Return to Methven

Church of the Good Shepherd

Today was our last full day in New Zealand. We were able to sleep in at Mount Cook, since we only had a short drive to make. We had a nice long breakfast at the hotel, and were amazed that, even though the view of Aoraki Mount Cook had been perfect from the front windows of the hotel the day before, this morning it was completely obscured by fog. Incredible how things change here so quickly. You can be on the beach in the morning and in the snow in the afternoon. It can be a hot sunny day with a not a cloud to be soon one hour, and a rainstorm the next. Fascinating. We stopped at Lake Tekapo after we left Mount Cook National Park, and spent some time enjoying the beautiful lake and the famous Church of the Good Shepherd. It was built in the early 1800s right on the lakeshore. It's tiny, with only one room. They still hold services there every Sunday, and are a regular venue for weddings. It didn't take me long to realize what a special place this was.

View from in front of the pulpit

After some sightseeing, we journeyed further northeast back to Methven, the tiny ski town where we stayed last week. There isn't very much here in the summertime, since there is no skiing to be done, but we walked around town, had a nice dinner at the lodge (it was actually the first time I've had chicken since I've been here). Since then, we've been repacking our bags and marveling at the fact that this adventure is drawing to a close.

Spoiling New Zealand's most prized residents before I leave

Mountaineering

Moeraki Boulders

Today we made our way further North to the roof of New Zealand, into the heart of the Southern Alps. Our first stop on the way was at Moeraki Beach, where there are some very unusually shaped boulders. The huge rocks have been rolled on the ocean floor for thousands of years, and subsequently smoothed into near perfect spheres. They are bizzare to look at, sticking up out of the sand, but very beautiful at low tide. We also stopped at Oamaru, which felt like going back in time about 100 years. They have dozens of old limestone buildings, and many craftsmen work here. I even found a bookbinder who makes and restores books using entirely techniques and equipment from the 18th and 19th centuries. All of this was truly fascinating, but the real highlight came later in the afternoon when we made it to Aoraki Mount Cook. Mount Cook is the highest peak in New Zealand, and I got to see it in style.

Taking to the Sky

We had the opportunity to take a helicopter flight around Mount Cook, and it was an opportunity I felt I couldn't pass up. It was an incredible day with barely a cloud in the sky, and I wasn't disappointed.

Mount Cook from the top of the Tasman Glacier

The flight was gorgeous. I probably took about 200 pictures in 30 minutes, and not a single one was bad. It was truly spectacular. The mountain is named after the explorer Captain Cook, but was made truly famous by renowned Kiwi Edmund Hillary. He trained here, on Mount Cook and the Southern Alps, for his ascent of Everest, and he always referred to Mount Cook as "one of the great peaks of the world." From the helicopter, it was easy to see why. Afterwards, we got another view of Mount Cook from the bottom of the Tasman Glacier. We walked about a mile to Lake Tasman, and took a boat between huge icebergs to the glacier terminus. I've never seen ice cubes so big, or so blue. It felt like sailing in the Antarctic. I even got to taste some of the ice.

Iceberg Sailing

The sun was setting as we made our way back to our hotel for dinner in the hotel's restaurant. Only 300 people live in Mount Cook village, the only attraction being the mountain. You aren't allowed to live there unless you work in Mount Cook National Park. It's clear that New Zealand is working hard to preserve this natural wonder. We also got to watch a 3D movie incorporating the Maori Creation myth based on Mount Cook and incredible footage from climbing expeditions and aerial photographers, so it's clear that this is a very special place to all Kiwis. It is truly beautiful and when I am able to add climbing to my list of adventures, maybe I'll find the courage and stamina to make my own attempt to visit the roof of New Zealand.

Someday

Creature Encounters in a College Town

Welcome to Dunedin

Today we had a relatively short drive back North to Dunedin, the "Scottish Center" of New Zealand. This area, which gets very cold in the winter, unlike the mild northern parts, was originally settled by Scots because the climate reminded them of home. Now, it is one of the biggest cities in Southern New Zealand, and home to New Zealand's most famous University (and Medical School), the University of Otago. We are only here for one night, which is a shame. I have had a couple of friends who studied abroad at Otago, and I would love more time to explore the city I have heard so many stories about. We did make use of our afternoon and evening here though, starting with a journey to a penguin sanctuary. The Hoiho, or Yellow-Eyed penguin, is the most endangered species of penguin on earth. There are only 4,000 left alive. And today, must to my absolute glee, I saw 6 of them.

My First Hoiho

The most famous Hoiho in the colony. His name is Tarzan. He's 14 years old and has had 7 mates (Hoiho Penguins usually mate for life). He is on all of the brochures and postcards sold by the Sanctuary. Quite the celebrity.

March is molting season. So no, these penguins don't have a disease. They are just changing their feathers.

I'm sorry I don't have more stories to go with my penguin pictures. I was so excited all I did was click away with my camera. Penguins are my absolute favorite animal, but I've never seen one up close, in the wild. So...this was a pretty special experience for me. Especially since these little guys are so rare. We also saw some penguins who were in the Sanctuary's penguin hospital. It made me sad to see them sick in cages, but the Penguin ER has a very good record, and releases all its patients back to the wild. I was beyond thrilled to spend the afternoon getting up close and personal with my favorite little flightless bird. After the penguins, Mr. Smith and I wandered around Dunedin. We even found the Medical School, and I was tempted to drop off an application. We had a late dinner of lamb shanks at our hotel, and are currently drinking pear cider and watching Harry Potter. Somehow I feel like this is an above-average college experience, even for the very lucky Kiwis who go to school here.

Picnic at the Cathedral

A Near Perfect Day Down Under

Sailing Milford Sound

Yesterday, I was sad to leave Queenstown, but we got a rare treat because we got to sleep in until...7:45 am. We've been getting up at about 6:30 am for 8:00 am departures, but today we got a reprieve. After breakfast we began the long but gorgeous drive to Milford Sound. The day started out cloudy, but by the time we got to the Sound (which, if you'll remember, is actually a fjord), the day was perfect. We stopped often on the way there to take pictures. Once at "The Chasm", a place where the river has carved a lace-like pattern through solid granite, and once in a valley to take in the mountains. It was also an opportunity to acquire a really precious treasure - glacial water, right from the source.

Look, no filter!

We made it to Milford and set sail. And the day was perfect. Even more perfect than my first day here, if I dare say so. The sun was out and there was barely a cloud in the sky. The mountains coming out of the water seemed to sparkle. Truthfully, I have had very few more breathtaking experiences in my life. Dazzled by the scenery, my breath was literally taken away when I found myself drenched by an icy waterfall as our boat's captain steered the nose of our ship into the falls.

Glacial Shower

All afternoon, it was literally impossible to take a bad picture. I tried to take everything in and etch what I was seeing into my memory, because this place is one I do not want to forget anytime soon. With my head still swimming from the gorgeous day, we headed back to Te Anau for a venison pie dinner and a night at the Village Inn, a local place where every room is named after a different village mainstay. We stayed in the General Store, which was in between the Bank and the Butchery. It was hard to think about cutesy hotels with Milford on my mind though. A truly awe inspiring place.

Words Fail

Shores of Lake Wakatipu

Back on the Earnslaw

I've made it back to what might be one of my favorite places so far in New Zealand - Queenstown. We got to spend two nights here, which included one "free day" to do some serious exploring. We spent most of the first day driving from Franz Josef, and since it was a beautiful day, the scenery was really alive. After plenty of photo stops, and having to bypass the Haast River Boat Safari we were scheduled for because of dangerously high river levels, we made it to Queenstown just in time to get cleaned up and changed in time to catch the Earnslaw back to Walter Peak Farm. The food was still good, and Bess the Sheep Dog and her master were still there putting on a great show. It was one of my favorite things the last time I did it, so I was really thrilled to do it again. After a late night and a good sleep, we were excited to explore Queenstown on our own. The first thing we did was a jetboat ride through the Shotover Canyon, complete with the requisite 360 spins and with some perilously close canyon turns for thrown in for good measure.

Jetboating in the Canyon

After our thrilling ride, we headed back to the town proper for more adventure. We wandered and acquired some Kiwi souvenirs (including some amazing New Zealand wool yarn I got to knit with, of which I am particularly proud), we rode the SkyLine Gondola to the top of one of the nearby mountains to check out the view. It was a clear day, and we could see for miles. Neither Mr. Smith not I were brave enough to attempt bungee jumping, which was offered at the mountaintop, but we did find an adventure to take part in.

Enjoying some Street Luge

A few rides on the Luge and a light lunch later, we came down from our mountaintop experience, did a little more aimless wandering, a little laundry, and a little cleaning up. Then we treated ourselves to dinner at Flame, the steak restaurant we took Daddy to for his birthday dinner. I had the exact same meal and it was just as good. I think I could come back to Queenstown over and over again and never get bored. This is truly an adventure town, and I love it.

Queenstown Gondola

Return to Franz Josef

TranzAlpine Train

Today we cut across the South Island in one of the most spectacular ways possible. We left Methven very early this morning so we could make it 30 miles North to catch the TranzAlpine Scenic Train. The train goes across the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth. We didn't stay on all the way to Greymouth, but we did spend about two and a half hours on the train, winding through mountains and enjoying the amazing scenery.

Nice Ride

We ended our train adventure at Arthur's Pass, which is the highest road in New Zealand. We could see the old stagecoach routes as we wound our way down the mountainside in our huge bus. I don't even want to think about what traveling through here back then would've been like. From the comfort of our expertly driven bus, it was an amazing drive down to our pit stop in Hokitika, which is where lots of the famous New Zealand ponamou, or greenstone, or jade, is found and crafted into jewelry. I came to New Zealand with ponamou on my mind, so I acquired one three weeks ago at the beginning of my adventure. Mine is a koru, or spiral, derived from the fern buds that thrive in the native forests here, and in Maori mythos, is symbolizes new beginnings. Other significant shapes include the fishhook, which symbolizes strength and safety, particularly when traveling over water, and the kumara, or triple twist, which, fashioned after the sweet potato vine and root, symbolizes friendship and the joining of two lives together as one. Hokitika was a great place to learn more about this New Zealand tradition.

Jade Workshop

After Hokitika, we continued on to Franz Josef. We got there rather late in the day, and were leaving at 8:00am the next morning, so we didn't get a chance to go up on the glacier this time. We did get to see it, and it was a much clearer day than the day we were here before, so still beautiful. We enjoyed the sights and the quaint town and rested up. A long but good day of traveling.

Not melted yet

Down the East Coast

On the beach in Kaikoura

Today we made our way southward from wine country down the East Coast. We left Blenheim this morning and made it to the east coast town of Kaikoura for morning tea. Kaikoura is famous for whale watching. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go on a whale watching adventure, but I am fairly certain I saw a whale's water spray in the distance as we were driving. I wasn't fast enough to get a picture. It was a grey day but pretty nonetheless. We enjoyed the pebble beaches and the resident seal colonies. It's pupping season for the fur seals so we got to see all the adorable babies playing in the waves. After tea we continued down the East Coast to Rangiora, where we stopped for lunch, and then onward through Canterbury. The main city in the Canterbury region is Christchurch. We aren't stopping there any more because of the recent earthquake, even though we were originally supposed to. It's very sad and a real shame, since Christchurch is supposed to be one of New Zealand's most beautiful cities. We got to see a bit of the famous Canterbury region as we drove, including the famous Rakaia River.

Rakaia River by Mount Hutt

Since we are bypassing Christchurch, we are staying in the tiny rural town of Methven instead. Methven is really just a ski town. Apparently, all the Kiwi ski bums flock to this area to ski Mount Hood in the wintertime. Right now, at the end of summer, it's just a sleepy little place. It is quite nice though, and we got to eat dinner at one of the most famous pubs on Canterbury - the Blue Pub, where I had some delicious lamb curry and apple cider. So even though we had to change our original plans we are safe and happy on the east coast.

The famous Blue Pub

Capital

"The Beehive" - New Zealand's Parliament Building in Wellington

After leaving ecothermal land, we made our way south on the North Island to New Zealand's capital city - Wellington. Wellington is known for being a very windy and very compact city, but very lively and interesting even though it only has 300,000 people compared to Auckland's 1.5 million. Wellington is New Zealand's second largest city, and it's hard to believe that there is no city between the sizes of Wellington and Auckland. New Zealand is just a very unique country. We drove to the top of Mount Victoria for a view of the city and spent the rest of the Morning exploring Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum. It's six stories tall, and full of the history, ecology, culture and art of New Zealand. We spent almost four hours there and still didn't come close to seeing it all. A very interesting experience in New Zealand's Capital.

Maori Temple in Te Papa

After our museum visit, we boarded the InterIslander Ferry to journey southward to the other island. The ferry was an experience in and of itself. It was big enough to hold several buses, semis, and even a train, in addition to hundreds of passengers. The views were beautiful and the seas were calm for our sail across the pond to the South Island.

New Zealand's capital from the ferry

After a wonderful three hour sail, we were in Picton, and I immediately recognized the greener and more dramatic landscape of the South Island. We are overnighting in downtown Blenheim, in the heart of wine country, and I'm glad to be back to get another look at this amazing part of New Zealand. More adventures to come.

Back in the South

Adventures in Ecothermal Land

The largest hot pool in the world

We spent a whole day in the Rotorua area yesterday, and Mr. Smith and I decided to spend the day exploring what makes this area of New Zealand famous - ecothermal activity. The entire area is littered with volcanoes (even a supervolcano), and the crust here is particularly thin, so the magma that is normally deep below the topsoil is very close to the surface. The result of all of this is superheated rivers and pools, lots of geysers, and a very odd smell in the air. The smell results from sulfur and other minerals that get pushed to the surface in the hot pools. Because of this unique environment, the pools themselves are unusual, taking on strange colors from pink to neon green depending on what extremeophillic bacteria and rare minerals are hiding in them. We spent the whole morning wandering around Waiotapu National Park, which is where all these wonders are found. Our local guide, Trent, was wonderful and took great care of us. Everything we saw looked like it belonged on some harsh, evil alien world, not in green, pristine New Zealand.

Champgane Lake, showing off its steam and strange colors

After our ecothermal tour, we wandered around downtown Rotorua for a bit before we were picked up by Mrs. S and taken to the farm that she and Mr. S, her husband, own, which was just outside of town. They raise juvenile male calves, sheep, goats and pigs on their small farm. The farm itself was absolutely incredible, situated on top of a hill with an amazing view.

The Farm

After a tour of the farm when Mr. S got home from his day job, we were enlisted to help with the afternoon farm duties. We got to chase some sheep, catch a couple of lambs, search for some goats and pigs, and best of all...we got to try our hand at shearing sheep. I'm afraid the little lamb I sheared will be traumatized for life because of the embarrassing haircut I gave her. It was the poor thing's first haircut.

Shearing a lamb

After our shearing adventures, we were treated to a homecooked meal and some good company and conversation. I taught Derrick and Ronald, two gentleman on our tour (who are both 75 going on 30) from Surrey to play Spades, and Mr. Smith and I were beaten soundly. I discovered that The S.'s have a Bernese Mountain Dog named Calli and a cat who looks just like my orange tabby at home. We ate and drank and made merry and enjoyed some true Kiwi hospitality. We spent the night in The S.'s home and were a little sad to leave after our homecooked breakfast this morning. The homestay was truly a special, once in a lifetime experience that I will remember forever. A truly wonderful and special day.

Feeling the Kiwi Love on the Farm with our amazing hosts

New Zealand Phase 2: Going North

Welcome to the City of Sails

Over the past two days, I said goodbye to my amazing globetrotting parents and hello to the North Island of New Zealand. Mamma and Daddy headed back to the States from Auckland, and I headed to the city center. After spending the evening reorganizing and resting, Mr. Smith, AT host extraordinaire, arrived to take some time off from his busy life to accompany my on the second part of my Down Under adventure. We went on an afternoon sightseeing tour around Auckland, New Zealand's largest city (25% of the country's population lives here) with a local, and saw lots of the main sights, including the famous harbor, the botanical gardens, and the beautiful shoreline.

View of Auckland from the top of Mount Eden, a dormant volcano

After our tour, we went out sailing in the harbor, since you can't come to the City of Sails and not get on a sailboat.

Sailing on the Pride of Auckland

We had a great cruise and a great dinner of pork belly and lamb at a local pub, and prepared to get a bright and early start. We are doing a 14 day organized tour, so we have to stick to a bit more of a schedule, even though on many days we will be able to choose our activity for the day. Mr. Smith and I are the youngest people on the 45 person tour by about 2o years, and we both love it. This crowd seems to be exactly our speed. On our first full day, we headed out early to work our way southward on the North Island. We stopped in Waitomo to see the famous glowworm caves. Unfortunately, there are no pictures allowed in the glowworm caves, but the sight was eerie and beautiful. We went on a silent, pitch black boat ride through the caves and the entire thing twinkled like the sky at night. Very cool.

Entrance to the Glowworm Grotto

We reached our overnight city, Rotoroua, at around 4:30 pm. We walked around near the famous hot pools for a bit, and the thing that makes this city famous literally hit us in the face in the form of a very strong sulfur smell. This whole area is famous for geothermal and volcanic activity. Apparently the geothermal waters here are very therapeutic, but the smell is so strong I'm not sure I could stand to take a dip in it. Nonetheless, it's a very interesting city, and the area holds strong cultural significance for the Maori people. In fact, we were treated to a Maori "Hangi", or "feast", and concert featuring traditional Maori dancing and singing. It was lovely, and a wonderful kickoff the the second phase of my adventure.

Me, Mr. Smith and Toni, Maori Princess

Quote of the Day: "If they bring out Justin Beiber, I'm leaving." -Fellow tour mate before the concert

Queenstown Safari

Early morning in the mountains by Lake Wakatipu

We had another early morning today. But since this is my parent's last full day in New Zealand, I didn't mind, and was in the mood for an adventure. We got picked up from our hotel a little before 8:00am and drove around Lake Wakatipu to the tiny town (population 250) of Glenorchy. There isn't much there except two hotels and the mouth of the Dart River. We quite enjoy our accommodations in Queenstown, so we were there for the later.

The Dart River

We started our Dart River Safari with a jetboat ride. The jetboat is a Kiwi invention, and it is essentially an overgrown version of the JetSkis I grew up riding on the lake back home, with a water pump instead of a propellor. This means that the jet boats are extremely maneuverable and completely functional in only 4 inches of water. This makes them ideal for playing in shallow "braided" glacial rivers like the Dart.

Jetboat

And play we did. Our driver, Christian, did all the things that would've gotten my lake privileges taken away when I was driving JetSkis on the lake growing up. 360 degree turns, high speeds, cruising inches from large rocks and the shoreline. It was great. I totally want this job.

Dart River Jetboating

After our jetboat ride, we walked through some of the native forest with Rod, who was very friendly and funny and told us all about the native trees (mostly beach) and animals (only the birds are native, all the pesky animals like stoats and possums were, in the government's vast wisdom, introduced either for fun or to eat whatever animal they introduced before that had subsequently had a population explosion). He even pointed out some of the best places in the area where Lord of the Rings scenes were filmed. Take a good look at this movie still from "Two Towers":

Saruman's Hangout

Now take a good look at the mountains behind me in this picture:

I'm in Middle Earth!

That's right, I'm standing in Isendard, lair of Saruman. Pretty neat, huh? I'm a huge LOTR nerd, so I thought so. This area also includes the mountains where "Vertical Limits" (about mountaineering on K2), bits of the "Wolverine" movie, and all the Coors commercials were filmed. So in just a few acres you have New Zealand, Middle Earth, Colorado, the Swiss Alps and Australia. Magic. We drove back to Glenorchy in a 4WD bus (never seen one of those before), and made our way back to Queenstown with Stewie, our hilarious Maori driver, who seemed to know all of the ancient legends of his people. After we made it back, it was time to organize our things for our departure tomorrow. In fact, as I type this, I'm still not quite packed up. I'm sad to leave Queenstown. I really love it here. But I am excited for the second half of by Down Under Adventure to begin.

Smilin on Safari

Birthday Adventures in Otago

Wandering around Lake Wakatipu

Today we had a very long, but very wonderful day. We got picked up at our hotel at about 8:00am for a guided nature walk along an especially beautiful little section of Lake Wakatipu. Our local guide was incredibly friendly (like every Kiwi we've met, it seems) and extremely knowledgable. She knew the names, growth patterns and traditional medicinal uses for every plant we came across, and is apparently a bird whisperer, since it seemed like entire flocks of little beautiful song birds were following us all day.

A little black fantail even landed on my walking stick.

I don't really know how far we walked. I was paying too much attention to the constant tidbits from our local guide and the scenery. We walked around Bob's Cove, which apparently acted as a calm, safe harbor for early explorers. We had afternoon tea (or "elevensies", as the Hobbits would say...Kiwis never miss it...one of the reasons I love it here...) at Bob's Cove before we were taken to downtown Queenstown.

View from the high point of our nature walk

We rendezvoused with Appellation Tours for our adventure through the Central Otago wine region. It's true that Marlborough, where we started our New Zealand Adventure, is perhaps the most famous wine region in New Zealand. However, Otago is up and coming. While Marlborough has made its name with white wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc, Otago, with it's cooler and more variable climate, specializes in reds, like Pinot Noir. We went to four wineries (Peregrin, Cerrick, Aurum, and Mt. Rosa) and tasted about five wines at each. The wineries here look very different than the ones in Blenheim. The terrain here is very sparse and rocky, almost desertlike, and hardly ever flat, since it's surrounded by mountains. Yet, the grapes here seem to be thriving. Everyone on our wine tour was incredibly friendly, knowledgable and informative, so I really feel like I learned a lot.

An Otago Vineyard

At Mt. Rosa's Cellar Door

After our wine tour, we spent some time relaxing at the hotel before hitting the town. It's Daddy's birthday today, so we took him out New Zealand style. We went to a South African style steak restaurant that serves entirely local New Zealand meats. I had a filet and it was delicious. We celebrated with good food and were back at the hotel for the night late, but well fed and happy. I'm so glad I could take Daddy to New Zealand for his birthday.

Celebrating. Only real men wear bibs in public on their birthdays. Besides, it's manly when you're wearing it with a giant plate of meat in front of you.

*DISCLAIMER: I'VE JUST NOTICED THAT ALL THE DATES ARE WRONG ON MY BLOGS FROM NZ. RIGHT NOW, IT IS 7:30 PM ON MARCH 5TH HERE IN QUEENSTOWN. ON THE CLOCK, WE ARE 5 HOURS BEHIND U.S. CENTRAL TIME, BUT ON THE CALENDAR A DAY LATER BECAUSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE. JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY IN CASE ANY READERS WERE CONFUSED*