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Published: November 24th 2006
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("spot on" is a common kiwi saying which means like hell yeah/awesome/good stuff!)
November 14th...Landed in Christchurch Well I had a great flight into Christchurch and met a friendly Kiwi who was nice enough to offer me his seat so I could have a better view from the plane...it was sunny and warm, my medicine from the "chemist" (oz word for pharmarcy) had worked its magic and the excitement of a new country to experience had me feeling like a million bucks!
Christchurch is on the east coast of the South Island, and is one of three "cities" of New Zealand. My "Stray" bus loop, will head north to the top of the South Island and then I will make one big counterclockwise loop around the South before heading to the North island to meet up with Carolyn. (this means I will pass through Christchurch and Kaikoura twice).
I did take the afternoon to the wonder the streets and see the city (even though it is NZ's biggest city on the South Island, it's not really big). It was a nice spring day, and there were some interesting churchs and buildings scattered amongst the streets. The city
Kristen & Emma
At Old MacDonald's Farm is surrounded by hills with houses, and it is very English (as in the nationality).
First Stop (Wed 11/15) Kaikoura - Heading North on the East Coast of the South Island OMG!! Words cannot explain this town's beauty...to get here you drive around curvy roads atop hills to where the mountains meet the sea and ahhhhhh...you can't help but smile. The sun was shining and you could smell the seafood!
Kaikoura is a little town, surrounded by snow capped moutains, beautiful turquoise waters and lots of seals and marine life! Kaikoura means "meal of the crayfish" (lobster) in Moari and the dolphins/whales/seals not to mention the beautiful coastline are the main attractions here.
After some explorations during the day, I went to play "Quiz Night" people from the bus...well I ended up being more entertained by a bunch of "Dominators" (rugby team)because the quiz game was taking ages... long story short, my team ended up winning but leaving only me to claim the prize of the free bar tab...thus I ended up drinking too much "Shaggin Sheep" (the local brew), yet it was fun to afford to "shout" my new mates some drinks. I had a
great time, and I even got a free t-shirt from the deal, not to mention my pool skills were on fire (although the table was almost half the size)...but the bartender suggested that I buy a lottery ticket because luck was my best friend tonight...all in all, not a bad second night in NZ!
Nelson (Friday 11/17) - Geographical Center of NZ (Top West of South Island) So my bus headed north, we made a stop in Picton (ferry to north island) and then we headed west to the town of Nelson. Nelson is the gateway town for the Abel Tasman National Park. Not everyone on my bus stops here (the bus stays inside the national park), but Nelson is known for its arts and crafts (and being the geographical center)...after hearing many good things about the place, I decided to wait in Nelson for my Emma (my british friend I met in OZ) who is a few days behind me. Which was a great decision considering that I fell in love with this small town...
I stayed a great hostel called the Paradiso about 10 minutes walking from the center of town and I even convinced
Fresh Mussels
Just caught...first time I have eaten them raw! another new friend on the bus to stop for a night with me...we walked all the way to town in the rain so we could cook ourselves a gourmet meal together (well gourmet for us!!) and had a great night just hanging around with the other backpackers.
I spent my days in Nelson heading to galleries/artsy stores, botanical gardens, and just taking nice walks around town. Nelson is the city of history and trees, and is the location of the first rugby match ever in NZ in 1870 (yes I also learned something along the way!). And of course I did the walk up the hill to the center of NZ...which had amazing overlooks of the city and the sea, and this crazy looking monument at the top marking the actual center.
Emma finally caught up with me on the third day, and our last night in Nelson was complimented by a keg of Speights (my favorite NZ beer so far!) with my new american friends...who went to Duke and know of Kenin LOL!!
Abel Tasman National Park (Tuesday 11/21) Slightly West of Nelson Old MacDonald had a farm...e-i-e-i-o....and on this farm he had a "shamel"....
Dress Up Time
Taxi (our bus driver) getting into character! For two nights we stayed in the national park at a hostel called Old MacDonald's Farm...and here they call Llamas...Shamels (half sheep, half camel)...the national park is goregous, and we spent our only full day at the park doing a full day sail around all the hot spots of the park.
The morning was pretty chilly on the boat but come afternoon the clouds had burned off and everyone was in great spirits. We started in Marahau, and hit Coquille Bay, Watering Cove, then Anchorage beach for lunch, swim and a tan. Next we only a seal at Pinnacle Island (but only one, supposedly they're all mating at the moment) and then up to Bark Bay. On the way back to Kaiteriteri we stopped by the Fisherman Island...where I was nominated to go fishing for mussels for the group (thanks to Emma telling everyone I used to swim!)...The water was FREEZING (I only lasted 1 minute at lunch), but it was really cool to go hunt mussels and I was even brave enough to try my first raw mussel. These mussels were huge compared to at home, and it was a nice treat to have some free seafood.
Buller Gorge
Scenery driving from Abel Tasman to Barrytown...beautiful drive.. Barrytown (Thursday 11/23) Heading South down West coast of the South Island This was a crazy day...the drive down the west coast was unbelievable (even in the rain)...We made stops during the drive to Barrytown at Mt. Bell, Saddle Ranges, Buller Gorge, and the Pancake rocks. (was upset I couldn't get better photos with the rain!)
"Taxi" (our crazy bus driver...who is tons o' fun btw) stopped off at a second hand store for all of us to purchase the ugliest outfits we could find, you may ask what is the point of this?? Well Barrytown is Stray's stop between Abel Tasman and the Franz Joesph Glaciers...the main highlight is the cliffs, mountains and rivers we see along the way, and we have a late start the following morning, in other words, it's a good time to drink a lot of beer and just enjoy everyone's company. It has become a tradition at "the bar in Barrytown" to get dressed up and drink a lot of Baz Vegas (local brew)...even those not drinking had a ball!
When we arrived, we got to dig through boxes upon boxes of the ugliest clothes and accessories that all the
buses have left behind and it was like a Halloween free for all...everyone got into it and people came up with some brillant outfits. The "best dressed" was supposed to win a free bungy in Queenstown, and a competitive german (who did have a great outfit on) was a bit disappointed when Taxi convinced two young (broke) italians that he'd give them the free bungy if they gave us a show on the bar...(emma got a movie....hysterical!!!) One had nothing but black stockings on at the end, and the best part was....they were dead sober. It really was a brillant night of games and laughs.
Today, I arrived in Franz Joesph, and have to get up early tomorrow morning to hike the glaciers for 8 hours!! I am very excited...
I must apologize about the photos I have attached. I had a sad day in Abel Tasman when I realized that my good camera is broken. I don't know what happened to it but it won't turn on, nor can I read the card in it on these computers. On a positive note, Emma has a great camera which also happens to be waterproof (which is great, there
Pancake Rocks
Rain hindered good photos here! is a lot of rain on the South Island!) So we are going to be sharing photos, and I do still have my "drunk" cheap camera to use if we are ever not together...but it was a huge disappointment.
I miss everyone. Time is flying and I feel like I will be home before I know it. I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving...and I hope to write more about the South in another 8-10 days or so.
Much love, Kristen
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jenn myers
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So fun!
Hi Herbie--that bar sounds like so much fun!!! I love the pictures of the costumes! It was so good to talk with you for an hour the other day!! So much to get caught up on!