Monday, June 11

June 11, 2007

I'm heading into my second week of work as an International Student Co-ordinator at Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in Palmerston North. It's one of those jobs you have to learn as you go seeing as I've never worked with international students before. So far, I've been successful in taking students' online visa applications and running off a letter of enrollment so a student could open a bank account. Career-wise, I'm excited to return to the States, or our next destination, to try to enter the Study Abroad arena at a university there.


Apparently, I'm coming in at the middle of semesters at UCOL (students are taking exams right now) so it's kind of quiet. This makes it a good time to learn about my position without being overwhelmed. I'm working part time in this position (4 days per week from 10-3 = 20 hours per week). This is good because it leaves me time to make Rotary commitments. This schedule will change somewhat when I begin my second role at UCOL as an Academic Counselor which will be in addition to the International Student Co-ordinator role. I'll still try to keep to the 4 days per week schedule as it allows flexibility to travel around New Zealand over long weekends.


Speaking of Rotary, this week is a very Rotary heavy week. Although we returned to Palmerston North on May 31 and had scheduled a week off to recover from the trip and get settled back into Palmy again, we were called to present at Woodville (about 20 kms out of Palmy) last minute on Thursday, June 7 (a scheduled speaker canceled). Since we didn't have other plans, we agreed to present.


Then tonight, we presented at the Milson Rotary club in Palmerston North (we've had this scheduled for about 2 months). Once we returned from the meeting, we received a phone call to present at a Feilding Rotary club tomorrow night because their scheduled speaker canceled. Feilding is only 12 kms away and we didn't have any other plans for tomorrow so we agreed to speak. Wednesday, we are meeting with David and Bernice regarding our July 5 presentation on how Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. Finally, this Thursday, we are speaking to our host club, the Takaro club, about our careers in the States. Whew!


Josh and I have a pretty good statistic regarding our presentations in New Zealand. At the end of this week, we'll have completed 16 presentations in 19 weeks (and we have more scheduled)! In truth, we are SO EXCITED to be here on the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship because we've looked forward to it for so long (since Henderson State). Everytime we speak at Rotary, I remind myself that I am actually living out my dream. I told Josh that when I dreamed about the scholarship (again, since like 2000), I never thought about where we'd specifically be located, but it's nice to be in New Zealand.


All this to say, we are very happy here. Sure, if I start to think about all the Chili's, Outback, Mexico Viejo, and Red Lobster I'm missing I can get stir-crazy (don't get me started on how I've labeled all our kilojoule food labels to kilocalories thanks to Google!). Too, I think Josh and I are both ready to begin "grown up" life in the sense of having our own house and a place to be more settled. Whether or not that place is in the States or abroad, we'll have to see. Ultimately, when the scholarship ends and job offers begin to come in, we'll have to determine whether or not we can see ourselves in a particular place for an indefinite amount of time. Josh REALLY is ready to not have an end date in mind when beginning a new position. For example, we knew HSU was 4 years, NMSU was 2 years, UofA was 4 years, and the Ambassadorial Scholarship in New Zealand is slated for 1 year.
On another note, winter is fully on in Palmerston North. It is so rainy, cloudy, windy here right now. I took for granted all the things I'd read online before moving here about New Zealand houses being cold in the winter. They are cold! Well, houses like ours (which lack insulation, central heating, or a log burner) are really cold anyway. We have one "oil heater" (thanks to a VERY KIND Rotarian) which is like an electrical, portable radiator that you might see attached to the wall in older homes in the States. Anyway, during the day, Josh and I shut off the doors to the two bedrooms and sit as close as we can to the heater to stay warm. Then, at night, we roll the heater into the bedroom and close the door. Fortunately, because the bedroom is one small room, we usually turn off the heater in there durign the middle of the night. Then, the process starts all over again.

Before we had the heater, and keep in mind this was in April during fall here, I was wearing my jacket with a hat and gloves inside the house in order to stay warm! Crazy! A special thanks to Aimee for the multi color slippers she sent me (and which I'm currently wearing) and to my mom for sending my bathrobe in the last care package. Taking a shower in the morning is less cold now that I have that. Although I have a sporty red jacket, Josh and I went to a thrift store today so I could buy a winter coat here. I only ended up spending $20 instead of $70 for a new coat, so I was happy. It would have cost a lot of US money to mail my business-y coat down here so I feel like I got a bargin. The coat is dark navy rather than black but beggers can't be choosers so I'll take what I can get.

I must admit, however, that I'm beginning to feel a longing to shop for new clothes. 4 1/2 months is a long time for a girl not to buy herself several somethings new for the wardrobe. Ultimately, (although it's a borderline hard choice) I'd rather spend the money we have in New Zealand on travel rather than clothes so I have to remind myself of that. I can get new clothes once we have "real jobs" and are settled somewhere.

I'm including some pictures of our oil heater and also of the electrical plugs in our home. In New Zealand, you have to flip a switch in order to generate power to it. One picture is of a standard outlet, the other is the switch you have to turn on to give power to the stove.

Thursday, May 31

May 31, 2207

Josh and I woke up this morning because the laundry was being started up across the hall from our room. A GOOD THING! When I looked at the clock it read 7:45 or so. Apparently, because I hadn’t checked the alarm clock very well the night before and because we’d left the cell phone in the car, we woke up about 15 minutes later than we had planned.

Josh got up to shower first and I packed up and made the bed while he was out of the room. Then, it was my turn to bathe. I had told Josh to take a “one quarter” shower which referenced the times when we were on our other camping road trips and we would have to use pay showers. In order to save money, we’d try to shower by using only one quarter each which meant taking a REALLY FAST shower.

We were ready to eat breakfast at 8:10. The “porridge” aka oatmeal was sitting on the stove for us and the dishes and cutlery were out as well. Ken was sitting in his recliner and Fenn was scuttling about taking care of the laundry and other chores. After helping ourselves to the porridge, Josh and I sat down at the table and ate our breakfast.

We spoke a bit to Ken and Fenn then we returned to our room to get our things to pack up the car. We were backing out of the driveway at 10 till 9. We hoped that was sufficient time for Ken and Fenn to make it to Timaru for their appointment. We, certainly, had time to make it to Christchurch for our 1:30 flight to Palmerston North.

The drive from Ashburton to Christchurch is only about 80 kms and on the drive Josh and I commented that even though we just spent over a month together almost 24 hours everyday we wish we could spend more time together. When we reached Christchurch around 10, we found a park with plenty of open parking spaces to sort out our luggage situation. We opened all the car doors and the trunk and went about the business of organizing all our papers, books, and clothes. Josh is definitely the master organizer in our relationship. It only took us 30 minutes or so before all of our gear was neatly packed up.

We drove over to a Subway to suppliment that morning’s porridge. We split a toasted foot long club sandwich on garlic bread. Since we ordered the sandwich as a meal, the girl at the counter asked us if we wanted a medium or large drink but told us refills were free so we might as well get the medium…FREE REFILLS…we love Subway…and we purchased the medium drink.

Josh and I enjoy hanging out in Subways because it brings back memories of hanging out in the Caddo Valley Subway while we were at HSU. I could have hung out longer (especially with the soda free flowing) but Josh (for the first time EVER) was pushing us towards the airport so we would not miss the flight.

We left Subway around 11 and stopped in to buy gas before reaching the airport. Josh topped us off (I noted that there are not many pay-at-the-pump gas stations in NZ) and we headed to the rental car depot to return the rental car before going to the airport.

Josh had feared the impact that the broken hubcap would have on our pocketbook, however, the young guy at the counter did not seem overly concerned about it. He said that he would take a picture of the damaged hubcap and the agency in Nelson would let us know if there was anything we needed to do. So, no pocketbook damage YET!

We were driven to the airport in the Sunny T (which was only a 5 minute drive from the rental car depot) where we unloaded all of our luggage onto a trolley. Then it was off to check in. However, before we could check in, we needed to finish getting ourselves sorted (like Josh wearing his fleece jacket and his suit jacket to take weight out of our luggage). We pre weighed all the bags at this convenient scale the airport has set up before you reach the check in counter so there aren’t any surprises. Surprises include having to pay $5 NZD for every kilo you are over the 20 kgs/person you are allotted.

By the time we had taken care of all this, the Air NZ line had dissipated, so we were able to walk straight up to the counter. The whole process of flying domestic in New Zealand is interesting. At least this time, the guy who had checked us in asked for identification and if we’d packed our own bags and if we had any sharp objects in our carry on bags.

I had originally booked us in seats in row 1, however, when I was talking to the ticket agent, I asked for an emergency exit row over the wing…Well, there is no “over the wing” in this aircraft as the wing is attached above the body of the plane. I don’t think the guy understood what I was asking for (because as it turns out row 1 is an emergency exit row with additional legroom) but he did do us the favor of putting us in row 9 C,D and because it wasn’t a completely full flight, he blocked 9 A,B so we could move over there during the flight. Our luggage was only .3 kgs overweight so we didn’t have to pay any additional fees.

After checking in, we had about an hour before our flight departed. We picked out a seat by the departures monitor and sat down to read. Remember how quickly the status of a flight can change here (based on our first experience on the Auckland to Palmerston North when we were moving here?) well, it was the same situation today. Watching the monitor, here is how the post-check in process goes on the monitor: Proceed to Departure Lounge (which is a big open area), Proceed to Departure Gate (but remember, there aren’t really gates like you think of in the states…it’s just one big corral about 30 feet from the Departure Lounge…so you might as well stay in the lounge and have more space), Boarding (which literally last 5 minutes on the screen), followed by Final Call.

When it was our turn to board, we loaded up our carry ons and pushed through the crowds standing around the Departure Gate (we’d opted to stay in the lounge) and then boarded our flight. Josh and I sat together for take off (which felt a bit wobblier than usual) then, when I realized the view from this side of the plane was only going to be of the ocean, I switched to the other side of the plane to have a mountain view. Overall the flight was smooth. I was able to view the snow capped peaks in the Kaikoura area from the air, however, as we flew over the water separating the South and North Islands, the clouds thickened and nothing but white cloud was viewable. Well, Mount Egmont was sticking up out of the clouds as we approached the North Island. It was dramatic but not quite as AWESOME as the flight we had to Nelson on a sunny day.

The flight took an hour and it was neat to land back in Palmerston North again like the first time we arrived here. Josh joked about me doing a leg kick when I got off the plane, so I did that again…I guess it’s going to become a Palmerston North Airport tradition! We picked up our bags, found where Grame had parked the car, checked to see if the mail we had held was available (it was 3:30 and that part of the post office had closed at 2:30…New Zealand hours!), bought groceries and gas and settled into the house again.

It was an amazing adventure!

Wednesday, May 30

May 30, 2007

Josh and I woke up around 9:00 (even though we’d set the alarm for 8, I hit the snooze several times) to the sound that had not ended throughout most of the night…the constant, incessant, rolling thunder of heavy trucks blasting their way down the highway. I noticed on the back of the Ashley Motor Lodge business card that they are located on State Highway 1…why hadn’t I noticed that yesterday?!?! Bugger!

Josh and I got ready to depart and Josh read the paper which ran a headline on NCEA (education exams in NZ) and I made a last coffee to drink on the balcony over looking the “view” that had been part of the determining factor in staying at this motel over the flash motel.

We parked the car by the I-site and Speight’s Ale House and paid $1 for 2 hours of parking. We walked to the Subway where Josh bought a foot long Subway melt and I had the French toast and bacon. I have to admit that the Subway bacon is the BEST bacon in New Zealand because it is a) not fatty b) not actually HAM instead of bacon c) tastes crisp and cooked just like in the states.

We walked up and down the main shopping strip in town. The “mall” in Timaru is abysmal as it actually houses more agencies (like the YMCA and a real estate company) than shops. It was really sad. So, we continued our trek up the main street and back down. We found Josh his Allure cologne that he wore in the states but we didn’t buy it here even though the generic CK One I bought him his not my favorite. The Allure was over $120 here but I don’t know if we can find it anywhere else for less in New Zealand.

As we neared the car park it was actually good timing because the clock tower was chiming noon and we had only paid for two hours of parking. We quickly returned to the car that was still parking ticket free and we decided to do a little housekeeping with our bags and the car considering we would be staying with Rotarians tonight and didn’t want to cart all our luggage into their home.

I’m sure it made a funny sight as Josh and I had the two suitcases on the ground behind the car, shifting clothes about and packing an overnight bag into the backpack so that was all we would have to take into Ken and Fenn Leadley’s home. We got everything sorted and although the back seat of the car wasn’t 100% organized, it was better than it had been for most of our South Island trip.

We left Timaru, which I don’t ever plan to go back to (if you like the architecture just visit Dunedin), and were on our way to Ashburton. State Highway 1 along the east coast is so flat that Josh was just thrilled to be driving on it. Straight roads are a luxury not to be taken for granted in New Zealand. We reached Ashburton around 2 and we didn’t plan to meet up with the Leadley’s until 3 or 3:30.

Josh called Ken to tell him that we were in town and then Josh and I were off to look at the Ashburton Museum. It’s a highly forgettable museum but if you’re ever looking to kill time in Ashburton you should stop in because at least it’s free. The downstairs of the museum is about the history of Ashburton and the upstairs area is an art gallery where local artists sell their work. Nothing of consequence in the entirety of the place except to note that one artist’s depictions of skeletal cats standing on two legs and dressed as ballerinas or brides alluding to the actions of molestation and rape were VERY DISTURBING. See: http://www.ashburtonartgallery.org.nz/images/new-3.jpg

On that pleasant note, we took a walk in the gardens outside the museum before driving to McDonald’s where we split a two cheeseburger meal (and the lady couldn’t get our order straight…what’s so hard about meat and cheese only?...that we had an extra cheeseburger at $2 added onto the meal but whatever.

Food in our stomachs, it was now 3:30 so we dropped into the I-site to get a map of town and directions to the Leadley’s house. It wasn’t too far away from the city center. We parked on the street and went up to re-introduce ourselves to these people as we’d only met them once before at the GSE team presentation in Palmerston North.

We chatted with Fenn and Ken for awhile about what they do. They have previously been farmers, however, in the early 1980s they sold their property and moved into town. Ken now builds houses in town primarily by himself although he is 61. Fenn works in town part-time at a clothing shop. We also learned that their Rotary club meets at 6:30 so we had some time to chat before getting changed to visit the club.

Around 6, we left the house and drove the short distance into town to the hotel where the Ashburton Plains Rotary Club meets. This is the newer of the two Ashburton Rotary Clubs. We socialized and got the powerpoint set up before dinner was served. The meal was brought out by the waitstaff and consisted of chicken, mashed potatoes, other veggies. Dessert was brought out later (a fluffy orange/marshmellow tasting cheesecake) along with tea and coffee. I must admit, I am eating a lot more veggies here and I’ll tell the truth…they don’t taste that bad!

Next, Josh and I were up to speak and when the laptop went into hibernate mode and went black…Josh just kept rolling after getting his notes from the laptop case and looking over at me and saying, “FIX IT.” Everyone laughed and it was really funny. Luckily, the tech guy fixed the problem because I didn’t have a clue. Ultimately, the glitch was forgettable because Josh never stopped speaking and soon enough the images were back up on the screen. The club presented us with a gift of fresh fruits and some chocolates which was very thoughtful. I was, however, very tempted to eat the candy but Josh and I didn’t want to open the shrink wrap as we had to carry the package onto the plane the following day.

After the meeting, several people chatted us up and around 9:00 we returned to the Leadley’s house after having first stopped to check on the storage unit facility that they operate. Josh and I put our casual clothes back on and chatted with the Leadley’s until 11:00. By the time we crawled into bed, we were exhausted and we would have an early morning tomorrow because Ken and Fenn had to depart the house by 9 so that Ken could make a doctor’s appointment he had scheduled in Timaru at 10:30.

After setting the alarm clock for 7:30, we fell into bed and were fast asleep (although I did wake up around 3:30 to the dripping noise of the outdoor garden fountain!).

Tuesday, May 29

May 29, 2007

Because we were staying in a holiday home rather than a hotel, I told Josh we should plan to leave by noon in order to take advantage of the situation and sleep in more. As I’ve mentioned before, a 10 am check out time is absurd to me. When we did leave the house at noon, following the instructions for departure like properly closing the lounge sheers and turning off the water heater, we went to return the house key to Jenny.

Jenny was standing outside chatting to someone when I approached. She quizzed me on which linen we used in order to determine which beds she was going to have to make up. I was confused and like, why don’t you go down to the house and check, then you’ll know.

Josh and I decided to drive out to the Mount John Observatory one more time because we liked it so much. At the Astro Café Josh and I split a ham sandwich with mustard seed sauce on the side (delicious) and a mochachino. Josh doesn’t like coffee but if you put some chocolate in it, he’s sold. The view was again great today and we had sunny skies. We didn’t want to leave, however, we decided it would be good to get on the road to Timaru since we didn’t know where we were staying at tonight.

The drive to Timaru was enjoyable because it was flat. Josh prefers these roads over the winding roads of the wild, wet, West Coast. As we arrived in Timaru, we first spotted Caroline Bay. Caroline Bay was a man made port and it definitely has the look of an industrial seaport…i.e. UGLY with smokestacks rising up from the coast. The city center itself is nice enough with architecture reminiscent of buildings in Dunedin. We headed to the I-site in order to figure out our accommodation options.

After looking at different brochures and getting a map of Timaru we made a phone call to our top choice, Aspen on King, but they had no vacancy. Our second choice, Avenue Motor Lodge, had an upstairs room available so we went to inspect it. Room 15 was at the end of the property and was a one bedroom unit that was totally flash and new but had no view. The manager told us the room was $130 then left us in to talk it over.

Because there was no view, we thought we should check out another property. When we went downstairs to tell the manager this she asked us if the price was “too dear.” Josh was like “too dear?” Dear means expensive. Then, she offered us the room for $120 but we still left to look at another hotel.

We didn’t know where we were going so we looked at our info and picked a third choice but they had no vacancy in an upstairs room so we went to our fourth choice, the Ashley Motel. They had upstairs rooms available for $120 and it was just down the road from the Avenue Motor Lodge.

After an inspection of two different upstairs rooms, either a 2 bedroom apartment or a studio for the same price of $120, we decided to stay here in the 2 bedroom place. MISTAKE! I was so stupid to not notice that this place is on the state highway and so loud with big trucks going by. AHHHHH! I will never again make a stupid decision like this based on not wanting to drive a little bit more back to the place we'd started at.

We had to get out of the loud apartment (which didn't bother Josh at all) so we went to the Speight’s Ale House for dinner and drinks around 4:30. Our waiter asked us where we were from and said he had spent time working in the states. He also told us that they were still on the lunch menu so that saved us a couple of bucks off of the dinner prices.

When we finished dinner at 6:30, we walked up the main shopping drag in town and realized EVERYTHING except travel agencies and fast food joints were closed…New Zealand hours ahh! Josh decided to get himself an ice cream cone from McDonald’s and at .50 cents each they are probably the best deal in the country. However, his ice cream was very melted as it came out and looked very flat on his cone. It was very funny.

Back to the world’s loudest hotel where I tried to go to sleep early but when that failed I read more of The Tommyknockers. Josh and I used the double spa Jacuzzi and then I went to bed. Josh came to bed later after watching movies and having some of his Absinth which he really has to water down every time he makes a glass.

Monday, May 28

May 28, 2007

A do-nothing day.

I took advantage of staying put in one place and slept in today until close to noon. Josh was watching a movie called Beat Street on tv in the living room. He can’t seem to get enough of these break dancing movies he watched with Trin growing up. I can’t believe it because I’ve never even heard of these movies.

We stayed in the house most of today, even though it was a nice sunny day outside, I just wanted to take it easy and have a down day like being on vacation rather than on a trip. I found some magazines in the house so I read those.

For dinner, Josh and I drove into town to pick up a side of rice since we had leftovers from the night before. We also bought another thing of Diet Coke, the price of which had risen overnight. Seriously, there is no stability in the food market in New Zealand. Prices here fluctuate so much!

Josh and I ate dinner and waited until 7:30 to call the Earth and Sky people to see if the 8:00 tour was going to happen. After getting off the phone, Josh said it had been canceled tonight because of the clouds. However, he said the lady he’d spoken to made it sound as though yesterday’s tour had been canceled too so we didn’t feel too bad about having stayed in to watch AI. We’ll try to come back here with Josh’s parents to view the stars.

Josh made another fire in the log burner and we watched movies on tv until we went to bed.

Sunday, May 27

May 27, 2007

We woke up this morning around 8 so we could plan to have breakfast around 8:45 like yesterday. Because the New Caldonian couple had departed at 5 am (actually, I heard them leaving closer to 4:45!!!), we were the only one’s having breakfast today and we hadn’t specified a time with Sean and Nic yesterday.

When we went into the kitchen/living room area Sean and Nic were sitting in there one of them on the sofa and the other in one of the chairs. Josh was sitting in the other living room chair so that left me to sit at the kitchen table.

Sean and Nic lounged around there and talked to us for thirty minutes before offering to make breakfast. Because Josh had enjoyed his omelet so much yesterday, I decided to have one myself. Breakfast was really good and Sean and Nic ate with us. Highlight of the conversation for me was informing them about Tripadvisor and how Omahau Downs B&B was listed on the site because they’d never heard about it before!

We got on the road around 10:30 and headed towards Lake Tekapo. On the way there, we pulled over to take a look at Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki. It was such a nice, warm, sunny day so the water was so incredibly blue to look at. The drive to Lake Tekapo didn’t take very long so when we got into town, Josh went to the information center to get a map so we could figure out how to reach our holiday home.

First, we had to get the key from someone named Jenny at 8 O’Neil Street. As it turned out, Jenny operated a Bed and Breakfast but held the keys to the Rylee Retreat holiday home for Deb. Jenny asked how long we’d be staying and I told her two days and then we were off to the house.

We had spotted the Rylee Retreat as we had driven to Jenny’s house so we returned there and parked the car. Finding the entrance to the house was not so easy because where you park the car and where you see sliding glass doors onto the deck is not where you enter the house. The main entrance to the house is on the other side of the building which you can’t see from where you park.

Once we had that all figured out, we unloaded our gear and Josh commented that this was probably the third worst place we stayed at on the trip (above the two hostels). Well, it was only $100 a night for a 3 bedroom house so it was a good deal anyway. It wasn’t flash and there wasn’t really any coffee left to drink but it wasn’t a horrible place.

Josh and I decided to check out the sites in town but first we had to reschedule an event we’d signed up for ahead of time. When I was planning our trip, I scheduled us on a Star Gazing tour at the Mount John Observatory. The tour was scheduled for 8:00. Because the American Idol finale was coming on tonight instead of next week, Josh and I decided that we should change our star gazing tour from tonight to the following night.

We went into town and visited the Earth and Sky office but they didn’t open until 3:00. It was around 2:30 so we walked down the strip of shops in town (about 10 shops or so) and then we popped into a café to use the internet for about 30 minutes. After we’d checked our emails (and read more good reviews about the Excellence Riviera in Mexico which we’ve had on our brain for a return trip once we’re in the Northern Hemisphere again) it was time to see about changing our star gazing tour.

The woman at the office made the change for us with no problem and said as it was, we were the only people booked in for a tour the following day. However, she did note that tours are canceled a lot due to wind and cloud so there was no guarantee for going on a tour. We decided to take our chances in order to watch the finale of our show.

Next, we drove a short distance to the Church of the Good Shepherd. Josh and I were the only ones there for about 5 minutes before a tour bus unloaded about 30 people at once. The people from the bus only stayed about 10 minutes and then Josh and I had it to ourselves again. The lake view and the church itself were really nice on this sunny and completely clear blue sky day.

Near the Church of the Good Shepherd is a tribute to the collie dog for all the assistance that the dog has historically provided the Mackenzie Country sheep farming. Josh wasn’t blown away by either place and soon we were on the road toward Mount John Observatory to take in the daytime view.

And what a view it was! The Lake Tekapo village below on the shores of the lake plus all the snow capped Southern Alps in the distance were just amazing as the sun continued to set in the sky. At the top of the hill, there is a café and observation area. It was pretty windy and cold outside so Josh and I went in to the café to enjoy the view. I ordered a mochachino and Josh had a piece of apple pie. The view was just amazing and we really enjoyed our time up there.

The café closed at 5 so Josh and I headed back down the hill into Lake Tekapo. We ordered takeaway at Jade Palace. I had sweet and sour chicken and Josh had chicken curry. While the food cooked, we went down to the grocery store to buy Diet Coke. When we returned to the restaurant 10 minutes later, our food was ready.

We went back to the house and got everything set up for dinner. After dinner, Josh started a fire for us in the log burner and spoke to Ken Leadley, a Rotarian in Ashburton who we planned to stay with for two nights. After speaking to Ken, Josh said we’d only stay at the Ledley’s house for one night. This was fine, however, it meant we’d have to decide where to spend our extra night before arriving in Ashburton on the 30th.

Regarding the fire, we spent a good deal of time trying to locate matches in the house and were really fortunate we found some in the pantry because we didn’t want to drive back to town even though it was less than 5 minutes away. Josh got a great fire going for us and we watched tv and the American Idol finale (Jordin won as Josh predicted weeks ago). We were glad that we stayed in to watch the show.

We didn’t really have plans for the next day other than going on the star gazing trip but that wouldn’t be until 8 pm anyway. I went to bed planning to sleep in the next day.

Saturday, May 26

May 26, 2007

We woke up this morning as the phone alarm sounded at 8am. I went over and opened the curtains to realize that we can – for the first time here – see Mt. Cook. AMAZING! It’s huge and covered in snow and situated perfectly out of our deck area. Josh comes over and takes a look… then we opt for a few more minutes to sleep. Around 8:45, we wander into the kitchen – we’re the last to arrive.

The other couple was already sitting down with their breakfast, as the owners were standing in the kitchen ready to take our order. I had scrambled eggs, a hash brown, three pieces of toast, and two pieces of ham. Josh had the same thing except he took his eggs in an omelet with mushrooms, tomato, and cheese. We had tea and orange juice to drink. The breakfast was so good!

The girl of the tourist couple is originally from Ecuador and the guy is originally from France. They are living on the French island of New Caldonia which is a two hour flight from New Zealand.

Because we had to get up so early to make breakfast in time, we were out the door and on our way to Mount Cook by 10:30. The drive to Mount Cook wasn’t that long…maybe 45 minutes or so…the mountain views were spectacular. The mountains were everywhere around us.

After stopping at Peter’s Lookout and some other pull offs along the way to take pictures and shoot video, we entered the national park and followed the signs to the visitor center (only getting turned around once). Before driving out here, I thought that our best walking option would be the Hooker Valley trail which was a 4 hour return walk.

Josh and I looked around the visitor center for a little while and Mount Cook was clearly visible through the windows. We read about the different walking tracks and confirmed that the Hooker Valley would be best. I found the most interesting thing in the center to be the two log books documenting the lives and deaths of those who have perished in the park. It was historical and current. The last person to die in the park occurred in January. Many people perished while climbing and crossing the mountain. The grim thing about the book was that there were empty plastic sleeves at the end of the book for the park’s next victims.

After leaving the Visitor Center, we were ready for our walk. We drove down to the Hooker Valley car park area which was full of cars so Josh and I ended up parking on the side of the road rather than in the parking lot. We hoped we wouldn't get a ticket for doing so.

The first thing we spotted on our walk (about 5 minutes in) was a memorial to all the people who have lost their lives on the mountain. We had to climb up a small hill to reach the memorial. Then Josh, in adventure mode, walked down the hill not on the path we'd come up on but just down it making his own way. I was thinking, "What an idiot" while I stayed up there. Josh started walking down the wrong path a the bottom of the hill (I could tell this because I was still on top of the hill) so I had to direct him how to make his way to the correct path. Geez, stick to the main path is it that hard?

The next stop was an overlook that viewed the mountains and a suspension bridge. It was really windy at that spot but the sun was out so we sat at the only bench there for awhile before continuing our hike. We made it to the suspension bridge which can hold up to 20 people (which seemed like a lot more than the suspension bridge at Fox Glacier that only held 5 people at a time). We kept walking because although the mountain views were spectacular all around us, we could not see Mount Cook from here.

Our walk brought us to a really crazy piece of track that ran alongside the mountain. The mountain was covered in mesh to prevent rock falls from occuring. There was even a Danger sign to tell visitors not to stop on this part of the path because it was so dangerous. I wanted to get through that part as quickly as possible. At the end of that section of the trail there was another suspension bridge.

Josh and I could start to view Mount Cook about 10 minutes after passing the second suspension bridge so we decided to sit on a rock and just enjoy the view from here rather than to continue on the trail. We had a mostly clear view of the mountain for about 15 minutes and then the clouds started to roll in. No reason to go further so we turned around and began our hike out of Hooker Valley.

Once we returned to the car, which didn't have a ticket, we drove back to the Visitor's Center to see if the cafe was opened. It was closed until the end of July so no coffee for me. We headed out of the park when we spotted a sign for Tasman Glacier. Even though we were tired from our first hike, we decided to go check it out. The drive to the car park was really nice and when we reached the parking lot we saw that the walk to the Tasman Glacier viewing area was about a 20 minute walk. I thought, it'd better be worth it.

The walk took us up a steep path and we could view the "blue lake" which was really green as we climbed. Josh was leading us up the hill and when he got to the top he was like, "You're not going to believe this."

The Tasman Glacier was nothing like I'd expected. I was expecting to see something that looked like the Franz or Fox Glaciers. The Tasman Glacier was all broken bits and pieces and the sign said that underneath these broken bits that were floating on a grey lake, there was a large glacier. This was too cool!

Adding to the spectacular surroundings were the snow capped mountain peaks that were clearer and in more sunlight than Mount Cook had been when we'd left. It was so incredible: a magnificint and majestic place. Sitting on the top of the hill with this view, just the two of us, I told Josh that this was my most favorite place in the world. We definately want to bring his parents back to this spot when they visit in August.

Josh and I headed back to the car and left the Mount Cook park. As we were leaving, the sunset was so pink with fluffy clouds and the moon was rising so I took a lot of pictures. We drove into Twizel to get some dinner. We contemplated eating at Shorty’s or another restaurant (there were a few open) but Shorty’s was by far the busiest which we always take as a sign that the place is good to eat at. Because I was hungry, I thought buying groceries to cook at the B&B would be faster than waiting for our food at a restaurant.

After parking the car, Josh and I had to navigate our way past an unleashed BIG dog that was standing by what must have been his owners vehicle. The New Zealand news often reports on how people are mauled by dogs on the loose in this country so I wasn’t feeling very confident. However, we made it past the dog and into the 4 Square grocery store where Josh and I bought soups for dinner and I bought a Magnum chocolate/caramel ice cream bar too.

When we left the shop and walked back to the car the dog was gone. Whew! We drove back to the B&B and made our dinner before watching the American Idol results show in the living room with the log burner going. One of the owners had started the fire for us so Josh didn’t have to make it today. There was a rug placed in front of the burner, however, which we thought was interesting since Josh had made his previous comments on why anyone would place carpet so near to a fire.

The New Caldonian couple left the B&B to eat dinner in town so Josh and I could watch AI as loud as we wanted. When they returned about 2 hours later, the show was still on but wrapping up. They watched the show for a little while, making comparisons to the French version of American Idol and other pop music reality shows they have in France, then they were off to bed because they had to leave at 5 am to drive to Kaikoura by noon in order to make their whale watching tour. That seemed crazy to us!

We got a bonus with AI when we found out that we would not have to wait another week to watch the finale. NZ tv was going to run the finale the following day. Sweet!

Friday, May 25

May 25, 2007

We woke up this morning around 9, and I was able to run a bath of mostly hot water and sit in the spa jets for a few minutes before it got too cold and it was time to get ready to check out at 10 am.

Josh made us breakfast – a ham and cheese sandwich and a quesadilla (we had one leftover burrito shell to use) which were really good. We checked out on time at 10:00, and then we needed to deposit another $100 into Debs account for the house in Lake Tekapo. We set out from the hotel thinking we would walk to the bank; however, about 50 yards down the sidewalk we remembered our walking experience the day before. We promptly turned around and decided to drive to the bank.

However, we ended up driving, and driving, and driving as we tried to find a parking spot closer to the bank than our hotel had been. After circling the city center a few times – by the way, there are two or three National Banks along this street we keep driving down… why can’t we park anywhere??? – we found a 10-minute parking spot a block away from the bank. Ok, 10 minutes, we must navigate across two intersections, run down the main street about 200 yards, get into the bank, fill out the appropriate deposit and withdrawal forms, double check the account numbers on everything, make the transactions, and run back. To say the least, 10 minutes wasn’t looking possible.

In spite of the odds against us, we reached the bank, stood in line and the bank teller asked Josh for another piece of identification because she could not “validate” his Arkansas driver’s license – thanks lady, we’re about to get our second parking ticket… hurry!!! Besides, this was the first time we’d heard that line, and we were somewhat baffled by our identification, which includes a photo and signature, not being good enough… additionally, this was the id used to establish our accounts. What gives? Finally, the teller was in the computer system she saw that Josh had opened the bank account with that particular card…success!

It took 15 minutes at the bank and back to the car but we didn’t have a ticket…total score! Yes, we celebrated scamming the Dunedin parking authority out of five minutes of payment. Finally, we were out of Dunedin as the clouds rolled in and a light rain started to fall.

We were expecting a long driving day of about five hours, as we crossed back from the east to west coast of NZ for the umpteenth time during our stay. Josh said that I clearly planned this trip to be completely comprehensive – that is, I looked at a map and said, “if there’s a road going somewhere; we’re going to drive on it.”

As we departed Dunedin, we turned Sunny T’s radio on, something we like to try to do daily. We were happy to have a choice of radio stations for the first time in… well, since arriving on the South Island. We scanned through all three stations to realize that they were not something we wanted to hear – hooray, we have yet to listen to more than one song in almost a month… hope the music world is still plugging along. Anytime we get a half static-y song we say "We've got our complimentary one song for the day."

Shortly after leaving the “main road” and getting on the side road to cross the country again, we spot a place called Moeraki Boulders. I remembered that this was supposed to be a cool site so I told Josh to stop. Hmm….why not, only four more hours of mountain driving left. We stop and park at the designated area. Then, we begin a half a kilometer walk down the beach to the “boulders.” I found it fun to take lots of pictures of these, but Josh was unimpressed. Josh contended that these weren’t boulders so much as rocks on the beach. On the way back to the car, we determined that the place should be renamed Turtle Shell Bay or something since the rocks looked more like a bunch of turtles climbing out of the ocean.

Later, we arrived in Oamaru, our last “big” town before we arrived at our spot for the night. In Oamaru, we bought gas, split some McDonalds (split = Janell eats all the fries and a burger and drinks all the soda, while Josh gets one plain cheeseburger…bad deal according to Josh but at the time he said he didn't want anything), and went to the liquor store. Josh bought some Absinthe, which is 90% alcohol and not legally sold in the USA. I didn’t want anything to do with that…I don’t have a death wish. I told Josh it was all his.

Leaving McDonalds and getting back into the car where we had left the cell phone, I heard I had a message from Angela at PNP. The battery was low and by the time we reached our destination in Twizel I had a message from Cushla at PNP too.

After setting into our place for the night – a super cozy B&B located just off the road with an unreal view of Mt. Cook and the night sky – I called back and spoke to Angela about still being on holiday and getting my UCOL contract. Done! I’m free from Palmerston North Personnel! No more temp jobs for me or phone calls trying to place me…my file, according to Angela, is closed!

After taking care of business with the PNP folks, we set up inside the B&B. The place has four rooms, but only one other couple is staying here while we are here. The house is built as a long rectangle with two rooms on each end with a living room, dining area and kitchen separating the two sides. We are on one end and the other couple is at the other end of the place. I take up residence in our bedroom and begin typing up what is quickly becoming the novel of our South Island trip, while Josh continues reading his book in the living room. Josh also takes the initiative to build a fire in the log burner since the living room doesn’t have little heaters like the bedrooms. Josh seems to have figured out how to get his fire on, since he’s got the thing going full tilt pretty soon and the living room warmed nicely.

At about 6 pm, I wander into the kitchen to see if Josh is ready for some dinner…and, of course, he’s ready. I make my minestrone soup, and Josh makes up a cheese sandwich. We sit down at the table and begin watching television as if it were our place, or at the very least, we’re the only ones here. The other couple seems content to be in their room – no problems, we’ll take over.

As we’re eating, the other couple leaves, we assume for dinner in town. We continue on, now alone on the premises. At 7pm, we watch American Idol in an empty house. Josh and I realize the place is more hostel-style than B&B. It’s a pretty plush place, it’s only that it’s more communal than what we would think of as a B&B.

For three or four hours following American Idol, I continue trying to catch up on over a weeks worth of journaling…it’s not the easiest thing to do. Josh remains in the lounge reading his book by the fire, which we only hope stays in the log burner. Around 11:30, Josh wanders into the room having finished his book. We didn’t fall asleep until 12:30 or so. Like all isolated places we’ve stayed at, I love the quiet but am afraid of being attacked by some wandering murderer.

Thursday, May 24

May 24, 2007

This morning, Josh called down to Reception to ask that our room not be cleaned until noon. That gave us some time to get ready without worrying that the maid was going to knock (this hotel did not have Do Not Disturb signs). Today we were going to follow Josh’s idea of walking rather than driving to Baldwin Street, the World’s Steepest Street as noted by the Guinness Book of World Records. We left the hotel at 11 and as we walked we saw a sign for a free sausage. The food was being cooked and served by a religious group. As we talked to the three young men there, we learned that they attend Harding in Searcy, Arkansas and they were in New Zealand on a mission trip. It was funny though because although they all attended Harding they were from Arizona and California originally.

After a brief chat, our walk continued and it was a long walk to Baldwin street (10 streets off the map that we had). When we reached the street we took some pictures and then watched as other people who had driven out there, drove their cars up the street or got out, parked the car, and walked up the street. We had already done our walking to get there and we had to walk back to make it to the brewery tour on time so we turned around and headed back into town.

On our walk back, we bought an ice cream cone from a dairy. Josh had caramel fudge and I had caramel cookies and cream and a diet coke. Both were good. We detoured from our original walk to walk through the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. We figured we might as well see something more then the streets while we were there. Once we reached George Street, I popped into the hotel to drop off my jacket and we were off on our way into the city center for the Speight’s Brewery tour (Josh, following his map, took us on the back alley way walk to reach it).

We arrived about ten minutes before our 2:00 Speights tour and Josh filled up his water bottle with fresh spring water that is accessed on the outside of the building. Man, that place smelled funky…like no other brewery we’ve been to in the past. Yuck…if that smell keeps up I wasn’t going to be able to sample any of the beers because the smell alone made me want to vomit. It was a sour, warm, humidy smell of hops. Typically, dry hops alone (which are used in beer production) smell very nice. This smell, however, was quite unpleasant.

We took the elevator up to the eighth floor and worked our way down from there. It was pretty standard and reiterated what we had learned on the Monteith’s Brewery tour. I thought it was interesting that they do not bottle Speight’s beer in Dunedin although it is manufactured here.

After the tour ended, we were able to sample seven different beers on tap while watching different Speight’s commercials throughout the ages…their slogan in the commercials is “Good On Ya, Mate.” One beer, the summer seasonal, was on its way out to be replaced by the winter seasonal. It had an apricot flavor and was my favorite beer while Josh’s favorite was the dark beer. We were able to serve ourselves for about 15 minutes or so. Rather than trying the dark beers, which typically I don’t like, I primarily drank the summer seasonal since this was the only place to have it.

Before leaving the brewery, Josh had his picture taken in the cutout of a Speight’s Man. Then, we decided to go to the Speight’s Ale House next door for another drink because since we’d taken the tour, we would receive $1 off each beer we purchased.

The Ale House was nicely decorated and Josh ordered the regular Speight’s Gold and I ordered the winter seasonal beer called Fireside Ale. With the discount, the two beers came to $8.00…a good deal! I thought the Speight’s Gold, which was not pasteurized since they brought it directly here, was more disgusting than the Speight’s Gold that you buy at the grocery store. The Fireside Ale, however, was very nice but it’s only available at the Ale House not in the grocery stores. Ultimately, I prefer Monteith’s and Tui to Speight’s.

We walked back to the hotel and Josh checked out Whale Rider on VHS. We were finally going to be able to watch this New Zealand movie. But first, we had to have dinner. We decided to go out to the Great Taste restaurant we’d checked out earlier in the day on our walk back from the brewery. Since it was only a short walk from the hotel and it was a buffet, it was a no brainer that we should eat there.

Although the place was named Great Taste “Chinese” buffet it was really not just Chinese. The place had potato wedges, nachos, soup and salad so it wasn’t really a Chinese food only buffet even though the décor was based on an Asian theme. The food was really good and at $15 for “all you like” (which is what they say in New Zealand rather than “all you can eat”…and Josh said he like that phrase-ology much better) we thought it was a good deal. We bought two meals and I bought unlimited Diet Coke for an additional $3.50. Considering that’s what one small bottle of soda cost you with a take away, it was a good deal too.

We were finally able to watch Whale Rider. It was an okay movie and I’m glad I didn’t watch it until movie here because I had a better context and understanding of the Maori culture after having lived in New Zealand for 4 months.

We were off to bed knowing that we had about a 5 hour drive to Twizel (Mount Cook area) the following day.

Wednesday, May 23

May 23, 2007

We were up and heading out for the day around 11:00 or so…just as the maid was knocking on our door to clean the room. Seriously, we’re late risers and we’ve frequently found ourselves in this position. Quite humorous.

As we were walking down George Street toward the Octagon, we stopped in the mall’s food court and had Chinese for lunch. After lunch, we checked the bank accounts at the National Bank and transferred money from one account into another. We’re going to need to put another $100 into Deb’s Rylee Retreat account but I don’t have the number anymore and it’s in my email which I’m unable to check until we find a café or something.

Josh and I walk around the Octagon, stepping into the I-site to ask if anywhere in town offers free wireless internet. There are two spots in town and one is the Art Gallery which is on the Octagon. We walk over there to have a quick look and confirm about the wireless but the girl at reception doesn’t seem to think they have it there. Great.

Next, we walk down a road that branches off the Octagon to visit the Dunedin Train Station. It’s a great piece of architecture. After viewing that, we hung out at the Octagon and Dunedin Art Museum killing time until our Cadbury factory tour.

We were booked on a 2:00 Cadbury factory tour. We checked in about 10 minutes early and looked around the self guided area of the lobby. Then, we followed a group to watch a movie that marked the beginning of the tour. Since the Cadbury factory is a working factory, we were issued hair nets (Josh got one for his beard) and we had to remove our jewelry. Everyone put their belongings, including our cameras, in a big locker before we departed for the factory tour.

The tour was alright, however, as Josh pointed out, you begin to become conditioned to expecting a piece of candy once you enter a new room. If no candy is produced, you are disappointed. We ended up collecting several pieces, however, I wish I would have doubled up on the things I liked and passed on the things I didn’t like. Not doing so was kind of dumb on my part. For example, when a piece of Dairy Chocolate and Perkynana (a chocolate/banana candy bar) were passed out simultaneously, I should have just taken two Dairy Chocolates instead of the banana candy which I KNOW I don’t like. Stupid, but sometimes I’m afraid to go against the flow.

The most interesting thing on the tour was finding out that they begin making Easter candy in June (although we saw them making Easter eggs while we were there in May so they were starting early). They also keep the candy bars going too. Josh hoped to get some free Scorched Almonds which are his favorite but even though we saw them producing them, we didn’t get a sample.

The tour went outside on a balcony and our tour guide pointed out a few Dunedin landmarks. The Cadbury factory is literally across the street from the train station so we had another look at that from a different perspective. It was a great sunny day so the view was nice.

We were then led into one of the silos that had previously been used to hold the “crum” a milk mixture that is used in making the chocolates. It smelled very chocolatey in here. We were at the top of the silo looking down. We were told to stand back because we were going to get to see a chocolate waterfall as the silo had been converted for this purpose once it was no longer necessary to use it to hold the crum. Well, we were expecting something similar to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but it wasn’t really a fountain so much as a thundering fall of chocolate that splattered the railing and floor and overall really wasn’t that special or impressive for all it was billed to be. In fact, it was kind of gross how dry chocolate covered the rail and the steps as we walked down the staircase out of the silo.

Tour over, we took off our hair nets and reclaimed our backpack. I took Josh’s picture with a Cadbury man cut out and Josh took my photo driving the Cadbury truck. We browsed around the shop and asked the tour guide why they named their dark chocolate “Energy” as that didn’t really make any sense at all. She didn’t have the answer so I walked away but Josh reiterated the improper naming to the tour guide a couple of more times.

We walked out of the building into the sunlight and made our way back towards our hotel. We looked in a couple of shops along the way but didn’t buy anything. Back at the room we checked out the DVD Cars to watch (the receptionist noting we had picked out a movie quickly and I thought “Well, that’s because most of your selection is either old movies or children’s movies) and took it easy and hung out for the night. Josh made us soup and sandwiches as per usual and we ate dinner while watching the movie. We both thought Cars was a good show.

We went to sleep after reading our books (I started up The Tommyknockers again) and watching tv.

Tuesday, May 22

May 22, 2007

We left the Fortrose Retreat at 10:30 and went back to the “homestead” to return the keys to Jeanette. We paid the bill and then Jeanette asked Josh about what type of research he conducts. He answered her briefly but she asked for more details and then Josh let loose with a bunch of big terms like “curve referenced” or something or other and I think both Jeanette’s eyes and mine were crossed and our brains were fried after that!

I told Josh about how he’d waxed eloquent once we got back in the car but he said he doesn’t get to “talk shop” a lot and she had asked about what he did, so, he told her in detail.

The drive in the Catlins is partially a coastal drive so that was spectacular on such a sunny day. We stopped at an overlook and then, further down the road, we pulled off and walked out to the beach. There was a sign saying that the daily limit of paua shells that can be collected are 10 shells per person. Since it was low tide, I thought that we might be able to find some, but we didn’t have any luck.

Further down the road, we pulled off to view a waterfall. It was 4 kms down a gravel road, however, it was only a 10 minute walk to reach the falls so that wasn’t so bad. There were signs posted, however, that they had laid out poison to kill pests like possums so we were a bit nervous about that. The waterfall was nice, not as big as McLean Falls, but still nice because we had the area all to ourselves.

Onward to Dunedin, we detoured off the Southern Scenic Route to visit Nugget Point where a lot of seals and sometimes dolphins can be seen. We were able to see seals (grown ups and babies) at the water’s edge at the bottom of the cliff as we walked out to a historic lighthouse. Awesome.

Nugget Point got its name because people thought the rocks sticking out of the water looked like nuggets of gold. I thought they looked more like sharks teeth sticking out of the ocean.

Balclutha the town that Josh doesn’t like because he was honked at while we were sitting at a stop sign and then, a few minutes later, he had to move the car to a different pump at the gas station because of the all the people there. I made us ham and cheese sandwiches to eat in the car and then we continued our drive to Dunedin.

When we drove into Dunedin, the sign for the city was posted about 30 minutes out of where the actual physical city started. We thought that was weird. We drove into the city while it was foggy and rainy. We missed our turn for the city center but got to see a bit of the city like the Warehouse, KFC, and McDonalds. Once we figured out the right road, we made it to the Octagon (which is like Palmerston North’s Square only busier) and from there it was no problem finding our hotel which was just off the Octagon on George Street.

Josh and I noticed that George Street had a lot of places to eat at so it looked like we were in a good location. When we spotted the sign for the Alexis Motor Lodge, we drove up the steep driveway and parked the car before going into reception. The lady at the desk was nice and gave us trim milk for our tea and coffee. She also gave us a map of town and explained where the major sites were. Then, Josh and I were off to our room.

We were staying at this hotel for three nights and I paid more money for an upstairs room which just happened to come with a single person Jacuzzi tub. The kitchen was really a kitchette and the décor left something to be desired especially having just come from the Fortrose Retreat. I think I was a bit bummed (but not too much) because this place only cost $25 less per night and wasn’t nearly as awesome as the cottage in Fortrose.

Josh and I got settled in and brought our luggage up to the room (not noticing that there was a closer staircase to where we had parked). We ended up carting our suitcases further than necessary but I didn’t notice that till the last day after we carted all our luggage back down the long way too!

We stayed in the room for the evening and Josh made us grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for dinner. We still had some food left over from the groceries we’d purchased in Invercargill so we had better eat what we bought. I spent time updating the travel journal while Josh found some movies to watch on tv (of course)!

Monday, May 21

Monday, May 21, 2007

We slept in late and were on the road at noon. Low tide began at noon today so it was going to be close with our visit to the Cathedral Caves which are only accessible at low tide. The road to the caves was straightforward enough…we only had to pull out the map once to get ourselves sorted once we realized that we should have taken a turn.

When we reached the Cathedral Caves turn off, we had to drive down a gravel road for about 3 km. I’d read that the caves were located on private land so there was a small fee to pay in order to enter. When we reached the car park, I went to use the pit toilets before Josh and I wandered over to see how much this was going to cost.

There was a lady standing by the entrance to a walking trail that led into the woods. She asked me how I was and I responded and then I asked how she was doing. All she said was, “That will be six dollars.” Okay, straight to business I see. Not a bad deal but Josh and I wouldn’t have time to linger because high tide was coming in and that makes the caves dangerous so we’d have to be out of park by 2 because the lady said she’d shut the gate on the road at that time.

That meant we had an hour total. The walk down through the forest to the beach took 20 minutes, quickly looking at the caves was another 15 minutes or so (the caves are cool but 15-20 minutes is all you need to view them), then we spent another 20 minutes or so walking back up the hill. I wasn’t feeling motivated for the climb up so I had to take a couple of breaks. Ultimately, we made it out in time and the gate at the end of the road hadn’t been closed on us. It pays to check out the tide schedule ahead of time so you don’t drive out here for nothing because it’s high tide and the caves are inaccessible.

Next, we drove back towards Fortrose Retreat to see something we’d missed on our way in to the Cathedral Caves due to trying to make it to the site during low tide: McLean Falls. It was a few kilometers down a gravel road and once we reached the car park, there were maybe two other cars there. We started of down the path to see what we could see.

What we saw at the end of the trail was a nice waterfall. When we first reached the site, there were other people there (a group of teens and I took the picture for two of them) then Josh and I were by ourselves. Since we were alone, Josh became his adventuresome self and walked beyond the fence onto the rocks of the waterfall itself. He climbed up a few rocks to see what he could see while I crossed beyond the fence but did not venture as far as he did. We took a couple of photos and then we were on our way returning to the car.

Our next stop on the road back to the Fortrose Retreat was Curio Bay. Curio Bay had a petrified forest that is viewable at low tide but two things took away from it in my opinon. It was soooo cold and soooo windy and also, the petrified forest just looked like rocks in the ocean. Something to see, I guess, but not a major site in our book. It was a really nice sunny day, however, it was just too windy.

And speaking of wind, man alive!, after Josh and I had driven on a back road to reach Slope Point we were in for a walk in the craziest wind we’ve EVER felt. It was insane! Slope Point is the southernmost point of the South Island and I don’t think it is always so windy here it just happened to be that way when we went.

After bundling up as much as I could with my coats, hat, and gloves, Josh and I got out of our car and we started walking to the point. First, you have to open a fence because part of the land is owned by a sheep farmer and Slope Point is inaccessible if they are in the lambing season. Luckily for us, that wasn’t today so we were good to keep on our walk.

It was between ¼ to ½ mile to reach the point and it wouldn’t have been so bad if the wind hadn’t had been so fierce. There are no words I can use to truly describe it. I think some of the pictures are evidence of the winds we were experience but really, WOW! Plus, that made it colder too. But, being at the southern most point of the South Island was a cool thing to say that we saw and we were definitely glad we took the effort to walk out there.

Walking back to the car was not as bad as walking to the point. Once we were back in the car and making our drive back to Fortrose Retreat, we commented that today had been just such a great day because we had sunny weather and we got to see so much because so many cool sites were so close together.

That night we tried to watch Whale Rider on VHS but the VCR at the cottage was broken. We called the owners to confirm that we weren't just incapable of using a VCR (who has a VCR only anymore anyway) and she confirmed that the machine was broken. So much for that idea.

We ran another Jacuzzi and hung out for the night. There were a couple of magazines in the house to read along with a Kiwi dictionary so I learned a lot. For example, no one knows why the New Zealand national anthem says “Guard Pacific’s Triple Star” when the Kiwi flag has 4 stars, not 3, on it. This was interesting to me because Rotarians usually sing the national anthem at the end of their meetings and I’d always wondered about the triple star concept verses the four stars on the flag. It seems as though I’m not the only one confused about the matter!

Josh and I were able to get better sleep tonight because the winds had died down and all was calm on the countryside.

Sunday, May 20

May 20, 2007

After checking out of the Anchorage Motel at 10, we headed to Fiordland Lobster Company. We were scheduled to meet Mike Schuck, the President of the Te Anau Rotary Club, there at 10:30 but we were early because Te Anau’s a small town and we didn’t get lost trying to locate the building. We sat in the car viewing a rainbow until Mike arrived with his three young kids: Lucy (almost 4), Thomas (almost 6) and Ben (almost 10).

The entrance to the building was pretty standard office-y. However, when we entered the back of the building we were able to view the different holding tanks for the different sized rock lobsters. The boys found a lobster that had crawled out of the water and onto the floor and they weren’t afraid to pick up the lobster either!

The lobsters are kept alive in New Zealand and they fly them out to China alive too. For weddings, it is customary to have a HUMONGOUS lobster on the table to demonstrate a family’s wealth.

The company may hold onto their lobster stockpile if prices dip. When a shipment is ready to go out, the lobsters are packed into crates (usually only two lobsters will fit into a crate). The lobsters are driven from Te Anau to Christchurch and from there they are flown to China.

We spent about 30 minutes at the lobster company and then we departed Te Anau after deciding to drive the Southern Scenic Route to reach Fortrose. The Southern Scenic Route took us through Manapouri again and then farther south than we have ever been. We pulled off to view a suspension bridge, however, it wasn’t too impressive and Josh wondered why there was even a sign to indicate its presence along the road.

It became clear that we were leaving the mountains behind us and entering flatter country which made for nice driving conditions for Josh. It was a sunny day too and after having spent two days in the fiords with gray and rainy conditions, we were ready for some sunlight! When we spotted the ocean coast for the first time, I got out to take some pictures.

As we drove along, we came to the town of Riverton which is where the Paua factory outlet store is located. Josh and I went in to have a look around even though the sign said that they are closed during the month of May. We confirmed with the teenage shop clerk that we were on the right road to Invercargill and then we were on our way.

Upon reaching Invercargill, it was time for some lunch. McDonalds sounded good, however, once we drove up to the building we saw some of the most ridiculous lines we’ve experienced anywhere in New Zealand excepting the drive thru McDonald’s in Palmerston North. We couldn’t for the life of us figure out why this place was so juiced on a Sunday afternoon at 2:00. Josh and I split into two lines to see which one would be shorter. The power of divide and conquer.

Except that Josh called me over to his line to early. While the couple in front of him had paid, they had not received their food and by the time they did, the three people who had been behind me in the line I’d been standing in had already ordered and got their food. Josh made the point that we were waiting for McDonald’s not waiting for tickets to some great show or something so why the big rush?

We went to the Pak N Save for some groceries since the place we’d be staying at tonight had a full kitchen. We bought Tim Tams because they were on sale and soups, bread, ham, cheese, granola bars, and chips. Josh also spotted our first Dr. Pepper can in New Zealand. They had Dr. Pepper on sale for $2.20 per can and the soda was sold on a shelf with other foreign and exotic foods. Funny!

We drove out of Invercargill towards Fortrose. The sun was just gorgeous on the green hills and the white sheep. The road here was flatter than anywhere we’d been in a while so that was a really nice and welcomed change. We went to check in at the owners home and she had us follow behind her in our car as we drove down the road a bit and then up a hill and around a bend. It was nothing like the winding back road to reach the cottage in Motueka but I could see the fear coming back on Josh’s face.

When we got out of the car, the view and the cottage were just AWESOME. We could see Bluff Hill and Stewart Island in the distance and there was also a distant ocean view. The cottage itself was more than I expected with two, rather than one, bedrooms. Jeanette got us sorted out about the local sites to see before leaving us alone in the wonderful cottage.

The sun was setting and we enjoyed that for awhile. The cottage came with both trim and regular milk as well as a complementary bottle of champagne. Nice! We hung out with the electric heater that was designed to look like a log burner. We made burritos with chips and salsa for dinner and they were very tasty.

I started some laundry…or tried to start some laundry. For the life of me I could not figure out how to get the water to flow into the machine. Josh called the owner and she explained the process and we were set on laundry from that point forward.

That night, it was beyond windy in the cottage. I seriously thought the roof was going to blow off of the house. We didn’t get the best sleep tonight because the wind never let up from its incessant howling.

Saturday, May 19

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Josh and I didn’t get up and going until about 10:00 today. We weren’t booked onto the Milford Sound cruise until 2:45 so we could afford to sleep in a bit today. The drive and the road to Milford Sound was not like I had expected…they was much better. In my mind I thought the road was going to be a two hour drive down a gravel road filled with tourist buses that would be difficult to pass. To my pleasant surprise, however, the road was paved and mostly straight for the majority of the drive.

One of the first neat things we saw after leaving the plains behind us were the Mirror Lakes. These lakes were small and somewhat reflective, however, the small black biting bugs detracted from our enjoyment of the spot. Plus, we had to make sure we reached Milford Sound in time for our cruise so we could not stay wonder around that long here. We drove on and pulled off the road at a lookout to take some video as the sun was peeking through the clouds and some of the surrounding mountains were visible.

Then, after we left the designated pull off, we saw the most inviting looking waterfall ever. The water fell down into the clearest, bluest water and it was so pretty I had Josh turn the car around so we could have a better look at it. Josh was about to go climbing the hill to view the top of the falls but I had to persuade him to just view it from the road.

The next place we pulled of the road to view something was the Chasm. There was a tour bus there and several other cars. It was about 20 minutes roundtrip to view the site which was really cool. The river has carved the rocks out to look like vertebrae bones. The river descends through these “bones” as a waterfall.

Back on the road, towards Homer’s Tunnel…man, I hate tunnels. I hadn’t expected to have to drive through a tunnel but I guess that meant I didn’t have to spend time worrying about it ahead of time. The tunnel is a one way road meaning that you have to wait for a stop light to tell your side of the tunnel when it is your turn to drive. We made it through the tunnel and then the road drastically changed from pretty flat and straight to a steep and curvy puke inducing road.

Once we had reached the bottom of the road, the sky was gray and rain looked imminent the closer we got to Milford Sound. At Milford Sound, Josh and I had a picnic in the car. I brought out the red and white checkered cloth I’d brought from the states to surprise Josh with as a picnic table cloth. Although there were some picnic tables nearby, the sprinkling rain and the black bugs were reason enough to eat in the car.

Our picnic lunch was good and after we had finished eating it was time to walk to the dock area for all the cruise boats. Cars can’t drive that close to the cruise area only tour busses can. It wasn’t a long walk but the black bugs were out in full force. We had to swat them away from our faces.

When we reached the cruise center, it was kind of like an airport check in area with all the different cruise operators. I think the 2:45 tour by Mitre Peak Cruises that we went on was the last cruise departing for the day. Most of the other tour operators had signs up stating that they would be open again tomorrow at 9:30 or so. Josh and I were the only ones in the building for awhile but then a tour bus of people were dropped off and checked in for the same tour that we would be taking.

I tried to read The Tommyknockers aloud to Josh but the bugs were so bad even inside the building because the doors were kept open. Soon enough, it was time for our cruise to depart and we headed out to a bigger boat than we had been on yesterday. Josh and I took seats at a table at the back of the boat as per usual. Before the cruise departed, there was a mad dash to the back of the boat because there were tea and coffee making facilities. People were in a rush to make and get a hot drink…so I joined the crowd and made us up some drinks.

It was foggy again so we could not see the tops of the fjords. It was more waterfalls today but the tour did not last as long on the water as the tour yesterday. We didn’t spot any wildlife either which was a bummer. We did take the boat out into the Tasman Sea which was nice and the water as we came back into the Sound was the bluish green color of the canal water in Venice.

I made Josh and I another drink as we cruised around. One of the cooler things we saw towards the end of the trip is what looked like a glacier coming down the side of one of the mountains. The tour ended and we unloaded.

Here are my thoughts on Milford Sound. Despite the long drive from Te Anau to reach the Sound, it is infinitely easier to reach than Doubtful Sound. Plus, there are some really nice sites that you can look at as you drive into Milford Sound. Had we seen bottle nose dolphins on our tour, I’d probably recommend it over Doubtful. The price was $60 per person so it was more affordable than the Doubtful Sound cruise as well. However, we didn’t get to spend as much time out on the water and there didn’t seem to be as many waterfalls here as at Doubtful. Ultimately, I’m glad we did both because I got to experience wonderful and different sights on each tour…Now, if only it hadn’t been so foggy on both of the tours!

Josh and I returned to the car and departed as the sun was beginning to set (what sun there was for all the clouds). We zoned out during our drive and we we’re lulled into silence for awhile before realizing that a lot of time had passed since we’d spoken. We had a good talk after that and made it back to the hotel just before 7 for some dinner and relaxing and watching the results of American Idol.

Tomorrow we’d be on the road to Fortrose in the Catlins region of the South Island.

Friday, May 18

Friday, May 18, 2007

Today was our day to visit Doubtful Sound. It was a full day trip that started around 8:55 when the shuttle bus arrived outside of the hotel to pick us up. We were the last people in Te Anau to be picked up. We drove about 30 minutes to Manapouri where we picked up six other people.

The office for Doubtful Sound cruises is located in Manapouri so it was less than a 5 minute drive to the office after picking up the remaining people. Some people who had driven themselves to the office were standing around outside the office.

I ran across the street to the public toilet while Josh went into the office to check on paying the bill. When I came back, he had that sorted out so we waited for our captain and then we were off to the boat. There were 19 of us and the boat carries 20 passengers.

It was a sunny morning and we had a good view as we went out into the waters of Lake Manapouri. The water wasn’t too choppy either which was good since we’d forgotten to take our sea sickness pills. It was warm in the sun and some people were peeling off their layers but it wasn’t so hot to me.

The first boat ride across the lake is about 45 minutes long. We saw a rainbow as we came into dock at the Visitor’s Center. As we disembarked and approached the Visitors Center, we saw luggage sitting out for the tourists who decided to take the overnight stay with Real Journeys. We also saw (and felt!) lots of buzzing, biting, black bugs. UGH! Get me inside the building.

We waited in the Visitors Center reading about the history of the area for about 15-20 minutes while Nigel, the boat captain, went to fetch our shuttle bus. Nigel, as we soon found out, operates a one man tour so it takes him awhile to manage the different types of transportation by himself. The shuttle bus would transport us to the Manapouri Power Station which is directly across from the Visitors Center and across the Wilmot Pass (which is New Zealand’s most expensive road at $2.00 per centimeter because no one wanted to work in the middle of nowhere with buzzing black bugs…and it’s not even a paved road!) down the mountain to Deep Cove.

When Nigel returned with the shuttle to the Visitors Center, he asked if anyone was afraid of going underground to visit the power station…Well, I was scared but I thought it was going to be a tunnel road where we’d visit the power station and then come out on the other side of the mountain.

That wasn’t the case because after about 30 minutes underground, we were on our way back to the light by turning around and heading back towards the Visitors Center rather than going through the tunnel like I had originally thought and I would have enjoyed myself more if I hadn’t gone into the deep dark tunnel to reach the power station. On our way into the earth Nigel told us if we heard sirens, and there are two different types, to get out of what is essentially a man made cave because neither sound is good. Once we were at the power station, I read a sign that said one siren was for floods and the other was for fire.

Fortunately, we didn’t hear any sirens and we made it out safely to begin crossing the Wilmot Pass. That’s when the weather went south. Apparently, it’s very common to have rain in this area and that’s what we were in for. It was very cloudy and foggy so there wasn’t much of a view as we drove. We could make out several big and small waterfalls though so that was nice.

When we reached Deep Cove, Nigel left us to go get the bigger boat that we’d be taking throughout Doubtful Sound. Josh and I went down to the dock to wait for the boat to arrive. It was almost noon so a lot of people stayed in the bus and started eating the lunches they brought. Josh and I held off eating until after the big boat picked us up (about 20 minutes later).

Josh and I got situated at the back of the boat and took out our Subway sandwich and I had some Mellowpuff cookies to eat. We had Diet Coke to drink until we were able to make our way to the front of the boat to make hot tea. The cookies the company provided to eat with the tea weren’t that tasty though.

Cruising through the sounds was really nice and there were even more waterfalls to view. Josh and I would sometimes go out to the back platform to view the landscape and I went to the front platform a couple of times. Although we’d been warned about a hump in the floor at the front of the boat, a lady fell down and cracked her coconut…but nothing serious.

We were on the water about three hours and even went out to the ocean (Tasman Sea) but we didn’t see any wildlife other than birds. People were getting bored and were even sleeping at their tables. Then, a couple who had been standing out on the back of the boat came inside to tell the captain that they had spotted something in the water. Since we were seated in the back, we were the first to get out there to see what it was.

DOLPHINS…not the teeny tiny dolphins of Kaikoura but monstrous prehistorically large bottle nose dolphins. WOW!!! That was all I could say! WOW, WOW, WOW! This was the most incredible thing ever in a trip of chock full of incredible things! The dolphins were jumping out of the water and swimming around but the best part was the captain said he was going to drive off and to keep our eyes at the waves produced at the back of the boat.

About 5 minutes later, the dolphins were following the back of the boat and we were so close to them. Josh captured some video of them swimming so quickly behind us. Sometimes they would jump out of the water while following the boat. Viewing the dolphins was definitely the highlight of the Doubtful Sound cruise and totally redeemed the experience for us.

We left the dolphins behind and cruised back into the port. The sun was beginning to shine a bit more. Because we had to wait for Nigel to dock the big boat before we could take the shuttle bus back across the Wilmot Pass, we started off on a walk down the road. There was a large group of our tour walking ahead of us but Josh and I went at a leisurely pace and lingered at a spot that had a great view of a large waterfall.

As we walked down the dirt road, we could here the shuttle bus approaching and Nigel picked us up. A little bit further down the road we picked up a big group of people and after that we made one final stop for two people who must have really hauled to make it that far down the road. Then, it was back up and over the pass to the Visitors Center.

We waited another 20 minutes for Nigel to drop off the shuttle bus and get the small boat ready to take us out across the lake. I think they need to invest in one more staff member so this gig doesn’t take all day operating as a one man show. The bugs were still biting out here so if you do come for a visit BRING INSECT REPELLENT.

The boat ride back across the lake was really nice because the sun was shining so brightly. After spending a day in the fog, seeing the sun was a welcomed sight. A Visitors Book was passed around so I commented “Awesome Dolphins.” That gave Josh a laugh. But really, I couldn’t comment on anything else being super great…besides the waterfalls.

When we reached the dock, we disembarked and our shuttle bus back to Te Anau was waiting for us. This was one job Nigel didn’t do. We made it back to Te Anau after watching the sun set behind the mountains. Once we were back in town, we went to the Four Square grocery store in town and bought a few things for dinner. I bought another Wattie’s Chicken Curry so I was set for the night.

Josh and I made dinner and relaxed watching American Idol.

Thursday, May 17

May 17, 2007

In the morning, I managed one more quick spa bath and after morning tea and coffee and a granola bar for me, we checked out of the hotel. Thus far, this hotel has had the latest check out policy of any New Zealand place we’ve stayed at 11:00. Most places have you check out by 10 which, if you ask me, is just too early.

We drove to Te Anau and along the way I saw something I’ve been waiting to see for a long time: sheep being driven down the road to the next pasture…Too cool! While on the drive, the sharp jagged mountains rounded out a bit and we entered a new landscape.

When we reached Te Anau, we checked in at the Anchorage Motel where, to Josh’s utter delight, they play in house movies on request (which somehow must be a copyright infringement but who cares?!? Free movies!). Even though we are scheduled to present at the Te Anau Rotary Club tonight, Josh requested a Harry Potter film to play after Lion King ended. We were able to watch most of Harry Potter before heading out for the night. I had another bath in the double spa tub which was nice.

I also called the Doubtful Sound cruise company we were scheduled to travel on the next day to confirm that we wanted to be picked up at our hotel anywhere between 8:45 and 9:00. The lady at check in had told us that we were getting a good deal on the Doubtful Sound cruise because it was winter. It was about $100 less per person.

The Te Anau Rotary Club meets in the banquet room of a hotel located on the lake front. We had dinner and gave our presentation. They were a big group of 45 or so which made Calling the Hogs fun. President Mike invited us to view his lobster company before we leave town. He works at catching and selling rock lobster to the Chinese market. Our next two days are booked but we said we’d call him the day we drive out of town. We are also seated by Chris Hughes who is a deer farmer.

Unbeknownst to Josh and myself, deer farming is really popular on the South Island. Although it’s a new farm animal introduced in the last 30 years or so, there are 2 million deer being in farmed in New Zealand. And that makes sense too seeing as Josh and I had been spotting several deer farms along the roads down here.

After eating dinner which was buffet style (soup and dessert were brought out separately) we delivered our presentation. When our presentation was over, we were presented with a book on the Fiordland in appreciation from the club. Nice!

Josh and I returned to the hotel after first going to Subway to buy a foot long sandwich to split during our all day trip tomorrow to Doubtful Sound. We got a breakfast coupon and also a Subway card. We returned to the hotel to watch some movies before going to sleep.