Franz Josef- it's cool!

After Doubtful Sound, Eoin and I headed back to our last weeks of work. Eoin's last day was two days before my last day which was April 14th. That same day, Eoin's friend Mike arrived for a two and a half week visit. It was good timing for Mike, because he not only got to see Queenstown (where there is SO much to do) he also got to join us on our road trip from the south island to the north island. Mike's time in Queenstown wasn't too exciting because Eoin and I had to pack up, clean the flat and sort everything out for the trip (get directions, book hostels etc). However, we did manage to get to Deer Park Heights (the now famous Queenstown attraction where I fed a llama) and Eoin and Mike also went to the luge. On our last day in town, we packed up the car and did a last minute clean up before heading out to Franz Josef.

Franz Josef is about 5 hours (by car) from Queenstown. It is the type of place you would drive right through and not even know it, seriously. Why would we stop off in a place more boring than Alfred during winter break? GLACIERS! Franz Josef village is home to the Franz Josef glacier which is 12 km long, and is the only glacier in the world that is growing and retreating as opposed to simply retreating. Now glaciers are cool to look at and all, but you really can't get a feel for how massive they are until you walk on one. Even I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but it was definitely worth it.

The day started early, about 8 AM, with a quick breakfast followed by a short walk to the Franz Josef Glacier Guides center. There, we put on thick socks, hiking boots, gloves, rain pants, hats and a rain coat before we climbed on board the bus. The bus drove us about 10 minutes down the road to the start of the park in which the glacier is located. We walked about an hour before we made it to the base of the glacier, where we were separated into groups of 10 and put on our crampons (metal hooks that go on your shoes to help you walk on the ice). THEN the fun could begin!

In order to get onto the glacier you had to climb up a series of steps carved out in the ice. There was a rope attached to the side to hold on to, and even though we had crampons on, it was still a bit slippery. We hiked up and around the glacier, a total of about 12 km (up and back) going through several ice tunnels, jumping across huge ravines and shimming our way through tight crevices. Oh, and did I mention the blue ice? Yeah BLUE ICE!! Eoin may say that the huge ravine was not huge or a ravine, but to me it was. If I have to go into a split to get to the other side, its huge. And if I were to misstep and fall, I would be several feet down and probably dead, so it was a ravine. Despite this, I still had a good time and was surprised at how well I did on the glacier, despite my lack of outdoorsy-ness and love of hiking. After about 6 hours we had hiked the glacier half-way up and back and were getting back onto the bus to the village.

On a side note, our tour guide was insane! He was constantly chipping away random pieces of ice, trying to start new caves by himself, climbing up on dangerous ledges and chopping away at them while he was standing on it and kicking over huge boulders that weren't even in our way. Ridic!

The glacier from afar...still about 45 minutes away from the base.

Here I am climbing up out of a huge hole!

Coming through a tunnel.

Mike, Eoin and I at the heighest point in our walk.

Doubtful Sound

Before we left Queenstown, before we quit our jobs and before Mike came to visit, Eoin and I went on an overnight to Doubtful Sound. We left on a Tuesday morning and took a tour bus to Manapouri, a small town situated on a lake. We hopped off the bus and waited for our ferry to arrive. The only way to get to Doubtful Sound is by ferry via Lake Manapouri. The ferry ride was about 45 minutes and when we disembarked we were met by another bus that took us to the dock at Doubtful Sound where our cruise would depart.

The Navigator is a good sized ship with several bunk rooms, viewing decks, dining room and an observation lounge. It sleeps 70 people (plus staff) and they have an amazing dinner and breakfast buffet, not to mention the fresh muffins and soup available as well.

We left the dock and made our way out into the fjord (yup, just like Milford Sound...Doubtful Sound is actually a fjord). There are three "arms" to Doubtful sound, and we went down each one. We stopped off in Crooked Arm (guess why its called that) and had the option to go kayaking or take a cruise in a tender boat. Eoin opted for the kayaks and I went in the tender boat (basically a small little motor boat) and took pictures. We were out cruising and kayaking around for about an hour before we got back on board, when they made the announcement that the "swimming pool" was now open. Guess who jumped in the freezing cold water....EOIN. Four other people also had a lapse in sanity and joined him in the water. Crazy crazy crazy.

After everyone was back aboard the ship we continued out of crooked arm and towards the sea. I got a bit seasick and wound up sitting the observation deck with my head on the window trying not to puke, while Eoin and everyone else on the boat were outside watching the fur seals play. I managed to watch the seals a bit, but really, all I could think about was not throwing up. Finally, to my relief, the captain turned the boat around and we headed back into the sound/fjord.

Then, it was (in my opinion) time for the best part! BUFFET DINNER! Lamb, chicken, roast beef, potatoes, kumara, 3 types of salads, rice, and bread. So delicious! Followed by an amazing dessert buffet...pavlova, chocolate cake, cheesecake and fruit salad. Definitely the best part.

By now it was probably 8 PM and they had a bit of a nature slide show for those that were interested, so of course Eoin and I went to that. It was about the animals we might see in the fjord and also about animals all over NZ (kiwi, possum etc). Apparently, there used to be Moose in the Fiordland National Park, but no one has seen them for years. There is one guy, known as the "Moose Man" who is determined to prove/find a moose. He goes out everyday looking for droppings, prints, fur ...anything. Well, apparently he found sound moose hairs a while ago and is 100% sure the moose are still out there. No one else thinks there are any though. Poor "Moose Man".

After the slide show, at about 9, we went to bed. Seriously. We were exhausted. Oh wait, Eoin and I played a few rounds of Connect Four and THEN we went to bed. The next morning there was another fabulous buffet... cereals, fresh fruit, yogurt, toast, hash browns, baked beans, sausage, grilled tomatoes etc. Followed by a "Sound of Silence" in one of the arms. Basically, we all stood outside on the deck and made no noise for about 5 minutes...this was a difficult task for Eoin. But it was cool, we could hear all the birds in the forest, the waterfalls, wind blowing through the trees...very neat experience.

We then went back to the dock and disembarked the ship, got on a bus and headed home. :( Back to work.

Eoin and some other people kayaking in crooked arm.

The Navigator

Another scenic shot of Doubtful Sound with the kayakers.

Update coming...I Promise!

Been sooooooooo busy with Mike's visit, moving from Queenstown, traveling the two islands and looking for a new job and apartment. Haven't had anytime to update but I promise you...a super long and awesome entry is on the way!

Alexa

PS: got ourselves a room in a sweet house with Filipino roomies. Applied to two jobs...looking promising!

Eoin's Dad visits and we walk the Routeburn Track

It's funny how I can go weeks without anything exciting to update about and then all of a sudden have so much to say. I feel slightly disorganised with this blog entry so bear with me, please. I have a feeling this will be quite a long entry.

Eoin's dad arrived in Queenstown on March 11th (Wednesday). Thursday and Friday are my days off, so the three of us did some touristy things together. On Thursday we did the Lord of the Rings safari tour in Glenorchy. I am not a huge LOTR fan so it was mostly just some nice scenery that I was looking at. We stopped in a few places that were important for the film, though. We saw where the cast and crew met every morning for make-up/costumes/food as well as the spot the elephant battle began. I think Eoin got more out of it than either David or I, but I can't say that he was particularly impressed with the tour either. After the tour, we did some grocery shopping and went home to make some delicious fajitas. Amazing.

On Friday we hopped on the TSS Earnslaw (the boat I also went on with my mom) and cruised over to Walter Peak Station. Walter Peak used to be a working farm with sheep, cows, and deer and is now a tourist attraction. We had a barbecue lunch, which was amazing (and worked out to be only about 10 dollars with our locals discount!) and saw a sheep herding and shearing presentation. The rest of the week I had to work, but I did manage to get up to the luge one last time with Eoin and David.

Here I am posing with a sheep!

All in all, Eoin and I definitely enjoyed eating at restaurants and having astronomical amounts of food in the flat. We don't need to go grocery shopping for the rest of our time in Queenstown (except for little things of course but really, that doesn't count!).

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The start of the Routeburn Track

For the past three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) Eoin and I have been out in the Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park hiking the Routeburn. Putting it nicely, I was not excited at all about this trip. I am so un-outdoorsy its not even funny. I sucked it up (eventually) and trudged along for 3 days in the alpines of New Zealand. It was a lot easier than the Tongariro Crossing, but there were still some steep sections and lots of narrow paths with long drop offs if you miss stepped. The scenery was amazing- rugged mountains with glaciers, waterfalls and moss covered trees all around.

Walking on the track. Day two.

We averaged about 4-5 hours of walking each day with water breaks and lunch thrown in. We spent the nights at huts situated along the trail. Our first night we each had our own bunk on a bunk bed. The second night we shared a platform with two other people. It's a bit odd but there was enough space that it wasn't too awkward. We were in bed by 9:30 at the latest each night, and on the trails by 9:00 AM each morning.

Not a very attractive picture, but this is me walking along the waterfall.

As much as I hate (and I do mean hate) hiking the Routeburn wasn't that bad. My legs are definitely sore today, and my feet are a bit tired but I had an "okay" time. (I am not saying I had "fun" though haha).

One thing I noticed on the hike, though, is the vast difference between Americans and people from other countries. While on the hike, there was a group of four Americans, roughly our age that were staying at the same hut as us. They were talking rather loudly and I overheard them talking about how the hike the next day was "only" 10 miles and that one of the girls could "run that in an hour". They planned to finish by noon the following day, and wanted to be the fastest ones on the track. They were complaining that the trail wasn't challenging enough and it was too easy.

Meanwhile, while they were rushing through the Routeburn, everyone else was going at a nice slow pace, enjoying the outdoors, taking in the scenery and having a good time with their friends. No other place I have been as had such competitive people as the Americans. It's not about finishing the quickest, or being first. It's about the overall experience. If you can run a mile in 6 minutes, that's great, but did you look around while you were running? Did you have fun? Did you take it all in? If you can run a mile in 10 minutes I bet you see more than the person who ran it in 6. Being fast, first or the "best" does not make you a better person. In fact, I felt embarrassed by the group of Americans in the hut. I feel that people everywhere get the impression that we ( Americans) are "too good" for them. We aren't. We just like to think we are better.

I could go on and on about this, and maybe its "anti-American" (which is a stupid term anyway), but no other country, that I have been to, parades their patriotism as extremely as we do.

Alright, enough babbling. I need to get showered and dressed and off to work. Today is Otago Day (which is somewhat like Independence Day but on a smaller scale and only in the Otago County) so I get paid time and a half!

Miss you all!

Moms visit part 2

So Mom is back in the states now, but this is the first chance I have had to sit down and write a blog. Now that mom is gone, I am back to working full time, which is good because I seriously need the money.

Anyway, where did we leave off? Milford Sound I think.... So, the night we got back from Milford Sound my boss gave me off work (which was totally unexpected and super nice of her!) so that mom and I could go see the Maori Haka show. We rode the gondola up Bob's Peak (the same place the luge and paragliders are) and waited for the show to begin. I thought it was a big hokie, but mom enjoyed it. The performers told us a bit about Maori culture and weapons and then did the Haka. Afterwords you could get your picture taken with them, I decided not to pose with them but mom did:

The next day mom and I went white water rafting. It was a beautiful day out, and our guide (Chief) was hysterical. No one fell out of our raft, but a few people fell out of other rafts. Mom and I were sitting in the front of the raft so we got completely soaked, but it was fun.

More importantly, the weekend of moms visit was my birthday weekend! We went to Dunedin. This is where my blog will get super interesting. We left Queenstown at 9 AM and I mistakenly told Eoin to head towards Invercargill for an hour. Once we figured out I made huge mistake we turned around and headed back towards Queenstown. We stopped in Cromwell at a fruit stand to get some cherries, and when we went back to the car it wouldn't start. Turns out, the plugs going from the battery were cut off. Some nice man fixed it for us and we went on our way again. Neither Eoin or I saw the sign for SH 8 (state highway 8) and again we went the wrong way for about 30 minutes before turning ourselves around again. We made it to Roxburgh (what should have been about 2 hours into our trip but was now something like 4 hours) when our engine exploded. Yep, that's right. Smoke, sparks, flames and bits of engine came out of the hood. Good job, car. Our 1990 Toyota Corona is now in the car cemetery. We got a ride to Roxburgh, where we tried to figure out what to do next...get a bus to Queenstown? A bus to Dunedin? A rental car to Dunedin? We were all grumpy and tired, but decided to continue on to Dunedin to celebrate my birthday. We took the bus to Alexandra where we rented a car and headed back towards Dunedin. We made it to the hostel by 7 PM. We should have been there by noon.

We ate dinner and went to bed, we were THAT exhausted. The next day was my birthday! We started the day with a tour of the Speights Brewery. Speights in a beer brewed in Dunedin and is known as the beer that "southern men" drink. Think- cowboys, sheep herders and scruffy dirty old guys. It was still a good tour though, and drinking beer at 11 AM wasn't so bad either. I am sure Eoin will have more to say about this since he is the beer connoisseur. After the tour, mom and I went to a spa and totally got the celebrity treatment. It was amazzzzzzzzzzzing. Massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, lunch and cake! Fabulous!
Eoin went shopping. So I think he had a good time? I don't know, it was my birthday..whatever.

Then we had to book it back to the hostel to get out to the Otago Peninsula to see the Yellow Eyed Penguins at Penguin Place.

Penguin Place is a reserve that is also part of a sheep farm where the yellow eyed penguins live. Yellow Eyed Penguins are native to New Zealand and are endangered...there are only 4,000 of them in the world. They are the third largest penguin (but are still quite small) and we got to see them up close. The tour brings you out to the sheep farm to the section the penguins inhabit. There are paths and trenches for people to walk on and peek through to see the penguins without interfering in their habitats. We saw a bunch of chicks and juveniles waiting on land for their parents to come back from fishing all day. Most of the juveniles had patchy spots where there feathers had fallen out and new feathers would grow. The chicks were covered in downy feathers. While we were there we saw about 5 adults come out of the sea and preen themselves before heading back to their habitats to feed the chicks.

Here is a short video of some of the adults:




It was so cool to actually SEE a real penguin in the wild. It's a very different experience than seeing them in a zoo or aquarium. After we completed our tour, we went to see the Albatross, they were flying all over the place and they were HUGE! Eoin saw a sign that said "Blue Penguin Sightings" so he and mom went down to check it out. They called me about 20 minutes later and I came down to the shore to see what all the fuss was about. Apparently, a whole group of Little Blue Penguins came out of the sea all at once. I missed that, and I almost missed stepping on a chick on our way up from the shore. The chick was walking right in front of me, and hopped up a few steps before heading into the bushes. I was less than a foot away from the fluffy little thing, and it was so cute!
Unfortunately, the flash of a camera disturbs the penguins (they have very sensitive eyesight) so we couldn't get a picture. But it was definitely the coolest thing I'd seen all day.

We drove back to Dunedin and had some dinner and two desserts (it was my birthday, after all) and then went to bed. We got up early the next morning and drove back to Alexandra where we dropped off the rental car and hopped on the bus to Queenstown.

Eoin and I are now without a car and are walking to work and taking the bus home. So I guess I am getting some exercise out of all this craziness.

That's all for now, it's my day off and I am cleaning and blogging and watching tv. I might do some laundry...don't be jealous!

Miss you all!

Mom's visit so far

Mom has been here since Monday (its Wednesday now), and we have crammed a lot into the past three days. I am an amazing tour planner.

On Sunday I went to get Mom from the airport, and that in itself was a task. Eoin had left the car lights on over night and the battery was dead by morning. Our landlady drove us into town, and while Eoin went to work I went to the bus stop. The bus was late, and so I was late getting to airport to get mom. We then had to take a taxi back to the apartment and the driver was nice enough to jump start our car. Mom hung out here while I went to work. Eoin came home in the early afternoon and brought mom to her hotel. We then went out for a quick dinner and discussesd the weeks plans before calling it a night.

Monday we did a double decker bus tour. The double decker bus is an import from London and brings you to the AJ Hackett Bungy Bridge, Gibbston Valley Winery and Arrowtown before returning back to Queenstown. It was a bit of a rainy day, so there was only one brave jumper at the bridge, but at least we saw something! The winery was nice, too, because I was thinking of doing a wine tour during the week. But we had our own wine tasting at Gibbston Valley for about $16 all together. Mom then bought 3 bottles of wine (did I mention it was 11 AM??). Arrowtown, which you might remember from an earlier entry, is a very scenic little place. We mostly just walked down the main road and poked through all the little shops. But it was nice anyway, and a good thing to do for a first day "adventure".

Tuesday was a bit more eventful. Even though it was still gross outside and rainy we went to the Kiwi Bird and Wildlife Park. It wasn't that exciting, especially for the price you pay, but if you REALLY want to see a kiwi then its a good place to check out. Mom thought Kiwi's were tiny birds like robins or something...but they aren't. They are about the size of chickens and they cannot fly. Just clearing that up for all you foreigners out there! After the park we went on a scenic tour of Lake Wakatipu, the lake Queenstown is situated on. The TSS Earnslaw is a steamboat that is fueled by one ton of coal each trip. The ride was about an hour long, and on the way back instead of commentary they had a sing-a-long. It was really cheesey, but the little kids and old people sure enjoyed themselves. After I went to work (4-8) Eoin, Mom and I had dinner at Hell Pizza (best pizza in the WORLD) and then went to the Minus 5* Bar. It is a bar made of ice, with ice sculptures, ice couches, and ice glasses. It was fun, but after about ten minutes it was kind of like, "Okay soooo can we go now?". Still, it is an experience you should do if you get the chance, very novel.

Today is Wednesday and so far it is the most action packed. It started with waking up at 7:25 AM and groggily getting into a taxi to the airport. We then hopped on an 8 seater plane, and took off towards Milford Sound. I didn't even puke, although I thought I was going to. I took a drammamine, so I fell asleep on the boat, but Mom had a good time seeing the seals and waterfalls and we even saw an dolphin! Crazy! It was the size of a whale, and swam right along side the bow of the boat. We then flew back to Queenstown where we ate some lunch and booked some seats at Haka. A haka is traditional Maori dance that tells a story using facial expressions and movement. If you want to see a haka, google it or even look it up on youtube, they are very cool and I am excited to see one tonight! We are also going to the luge, and to the grocery store and maybe even doing some laundry..the day just keeps getting more and more exciting!

Well, I know that you only come to my blog to see the pictures so...here you go!

Here we are, drinking wine at 10:45 AM. Can your day start any better??

Here is mom, re-enacting my now "famous" alpaca picture (found here:http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30775797&l=3cfae&id=49800283)

Here we are standing next to our airplane at Milford Sound. Can you believe we actually FLEW in that thing? Ridic.

I got a job!

How excited are you all? You are reading the blog of the newest memeber of the checkout team at Fresh Choice, the same grocery store as Eoin! Yes, I gave in and decided it was "okay" to work at the same place as Eoin. $12.50 an hour, 30-40 hours a week. Not bad, except that its not as fun as Glassons. But at least its money and I don't have to waste any more paper turning in CV's.

I haven't updated in a while because there really hasn't been much to say. My mom will be here on Sunday (two days!) so I am busy planning things for us to do. I will definitely update my blog while mom is here, so you can all see the awesome things we are going to do!

Also, the local news paper in Concord is doing a bit of an article about me and my trip to NZ. If you live in Concord, it will be printed in the Insider on feb 24th. I am basically going to be famous. So get your requests for autographs in NOW.

Miss you all! Updates and pictures coming soon!