On Friday, November 28th I arrived in Christchurch for the third time on my travels. I alternated between sleeping in base hostel (the same one as the last time in cathedral square) and sleeping in the campervan parked in the car park by the huge botanic gardens which Christchurch is well known for. We just spent our time meeting up with friends and getting our plans together for the next coming weeks.
Zack and Mel have both gone home to Australia now, Kel has his own rental car and is going to continue traveling around for the next week or so until his flight to Australia where he will be traveling for a while, Kerrie is still in New Zealand somewhere but is heading to Fiji on December 12th I think, and I am here in Christchurch with Holly, Abby, Nikki, and Adam (a guy they met in the Cook Islands who will be traveling with us for a bit).
The girls had a trip planned for Fiji and Adam and I decided we would be stupid not to join in. The five of us are leaving for Fiji tomorrow (December 3rd) but only Abby, Nikki, and I will be there for Christmas I think. Adam and Holly are thinking they will be leaving earlier because of money/time restrictions. We don’t have a whole lot of plans for while we are there but I’m not worried. I’m sure it is going to be a great time and a great place to spend Christmas. I have already booked a flight from Nadi, Fiji to Sydney, Australia for December 30th so I will be in Sydney for New Years which should be a blast. I will try to keep people informed while I am away in Fiji but I really don’t know what it is going to be like. I don’t have many plans and the few that I have are always open to change so we’ll see what happens haha.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Hanmer Springs Day Trip
On November 28th we left Kaikoura on a day trip to Hanmer Springs, an area known for its many thermal springs or hot pools. We bought a day pass which allowed us to use the hot springs all day for as long as we wanted. They had something like a dozen different pools to choose from at many different temperatures ranging from 30 to 41 degrees Celsius. It was nice and relaxing but we had to leave after a few hours because it was already a nice sunny day and the thermal pools were making us dizzy haha. Good fun though. I would avoid the sulfur pools though, the smell of rotten egg seems to take away from the whole experience. After hanging out there for a while we made our way back to Christchurch again to stay for a few days.
Easy Going Kaikoura
On the morning of Wednesday, November 26th Mel, Jayne, and I came into Kaikoura. They dropped me off at my hostel called “The Lazy Shag” (which referred to a native bird and not the sleeping habits of its patrons) and they headed of to go for a guided swim with the dolphins. I decided to save my money and swim with the dolphins some other time. Instead I went for a 3 to 4 hour walk around the peninsula where I saw some New Zealand fur seals and some more amazing scenery. It was a beauty. Of course I forgot to bring my camera with me but I have many great mental pictures that I can hold on to.
The next day Abby, Nikki, and Holly arrived in their campervan and we spend the day together. We ate at a really great Thai restaurant for lunch and I had some kind of chicken and cashew stir fry which was amazing. We then made a random decision to go do some archery at a local farm. The girls wanted to do horseback riding but the weather wasn’t ideal for that so we chose archery instead. I wasn’t disappointed. It gave me a chance to show off my Rambo skills. Archery was great fun and it kept us busy for a good portion of the afternoon.
That night we headed out to one of the local bars in search of a happy hour but instead all we could find was one bar with a sign out front that said “Toss the Boss – Tonight from 6-8!”. Not knowing what we were in for we decided to check it out. It turns out the deal is that you can go to the bar and order and drink, pint, or pitcher you want, the bartender pours it, then flips a coin and you guess heads or tails. If you guess right then the drink, pint, or pitcher is on the house. If not, you just have to pay the regular price for that drink. We all had amazing luck at this place and Abby and I spend a combined total of $10 NZ that night (which was very good for the amount we consumed. Nikki was the only one having poor luck but eventually the bartender felt so bad that he just started giving her free drinks anyways haha. She was already beating herself up over her low scores in archery and when it seemed she couldn’t win a drink to save her life those free drinks from the bartender really perked her up. That night was a lot of fun and it gave us a chance to hang out with a lot of Kiwis (locals) who are surprisingly tough to find in New Zealand. It seems like 95% of the people in New Zealand are tourists. We stayed in the campervan in a car park right on the water that night and the Next day it was off to Hanmer Springs.
The next day Abby, Nikki, and Holly arrived in their campervan and we spend the day together. We ate at a really great Thai restaurant for lunch and I had some kind of chicken and cashew stir fry which was amazing. We then made a random decision to go do some archery at a local farm. The girls wanted to do horseback riding but the weather wasn’t ideal for that so we chose archery instead. I wasn’t disappointed. It gave me a chance to show off my Rambo skills. Archery was great fun and it kept us busy for a good portion of the afternoon.
That night we headed out to one of the local bars in search of a happy hour but instead all we could find was one bar with a sign out front that said “Toss the Boss – Tonight from 6-8!”. Not knowing what we were in for we decided to check it out. It turns out the deal is that you can go to the bar and order and drink, pint, or pitcher you want, the bartender pours it, then flips a coin and you guess heads or tails. If you guess right then the drink, pint, or pitcher is on the house. If not, you just have to pay the regular price for that drink. We all had amazing luck at this place and Abby and I spend a combined total of $10 NZ that night (which was very good for the amount we consumed. Nikki was the only one having poor luck but eventually the bartender felt so bad that he just started giving her free drinks anyways haha. She was already beating herself up over her low scores in archery and when it seemed she couldn’t win a drink to save her life those free drinks from the bartender really perked her up. That night was a lot of fun and it gave us a chance to hang out with a lot of Kiwis (locals) who are surprisingly tough to find in New Zealand. It seems like 95% of the people in New Zealand are tourists. We stayed in the campervan in a car park right on the water that night and the Next day it was off to Hanmer Springs.
Back to Christchurch
On Tuesday, November 25th I arrived in Christchurch for the second time on my travels and said goodbye to my dependable little rental car. We then met up with Kerrie, Mel, and Jayne and had a few sociables at our hostel right in cathedral square before heading out on the town. It was a decent night and the next morning I made a random decision to hitch an early ride with Mel and Jayne to the relatively small fishing village of Kaikoura.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Our Attempt at Mt Cook
On Monday, November 24th Kel, Zack, and I made our way from Dunedin over to Mt Cook with Nikki, Holly, and Abby following us not far behind in the campervan. It was another great New Zealand drive until we got closer to Mt Cook and the weather turned to garbage. It started to pour rain with winds so strong I thought it was going to push the car off the road and it didn’t stop the entire time we were in Mt Cook village. The village itself consisted of no more then a lodge and a few cabins but nothing much else really so that night we just made use of the lodge’s sauna for an hour or so then watched a few Tom Hanks movies and passed out. The wind was so strong that night the girls said it rocked the campervan around so hard they were worried it was going to roll over.
With the weather still garbage in the morning and not much else to do, we decided to move on. About a half hour or so into the drive the weather cleared up and we got a chance to see some of the reason why people come to Mt Cook. The many mountain peaks and crystal blue waters were pretty cool. We took a few photos then continued on our way to Christchurch to say bye to Kerrie, Mel, and Jayne and return my rental car before we all parted ways.
With the weather still garbage in the morning and not much else to do, we decided to move on. About a half hour or so into the drive the weather cleared up and we got a chance to see some of the reason why people come to Mt Cook. The many mountain peaks and crystal blue waters were pretty cool. We took a few photos then continued on our way to Christchurch to say bye to Kerrie, Mel, and Jayne and return my rental car before we all parted ways.
Dunedin
On November 22nd, anxious to get out of Invercargill we set out in search of Dunedin. Dunedin is a cool city on the south east coast of the south island with a heavy student population and an overall population over 50,000 (which is big for New Zealand… only four cities on the south island have a population over 50,000.) We got to Dunedin at a decent hour and managed to find one of the nicest hostels to stay in that I have seen so far. It was very plush with a killer kitchen and a surround sound DVD player in the lounge area. It was also one of the least expensive hostels that we’ve stayed in so far which was an added bonus. We stayed in Dunedin for 3 days and 2 nights we liked it so much.
The first night we met up with Kerrie, Mel, and Jayne (who we met at the Franz Josef Glacier) who’s tour bus happened to be in Dunedin as well, and also Nikki, Holly, and Abby (the campervan girls) rolled into town. We all got together at our hostel and went out for a great night on the town. We went to a really cool nightclub called “10” that was located about 2 or 3 flights of stairs underground. It was much different than any club I had ever been to which was entertaining.
The next day after we all pieced ourselves together, we headed down to the beach and spent a good chunk of the day there. The girls buried me in the sand, we played Frisbee for a bit until the ocean swallowed it up forever, we went for a swim and messed around in the big waves… just had a classic day at the beach. We just took it easy that night and watched a movie, nothing too crazy. The next day it was off to Mt Cook.
The first night we met up with Kerrie, Mel, and Jayne (who we met at the Franz Josef Glacier) who’s tour bus happened to be in Dunedin as well, and also Nikki, Holly, and Abby (the campervan girls) rolled into town. We all got together at our hostel and went out for a great night on the town. We went to a really cool nightclub called “10” that was located about 2 or 3 flights of stairs underground. It was much different than any club I had ever been to which was entertaining.
The next day after we all pieced ourselves together, we headed down to the beach and spent a good chunk of the day there. The girls buried me in the sand, we played Frisbee for a bit until the ocean swallowed it up forever, we went for a swim and messed around in the big waves… just had a classic day at the beach. We just took it easy that night and watched a movie, nothing too crazy. The next day it was off to Mt Cook.
Milford to Invercargill
Late Friday night on November 21st, Kel, Zack, and I rolled into the big city of Invercargill. Kerrie, Mel, and Jayne had gone back to Queenstown to return their rental car and jump back on their tour bus. This is when we realized we probably should have chosen a place to stay much earlier as it was already half past ten and most places had already locked their doors for the night. After driving around and checking almost every hostel in town we finally found a place to crash. The woman was still around luckily and had a few spare beds for us to lay out on. We just spent that night looking in amazement at our photos of Milford Sound and the drive from there to Invercargill. The drive was actually pretty cool and I’m glad that we did it a little later in the evening because we got to see New Zealand’s most southerly point right near sunset. We also visited an old light house which wasn’t quite the attraction Lonely Planet made it out to be and a fossilized forest down by the ocean that is apparently over 100 million years old. You could still see the fallen trees. We also saw a sea lion and a penguin there. Often in New Zealand I find the drives just as enjoyable as arriving at our destination.
Milford Sound
On the morning of November 20th, Kel, Zack, Kerrie, Mel, Jayne, and I left Queenstown headed for Milford Sound National Park. The three guys piled into my rental car and the three girls rented their own car for a couple of days. It was a beauty of a day for a drive so we stopped plenty of times to take pictures. The scenery was unbelievable. I was in awe for most of the trip and it just kept getting better the we got to Milford Sound. We stopped at one spot called Mirror Lake where the water was so clear you could spot a dime on the lake bottom I’m sure. Once we arrived in Milford we were pretty tired so we all just hung out in the lounge area and had a nice meal. It was one of the pricier places we stayed at around $30 NZ a night (big spenders I know).
Early the next morning we headed out on an hour and a half long cruise through the mountains (so early that we would have missed it if it wasn’t for the girls waking us up an hour before hand with breakfast ready to go). The landscape honestly looked like something out of Jurassic Park. I was almost expecting to see a T-Rex jump out from behind a mountain or something to chomp down on our boat. The ship wasn’t very big and there were maybe 30 people tops on board. We saw penguins, sea lions, and a few birds that I had never seen before. They also served unlimited amounts of free coffee and they gave us a big muffin too which helped start my day off right. The waters became quite rough once we got closer to the ocean and the waves were crashing right over the lower deck and the splash soaked the upper deck completely. We were loving it.
After the cruise we packed up our stuff and started heading out of the park. We stopped for a good 3 hour walk up a mountain right to the summit which was 919 m up. It was a great view or Lake Marian from up top and the walk itself was actually quite enjoyable. After that it was time to get moving though because it was already late afternoon and we had no idea where we were going to stay the night.
Early the next morning we headed out on an hour and a half long cruise through the mountains (so early that we would have missed it if it wasn’t for the girls waking us up an hour before hand with breakfast ready to go). The landscape honestly looked like something out of Jurassic Park. I was almost expecting to see a T-Rex jump out from behind a mountain or something to chomp down on our boat. The ship wasn’t very big and there were maybe 30 people tops on board. We saw penguins, sea lions, and a few birds that I had never seen before. They also served unlimited amounts of free coffee and they gave us a big muffin too which helped start my day off right. The waters became quite rough once we got closer to the ocean and the waves were crashing right over the lower deck and the splash soaked the upper deck completely. We were loving it.
After the cruise we packed up our stuff and started heading out of the park. We stopped for a good 3 hour walk up a mountain right to the summit which was 919 m up. It was a great view or Lake Marian from up top and the walk itself was actually quite enjoyable. After that it was time to get moving though because it was already late afternoon and we had no idea where we were going to stay the night.
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