[hkskyline]

New Zealand - South Island

The recurring theme along the West Coast is the unique co-existence between rainforests and the moving glacier.





Further down the coast, I enjoyed an affordable lunch featuring a local specialty - whitefish!



Afterwards, I went crazy photographing the various forests, waterfalls, and sandfly hotspots.







But to be honest, the waterfalls were a bit of a let-down.



Glacial run-off also has a very unique blue colour just like the frozen form.



The sun had started to set on this late winter day as I approached the lakes near Wanaka. The scenery changed drastically from the prior few hours of driving. I budgeted 6-7 hours for the drive from Fox to Wanaka, anticipating lots of photo stops and short walks. I just needed to get to my hotel before the skies got dark.







Beautiful weather continued on the next day as I hiked up Diamond Lake. I was worried at first that the hike would drain my energy away and I wouldn't have much left to drive to Queenstown. Actually, I had thought of skipping Wanaka altogether but fellow travelers' advice suggested otherwise.







Queenstown! Even if you don't wake up seeing the lake, you can still take the cable car for a lovely aerial view of the town.



To avoid having my rental get stuck on the highway, I joined a cheaper but still expensive bus tour to Milford Sound. A crazy snowstorm arrived the night before, which closed the highway even as I boarded the bus tour. The driver expected the road to re-open in the morning, so we could still make the journey.





Once past Te Anau, the scenery along the Milford Highway turned spectacular. Traffic was sparse once again and we made several photo stops along the way.







But Mother Nature is powerful and works in unexpected ways. A tree fall stopped our journey so close to our cruise. We could not reach Milford Sound today.





I imagined NZ to be a land of the sheep, but it actually took some hard searching to find sheep farms. I suppose milk cows are a more valuable commodity these days.



Flush with cash from my tour refund, I got a rental car and drove east and north to close the Christchurch to Queenstown loop. I budgeted I could only get to Pukaki today and it would be a long day on the road. First stop was the Crown Range Road's lookout, which had nearly 0 visibility a few days earlier when I drove in the other way.



Lake Dunstan had a good reflection on the snow-capped mountains. The blue skies held for most of my stay in Queenstown and I was very, very grateful.



When I left Queenstown in the morning, there was an ice warning for the highway through the Lindis Pass. But with warmer temperatures and ample sun, I opted not to get snow chains and I was right. The roads were clear but there was still ample snow.







I arrived at Lake Pukaki in the early afternoon. The glacial runoff was quite incredible. The lake looked eeringly radioactive.



The next morning, I sqqueezed a drive to Glenorchy before my rental period was up. This "paradise" had beautiful lake and mountains views. Similar to the other roads I have driven on across the South Island, there were barely any cars around. I guess the other tourists haven't waken up yet.



Auckland

I added Auckland at the end of my South Island adventure to position for my flight back to Australia. This is not the place to admire natural beauty compared to what I had experienced the week earlier. It was just another city, but had American sprawl written all over it.



Fuzhou

Forgotten on the international tourist's itinerary, Fuzhou is close enough to Hong Kong for a long weekend getaway. The city is building up quite nicely, although the subway network is still very small. Give it a few more years and it will be much easier to get around.





Meanwhile, historic mansions have been refurbished and now charge an admission to keep the crowds out. That worked very well.







Kagoshima

How is it like to live next to an active volcano? Kagoshima has a beautifully-named but deadly neighbour.



Volcanic eruptions are a reality but authorities put a cute face to this persistent threat.



Remnants from past seismic activity are easily visible along the waterfront walk.



In this part of Japan, chicken sashimi is a specialty. I found this in a supermarket but was not brave enough to try.



Takachiho

Deep in the mountains is this town steeped in mythology and temples. Modern urban life seems to have disappeared long ago. Not all of Japan is a hyper-dense Tokyo.





Miyazaki

Domestic tourism to this coastal town has waned from its heydays. I didn't encounter that many tourists here either, which was weird because the coastline and rock formations were very interesting.









Even the shopping arcade and its side streets were quiet during the afternoon.