Road Side Attractions

Let me begin this blog with an apology. As I was speeding my way through the descriptions of where I've travelled, I didn't think about the fact that no one back home had any idea WHERE Mapua was, or Hokitika, or maybe even Christchurch. So, as per the request of my loving family, I have included a rough map that I put together outlining where we're up to at this point in my South Island journey. Some of the names might be hard to read - if so, just check out New Zealand using Google Maps. The bottom right corner is Christchurch, our starting point.

So ... continuing with the journey. In the morning, Mal, Kelsey, and Drea took a helicopter ride to see some of the glaciers. We ended up skipping out on our glacier hike for the afternoon since we'd been told by friends that the half day wasn't worth it - you didn't get up high enough to really enjoy the ice fields. I'm a little bit disappointed that I didn't see any glaciers, but I ended up saving a LOT of money by not going ... the tourism industry in New Zealand is catering more and more to wealthier / older bus tours of people and not to backpackers like us!

After the heli ride was finished we drove south to Fox Glacier (only about 30 minutes) where we had lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent stopping at pretty much every single road side attraction that NZ had to offer us for the day. It's amazing how many cool things you can see in this country by stopping your car and walking 10 minutes away from the road! Check out what we saw between the glaciers and Wanaka:

#1

Battling bugs to check out the dolphins

We stopped at a beach near Haast, where there was a boardwalk peruse to a Dune Lake. I have no idea who would be crazy enough to do the walk, because the sand flies at this beach were ferocious. The only thing that kept us at the beach were the beautiful jumping sea creatures we saw - Hector's dolphins! This endangered species of dolphin is only found in New Zealand, and can be identified by their rounded dorsal fin. They were so cool - I'd never seen dolphins jump like that other than at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Not my photo ... but easily could have been if I'd had a telephoto lens!

#2
We crossed a bridge that was infested with tourists, so we decided to hop out and check out what all the fuss was about ... turns out it was just a really gorgeous river with stunningly blue water flowing down it.


#3
A sign read "Blue Pools - 10 min walk" so once again we hopped out of the car, did the walk and ended up somewhere beautiful. We waded into freezing cold water that lovingly soothed all of our itchy sandfly bites from earlier that afternoon.



Our last couple stops of the day were to take photos of the incredible mountains we began driving past as we neared Wanaka (our destination for the night). It was such a gorgeous day and everything we passed seemed to become more and more unbelievable! 

Maybe we should find our campsites earlier ...

I was awoken on the morning of the 7th to the sounds of my travel buddies hastily packing up their tent, followed by the car starting. I thought that perhaps they were trying to prank Derek and I, but it turned out they had all frozen the night before and were trying to warm up! They were revived by coffee and breakfast in Murchison, after which we were able to continue our journey.

The first stop of the day was at a small but gorgeous beach near Greymouth where Derek attempted to surf but got a bit sketched out by being out alone in murky water ... there are Great White sightings in the area!




Our second stop was at the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, a geologically exciting site. The rocks look like giant piles of pancakes, and at high tide certain areas allow the sea to come crashing upwards in big sprays.

Derek checks out the surf at lunchtime in Greymouth

Once we'd tired of the car again (it was a long day of driving!), we stopped at a random beach somewhere between Greymouth and Hokitika. We had it all to ourselves - a private oasis! So we sunbathed and re-gained our energy for an hour or so.

At about seven o' clock we arrived in Whataroa, a minuscule town that is close to Franz Josef. We booked a glacier hike for the next day, ate a delicious dinner at a place boasting "Meals, Beer and Beds" then continued on toward our campsite at around 9:00pm. It was completely dark and we drove too far past our campsite (about 30km too far) and had to drive back ... not so fun when you're tired!

Abel Tasman National Park

Waking up in Mapua meant we weren't too far from Abel Tasman; the drive was less than an hour. At the edge of the park we rented kayaks for the day from Marahau kayaks, where we received a lovely introductory lesson that kind of reminded me of Spring Camp.

Once we were on the water though, we were surrounded by beauty. We paddled to our very own private beach for lunch, then spent a few hours exploring the area. A storm brought us in a little earlier than we'd hoped, but our couple of hours of sunshine had been incredible.

Letting the kayaks have a break on the beach

After our kayaks had been loaded onto tractors and driven back to land across the 200m beach that had appeared during low tide, we packed back into the Dragon and drove south toward Murchison. We spent the night at the Kawatiri Historic Railway campsite which I thought was pretty cool. We even got to walk through an old train tunnel! The site's only downfall were the sand flies (which are similar to a black fly in Ontario - small, jumpy, and can inflict a painful and itchy bite!). At the time, we had no idea that we'd be seeing a lot more sand flies on our trip.

What's on the other side?

On the Road Again

After the madness of the North Island trip, I'd been hoping for a little bit of a break to get life back to normal. But normal life's unexciting, so instead, I was only back in Christchurch for two and a half days before getting back on the road. 

The day after we flew from Wellington, Derek arrived, having booked his flight two days earlier. We'd decided that since I'd be losing my April break (when he'd originally planned to visit), he might as well come early! So that was a happy change. Once the gang had all made it back to Chch, we booked a new car and headed out again. Sadly, Lee did not join us on the second trip, and we missed her lots.

Our first stop on departure day (Saturday, March 5th), was at a beach near Kaikoura. The weather was fantastic and the water was startlingly blue so we spent about half an hour just giddily running around.

We continued driving north and had dinner near Mapua. We set up camp at a nearby beach campsite, where we caught the end of the cloudy, but somehow still spectacular, sunset.

Rotorua

On the morning of the 1st (was it really March already??) we drove to Rotorua, about an hour north of Lake Taupo. Having no real agenda for the city, we checked out some Maori centres then used some coupons to get free beer at the Pig & Whistle and a good deal on coffee at another place. In the afternoon we drove south to a nearby hot spring and bathed in a scorching hot waterfall which refreshed all of us tired campers and removed some of the grease from our hair. I couldn't believe how hot it was - it was way warmer than any hot tub, and completely natural. Awesome!

Before ...

... and after! Much happier :)

After our cleansing stop we drove south toward Wellington and spent the night at a campground near Otaki. We were finally able to have a fire and enjoy ourselves at the site, so we stocked up on snacks and had ourselves a great time.

Wednesday morning we drove the rest of the way to Wellington, returned Rorihirrim to the car rental (sad times) and flew back to Christchurch. Being back in the city felt really strange; I felt like I'd been gone for a long time. Our residence is empty, as most international students have left already - either back to their home countries or transferred to different schools in New Zealand and Australia. Around half of the people I've met have already left or are planning on leaving ... it feels like a ghost town here. Most students can be found volunteering with the UC Student Army, which is working hard to clear sand and other messes around the city. Hopefully when classes resume it'll feel more like a uni again.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

We woke up early the next morning to overcast skies, backs aching from our first night of camping. We packed everything up but the tent, which we left behind since we'd be back in Lake Taupo by nightfall. The hour-long drive to Tongariro National Park was bumpy and squished with six of us in the car, but by the time we arrived at the base of our hike the clouds were beginning to break and it appeared our day would improve. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 20 km hike that takes you from a rocky taiga-like setting over a volcano to an almost desert-like valley, back over another mountain, past two sulfur lakes then down a series of switchbacks into a forest before it finally spits you out the other side. It was absolutely one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.

Somehow, despite the fact that we'd all packed our bags in less than 10 minutes that fateful morning after the earthquake, we managed to make it across the whole hike. The changes in temperature were drastic - one minute you'd be sweating in a tank top and shorts, the next you'd be freezing in a sweater and jacket as wind threatened to blast you off the side of the mountain. The terrain changed from rock to wooden walkway to stairs to sand and back. On our way down from the highest point our feet were embedded in deep gravel on a significant downward slope. The descent required a kind of hop-run technique that one could only acquire after abandoning any sense of safety; everyone's shoes and socks were left full of small rocks.


Valley Panorama from Ally Stocks on Vimeo.

Drea on the gravelly descent

Tanya, Kelsey, Mal, Drea, Lee, and I with about 6km to go

By the end, our feet were sore and what we were saying didn't make much sense but we felt fantastic. We drove back to the campsite in Lake Taupo only to find our tent had been stolen! In desperation we went back to the store where we'd purchased it the night before and luckily managed to get the same tent on sale. We happily retired in tent #2 for a great night's sleep.

The Putangirua Pinnacles and Lake Ferry

Aching to explore the North Island, we decided to rent a car and head east. Now, renting a car in New Zealand is slightly complicated. If you call the car company, most places will tell you to book online since it's cheaper. So you go online, book a car, put in your credit card info, and out pops a receipt. BUT, little do you know, all you have is a receipt for a REQUEST, not a BOOKING. So when you call the car rental company on the day you're planning on leaving to tell them that your bus hasn't come yet so you'll be a little late, they tell you that you don't actually have a car because they never sent you a confirmation e-mail.


ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!!!


Not so much fun. On Saturday morning, we were in quite a pickle. We frantically called about five different places, and got one lead in Lower Hutt and one across the street from where we ate breakfast, at Avis. Since it was closer, we thought we'd go with Avis. That is, until we found out there would be a $3000 excess on our insurance since we're all under 25. Not cool. So we called the first place back (whilst in the Avis lobby ... classy), huffed it to Lower Hutt on the bus, got ourselves a Honda Torneo, and were on our way by noon.

We drove east to Lake Ferry, which is located on Palliser bay (it's not actually a lake but a salt lagoon formed by a sand bar). The drive was windy but beautiful, and we'd found a CD on a garbage can outside of Avis that kept us entertained. The reason it was on the garbage (we assume) is because it says it's Placido Domingo, but it's actually the Dire Straights. We loved it. We arrived at the Lake Ferry Hotel by about 3:00 p.m. and threw our stuff into our tiny (but very affordable!) room. The hotel is also a restaurant and bar, and only has about 10 rooms. Its location is unbeatable, and the friendly staff and delicious food made it one of my favourite places we stayed on the North Island.

Lake Ferry by day

... and by night

After dropping our stuff, we got back in the car and drove towards Cape Palliser. About halfway between Lake Ferry and CP lie the Putangirua Pinnacles, about a 45 minute walk from the road. For those Lord of the Rings fans, this is where the Paths of the Dead was filmed ... "The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut."

A very tiny Mal!

The Pinnacles were unreal. They looked like gigantic sand castles; almost like you could pull out a few rocks and they would crumble. I tried climbing up higher a couple of times and initiated some mini-landslides ... Back at Lake Ferry, we set up for a squishy night in our tiny room. It was somewhat reminiscent of a sleepover back in elementary school.

The next morning, we got up nice and early and drove all the way to Cape Palliser to see a candy-striped lighthouse and some seals. The 250 steps up to the top were quite a workout, but it was worth it for the views from the top!

A blustery New Zealand coastline

Our morning excursion was followed by a very long drive up the North Island to Lake Taupo, where we camped for the night with Mal's university friend Tanya.

Matiu / Somes Island and Days Bay

Matiu / Somes Island

On Friday, our second full day in Wellington, we took a ferry over to Day's Bay and stopped at Matiu / Somes Island on the way. It was a stunningly gorgeous day out and we really enjoyed ourselves. The ferry to the island took about 20 minutes, and when we landed we were greeted by a dreadlocked Forest Ranger who ushered us into a containment room. Since Matiu / Somes Island is isolated, its native species are protected from invasive predators. In order to keep it that way, everyone must check their bags for mice, rats, seeds or any bugs that we might have accidentally brought along with us. Luckily, our group was clear and we were allowed to explore the island.

It is a beautiful area, but there is a contrast between the protected space and what the island has been used for in the past. There's a quarantine station in the middle (where livestock was processed before being allowed into New Zealand until the 1980's, and humans were quarantined from the 1870's until 1920), an internment camp for enemies in WWI and WWII, and gun emplacements at the summit of the island. We followed a trail along the outside of the island after exploring its centre, and made a few new friends.

Brothers Island tuatara

Our first sheep sighting

Kelsey, Mal, Lee, Drea, and I

After about two hours, we hopped back on the ferry and continued on to Days Bay, where we spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming, eating ice cream, and perusing some of the little craft shops. 

Days Bay

At around 5pm we called it a day and headed back to Wellington on the ferry. Grabbed fish and chips for dinner then took it easy back at the hostel for the night - tomorrow was going to be a big day!

The Nation's Capital

After the first night in our hostel, we were all feeling a little more like ourselves. I should probably take the time now to explain who our little group of travellers consisted of - there was myself, Mal, Lee, Kelsey, and Drea. Mal, Lee and Kelsey are all Canadians in Teacher's College at UC, and Drea is American, studying Environmental Science like myself. We turned out to be a pretty grand old troop, constantly laughing and singing and craving new adventures.

Exploring Wellington was a lot of fun. It's right on the water, so one can easily spend the morning cruising the eclectic Cuba Street, then relax on the beach for the afternoon. We checked out Te Papa, Wellington's free museum, which had a few neat things to offer (like displays of stuffed kiwi birds and an earthquake simulator that none of us found entertaining or humorous). In the museum we actually ran into some friends from Ilam who had also left Christchurch on Wednesday. It was nice to see a familiar face and to hear that most of the residence had left, as the uni was recommending.  

Cuba Street

Part of Wellington's extensive harbour

After a long day, we returned to our hostel to relax. While we were in the midst of a heated round of the Lord of the Rings board game, our door opened up and five Germans walked in. We were surprised, since it was late and we thought we'd have the room to ourselves that night. We learned that they had been staying in a hostel in Christchurch, but that the building had collapsed during the earthquake and they were left with nothing. The relief centre had given them toiletries and some clothes, but they had next to nothing otherwise.

Kelsey, Mal and Drea in our room at the hostel

As any other good group of Canadians would, we shared our wine with them and invited them out. The night was a bit random but we all had a great time, and made some new friends. If we're ever in Germany now, we've got a few places to stay.

A happy bunch of new friends

 

Six Point Three

I'm really glad I took EOSC 114, a course on Natural Disasters. Because, unlike many of my friends, when the earthquake hit I knew what to do. When the world began to shake and my 4th floor room was falling apart around me, I ducked under my desk to wait it out. When the rumbling stopped, I ran out of my room to see how my roommates were - we excitedly gushed about having experienced something so unreal. Little did we know that our city had been all but destroyed in those 15 seconds.

My apartment building, and most of the university, was fine. Our buildings were evacuated, and we were told to wait outside when the aftershocks started - some seemed worse than the original earthquake, especially for those who were particularly emotionally and psychologically affected by the first one. We quickly became restless, especially as news trickled in about the city - someone got a text that two buses had been crushed, and one of my close friends told us how she'd seen the road open up before her and a building's entire facade collapse onto the street. Most people weren't able to send texts and we became worried about what our families were thinking, so we left to a friend's house that had power and internet to e-mail home. Watching the news at their place was surreal - it felt like I was watching from Canada, not from the city in which it was occurring. I and a few others decided to head out and see if there was anything we could do. Unfortunately, the blood bank couldn't take anyone, and no one could get to the city centre to volunteer. 

The rest of the day was spent trying to distract ourselves from the aftershocks any way we could. That night, I dreamt I was in a bomb shelter that was under constant attack. Some of my friends barely slept at all. We woke up tired and shaken. Our original plan was to try once again to help out, but our power was back and the news was urging people to stay away from the city centre. The news also told us that flights out of Chch were $50. In a split second, I and four friends decided we were leaving. We each packed a backpack and made our way to Burnside High School where we were registered with the Red Cross. We waited in line for a few hours, got on a bus that took us to the airport, then we waited in line again, and before we knew it we were boarding a massive military plane. We flew to Wellington and were bussed to a temporary relief centre, where some kind people fed us and helped us find accommodation.

That's where our adventures began. Out of a terrible situation, we were aunched into an impromptu vacation which I'll detail as best I can in my next few blog posts. I still can't believe that things have happened as they did. I had attended two classes, and now I don't even know when they'll resume. My thoughts go out to all of those who have suffered true loss here in Christchurch.