Pat - The South Island: Day by Day
So, I'm just gonna sorta try to summarize what I did each day so that I don't have to tell the story to everyone and their dog. Right now it's still pretty fresh on my mind and I wanna keep that up and reall it before it all becomes a blur of beautiful scenery.
November 20th: I went to Sydney and got through the airport all on my own. I broght a clockwork orange to read, but I found that I got through it before I even got to New Zealand because I had so much free time. It was kind of funny, when I got through customs I was asked if I was under 16, because I would need extra permission if I was travelling alone and that young. In retrospect, it's a little ironic because I get called mature sometimes as I will talk about later - so I get called either really young, or old. Go figure life. I also was asked in the airport if everything was alright as I wandered around trying to find things to do because I was bored. I wanted to be preoccupied and was looking for the cheapest food (which as I found over the course of the trip - was chips) and just looking blankly around. It's just interesting looking at that.
I got into New Zealand at midnight on the 21st, but I figure I'll put it on today because I hadn't gone to sleep yet. It took a bit before my host, Mike picked me up. He took me around and explained so much about Christchurch on my way back to his home in New Brighton, an outer district in Christchurch. It's surreal how much the scenery was affected and how the city is shaped around the earthquakes. I'll put in pictures showing the damage, but I didn't get pictures until the next day.
November 21st: I spent the day in downtown Christchurch. I woke early and went to a beach right next to Mike's place. The suburb is so nice and a great change from Australia. It was interesting because we went out on the pier and there were actually people right out there fishing and crabbing! This place has a real fish culture!
After visiting the beach early in morning, we had brekky. Mike has rhubarb that he grows year around and puts some sugar and water in it to make this sour, but absolutely delicious mixture that I put into my cereal. I kind of want to do it when I get home, I could have it for breakfast every morning I think. It was so good. Then we went into town and he showed me around.
Christchurch is beautiful in its destruction. I look around and its surreal, some buildings haven't been touched and have glasses from the day of the earthquake still on the ground because the city is still trying to repair the areas that are in lower risk sectors. It's such an ongoing problem. There was a destroyed cathedral, half the skyscrapers were being destroyed brick by brick, and entire blocks were just segregated off. The city is divided by 'red,' 'yellow,' and 'green' sectors based on earthquake risk. The reconstruction is planned to be based around removing all structures in the red sector and building in green sectors, with red sectors being used for parks and other uses.
They have a bunch of cool projects going on in light of the earthquake. They have turned the rubble into art and recycled it for other purposes to make it look more appealing. They had an exhibit outside that commemorated the 185 people who died on the day of the earthquake in 2011, represented by different white chairs. They constructed a replacement temporary cathedral out of recycled building materials.
I went to the quake museum, botanical gardens, and Canterbury museum that day. It was so cool: unlike Australia, they really advertise the Maori (indigenous) culture. The quake museum related it to the Maori god of the earth, and I saw totems all around the city. I was able to get heaps of Maori souvenirs and I really got into it. The coins are embroidered with Maori inscriptions and stuff like that. It's so nice.
That night I just hung around at Mike's place, it was nice just talking to someone about New Zealand who knew the area. I was really nervous about getting around but it worked out alright.
November 22nd: today I went to the suburb that Mike lived in. I used the library and took advantage of its free internet, did souvenir shopping in hte small town (it had a lot of nice discount places,) and bought some super cheap fish and chips. It was literally 2 bucks for an entire scoop which probably contains 2000 calories in and of itself (err 8700 kJ! silly Americans and our weird measurements!) its like 20 potatoes. 20 potatoes of glory.
Anywho, I spent awhile in the library and caught up on a lot of things and planned my trip: I would be sharing a ride down to Queenstown the next day with a girl from San Francisco named Audrey, go to Milford sound the next day, go up to Fox Glacier, up to Hokitika, and across through Arthur's Pass before going up to Kaikoura on a day trip and staying the night in the airport. I decided I wouldn't book these bus trips or a hostel in Queenstown until I talked to Audrey (met through couchsurfing.org, which is awesome) and saw her plans. since it isn't high tourist season until mid-December in New Zealand, I had that opportunity.
That night, Mike asked me to cook dinner. Recalling back to Byron Bay, I decided to make a quintessential American delicacy: nachos grande. Beans, cheese, chips, salsa, and heaps of veggies. Then I lived up to 'pattycakes': I baked a crap load of cookies with some of the supplies Mike had in his pantry. Admittedly it wasn't my best effort as I noticed it blended a bit differently because of the weather in comparison to the weather, but they turned out okay (if a bit crunchy.) Mike really appreciated it and I remembered why I love baking so much: it makes other people so happy and grateful for something that calms me down physically.
November 23rd: Today was a changing point. Now I go to Queenstown, the 'adventure capital of the world.' We started bright and early and I met a girl from the U.S. and a Bristish girl who were splitting the gas as well on the way down to Queenstown. They fell asleep instantly and I was sitting shotgun with Audrey, the girl from San Francisco who was driving. The next 8 hours, w crossed through some gorgeous scenery which I will have in photos on facebook shortly. My eyes were opened when we saw our first glacial river with shearing and mountains in the background. We took pictures at Lake Tekapo, Twizel, and several scenic overlooks on the way down. It was surreal, I literally drank some of the glacial water and it was probably cleaner than the tap water in Australia.
Audrey and I got along so well, she sort of reminded me of my older sister Kate with how we related to one another. We literally talked almost the whole 8 hours down there about everything. She is about 30 and super well travelled, she decided she didn't want to settle down and get married: she wanted to see the world. It's a way of seeing the world. But I guess I wouldn't want to do that because of what I said in my reflections: it's about sharing our experiences.
That night we got into Queenstown at about 7:30 and I figured out I would take the 5 trip with intericty and bus around. I planned my cruise for the next day and decided I would not end up travelling with Audrey because she had a lot more time in New Zealand and was on a different itinerary idea. That night we went out and drank a bottle of wine on the beach which was an... interesting experience. I just haven't imagined something so casual. In Queenstown, it is a youth hotspot because there are guided tours that go through the South Island and they terminate there. So what you have is a crap load of people who during the day do day trips to Milford, or skydive, or hike, then come back to Queenstown and drink and party.
We were especially 'fortunate' because Audrey and I shared a hostel that happened to house a crap load of people who were on this 'Kiwi experience' tour. I ended up spending a good amount of time with her that night and a bunch of people from the Kiwi experience, but I crashed at 1am as supposed to 4 because of what was the next day: Milford Sound day trip.
November 24th: the most lifechanging day of the entire trip. I don't even know how to describe it. I woke up on time and stuffed onto a bus and met a guy from Sweden who I talked to for awhile about random Lord of the Rings things. I started getting crap loads of photos and we got into Milford. Oh my god. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. I think it was the first time I was literally moved to tears with how beautiful it is. How has God given us such a beautiful thing to embrace and see? Glaciers are incredible and just carve out so much.
Our bus trip was cool because our driver gave us a talk on the way out to the sound. He explained Maori legends about the carving out of the fjords and the lakes and the mythology behind it is pretty interesting. I will definitely be researching it as I go home. We also stopped at several scenic lookouts and Te Anu for snacks, souvenir shopping, and picture stops.
When we got to Milford we were shoved onto a large cruise ship for an hour and a half cruise that went out to the Tasman Sea. It was so windy but just jaw-droppingly beautiful. We saw seals and penguins but we couldn't get close enough for good pictures unfortunately!
I took so many pictures of couples on the boat because they were looking ike they wanted a group photo but didn't want to ask anyone. I am just imagining bring Maria here. and the idea excites me. I want to show it to everyone. It is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the planet I reckon. I ended up talking to a guy from Wales most of the time and got to know him pretty well on the busride back as most people slept. He just talked about how even Europe's scenery pales in the epicness that is New Zealand south island. I really just felt like I wished that I kept the firnedship over time, because the way we savor our experiences is through pictures and people, and other people are so much of a better way to savor it.
That night, I went out with a few people from the Kiwi Experience impromptu. It was really frustrating because I realized: I wasn't going to ever see these people again. I was going to make a memory for myself at the best, maybe a facebook friend or 2, but chances are... so I just ended up escaping from them early in the night in preparation for leaving to Fox Glacier the next day. I am a little angry at myself for doing that, but it made me realize a lot about myself, and the 'moral of the story' of my New Zealand adventure.
November 25th: I spent most of today on a bus heading up to Fox Glacier. On the bus ride I met a German girl and a girl from Canada and another girl from San Francisco who I talked to for the most part. They were really nice and sort of opened my eyes to how you can backpack more. I really want to do this again now....
I was able to meet up with Aislin and a few Americans from Newcastle up here! It was really cool, but they had already done the glacier walk when we got there. The weather was terrible and overcast so I was nervous I wouldn't get a view of the glacier. I said screw it and met up with an Australian backpacker with a car and we went on a 2 hour walk out the glacier and back again. It was totally worth it. The glacier was just something to behold with its scale and it blows my mind because I've studied it for so long and never saw one in real life. Talking to the Australian backpacker (amber, if you're reading this from facebook, hi!) it was really nice because we related pretty well with what we take out of travelling. She was also querky and weird, and I felt like I could be myself around her, which was really a relief in light of the Kiwi Experience people who were cynical partiers.
That night we played cards for 2 hours before the 2 Americans left to go back to Christchurch. It was a shame because it was their last day in New Zealand: they were finished with it. It was so nice meeting up with someone I have made a real friendship with again though, and I really am going to miss Aislin. I hope we get to meet up again.
November 26th: today I crossed a lot of things off my list for going to New Zealand. I left Aislin and Amber in the morning and went up the coast to Hokitika, a small town with a bunch of small cool things. On the busride up, I saw the girl from Canada I met before and caught up with her and her experience at Franz Josef glacier dealing with the weather. I definitely had the better experience because I actually got to see the glacier. had my first Paua patty which is an Abelony endemic to New Zealand and a venison meat pie at one of the stops we made on the way up.
Later on, I went to the Kiwi museum and saw a Kiwi (but no pictures, it was in the dark and they are so shy!) I went to an exhibit and got to feed a large group of eels! It was pretty odd... but after sunset, I also ended up seeing glowworms at the glowworm dell outside of town. I ended up buying a book at a used book shop because I figure I would be on a bus and have a lot of free time in the next few days. I ended up getting 'For Whom the Bell Tolls,' which I can say I am glad I got, because I literally read the entire 500 page book over the next few days.
I spent some time in the library catching up on things, and it was just nice to be able to kind of keep up with everything. I booked my bus for heading through Arthur's Pass and my daytrip up to Kaikoura. I met a few backpackers and had a pretty calm recovery day.
November 27th: I relaxed in town and walked along the beach to get some driftwood and shells before getting on the bus to go to Greymouth and crossing through Arthur's Pass. I ended up seeing the German girl that I had met on the way up to Fox glacier and caught up with her!Unfortunately, the weather was pretty crappy coming back into Christchurch so the views really weren't that great. But I did get a few pictures of Keas(the only alpine parrot!), and the area was just so beautiful! It was nice coming back to Christchurch and going back 'home' to Mike's place. That night I met another German he was couchsurfing with and we cooked a nice dinner of sweet and sour chicken!
November 28th: I woke up at 5am to get the bus up to Kaikoura. I happened to see one of the girls from the Kiwi Experience that I met in Queenstown and it was really nice just talking to her and seeing how she has gotten around! It really is a small country despite all the big things in it... Anyway, when I got there, the weather was miserably rainy, which was such a shame. I couldn't see whales, dolphins, or the alps overlooking the town. However, I decided to try to make the best of it and did the 'peninsula walk' where I ended up seeing seals! They have a seal colony and it was just really cool, I literally saw a sign that said 'do not disturb the seals' and almost tripped over one. On the way they also had a building with a foundation of whale bones that discussed the history of whaling in new Zealand also had my first battered mussel at a fish and chips joint, so I crossed that off my list for New Zealand experiences. I finished up shopping, getting a bunch of Paua and greenstone (jade, the national rock of New Zealand) things.
I came back and we had a nice night out having even more fish and chips on the beach before I caught the 10pm bus into town and the airport. I met a group of girls from Sweden who were backpacking around and on their way to Bali on a 6am flight and I talked with them for most of the night because I couldn't get any sleep in the airport. I ended up finishing the rest of my book on the trip home and ended up back in Newcastle at about noon, where I promptly passed out for several hours before heading to Rene's birthday party (one of my accomodation friends.)