Mountains! Franz Josef and Wanaka

We caught a bus inland to the small town of Franz Josef to take a look at the Franz Josef glacier. We arrived late in the afternoon, so no time to do any ice climbing or anything too exciting, but I wanted to catch a glimpse, so grabbed a bus out to the glacier. It was a bit of a trek into the glacier, so I had a good run in trying to catch the last glimpses of sunlight on the glacier. I had enough light to take a look at the glacier, and it ended up being a very cool experience as I was the only person in the glacial valley. The glacier itself was pretty cool, 'dirty' and towering up between two steep cliffs, but even better was the valley. It was a huge valley with steep sides, water falls, neat vegetation and a valley floor littered with glacial debris and stones - very picturesque and beautiful . I'm so glad I made it out to the glacier, and it was nice to stretch my legs with a good run!

The magical Franz Valley.

We left Franz early the next morning on our way towards the ski and adventure area of the South Island - Wanaka and Queenstown. Wanaka was our destination for the day, and we had a great ride there through some absolutely amazing mountain scenery. I don’t think it will matter how many times I see mountains, I will always be impressed by them, and take way too many pictures of the same one. My visit to the mountains in the winter has been especially neat as I have gotten to see the beautiful snow on the mountains, but I haven't gotten snowed in anywhere! We stopped at the picturesque Mattison Lake in front of the mountains, and enjoyed the reflection of the mountains in the water, the beautiful vistas and the crisp, fresh air. The forest we went for a walk through was also very different and beautiful as this one was more mossy than the past ones and had a very green hue. We arrived in beautiful Wanaka with more spectacular views and I had a very lovely rest of my day… skydiving!!

 

The Lake Mattison view

Yep, you heard that right - I went skydiving and had a blast! I got my gorgeous suit on, a harness and climbed into a plane. I got all strapped to my 'beautiful stranger'  and enjoyed my one way plane ride. The scenery was beautiful as we climbed up into the air, and circled higher and higher until 12000 feet. If I thought the view was nice from inside the plane, it was even better from outside the plane!! My tandem partner and I jumped out of the plane in 'free-fall' position, and I loved every minute of it! I had an unobstructed view of Lake Wanaka and the beautiful mountains surrounding the area. After a few fun spins to get the full 360 view, we had a smooth landing and were back on solid ground. I'm definitely going to have to do that again some day! We spent the rest of the day with lots of adrenalin in our systems and heard a great live band that night.

  

 Me and my beautiful stranger

West Coast Wandering

Let the wanderings in small but beautiful West coast towns begin! After a morning in Greymouth, I headed on the bus up to Nelson - a full day's ride through beautiful West coast scenery - huge surf, big cliffs and mountains on the other side. The vegetation was also quite different from what I have gotten used to with a lot more green and jungle-like conifers (great description eh?). We even got a great stop in at the pancake rocks - WAHOO! They were quite cool and the best way to describe them is really their name - pancake rocks. Columns of rock formations which were layered rocks appearing like a good old stack of pancakes with the maple syrup effect being provided by the moss. I'd say the pancakes were layered quite firmly though as the intense surf was giving them quite a beating - very cool spot! I got into artful Nelson a bit after dark, but my exploratory walk to the hostel gave me a good vibe about the quaint, medium-sized town.

Just add syrup to the pancake rocks!

 The next morning I adventured around Nelson, walking to the downtown, out along the harbour flats, and along a route to the centre of New Zealand! Okay, the geographical North-South Centre of the country apparently (I wouldn't really know). The centre was a survey point up on a look out and, of course, climbing the hill gave me a great look at the city and surrounding mountains and ocean. I quite liked my walk around and time in Nelson on another beautiful morning. Travelling in the tourist off season has been a fantastic experience so far - places which I know are normally full and bustling have been quite empty (I was one of 3 travellers staying in the Greymouth hostel), but I have still had fantastic weather to enjoy everything - that's just been luck so far. Also, it's been a decent temperature and I haven't had to deal with that killer NZ heat (but I might melt when I come home seeing as I've only had winter/autumn for about a year). I met up with my travelling companion and friend from working in Gisborne in Nelson, and together we continue along to Kaiteriteri!

 

The centre of New Zealand in Nelson!

 Kaiteriteri is a super small town right next to the beautiful Abel Tasman park and a beach destination for Kiwis and tourists alike (although mostly in summer…). We arrived after dark, but the next morning explored the area. I went for a walk along a trail on the cliffs and beaches and felt as if I was in the Caribbean with the golden sand, eroded cliffs dropping down to beaches, many lovely birds and bird song, and beachy feel of the place. The sand and beaches were truly beautiful, and I could have spent much longer there, but it was time to hit the road again to Westport!

 

Kaiteriteri beach

 Westport was a pretty small town again, but we arrived with enough time for a grocery run and to find a comfortable spot to watch the Super Rugby finals (go Chiefs! < look at me, such a good Kiwi!). After a good game and a come from behind surge in the last 20 minutes, the New Zealand team won - Wahoo!! The next morning I decided to try my hand at a famous New Zealand adventure activity - I realized I had been way  too relaxed in my travelling. So we went for some Jet Boating on the Buller River. Jet boating is a form of boating invented by a crazy Kiwi, and is quite similar to Jet skiing, but in a boat. The engine works by shooting water out behind the boat, and this technique allows the boat to go in very shallow water and do lots of fancy maneuvers. We had a 'leisurely' cruise up the Buller River and got to see a tree which appeared to change species half way up (a vine had established itself in the crown and taken over the original tree's vascular system - way cool). We also heard about the river which was quite surprising - when we boated on the river it looked like a moderately fast, big river - but nothing too intense, but our driver told us stories of how it can rise 10-15 metres in half an hour and move incredible amounts of water - having (I think) the second largest discharge to the ocean of any river in the world. Picturing the river with that much water in filling its large banks was quite intense! But none of that excitement for us - we just had our man-made adventure as, on the jet boat's way downstream on the river, we did many spins and daring maneuvers and shot around corners at an alarming route. Wahoo adrenalin!
 

The Jet Boat!

Well that was some great West Coast scenery along the way, but it's time to say goodbye to the West Coast and head inland to the bigger mountains!

 

 

Christchurch Construction

We left for Christchurch the next morning and arrived on the Canterbury plains after a few hours drive. The city was pretty big, and driving in and to the hostel you could barely tell there had been an earthquake other than a few closed buildings, etc.. After I settled in and went for a wander into the downtown area it was a different story. Three years after the first quake it was quite clear how bad the devastation had been, and how big the rebuilding efforts were. There were empty corners a-plenty where buildings had been removed and not yet rebuilt, but several of these were filled through 'open-space projects' - community efforts to fill in the gaps in Christchurch's centre through innovative ideas like mini putt courses and, my favourite, a pallet pavilion. The pallet pavilion was a very neat space where brightly coloured pallets had been stacked and some decorated or filled with plants to form a square with a stage, coffee shop, and lots of innovative seating - yay rebuilding!

Pallet Pavillion

The downtown also still had several streets closed to cars, but most were navigable on foot. Walking around, I saw many buildings which were still in ruins, their walls stabilized by beams or leaning against boxcars for stability (lots of boxcars actually). Through the destruction, there was still lots going on in the city with restaurants set up out of box cars throughout the area, and a whole boxcar shopping area (complete with LuluLemon, which I went into to say hi to the Canadians which were working there:)).

Downtown shopping - I`ve never seen box cars that looked so good!

 Taking a walk through the Cathedral square was interesting and, the cathedral structure was still visible through the construction fence (there were so many construction/engineering projects going on in the area and so many workers busy fixing things, it shows how destroyed the city was that they aren't all done yet!). I took a look at the Earthquake City Museum, and got great picture of the stories and struggles of the city. It was a really cool display with lots of information and stories. I took a meander through the beautiful botanical gardens on my way back to the hostel, and they were quite alive and well - beautifully so! Overall, I'd say the city is alive and well - what doesn't destroy a city makes it stronger.

 

 

The famous Christchurch Cathedral

Kaikoura

Early morning to the ferry for a hop, skip and a jump over to the South Island. We had great weather and lovely views along the way of Wellington and the North Island receding, and then the sounds and hills of the South Island approaching. It was very cool to almost immediately see a different landscape on the south island of different looking hills, way more forested area, and the big sounds that the boat passed through. A short ride through Picton, we stopped in Blenheim for a visit. The town had a very different demographic than I had been used to seeing as there were many migrant workers in the area to work in the many local vineyards. The town itself was small but pretty nice with a public square and pretty waterfront features. As we drove off, the landscape around the town was also quite nice with the many vineyards sheltered between mountains - tres cool! Our next stop on the way to Kaikoura was a very special one at a magical seal pond! About a 10 minute walk up the road, there was a waterfall flowing into a small pool of water which was alive with the activity of 25-35 seal pups - SOOO CUTE! The pups come up to the pool from the ocean to swim and socialize in safety, and they were making the most of it! They were leaping and splashing through the water, chasing each other, sitting on rocks, climbing the banks to appear as 'tree-seals', and generally being very entertaining. Neato!

Seeing Seals

 

We then continued our drive through snow capped and impressive mountains and very different vegetation, alongside the ocean to beautiful Kaikoura. Here, I was lucky enough to be able to stay with parents of the friends I was travelling with in their beautiful home. It was quite a neat place with gorgeous, highly functional gardens and a view down onto the ocean and town, and up to the mountains.

Kaikoura the beautiful

 My next day was spent in Kaikoura and included a lovely tour of the house, workshop and gardens in the area where the couple makes or grows much of their food from garden and scratch - very cool, and delicious home made honey. I also walked and explored the area, having a beautiful walk along the wharf of the old whaling town (almost stepping on a seal), and enjoying the small town. Kaikoura was originally a whaling and sealing town as its waters are especially productive for these species, and while they aren't hunted here anymore, the town is still based around them, just through tourism and whale watching now. After lunch I went for another walk the other direction along the coast and found more seals than I have ever seen in one place! The seals were just chilling on the rocks making quite a site between the two colonies that were stationed there. My hosts were my guides for the walk as they used to work as seal divers and had lots of information for me. Kaikoura was a beautiful and wonderful place with great mountain to ocean views, and a very entertaining local seal population.

 

 

 

Tough day eh?

Wobbly Wellington

On the road again! Here goes my 2.5 week South Island adventure!... The first leg was done with a few friends I met in Gisborne who were headed down to the South Island for a ski trip - what great timing! They were absolutely lovely to travel with, and I had a great time riding with them from Gisborne, down to Christchurch via the East coast most of the way. They were very knowledgeable about the areas we drove through, and talking about the landscapes, flora and fauna along the way was great - my own personal tour guides! Our first stop was at a bird sanctuary where we saw several native bird species, including quite a few Kaka birds feeding! Other highlights included HUGE eels relaxing in the stream - after finally seeing some of the giants, I now understand why people eat them! Our first night was in Wellington, where I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with a 'friend of a friend' and get some local information on the area. We went out for sushi and I retired early in anticipation of a busy next day. Busy day indeed! I started my morning off with a visit to New Zealand's main national museum - Te Papa. It was first rate! The displays were super interesting and covered everything from NZ culture to the volcanic/seismic habits of the island, to its wildlife and more. Highlights included an Earthquake house (so I guess I kind of experienced one of those Wellington earthquakes), a giant squid, really neat art, the Marae house and the Maori weaving. Next was a walk along the harbour to the parliament buildings where I went on a free tour - it was great! The parliament buildings were remarkably similar to Canada's and I suppose that makes sense, given our shared British heritage. The Beehive is where all the politicians' offices are located and it was interesting architecture to be sure;  ornate hallways, committee rooms, chambers and the library were an added bonus. Another rather unique feature of the building was that it was all designed to be 'base-isolated' to resist earthquakes - some cool engineering there!

 

Keeping busy at the Beehive

 

Next, I checked out old St. Paul's church which looked normal enough from the outside but the inside revealed its magnificent wooden construction. The whole inside of the church was beautifully sculpted wooden architecture that looked amazing with the stained glass windows.

Next was a bus to Weta Caves!!! Weta is a movie production group that has done the special costuming, set designing, etc. for lots of famous movies - Lord of the Rings, Avatar, King Kong and lots and lots more! The props they had on hand and their stories of how they design and make them were amazing! For example, a sword used in a movie would be made in metal, plastic, wood, etc. Also, watching one of the graphic designers at work brought a whole new meaning to Photoshop!

My buddy at Weta Caves

 

Finally, I knew my trip to Wellington wouldn't be complete without a view over the city, so up Mt. Victoria I climbed for a stunning view of the metropolis sprawling between the ocean and nearby hills. Dinner and relaxing by the waterfront was followed by watching 'the rugby' and meeting lots of new people at a friend's flat. 

 

Doing well in Wellington

Farewell Gisborne

Oops I did it again, but because my holidays are almost over, I suppose I should try to remember how to get some work done! My last week of work ended on July 26th and then I left for the South Island. But I'm getting ahead of myself,  I had a last great two weeks in Gizzy which included quite a few goodbyes and 'lasts', until I return of course… I said goodbye to my co-workers at a lovely work lunch where they gave me a fantastic greenstone necklace, a beautiful bracelet and a warm send off - they were a great bunch to work with, I learned a lot and had a blast! I also had my last venture to the Fishing Club, but only had to say good-bye to the place, as all my friends from there came to my birthday party later. We had a super fun birthday party with pulled pork and lots of other delicious treats and an amazing carrot birthday cake. Thanks to all my friends who came and for all the great times we had in Gizzy!!

HBday!

 

On my actual birth day anniversary, I went to work and to the last Mercantile Badminton night of the season. At work, I brought in 'my shout' treat of pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are eaten here almost exclusively as a savoury dish, and the idea of pumpkin pie caused quite a bit of worry for a few of my coworkers…. until they tasted it of course :) Badminton that evening was great fun! My team won two games and lost two for our last night but had a great time as we always do! At the small 'prize giving' end-of-year ceremonies, all the other players sang Happy Birthday for me - awww.  After all my goodbyes and three months of bliss, I left dear Gisborne. I'm definitely going to miss that place and the wonderful, warm, friendly people but I'll just have to take all the great lessons I learned and my wonderful experiences back to Canada. Maybe someday I'll even blog some of my 'Gisborne' reflections.

A sign well said.

Palmerston North

Another week down, only two more to go!!! After a busy week of work, and getting some stuff done at home, I thought I deserved a Friday off and a weekend away. My lovely hosts and I took off for the weekend to visit some rellies in Palmerston North. North Palmie is about a 5 hour drive South along the coast, and then inland a bit, and is one of New Zealand's only two inland cities!

Now that I've driven the road south a few times, and almost know my way around, I'll describe the highlights (yes, I do think that driving along a road in the fog/rain and once in a while sunshine has highlights). Almost the entire length of the road is windey and hilly and I'm impressed with Kiwi driving skills as many of the corners are quite sharp and sudden. Along the side of the road, there are often cliff faces which, in the recent rain, have many rock falls - small ones along the side of the road, and big one which send chunks quite dangerously every which way. The main scenery is either cliffs dotted with waterfalls, steep pasture hills dotted with sheep, cows and more sheep, or more steep hills dotted with trees. There is a bit of natural bush in preserves, but most of the non-pasture hills are in some stage of forestry pine production. The sheep are ever-present in the pastures, and even though I see them still often, there's still a place in my heart which thinks they're quite cute!! :) While the sheep are in the pastures, there are an incredible amount of wild goats along the roadside. Wild goats are considered a nuisance animal, and population control is a quite profitable side-business for some shepherds and their skilled dogs. No matter what the hills are covered in, I still find them and their steepness beautiful in the sun, and mysterious in the rain. Once we go inland a bit, there is a good section of flattish land with - more pastureland - some of which was underwater this time! Just before Palmerston N., the road gets hilly again and I saw windmills all over the hills in the distance - cool! The windmill hills marked the start of the gorge which is similar to the one to the Northwest of Gisborne and has a very wide, muddy and fast-flowing river flowing on the bottom of two steep sides. The road clung to one of the sides, and a railway line to the other - not too much room for more! The scenery in the gorge was beautiful, but I'm glad we made it out and avoided the rocks!!

View through the gorgeous gorge.

When we arrived into Palmerston, I was reminded a bit of a New Zealand version of Waterloo. Other than the many, beautiful vineyards on the way in, they had lots of shopping along the streets, a major University campus (Massey University), and a downtown core not focused around the ocean. Instead, it was focused around a grassy square, had an actual mall nearby and lots of shopping around the square. Oh, andddd, would you believe it, there was an ice rink in the middle! The weather was alright so we went for a wander, and I was quite enchanted by the bright orange plastic skates the people on the rink all seemed to be wearing as they lurched around in circles. But I can't really blame them, because there are only a handful of ice rinks in the country - not one in every small town, and definitely no seasonal ones in back yards. We checked out a few of the shops and the mall - first time I'd been in an actual mall since December! While just about all the NZ brands are different than Canada's, the wares are pretty much the same, save some extra emphasis on wool in everyday wear. We had two specific shopping hunts as well - one for some more wool to finish my sweater (yes, I've run out), and one for Root Beer for a recipe I've been wanting to make. You have no idea how hard it is to find Root Beer in New Zealand!!

 

Palmerston North town square - see ice skating back right

We then arrived at our hosts' lovely home for the evening. It was a beautiful house with lots of greenery on the outside, and books and great reading locations on the inside. And a cat. What more could I ask for? We had a good night of visiting, watching the rugby (of course), and yummy food. The next day we went for a driving tour of the town. We crossed several very swollen and muddy rivers, and, would you believe it, went up the local hill! The clouds didn't allow for great sights and pictures, but it was nice to see the lay of the land and marvel at just how 'KW' the place felt. We then went on a tour around the university campus - it was a beautiful place with lots of greenery and gardens. It was pretty much like any university one would find around home, with the addition of a pro rugby training facility, and, due to the large veterinary college, some paddocks and specialized facilities right near the heart of the campus. Quite a cool place! The afternoon was more shopping in many neat little shops, and the evening was some more great food and visiting. The morning dawned rainy, and we soon left for the long journey back home. It rained almost the whole way, and save for a lunch break and short visit in Hastings, our only stop was in Norsewood (I think). Norsewood was a small, historical town on the side of the highway which had long been a place where NZ wool had been processed into hats/mitts/scarves/sweaters(aka jerseys). While the manufacturing had since gone overseas, the town still exists through, probably through it's woolenwear outlet. Anddd, at long last and after many raindrops, we were home!

Massey Uni. Campus