Posted by Emily
After Wanaka, it was on to Queenstown, which is apparently the adventure capital of the world. Not too much craziness for us though. It's really expensive! We arrived a few hours before the Winterfest Mardi Gras parade, so after resting up a bit, we headed out into the cold to check out the festivities. They started with a small parade featuring paper masks on sticks, people in colorful costumes on stilts and many children with paper lanterns. It was a far cry from the antics that take place during the real Mardi Gras parade! After this, it was a night of drinking mulled wine (to stay warm of course) and listening/dancing to various bands that were featured on the stage. Some of them were a little cheesy, but it was really fun. Dancing also helps to stay warm!
The next day we wandered around the town for a bit, checked out the beautiful lake at the center of town (see Nicki's blog for its name....) and took a gondola up to the top of the hill overlooking the city. Luckily, we had a beautiful clear day and could see the city, lake and surrounding mountains perfectly. Another feature at the top of the gondola is a luge course, and for $7, we couldn't pass it up. It involved sitting in plastic sled-like things on wheels with handlebars that acted as breaks when pulled back. It was a good time but there were too many curves and in order to stay in control, we couldn't go too fast. We also discovered an awesome chocolate shop that also served ice cream and hot chocolate in very unique flavors. I sampled the Mexican chili hot chocolate and the lavender hot chocolate. Both excellent. Who's seen the movie Chocolat? I've wanted to try chocolate and chili every since I saw that movie but had never actually seen it in a shop before
The next day we took a hike on the Queenstown Hill Walkway, which was beautiful but very icy at places. That made the hike a little less enjoyable. It was also a very cloudy day and so most of the view we could have had at the top of the view was cloaked in clouds. There was a kind of eerie looking clearing over the lake so at least we could see something. Then it was off to the airport in the afternoon for a flight back up to Auckland for our flights. Nicki just left for her flight back to the US and I will be leaving tomorrow for my flight to Tokyo. So! I better get off this computer and go entertain myself somewhere more interesting than this hostel.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Winterfest in June?
Posted by Nicki
That’s right folks, good old southern hemisphere for you. Winter in June. And the Kiwi’s know how to have a blast in the snow…in fact they seem to love the cold as everytime we go into a backpackers we find the windows open, along with no heat. Crazy people.
Anyhow, Em and I spent the last few days in Queenstown and had a great time. The city seems to be like the Aspen of New Zealand. Ski town with lots of fancy places to stay, definitely it’s fair share of fine dining to go with them, but luckily for us, also a few good cheapies and affordable hostels. The city is nestled in the mountains a looks out upon Lake Wakitupo, just beautiful.
The first night we got in was their mardi gras celebration. The evening started off with a more family oriented version of a mardi gras parade with people in masks, big puppet type things, colorful characters on stilts and the like. Lots of kids carrying little hand made lanterns as well. Then everyone met up in the center square where there was a huge bandstand set up with free live music all evening. There was also tons of food and drink stalls set up down the street. Lots of cheap yummy food, everything from beef bomber sandwiches to pumpkin soup, to waffles to thai and indian food. They also had mulled wine by the truckload. Something I’d never had before but have taken a liking too. Hot red wine with some spices, tastes kind of like cider. Works wonders for keeping warm outdoors in a freezing cold winter night. Although I ended up dragging Emily in as I was shivering, we had a great night for the most part.
The next day had more festival stuff, including crazy races and relays, a slip and slide, a drag queen obstacle course race, and lots of races involving guys dressed up in snickers bar costumes. All super fun to watch. We also took a gondola up to the top of a mountain overlooking the town. Gorgeous views. We also LUGED! Really good time, not quite on ice like the olympics, but on a concrete track around the mountain on a kind of laid back sled on wheels kind of thing. It reminded me of those sit and skate orange scooter things from the 80’s, not sure if anyone else knows what I’m talking about. Anyhow, it was great fun.
Today we wandered around and went for a hike up in the hills. A lot of the hike was through super dense forest, kind creepy, I expected some sort of creature from lord of the rings to jump out at me. But it was fun, and although the clouds were to low to see much from the top, what we could see was cool. Only problem was the ice, a lot of the track was icy, and I managed to slip quite a few times, once majorly biting the dust for a nice muddy bum, shoot. So much for my one pair of clean pants. Opps.
Anyhow, I am headed to the states tomorrow! I’ll probably post one last blog once I’m back. I’ll have plenty of time on my million hours of planes to think of something clever I hope. But I’m excited to see you all soon! Have a wonderful day!
That’s right folks, good old southern hemisphere for you. Winter in June. And the Kiwi’s know how to have a blast in the snow…in fact they seem to love the cold as everytime we go into a backpackers we find the windows open, along with no heat. Crazy people.
Anyhow, Em and I spent the last few days in Queenstown and had a great time. The city seems to be like the Aspen of New Zealand. Ski town with lots of fancy places to stay, definitely it’s fair share of fine dining to go with them, but luckily for us, also a few good cheapies and affordable hostels. The city is nestled in the mountains a looks out upon Lake Wakitupo, just beautiful.
The first night we got in was their mardi gras celebration. The evening started off with a more family oriented version of a mardi gras parade with people in masks, big puppet type things, colorful characters on stilts and the like. Lots of kids carrying little hand made lanterns as well. Then everyone met up in the center square where there was a huge bandstand set up with free live music all evening. There was also tons of food and drink stalls set up down the street. Lots of cheap yummy food, everything from beef bomber sandwiches to pumpkin soup, to waffles to thai and indian food. They also had mulled wine by the truckload. Something I’d never had before but have taken a liking too. Hot red wine with some spices, tastes kind of like cider. Works wonders for keeping warm outdoors in a freezing cold winter night. Although I ended up dragging Emily in as I was shivering, we had a great night for the most part.
The next day had more festival stuff, including crazy races and relays, a slip and slide, a drag queen obstacle course race, and lots of races involving guys dressed up in snickers bar costumes. All super fun to watch. We also took a gondola up to the top of a mountain overlooking the town. Gorgeous views. We also LUGED! Really good time, not quite on ice like the olympics, but on a concrete track around the mountain on a kind of laid back sled on wheels kind of thing. It reminded me of those sit and skate orange scooter things from the 80’s, not sure if anyone else knows what I’m talking about. Anyhow, it was great fun.
Today we wandered around and went for a hike up in the hills. A lot of the hike was through super dense forest, kind creepy, I expected some sort of creature from lord of the rings to jump out at me. But it was fun, and although the clouds were to low to see much from the top, what we could see was cool. Only problem was the ice, a lot of the track was icy, and I managed to slip quite a few times, once majorly biting the dust for a nice muddy bum, shoot. So much for my one pair of clean pants. Opps.
Anyhow, I am headed to the states tomorrow! I’ll probably post one last blog once I’m back. I’ll have plenty of time on my million hours of planes to think of something clever I hope. But I’m excited to see you all soon! Have a wonderful day!
On Top Of The World
Posted by Nicki
First off, edit…in the last post I mentioned that the south island was a world heritage site, I meant the west coast of the south island, not the whole south island. Just fyi.
So, I have officially decided that I want to move to Wanaka (rhymes with Monica) and be a ski bum. How much fun would that be? Em and I had a wonderful time in the little ski town and an even better time on the mountain. The first night we were in town we went to this old little movie theatre. Although the film we saw was extremely bizarre and didn’t make any sense, the movie theatre was great. You sit on old comfy couches and arm chairs, there was even an old vintage vw bug you could relax in. Then, they have an intermission with fresh baked still warm from the oven cookies and homemade ice cream! Yum! It was great.
The next day we hit the slopes. We went to a place called Cardrona, and it was fantastic. We were acutally on a mountain, none of this silly Minnesota hill stuff. Seriously, we were above the clouds, it was incredible. At the top of the run I felt like I practically had to pinch myself to realize I actually was in this awesome place, skiing in New Zealand. As you go down the mountain you look out on what I believe were the southern alps, if not, still just spectacular snow capped mountains, majestic as any I have ever seen. I was breathless everytime I saw them. The day was perfect for skiing as well. Blue skies and sunshine, mid thirties, not cold at all. It was wonderful. The only complaint I would have is that Cardrona doesn’t like to label their runs…you’d go over a ledge not really knowing whether it was a green, blue, or black dimond. Not exactly the best way to do things, but hey, it made for an adventure…or something like that.
At night we even found a bar that was playing Desperate Housewives! A little dose of home, only they shut it off when Grey’s Anatomy came on! Boo! Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.
For now we are in Queenstown, a great little town surrounded again by beautiful mountains and Lake Wakitupu (sp?). Winterfest is on and we’re having a great time. Hard to believe we’ll be back in summer weather in just a few days!!
First off, edit…in the last post I mentioned that the south island was a world heritage site, I meant the west coast of the south island, not the whole south island. Just fyi.
So, I have officially decided that I want to move to Wanaka (rhymes with Monica) and be a ski bum. How much fun would that be? Em and I had a wonderful time in the little ski town and an even better time on the mountain. The first night we were in town we went to this old little movie theatre. Although the film we saw was extremely bizarre and didn’t make any sense, the movie theatre was great. You sit on old comfy couches and arm chairs, there was even an old vintage vw bug you could relax in. Then, they have an intermission with fresh baked still warm from the oven cookies and homemade ice cream! Yum! It was great.
The next day we hit the slopes. We went to a place called Cardrona, and it was fantastic. We were acutally on a mountain, none of this silly Minnesota hill stuff. Seriously, we were above the clouds, it was incredible. At the top of the run I felt like I practically had to pinch myself to realize I actually was in this awesome place, skiing in New Zealand. As you go down the mountain you look out on what I believe were the southern alps, if not, still just spectacular snow capped mountains, majestic as any I have ever seen. I was breathless everytime I saw them. The day was perfect for skiing as well. Blue skies and sunshine, mid thirties, not cold at all. It was wonderful. The only complaint I would have is that Cardrona doesn’t like to label their runs…you’d go over a ledge not really knowing whether it was a green, blue, or black dimond. Not exactly the best way to do things, but hey, it made for an adventure…or something like that.
At night we even found a bar that was playing Desperate Housewives! A little dose of home, only they shut it off when Grey’s Anatomy came on! Boo! Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.
For now we are in Queenstown, a great little town surrounded again by beautiful mountains and Lake Wakitupu (sp?). Winterfest is on and we’re having a great time. Hard to believe we’ll be back in summer weather in just a few days!!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Hitting The Slopes In June???!?!
Posted by Emily
That's right, it's the end of June and time for the ski opener in New Zealand. From Fox Glacier, we took a bus to Wanaka, a very beautiful little ski town at the foot of the Southern Alps (I think....). The was a lovely, and very cold, lake near the center of town and surrounding the entire town are beautiful snow-capped mountains. The clouds were so low at times that it wasn't even possible to see the snow at the top. It was interesting to see the clouds so low but that also meant a cloudy, cold day for us.
The first night in Wanaka we went out to a very quirky movie theater with recliners, couches and even a vintage car instead of proper theater seating. There is an intermission during the movie during which they serve fresh baked cookies and homemade ice cream. The theater itself was amazing but the movie was a bit of a disappointment. It was called Hidden, Cache in French. The reviews of it were so good and it won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, so naturally we thought the movie would be brilliant as advertised. Well, it was certainly one of the strangest films I have ever seen, mostly because there is no real resolution. It reminded me of all those times, while writing the conclusion to a paper in college, that I thought to myself "Why do I really need a conclusion? It will be understandable without one." This is apparently what the writers thought to themselves, "The audience will be intelligent. We don't need a conclusion or a resolution. They will be able to figure it out for themselves." Oh well. To make up for this I suppose, the stars were beautiful on the way home. In case there were any doubts, they do really look different in the southern hemisphere. They seem to be more bunched up and there is line of stars (a galaxy I think) that extends in a large arch through a good portion of the sky. Too bad it was so colder we would have stayed out longer to enjoy them!
They next day we got up before the sunrise (stupid winter) and prepared ourselves for a day of skiing. We got picked up by a shuttle bus and taken to a ski area called Cardrona about 40 minutes away. I slept for most of the way there so I didn't see the scenery change but the views were quite amazing when we got there. The slopes are at the top of a mountain, and because of this, we were well above the clouds. It was beautiful and sunny and a perfect day for skiing. We got our lift passes, rented our skis and were off. Having taken ski school and having been skiing far more times that me, Nicki was the winner for ski skill. I managed to fall down every single time I went down a steep hill. I even took 3 tumbles down one hill. I swear, I've never been this bad at skiing before! It didn't help that they seem to have decided that labeling the runs was a waste of time. They were vaguely marked at the top, but get down the hill and get to a fork in the run, you just have to take a guess as to what you are going to encounter on the other side of the ledge (that you usually couldn't see over....). Oh well, it was still a good time and the day was filled with stunning views of the mountains and lots of sunshine.
That's right, it's the end of June and time for the ski opener in New Zealand. From Fox Glacier, we took a bus to Wanaka, a very beautiful little ski town at the foot of the Southern Alps (I think....). The was a lovely, and very cold, lake near the center of town and surrounding the entire town are beautiful snow-capped mountains. The clouds were so low at times that it wasn't even possible to see the snow at the top. It was interesting to see the clouds so low but that also meant a cloudy, cold day for us.
The first night in Wanaka we went out to a very quirky movie theater with recliners, couches and even a vintage car instead of proper theater seating. There is an intermission during the movie during which they serve fresh baked cookies and homemade ice cream. The theater itself was amazing but the movie was a bit of a disappointment. It was called Hidden, Cache in French. The reviews of it were so good and it won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, so naturally we thought the movie would be brilliant as advertised. Well, it was certainly one of the strangest films I have ever seen, mostly because there is no real resolution. It reminded me of all those times, while writing the conclusion to a paper in college, that I thought to myself "Why do I really need a conclusion? It will be understandable without one." This is apparently what the writers thought to themselves, "The audience will be intelligent. We don't need a conclusion or a resolution. They will be able to figure it out for themselves." Oh well. To make up for this I suppose, the stars were beautiful on the way home. In case there were any doubts, they do really look different in the southern hemisphere. They seem to be more bunched up and there is line of stars (a galaxy I think) that extends in a large arch through a good portion of the sky. Too bad it was so colder we would have stayed out longer to enjoy them!
They next day we got up before the sunrise (stupid winter) and prepared ourselves for a day of skiing. We got picked up by a shuttle bus and taken to a ski area called Cardrona about 40 minutes away. I slept for most of the way there so I didn't see the scenery change but the views were quite amazing when we got there. The slopes are at the top of a mountain, and because of this, we were well above the clouds. It was beautiful and sunny and a perfect day for skiing. We got our lift passes, rented our skis and were off. Having taken ski school and having been skiing far more times that me, Nicki was the winner for ski skill. I managed to fall down every single time I went down a steep hill. I even took 3 tumbles down one hill. I swear, I've never been this bad at skiing before! It didn't help that they seem to have decided that labeling the runs was a waste of time. They were vaguely marked at the top, but get down the hill and get to a fork in the run, you just have to take a guess as to what you are going to encounter on the other side of the ledge (that you usually couldn't see over....). Oh well, it was still a good time and the day was filled with stunning views of the mountains and lots of sunshine.
What's Cooler Than Bein' Cool? ICE COLD!: Hiking On Fox Glacier
Posted by Emily
As Nicki said, our trip to the glacier was amazing. It's definitely an experience unlike any other I have ever had. I may be from Minnesota, but I have never hiked around on such a large chunk of ice. When I was little I had some sort of educational book series that had a section about exploring Antarctica. I don't remember too much about it but I do recall there being info about hiking through snow and ice and sometimes people falling through the ice/snow into crevasses. Now, I never had the fear that I would fall into a hole, but it did make me think of an Antarctica-like landscape. Mountains and mountains of ice. At times when I stopped to think about and look at what we were actually doing, it was pretty crazy and would have been very dangerous had we not been wearing our crampons (the metal spikes). At times we were walking over very narrow ice ledges and down steep stairs where one wrong step could have sent you falling onto the hard-as-concrete ice. However, the crampons dug into the ice and kept us safe so we could enjoy the hike without being scared the whole time.
Before heading to the tiny glacier town, we headed to another small town called Hokitika, known for it's jade because of the close proximity of a mine. We were hoping that the jade there would be cheaper because of its nearness to a mine, but no such luck. We had originally planned to go to the town because it is possible to do your own jade carvings there, but when we looked into it more, the price wasn't exactly right. I for one decided that I didn't want to spend 8 hours sanding down a carving that would might actually end up costing more than one I could buy in the store and possibly look worse. Nicki still kind of wanted to do it I think but we ended up not really having enough time anyway.
Although there wasn't too much to do in the town, there was a beautiful beach to walk on. We walked on it a bit the night we got there but then the sun went down and it got entirely too cold. We went back the next day when the sun was out and walked for quite a while. I liked this beach because it wasn't the generic pretty palm tree, perfect turquoise water type of beach. It was more rugged with lots of driftwood, sea-smoothed rocks and crashing waves. Sometimes I like this kind of beach more because it's more unique I guess. In a way, it has more personality that the post card perfect beaches.
As Nicki said, our trip to the glacier was amazing. It's definitely an experience unlike any other I have ever had. I may be from Minnesota, but I have never hiked around on such a large chunk of ice. When I was little I had some sort of educational book series that had a section about exploring Antarctica. I don't remember too much about it but I do recall there being info about hiking through snow and ice and sometimes people falling through the ice/snow into crevasses. Now, I never had the fear that I would fall into a hole, but it did make me think of an Antarctica-like landscape. Mountains and mountains of ice. At times when I stopped to think about and look at what we were actually doing, it was pretty crazy and would have been very dangerous had we not been wearing our crampons (the metal spikes). At times we were walking over very narrow ice ledges and down steep stairs where one wrong step could have sent you falling onto the hard-as-concrete ice. However, the crampons dug into the ice and kept us safe so we could enjoy the hike without being scared the whole time.
Before heading to the tiny glacier town, we headed to another small town called Hokitika, known for it's jade because of the close proximity of a mine. We were hoping that the jade there would be cheaper because of its nearness to a mine, but no such luck. We had originally planned to go to the town because it is possible to do your own jade carvings there, but when we looked into it more, the price wasn't exactly right. I for one decided that I didn't want to spend 8 hours sanding down a carving that would might actually end up costing more than one I could buy in the store and possibly look worse. Nicki still kind of wanted to do it I think but we ended up not really having enough time anyway.
Although there wasn't too much to do in the town, there was a beautiful beach to walk on. We walked on it a bit the night we got there but then the sun went down and it got entirely too cold. We went back the next day when the sun was out and walked for quite a while. I liked this beach because it wasn't the generic pretty palm tree, perfect turquoise water type of beach. It was more rugged with lots of driftwood, sea-smoothed rocks and crashing waves. Sometimes I like this kind of beach more because it's more unique I guess. In a way, it has more personality that the post card perfect beaches.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
The Fox.
Posted By Nicki.
After our wine tour Em and I have made our way down the west coast of New Zealands south island. Apparently the entire West Coast of the South Island has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, and for good reason. The scenary is beautiful. Towering, majestic mountains on one side, go around the corner, powerful surf crashing into the beaches. It was nothing short of incredible. I enjoyed the long bus ride just watching the landscapes pass us by.
On our way south we spent one night in the little crafts town of Hokitika. Nothing too exciting, pretty deserted hostel, but lots and lots of jade…most of it unfortunately out of our budget. Who knew a little sculpture of greenstone could retail for 5-11,000 dollars? There was a lovely beach to stroll down though, and a delicious fudge shop. Always room for chocolate.
After Hokitika, we made our way further south along the coast to the little village of Fox. The township exists we are told, for one reason, the Fox Glacier, the reason we came. There are two main glaciers that tourists come to see in New Zealand, one is the Franz Joseph, and the other is Fox. Fox is the bigger of the two and by far cheaper to explore, so we went with that one.
We signed on for a full day walking tour with Alpine Guides and set out around 9:30 yesterday morning. The gave us boots, full crampons (metal spikes that you attatch to the bottom of your boots, and yes there are half crampons), and extra wool socks. Even with two pairs of wool socks, my feet still froze though, shoot. Anyhow, they drove us out about 15 minutes to the front of the glacier area. It starts way up in the mountains, but then curves a river of ice down into the valley below. The landscape is gorgeous. Snowcapped mountains falling into temperate rainforest below. A powder blue glacial river runs from the head of the glacier out into the valley.
We hiked uphill through the rainforest area and then came onto the glacier a little past the front. There we stopped to attach our crampons, and onto the ice we went. The glacier itself is enormous. The people we could see walking around on it looked miniscule. There were steps carved into the ice for the most part, but in other places our guides hacked away with ice axes to make out a track. We had about 3 hours on the ice, and it was amazing. For sure an experience like none other. The glacier was beautiful, something you might not always expect I suppose from a big hunk of ice. The curves of the crevasses and towering peaks were really magnificent. Lots of great pictures. We hiked up and down and around and through crevasses, some so narrow girly hips don’t exactly easily fit! Also, the ice is actually blue! Something I never expected. Apparently, according to our guide, the ice of the glacier is under so much pressure that it squeezes out all the air, the causes it to be super dense and actually refract the light differently turning it a shade of powder blue.
For now we have made our way to Wanaka, a cute little ski town. We’ll be hitting the slopes tomorrow, then it’s off to Queenstown where we apparently will be making it just in time for the annual winterfest mardi gras parade! This could be trouble….We’ll keep you posted!
After our wine tour Em and I have made our way down the west coast of New Zealands south island. Apparently the entire West Coast of the South Island has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, and for good reason. The scenary is beautiful. Towering, majestic mountains on one side, go around the corner, powerful surf crashing into the beaches. It was nothing short of incredible. I enjoyed the long bus ride just watching the landscapes pass us by.
On our way south we spent one night in the little crafts town of Hokitika. Nothing too exciting, pretty deserted hostel, but lots and lots of jade…most of it unfortunately out of our budget. Who knew a little sculpture of greenstone could retail for 5-11,000 dollars? There was a lovely beach to stroll down though, and a delicious fudge shop. Always room for chocolate.
After Hokitika, we made our way further south along the coast to the little village of Fox. The township exists we are told, for one reason, the Fox Glacier, the reason we came. There are two main glaciers that tourists come to see in New Zealand, one is the Franz Joseph, and the other is Fox. Fox is the bigger of the two and by far cheaper to explore, so we went with that one.
We signed on for a full day walking tour with Alpine Guides and set out around 9:30 yesterday morning. The gave us boots, full crampons (metal spikes that you attatch to the bottom of your boots, and yes there are half crampons), and extra wool socks. Even with two pairs of wool socks, my feet still froze though, shoot. Anyhow, they drove us out about 15 minutes to the front of the glacier area. It starts way up in the mountains, but then curves a river of ice down into the valley below. The landscape is gorgeous. Snowcapped mountains falling into temperate rainforest below. A powder blue glacial river runs from the head of the glacier out into the valley.
We hiked uphill through the rainforest area and then came onto the glacier a little past the front. There we stopped to attach our crampons, and onto the ice we went. The glacier itself is enormous. The people we could see walking around on it looked miniscule. There were steps carved into the ice for the most part, but in other places our guides hacked away with ice axes to make out a track. We had about 3 hours on the ice, and it was amazing. For sure an experience like none other. The glacier was beautiful, something you might not always expect I suppose from a big hunk of ice. The curves of the crevasses and towering peaks were really magnificent. Lots of great pictures. We hiked up and down and around and through crevasses, some so narrow girly hips don’t exactly easily fit! Also, the ice is actually blue! Something I never expected. Apparently, according to our guide, the ice of the glacier is under so much pressure that it squeezes out all the air, the causes it to be super dense and actually refract the light differently turning it a shade of powder blue.
For now we have made our way to Wanaka, a cute little ski town. We’ll be hitting the slopes tomorrow, then it’s off to Queenstown where we apparently will be making it just in time for the annual winterfest mardi gras parade! This could be trouble….We’ll keep you posted!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Wine By Bike
Posted by Emily
Yesterday Nicki and I headed from the little town of Picton to the slightly larger town of Blenheim in a very popular winery area. We got picked up in town by one of the owners of Wine By Bike, a little outfit that rents bikes to those adventurous enough to drink wine and then pedal along the roads. Apparently, they have recently been featured in an article in The New York Times. And for the even more adventurous, they are open in the winter. That was us. We decided to get over the cold weather and bike around the area and do a little wine tasting. A good thing about going in the winter is that there is pretty much no one else out. We got bikes easily (I guess they actually have to turn some people away in the summer) and were usually the only people at the wineries.
Actually, wine tasting and riding a bike isn't as bad as it sounds, so no worries about that. Although the wine samples do add up surprisingly quickly, we were nowhere near drunk and we were still driving in a straight line by the end! Plus, there was very little traffic on the roads.
Anyway, we started out at the wineries that were closest to were we got our bikes (that were even equipped with a wine rack on the back to carry purchases) and worked our way out. Another advantage of being the only people around is that you can ask a lot of questions and learn quite a bit. We learned from the very chatty woman at the first winery we visited that the area around Blenheim is known for its white wines because the weather is cooler. Red grapes do better in a warmer climate. There are a few reds around, but I didn't like them so much. Many of them were quite bitter, in my opinion anyway, and smoky flavored.
I don't know about many of you, but I have never been able to taste the flavors that are listed in the descriptions of wine. Like, "Fruity mixed berry flavor with a tobacco and chocolate finish." I always thought that was a bunch of crap but I could actually taste flavors. I was amazed. Many of the white wines had pear, apricot, passion fruit and guava flavors, though not all at once of course. We had a lot of fun just trying the different wines that the different places had to offer.
Although it would have been nice to be able to buy several of the wines that we tasted, it wouldn't have been very economical for us and the bottles also would have been very hard to carry because there was no way we were paying to have them shipped home. We did buy one bottle each though, a dessert wine that was amazing, and I usually hate dessert wine. I think we bought it because it was very unique and the winery itself doesn't even know when they will be making it again. The wine is made from grapes that are partially spoiled by a fungus but I guess they can still make wine from the grapes. Since the fungus dehydrates the grapes, it causes the wine to be sweeter. Mmmm....sounds appetizing, huh? But really, the wine was amazing!
We had time to see several wineries and make it back to the Wine By Bike place just in time to miss the rain. That would not have been a fun bike ride! From Blenheim, we got on another bus headed for Nelson, about 2 hours away. We had to stay there for the night to catch our bus to the little town that we are in right now called Hokitika. It's primarily known because of the nearby jade mines. We only have one night here as well and we are hoping to be able to entertain ourselves until tomorrow afternoon when we get on another bus to Fox Glacier, where we are going to do a full-day glacier hike.
Yesterday Nicki and I headed from the little town of Picton to the slightly larger town of Blenheim in a very popular winery area. We got picked up in town by one of the owners of Wine By Bike, a little outfit that rents bikes to those adventurous enough to drink wine and then pedal along the roads. Apparently, they have recently been featured in an article in The New York Times. And for the even more adventurous, they are open in the winter. That was us. We decided to get over the cold weather and bike around the area and do a little wine tasting. A good thing about going in the winter is that there is pretty much no one else out. We got bikes easily (I guess they actually have to turn some people away in the summer) and were usually the only people at the wineries.
Actually, wine tasting and riding a bike isn't as bad as it sounds, so no worries about that. Although the wine samples do add up surprisingly quickly, we were nowhere near drunk and we were still driving in a straight line by the end! Plus, there was very little traffic on the roads.
Anyway, we started out at the wineries that were closest to were we got our bikes (that were even equipped with a wine rack on the back to carry purchases) and worked our way out. Another advantage of being the only people around is that you can ask a lot of questions and learn quite a bit. We learned from the very chatty woman at the first winery we visited that the area around Blenheim is known for its white wines because the weather is cooler. Red grapes do better in a warmer climate. There are a few reds around, but I didn't like them so much. Many of them were quite bitter, in my opinion anyway, and smoky flavored.
I don't know about many of you, but I have never been able to taste the flavors that are listed in the descriptions of wine. Like, "Fruity mixed berry flavor with a tobacco and chocolate finish." I always thought that was a bunch of crap but I could actually taste flavors. I was amazed. Many of the white wines had pear, apricot, passion fruit and guava flavors, though not all at once of course. We had a lot of fun just trying the different wines that the different places had to offer.
Although it would have been nice to be able to buy several of the wines that we tasted, it wouldn't have been very economical for us and the bottles also would have been very hard to carry because there was no way we were paying to have them shipped home. We did buy one bottle each though, a dessert wine that was amazing, and I usually hate dessert wine. I think we bought it because it was very unique and the winery itself doesn't even know when they will be making it again. The wine is made from grapes that are partially spoiled by a fungus but I guess they can still make wine from the grapes. Since the fungus dehydrates the grapes, it causes the wine to be sweeter. Mmmm....sounds appetizing, huh? But really, the wine was amazing!
We had time to see several wineries and make it back to the Wine By Bike place just in time to miss the rain. That would not have been a fun bike ride! From Blenheim, we got on another bus headed for Nelson, about 2 hours away. We had to stay there for the night to catch our bus to the little town that we are in right now called Hokitika. It's primarily known because of the nearby jade mines. We only have one night here as well and we are hoping to be able to entertain ourselves until tomorrow afternoon when we get on another bus to Fox Glacier, where we are going to do a full-day glacier hike.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Wild in the Wilderness
Posted by Nicki
Well, so I lied, not really wild. But we were in the wilderness! Our trip to the south island was a sleepy one, Em and I both were passed out cold for most all the trip. But upon arriving in Picton, we found we’d stumbled upon some amazing scenary. The south island so far is incredibly beautiful.
Right away from Picton we got a boat into Marlborough Sounds. The Sounds are a collection of islands, bays, coves, and inlets at the top coast of the south island. Beautiful forested hills plunge into teal green waters. Serene and amazing. The area is filled with wildlife, in fact on the trip out to our hostel we saw seals and peguins! The seals were adorable. Apparently very smart as well. Our boat driver told us how it’s taken salmon farmers 10 years to figure out how to keep the seals out of their salmon. The peguins we only saw from a distance, but I can still say I saw them!
Our hostel was a wonderful little place tucked into Endeavor Inlet. We were the only ones there for most of the time, leading to a very quiet and relaxing few days. We also learned that heat is a real luxury in New Zealand. Apparently having heated rooms is a rarity on the south island. This is all well and good in the summer, but when there is snow in the forecast, not so good at all. We were FREEZING!!! We had two duvets on our beds, but ended up putting boiling water in our Nalgenes to snuggle with at night to keep warm. We kept a fire going in the living room which made things warmer the second day, but the nights were still very chilly. Going to make things interesting once we get to snow country. Luckily the second night the hostel brought us up some hot water bottles to keep in our beds.
Aside from relaxing in the hostel and attempting jigsaw puzzles, we also did some great hiking. Our backpacker (hostel in kiwi) was located right on the Queen Charlotte Track, as famous hiking trail. We went up one way one day and the other the next. A little mucky in places, but the views made it well worth it. The second day we could see a dusting of snow on the tops of the hills. Still an odd sight to see in mid June.
For now we are back in Picton for the night, our hostel has free apple crumble and ice cream, very excited for that. Tomorrow we are doing a wine tour by bike, should be a blast, we’ll see how many wineries we get to before walking the bikes might be necessary…:-)
Well, so I lied, not really wild. But we were in the wilderness! Our trip to the south island was a sleepy one, Em and I both were passed out cold for most all the trip. But upon arriving in Picton, we found we’d stumbled upon some amazing scenary. The south island so far is incredibly beautiful.
Right away from Picton we got a boat into Marlborough Sounds. The Sounds are a collection of islands, bays, coves, and inlets at the top coast of the south island. Beautiful forested hills plunge into teal green waters. Serene and amazing. The area is filled with wildlife, in fact on the trip out to our hostel we saw seals and peguins! The seals were adorable. Apparently very smart as well. Our boat driver told us how it’s taken salmon farmers 10 years to figure out how to keep the seals out of their salmon. The peguins we only saw from a distance, but I can still say I saw them!
Our hostel was a wonderful little place tucked into Endeavor Inlet. We were the only ones there for most of the time, leading to a very quiet and relaxing few days. We also learned that heat is a real luxury in New Zealand. Apparently having heated rooms is a rarity on the south island. This is all well and good in the summer, but when there is snow in the forecast, not so good at all. We were FREEZING!!! We had two duvets on our beds, but ended up putting boiling water in our Nalgenes to snuggle with at night to keep warm. We kept a fire going in the living room which made things warmer the second day, but the nights were still very chilly. Going to make things interesting once we get to snow country. Luckily the second night the hostel brought us up some hot water bottles to keep in our beds.
Aside from relaxing in the hostel and attempting jigsaw puzzles, we also did some great hiking. Our backpacker (hostel in kiwi) was located right on the Queen Charlotte Track, as famous hiking trail. We went up one way one day and the other the next. A little mucky in places, but the views made it well worth it. The second day we could see a dusting of snow on the tops of the hills. Still an odd sight to see in mid June.
For now we are back in Picton for the night, our hostel has free apple crumble and ice cream, very excited for that. Tomorrow we are doing a wine tour by bike, should be a blast, we’ll see how many wineries we get to before walking the bikes might be necessary…:-)
Kiwi Capital
Posted by Nicki
So after our adventures in Rotorua, it was time to begin our venture south. In order to catch a ferry over to the south island, we had to make a stopover for a night in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. We arrived at the bright and early time of 7am after having spent the night on a bus…not the greatest as my seatmate decided that playing heavy metal at 4am so loud that I could hear his headphones over my headphones was a brillant idea. I did not agree.
Although we only had a bit of time in Wellington, I really enjoyed the city and what it had to offer. I would have loved to have a few more days to explore. Wellington again, like most places in NZ is a seaside town. It has a great harbor area and lots of scenic hills overlooking the bay. We spent our day wandering Cuba Street, a really neat pedestrian avenue filled with artsy cafes, restaurants, and shops, and going to the Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand.
I was very impressed with Te Papa. It was not only free (yay, backpacker bonus!) but really interesting and hands on. The musuem included everything having to do with New Zealand from weather and tectonic plates and earthquakes, to plants and animals, to Maori culture. There was an earthquake simulation house, lots of computer games to play, and overall just very interesting and interactive exhibits. There was a memorial to extinct animals and plant life…something I’ve never seen before, and maybe should see more of. I also was interested in how well the Maori were represented. All of the musuem displays and descriptions were in both English and Maori. New Zealand seems to be doing quite a good job of promoting their heritage. In fact, while we were in Waitomo, we passed a primary school that was taught on ly in Maori. Our guide said the school only used to have 17 students. Now it has 70, some drive over an hour from the coast to attend.
In any case, our time in Wellington was much to short, but now we are in the South Island, which although is chilly, is worth the trip.
So after our adventures in Rotorua, it was time to begin our venture south. In order to catch a ferry over to the south island, we had to make a stopover for a night in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. We arrived at the bright and early time of 7am after having spent the night on a bus…not the greatest as my seatmate decided that playing heavy metal at 4am so loud that I could hear his headphones over my headphones was a brillant idea. I did not agree.
Although we only had a bit of time in Wellington, I really enjoyed the city and what it had to offer. I would have loved to have a few more days to explore. Wellington again, like most places in NZ is a seaside town. It has a great harbor area and lots of scenic hills overlooking the bay. We spent our day wandering Cuba Street, a really neat pedestrian avenue filled with artsy cafes, restaurants, and shops, and going to the Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand.
I was very impressed with Te Papa. It was not only free (yay, backpacker bonus!) but really interesting and hands on. The musuem included everything having to do with New Zealand from weather and tectonic plates and earthquakes, to plants and animals, to Maori culture. There was an earthquake simulation house, lots of computer games to play, and overall just very interesting and interactive exhibits. There was a memorial to extinct animals and plant life…something I’ve never seen before, and maybe should see more of. I also was interested in how well the Maori were represented. All of the musuem displays and descriptions were in both English and Maori. New Zealand seems to be doing quite a good job of promoting their heritage. In fact, while we were in Waitomo, we passed a primary school that was taught on ly in Maori. Our guide said the school only used to have 17 students. Now it has 70, some drive over an hour from the coast to attend.
In any case, our time in Wellington was much to short, but now we are in the South Island, which although is chilly, is worth the trip.
From White Water to Black Water
Posted by Nicki
So, upon deciding to come to New Zealand I knew I was going to have to go white water rafting. From previous experiences in Ecuador, I love rafting. However, it’s winter in NZ, this makes most rafting endevours rather difficult.
In Rotorua though, we did manage to find a river being run…it also happened to be the river with the worlds highest commercially rafted waterfall. Kaituna Cascades. All excited we called the rafting company right away, but we couldn’t go for a few days because the river was flooded.
Finally, a few days later, they let us on the river. We were picked up, and then they suited us up in fleeces, wetsuits, booties, helmets, and life-jackets. Then we headed out. We knew beforehand that it was going to be short, but I guess I didn’t realize it would be this short. The actual rafting part was probably about 40 minutes or so. Going over the waterfalls was really a good time, definitely exhilerating, but somehow they actually weren’t as big as I thought they would be. There also weren’t many rapids at all if you didn’t count the falls, I was a little dissppointed by that. I expected a little more from New Zealand!
Also, just fyi, it’s really freaking cold when you raft in the winter. Our guides thought it would be super fun to do what they called “river surfing”. This involved putting someone in the front of the boat and then paddling towards a fall\rapid so the front of the boat would get pulled by the water and a big wave would fall over the boat. This, when it’s 80 degrees might be fun, however, mostly it just made me really crabby when the weather is so cold you can almost see your breath. I don’t mind getting wet going over rapids, but just getting wet for the sake of being wet, not my idea of fun.
However, the black water experience was MUCH cooler! Although we originally wanted to go black water rafting, due to budget constraints, we opted just for a normal tour. So, black water you say? Yep, well sort of. In an area called Waitomo, about 2 hours southwest of Rotorua, there are heaps and heaps of caves. Lots of these caves involve glow worms, and that’s what we came to see.
We got on a bus from Rotorua early in the morning and they took us out to the little village. A quirky woman named Katie picked us up for our tour the “spellbound”. Good times. It was about a half hour drive through beautiful New Zealand countryside. We arrived at the first cave and it was all a walking tour. The cave is called “Cave of the Spirit” due to the cold winds that are known to blow through it. Not as exciting as the caves we saw in Hungary, but cool nonetheless. Then came the black water.
After some tea and biscuits (cookies for non-kiwis), we walked to the wet cave. We followed a bridge over a river into the cave and then walked down a bit to observe the glow-worms in the light. Basically, just like little tiny worms. The glow worms craft these elegant silk strings that waft down from the ceiling of the caves which they use to catch their food. After getting our fill of glow worms in the light, time to hit the lights.
We crowded onto a river rafting boat, and our guide flicked the switch to bring the cave to pitch black. Using a rope to guide our little craft she brought us down the river. What we saw above our heads was amazing. Thousands and thousands of glow worms, each with it’s own little blue-green light. It was as if another galaxy of stars was shining down from inside the cave. I have never seen anything like it. Although there were no rapids, it was a relaxing ride, I was left very impressed and amazed. Sometimes you don’t always need the adrenaline.
So, upon deciding to come to New Zealand I knew I was going to have to go white water rafting. From previous experiences in Ecuador, I love rafting. However, it’s winter in NZ, this makes most rafting endevours rather difficult.
In Rotorua though, we did manage to find a river being run…it also happened to be the river with the worlds highest commercially rafted waterfall. Kaituna Cascades. All excited we called the rafting company right away, but we couldn’t go for a few days because the river was flooded.
Finally, a few days later, they let us on the river. We were picked up, and then they suited us up in fleeces, wetsuits, booties, helmets, and life-jackets. Then we headed out. We knew beforehand that it was going to be short, but I guess I didn’t realize it would be this short. The actual rafting part was probably about 40 minutes or so. Going over the waterfalls was really a good time, definitely exhilerating, but somehow they actually weren’t as big as I thought they would be. There also weren’t many rapids at all if you didn’t count the falls, I was a little dissppointed by that. I expected a little more from New Zealand!
Also, just fyi, it’s really freaking cold when you raft in the winter. Our guides thought it would be super fun to do what they called “river surfing”. This involved putting someone in the front of the boat and then paddling towards a fall\rapid so the front of the boat would get pulled by the water and a big wave would fall over the boat. This, when it’s 80 degrees might be fun, however, mostly it just made me really crabby when the weather is so cold you can almost see your breath. I don’t mind getting wet going over rapids, but just getting wet for the sake of being wet, not my idea of fun.
However, the black water experience was MUCH cooler! Although we originally wanted to go black water rafting, due to budget constraints, we opted just for a normal tour. So, black water you say? Yep, well sort of. In an area called Waitomo, about 2 hours southwest of Rotorua, there are heaps and heaps of caves. Lots of these caves involve glow worms, and that’s what we came to see.
We got on a bus from Rotorua early in the morning and they took us out to the little village. A quirky woman named Katie picked us up for our tour the “spellbound”. Good times. It was about a half hour drive through beautiful New Zealand countryside. We arrived at the first cave and it was all a walking tour. The cave is called “Cave of the Spirit” due to the cold winds that are known to blow through it. Not as exciting as the caves we saw in Hungary, but cool nonetheless. Then came the black water.
After some tea and biscuits (cookies for non-kiwis), we walked to the wet cave. We followed a bridge over a river into the cave and then walked down a bit to observe the glow-worms in the light. Basically, just like little tiny worms. The glow worms craft these elegant silk strings that waft down from the ceiling of the caves which they use to catch their food. After getting our fill of glow worms in the light, time to hit the lights.
We crowded onto a river rafting boat, and our guide flicked the switch to bring the cave to pitch black. Using a rope to guide our little craft she brought us down the river. What we saw above our heads was amazing. Thousands and thousands of glow worms, each with it’s own little blue-green light. It was as if another galaxy of stars was shining down from inside the cave. I have never seen anything like it. Although there were no rapids, it was a relaxing ride, I was left very impressed and amazed. Sometimes you don’t always need the adrenaline.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Heaps of Lollies and Gumboots
Posted by Emily
If you speak kiwi, that title means "Lots of candies and galoshes". It has nothing to do with the subject of this post but I think those words are so cute that I had to use them somewhere.
I'm finally back from a little break from the modern world (more on that later) it's time for a little (i.e. hopefully not too long) update on what we have been up to over the past several days.
The day after we went rafting, we took a day trip to a little town (and I do mean little!) about 2 hours away from Rotorua called Waitomo to see the famous glow worm caves. There are many adventure options that can be done there, such as rappelling in the cave, rafting, caving, etc. etc., but we decided to just settle for a normal visit since we had already spent quite a bit of money on other adventure activities in the area.
First we visited a cave called "Cave of the Spirit", name by the Maori people that used to live in the area. No glow worms but the cave formations were interesting. It wasn't nearly as big as the cave I visited in Slovenia, but it was still nice to see. The second cave that we visited was the glow worm cave. This visit involved walking into a very damp cave with a hard hat/head lamp on. This part wasn't too interesting. Eventually we reached a raft (more boat-like really) that would float us down the small river part of the cave where most of the glow worms were. Once we turned of our headlamps it was completely dark except for the little green-blue light from the glow worms. It's just a little part of their tale that glows and in the darkness it gives the appearance of a little galaxy up there on the cave ceiling. As our eyes adjusted we became able to see more and more of these little lights and it was quite amazing. Our guide pulled us down the river for a bit and then back up and all we could hear was the rushing water.
After coming back to Rotorua, we hung around for the evening because we had decided to take the night bus to Wellington instead of wasting a day taking the 8 hour trip. Unfortunately for us, the bus was packed by the time we boarded and I had to sit next to a very broad man (not much room for me!) and Nicki had to sit next to a guy who snored and listed to loud rock music on his earphones. Needless to say, I slept better than her.
We arrived in Wellington at around 7 am, hung out at the train station, where we were dropped off, until the reception at our hostel opened, took a taxi there and then took a nap to make up for the restless bus sleep that we had gotten the night before. We got up, had some lunch at a very good Malaysian restaurant, and then went to see the Museum of New Zealand (I think that's what it was called....). It was a very cool museum and made we think of the Science Museum of Minnesota in the way that it was set up. The displays were very interactive and well presented and that made the whole experience much more interesting. We started the visit with a trip to the "Time Warp" area, which is really just a little virtual reality area where you can try out different activities. I decided to try the virtual sheep shearing and let me tell you, I was not good at it! It scores you for the amount of time you take, knicks and cuts to the animal, etc. The point is to have a low score. I score 82. Anything above 40 is "You sheer like a townie" so I think that means I sheer like a townie with 1 arm. And more poor little virtual sheep got all cut up! Sad. I think I will stick to public health.
The rest of the museum had exhibits on people and the impact that they have had on the lands of New Zealand (lots about imported species), geological history and characteristics of NZ, including lots of info about earthquakes and an aftershock simulation, Lord of the Rings (it was filmed here), which we didn't go to because it cost extra, Pacific Islander immigration and heaps of others that I can't remember. Also, admission was free! You can't beat that.
That's pretty much all we got to do in Wellington because we only had a day there before we hopped on the ferry to the south island early the next morning. It was a very nice ferry, very smooth and had a "reclining lounge" (think airplane seating) where we slept for pretty much the entire 3 hour trip. Quite nice really. We arrived in Picton, the very small town where the ferry comes in, at about noon and had to wait a little over an hour to take the water taxi to take us to the little lodge where we had reserved a place for 3 nights. It didn't take us too long to see the town but we did have time for a stop at the local bakery for some good stuff to eat.
At about 1:15 pm, we hopped on the water taxi with our driver, his little daughter and her friend, and headed to a Mahana Lodge, located on Endeavor Bay in the Marlborough Sounds area near Picton. The lodge is right near the Queen Charlotte Trail, a 3-5 day hike (depending on how fast you go) along the ridges and near the inlets that make up the Sounds area. There are lodges all along the trail and a boat service that will bring your packs from one lodge to the next, so it could be the easiest backpacking trip you ever took! On the way to where we were staying, our driver took us to a floating salmon farm where seals like to hang out. They used to get in and eat the fish, but after several years and about 8 modifications to the facilities, they seem to have figured out a way to keep them out. However, they still like to come there I guess. Good for us because they are very cute. I'm sure most of you have seen seals in zoos, but they kind of look like big rolly poley dogs with stretched back faces and big sad eyes. Very girlie of me to say but really, they are so cute! Nicki got some pretty good pictures. Next, the driver and his daughter spotted some penguins but we only caught a glimpse of their heads. Oh well.
We arrived at Mahana and since then, have pretty much been taking it easy. There was no internet, telephone, TV or radio there so we have been out of touch for the past 4 days. It was a lovely place to stay though and not much to update about there because we pretty much read, did puzzle and hiked. Oh, and kept the fire going in the fire place because there was no central heating. It got quite cold! We slept with hot water bottles at night to warm up the beds.
The scenery consisted of turquoise water with green, tree-covered fingers sticking out into it making many little inlets and bays. The land was very hilly....the hills were very large but not quite mountains and there has been snow at the top of them for the past few days. Thank goodness it isn't that cold down where we are quite yet, although we will probably run into snow as we head further south in a few days. Not really looking forward to the snow in June! We saw lots (or HEAPS) or little birds along the paths, walked through quite a lot of mud (which may be why they call hiking "tramping" in NZ) and saw lots of trees and ferns. Very lovely. The sky was even blue some of the time!
We are now back in Picton for the night staying at a hostel that serves free apple crisp and ice cream in the evenings. I am not ashamed to say that that is the reason why we chose that particular hostel. It feels like fall here so we might as well get a free fall-like treat. Tomorrow we are planning on taking another day trip to a small town called Blenheim where there are HEAPS of local wineries and opportunities for wine tasting. Also, places to rent bikes. Yep, we're doing a "wine by bike" tour. Sounds like a great idea, right? We'll let you know how it goes!
If you speak kiwi, that title means "Lots of candies and galoshes". It has nothing to do with the subject of this post but I think those words are so cute that I had to use them somewhere.
I'm finally back from a little break from the modern world (more on that later) it's time for a little (i.e. hopefully not too long) update on what we have been up to over the past several days.
The day after we went rafting, we took a day trip to a little town (and I do mean little!) about 2 hours away from Rotorua called Waitomo to see the famous glow worm caves. There are many adventure options that can be done there, such as rappelling in the cave, rafting, caving, etc. etc., but we decided to just settle for a normal visit since we had already spent quite a bit of money on other adventure activities in the area.
First we visited a cave called "Cave of the Spirit", name by the Maori people that used to live in the area. No glow worms but the cave formations were interesting. It wasn't nearly as big as the cave I visited in Slovenia, but it was still nice to see. The second cave that we visited was the glow worm cave. This visit involved walking into a very damp cave with a hard hat/head lamp on. This part wasn't too interesting. Eventually we reached a raft (more boat-like really) that would float us down the small river part of the cave where most of the glow worms were. Once we turned of our headlamps it was completely dark except for the little green-blue light from the glow worms. It's just a little part of their tale that glows and in the darkness it gives the appearance of a little galaxy up there on the cave ceiling. As our eyes adjusted we became able to see more and more of these little lights and it was quite amazing. Our guide pulled us down the river for a bit and then back up and all we could hear was the rushing water.
After coming back to Rotorua, we hung around for the evening because we had decided to take the night bus to Wellington instead of wasting a day taking the 8 hour trip. Unfortunately for us, the bus was packed by the time we boarded and I had to sit next to a very broad man (not much room for me!) and Nicki had to sit next to a guy who snored and listed to loud rock music on his earphones. Needless to say, I slept better than her.
We arrived in Wellington at around 7 am, hung out at the train station, where we were dropped off, until the reception at our hostel opened, took a taxi there and then took a nap to make up for the restless bus sleep that we had gotten the night before. We got up, had some lunch at a very good Malaysian restaurant, and then went to see the Museum of New Zealand (I think that's what it was called....). It was a very cool museum and made we think of the Science Museum of Minnesota in the way that it was set up. The displays were very interactive and well presented and that made the whole experience much more interesting. We started the visit with a trip to the "Time Warp" area, which is really just a little virtual reality area where you can try out different activities. I decided to try the virtual sheep shearing and let me tell you, I was not good at it! It scores you for the amount of time you take, knicks and cuts to the animal, etc. The point is to have a low score. I score 82. Anything above 40 is "You sheer like a townie" so I think that means I sheer like a townie with 1 arm. And more poor little virtual sheep got all cut up! Sad. I think I will stick to public health.
The rest of the museum had exhibits on people and the impact that they have had on the lands of New Zealand (lots about imported species), geological history and characteristics of NZ, including lots of info about earthquakes and an aftershock simulation, Lord of the Rings (it was filmed here), which we didn't go to because it cost extra, Pacific Islander immigration and heaps of others that I can't remember. Also, admission was free! You can't beat that.
That's pretty much all we got to do in Wellington because we only had a day there before we hopped on the ferry to the south island early the next morning. It was a very nice ferry, very smooth and had a "reclining lounge" (think airplane seating) where we slept for pretty much the entire 3 hour trip. Quite nice really. We arrived in Picton, the very small town where the ferry comes in, at about noon and had to wait a little over an hour to take the water taxi to take us to the little lodge where we had reserved a place for 3 nights. It didn't take us too long to see the town but we did have time for a stop at the local bakery for some good stuff to eat.
At about 1:15 pm, we hopped on the water taxi with our driver, his little daughter and her friend, and headed to a Mahana Lodge, located on Endeavor Bay in the Marlborough Sounds area near Picton. The lodge is right near the Queen Charlotte Trail, a 3-5 day hike (depending on how fast you go) along the ridges and near the inlets that make up the Sounds area. There are lodges all along the trail and a boat service that will bring your packs from one lodge to the next, so it could be the easiest backpacking trip you ever took! On the way to where we were staying, our driver took us to a floating salmon farm where seals like to hang out. They used to get in and eat the fish, but after several years and about 8 modifications to the facilities, they seem to have figured out a way to keep them out. However, they still like to come there I guess. Good for us because they are very cute. I'm sure most of you have seen seals in zoos, but they kind of look like big rolly poley dogs with stretched back faces and big sad eyes. Very girlie of me to say but really, they are so cute! Nicki got some pretty good pictures. Next, the driver and his daughter spotted some penguins but we only caught a glimpse of their heads. Oh well.
We arrived at Mahana and since then, have pretty much been taking it easy. There was no internet, telephone, TV or radio there so we have been out of touch for the past 4 days. It was a lovely place to stay though and not much to update about there because we pretty much read, did puzzle and hiked. Oh, and kept the fire going in the fire place because there was no central heating. It got quite cold! We slept with hot water bottles at night to warm up the beds.
The scenery consisted of turquoise water with green, tree-covered fingers sticking out into it making many little inlets and bays. The land was very hilly....the hills were very large but not quite mountains and there has been snow at the top of them for the past few days. Thank goodness it isn't that cold down where we are quite yet, although we will probably run into snow as we head further south in a few days. Not really looking forward to the snow in June! We saw lots (or HEAPS) or little birds along the paths, walked through quite a lot of mud (which may be why they call hiking "tramping" in NZ) and saw lots of trees and ferns. Very lovely. The sky was even blue some of the time!
We are now back in Picton for the night staying at a hostel that serves free apple crisp and ice cream in the evenings. I am not ashamed to say that that is the reason why we chose that particular hostel. It feels like fall here so we might as well get a free fall-like treat. Tomorrow we are planning on taking another day trip to a small town called Blenheim where there are HEAPS of local wineries and opportunities for wine tasting. Also, places to rent bikes. Yep, we're doing a "wine by bike" tour. Sounds like a great idea, right? We'll let you know how it goes!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The World's Largest Commercially Rafted Waterfall
Posted by Emily
And we went down it! Yes, that's right. The kiwis are so crazy for an adrenaline rush that they even run their water sports in the winter (well, some of them anyway). Yesterday afternoon we were the crazy tourists who squeezed into wet suits and fleeces (also booties, life jackets and helmets, parents!), had a short paddling lesson, and took off down the Kaituna River in rafts.
The river itself was quite beautiful surrounded all around by trees, ferns and other such green plants. The water either reflected these colors or was naturally the emerald green color of the surrounding vegetation. We went over a few rapids that were quite wild, but the highlight, and the purpose I think, of the rafting trip was to experience going down the waterfalls. They aren't as scary or as dangerous as they sound because one of the moves we learned during our paddling lesson was "get down", which means hold onto the ropes, squat down in front of your bench and duck your head. This keeps you from getting seriously hurt on the waterfalls, at least in theory. We first went down a 3 meter (I think a meter is about as long as a yard?) waterfall, during which I got SOAKED because I was in front, and let me tell you, the stream we were on is not fed by a hot spring!. The second was one meter, and we paddled right through that one. Then it was time for the 7 meter waterfall! Not as scary as I thought it would be but very very wet! There is a photographer that follows the boat and got completely submerged, but luckily didn't flip or lose anyone over the side as the boat after us did.
After this there were a few more rapids and right before the end, our guide decided to take us river surfing, which pretty much meant that a few people gathered in the front, everyone else paddled back into the rapids and the front of the raft got dunked under water. Kind of funny to watch and not very fun when you are the one being dunked in the water! There were also pictures of this taken, but sadly they wanted to sell us a CD of all the pictures from NZ$40, which turns out to be 2/3 of that in US$. We thought that was pretty ridiculous so we didn't buy one.
We were obviously quite chilled after this so after making dinner, we headed to the nearby Polynesian Spa, which has a variety of outdoor thermal pools ranging from 28-42 C. We got a free pass for buying our tickets to the hangi so we decided to take advantage. It was so nice to be submerged in water that was warm instead of cold and a very nice way to thaw out. We had a nice view of the lake from the steaming pools, and would have had a nice view of the sky if it hadn't been so cloudy. I have yet to get a clear look at the Southern Hemisphere's sky. Soon we will be heading south to the less populated (and snowy!) South Island, so I have high hopes for good views of the sky there.
And we went down it! Yes, that's right. The kiwis are so crazy for an adrenaline rush that they even run their water sports in the winter (well, some of them anyway). Yesterday afternoon we were the crazy tourists who squeezed into wet suits and fleeces (also booties, life jackets and helmets, parents!), had a short paddling lesson, and took off down the Kaituna River in rafts.
The river itself was quite beautiful surrounded all around by trees, ferns and other such green plants. The water either reflected these colors or was naturally the emerald green color of the surrounding vegetation. We went over a few rapids that were quite wild, but the highlight, and the purpose I think, of the rafting trip was to experience going down the waterfalls. They aren't as scary or as dangerous as they sound because one of the moves we learned during our paddling lesson was "get down", which means hold onto the ropes, squat down in front of your bench and duck your head. This keeps you from getting seriously hurt on the waterfalls, at least in theory. We first went down a 3 meter (I think a meter is about as long as a yard?) waterfall, during which I got SOAKED because I was in front, and let me tell you, the stream we were on is not fed by a hot spring!. The second was one meter, and we paddled right through that one. Then it was time for the 7 meter waterfall! Not as scary as I thought it would be but very very wet! There is a photographer that follows the boat and got completely submerged, but luckily didn't flip or lose anyone over the side as the boat after us did.
After this there were a few more rapids and right before the end, our guide decided to take us river surfing, which pretty much meant that a few people gathered in the front, everyone else paddled back into the rapids and the front of the raft got dunked under water. Kind of funny to watch and not very fun when you are the one being dunked in the water! There were also pictures of this taken, but sadly they wanted to sell us a CD of all the pictures from NZ$40, which turns out to be 2/3 of that in US$. We thought that was pretty ridiculous so we didn't buy one.
We were obviously quite chilled after this so after making dinner, we headed to the nearby Polynesian Spa, which has a variety of outdoor thermal pools ranging from 28-42 C. We got a free pass for buying our tickets to the hangi so we decided to take advantage. It was so nice to be submerged in water that was warm instead of cold and a very nice way to thaw out. We had a nice view of the lake from the steaming pools, and would have had a nice view of the sky if it hadn't been so cloudy. I have yet to get a clear look at the Southern Hemisphere's sky. Soon we will be heading south to the less populated (and snowy!) South Island, so I have high hopes for good views of the sky there.
Mitai: The Feast
Posted by Nicki
We have packed our days in Rotorua full of activities, and we were told the Maori Hangi was something that couldn’t be missed. Therefore last night we packed ourselves onto a touristy bus and went out to see what the fuss was all about.
The Maori are the native people of New Zealand, although their culture was once falling out of existence there has been a push lately to rejuvinate the heritage so it doesn’t disappear forever. Our tour driver on a previous day informed us that students have to take Mauri language until they are 13 in school, and at least in Rotorua, although in a touristy manner, the culture seems to be alive and well.
So, onto the Hangi, or Maori feast. Our Hangi was put on by the Mitai family. We arrived at the place not quite sure what to expect. They gathered us in a large dining area and we were seated at numbered tables kind of like a wedding. Then a man came and spoke to us, had us elect a “chief” to represent us and make a speech at the welcoming ceremony. Turns out only men can be cheifs in Mauri culture. However their reasoning was interesting. They say that if they lose a man in battle, it is only one life, but if a female is lost, then they lose a whole family and all those generations to come.
So, after our cheif, an older gentleman from Austrailia, was elected, they took us out back to view our dinner. Hangi feasts are cooked below the ground in a big hole with steam from hot rocks and coal. It was all in a big heap more or less, but I must say it looked and smelled delicious. After seeing what would soon be in our bellies they took us out to see the evenings entertainment.
We walked through forested land to a stream, all the while men in full costume running through on paths above us with fire lit torches. Then the men posing as Mauri warriors rowed up in a canoe and performed a dance along the stream. We were then led back to a stage sort of area where they had re-created a Maori village. Think sort of Native American almost. Huts and open fires and such. The men performed various dances, and they made a show of offering a piece of branch as a “peace offering” to our selected chief. He accepted and then made a speech thanking the tribe for having us this evening. The man posing as the Mauri cheif then came forward. He spoke fluent English, as do all the Mauri people these days, and beame the commentator of the evening.
Basically for the next hour or so the performed various dances, musical numbers, introduced us to all the traditional instruments and weapons of Maori culture, and basically just were out to entertain. It was cool to see and interesting as well. Even though it was touristy, it felt like we learned a little bit about the people and their culture. The costumes and the tatoos were probably the most interesting to those who have never seen it before. The men have their faces completely tatooed (although here it was just paint) and the women were a tatoo of an owl on their chin. The men’s costume is nothing more then a loin cloth basically, the women have sort of a wrap dress.
After the performance we were taken in for the feast. And wow, seriously, it was a feast. Almost like Thanksgiving. Heaps and heaps (to speak like a kiwi) of food. Potatoes, and kumara (native sweet potato, super good), chicken, lamb, more potato, salads, breads, chocolate logs, cakes, stuffing, it was awesome. Our bellies were very, very full.
After the dinner they took us out to see the grounds at night and view a few glowworms, nothing too impressive. Although we did see the closest thing to a snake in New Zealand, a freshwater eel, kinda spooky.
But overall, my belly was happy, the feast was a success.
We have packed our days in Rotorua full of activities, and we were told the Maori Hangi was something that couldn’t be missed. Therefore last night we packed ourselves onto a touristy bus and went out to see what the fuss was all about.
The Maori are the native people of New Zealand, although their culture was once falling out of existence there has been a push lately to rejuvinate the heritage so it doesn’t disappear forever. Our tour driver on a previous day informed us that students have to take Mauri language until they are 13 in school, and at least in Rotorua, although in a touristy manner, the culture seems to be alive and well.
So, onto the Hangi, or Maori feast. Our Hangi was put on by the Mitai family. We arrived at the place not quite sure what to expect. They gathered us in a large dining area and we were seated at numbered tables kind of like a wedding. Then a man came and spoke to us, had us elect a “chief” to represent us and make a speech at the welcoming ceremony. Turns out only men can be cheifs in Mauri culture. However their reasoning was interesting. They say that if they lose a man in battle, it is only one life, but if a female is lost, then they lose a whole family and all those generations to come.
So, after our cheif, an older gentleman from Austrailia, was elected, they took us out back to view our dinner. Hangi feasts are cooked below the ground in a big hole with steam from hot rocks and coal. It was all in a big heap more or less, but I must say it looked and smelled delicious. After seeing what would soon be in our bellies they took us out to see the evenings entertainment.
We walked through forested land to a stream, all the while men in full costume running through on paths above us with fire lit torches. Then the men posing as Mauri warriors rowed up in a canoe and performed a dance along the stream. We were then led back to a stage sort of area where they had re-created a Maori village. Think sort of Native American almost. Huts and open fires and such. The men performed various dances, and they made a show of offering a piece of branch as a “peace offering” to our selected chief. He accepted and then made a speech thanking the tribe for having us this evening. The man posing as the Mauri cheif then came forward. He spoke fluent English, as do all the Mauri people these days, and beame the commentator of the evening.
Basically for the next hour or so the performed various dances, musical numbers, introduced us to all the traditional instruments and weapons of Maori culture, and basically just were out to entertain. It was cool to see and interesting as well. Even though it was touristy, it felt like we learned a little bit about the people and their culture. The costumes and the tatoos were probably the most interesting to those who have never seen it before. The men have their faces completely tatooed (although here it was just paint) and the women were a tatoo of an owl on their chin. The men’s costume is nothing more then a loin cloth basically, the women have sort of a wrap dress.
After the performance we were taken in for the feast. And wow, seriously, it was a feast. Almost like Thanksgiving. Heaps and heaps (to speak like a kiwi) of food. Potatoes, and kumara (native sweet potato, super good), chicken, lamb, more potato, salads, breads, chocolate logs, cakes, stuffing, it was awesome. Our bellies were very, very full.
After the dinner they took us out to see the grounds at night and view a few glowworms, nothing too impressive. Although we did see the closest thing to a snake in New Zealand, a freshwater eel, kinda spooky.
But overall, my belly was happy, the feast was a success.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Volcanic Valley
Posted by Emily
During our trip to the thermal wonderland, we were also supposed to visit an area called Waiamangu (?) Volcanic Valley, but our shuttle driver advised us to try to sell our ticket because the weather was so bad and the visit involved walking downhill through native bush. We tried to sell our tickets but the weather was so bad that there were hardly any people to try to sell it too! Since we did really want to go to the volcanic valley, he said that if the weather was better the next day he would pick us up again and bring us to the park. We woke up to another gray sky, but since it wasn't raining, we decided to go.
The volcanic valley was also very interesting but this time, instead of feeling that we were walking around on another planet, we felt as if we were walking around in prehistoric times (in "The Land Before Time" to be more specific, if you remember that movie, and also reminisced about the plastic puppets Pizza Hut gave out with Book-It and the personal pan pizzas. Anyone else rememeber that?) because there are hot spring pools all over, causing steam to rise into the air all over, and there are many fern trees (think fern on a tree trunk) that just look like they belong with the dinosaurs. Some of the areas looked like a huge brontosaurus would fit right in.
The area we visited is a preserved park because of its past volcanic activity and it aqpparently the only area that has As mentioned before, the hike through the area was a gravel path that lead down through native bush, following the interesting sigts of course. The entire thing took us about an hour and a half, with a little running at the end to catch our bus back up the the visitor's center. We passed the world's hot spring, a huge steaming lake really, but it's quite impressive to see and looks very mystical and acient. Also, the water can get very acidic so no bathing in that hot pool! I'm having a lot of trouble remembering all of the things that we pased a long the way (I took pictures though!) but think steaming swamps and bogs, rocks colered bright green and orange from minerals, steaming springs, oh and a steaming turquoise lake. That was very amazing. it lloked like the ocean in a tiny lake form.
Yes, very amazing and if I was a geologist (Sarah!), I'm sure I would have loved it even more!
During our trip to the thermal wonderland, we were also supposed to visit an area called Waiamangu (?) Volcanic Valley, but our shuttle driver advised us to try to sell our ticket because the weather was so bad and the visit involved walking downhill through native bush. We tried to sell our tickets but the weather was so bad that there were hardly any people to try to sell it too! Since we did really want to go to the volcanic valley, he said that if the weather was better the next day he would pick us up again and bring us to the park. We woke up to another gray sky, but since it wasn't raining, we decided to go.
The volcanic valley was also very interesting but this time, instead of feeling that we were walking around on another planet, we felt as if we were walking around in prehistoric times (in "The Land Before Time" to be more specific, if you remember that movie, and also reminisced about the plastic puppets Pizza Hut gave out with Book-It and the personal pan pizzas. Anyone else rememeber that?) because there are hot spring pools all over, causing steam to rise into the air all over, and there are many fern trees (think fern on a tree trunk) that just look like they belong with the dinosaurs. Some of the areas looked like a huge brontosaurus would fit right in.
The area we visited is a preserved park because of its past volcanic activity and it aqpparently the only area that has As mentioned before, the hike through the area was a gravel path that lead down through native bush, following the interesting sigts of course. The entire thing took us about an hour and a half, with a little running at the end to catch our bus back up the the visitor's center. We passed the world's hot spring, a huge steaming lake really, but it's quite impressive to see and looks very mystical and acient. Also, the water can get very acidic so no bathing in that hot pool! I'm having a lot of trouble remembering all of the things that we pased a long the way (I took pictures though!) but think steaming swamps and bogs, rocks colered bright green and orange from minerals, steaming springs, oh and a steaming turquoise lake. That was very amazing. it lloked like the ocean in a tiny lake form.
Yes, very amazing and if I was a geologist (Sarah!), I'm sure I would have loved it even more!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Walking In A Thermal Wonderland
Posted by Emily
The next morning we left for Rotorua, a smaller town about 4 hours SE of Auckland. This is a very geothermically active part of the country so there are many unique outdoor areas to explore. The only downside is that it is going to cost us a lot of money to do all the activities that we are interested in. Shoot.
This morning we checked out Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (that's actually want it's called....I love it), about 30 km from Rotorua. Very amazing place, only problem was that it was pouring cold rain and there were very high winds. That didn't stop us from going but it did get us very wet! We started the morning by visiting Lady Knox Geyser, a geyser that erupts every morning at 10:15 am, but mostly just because they use a biodegradable substance like soap (they used to actually use soap) to break the surface tension of the water and allow the steam and heated water from below to shoot out the surface. Apparently this little trick was discovered by prisoners who were doing laundry in the geyser. Even though it was a man-made eruption, it was still very cool. The eruptions can be as high as 21 m and since I have never seen any other geyser, I was pretty impressed with this one.
The rest of the visit involved walking around an area where there were many craters colored by different minerals, making the rocks yellow, orange, brown, purple and red. Some were dry and some were filled with hot water. There was a small lake-type area called the "Artist's Palette" where the water's surface was colored yellow and orange with some blue water peeking through. With some imagination it really did give the appearance of paint blended together. Another main highlight of the park is the "Champagne Pool", which is a large hot pool ringed with orange that bubbles like a glass of bubbly. There was also waterfalls colored yellow with sulfur, a water and lake colored bright green and a pool of neon green water. Walking past all these bubbling pools, strangely colored pools and desolate landscapes, it almost seemed that we were on the surface of another plant.
The next morning we left for Rotorua, a smaller town about 4 hours SE of Auckland. This is a very geothermically active part of the country so there are many unique outdoor areas to explore. The only downside is that it is going to cost us a lot of money to do all the activities that we are interested in. Shoot.
This morning we checked out Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (that's actually want it's called....I love it), about 30 km from Rotorua. Very amazing place, only problem was that it was pouring cold rain and there were very high winds. That didn't stop us from going but it did get us very wet! We started the morning by visiting Lady Knox Geyser, a geyser that erupts every morning at 10:15 am, but mostly just because they use a biodegradable substance like soap (they used to actually use soap) to break the surface tension of the water and allow the steam and heated water from below to shoot out the surface. Apparently this little trick was discovered by prisoners who were doing laundry in the geyser. Even though it was a man-made eruption, it was still very cool. The eruptions can be as high as 21 m and since I have never seen any other geyser, I was pretty impressed with this one.
The rest of the visit involved walking around an area where there were many craters colored by different minerals, making the rocks yellow, orange, brown, purple and red. Some were dry and some were filled with hot water. There was a small lake-type area called the "Artist's Palette" where the water's surface was colored yellow and orange with some blue water peeking through. With some imagination it really did give the appearance of paint blended together. Another main highlight of the park is the "Champagne Pool", which is a large hot pool ringed with orange that bubbles like a glass of bubbly. There was also waterfalls colored yellow with sulfur, a water and lake colored bright green and a pool of neon green water. Walking past all these bubbling pools, strangely colored pools and desolate landscapes, it almost seemed that we were on the surface of another plant.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
We Come From A Land Down Under
Posted by Emily
Well, we have successfully made it to New Zealand and so far are having a very nice time. After almost 28 hours of travel (including a flight from the south of Thailand to Bangkok, on which I puked and I'm not even a puker, and almost 8 hours in the Bangkok airport waiting for our next flight to depart), we arrived in Auckland, took a shuttle to our hostel and proceed to sleep for about 25 hours. We were very exciting people that day!
The rest of the time we spent walking around the city and speaking English, because we can here! It's amazing how much easier that makes thing! We visited the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere I believe (you can even bungee jump off of it!), the Victoria Market, which turned out to be just a bunch of shops (there are flea markets on the weekend) and attempted a walking tour of the city. Although they claimed that the walking tour was easy to follow, I think we proved them wrong! The map was hard to read at places and the roads were supposed to be marked ever kilometer, but weren't. BUT we did get to go up a road called "Emily Place" and take my picture by some signs that said Emily on them. The part of the walking tour that we did do was quite nice. It led us from the harbor downtown into some older neighborhoods and through the university campus (very lovely!). It would have led us across the city through parks and the luck but we were getting crabby after quite a long day and decided to go home.
Yesterday we decided to take a day trip out of Auckland to a suburb across the bay (12 min ferry ride) called Devenport, a very lovely city that from what I can tell, must also be pretty wealthy! Lots of beautiful seaside property. We did another walking tour there but this one was much easier to follow and led us up 2 old volcanoes (just grass-covered hills now) that offered beautiful views of the city and surrounding sea despite the cold wind that was blowing on top. We warmed up with some tea and chai at a cafe and then headed back. The wind was picking up and rain was starting to fall. Not very ideal weather for exploring a little town but it was a nice day none the less.
Well, we have successfully made it to New Zealand and so far are having a very nice time. After almost 28 hours of travel (including a flight from the south of Thailand to Bangkok, on which I puked and I'm not even a puker, and almost 8 hours in the Bangkok airport waiting for our next flight to depart), we arrived in Auckland, took a shuttle to our hostel and proceed to sleep for about 25 hours. We were very exciting people that day!
The rest of the time we spent walking around the city and speaking English, because we can here! It's amazing how much easier that makes thing! We visited the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere I believe (you can even bungee jump off of it!), the Victoria Market, which turned out to be just a bunch of shops (there are flea markets on the weekend) and attempted a walking tour of the city. Although they claimed that the walking tour was easy to follow, I think we proved them wrong! The map was hard to read at places and the roads were supposed to be marked ever kilometer, but weren't. BUT we did get to go up a road called "Emily Place" and take my picture by some signs that said Emily on them. The part of the walking tour that we did do was quite nice. It led us from the harbor downtown into some older neighborhoods and through the university campus (very lovely!). It would have led us across the city through parks and the luck but we were getting crabby after quite a long day and decided to go home.
Yesterday we decided to take a day trip out of Auckland to a suburb across the bay (12 min ferry ride) called Devenport, a very lovely city that from what I can tell, must also be pretty wealthy! Lots of beautiful seaside property. We did another walking tour there but this one was much easier to follow and led us up 2 old volcanoes (just grass-covered hills now) that offered beautiful views of the city and surrounding sea despite the cold wind that was blowing on top. We warmed up with some tea and chai at a cafe and then headed back. The wind was picking up and rain was starting to fall. Not very ideal weather for exploring a little town but it was a nice day none the less.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Swimming With Sharks!
Posted by Nicki
That’s right folks, it’s said you’re supposed to do something everyday that scares you, so for a day in Ko Tao, I did exactly that. Swam with the sharks!
As I said in the previous post, Ko Tao is known for having some of the best diving in all south east asia, and Em and I decided to experience what it had to offer. Since neither of us have our PADI certification, we were only able to snorkle, but it was well worth it. (PS, if you ever want to get certified, and have a few days, I’d recommend Ko Tao. The island has mountains upon moutains of scuba certification schools, apparently dirt cheap compared to what they are in the states. If we had had more time, I might have done it.)
We booked ourselves for a day long snorkle trip through a store around the block from our hostel. It picked us up in the morning and we didn’t get back until late afternoon. In the trip we got to see all around the island, and were dropped off to snorkel in about 6 or 7 different bays, it was awesome. The fish and the coral were absolutely breathtaking. So many millions of colors, shapes and sized. The water was crystal clear, it was almost as if you were floating on top of an aquarium…which I suppose in a way you really are. You could reach out and almost touch them. Bright yellow, electric neon colors, some that one girl described as rainbow sherbert, all sorts of different colors mixed together. Big ones, small ones, thousands of little ones in a school forming all sorts of shapes as they moved, I swear it looked to be right out of a movie like Finding Nemo. Little shiny ones that looked like a downpour of silver confettii. I was endlessly impressed. At the end of the day we also visited a little collection of three islets, now used primarily as a dive resort. Also really stunning.
And, yes, in one of the bays, black tip reef sharks! I was pretty scared to jump in, but once I actually saw one, I found myself wanting to follow it all through the reef. The bay the sharks were in was quite deep, the sharks swimming down on the bottom and snorkelers floating on the top. The sharks didn’t even pay us any notice. Oh, and just so you all don’t think I’m really super brave…they were little ones, of the three I saw, the biggest might have been about 3 feet, but hey, they’re still sharks!
That’s right folks, it’s said you’re supposed to do something everyday that scares you, so for a day in Ko Tao, I did exactly that. Swam with the sharks!
As I said in the previous post, Ko Tao is known for having some of the best diving in all south east asia, and Em and I decided to experience what it had to offer. Since neither of us have our PADI certification, we were only able to snorkle, but it was well worth it. (PS, if you ever want to get certified, and have a few days, I’d recommend Ko Tao. The island has mountains upon moutains of scuba certification schools, apparently dirt cheap compared to what they are in the states. If we had had more time, I might have done it.)
We booked ourselves for a day long snorkle trip through a store around the block from our hostel. It picked us up in the morning and we didn’t get back until late afternoon. In the trip we got to see all around the island, and were dropped off to snorkel in about 6 or 7 different bays, it was awesome. The fish and the coral were absolutely breathtaking. So many millions of colors, shapes and sized. The water was crystal clear, it was almost as if you were floating on top of an aquarium…which I suppose in a way you really are. You could reach out and almost touch them. Bright yellow, electric neon colors, some that one girl described as rainbow sherbert, all sorts of different colors mixed together. Big ones, small ones, thousands of little ones in a school forming all sorts of shapes as they moved, I swear it looked to be right out of a movie like Finding Nemo. Little shiny ones that looked like a downpour of silver confettii. I was endlessly impressed. At the end of the day we also visited a little collection of three islets, now used primarily as a dive resort. Also really stunning.
And, yes, in one of the bays, black tip reef sharks! I was pretty scared to jump in, but once I actually saw one, I found myself wanting to follow it all through the reef. The bay the sharks were in was quite deep, the sharks swimming down on the bottom and snorkelers floating on the top. The sharks didn’t even pay us any notice. Oh, and just so you all don’t think I’m really super brave…they were little ones, of the three I saw, the biggest might have been about 3 feet, but hey, they’re still sharks!
Paradise
Posted by Nicki
Sorry it’s been quite awhile since I’ve checked in to update the blog…but now that internet is free, I’ve got a bit of a chance to catch things up.
Anyhow, our time in the south of Thailand is fantastic. We had contemplated not even heading to the islands as we had it heard the weather would be bad, but we were blessed with sunshine and blue skies for our entire week, it was awesome. The only day it was semi cloudy we were snorkeling, so it was probably for the best that we didn’t get completely baked.
After our week on two different islands, I’ve one piece of advice for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii, spend the extra few hundred on airfare and book your trip to thailand! What you spend extra on the plane you will make up in amazing beaches that you will have almost entirely to yourself and beachside private bungalows for around 4-8 dollars a night. Your toilet may not be of the flushing variety and your bungalow might come with mosquito net and there likely won’t be a hot shower…but do you need one when it’s a million degrees outside and you’re sunburned?
Em and I first made our way to Ko Phan-Ngan, the middle of the three islands on the Gulf Coast. Yes, it is the infamous island that hosts full moon parties, but we were far, far on the opposite side of the island from Hat Rin, where those parties are. (And there was no full moon when we were there.) Our beach, on of a couple of twin beaches, was called Thong Nai Pan Yai. It was gorgeous. It required an hour long bumpy ride through dirt roads in the back of a pickup to get there, but it was well worth it. Very secluded and undeveloped…no high rise concrete here, (in fact there was no high rise beach resorts anywhere on either island we were on, thank goodness), it was just beachside bungalows, a few hamocs, and white sand beach. We were probably about two out of 20-30 or so that were staying there. During the afternoon just a handful of people were out. The beaches go back into green hillsides covered in palm trees. Rocky outcropping jut into the sea. It was beautiful. The only downfall was our beach faced neither sunrise or sunset.
Thong Nai Pan beaches (Yai and Noi) are both located in little bays, so the water was completely still, just a small tide rolling in. It was wonderful for swimming, but lacked the sound of crashing sea that I love about the ocean. It was also great to run along in the evening once the heat broke.
The second part of our beach trip brought us to the island of Ko Tao, the smallest island of the trio, farthest north. Again, the weather held out and was great. Ko Tao has a few better roads then Phan-Ngan, so it made it easier for Em and I to walk around. We stayed on a beach that was a bit busier, but a 10 minute walk up the road led to a beautiful secluded beach called Ao Thian. A little odd to get to as the sign in front says private property (we first got there by mistake going up the road to far then climbing over a bunch of rocks to get back), but then as you turn the corner there is another sign that says private, directly behind which is a sign that says vistors welcome! this way to the beach. Hmm, ok. So we went, as we didn’t discover it was private until we had climbed over the rocks anyhow. The beach was full of gorgeous white sand, lots of swaying palm trees, bushes for shade, and crystal clear blue water. Still in a bay, so calm like the other beach, but coral formations fairly close to the shore kept us from doing much swimming. Ko Tao is known as one of South East Asia’s best dive sites, so in the next entry, I’ll tell you all about our experiences with that. But when we weren’t diving, lots of relaxing, reading, and just enjoying the amazing scenary were our agenda for the day.
Sorry it’s been quite awhile since I’ve checked in to update the blog…but now that internet is free, I’ve got a bit of a chance to catch things up.
Anyhow, our time in the south of Thailand is fantastic. We had contemplated not even heading to the islands as we had it heard the weather would be bad, but we were blessed with sunshine and blue skies for our entire week, it was awesome. The only day it was semi cloudy we were snorkeling, so it was probably for the best that we didn’t get completely baked.
After our week on two different islands, I’ve one piece of advice for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii, spend the extra few hundred on airfare and book your trip to thailand! What you spend extra on the plane you will make up in amazing beaches that you will have almost entirely to yourself and beachside private bungalows for around 4-8 dollars a night. Your toilet may not be of the flushing variety and your bungalow might come with mosquito net and there likely won’t be a hot shower…but do you need one when it’s a million degrees outside and you’re sunburned?
Em and I first made our way to Ko Phan-Ngan, the middle of the three islands on the Gulf Coast. Yes, it is the infamous island that hosts full moon parties, but we were far, far on the opposite side of the island from Hat Rin, where those parties are. (And there was no full moon when we were there.) Our beach, on of a couple of twin beaches, was called Thong Nai Pan Yai. It was gorgeous. It required an hour long bumpy ride through dirt roads in the back of a pickup to get there, but it was well worth it. Very secluded and undeveloped…no high rise concrete here, (in fact there was no high rise beach resorts anywhere on either island we were on, thank goodness), it was just beachside bungalows, a few hamocs, and white sand beach. We were probably about two out of 20-30 or so that were staying there. During the afternoon just a handful of people were out. The beaches go back into green hillsides covered in palm trees. Rocky outcropping jut into the sea. It was beautiful. The only downfall was our beach faced neither sunrise or sunset.
Thong Nai Pan beaches (Yai and Noi) are both located in little bays, so the water was completely still, just a small tide rolling in. It was wonderful for swimming, but lacked the sound of crashing sea that I love about the ocean. It was also great to run along in the evening once the heat broke.
The second part of our beach trip brought us to the island of Ko Tao, the smallest island of the trio, farthest north. Again, the weather held out and was great. Ko Tao has a few better roads then Phan-Ngan, so it made it easier for Em and I to walk around. We stayed on a beach that was a bit busier, but a 10 minute walk up the road led to a beautiful secluded beach called Ao Thian. A little odd to get to as the sign in front says private property (we first got there by mistake going up the road to far then climbing over a bunch of rocks to get back), but then as you turn the corner there is another sign that says private, directly behind which is a sign that says vistors welcome! this way to the beach. Hmm, ok. So we went, as we didn’t discover it was private until we had climbed over the rocks anyhow. The beach was full of gorgeous white sand, lots of swaying palm trees, bushes for shade, and crystal clear blue water. Still in a bay, so calm like the other beach, but coral formations fairly close to the shore kept us from doing much swimming. Ko Tao is known as one of South East Asia’s best dive sites, so in the next entry, I’ll tell you all about our experiences with that. But when we weren’t diving, lots of relaxing, reading, and just enjoying the amazing scenary were our agenda for the day.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Just Another Day For You And Me In Paradise
Posted by Emily
Hello from the lovely islands of Thailand! We have been greatly enjoying ourselves here and now to back track to the beginning....
On the 31st, we boarded a plane headed to Bangkok and then one headed to Surat Thani, the city where all the ferries to the islands leave. The flights took us about 2 hours total and we were very happy that we had purchased the tickets, even though they weren't as cheap as we would have liked, because it greatly reduced what would have been a traveling time of over 24 hours (we were pretty far north).
We arrived at the Surat Thani airport around noon and while waiting in line to get bus tickets into the city, we ran into 2 other guys going to the same island as us. We ended up splitting a taxi and catching a ferry together, getting there much earlier than we had expected. We thought we'd have to wait until the next morning for a ferry. I guess I'm not surprised that they had an earlier ferry that coincided with the arrival of the flight from Bangkok. Things here are set up very nicely for tourists.
The ferry ride was uneventful. Just a big long and way too hot. We arrived at the port, found a taxi going to the beach we wanted and hopped in. Well, I should say hopped ON. Taking a taxi on the islands involves sitting on a bench seat in the back of a pickup truck. You really have to hold over the bumps! They're not so bad once you get used to them and they're really not that scary because there's not that much traffic.
There's not that much to report for the next few days because pretty much what we did was lay on the beach, swim and kayak a little. There was also a lot of reading and lying in hammocks. It's pretty much too hot to wear any clothes during the day so we would get up at about 8:30 am and just put our suits on. Lovely. The sun is super brutal if there are no clouds out and the first 2 days Nicki and I both got burned, I while wearing SPF 25 and reapplying. I have been in some pretty hot places, but nothing like this. The second it was even too hot to lay on the each so we borrowed some rafts and floated around (there is very little surf here it seems and I am enjoying the swimming without the waves!).
The beach we stayed in Ko Phangan was beautiful. Quite short, maybe about half a mile long, with perfect white sand, bath water warm turquoise water. We were surrounded by palm trees and green hills. Very very beautiful. I've been to a lot of beautiful beaches but I was still impressed with this one.
Hello from the lovely islands of Thailand! We have been greatly enjoying ourselves here and now to back track to the beginning....
On the 31st, we boarded a plane headed to Bangkok and then one headed to Surat Thani, the city where all the ferries to the islands leave. The flights took us about 2 hours total and we were very happy that we had purchased the tickets, even though they weren't as cheap as we would have liked, because it greatly reduced what would have been a traveling time of over 24 hours (we were pretty far north).
We arrived at the Surat Thani airport around noon and while waiting in line to get bus tickets into the city, we ran into 2 other guys going to the same island as us. We ended up splitting a taxi and catching a ferry together, getting there much earlier than we had expected. We thought we'd have to wait until the next morning for a ferry. I guess I'm not surprised that they had an earlier ferry that coincided with the arrival of the flight from Bangkok. Things here are set up very nicely for tourists.
The ferry ride was uneventful. Just a big long and way too hot. We arrived at the port, found a taxi going to the beach we wanted and hopped in. Well, I should say hopped ON. Taking a taxi on the islands involves sitting on a bench seat in the back of a pickup truck. You really have to hold over the bumps! They're not so bad once you get used to them and they're really not that scary because there's not that much traffic.
There's not that much to report for the next few days because pretty much what we did was lay on the beach, swim and kayak a little. There was also a lot of reading and lying in hammocks. It's pretty much too hot to wear any clothes during the day so we would get up at about 8:30 am and just put our suits on. Lovely. The sun is super brutal if there are no clouds out and the first 2 days Nicki and I both got burned, I while wearing SPF 25 and reapplying. I have been in some pretty hot places, but nothing like this. The second it was even too hot to lay on the each so we borrowed some rafts and floated around (there is very little surf here it seems and I am enjoying the swimming without the waves!).
The beach we stayed in Ko Phangan was beautiful. Quite short, maybe about half a mile long, with perfect white sand, bath water warm turquoise water. We were surrounded by palm trees and green hills. Very very beautiful. I've been to a lot of beautiful beaches but I was still impressed with this one.
Pai In The Sky
Posted by Nicki
Yes, I know. Cheezy title. Just back from a little ways north we are getting excited to head south tomorrow.
But for now…
Our last day in Chang Mai before Pai went well. It was a recovery day for us involving lots of stress …taking our laundry to get done at the super cute laundry lady ($3 for 4 kilos), getting the most wonderful Aromatherapy Oil Massage ($7) and then laying in hamocs reading, and then shopping at the sunday market. A good day. We actually even ventured out in the bar scene later that evening with the two kids we met trekking.
Off to Pai the next morning, a little too early perhaps. But we made it. The ride to Pai was absolutely awful as it was in a packed minibus and involved the most curvy moutain roads possible. Barf.
Once we recovered from the bus ride though, Pai was a great town. I can see how people get stuck there for awhile. It’s almost like a beach town in the mountains if that makes any sense. Extremely laid back, almost a hippy atmosphere in places. The surrounding scenery is gorgous, lots of green everywhere and a nice little river running around the back. We basically spent our time walking around and relaxing, very much needed. We also hiked up to a temple overlooking Pai that was very pleasant. On the first night we went to this really cool little movie house. You pick out a dvd from a big selection and then they’ve got these little living room things with couches and everything set up for movie watching, it was great.
Anyhow, the ride back to Chang Mai was much better. Only a few of us on it, plus we took some dramamene. Tomorrow we are off to the south, hopefully we’ll find some great sun and surf.
Yes, I know. Cheezy title. Just back from a little ways north we are getting excited to head south tomorrow.
But for now…
Our last day in Chang Mai before Pai went well. It was a recovery day for us involving lots of stress …taking our laundry to get done at the super cute laundry lady ($3 for 4 kilos), getting the most wonderful Aromatherapy Oil Massage ($7) and then laying in hamocs reading, and then shopping at the sunday market. A good day. We actually even ventured out in the bar scene later that evening with the two kids we met trekking.
Off to Pai the next morning, a little too early perhaps. But we made it. The ride to Pai was absolutely awful as it was in a packed minibus and involved the most curvy moutain roads possible. Barf.
Once we recovered from the bus ride though, Pai was a great town. I can see how people get stuck there for awhile. It’s almost like a beach town in the mountains if that makes any sense. Extremely laid back, almost a hippy atmosphere in places. The surrounding scenery is gorgous, lots of green everywhere and a nice little river running around the back. We basically spent our time walking around and relaxing, very much needed. We also hiked up to a temple overlooking Pai that was very pleasant. On the first night we went to this really cool little movie house. You pick out a dvd from a big selection and then they’ve got these little living room things with couches and everything set up for movie watching, it was great.
Anyhow, the ride back to Chang Mai was much better. Only a few of us on it, plus we took some dramamene. Tomorrow we are off to the south, hopefully we’ll find some great sun and surf.
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