Some advice I received before embarking on this journey was to try some Bluff oysters.....well, we arrived in Bluff, on the very southern tip of the South Island, on a Sunday evening and everything was shut down.....so, I kept my eyes open all along the coast (and tried many OTHER delicious oysters along the way :)....and pretty much forgot about it.....Lo and behold, as we're entering Auckland, I see a sign for Bluff oysters posted in front of a Tip Top ice cream shop.....needless to say, I stopped and, the owner also "shouted" (turned us on to) some smoked eel...I must say, though, that the weirdest thing I ate here was "whitebait"- a West Coast- South Island delicacy....it usually comes in an egg fritter....and is a bunch of tiny fish (like it sounds)...when I noticed the pepper sprinkled on top, was actually not pepper....I realized it was the WHOLE fish...they were eyes....yeah.
Anyway, I was talking about advice, and thought I'd share some of our favorite bits of advice....
1) If you don't breathe, your windows won't fog up. (in Te Anua, the day before we left for the Milford Track when a DOC worker spotted us wiping the INSIDES of our windows so we could see to drive- as much moisture inside the van as outside!)
2) If you keep moving, the sandflies won't bother you (anywhere on the West Coast of the South Island)
3) "Oh, sure you'll be fine!.....until your van breaks down. (what the Aussie version of Click and Clack replied when we asked what they thought of the funny noise coming from our engine)...you know the rest of the story.
4) Do come back - and bring your family! Would love to. We've all said that Colorado would be paradise if we had the beach at the base of the mountains.......
Gotta go pack.....
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tumu Tumu Toobing
Hey, eveyone!
Tomorrow, we catch our flight out of Auckland to Seoul, Korea! Unbelievable! Currently, we're on the west coast of the Northern Island- in Raglan- a sunny, surfing town. We like it here. We have made the most of our last week or so...leaving Motueka, we spent a couple days in Nelson...went to the Market... and headed towards the ferry stopping along the way for the Havelock (Green-lipped) Mussel Festival and stopped in Picton at an Irish Pub for a Guinness on St. Patty's Day. We boarded the ferry to cross the Cook Strait and landed in Wellington and went to the awesome Te Papa Museum...Heading up the west coast, we wanted to see Tangoriro National Park (and where Mt. Doom (Lord of the Rings) was filmed....we were driving along at one point and saw a bunch of people at a pullover so we went to check it out....we parked and walked over looking at a very muddy river and tons of mud and debris everywhere, we asked a gentleman what had happened and he told us that just the day before, the lahar had come down as the crater lake at the top of the Mt. Ruapehu volcano had given way...I remembered having read about the anticipation of this happening on the ferry ride in the beginning of our trip to the S. Island, so, everyone was well-prepared for it and all of the safety things put in place had worked- no major damage or injuries. Caused quite a stir, though. (no pun intended). (Incidentally, this had happened back in 1953 and there was a memorial to lives lost right there.) Okay, Mary's going to share about our last adventure...here I sign off and say, "It's been Heaps of FUN!" I've loved keeping in touch with you all, too...tomorrow, we'll be eating BimBimPa and are tremendously excited to meet Caits and Bean in Maui for a week. I'll be back in the Boat around April 6. I love you all! So yesterday we went black water rafting. It sounds rather scary and we were both fairly nervous as we were gearing up in our wet suits, helmets, and boots. It actually turned out to be a very calm, kind of tranquil experience. So we started out tromping through the rolling green hills, maneuvering around the cow pies in our wet suits and gum boots (traditional kiwi footwear, basically rain boots). Then we came upon a small opening with a ladder sticking out of the ground. We squeezed through the hole down into the caves where we were to be black water rafting. The rafting was actually tubing wich was really just sitting on tubes pulling yourself along on a rope in the pitch black and staring up at the glow worms on the ceiling which looked like a million little stars. We covered about a kilometer, partly tubing and partly walking from cave to cave. It was amazing. The water was very cold and we actually had to swim a couple of parts, which was a little scary swimming in black water, the only light you have is coming from everyone's headlamps. Plus people started talking about the movie Descent, which is about some girls caving when they come upon some humans that have lived down in the caves and evolved into white creatures with no eyes. Anyway, we climbed out another hole back into the cow covered hills. It was quite fun. Anyway, time is about out. Love you all, Mary
Tomorrow, we catch our flight out of Auckland to Seoul, Korea! Unbelievable! Currently, we're on the west coast of the Northern Island- in Raglan- a sunny, surfing town. We like it here. We have made the most of our last week or so...leaving Motueka, we spent a couple days in Nelson...went to the Market... and headed towards the ferry stopping along the way for the Havelock (Green-lipped) Mussel Festival and stopped in Picton at an Irish Pub for a Guinness on St. Patty's Day. We boarded the ferry to cross the Cook Strait and landed in Wellington and went to the awesome Te Papa Museum...Heading up the west coast, we wanted to see Tangoriro National Park (and where Mt. Doom (Lord of the Rings) was filmed....we were driving along at one point and saw a bunch of people at a pullover so we went to check it out....we parked and walked over looking at a very muddy river and tons of mud and debris everywhere, we asked a gentleman what had happened and he told us that just the day before, the lahar had come down as the crater lake at the top of the Mt. Ruapehu volcano had given way...I remembered having read about the anticipation of this happening on the ferry ride in the beginning of our trip to the S. Island, so, everyone was well-prepared for it and all of the safety things put in place had worked- no major damage or injuries. Caused quite a stir, though. (no pun intended). (Incidentally, this had happened back in 1953 and there was a memorial to lives lost right there.) Okay, Mary's going to share about our last adventure...here I sign off and say, "It's been Heaps of FUN!" I've loved keeping in touch with you all, too...tomorrow, we'll be eating BimBimPa and are tremendously excited to meet Caits and Bean in Maui for a week. I'll be back in the Boat around April 6. I love you all! So yesterday we went black water rafting. It sounds rather scary and we were both fairly nervous as we were gearing up in our wet suits, helmets, and boots. It actually turned out to be a very calm, kind of tranquil experience. So we started out tromping through the rolling green hills, maneuvering around the cow pies in our wet suits and gum boots (traditional kiwi footwear, basically rain boots). Then we came upon a small opening with a ladder sticking out of the ground. We squeezed through the hole down into the caves where we were to be black water rafting. The rafting was actually tubing wich was really just sitting on tubes pulling yourself along on a rope in the pitch black and staring up at the glow worms on the ceiling which looked like a million little stars. We covered about a kilometer, partly tubing and partly walking from cave to cave. It was amazing. The water was very cold and we actually had to swim a couple of parts, which was a little scary swimming in black water, the only light you have is coming from everyone's headlamps. Plus people started talking about the movie Descent, which is about some girls caving when they come upon some humans that have lived down in the caves and evolved into white creatures with no eyes. Anyway, we climbed out another hole back into the cow covered hills. It was quite fun. Anyway, time is about out. Love you all, Mary
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Four Seasons in a Day
Hiya! After coming out of the Milford Track, Mary and I made a beeline for Motueka (the northern coast of the South Island- where we did our first trek on the Abel Tasman about a month and a half ago! Can't believe it!); being one of the warmest parts of the country and also home to many friendly kiwis, vineyards, and orchards.....in other words, this is where I would choose to live in this country and Mary would live in Nelson, just down the road from here, where we are headed tomorrow (bigger, has a movie theater...oh, I think I forgot to tell you that at the movie theaters here, they sell ice cream cones and wine and beer which you bring into the theater with you! Amazing.) So, I'm getting ahead of myself again....the Milford Track....a three night, 4 day tramp(33.5 miles)....being one of New Zealand's 9 Great Walks (and certainly the most famous), one has to book this out in advance....for high summer season, a year out...I actually booked ours in Oct right before I got our plane tickets....we arrived in Te Anau (the closest town to the start of the trek) on a hot, sunny day and spent the afternoon by the lake. For the next 2 days, there were severe weather warnings and torrential rains...a gentleman at the campground we were staying at said, "It'll come right.""It'll come right." And, it did. On the morning of our departure, we awoke to partly cloudy skies and walked the 10 minutes from our last night's lodging at Te Anau Downs (I booked a room at a backpacker for the night before and after our trek there in case we were wet!) to the ferry. We sat on the top and rode about 1 and 1/2 hours across the lake to the start (some of the lakes are so huge here they look like the ocean!)....we met some of our fellow trampers....and enjoyed the view....on the Milford, you are required to follow the path and stay at each of the 3 huts. The first day only entailed about a 1 and 1/2 hour walk to the first hut....being the last, we soon met up with 2 guys from Hawaii who were "bird-dogging" a guided tour up a side path through the bush and up a creekbed so we joined them. It was glorious- from all the rain, everything was dripping and glistening...the spiderwebs in the trees were all lined with dew and lit up with all the colors of the rainbow....we were so lucky, every day was sunny and warm, we didn't even pull our raingear out. One of the highlights was Sutherland Falls- it is the tallest waterfall in NZ and, I was told, the 5th largest in all of Australasia...again, being last on the trail, we enjoyed it all to ourselves and, as we met a few of our fellow trampers on their way out from this sidetrip, they affered their advice: the first guy said," bring a jacket or you'll get very wet". The next 2 girls said, "leave your camera behind the big rock...and everything else...and go up the left side and behind the waterfall" (they were dripping wet and smiling hugely)-we took their advice. At one point, I said, "Mary, if we're going for it, now is the time!" We ran across the tussocks, and the creek in our crocs (me yelling-of course)-it was very loud and very cold! AND, you wouldn't believe the WIND! It was like being by a helicopter! We got around the side, soaking wet, entirely exhilarated, when Mary YELLED,"Do you think this is good enough?" We were laughing so hard. Later, I said something about the wind and Mary's reply was, "What do you mean?" "That was like a hurricane. " Oh, and Mary saw a kiwi, too! (I was behind her on the trail)- that was the day before. It is so rare to see one in the wild. Like a tourist coming to Rocky Mountain Natl Park and witnessing a mountain lion attacking an elk- something I've never seen, but talked to a newcomer who has. Another unusual thing we have noticed on these tramps is that people get up very early(don't laugh, Miguel), some even set an alarm clock ("What the hell is that?", you wonder when it's still dark out and you've got all day to get to the next hut) and race to the next hut to get there by early afternoon. This worked out great for us cause we'd sleep in a bit and then go to the kitchen and make our coffee in peace and quiet, and be able to leisurely enjoy the walk all to ourselves. It was fun to meet up with the others at night in the huts and share stories over dinner. We played Farkle (dice game we learned at Michele and Mike Johnston's one Thanksgiving) one night with 2 other Americans and 3 Germans...we learned from Philip, the German guy, who also brought his dice to the table, that it is called "Chicago" in their country. Crazy. Well, the last day's weather is really what made it perfect- it was misty- not enough to put on our raingear, but, enough to put our packcovers on. When we reached Sandfly Point (and, it's given that name for a reason! and, they will bite you in swarms. ya know how when you've been on a boat for a long time(days), your body naturally sways back and forth when you are once again on flat ground? Well, once you've been bitten by sandflies, you experience "phantom bites"- at least, that's our experience and what we call them. And, they sting just as bad as the real thing. So, anyway, since the rest of our group "the independent walkers" had caught the early ferry out....we were the only two, besides the "guided walkers" (mostly Japanese).....I think the young, good-looking kiwi ferry driver must have felt a kinship with us (or felt sorry for us) as we weren't enjoying the bagels and hot drinks provided to the others so he said, "I will come get you two first when it is time to leave and you can choose the best spot on the ferry." We got on the very front and we pulled out into the Fiordlands and it is just like you see in photos....misty, moody, dramatic and magical passing slowly over the water, waterfalls flowing down everywhere. It was perfect. We celebrated with a cold beer and dinner at a cafe in the harbour and rode the bus back to our backpacker where we showered and watched The Terminal (Tom Hanks) on TV eating popcorn and drinking hot Ovaltine. Next day,I could hardly walk (one day was straight up and straight down)..... we headed back up through Queenstown and Wanaka-beautiful mountain lakes and waterfalls and the rain began......it lasted for two days...we went to Fox Glacier and the Franz Josef Glacier and thought it was very cool how they do come down to meet the rainforest, but, we did not hike up to them because of the heavy rain and warnings of flashfloods....our glacial experience at Mt. Cook is our most favorite part of our trip..... We catch the ferry in a couple of days back to the North Island and fly out of Auckland on the 22nd......we are already talking about coming back and we ahven't even left yet! For those of you travelling here, the "real Hobbiton" I referred to earlier is in Akaroa at the Unoko Farm Hostel- Steve and his German partner, Anja, run it.....go there and plan to stay for awhile.
We send our love and hugs,
Holly and Mary
We send our love and hugs,
Holly and Mary
Monday, March 5, 2007
Tramping
In New Zealand, the word "tramping" is used for "hiking".We've been doing quite a bit of tramping lately.....we just got off the Routeburn (pr. Rootburn) Track yesterday.It is typically a 2-night 3-day trek. We turned it into a 2-night 4-day trek. How is that possible? Well, the track runs from near Glenorchy (closest big town being Queenstown) through Mt. Aspiring National Park to near Te Anau Downs/Milford (closest "big" town being Te Anau) coming out through the Fiordland National Park. One can go from either direction and go as far as one likes. There are 4 huts along the way. We chose to start near Glenorchy since that's where we were. It was amazing! The trail started in beech forest and we discovered the birds to be very curious... all's you have to do is make a little whistle and they come towards you.Our favorite there was the "Rifleman" bird- a tiny green bird that could fit in your cupped hand. We passed over several swinging bridges- our favorite there was the one that swung back and forth (as opposed to up and down). The trail followed a turquoise blue river on the lower section, winding up to the hut. At the hut, we dropped our packs, ate lunch, and continued up past the falls....this was our most favorite part! Being late afternoon/early evening (it doesn't get dark til around 10 PM here!), we had the trail pretty much to ourselves....oh, except for the Asian couple passing from the other direction....he said "Konichi-wa" and when I replied, "Konichi-wa. Ginki deska?" he went on excitedly about something-everything of which I only caught "edelweiss". We bowed and Mary and I kept our eyes peeled for edelweiss (which we had first seen near Mt. Cook). The valley floor was open, expansive, and absolutely beautiful...... a few puffy clouds in the sky, snow gentian and tussocks and tarns, and lakes with snow-capped peaks all around. We got to Harris Saddle and chose to go straight up Conical Hill and the view was amazing from the top- we could see clear to the Tasman Sea! And, this is where we found edelweiss. Back down, a night in the hut, and out the next day. Showered in Glenorchy and went into Queenstown (sister-city to Aspen) for beer and pizza... okay, and french fries! Being full and tired, we slept in our van in a parking lot. So, then, we drove over to the other end of the track here in Fiordland- two reasons really...first off, transport by bus back to the beginning runs around $70-$100 per person and we needed to be here, anyway, as we head out on the Milford Track in 2 days....So, we did the other half of the track starting at the "Divide" and tramped up to Mackenzie Hut/Lake along with a side trip to Key Summit which is another great view and lovely setting with tarns. We found this side to be much the same beech forest UNTIL we got into the MOSS-EVERYWHERE! Okay, picture being underwater. like you're scuba diving and you see all the purple and green and orange and white corals and things poking up here and there from behind and the seaweed is swaying gently with the current. THIS is how the landscape looked! Minus the ocean. Really.Trees, rocks, everything covered with moss or fungi or lichen and a bazillion varieties of each. I'll show you pictures. We had lunch in a magical place called "The Orchard"....it's not really an orchard, just looks like one. Only, the ground is COVERED in ferns- big, bushy ferns. And, a grassy opening (where you might picture a unicorn standing). That reminds me, I forgot to tell you that on the other side we took another detour on the way out to explore the North Branch of the Routeburn River (only a few river crossings there) and it was very Frodoish.....ferns, tree roots, moss....
Okay, now is the time to share my gratitude to Ed Mumm and Matt Drexel....whose maps have loosely become our itinerary (along with tips from family and friends and fellow travellers...)Ed is a Kiwi friend of mine from Steamboat Springs to whom I brought a map of both islands and a bottle of wine one evening (and, his wife, Carla who KNEW we'd love Nelson) before we left. And, my co-worker, Matt, who lit up and just shone whenever he'd talk about NZ (pr:N Zed) and copied pages from his "Tramping in NZ" book and underlined and highlighted the best of his experiences here. (Hanging Ballroom, Mueller Hut, The Orchard to name a few) THANK YOU to ALL who have shared your insights, experiences, and support of our adventures!
Right now, it is POURING RAIN and I am tucked cozily into this internet booth at a very quiet and relaxing holiday park outside of Te Anau....Mary is reading in the van....today is a "Sunday-kind-of-day"....we slept in, washed everything we have (clothes, sheet, comforter cover, dishes, van). We had been tramping and "freedom camping"(primitive- maybe an outhouse) for the last week or more. Hopefully, this rain is going to let up a bit(actually, clear blue skies would be fine by me) before we go on the Milford Track (3 nights 4 days) ; although, we ARE in Fiordland- and that's what it does here they say. We have a huge curiosity about the Milford Track....it sounds horrible and yet people still do it. Pay to do it. Torrential rains, flooded trails, and sandflies....hmmm....Huge, beautiful waterfalls, misty mornings, "God-light" streaming through the clouds, moss, ferns.....we'll let you know....
Driving and tramping gives one ample opportunities to ponder....Things I've learned in New Zealand:Never use Tom's honeysuckle rose deodorant before going out tramping- it attracts the bees (and there are ample BIG bumblebees).An ablution block is the area that includes the showers, toilets, kitchen facilities, and laundry in a campground. A queue is a line. Always bring earplugs when sleeping in a hut.The Road to Paradise(an actual place near Glenorchy) is long... and bumpy. Always close your sink drain down tight in the campervan before travelling on a long and dusty gravel road. Our campervan also does river crossings. Those metal waterbottles (made in Switzerland) are great for keeping coconut rum cold in a backpack. Being in New Zealand, one can also feel as though you are in Costa Rica(Abel Tasman), Scotland(Dunedin), Ireland(The Catlins),England(Christchurch), France(Akaroa), Austria(Routeburn-Harris Saddle)... There are so many different ways to describe "green" here: Dark green, lime-green, dusty-green, dusky-green, shiny green, bluegreen, soft green, deadgreen, wetgreen...Same with rain: Mist, drizzle, downpour, sprinkle, sheets...the weather here in NZ is usually either "fine", "mainly fine", "nearly fine", "cloudy, clearing to fine"...And, of course, tramping thoughts and talk always turn to food...we could go on about this all day: Let me just start with the sticky date pudding. oh, my god...it's warm and soft and is served with "cream" (we'd call it whip cream) and ice cream. Oh, and the hokey pokey ice cream...I asked this lady (the kind anyone would want for a grandma) in a little corner store how I could describe it to my family and friends:"Well, when you have it in the ice cream, it's melty, a bit like toffee, no, butterscotch, well, neither really, but, it's got that rich flavor and, then, when it's covered in chocolate as a candy, I suppose it's a bit like a honeycomb, only tighter, a little crunchy; ya know, it's one of the first things one learns how to cook as a child....The chocolate: I literally took a photo of the chocolate aisle in a grocery store in Christchurch...now this was a super-store...A whole aisle a block long FULL of chocolate bars! Was "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" filmed here, too?
The one that has us stumped is: What were the Seven Dwarves mining?
We love you all TONS!
Holly and Mary
Okay, now is the time to share my gratitude to Ed Mumm and Matt Drexel....whose maps have loosely become our itinerary (along with tips from family and friends and fellow travellers...)Ed is a Kiwi friend of mine from Steamboat Springs to whom I brought a map of both islands and a bottle of wine one evening (and, his wife, Carla who KNEW we'd love Nelson) before we left. And, my co-worker, Matt, who lit up and just shone whenever he'd talk about NZ (pr:N Zed) and copied pages from his "Tramping in NZ" book and underlined and highlighted the best of his experiences here. (Hanging Ballroom, Mueller Hut, The Orchard to name a few) THANK YOU to ALL who have shared your insights, experiences, and support of our adventures!
Right now, it is POURING RAIN and I am tucked cozily into this internet booth at a very quiet and relaxing holiday park outside of Te Anau....Mary is reading in the van....today is a "Sunday-kind-of-day"....we slept in, washed everything we have (clothes, sheet, comforter cover, dishes, van). We had been tramping and "freedom camping"(primitive- maybe an outhouse) for the last week or more. Hopefully, this rain is going to let up a bit(actually, clear blue skies would be fine by me) before we go on the Milford Track (3 nights 4 days) ; although, we ARE in Fiordland- and that's what it does here they say. We have a huge curiosity about the Milford Track....it sounds horrible and yet people still do it. Pay to do it. Torrential rains, flooded trails, and sandflies....hmmm....Huge, beautiful waterfalls, misty mornings, "God-light" streaming through the clouds, moss, ferns.....we'll let you know....
Driving and tramping gives one ample opportunities to ponder....Things I've learned in New Zealand:Never use Tom's honeysuckle rose deodorant before going out tramping- it attracts the bees (and there are ample BIG bumblebees).An ablution block is the area that includes the showers, toilets, kitchen facilities, and laundry in a campground. A queue is a line. Always bring earplugs when sleeping in a hut.The Road to Paradise(an actual place near Glenorchy) is long... and bumpy. Always close your sink drain down tight in the campervan before travelling on a long and dusty gravel road. Our campervan also does river crossings. Those metal waterbottles (made in Switzerland) are great for keeping coconut rum cold in a backpack. Being in New Zealand, one can also feel as though you are in Costa Rica(Abel Tasman), Scotland(Dunedin), Ireland(The Catlins),England(Christchurch), France(Akaroa), Austria(Routeburn-Harris Saddle)... There are so many different ways to describe "green" here: Dark green, lime-green, dusty-green, dusky-green, shiny green, bluegreen, soft green, deadgreen, wetgreen...Same with rain: Mist, drizzle, downpour, sprinkle, sheets...the weather here in NZ is usually either "fine", "mainly fine", "nearly fine", "cloudy, clearing to fine"...And, of course, tramping thoughts and talk always turn to food...we could go on about this all day: Let me just start with the sticky date pudding. oh, my god...it's warm and soft and is served with "cream" (we'd call it whip cream) and ice cream. Oh, and the hokey pokey ice cream...I asked this lady (the kind anyone would want for a grandma) in a little corner store how I could describe it to my family and friends:"Well, when you have it in the ice cream, it's melty, a bit like toffee, no, butterscotch, well, neither really, but, it's got that rich flavor and, then, when it's covered in chocolate as a candy, I suppose it's a bit like a honeycomb, only tighter, a little crunchy; ya know, it's one of the first things one learns how to cook as a child....The chocolate: I literally took a photo of the chocolate aisle in a grocery store in Christchurch...now this was a super-store...A whole aisle a block long FULL of chocolate bars! Was "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" filmed here, too?
The one that has us stumped is: What were the Seven Dwarves mining?
We love you all TONS!
Holly and Mary
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Photo Link
Hey, everyone! Rob has helped us with the photos (apparently it's not just a "human error" problem, but, a blogger glitch...makes me feel a little better, anyway) ....so, if you're interested, just click on this URL: http://picasaweb.google.com/robert.erwin/HMSNZPicsSmall
I look forward to writing more another time, right now we are heading up to Glenorchy to pack our chocolate and other backpacking necessities to head out on the Routeburn Track in the morning....then, we're doing the Milford Track (where we hope not to get devoured by sandflies)...so, I hope to be in touch sometime.....let me just say that right now the sky is clear blue and you're all in our thoughts and hearts.
Oh, the Remarkables here in Queenstown are just that, too.
Love, Holly
I look forward to writing more another time, right now we are heading up to Glenorchy to pack our chocolate and other backpacking necessities to head out on the Routeburn Track in the morning....then, we're doing the Milford Track (where we hope not to get devoured by sandflies)...so, I hope to be in touch sometime.....let me just say that right now the sky is clear blue and you're all in our thoughts and hearts.
Oh, the Remarkables here in Queenstown are just that, too.
Love, Holly
To Paradise and Back Again
Hello. So a lot has happened since the last post. The most exciting thing for me since then has been a trip up to Mt. Cook, the largest mountain in New Zealand. We drove through a valley alongside an extremely blue lake all the way up to the base where we camped for three nights. The first night at the base we heard a huge crashing, and at first i thought it was a car backfiring, but it was actually avalanches coming down the mountains around us. Then the next morning I awoke to what sounded like cats screaming, but that turned out to be alpine parrots called Kias. One flew up on our vent at the top of the van where we could see it through the screen while we were lying in bed. They're green with red under their wings and they act like two year olds. They have been known to tear windshield wipers off cars and shred tents. Very curious about everything. That day we took a helicopter ride around Mt. Cook, and landed on a patch of snow. It was amazing! And so warm to be so high; I was wearing a tank top and perfectly comfortable. We flew over glaciers and looked for climbers summiting. The next day we hiked up a mountain next to Cook and had incredible views from up there. On the way down we went swimming in a little pond thing surrounded by snow capped mountains. Before Mt. Cook we drove to a town called Akoroa, a cute French town in a bay, which was actually a volcano crater that had filled with water. We spent Valentines Day there, so we made reservations to eat at a very authentic French restaurant. We were actually seated at a table with a few other couples because the place was sooo small. The menu was written on a board outside and the drink menu was a three inch thick folder full of spirits, wine, and beer. The food was very good and we were extremely full afterwords. One couple at our table we got to talking to and they told us that they owned a hostil a little ways out of town, and that we should come and have a walk around. So, the next day we went over there and it was the most beautiful and peaceful place with rolling hills where you could look out and see the extremely blue/green bay below. We went for a little walk, then layed down on a hill and listened to someone nearby playing the guitar. Holly wants to build her dream house up on one of those hills. Yesterday we went to Paradise (the name of an actual place) where a lot of scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed. We even met a guy who was going to be filming for the next Narnia movie, and he was around there scouting a location. Now we're in Queenstown, the adventure city of NZ. We went and watched people bungee jump off a bridge which was good fun. Highly entertaining. We also went to see the Blue Penguins, the worlds smallest of them all. They were so adorable! The parents were all coming back from fishing and when the chicks saw them they went running for their moms and dads, but when the parents saw the chicks they ran for it. We also saw the yellow eyed penguins, the second largest. they were very cool. We actually managed to miss our tour to see the penguins even though we were 45 minutes early. But we were in the van drinking a beer and suddenly our tour was gone, so we ran over there and asked the office where our tour had gone, and of course they told us they left already, so they just put us on a later tour. My birthday was awesome, we made sushi and had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. Tomorrow we'll be off tramping through the mountains. Hope all is well! Love you all!
~Mary
~Mary
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Zigzagging
Hi everyone! First of all, sorry about the photos not showing up....we will try to get them back up when we have access to a computer that accepts discs (I still use my 35mm camera).
Okay...where have we been? So much comes jumbling in that I hardly know where to start....We decided to title this post "Zigzagging" because we left Nelson on the northern tip of the South Island after going to the public beach cafe for some bangers and mash and headed to Kaikoura on the East Coast- well-known for it's sea wildlife. Well, we got about 20 kilometers north of town following a twisty road heading south along the coast bordered by steep hillside on one side and rocky, craggy Pacific Ocean on the other...nearing dusk (it stays light here til 10:00 PM!) and, spotting some fur seals on the rocks, we pulled over to watch...the van engine died and we hopped out to check out the seals, me saying over my shoulder, "I hope it starts when we get back." It didn't. I flagged someone down passing by (actually, they were on their way BACK to Kaikoura for gas, realizing they didn't have enough to make it to the ferry in Picton- this is a fairly common dilemma here on the South Island-you can really get into places with where there is very little inbetween- I love it. That's basically, how we ended up here in Akoara, but, that's another story.) So, I borrowed their cell and called AA (as it is called here)- the guy on the phone asked me for landmarks and I told him "not much other than some seals and u bunch of rocks". For some reason, he thought it was hilarious that I called them a BUNCH of rocks....hmmm...so, I asked him what he would call it and he said, "a whole lot of rocks" (I was guessing he wouls say "heaps" of rocks as everything here seems to come in "heaps"ie: heaps of fun, heaps of dolphins....and, that's what we had in Kaikoura. We went on a whale watch and saw a sperm whale and went on a seal swim and I'll always have this image of a seal swimming right up to me and looking in my eyes. Funny their eyes look brown on shore, but, in the water, they looked blue. We did this in the open water and it was a blast. The other cool thing was the "Bull kelp"- HUGE! I've never seen seawood so big. It's a small town, so we were able to walk everywhere. For dinner at an outdoor cafe, the waitress asked me, "Would I like a whole crayfish or a half a crayfish?" Coming from a childhood in New Orleans, I was thinking,"What would I do with a half a crayfish? I ordered a whole and out came a "Rock Lobster". It was delicious...and, quite good value for the money(another famous saying here). Ezy Rentals sent uyp a new van for us from Christchurch and we headed over Lewis Pass, stopping at Hamner Springs for a soak in the Hot Springs (nice to be on the other side of the counter :) and spent the night there. Then, on to Fox River where I was given a tip to tramp (hike) up to Hanging Ballroom (THANKS, Matt Drexel). That 2 hour hike turned into an 8 hour hike as we made 13 river crossings to get there (we counted them on the way back!)-so, that makes 26 roundtrip. You get the picture. It was FABULOUS! The water was a CLEAR clear, blue, or green. We saw Wekas along the way (a flightless bird that resembles a chicken, only all brown- it does have tiny wings). Oh, and we went up to these caves along the way...one was open to the public and, fortunately, I had my headlamp (thanks, Dad, for your advice to always carry a headlamp, water, sunscreen, and bug repellent- I forgot the whistle) so we explored...very cool. We also came across a hunter at one of the river crossings ( he had a gun and 2 dogs with him) who was carrying 2 legs of something...I asked him what he had, and he said he'd killed 2 goats. He gave us some landmark tips to get to Hanging Ballroom as there is no trail to speak of (and, we'd been told that the river had changed course fairly recently, also).And, told us if we saw blood on the rocks, no worries, it wasn't a freshly murdered tramper-ha-ha. Thanks for that bit of info. He was quite friendly. We got up to this idyllic little spot with a pool and a rockface covered in moss. We hung out a bit and then, headed on...Mary had to turn back for her shoes (again, we've discovered that tramping consists of hiking boots AND Tevas (or Keens) and, then, we heard the "bleating" coming from upon the cliff. When we looked up, we were devastated to see what appeared to be a baby goat. Oh....it was just like "Bambi" and our hearts ached. We'd call to it and it would call back. After some deliberation, we went on and actually found Hanging Ballroom which is a huge rock overhang. We were grateful that we chose to do this as a dayhike because the sandflies were intense. (the right word is actually INTENSE). Mary discovered that across from here (after hearing what sounded like a train coming through), a section of the river just goes underground. So, heading back, we tried to coax the goat down, we tried to figure out a way to get up to it and get it down (picture JUNGLE on a CLIFF)...the Kiwis call it "bush". We got out my binoculars and saw it had horns and hoped it would be old enough to survive. A local couple we had tea with in their camper bus the next day were entertained by our attempts and assured us it would be fine. On to Punakiki and Pancake Rocks, over Arthur's Pass back to East Coast and now we're in the idyllic town of Akoroa- overlooking a volcanic crater that is filled with sea water and sailboats. We found the real Hobbiton yesterday. More on that later. Love you. Holly
Okay...where have we been? So much comes jumbling in that I hardly know where to start....We decided to title this post "Zigzagging" because we left Nelson on the northern tip of the South Island after going to the public beach cafe for some bangers and mash and headed to Kaikoura on the East Coast- well-known for it's sea wildlife. Well, we got about 20 kilometers north of town following a twisty road heading south along the coast bordered by steep hillside on one side and rocky, craggy Pacific Ocean on the other...nearing dusk (it stays light here til 10:00 PM!) and, spotting some fur seals on the rocks, we pulled over to watch...the van engine died and we hopped out to check out the seals, me saying over my shoulder, "I hope it starts when we get back." It didn't. I flagged someone down passing by (actually, they were on their way BACK to Kaikoura for gas, realizing they didn't have enough to make it to the ferry in Picton- this is a fairly common dilemma here on the South Island-you can really get into places with where there is very little inbetween- I love it. That's basically, how we ended up here in Akoara, but, that's another story.) So, I borrowed their cell and called AA (as it is called here)- the guy on the phone asked me for landmarks and I told him "not much other than some seals and u bunch of rocks". For some reason, he thought it was hilarious that I called them a BUNCH of rocks....hmmm...so, I asked him what he would call it and he said, "a whole lot of rocks" (I was guessing he wouls say "heaps" of rocks as everything here seems to come in "heaps"ie: heaps of fun, heaps of dolphins....and, that's what we had in Kaikoura. We went on a whale watch and saw a sperm whale and went on a seal swim and I'll always have this image of a seal swimming right up to me and looking in my eyes. Funny their eyes look brown on shore, but, in the water, they looked blue. We did this in the open water and it was a blast. The other cool thing was the "Bull kelp"- HUGE! I've never seen seawood so big. It's a small town, so we were able to walk everywhere. For dinner at an outdoor cafe, the waitress asked me, "Would I like a whole crayfish or a half a crayfish?" Coming from a childhood in New Orleans, I was thinking,"What would I do with a half a crayfish? I ordered a whole and out came a "Rock Lobster". It was delicious...and, quite good value for the money(another famous saying here). Ezy Rentals sent uyp a new van for us from Christchurch and we headed over Lewis Pass, stopping at Hamner Springs for a soak in the Hot Springs (nice to be on the other side of the counter :) and spent the night there. Then, on to Fox River where I was given a tip to tramp (hike) up to Hanging Ballroom (THANKS, Matt Drexel). That 2 hour hike turned into an 8 hour hike as we made 13 river crossings to get there (we counted them on the way back!)-so, that makes 26 roundtrip. You get the picture. It was FABULOUS! The water was a CLEAR clear, blue, or green. We saw Wekas along the way (a flightless bird that resembles a chicken, only all brown- it does have tiny wings). Oh, and we went up to these caves along the way...one was open to the public and, fortunately, I had my headlamp (thanks, Dad, for your advice to always carry a headlamp, water, sunscreen, and bug repellent- I forgot the whistle) so we explored...very cool. We also came across a hunter at one of the river crossings ( he had a gun and 2 dogs with him) who was carrying 2 legs of something...I asked him what he had, and he said he'd killed 2 goats. He gave us some landmark tips to get to Hanging Ballroom as there is no trail to speak of (and, we'd been told that the river had changed course fairly recently, also).And, told us if we saw blood on the rocks, no worries, it wasn't a freshly murdered tramper-ha-ha. Thanks for that bit of info. He was quite friendly. We got up to this idyllic little spot with a pool and a rockface covered in moss. We hung out a bit and then, headed on...Mary had to turn back for her shoes (again, we've discovered that tramping consists of hiking boots AND Tevas (or Keens) and, then, we heard the "bleating" coming from upon the cliff. When we looked up, we were devastated to see what appeared to be a baby goat. Oh....it was just like "Bambi" and our hearts ached. We'd call to it and it would call back. After some deliberation, we went on and actually found Hanging Ballroom which is a huge rock overhang. We were grateful that we chose to do this as a dayhike because the sandflies were intense. (the right word is actually INTENSE). Mary discovered that across from here (after hearing what sounded like a train coming through), a section of the river just goes underground. So, heading back, we tried to coax the goat down, we tried to figure out a way to get up to it and get it down (picture JUNGLE on a CLIFF)...the Kiwis call it "bush". We got out my binoculars and saw it had horns and hoped it would be old enough to survive. A local couple we had tea with in their camper bus the next day were entertained by our attempts and assured us it would be fine. On to Punakiki and Pancake Rocks, over Arthur's Pass back to East Coast and now we're in the idyllic town of Akoroa- overlooking a volcanic crater that is filled with sea water and sailboats. We found the real Hobbiton yesterday. More on that later. Love you. Holly
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