The Last Post
We returned to Queenstown for one more night after our trip to Te Anau and were a little surprised to find the temperature had dropped almost 20 degrees in three days! The snow on the mountains was beautiful but a lack of warm clothes meant it was definitely time to go. Unfortunately leaving turned out to be a little more difficult than anticipated.
We had already been warned by a guy in the hostel that Queenstown airport is unreliable; because of the changeable weather incoming flights often land at Invercargill and outgoing flights are cancelled as a result. So we were a little anxious when the day dawned cloudy and wet, but we rang the airport and nothing had been cancelled as yet. On arriving however we discovered that two flights to Auckland were now cancelled and ours was 'suspended'; it would depend on whether the plane could land as to whether or not we'd be going to Fiji that day. After an anxious two hour wait, during which the weather cleared and clouded over again several times and the Qantas staff began re-ticketing the more pushy customers, the plane made it down to cheers from the check-in queue.
However the fun wasn't over. After a record check-in and boarding time we were all seated and ready to go when the pilot announced that due to low-lying cloud we would be waiting a while until take-off. This turned out to be over an hour stuck in our seats; eventually the clouds failed to clear and we took off anyway. For me this was made considerably more uncomfortable by the large elderly man next to me who committed all possible crimes of air-travel: he stank, overflowed into my seat and sniffed/sneezed loudly in a disgusting manner every few minutes. All I could do was direct my aircon unit at him to try and blow the smell back and spend the whole flight with my neck craning away from him.
We finally reached Auckland only to be held up again on the runway waiting for more bad weather to clear. However we finally took off and made it to Fiji, where we were greeted by Fijian men singing and playing the guitar and cries of 'bula' (meaning welcome). It was a huge relief to be there after the trials of the day.
This will be the last post as we are now on 'Fiji time', meaning that we are relaxing and taking things slow. It's amazing how much a five and a half month holiday can take it out of you. We're back shortly (25th March for those who are interested) so you can call us and find out how the last part went!
Emily (and Chris)
Milford Sound and Te Anau
Due to its position in the south-western corner of the south island we had saved one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand until last. I am talking about Milford Sound, the highlight of the enormous and spectacular Fiordland National Park. Many people go to Milford from Queenstown but we didn't fancy getting up a 5:30am for the 600km return journey. Fortunately we had some hours left on our bus passes and time to spare so we decided to base ourselves at the small lakeside town of Te Anau (pronounced Tee are-now). Although Te Anau is geographically further from Milford, the lack of roads means that the Queenstown buses must travel 2 hours to Te Anau before even entering the national park.
Milford Sound is the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand but we believe that we had a better experience than most for three reasons. Firstly, we were traveling in a small minibus, a big advantage on those windy roads with many scenic stopping points. Secondly, with our strategic location in Te Anau we were able to get there before most other tour groups so our boat ride was quiet and peaceful (read lacking in Americans). Finally, and this is definitely the most unique thing about our tour - our driver was also the Milford 'postie'. This meant that while we were on our boat trip he was delivering mail, and we also delivered a few newspapers along the way.
The 'Postie' knew the area very well, and didn't hold back on the gossip. He told us about how one of the farmers used to have a wife, but she disappeared and now the woman of the house changes every few months. He also told us about how another farmer had bought a plane, which now spends most of its time being repaired as he keeps crashing it. The most interesting story, however, was about the race through the Homer Tunnel that has become a local tradition. This tunnel, which is 1200 metres long, took over 4 years to build and required 100 kilos of dynamite for every 25cm gained. The race, which is held on April Fool's Day, is technically illegal because no pedestrians are allowed in the tunnel. As a result the race is held at midnight, but because the tunnel generators are turned off at 6pm it is done in the dark. The contestants are allowed to run with a torch, but only on the condition that they run naked. The only item of clothing they are allowed are shoes and a woolly hat! Bizarre.
The ride to Milford was spectacular. We stopped several times, the highlight of which was the mirror lakes, ar riving at the Milford port just in time to board our boat. The duration of the boat trip was two and a half hours during which we travelled up one side of the sound, into the Tasman Sea, and back down the other side. The cliffs and mountains on either side of the sound are enormous - at one point, twice the height of the Empire State Building. The sounds act a bit like wind funnel so at times it was difficult to stand on the outside decks. Spray was being blown off the surface of the sea and some of the waterfalls were being blown upwards faster than they could fall. We were very lucky with the rain as it held off until the last 20 minutes - a bit of a rarity in a place that receives 8 of rainfall per year. When the rain did come, boy was it heavy. They (the tour companies) say that when it rains, Milford Sound is even more spectacular - probably true, but you would struggle to see anything in this sort of downpour! However this was true of ride back to Te Anau as the mountains that we had driven past earlier were now riddled with waterfalls - hundreds of them of all different shapes. Our day out at Milford certainly lived up to our expectations.
Whilst in Te Anau we also visited the 'Te Anau Glow-worm Caves'. This gave us the opportunity to take a boat trip onto the lake and around some of the small green islands - the rain held off and the scenery was pretty. On reaching the caves we were split into smaller groups and given free coffee while we waited for our turn. On entering the caves and adjusting to the light we quickly spied what we had come for, but the initial smattering of worms did not prepare us for the main cave. For this we were crammed into a small flat-bottomed boat and all the lights were turned out. It was totally silent as we were pulled along by our guide using a chain attached to the ceiling. The only light was provided by the glow-worms, which covered the walls and ceiling and were really a fantastic sight - I can see why a moth would confuse them with the night sky. It was a unique experience and a great end to our stay, both in Te Anau and New Zealand.
Chris and Emily
Queenstown: EXTREME!!
We've become pretty good at picking hostels by now and Queenstown proved to be no exception. Avoiding the town centre once again (on the basis that we would also avoid the majority of the alcohol-orientated adrenalin junkies) we stayed at the YHA Lakeside, which had stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains. It was a lovely 10 minute walk by the crystal clear water to the souvenir shops, the only downside being that the hostel seemed to be full of Americans.
Queenstown itself was much prettier than we expected, possibly because we had gathered much of our information from New Zealanders; they seem to take against anything that resembles a city and by their standards Queenstown is quite large (population 15000!). We were lucky as the weather cleared once we left the glacier and we really saw the southern lakes at their best.
Our visit got off to a brilliant start with a visit to the kiwi and native bird sanctuary. Kiwis (the bird rather than the people) are awesome, although I may be biased as I am something of a ratite fan. They are nocturnal so in order for us to see them the kiwi houses were set up to be dark during the day and have the lights on at night. They can't see red so dim red lights are used to give us just enough light to see them scuffling about. They are surprisingly large and move quite fast, and spend most of their time sticking their beaks most of the way into the ground to sniff out food. We were able to see them very close up and Chris was very tolerant of me spending over half and hour just watching them walk about. Apart from the kiwis we saw several other native birds and watched a little show which emphasised protecting endangered species (pretty much every indigenous NZ species). We were also treated to another Maori performance during which we were taught the Hokey-cokey in Maori.
I think it's fair to say that Queenstown is home to one of the most ridiculous sports ever invented: frisbee golf. While exploring the Peninsular Gardens we were confused by several strange metal devices that looked to me a little like strange cattle feeders. We hung around for a bit and soon all became moderately less hazy when some men appeared carrying frisbees. The aim of the game seems to be to throw the frisbee from the 'tee' and hit the cattle feeder. If they miss they then have to move to where it feel and try from there, like golf. All sorts of people play it and those we saw were terrible. We even spotted some grungy teems heading to the park with their frisbees - who says kids these days just want to drink and do drugs?!
One of the more popular tourist activities in Queenstown is taking the gondola (cable car) up the hill over the Ben Lomond Scenic Reserve to the Skyline Centre. From the top are great views over the town and lake, and a variety of activities including bungee jumping and paragliding. In order to avoid feeling fat and lazy or having to part with more dollars we decided to walk up, which turned out to be very pretty and not much of a challenge for us seasoned trampers. This also meant we could afford to spend some money on the 'luge' track at the top - like a downhill sledging track except you ride in little carts on wheels. It was great fun and included a free ride on a chair lift with more good views.
As we were in pretty much the world centre for 'extreme' sports, in particular bungee jumping, it seemed a shame not to take up the opportunity. However after reviewing my bank account I decided that I couldn't afford to do a jump and go to Fiji so I left Chris to go off on his own for his bungee experience. He opted to do a jump over a river, in fact the site of the world's first commercial bungee jump. According to him he didn't freak out at all and just jumped straight off, dunking himself up to his waist into the river at the bottom before bouncing back up. He bought a DVD of it so we will all be able to see for ourselves when we get back. He was grinning like an idiot when he returned and described it as 'like falling really fast and getting wet'. Profound.
Emily
Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers: Mountains of Ice and Buckets of Rain!
Following our scenic journey from the east coast of the south island to the west we headed towards 'Glacier Country' on the bus. Predictably, glacier country is gome to many enormous blocks of ice, the two largest of which are called Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. We wanted to visit both of these so we stayed in each of their respective townships (their word, not mine) for two nights.
There are a multitude of glacier-based activities available at both Franz Josef and Fox, from ice climbing to helicopter rides. We were obviously not about to pay $400 for a 20 minute flight, but we did, for once, decide against the cheapest option by opting to do a full-day (as opposed to the half day) guided glacier walk. Given the choice of doing this at either Franz Josef or Fox, we chose the latter basically because Emily was taken in by their brochure. This proved to be unfortunate as we had a day of glorious sunshine in Franz Josef, a strong contrast to our experience in Fox.
When we awoke on the morning of out glacier walk it was fairly grey but wasn't raining (as it had been for the last 12 hours) so we were feeling fairly positive about the day's weather. Our optimism, however, was soon quashed when the rain restarted and we discovered that it was unlikely to stop for the rest of the day. When we reached the Fox Glacier HQ we found that the trip would go ahead regardless and so before boarding the bus to the glacier we were kitted up with boots, waterproof trousers and coat, mittens, crampons, and the all important extra pair of socks.
By the time we reached the glacier car park it was raining heavier than I think I have ever seen - a claim that would be repeated throughout the day. Emily, on the other hand, said it reminded her of family holidays. It was all quite amusing, especially as most of the people in our group reacted like they hadn't seen rain before at all. We, on the other hand, had fully expected it; our good luck with the weather was bound to run out sooner or later, and besides this particular part of New Zealand receives 5m of rainfall a year.
To reach the glacier we had to trek up through the surrounding temperate rainforest for about an hour. Along the way we had to go through (literally - there was only one bridge) the fast flowing streams which were now more like waterfalls. Once at the glacier access point we were given a quick briefing and shown how to fit on our crampons. By the time we finally stepped onto the ice we were well and truly soaked through, but the situation would get worst before it got better, as we then had to endure a 10 minute sleet/ice storm. During this onslaught of nature we just had to stand still and try and hold our balance in the gale-force winds. By the end of the storm we were huddled together like penguins; this was becoming a true arctic experience!
All of a sudden the weather died down and we could see a glimmer of light (or at least a slightly lighter grey) at the other end of the valley. The mood was lifted and Emily was being particularly optimistic. Some people obviously found this quite endearing but I knew that much of her enthusiasm existed only to spite the sour faces of the less cheerful members of the group. Without the rain and wind it was very peaceful on top of the glacier, partly because everybody was too wet and cold to communicate. The peace was soon broken, however, by the sound of boulders crashing down the adjacent cliffs. We watched as the rocks caused a landslide near the path we had just walked along. This sent the guides into a hive of activity as they tried to assess the damage and decided what to do. Meanwhile, a few other groups were returning early from their walks, so this small part of the glacier soon became very overcrowded. I was desperately hoping for a free helicopter ride.
Our guide, Matt, returned to us with the news of a good weather window and said that, if we wanted, we could go for a short walk on the glacier and then return before the weather turned once again. We, of course, were grateful that we'd get some time on the glacier. Matt obviously had hindsight because when we returned from our short foray on the ice we found that the other groups weren't too far ahead of us. This was because the weather had washed away the one bridge and so they needed to carve out a new route through the forest. The new path basically followed and cut through a stream. Walking in the stream wasn't as bad as it sounds as by this time the water was warmer than our feet. It was quite tricky though; we had to clamber through the trees, using them to balance and to swing off. It was a lot of fun!
Although our time on the ice was considerably shorter than planned, it was still very cool (excuse the pun). We moved quite slowly as our guide had to cut steps into the ice using his ice-axe, so there was plenty of time to take in the dramatic views. There were lots of streams and icy pools, a giant marble like wall and a naturally formed tunnel. We also got to listen to the gurgling of the water running through naturally formed pipes beneath us.
We weren't too upset about cutting our walk short. Not only had we had a very unique experience (Matt the guide said he had never known anything like it) but by the time we returned we were longing for a shower and a change of clothes. We also found that our sandwiches had gone mouldy in our damp bags so we were pleased that we wouldn't need to eat any more of them. The only thing that I was particualy disappointed about was that we didn't get stranded enough to warrant a helicopter ride.
Just as memorable was the day that we moved from Franz Josef to Fox, although this was mostly for the wrong reasons. We had booked an early bus so that we would have plenty of time to explore the Fox area, in particular nearby Lake Matheson. The problem was that we had just bought some new, very effective ear plugs. In fact, they were so good, that we both slept through our alarm and I was woken by Emily at 7:58am uttering the rather unhelpful "panic, panic, panic". Needless to say it was too late and we missed our 8:00am bus. Although this was all a bit frustrating we were soon counting our blessings when I established that Emily had taken our main wallet (the one that carries the cash and credit cards and our driving licenses and ID's) to the shop the night before, and now wasn't too sure what she'd done with it. Obviously she did the whole "I thought I gave it back to you", but luckily we then found it wedged down the back of a hostel sofa. We did make it to Fox in the end and had plenty of time to explore Lake Matheson after an incredibly boring 6km walk down a straight road. The lake is supposed to offer mind-blowing reflections of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps, as many a post card shows. Unfortunately the weather wasn't nearly still enough to get this effect. It was still very pretty though, and given what had happened earlier on in the day we were just grateful that nothing else went wrong.
As I mentioned, we did have one day of good weather which we took advantage of by visiting the Franz Josef glacier. In typical fashion the track we wanted to walk was closed due to a rock-fall, so we did several shorter walks instead. We saw the glacier from several angles and visited Peter's Pool, a beautifully still pond which gave a spectacular reflection of the glacier. The final track took us to the secluded but inappropriately named Lake Wombat, and then up (and up) a hill to a wonderful view of the village and the valley which extends all the way out to sea.
If only our other days in 'Glacier Country' had been as successful as this one!
Chris
From East to West on the Tranzalpine
On boarding the train at Christchurch we discovered that the Overlander (see earlier entry) was not a one-off; this second rattly locomotive was also a throwback to the 80s, with really disgusting coffee to boot. However once again it was worth it as we were quite comfortable and experienced scenery we would never otherwise have seen.
The TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth does what it says on the tin. We slowly climbed 900m until we were in the mountains, crossing viaducts and taking in spectacular mountain views. The train driver kept us up to date with interesting information as we went, often having to pause mid-sentence to concentrate on the driving which confused many of the older passengers and was quite amusing. Chris spent much of his time on the outdoor viewing deck, where he was periodically crushed by pushy tourists every time the driver announced that some good scenery was coming up - apparently most people can't think for themselves, as really it was all stunning.
We arrived in Greymouth by lunchtime. Unlike many of the passengers we were treating the journey as a mode of transport rather than merely a tourist attraction, and so we not taking the train straight back to Christchurch (extraordinary idea!). We had heard that Greymouth was not worth seeing, and so it appeared. Instead we jumped straight onto a bus that took us down the coast to Franz Joseph.
Emily
