Kaikoura........... & heading north!

December 9th – Kaikoura

So happy to get back on the Magic bus for a touch more traveling before arriving back in Auckland on Sunday. Today’s departure from Christchurch was good to realize it is a nice city & the people & community are working hard to rebuild their grand old architecture & earth quake damaged buildings but it was also nice to realize that this is not somewhere that I want to make a great deal of effort to move to in order to see if I would like living & working here…………………… I am planning other adventures instead!! So leaving Christchurch meant heading north through the northern section of the Canterbury plains, scattered with more farms & ………………… you guessed it, sheep & cattle. We passed through places like Kaiapoi, Woodend, Waipoa, Omihi, Domett & Cheviot. Along the way the highway hugs the coastline allowing us passengers to feel like we were right in the crashing waves of the Pacific. The cliff faces run straight into the water so that in some parts tunnels were dugout for the roads. Out on the coastal rocks, seals were lounging in the midday sun. Our final destination for the day, the seaside town of Kaikoura.

Known for it marine wildlife, Kaikoura is a small little town encompassing a bay & its industry consists of fishing & tourism. Just off the coast, not far out in the Pacific Ocean is a deep canyon created by the 2 tectonic plates of the Indonesian & Australian converging creating the snow capped mountains not far in land and the subduction creating this massive canyon. The sperm whales, dusky dolphins, NZ fur seals, sealions, & many, many different types of fish crayfish, jellyfish & phytoplankton call this area home. It is nutrient rich & a bit of a protective zone so much so that the young adult male sperm whales are ‘dropped off’ by their moms to continue growing in this spot, becoming self sufficient. There were so many options of boat based adventures here that it was hard to choose between the whale watching, dolphin swimming/watching, seal swimming/watching of visiting the local sea colony. Since mom & I are looking forward to returning to Kaikoura during her visit in February, I thought it best to leave the whale watching to enjoy with her. That meant…….. dolphin swimming!!

The dusky dolphins, black & white & only found in the southern hemisphere, frequent Kaikoura with pods between 100 up to more than 700, apparently. I was off to try to swim with them  But first you must have the right gear (this is always one of the fun parts)……Shoulder to ankle wetsuit + jacket onesie style, flippers, headmask, goggles & snorkel. & yes we were a fine looking crew. The Dolphin Encounter took 3 boats out that afternoon, I had the pleasure of being on the ‘big blue boat’ with 12 other ‘swimmers’. Haha I use that word loosely as I really don’t think the majority of them were all that great a swimmers & thank goodness our wetsuits are buoyant (some may not have fared so well!). But I LOVED the boat ride out for the 20-30minutes it took to catch up with the pod. The boat cresting & plunging with each wave, with open back deck to observe the birds flying by & resting in the sea. Even saw a couple of wandering albatross, boy are they huge birds with massive wingspans!. As we all stood around getting our gear on, our guide & skipper (Ian, one of the owners of the company) got us pumped up & so excited. I was already excited but some were starting to look a little green from the ride out to open waters of the Pacific. One girl, unfortunately, ‘named’ several of the puke buckets on board (that’s what Jodie our guide calls it when you are just not enjoying the sea experience!). But then all of sudden we started spotting a couple of the dolphins diving in & out of the water, swimming faster & faster, almost trying to catch up with the boat. Ian slowed the engines, telling us to get ready to go in. Then there were dolphins everywhere……….. all sides of the boat in every direction, diving in & out, jumping, backflipping, even somersaulting, making breath sounds so close to the boat, like we were one of them. *LOUD HORN* Swimmers in!! I was off to be one of the pod. We were given instructions on not to touch the dolphins, that they are indeed wild animals but they like to be entertained so that’s what would benefit our experience………….. be like a dolphin…………….. be a dolphin. Well, I definitely gave it a go, keeping my arms at my side, I beeped & mimicked their noises, making dives down. & it worked they were so close & all around me & the other swimmers. Making eye contact & spinning with them was definitely one of my favourite things, I constantly found myself laughing as I was doing it. I also like to think they smiled back but not sure  There were also mom & baby dolphin pairs, which were so fun to be around as the mom’s were protective but also allowing us to be there, the babies would be respond to every move their mother’s made, an inch to the left or the right, or jump now! So fun. We got in & back to the boat several times to catch up with the pod, spending what felt like a long time in the water & definitely had a great workout swimming with & like the dolphins. We then got on the boat, stripped our gear off & took photos of the dolphins all around. The skipper & guide figure that 2 pods joined together as we were out there for a total of over 300 dolphins. One of the most amazing, & surprisingly exciting adventures yet!

Back in Kaikoura, it was a low key rest of the evening after expending all that energy. Took in the waters of the bay, the green rolling hills, the snow capped mountains & a little seafood chowder to top off the night.



Back up to the North Island tomorrow, time for the ferry!

 

December 10th – Kaikoura – Picton – Interislander Ferry – Wellington

After leaving seaside Kaikoura, we continued to wind our way along the seaside coast, stopping at the Ohau seal colony. Boy, they are fun to watch. For being so large & awkward, they are definitely powerful, strong mammals. In the water, they look so smooth & gentle, frolicking in the waves. But watching them & hearing them bark at each other, slap each other around & even ‘kick’ one another off a rock is pretty amazing………….. from a safe distance.

Today was a fairly quick journey up through Marlborough Sounds, wine country, up to Picton to catch the Interislander ferry back to Wellington. With it being a windy day, I did not enjoy the scenic route as I did on my way down, taking the indoor window seat instead. But I sure did think of Sarah & Andy & their cruising days  Especially as the seas & swells grew once we got to the open part of the strait…………….. saw some motion sickness bags in use & many people walking sideways through the corridors. I took it easy & read my latest hostel book find. So back in Wellington & on to Rotoroa tomorrow for my final night away before Auckland.

To be honest, there is likely not to be another update until I am safe & sound in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea with Uncle Bev, Aunt Donna & Ellie later this coming week (Thursday or Friday) at the earliest. I have loved sharing these photos & stories with so many people out there, I will keep it up 



Love & Miss you all xoxoxoxox Oh & Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays 

Christchurch

December 4th – Christchurch

Back up with my friend, Fredriek for her final day in New Zealand. Today was a day spent wandering the streets & Saturday morning markets of artsy Christchurch. With Rolleston House across from the Arts Centre & right near the amazing Botanic Gardens, everything has felt so central. With a lazy day of taking in the buskers & Scottish pipers & drummers at the Cathedral square along with coffee & catching up, I watched the trams loop the circuit, some decked out in holiday garland & lights. Most of the afternoon was spent lounging in the magnificent Rose Garden of the Botanic Gardens & sunning. For a final send off, we treated ourselves to a fantastic meal out at Calendron along the Avon River & watched the punting of the boats.



Will do more exploring during my many days here in Christchurch, Santa’s Parade tomorrow afternoon. Definitely weird to have Christmas carols about frolicking in the snow (which will not happen here) & fake pine Christmas trees decked out while I am wearing shorts, tshirt & sandals 

 

December 5th – Christchurch

Today was more wandering the streets of Christchurch….. the Arts Centre, Sunday markets & wonderful weather. It also included the Festival of Cycling through some of the main streets which meant a little less tram activity. The streets were busy with activity of the family kind as today was the Santa Parade. So at 2pm with 100, 000 of my closest Christchurch friends I lined the parade route with kids young & old. This parade had 120 floats/associations & was 2 hours long!! The poor little girl beside me fell asleep in her Dad’s arms before Santa arrived at the end. But it did make me think of years gone by playing in the band on the TDSS band float in the New Liskeard parade. I remember freezing my fingers off & asking for more blankets…… would not have been the case here! Then off for more reading & relaxing in another section of the Botanic Gardens, ……. This may become a daily event 



December 6-8th – more & probably too many days in Christchurch

Avoiding spending money on excursions that I don’t overly want to do means………… more wandering of downtown Christchurch. More taking in the Cathedral square reading a good book . I also attended the memorial service for the 29 men lost in the Pike River Mine explosions, close to Greymouth, a town I passed through on the West Coast a couple weeks ago. The massive Cathedral was packed with over a 1000 people & more outside watching on big screens, an emotional service but also so telling on how the communities of Greymouth & Christchurch are linked, not only by the TranzAlpine railway but also how the Canterburians & West Coasters truly do help each other out………….. which I am also realizing Kiwis in general do too. It was fitting that it rained the rest of that day, spending most of my time in the Christchurch library, enjoying the free internet & catching up with friends & family. Wish I had more to report from Christchurch but realistically it was probably a good spot to come back down a little from travel/vacation reality for abit  Getting excited to leave for PNG in just a little over a week!

 

Rangitata Rafting

Alright so I goofed........... don't worry there is photographic proof of my adventure down the Rangitata Gorge but I am afraid it is in CD mode which I viewed in my computer & apparently did not save to my hard drive.  Therefore, it is on route back to Canada with some other key items from my travels haha  so I guess at this point I strongly encourage you to imagine the next blog as if it were windy, full of spraying water, has a big red raft with 8 people in it screaming & smiling  :)

December 3rd – Lake Tekapo – Rangitata Rafting – Christchurch




Leaving Lake Tekapo for the last time (haha I promise), the lake was a fantastic mirror, giving a great reflection of the hills & mountains & bright blue sky. Back on the bus, passing through places like Burk’s Pass, Mt Dobson, Fairlie & the Timaru District before being dropped off in Geraldine for white water rafting with the Rangitata Rafting company along the Rangitata Gorge. I knew I had wanted to do this for awhile , as friends back in Auckland said it was amazing & some of the best rapids in all of New Zealand. So after a hearty sandwich & salad meal for all 28 of us journeying down the river it was time to get geared up. This included our bathing suits, layered with a polyprolene layer, a fleece, a full body wetsuit & booties, a lightweight wet jacket, life jacket & helmets. The best part was the helmets are all different colours, giving the group a real gumball machine feel. Once geared up we headed down to the gorge in vans & split up into groups of 7 +1 guide for a total of 8 in each bright red raft. I, as the single, ended up in the back left of the raft beside Dan, our guide. Dan has over 10 years experience rafting around the world in Chile, Japan, Canada & the States. I trust Dan & he is Kiwi . So we hop in & ‘learn’ how to paddle forwards & backwards as a team, review safety measures – ‘hard left, hard right, hold on, get down’ & what to do if we fall out of the boat haha….. & most importantly to hang on to your paddle as to not knock out your fellow comrades teeth! Good things to know. We take in the scenery of the glacial water, green hills & Southern Alps way off in the distance. Things start to pick up as the water becomes more powerful with more & more rapids & jagged rocks as we head into the gorge. Dan mentions that the river has 95 cubic tonnes of water rushing down it so it is important if one were to fall in to keep your feet up, otherwise the risk of getting your feet stuck inbetween rocks with then just have you pummeled face first constantly with the flow of the water……… thanks Dan, we are now all a little effectively scared & aware at the same time. It was amazing how quickly we felt like a team. Onwards at the Grade of the rapids picks up from 3 to 4 & then we are allowed to get out & look at the Grade 5 rapids. Honestly it didn’t look that bad compared to what we had already passed through but as the guides pointed out, there is a section called Arlene’s hole that when the boats approach can just sometimes get sucked back in & then the ‘surgey wergey wave’ hits. Interesting…… well were the second boat to go down to hit Arlene’s hole &……. As the pictures prove, we did just that…. & got knocked out of the boat……everyone but Dan thank goodness. Then it was a mad dash to get us up in the boat, paddles flying, Dan counting to three & heaving us in, us scrambling to help the next ones up & over the side……. Head count…1…2…3…4…5…6…7……………. & Matt had drifted downstream to another boat. WHeewwwwww that was scary for a bit there & then we laughed, reflected & recanted how it happened. The other boats passed through & we all rested for a bit before tackling the next Grade 5 rapid. It was really quite amusing at this point to look at the other boats & how completely terrified they appeared to be as we were laughing, thinking okay let’s try to stay in the boat this next time but hey if we don’t let’s just try to get back in quicker this round!. But onwards & upwards we battled through the next round . Then it was on for a jump in off the ledge & float/swim with the current. For the other boats it was a chilly first meet with the water, us ‘pros’ who head already gone in, no worries. It was crazy to see how the currents can pull & twist you down & around & just how hard it is to swim. Then for us still adrenaline seeking junkies we were allowed to jump off this 3m high rock face into the water below……..sure……. why not 10m high? Haha okay! Crazy insane & so thrilling at the same time Back in to the boats for a ‘small front paddle’ to the drop off point. But totally fun day with the clouds clearing for our time on the water, definitely enjoyed the fun & laughs of it all & headed back for a BarbQ meal. Would so recommend this to everyone to do! & of course pictures to prove it!

From there a shuttle bus drop off…. Heading sleepily through the Mayflower & Ashburton district, Chertsey & Canterbury country with farming & farming equipment everywhere. Parts of it really reminded me of Huron County & Grey Bruce.

Final destination Rollleston House in Christchurch. Maybe I will feel an earthquake or 2 while I am here!

Mt Cook

November 30th - Mt Cook Hooker Valley

Caught the Mt Cook connection, leaving Tekapo for a 2 night stay in Mt Cook Village. We passed by the big town of Twizel, built in the 1960’s for the workers & families of the hydroelectric dam system. In its day it had the largest school in the country with over 1000 kids, it now has less than 100 for all grades combined. We passed several times the canals & Lake Pukaki with its milky blue colour from the rock flour of the glacier run off. Once arriving in Mt Cook, after a quick tour ( & I do mean quick tour) of the 2 or 3 backpackers, information centre/department of conservation office, café/bar & Hermitage hotel that was it. Oh & it should be noted that the Hermitage hotel apparently goes for $585 a night. What a steal I have for my YHA dorm bunk bed .



This small village has 300 residents at its peak during summer (which is quickly setting in) but I am pretty sure I saw more than that in Japanese tourists today while doing my hike out the Hooker Valley. Yep, all decked out in parasols & some even with white gloves (I kid you not!) for this 4 hour walk on, at times, rocky uneven moraine. Whatever works. The Hooker Valley combined many different sceneries but all with spectacular mountains encompassing my every move. Mt Brunner, Mt Sefton, The Footstool, Cadogan Peak, De Faur Peak & Huddleston Glacier, Stocking Glacier, Mueller Glacier & ++ glacial moraine (old & new) from the receding glaciers. One of the most striking things to note was the loud, thunderous booming that actually made me stop in my tracks at first. Nope, not thunder. That would be the constant avalanches & snow & ice dropping from the mountains & glaciers. No wonder people get killed climbing! It felt like the earth was shaking & I would look up to see if I could anything moving but nope, but it sure sounds like it is coming my way  Along the way there were several swing bridges, definitely one of my favourite things & this time with the rushing Hooker River below with rapids & large boulders. One of my favourite plants along the way was the this spiky vibrant yellow plant (sometimes a more muted green when growing to its full maturity), called the spiky Spaniard (I kid you not!) that would grow in groups of 2 or 3. Very cool. Also the greatly anticipated Mt Cook Lily was abundant as I continued my trek onward to Mt Cook/Aoraki (maori meaning ‘piercing cloud’). How spoilt I was to have had a clear, sunny day to see the spectacular edges, peaks, snow buildups & overhangs of Mt Cook & the surrounding Mtns. It looked so crisp & clean & untouched. Mt Cook is 3764m, with Mt Tasman a close second but there are over 17 mountains in this range that are over 3000m. Crazy high! All I was doing was walking along the Valley floor, no summits for me! Mt Cook is often barely peaking through a cloud, but not this day clear……… & then as I was heading back it cooled off & the streaks of cloud rolled in. With a day’s wrap up back at the information centre (definitely the coolest one I have been in, you were so right, Dad!) I learned more about the mountains, the climbing of, the people who climbed them, the equipment (new & old), search & rescue, vegetation, mapping of the area, transportation (new & old) to the area, & how the region is now protected. Definitely thought provoking on how the climbing pioneers in the days of 1894 when the summit was first accomplished by several kiwis, what gear & lack of technology would truly have played a massive factor. Unfortunately, weather & mountain terrain still claim lives, as noted in the memorial books.

I do find it amazing though how it feels like you could just reach out & touch the mountains …………. Or even better just hop over them to the Tasman sea on the other side 

 

December 1st Mt Cook – Sealy Tarns

Today’s walk was an intense climbing hike. This 4 hour-ish hike had the same scenery as yesterday but from a whole new perspective. I left the hostel & walked on the flat moraine of the valley before starting my ascent up Sealy Tarns & eventually to Sealy Lake. The climb had my legs wanting to go a decent pace but my lungs saying hey wait a second, we are not getting enough oxygen….. which led to breaks & therefore photo stops along the way . But again what a gorgeous day, only small whimsical clouds to blow around Mt Sefton & Mt Cook. & today felt even closer to the thundering avalanches, definitely spotted one during my launch break at my summit spot.

My return descent was just as tricky, if not, being even more careful with sure footing, straight posture & skidding on my butt for parts of it along the rocks. I did not trust any rock, boarding or tree until I was confident of its placement, nothing like the cliffs & knowing just how high I was to put the falling off into perspective. (It perhaps didn’t help reading the death books the day before of people falling off or severely injuring themselves in the visitor centre!).

As I realized about a quarter of the way up, it was perhaps not the smartest to do alone, although I didn’t really feel alone with different people coming & going. But it could have made for a scary search & rescue if one needed to be taken out. No such worries on my day.



I even stopped out at Kea Point on the way back….. making for an energetic hiking day at Mt Cook in summer in New Zealand!

December 2nd Mt Cook return to Lake Tekapo

Today I spent exploring the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. If you do not know of this man, He is the first man to summit Mt Everest back in 1954. He is just a little bit of a hero/god to the people of New Zealand. He passed away in 2007, at the age of 88 but his legend will live on for not only being the first man to summit Mt Everest but for spending so much time in & around the Mt Cook/Aoraki National Park for a great deal of his training. His face is also on the 5 dollar bill. The centre at the Hermitage Hotel included info on the hotel, the pioneering day of the hotel, the first climbers, gear used in the early times & showed movies, a 3D one with scenic flight through the mountains & a life & times of Sir Edmund Hillary. The geek in me always loves that stuff. Then it was back to Lake Tekapo for a night (& really do we need more pictures of Lake Tekapo, I think not  :)) before heading on to Christchurch ……. But not before white water rafting along the Rangitata Gorge!!