Hot water beach in New Zealand is located on the North Island in the Coromandel region. There are two hot springs located right on the beach underneath the sand. During the low tide many people come to this beach and dig themselves a natural spa in the sand which is filled immediately with hot water from the springs. This is such fun! It is also a social experience as you meet many people there. You can also rent a little shovel in the nearby store to aid you with the digging. But one movie worth a thousand words. Here is what I have found on you tube:

You can see this waterfall on one of the most famous tracks in Nelson Lakes National Park (South Island) in New Zealand. It is of course the Travers Sabine Circuit. The forest that you see on this track is one of the most beautiful forests (in my humble opinion of course) in the South Island. If you will be lucky enough to do this track, my advice is to take one spare day and go to see the Blue Lake - worth every minute of walking there! Someday I’ll post my photo of this magnificent little Blue Lake.

In this post I would like to talk about terms and conditions that activity operators in New Zealand are often make you sign or agree to by paying and participating in activity. Activities I am talking about include bungee jumping, helicopter flights, glacier hiking, rafting, jet boating and similar. I would like to present here a word-by-word copied “terms & conditions of use” from one of the most known activity operators in New Zealand:

Terms & Conditions of use

A. We appreciate your custom and aim to provide an enjoyable and quality service.

B. We advise that all activities do carry a degree of risk and that by participating in the activity provided by the Operator you are expressly assuming those risks personally and are releasing the Operator and its officers and employees from any liability, claims, losses, damages or expenses caused by any event including, but not limited to:

- personal injury or death

- property loss or damage

- acts which may be construed as negligent or accidental

- any other loss, damage, suffering, emotional or nervous disorder

1. In participating in the activity, I, the passenger, agree to all conditions set out above and consent to the conditions in clauses 1(a) to 1(e) below and 2 to 6.

(a) I agree that my successors, executors, administrators and next of kin are bound by the terms and conditions.

(b) I agree not to commence any litigation or proceedings in any country in relation to the risks and perils set out in B above and to indemnify the Operator and/or its Agent against any such claims.

(c) I confirm that I am physically fit and suffer no medical conditions which may be aggravated by this activity.

(d) I consent to receive medical treatment in the case of injury, accident or illnes during the activity and to indemnify the Operator and/or its Agent against any claims in respect to this treatment.

(e) I agree that any films, sound, video or other recordings taken of or during the activity will not be used in any promotion or advertising without the prior consent of the Operator, however the Operator may use such recordings itself at its complete discretion without any prior approval.

2. This voucher is issued as Agent for the Operator providing the services and activities described, and is non-transferable.

3. The selling Agent and/or Operator accept no responsibility for any loss or additional expenses arising from changes, delays or cancellations of the services and activities by the Operator.

4. This voucher is based on fares and tariffs, which are, to the Agents knowledge, correct at the time of issue. Any increases since the date of issue are at the cost of the passenger payable to the Operator.

5. Cancellations - the Operator reserves the absolute right to cancel any service as a result of weather conditions, insufficient reservations or any other unforeseen event or circumstances.

6. Refunds - a full refund is entirely at the discretion of the Operator and/or its Agent. A minimum 10% penalty will apply. In general, no refund can be given for a cancellation received less than 4 hours from departure time.

_________

WOW ! To tell you the truth I was shocked when I first read these terms. It seems like the customer has absolutely no rights. The most scary is section B. It basically says there that even though Operator tells you what to do during the activity, and takes care of everything, YOU (the participant) are RESPONSIBLE for everything. Operator is not !!! How can it be ? I wonder whether these terms are even legal. Or look at section 1(d) - participant has to accept any medical treatment offered by Operator and doesn’t have the right to sue him afterwards if Operator messed up. Scary! Next - section 4. I understood from it that you may buy tickets for certain activity for certain price, but if price gets higher after you bought your ticket but before you actually participated in activity, you HAVE TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE ! I wonder why they didn’t reserve the right to call you long after you took the activity and charge you with more money. Section 5 is also looks suspicious to me but here I am not sure how to take it so I won’t comment on it. And section 6 says that no matter what happens you probably won’t get the full refund…

Well, maybe someone can explain me how people are agreeing to such terms ? Or maybe I misunderstood it completely ? Will be glad to know your opinions.

About 275 kilometers (170.88 miles) of walking tracks cover the top northern half of the island with few tracks in the lower southern part. There are several easy walks within Oban Township varying between ten to twenty minutes. These walks include popular Observation Rock where you can watch the sunset in the evening and enjoy the views of Paterson Inlet. On Fuchsia and Raroa walks you will see native fuchsia trees and may encounter native birds. Other walks around Oban include Ackers Point Track and Golden Bay Track, which offer nice coastal views. Another place of interest would be Motorau Moana Native Garden where you can enjoy a picnic amongst the birds and native flora.Longer walks include Horseshoe Bay Track and Maori Beach offering coastal views and native forest.The Rakiura Track is one of nine New Zealand’s Great Walks. It is a moderate three-day, 36km hike through native forest along coastal areas and sites of historical significance.
For those who seek a little bit more adventurous hikes - The North West Circuit would do just fine. It is a 10 to 12 days hike for experienced and well–equipped trampers. It covers 125 kilometers (77.67 miles) but is very demanding due to the often wet and muddy sections of the track for which Stewart Island is famous. While on this track you may wish to take a few side trips to Mount Anglem and Rocky Mountain, which provide exceptional views across the whole Island. The North West Circuit is especially desired by solitude seeking hikers as you probably won’t meet much people there. The Circuit offers dramatic coastline and stunning beaches and an opportunity to see more of the Island’s wildlife and flora. Huts are spaced at intervals suited to an average day’s tramp which is about six to seven hours of walking.

The Southern Circuit walk is even more of a wilderness experience. It takes between six and nine days to walk, and is about 105 kilometers (65.24 miles) long. This track is only suitable for experienced and well equipped trampers. Side trips to Mount Rakeahua and Rocky Mountain are recommended for the great views they provide.

Stewart Island walking tracks are open all year round but remember that the weather is unpredictable and take it into consideration when planning your hikes.

Stewart Island (Maori name: Rakiura) is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies 30 km south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is around 400 people, most of whom live in the small town named Oban.

The island was named for William Stewart who was aboard the “Pegasus”, sailing from Port Jackson, Australia, on a sealing expedition. While the boat was in the large south easter harbor (nowadays known as Pegasus), William Stewart began charting the southern coasts. Well, this is the official version of the Stewart Island’s name origin. But as the rumors have it - originally in the story were two William Stewarts! One of them did the original charting of the island and another, William Stewart that was aboard the “Pegasus” who took all the credit for that work.

Stewart Island also has an original Maori name - Te Punga o Te Waka a Maui, which means “The Anchor Stone of Maui’s Canoe”. It refers to the part played by the island in the legend of Maui and his crew, who from their canoe (the South Island) caught and raised the great fish, (the North Island).

From the early 13th century Maori have been harvesting the island’s rich resources consisting of diverse native flora, birds and seafood. In the early 19th Century people from all corners of the world made their mark on the island. Their marriage with the local Maori women created strong cultural links to Rakiura. Island was gradually getting settled by fishermen, sawmillers and boatbuilders. The island’s population settled mainly around the edges of Paterson Inlet and the heads of Halfmoon and Horseshoe bays, and in short-lived ventures at Port Pegasus, Maori Beach and Port William. In 1920 a whaling expedition from Norway came and also left some permanent residents on the Island.

Nowadays, not much remains of all those settlements since the Island’s tough nature was difficult to handle and civilize. Today, fishing, tourism, agriculture and conservation are the main occupations of the Island’s population.

Weather of Stewart Island.

At latitude of 47 degrees south (the Roaring Forties), the weather is often unpredictable, but the climate is surprisingly temperate with summer temperatures climbing to the mid-twenties. Sunshine hours are equal to the national average, and the annual rainfall is less than that of Auckland.

Spring comes earlier to Stewart Island than to the rest of Southland. Winters are milder and calmer than those on the South Island.

To be continued…