12 January 2006
I'm studying at Curtin University in Perth, Australia this spring semester, and Jon and I are going to check out New Zealand on our way! We fly into Auckland, on the north island, on the 8th of February. We are going to travel through the country to Christchurch on the south island, where we will fly out to Australia on the 17th.
Tomorrow I leave for New Zealand. I just finished packing and the Pittsburgh Steelers just beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. I'm still pretty sore in my back, but the pain/pressure in my chest is gone. I went to the doctor, a couple times, and they couldn't tell me much except to wait...so I went to a chiropractor and had 3 adjustments that helped. I'm not looking forward to that 18 hours of flying though.
That was a lot of flying and I didn't get any sleep, but at least we made all our flights without troubles. We met several people that are studying in Australia at LAX. We've also met several people from England that are traveling for fun. Jon and I arrived in Aukland at around 6 AM and got a shuttle from the airport to Base Backpackers downtown, which is a nice, clean hostel. We walked around Queen Street and looked through souvenir shops and I bought some postcards and an Allblacks windbreaker jacket, because it has been surprisingly cool here (it is late summer). It feels like it's in the mid 60 degree Fahrenheit range, and it's been breezy. But it still feels really good. At 9:30 AM, Jon and I went into a pub and celebrated our arrival with a pint of Steinlager, which tasted alright. By noon it felt like 6 PM, but we fought through our tiredness. We bought a 30 hour bus pass that is good anywhere in NZ and booked a bus to Rotorua for 8:15 AM tomorrow. We ate pizza and pasta at La Porchetta on Hobson Street, which was very good and cheap as well. Then we walked around the town some more and checked out one of the harbors and then wandered around towards Albert Park, which I really liked. Aukland is the biggest city I've ever walked around in. It's so clean and it has a safe and friendly feel to it. We had a twelve person mixed dorm, and all of our roommates that we met were pretty cool. One was from Maryland. We also talked to Dawna, Floss, and Simon from England and watched/fell asleep to Wedding Crashers.
After getting a nice 9 hours of sleep last night, we got up and caught a taxi to the bus terminal. That four hour drive was nice. The weather was beautiful, about 72 degrees Fahrenheit with cool summer breezes, white puffy cumulus clouds in the deep blue sky, and rolling hills of green grass, palm trees, and many plants I've never seen before. I read some Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban along the way as well. On that bus we met David Mordini and Mike Pierson from Illinois, near Chicago. We hung out with them in Rotorua. Jon and Dave went Zorbing-getting locked in a giant rubber ball with some water in it and rolling down a hill. Mike and I didn't do it but took pictures. It was a bit pricey and though my back is feeling good as normal again I don't want to re-injure myself. We drove past some thermal springs and saw Lake Rotorua. It started raining in the evening and the rain lasted all night and into the morning. We did some bar hopping, mostly at the Echo bar at Base Backpackers because we got a free drink there, and then also at Hennesy's, an Irish style pub that had a band playing. The night life was actually pretty dull in Rotorua. We've watched an amount of rugby so far as well, in the lounge at the hostel and at the bars. We cooked a pot full of instant noodles for supper in the hostel kitchen. We booked a bus at 11:25 PM to Wellington and bid farewell to Mike and David, who are studying on Australia's east coast. Perhaps we'll meet up in Australia again.
I'm on another streak of no sleep. I was up for 40 some hours straight after the plane ride, slept 9 hours Wednesday night, and was up all day yesterday, all night because I couldn't sleep on the bus, and at this moment I am typing this and the previous three entries into my laptop on a ferry bound for the South Island. It's 10:10 AM here right now. We got off the bus today at 7 AM in Wellington and Jon found out that he probably left one of his bags at the bus terminal in Rotorua last night because it wasn't on the bus. We decided to split up for the day. Jon is staying in Wellington and trying to call and see if he can get his bag brought down (luckily he has all his really important stuff with him). I decided to forge on to Christchurch. This is the first time I've ever been on a ship like this, and it's pretty nice. The weather is slightly breezy and overcast, and there is a little rocking with the waves. This ship is crowded and I was having trouble finding a seat and table, and by some miracle I was able to get one of very few booths with electricity, so I plugged my lap top in and downloaded pictures and am writing this. I've been chatting with an elderly man from New South Wales AU, Jack McNab, about computers, digital cameras, health care, travel, and food. It's amazing how many people I've met so far, from all over...New York, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Australia, England, Sweden, Holland, and of course New Zealanders. Well, looks like some great scenery out here-the suns out...nice blue water, jagged verdant shorelines, and rocky reefs...
The view from the ferry coming through the channel to Picton was amazing. I landed in Picton, found my baggage, and barely caught the last bus to Christchurch yesterday. That was an awesome bus ride as well. We passed vineyards, grass and tree covered mountain ranges, and some sweet coastline along the South Pacific-where we saw lots of seals resting on the rocks. I got into Christchurch at around 7:30 PM and found out that Base Backpackers was closed, and that's where I planned on meeting Jon...so I walked around downtown looking for a place to sleep and everything was booked, except for a hotel room for $240. Luckily the reception lady called around and found a place, and the guy came there to pick me up. It was Evan's Backpackers on Worchester Street. It was basically a bed and breakfast at this old guys house, but I survived the night and walked back downtown this morning after sleeping in til 10:00, which took about an hour because I ran into another elderly Kiwi on the sidewalk and he liked to chat...I also got an invitation for tea if I should want to stop by his place later in the week. Anyway, I went back to the Base and they were booked again tonight, so I went to the Visitor's Center and booked a room at Cokers Hotel for $26 (I did have a message from Jon saying to meet me in Christchurch Base on the 16th-our last day in Kiwi land-hopefully he got his bag and is having as much fun as me. I also booked a bus to Queenstown and a room there at Discovery Lodge for tomorrow, and a ticket to the big rugby game tonight. I checked in at Cokers and dropped my bags off, ate at Burger King, and then walked around town. Christchurch is amazing, I love this town! Right in the center of town is Cathedral Square, where there is a big open courtyard and a sweet cathedral. There is a tram trolley I rode around and I checked out the museum, which was really nice. I also went punting on the Avon River, which flows through the botanical park in town. That was about the only rest I got for my legs today. Then I wandered around the garden/park for a couple hours, and still only saw less than half of it. There were tons of cool plants and trees I've never seen before. I got lots of pictures.
The Rugby game started at 7:30. The Christchurch Crusaders played the Dunedin Highlanders, a regional rivalry and the first game of the Super 14 season (the Super 14 league consists of 5 Kiwi teams, 4 Aussie teams, and 5 teams from South Africa). The Crusaders won 38-21 (or something like that). It was pretty fun watching, and it was easy to pick up on and understand the scoring and what was going on, though I don't know what the penalties are. At the opening of the game 7 knights on horses came out and rode around waving swords. Jade Stadium is also a cricket stadium. Perhaps the most amazing thing was that I got 2 brats and a beer for $6.25. Right now I'm back at Cokers in the lounge watching Grammy music awards with some people from England (I've noticed there are a lot of English people here in NZ).
I got up, left Cokers and caught the bus for Queenstown. The scenery just gets better and better with every bus ride. It's also another beautiful day, in the 70's and still windy. I bought a New Zealand Allblacks windbreaker in Aukland that I've used every day so far. On the bus we passed the Canterbury plains, which is farmland and prairie that looks quite a bit like something from the Midwest in the states, except that there are a lot more sheep than cattle and there are vineyards all over too. Then wound our way up some hills and onto a big desert plain, with mountains all along the horizon. We stopped at Lake Tekapo, which was very scenic, and I ate a Creme Jam Roll and a Stuffing and Chicken Sandwhich...both were good. The food here is very good, and a lot of it tastes better than stuff from home. The bus then went into some mountain gorges and followed a river into Queenstown. The mountains that I've seen so far are covered mostly with dry, yellow grasses, as it's been a sunny, dry summer here. I took a bunch of photos again, and read a couple more chapters of Harry Potter on the bus. I'm at Discovery Lodge right now, and the rooms are clean and nice here, as they have been elsewhere. I haven't checked out the town at all yet. I'm just resting in my room and chatting with one of the other roommates, a kid from Sao Palo, Brazil. He was just in Perth for nine months and said it was a very cool city. Cheers!
Yesterday afternoon I wandered up towards the gondola, and instead of paying $19 to take it up the mountain I walked up. It took an hour and a half to get up to the top, but the view was amazing. That path zigzagged up through a pine forest and had lots of good views of the mountains, lake, and city. Queenstown is nestled in the foot of these mountains where it meets the lake. The pine forests, the cool weather, and the mountain views would have me guessing I was somewhere in Alaska rather than NZ if I didn't know better...I guess I didn't realize just how far south this is. It's only 23 degrees Celsius today, partly cloudy and windy again. I laid in bed late into this morning, getting some rest finally and I also finished reading Prisoner of Azkaban. I booked the rest of my time here in Kiwi Land, as far as transport and accommodation. My 30 hour bus pass was just the right amount I needed. I'm staying here in Queenstown again tonight, and then I catch an 8 AM bus to Mt. Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand, and I will stay at the Alpine Lodge there tomorrow night. I then take a 1:35 PM bus back to Christchurch, where I'm booked in at Base Backpackers for my last two nights here. I plan on hiking around the Mount Cook area and I'm hoping it will be clear skies so I can get some good photos there as well. When I get back to Christchurch I'll probably just relax a bit, and on Thursday I'll meet up again with Jon. I look forward to hearing his story, because I have no idea where he is or what he is doing now. It should be interesting exchanging stories and photos. I'm getting excited to get to Perth. New Zealand is wonderful and I'm having the time of my life here, but it will definitely be nice to have my own room and bed again. I've slept in six different beds in six nights, mostly with complete strangers from all over the world. I've met and conversed with German, Canadian, Japanese, English, Brazilian, Australian, and New Zealanders and also people from Holland, Chicago, Oregon, and Sweden. It is a very international country, at least in the cities. I don't know what I'm going to do now...walk around town maybe? Cheers!
(7:35 PM)
This has been a day to relax, and I'm relaxing to the fullest. I went to the dining room here and listened to Ace of Base and Morning Wood on my laptop, and worked on the story I'm writing. Then I went down and sat by the lake. The view is brilliant, and the weather perfect. I took a nap on a smooth, flat boulder near the water and gazed up into the sky and looked at the clouds. Queenstown is the most beautiful city/area I've ever been to (so far, we'll see what Mt. Cook and environs looks like tomorrow). Cheers from heaven!
Last night was fun. I hung out with four Brazilians (including my roommates at Discory Lodge-Franco and Leah), a German girl, and a Japanese girl. We walked around and chatted and went into a couple bars/nightclubs including Minus 5, the Ice bar, which is basically a walk in freezer where the walls, tables, benches, sculptures and even the glasses are made of nothing but ice. They give you a parka and gloves and you get a cocktail of your choice. Then back at the room Franco, Leah, and I had the room to ourselves and I showed them some pictures from home and from my Jamaica trip and we talked a bunch. I just boarded the bus to Mt. Cook now. Unfortunately it's cloudy this morning, and lightly sprinkling. Hopefully it will be nice weather at Mt. Cook so I can hike some trails there. Cheers, and happy Valentines Day!
(9 PM)
I got to Mt. Cook around noon. Alpine Lodge is very nice. It's a resort so it's really roomy and fancy. It was the only place with a vacancy here in Mt. Cook Village (which is tiny), and it cost $39 for a 4 bed dorm room, but I'm not complaining. I can see snowcapped Mt. Cook right now as I sit in this fancy lounge room typing. It is beautiful. It had indeed been raining when I got here, a light drizzle, and I went on a 2 hour hike to the terminus of Hooker Glacier. The wind was gusting through the valley, steadily blowing the rain horizontal, and it was exhilerating. The scenery is the best I have ever seen, and is about as good as it gets anywhere in the world. On the hike back it began pouring like a monsoon and I got soaked to the bone, my hands were wet, cold, and numb, and I thought my camera was broken for a while, but it must have dried off and is working normal again. I was rewarded greatly for walking in the rain with the most brilliant rainbow I've ever seen, arching unbroken from ground to ground against a mountain backdrop. At the glacier terminus there was sort of a lake with ice bergs stuck in it, and a roaring meltwater river ran the length of the valley. Two long, high, narrow suspension bridges crossed that river. It was an awesome hiking path. I met a fellow Minnesotan, a guy about 30 years old from Fergus Falls, and I chatted with a Japanese couple and a lady from Italy. It is a bit boring now here at the lodge because there aren't any people my age and there only restaurant here is super expensive. I managed to do laundry and write postcards though, and I'll probably start reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tonight. Tomorrow's bus for Christchurch leaves here at 1:35 PM, so I might do some more hiking in the morning. Right now I'm going to take advantage of this place's kitchen and make some really cheap ramen noodles (9 blocks of noodle that don't come with flavor packs, for a NZ buck. They go good with salt & pepper though). My three roommates here are all about 30: a guy from Colorado, and a couple from Switzerland. Cheers!
After getting a good night sleep full of dreams I woke up and heard lots of unfamiliar birds chirping and squawing. I ate instant noodles again for breakfast and then squeezed in a morning hike to Kea Point, which overlooks another glacial terminus. The sky is clear and the sun is out today, making the veiw spectacular! I'm waiting outside the Heritage Village for my bus to Christchurch now. Cheers!
I'm back in Christchurch and my time here in New Zealand is coming to an end. I have had a wonderful time here and I hope Australia will be awesome as well. Last night I just hung around the Base lounge and watched the end of Pirates of the Carribean and Bad Santa before I went to bed. This hostel isn't as great as the others but it works. Today I went to the Southern Encounter Aquarium and spent an hour looking at marine life and also a pair of Kiwi's they have on exhibit...those things are big! They walk funny too, kind of waddle and bob there heads and swing there long beak back and forth. I guess there are several species of kiwi, but these ones were as big as a large house cat. Then I sat in the theatre there and watched a nature video about sea birds, whales, deep sea creatures, and kiwis. I walked through the Christ's College campus and wandered around the botanical gardens and Hagley Park and took a nap on a bench in the warm sun. It was another nice day, cool but sunny. I'm back at Base now and I'll probably go to the lounge soon and watch a movie or read. I have an airport shuttle picking me up at 4 AM tomorrow, and my flight is at 6:50. Because of time zones I'll be in Perth by 11:10 tomorrow, though it's about 6 hours of flying and a layover in Melbourne, Australia. I haven't seen Jon yet, and this place is fully booked for the night, so I had to leave a message for him here in case he comes in. I guess we'll meet at the airport, and hopefully everything is all well with him. I would have to say Queenstown was my favorite place that I saw in New Zealand. The scenery was great, there was lots to do, and I made several cool friends there. Mt. Cook was by far the best scenery I've ever seen, and the walking paths were awesome, only there wasn't much else to do there. Aukland was a fun city to wander around, and so is Christchurch-the garden city. Rotorua was a smaller town, but Jon and I had fun hanging out with David and Mike. Just seconds ago a Base employee brought up free vodka shots for everyone in this here dining room, mmm good, haha. So cheers from New Zealand! Check out my Australia travel page for continuation of these "journal" entries. Below are links to some choice photos of the 600 some I've taken here: