The West Coast

On Sunday morning, the realization that the trip was soon going to be ending began to sink in. We were determined, though, to use our remaining time as wisely as possible. First on the agenda was a brief trip to Fox Glacier. I have seen glaciers before in magnificent settings such as at Glacier National Park in Montana, USA, and Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta, Canada, but never before have I seen a glacier so close to the ocean and so close to rainforest! It is truly a remarkable area and I think a good microcosm of the variety of New Zealand. We did not have time to go on a guided tour of the glacier, which would have been cool, but we on an adventurous hike of our own up along a mountain stream. After our hike we drove up the West Coast to Franz Jozef Glacier to eat. I had the best Prime Rib ever in this small, unassuming restaurant.

We continued up the coast until we arrived at Punakaiki. This is a beautiful area of New Zealand's west coast, somewhat similar to the drive on California 1 up to Big Sur. There are alot of beautiful features along the coast, such as the Pancake Rocks. We didn't arrive at high tide, however, so we were not able to observe the famous Panakaiki Blow Hole in action.

We traveled back down the coast to try to find something to eat. This proved more difficult than I had thought or hoped, as practically everything was closed in Hokitika. It was a shame, too, because Hokitika is known for its "flourishing gemstone industry" and I had wanted to check out some of the stores to possibly get a gift for my Mom. There were alot of cool looking jade stores. There was actually a small movie theater in the small town but to the chagrin of Wes it was only playing Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and Twilight. We were trying to burn time.... I'll explain why later.

We had to resort to getting dinner at the local Gas station- please note that there are far less dining options at your typical New Zealand petrol station than at Sheetz, per say. Wes seemed pleased with his selection- a "hot dog" that the guys working there heated up for him. The young guys working at the petrol station were nice and amusing- they trashed the local radio stations (all we could get in on the radio was a call for horse races and one Christian Rock station, I wish so bad I would have remembered to borrow Verena's tape adapter so we could have listened to my ipod!) and longingly spoke of the good music scene in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland. I got a ham salad sandwich thinking it was a ham salad sandwich but it turned out to be a razor-thin piece of ham with "salad"- lettuce and tomato on bread. I also purchased a 1.5L container of Mountain Dew to keep awake for the drive across New Zealand to Christchurch. We'll get back to that later.

There was one last adventure for us to go on, though. We ventured to find the famous "glowworms" in Hokitika. As we arrived at dusk (around 9:30 PM) we were not quite sure where to go, so we ventured up a beaten path. Two other visitors must have thought that we looked where we were going and they followed us. The path, though, ended up taking us from the glowworm dell into a backyard of a house in a development- a prime example of the blind leading the blind. We headed back to the actual dell and the glowworms were out. It is hard to describe what they look like. They almost appear to stars hanging in the forest floor. It was quite spectacular, and I believe Wes was awestruck to a degree. I was not able to get any pictures or video as the light from the glowworms was so soft. (I could have on "Bulb Mode"- an unlimited open exposure, but I'm beginning to think that my camera does not have this mode even though a book I had says it does). It is amazing how much more powerful our eyes are compared to a camera. I had another moment where I wish I had kids at the Glowworm dell. A little girl came over to me and asked: "Sir, can you see any glowworms?" Which I replied: "Yes, right here I can see some." She hurriedly reported back to her parents:"That man over there sees some glowworms!". I heard her brother, who must have been not much older than 6 or 7 years old say later: "From this angle, I can see the glowworms much better!" I like those kids- they were cool.

It was now time for us to begin heading home. First up was the drive to Christchurch over Arthur's Pass, which would take a couple of hours. Arthur's Pass is supposed to be a beautiful area but we did not see any of it as it was PITCH DARK. It was almost like driving in a cave. There were no lights and we passed 3 cars I think on our entire drive into the Christchurch city limits. Granted, it was after midnight on a Sunday night, but this is one of the main roads in New Zealand! The drive was a bit harrowing and twisty at times- maybe it is good that we couldn't see, because we were probably driving on the side of a cliff! The drive was fun, though, as we talked about movies and music and all sorts of things- we had the type of conversations that you can and only will ever have when you are on a long road trip, far from home and familiar places, in awe of everything that you have seen, trying to make sense of it, and wondering constantly and incessantly what the future holds. It seems like these choice times are part of a select few moments where your thinking is clear and perceptive and hopeful and in focus, where it becomes easy to observe and understand everything. Then after a few minutes, the feeling begins to fade away, as some small and ultimately inconsequential matter begins to dominate your mind. You fight the feeling, because the arrival of clarity was so welcomed and you don't want it to leave, but resisting is just as futile as struggling to stay asleep during a wonderful dream after conscious thought barges in and announces that everything that you have just experienced was just a dream. I remember during the entire drive I was anxiously searching my memory, trying to remember something -some feeling, or some thought, or some matter- that I wanted to tell or talk about with Wes, but I couldn't remember what it was. There are just a few opportunities in life where you are able to really speak to somebody, the way we are meant to speak, bypassing the daily requirement of formal rhetoric or trivial dialogue... but I couldn't remember what I wanted to say. I still can't remember what I wanted to say.

Ellis Schoffstall must drive a camper on Skipper's Canyon Road!

On Saturday morning, it was time to finally white-water raft! The lady who had booked the trip for us at our hotel the day before had scared me, because she said that the rafting would probably be cancelled because of all of the rain. It turned out just the opposite- the levels were almost perfect for great rafting!

We have no photos or videos of the rafting because you were not allowed to take any stuff like that with you. They took video at the final rapid, but not throughout, because there is no way to get people to various parts of the canyon with video equipment. It was also disappointing that the video that they took did not end up coming out in the end so we weren't able to get any. There are a couple of videos on YouTube of the final rapid, from other tours, but I know the water level was much higher and faster when we went- I can tell just looking at it, and our guides told us.

The drive to the rafting spot is absolutely ridiculous. You travel on the world famous Skipper's Canyon Road (generic video of the road can be found clicking on the link). This road beats out anything that I have seen even in the American West. We drove up in a rickety old bus hauling a trailer with a bunch of rafts on it. This road is crazy to drive even with a 4WD. There is a mountian biking trail along side the road. Most people complete the descent in about 40 minutes. A world champion did so in 5, however the owner of a mtn. biking rental outfit in Queenstown broke his pelvis on the trail. The canyon kind of reminds me of the Rio Grande gorge in New Mexico.

After our descent we arrived at our rafting location and it was finally time to go. We had quite the crew- the raft that Wes and I were on was made up of our English guide who had worked at some snowboarding/skiing resorts in the Northeast (US), a Scottish couple, an Aussie, and two Koreans. One of the cool things about New Zealand is how no matter where you are, there are generally people from all around the world.

After getting geared up and instructed, we started on our river adventure. I wish we could have pictures of our gear. It was the complete opposite of our attire at the kayaking! Instead of looking like lunatic medieval jesters, we looked like Jason Bourne. Solid black neoprene overalls, with the New Zealand fern across the heart. This pumped us up for the trip. Your clothes really do affect your morale and attitude! We felt like a special ops team going down the river to rescue someone.

The first several minutes, we coasted down the river at a calm pace, trying out our newly learned techniques at our guide's will. Here is a map of the river we did (you can also see the road we took to get into the canyon- to the right of the river.) Eventually, we would reach the first rapid of the day- the Grade 3 (Red Rocks). We paddled hard when we were supposed to leading up to the rapid, but when our guide yelled get down, the two Koreans just behind Wes and I did not. This caused our raft to turn perpendicular to the river, almost flipping upside down entirely, as we went through the rapid. I tried to hold on as my side of the raft was a couple feet off of the water, but fell down landing on Wes, knocking him out the raft and halfway into the river. At the last second, however, I redeemed myself by grabbing Wes and hauling him back into the raft saying "I got you" in the process (perfect overly-dramatic dialogue for an action movie.) The two Koreans were not so lucky. I think they both fell into the water, but the one who had probably fallen on the other was able to hang on to the side of the raft and pull himself back in. The other guy was flailing around in the river and appeared genuinely scared. His friend though wasn't pulling him back in- I don't know if he was rattled or what- so the guide yelled at Wes to pull him in, which he did. Then we all had to paddle like crazy downstream to reach the guy's wayward paddle which I reached out with my long arms and snatched before it was gone forever. Things calmed down after that, but it was quite fun and adventurous as we went through the different rapids. It is quite the view when you are going through a rapid.

We would eventually get to the Oxenbridge Tunnel where Wes had the privilege of steering the raft as we went on the river through a tunnel barely wide enough for the raft and barely tall enough for us to squeeze through! Right after the tunnel was the final rapid of the day. The rapid is normally just a Class 3, but when the water level is high this rapid amps up considerably. Our guide sort of beat around the bush telling us about the upcoming rapid, and then just said- well it is basically a 3 meter waterfall (about 9 feet), and 9 out of 10 rafts will flip at this level. Just as we were coming out of the tunnel we saw that the majority of the crew on the first raft to go through was floating down the river. Uh oh..... We paddled hard, our guide yelled GET DOWN.... we quickly sunk and were thrown to the right by the rapids. Our guide then yelled TO THE LEFT, as he had warned we must do if we didn't want the raft to go upside down.... we did (well we basically all did- in a picture we saw back at the lodge, everyone was to the left but the two Korean guys! and the guide was falling out the back- unbeknown to us- I guess he somehow grabbed the raft and held on) and we crashed back down and accelerated ahead to the calm river below. It was quite the fun ride, and we were proud that we had made it through. Another raft or two made it through perfect, too, but others would also have "casualties".

After rafting, we headed back to town and went up the gondola, to Bob's Peak which overlooks Queenstown. The views are stunning. Not only can you look at the wonderful views, you can also luge or bungee jump at Bob's Peak. Obviously, we went "luging", which was actually pretty fun. If you pushed it too far trying to beat a friend, you could get banged up pretty good because those things go faster than you think.

Sadly, it was time to leave Queenstown, but it was time for a long scenic drive through Wanaka and Mt. Aspiring National Park all of the way up to Fox Glacier.

I'll Buy You A Kebab!

On Saturday, Wes and I got up before the crack of dawn (4:30 AM- the days are quite long in New Zealand- while it was getting dark between 6:00-6:30 in Queensland (they don't use DST there), it is getting dark around 10 PM here and light around 5 AM) to make the long drive back to Milford Sound so we could go on a morning kayak trip there. We traversed the Milford Road (about a 2 HR trip) once again as the sun came up. As we passed through the tunnel though the weather looked quite disturbed in Milford Sound. After suiting up into our laughable attire- check out the picture of Wes- could they possibly make it any more ugly and ridiculous?.... we headed out into the Sound. It is very humbling sitting in a kayak in Milford Sound. We paddled across the Sound close to the one waterfall and then started heading down the Sound. As we were doing this, we could see waves starting to form quite a distance ahead. About a minute later, we started to feel a strong wind, and within a few more minutes the waves reached us. I was in the front of the kayak, so some of the waves were crashing right on my face. Wes was in the back doing the hard work with the steering. I remember thinking: is this pretty normal since the weather here can be very changeable. Wes then asked our one guide, who told us: I've never been out here when it was like this! Very comforting! It really wasn't that "scary", it was more annoying than anything- having to row hard against a strong wind- 30 knots or so- and having cold water crash down on your face. It was quite the adventure, though! Wes and I had originally wanted to go on another expedition that had left earlier and went all of the way out to the Tasman Sea. Well, apparently they got the worst of it- winds over 50 knots that blew them straight backwards. A boat had to go pick them up.

We headed over to the one shore to get some shelter and a hot drink and eventually went back to shore. We met a couple interesting people, including an older man originally from Newport, Rhode Island, who now lives in Central City Philly. He has traveled all over the world, but he said the best trip he ever went on was a multi-day white-water rafting trip in the Grand Canyon.

After kayaking, we got some tasty lunch at the surprisingly affordable lodge before making yet another track down the Milford Road. Wes fell asleep pretty fast and I was driving I felt quite tired myself. In fact so tired, that for the first time in my life I had to pull over and sleep for about 20 minutes. Feeling refreshed, it was time to make the long drive to Queenstown- the adventure capital of the world.

We got in pretty late- it had been raining the whole day, which cancelled our evening plans. However, we ended up living for ourselves some of the lyrics in the famous Kiwi band Flight Of The Conchords one song, as we bought ourselves a Kebab!

The sky started to clear at sunset and I was able to get some nice pictures and video. Queenstown is quite a nice place and is certainly an adventure mecca.

The Eighth Wonder Of The World

Rudyard Kipling once called Milford Sound the eighth wonder of the world. I think he got it about right.

On Thursday morning, we got up early and drove from Te Anau to Milford Sound. This drive is called one of if not the most beautiful drive in the world. I vote for most beautiful. As the sun was coming up we approached the Southern Alps with meadows of lupines strewn before colossal, snow-capped mountains. (I'm trying my best to make up for the lack of pictures). As we got closer the road became technical. Very technical. Switchbacks, one lane bridges, one lane in places in general, and very, very steep. All the while, though, the scenery got more spectacular. Rainforest, waterfalls pouring over cliffs, roaring rivers, alpine meadows. After about an hour of that, you come to the Homer Tunnel, and then after waiting your turn, you descend to Milford Sound.

Words and pictures will never describe Milford Sound. I have posted one picture from the part of the Sound closest to mainland, to give you an idea of the scale of the area. The white dot to the right of the waterfall is a large boat. The waterfall that you see is actually 8 km away from where the picture is being taken. The weather can be different at various areas of the Sound. When we left it was nice but cool. We got in the middle of the Sound and there were gale force winds, and then we arrived at the end of the Sound which borders the Tasman Sea and there was no wind, the water was a tropical blue, and it felt very warm. Everyone should go here once in their life. No wonder it was just voted the most scenic spot in the world by tourists.

After this adventure, we drove back the Milford Road a bit and hiked part of the famed Routeburn Track to Summit View. You start off climbing through mossy forest with ferns blanketing the floor and small waterfalls cascading everywhere, and then progress to a beech forest. Then you reach an alpine meadow before arriving at the top. The weather was absolutely perfect- the forecast had called for heavy rain. The weather is extremely unstable and unpredictable in Fjordland and especially Milford Sound, so we were very fortunate. After a nice relaxing hike back down the mountain we had a fun drive back to our hotel.

I again apologize for the lack of pictures. Believe me- we have LOTS of photos and videos. They will definitely be on the DVD.

We found where Joe Rath lives

On Wednesday, before we left Dunedin, we headed over to see the steepest street in the world- Baldwin St. Dunedin is a cool town/city. It is like a mini-San Francisco. Colorful architecture, very hilly, and built around a bay. After finishing breakfast with our quirky hosts, we set off to find Baldwin St. How cool are people in this part of the world? Wes dropped me off to get directions- the only local business around was a veterinarian. I felt awkward going in, but went in anyway, and guess what..... they happily and eagerly told me where Baldwin St. was. I was almost certain that if I would have asked for the "Why you are shortchanging your pets if you don't by them IAMS food" poster for Verena that was inside, that they would have given it to me.

We climbed Baldwin St. which was quite fun. A German family with two young kids were actually rolling bouncy balls down the street. I'll post one of Wes' pictures which I think best captures the pitch of the street.

We then left Dunedin and headed across Sheepland (oh I mean Southland) towards Te Anau. This day was New Zealand at its best. We passed through the greenest fields I have ever seen. Sheep were everywhere, and the scenery changed by the minute. First it was flat, then very hilly, then there was scrub brush, then trees. Again I felt like I was in France, Italy, Scotland, and California all at once. Unfortunately, Wes slept through most of it and I was too busy driving to take pictures or video. The driving was quite difficult as gale force winds were blowing our small Nissan Sunny around the twisty roads. As we moved further west, the clouds moved in and it started to get very windy. We drove through very desolate country. At one point we didn't pass another road for nearly 100K, or petrol stations, or food. After stopping briefly for lunch- I got a hearty egg pie that the local workers enjoy- we arrived in Te Anau. By now it was raining quite hard so we abandoned our original plans and went on a local trail instead through a thick forest.

We lost the trail but then found it again, and it was quite a nice hike- the rain added a nice effect- however we ended up getting soaked. We then crashed at our hotel.

There have been some complaints due to the lack of pictures on the blog. Well, some of our connections are making it impossible to post pictures. I haven't been able to post any pictures that I have taken since we have left Australia. The photos I posted here of Wes' have taken 10 minutes each to upload. I'm sorry- you'll have to wait for the DVD. I'll try to be as descriptive as possible with my blog and you will have to use your imagination.... for now!

Update

Sorry we have not been able to post.  We have a garbage internet situation in Te Anau.  Can't wait to post about Milford Sound and Fjordland.

(21) Days Of Autumn

During our flight to Auckland Monday night, I was able to watch (500) Days Of Summer for the third time while Wes was able to see it for the first time. I was glad that the airline showed the movie- hopefully people who probably would have never seen it were able to see it.

We got through customs in Auckland around 1:15 AM. We had a 6:10 AM flight to Christchurch, so we just hung out at the airport. Wes slept a bit on the seats and floor while I typed up the other blog entries. While I was doing this, a flight arrived from the island of Tonga, and I was able to watch friends and families' joyfully reuniting.

I eventually woke Wes up and we walked over to the Domestic Terminal. We needed to get breakfast so I made my first purchase in New Zealand- at Macky's! The Kiwi special brekky was actually quite good- the best eggs I have ever had at a McDonalds, good sausage, english muffin, hash brown, and hot chocolate for about $5 US. And they had ketchup! The only thing I don't like about Australia (other than the tiny $2 coin which is so easy to lose), is the fact that there is no ketchup in fast food restaurants. However, they love their barbecue sauce (on hamburgers especially) which is pretty good. Wes and I never thought we would say this, but we have had too many chips the last few days and need a few days off from them.

Anyway, getting back to the play-by-play. We boarded the flight to Christchurch, and fell asleep immediately. I didn't wake up until it was time to get off the plane. Wes woke up just in time to see the incredible view over the Canterbury Plains. We then picked up our rental car and it was time to drive. I drove for the first leg to Dunedin, while Wes slept, and then we switched when I was getting tired. I quickly fell asleep in the passenger seat (on the right side!), but when I awoke, I was in awe of the scenery around me. The scenery was completely surreal. It looked like a mix of England, Scotland, France, Italy, and California. On the right was flatlands with rich, green grass with myriads of sheep grazing, but beyond them were snow-capped mountains. To the left, though, was azure blue water that looked like it belonged in the Mediterranean. The juxtaposition was jarring! lol. As we headed south towards Dunedin, the countryside got hillier, but all the more pretty. Unfortunately, the internet connection at the bed and breakfast that we are at is quite poor, so I am limited in how many pictures I can upload. You will have to wait for the DVD.

We would stop for lunch at a KFC, which had calla lilies in the flower beds. Dunedin is like a mini-San Francisco. Built around a bay, colorful architecture, interesting city design, and very hilly and pretty. In the afternoon, we headed out to the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Centre. This peninsula is gorgeous as you can see by the pictures we have posted. In fact, it may be my favorite place of all time now, narrowly edging out the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. The drive out (Wes drove out, I drove back) was very interesting too. The road is extremely narrow, there are blind curves, and there is no guardrail even though you are right next to the bay.

This trip has been a dream come true for me because I have been able to see my three favorite animals- kangaroos, koalas, and albatrosses. Why do I like albatrosses so much? Well, even though they are like birds, they act alot like humans and they are interesting in general. After they are raised by their parents, they leave their nest at age 1. They won't set "foot" on land again for 5 years. They spend 80% of their life (anywhere from 30-60 years) over the south Pacific. They sleep floating on the ocean. They can be in the air for days on end, can reach 70 MPH flying, and circumnavigate the globe almost for the fun of it, Despite the fact that they usually weigh over 20 LBS, their nearly 10 ft. wingspan (and the fact they have "shoulders", elbows, and wrists- unlike most birds) helps them fly so well. When they are 5 years old, they will begin to search for a mate who will be their lifetime partner, as they are monogamous. This will be the first time that they have set foot on land for 5 years so generally when they come in for landing they crash because they haven't used their legs before. They spend several days "learning to walk." If it wasn't for breeding, the albatrosses would probably always be over the oceann They generally spend 4 to 5 years searching for the right mate, "playing the scene" (as our guide said), and perfecting their mating dances and calls. After they find a mate, they will try for a chick once every two years. If successful, it takes a year to raise the chick, before it heads out on its own. During the next year, the parents take a break. Albatrosses are very loyal to their mates and families, too. While the one mate incubates the egg, the other searches for food. It the mate who is out to sea dies, many times the other mate will die too, because it will not leave the egg, hoping for the arrival of its mate.

The Otago Peninsula of New Zealand holds the only mainland colony of albatrosses in the world. All of their other colonies are usually on obscure and tiny islands in the middle of the ocean. What made today so special, too, was the fact that the albatrosses had just been laying their eggs, so this was the first day that people were allowed up into the observation area for quite some time. The weather was quite nice, too, and the albatrosses were more active than usual. Apparently it was the adolescent ones "partying". I was also able to see two albatrosses on their nests hidden in the grass.

What an awesome day! It really makes you appreciate creation and Jehovah!

Afterwards, Wes and I went into Dunedin and got some delicious pizza and this place right off campus from Otago University. My pizza was made of avocado, chicken, salsa, sour cream, cheese, onions, tomatoes, black pepper, and cajun spice. Wes' was a barbecue sauce based meat pizza.

These 21 days of Autumn have definitely shaped up to be the best that I have ever experienced. I met the nicest people I have ever met in Australia and am now seeing the most amazing scenery I have ever observed. It sort of feels like I have been looking for something my whole life and I have finally found it!