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