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CRUISERLAND.com does the 4WD
Toyota tour (Article published on 4WD Toyota Owner magazine
(Jan/Feb 07)
www.4wdtoyotaowner.com
Words and photos: Garie Chavez - North Peoria, Arizona
"New
Zealand. Of all places, I never imagined that I'd actually visit
New Zealand's South Island, experiencing the true off-road
adventure of my life. I've spent most of my off-roading in the
Arizona desert. What a contrast in scenery and terrain and being
there is an experience I'll never forget."
JUST
GETTING THERE
Let me give you a
quick bit history about this country. Located in the southern
hemisphere, New Zealand's South Island is about the size of
California with only a one million population. By air, it's
about a two hour flight to Australia. We have opposite seasons.
Our winter here is summer there and visa versa.
The flight from LAX to Christchurch (capital of South Island)
took about thirteen hours over the Pacific Ocean and across the
International Date Line. They are twenty hours ahead of us. From
LAX airport, I left on a Tuesday night and arrived there on
Thursday morning. Upon arrival, I met our Kiwi guides, Mike and
Rick.
4WD TOYOTA TIME
The vehicles used for this trip
were a 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series with a 4.2L turbo
diesel engine and a 1994 Toyota Prado 3.0L turbo diesel. The
Prado had a four-inch lift on BFG Mud Terrain KM tires while the
80 series cruiser had a six-inch lift with oversize Simex
36-inch tires. Both Cruisers were definitely off-road ready and
equipped with winches, ropes, rescue gear and even a
chainsaw-and not just for looks, as I found out later. Almost
everywhere you go; you will see Toyota 4WD vehicles. Most of
all, I feasted my eyes on seeing so many Land Cruisers and
various types of models. This is definitely Cruiser country.
The action started quickly. We drove through several riverbeds,
crisscrossing on the deep water of the river going up and down
the current. At times, it can be challenging and more than a
little scary. Otherwise, the crossings are a lot of fun and
although at times you feel like you are going to get stuck, our
Kiwi guides had the "No worries, mate" attitude. It takes many
years of experience to be accepted as guides capable of
offroading this terrain. I was lucky to be in their company and
witness the awesome scenery of the South Island at a different
angle. Just from the way the water runs, these men can judge the
depth of the water. The Land Cruisers drove up riverbanks and
back down into the river like some bufanoid monsters of the
ancient pas, desperate to return to the water.
BAD TO WORSE:
YES!
After the riverbed crossings, we
drove through thick vegetation, tree, shrubs, mud, rocks, and
some steep hills. Again, without the proper recovery tools,
navigation system and expertise of the area, you can easily get
lost in these beautiful yet remote areas of the South Island.
Next, we traversed beautiful streams in between two gorges. The
streams were just wide enough to fit the Toyotas. The
surrounding forest is full of lush, green vegetation and large
silver ferns, huge Punga trees and century-old Rimu trees. The
afternoon sunrays are barely able to make their way through the
canopy. The most striking of all is to see thick sphagnum moss
everywhere and lichen wrapped around these beautiful trees. I'd
never seen it before. I realized that we were in an area that is
not frequented by humans and seeing nature's untouched beauty at
its best. Let me remind you, this is just one tiny area of the
South Island.
Then we arrived at a long, narrow tunnel dug by Chinese gold
miners during the 1800's to divert water to allow them to search
for gold. We drove through it and just as we emerged from the
other side of the tunnel we encountered an obstacle--a huge
fallen tree that we had to cut our way through in order to
complete our journey for the day. Out came the chainsaw and
ropes. We had to help out and moved the debris to let the
Cruisers pass. We stopped briefly for an afternoon tea and
quenched our thirst by drinking Speights "Pride of the South"
beer. This is a must-drink alcohol beverage while on the South
Island. I'm not much of a beer drinker but this one caught my
taste buds.
BAD TO WORSE:
YES!
Over the next few days, we
headed south to see the Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers. What
spectacular beauty to see the glacier's enormous beauty and the
melting ice flow down the riverbanks. Then we departed to view
pristine southern lakes that are dotted around the southern part
of the Island. On our last day, we headed to a remote
backcountry farm called Mesopotamia, where we stayed overnight
in a typical rustic homestead.
As we trekked our way back to civilization, we encountered more
gnarly river crossings and mud terrain that were so much fun to
drive through. The turbo diesels are a must-have out here due to
their ability to take water into the engine area and keep
running (no spark plugs needed). We stopped to stare at this
vast wide-open space in the middle surrounded by tall mountains.
It's amazing that halfway around the globe, some of the most
unseen beauty exists here; I can now see why moviemakers want to
come to New Zealand to make films here; like Peter Jackson/Lord
of the Rings.
NEXT YEAR
This adventure trek is not your
typical off-road tour. We really did go to places where others
would not, or simply could not, venture. This is an exclusive
tour that not even your typical Kiwi citizen can experience in
their lifetime. Plus, there are a lot more places to see and
experience. I highly recommend this trip to anyone that likes
adventure, travel, and to experience a trip of a lifetime.
Please check the photos I've taken during trip. Click on
Photos link
Garie Chavez
www.cruiserland.com
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Offroading in the South Island of New Zealand
(Christchurch, Westport, Murchison, Franz Joseph Glaciers,
Southern Alps, Queenstown, Mt. Cook, Arrowhead, Cromwell)
The thrill and excitement of off-road adventure made a huge impact in my
life. I didn't want this trip to end. I flew to Christchurch,
New Zealand from Los Angeles not knowing what to expect. I
know, not everyone would agree with me. They thought I was nuts
to even think that I am capable of doing an off-road adventure.
Most of the people I talked to before the trip said I was not
the "type".
My concept off-roading was very basic - monster machines with
big tires and I've only seen it on TV a couple times. I can do
this. One of the New Zealand 4WD Adventure guide drove a Toyota
Land Cruiser Prado. I was in the Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series
driven by the other guide. We mostly drove on the smooth highway
and a bit of river crossing on the first day. I quickly got the
hang of it; anticipate the bumps and sway your body and it is
almost like you're floating. And then the fun began. As we
traverse this trail, I heard the Prado's engine roared with all
its might but the wheels didn't budge as it climbed the hill on
a very steep rocky terrain. We stopped; the men went into
action and slowly winched the truck up the hill. The tire left
a very distinct impression on the ground.
Our guides took us through lots of river crossings, going up and
down the river bank, seeing the panoramic landscape of the
surrounding hills; breathtaking scenery as we traveled through
this green lush rainforest surrounded by huge Punga trees and
fern shrubs everywhere. We drove through streams, caves, and
meadows. All in all, this was just not an adventure but was a
learning experience.
Would I do this again? Certainly, I won't even have to think
twice. I am very grateful not just for the generosity of the New
Zealand Adventure guides who took us but for their skill and
knowledge of the land and most of all, their passion for the
sport.
Filomena Beltran
Oceanside, California
February 9-16, 2006 |
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The New
Zealand 4WD Adventure is definitely one of the best adventure
I've ever done. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful
country on the planet with its ever changing scenery as you
travel from east to west, north to south. We were
treatedto the back roads that only a few have ever been on and
crossed rivers and marshlands.
A real extreme 4 wheel drive heaven. On top of it all, our
Kiwi guides are very experienced 4 wheelers and just all around
great guys. I highly recommend this adventure experience.
Dario Chavez
Torrance, California |
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