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Published: December 17th 2005
Swimming
Cccccccccccold, but this prooves I took the plungeOkay okay okay, here it is. I´ll always eventually catch up to the present! (it´ll be at the end of the trip of course!)
The start of each new week here makes it very difficult to think of living anywhere else. This may be partly because I'm aiming to move back home to Vancouver, and everything I see here has such similarities to life on the West Coast of Canada. Everything. Glaciers, stunning beaches, ancient forests, and a combination of 2 cultures. The native presence can be felt everywhere, most notably in the tourist shops, but the legends themselves are still everywhere.
After driving along the east coast, I decided not to take the ´presidential highway´ (from Clinton to Gore) and opted to hit the most soutern point in New Zealand. Well, almost. Bluff is the most southern point of the main island but it read up to be of little interest so I opted for Invercargill. There wasn´t a lot to look at in the town, and I had arrived quite late anyways. I felt like a bit of entertainment so I strolled into the movie house. ¨Whatever´s next playing please¨, I asked, as if there
The Fjiords of Doubtful Sound
Looks enticing for a day of kayaking eh? were numerous flicks on at the moment. I loaded up with the popcorn and sunk into my seat. As soon as I saw Anthony Hopkins walk onto the big screen I figured it was bound to be a good show. How pleased was I when it turned out to be a true story, full of inspiration to just go out and make your dreams happen, and it was all based in Invercargill. Burt Monroe had spent years building the fastest motorcycle, and now the world knows it. The pensioners, the school teachers and the milkman all jumped up with thunderous applause for the movie that put their town on the map.
After a quick nose through the museum I hit the road again, and for the first time, heading north. I drove through a town advertising itself as the sausage capital. I didn´t see anything quite to my taste, so kept going. The drive was incredible with swing bridges and just a few more sheep. I stopped once for a ´cupa tea´ in a lean to at the edge of a farmers field. It was the first time I felt well and truely chatted up on this trip!
I insisted I would give his son, or maybe his grandson a look, but all he would be giving me was the ´cupa. So nice to have a laugh with the locals!!
I arrived in Te Anau with enough time to settle in and take in the sunset. No matter how many skies I've looked at on this trip, a sunset is a calming sense of the beauties in life. From there I had a chance to meet up with some other tourists that I had been planning to first see in their new home in Auckland. Tracey and I had worked away in London before coming to our senses and leaving the UK. Her husband Phil had a working opportunity, and they soon after arrived in New Zealand. I've met quite a few Brits having made the same decision. Hhhhhhhmmmmm, wonder if I really will make it back to Canada! For the time being however, it's just nice being with people that I don't have to explain my background to. And the mother in laws that they were touring around Fjiordland were most entertaining .
In the morning I strapped on my hiking boots and
made my way around Lake Manapouri. New Zealand has some of the best walking trails in the world, and this walk was just a taster. When I say walk, I mean 'tramping' really. Called different things where ever you go, New Zealand's touring the trails lingo made me giggle. I'm not a tramp, but am I tramper? Silly thoughts can run through your head when your alone for too long!!
I met up with Tracey and Phil again, and heard about their excursion in kayaks. It sounded like a very long winded process getting ready, but I signed up for it the following day in Doubtful Sound. It's the less commercialized fjiord in the area as it's more of a trek to get to, but sounded perfect for me.
I drove back to Lake Manapouri, then joined the crew on a boat across the lake. We then boarded a bus for 20 km. and reached the next boat taking us to the kayak launching area. I had been 1/2 expecting glorious sunshine as experienced in Te Anau for the last few days, but was then informed of the yearly rainfall in Doubtfull Sound. 20 feet per
Te Anau Sunset
Aaaaggggghhhhhhh year is quite a bit of rain, and my day spent there was no exception. A little foggy, but as I had 100 layers on it was no bother. I was finally in the kayak paddling beneath the mountain edges that went straight up. The vegetation that grew on the rock faces had a few bare streaks where the rain weakened their strength in holding onto shear granite. Apart from a couple of penguins waddling under some trees, there was absolutely nothing in our way. Even though the water's temperature was not so enticing I managed to take the plunge. Yeah okay, I was wearing a wetsuit but it's still cold!! Quite quickly, I was surprised at tasting no salt. Due to the amount of rainfall, the salt water actually sits about 3 meters below the surface. After 5 hours of plunging our paddles, my arm muscles had had the best workout ever and we made our way back to base. When back in the car I had a stretch and then a shock! It seems my maneuvers brought on a very painful tendinitus. A second incident to be thankful for medical insurance! Tired and pained as I may have
The Fastest Indian
A happy and inspiring movie I recommend been, my day was not yet over. I had signed up for a visit to some gloworm caves next!
It didn't take me long to fall into the land of zzzzzz's whilst on the boat across Lake Te Anau. We docked and made our way towards the caves and it was after that that I fully woke up. I had missed the 'duck your head instructions' and walked straight into a cold, slimy overhang. Definintly one of those days! There wasn't a lot to look around at as it was so dark, but the sound of the gushing river coming out of nowhere alerted me more. I then looked up and thought the stars from the head bang were still circling me, but in fact they were the worms! The lights were a lot smaller and greener than I had imagined, and didn't crawl across the surfaces at lightening speeds, but instead just looked like a wall of stars inside. A peaceful presence, which led me back to the land of zzzzzz's.
The next morning I awoke early and set off for the drive to Milford Sound. It was back to life in a movie set
The Real Indian
And there it is for real...Invercargill´s pride and joy tucked into a corner at the cinema as everything was filled with such dramatic colour. I even passed a few kea parrots which brought a little entertainment to the day. These guys love chewing the rubber window edges on tourists cars and stealing their lunches. I've only ever seen a parrot in a cage not wanting to talk to me, so it was nice to see such a contrasting setting for them. I'd say a natural setting but I think all of the tourists have changed that. The rollercoaster road then continued, it was a drivers joy until it came to an abrupt stop. I then appreciated having done the kayaking in Doubtful Sound as the tour buses were lined up in front of the boats, and the tourists circled with cameras in hand. 2000 people per day pas through here, and this isn't even high season! Considering this isn't meant to be a natural Disneyland, I escaped the crowds and found a quiet corner on the quiietest boat, or tried to at least!
The cliff faces were the same as in Doubtful, but certainly higher. Mitre Mountain actually reaches 1629 meters and is just as sharp a drop below the surface of the water.
A few penguins
Okay, I might not have actually seen these in person. But would be cool if I had eh? The recent rains had created many waterfalls, although not all of them fell to the bottom. The winds were so strong that the water was collected in mid air and dispersed as a spray onto all surroundings.
After the boat tour was over, I jumped back behind the wheel and made my way up to the adventure capital of New Zealand, Queenstown. I thought about what activity I might go for and of course the bungy jump did keep springing to mind. Luckily I snapped out of that thought after just a few moments! I opted for a very civilized approach to the town honouring Queen Victoria, a steam boat cruise across Lake
Wakatipu.
I didn't have too much trouble getting through the crowds to find a good spot on deck. As I wasn't clutching a cane or looking for my spectacles I had one up on the other passengers. Luckily I wasn't the only juvenille on board, there were a couple of lads shovelling coal beneath the decks...with their shirts off due to the heat. So the trip had a lot of good looking, I mean, good things to look at.
I hiked
Me Walkin at Lake Manapouri
I think the self photos are getting a little tiresome so I seem to have thrown in a slight look of ¨I know Something You Don´t Know¨!¨ underneath the gondola ride the next morning. Getting into shape is back on my mind, but then, so is chocolate. Having reached the 6 month mark on my trip I have a lot of catching up to do with the weight loss goal over one year. Anyways, just a girly Bridget Jones moment. Once at the top I jumped onto the luge and sped down the track. I think I might be good at a real luge version one day, is there such a thing somewhere in the world for people like me? I watched a few bungee jumps as well, but was still not drawn to the platform. I tried to make up for wimping out of a bungee jump the next morning.
I drove out to the airport and watched the little acrobatic Red Bull plane take off and land with thrilled and petrified passengers. THIS is what I fancy! I signed up and waited for my timeslot to come around. I slipped on my leather flight cap and my TopGun glasses when I saw the plane approaching me, did a couple of jumping jacks and stretches. I then blurted out to the approaching pilot, "I'm
ready-take me now!". You can imagine how I felt when he responded with "Too bumpy up there, can't get up again". Just my stinkin luck, story of my life, blah blah blah. And he was a looker too.
Needing some adventure replacement I raced over to Shotover Canyon and boarded the jet boat that would race up and down the river. It came within inches of the rock walls, did full speed 360's and flew over just inches of depth in the water. It was okay. It wasn't an acrobatic flight, so I left Queenstown.
I arrived in historic gold mining Arrowtown for a look around and a soothing coffee. It was easy to imagine how it might have been back in the day when locals searched the waters for the golden nugget to retire with. I had arrived a bit late in the afternoon so the main strip was shutting down for the day, but it was clear that this wold be somewhere I could chill out for a week. If I had a week. I kept driving and decided to camp out in Wanaka, a place name that I couldn't stop aying outloud when
Back of the boat view
Milford Sound at its´finest I saw it on the map. "Wanaka!" Sounds good don't ya'think?
Not only will I remember Wanaka for it's cool namesake, but the phonecall I received from a certain acrobatic pilot in the morning, kind of put me in good spirits. "Meet me at the airport in 15 minutes" was all I needed to hear. I raced over and before I knew it I was strapping in for my 15 minute flight doing loops and dives and upside down twirls. I didn't experienc any fear, but I certainly turned my stomach around a few times. Feeling my entire body being pulled up and down as the clouds and lake swapped places, was the adrenalin required. Bungy that.
Hitting the road again, I made my way towards the coast. It was a nice change of scenery, even though the scenery has been fabulous everywhere I go in New Zealand. Beaches and lakes, forrests and glaciers. Glaciers? Can they really fit into this picture? Yes. I hit Fox Glacier within an hour of loosing all light. This meant I had the place to myself which was just fine with me. So what can I say about the glacier?
Up Waterfall
The recent rains created these waterfalls, but the winds kept picking up the water as soon as it got over the edge! It wasn't a chilling blue solidity that made me think of the Arctic or Titanic. It was a huge wall of ice. It had collected a lot of sediment over it's travels resulting in a very grey front. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting, but the sign told me not to get too close or I could be killed by breaking chunks and being on my own I opted for the roped off tourist route. Booooooring I know, but I'm actually climbing the Franz Joseph glacier tomorrow! As I left the Fox Glacier I found a dirt road leading to higher view. It was nice to peak through the trees and see the different angle of the frozen monster. The remnants of sunshine did pick up some amazing colours. And then knowing there wasn't anybody else around it was kind of fun to drive back as if it was a racecourse. All with extreme caution.
The skies were too heavy the next morning for any climbing so I drank coffee and wished for an afternoon clearing. Bless the coffee as always, as my chance to climb into the glacier to feel and see the blue stuff for
Glacier Tub
It´s kind of clear where the glacier came from... myself became a reality. I strapped on the gear and followed the leader. It was an afternoon of many emotions as people wobbled over ladders clinging to ice edges, and clung to the vertical staircases. A refreshing eye opener to some of mother nature's harsh characteristics.
So there you have it, half of the south island. And I still havn't found a kiwi.
I'm going for a turbo time catch up to Argentina...where I am now!
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Ian
non-member comment
I'm exhausted
Hi Fiona, I get exhausted just following your adventures. You pack more in a few days than I could accomplish in a month. The photos in New Zealand and especially good - did you change anything? It's great to have the Apple up and running. We are having a sunny, cold and somewhat white Christmas here in Vancouver. Good luck in South America - the map on your website which shows where you have been is impressive. Love, Ian