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Published: November 27th 2007
te anau
boat ride out to cavesHello all! It’s been a while since my last blog, but for good reasons, promise. I have done a fair amount so I will do my best to update you as well as I can. A few weeks ago I went to
Te Anau with a couple flatmates with the intent to do the
Kepler Track, but we were thwarted by torrential downpours that would occur during both days of our hike (we could only go to the Luxmoor Hut and back because the top of the ridge was closed due to avalanche danger). So instead, I did a tour of the
glowworms caves, which are pretty cool. We took a boat out to the caves (one of the windiest boats I’ve ever been on! I was on the top and whenever I stood up to take a picture, I thought I was going to get blown away!). The caves were very impressive and unfortunately I can’t really describe them to you- they were cold, wet, and dark, like your average cave, but I thought the structure and the way the water carved them was very cool. After walking through them, we hopped in a boat, and in the pitch black
were guided through another caving system where we got to see the glowworms, which looked like little tiny bright green dots on the ceiling. They were beautiful! But, we shortly learned after watching an educational video that they are the larva stage and they can be several inches long. They use their numbing, poisonous saliva to make long threads that hang from the ceiling of the caves. Then, with their glowing light, they attract flies, bugs, and even themselves to feast on! Very interesting…
I also went to
Puzzling World, the most popular and most heavily visited tourist attraction in New Zealand, which is only 2k down the road from us! It consists of a massive labyrinth, tilted room, wall of faces, etc. The
labyrinth was really fun! You had to get to each corner and then find your way to the exit, which was back at the beginning. At the start I was really excited and actually didn’t think it was that hard. I found all four corners in reasonable time (the third one took me the longest- it was a little challenging for sure), but then I had to find my way back to the start, and essentially,
puzzling world
the rules of the maze! retrace my steps. This took me foreeever!! I kept going in circles, going to the same place I was, and basically not making any headway. The stairs and the bridges were definitely the most confusing part. There are emergency exits every now and then for what they call the “people who are impatient”. Well, I was getting there and the emergency exits were looking very good at certain points. But, alas! I did not falter. I eventually found the exit, exhausted. I then went into the rooms with lots of holograms and trick pictures. I then found myself in the room of following faces, where you have massive head sculptures on the walls of the Rushmore presidents, Churchill, and a few other famous people following your every move…kinda like the Mona Lisa. I don’t think I explained that very well. Look at the website. But the coolest part was the tilted room- a room that really screwed with your equilibrium and everything else in your head. There was the pool ball that rolled upwards, the chair that you sat on and it moved upwards, the steps that looked like you were slanting, the water that moved downstream but really looked
like it was going up. It was nuts! Let’s just say that I felt pretty dizzy for the rest of the day. But, it’s definitely worth a visit, or so says every tourist that comes through here.
My flatmates and I also went
wine tasting in
Cromwell, about 30 minutes away. Obviously no one wanted to be the sober driver so we all hitched it over. There being 7 of us, we split into two groups to start- one of 4 and one of 3. We had beautiful signs that said “Cromwell” and “please” written on the back of the flaps from beer cases. The first group of 4 got picked up within about 10-15 min. My group of 3 had to wait another 30 minutes to get a ride out! We literally got in the car when the other group rang us to say that they were there. We were picked up by a really nice woman who actually worked at one of the vineyards out in the area (there are over 20). Our first stop was
Aurum wine, where a French woman and her family lived and ran the vineyard. The wines were pretty good, nothing exceptional.
Next we walked to the
Wooing Tree, which had, we thought, the best wines all day. We tried a pinot gris, a “Blondie” (their creation), a rosé, and two pinot noirs. Excellent wines. I decided we should get a cheese/fruit/cracker platter and then one of my flatmates decided we should get a bottle of wine. So they chose the rosé and the 7 of us relaxed, ate some great food and drank some great wine. We then headed to
Mount Michael (of course not before going down the slide at the Wooing Tree). It was a cute place with a really friendly connoisseur. There were also the cutest dogs there! We enjoyed their wines as well. They had an excellent pinot noir reserve (As you may find, I am a big red wine drinker, not really into whites). Next, as the end of the day was drawing near and the sun was beaming down on us, we (or just Sera), decided we should walk to one more-
Rockburn- which ended up being about a 40 min walk away. We were convinced we were lost halfway through, but somehow managed to drag our feet in just in time for a tasting.
wine tasting
the gang, at mount michael The wine was decent. Wooing Tree had the best we all agreed. And it was the newest winery out of all of them, as well. One person told us that Australia has the good reds and NZ has the good whites. But I found I liked the pinot noirs I drank.
So after the wonderful day of wine tasting, we had to find a ride back to Wanaka. Thumbs out, we walked along the main road. We naturally broke into 3 groups of 2, 3, and 2. The first group and last group of 2s got picked up, leaving me and the other 2 walking. But they only got dropped off at the highway intersection where it would be easier to get a ride to Wanaka. We walked all the way there. Then it was cut-throat to get a ride! After about a ½ hr of showing our beautiful sign, my group (consisting of 3 girls) got picked up by 3 guys living in Cromwell heading to Wanaka for the night. And…they worked at a winery! As I’m assuming most people in Cromwell do because it’s not a very big town. We made it home and called the others
me and my parachute!
safety precaution for riding in the plane :) who had not been picked up. They decided, instead, to go to the Cromwell pub and get a few drinks. So to their rescue, one of our flatmates who didn’t come with us went and picked them up. An excellent day overall! 😊
I volunteered for a community project a few weekends ago. It was to go to
Ruby Island (the island in the middle of Lake Wanaka) and do some planting, weeding, mulching, mowing, etc. There had been a fire on the island in the 90s which wiped out everything, so every now and then volunteers go to upkeep it. It was a gorgeous day out and I met some cool locals. Also had a free BBQ!
November here is
“Movember”. “Mo” is short for moustache- the idea is you grow a moustache in support of prostate cancer, and there are a lot of events around to raise money for the cause. It’s pretty funny seeing so many people growing moustaches!
November 5th was
Guy Fawkes Day (if any of you have ever seen “V for Vendetta”, the movie is based on that- “Remember, remember the 5th of November”). The night before, we went to
Lake Hawea, a town about 20 minutes away. At the main pub, they were hosting a family night with fireworks. Sounds great huh? Well, let’s just put it this way. It would never happen in the US. The fireworks were set up on a small grassy patch behind the bar, about 50 ft away from the crowd. There was a shack and a big tree right nearby. So, the firemen set them up and lit them. A few hit the tree. Ok not a few, a lot. And we were all worried that the tree was going to catch fire, but of course, not to worry- they were firemen! And a firewoman had a fire extinguisher right next to her. But our worries soon turned on ourselves when one of the sparks shot under our table and hit someone in the leg behind us! The spark then caught fire to some random piece of cloth under the table. The firewoman with the extinguished didn’t realize for over a minute what happened, and when she finally rushed over, everything was taken care of. The flame was stomped out and no one was injured. We laughed it off and kept watching. Then about
2 more times the firecrackers (we think were tipped because of the wind), were shooting off into the crowd, leaving people ducking, running, and screaming away. It was classic. The 2nd time we all just got up and left. I think it was the end anyways. Thanks Lake Hawea Fire Brigade for an eventful night! Beautiful fireworks. The next night, the actual Guy Fawkes Day, we had many people setting off fireworks in the neighborhood, including those who set them off and almost hit our house!
Also, (man I know this is long, sorry! keep reading for more adventures!) my flatmate Chris works at
Wanaka Skydive and my other flatmate Steely went to jump with him. So, I went along for “moral support”. But instead, I….nope didn’t jump (need $ for that!)….I went in the plane! I got to sit next to the pilot and had the most gorgeous view of the area. After the last jumper went, the pilot (Hamish) quickly turned the plane sideways to see the jumper! It was so fun and I didn’t get motion sickness or anything! Next step: JUMP! 😉
I guess the most exciting news would be….drum roll please…I have a
job!!! Woo woo! I am working at a place in town called
Racers Edge. It is an outdoor apparel/gear shop with a bike shop in the back. In the winter it changes from bikes to skis. We sell all sorts of goodies and brands, but mainly (and what I like the most) is
Icebreaker and
Chalky Digits . Definitely check out the Icebreaker site. I think I can convince you all to throw away your polypropylene clothes and switch to Icebreaker! It is made from Merino wool, found on the backs of sheep at high altitudes in New Zealand. There are different weights to the clothes, but basically the gist is that they are lightweight, breathable, quick-drying, and DON’T SMELL! They really regulate your temperature very well, keeping you warm when it's cold, and not overheated when it's hot. They don’t retain smells like your polypro, so you can wear them for days and days. The record is 197 days, I think.
Another brand that I have fallen in love with is Chalky Digits. It is more a style brand than athletic wear. It is “home grown and sewn” as they like to say. Meaning, the cotton (organic, too!) and merino wool all come from New Zealand and then the products are all manufactured here. 100%!K(MISSING)iwi! And it has such a Kiwi flavor to it too. The only place you can find it in the states is in New Paltz, NY, that cute little town outside the ‘Gunks.
So, all in all, work is going well and I am enjoying myself, and of course stoked to have a paycheck once again!
I’m still volunteering with the Girl’s Adventure Club- have gone rock climbing, swimming in the lake, and more!
Other news: I have moved! No more awesome, big log cabin house. 😞 The landlord decided to move back in once the lease was up, so I had to find a new place. All my flatmates besides Chris (Kiwi skydiving instructor) have left! We had a fun goodbye party for everyone and used the bar tab we won on Halloween, plus the bar tab my friend got for working there! Another crazy fun night. Anyways, now I am living with a Kiwi couple and an Irish guy. My room is nice, but my bed is AWESOME! It is big and so comfortable, which is dangerous because it doesn’t let me leave in the morning….or….I guess I just can’t get out of bed. I am a little closer to town and have a wicked view of the town and lake.
It is finally summer in Wanaka, which means BBQs! Many of which I have attended/will attend.
Sorry this was so long. Hope you enjoyed reading it. And thanks for reading it if you have made it thus far!
Books read:
On the Road,
A Moveable Feast,
Mr. Nice Kiwi lesson #2: The money here is in $5, $10, $20, $50, etc. bills, but the change is only 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, $1, and $2 coins. What happens is that everything is either rounded up or down based on the computer register. So one customer will buy something for $9.99 and the register will say they owe $10 whereas the next person who comes along might owe $9.90. It balances it out! And it is an awesome way to not have so many coins! Man, the Kiwis are smart. Oh- very important. The fruit “kiwi” is called a “kiwifruit” here. Otherwise, if you are going to eat a kiwi, you are going to eat a person from NZ! And they say “eh” more than Canadians. That’s all.
coming soon...my 4 day trek in the Wilkin Valley
and web albums will be put up sometime soon
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Ashley Love
non-member comment
Movember!
Will is doing Movember here! there are all these parties and things going on with it. It sounds like such an awesome idea!!! I gave 'im 50 bucks for the cause, cuz I like men and support them sticking around as long as possible :-P. No travelblog entry is EVER too long! News for me: Monument Games was insane, Thanksgiving break to see friends and fam was much needed, a choir I'm in's concert is tomorrow night and I have 6 solos! AH And more exciting news, I'm going to Brazil in a few weeks to play on the US co-ed team in Beach Ultimate WORLDS. Yeah, crazy. I haven't gotten my visa yet, so I'm trying not to get too excited. MHUA congrats on everything. ~Ashley