The morning was very cool. We set out with a slight increase up the ridge and then it leveled off for sometime. It started out with boulder hiking again for a few hours and then it turned into a barren trail. Oh was it winding and chilly on the ridge. There were clouds ahead and I was hoping they would move in so I could be in them, but they blew off. Our view was massive green valley's below as we were well above the treeline. We then had lunch in a small shed with school children running amuck as we were now only approx. one hour from the end of the trail and our steep descend. The trail quickly went from being totally exposed with the wind blowing to hiding in the forest going through all three types of birch trees. We were greeted by Steve with a cold beer - of course it wasn't my type but I drank it. Some light summer beer as it was the end of summer but still very chilly. Now it was on to meet up with our sea kayakers and a quick shower in the National Park's facilities which cost us a couple of NZ dollars - the best two dollars I have spent!
Back in the bus/van for our drive out to the west coast. We make a brief stop in the town of Murchison for a latte or in my case a long black. As we are enjoying our coffees I notice the butchery across the way, "#1 Bacon, 100% New Zealand". Dan our guide notices this as well and to our delight he purchased 22 raschers of bacon, the measurement is still in use in NZ, England, Australia and I am sure other English derived countries. 100% New Zealand means that it was of all New Zealand. There were over 100 entries and this was from the middle section. The nice thing about NZ bacon is that you get a bit of ham with each slice.
We drove onto dinner of fish and chips and national icon if you will...no I had chicken and it was good. And remember chips are fries and crisps are potato chips. We came across two gypsy vehicles and the Gypsies that went with them. Tonight we stay in Punakaiki (pancake).
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 5: On the Trail
The days starts with crossing river that we literally just have to walk through. It is a sunny day and remains to be so the entire day. It actually gets quite hot as the NZ sun is very strong. They have a high incident of skin cancer in the country. Back to the hike. It is a causal and enjoyable walk in the morning. We learn about the pepper plant and give it a taste with a chew of the leaves. Yes it is a bit spicy and too much for many. The Maori used this for medicinal purposes. Our hike ended up being a very tough one with a steep ascent on Cascade Track to Angelus Hut - 1,000m or approx. 3,000 feet evaluation gain sitting at 1,600m. The last bit was boulder hiking - pick the boulder you'd like to step on. This was all created by glaciers way back when. I wasn't paying attention as Terry our English man was into rocks and glaciers. He was our resident geologists. He and Dan were also my hiking buddies as the other two and Kat were at a bit slower pace. So it was a twenty year old, me at 4o and Terry at 67 - age doesn't seem to be a factor.
So finally we reach the top and are greeted with two lakes, Lake Angelus being the main lake. These lakes are quite cold sitting at 1,600m but I have to do it, it is my only "shower" after sweating all day in the sun. It was two quick dips as I knew after the first one that I was still not too clean. Fortunately the sun was still blazing and I warmed up quickly. This hut was larger with 26 beds and someone overseeing it from DOC (Department of Conservation). In the height of the season there can be 50 people there sleeping on the kitchen benches, on the deck and just anywhere one can find space. Thank goodness that was not our case thank goodness. There is something about getting out in the middle of no where to only find everyone! This was a multi-national hut with Americans, Europeans, Israelis, Asians, and even a few Kiwi's (New Zealanders).
This is where my first siting of the Southern Cross and Ryan's Belt came to be. After listen to the song for many years on a dive boat and hearing about it time and again. And to Dan and Ken's dismay I am sure - our young tour guides were not familiar with the song! No worries, I had all seven versions on my ipod and we listened to a couple of them. The Southern Star constellation is on the New Zealand Flag and Aussie Flag and on of them as an extra star.
So finally we reach the top and are greeted with two lakes, Lake Angelus being the main lake. These lakes are quite cold sitting at 1,600m but I have to do it, it is my only "shower" after sweating all day in the sun. It was two quick dips as I knew after the first one that I was still not too clean. Fortunately the sun was still blazing and I warmed up quickly. This hut was larger with 26 beds and someone overseeing it from DOC (Department of Conservation). In the height of the season there can be 50 people there sleeping on the kitchen benches, on the deck and just anywhere one can find space. Thank goodness that was not our case thank goodness. There is something about getting out in the middle of no where to only find everyone! This was a multi-national hut with Americans, Europeans, Israelis, Asians, and even a few Kiwi's (New Zealanders).
This is where my first siting of the Southern Cross and Ryan's Belt came to be. After listen to the song for many years on a dive boat and hearing about it time and again. And to Dan and Ken's dismay I am sure - our young tour guides were not familiar with the song! No worries, I had all seven versions on my ipod and we listened to a couple of them. The Southern Star constellation is on the New Zealand Flag and Aussie Flag and on of them as an extra star.
Day 4: Wine Tasting & Backpacking
We started the morning by feeding the eels. Yes, those gross snaky-like things we see scuba diving. The difference was these were totally in the open - out swimming around, not hiding in the reef or behind a rock. There were black eels and the green spotted ones, apparently they are fresh & saltwater creatures. The B&B we stayed at has a river in the back and every morning the owner feeds the eels and keeps the ducks away with his water hose.
From here we set out to the Marlborough region, known for Sauvignon Blancs. The town that is center to all the vineyards is Blenheim (formerly Beaver Town until it was renamed in the '40s). Here we participated in our only wine tasting of the trip at Forrest Estate - a boutique vineyard. Beautiful setting and fun tasting. Interestingly they end up covering all the vines with netting as the birds love to eat the grapes. Also, there are an increasing number of vineyards as farmers have found there is more money in grapes then sheep or other farming. So we saw many newly planted vines.
Now it is off for our three day excursion. Some have chosen sea kayaking in the Marbourgh Sound (the only true sound in NZ) and others a 3 day backpacking adventure. There were no bikers - the third option. The two guides and 4 vacationers set out on the trail in Nelson Lakes National Park. This in the central north section of the North Island. The first day our hike is flat along the shores of Lake Rotoiti. The trail is covered in birch leaves - their are 3 different type of birches depending on your elevation - of course I can't remember the names, but can remember it created a soft surface to walk on. We also became acquainted with honey dew - a drop of moisture one finds on the side of these birch trees that tastes like...honey dew. After a few hours we arrived at our first hut - Lake Head Hut. This was my first experience with a hut. This was smaller about 15 beds and they are twin beds that are not detached, but side by side top & bottom with a mattress so you could be right next to someone you don't know or a snorer! There were only two other people there, two kids that had just completed college and are spending 4 months touring NZ. The evening was complete with a dive in and quick exit of the lake for a shower. Dinner was prepared by Dan and we had our two bottles of wine that we hauled in and will now haul around the empty bottles for the next two days. And oh, they do have long drops - what we call port-a-potties, I guess these are not so portable.
From here we set out to the Marlborough region, known for Sauvignon Blancs. The town that is center to all the vineyards is Blenheim (formerly Beaver Town until it was renamed in the '40s). Here we participated in our only wine tasting of the trip at Forrest Estate - a boutique vineyard. Beautiful setting and fun tasting. Interestingly they end up covering all the vines with netting as the birds love to eat the grapes. Also, there are an increasing number of vineyards as farmers have found there is more money in grapes then sheep or other farming. So we saw many newly planted vines.
Now it is off for our three day excursion. Some have chosen sea kayaking in the Marbourgh Sound (the only true sound in NZ) and others a 3 day backpacking adventure. There were no bikers - the third option. The two guides and 4 vacationers set out on the trail in Nelson Lakes National Park. This in the central north section of the North Island. The first day our hike is flat along the shores of Lake Rotoiti. The trail is covered in birch leaves - their are 3 different type of birches depending on your elevation - of course I can't remember the names, but can remember it created a soft surface to walk on. We also became acquainted with honey dew - a drop of moisture one finds on the side of these birch trees that tastes like...honey dew. After a few hours we arrived at our first hut - Lake Head Hut. This was my first experience with a hut. This was smaller about 15 beds and they are twin beds that are not detached, but side by side top & bottom with a mattress so you could be right next to someone you don't know or a snorer! There were only two other people there, two kids that had just completed college and are spending 4 months touring NZ. The evening was complete with a dive in and quick exit of the lake for a shower. Dinner was prepared by Dan and we had our two bottles of wine that we hauled in and will now haul around the empty bottles for the next two days. And oh, they do have long drops - what we call port-a-potties, I guess these are not so portable.
Day 3: Active New Zealand Trip Begins
We meet at 10AM so it was a leisurely start to the day. There are 9 guests on the trip with two guides. I will spend the next two weeks with theses 10 people so I hope it is good! Kat is are leader. At the age of 26 she is extremely capable of moving us along and informing us of NZ. Dan is our co-guide and the age of 23 he is good at keeping us fed as well as providing insights to NZ. We will mostly travel via bus - small bus around NZ. At first this is a bit difficult for me as most of my past big vacations were done via bike with much more freedom to stop when we want to take photo's for visit something. It is a trade off for covering more ground.
The other 8 guest are as follows:
Ashley from SF in her thirties
Emily & Dennis from WI in their 50's and 60's
Morris & Joyce from WI in their 60's and 70's
Linley from Australia in her late 40's
Karen from N. England in her 50's
Terry from Oxford England in his 60's (he was the only one on the trip that went at my pace)
So as you can see it was a group that was a bit on the older side. All were very nice and we didn't have one bad apple in the group which was great.
The first day we drove up the East coast north of Christchurch to Kaikoura with a stop over on a beach some where for lunch. When we arrived in Kaikoura it was strait to swimming with the dolphins - so we were told. I wasn't too keen as I knew the water was quite chilly and when we were putting on 7mm wet suits I didn't think this was for me. I gave away my wet suit on the last dive trip as if it was going to be that cold I wouldn't be going as it would not be fun for me. And here I was again. I have swam with dolphin's before in nice 85 degree water so I didn't think this was going to be necessary. On our way to the beach with the guide I asked about what other life we would see other then dolphins - he said oh there will be no dolphins mostly kelp and other weeds - that was it I wouldn't be going. I did give it a try but the water was so cold. So I hung back at the beach. I lost out on eating the inside if a sea urchin - ever heard of that? So I was happy and didn't feel like I missed out on a thing.
That night we stayed at a B&B with a parrot that drank a beer out of a beer can all by it's self. The owners catered dinner - so much food and it is ok.
The other 8 guest are as follows:
Ashley from SF in her thirties
Emily & Dennis from WI in their 50's and 60's
Morris & Joyce from WI in their 60's and 70's
Linley from Australia in her late 40's
Karen from N. England in her 50's
Terry from Oxford England in his 60's (he was the only one on the trip that went at my pace)
So as you can see it was a group that was a bit on the older side. All were very nice and we didn't have one bad apple in the group which was great.
The first day we drove up the East coast north of Christchurch to Kaikoura with a stop over on a beach some where for lunch. When we arrived in Kaikoura it was strait to swimming with the dolphins - so we were told. I wasn't too keen as I knew the water was quite chilly and when we were putting on 7mm wet suits I didn't think this was for me. I gave away my wet suit on the last dive trip as if it was going to be that cold I wouldn't be going as it would not be fun for me. And here I was again. I have swam with dolphin's before in nice 85 degree water so I didn't think this was going to be necessary. On our way to the beach with the guide I asked about what other life we would see other then dolphins - he said oh there will be no dolphins mostly kelp and other weeds - that was it I wouldn't be going. I did give it a try but the water was so cold. So I hung back at the beach. I lost out on eating the inside if a sea urchin - ever heard of that? So I was happy and didn't feel like I missed out on a thing.
That night we stayed at a B&B with a parrot that drank a beer out of a beer can all by it's self. The owners catered dinner - so much food and it is ok.
Days 1 & 2: Christchurch
After completing the transpacific flight via L.A. and Auckland I landed in Christchurch. It was either 26 or 28 hours door to door. With 3 hrs in LAX and 3 hrs in Auckland it quite added to the travel time. Because I booked a separate domestic flight to get to/from Christchurch I had to collect and re-check my bags in Auckland. Glad I did just to experience the self check in, self tag the bags and self put the bags on the conveyor belt experience. No airline could ever get away with that in the US. There is so much more a sense of personal responsibility here. And maybe it also has to do with the fact there are only 4.5M people in NZ (same population as Atlanta) and 2M visitors a year.
My lodging was my first experience with staying in a hostel and it was a good one. The place was called the Jailhouse (www.jail.co.nz) and obviously was a former jail as late as 1999. For $44NZ or $22US you cant beat it. The rooms were small but the place was keep clean. I had to share bath/shower. After 6 years of sharing a shower in Jr/high school with a totally shared shower, no privacy at all I figured I can share a private shower. I did observe a new way of traveling. Young people come to NZ for months at a time, buying an old station wagon and drive around NZ with their chilly bin (cooler), tent and explore the country. Staying these hostels allows for communal cooking - one large kitchen that all share with your own frig and cupboard space. When the trip is complete they sell the car. So you will see many cars for sell if you stop at a hostel. I guess maybe more this time of year as it is fall and they are heading into winter.
This hostel location was excellent as it was a 20 minute walk to centre city along a beautiful large park so I could witness Net Ball, their interesting version of basketball, cricket, joggers but no rugby. This also allowed me to dine with some locals at a bar - difficult to understand quite a few of them. As well as enjoy coffee at a local cafe. NZ love their coffee and are quite particular. It is all espresso based - so here my drink is a "Long Black" sometime with extra water. Abbington Coop Coffee was the place and I highly recommend it should you ever be in Christchurch.
I spent my time wondering the city center going to the Arts Centre. This used to be the former Canterbury College site and consists of many different buildings creating a couple of courtyards with artists displaying/selling/constructing their works. Knitters, weavers, jewelers, painters. Since wool is such a major product in NZ there is much knitting and weaving. Honestly I was not quite as impressed as I thought I would be. It was very raining this day.
Day 2 was sunny and I spent time wondering through the wonderful Botanical Gardens and again the streets. I ended up taking the Tramway or trolley and learned it took only 20 minutes to do the entire thing and I would recommend walking it if you could.
My lodging was my first experience with staying in a hostel and it was a good one. The place was called the Jailhouse (www.jail.co.nz) and obviously was a former jail as late as 1999. For $44NZ or $22US you cant beat it. The rooms were small but the place was keep clean. I had to share bath/shower. After 6 years of sharing a shower in Jr/high school with a totally shared shower, no privacy at all I figured I can share a private shower. I did observe a new way of traveling. Young people come to NZ for months at a time, buying an old station wagon and drive around NZ with their chilly bin (cooler), tent and explore the country. Staying these hostels allows for communal cooking - one large kitchen that all share with your own frig and cupboard space. When the trip is complete they sell the car. So you will see many cars for sell if you stop at a hostel. I guess maybe more this time of year as it is fall and they are heading into winter.
This hostel location was excellent as it was a 20 minute walk to centre city along a beautiful large park so I could witness Net Ball, their interesting version of basketball, cricket, joggers but no rugby. This also allowed me to dine with some locals at a bar - difficult to understand quite a few of them. As well as enjoy coffee at a local cafe. NZ love their coffee and are quite particular. It is all espresso based - so here my drink is a "Long Black" sometime with extra water. Abbington Coop Coffee was the place and I highly recommend it should you ever be in Christchurch.
I spent my time wondering the city center going to the Arts Centre. This used to be the former Canterbury College site and consists of many different buildings creating a couple of courtyards with artists displaying/selling/constructing their works. Knitters, weavers, jewelers, painters. Since wool is such a major product in NZ there is much knitting and weaving. Honestly I was not quite as impressed as I thought I would be. It was very raining this day.
Day 2 was sunny and I spent time wondering through the wonderful Botanical Gardens and again the streets. I ended up taking the Tramway or trolley and learned it took only 20 minutes to do the entire thing and I would recommend walking it if you could.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Waiting...And Testing
It has been since last June that I went on vacation. Days were being saved and now is the time to spend those hard earned vacation days. Three weeks in NZ. Yes, a mini sabbatical to prepare for the real one in 2011. Now I am just thinking about packing. I have my list and will be checking it twice, not to take too much and not too little (I have done that).
This blog is a trial run on how easily this works on my phone vs. on a computer. If you are interested in following along with the trip please subscribe. If I end up blogging on another site I will let you know.
Happy trails...
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