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Published: January 12th 2007
Hello again, we tried to post this the other day, but the travelblog site was having a bit of trouble. After the long first NZ entry Joe was a bit tuckered out from typing for so long, so it will be me, Carolyn writing the second part of our South Island, New Zealand adventures.
We figure from Jan 2 to Jan 7 we drove about 2500km. (Good on ya’ Scott!) And saw a lot of amazing things from the sea, to crystal clear rivers, to snow-capped mountains and glaciers. I hope we haven’t bored you too much with our marathon journals, and once again: Happy reading!
On the road again
Jan. 2: We sent out from Kaiteriteri around 9am as we had a lot of ground to cover in the next 2 days. We drove for about 6 hours. We stopped a couple of times along the way. Our first stop was at the Buller Gorge, where we crossed the longest swing bridge in NZ, at 110m. (In my opinion, not quite worth the $5 each, but it was nice) The walk around the gorge was nice and kind of neat because the area apparently has changed quite
Pancake Rocks
Unfortunately, Joe and Scott forgot their maple syrup!a bit due to earthquakes in 1929 and 1968. We actually got to walk along a fault line, and see the shift in the earth.
We stopped for lunch once we got back to the ocean along the west coast at Irimahuwheri Point; many of the towns have been named by the Maoris (NZ Natives),hence the super long name. While we were cooking up some leftover hotdogs and hamburgers, out from the bush came these crazy birds. At first Cara thought they were Kiwis, and we were quite shocked because Kiwis are nocturnal, and endangered. Upon closer inspection, it was determined that the birds were not Kiwis, and we found out later they were Wekas. They were quite brave little guys, and we were worried they’d eat the burgers right out of the fry pan!
Pancake Rocks
We continued on to the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki National Park. These rock formations are really neat, and have geologists puzzled as to how they actually formed. Layer upon layer, looking very similar to a huge pile of pancakes! The boys had wanted to bring some maple syrup for a joke, but they forgot. If we had gone at high tide,
Joe & Scott taking a dip
The boys enjoyed swimming wherever they could. Apparently this lake was one of the warmest! we could have seen the water splash through the rocks to create a blowhole effect, but unfortunately we were too late in the afternoon to see that.
Camping by the lake
We decided to drive a bit further than Scott’s original camp site destination for us. We camped at Otto McDonald DOC (Department of Conservation) site. Joe and Scott really loved swimming wherever they could, so it didn’t take them long to hop in the water for a dip. Cara & I enjoyed a glass (AKA plastic cup) of wine from the shore while the boys swam. Apparently it was the warmest water they’d been in the entire trip, but it was also the murkiest. More like a lake back home in Ontario I think. That night we enjoyed some fajitas (ai, yai, yai!) and played a couple rounds of Sequence (I still can never win at that game) before settling in for the night. In the middle of the night the boys had a bit of a scare from a possum scratching up against the tent. Cara & I both think they were being a bit wimpy, but I’m sure if Joe was typing this he would have
a completely different story! I guess it was different for the boys who were sleeping against either side of the tent walls…
Glaciers!
Jan 3: We had camped only 15km north of our first stop for the next section of our drive. We stopped at the Franz Josef Glacier in the morning, named by an Austrian explorer (Julius Haast) after the emperor. The Maoris named this area “Tears of the Avalanche Girl” after a legend that a girl’s tears froze into the glacier after her lover fell while climbing. I’d never seen a glacier before, so it was really neat. We walked to the lookout and could easily see the terminal face.
We drove next to the Fox Glacier (25km up the road). This one was named after Sir William Fox a NZ prime minister, he changed the name after he visited…what a guy. We liked this one better because the ice formations were more interesting.
It was neat to learn about glaciers, and to see where the glaciers have reached at different points during the past 2 centuries. Currently, both glaciers are retreating because they are melting faster than they are being pushed down from the
Fox glacier
This one was smaller, but the ice formations were more interesting than the Fraz... snow and ice forming at the top. It really is amazing to see how the snow and ice can form the rocks and change the landscape. You could see the different tree lines and the different growth levels from the different heights of the glaciers.
We drove again and stopped at a few more small waterfalls, mostly to stretch our legs because we were so crammed in the car! We ate lunch beside a river with stunning snow-capped mountains in the background.
Queenstown
We drove through some pretty windy hillside and past 2 large lakes as we approached Queenstown. Along the road there were a ton of “Chain Bays” where you could adjust your tire chains in the winter. We arrived in Queenstown, the adventure capital of NZ in the late afternoon. Cara & Scott decided to go up a gondola and ride a road luge thing down. Joe and I opted out of this one with our unemployed budgets, and caught up on our postcard writing. We stayed at a DOC campsite just out of town for two nights because we planned to do a day trip the next day. This site was the closest to Queenstown,
but quite out of the way, we had to drive about 7km on a dirt road to get back there, and were surrounded by sheep on the hillside! After dinner, Joe thought he’d see how far he could run up the hill in 15 minutes. He made it pretty far, but none of us could really quite understand what inspired him to do it. The hill was pretty steep, and I think he almost had more trouble getting back down!
Milford Sound
Jan 4: We had planned a day trip out to Milford Sound, and booked a cruise for this day. We set out early because it was supposed to be a 5 hour drive out to Milford. As usual, we broke up our drive with a few scenic stops, and lunch of course! By this time, we were all getting pretty sick of being squished in the car, and Scott was tired of us all falling asleep (we couldn’t help it, those motion sickness pills make you drowsy!). We played a bunch of car games, spending a long time on the game where you have to name a place (city, country etc) that begins with the same letter
as the previous places last letter. For example: Canada - Amsterdam - Maine… This kept us all awake and at least slightly entertained for a while!
Our first leg stretch was at yet another waterfall I can’t remember the name of, but it was nice. Our second stop was at the Mirror Lakes. From the road, I was a bit confused why we were stopping here; it looked like a bunch of marsh land to me. Once we got down on the boardwalk next to the water, I was amazed by what I saw - a perfect reflection of the mountain tops on the other side of the marsh. Amazing! Third stop was at The Chasm, a waterfall that was created by millions of years of water flowing over the rocks. The rock formations here were really neat. It was tricky to get a good picture from the bridges crossing over. This stop was a bit ridiculous because it felt like a conveyor belt of tourist walking through!
Before we reached our destination, we got to drive through Homer Tunnel. We didn’t need any word games to keep us awake here; the cliffs on either side of the road
were spectacular, with countless small waterfalls trickling down from the melting snow at the top. The tunnel was interesting, we’d been told about this, as its 1km long, through the top part of the mountain (not the base) and only one lane! If you catch the red light, you can expect to be there waiting for 15 minutes! On our way through there was some monkey driving the other way. He had to squeeze past all the buses and cars! Dumb, dumb, dumb.
We finally arrived at Milford Sound and checked in early for our 2pm cruise. We were lucky because Milford is one of the wettest places on earth, and receives an average of 6m of rain per year - yes METRES! We had lovely blue skies and sunshine! The cruise took us through the Sound out to the Tasman Sea. Milford turned out to be one of our favourite places - shear rock faces coming straight out of the water. At its deepest, the water is almost 300m deep! Milford isn’t actually a sound, geographically speaking; it’s a fiord - an inlet created by a glacier, carving through the rocks out to the sea. It was really
windy there too, so we found a great place hanging out with the boat’s skipper - keeping warm and getting to learn all sorts of stuff! He even let us use his binoculars to see the dolphins! The scenery was just breathtaking. There were numerous waterfall cascading down over the 700m cliffs. Several disappeared half way down because of the wind pushing the water back up! We got to watch clouds form which occupied us for a while. The moist wind travels along the surface of the water, and climbs when it hits the cliffs. As it rises, the air cools and water condenses, forming the clouds right in front of your eyes!
We broke up our long drive back to Queenstown with dinner in Te Anau (finally some real lasagna!). It was hard to stay awake with fully tummies and wind-burned faces, but we managed.
A Day in Queenstown
Jan 5: After packing up in the morning, we went to the Tourist Information/Adventure Shop. Cara & Scott had booked a Jetboating trip for this day. Joe and I weren’t’ sure if we were going to join them because Joe had a hankering to test out bungy jumping
Bungy Cable Pod
We took a little gondela/cable car over to the pod for the big jump! where it all started. Two days earlier, while waiting for Cara & Scott, Joe and I had discussed doing a bungy jump, but I was still pretty nervous, but didn’t want to miss out. During our Milford Sound drive we’d examined the pamphlet, and tentatively decided to do the 104m jump at Skippers Canyon. When we got to the desk at the shop, we learned that Skippers Canyon had been closed for 4 years! Why keep it in all your promotional material then?? Then came the dilemma. I decided I was way too nervous to do the 134m, highest in NZ, third highest in the world, Nevis Highwire. But Joe wanted more of a challenge than the First Bungy at only 43m. We discussed it for a bit, and at long last, we decided Joe would sign up for the big jump, and I would just pay to come and watch (they drive you out), with the option to change my mind once I got there.
Joe is going to continue now, as I’m getting tuckered out!
We left at 1pm and took a bus out to the canyon. I was a little nervous, but because I wanted
to make the most of it, tried to think of all the times I had felt the urge to jump from somewhere really high, so that I could use this image while I jumped. Turned out though, that it was impossible to keep anything in my mind during the actual jump! Carolyn wasn’t nervous at all because if she didn’t want to, she didn’t have to jump. The 4x4 bus takes you down a private road that drives up the edge of a cliff. We all breathed a sigh of relief when we made it to the top! The jump platform is hung in the middle of the canyon, and there is a trolley car that transfers people out. We all got strapped into our harnesses (even the spectators needed a harness for the trolley) and they re-weighed us all. They hook you up to a different rope depending on how much you weigh to give everyone a similar jump experience. Looking out at the small cable car dangling so high above the canyon was a little disconcerting, especially as we watched a few jumps while waiting for our turn to go out to it. It was high! Our turn
finally came and they loaded us into the little trolley that goes out to the main jumping pod. We got into the car and got to see the launch pad. There were half a dozen jumpers that still needed to go before we were up, so we got to watch a number of people overcome their fear before taking the plunge from behind a glass viewing area! I am not sure whether this helped or not. There is a glass floor section in the jumping pod, so you could see the water in the bottom of the canyon, way, way down below you! The water was hardly more than a gurgling stream, which wasn’t very comforting as it would not offer much of a cushion in the event that something did happen!!
Finally it was our groups turn. Carolyn’s hand was shaking way more than mine, and she hadn’t even decided to do it yet. She spoke with several of the other girls that had just finished their jumps, and with a little persuasion, decided that she would do it. No turning back! I was thankful that I was not the heaviest person in our group - one guy
Carolyn ready to go!
I don't think I look quite as excited to go as Joe did...I was fighting back the tears really! weighed 89kilo - 2 more than me. They always jump the heaviest to the lightest, so the way I figured it, I had him to test the rope for me! Perfect! He went, and then it was my turn. They sit you in a chair while they attach the bungy rope to your ankles; a chair that happens to be right beside the jumping platform. It is impossible not to look down, even though it is certain to make it significantly more difficult! I shuffled to the jumping platform and looked down. I took a deep breath. There is nothing going through your mind except, “I don’t want to do this!” But you’re here and you have no choice, so after the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, I launched myself off the platform! My body clenched up in the superman position, and ‘why did I do this, why did I do this…’ kept running through my mind as I plummeted towards the bottom of the canyon! It still gives me the willies to think about it. After 8.5s (that is a really long time!) the first resistance of the rope stretching grabs your ankles, and it is one of the best feelings in
Back from the plunge!
I think I look much more relieved than Joe did...he looked quite excited and pumped. I look like I can barely stand! It was amazing though! the world. Then rocketing back upwards where you experience a weightlessness at the top that is unparalleled by anything I have ever felt! Then terror again as the canyon floor comes tearing towards you. I pulled a rope attached to my leg, flipping me around to a sitting position and I got to enjoy the 30 seconds or so it took to pull me back up to the pod - what a view! At this point, it is still hard to think anything other than, “I’m alright, I’m alright!”
There were four other jumpers, and then it was Carolyn’s turn. She was petrified from the second she sat down in the chair, and it was almost hard for me to watch her, as I tried to alleviate her fears. I knew she would regret it if she didn’t do it, so I only cheered her on. I filmed the part where she was waiting for the guy to bring up the rope from the jumper before her. You can see how terrified she is! She shuffled to the edge of the platform and it almost looked like the guy helping her almost had to push her out there. She
The pod
Here we are! did give me the thumbs up just before the jump, which must have taken a lot of effort! Then the countdown 5-4-3… and Carolyn started to fall forward not wanting to wait for the expiry of the countdown. She gave a horrible scream as she pitched forward. She screamed again when she started the fall from the first bounce too, which you can kind of hear in the video. She came up smiling which was good to see, and we made our way back to Queenstown, our hearts still working overtime!
Link to Joe's Jump Link to Carolyn's Jump You can check out
jump details Carolyn and I were able to get a good amount on our camera video, so we opted out of the $60 DVD of the jump.
Back to Christchurch
We met Scott and Cara at the Bungy jump centre and started the 600km’s back to Christchurch at 4:30pm. We wanted to make good time, so only stopped a couple times along the way. The first stop was at Lake Pukaki, a glacier lake that offered a great view with Mt Cook in the background. Because of a particular type of algae in the water, it has a turquoise hue
Lunch look out view
We stopped for lunch at a lookout, beautiful! that is quite stunning. From here we drove to the town of Lake Tekapo, where the Church of the Good Shepard is found. It is a nice little church built in 1935 and overlooks the lake and Mt Cook behind it as well. It was very charming. We arrived in Christchurch at Dean and Erika’s who were gracious enough to put us up for the night.
Jan 6th - Carolyn and I walked over to Andy and Suz’s, which coincidentally was only 20mins from where Dean and Erika live. Here we got to meet up with the deMonts and Repetskis, Suzanne’s parents and family friends of Carolyn’s parents. They are over visiting and looking to take in some of New Zealand’s beauty as well, and were much more prepared than we were with their many large cameras! It was nice for Carolyn to I receive a hug from Cathy sent from her parents back in Canada! We heard some updates from things going on back home, and of course that they had just had coffee with Carolyn’s parents not long before leaving for NZ! I hope you’re not too jealous Wendy!
We met back up with Cara and
Scott, and made the 5 hour drive from Christchurch to Picton, along the East coast of the South Island. We stayed at a backpackers here in order to facilitate our 7am boarding of the Picton-Wellington ferry.
Ferry to Wellington
Jan 7th - After having almost nothing but nice weather, we awoke to a very rainy morning. We were a little worried because this generally means a very rough ferry ride! We popped our sea-sickness tablets, which we probably didn’t even end up needing. The ride was pretty uneventful, and we passed the time watching a couple terrible movies. Pulling into the Wellington Harbour was cool, as the city stretches all around the bay. Rounding the corner we were exposed to something very common in Wellington - wind! It was all you could do to stand on your feet. We drove off the ferry and made our way to Scott & Cara’s place where we have spent the last few days recouping a little. We did a few walks around the city centre and the Botanic gardens. Wellington is a very hilly city, which makes for an easy walk into the city and a tough one to get back out
to the house.
Jan 9th - Our plan from here is to take our rented car tomorrow and start a 16-day loop of the North Island, dropping in on friends in Mt Maunganui and my Aunt in Te Aroha. We will be flying back to Cairns from Wellington on Jan.30th. Hopefully we get a chance to update the blog with this part of our journey before we get back to OZ.
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MJ
non-member comment
Holy SHIT
Your pictures are magnificent!!! And your videos were perfect!!! I felt like I was jumping off with you Carolyn,,,you sounded like you were plummeting to your death haha! Thanks for keeping us posted on your voyage,,pretty amazing!