nevertheless I squashed a fair share.

As we rode the bus to the place where we would have lunch the rain started to come down and by the time we were supposed to get out of the bus and have lunch it was pouring. It was the kind of rain that gets you soaked in seconds. We all ran to the restaurant and had a buffet lunch and hoped that this was just a shower, but no such luck, it just kept coming down.  I was really upset because I was really looking forward to relaxing in Eli Creek. Eli Creek is the largest creek on the east coast of the island and you can walk to the top via a boardwalk and then use it as a lazy river to get back. I put my bathing suit on before getting back on the bus just in case.

After lunch we went to 75 mile beach which is the highway and even runway but it’s not good for swimming because of dangerous currents and Tiger sharks. We spent most of our time on Fraser Island driving along this beach. It was still raining and a bit chilly when we got to Eli Creek. I first waded into the clear clean stream with my umbrella and when I reached the top of the boardwalk I really wanted to ride the creek back. My clothes were already damp from the rain so I figured I can either be wet and swim, or I can just be wet, so I went for it. The rest of the group thought I was crazy, but I thought, “Screw you rain, why should you ruin my fun?” One other guy followed as well so there were two of us in the creek. It was very relaxing to lie in the water letting it do with me what it wanted, until I hit a root, which was painful. The water was warm, the surrounding silent, and the pitter patter of the rain on my face didn’t bother me at all. It was one of my favourite moments on the island. The rain was probably a blessing in disguise because our tour guide said that on nice days the creek is jam packed with people, or maybe he was just trying to make me feel better. I was a bit chilly after and moist the whole day, but I would have been moist anyway since I happened to have the seat in the bus under a leak.

Eli Creek

The next stop was the S.S. Maheno wreck which was shipwrecked on the island in 1935 while it was being towed after its retirement. We saw before pictures so we could compare and see the drastic effects of salt water and wind in less than 100 years. We also learned that soon after it became beached a wedding was held on it because it was still a beautiful ship. I thought that was a very original wedding location.

Maheno Wreck

The next site was at the Champagne Pools which on a nice day would be a cool swimming spot and people asked me whether I was going to go for another dip. Because the weather was so bad the waves crashed into the pool and caused too much motion so I thought it looked a bit too dangerous to go swimming since it was really rocky, but I did go for a wade.

Champagne Pools

That night we stayed at a campsite where we had a bbq dinner, played cards, and hoped for a sunny day the next day. We slept in tents but they were permanent tents with wooden floors, double beds, and nightstands so they were comfortable except that I could hear everything outside such as the pop pop pop of the rain on the canvas and worse the loud rainforest birds really early in the morning, so I didn’t sleep too much because of that and because I always have trouble sleeping in new places.