In December 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman sighted New Zealand. Tasman never actually set foot on land, leaving straight after Maori killed four of his men soon after their arrival.
“Can there be any harm in eating our enemies, whom we have killed in battle?” Maori told Captain Cook’s men years later.
Behaviour and culinary preferences have dramatically changed through the centuries.
However, animal, bird life and landscape have changed little even though new predators have been introduced to the island and earthquakes seem to be more frequent.
The transalpine train journey through Arthur’s Pass from east to west passes through Arthur’s Pass village. This is where my journey in New Zealand’s South Island began.
Arthur’s Pass village consists of one street with a grand total population of 40. It opens to a network of tracks such as Bridal Veil track, Avalanche Peak and Devil’s Punchbowl, which vary in duration and difficulty but have similar scenery – rainforests, meandering rivers and waterfalls.
At Devil’s Punchbowl, water gushes down as it separates into large jets tumbling into the pool below. This is the longest waterfall in this area.
In the village, the loved yet dreaded parrot-like kea glides down the length of the one street with great speed. These self-confident, fearless birds love destroying rubber seals on car doors, wipers and anything they can lay their strong beaks on.
I met keas again on Frans Josef glacier where I joined a guided group to walk up the first part. We made our way through ice and snow and along crevices in the blue compressed ice, with the help of crampons attached to our boots.
The tops of Franz Josef, Fox and Tasman glaciers, as well as Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, can be reached by experienced climbers or seen from helicopters which land on the top of Franz Josef glacier – 32 square kilometres of surreal white ice and snow edged by black mountain peaks.
Further south on the west coast, Queenstown is ‘the adventure capital of the world’ – bungee jumping, white water rafting, skydiving and more can be done here.
“You don’t have to be crazy to do this sort of thing, but it helps,” a Kiwi (New Zealander) told me as we watched people in wetsuits holding on to their boards as they braved the white waters in a river in Queenstown.
Travellers looking for less intense adrenaline doses opt for tramping (trekking), which can be done in many parts of New Zealand.
“This is a piece of paradise,” a 20-year-old Israeli traveller told me on the second day of the Kepler track in Fiordland National Park.
We were walking on Mount Luxmore ridge with sheer drops on both sides – to our south were the plains and to our north the fjords where dense white clouds had started to dissipate in the late morning. The track ascends to Mount Luxmore (1,472 metres) and descends through beech, podocarp forest and wetland, then along Lake Manapouri.
Lake Manapouri also leads to some of New Zealand’s fjords (sounds). These magnificent meandering waterways towered over by tree-covered mountains stretch out for miles.
The best way to see them is on an overnight cruise in Doubtful Sound. Although Doubtful Sound is the largest fjord in this area, it is the least frequented. When it rains (which is very often) the number of waterfalls increases to an incredible total of 30,000.
Bottlenose dolphins, Fjordland crested penguins, fur seals and blue penguins can be seen here.
There is also a great abundance of fish. Helen, the skipper’s mum, taught me how to fish and I soon pulled a blue cod out of the water. However, I threw it back in as we had caught enough fish and crayfish for dinner that evening.
The sheltered waters of the fjords lead out to the roaring 40s where Stewart Island – larger than Malta but with a population of just 350 – is found. The island is dotted with deserted sandy beaches along its coast.
Like other beaches in New Zealand, once you sit on the sand, sandflies attack with a relentless vengeance – hence the deserted beaches.
Ulva Island, 10 minutes away by ferry, is a bird sanctuary. A New Zealand robin greeted me by pecking at my shoes, and then flew fluttering its wings at eye level as if to check me out, before resting on my head. High pitched chirping and lots of different birds can be heard and seen while walking along the paths through this rainforest-covered island.
More birds and animals can be seen outside the city of Dunedin in the Otago Peninsula, southeast of the South Island. This peninsula is the home of albatross colonies, blue penguins and New Zealand fur seals.
Albatross, with their three-metre wingspan, glide a few metres away from people in the afternoon as the wind picks up. At Pilots Beach, young male fur seals spend their day catching fish, sleeping and fighting. Blue penguins leave their burrows at daybreak, spend the day fishing and return as it gets dark to feed their young.
In Oamaru, blue penguins come up the streets to feed their young in crevices underneath shops while people drink at the pubs nearby. Oamaru is a quirky Victorian town which was prosperous in the 19th century during the gold rush.
Entering some of the shops in this town is like stepping back into the Victorian era. You can buy Victorian collectible items and clothing from a very old woman who still spins and weaves on her old spinning wheel and loom. There are also old sweet shops, dairy shops and wine cellars.
The beauty and peaceful laid-back environment of the towns, countryside and national parks in New Zealand are counterbalanced by the destructive forces of the earth’s movement. New Zealand lies on the Ring of Fire, where two tectonic plates grind into each other, creating an area of seismic instability.
Earthquakes are therefore inevitable. Nevertheless, this does not prevent tourists from flocking in every day to see and experience this far off land of abundance and diversity.