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Published: October 17th 2009
Getting up in the early morning is never nice. Getting changed in a van with a cold wind blowing through it is even worse! At 6am we rolled out of bed, grabbed our clothes and began driving towards the ferry. In true Counet style we were quite early for the ferry, so having checked in we made our breakfast in the back of the van. I have a new appreciation for the common snail - it is really useful to have your house with you everywhere you go!
When we got on the ferry we found a quiet corner and I promptly fell asleep while Philippe wandered the ship. When I awoke about forty minutes later the first thing that hit me was the strong whiff of vomit. Two seats over a small child had just projectiled the most foul smelling mess. As I looked around me to get my bearings all I could see was green looking people and parents staring intently at their children with sick bags at the ready. A ferry employee was circling with ice and more sick bags and another lucky team was on clean up duty. How had I stayed asleep through all of
this? The ferry was swaying like a rocking horse. Those that weren motion sick were gagging at the sight of all the other people getting sick. There was a line of green people sitting against the walls near the bathrooms, ready for a quick sprint if necessary. When Philippe returned he too didn look 100%. We moved to another section of the boat where the non-green people were congregating and I went back to sleep!
Two long hours later we were back in Bitsy and driving through sunny Picton. As Philippe pulled in to have another go at opening our safe (the key was jammed), we realised that it was not going to budge. We rang the emergency number for the rental company and were ignorantly told that they would ring us back. Forty minutes later, with lunch time approaching and all our money in the safe, we took matters into our own hands. The local locksmith had a quick jiggle at the key and told us the lock “had sat down”. After a quizzical look from us he confirmed that the safe was knackered and that he would have to break in to it. I desperately wanted him
to take out a stethoscope and twiddle a knob or something until it opened, but instead he grabbed a drill and had at it.
Twenty minutes later we had our cash, but had to hand over a wad of it to Ted. Four hours later the emergency line called us back, profusely apologetic for the delay. I told them what had happened and how we had resolved it, and they promised to reimburse us. So no real harm done, only two hours of our day lost. Oh, and our safe is no longer very safe!
We headed off west in the general direction of the Abel Tasman National Park. After a night in Nelson, we drove up to the park, packed a picnic and took a long stroll along one of the paths. The sun was out, the views of the coastline were stunning and we were getting some much needed exercise and fresh air.
That evening we drove south as far as Murchison to set up camp. The next morning we were up early to have time to stop at the Buller Gorge Swing Bridge. With my camera man safely stowed on the near gorge bank,
I skipped my way across the swing bridge and got set up to do the Comet zip line across the gorge. It was certainly a bit of a thrill, but it made me all the more determined to do a Bungy Jump in Queenstown - although I still reserve the right to chicken out of it at any time!
We continued on south to the West coast of the Island, taking refuge from the rain in Danny Doolans Irish Pub in Greymouth. The town itself however was as dreary as its namesake, so we hopped back in Bitsy and made for some good weather, eventually stopping at a beach front campsite in Hokitika.
Everything packed up again in Bitsy the next morning we trundled on south as far as Franz Josef Glacier, where we got another strapping walk in as we walked over the dried out creek to the face of the Glacier. It is an impressive glacier, but our experience in El Calafate had dulled the sensation. Franz Josef is basically the only large town in this area. We realised this as Bitsys petrol light was blinking (yet again...she just drinks petrol!) and we were robbed for
1.80 dollars per litre (20 cents more than anywhere else weve been in New Zealand). We continued on to Fox Glacier, a smaller sister town and made camp for the night. At this point the downside of camping in a metal box became apparent - Philippe developed a mean cold that meant early nights all round.
The next morning he was feeling a bit better and we pulled our walking boots on again as we did a trek around Lake Matheson for more stunning scenery, with Mount Cook reflected in the lake waters. When the weather is nice in this country every way you turn is amazing beauty!
On the road again we decided that we would need to split our trip to Wanaka in two and so we stopped in Haast Beach, planning a gentle afternoon in the sun. We eventually got our nice afternoon in the sun, but not before I had beached Bitsy in some mud where she was well and truly stuck. Thirty minutes of branches and grass stuffed in under her wheels and a few hail Marys later, with Philippe at the wheel and me and a kind gentleman rocking her from behind,
she eventually got unstuck. We found a less soggy patch and made camp. Beer and pancakes for dinner and Philippe was ready for an early night again.
As I write this we have just pulled up at a campsite on the northern end of Lake Wanaka. I am sitting on a pebble beach, surrounded by driftwood and silence. The lake is framed by snow capped mountain ranges and vibrant green forests. The sun is shining, the water is gently lapping and it feels good to be alive!
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anneke
non-member comment
wow
Wow what a nice pictures. what a views! As you would have noticed, I'm a bit behind, because of our movement to Gennep. Finally, everything went well, so now I can join the internet again! Hopefully you both are doing fine there!