Long overdue entry

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This entry is long overdue and I'm so sorry I've been slacking off for so long. It's just that I buggered up my time schedule (which really was non existant in the first place), meaning I had to be consistantly moving in order to make it down to Christchurch in time for my flight.
I believe I stopped my last entry at Waitomo, so that's where I shall pick things up again.

Because I never took time to consider my route and travelled up to Waitomo after already having gone halfway down the North Island I had an eight hour bus journey down to Wellington before me (not the last one as I was soon to find out). I arrived at night but my first impression of Wellington was very good. Upon enquiry of Hostel prices and being shocked by being told they lay somewhere around 33$ I was fairly baffled and turned to my BBH Guide (A guide issued by the Hostel association) and picked out the Cambridge Hotel which apparantly offered rooms for a mere 24$ a night. Unsure what to expect, seeing as it was a proper hotel off I went. And to my great surprise it looked really good. high ceilings, clean rooms, a decent Kitchen and very good Bathroom facilities. Instead of going into detail about all the things I did in Wellington I shall at this point once again quote myself from my private travel journal:

Wellington - House of Parliaments
"My first impression of Wellington is fantastic. Despite being quite a large city (on a New zealand scale) it manages to sustain a very artistic charm in its atmosphere. The city structure is not as Gridlike as Auckland and despite being fairly compact does not seem clustered. the roads are divided by rows of trees and small park-like areas have managed to sneak their way into the urban city structure. The electrically run buses provide excellent public transport around the city and its outskirts should you be too lazy or in a hurry to get anywhere. Everything can be reached by foot and it takes about half an hour to cross through the city centre.
Already I have bought a book (Tom Brown's School days) from one of the many second hand shops around, something I barely ever see at home, and am struggeling to refrain myself from buying more. This choice of available articles is quite a shock after travelling around provincial NZ for a few weeks.
Most of the pubs and bars around seem very cosy and there are plenty of posters advertising plays, gigs and musicals. Maybe my amazement for teh city is based on my absense from civilisation, but as far as I can tell this city is right down my alley.
The feel of the people and the mood of the city is almost like Montreal, only that it is warmer and the Cab drivers don't try to kill you whilst crossing the road."

That entry was on my first day and I still agree with most of the things I wrote. Wellington is a city I wouldn't mind living in for whatever reason. It's not too crowded or big but just right and the movie culture springing up there has a very artistic influence on the entire city. Also I bought myself a guitar because I simply couldn't go without one any longer.

After spending 3 nights in wellington I went to cross the gap between the two islands and stayed the night in Picton where I met one of the people I had gotten to know a little in Rotarua. The hostel I stayed in was a renovated Villa with old stoves standing around everywhere and even had a jacuzzi!
Non the less I left for Nelson the next day where I met 2 very nice german guys. For the first time on my trip everything worked out just as I'd hoped it would and my hostel was able to book a kayak tour including shuttle to and from the hostel to Abel Tasman Park. Wanting to make the experience of staying out in the wild at night I decided to not go back with the rest of the group, but book a hut for the night and do some walking the next day. A great decision.
Despite being stuck in a kayak with the only person in the group who was hung over and threw up over the side of the boat at some point, had no natural sense for rythm and spoke next to no english the kayaking was fun but more importantly took me past the first part of the walking track (too crowded with people going on day trips). From there I parted from my kayak group who took the watertaxi back and walked to my hut. "Spartan" probably best describes it. Luckily I was able to borrow a camper stove from someone because there were chairs, a table, a kitchen counter but no light, running wate (inside anyway) or other kitchen appliances. It's an interesting experience sitting on a toilet in the middle of the jungle with nothing but fern to cover you from sight...
So the next day I continued my walk as far as I could with the tide blocking my way at some point and got a water taxi out of there.

Havning returned to Nelson for the night I continued on to franz Joseph Glacier the next day. That was another 8 hours on the bus. I booked a Glacier tour at the hostel and the next day went up the glacier. A very wet experience. The west coast of NZ has around 5 Meters! of rain per year. London has around 600ml... I also had to find out that no piece of waterproof clothing is actually waterproof, no matter how good it may seem. Apparantly companies come all the way down there to test their waterproof gear and our guide sayd that there's never been a jacket that could hold off the rain they get there.
When attemping to book my bus to Chrischurch the next day, realising that I had run out of travelling hours and could therefore not being able to get any further than two hours ouside of Queenstown sent me off into a trail of worries that as it turned out were completely unnecessarym because luckily I remembered a marketing campeign that had been launched on the day of my arrival in NZ promising 5 free hours of travel in exchange for the upload of 10phoos onto Facebook. Done deal and off to Queenstown I went for the night.
After booking into a triple double dorm with some girl I had met in a different hostel before (this happens more than you may think by the way) I decided to settle in for a nice, easy going evening in the hostel. However, as soon as I'd ripped out my guitar and started playing around with it I was encountered by a guy staying there who turned out to be a drummer from Canada travelling with his two mates, one from Germany, the other from Toronto. So afer disributing a free guitar lesson and getting into favour with the guys that way they ofered to buy me a drink down at the local Backpacker disco. I, not wanting to be rude and simply unable to reject the notion of free beer (the best kind), decided that a! beer wouldn't do me any harm and I'd be home nice and safe by 10o'clock, allowing me to get up timely to catch my bus at 7am. Well of course, as anyone with the slightest bit of foresight could have told, more than 1 beer was had and he end of the story was me staying up until 5am, grabbing half an hour of sleep, a shower and passing out for the entire 7hour trip to christchurch. Personally I was quite impressed with that.
Arriving in Christchurch, knowing I was to spend the night in the BASE bunker (a chain of uncomfortable, impersonal hosels) due to prebooking, I was not of parricularly high spirits. When realising that I did not have my voucher and that the hostel didn't have a reservation or any details down for me, my mood darkened. Agrovated by litle sleep, the stress of a crowd of people around me and my certainty of my booking I found a voucher for the same date, different month for Auckland. It was obvious to me that these incapable twit wits had wrongly taken my Christchurch voucher in Auckland and when I expressed this to the reception, fairly on edge at this point, I was told that I was to be set up with a room non the less and asked kindly to forgive the inconvenience.
Ater having cooled down a little and thinking about how careless people can be I realised one thing; these guys hadn't been. A conversation crept back into my mind:
"Are you sure you won't need prebooked accomodation for Christchurch sir?
Well yes of course! i only want to prebook hostels for the day of and after my arrival in a country so I know where to go from the airport!"
So essentially I had just gotten free accomodation. I considered telling them about my mistake and had it been a privately owned hostel I certainly would have. But deciding that I dispise BASE hostels for overcharging the rates and all that they stand for/ encourage (mindless partying, getting off your face and elaborae consumerism) I didn't. So that was 60$ saved and me with a place to stay for two nights. I met up with Yoko the next two days, who I'd met at Coromandel, and checked into her hostel for my last night.
Christchurch has a wonderul Art Gallery and is quite a nice place to stay for a few days. Manchester street is full of pubs for every Clientel, there is live music available and the Art Gallery is wonderful (and free!). The markets they have on the weekends are great, allowing the traveller missing home to indulge in some real German made Leberkaese and Sauerkraut made by the German butcher in town, listen to live perormers on a small stage and walking around looking at all the kitch that's up or sale.
For some reason I felt a spiritual need and went ino the Cathedral in the dead centre of Chrischurch. Despie not being Religious in any sort of way I believe that churhes and other places of praise have a calming feel to them that touches even the non believers. So there I was reflecting upon myself and my journey when teh choir marches in to practice for the ceremony that night. Seeing as Church music has amating Vocal harmonies I stayed and enjoyed a good hour of Choir performance. Of course, the only sensible thing to do after such an experience is head for teh nearest bar and so off I wen with a random girl from my room who seemed just as lonely as me to explore the night life. Seeing as it was Saturday night the streets were busy and the sound of music in the air. After two disappointing locations we somehow managed to find our way into a Yuppi underground bar, filled with ineresting stuff such as incense sticks, candles, old typewriters, pianos, people in costumes etc. where we stayed until teh lights were dimmed up, talking. The need for conversation (especially or me) i sincreddible. When travelling by yourse;f you dont tend to get the chance for talk all that often (potentially a reason for the ridiculous length of my blogs?) so when you find someone similarly eager on it you tend to loose track of time. A nice night and a good taste of Christchurch nightlife. On my last night I took Yoko out for dinner in return for having spotted me some cash for the room and off I went to Sydney. Yoko kindly drove me to the airport. There I spent my last NZ cash on CDs (they are dirt cheap... 8NZD!) and boarded the plane.
That's it or now. report on Sydney will ollow shortly. Keep trecking

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Photos

Big Spider is watching you
A sculptural tribute to Welliwood

Kayaking
me in my awesome! orange kayaking gear in Abel Tasman

DOC Hut
my bed for the night in Abel Tasman

Awaora Beach
Beautiful

Franz Joseph glacier
Me up in the ice

On the way to Christchurch
One of teh many beatyful spots

Christchurch Arst Centre
Apparantly the most English city outside of England

Comments

[dad]

Bald zurück...
Hey Lucas, eine Super Story.Welchem reisemagazin verkaufst Du die? Wir zittern und zappeln schon alle, wenn Du nur endlich wieder ein Gastspiel in Germany gibst. Bitte Grüsse Niko ganz lioeb von mir - und denk an die Einladung ins Hongkong Susi,wenn er mag. In Deutschland wird die Stimmung dunkler und jeder hofft auf den Aufschwung - ich zwischenzeitlich auch... Schnecki will ja jetzt auch für 9 Monate nach NZ. Unlängst sah icheinen Film über ein junges Auswanderer Pärchen . - Hat mich sehr berührt und wieder nachdenklich gemacht.... Hab noch viel Spaß . Ich versuch mal Dich in HK an die Strippe zu kriegen und frag mal wie es da so mit der Wirtschaft steht - meine Geschäftspartner sindso ruhig???? Bis bahald Papa RAFDARDIDARDIDI