Honey, I'm HOOOOME! (Totally forgot to post this! Sorry!)

Caroline Bay, Timaru

So, I did not write about my last couple of weeks (I guess it ended up being about a month oops!) but that was not because it was not amazing. My mother and grandmother visited me in Christchurch and then we completed a road trip from Timaru to Lake Tekapo (stopping in Fairly for the most AMAZING pies!) to Mt. Cook/Aoraki, and then back up to Christchurch via Waimate. We had an unbelievable time. I also just assumed that only my parents read this, so I did not feel a need to write about it.

Angels still stand, Basilica, Christchurch

I flew back to Auckland for my final weeks where I accomplished numerous things like parallel parking on the other side of the road, making croissants and homemade granola, and finally enjoying my time with my Auckland family. I finished my trip with a bang, trekking the Tongariro Crossing on Anzac Day, all 24.5km of hilly shale. The Emerald Lakes were stunning and Scott's and my desperate attempt to make the early bus by jogging the last 3km was exhilarating.

Aoraki National Park, Lake Punakaiki

Scott in Front of Mt. Doom

Anyway, it is good to be home for a bit before heading out on my next big adventure: MED SCHOOL!

Tongariro Crossing

Te Anau Caves and the Illustrious Glowworms

After a long day of kayaking, I obviously underestimated how tired I would be, and signed up to do the Te Anau lake tour into the caves. You only live once, right? Plus I was leaving Te Anau the next day and really, really wanted to see a glowworm before leaving the South Island.

Lake Te Anau is the second largest lake in New Zealand, formed from glacial melt; unlike Lake Taupo, which was formed from volcanic activity. It was absolutely stunning at sunset with the sun peaking through the gray clouds and reflecting of the glassy water, which looked almost black in the low light. I went crazy on manual mode shooting photos as the ferry sped through the chilly evening air. [Many of the tourists on the boat looked at me as if I was insane for being outside on the boat, but what can I say, a true artíste sacrifices to get the shot!]

The Aurora Caves were named due to the light that beamed through the cave ceilings creating an “aurora-effect” inside the tunnels. The caves were formed due to the mechanical power of the river flowing through, but also through chemical decay, as the oxygen mixed with the carbon dioxide released into the ground soil to form an acid that allowed the low pH water to break down the limestone in the cave. I ducked my head and crouched as we made our way through the caves with out guide pointing out different limestone and sandstone layers as well as wildlife present. Apparently, Lake Te Anau is home to a species of eel that can grow up to 1.7m long; the one I was fortunate to see was only about a meter long, but I do not think I would like to run into him while sleeping!

We were taken into the Glowworm Grotto via boat completely silently, other than the sound of rushing water, I had to stop myself from oohing and ahhing! The ceiling was studded with glowworms releasing bioluminescence, as the enzyme luciferase meets with ATP to form a light in the tail. Glowworms created silks coating with mucus, and as bugs/insects are attracted to the light, they are caught in the silks and become the glowworms next meal! Glowworms then excrete external enzymes to digest the bugs/insects to extract nutrients. Fun fact, glowworms compete for space and often attack and eat their own kind if they encroach too much on their neighbor’s space!

Sadly we were unable to take pictures in the caves, understandable as additional light frightens the glowworms. But, at least I will always have the magical memories of seeing these caves in person! Heading off to Queenstown through Thursday, and then Christchurch where I will get to see my Mum and Nan! I could not be more thrilled!

Milford Sounds

You hear everyone gush about Milford Sounds, and one has to wonder, “Is it all hype?” The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! Now, most people usually make it a day trip from Queenstown, but based on my experience today, I would advise that this is not the way to go. First of all, does riding on a tour bus for six hours [stopping for photo ops], sitting on a boat tour, and finally driving the four hours back to Queenstown sound like a good time? Yeah, didn’t think so.

I was determined to kayak in Milford Sounds. I wanted to be close to the wildlife and actually “experience” the beautiful Fiordland National Park. I realized that there was no way to do any sort of trip with Queenstown as my “base of operations”. I decided to take a bus to Te Anau, a more manageable driving distance of two hours to Milford, with many kayaking tours leaving from the small town. [Te Anau is the location of numerous lakes, including Lake Te Anau, which is the second largest lake in New Zealand after Lake Taupo in the North Island, and it is the host to glow worm caves… more on that later!] George recommended Roscos Milford Kayaks so I decided on the Day Safari experience.

Our guide, Harlan, pulled up at the YHA Hostel where he picked up two other travelers and I [Richard became my kayaking buddy, an experienced Australian traveler who had been all over the world.] It was pitch black and we all fell asleep during the first portion of the drive; poor Harlan was telling stories and facts to a snoozing van of four passengers! We passed Lake Gunn and I sort of came to life as we entered the curvy roads into the Fiordland National Park. Apparently, the township of Te Anau was originally not in its current location, however someone decided to build a pub in what is now Te Anau. Sure enough, where there is beer, the people follow! Human predictability at its finest!

We stopped at the Milford Sound Lodge, where I was informed by our drivers [Scott and Harlan] that coffee was available for purchase. After that long black I was practically a whole new person. I laughed hysterically as they told us about the annual Naked Run held on April 1^st where people race through the 1.4km long tunnel into Milford Sounds buck naked; usually some ingenius kiwi creates some sort of rolling machine to carry beverages and other victuals for the run. The Roscos Milford Kayaking staff created a rolling green kayak that was used as a chilly bin/eski/cooler for over a hundred alcoholic provisions. Apparently, one fellow created a motorized chilly bin that he was able to ride on while drinking. Ah, those kiwis!

We arrived at the illustrious “green tent” where we were outfitted in the most haute couture of kayaking gear by Harlan and his compatriots: green and yellow striped thermal tights and a green and red striped thermal shirt, with a dark green fleece, spray skirt, yellow splash jacket, and a purple and yellow PFD made up my delightful outfit of the day! We had a short lesson on the basic safety procedures for kayaking and then we set off into the surprisingly not too chilly water of the Milford Sounds. Thankfully, the sun was out after a night of heavy rainfall [the south western portion of NZ is one of the rainiest regions in the entire world! Fun Fact!]

I would say the one sacrifice I made when I decided to kayak was the amount of pictures I was able to take. Even so, no picture I have the skillset to take would fully acknowledge the beauty of the Milford Sounds fiords. [The Milford Sounds are technically fiords, and not “sounds”, because they were carved by glaciers and not be rivers.] Harlan also told us a Maori legend, with many common day colloquialisms and non-traditional word choices, about the creation of the fiords.

My Aussie paddle-buddy and I battled the strong wind for the 13km trip, with the last 4km stretch facing directly into the wind. It was one of those moments where it did not matter how hard I paddled, regardless of my efforts, we did not move forward at all. It was all we could do to NOT be pushed backwards! Thankfully, Harlan stopped for little breaks in different areas protected from the wind to tell stories and have snack breaks. We learned about the Bowan Falls, named after Lady Elizabeth Bowan, wife of one of the original explorers of the Milford Sound area.

At the nature reserve, we learned about the takahe bird, which originally was thought to be extinct, before the little colony in Milford was discovered. In an effort to breed more of the species, several birds were captured and put under protective care to reproduce; only then, did scientists realize that all the captured birds were MALE! OOPS! We also saw several seals, one of whom looked like he was posing for us, with his snout positioned directly towards the sky.

We arrived back to the kayak beach, where we stripped off our wet gear and changed before heading back to the Milford Sound Lodge for lunch. We hung out for about an hour before heading back to Te Anau, taking breaks for photo opportunities. Obviously, multiple jokes about taking selfies were made, as we bemoaned the existence of the selfie stick, which, if you were unaware, has been banned in many European museums! All I can say is, “Good Riddance!” Selfie sticks are one of the most obnoxious devices on the planet. Apparently, the Bluetooth connection utilized by selfie sticks to take photos actually poses a safety rick because of its interference with emergency/security communications; although, I think it would simply be hilarious if they were banned merely for being repugnant.

Anyway, enjoy what photos I did take!

Bike Day Insanity Fun!

So, in a grand effort to say I did it, I decided to bike from Arrowtown to Queenstown. Not going to lie, it was about 20km and there were several hills, and I wanted to die while going up a couple of those hills, but I made it! I’ve never been so happy to arrive somewhere! I stopped by my favorite hostel [Haka Lodge] and hung out with my favorite hostel staff, all of whom asked me “When are you coming home?” aka when was I coming back to the hostel! Although, I think my positive relationship with them stems from the fact that I was generous when sharing my Whittaker’s chocolate with them!

 

Now, since it was raining, George and I made plans to go trampolining for a couple hours, but first we had to pick up Callum [a student at Otago’s offshoot university in Queenstown specializing in hospitality and tourism] and drop him off at class. Due to the beauty of car relocation deals, George was being paid to watch over a BMW convertible… let’s just say in wildest dreams I never imagined driving around in a KOMPRESSOR with the top down in the alpine city of Queenstown. We had time before trampolining so we decided to grab a coffee and a caramel bar… OMNOMNOM!!!

So, I do not know if you have ever tried trampolining, but it is wicked fun and you definitely do not realize what hard work it is! I was exhausted after and hour and half of front flips into a foam pit and jumping 20 feet in the air on an Olympic trampoline. Thankfully, George is a kind, kind soul and offered to drive me back to Arrowtown so I did not have to take the 2hour bike ride back, regardless of how beautiful the ride is!

Courtney is arriving soon, so a family dinner is on the menu for the night! And, I am certainly looking forward to it! Cheers!

Catch-Up Day

I would be amiss if I did not take advantage of the alpine beauty in the Queenstown area. Carole was kind enough to give me a good trail to run so I ended up heading down to the Bush Creek. I ran along the river for a bit before I headed up hill [what seemed like forever] along the Tobins Track. I ended up with a gorgeous view of Arrowtown. Foolishly, I forgot any sort of picture-taking device to document the view. I’ll try to take some more tracks so I can take photos around the area.

 

My other activities of the day: updating my blog for all you lucky, lucky readers!

Due to the New Zealand Open golf tournament at the local Milbrook Golf Course, Arrowtown hosted a little street festival in the downtown area. I discovered the “bacon butty”… aka bacon sandwiched between white bread with butter, a literal heart attack in a meal, but it smelled amazing! There were performances and activities for children, as well as some more adult activities, aka drinking wine and beer. The local bar and restaurant, “The Tap and Fork”, had a bar and I noticed they were serving a local craft IPA [Altitude Mischievous Keys] so I had to try it! It was hoppier than most NZ IPA’s but still not as strong as I am used to. We later went to the actual “Tap and Fork” for dinner where I had a burger with caramelized onions and beetroot… so YUM!