May 12, 2007
Josh and I woke up to sunny skies this morning. Amazingly we’ve lucked out so much when it comes to weather and our tours. Heli hikes in this region are notorious for being canceled due to weather and that’s why we are staying here two nights…just in case our tour got canceled due to weather. It doesn’t look like there will be any cancellations today.
I got started on breakfast while Josh was still in bed. I made scrambled eggs and toast with hot tea and coffee. Josh puts so much sugar in his tea that it makes us go through all the packets that they give us. We’ll need to get some more. We sat outside at the patio table in the sunlight eating our breakfast. It was very nice.
We showered and got dressed for the day. We bought some special quick dry, zip off into shorts, pants at the Warehouse a couple of weeks ago specifically for this trip. We put those on and I had my Under Armor on too. We were set to go and on the road at 10. I put the Please Make Up Our Room sign on the door.
We parked on the side of the road up from the Helicopter Line office. We went in and while we were checking in, they said not to bring a backpack with you. So, we had to return to the car to put the backpack in the trunk. We hand carried a bottle of water and the camera. Just as we got back to the office, they were getting people ready to go to the helicopter site…I quickly used the toilet and caught up with the group who were, by this point, across the street and through the forest at the helicopter launching site.
There were about 22 people on the tour. First, we stood in line to get the proper gear: boots, wool socks, ice crampons, and a raincoat if needed. That sorted, we went outside and were split up into four groups...there were two groups of Fast and and two groups of Slow. Josh and I went for the slow group to play it safe. Josh and I were in a group with four other people.
The groups first three groups went off and took the helicopters up to the glacier. Finally, it was our turn. The helicopter ride was incredible. Smooth ride but so high up. Craziness! The views were spectacular. We totally lucked out with the clear skies we had. The snow up above the glacier was so cool because it just snowed yesterday.
Off of the helicopter, we met Anthony the tour guide. He told us how to put the ice crampons on our boots. Okay, that done, we were off. Or so we thought.
We walked around a bit and then we stopped so Anthony could answer any questions we had. Basically, it seemed like he was stalling for time. Okay, hike some more…other people need to figure out the crampons and get some confidence while walking on the glacier. They didn’t trust that they wouldn’t fall and kept going slow and bent over. Come on people.
But really, it wasn’t the people in the group that sucked, it was the “guide” that did. This kid was pathetic really. We hardly walked, yet alone HIKED, anywhere and when we reached a pool of water that was frozen on top, he asked if anyone wanted to swim. One girl did, so she went in while we all waited. Okay, fine. But Anthony was like "anyone else, anyone else". He was just wasting our time…let’s freaking do something…I thought this was supposed to be a HIKE!!!!
Then, I’m not joking, and this totally pissed me off, we got to another smaller pool of water and he asked the group, “Do you want to see me swim?”
NO, I DON’T WANT TO WATCH MY GUIDE SWIM!!! I want you to lead me on a tour and show me some glacier caves and formations. OH MY GOSH! I was infuriated. So, the guy strips down to his shorts and boots, walks around the pool of water and then decides not to go in, gets dressed again, all the while we are standing out there twiddling our thumbs waiting to get a move on.
I mean, just because we picked the “slow” group didn’t mean we didn’t want to hike around. Seriously, we did not pay $500 USD to watch our guide attempt to swim in a glacial pool. Lame. I don’t think my expectations were unrealistic here.
So, the walk came to an end, we took off our crampons and waited for the helicopters to take us down. The clouds were starting to roll in at that time so we had really lucked out with having sunny skies while we were up there.
My fear kicked in while we were waiting for the helicopter and I couldn’t shake the thought of what I’d do if there was an avalanche. Truthfully, I thought I would head in the opposite direction from Anthony because I would not want to be stuck with that guy even under the worst circumstances.
On the helicopter ride down, I got to sit in the front seat. The helicopter ride was wicked again and really, the helicopter rides were the best part of the experience (this is saying a lot as I hate to fly). When we were on the ground, we could really see the cloud cover. The mountains were hardly visible from below.
We went back to the grocery store and I bought another chicken curry and Josh bought another pizza bread. I also bought the best caramel/chocolate ice cream bar ever!!! I was really hungry by that point. Back to the villa which had not been cleaned because the sign had blown off the door knob. Bummer. We requested fresh towels, coffee, milk, and sugar. I took the trash out myself.
We made lunch and I updated the blog and the travel journal while Josh took a nap. Tonight, American Idol is on and the blog is updated although the pictures take to long to upload so I won’t be doing that tonight. I’ve got the pictures (some anyway) on shutterfly so I can share those with everyone back in the states.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Friday, May 11
May 11, 2007
Josh and I woke up to a rainy morning. This was not a surprise as Josh and I have renamed the West Coast the “WET” Coast. Rain all the time here…which makes sense as the majority of the coast is a rain forest. We could see the waves from our front porch, however, and they were massive, crashing, thundering waves.
Josh cooked us up some grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast while I made the tea/coffee. We loaded up our gear into the car while it was raining, quickly checked out, and were on the road into Hokitika to buy some fuel and stop in at the Sheep Store and Jade Factory.
At the Sheep Store, I was able to take some funny pictures of Josh with the sheep cutout board. We didn’t see anything good there so we went to the Jade Factory where you can watch artisans carve jade jewelry and objects de art. Pretty cool.
We were back on the road through the rain to reach Franz Josef. OH MY GOSH…the rain! Thick, heavy, horizontal rain was blowing into the car from the sea. Then, it started to hail. What the heck?!?! Too crazy!
We came out of that on the other side all right and I’ve come to say that you have to have rain to have rainbows but Geez Louise, this place is so rainy and I REALLY HATE THE RAIN. I’ve been positive about it all though, I think, because the rain has yet to ruin any of our scheduled activities. If that happens, we’ll see how I hold up.
We saw many waterfalls along the drive to Franz Josef and truly, it was spectacular. Especially, when we started to see patches of blue sky and then, finally, full on sun and blue skies! AMAZINGLY GLORIOUS SUN! Then, I spotted some snow covered mountain peaks and I didn’t think it could get any better.
But then, the full mountain range came into view, the sun was shining and making the waterfalls flowing out from the thick rainforest twinkle and sparkle, and I just teared up and was about to cry over the sheer beauty of it all. I said it was all “Too Awesome.” More than awesome. Wish you were here. Once in a lifetime moment.
We drove past our hotel, Glen Fern Villas, as we were driving into town. That was fine because we were going to look at the Franz Josef glacier and maybe do a walking track around. We stopped into the I-site in town for some info and I called the helicopter tour company (Helicopter Line) to confirm that we would make the tour tomorrow.
Josh got some good info at the I-site and we were off. The Franz was only a 5 minute drive from town and we were lucky that the clouds had broken and we could see the glacier and most of the mountains. We did a hike up a hill for a really nice and private view of the glacier since no one else was up there. Then, we went down to the lower walking track. When we got there, there was a sign saying not to walk any further out because there had been rain recently and the river quickly can change its route making it dangerous to walk out to the terminal face of the glacier. So, we stayed put and had a look…clearly, some people had gone past the sign but like I told Josh, tomorrow we’d be up there so there was no reason to do anything crazy.
We walked back up the hill and saw there was another 20 minute walk to a reflecting pool so we went to check that out. Uh, not so reflective. I guess it was because of the rain and it was clouding back up again. As we were leaving, it started sprinkling.
Josh and I returned to town and went to the only grocery store (a 4 Square) where I picked up a Wattie's chicken curry with rice and Josh got a personal sized pizza. We bought some eggs and milk too. We returned to the hotel to check in and I asked if our room was off the road. It was not. The guy, Justin, would not move us either saying he’d never had a noise complaint, traffic is light and ends after 6:30, blah blah. I didn’t argue but now wish I would have.
Our room rate included a bottle of wine, so we got that and went to our villa (which is like a one bedroom apartment). We also were given some trim milk. We made our food and had some drinks and were set to relax for the evening (minus the whole cars driving by right out the door…BUGGER!) I HATE, ABHOR, DETEST traffic noise…any noise…unacceptable! 
However, we did get free internet because the hotel’s system to charge for it was down. So, you win some and you lose some. However, I don’t know why I am putting up with staying right on the road. Ugh.
I went outside to take a picture of the villa, taking my socks off before I stepped off the deck onto the wet grass. But then, I totally busted and fell down. The grass was sopping wet and slippery! Ah well, I didn’t get THAT wet.
Josh and I watched American Idol and thought that the contestants had the best night ever. Well, except for Jordin but it was Jon Bon Jovi week (who’s music we love) so we enjoyed listening to the songs. I fell asleep on the sofa when Josh took over the computer to play his game. He was off the computer at 1 am and I woke up to go get in the bed looking at the millions of stars in the sky from the patio. We set the alarm for 8:15 so we’d be ready to make our 10:15 appointment for the heli hike tour and went to sleep in the comfortable bed.
Josh and I woke up to a rainy morning. This was not a surprise as Josh and I have renamed the West Coast the “WET” Coast. Rain all the time here…which makes sense as the majority of the coast is a rain forest. We could see the waves from our front porch, however, and they were massive, crashing, thundering waves.
Josh cooked us up some grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast while I made the tea/coffee. We loaded up our gear into the car while it was raining, quickly checked out, and were on the road into Hokitika to buy some fuel and stop in at the Sheep Store and Jade Factory.
At the Sheep Store, I was able to take some funny pictures of Josh with the sheep cutout board. We didn’t see anything good there so we went to the Jade Factory where you can watch artisans carve jade jewelry and objects de art. Pretty cool.
We were back on the road through the rain to reach Franz Josef. OH MY GOSH…the rain! Thick, heavy, horizontal rain was blowing into the car from the sea. Then, it started to hail. What the heck?!?! Too crazy!
We came out of that on the other side all right and I’ve come to say that you have to have rain to have rainbows but Geez Louise, this place is so rainy and I REALLY HATE THE RAIN. I’ve been positive about it all though, I think, because the rain has yet to ruin any of our scheduled activities. If that happens, we’ll see how I hold up.
We saw many waterfalls along the drive to Franz Josef and truly, it was spectacular. Especially, when we started to see patches of blue sky and then, finally, full on sun and blue skies! AMAZINGLY GLORIOUS SUN! Then, I spotted some snow covered mountain peaks and I didn’t think it could get any better.
But then, the full mountain range came into view, the sun was shining and making the waterfalls flowing out from the thick rainforest twinkle and sparkle, and I just teared up and was about to cry over the sheer beauty of it all. I said it was all “Too Awesome.” More than awesome. Wish you were here. Once in a lifetime moment.
We drove past our hotel, Glen Fern Villas, as we were driving into town. That was fine because we were going to look at the Franz Josef glacier and maybe do a walking track around. We stopped into the I-site in town for some info and I called the helicopter tour company (Helicopter Line) to confirm that we would make the tour tomorrow.
Josh got some good info at the I-site and we were off. The Franz was only a 5 minute drive from town and we were lucky that the clouds had broken and we could see the glacier and most of the mountains. We did a hike up a hill for a really nice and private view of the glacier since no one else was up there. Then, we went down to the lower walking track. When we got there, there was a sign saying not to walk any further out because there had been rain recently and the river quickly can change its route making it dangerous to walk out to the terminal face of the glacier. So, we stayed put and had a look…clearly, some people had gone past the sign but like I told Josh, tomorrow we’d be up there so there was no reason to do anything crazy.
We walked back up the hill and saw there was another 20 minute walk to a reflecting pool so we went to check that out. Uh, not so reflective. I guess it was because of the rain and it was clouding back up again. As we were leaving, it started sprinkling.
Josh and I returned to town and went to the only grocery store (a 4 Square) where I picked up a Wattie's chicken curry with rice and Josh got a personal sized pizza. We bought some eggs and milk too. We returned to the hotel to check in and I asked if our room was off the road. It was not. The guy, Justin, would not move us either saying he’d never had a noise complaint, traffic is light and ends after 6:30, blah blah. I didn’t argue but now wish I would have.
Our room rate included a bottle of wine, so we got that and went to our villa (which is like a one bedroom apartment). We also were given some trim milk. We made our food and had some drinks and were set to relax for the evening (minus the whole cars driving by right out the door…BUGGER!) I HATE, ABHOR, DETEST traffic noise…any noise…unacceptable! 
However, we did get free internet because the hotel’s system to charge for it was down. So, you win some and you lose some. However, I don’t know why I am putting up with staying right on the road. Ugh.I went outside to take a picture of the villa, taking my socks off before I stepped off the deck onto the wet grass. But then, I totally busted and fell down. The grass was sopping wet and slippery! Ah well, I didn’t get THAT wet.
Josh and I watched American Idol and thought that the contestants had the best night ever. Well, except for Jordin but it was Jon Bon Jovi week (who’s music we love) so we enjoyed listening to the songs. I fell asleep on the sofa when Josh took over the computer to play his game. He was off the computer at 1 am and I woke up to go get in the bed looking at the millions of stars in the sky from the patio. We set the alarm for 8:15 so we’d be ready to make our 10:15 appointment for the heli hike tour and went to sleep in the comfortable bed.
Thursday, May 10
May 10, 2007
Today, we woke up around 8:30 or so and got ready to drive all day. We loaded up and went down to reception to ask the best way to get out of town driving over Arthur’s Pass. That done, Josh had to comment on how it always takes me so long to get ready to leave in the mornings. I have no excuse, it’s true.
We got a bit turned around trying to leave town, however, it was fortunate for us because we ran across a McDonald’s…Josh had been in the turning lane, however, when he saw the McDonald’s he got out of that lane and went through a light that was turning yellow to red to get there.
We ordered in the drive thru and I got a hot coffee to drink. I say hot coffee, because when I opened the lid to add my sweetener, I got HOT coffee all over my freaking lap. I couldn’t say or do anything except cry because it hurt so bad. Josh felt really bad for me.
I got everything sorted after that and we got onto the road around 11. We thought the drive to Greymouth was supposed to take 5 hours and we had a 4 pm brewery tour so it was good to get out of Christchurch by 11.
The drive out was bright and sunny and we were happy about that. We’re not big on the rain. We had a nice talk and a nice drive. We started heading into the mountains that had only been in the distance while we were in Christchurch.
The views were spectacular when we got into the valley of the mountains. We saw some rock formations that we’d never seen anywhere else. It was like the scene in The Princess Bride where Andre the Giant tries to kill the Dread Pirate Roberts. Very cool boulders. We would have liked to hike amongst them but we had our appointment to keep.
As we drove on through the mountains, we commented that this landscape was like the volcanic area on the central plateau area of the North Island where we did the Tongariro Crossing. Then, it changed to the rainforest area of the West Coast. There started to be waterfalls evident on the hills. Cool.
When we reached a place called “Devil’s Corner” we were like, with a name like that, we have to pull off here and have a look. What we saw below was the viaduct (a new road built over the river). Back on the road and on through to the West Coast drive where the landscape flattened out. Josh said that the drive wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be.
We drove up through Lake Brunner to reach Greymouth. The road sign read “Tourist Road” and Josh and I both said, “We’re tourists.” The fog and clouds were rolling in. We knew we reached a big town when we saw that Greymouth had a Warehouse and a McDonald’s. We arrived about an hour early for our Montieth's Brewery tour so we went to see what the I-site recommended.
It was so funny as Josh asked the lady what we could do in town. I heard her say there was a museum and also some arts and crafts shops. I had a laugh because I knew Josh wasn’t down for either of those activities. Ultimately, we decided to check our email and paid about $2 for 20 minutes or so.
Soon enough, it was time to go on our Monteith’s Brewery tour. Josh was feeling a bit down after checking the email because it brought up things about work and all that. He said not to let him check any work related emails in the future when we are on vacation. We went into the brewery to catch the tour.
We were about 10 minutes early so we browsed the gift shop around until tour time. Dougal was our guide and as it turned out, Josh and I were the only people on the 4 pm tour. Awesome!!! We checked out the brewery and it was pretty standard but cool. Then, we did the tasting of 6 different Monteith’s beers. Dougal explained the differences in the beers. Then, we got to serve ourselves from the taps. Josh kept his drinks small so he was straight to drive.
We really thought that Dougal did an amazing job with the tour and he himself knew that it was all about the service. He was trained to be a Maori teacher, however, he started working at the brewery 3 years ago.
The brewery tour was great, there is even a 6 pm tour that includes a BBQ dinner. Josh wondered why we hadn’t got booked in on that one instead. However, we had a drive out of Greymouth to Hokitika that's why we hadn't booked that tour. We were soon on our way to the Hokitika Shining Star hotel about a 45 minute drive away.
Josh thought this hotel was awesome. When we checked in, our rate included milk for our tea and coffee as well as a free movie rental to watch on the DVD player. The hotel is located beachfront, however, it was dark when we arrived. We could however, here the roar of the ocean although we couldn’t see it. I started getting afraid at the thought of a tsunami. Man, I have some crazy fears. The room was part of a duplex like log cabin and it contained a kitchette. I told Josh we should go check out the Glow Worms that were located across the street.
We drove to the Glow Worm Dell which literally was across the road from the hotel. It was so scary walking up the path in the dark. We didn’t have the cell phone for light or anything else for light so Josh held onto the rail as we wondered up the hill in the darkness. Man, all I could think of was if someone was out there in the woods waiting to get us. We saw the glow worms which was very cool and we could also see the stars above through a clearing in the trees. Then, we quickly made our way downhill and outta the woods into the light! Whew!
Next, we drove into town to see if there was a grocery store. There was a New World, so we bought some things to make burritos and headed back to the hotel to cook. We popped in the DVD Fun with Dick and Jane (the movie we had rented) while the burritos got ready.
The food was really good and I love having a kitchen to make meals in. I washed the dishes afterward since Josh had cooked. Then, we watched some television before finishing up the movie. Well, Josh finished up the movie because I was tired from poor sleep the night before (I’d had a couple of nightmares) and I fell asleep before the end of the show.
Today, we woke up around 8:30 or so and got ready to drive all day. We loaded up and went down to reception to ask the best way to get out of town driving over Arthur’s Pass. That done, Josh had to comment on how it always takes me so long to get ready to leave in the mornings. I have no excuse, it’s true.
We got a bit turned around trying to leave town, however, it was fortunate for us because we ran across a McDonald’s…Josh had been in the turning lane, however, when he saw the McDonald’s he got out of that lane and went through a light that was turning yellow to red to get there.
We ordered in the drive thru and I got a hot coffee to drink. I say hot coffee, because when I opened the lid to add my sweetener, I got HOT coffee all over my freaking lap. I couldn’t say or do anything except cry because it hurt so bad. Josh felt really bad for me.
I got everything sorted after that and we got onto the road around 11. We thought the drive to Greymouth was supposed to take 5 hours and we had a 4 pm brewery tour so it was good to get out of Christchurch by 11.
The drive out was bright and sunny and we were happy about that. We’re not big on the rain. We had a nice talk and a nice drive. We started heading into the mountains that had only been in the distance while we were in Christchurch.
The views were spectacular when we got into the valley of the mountains. We saw some rock formations that we’d never seen anywhere else. It was like the scene in The Princess Bride where Andre the Giant tries to kill the Dread Pirate Roberts. Very cool boulders. We would have liked to hike amongst them but we had our appointment to keep.
As we drove on through the mountains, we commented that this landscape was like the volcanic area on the central plateau area of the North Island where we did the Tongariro Crossing. Then, it changed to the rainforest area of the West Coast. There started to be waterfalls evident on the hills. Cool.
When we reached a place called “Devil’s Corner” we were like, with a name like that, we have to pull off here and have a look. What we saw below was the viaduct (a new road built over the river). Back on the road and on through to the West Coast drive where the landscape flattened out. Josh said that the drive wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be.
We drove up through Lake Brunner to reach Greymouth. The road sign read “Tourist Road” and Josh and I both said, “We’re tourists.” The fog and clouds were rolling in. We knew we reached a big town when we saw that Greymouth had a Warehouse and a McDonald’s. We arrived about an hour early for our Montieth's Brewery tour so we went to see what the I-site recommended.
It was so funny as Josh asked the lady what we could do in town. I heard her say there was a museum and also some arts and crafts shops. I had a laugh because I knew Josh wasn’t down for either of those activities. Ultimately, we decided to check our email and paid about $2 for 20 minutes or so.
Soon enough, it was time to go on our Monteith’s Brewery tour. Josh was feeling a bit down after checking the email because it brought up things about work and all that. He said not to let him check any work related emails in the future when we are on vacation. We went into the brewery to catch the tour.
We were about 10 minutes early so we browsed the gift shop around until tour time. Dougal was our guide and as it turned out, Josh and I were the only people on the 4 pm tour. Awesome!!! We checked out the brewery and it was pretty standard but cool. Then, we did the tasting of 6 different Monteith’s beers. Dougal explained the differences in the beers. Then, we got to serve ourselves from the taps. Josh kept his drinks small so he was straight to drive.
We really thought that Dougal did an amazing job with the tour and he himself knew that it was all about the service. He was trained to be a Maori teacher, however, he started working at the brewery 3 years ago.
The brewery tour was great, there is even a 6 pm tour that includes a BBQ dinner. Josh wondered why we hadn’t got booked in on that one instead. However, we had a drive out of Greymouth to Hokitika that's why we hadn't booked that tour. We were soon on our way to the Hokitika Shining Star hotel about a 45 minute drive away.
Josh thought this hotel was awesome. When we checked in, our rate included milk for our tea and coffee as well as a free movie rental to watch on the DVD player. The hotel is located beachfront, however, it was dark when we arrived. We could however, here the roar of the ocean although we couldn’t see it. I started getting afraid at the thought of a tsunami. Man, I have some crazy fears. The room was part of a duplex like log cabin and it contained a kitchette. I told Josh we should go check out the Glow Worms that were located across the street.
We drove to the Glow Worm Dell which literally was across the road from the hotel. It was so scary walking up the path in the dark. We didn’t have the cell phone for light or anything else for light so Josh held onto the rail as we wondered up the hill in the darkness. Man, all I could think of was if someone was out there in the woods waiting to get us. We saw the glow worms which was very cool and we could also see the stars above through a clearing in the trees. Then, we quickly made our way downhill and outta the woods into the light! Whew!
Next, we drove into town to see if there was a grocery store. There was a New World, so we bought some things to make burritos and headed back to the hotel to cook. We popped in the DVD Fun with Dick and Jane (the movie we had rented) while the burritos got ready.
The food was really good and I love having a kitchen to make meals in. I washed the dishes afterward since Josh had cooked. Then, we watched some television before finishing up the movie. Well, Josh finished up the movie because I was tired from poor sleep the night before (I’d had a couple of nightmares) and I fell asleep before the end of the show.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
May 9
Wednesday, May 9
We woke up around 9 this morning and got ready and were out the door around 10:30. We went down to reception to find out the best way to get to the gondola. Easy enough with the driving directions. Yesterday, we got two $1.00 off gondola tickets from the empty concierge desk.
As we drove toward the gondola, I could not believe it! I saw a sign for Denny’s…the Denny’s! We had to go. So, Josh turned around and we went to have some breakfast. The service was ridiculously slow but the food was okay and the coffee was good. The breakfast cost half of what it would have cost us to eat in the hotel restaurant so we were okay with that.
After breakfast, we needed some gas and there was a Pak N Save across the street that had a gas station attached. We bought gas then we went inside to buy some snacks, diet coke, and wine. All the errands taken care of, Josh and I were back on the road toward the gondola.
We reached the gondola and went inside. The parking lot wasn’t that crowded and the inside of the building we were the only ones inside. Josh bought the tickets while I went to the bathroom. Then we talked to a worker girl before hoping into the gondola car, having our photo snapped, and going up the hill.
The view was awesome as we went up the hill. The day had started off cloudy and gray but the sun was starting to peak through the clouds as we were going up the hill. At the top, we had a look around the observation deck and then we went on a time tunnel ride which was pretty cool till we got to the end and it said if you wanted to ride again it was cost $4.
Then, Josh and I wanted to go on one of the walks but we quickly got lost on the crater rim walk and just ended up making a half loop back to the other side of the gondola building. The wind was picking up too.
Josh and I went inside and Josh was like you should have a coffee. Whenever the “Treasurer” in the relationship encourages spending, you have to go with it. So, we bought a mochachino for me (not chocolaty at all) and Josh bought a piece of mousse like cake.
We sat in a corner in the café and enjoyed the snack and the view of the Southern Alps. Then, we went downstairs for a quick look in the gift shop and then we caught the gondola down. The wind was blowing the gondola back and forth just a little bit not much but you could still tell. Then, near the bottom of the hill, the gondola stopped for a short bit.
We reached the bottom and they had a set of photographs and postcards with our image on them for $35. It was a good picture but it was only the one of us so we took a pass. Josh made a good point though…they were just going to throw away all the stuff so why did they go through all the trouble in the first place. Could be a big waste of money on their part.
Leaving the parking lot, we got turned around and went through a tunnel (the longest tunnel ever) into Lyttleton. Then, we went around a roundabout, and did the tunnel again. Man, I hate tunnels.
We reached the hotel around 3:30 with a plan to relax and catch up on the travel journal, update the pictures and relax. So, now that it’s 11:30 at night, we’ve got the photos uploaded, the journal updated, we’ve had some drinks and even ordered a Ceaser Salad and Club sandwich from room service. We are soooo full…too full. Our first room service experience when it wasn’t included in the rate like Mexico. Nice.
We’re off to bed now because we have a long day of driving tomorrow. Like 5 hours of driving across Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth for the Monteith’s brewery tour then another hour south to Hokitika.
Christchurch wasn’t like I expected. There really wasn’t much to it. It was really like a big "so what" kind of place. Not really even a city. I would only recommend it as a starting off point to other sights in New Zealand. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the place, it’s just lacking anything special or a real reason why you should visit the place.
The hotel has kind of grown on me. The room and bathroom are really spacious and the bed is comfortable. It’s also in a good location. I prefer a more modern décor though in my rooms.
We woke up around 9 this morning and got ready and were out the door around 10:30. We went down to reception to find out the best way to get to the gondola. Easy enough with the driving directions. Yesterday, we got two $1.00 off gondola tickets from the empty concierge desk.
As we drove toward the gondola, I could not believe it! I saw a sign for Denny’s…the Denny’s! We had to go. So, Josh turned around and we went to have some breakfast. The service was ridiculously slow but the food was okay and the coffee was good. The breakfast cost half of what it would have cost us to eat in the hotel restaurant so we were okay with that.
After breakfast, we needed some gas and there was a Pak N Save across the street that had a gas station attached. We bought gas then we went inside to buy some snacks, diet coke, and wine. All the errands taken care of, Josh and I were back on the road toward the gondola.
We reached the gondola and went inside. The parking lot wasn’t that crowded and the inside of the building we were the only ones inside. Josh bought the tickets while I went to the bathroom. Then we talked to a worker girl before hoping into the gondola car, having our photo snapped, and going up the hill.
The view was awesome as we went up the hill. The day had started off cloudy and gray but the sun was starting to peak through the clouds as we were going up the hill. At the top, we had a look around the observation deck and then we went on a time tunnel ride which was pretty cool till we got to the end and it said if you wanted to ride again it was cost $4.
Then, Josh and I wanted to go on one of the walks but we quickly got lost on the crater rim walk and just ended up making a half loop back to the other side of the gondola building. The wind was picking up too.
Josh and I went inside and Josh was like you should have a coffee. Whenever the “Treasurer” in the relationship encourages spending, you have to go with it. So, we bought a mochachino for me (not chocolaty at all) and Josh bought a piece of mousse like cake.
We sat in a corner in the café and enjoyed the snack and the view of the Southern Alps. Then, we went downstairs for a quick look in the gift shop and then we caught the gondola down. The wind was blowing the gondola back and forth just a little bit not much but you could still tell. Then, near the bottom of the hill, the gondola stopped for a short bit.
We reached the bottom and they had a set of photographs and postcards with our image on them for $35. It was a good picture but it was only the one of us so we took a pass. Josh made a good point though…they were just going to throw away all the stuff so why did they go through all the trouble in the first place. Could be a big waste of money on their part.
Leaving the parking lot, we got turned around and went through a tunnel (the longest tunnel ever) into Lyttleton. Then, we went around a roundabout, and did the tunnel again. Man, I hate tunnels.
We reached the hotel around 3:30 with a plan to relax and catch up on the travel journal, update the pictures and relax. So, now that it’s 11:30 at night, we’ve got the photos uploaded, the journal updated, we’ve had some drinks and even ordered a Ceaser Salad and Club sandwich from room service. We are soooo full…too full. Our first room service experience when it wasn’t included in the rate like Mexico. Nice.
We’re off to bed now because we have a long day of driving tomorrow. Like 5 hours of driving across Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth for the Monteith’s brewery tour then another hour south to Hokitika.
Christchurch wasn’t like I expected. There really wasn’t much to it. It was really like a big "so what" kind of place. Not really even a city. I would only recommend it as a starting off point to other sights in New Zealand. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the place, it’s just lacking anything special or a real reason why you should visit the place.
The hotel has kind of grown on me. The room and bathroom are really spacious and the bed is comfortable. It’s also in a good location. I prefer a more modern décor though in my rooms.
May 8
Tuesday, May 8
Anniversary day. We got up and ready to go out for the day. We made amends over Josh sleeping and my being mad about it. We headed out for the cathedral but first asked at reception how to best reach a National Bank so we could deposit money into the Nicholson’s account for the Tekapo rental home.
We walked across Hagley Park and the ground was wet but we didn’t realize that at first. Then, our shoes were all wet. It was a nice sunny day as we walked through the autumn color trees and the ducks and the river flowing through the park. We walked down the street and saw the tram and the cathedral in the distance. We reached cathedral square and looked in the phone book that was in a phone booth to confirm the location of the nearest National Bank.
We started walking down the street and saw everything that we wanted: a McDonald’s, a place for Josh to get his hair cut and the National Bank. We went to the National Bank and deposited the money into their account and took out $50 for ourselves. Then, we went to McDonald’s and bought one meal of 2 cheeseburgers and ate that in Cathedral Square.
There was an 11:00 free guided tour of the cathedral so we went into the church to catch that. Josh confirmed that there would be a tour and we waited. Then, some lady came out and said she’d find out who was taking us on the tour. Then, some guy came out and said the tour guides were in a meeting and that he’d find out who was taking us on a tour. Then, he came back and said there was not going to be an 11 tour. Great!
So, lots of apologies later and the trying to push a cathedral book on us, we ended up just climbing the tower for $4 per person. Well, it certainly wasn’t the greatest view from a church tower that we’ve seen anywhere in the world. Actually, it was probably the worst view even though it was a really nice sun shiny day. You couldn’t even walk around the whole of the top. It had four doors and four balconies that you could stand on. That’s it. We had the top to ourselves for a long while though.
Back downstairs and we were out to do something else…like getting Josh a hair cut. We went to Mister Snipps and I told Josh if the hair cut was $25 or less we’d get it. I walked in and asked the girl how much would it cost for him to get a hair cut and she said $25 so I said perfect. The girl goes “What’s his name?” and Josh laughed under his breath and said “My name is Josh.”
While Josh had his hair cut I read the magazine that I had put up the other day at the Warehouse because it had cost $8. Josh’s hair cut was pretty fast, we paid and then we decided to go to the bookstore so Josh could buy something new to read. He picked out two paperback books: one cost $33. I was like Josh, what are you doing buying such an expensive book?” But Josh said that he really wanted to read it so he got it.
Then, we headed to the Dux de Lux for some lunch. We ordered a calzone, buffalo wedges, and a beer from a waitress from Chicago. Then we sat outside in the sunshine and watched the sun in the trees and commented how this seemed like Europe. We drank the one beer and had the wedges before the calzone (which was really a pizza) came. Josh went to order us a pitcher. Nice. Very lovely just sitting outside without being in a rush and enjoying a drink.
After lunch, we walked a short bit back towards Hagley Park where the Canterbury Museum was located and we went in for a look and confirmed that the free tour of this place was still on for 3:30. We looked around for about an hour and it was a really cool museum and free too.
Then, we went back downstairs to catch the tour. The tour guide, Louisa, asked where everyone was from and if there was anything we’d like to see. I volunteered and said I’d like to see the Victorian Street and then someone else said they’d like to know about navigation. Then, we were off on the tour.
We learned about the first Pacific settlers, and then the Maoris and oh my gosh, it was so funny. Some American guy asked the tour guide “Why don’t you say “Ma-o-ri” like the sign said and everyone looked at the guy and said, she’s saying Maori correctly. Too hilarious! Then, when we reached the Victorian replica street, Louisa spent like 1.5 minutes talking about it and then said if you were interested in it to come back after the tour. Thanks a lot. She wanted to show us the “crown jewels” of the museum, the Antarctic Exploration area.
Actually, this part of the museum was interesting and I’d like to read more about the ill fated journey of the British team who were the second one’s to reach the South Pole after the Norwegians and then everyone died on the return to the base which ended up being only 11 miles away from where they died in their tent. Horrible.
After the tour, we went to look at the Victorian Street and made some jokes. Especially thought it was funny toward the exit of the museum that their replica of the Rosetta Stone was underneath the skeleton of some elk. I had to take a picture of that.
We left the museum and walked back through Hagley Park to the hotel. We got in around 5:30 or so, asked where a grocery store was located at near the hotel at reception, and watched some tv and read our books and hung out. Nothing big. Toyed with the idea of getting room service dessert but we didn’t. We didn’t set the alarm and we went to bed.
Anniversary day. We got up and ready to go out for the day. We made amends over Josh sleeping and my being mad about it. We headed out for the cathedral but first asked at reception how to best reach a National Bank so we could deposit money into the Nicholson’s account for the Tekapo rental home.
We walked across Hagley Park and the ground was wet but we didn’t realize that at first. Then, our shoes were all wet. It was a nice sunny day as we walked through the autumn color trees and the ducks and the river flowing through the park. We walked down the street and saw the tram and the cathedral in the distance. We reached cathedral square and looked in the phone book that was in a phone booth to confirm the location of the nearest National Bank.
We started walking down the street and saw everything that we wanted: a McDonald’s, a place for Josh to get his hair cut and the National Bank. We went to the National Bank and deposited the money into their account and took out $50 for ourselves. Then, we went to McDonald’s and bought one meal of 2 cheeseburgers and ate that in Cathedral Square.
There was an 11:00 free guided tour of the cathedral so we went into the church to catch that. Josh confirmed that there would be a tour and we waited. Then, some lady came out and said she’d find out who was taking us on the tour. Then, some guy came out and said the tour guides were in a meeting and that he’d find out who was taking us on a tour. Then, he came back and said there was not going to be an 11 tour. Great!
So, lots of apologies later and the trying to push a cathedral book on us, we ended up just climbing the tower for $4 per person. Well, it certainly wasn’t the greatest view from a church tower that we’ve seen anywhere in the world. Actually, it was probably the worst view even though it was a really nice sun shiny day. You couldn’t even walk around the whole of the top. It had four doors and four balconies that you could stand on. That’s it. We had the top to ourselves for a long while though.
Back downstairs and we were out to do something else…like getting Josh a hair cut. We went to Mister Snipps and I told Josh if the hair cut was $25 or less we’d get it. I walked in and asked the girl how much would it cost for him to get a hair cut and she said $25 so I said perfect. The girl goes “What’s his name?” and Josh laughed under his breath and said “My name is Josh.”
While Josh had his hair cut I read the magazine that I had put up the other day at the Warehouse because it had cost $8. Josh’s hair cut was pretty fast, we paid and then we decided to go to the bookstore so Josh could buy something new to read. He picked out two paperback books: one cost $33. I was like Josh, what are you doing buying such an expensive book?” But Josh said that he really wanted to read it so he got it.
Then, we headed to the Dux de Lux for some lunch. We ordered a calzone, buffalo wedges, and a beer from a waitress from Chicago. Then we sat outside in the sunshine and watched the sun in the trees and commented how this seemed like Europe. We drank the one beer and had the wedges before the calzone (which was really a pizza) came. Josh went to order us a pitcher. Nice. Very lovely just sitting outside without being in a rush and enjoying a drink.
After lunch, we walked a short bit back towards Hagley Park where the Canterbury Museum was located and we went in for a look and confirmed that the free tour of this place was still on for 3:30. We looked around for about an hour and it was a really cool museum and free too.
Then, we went back downstairs to catch the tour. The tour guide, Louisa, asked where everyone was from and if there was anything we’d like to see. I volunteered and said I’d like to see the Victorian Street and then someone else said they’d like to know about navigation. Then, we were off on the tour.
We learned about the first Pacific settlers, and then the Maoris and oh my gosh, it was so funny. Some American guy asked the tour guide “Why don’t you say “Ma-o-ri” like the sign said and everyone looked at the guy and said, she’s saying Maori correctly. Too hilarious! Then, when we reached the Victorian replica street, Louisa spent like 1.5 minutes talking about it and then said if you were interested in it to come back after the tour. Thanks a lot. She wanted to show us the “crown jewels” of the museum, the Antarctic Exploration area.
Actually, this part of the museum was interesting and I’d like to read more about the ill fated journey of the British team who were the second one’s to reach the South Pole after the Norwegians and then everyone died on the return to the base which ended up being only 11 miles away from where they died in their tent. Horrible.
After the tour, we went to look at the Victorian Street and made some jokes. Especially thought it was funny toward the exit of the museum that their replica of the Rosetta Stone was underneath the skeleton of some elk. I had to take a picture of that.
We left the museum and walked back through Hagley Park to the hotel. We got in around 5:30 or so, asked where a grocery store was located at near the hotel at reception, and watched some tv and read our books and hung out. Nothing big. Toyed with the idea of getting room service dessert but we didn’t. We didn’t set the alarm and we went to bed.
May 7
Monday, May 7
But 6:00 came too soon and we lazed in bed for another 30 minutes or so. Then, we were up and taking all the gear back downstairs. We were loaded up and ready to leave a bit before 7:00 or so. Josh went to return the key to reception, the back door to the lounge area was still unlocked. Then, I took some pictures of the outside of the hotel and the sign before we headed out to the Whale Watch tour area.
The sunrise was a burning read color as we drove into the car park for the Whale Watch. There were a couple of other cars there for the tour and people were heading into the tour building. Josh and I finished getting our gear together in the backpack and getting our things situated before going into the building to check in for the tour.
We were at the end of the line and were able to overhear the details regarding the trip as other people checked in. Basically, there was a chance for 30 knot winds and at any time the tour could be canceled. There were really nice plasma screen tvs everywhere that stated the weather conditions and departure times and the likelihood for sea sickness.
The tour itself did not depart until 7:45. So, we killed time by watching a video in the auditorium, Josh bought a postcard, and I went to the bathroom. Then, it was time to go. So, we all boarded a bus…a really nice, top quality bus with comfortable seats. There was some commentary from Rex, the uninspired Maori tour guide. He sounded so bored with it all!
We reached our yacht, the Wheketere or “Fast Squid,” and we boarded after finding out that the smoothest ride was to the rear of the boat. Josh and I sat near the back and the seats were really comfortable and the ship overall was totally plush with a plasma screen tv. There’s room enough for 40+ passengers onboard and we had about 25 people.
Rex showed us some interesting graphics like a depth chart and where the continental shelf was located below the boat. Not long into the ride we spot two dolphins chasing the boat and then we saw our first residential sperm whale “Old Nick.” It was really cool when the whale would dive under the water and you got to see the quintessential shot of the whale’s fin going into the ocean – cool.
We drove around and the mountain view with the snow capped peaks were nice. Then, we spotted another whale and it did the whole float, blow hole spitting water, and dive under with fin thing again. Every time a whale goes under the water it leaves a clear flat spot in the water called a “fingerprint.”
We continued onward and saw another whale…but it was just Old Nick again. But still, we at least got to see him do the whole dive under water and lift the fin upward thing…and this time, the mountains were in the distance so it made a great shot.
Then, we saw dolphins! A whole team of like 8 dolphins just swimming back and forth under and around the boat. We were on top of the deck and taking as many photos as we could as the dolphins swam around. Then, it was time to head back to the shore and we made it back, caught the bus and were at the departure site and the car park by 10:30. There were a lot more people waiting to catch the next tour than had been on the earlier tour, so we were glad that we’d caught the earlier departure. Too, we noticed that the winds were really starting to pick up as we drove out of town.
But before we caught the road out of town, we stopped into a paua shop to see what they had. I passed on buying myself something because I’ll be in NZ a while yet and can find something for myself later on.
Next, we were on our way to Christchurch. We went driving through the windy roads and I was getting so sleepy. I told Josh I was going to sleep if he was okay driving. I nodded off from time to time and then when we reached some small town outside of Christchurch I used the public toilets. We got a text message from Deb regarding a deposit for the Tekapo house. I texted back (my first time ever) that we would deposit money because we still wanted to stay in the house. Then I talked Josh through the directions to find the hotel in Christchurch.
Finding the hotel was easy enough even though I didn’t have a very detailed map. We only went down the right street (but too soon before the hotel) once before turning around and finding the hotel’s entrance. We parked the car and went into reception.
We checked in and we saw that we’d been given a room on the first floor so I asked to be changed to an upstairs room. Got that sorted out and we were on our way to the room. We pulled around the back of the hotel, parked, got our luggage out of the car and went up to the room.
The room was a disappointment after having stayed the night before in a modern room for less money. This room was your standard big hotel room style. Traditional décor and a bit worn around the edges. Not too bad until I found the extra pillow in the closet and when I put it on the bed I noticed a stain that turned out to be a big patch of dried blood….super gross!!! I took a picture and called housekeeping to request a new pillow.
When the housekeeper showed up with the extra pillow she asked if I’d found the pillow in the closet and I said yeah, but I also found this (and showed her the nasty stain). New pillow, Josh was in bed for a nap. Well, we’d already ordered a shuttle to drive us to the city center at 2:30. I went to put on some make up but by 2:20 Josh had determined he wasn’t going into town and I had him call down to reception to say we weren’t going to make the shuttle.
Josh ended up staying asleep until 7:30 or so. By that time, I was mad because he’d said he would get up at 6 and he still wouldn't get up. I just wanted him to stick to his word so I wouldn't have false expectations about when he was planning on getting up. So, we spent the rest of the night in the room eating Mellopuffs and chips for dinner waiting for the next day.
But 6:00 came too soon and we lazed in bed for another 30 minutes or so. Then, we were up and taking all the gear back downstairs. We were loaded up and ready to leave a bit before 7:00 or so. Josh went to return the key to reception, the back door to the lounge area was still unlocked. Then, I took some pictures of the outside of the hotel and the sign before we headed out to the Whale Watch tour area.
The sunrise was a burning read color as we drove into the car park for the Whale Watch. There were a couple of other cars there for the tour and people were heading into the tour building. Josh and I finished getting our gear together in the backpack and getting our things situated before going into the building to check in for the tour.
We were at the end of the line and were able to overhear the details regarding the trip as other people checked in. Basically, there was a chance for 30 knot winds and at any time the tour could be canceled. There were really nice plasma screen tvs everywhere that stated the weather conditions and departure times and the likelihood for sea sickness.
The tour itself did not depart until 7:45. So, we killed time by watching a video in the auditorium, Josh bought a postcard, and I went to the bathroom. Then, it was time to go. So, we all boarded a bus…a really nice, top quality bus with comfortable seats. There was some commentary from Rex, the uninspired Maori tour guide. He sounded so bored with it all!
We reached our yacht, the Wheketere or “Fast Squid,” and we boarded after finding out that the smoothest ride was to the rear of the boat. Josh and I sat near the back and the seats were really comfortable and the ship overall was totally plush with a plasma screen tv. There’s room enough for 40+ passengers onboard and we had about 25 people.
Rex showed us some interesting graphics like a depth chart and where the continental shelf was located below the boat. Not long into the ride we spot two dolphins chasing the boat and then we saw our first residential sperm whale “Old Nick.” It was really cool when the whale would dive under the water and you got to see the quintessential shot of the whale’s fin going into the ocean – cool.
We drove around and the mountain view with the snow capped peaks were nice. Then, we spotted another whale and it did the whole float, blow hole spitting water, and dive under with fin thing again. Every time a whale goes under the water it leaves a clear flat spot in the water called a “fingerprint.”
We continued onward and saw another whale…but it was just Old Nick again. But still, we at least got to see him do the whole dive under water and lift the fin upward thing…and this time, the mountains were in the distance so it made a great shot.
Then, we saw dolphins! A whole team of like 8 dolphins just swimming back and forth under and around the boat. We were on top of the deck and taking as many photos as we could as the dolphins swam around. Then, it was time to head back to the shore and we made it back, caught the bus and were at the departure site and the car park by 10:30. There were a lot more people waiting to catch the next tour than had been on the earlier tour, so we were glad that we’d caught the earlier departure. Too, we noticed that the winds were really starting to pick up as we drove out of town.
But before we caught the road out of town, we stopped into a paua shop to see what they had. I passed on buying myself something because I’ll be in NZ a while yet and can find something for myself later on.
Next, we were on our way to Christchurch. We went driving through the windy roads and I was getting so sleepy. I told Josh I was going to sleep if he was okay driving. I nodded off from time to time and then when we reached some small town outside of Christchurch I used the public toilets. We got a text message from Deb regarding a deposit for the Tekapo house. I texted back (my first time ever) that we would deposit money because we still wanted to stay in the house. Then I talked Josh through the directions to find the hotel in Christchurch.
Finding the hotel was easy enough even though I didn’t have a very detailed map. We only went down the right street (but too soon before the hotel) once before turning around and finding the hotel’s entrance. We parked the car and went into reception.
We checked in and we saw that we’d been given a room on the first floor so I asked to be changed to an upstairs room. Got that sorted out and we were on our way to the room. We pulled around the back of the hotel, parked, got our luggage out of the car and went up to the room.
The room was a disappointment after having stayed the night before in a modern room for less money. This room was your standard big hotel room style. Traditional décor and a bit worn around the edges. Not too bad until I found the extra pillow in the closet and when I put it on the bed I noticed a stain that turned out to be a big patch of dried blood….super gross!!! I took a picture and called housekeeping to request a new pillow.
When the housekeeper showed up with the extra pillow she asked if I’d found the pillow in the closet and I said yeah, but I also found this (and showed her the nasty stain). New pillow, Josh was in bed for a nap. Well, we’d already ordered a shuttle to drive us to the city center at 2:30. I went to put on some make up but by 2:20 Josh had determined he wasn’t going into town and I had him call down to reception to say we weren’t going to make the shuttle.
Josh ended up staying asleep until 7:30 or so. By that time, I was mad because he’d said he would get up at 6 and he still wouldn't get up. I just wanted him to stick to his word so I wouldn't have false expectations about when he was planning on getting up. So, we spent the rest of the night in the room eating Mellopuffs and chips for dinner waiting for the next day.
May 6
Sunday, May 6
Josh and I woke up around 8:30. We had to check out (which meant leaving the key in the sliding glass door of our room) by 10. We could still use the kitchen after 10 though. We loaded up all our gear and were in the kitchen around 10 to make ourselves a hot tea and have a chocolate granola bar. I finally made Josh’s tea the right way by adding cold tap water over the hot tea because he doesn’t like his drinks too hot while I like mine scaldingly hot. We read a magazine together while we had our drinks then we got on the road to the thermal pools in town.
Everyone in Hanmer Springs was going to the thermal pools it seemed. Which makes sense because why else would you go to Hanmer Springs? We got our gear, remembered that we should get the sunscreen, walked back to the car and I commented that this was like trying to get our act together when we went to the waterpark in Edmonton, Canada.
We saw that there was a line to enter the park. This was the first line for an activity that we’ve encountered on the trip. We got in line and paid for our entry and also for a locker to hold our stuff - $2 for 2 hours. We already had our bathing suits on so we didn’t really have to change, all we did was take our outer clothes off and put them into the locker and we were off to find a hot pool.
While there was a map at the counter where you paid, there was no property map that we could see once you entered the pool area. So, we kinda wondered around and tried to find an area that appealed to us. We went into one of the 36 degree pools first and then which was chlorinated then we went into one of the 40 degree pools that was “natural” or sulpher smelling.
After awhile, that got too hot so we switched back to one of the cooler pools. Back and forth for two hours basically. Then, I noticed that all the different chemicals had turned the opal ring that Larry had given me a brassy color. At least the ring that Josh had bought for me didn’t turn colors! I was a bit bummed about the change-thanks Hanmer Springs!
Well, I’m not a big water person so as the two hour mark approached and our locker time was about to run out, I got out and told Josh he’d have to come too. So, we got out, changed and returned to our car to put up the gear. I was ready for some lunch since the granola bar wasn’t a substantial breakfast.
We walked down the street and the leaves were falling off the trees and were on the ground. It was picture perfect fall weather. Lots of people were sitting outside at cafes but Josh didn’t want to sit outside because he didn’t want to be around smokers. We checked out a menu at a place called On 47 Bar and Grill and went inside.
We picked up menus, found a seat in the corner…a round table big enough for 6-8 people…and tried to figure out what we wanted to order. Hunger crankiness kicked in for me but soon passed. Josh ordered us nachos, fish and chips, and a steak burger. I went to order a Monteith’s Celtic Red beer-yum. When the food came, it was pretty good not great. The nachos really left something to be desired as they were in a soggy tomato water sauce. We ate all the food and were really full so it was time to get on the road to Kaikoura.
We drove on some back roads to Kaikoura and the autumn weather was really nice as were the views. We needed gas but the only small town we drove through didn’t seem to have any gas stations open. Before we reached Kaikoura, I reminded Josh that he had said he hadn’t wanted to come here. And he was like, yeah, I still don’t want to go here. I said I’d ask him how he felt as we were leaving Kaikoura tomorrow.
Luckily, we made it to Kaikoura no problems with running out of gas. We drove down the strip through town and I saw some of the hotels I had considered staying at. They looked really nice and were beachfront property. They had been too expensive so that’s why I hadn’t booked them. We got through town and it seemed we were on the road out of town again when we passed a new development area. There was a new beachfront New World and a small shopping area and then we saw our hotel but drove passed it once.
We got turned around and then we parked the car. We entered the Te Kaikoura Lodge and lifted the reception phone to contact someone to meet us. A lady met us and went through everything saying that she and her husband would not be there that night as another couple was minding the hotel. Then, she proceeded to tell us that we were the only guests booked in that night. Our room didn’t come with a tv or tea making facilities so we were welcome to use the large flat screen in the lobby and the tea facilities in the lobby.
What I wanted to know was, why didn’t we get a free upgrade to one of the studio apartments if no one else was in the hotel that night? I mean, there are 18 studios with tvs and kitchettes and only 3 suites like the one we were staying in. Seriously, what the heck?!? Anyway, we were upstairs which is what I’d asked for and there was a sliver of an ocean view from the edge of the bed and the patio. The room was very modern and fresh and new. Definitely my style. Room 15 would be the room to request as it is on the 2nd floor with the best ocean view.
We went to the car to unload our gear and we had a plan to wash some clothes tonight. Wayne, the guy owner helped carry our bag upstairs and we brought up a lot of stuff. It was around 3:30 or so and we’d been given directions on how to get to the seal colony so off we went down the road.
We reached the seal colony and the snow capped mountain peaks in the distance and the ocean in the foreground were just awesome. The sun was shining so brightly! We’d been told by the hotel owners that we could walk along the beach and then climb up the hill to walk back to the car. High tide wasn’t until 7:15, so we started our walk along the rocky shore…me in flip flops because I’d thought when they said beach walk it would be sandy not rocky!
The beach walk was AWESOME because there were real live seals right there on the shore by us. Too cool! You just don’t get to do this everyday (unless you live in Kaikoura). Around the beach we went…it was a great walk. We saw a place where you could walk up the hill to the track on top. There were grooves the size of feet cut into the very steep hill that you would put your feet into to get to the top. We figured, that can’t be the way to go up so we kept going around the beach.
That is, we walked around the beach until we encountered a fence and were like, Can we go any further? It would be a STEEP climb up but it was getting dark and we really couldn’t go back to the place where those steps were cut into the hill and we certainly couldn’t walk the whole rocky beach back before it got dark and/or the tide came in. So, we made the best decision we could and started to climb up the hill where we were.
We figured that we could use the fence posts that were going up the hill for support, however, that quickly proved false. What had we gotten ourselves into here? This was ridiculous. A sheer hill climb pretty much just holding on to the root of the grasses that were growing on the hill. I took off my flip flops and did the climb barefooted on the slippery wet grass. Heavy praying that we made it to the top. Thinking that the only reason I’d climbed Ayers Rock in Australia was for this moment right now. I would never do anything this stupid again…not recommended. Josh stopped and I was like, I can’t stop because it’s too scary to look down. I kept going and made it to the top.
There was a young guy riding his bike across the top of the hills while Josh made it up the rest of the way. We still weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak, because we didn’t know how far of a walk we had back on top of the hill and then back down to reach the car park.
It was quickly getting dark but Josh didn’t want to run. We made it thanks to Josh’s direction…I think I would have gone down the road that was used for farmers while Josh correctly had us going down the tourist path. Well, as per usual, we’d shut this place down too albeit it wasn’t intentional! There was only one other car in the car park when we left and all the sunlight was nearly gone.
We returned to town and Josh bought gas at the BP and one the gas attendants called Josh “big fella.” Funny. We went to the New World and bought some laundry detergent, doughnuts, chips, and I bought a really big chocolate/caramel muffin.
We went back to the hotel, took a shower, and we got the laundry ready to wash. We took it downstairs to the guest laundry and paid the $2 it cost to wash. We were able to fit everything in the washing tub although there was lots of stuff. We went to the reception area and I made us a hot tea (they even had trim milk in the fridge). Josh found something to watch on tele and I read a month old gossip magazine.
I went to check the laundry alone because Josh had left his shoes upstairs and it had hurt his feet the first time we’d gone to the laundry. The clothes had finished washing and the laundry room was full of condensation because it was so hot and steamy in the room. I put everything into the dryer which cost $3. Then, I went back to the lounge area with Josh. When I went to check the dryer not nearly anything was dry yet. I took out the few things that were dry and the big things like towels and jeans that were sucking up the energy and then I went back to Josh because I only had a $2 coin and two $.50 cent pieces and I needed a $1 coin.
Josh is the talker in the relationship so he asked the reception lady (who had just emerged from…wherever) if she could exchange the two coins for one coin. Then, I went back to the laundry and set things to dry again. Then I told Josh that he should go upstairs with me and get his shoes for whenever the second attempt at drying finished. We read our books while we waited and then we went downstairs to the laundry.
The dryer was still running when we got down there and the condensation was thick but not as bad as when I’d gone down there the first time. I opened the running dryer and found the clothes to be dry. When I shut the dryer door just to finish out the time I thought the dryer had running on it, it wouldn’t start again.
So, the things were dry and we took them out and went back to the room. We packed up our clean clothes (so nice to have freshly washed clothes – wonderful) and we finished up our reading and we were in bed around 11. The alarm was set for 6:00 because we had to be at the Whale Watching tour by 7:15. Josh kept commenting how comfortable the bed was and he was right. New linens and high quality too made for a very comfortable sleep.
Josh and I woke up around 8:30. We had to check out (which meant leaving the key in the sliding glass door of our room) by 10. We could still use the kitchen after 10 though. We loaded up all our gear and were in the kitchen around 10 to make ourselves a hot tea and have a chocolate granola bar. I finally made Josh’s tea the right way by adding cold tap water over the hot tea because he doesn’t like his drinks too hot while I like mine scaldingly hot. We read a magazine together while we had our drinks then we got on the road to the thermal pools in town.
Everyone in Hanmer Springs was going to the thermal pools it seemed. Which makes sense because why else would you go to Hanmer Springs? We got our gear, remembered that we should get the sunscreen, walked back to the car and I commented that this was like trying to get our act together when we went to the waterpark in Edmonton, Canada.
We saw that there was a line to enter the park. This was the first line for an activity that we’ve encountered on the trip. We got in line and paid for our entry and also for a locker to hold our stuff - $2 for 2 hours. We already had our bathing suits on so we didn’t really have to change, all we did was take our outer clothes off and put them into the locker and we were off to find a hot pool.
While there was a map at the counter where you paid, there was no property map that we could see once you entered the pool area. So, we kinda wondered around and tried to find an area that appealed to us. We went into one of the 36 degree pools first and then which was chlorinated then we went into one of the 40 degree pools that was “natural” or sulpher smelling.
After awhile, that got too hot so we switched back to one of the cooler pools. Back and forth for two hours basically. Then, I noticed that all the different chemicals had turned the opal ring that Larry had given me a brassy color. At least the ring that Josh had bought for me didn’t turn colors! I was a bit bummed about the change-thanks Hanmer Springs!
Well, I’m not a big water person so as the two hour mark approached and our locker time was about to run out, I got out and told Josh he’d have to come too. So, we got out, changed and returned to our car to put up the gear. I was ready for some lunch since the granola bar wasn’t a substantial breakfast.
We walked down the street and the leaves were falling off the trees and were on the ground. It was picture perfect fall weather. Lots of people were sitting outside at cafes but Josh didn’t want to sit outside because he didn’t want to be around smokers. We checked out a menu at a place called On 47 Bar and Grill and went inside.
We picked up menus, found a seat in the corner…a round table big enough for 6-8 people…and tried to figure out what we wanted to order. Hunger crankiness kicked in for me but soon passed. Josh ordered us nachos, fish and chips, and a steak burger. I went to order a Monteith’s Celtic Red beer-yum. When the food came, it was pretty good not great. The nachos really left something to be desired as they were in a soggy tomato water sauce. We ate all the food and were really full so it was time to get on the road to Kaikoura.
We drove on some back roads to Kaikoura and the autumn weather was really nice as were the views. We needed gas but the only small town we drove through didn’t seem to have any gas stations open. Before we reached Kaikoura, I reminded Josh that he had said he hadn’t wanted to come here. And he was like, yeah, I still don’t want to go here. I said I’d ask him how he felt as we were leaving Kaikoura tomorrow.
Luckily, we made it to Kaikoura no problems with running out of gas. We drove down the strip through town and I saw some of the hotels I had considered staying at. They looked really nice and were beachfront property. They had been too expensive so that’s why I hadn’t booked them. We got through town and it seemed we were on the road out of town again when we passed a new development area. There was a new beachfront New World and a small shopping area and then we saw our hotel but drove passed it once.
We got turned around and then we parked the car. We entered the Te Kaikoura Lodge and lifted the reception phone to contact someone to meet us. A lady met us and went through everything saying that she and her husband would not be there that night as another couple was minding the hotel. Then, she proceeded to tell us that we were the only guests booked in that night. Our room didn’t come with a tv or tea making facilities so we were welcome to use the large flat screen in the lobby and the tea facilities in the lobby.
What I wanted to know was, why didn’t we get a free upgrade to one of the studio apartments if no one else was in the hotel that night? I mean, there are 18 studios with tvs and kitchettes and only 3 suites like the one we were staying in. Seriously, what the heck?!? Anyway, we were upstairs which is what I’d asked for and there was a sliver of an ocean view from the edge of the bed and the patio. The room was very modern and fresh and new. Definitely my style. Room 15 would be the room to request as it is on the 2nd floor with the best ocean view.
We went to the car to unload our gear and we had a plan to wash some clothes tonight. Wayne, the guy owner helped carry our bag upstairs and we brought up a lot of stuff. It was around 3:30 or so and we’d been given directions on how to get to the seal colony so off we went down the road.
We reached the seal colony and the snow capped mountain peaks in the distance and the ocean in the foreground were just awesome. The sun was shining so brightly! We’d been told by the hotel owners that we could walk along the beach and then climb up the hill to walk back to the car. High tide wasn’t until 7:15, so we started our walk along the rocky shore…me in flip flops because I’d thought when they said beach walk it would be sandy not rocky!
The beach walk was AWESOME because there were real live seals right there on the shore by us. Too cool! You just don’t get to do this everyday (unless you live in Kaikoura). Around the beach we went…it was a great walk. We saw a place where you could walk up the hill to the track on top. There were grooves the size of feet cut into the very steep hill that you would put your feet into to get to the top. We figured, that can’t be the way to go up so we kept going around the beach.
That is, we walked around the beach until we encountered a fence and were like, Can we go any further? It would be a STEEP climb up but it was getting dark and we really couldn’t go back to the place where those steps were cut into the hill and we certainly couldn’t walk the whole rocky beach back before it got dark and/or the tide came in. So, we made the best decision we could and started to climb up the hill where we were.
We figured that we could use the fence posts that were going up the hill for support, however, that quickly proved false. What had we gotten ourselves into here? This was ridiculous. A sheer hill climb pretty much just holding on to the root of the grasses that were growing on the hill. I took off my flip flops and did the climb barefooted on the slippery wet grass. Heavy praying that we made it to the top. Thinking that the only reason I’d climbed Ayers Rock in Australia was for this moment right now. I would never do anything this stupid again…not recommended. Josh stopped and I was like, I can’t stop because it’s too scary to look down. I kept going and made it to the top.
There was a young guy riding his bike across the top of the hills while Josh made it up the rest of the way. We still weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak, because we didn’t know how far of a walk we had back on top of the hill and then back down to reach the car park.
It was quickly getting dark but Josh didn’t want to run. We made it thanks to Josh’s direction…I think I would have gone down the road that was used for farmers while Josh correctly had us going down the tourist path. Well, as per usual, we’d shut this place down too albeit it wasn’t intentional! There was only one other car in the car park when we left and all the sunlight was nearly gone.
We returned to town and Josh bought gas at the BP and one the gas attendants called Josh “big fella.” Funny. We went to the New World and bought some laundry detergent, doughnuts, chips, and I bought a really big chocolate/caramel muffin.
We went back to the hotel, took a shower, and we got the laundry ready to wash. We took it downstairs to the guest laundry and paid the $2 it cost to wash. We were able to fit everything in the washing tub although there was lots of stuff. We went to the reception area and I made us a hot tea (they even had trim milk in the fridge). Josh found something to watch on tele and I read a month old gossip magazine.
I went to check the laundry alone because Josh had left his shoes upstairs and it had hurt his feet the first time we’d gone to the laundry. The clothes had finished washing and the laundry room was full of condensation because it was so hot and steamy in the room. I put everything into the dryer which cost $3. Then, I went back to the lounge area with Josh. When I went to check the dryer not nearly anything was dry yet. I took out the few things that were dry and the big things like towels and jeans that were sucking up the energy and then I went back to Josh because I only had a $2 coin and two $.50 cent pieces and I needed a $1 coin.
Josh is the talker in the relationship so he asked the reception lady (who had just emerged from…wherever) if she could exchange the two coins for one coin. Then, I went back to the laundry and set things to dry again. Then I told Josh that he should go upstairs with me and get his shoes for whenever the second attempt at drying finished. We read our books while we waited and then we went downstairs to the laundry.
The dryer was still running when we got down there and the condensation was thick but not as bad as when I’d gone down there the first time. I opened the running dryer and found the clothes to be dry. When I shut the dryer door just to finish out the time I thought the dryer had running on it, it wouldn’t start again.
So, the things were dry and we took them out and went back to the room. We packed up our clean clothes (so nice to have freshly washed clothes – wonderful) and we finished up our reading and we were in bed around 11. The alarm was set for 6:00 because we had to be at the Whale Watching tour by 7:15. Josh kept commenting how comfortable the bed was and he was right. New linens and high quality too made for a very comfortable sleep.
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