Caves and Beaches Oh My!

(steve)

Still reeking of sulfur, we drove out to Waitomo for our date with the Legendary Blackwater Rafting Company. These guys get paid to take folks through a variety of limestone caves in the area. When we got there we were faced with a choice of tours, the Black Abyss or the Black Labyrinth. I managed to convince Karen that we had to go on the 5 hour Abyss tour that included a rappel and zip line along with climbing out of the cave through a series of waterfalls. She was nervous, but willing to give it a go.

After getting all geared up in wetsuits, helmets, harnesses, etc. we drove to the cave and got down to it (photo in route from nice folks on tour with us). I ended up going first down the 100 ft rappel through a hole just large enough to fit a single person. Karen came down next and when I saw her smile I knew she was going to have a good day. Karen ended up ahead of me after that, making her first in line for the zip. The guide thought this was a good idea and sweetened the deal by stealing the battery for her headlamp. She was a trooper and I only heard one yelp as she swung out into pitch blackness. This cave was filled with glowworms and was magical to sit in. Imagine space mountain without the rollercoaster. After a quick drink of tea, we jumped down a 10 foot cliff into a subterranean river and floated the length of the cave on innertubes looking at glowworms. We had it explained that the glow was produced by the worms excreting to attract other insects as prey. Yeah worm shit! The finale of the tour involved climbing through 3 small waterfalls to the cave opening to sunlight. It was awesome and I'm only sorry that we couldn't take any photos to share. The rest of the day was mundane by comparison.




The next day we drove to the Coromandel Peninsula. Along the way we noticed that we had an extra day in our schedule thanks to our bad-ass walking. After looking through our books we found a nice 2 day walk that would suit us just fine. Bonus hiking! The walk was through a forest once populated with kauri trees, but sadly logged almost completely. Kauris are huge trees native to New Zealand and were used to make furniture. They now have a status here similar to the Sequoias in California (not too many left, and the most prominent have names). The trail to the hut was part of the logging road, and interesting descriptions of the effort it took to get the logs out were scattered along the way. The most common way to get logs out of the rugged hills was to create floods in the streams and wash the wood done. This technique involved building a series of dams and timing the release. It ended up working, but they damaged 20% of the logs in the process. We were able to see the remains of a dam near the hut we stayed at. There were also parts of a rail system used to move logs down a waterfall along the trail to look at. It was great to get another unexpected chance to walk in the forest, we'll miss it.



We also spent some time driving around the Peninsula to look at the great beaches. The area is a noted spot for Aucklanders to come on vacation since it's only 100 km away. We went to spots named Gemstone Beach, Cathedral Cove, and Hot Water Beach. Each was spectacular with turquoise water and lots of sand.

We threw in a little body surfing for good measure. We ended up being disappointed by Hot Water Beach in the end. This spot is known for the hot water that bubbles up through the sand during low tide. With a small hole in the ground, you get your very own jacuzzi free of charge. Unfortunately for us, the surf was big, leaving the thermal pools under a foot of water. It was very funny to see a lot of people standing together to warm their feet though.



It's hard to believe we only have one week left in New Zealand!

Phew, Who Farted?

(karen)
One of the places I was really looking forward to visiting in New Zealand was the town of Rotorua. There is a lot of geothermal activity here which is punctuated by the everpresent stench of sulphur in the air. In a way it's like a mini Yellowstone but since much of the land is privately owned they have no qualms about charging you a fortune to visit the boiling pools of mud and acid. Our first stop was at Hell's Gate, just outside of town. It wasn't especially colorful but was extremely active. My favorite was the mud volcano, and a hot waterfall where Maori warriors used to heal their wounds and cleanse themselves of battle before returing home.





After Hell's Gate we drove to the Agrodome for the no holds barred, agricultural tourist experience of a lifetime! We were introduced to the sixteen different breeds of sheeps in New Zealand and then given a sheep shearing demonstration by our strapping young host.


Here I am with my new buddy. I offered to take a picture of Steve with the sheep, but he reminded me that he is allergic to every animal in the facility.



Other highlights of the show were watching little kids try to milk a cow, and getting to feed baby lambs with a milk bottle. Steve and I were both picked to go on stage but he sacrificed his spot so he could get a photo. I must never think of this moment when eating lamb in the future!


I was especially impressed with the sheep herding dogs they have trained since pups. They are very skilled and extremely intense. If I was stared down by one of these dogs I'd run like hell too! The best part was when they jumped up and did laps on the backs of the sheep.


To round off our time in Rotorua, we attended a traditional Maori concert and hangi (kind of like the equivalent of a luau). It was fascinating to see the recreations of the pre-European Maori village life, as well as to hear the folk songs and watch the intimidating haka. It had a touch of cheesy tourism, but I still enjoyed the experience.

Napier and Lake Waikeramoana

(steve)

After leaving the river, we made our way down to Napier on the Pacific coast. This was to be another piece of our unplanned journey through the North Island. Napier is a little town known for its wine and lots of sun. The other interesting detail for Napier is the town is filled with architecture from the Art Deco style (the town was virtually destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt with a common theme). The town is pretty sleepy overall, except that the loudest bar in town was right outside our window. (This fooled us into going out that first night to have fun and finding little open except that one bar.)



We spent two relaxing days filled with shopping (that's right!), food, and wine. Our wine tasting was done from the saddle of a mountain bike with a company called "On Yer Bike Tours." Can you say drunken biking? We ended up traveling to 6 different wineries in the region, trying loads of red wine blends. The timing was also good since they were due to start the fall harvest the next day and the vines were all loaded with grapes. (Side effect: there would be a loud bang every two minutes from a gas-powered gun to scare off birds). After 4 hours of riding and drinking (not so much as a single fall, thank you), we came to the conclusion that we don't really like wine from Napier. Also of interest, we met a couple of guys from Hong Kong on the bikes. It turns out they were journalists from Esquire magazine (Hong Kong version of course) doing a story on wine tours in New Zealand. They graciously asked if we would mind riding through the vineyard so they could have a photo for the story. Ok, we're on holiday and might be in a magazine article. Not bad. It was also funny to watch them try and get photos of each other when they didn't handle the bikes very well.




Lake Waikeramoana is a short two hour drive north from Napier. This was to be the last of our backpacking trips in New Zealand. It was a little sad getting ready to go knowing that this would be our last one. We drove to the trailhead and stayed at a campground called the Big Bush Holiday Park (why does that always make me giggle). The next day we started the walk after deciding to try and do it in 3 days instead of the standard 4 (since days 2 and 3 were short, and we are now bad-ass). The first day was a big climb to the top of the bluff next to the lake with some great views.




The hut that night had a handful of other hikers there and we were surprised to learn they were all locals. This was the first time we were outnumbered by Kiwis. We were further surprised to learn the gas heater in the hut didn't work, and consequently woke up to see our breath inside. Oh well, we were warm enough in our bags. The reward was a great view of the lake with a morning mist that evaporated before our eyes.



The second day was our long day, with a stout 20 kilometre walk. We rolled into the hut around 5 pm and were pretty tired (but still bad-ass!). That night we were treated to the sound of Kiwis (the birds this time) screeching in the bush. We finished the walk and caught a water taxi the next day to get back to the car. All in all a good walk, though not as nice as others we've done before. So now we say goodbye to the forest and head north to visit beaches and cities.

Hordes of Tongariro

(steve)

****We posted three rapid-fire blog entries so there's lots of new stuff!!****




Just finished the Tongariro Northern Circuit. 49 kilometres of volcanic landscape with loads of pumice and eerie lunar-style rock formations (seen recently as Mordor in Lord of the Rings). We swear we saw a couple of orcs at one point. This trip felt very different from all of the previous, since we spent almost no time immersed in the familiar beech forest. Instead, we got to experience a large dose of wind and with rain and hail mixed in for good measure (parts of all three days). This was the first time that I felt truly cold the entire trip so far. In fact, I hadn't worn my thermals, gloves, and fleece hat until this week. You know it's cold when you look at Karen and she has ice in her eyebrows (apparently I had ice in my hair).






The walk took us between a trio of volcanoes including Mt. Rupehu (Mt. Doom). Both huts we stayed in had great views from their front porches (when not completely buried in the clouds), making the afternoons easy to sit and contemplate your existence. The most spectacular part of the walk was the climb through the craters and lakes created by massive eruptions, complete with thermal vents (like those found in Yellowstone). The entire area is very geologically active with the last eruption occurring for Rupehu in 1997. The landscape was filled with bits of rock thrown about and lava flows to make the jagged formations we walked through. It was amazing.




The most annoying part of the trip was the last day, known as the Tongariro Crossing. This segment was billed as the "best day hike in New Zealand." Unfortunately for us that meant about 250 of our closest friends to share the trail with (mostly compacted in a 2 km stretch). The annoying part was that we were walking in the opposite direction, making inevitable stops at every switchback to let 10 more people go past. Funny enough, we looked so dirty (and cold) to scare some of the day-hikers into asking if we had turned back in defeat. Since some of them were walking in 60 km/hr winds (essentially through a cloud) in shorts, cotton sweatshirts, and tennis shoes, the question was justified. We even saw a couple carrying two infants in kid-backpacks!! Can you say kid-sicles?



Despite the weather and stares, the trip was enjoyable and ranks among our favorites during our time here (do we keep saying that?). It's hard to get over the other-world feeling of walking through a volcanic area.

Dueling Banjos on the Whanganui

(*** Be sure to scroll down through the previous blog posts because we've finally attached some of our online photos. Click on any photo to access the online album ***)

(karen)
After many an evening spent talking to our fellow travellers in back country huts, we learned about a fun 3-day canoe trip down the Whanganui River. This is green, hilly country that seems completely untouched by the clear-cut farm land that dominates the region. In truth the whole area was farm land just after WWI, but it was found to be unprofitable and has since been abandoned back to the bush. It's nice to see that nature wasted no time in reforesting the area to it's original state.


It seems shocking that there is no easy way to head west to east through the middle of the North Island. To get to the Wade's Landing where we started the river trip, we had to drive 4.5 hours over mostly rural dirt roads. The kind of roads where the map shows a small town, and then you realize it must have been that dilapidated barn you passed 10 minutes ago. But we finally did find the landing and we spent the night in a small hut in the middle of a sheep paddock. Mom, you are finally going to get those sheep pictures I promised! (That's our white car next to the hut)




We packed our gear into 5 heavy-duty plastic barrels and strapped them into our Canadian-style canoe. Soon we were off on the river, me as the engine up front and Steve as the rudder in the back. The reason for this configuration is that I can't steer a canoe to save my life. There were several Class I rapids and a few Class II rapids on the river so it was important to have someone who could keep us straight. In a kayak it's not such a big deal, but to go down a rapid sideways in a canoe almost guarantees that you will capsize! Luckily Steve have his game face on and although we took on a bit of water in the larger waves we never tipped over...unlike several other folks on the river. Good on ya, mate!


As we unpacked our typical backpacker style ramen noodles and freeze dried veggies to make dinner, we looked around and noticed that most other people had packed all kinds of mouth watering treats for their meals. We then realized what everyone else already knew: it's a lot easier to carry food down a river in a canoe instead of on on your backs. We should have splurged a little I suppose, but oh well, it was nice to get to meet our fellow travelers and listen to stories from their own adventures.


[BTW, if anyone is intersted in seeing the Whanganui River and learning about some New Zealand history, there is a movie out called River Queen that was filmed where we did our canoe journey. I haven't seen it yet but I've heard it's worth a look]

The Windy City

(steve)

****Photos are uploaded from the past few weeks that don't have written descriptions yet******



Continuing the city theme, we started our North Island leg in the city of Wellington. Arrival in the city came after a nice four hour jaunt up the east coast of the South Island to catch the ferry. The boat ride went smoothly even though the wind was crazy. Side effect: our car was completely covered with sea water that dried to become a nice layer of salt (consequently, a nice Wellington resident drew some large male genetalia on the back windshield and hilarity ensued).


Wellington is nicknamed the "Windy City" of New Zealand due to the often gale force winds blowing off the ocean. Our arrival was no exception. The next three days were spent walking with our heads down trying to lean forward. Despite the wind, Wellington is a really cool city. We ended up staying in a neat area called Courtney Place that was the center of the theatre district. Since it was close we attended to different small scale productions across the street. They were both definitely low budget and "starving actor" type plays. Given that New Zealand is British influenced we have found curry restaurants in most places, but Wellington had them in spades. Just about every other window. And let's just say that Karen and I really love the stuff!! We also went to the Te Papa museum (National museum), Botanical gardens, and a nice walk in a local forest.



The other side of the "Windy City" is that Wellington is the national capital (loads of hot air generated here). After a brief tour through the Parliament building, we were told that there would be a public session that afternoon. We decided to attend, since how often do you get to see government in action. We sat in the gallery facing the "government" side (where the Prime Minister and her folks sat), and the opposition was just below us. There is no other way to describe the action other than complete soap opera. The debate consisted of both sides trying to speak with the other side heckling and laughing at what they were saying. It was so bad that you couldn't even hear the rest of the statement from the speaker (with a microphone) through all of the extra noise. We left the session wondering how they ever accomplished anything during the day. (To be fair, one of the arguments was over putting in a round-about in an obscure town we had driven through last month, not exactly world-moving legislation.)

Our impression of Wellington was mostly good, with friendly people, good restaurants, and the most culture we've seen so far. There were points against since it was extremely hard to park anywhere (memories of home), and the town was very dog unfriendly. We have voted to make Wellington our favorite city on the North Island.

Hitch Hiker's Guide to Canterbury

(karen)
After our love affair with Dunedin we headed further up the east coast to Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. In a way, though, it was just another city and we weren't as enthralled as we had hoped. It's considered the most English city in New Zealand but to me it seemed the most American. Come to think of it, we didn't take a single picture during our time in the city. Maybe that's because almost all our pictures have been from the wild corners of New Zealand and we aren't used to photographing city life . . . or maybe it's just because we have over 900 photos so far and we're getting lazy. Who knows. Woe to those whom I ensnare in my slide show when I return!!!

Now I don't want to give Christchurch a bad rap, it was actually a nice city. We spent a great morning exploring the International Antarctic Center which included a five minute "Antarctic storm" in their wind chill chamber. I know it's pared down for tourists, but it was still 24 degF with about 50 mph winds. (Just your average winter day in Colorado, eh?) After that we headed to the Orana Wild Animal Reserve which is similar, but on a smaller scale, to the one in San Diego. It was worth it to finally see some kiwi birds. Steve also especially enjoyed the cheetah chase where they quickly drag a hefty rope the length of a football field and let the cats bound after it (with nice tasty flesh treats at the end).




We used Christchurch as a base for our next backpacking trip into the Southern Alps via Arthurs Pass. We took a train to the pass so we arrived at our destination without a vehicle. This was both a blessing and a curse. Due to a strong southerly storm (southerly = Antarctica) that was threatening snow, we chose a two day backpacking trip that would be less exposed in the alpine areas. The only problem was that the trail head was 20 minutes away from the town...and us without a car. So we did what any normal world travelers would do and stood on the side of the road with our thumbs out. I had a big innocent grin on my face that was supposed to imply, "Don't worry, I'm not a bad person! My husband and I are rocket scientists and we just need a quick ride down the road! Cheers mate!" The first car did not take the bait. Nor the second. I detached myself from my body and thought, "Yeah right, who would want to pick up not one, but two strangers with huge backpacks standing on the side of the road in the pouring rain??" After half an hour Steve went to the info center to inquire about the cost of a taxi, and lo and behold once by myself a very nice railroad worker stopped to give me a ride. When I asked, he even agreed to let Steve come along. We've agreed to be more forgiving to those we see on the side of the road in the future. At least in New Zealand, though. Doing that in the States would bee too creepy!

The two day hike we did, the Cass-Lagoon Saddle, was like a final fling in the Southern Alps before we head up to the North Island. This was classified as a more difficult hike than those we've done previously, mostly because parts of the route follow a river flood plain or are above tree line so the you have to follow markers instead of a nicely cut trail.


We enjoyed the solitude and the majestic beauty of the area as we climbed along rivers, through moss covered beech forest, and over the alpine Cass saddle to our first hut. Although it was designed to sleep 20 there was only one other person so it felt like our own private cabin in the mountains.




The second day was passed quite like the first, but we (I) had the added pleasure of squishing through deep mud at the Laggon Saddle. The mud here beat even what we encountered on Stewart Island; at one point (and of course before I put my gaiters on) I literally took a step down and ended up to my knees in a bog. I'm telling you, there was bog bits in my boots and my socks turned black. But what can you do but laugh? It was pretty funny. Through serendipity we ran into a couple of guys day hiking and they actually asked us if we needed a ride back to town, so we were spared having to stick our thumbs out again.


And that, my friends, is how we concluded our two month journey in the South Island. Many fond memories, may some kind wind blow us back this way!