Thought I'd end with us getting safely home. We had a great time in Sydney walking around the Harbor, seeing the opera house, the Harbor Bridge and raising a pint in the Three Monkeys Bar! Enjoyed on last morning of hot pot, coffee and milk in the mini-fridge. That is such a nice touch in any hotel room. I love when they hand you your little jug of milk.
The Sydney airport was hectic and I struck up a conversation with a few other Delta employees who had been traveling in Australia and waiting for seat assignments. We all got Business Class which was nice. However, and I'm not complaining here, just stating a fact, all the non-revs are placed in the very back of Business Class with the wall separating you from the bulkhead of coach. And guess what goes on the bulkhead wall in coach. The slide in baby cribs. There were three babies, all under a year old, making the same 13 hour flight. And one of them, was a screamer. And not a scream for a few minutes and sleep baby. It was a six hour screamer. The only way you could keep from gnashing your teeth was to put in earplugs, then head phones over and then watch a movie on loud. You could feel a calm settle over the entire plane when that kid finally fell asleep.
The plane took of at 10 am Thursday from Syndey and landed at 6 am Thursday in LA. Not quite sure how that happens but I would have rather had the extra day in New Zealand. The airport security and lines and personnel at the LA airport were a nightmare. Do they not know that every day, at the same time, these planes arrive? Customs was long, password check was long, baggage check was long, the xray machine in our line broke, it went on and on. Plus you're tired, not sure if you're hungry, thirsty, tired, frustrated, crabby or a combination of all. BUT, again, not complaining, we were back on home soil and had made the plane which is always nice. Until you travel with NO ticket, you can't understand the relief of having the airport desk call you name and hand you seats. You are pretty much at their mercy.
I watched four movies, can't even tell you which ones, and then slept for about three hours. You aren't really tired at that point, but you sort of are??? I managed to be awake for the first meal, missed the middle one, and didn't feel like eating the last. Three hours later, while cooling my heals in LA, I was sorry I passed up the eggs. BUT, we were back in the US and everything seemed so CHEAP!!! A Vanity Fair magazine in NZ cost $15.50. At the LA airport, only $3.75. It seemed like a bargain!
We stopped at the local grocery store on the way home for some basics. Again, we felt like royaly. A head of lettuce for just $1.49!! WOW! Get five!! And guess what I found at our local store, a Clearance Section!!! For some reason, I have never even looked in there before. Maybe I will now.
We got home, looked at mail, had a bowl of cereal and took naps. Larry had more ambition than I did and went for a bike ride. I did four loads of laundry, caught up on mail, paid bills and we managed to stay up till 10 PM. I slept OK and feel actually pretty good this morning. So I'm going to try to get back into my routine, we'll print some of our pictures and try once more to get some either on this blog on e-mail.
Hope you enjoyed the blog. It was fun remembering the day this way. Maybe next I'll blog about our upstairs bathroom remodel. I'm sure that won't be near as pleasant. I'll let you know when we set out again. Thanks for reading. Terry
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Last day in New Zealand, then Sydney, then home
Last night's hotel was bucolic to say the least. Ocean about 100 yards one direction with a pasture of 12 sheep right outside our balcony. Mountains to the left. Town and penisula to the right. What we failed to notice, and the front desk failed to mention, was the coastal railroad tracks on the other side of the sheep fence.
I can tell you loud and clear, I heard the train at 12:12, 2:16, 4:13 and 6:10. As in AM. But we had to get up early to make the three hour drive back to ChristChurch. We were amazed that on this major highway (Highway 1) it is still just two lane and still one lane bridges. We saw more trucks today between 7 am and 10 am but they always pull over as soon as they can. Made the trip in good time and almost drove back to Hanmer Springs when we say the sign come up twice. I'm sure we could find some kind of jobs there. If nothing else, I could go into the advertising business for the cookie names!
Turned the rental car back in and high fived each other that we had survived with no near misses, no dents, no hit and runs with sheep or cattle or the dreaded mountain clown, the kia!
Returned to the ChristChurch airport and in true Moffitt style, we had made a picnic lunch of our last remaining scraps of picnic. Four pieces of bread left for the remaining peanut butter and jelly. Six Toffee Ta Ta's, one orange, one apple and a V-8. It made for a nice lunch on the airport chairs. Larry used the last of our NZ money for a coffee, one more postcard and some lanolin hand cream.
We flew Qantas back to Sydney and caught a shuttle into town. Tonight we just walked down to the harbor, saw the opera house, the harbor bridge and enjoyed a lager at a local pub. The city streets are packed for a Wednesday night and we both noticed the large number of smokers.
We did get a chance to call Lauren. She says when she sees the odd number on her cell phone, she now figures it's us calling from some strange place. She ignored us the first time we called thinking we were telemarketers. It's always nice to talk to the kids, touch base, see how they are and tell them about your travels.
Lauren admitted that her dad had spoiled her as far as travel. He has taken us on so many adventures and does 100% of the planning. It almost always works out for the best, we have transportation, places to stay, food and we see so many things. Lauren is going to have to learn to be the travel planner for herself I guess.
WE've decided that we would definitly come back to the South Island of New Zealand and possibly explore the north island as well. It would be fun to linger longer in the small towns, do more and longer treks, enjoy the friendly people and not feel rushed to pack it all in. We didn't get to the top of the south with Blenheim, Picton and Nelson. That will give us something to look forward to.
Larry thinks the New Zealanders like to do "just enough". A road that hugs the coast and takes up no more room than it needs to. Bridges that encourage patience and manners. Signs that encourage people to use their common sense. A country that truly supports its natural wonders and is working hard to preserve them.
I did get my two packs of Mint Treats thru customs. I was a bit worried when I was escorted to the Quarantine Line when I claimed I had brought food in to the country. I decided it wasn't worth the risk of saying no. I saw people with their huge suitcases opened, flinging out clothes, showing what they had. When I gave my customs claim form to the uniformed security personnel, he said "What type of food have you got there?" I answered "Two packages of unopened Mint Treat cookies". And he said, I hope you enjoy them, and let me go on my way. If he had made me leave them I would have eaten every single one before moving on.
When we get home we will try to load the best of the pictures on here. We have a lot. Just remember the pictures won't do justice to the depth and majesty of the mountains and how many shades of green there was and how the air smelled and how you could smell snow, ocean, sheep and fir trees all at once.
I would highly recommend a visit here. It's a long trip and I hear the return is even harder on the body but I'm sure we'll manage just fine. We leave in the morning so we won't be tired at all. I wonder how many movies I can actually watch in one sitting?
I can tell you loud and clear, I heard the train at 12:12, 2:16, 4:13 and 6:10. As in AM. But we had to get up early to make the three hour drive back to ChristChurch. We were amazed that on this major highway (Highway 1) it is still just two lane and still one lane bridges. We saw more trucks today between 7 am and 10 am but they always pull over as soon as they can. Made the trip in good time and almost drove back to Hanmer Springs when we say the sign come up twice. I'm sure we could find some kind of jobs there. If nothing else, I could go into the advertising business for the cookie names!
Turned the rental car back in and high fived each other that we had survived with no near misses, no dents, no hit and runs with sheep or cattle or the dreaded mountain clown, the kia!
Returned to the ChristChurch airport and in true Moffitt style, we had made a picnic lunch of our last remaining scraps of picnic. Four pieces of bread left for the remaining peanut butter and jelly. Six Toffee Ta Ta's, one orange, one apple and a V-8. It made for a nice lunch on the airport chairs. Larry used the last of our NZ money for a coffee, one more postcard and some lanolin hand cream.
We flew Qantas back to Sydney and caught a shuttle into town. Tonight we just walked down to the harbor, saw the opera house, the harbor bridge and enjoyed a lager at a local pub. The city streets are packed for a Wednesday night and we both noticed the large number of smokers.
We did get a chance to call Lauren. She says when she sees the odd number on her cell phone, she now figures it's us calling from some strange place. She ignored us the first time we called thinking we were telemarketers. It's always nice to talk to the kids, touch base, see how they are and tell them about your travels.
Lauren admitted that her dad had spoiled her as far as travel. He has taken us on so many adventures and does 100% of the planning. It almost always works out for the best, we have transportation, places to stay, food and we see so many things. Lauren is going to have to learn to be the travel planner for herself I guess.
WE've decided that we would definitly come back to the South Island of New Zealand and possibly explore the north island as well. It would be fun to linger longer in the small towns, do more and longer treks, enjoy the friendly people and not feel rushed to pack it all in. We didn't get to the top of the south with Blenheim, Picton and Nelson. That will give us something to look forward to.
Larry thinks the New Zealanders like to do "just enough". A road that hugs the coast and takes up no more room than it needs to. Bridges that encourage patience and manners. Signs that encourage people to use their common sense. A country that truly supports its natural wonders and is working hard to preserve them.
I did get my two packs of Mint Treats thru customs. I was a bit worried when I was escorted to the Quarantine Line when I claimed I had brought food in to the country. I decided it wasn't worth the risk of saying no. I saw people with their huge suitcases opened, flinging out clothes, showing what they had. When I gave my customs claim form to the uniformed security personnel, he said "What type of food have you got there?" I answered "Two packages of unopened Mint Treat cookies". And he said, I hope you enjoy them, and let me go on my way. If he had made me leave them I would have eaten every single one before moving on.
When we get home we will try to load the best of the pictures on here. We have a lot. Just remember the pictures won't do justice to the depth and majesty of the mountains and how many shades of green there was and how the air smelled and how you could smell snow, ocean, sheep and fir trees all at once.
I would highly recommend a visit here. It's a long trip and I hear the return is even harder on the body but I'm sure we'll manage just fine. We leave in the morning so we won't be tired at all. I wonder how many movies I can actually watch in one sitting?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The coolest, neatest, most fantastic thing ever!!
How's that for a blog title. And it was amazing. But you have to keep reading to find out what it was. Woke to an unbelievably warm, blue sky day in Hanmer Springs and were truly sad to leave. The couple that runs our small hotel said they came here for holidays for 12 years and finally decided to run a small hotel. They said they have tourists in the summer and New Zealanders who come to soak and ski in the winter.
The drive from Hanmer Springs to Kaikura was incredible. Those lush green fields filled with sheep, then rolling hills, then steep, craggy mountains with snow. Kaikuri is a coastal town with whale watching, seal snorkeling, albatross sighting, you name it. And it's all expensive. So what we do is what we do in every town. We go directly to the information/tourist center and ask about their local walks. We were directed to a three hour hike up Mt. Fyffe but after a 30 minute drive into the country, we came to another huge stream to ford and it was too deep. Couldn't park and walk across either. So we headed back to town, had lunch, and went to a sheep shearing show.
The Toffee Ta Ta's were so so. Not near as good as the Mint Treats. We are nearing the end of our picnic supplies and don't want to buy more so the lunches are sort of gross. Bits of bread, a tiny bit of mustard, we shared an orange, that damn shaved chicken, and the cookies. We ate right on the beach so the seagulls were voracious.
The sheep shearing show turned out to be fantastic and only cost $10. Kaikura has a huge peninsula that juts out into the ocean. The rancher's wife grew up in this pink house on the land that faces the beach and her parents owned the entire 600 acres of the peninsula to run sheep. 11 years ago they sold all but 100 acres and the daughter's family is there now. He had a brand new six week old sheepherding puppy that I held and pet almost the entire time.
we got to bottle feed three lambs. We fed a huge ram. Watched him shear a sheep. Got to hold a five week old sheep (which is quite large). And learned a lot about sheep so we could ask all our questions.
What happens to the black sheep? They slaughter them for meat because it's too hard to dye the black wool and they don't want the black in the gene pool.
Only 10% of the ewes are kept after lambing. The rest are sent for slaughter between ages 3 months and 9 months.
After 8 years, the ewes are sent for slaughter for mutton. He said their teeth wear down and the don't lamb as well.
He explained all the different kinds of sheep, what their wool is used for, let us feel the shaved sheep and told us where lanolin comes from. He even showed us how his dog helps him herd. They don't use border collies here they use a breed called Huntaways.
So it was incredibly interesting! Right up the peninsula from his ranch are the seal colonies. Big, blubbery seals that just lay right on the rocks and the sidewalks. From here we did a 2 hour walk along the cliff. You can see across the peninsula and watch both sides of the ocean from cliffs about 300 feet up. The ocean water is turquouise colored and just beautiful.
On the way back, I decided to leave my walking stick I found for the next hiker. I found this great stick in Queenstown and it took me up the Queenstown Hill, around lake Wanaka, up Diamond Peak, to Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier, around Lake Matheson and it did the hill hike in Hamner Springs. It was a good walking stick. I didn't want to leave it for just anybody to I left it on a high part of the Cliff Walk, leaning against one of the Maori markers. So now someone worthy can take it on further adventures.
Ok, now the incredible part. Larry struck up a conversation with a guy driving a very popular camper van we see all over here. Asked him how it drove, was it comfortable and then where had he been. He told us he had just come from this amazing waterfall hike about 20 minutes out of town and they could watch seal pups just frolic like mad! So before we checked into our hotel we decided to check it out.
His directions were vague. Drive about 20 miles north, out of town, look for a small sign that said Waterfall. So we headed out, looking at all the signs, went about 25 minutes and saw two cars, parked right in front of a sign, right next to the coast highway. So we pulled in and sure enough, it said Ohau Stream Walk and very tiny next to that, waterfall.
So we start up this hike in the woods, that runs along a stream that is covered with rocks. In ten minutes we come to this pool that is about 15 by 30 feet at the bottom of a 100 foot waterfall. And inside the pool, are about 40 seal pups!!! You can stand right there, at the foot of the pool, and just watch them. they are jumping and rolling and diving and sliding down the rocks. when we looked closer, there were seal pups just across the pond in the woods! Laying on trees, on rocks...we couldnt' figure out why there were there or how they got there!! They must come up the steep, rocky stream but we didn't see any do that. We stood there for about an hour just amazed. They weren't afraid but they didn't come right up to us either. It was like a young seal convention. I need to do some research and figure out what the attraction is. and the other people there just came for the walk, they didn't even know there were seals up there. This Japanese couple kept laughing and pointing, it was like something out of disneyland! We guessed all in all there were about50-75 seals in all. All young.
When we finally tore ourselves away to hike back down, the Japanese fellow had crossed the highway and said he saw one of the seals shoot out of the culvert that brought the stream to the ocean. so they must go up that way as well. No one in town mentions this, it's not in any brochures, the locals must keep it quiet. I'm so glad that man in the camper told us about it. So remember, if you ever come to the South Island of New Zealand, 20 minutes north of Kaikuri, right off Highway 1 to Blenheim, stop at the sign on the left that says Ohau Stream Walk. It is one of the neatest things I have ever seen!!!
Tonight's hotel has a very interesting shower. It's one of those Japanese self enclosed showers with about 10 shower heads, it has a sauna in it, a cd and radio, fans, steam, you name it. I was afraid to touch any of the bottoms, including the one labeled "Fun". That is not a joke, there is a button in the shower that says fun. I want Larry to try it first.
We found the best New Market grocery store ever in this town so we bought two packages of Mint Treats that I am going to try to get home and one tube of coffee just so I can show people instant coffee and milk in a tube. We should have brought the camera to take pictures of the cookies, the pet food, and all the other neat stuff.
Wish we had one more week here to explore the top of the south island. Guess we'll just have to come back. Tomorrow we head for Christchurch and then to Sydney for a few days.
good bye shaved chicken!!
The drive from Hanmer Springs to Kaikura was incredible. Those lush green fields filled with sheep, then rolling hills, then steep, craggy mountains with snow. Kaikuri is a coastal town with whale watching, seal snorkeling, albatross sighting, you name it. And it's all expensive. So what we do is what we do in every town. We go directly to the information/tourist center and ask about their local walks. We were directed to a three hour hike up Mt. Fyffe but after a 30 minute drive into the country, we came to another huge stream to ford and it was too deep. Couldn't park and walk across either. So we headed back to town, had lunch, and went to a sheep shearing show.
The Toffee Ta Ta's were so so. Not near as good as the Mint Treats. We are nearing the end of our picnic supplies and don't want to buy more so the lunches are sort of gross. Bits of bread, a tiny bit of mustard, we shared an orange, that damn shaved chicken, and the cookies. We ate right on the beach so the seagulls were voracious.
The sheep shearing show turned out to be fantastic and only cost $10. Kaikura has a huge peninsula that juts out into the ocean. The rancher's wife grew up in this pink house on the land that faces the beach and her parents owned the entire 600 acres of the peninsula to run sheep. 11 years ago they sold all but 100 acres and the daughter's family is there now. He had a brand new six week old sheepherding puppy that I held and pet almost the entire time.
we got to bottle feed three lambs. We fed a huge ram. Watched him shear a sheep. Got to hold a five week old sheep (which is quite large). And learned a lot about sheep so we could ask all our questions.
What happens to the black sheep? They slaughter them for meat because it's too hard to dye the black wool and they don't want the black in the gene pool.
Only 10% of the ewes are kept after lambing. The rest are sent for slaughter between ages 3 months and 9 months.
After 8 years, the ewes are sent for slaughter for mutton. He said their teeth wear down and the don't lamb as well.
He explained all the different kinds of sheep, what their wool is used for, let us feel the shaved sheep and told us where lanolin comes from. He even showed us how his dog helps him herd. They don't use border collies here they use a breed called Huntaways.
So it was incredibly interesting! Right up the peninsula from his ranch are the seal colonies. Big, blubbery seals that just lay right on the rocks and the sidewalks. From here we did a 2 hour walk along the cliff. You can see across the peninsula and watch both sides of the ocean from cliffs about 300 feet up. The ocean water is turquouise colored and just beautiful.
On the way back, I decided to leave my walking stick I found for the next hiker. I found this great stick in Queenstown and it took me up the Queenstown Hill, around lake Wanaka, up Diamond Peak, to Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier, around Lake Matheson and it did the hill hike in Hamner Springs. It was a good walking stick. I didn't want to leave it for just anybody to I left it on a high part of the Cliff Walk, leaning against one of the Maori markers. So now someone worthy can take it on further adventures.
Ok, now the incredible part. Larry struck up a conversation with a guy driving a very popular camper van we see all over here. Asked him how it drove, was it comfortable and then where had he been. He told us he had just come from this amazing waterfall hike about 20 minutes out of town and they could watch seal pups just frolic like mad! So before we checked into our hotel we decided to check it out.
His directions were vague. Drive about 20 miles north, out of town, look for a small sign that said Waterfall. So we headed out, looking at all the signs, went about 25 minutes and saw two cars, parked right in front of a sign, right next to the coast highway. So we pulled in and sure enough, it said Ohau Stream Walk and very tiny next to that, waterfall.
So we start up this hike in the woods, that runs along a stream that is covered with rocks. In ten minutes we come to this pool that is about 15 by 30 feet at the bottom of a 100 foot waterfall. And inside the pool, are about 40 seal pups!!! You can stand right there, at the foot of the pool, and just watch them. they are jumping and rolling and diving and sliding down the rocks. when we looked closer, there were seal pups just across the pond in the woods! Laying on trees, on rocks...we couldnt' figure out why there were there or how they got there!! They must come up the steep, rocky stream but we didn't see any do that. We stood there for about an hour just amazed. They weren't afraid but they didn't come right up to us either. It was like a young seal convention. I need to do some research and figure out what the attraction is. and the other people there just came for the walk, they didn't even know there were seals up there. This Japanese couple kept laughing and pointing, it was like something out of disneyland! We guessed all in all there were about50-75 seals in all. All young.
When we finally tore ourselves away to hike back down, the Japanese fellow had crossed the highway and said he saw one of the seals shoot out of the culvert that brought the stream to the ocean. so they must go up that way as well. No one in town mentions this, it's not in any brochures, the locals must keep it quiet. I'm so glad that man in the camper told us about it. So remember, if you ever come to the South Island of New Zealand, 20 minutes north of Kaikuri, right off Highway 1 to Blenheim, stop at the sign on the left that says Ohau Stream Walk. It is one of the neatest things I have ever seen!!!
Tonight's hotel has a very interesting shower. It's one of those Japanese self enclosed showers with about 10 shower heads, it has a sauna in it, a cd and radio, fans, steam, you name it. I was afraid to touch any of the bottoms, including the one labeled "Fun". That is not a joke, there is a button in the shower that says fun. I want Larry to try it first.
We found the best New Market grocery store ever in this town so we bought two packages of Mint Treats that I am going to try to get home and one tube of coffee just so I can show people instant coffee and milk in a tube. We should have brought the camera to take pictures of the cookies, the pet food, and all the other neat stuff.
Wish we had one more week here to explore the top of the south island. Guess we'll just have to come back. Tomorrow we head for Christchurch and then to Sydney for a few days.
good bye shaved chicken!!
Monday, October 12, 2009
An unexpected, pleasant surprise!
For this blog post, I'll start with what we've seen on our day of traveling as some of you could probably care less what we discuss or think about while in the car. Today we got up to a sunny day, even warm, and head from Franz Josef to Kaikoura. It was a long drive across the country from west to east coast, and it was up passes, around curves. we figure our average speed is 45 mph due to the road conditions. So we randomly picked a ton about two thirds of the way so we didn't waste such a nice day in the car.
First, fill the tank. Gas was $7.10 a gallon in Franz Josef where they have no competition. It's about $6.20 everywhere else. As we headed north, we noticed that almost every sheep farm had a helicopter in the field or under a shed. They must all be glacier pilots on the side. How do you get a farm machinery loan for a helicopter when you are a sheep farmer?
We had spend the night in the Bella Vista hotel which is a franchise here in NZ. The odd thing is that they are all exactly the same. Same exact layout of the building, of the rooms, everything. If you are in room #6 in Franz Josef, it will be in the exact same place in the next town. I woke up and could hardly remember where we were.
The countryside here is dense, lush rainforest. The leaves are huge. You can't even see through them. There is fern and moss on the bottom, then vines, then bushes, then skinny trees combined with big trees. I have no idea how they clear fields for sheep or roads. And in all this foliage, you turn a corner, drive about a mile, and come to a huge scoured rock and barren valley floor with a huge glacier. It is very odd.
Last night we had the tv on and saw a commercial for pet food. The food comes in these huge tubes sort of like Jimmy Dean sausage but 10x as big. The flavors were beef, pork, jellied meats and kangaroo. We wondered why they didn't have possum.
On the way north up the coast, we stopped at the town of Hokitika where they mine and manufacture a lot of jade. We walked up and down a few streets and ended up getting some jade souveniers for the girls that are carved with Maori symbols. Lauren gets the one for wisdom. Sarah gets the one for good luck.
Stopped at another one of the hundreds and hundreds of picnic areas that line the highways. Had shaved chicken again. Believe me when I say if I never, ever have shaved chicken again it will be too soon. we also sampled a NZ made soda called an L &P. It is made from lemon and paeora. I have no idea what paeora is but it tasted sort of like lemon lime. Their tag line read "World famous in New Zealand!" What does that even mean??
As we ate we noticed there are no chipmunks or squirrels here. Just a lot of birds.
Here are all the ways they say Walk or Tral or Hike in New Zealand.
Walk
Walkaway
Bush Walk
Forest Walk
Route
Tramp
Trek
Track
Don't think a Walkaway is easy. The two we saw were 8 hours and the other one was 4 days.
The place we chose to stop for the afternoon and evening is called Hanmer Springs. It is the best town ever!!! It is a small resort type town with a main street that has gas lights on the street and a huge walking path all around the town and up in the mountains. It also has sulphur and geothermal hot springs!! We both had three glasses of local pinot noir with dinner and then soaked in the various hot springs for 90 minutes so if this blog makes no sense, too bad. The water temperaturs vary from cool freshwater to almost 106 in the small sulphur springs. HOT! There were people of all ages and sizes in there. The place was immense. There were probably 15 different pools to choose from so we just soaked from one to the next. I guess it's a destination spot for people all around the northern end of the island. We met a charming older couple from Blenheim who just drove down and were staying for six days!
We did a big hill hike before dinner and our soak. (another hill, another day) An Australian couple asked us to take their picture and then asked where we were from in the States. We said "Utah". When they said they didn't know where that was, we said " California, then Nevada, then Utah". That seemed to make sense to them. Larry thinks we should say "Disneyland" then "Las Vegas" then "Utah". People would really get that.
This small hotel has little tables and chairs right out your sliding door and about six of us were all outside with wine and cheese at the same time so we all struck up a conversation. People are incredibly friendly here, the locals and all the visitors you meet. We have yet to meet one American.
So Hanmer Springs is a big favorite of ours. I want to say and write Hammer Springs but it's Hanmer. I could see staying here for a week. Tomorrow we head for kaikoura, then back to ChristChurch, then Sydney, then home.
Oh yes, I forgot. After almost 10 days of non-stop togetherness, Larry and I had our first minor spat. And it was over a Mint Treat. Those are those incredibly delicious cookies I was mentioning a few posts ago. Today at lunch, after we both had our two, there was only one left. There are 12 in a box and we each had two for lunch yesterday, one for dessert and two for lunch today. That makes 10. So why was there only ONE LEFT?? Who had the extra? And who was getting the last one? It could have gotten ugly but Larry did a good job of cutting the remaining one down the middle. Neither party is taking blame for the lost cookie but I will say here, It Wasn't ME! Today at the grocery store we couldnt' find any more Mint Treats which was very sad but we got a new kind called Toffee Ta Ta. (what is with these names???) That sounds like a stripper name. I'll let you know how Toffee Ta Ta's are after tomorrow's lunch. If Larry doesn't eat them all first.
First, fill the tank. Gas was $7.10 a gallon in Franz Josef where they have no competition. It's about $6.20 everywhere else. As we headed north, we noticed that almost every sheep farm had a helicopter in the field or under a shed. They must all be glacier pilots on the side. How do you get a farm machinery loan for a helicopter when you are a sheep farmer?
We had spend the night in the Bella Vista hotel which is a franchise here in NZ. The odd thing is that they are all exactly the same. Same exact layout of the building, of the rooms, everything. If you are in room #6 in Franz Josef, it will be in the exact same place in the next town. I woke up and could hardly remember where we were.
The countryside here is dense, lush rainforest. The leaves are huge. You can't even see through them. There is fern and moss on the bottom, then vines, then bushes, then skinny trees combined with big trees. I have no idea how they clear fields for sheep or roads. And in all this foliage, you turn a corner, drive about a mile, and come to a huge scoured rock and barren valley floor with a huge glacier. It is very odd.
Last night we had the tv on and saw a commercial for pet food. The food comes in these huge tubes sort of like Jimmy Dean sausage but 10x as big. The flavors were beef, pork, jellied meats and kangaroo. We wondered why they didn't have possum.
On the way north up the coast, we stopped at the town of Hokitika where they mine and manufacture a lot of jade. We walked up and down a few streets and ended up getting some jade souveniers for the girls that are carved with Maori symbols. Lauren gets the one for wisdom. Sarah gets the one for good luck.
Stopped at another one of the hundreds and hundreds of picnic areas that line the highways. Had shaved chicken again. Believe me when I say if I never, ever have shaved chicken again it will be too soon. we also sampled a NZ made soda called an L &P. It is made from lemon and paeora. I have no idea what paeora is but it tasted sort of like lemon lime. Their tag line read "World famous in New Zealand!" What does that even mean??
As we ate we noticed there are no chipmunks or squirrels here. Just a lot of birds.
Here are all the ways they say Walk or Tral or Hike in New Zealand.
Walk
Walkaway
Bush Walk
Forest Walk
Route
Tramp
Trek
Track
Don't think a Walkaway is easy. The two we saw were 8 hours and the other one was 4 days.
The place we chose to stop for the afternoon and evening is called Hanmer Springs. It is the best town ever!!! It is a small resort type town with a main street that has gas lights on the street and a huge walking path all around the town and up in the mountains. It also has sulphur and geothermal hot springs!! We both had three glasses of local pinot noir with dinner and then soaked in the various hot springs for 90 minutes so if this blog makes no sense, too bad. The water temperaturs vary from cool freshwater to almost 106 in the small sulphur springs. HOT! There were people of all ages and sizes in there. The place was immense. There were probably 15 different pools to choose from so we just soaked from one to the next. I guess it's a destination spot for people all around the northern end of the island. We met a charming older couple from Blenheim who just drove down and were staying for six days!
We did a big hill hike before dinner and our soak. (another hill, another day) An Australian couple asked us to take their picture and then asked where we were from in the States. We said "Utah". When they said they didn't know where that was, we said " California, then Nevada, then Utah". That seemed to make sense to them. Larry thinks we should say "Disneyland" then "Las Vegas" then "Utah". People would really get that.
This small hotel has little tables and chairs right out your sliding door and about six of us were all outside with wine and cheese at the same time so we all struck up a conversation. People are incredibly friendly here, the locals and all the visitors you meet. We have yet to meet one American.
So Hanmer Springs is a big favorite of ours. I want to say and write Hammer Springs but it's Hanmer. I could see staying here for a week. Tomorrow we head for kaikoura, then back to ChristChurch, then Sydney, then home.
Oh yes, I forgot. After almost 10 days of non-stop togetherness, Larry and I had our first minor spat. And it was over a Mint Treat. Those are those incredibly delicious cookies I was mentioning a few posts ago. Today at lunch, after we both had our two, there was only one left. There are 12 in a box and we each had two for lunch yesterday, one for dessert and two for lunch today. That makes 10. So why was there only ONE LEFT?? Who had the extra? And who was getting the last one? It could have gotten ugly but Larry did a good job of cutting the remaining one down the middle. Neither party is taking blame for the lost cookie but I will say here, It Wasn't ME! Today at the grocery store we couldnt' find any more Mint Treats which was very sad but we got a new kind called Toffee Ta Ta. (what is with these names???) That sounds like a stripper name. I'll let you know how Toffee Ta Ta's are after tomorrow's lunch. If Larry doesn't eat them all first.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The glaciers, Fox and Franz Joseph
Left Wanaka to a crisp, sunny, beautiful day. Would have loved to spend one more day here but there is a lot of country to cover. We drove 45 minutes with Lake Wanaka on our left (the road hugs the lake so it twists and turns), then 45 minutes with Lake Hawwea on the right. Then an abrupt turn west to towards the coast. we stopped and did a short hike to Blue Pools. suddenly, the mountains were gone and it felt like we were in a rain forest. Dense brush, trees lining the road, and then the ocean in front of us.
We seem to be pretty much the only car on the road going this direction. We see a few more camper vans coming the other way but it is a great time to be here. The roads are empty. All the australians we meet and talk to seem to be doing the trip opposite of us. They went north first, then down the west coast, then the southern tip, then back up the east coast. We headed inland first, then down the east coast, then south, now up the west. We decided it's because in this part of the world the toilets flush counter clockwise so people must do thing counter clockwise and we do them the other way.
A few NZ musings:
About 90% of the bridges are one lane. As you approach, there is a big sign with arrows that shows who has the right of way. Why didn't they just make the bridges a tiny bit bigger and two lane?
Most of the NZ sweaters we have seen are a combination of merino wool and possum. we discovered that possums are hated here, brought on some ship, and they are eating native ducks and eggs. So there are possum traps everywhere. But what kind of hair does a possum have? And why would I want to wear a sweater with possum hair in it?
We wondered if there was a bounty or a reward for bringing in a dead possum or a Douglas fir.
As we headed up the west coast, there was just trees. No fields for once. No sheep. No farms. Just mile after mile after mile of dense brush and trees. Then out of no where there was a random fence adn on the fence was hanging bras. A lot of bras. Larry didn't want to stop for a picture but it was the most bizzare thing I have ever seen. Do people have spare bras to hang on this out of the way fence? I only brought one.
We are determined to find an ice cream store that sells hokey pokey ice cream. We read it was an NZ favorite with toffee bits in it. It's a tad early in the season but I am on a quest for a hokey pokey.
Speaking of treats, for today's lunch we picked out mint cookies that were fantastic!! They didn't even have a fancy NZ name like Razz ma Tazz or Goo Goo Gone. they were called Mint Treats. Imagine a Girl Scout thin mint with a puffy pillow of mint cream on top, then covered in dark chocolate. They were so good that we added a third hike today just so we could eat more for "energy".
We also found a chocolate bar called simply "Energy". It would be like finding a chocolate bar in the States called "Calories".
Practical tips from Larry:
Save all your grocery receipts as they give you four cents off liter of gas. So we save about $2.00 per fill up (gas is $1.60 a liter or $6.50 a gallon)
Eat dinner early and ask for the Backpackers special. it normally runs about $15 and you get vegetables and the beer is usually just $5.00 compared to $8.00.
We walked up to both the Fox Glacier and the Franz Joseph Glacier. They are both on the western side of Mt. Cook where we were our first day. You can see how torn up the ground is from where they receded and the tops of the glaciers are all grey and full of rock. They don't let you get very close unless you have a guide. We did hear and see helicopters and small planes fly over with people throughout the day. I imagine during the high season it is a constant drone.
It was a pretty fair walk up to the snout of the Franz Joseph glacier and while we stood there, huge chunks of rock would come crashing from off the glacier to the ground below. They said someone was killed by a chunk of ice a few years ago so they rope off the very face of it. (they call it a terminal)
Supposedly these two glaciers move three feet a year, either forwards or backwards. If they move forward, it's because of heavy snow pack from about five years ago. If they go back, it's due to drought a few years ago. The rocks in front of the glaciers as you walk up are all grey but they have really neat white stripes in them. Soom look like the white stripe was pressed in and the two grey halves glued on either side.
The weather is warmer now but low clouds are hanging over Mt cook. We did a scenic hike around Lake Matheson and every single bench and look out spot pointed to mt Cook but all we could see was a huge green mountain and then a big cloud. If it's clear up top tomorrow we may have another go at it before heading north.
I had a Radler with dinner tonight. I thought they only had those in Germany. It's a beer that's mixed with lemon lime. Sounds gross but is really refreshing. When the waitress came with our beers Larry said "Don't get them mixed up or I may have a sip of the girly beer and want to go shopping!"
We sat next to a German family today with a four year old and a baby. At the end of their meal the waitress asked in English "Would you like anything for dessert?" and the dad replied in English, "No thank you". Then the four year old said to his dad in German, "What did that lady ask you? did she ask if we wanted dessert?!" I thought that was funny. The dad answered the son quickly so I have no idea what excuse he gave.
Tomorrow we have to decide if we are heading inland again or trying to squeeze in some sight seeing up north in wine country. the distances aren't far but it takes a long time to get anywhere because of the curves, the speed, the mountain passes, etc. Can't imagine what it would be like with numerous tour buses in front and behind.
I'll let you know if get that Hokey-Pokey ice cream cone.
We seem to be pretty much the only car on the road going this direction. We see a few more camper vans coming the other way but it is a great time to be here. The roads are empty. All the australians we meet and talk to seem to be doing the trip opposite of us. They went north first, then down the west coast, then the southern tip, then back up the east coast. We headed inland first, then down the east coast, then south, now up the west. We decided it's because in this part of the world the toilets flush counter clockwise so people must do thing counter clockwise and we do them the other way.
A few NZ musings:
About 90% of the bridges are one lane. As you approach, there is a big sign with arrows that shows who has the right of way. Why didn't they just make the bridges a tiny bit bigger and two lane?
Most of the NZ sweaters we have seen are a combination of merino wool and possum. we discovered that possums are hated here, brought on some ship, and they are eating native ducks and eggs. So there are possum traps everywhere. But what kind of hair does a possum have? And why would I want to wear a sweater with possum hair in it?
We wondered if there was a bounty or a reward for bringing in a dead possum or a Douglas fir.
As we headed up the west coast, there was just trees. No fields for once. No sheep. No farms. Just mile after mile after mile of dense brush and trees. Then out of no where there was a random fence adn on the fence was hanging bras. A lot of bras. Larry didn't want to stop for a picture but it was the most bizzare thing I have ever seen. Do people have spare bras to hang on this out of the way fence? I only brought one.
We are determined to find an ice cream store that sells hokey pokey ice cream. We read it was an NZ favorite with toffee bits in it. It's a tad early in the season but I am on a quest for a hokey pokey.
Speaking of treats, for today's lunch we picked out mint cookies that were fantastic!! They didn't even have a fancy NZ name like Razz ma Tazz or Goo Goo Gone. they were called Mint Treats. Imagine a Girl Scout thin mint with a puffy pillow of mint cream on top, then covered in dark chocolate. They were so good that we added a third hike today just so we could eat more for "energy".
We also found a chocolate bar called simply "Energy". It would be like finding a chocolate bar in the States called "Calories".
Practical tips from Larry:
Save all your grocery receipts as they give you four cents off liter of gas. So we save about $2.00 per fill up (gas is $1.60 a liter or $6.50 a gallon)
Eat dinner early and ask for the Backpackers special. it normally runs about $15 and you get vegetables and the beer is usually just $5.00 compared to $8.00.
We walked up to both the Fox Glacier and the Franz Joseph Glacier. They are both on the western side of Mt. Cook where we were our first day. You can see how torn up the ground is from where they receded and the tops of the glaciers are all grey and full of rock. They don't let you get very close unless you have a guide. We did hear and see helicopters and small planes fly over with people throughout the day. I imagine during the high season it is a constant drone.
It was a pretty fair walk up to the snout of the Franz Joseph glacier and while we stood there, huge chunks of rock would come crashing from off the glacier to the ground below. They said someone was killed by a chunk of ice a few years ago so they rope off the very face of it. (they call it a terminal)
Supposedly these two glaciers move three feet a year, either forwards or backwards. If they move forward, it's because of heavy snow pack from about five years ago. If they go back, it's due to drought a few years ago. The rocks in front of the glaciers as you walk up are all grey but they have really neat white stripes in them. Soom look like the white stripe was pressed in and the two grey halves glued on either side.
The weather is warmer now but low clouds are hanging over Mt cook. We did a scenic hike around Lake Matheson and every single bench and look out spot pointed to mt Cook but all we could see was a huge green mountain and then a big cloud. If it's clear up top tomorrow we may have another go at it before heading north.
I had a Radler with dinner tonight. I thought they only had those in Germany. It's a beer that's mixed with lemon lime. Sounds gross but is really refreshing. When the waitress came with our beers Larry said "Don't get them mixed up or I may have a sip of the girly beer and want to go shopping!"
We sat next to a German family today with a four year old and a baby. At the end of their meal the waitress asked in English "Would you like anything for dessert?" and the dad replied in English, "No thank you". Then the four year old said to his dad in German, "What did that lady ask you? did she ask if we wanted dessert?!" I thought that was funny. The dad answered the son quickly so I have no idea what excuse he gave.
Tomorrow we have to decide if we are heading inland again or trying to squeeze in some sight seeing up north in wine country. the distances aren't far but it takes a long time to get anywhere because of the curves, the speed, the mountain passes, etc. Can't imagine what it would be like with numerous tour buses in front and behind.
I'll let you know if get that Hokey-Pokey ice cream cone.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Mt Aspiring washed out but there are treks everywhere!
Great news, It's not cold it's beautiful outside!!! I actually got to wear my white golf shirt (with fleece over) but nonetheless, it's an unbelievably nice day. We headed out for Mt Aspiring National Park around 8:30 am. The Lake Wanaka region is glitzy. Nice homes surround the lake and a ring of mountains surrounds all of that. They said the year round population is 6,000 but in the summer, that number goes up to 22,000 due to holiday homes. The road followed the lake, with lots of twists and turns, then suddenly, it branched in two directions, one straight up a gravel road to Treble Cone Ski Resort and the other gravel road to Mt. Aspiring.
Treble Cone Ski Resort is smack on the side of a glacier on a mountain. it has two lifts and it costs $99 a day!!! The other two resorts are no cheaper. We were shocked. It's the last weekend so the rate was only $40 and we had snowboarders and manical skiers on our car's rear end the whole way. (only two lane roads here). We were pretty much alone on the gravel road to the national park excpet for the open range cattle and sheep. We had two cattle fighting right near our car and Larry sped by before we got kicked, butted or dented in any way.
About an hour into the drive, the road washed out. Literally. suddenly there was a sign that said "Wash Out" and a huge eight foot chunk out of the road with a 10 foot drop into a stream. You could ford around it but it was fairly deep and our little Nissan Sunny doesn't have that much clearance. So we turned around and found a trek about 40 minutes back the other way. Seriously, you dont have to look hard.There are treks off the road pretty much everywhere.
This trek was called Rocky Diamond Lake trek. It was a three hour loop first up a steep sheep meadow, then thru steep and craggy wet rocks. i think it was a stream as the water was pouring down the trail as we hiked. Then it got a bit steeper and rockier but we could see the top and finally made it and enjoyed an orange while talking to a very nice austrlian couple. (the only other people we saw on the trail). The view was 360 of mountains, valleys, pasture, lake, it was pretty spectacular. The pictures will never do it justice.
Before we started the hike we went to the DOC office (Department of Conservation)/. They had the funniest sign on the door. It said "Swinging bridge has been swept away on the Roy Glacier. Proceed to cross river with caution" So how are you supposed to do that??/ These countries are great about personal responsibility. No guard rails.No signs anywhere for the most part. They just expect you to use your common sense and face the consequences of your actions. In the pool last night they had a sign that said "Please refrain from climbing on the rocks" In the US it would have said, "Climbing is strictly prohibited". So much nicer to say it in a friendly manner.
Four walks were closed for the next six weeks due to lambing. After all the babies we've seen, we wonder if they have them later up here due to the cold?
Here is the style I've noticed from ChristChurch south. The men wear shorts. REgardless if it's raining or freezing, the males wear shorts and not even long shorts but short shorts with massive socks and hiking boots. Even guys with pale, skinny, hairless legs wear shorts.
The women....it's not good. The general looks for females 15-50 is dark leggings with black flat shoes and then a short skirt or jumper over. Mainly it's a short jean skirt that's frayed. Then some kind of sloppy, shapeless sweater with a scarf. From 15-25 it's an ok look but after that, sorry. It looks bad. I thought it would be all Patagonia and North Face and fleece due to all the athletic endeavors.
In the small lobby of the small hotel we are staying in, there is a huge picture of a woman on a skeleton sled coming down a run. Having a daughter that did skeleton for years, i asked the manager, "So who's the woman doing skeleton in your picture? Is she from New Zealand?" He said that picture had been there for six years and no one knows who it is or why it's there. so instead of a scenery picture of New Zealand, they have this random woman doing skeleton and no one know why or who or what.
It was Larry's turn to pick the snack for tomorrow's lunch. And by the way, we are having dinner in the room tonight. Roasted chicken with salad we bought. The red peppers and hydroponic lettuce were all on sale. And we got something called Tiger Skin buns. They smell like they have cheese on top. For the snack Larry picked cookies called Mint Zingers. The cookies here have hysterical names like Flim Flam and Tip Top and Chum Chum. I could be an advertising genius if I moved here.
Today at our tiny, affordable hotel we say two interesting cars. A Masserati (?) and a Bentley. Larry was shocked because the Bentley had a trailer hitch on it.
Practical suggestions from Larry:
Always check with the DOC office before a hike. They can tell you what's closed, what the weather will be, and they rate the treks Easy, Medium Fitness and High Fitness. Might I add, all the ones we've done have been High Fitness. Thank God we bring so much energy along!! They did fail to tell us about the road being washed out but maybe they assumed we could ford it.
Always bring an orange on a hike. It's refreshing and easy to carry.
On all our treks, we are the only ones with belt packs for water. People seem very impressed by this. They all use backpacks.
If your wife is complaining, encourage her to make it to the top of the trek. She will be happy she did.
New Zealand Pinot Noir with hummus and crackers on your hotel balcony is a great way to spend happy hour.
Tomorrow we head for Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. You CAN rent a helicopter and a guide, and fly over the glaciers, land on them and frolic in the snow. But that costs a lot of money. so we will be hiking to the glaciers and touching them for free. You have to pay to frolic here.
We did get one good tip from the tattooed guy in the sauna. He said the Lewis Pass on the north end of the island has hot pools and Japanese soaking rooms. That sound really nice right about now. My left knee aches.
More later!
Treble Cone Ski Resort is smack on the side of a glacier on a mountain. it has two lifts and it costs $99 a day!!! The other two resorts are no cheaper. We were shocked. It's the last weekend so the rate was only $40 and we had snowboarders and manical skiers on our car's rear end the whole way. (only two lane roads here). We were pretty much alone on the gravel road to the national park excpet for the open range cattle and sheep. We had two cattle fighting right near our car and Larry sped by before we got kicked, butted or dented in any way.
About an hour into the drive, the road washed out. Literally. suddenly there was a sign that said "Wash Out" and a huge eight foot chunk out of the road with a 10 foot drop into a stream. You could ford around it but it was fairly deep and our little Nissan Sunny doesn't have that much clearance. So we turned around and found a trek about 40 minutes back the other way. Seriously, you dont have to look hard.There are treks off the road pretty much everywhere.
This trek was called Rocky Diamond Lake trek. It was a three hour loop first up a steep sheep meadow, then thru steep and craggy wet rocks. i think it was a stream as the water was pouring down the trail as we hiked. Then it got a bit steeper and rockier but we could see the top and finally made it and enjoyed an orange while talking to a very nice austrlian couple. (the only other people we saw on the trail). The view was 360 of mountains, valleys, pasture, lake, it was pretty spectacular. The pictures will never do it justice.
Before we started the hike we went to the DOC office (Department of Conservation)/. They had the funniest sign on the door. It said "Swinging bridge has been swept away on the Roy Glacier. Proceed to cross river with caution" So how are you supposed to do that??/ These countries are great about personal responsibility. No guard rails.No signs anywhere for the most part. They just expect you to use your common sense and face the consequences of your actions. In the pool last night they had a sign that said "Please refrain from climbing on the rocks" In the US it would have said, "Climbing is strictly prohibited". So much nicer to say it in a friendly manner.
Four walks were closed for the next six weeks due to lambing. After all the babies we've seen, we wonder if they have them later up here due to the cold?
Here is the style I've noticed from ChristChurch south. The men wear shorts. REgardless if it's raining or freezing, the males wear shorts and not even long shorts but short shorts with massive socks and hiking boots. Even guys with pale, skinny, hairless legs wear shorts.
The women....it's not good. The general looks for females 15-50 is dark leggings with black flat shoes and then a short skirt or jumper over. Mainly it's a short jean skirt that's frayed. Then some kind of sloppy, shapeless sweater with a scarf. From 15-25 it's an ok look but after that, sorry. It looks bad. I thought it would be all Patagonia and North Face and fleece due to all the athletic endeavors.
In the small lobby of the small hotel we are staying in, there is a huge picture of a woman on a skeleton sled coming down a run. Having a daughter that did skeleton for years, i asked the manager, "So who's the woman doing skeleton in your picture? Is she from New Zealand?" He said that picture had been there for six years and no one knows who it is or why it's there. so instead of a scenery picture of New Zealand, they have this random woman doing skeleton and no one know why or who or what.
It was Larry's turn to pick the snack for tomorrow's lunch. And by the way, we are having dinner in the room tonight. Roasted chicken with salad we bought. The red peppers and hydroponic lettuce were all on sale. And we got something called Tiger Skin buns. They smell like they have cheese on top. For the snack Larry picked cookies called Mint Zingers. The cookies here have hysterical names like Flim Flam and Tip Top and Chum Chum. I could be an advertising genius if I moved here.
Today at our tiny, affordable hotel we say two interesting cars. A Masserati (?) and a Bentley. Larry was shocked because the Bentley had a trailer hitch on it.
Practical suggestions from Larry:
Always check with the DOC office before a hike. They can tell you what's closed, what the weather will be, and they rate the treks Easy, Medium Fitness and High Fitness. Might I add, all the ones we've done have been High Fitness. Thank God we bring so much energy along!! They did fail to tell us about the road being washed out but maybe they assumed we could ford it.
Always bring an orange on a hike. It's refreshing and easy to carry.
On all our treks, we are the only ones with belt packs for water. People seem very impressed by this. They all use backpacks.
If your wife is complaining, encourage her to make it to the top of the trek. She will be happy she did.
New Zealand Pinot Noir with hummus and crackers on your hotel balcony is a great way to spend happy hour.
Tomorrow we head for Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. You CAN rent a helicopter and a guide, and fly over the glaciers, land on them and frolic in the snow. But that costs a lot of money. so we will be hiking to the glaciers and touching them for free. You have to pay to frolic here.
We did get one good tip from the tattooed guy in the sauna. He said the Lewis Pass on the north end of the island has hot pools and Japanese soaking rooms. That sound really nice right about now. My left knee aches.
More later!
Pre-hike to Mt. Aspiring
We are headed up to Mt. Aspiring National Park for a "friendly" hike according to a local we met in the sauna last night. I don't trust him. He had huge tattoos on his shoulder and to him, friendly probably means a 6 hour hike that ends up on a glacial overlook. This IS the country that invented bungee jumping, you know! But we are packing up and going there just to have a look around.
Not a cloud in the sky today. Don't know if that means it will be really cold or starting to warm up. i'm bringing my fleece, long underwear and mittens with me no matter what.
Last night as we grocery shopped for our breakfast and picnic lunch, it was fun to look at the different candy they have. When you are somewhere else, their candy seems so much more interesting.
Here are some of the bars they have:
More Nuts
Pinky Bars
Macho Nutty
they have dark chocolate kit kats, (do we have that??)
A lot of their wrappers have penguins on them
Our favorite candy bar so far has been the Boost. It was like a snickers wrapped in a layer of extra nuts, then more chocolate. Talk about a lot of Energy!!
Our least favorite has been the Crispy. It was like a really, old, dried out butterfinger.
When you have a picnic lunch every day, you get excited about the little things. After an entire week of either shaved chicken or shaved ham, today we are having tuna. The tuna here comes in four flavors: plain, thai chili, lemon pepper and olive oil. we chose the lemon pepper.
Ok, we are off. I'll let you know what these Kiwis mean when they say, "Oh, it's a fair and friendly walk". If we don't return, we went to Mt Aspiring National Park. To some trail called the Rob Roy Trail. Isn't he the guy who got his head cut off in Scotland? Greatttttt.
I leave Lauren and Sarah the house and all my belongings.
Lori gets the fish
Not a cloud in the sky today. Don't know if that means it will be really cold or starting to warm up. i'm bringing my fleece, long underwear and mittens with me no matter what.
Last night as we grocery shopped for our breakfast and picnic lunch, it was fun to look at the different candy they have. When you are somewhere else, their candy seems so much more interesting.
Here are some of the bars they have:
More Nuts
Pinky Bars
Macho Nutty
they have dark chocolate kit kats, (do we have that??)
A lot of their wrappers have penguins on them
Our favorite candy bar so far has been the Boost. It was like a snickers wrapped in a layer of extra nuts, then more chocolate. Talk about a lot of Energy!!
Our least favorite has been the Crispy. It was like a really, old, dried out butterfinger.
When you have a picnic lunch every day, you get excited about the little things. After an entire week of either shaved chicken or shaved ham, today we are having tuna. The tuna here comes in four flavors: plain, thai chili, lemon pepper and olive oil. we chose the lemon pepper.
Ok, we are off. I'll let you know what these Kiwis mean when they say, "Oh, it's a fair and friendly walk". If we don't return, we went to Mt Aspiring National Park. To some trail called the Rob Roy Trail. Isn't he the guy who got his head cut off in Scotland? Greatttttt.
I leave Lauren and Sarah the house and all my belongings.
Lori gets the fish
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