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!
Friday, October 9, 2009
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.
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