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Published: February 10th 2010
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South Island Adventures,
I have made it to Christchurch and am stuck here for 2 nights because I arrived so late last night there was no time to book a bus. I booked one this morning and it leaves tomorrow @ 7:30am to Lake Tekapo. I decided to go there instead of Dunedin because word on the street is its “shit” on the east coast of the south island. Plus I wanted to break up the 8 hour bus ride to Queenstown. I’m spending 2 nights at the Lake and will visit Mt. Cook one day and probably sit in the hot springs the other. Then off to Queenstown and Milford Sound.
I finally got a good meal in me at the Auckland airport! Food isn’t that tasty here or I haven’t been able to find it at least. I ate this spicy noodle Asian based dish that was super spicy and delicious with chicken, bok choi, green onions, udon noodles over a pork based broth! I miss the spicy California food so it was nice to have my mouth burn half way off! I can’t wait for some good Mexican food back home! You would think being
so close to South East Asia they would have some spices but that was the first for me. They do have a lot of Thai food so maybe I should try that out and see what happens.
Today in Christchurch I roamed around the city square which has very cool ancient architecture. Everyone just kind of hangs out in this square which is lined with shops, convenience stores, travel agencies ect and littered with small food carriages. I was expecting a crowded polluted city gauging from all the locals but I don’t think those exist in NZ. I don’t think they have seen cities like us so my interpretation of crowded and dirty is much different than there’s. It’s a quiet little town with hip bars and restaurants lined with parks and botanical gardens with a cool old school trolley running through town. I stopped by Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House which was pretty cool. They had all kinds of gigantic local fish, sea horses, octopus, rays, eels, sharks, movie theatre and kiwi house. Kiwi meaning a bird with no wings, no tail, huge narrow beak and fluffy fur. Weird little endangered guys in which they’re trying to
bring back.
I met an Englishman that was in my dorm room and we hit it off pretty good. We had a few pints then decided to grab some dinner. We later figured out that at the pub in our hostel it was “what would you do for a tattoo night.” What this meant was whoever wrote down the dirtiest thing on a piece of paper and performed this act got a $400 dollar tattoo. The finalists were this girl would give the ugliest guy in the bar a strip tease, this guy said he would staple his ball sac to the bar haha, and this guy said he would puke in a cup and then drink it!! Long story short the Aussie got to staple his balls to the bar with about 80 people on looking!!! He also won this other prize which was a $600 dollar bus pass in which he had to hunt for things like an unused condom, underpants, and finish his beer 1st with a sock over it. So pretty much he had to drink his beer through his own sock uck! But this crazy bugger did it and won it all!
The next morning
Christchurch
that guy from harry potter! or a look alike I caught a bus to Lake Tekapo at 7:30 arrived at the Lake about 10:30 and had a nice 10 minute walk to my hostel lake side. This hostel reminds me of like outdoor camp or something because it looks like an old wooden cabin by the lake. Kind of like the one in “The Great Outdoors” where they’re at Lake Wakakhana or whatever. When I first arrived I immediately hit the trails and did a small hike around the lake. On the way I past the Hot pools which are man heated pools where the water is supplied from the glacier. So it was natural water and unnatural heating process unlike real hot springs. They had a deal going on for a soak, sauna, and massage all for $50 kiwi which is $35 US. Which I thought was a good deal. Plus I got to soak and leave as much as I wanted in the day and the massage ended up being ½ hour and she incorporated some hot rock massage in there as well. Special just for me because I had to wait a little longer than originally anticipated. Now I lie in a 4 bed dorm surrounded
by old grandma curtains, squeaky bunk beds, pinkish walls, wet towels scattered on the posts and a German girl that is going to give me a ride to Mt. Cook tomorrow!
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Mom
non-member comment
What a great town square....very relaxing with the massage at the Lake. Keep up the adventure!!!