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Published: December 13th 2010
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Newman's Bus
Incredibly plush. Everything's padded. Day 14, Travelling to Tekapo
I was so worried that I'd miss my 8:30 a.m. bus to Tekapo that I got up at 5:30 a.m. -- and I had packed the night before. I dithered about whether or not to take my half-empty oatmeal bag, and finally decided to do so -- a good thing too, as it turned out.
The taxi came promptly at 7:40 a.m. to take me to the bus station. I got out of the taxi, walked over to the Intercity terminal (which was no more than a storefront), failed to notice that there was a slight step up into the building, and tripped. Since I was carrying the pizza bag, I was unable to catch myself, and I went over backwards like a nine-pin. Two kind people, one man and one woman, immediately helped me up.
The bus began loading at 8, though it did not leave until 8:45 because two booked passengers had not yet come. Intercity keeps a list of booked passengers, and the driver checks them off as they arrive.
The bus was a Newman's bus, Newman's having recently merged with Intercity. It was incredibly plush. Not only were
Long Bridge
A mile long, across swampland. the seats comfortably upholstered, but all interior surfaces were padded, even the luggage rack. The bus eventually went off about half-full, which was pleasant, as most people had seats to themselves.
The driver, named George, was very chatty. He told us all about the irrigation systems used on the Canterbury Plains, as that part of the country is called. Although the land is fertile, irrigation is necessary because of the rain shadow of the Southern Alps. The Alps are sharply peaked mountains. I don't think they're as high as the Rockies, but they are very picturesque, with streaks of ice on their summits.
I saw mostly cattle (dairy and beef), with some sheep and twice a domestic herd of red deer. Venison is farmed here as a luxury product. There were a number of hayfields, and I saw two vineyards.
The journey took 3 1/2 hours. We Estopped at the halfway point, in a 2000-person town called Geraldine, for a ten-minute refreshment break. I had noticed a liquor store as we came into town and I wished I dared to go to it, but the driver was anxious because he was running late and he warned us
Swampland
The swampland under the bridge that if we stayed longer than ten minutes we would be left, and I could not be certain I could get there and return in time. In the event, one person came back three minutes after the deadline, and he still waited for them.
The driver made up most of the lost time on the road from Geraldine to Tekapo. At one point, a passing truck threw up a large stone and dinged the bus' windshield -- a really bad ding, at least two inches across at the worst point, with radiating cracks far beyond that. I think they'll have to replace the whole windshield. Fortunately it struck on the passenger side.
When we got to Tekapo (population 315) I crossed State Highway 8 at the town's only pedestrian crossing, but then, most unfortunately, I misread my map and turned left. I ended up going a quarter mile, right out of town, dragging my two agonizingly heavy suitcases and wearing my pizza bag. Then I had to go a quarter mile back to the correct turnoff.
When I got there, I saw that it was up a slight hill, and a sign said that it would be
Wildflowers
Lupine, the driver said. another quarter mile. I didn't know what to do. I cannot use my left arm to pull the luggage; my artificial collarbone won't take it, and my right arm was just about worn out.
Thank the Lord, just then a van pulled up and a cheerful voice asked if I needed help. The van's owners were a couple from Boise who have moved here to run photo tours for groups. They were on their way to pick up a group, but they stopped to help me get up the hill. They took me to my hostel, Tailor-Made Tekapo.
Tailor-Made seems comfortable, though in a different way from Dorset House. I have only a twin bed, but my room is actually larger, and I have a closet. The twin bed is very comfortably made up, with many blankets, and the mattress is nice as well.
There are two showers and a commode, all unisex, directly across the hall.
Tailor-Made consists of several free-standing buildings, each with a number of rooms and presumably with showers and commodes, surrounding a central lounge/kitchen/reception complex. There is a swingset for children, so they obviously cater to all ages here, but unlike
Dorset House most of the people here right now seem to be young and Oriental.
Judging from the guest book they had me sign, no one stays here more than a night or two.
That makes sense, I guess, as there is not much to do here except to look at the lake. That's one reason I'm here; the other is that New Zealand's largest observatory is just up the road and, if the sky is clear on any night when I am here, I shall pay a company called Earth and Sky $85 for a stargazing tour.
That won't be tonight; it's very cloudy. I'm glad, too, as I'm totally exhausted. I ate some of my oatmeal for lunch on my arrival and it'll be oatmeal for dinner again, as I don't feel like walking a quarter mile and back into town again today, even without a suitcase. Tomorrow I shall make my way into town and go to the supermarket. I noticed it while I was dragging my luggage around. There are several restaurants too, serving people who stop to see the lake.
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K.Freeman
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Thank God for angels!
So glad that couple came to help you at exactly the moment you needed it! Both of them! One to pick you up from the ground & the other to pick you up & take you to the hostel!