After flying back into New Zealand February 20th from Australia, we hopped a final (thank God) flight down to Christchurch on the South Island. After our multiple run-ins with early morning flights and natural disasters in Australia, Hannah and I were overjoyed to have our “el cheapo” rental car to call home base for the next 3 weeks.
Less population and more diverse landscapes mean that the South Island is a popular destination for trampers (hikers), van hippies and nature buffs. And, after 2 weeks we can easily say of the South Island: the funk is temporary, the feeling is permanent (i.e. “we smell real bad, but we’re smiling”).
Arriving in Christchurch, we met up with Danit and Raz (Servas hosts from Israel). Welcomed into their home, we talked late into the night about New Zealand, Israel (both Danit and Raz grew up on a kabutz) and the United States.
The next day we all headed out and about in Christchurch with their two kids and visited the botanical gardens and central city. As the largest city on the South Island, Christchurch is a popular stopover for folks taking a break off working in Antarctica and travelers beginning their South Island journeys.
As we picked up our “El Cheapo” rental car the next morning, we felt the thrill of freedom blow through our tangled hair as we took off to visit the nearby peninsula created from a volcanic crater and the small French-themed village of Akaroa.
The drive to Akaroa was really the best part of the experience. Fields of sheep munched away along the sides of the road and large farms spread in every direction up the steep sides of the volcanic crater.
Before meeting up with our Servas host for the evening, we visited an olive oil maker and cheese factory outside town and drove up into the cloudy hills to search for thrilling views of the bay and the sea. Our hopes for a penguin and dolphin viewing cruise were dashed by the fact that we had (apparently) missed the end of the Summer tourist season by one day, but the overlooks were breath taking as we drove up into the hills towards the top of the old volcano.
Val was our Servas host for the evening. She was a smaller 80-year-old lady with white, white hair who looked as though she was about 60. Perhaps it’s all the meditation or a strict vegan diet and good energy crystals, but this lady looked good for 80! Val also has some alternative views on life and spirituality. She believes in reincarnation, telepathic messaging and aliens, so the conversation definitely took on a life all its own as we sat around chatting and opening can after can of worms.
After eating a lovely vegan breakfast the next morning, we all parted with hugs and blessings and Hannah and I took off in the misty rain on our way towards Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, located among the Southern Alps, where much of Lord of the Rings was filmed. The next few days were filled with a boat rode on a glacier lake and a hike to the terminal face of Hooker glacier (apparently, the guy who named it was a Hooker or something).
Our time at Mount Cook also saw the end of my patience with hostel life. Sleeping in a different eight-bed dorm every night with a smattering of 19 year olds is a practice in patience. If one more person had come in late at night when 7 out of the 8 people in the room were fast asleep and turned on the overhead light in order to open her pack and rustle through every single one of the seemingly myriad plastic bags she had packed her face washing regime in, I swear I would have cracked. Thankfully, there were only a few more such hostels on our journey.
After leaving the crowded hostel at Mount Cook, we continued on South and checked out some of the sky blue colored lakes on our way down to Queenstown (extreme sport capital of NZ – but more on that later)…
Apparently, the lakes are bright blue due to the “rock on rock action” (direct guide book quote) that is created by the moving glacier. The “rock on rock action” (believe me, it never gets oldJ) creates a fine dusting of rock particles in the water, which settle to the bottom of the lake and create a layer that reflects the blue light waves, thereby making the lakes a bright, bright blue.
Our time in Queenstown was highlighted by Hannah hurtling herself off a 40 meter high bungee bridge and going out dancing into the wee hours of the morning with the Queenstown locals (none of whom were local). After one last night sleeping in a Queenstown party hostel in the room (of course) under the screaming/laughing/smoking deck, we were happy to make our way further into the more subdued South into the Fiordlands Park and Milford Sound.
Over the next few days we drove down to the sound through breathtaking wilderness, cruised around the sound via boat and kayak, spotted a flightless parrot (Kea) digging through our trash, fought with swarms of sand flies and experienced the most beautiful natural environs of any country I’ve ever seen.
The most amazing experience, however, happened our first night there. After tramping off into the woods with a flashlight to search out the glowworms hanging under the rocky eaves along a nearby forest path, we managed to catch a sight of the clear Southern Hemisphere night sky.
One never forgets how it feels to see the Milky Way from earth. I remember my first time: laying on a grassy beach peering up at the Northern Hemisphere constellation on a lake edge in Canada, watching the Northern Lights shimmer across the sky.
And, I will indubitably remember my second introduction to the shining, shooting constellation of lights in Milford Sound. To be in the middle of the wilderness, on a small island thousands of kilometers from the next continent, many thousands of kilometers from the light pollution of Asia or the United States and laying under the enormity of the universe, enveloped in the knowledge of one’s own insignificance in the bigger scheme of things is an amazing experience.
Two days later, as my tandem partner and I were hurtling ourselves out of a plane at 15,000 feet to dive into the sky above the mountains, rivers, and farm fields, I was again in awe of how small we really are. As the earth approached at 180 km an hour and our 60 seconds of free fall ticked away before the parachute popped, I spread out my arms and felt the resistance of the air pushing my cheeks back against my goggles.
My guide (who shall henceforth be called Hotty McHotterson, due to the fact that I forgot his name) does this about 15 times a day with 15 different people. I was amazed at my realization that anything really can get old as I asked him if he ever got bored of jumping and I swear he actually shrugged at 10,000 feet and said, “I have my days.” Try cubicle life (I thought to myself but did not say).
Over the last couple of days we traversed the South Island and drove up the scenic, sparsely populated western coast, stopping in little one horse towns for Diet Coke and bathroom breaks and the all important fuel stops before the next one 200 km down the road.
We also made our way onto the river of ice, Fox Glacier, which runs down from the mountain towards the Tasman Sea. As we strapped into our cramp-ons and trudged up the fast-moving (1 meter a day!) block of ice, our guide explained that if trends in warming continue, the huge glacier will actually be completely gone in 20 years. As we stared down into the crevices and ice caves along the trek, it seemed impossibly sad that such an amazing work nature will soon be melted away.
To alleviate our sadness, we delighting in explaining the scientific term “rock on rock action” to our skeptical guide, Andrew, who seemed rather amazed that a tourist had actually told him something new. I don’t know if you know this, but we’re kind of a big deal.
Leaving our celebrity status behind, Hannah and I moved on Northward up the coast into Nelson, where we met up with a friend from my course in Auckland and checked out Abel Tasman national park (arguably the most beautiful beaches in the world).
As I write we’re sitting on the ferry on our way over to the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington, for a few days of Maori culture museums, immunizations for my upcoming trips to Cambodia and India, pleading conversations and prayers for expediency with the Indian visa authorities and promises of amazing Nepalese food and jazz from another local friend we’re visiting. Hannah flies out Tuesday for her return to the states and I travel on north stopping to visit friends and check out the North Island before my departure for Cambodia at the end of March.
It has been an amazing 5 weeks in New Zealand and Australia. We’ve met so many different characters and personalities and experienced many beautiful sights, sounds and tastes.
Upcoming adventures include a move to Cambodia, where I will be volunteering with PEPY Ride, potential trips to surrounding countries (Vietnam, Laos and Thailand), jaunts through India and Nepal, over to Italy to hang out with Anna Banana and finally a job in Istanbul (yes, I am actually gainfully employed in a high school there, or will be as of September 1st 2009).
I am in awe of the natural beauty I have seen here and know now, more than ever before, that my decision to travel will be one I never regret. Self shock therapy indeed.
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