Wanaka

On top of Mt. IronLake Wanaka and the peaks of Mt. Aspiring at sunset
My worst enemy

Last night i climbed one of the peaks just outside of town and got nice 360 degree views of the lake and mountains around Wanaka. I also met some people and we walked back down together. I didn't do much today other than run errands and read some. The bad weather is supposed to start soon, so I'm planning on going to a local cinema called Paradiso that has a good reputation here. Instead of standard seats there are sofas and they serve fresh-baked cookies during an intermission I'm told!

I attempted a nap this afternoon but as soon as I set my head down I could hear a motor starting up and then within ten minutes I had no chance of sleeping. For about 20 minutes, the guy pictured above was doing loops around my tent and didn't stop despite numerous dirty glances. Tomorrow I'm off for Makorora and the following day I'm going to hike around Gillespie Pass as long as the water level is low enough to cross the river out of town; fortunately I can just stay in town if it is too high.

-Brian

Wanaka

Today's swimming hole
I left Queenstown early this morning and arrived here in Wanaka about 90 minutes later. Wanaka, like Queenstown, is situated on one of the Southern Lakes, but, unlike its big brother, has a very relaxed feel and isn't very commercialized. I didn't do much today other than organize things for later in the trip and sort out details for a tramp in the Wilkens and Young valleys which I will start on Monday, weather permitting.

We're having a very warm summery day here, so I had a very nice swim in the very cold lake. I'm now in the heart of the Southern Alps and some of the taller peaks, which are still snow-capped, surround the lake in the distance. The campground where I'm staying isn't crowded at all (especially compared to Queenstown) and I've met a few really friendly people there. That's all for today - just relaxing!

-Brian

Queenstown

Typical scenery around the Greenstone valley
View from the McKellar Saddle, linking the Greenstone and Caples valleys

Swimming hole in the Caples Valley which I swam in (I was subsequently bitten to pieces by sandflies)

Interior of the Mid-Caples hut

Cattle blocking the trail (and looking a bit angry?) in the Greenstone valley

Magical scene on Lake McKellar in the morning

Queenstown continues to be a town of coincidences for me. As I was setting my tent up in the holiday park for a third time I saw a bus painted with the "Flying Kiwi" logo (this is the tour bus I took for a week at the start of my trip). Then, as I started to write this, I saw Drew, the tour bus driver I had sitting across from me in the internet cafe!

The trip through the Greenstone and Caples valleys was amazing and not too demanding physically (with the exception of yesterday, which was a 9 hour day). It's the romanticized pastoral landscape come to life, and sure enough, there were cows too (a few too many actually). Much of the land in the valleys is leasehold farming (which I believe means that it's publicly owned and leased out to private farmers - but I'm not sure).

I had a slow morning at the hut because I didn't need to catch the boat out until 2:00 pm but didn't mind spending the time there because the view was phenomenal. I had a very pleasant and short walk out today and walked part the way with some other people I met along the trail. Waiting at the dock were the two Americans - who I will mention further down - and we went back together. After I write this I'm going to meet them at Fergburger, a local favorite here in Queenstown, and, having had it, I approve of it (I feel that I am more than qualified to judge hamburgers as an American).

Another front is moving in now, just in time for the end of my last trip. I'm starting to head north tomorrow, the next stop being Wanaka just an hour or so north. I'll then do the same thing I've been doing - wait out the foul weather for a day or two and then start another tramp. I can't seem to get enough of the scenery in this part of the island.

-Brian

February 23 - Greenstone Hut

I had a great night of sleep last night and ate a big pancake breakfast at a cafe in Glenorchy before the hike today. The rain continued to fall lightly all day, but the scenery was still awesome. Some of the clearnings in the Greenstone valley looked especially cool with all the mist.

I took a boat to the trailhead, and, although it was not as exciting at the ferry across the Foveaux Strait, it was still a fun (and bumpy) ride.

I saw few people on the trail today and really enjoyed the walk that more or less followed the river up the valley. There are plenty of people here at the hut and they are all young and quite friendly. I particularly enjoyed talking to Travis and Michael, two brothers from Colorado who are here to fish the Greenstone. Tonight, most of us at the hut played a game called "Yannive," taught to us by an Israeli couple staying here. I will see some of the same people at the next hut tomorrow.

February 24 - McKellar Hut

The weather was finally good today and the walk was splendid and easy on my feet. The track traversed a good deal of lease-hold farmland and I had to do a bit of hopscotch to avoid landing my feet in one of the many piles of cow poo. I also had a few face-to-face encounters with the cows - they were looking at me menacingly but always fled frantically when I got close. This is a beautiful area and it's been a peaceful few days.

The hut is crowded (17 people) and the bunks are very close. It will be difficult sleeping, but I've met more awesome people here and enjoy that aspect of the huts. It's pretty much impossible to crawl in bed without waking everyone else, however.

February 25 - Mid-Caples Hut

Today was a long day, but the weather was fantastic and there were some great views from the McKellar Saddle. The highlight of the day was certainly seeing Lake McKellar this morning with a light fog hovering above it; it was nothing short of magical. It was a boggy walk from there to the saddle and incredibly steep on the approach to the saddle. From there I descended into the Caples valley which is much more rugged (and thus, less used) than the Greenstone valley. The views here at the hut are great and it's not crowded - just the two Israelis who have walked the same route as me and another American.

Glenorchy

It seems that Queenstown is the city of coincidental meetings; last night at the holiday park I was walking to my tent and I saw Paulo, the Swiss guy from Arthur's Pass (you can see his picture on an earlier entry)! After talking about where we'd been for the past three weeks, we went out for a beer and then caught a movie at the theater in town. He's a really funny person and it was a good night. It was nice to run into him because it can get a bit overwhelming in a big town like Queenstown if you don't know anyone. I'll have to spend one more night in Queenstown in about 4 days (it's just about unavoidable with the way that the transportation works here), so I'm curious to see who will be the next old acquaintance to show up.

The poor weather continues here, so I'm counting myself lucky that I made it off Stewart Island! Things are forecasted to improve tomorrow so I'm hitting the trail again for the next 4 days. I had planned to do a track called the Rees-Dart, but decided against it because it has a number of river and stream crossings and the water levels are very high now. Instead I'm doing another circuit trip out of Glenorchy that goes through the Greenstone and Caples valleys. I had picked the Rees-Dart because it was more challenging than what I've been doing, but this new option should be just as good; there's a really steep alpine crossing on the Caples side of the track. And, with no tricky water crossings, it seemed like the better choice.

Glenorchy is a very nice small town which I'm sure has great views of the surrounding mountains, but there isn't much to see today. So, three nights on the trail, and I'll be back in Queenstown on Thursday.

-Brian

Queenstown

A night time visitor at Stewart IslandStewart Island as it typically feels - reserved, untouched, a bit mysterious
Another wonderful beach campsite, Stewart Island on a sunny day, with the South Island barely visible on the horizon
How I was feeling on the ferry ride across the Foveaux Strait :)

I'm back in the commercial mecca of the South Island and things were a bit rough to start. I had a hell of a time getting my tent up in the gusty winds and strong rain this afternoon, and it blew away as I was trying to get it up! Fortunately I was able to run it down. There's a guy from Michigan in the site next to mine and he's touring around on a bike, so we were able to commiserate a bit about the weather. None of the hostels I rang had any beds, so I was forced to stay at the holiday park again, which is really a rip-off. It's 18$/person for a tiny little tent site; there was a person in front of me who wanted a tent site for 4 people and had to pay 72$!!! Then they want you to pay a dollar for a shower. I suppose it's still the cheapest option in town though. I improvised a few extra guy lines to make sure it doesn't blow away while I'm in town.

Speaking of foul weather, the ferry ride this morning across the strait was ... harrowing. Of the 25 or so people on the boat, 3 adults and 3 children lost their breakfast. At one point the crew was just transporting vomit, going from person to person. By the end of the hour trip, the cabin reeked of - well, you know. I actually fared much better this time - I think because I made sure to get a good breakfast. I tried to watch the horizon as they suggest, but found this difficult because the waves were pounding constantly against the windows of the cabin. I suppose it's difficult to describe what it was like, but I will say there were plenty of white-caps and they had temporarily postponed all the services later in the day. I got some good videos from it.

Having little to do here in Queenstown, I decided to get a haircut, and the woman who cut my hair was nothing short of appalled at what she was looking at. By the end she said, "You look like a totally different person, and, trust me, that's a good thing." The nerve. Then again, she also seemed surprised that I didn't use any "product" in my hair. That's the vibe here in Queenstown though, if that helps describe it. Stewart Island was so much more friendly. For example, I got a pizza last night at one of the local restaurants (I've now been to them all), and the guy who cooked the pizza actually came out to check on it and we talked for a few minutes. Tomorrow I'm escaping again to Glenorchy, which is only a few miles up the road. There I'll take another rest day or two and wait out this weather before doing another tramp in the Mt. Aspiring region (that's where the Routeburn is).

-Brian

Oban

The walk around Stewart Island was great, although my body is starting to feel the 10 days of packing that I've done without much of a break. Last night I had the campsite to myself, although there were plenty of loud birds to keep my company. They must have been big birds too because I could hear them stomping through the bushes and pecking at my trash. I also heard quite a few tuis, which sound a lot like R2-D2 (they actually have multiple voice boxes I think). The walk was definitely worthwhile, and I saw lots of birds (but no kiwi). Today I walked back into town and am treating myself to a room in the hotel (although it's really more like a backpackers with shared bathrooms and the like). The weather is deteriorating rapidly and the outlook for the next few days looks bad. I'm booked to catch the 8:00AM ferry out of here tomorrow, but if the weather is too bad I don't think it will run, and if it does, I can expect an even bumpier ride than that which I experienced coming here. Assuming I make it off the island tomorrow, I'll head back up to Queenstown, though I'll have little to do there as well for the next few days because the weather doesn't look like it's going to clear up soon.

-Brian

February 18, Maori Beach
It was nice to be able to sleep in today, not have to wake up for anything, and take the day at my own pace.

After grabbing a coffee in town, I hit the trail and walked about 3.5 hours, arriving here at Maori beach by mid-afternoon. I've decided to spend the night here because it isn't next to the hut and I can still do the entire track in 3 days from here.

The beaches of Stewart Island are quiet, remote, and have a slow, peaceful feeling about them. This area sees few visitors - although I did manage to run into someone I met at the train station in Arthur's Pass (that was about 2 weeks ago!).

The weather cleared completely this afternoon, and, with the sun shining, it became pleasantly warm here - a nice break from the cold weather we've been having.

There are few people here, but I did meet a Swiss guy and there are two people here I met at the backpackers' last night - it's a very small world here on Stewart Island.

February 19, Sawdust Bay
Last night I met a friendly French girl and two kiwis who were good fun. We had a campfire and shared a few laughs.

Things are much less hospitable on this side of the island; the wind blows strongly and there isn't much of a beach (it's really more like a mud flat). The rainwater tap here at the campsite is dry and the only nearby freshwater is about a 40 minute return walk (at least I brought my filter).

The walk today was hilly and extremely muddy, although it was really quite nice. There are few people here and the birdlife is really active. At times the mud was almost a foot deep, but in most places they've installed boardwalks.

It looks like I will have the camp to myself tonight, although a young couple from the Czech Republic did stop by for a while. They really only talked to each other, and I think they were speaking about as fast as anyone I've ever heard before.

Oban, Stewart Island

I had to get up before the sun this morning to catch the bus down to Invercargill that connected with the ferry that I took to Stewart Island today. I was a bit concerned because my watch (which is also my alarm clock) stopped working last night, but I managed to get myself up in time to make the bus. Strangely, the watch is working again now.

The ferry took an hour to reach Oban, and it was an hour of hellishly choppy waves. A few girls weren't so lucky, but I made it without suffering too badly from seasickness. Stewart Island is strangely quiet after coming from Queenstown and it has an especially calm feeling because few people drive cars here (there's no vehicle ferry to the island). I plan on starting a 3 day walk tomorrow on the Raikura track. The DOC office staff were extremely helpful, a welcome change from the "we don't deal with that" attitude from the staff in Queenstown. I can walk to an from the circuit track from Oban, so I save some money on transport. The weather looks good, although Stewart Island seems to always have clouds hanging over it. The Maori called it "The Land of Glowing Skies" because of its lingering sunsets that I assume are intensified by the low hanging clouds.

I'll spend the night here again on Friday and then start heading slowly north towards Auckland.

-Brian

Queenstown

Alpine scenery on the Routeburn
Sutherland Falls on the Milford (can you find me?)

Lake Mackenzie on the Routeburn, view from the campsite

Daniel and Jen hiking on the Milford Track (the water gets as high as those markers during heavy rain)

Mitre (pronounced might-er) Peak in the Milford Sound, Fiordland

A view from the bow of the boat that took us to the northern tip of Lake Te Anau where the Milford Track started.

A view of Lake Te Anau on the day that the winds were blowing smoke from the Australian bushfires over New Zealand.

I forgot to bring my notes into town to record here, but the last three days went great on the Routeburn. We had incredible weather the first day, and the rain wasn't so bad yesterday - one of the highlights was seeing an awesome rainbow from the top of the mountain. It's a magnificent area and there are tons of alpine lakes. I met a lot of great people and really enjoyed getting out of the huts. The campsites were really well spaced out and in great areas; one was by Lake Mackenzie and the other by the Routeburn river. I had a great time shooting the breeze with the other campers.

I had a big surprise when I arrived in Queenstown and checked into the holiday park where I'm staying. As I was setting up my tent, who did I see in the next spot over? Jen and Daniel. Over a hundred kilometers away from the place we last met and 3 days later. We played a game of minigolf at a crazy course (I got good videos) and we're going to grab dinner later.

I don't particularly care for Queenstown, so I'm going to go to Stewart Island (the most southern part of the country) tomorrow and do a 3 day trip there. I'll have to come back through Queenstown anyway on my way north and then I'll do some more hiking in Mt. Aspiring National Park (the park that includes the Routeburn). Unfortunately I have to make a bus at 7:00a.m. in town tomorrow and it's a bit of a walk :( I'm starting to feel very fit and I've made it through 7 days without an blisters, so I'm going to start the overnight hike the day after I get into Oban, the small village on Stewart Island. Stewart Island is known for its wildlife, especially it's large population of Kiwi, the fat flightless bird that everyone adores here.

-Brian

Milford Sound

Fate has been good to me for the last four days. Despite the grim weather forecast, the skies didn't release even a single drop of rain for the duration of the trek. That's remarkable in a place where it rains two of every three days of the year. Today was a relatively easy flat walk (although it was 11 mi) to Sandfly Point, where a boat was waiting to take us across the Milford Sound to the town. The boat ride was great and three dolphins decided to swim along with us for much of the way. Still nothing to compare to the untouched beauty of the boat ride to the start of the track at the northern tip of Te Anau. It's a big disappointment that I still can't upload pictures, as the past week has been by far the most beautiful and interesting part of the trip. Despite the over-maintenance of the track, it was great fun and I met many new friends. I walked 90% of the 33.5 mi track with a British couple, Daniel and Jen, and will meet up with them for dinner and drinks tonight. Tomorrow I leave early to start the Routeburn Track which will take me over an alpine pass to the eastern side of the Southern Alps. It's 3 days/2 nights and I'll end up in Queenstown on the 16th. My legs are doing very well right now so I feel up for it. Hopefully then I'll be able to post pictures.

Notes from the track are below.

-Brian

February 10
Last night was quite nice. The rain cleared and the sunset over Te Anau lake was spectacular. I met a German girl, Julia, who is a jazz singer and we had good conversation.

Despite the grim forecast, the weather was amazing today in Fiordland and we didn't have any rain. I think the weather here is too unpredictable to forecast accurately. After packing all of my things (I've never carried a pack this heavy before), I got on a boat that travelled to the northern tip of Te Anau where the Milford track begins. The scenery was magical. The land appears completely untouched by man and we seemed to be floating completely away from civilization. Green peaks towered over the crystal blue waters of the lake.

Since many of us got off the same boat, the track was a bit crowded at first, but I've met some very nice people here, including an older couple from Wyoming who I'm quite fond of.

We followed the Clinton river today through a very short (5km) and flat valley walk. The hut is nice and the warden staying there informative (he gave a 1 hr interpretive walk), although a bit long-winded.

Overall, I'm very happy about the weather and we should have clear skies for an evening walk to McKinnon pass tomorrow.

The sandflies are bad here, but no worse than the mosquitoes at Assateague.

February 11
Once again, the forecast was wrong and we had great weather today - not a drop of rain has landed since I arrived. Today I walked with Daniel and Jen, a couple from England. We had a great time commiserating over the snorers in the bunkroom last night and coming up with plans to deal with them.

The scenery today was, once again, incredible. We continued up the Clinton Valley, passing through open fields of grass, surrounded by monstrous mountains on both sides that seem to rise straight up. Waterfalls are everywhere, but I think it's an even better sight when it rains.

The forecast for tomorrow is not great (not that it means anything!), so many of us went on past the hut and climbed McKinnon pass this evening and then returned to the hut. What incredible views of these mountain monsters!

I came back down and had a great night talking with other travellers, including the people from Wyoming and my new British friends. It's nice that we're all going in the same direction because we're starting to get a nice community at the huts.

Off to the snore-room.

February 12
It was a good decision to climb the pass yesterday as it was completely in the clouds today. Things were also quite windy and cold as we climbed the pass. Once again, I walked with Daniel and Jen. We've been so lucky with the weather - it still hasn't rained and the forecast is good for the next few days.

There was a DOC hut up on the pass which was a great place to escape the wind and have a warm cup of tea.

The descent was once again pretty hard on my knees, but tomorrow is fairly flat so I should be able to recover.

We also took a side trip to Sutherland Falls today which were spectacular (I think the 7th highest falls in the world). I stripped down to my swim trunks and braved the cold alpine water by going behind the falls!

Once again I had a good time tonight in the hut with new friends, including a couple from Australia who we spent much of the day with. Tonight I'm sleeping outside - no snoring and the weather is wonderful.

Te Anau

I start the Milford Track tomorrow and unfortunately the weather forecast isn't so good - then again it's never really good around this part of the island and it's raining heavily here now. There's a low pressure system moving up slowly from the South bringing cold temperatures and plenty of rain. It doesn't look like it's going to clear completely until Friday when I reach the end of the track. The good news is that I didn't start today. They were predicting that there could be 80mm of rain in the 10 hours between 8am and 6pm - that's about an inch every 3 hours! It's forecasted to ease this evening and stay light for the next 4 days. The other good news is that hopefully I'll have great weather the following day when I start the Routeburn which is an alpine crossing. The forecast for that leg of the trip is very sunny and dry as a high pressure system covers the area. It's a bit disappointing, but there's not much I can do because I already have everything booked (and the bookings fill up months in advance). At any rate, it's supposed to be beautiful even in the rain as waterfalls begin to run all around, but I'm not expecting any great photos.

I arrive in the small "town" of Milford Sound on Friday where I'll spend a night and hopefully wake up to clear skies and great views of the Milford Sound. I start that day on the Routeburn which will take another 2 and a half days. This is all one way, so I unfortunately have to carry my tent and stove even though the huts along the Milford have beds and gas cookers. I will be tenting on the Routeburn, however. With 7 days food and all the excess gear, it's looking like the pack is going to be at least 50 lbs, but I've gotten pretty fit by now.

Here's an article written in the NYT about the Milford track that I few people have sent me:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/travel/18explore.html

I won't be going on a guided trip like the author (they get warm showers and beer at the huts for the guided trip). Still an interesting overview. I do have the feeling that it's all a bit over-commercialized here, and it kind of bothers me that people can make so much money off the land, but so it goes I suppose. I'd really like to do the Dusky track, another trip through Fiordland that is much more rugged and undeveloped, but I think it's too dangerous to do by myself - in fact, I just read in the paper about a hiker who fell down a rock slope and needed to be airlifted out. In general, this has been the experience here; I've had to limit myself to the more popular, developed areas simply because I'm travelling alone. The people in the DOC office here kind of treat it like a business too - the woman who "helped" me today didn't offer any advice and instead just tried to scare me assuming I thought it was going to be an easy walk (although relatively, this is an easy walk). They're really much less friendly in the more used places here and this woman was particularly off-putting.

I think that as long as I accept the commercialization, I'll enjoy it - it must be popular for a reason.

Also of interest - I read in the paper today that the strange color of the sky down here in the South yesterday which I mentioned in the blog was actually caused by the smoke coming off the bushfires in Australia. I'm sure news of these has reached the States because it sounds like they're really bad. I'll post a picture of the sky when I get a chance - it was an incredible color.

I'll post in Milford Sound in four days if I can get to a computer, and, if not, when I reach Glenorchy after the Routeburn.

-Brian

P.S. I believe the 11th is the halfway point for my trip. The time has passed slowly at times, but seems to have passed very quickly when I think back on it (isn't that always the case?).

Te Anau

This is easily the most beautiful place I've been to since arriving in New Zealand, and unfortunately I can't upload pictures so you'll have to take my word for it. I'm right on the edge of New Zealand's second largest lake (Lake Taupo being the largest) and towering mountains are all around. Today was exceptionally windy, and you could almost see the nasty weather coming off the Tasman getting hung up by the mountains on the other side of the lake. Indeed, I think they had forecasted severe weather throughout Fiordland (that's the southwestern region of the south island) today. It made for a cool effect with the sky turning a dirty golden color - a bit like what you'd expect when a tornado rolls through. This is good news because I'd rather it come through now than when I'm walking the Milford track. The shielding effect of the mountains here is incredible - they receive about 1000mm of rain annually here in Te Anau and just on the other side of the mountains that surround the lake the average rainfall is 8000 mm!! So I'm still expecting rain on the Milford track, but hopefully it won't be too severe.

Things are remarkably untouched here in Fiordland, and 99% of people just come through Te Anau on their way north to Milford Sound. So there's an amazing number of tour buses, but not too many people walking around. Today I walked quite a ways on the Kepler Track - it's one of the other "Great Walks" in Fiordland, but I don't think I'll come back to do it fully.

Yesterday was a travel day, and it took about 11 hours to travel from Christchurch to Te Anau - with stops of course. It was actually a very nice ride because the bus had two levels and I was able to sit at the front of the top level and get a driver's view of the landscape. One leg of the trip took us through two towns called Clinton and Gore - this section of the road was named the "Presidential Highway" around the turn of the millenium when it was still possible that Al Gore was going to be president. Yes, it's sometimes easy to forget that I'm actually in New Zealand.

When I arrived, it was about 1km to the campsite and there I met 5 guys from Invercargill who were very friendly, so I spent the night with them (hence why I wasn't able to post). They were good fun, but pretty redneck for lack of a better word for it. They knew more about American sports than I do, although I suppose that's not saying much. Unfortunately, people always assume you know a lot about US sports when you tell them you're American.

Speaking of the States, I forgot to mention that during my last day in Christchurch I made a point of visiting some American food chains to compare. First was Starbucks. The coffee was more expensive than any other coffee in New Zealand, and the size of my drink (I ordered a cappucino) was much larger than any other coffee I've gotten here. Also of interest, they have a short size (smaller than tall). The quality was the same as in the States. Next was Subway. I ordered a six inch turkey and ham, which is usually more than enough food for me, but the portion sizes were PITIFUL. Only 2 slices of turkey and 2 of ham - in the States you get a whole handful. The extras (onion, tomato, lettuce) were also put on sparingly. And this reminds me, while I'm on the subject, that I saw Clif bars for the first time today. I was very excited about bringing them on my next tramp until I saw that they were selling for $4.50 NZ (~2.90 US) a piece. I suppose it's because they're imported.

Tomorrow will be a supply day and I think I might also be parting with a few small items as I'm unable to store gear for this next tramp and I'll need to carry 7 days of food.

-Brian

Christchurch

The event last night was great to attend, but the fireworks were so wimpy!! They only had enough to last the William Tell Overture (3 or 4 minutes about?). The music was good though! I had to sit in my winter coat because the winds were so cool.

After sleeping in late (9:00, later than usual when I'm travelling), I took one of the city buses out to the shore and spent some time on the beach today. The bus system is super-organized in Christchurch and there's an underground central bus hub that looks a bit like our subway stations, with multiple platforms and signs showing ETAs. They have a great beach only 10 minutes from the city and it had a huge pier that went out into the water. From there I was able to catch a surf competition which was great to see. The sun was out today and it was great beach weather.

There was also a reggae festival up the road (celebrating Waitangi day and the Bob Marley's birthday) so I went to that as well. I wasn't real impressed with the musicians. Once again, I think the quality of the music has to do with how few people live here. Even though it's the biggest city in the South Island, it really doesn't have a population anywhere near most metropolitan areas in the states.

Tonight I'm catching some comedy group who's performing in the botanic gardens.

I haven't talked to anyone in the past two days save store clerks and bus drivers which has been a bit strange - people aren't very outgoing in the city though and I usually opt to just stay anonymous.

Up early tomorrow to head south to Te Anau.

-Brian

Christchurch

"Basketball Man"
Paulo, my Swiss friend

Kea about to raid the local cafe

View from *halfway* up avalanche peak

Kea drinking water

I seemed to have arrived in Christchurch at the right time. Tomorrow is Waitangi Day, a big national holiday celebrating the Treaty of Waitangi (which I believe was a peace treaty between the Europeans and the Maori) and the celebrations are a bit like our Independence Day. There was music all day in Cathedral Square in the center of the city and some performing acts as well. I assume there will be the same tomorrow and I know there are some things going on at the art museum. The whole square had a good vibe, with people playing chess outside using enormous chess pieces. One of the highlights today was "Basketball Man." He was one of the first black people I've seen here, and his whole act more or less followed racial stereotypes - I guess a black basketball player is a novelty here. At one point, he was dribbling 5 basketballs at once - funny stuff. Tonight I'm going to hear the Christchurch Symphony give a concert in the park followed by fireworks - again, I stumbled upon all this by chance so I'm very happy that it worked out so well!

Tomorrow I might go out to the beach in addition to catching Waitangi Day festivities. The weather is good here, although the winds out of the East off the Pacific are strong and keep it pretty cool in town (~70-75).

I really don't like the big city hostels here, but at least I have a room to myself. A lot of the people at the hostel are off the party buses and really pretty obnoxious. It's a completely different atmosphere from the hostels frequented by trampers where everyone is really friendly. That said, I'll be heading down to Te Anau, a tramping town, on Saturday (NZ time) and pitching a tent in a holiday park/hostel right on the lake, which should be a nicer atmosphere. I've saved so much money by carrying a tent. I'll be paying 15$ NZ (~8 US) a night to pitch the tent at the hostel whereas it's 30$ for a dorm bed, and I still get the same services and no one snoring next to me.

-Brian

Christchurch

Last night was extremely cold (for summer), and I enjoyed a talk with some British girls at the pub in Arthur's Pass Village. This morning it was rainy and windy and electricity was out in the whole village, so there really wasn't much to do other than hunker down. I spent some time in the cafe talking to a crazy old man from Australia who kept telling me how he was going to make a car run on water, and that the government was hiding all this from us. He also had some very interesting ideas about removing the flying foxes from Melbourne. I finally managed to get away and did some walking as the weather was clearing. The swiss guy that I met earlier returned from his overnight trip as well so I got to see him again too - he has been one of my favorite people that I've met here thus far.

I picked up the train at 4 -- er, 5 because it was running late of course -- and took a very nice trip down to Christchurch. I booked into the hostel and ran to catch a chamber music concert at 8 downtown. It was really nice to be around music again and I really miss it! Being away has made me appreciate it even more and I look forward to get to playing again. It was a mostly vocal concert and was quite good except for the singers' horrendous attempts to sing in French. After intermission they came out in janitor clothes and started singing, which was also a bit strange - the second half was musical theatre... Overall, very nice to be immersed in it again and I enjoyed it very much!

I think I will spend 2 more days in Christchurch because there seems to be quite a lot to do and the city is beautiful with a very British feel. I'll try to move into another hostel though, because the one I'm in is really large and not very friendly - so it goes in the big city though (and Christchurch, by the way, is the largest city in the South Island). Plus the kitchen is dirtier than most college kitchens I've seen. The shower was nice though :)

I'll post pictures from Arthur's Pass tomorrow because it's getting late.

-Brian

Arthur's Pass Village

We had a kea attack at 5:00 this morning. I woke to the sounds of incredibly loud squawks and bites at my tent. I got them back though, when I opened my tent and launched a surprise water attack with all the water I was keeping for defence. Another guy got up and chased them for a bit as well. They're really kind of scary - you can hear their scream from pretty far away, and then they swoop down in a group of 3 or 4. Of course, they don't actually attack humans, but it's still a bit frightening. Once again, I stored all of my belongings when I went out today.

I did some walking today along riverbeds that lead up to the mountains on either side of the pass. Incredible views and the water is so clear - I think because it only runs over rocks and there isn't much stirred up in it. As I reached the end of one trail, I heard a woman say, "Would you like a cuppa?" - cuppa being short for cup of tea/coffee - and sure enough I was treated with coffee from some Australians there for the day. They were very nice people and we talked a while. They told me it was close to 40 celsius in Melbourne now, so I'm glad I'm down here (where it's more like 40 fahrenheit at night).

There isn't much to do around the village here other than walk, so I'm just going to relax with the paper in the cafe here for a while. The free internet is broken, so I'm stuck paying for it again.

-Brian

Arthur's Pass Village

I've spent much of the day observing the keas here in Arthur's Pass - they're fascinating birds. They're alpine parrots with very interesting feathers, and you can see them as high as 1800 meters at least. This morning I packed up all of my things and left my bag at the visitor's center while I hiked Avalanche Peak. I think it was a good idea because the keas are all around the campsite and they already poked a hole in someone else's tent. This morning I woke up to their horrifying screech right outside my tent. They left me alone in the morning, but the Swiss guy I met said they were clawing at his car door as he was sleeping inside it. You can see them chewing windshield wipers and the insulation between the car doors. Strangely, they're very scared of water so the DOC people suggest spraying water at them to "teach" them to stay away from humans. It's been good fun guarding my tent with a water bottle.

Avalanche Peak was an extremely steep climb (1000 meters over 2km) with amazing views above the bushline. Unfortunately, clouds hover around the summit of the mountain in the morning and they didn't really clear until I came back down. Still good views most of the way. I met a man from Missouri on my way up and we walked together. He's a professor of geology on sabbatical doing research in New Zealand. He had some interesting things to say, but he was a bit of a grumpy old man and very cynical about things.

Tonight I spent some more time with my new Swiss friend and he's good fun. He's just learning English and sounds just like Borat when he talks!

Tomorrow I'm going to do some more daywalks and spend some more time relaxing as well. Off to Christchurch the following day.

-Brian

Arthur's Pass Village

Within hours I've traveled from an area with some of the best weather in New Zealand to the highest town in the country. It's quite cold here, but the scenery is spectacular. The bus ride this morning took me down the West coast, where -- and it's no surprise -- it was raining. Still, the road followed the coast for most of the way, and the views were incredible; the Tasman Sea is a very angry, powerful thing. From Greymouth, I caught the TranzAlpine train, which was a much nicer ride than the passenger train in the North Island. The carriages were more roomy and the track seemed to be smoother. It was cloudy most of the way until we traveled through a very long tunnel through the mountains (probably about 3-5 miles) that took us to Arthur's Pass Village. Miraculously, as soon as we emerged the sun was shining, and the weather has improved here since my arrival.

I checked in with the DOC people (department of conservation, like our national park service) and they said the weather was forecasted to stay pleasant for the next few days, so the tramping should be good. Tomorrow I will climb Avalanche Peak, and there are plenty of other trails for the next two days. This is an extremely small village, but it's really calm and relaxing here -- although the wind is far from calm! I'm staying in one of the DOC campsites for just $6 NZ (~$3 US), so it's very cheap here. I am a little worried about the Cheeky Keas, alpine parrots which are known to poke through tents and bags for food, and for stealing shoes! I might take my tent down tomorrow and store it somewhere for the day. I'll definitely be wearing lots of clothes tonight.

After spending the last four days having someone to talk to all the time, it was a bit of a shock to go back to not knowing anyone again. I went most of the day without speaking to anyone, which is really nice after being around the same people for a while. There are a lot of people at the campsite traveling by themselves, but in general people are not so outgoing. This is especially the case when they're not native English speakers. That said, they're usually extremely happy to talk if I strike up a conversation, and it seems like I'm often the one that has to start it. I talked to a Swiss guy for an hour or so tonight - he's going to climb Avalanche Peak tomorrow as well, so I might see him there.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday - I saw someone from the first bus tour that I took 3 weeks ago yesterday on the water taxi that took us back from the beach at Abel Tasman. It's really a small world here - but it was still a very big coincidence! Same park, same beach, same taxi - what are the chances?

I can't upload pictures today, but the internet is free here! It's a public internet room in town - what a great luxury.

-Brian