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
Milford Sound and beyond
First off, it's cold!!! The long term weather report said 60 but my golf shirts and capri pants have not been worn once. It's been long underwear and fleece every day. Here are our questions from the car today:
Why is lamb eaten so young? What do the sheep do that makes them tough as they age?
How do they decide what sheep is meat and which one is wool? Do only males get eaten? And why do the farmers shave the tops of their tall trees straight instead of leaving them wild and high?
We spent the night at the lake resort town of Teanau and got up early to make the two and a half hour drive to Milford Sound. They said chains might be required but we did it without. As you drive up, up, up, you come to the Homer Tunnel. It is cut right from the rock and has a 10% grade down.
We made the first ship out on the sound at 9:45. Only 16 of us on a huge boat with a naturalist on board. It was so beautiful. Mountains jutting right out of the sea with waterfalls just spilling down. It wasn't sunny but the clouds and rain made it very mystical and created 100's of waterfalls. We saw blue eyed penguins, seals, and gorgeous vistas.
Here are Larry's practical suggestions for Milford Sound.
the night before, fill up with gas if you are getting an early start. it's 220 kilometers round trip with no petrol and the gas stations don't open till 8.
check out of your hotel if you want an early start.
Go rain or shine as the sun is pretty but the rain and clouds make their own beauty.
Go early so you beat the tour buses both on the road and on the Sound.
On the drive back we stopped for a hike and encountered the Kia. The are alpine parrots that are described as inquisitive, curious and destructive. People have started feeding them so they hang around tour bus stops. The are about the size of a chicken with a huge, sharp beak. They break off windshield wipers, antenaes, and shred the tents and sleeping bags of trekkers. The call them "Mountain clowns". We called them ass Clowns because they pestered us during every picnic and they hop sideways really fast.
Here are some things I love in the NZ hotels and B & B's:
They all have a hot pot with a selection of teas, coffees and sometimes cocoa.
When you check in they give you milk for your tea.
The ALL have a hot pot, mini fridge, heated mattress pads and heated towel bars in the bathroom.
Most of them supply the room with plates, silverware, wine glasses, corkscrew and bottle opener.
Some of them have toasters and a microwave.
So eating in the room is fairly easy.
Today, we drove to Queenstown and did a walk around town, and are now spending two nights in Wanaka. Queenstown is a lot like Park City if it had a lake. Two ski resorts, town full of young people, ski clothing shops and bars. And the prices!! It's shoulder season, haven't they heard of two for one coupons?? We went into what looked like the equivalent of an REI. They were having a huge Winter Clearance Sale as the ski resorts close this weekend. A thin, microfiber zip neck T was on sale for $84!! it would have been $24.99 at REI. The funny thing was, it was called the Utah Mountain Shirt.
We decided after our picnic lunch in the Queenstown Park, (which was freezing) to do a hike. so we chose one called the Queenstown Hill Walk. It was 2300 feet up. And it was almost straight up. It was STEEP. We actually started from town, went up steep stairs thru the town, to the start of the walk. The path kept getting steeper and steeper. As a matter of fact, you can talk a gondola from the bottom of town up the mountain across the valley from us. We walked higher than that! At the top, the wind was howling but the view was terrific. We only saw six other people on the hike and coming down was equally tough. They call this a hill????
More grocery news:
The stuff that's expensive back home is on the affordable end here. Hydroponic lettuce was just $2.99 a head and the regular was $7.99. Same for tomatoes. And dark chocolate covered nuts were more affordable than regular nuts. Beer and wine is really expensive but it doesn't seem to stop anyone from buying it.
The best difference is how they label food. Nothing has calories it has "Energy!" So you eat something and see how much energy it's giving you, not how many calories. I think that's a good way of looking at it.
My three favorite names so far:
Mount Aspiring
The Remarkables (a mountain range)
And the town of Athole./ If you are from there, are you an Atholian? Or just a regular athole.
They dont' have kennels they have pet lodges. And cattery's. What do we call it in the US when you leave your cat somewhere?
In Wanaka we found a place to stay that has a sauna and seven hot tubs. It felt great after the hike. AND, we found a local diner, several blocks off the main drag, that had Roast Lamb!! So tonight we had roast lamb, mashed potatoes with mustard seed, roasted pumpkin and broccoli for just $16.00 a person. Seemed like a deal.
We are spending the day in Wanaka and may do the drive up to Mt. Aspiring National Park to do another stroll. (10 hours) or a jaunt (7 hours) They call their treks "tramping" which sounds like it should be slow and methodical.
Hope the kea's don't destroy our car.
Why is lamb eaten so young? What do the sheep do that makes them tough as they age?
How do they decide what sheep is meat and which one is wool? Do only males get eaten? And why do the farmers shave the tops of their tall trees straight instead of leaving them wild and high?
We spent the night at the lake resort town of Teanau and got up early to make the two and a half hour drive to Milford Sound. They said chains might be required but we did it without. As you drive up, up, up, you come to the Homer Tunnel. It is cut right from the rock and has a 10% grade down.
We made the first ship out on the sound at 9:45. Only 16 of us on a huge boat with a naturalist on board. It was so beautiful. Mountains jutting right out of the sea with waterfalls just spilling down. It wasn't sunny but the clouds and rain made it very mystical and created 100's of waterfalls. We saw blue eyed penguins, seals, and gorgeous vistas.
Here are Larry's practical suggestions for Milford Sound.
the night before, fill up with gas if you are getting an early start. it's 220 kilometers round trip with no petrol and the gas stations don't open till 8.
check out of your hotel if you want an early start.
Go rain or shine as the sun is pretty but the rain and clouds make their own beauty.
Go early so you beat the tour buses both on the road and on the Sound.
On the drive back we stopped for a hike and encountered the Kia. The are alpine parrots that are described as inquisitive, curious and destructive. People have started feeding them so they hang around tour bus stops. The are about the size of a chicken with a huge, sharp beak. They break off windshield wipers, antenaes, and shred the tents and sleeping bags of trekkers. The call them "Mountain clowns". We called them ass Clowns because they pestered us during every picnic and they hop sideways really fast.
Here are some things I love in the NZ hotels and B & B's:
They all have a hot pot with a selection of teas, coffees and sometimes cocoa.
When you check in they give you milk for your tea.
The ALL have a hot pot, mini fridge, heated mattress pads and heated towel bars in the bathroom.
Most of them supply the room with plates, silverware, wine glasses, corkscrew and bottle opener.
Some of them have toasters and a microwave.
So eating in the room is fairly easy.
Today, we drove to Queenstown and did a walk around town, and are now spending two nights in Wanaka. Queenstown is a lot like Park City if it had a lake. Two ski resorts, town full of young people, ski clothing shops and bars. And the prices!! It's shoulder season, haven't they heard of two for one coupons?? We went into what looked like the equivalent of an REI. They were having a huge Winter Clearance Sale as the ski resorts close this weekend. A thin, microfiber zip neck T was on sale for $84!! it would have been $24.99 at REI. The funny thing was, it was called the Utah Mountain Shirt.
We decided after our picnic lunch in the Queenstown Park, (which was freezing) to do a hike. so we chose one called the Queenstown Hill Walk. It was 2300 feet up. And it was almost straight up. It was STEEP. We actually started from town, went up steep stairs thru the town, to the start of the walk. The path kept getting steeper and steeper. As a matter of fact, you can talk a gondola from the bottom of town up the mountain across the valley from us. We walked higher than that! At the top, the wind was howling but the view was terrific. We only saw six other people on the hike and coming down was equally tough. They call this a hill????
More grocery news:
The stuff that's expensive back home is on the affordable end here. Hydroponic lettuce was just $2.99 a head and the regular was $7.99. Same for tomatoes. And dark chocolate covered nuts were more affordable than regular nuts. Beer and wine is really expensive but it doesn't seem to stop anyone from buying it.
The best difference is how they label food. Nothing has calories it has "Energy!" So you eat something and see how much energy it's giving you, not how many calories. I think that's a good way of looking at it.
My three favorite names so far:
Mount Aspiring
The Remarkables (a mountain range)
And the town of Athole./ If you are from there, are you an Atholian? Or just a regular athole.
They dont' have kennels they have pet lodges. And cattery's. What do we call it in the US when you leave your cat somewhere?
In Wanaka we found a place to stay that has a sauna and seven hot tubs. It felt great after the hike. AND, we found a local diner, several blocks off the main drag, that had Roast Lamb!! So tonight we had roast lamb, mashed potatoes with mustard seed, roasted pumpkin and broccoli for just $16.00 a person. Seemed like a deal.
We are spending the day in Wanaka and may do the drive up to Mt. Aspiring National Park to do another stroll. (10 hours) or a jaunt (7 hours) They call their treks "tramping" which sounds like it should be slow and methodical.
Hope the kea's don't destroy our car.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
On our way to Milford Sound
Yesterday we spent the day in Oamaru, on the Eastern coast. It reminded me of Seaside, Oregon only not as tacky. The buildings are all stone and Victorian. And great news, we saw the elusive yellow eyed penguins that Larry was so determined to see! More on that in a bit.
First, we drove in around 2 from Twizel and had our picnic lunch in a beautiful botanical garden. There have been gorgeous gardens with paths and fountains and birds in almost every city, large and small. It's a great place to eat, people watch adn walk. Then we hit the information bureau for "Penguin Info". Seriously, I was dumbfounded by how excited Larry was at the thought of seeing penguins in the wild. I would have been right there with him if they were being chased by leopard seals or killer whales but just coming ashore??? So we first went to our B & B to get rid of our luggage. This was a beautiful place. A huge Victorian house with ten rooms on the second floor. We were the only guests so we got this huge room that overlooked their lush garden complete with chickens, vegetables, herbs, etc. Downstairs was a tv room and a reading room you could use and the dining room for breakfast.
Then we bundled up and drove to this far spit of land where the yellow eyed penguins are supposed to nest. These are the endangered ones. the blue-eyed penguins come ashore by the hundreds and you have to pay $20 each to sit on bleachers as the parade by after coming ashore. You do this in the dark so they light them up with infrared lights. We thought this was stupid and weren't going to pay $40 for this. So, we hiked to the beach overlook, high up a cliff, and waited with about 40 other people with cameras. The estimated time for the yellow eyed penguins to return from their day at sea is between 3:30-7:30. We got there at 5:45. After just 15 minutes someone shouted adn sure enough, there was this penguin in the surf, just bobbing and being tossed about, waiting to come ashore. Then someone spotted another one. This section of coast is only about a quarter mile long so we kept looking up and down with binoculars. Then we saw another one. In just one hour, we saw five! Once they came ashore, they just sit and preen and clean and don't seem to worried. but you aren't allowed on that section of beach after 3 to leave them alone.
It was COLD up there and windy but we were very happy to see five of those endangered penguins. they supposedly swim off shore for up to 50 miles for the entire day before returning home to their nests.
Then we came back for hot tea at the B & B and got ready for dinner. have I mentioned yet how expensive it is here? A bowl of soup is $9.00. A typical entree at night of fish and some potatoes can be up to $28! That's why we eat every bite if we stay at a B & B for breakfast and go to the grocery store for picnic food for lunch. This night we walked down the main drag and found a pub that had a porterhouse special for $16.00 including salad and chips. Neither of us is big red meat eaters but for a $16 dinner, we could choke it down. We asked for veggies instead of chips and got a big plate of roasted vegetables along with our steak.
This morning the woman host fixed us the most amazing breakfast. First, they husband made us lattes with a milk foamer that were terrific. Then she gathered fresh eggs from her backyard (this is a house in the city, one block from the main street, but a big backyard). Plus fresh herbs. We started with homemade mueseli with plain yoghurt and fresh fruit. then she scrambled up her fresh eggs, with garden tomatoes and herbs on homemade bread with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, thick bacon and onions./ It was incredible!!
Before we hit the road for a long day's drive to TeAnue, we stopped at the local grocery store for picnic supplies and Larry hit the jackpot. He actually said that, "Come over here, I hit the jackpot!!" He found the fridge with the Clearance Items. Sliced deli chicken that was good till the next day along with yoghurt one day past the expiration and a round of brie. It was 80% off and so that's what we got. Didnt even get sick. my mom would be so proud cuz those expiration dates didn't scare us one bit. Now we keep looking for those deals in every store.
Here's some random notes on New Zealand:
Lamb has not been on the menu ONCE! We thought we'd eat affordable lamb every day but our B & B host said it's very expensive because the farmers charge the restaurants and people what they can get to ship it to the states or Germany. So, we havent' had lamb.
Restaurants we thought we'd see Lamb-orama Nuttin but Mutton Ewes R Us
We wondered how they decided what sheep get eaten and which ones they will use for wool?
They don't call milk regular and skim. They call it standard and trim.
Food is not called "To Go" it is called "Take Away"
There is one small picnic table along the highways everywhere! Some are by a pasture or at a great overlook. So if you want to stop for a drink or a snack or lunch, you just find a table, pull over and enjoy the view.
So far this country has been incredibly clean. We have barely seen a piece of trash anywhere!
As we drove today and I read the map, we noticed something interesting. The town names would go back and forth between English sounding and Maori sounding. This is the exact order as we drove "Herbert" "Taranui" "Hampden" "Moeraki" "Palmerston" "Waikowiti" "Brighton" "Waihola" It's like they took turns naming them.
The place we are in tonight has wifi which is why I get to sit here and write for so long. It's great. I think tomorrow night's does too. It's nice to check the e-mails. We did get a phone call in to Lauren today and actually caught her inbetween class and working at the free clinic. She almost didn't pick up cuz she thought it was a telemarketer number. It's such an odd feeling to be so far away and hear someone plain as day on the line.
tomorrow we are getting up early to make the 2 and a half hour drive up this scenic but desolate road to Milford sound. Most people go by tour bus or float plane. We are talking a naturalist boat tour out at 9:45 up the sound and back. Then hope to hike off the road on the way back. There is really no straight road to anything. They all wind and bend and go up passes and back down and around huge glacial lakes. So you just go with the flow.
Good news. i saw my first working border collie today. It was up a big, giant hill and was herding sheep through a gate so the farmer could do something in that field. i was happy i got to see that finally.
Will update tomorrow night when we return from Milford sound. We plan on half a day of laundry, downloading photos, (maybe I can finally add some to this), Larry has to do his work bids, and I can look for some souveniers.
First, we drove in around 2 from Twizel and had our picnic lunch in a beautiful botanical garden. There have been gorgeous gardens with paths and fountains and birds in almost every city, large and small. It's a great place to eat, people watch adn walk. Then we hit the information bureau for "Penguin Info". Seriously, I was dumbfounded by how excited Larry was at the thought of seeing penguins in the wild. I would have been right there with him if they were being chased by leopard seals or killer whales but just coming ashore??? So we first went to our B & B to get rid of our luggage. This was a beautiful place. A huge Victorian house with ten rooms on the second floor. We were the only guests so we got this huge room that overlooked their lush garden complete with chickens, vegetables, herbs, etc. Downstairs was a tv room and a reading room you could use and the dining room for breakfast.
Then we bundled up and drove to this far spit of land where the yellow eyed penguins are supposed to nest. These are the endangered ones. the blue-eyed penguins come ashore by the hundreds and you have to pay $20 each to sit on bleachers as the parade by after coming ashore. You do this in the dark so they light them up with infrared lights. We thought this was stupid and weren't going to pay $40 for this. So, we hiked to the beach overlook, high up a cliff, and waited with about 40 other people with cameras. The estimated time for the yellow eyed penguins to return from their day at sea is between 3:30-7:30. We got there at 5:45. After just 15 minutes someone shouted adn sure enough, there was this penguin in the surf, just bobbing and being tossed about, waiting to come ashore. Then someone spotted another one. This section of coast is only about a quarter mile long so we kept looking up and down with binoculars. Then we saw another one. In just one hour, we saw five! Once they came ashore, they just sit and preen and clean and don't seem to worried. but you aren't allowed on that section of beach after 3 to leave them alone.
It was COLD up there and windy but we were very happy to see five of those endangered penguins. they supposedly swim off shore for up to 50 miles for the entire day before returning home to their nests.
Then we came back for hot tea at the B & B and got ready for dinner. have I mentioned yet how expensive it is here? A bowl of soup is $9.00. A typical entree at night of fish and some potatoes can be up to $28! That's why we eat every bite if we stay at a B & B for breakfast and go to the grocery store for picnic food for lunch. This night we walked down the main drag and found a pub that had a porterhouse special for $16.00 including salad and chips. Neither of us is big red meat eaters but for a $16 dinner, we could choke it down. We asked for veggies instead of chips and got a big plate of roasted vegetables along with our steak.
This morning the woman host fixed us the most amazing breakfast. First, they husband made us lattes with a milk foamer that were terrific. Then she gathered fresh eggs from her backyard (this is a house in the city, one block from the main street, but a big backyard). Plus fresh herbs. We started with homemade mueseli with plain yoghurt and fresh fruit. then she scrambled up her fresh eggs, with garden tomatoes and herbs on homemade bread with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, thick bacon and onions./ It was incredible!!
Before we hit the road for a long day's drive to TeAnue, we stopped at the local grocery store for picnic supplies and Larry hit the jackpot. He actually said that, "Come over here, I hit the jackpot!!" He found the fridge with the Clearance Items. Sliced deli chicken that was good till the next day along with yoghurt one day past the expiration and a round of brie. It was 80% off and so that's what we got. Didnt even get sick. my mom would be so proud cuz those expiration dates didn't scare us one bit. Now we keep looking for those deals in every store.
Here's some random notes on New Zealand:
Lamb has not been on the menu ONCE! We thought we'd eat affordable lamb every day but our B & B host said it's very expensive because the farmers charge the restaurants and people what they can get to ship it to the states or Germany. So, we havent' had lamb.
Restaurants we thought we'd see Lamb-orama Nuttin but Mutton Ewes R Us
We wondered how they decided what sheep get eaten and which ones they will use for wool?
They don't call milk regular and skim. They call it standard and trim.
Food is not called "To Go" it is called "Take Away"
There is one small picnic table along the highways everywhere! Some are by a pasture or at a great overlook. So if you want to stop for a drink or a snack or lunch, you just find a table, pull over and enjoy the view.
So far this country has been incredibly clean. We have barely seen a piece of trash anywhere!
As we drove today and I read the map, we noticed something interesting. The town names would go back and forth between English sounding and Maori sounding. This is the exact order as we drove "Herbert" "Taranui" "Hampden" "Moeraki" "Palmerston" "Waikowiti" "Brighton" "Waihola" It's like they took turns naming them.
The place we are in tonight has wifi which is why I get to sit here and write for so long. It's great. I think tomorrow night's does too. It's nice to check the e-mails. We did get a phone call in to Lauren today and actually caught her inbetween class and working at the free clinic. She almost didn't pick up cuz she thought it was a telemarketer number. It's such an odd feeling to be so far away and hear someone plain as day on the line.
tomorrow we are getting up early to make the 2 and a half hour drive up this scenic but desolate road to Milford sound. Most people go by tour bus or float plane. We are talking a naturalist boat tour out at 9:45 up the sound and back. Then hope to hike off the road on the way back. There is really no straight road to anything. They all wind and bend and go up passes and back down and around huge glacial lakes. So you just go with the flow.
Good news. i saw my first working border collie today. It was up a big, giant hill and was herding sheep through a gate so the farmer could do something in that field. i was happy i got to see that finally.
Will update tomorrow night when we return from Milford sound. We plan on half a day of laundry, downloading photos, (maybe I can finally add some to this), Larry has to do his work bids, and I can look for some souveniers.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Mt Cook and the glacier lakes
The weather has turned beautiful!!! Sunny and crisp like spring in Park City. The sunshine sure makes a difference. We left Christchurch in the morning of 10/4 and Larry braced himself for driving on the left hand side. My job is to read the map and gently remind him when he drifts back over to the right hand side. So far he's done very well. The right hand turns are the hardest because you instinctively look over your right shoulder for oncoming traffic when in reality, they are coming on your left!
We drove parallel to the coast thru land that looked a lot like Eastern Oregon. Rolling farmland, still on the dry side. Then, the minute we turned inland, it looked like Ireland. Steep hillside of the greenest green you can imagine and sheep everywhere! It's all so neat and tidy. No farm equipment or fencing laying around. Just pristine pastureland. I haven't seen one border collie yet which is disappointing but, we did see a statue that was built overlooking a lake of a border collie. The sign said it was dedicated to the Collie Dogs that made sheep farming possible in these wide open lands.
We drove around Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. They are glacier lakes so the water is this incredible turquoise color. You can hardly describe it. I call it blue, Larry says green. But it is just beautiful from the glacial sediment. The lakes closer to the actually glaciers are a whitish, milky color from the "rock flour" that comes off the glaciers. AFter that sediment falls, they turn the turquoise color.
We drove up to Mt. Cook which had just had a huge snowfall. It is unbelievably majestic but all the hut to hut hiking was closed due to the threat of avalanches. We did an hour hike to the Tasman Glacier. You can see exactly where it stopped (the Lakes) then receded and basically left this huge gouge which is now a valley with nothing growing in it. This is one of the places they filmed Lord of the Rings. (which is huge here, they have Lord of the Rings tours everywhere). Then the valley floor stops at the edge of the glacier. You can take a boat out and go right up to the small iceberg chunks that are floating in the lake. (costs money, we didn't do that, you can see them just fine from the hour steep hike. That's the Moffitt way).
Then we drove back alongside the lake to our B & B just north of Twizel. It was a comfortable set up. It's basically a home with a center central living area with kitchen, dining and seating with a wood stove. You can help yourself to fruit, coffee and tea at anytime and store things in the fridge and even use the stove if you like. In the morning they serve a big breakfast from 8-9 am. They had four private bedrooms with private bath off the central area with heated mattress pads!! Larry loved this. We each had our own setting so he set his for high about 10 minutes before he got in and his side was toasty warm. We liked this better than a heated blanket over the top. They also had private decks off each bedroom with table and chairs so we bought some local pinot noir, plastic cups and sat and watched the sun go down over Mt. Cook.
In the morning we ate with three other couples. One from the UK whose son had just married a New Zealand girl. And two couples who spoke no english. One from Tahiti and one from Belgium. the guy from Belgium had dark black hairs all over the top of his nose. I had never seen that before.
We hiked after breakfast around a kettlehole which is a glacier deposit. When the huge chunk of ice melts, it leaves a giant hole in the ground. The hike is on private property but the farmer basically puts up a sheep gate, you go thru, then there are orange sticks in the ground that you follow. The vistas were amazing. It overlooked the lake with Mt. Cook in the background.
Then on to Oamaru where we are now. This is on the Eastern Coast and it is where they have wild penguins. Larry is very excited about this which for some reason surprises me. But tonight at dusk...we are hiking up these steep cliffs where the penguins are supposed to waddle by on their way home to their nests.
Here are a few musings about New Zealand:
The have odd flavored chips: Chicken and Greek Taziki. We settled on sour cream and onion.
Mustard is expensive.
The area reminds us at alternate times of Ireland, Switzerland and eastern Oregon.
Time to continue our walk around the city and prepare for the penguins. More the next time we get to an internet cafe.
Love, Larry and Terry
We drove parallel to the coast thru land that looked a lot like Eastern Oregon. Rolling farmland, still on the dry side. Then, the minute we turned inland, it looked like Ireland. Steep hillside of the greenest green you can imagine and sheep everywhere! It's all so neat and tidy. No farm equipment or fencing laying around. Just pristine pastureland. I haven't seen one border collie yet which is disappointing but, we did see a statue that was built overlooking a lake of a border collie. The sign said it was dedicated to the Collie Dogs that made sheep farming possible in these wide open lands.
We drove around Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. They are glacier lakes so the water is this incredible turquoise color. You can hardly describe it. I call it blue, Larry says green. But it is just beautiful from the glacial sediment. The lakes closer to the actually glaciers are a whitish, milky color from the "rock flour" that comes off the glaciers. AFter that sediment falls, they turn the turquoise color.
We drove up to Mt. Cook which had just had a huge snowfall. It is unbelievably majestic but all the hut to hut hiking was closed due to the threat of avalanches. We did an hour hike to the Tasman Glacier. You can see exactly where it stopped (the Lakes) then receded and basically left this huge gouge which is now a valley with nothing growing in it. This is one of the places they filmed Lord of the Rings. (which is huge here, they have Lord of the Rings tours everywhere). Then the valley floor stops at the edge of the glacier. You can take a boat out and go right up to the small iceberg chunks that are floating in the lake. (costs money, we didn't do that, you can see them just fine from the hour steep hike. That's the Moffitt way).
Then we drove back alongside the lake to our B & B just north of Twizel. It was a comfortable set up. It's basically a home with a center central living area with kitchen, dining and seating with a wood stove. You can help yourself to fruit, coffee and tea at anytime and store things in the fridge and even use the stove if you like. In the morning they serve a big breakfast from 8-9 am. They had four private bedrooms with private bath off the central area with heated mattress pads!! Larry loved this. We each had our own setting so he set his for high about 10 minutes before he got in and his side was toasty warm. We liked this better than a heated blanket over the top. They also had private decks off each bedroom with table and chairs so we bought some local pinot noir, plastic cups and sat and watched the sun go down over Mt. Cook.
In the morning we ate with three other couples. One from the UK whose son had just married a New Zealand girl. And two couples who spoke no english. One from Tahiti and one from Belgium. the guy from Belgium had dark black hairs all over the top of his nose. I had never seen that before.
We hiked after breakfast around a kettlehole which is a glacier deposit. When the huge chunk of ice melts, it leaves a giant hole in the ground. The hike is on private property but the farmer basically puts up a sheep gate, you go thru, then there are orange sticks in the ground that you follow. The vistas were amazing. It overlooked the lake with Mt. Cook in the background.
Then on to Oamaru where we are now. This is on the Eastern Coast and it is where they have wild penguins. Larry is very excited about this which for some reason surprises me. But tonight at dusk...we are hiking up these steep cliffs where the penguins are supposed to waddle by on their way home to their nests.
Here are a few musings about New Zealand:
The have odd flavored chips: Chicken and Greek Taziki. We settled on sour cream and onion.
Mustard is expensive.
The area reminds us at alternate times of Ireland, Switzerland and eastern Oregon.
Time to continue our walk around the city and prepare for the penguins. More the next time we get to an internet cafe.
Love, Larry and Terry
Saturday, October 3, 2009
We made it
Ok all my faithful followers. We made it! Got to LA no problem but then the flight from Atlanta was delayed and we saw over 24 names on the stand by list who were all revenue passengers. So we tried to decide where else we might like to go....Ireland? Scotland? Finland? Amsterdam? We decided Ireland if we didn't make the flight.
Good news/bad news. We got the last two seats on the plane. 10d and 53 C. Do we do rock paper scissors for first class on a 15 hour flight? No, I graciously gave it to Larry for several reasons. One, he flies constantly and never gets to enjoy the perks. Two, he does all the travel planning and should be rewarded in some way. Three, he is 6'3" and needs the leg room more than I do. Actually, it wasn't too bad in the back. We took off around 11:30 Pm so everyone just fell asleep. Then there were about 80 movies to choose from.
I watched Hangover, Slumdog Millionaire, and two more that I can't remember. Oh yeah, The Wrestler and now I can't remember. Anyway, we landed at 6:30 am and discovered it was a two week school holiday in Australia so the airport was packed. We didn't make the first two flights so we had to hang out in the airport till 5:30 and made that plane no problem. We thought about taking a train into Sydney but it was $25 a person and we were both sort of out of it. Plus it was raining hard and the clouds were low so the city wasn't all that easy to see. So we did crosswords, slept, walked, talked, sat and didn't talk, read magazines, I did yoga upstairs in a quiet area, we had coffee, sat some more, and finally it was time to get on.
Lost three hours going to Christchurch. So basically we are ahead 18 hours from Utah time and have lost a day and a half, plus another three hours. Dad, want to know which stocks to buy since we know what they'll do?? Lauren, I predict you will do very well on your next test. I can just see it. Sarah, I think you will find a good internship.
Christchurch, it is wet and cold today but supposed to be in the 60's for the rest of the week. So we slept like logs all night, got up,had breakfast (I got mine free cuz' the egg stove was broken). Then we just walked and explored the city. The most fun was grocery shopping. It's so much fun to grocery shop and just see what regular people look like and buy. For one thing, they had coffee and cream in a tube! you squeezed it out, added water, and it was coffee! They had no cereals we recognized. Nothing that was whole wheat. The only bread and bagel choices were white, sesame seed and poppy seed. BUT, they did have fancy pet food. It was in the fridge section in big tubes like Jimmy Dean sausage but 10x that size!! Funny thing is, we've only seen two dogs the entire day we were in the city.
We strolled thru the huge Botanical Gardens which were very nice. We walked thru the Christchurch Museum which had just enough stuff in each room to be interesting. 10 pieces of Egyptian coins and one mummy. Three Japanese swords. A 24 karat gold plated speed bike. A country street. And lots of animal dioramas. Perfect.
Tomorrow we get the rental car and start the adventurous part of the trip. We head first to Twizel. From here the scenery and landscape is supposed to get stunning. Hard to tell distances here because the roads are narrow and twist and turn but we shouldn't be in the car too long before we hike or get out to take photographs.
The hotel was very simple but nice. I was super tired and so was dad but the pillow was perfect. Just the right amount of softness.And they had the kind of comforter I like. Surprisingly, we both slept all night long and didn't wake up till 8 am. So the jet lag has really been minimal.
Lunch-Thai food. Dinner-Indian food. It's typical English type buildings and restaurant choices, at least here. Tomorrow night we're at a working farm with a B & B so maybe we'll finally get some fresh lamb.
Glad I brought my fleece. And Lauren, I wore my Dansko's on the plane and walked all day in them. They are fantastic!! Very comfortable. And thanks again for the mini Ipod, it's very nice. Sarah, thanks for the luck you sent our way. We did make it which is nice. Now we can relax a bit before it's time to return.
Finding an Internet cafe might not be that easy from here on out so not sure how updated I can keep my very fascinating blog. We are well and happy to be on the road but it's hard not to keep in touch with the girls. Love to all. Terry
Good news/bad news. We got the last two seats on the plane. 10d and 53 C. Do we do rock paper scissors for first class on a 15 hour flight? No, I graciously gave it to Larry for several reasons. One, he flies constantly and never gets to enjoy the perks. Two, he does all the travel planning and should be rewarded in some way. Three, he is 6'3" and needs the leg room more than I do. Actually, it wasn't too bad in the back. We took off around 11:30 Pm so everyone just fell asleep. Then there were about 80 movies to choose from.
I watched Hangover, Slumdog Millionaire, and two more that I can't remember. Oh yeah, The Wrestler and now I can't remember. Anyway, we landed at 6:30 am and discovered it was a two week school holiday in Australia so the airport was packed. We didn't make the first two flights so we had to hang out in the airport till 5:30 and made that plane no problem. We thought about taking a train into Sydney but it was $25 a person and we were both sort of out of it. Plus it was raining hard and the clouds were low so the city wasn't all that easy to see. So we did crosswords, slept, walked, talked, sat and didn't talk, read magazines, I did yoga upstairs in a quiet area, we had coffee, sat some more, and finally it was time to get on.
Lost three hours going to Christchurch. So basically we are ahead 18 hours from Utah time and have lost a day and a half, plus another three hours. Dad, want to know which stocks to buy since we know what they'll do?? Lauren, I predict you will do very well on your next test. I can just see it. Sarah, I think you will find a good internship.
Christchurch, it is wet and cold today but supposed to be in the 60's for the rest of the week. So we slept like logs all night, got up,had breakfast (I got mine free cuz' the egg stove was broken). Then we just walked and explored the city. The most fun was grocery shopping. It's so much fun to grocery shop and just see what regular people look like and buy. For one thing, they had coffee and cream in a tube! you squeezed it out, added water, and it was coffee! They had no cereals we recognized. Nothing that was whole wheat. The only bread and bagel choices were white, sesame seed and poppy seed. BUT, they did have fancy pet food. It was in the fridge section in big tubes like Jimmy Dean sausage but 10x that size!! Funny thing is, we've only seen two dogs the entire day we were in the city.
We strolled thru the huge Botanical Gardens which were very nice. We walked thru the Christchurch Museum which had just enough stuff in each room to be interesting. 10 pieces of Egyptian coins and one mummy. Three Japanese swords. A 24 karat gold plated speed bike. A country street. And lots of animal dioramas. Perfect.
Tomorrow we get the rental car and start the adventurous part of the trip. We head first to Twizel. From here the scenery and landscape is supposed to get stunning. Hard to tell distances here because the roads are narrow and twist and turn but we shouldn't be in the car too long before we hike or get out to take photographs.
The hotel was very simple but nice. I was super tired and so was dad but the pillow was perfect. Just the right amount of softness.And they had the kind of comforter I like. Surprisingly, we both slept all night long and didn't wake up till 8 am. So the jet lag has really been minimal.
Lunch-Thai food. Dinner-Indian food. It's typical English type buildings and restaurant choices, at least here. Tomorrow night we're at a working farm with a B & B so maybe we'll finally get some fresh lamb.
Glad I brought my fleece. And Lauren, I wore my Dansko's on the plane and walked all day in them. They are fantastic!! Very comfortable. And thanks again for the mini Ipod, it's very nice. Sarah, thanks for the luck you sent our way. We did make it which is nice. Now we can relax a bit before it's time to return.
Finding an Internet cafe might not be that easy from here on out so not sure how updated I can keep my very fascinating blog. We are well and happy to be on the road but it's hard not to keep in touch with the girls. Love to all. Terry
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day of
Ok, we are packed. We did the lay out, what do you have, what's too much, why do you have five pairs of pants thing this morning. I thought I might need jeans, one pair of khakis, yoga pants for relaxing, a pair of sturdy hiking pants and a pair of capris. Perfect! So the yoga pants had to go. I lost the rock paper scissors and had to carry the laptop in my carryon. So that meant a few magazines had to go. No way I am getting rid of my travel journal or the two books. Or the cards. Or the neck pillow. Or the folder of crossword puzzles or the toiletry bag.
I like that we travel light for the most part but sometimes you just can't decide what you HAVE TO HAVE. I would like to bring a vest. Dont' know why I just think it will come in handy. I'd like to bring my yoga pants because they would be soooo comfortable after a day outside hiking. I'd like slippers. maybe one more fleece top just for a different color. I also am not bringing deodorant so there. I may have to buy some when we arrive.
I told Larry I think every store will have some form of "Ewe" in the advertising. Like, "we do it all for Ewe!" or "Ewe do it! or Toys R Ewe! Or maybe something like " We are rolling prices way BBaaaaah-ck" (like a bah for a sheep). Ok, maybe not. I will let you know.
Sarah has decided that we should travel with a Lord of the Rings theme. I am going to be Gimley, the fighting dwarf that gets hungry, crabby and tired. Larry is Sam Wise who ends up carrying Frodo's sorry ass all over kingdom come to accomplish his mission. That sounds just about perfect.
Leaving for the airport soon but have to make two stops. One to order the decorative tile for the upstairs shower so it's here when we get back. And one at my work to sign for the Health Benefits packet that is coming out and has to be personally signed for by October 5th. Good thing both places are on the way.
Bye for now.Hope I can sign back in to this blog later.
I like that we travel light for the most part but sometimes you just can't decide what you HAVE TO HAVE. I would like to bring a vest. Dont' know why I just think it will come in handy. I'd like to bring my yoga pants because they would be soooo comfortable after a day outside hiking. I'd like slippers. maybe one more fleece top just for a different color. I also am not bringing deodorant so there. I may have to buy some when we arrive.
I told Larry I think every store will have some form of "Ewe" in the advertising. Like, "we do it all for Ewe!" or "Ewe do it! or Toys R Ewe! Or maybe something like " We are rolling prices way BBaaaaah-ck" (like a bah for a sheep). Ok, maybe not. I will let you know.
Sarah has decided that we should travel with a Lord of the Rings theme. I am going to be Gimley, the fighting dwarf that gets hungry, crabby and tired. Larry is Sam Wise who ends up carrying Frodo's sorry ass all over kingdom come to accomplish his mission. That sounds just about perfect.
Leaving for the airport soon but have to make two stops. One to order the decorative tile for the upstairs shower so it's here when we get back. And one at my work to sign for the Health Benefits packet that is coming out and has to be personally signed for by October 5th. Good thing both places are on the way.
Bye for now.Hope I can sign back in to this blog later.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Moffitt's trip to New Zealand in October 2009
Tomorrow's the day. When we attempt to get to New Zealand with our non-rev status. Why are so many people trying to get to Sydney on a Thursday in October? First we hope to get to LA during UEA in Utah. The weather isn't helping with snow coming down and predicted throughout the next two days. If we make it to LA, we have to cross our fingers and hope to get on the 15 hour flight to Sydney. We always hope for things in a certain order. First, to get on. Then to get on by or near each other. A seat up front? That would be great but for 22 years we've learned to be happy with whatever opens up. Then this wish list continues from there. "Please don't let me sit by the crying baby. Or the overweight couple. Or the non-stop talker"
Lauren gave me a great present she won at a golf tournament. My first Ipod. And she even downloaded music for me. She knows my taste so tomorrow I will put those in my ears, settle back, and enjoy.
Larry had a suggestion. Should we not make the flight from LA to Sydney, we have a choice to make. Should we take the overnight to Atlanta, arrive at Delta's main hub in the early AM Friday, and just look at the departures? What looks good? What flights look open? Where else can we wear fleece, hiking boots and silk long underwear for two weeks? It sounds a little romantic but also a little reckless. Larry has planned for months for this trip. The maps and guidebooks and suggestions are all over his Trip Planning Table. He has routes in mind, excursions planned and a fairly good idea of what's in store for us in New Zealand. Like most vacations, I just tag along and enjoy the ride.
I do have an assigned job now though. Since the girls are grown and don't need entertaining and from here on out, probably won't even be with us much on trips, my job as kid entertainer and organizer is over. So my new job is "To ask all the questions". If we need directions, I have to ask. If we need a good restaurant suggestion, it's all on me. Where's the nearest laundromat? What time does the train leave? Where can we find a plunger or fan? Doesn't matter if I speak the language or not, I have been relegated to Official Question Asker.
We hope to find internet cafes throughout the trip to let our loved ones know where we ended up, what we're doing and when we'll return. I am very excited about New Zealand although dreading the 18 hours in the air. We did get a sample of Ambian for there and back but have no idea if it will work or if we'll be those rare few who wander about or eat the entire time while still sleeping. That would be just my luck.
We are both packed. The magazine and crossword puzzles are in the carryons. I have fleece pants to use as a pillow, an eye mask, my Ipod and two big books. Now we just have to got on the plane.
Lauren gave me a great present she won at a golf tournament. My first Ipod. And she even downloaded music for me. She knows my taste so tomorrow I will put those in my ears, settle back, and enjoy.
Larry had a suggestion. Should we not make the flight from LA to Sydney, we have a choice to make. Should we take the overnight to Atlanta, arrive at Delta's main hub in the early AM Friday, and just look at the departures? What looks good? What flights look open? Where else can we wear fleece, hiking boots and silk long underwear for two weeks? It sounds a little romantic but also a little reckless. Larry has planned for months for this trip. The maps and guidebooks and suggestions are all over his Trip Planning Table. He has routes in mind, excursions planned and a fairly good idea of what's in store for us in New Zealand. Like most vacations, I just tag along and enjoy the ride.
I do have an assigned job now though. Since the girls are grown and don't need entertaining and from here on out, probably won't even be with us much on trips, my job as kid entertainer and organizer is over. So my new job is "To ask all the questions". If we need directions, I have to ask. If we need a good restaurant suggestion, it's all on me. Where's the nearest laundromat? What time does the train leave? Where can we find a plunger or fan? Doesn't matter if I speak the language or not, I have been relegated to Official Question Asker.
We hope to find internet cafes throughout the trip to let our loved ones know where we ended up, what we're doing and when we'll return. I am very excited about New Zealand although dreading the 18 hours in the air. We did get a sample of Ambian for there and back but have no idea if it will work or if we'll be those rare few who wander about or eat the entire time while still sleeping. That would be just my luck.
We are both packed. The magazine and crossword puzzles are in the carryons. I have fleece pants to use as a pillow, an eye mask, my Ipod and two big books. Now we just have to got on the plane.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)